Basil (The Brinnswick Chronicles #3) - Michele Notaro Page 0,3

over in Owentine, but they haven’t released a name yet.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. They’re being really hush hush about the whole thing.”

He nodded. “I called Petunia to find out who it was.” Petunia Crane was a friend of his and also happened to be the leader of the whole damn country. Well, there were others on the board with her, but she was the top dog.

“Did she tell you who?”

“Of course. It was Chilton Morelli. I didn’t know him too well, but as far I know he wasn’t a bad guy. The crazy thing is that they think he was assassinated. Probably about forty-eight hours ago.”

“Are you serious?”

Ailin nodded. “Yeah, found a fucking arrow through his skull.”

My eyes widened. “Arrow?”

Ailin narrowed his eyes at me. “What? Do you know something?”

I shook my head, but I couldn’t stop picturing that crossbow aimed at my head. How many people even used those things anymore? Most people went for a gun if they didn’t have magic to back them up. “I… maybe. That hunter had a crossbow.”

Ailin tilted his head. “Petunia said there was evidence that Chilton Morelli had a shield up and whoever killed him broke it.”

“Holy shit.” That hunter had said, “If you follow me, I will shoot you. And don’t think my arrows can’t get through your shield, Basil Ellwood. You’re not the only one that knows what he’s doin’.” Holy fucking shit.

I stood up, and Ailin grabbed my forearm to stop me from running off. “What’s going on, Bas?”

“I think that hunter might’ve killed Chilton Morelli. I need to go down to HQ and do some research, maybe get more details on that case.”

“You need to eat something first, Bas.”

I stared at my older brother who looked so much like me. We could almost be twins if not for the eyes. He had bright green eyes that matched his earth magic, whereas I had black eyes to match my shadow magic. I also had some black eyeliner under my eyes and shorter hair than him—hair that was apparently sticking up from traipsing through the woods all day—although we both had one side of our hair braided back with some beads and things braided through it. We were even about the same height and build, also known as short and lean, but I worked out so I had more muscle mass than him.

But I recognized the concern etched on his face, and since I didn’t like when he was worried about me, I relented. “Fine, but I have to go back to the office after I eat.”

He nodded. “Let’s get you fed, then. Come on, Remi, we gotta get your big brother some food.”

I smiled at that. Ailin and I didn’t really acknowledge the brother-but-he’s-also-my-father thing very often, but I had to admit that I liked when he referred to Remi as my little brother and not my nephew. Ailin put me in the same category as all the other “kids” except Opal and Aspen. They were closer in age to Ailin than me, so it made sense that he called them his sisters—since they were already teenagers when our parents died.

“Can I carry him?” I asked.

“If you don’t mind getting wet.” Ailin passed me a towel, so I scooped my little brother up into my arms and playfully dried him off, making goofy sounds and kissing his round cheeks every chance I got. He was an adorable little kid, and I was happy Ailin and Seb brought him into our lives.

Ailin patted my shoulder and pushed me in the direction of the house as I continued making Remi giggle. When we walked inside, I heard Seb’s voice in the living room, so I automatically went in there.

Seb and Ailin’s adopted daughters were in there with him, and Seb looked exhausted. He was helping them with their homework, but when we walked over and Seb saw Ailin, his eyes lit up. I’d never admit it, but I might be a little jealous of the love they’d found together. They deserved it, and I was happy for them, but sometimes I wished I had someone to look at me the way Seb looked at Ailin or vice versa because he was just as heart-eyed as Seb, maybe even worse.

Seb walked over, smacked a kiss to Ailin’s lips, and smiled at me. “Hey, Bas. Staying for dinner?”

I glanced around and saw a couple of my other siblings laughing around the dining room table, and I could hear Tio and Opal in