Empowered (Unbound, Book 6)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ten minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. I came out of my bedroom, fully dressed with my hair in a messy bun and glasses instead of contacts—too much chlorine made my eyes dry. In the living room, I paused to look around.

A knock sounded again.

I crossed the room to answer the door. Zach was expected but in theory, Calin could return. As much as I liked the safety of my solitude, it made me somewhat sad that I could only expect the person on the other side of the door to be Zach or Calin.

"Where have you been?" I asked when I opened the door. I walked away before Zach could answer, leaving him to follow me to the kitchen. "Obviously, you had my number. The least you could have done is let me know how it went with the Council."

"I did as you asked."

"Yeah? How did you leave? Because I heard you took off so quickly, no one saw you use the elevator."

"That's because I created an exit before I met with the Council."

"A portal?"

"Yes."

"Zach! What if someone had seen you?"

"It was beside the elevator, Nora. I left and had enough of a head start that nobody saw me."

"What if they did? someone could have come off the elevator and tried to follow you. What actually happens if someone who can't go to the Kingdom tries?"

"I imagine they feel like they hit a brick wall and bounce back."

"You don't even know?"

"It's never happened."

"Zach!" I rolled my eyes and started preparing coffee. "If you did as I asked, why are the missing people we found still with the Council?"

"The Council was adamant they needed to stay. It's not like they knew who I was. Did you want me to do a portal right in front of the Council? Then call you to come do an exchange of blood so they could leave?"

"Don't be ridiculous." I pressed brew on the machine and turned to face Zach, crossing my arms and ankles as I leaned against the counter. "I would have preferred hearing from you before someone asked me about it. Apparently, it was suspicious I returned the same night anyway."

"How did anyone learn you returned?"

"I went to the Manor for dinner." I turned around, busying myself getting cups and then creamer. I put my hands on the ledge and watched the coffee drip into the pot.

"Why?"

"To check on Maible. Try sense Devland."

"You can't—"

"Yeah. I couldn't. Maible's a mess of emotions, though. Up. Down. Mostly angry." The pot finished brewing and I prepared our cups and then carried them to the kitchen table so we sat facing each other. "She's grounded for drinking."

Zach took a sip of his drink, nodding. He set his mug on the table. "Unfortunately that is typical teenage issues. We have more immediate problems to address."

"I know. I worry still, but she needs to want help. Kind of useless to try if Maible doesn't."

"Smart."

"So." I raised an eyebrow. "All of the missing people have unique abilities and even though we found Aaron and the girl, another person is missing. Did the Council say anything about that?"

Zach shook his head. "Not while I was there."

"But you went to the Kingdom and watched after you left, didn't you?"