“It sounded like you guys were having a good time.” I try to keep the jealousy out of my voice.
“Guess what? Marcus can fly, just like all other protectors.” She teases. “And little brother…the next time you pluck one of my feathers, I’ll take five. Consider this your only warning.”
“Watch it.” Marcus elbows her. The two of them get into a jabbing match, both of them laughing.
I sense their euphoria and wish I could be a part of what they experienced tonight. I’m happy Marcus has connected with Selima, but they spend so much time together. At least I was included tonight.
The sound of crickets rings out. Selima looks around curiously.
“It’s my phone,” Marcus says, pulling his cell from his pocket. “Henry,” he says as he turns his back and walks to the opposite end of the clearing.
“I’m going to help him,” Selima says. “Show him the ways of the protectors, what he missed out on growing up in the clan.”
“That’s great, but what about keeping him safe from Camille and Garret?”
Selima sighs. “I think you’re wrong about their intentions. Camille adores him. She won’t hurt him. Garret just needs to get used to the idea of sharing Camille.”
If she’d been there that night at the condo, she would realize how wrong she is about her father.
Marcus returns a moment later. His wings are gone, and his shirt is back on. He grabs me by the arm. “We’ve got to go,” he says tightly.
I race to keep up with his stride. “What’s wrong?”
“The ravens are back.”
Lola and Serenity are back!
“Are they okay? Did Jude do something to them again?”
“What would Jude do…?” Selima asks.
“No. They alerted Henry and Persephone to some unusual activity in the woods.” Marcus’s words are clipped. “About a mile from here. We need to go.”
“What kind of activity?”
“It’s not Garret, is it?” Selima asks. She moves around Marcus, blocking his path. “You’re scared. Who are we running from? Tell me so I can help.”
A spasm racks my entire body. A chill passes over my skin. “Seamus?”
“Yes.” Marcus bulldozes past Selima, nearly knocking her over.
“Who’s Seamus?” Selima asks. Her stride is long and smooth like her brother’s, while I trot to keep pace with the two of them.
Once at the car, Marcus opens my door and tries to shove me inside.
I push his hand away. “I’ve got it.”
He rushes to the driver’s side and climbs in. Selima’s in the car behind us, her headlights illuminating the interior of Marcus’s car.
“Are we going to meet with Persephone and Henry and come up with a plan?” I ask.
“I’m going to get you home. Aiden and I will guard the three-flat while Henry and Persephone go inspect the woods. Then we’ll switch in a few hours.” Marcus tears out of the parking lot and takes an immediate left turn.
I nearly slam into the passenger side door. “I don’t need guarding. My uncles do, though, so I’ll protect them. Or I can help Henry and Persephone,” I tell him. “Jude’s been training me to protect myself. To fight Seamus. I’m ready.”
Marcus snorts. “The fact you think you’re ready tells me you’re not. You’re going home. The four of us can handle this.”
I glare at him through the darkness. “You don’t think I’m good enough to help? How can you say that? You haven’t seen me in action.”
“It’s not about that. I can’t risk you getting hurt.”
“I’ve been getting my butt kicked every Sunday, working hard and eating crow. This is what I’ve been preparing for. Now you’re telling me I have to sit this out.” My temper flares with every word out of my mouth.
Idling at a stoplight, Marcus turns to me. The headlights of oncoming traffic illuminate his expression. I study the hard set of his mouth, staring at him stubbornly.
“Fine. You can guard your uncles from the inside. I’ll be on the roof, and Aiden will tour the parameter.” His tone is icy, clipped. “You don’t step foot outside. Got it?”
This is as big a win as I’ll get tonight. I’ll take it.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Marcus stands guard at my locker after final period on Monday. His hooded gaze surveys the crowded hallway. Once he spots me, I wait a beat for his expression to soften, for that crooked smile that’s meant only for me. Instead, his jaw clenches.
“You think Seamus will come after me here?” I ask once we’re inches apart.
Guarding my uncles on Saturday night proved uneventful. Bernard, Sheldon, and I watched movies late, and then I pretended to go to bed. Once I heard their bedroom door close, I stayed up, pacing the house, avoiding those areas where the floor creaked, and making sure all the windows were locked. I drank half a dozen Cokes in order to stay awake. Seamus never made an appearance.
Marcus grabs a lock of my hair, and my fingers pause on my locker combination. I wait for him to wind it around his finger and bring it to his nose.
“I need you to text Katie, let her know you’re running an errand with me today.” He releases my hair, pressing it flat against my shoulder as if to safeguard it. “You should let your uncles know you’ll miss dinner, too.”
The noise of hundreds of students and locker doors slamming can’t compete with the thunder of my heartbeat. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to do some investigating,” Marcus says.
He’s taking me along to investigate? This is a big change from his attitude on Saturday night. Did he finally realize I can help? I nod and open my locker. Marcus looks around, searching the halls.
“Seamus wouldn’t come to my school. Would he?” Then I remember we have more than one enemy in town. “Or are you looking for Garret and other protectors?”
“I’ll tell you in the car,” he murmurs. He glances around again, standing close.
My heart pounds harder.
On the way to the parking lot, I notify Katie and my uncles about my change of plans. Once we’re in the car, I turn to Marcus. “Is it Seamus or Garret?”
“We’ve been studying the woods since Saturday night. Seamus has spent a lot of time recently in one area in particular, Bunker Hill Forest Preserve. He’s been practicing magic.”
Seamus is back.
“So we’re going to confront him?” I remind myself I’m ready. Would Jude agree?
“It’s been quiet in the woods for the last ten hours, so we believe he’s moved on.”
“Why are we going to the woods if he’s not there?”
“To see what he’s been up to, and if we’re lucky, to get a sense of who he’s working with.”
“Just to be clear, he’s gone from the woods, but he’s not gone gone. Right?”
Marcus’s face darkens and he looks away.
I struggle to catch my breath, difficult given that my lungs refuse to cooperate.
“We’re ready for him,” I say under my breath, more to myself than to him.
Marcus reaches for my hand. “I won’t let him hurt you. And Jude knows better than to interfere this time. You’ll be safe.”
Seamus wants me dead. Garret wants me dead. I’m screwed, the little voice in my head says. No, I’m not, I snap back. I refuse to believe all of my training has been a waste.
“You should let Jude know,” Marcus says.
I wish Jude texted. He probably knows how and only pretends not to. He answers on the first ring.
“Lucy, I hope you’re not calling to cancel training this weekend. Dylan already tried. I offered to pick up Ethan in his place.”
“You wouldn’t!” I hiss.
“Try me.”
Jerk.
“I’m calling to tell you Seamus is back.” I’m met with silence. I wait several seconds, pull the phone from my ear and read the screen to see if the call is still live. I return the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“I know,
” Jude says.
“What?” I sputter. “You knew and you didn’t bother to tell us?”
“Since when do I have to report to my daughter?” The hard edge in his voice would normally make me back down. Not today.
“How am I supposed to protect myself if you keep secrets—big secrets—from me? Seamus came here to kill me!”
“Where are you?” Jude asks.
“On our way to Bunker Hill Forest Preserve.”
“No,” Jude replies. “Tell Marcus to take you home. Now.”
I roll my eyes. “According to Henry, Persephone, Marcus, and Aiden, the area has been quiet for the last ten hours. It’s safe. I can defend myself. And as long as you don’t disable the other person best qualified to help keep me safe, I’ll be fine.”
Marcus shakes his head, but I don’t care. I had to get the jab in.
“I’ll meet you there.”
“But…”
The line goes dead.
I glare at Marcus. “Great. He’s meeting us there.”
“Not a horrible idea.”
“Says you.”
We drive in silence for a while.
“I hate to do this, but it probably makes sense to bring Dylan in on this, too.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Forget it. It’s bad enough Jude’s showing up.”
“Lucy, put your personal feelings aside. The more supernaturals we have involved, the safer you’ll be if Seamus shows up.”
My heart leaps into my throat. “But you said he isn’t there. Besides, what good is Dylan? He’s barely supernatural.”
“His strength is unparalleled, according to Jude and Aiden.”
“But he’ll never be able to get close enough to Seamus to use his fists. That’s not how this works. With Seamus, it’s all about fireballs, disarming him, and strong defensive tactics.”
Marcus raises an eyebrow, an expression I now associate with Selima. For some reason I can’t explain, it sets me off.
“What do you think I do at Jude’s house every Sunday? Play checkers? Take cooking lessons?”
“It sounds like your training is paying off. I’m impressed,” Marcus says patiently. “Take the compliment.”
“I’m sorry. I…”
“No, I get it. You don’t like spending time with Jude,” Marcus says. “Well, wake-up call, I don’t like it, either. In case you forgot, I promised your grandmother I’d keep you two apart. For me to break that promise is huge. Protectors don’t break promises.”
I study his clenched jaw. I hate that the subject of Jude can ruin his mood in an instant. I’m sure the subject of Dylan doesn’t help. “I’ll call Dylan.”
Marcus rattles off the location of the forest preserve. “It shouldn’t take him long if he’s at home.”
I pull out my cell phone and call Dylan, curious how Marcus knows where he lives.
Dylan picks up on the second ring. “Looking for another chance to barbeque me? What do you want, Miss Firestarter?”
“Hey. Seamus is back in the area. Marcus and I are meeting Jude at the woods over by Harts Road and Caldwell Avenue.”
“And you need fresh meat to grill?”
I grit my teeth and resist the urge to disconnect. “Marcus says you should be included. Can you meet us there?”
“Let me guess. You don’t want me there.”
“Of course I do.”
“You’re a terrible liar. It’s one of the few things I actually like about you,” he says. “Jude just called me, too. I guess he thought you’d be an idiot and leave me out. I’ll meet you there.”
Blood surges to my temples. Where does Dylan get off insulting me? He’s an inferior demon, a loser mutant. “I’m an idiot? How exactly are you going to help?”
“I’m going to kick Seamus’s ass. Do you really think Jude believes you can handle a demon that powerful? Wake up and smell the coffee, hillbilly girl. He’s got the rest of us on board to save your butt.”
“I can’t wait to see you. I’m going to roast you until you’re well done.”
Marcus reaches over and plucks the phone from my fingers.
“Dylan? It’s Marcus.” He’s silent as Dylan blabbers over the line. “I hear you, but all of us are really tired of the fighting. Give us a break for one night, please. After tonight, you two can scream at each other all you want…Great. Thanks.”
Marcus hands the phone back to me.
I punch the end call button and shove the phone into my purse.
Marcus’s lecture immediately puts me on the defensive. Try walking in my shoes. Or Dylan’s. We don’t want to be like this. It was the stupid spell.
We pull into the forest preserve parking lot, and Jude glides into a spot next to us two minutes later. How did he get here so fast? Is it possible he knows Garret is in town and is spying on him at the condo? If protectors can sense demons, is the opposite true, too? Or did Aiden spill the beans? Would Jude kill a protector? That’s a stupid question. He would kill Marcus if not for our pact.
Marcus’s body trembles and twitches beside me. Damn you, Jude.
I slide out of the car as Jude lowers his window.
“Dylan’s on his way here. Any chance we can split up into two groups?” I glance over at Marcus, who’s using super human effort to keep his body under control. “This is torture for Marcus.”
Jude’s gaze flicks toward Marcus. “I can show you real torture if you’d like.”
“And I can disappear from your life,” I shoot back.
Jude’s black eyes return to me. The shock zaps me instantly and I flinch. I miss the days when he actually had to touch me to shock me. At least then I had some warning.
“Very well,” Jude says. “Dylan and I will scour the area to the east while you and the gargoyle work the west side. Call me if you find anything.”
I return to Marcus and relay Jude’s instructions to him.
“Perfect. Let’s get moving.”
Marcus’s face drips with sweat as his body twitches. I’d suggest he allow the change, but the forest preserve is open to the public until dusk, and there are several cars parked in the lot. He can’t risk it.
Marcus takes a map from a wooden dispenser and unfolds it as we approach the path. “We’re going to head this way.” He runs his finger along the west loop on the map. “The trails mean nothing to Seamus, but I’ll be able to pick up his aura.”
The path travels at a decline, and the further in we go, the more dense the foliage. My senses register the earthy smells of decaying wood, grass, and a mix of lavender and sage.
Marcus makes no sound as he leads the way along the path, but as quiet as I try to be, I can’t avoid crunching acorns and branches beneath my feet. A blue jay screeches overhead. Then again. By the third time, I pause on the path to glare at the noisy bird as I grit my teeth. Is it trying to give us away? Could it be a spy for Seamus? If he was able to control Jude’s red-eyed crows, he could do the same with one loudmouth bird.
Marcus stops and holds up his hand. His eyes narrow as he stares at an area to our right. I follow his gaze and see an open area through a dense cluster of trees.
I shiver as I follow him off the path, the branches scratching at my skin. The hair on the back of my neck prickles. Is this where Seamus practiced magic?
Upon entering the clearing, Marcus turns in a slow circle. He takes everything in, his nose raised to sniff the air.
As I walk the clearing, I spot unusual scores on three trees bordering the open area. I run my fingers along the charred impressions. A supernatural was definitely here. Are these marks from Seamus’s fireballs? Or was he practicing something more dangerous?
A huge tree is toppled over thirty feet from where I stand. My spider senses suddenly go bonkers. The air crackles with electricity. “Do you feel that?” I whisper.
Marcus nods.
I walk over to the tree with Marcus on my heels. The break point looks fresh. The tree wasn’t cut down. Seamus blasted it. Was he imagining me,
the grandchild of Vera, his lost love, and Jude, the man who stole her from him, when he did that?
I whip around at the sound of breaking branches to see Dylan enter the clearing, followed by a soundless Jude. I meet Dylan’s tight expression and every muscle in my body grows tense.
He doesn’t belong here.
“Seamus’s aura is all over the place,” Marcus announces. “I’m guessing he was here for a week to ten days, same as the other two locations. He’s moving from place to place to avoid being caught.”
“What other two locations?” I ask. Why didn’t he mention that to me sooner?
“And yet you didn’t hone in on his aura until he was gone,” Jude says.
“Do you honestly expect Marcus to know what’s happening in all of Cook County?” I snap.
Marcus nods at Jude, then turns to me. “He’s not saying that, Lucy. The point Jude is making is that Seamus is somehow able to cloak himself.”
Seamus can cloak himself? Great. Just great.
“He’s gone,” Marcus says. “The question is where’s he now?”
“Can we track him?” Dylan asks.
“He’ll have so many protections in place, you’ll never be able to track him,” Jude says. He walks across the clearing and stops at the giant tree lying on its side. He runs his fingers along the burn marks, then bends down to scoop something up in his hand. He draws his hand to his nose.
“I know what Seamus is up to,” Jude announces. He turns to face us, his expression grim. “He’s recruiting.”
“How?” Marcus asks, and all three of us line up along the tree and study the scorch marks.
“Recruiting who?” Dylan asks.
In the fading light, the marks are difficult to see. I pull my cell phone from my pocket and use the flashlight app to brighten up the area.
“Originally, I thought these were random, a result of Seamus hurling fireballs,” I say.
Marcus peers closely at the markings. “They’re symbols.”
There are three symbols in all. One looks like a teepee with a line through the middle, another that looks like the outline of a glass Christmas ornament with a plus sign on top, and the third looks like an upside down cross with a swirly tail.”
Dylan and I scoop some of the ash from the ground. I bring it to my nose. Visions of Daphne erupting into flames last year on Jude’s roof flood my head and my stomach convulses.
The Girl and the Gargoyle: Book Two of The Girl and the Raven Series Page 21