I was about to say that when Cathryn’s cell phone, which had been lying face-down on the table next to a stack of papers, trilled an alert. Frowning, she flipped it over, and studying the display, lifted one finger to silence the room as she answered.
“Asher. What’s going on?” Her heels clicked on the wood floor as she stood up and left the room.
“You understand that she’s doing the best she can.” Seamus leveled a glare in my direction. “You questioning everything and second-guessing her decisions doesn’t help.”
I prevented myself from flipping him off, but barely. “Look, buddy, I get that you’re getting off on being protective, acting like her knight in shining whatever and everything, but I’ve known Cathryn a lot longer than you have. I don’t need you to ride in here and tell me how to talk to her. We’ve never had an issue.”
“Boys.” Veronica’s tone was mild and slightly amused. “Please. Let’s remember that we’re all on the same side here. Seamus, Rafe’s right. He and Cathryn understand each other, and you don’t need to jump to protect her from him.”
Just as I was about to do something mature like make a ha-ha-ha face at Seamus, Veronica turned to me. “And Rafe, you must respect that Seamus is only looking out for Cathryn’s interest and welfare. You’re not accustomed to it yet, but he loves her, and I know I’d think a lot less of him if he didn’t defend her.”
The Irishman crossed his arms over his chest and made some kind of hmmph noise deep in his throat. I nodded at Veronica in what I hoped she saw as a gesture of good will, but I didn’t say anything else.
“Men.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been alive for nearly four hundred years, and the one thing that hasn’t changed is the obstinance of males. And God save me from all the testosterone when one’s trying to outdo the other. What is it that you call it now? A pissing contest? Taking out your—”
“All right. Plans have changed.” Cathryn strode back into the meeting room, the expression on her face intense. My curiosity about what Veronica had been about to say fizzled into nothing. While I didn’t have the gift of mind hearing or empathy, I could definitely read the mood of a room, and something big had just hit the fan.
Seamus jumped to his feet, and Veronica’s eyes took on that faraway look that meant she was hearing her great-granddaughter think. She lifted a hand to her mouth.
“Oh. He’s gone, then.” She shook her head. “That poor misguided man. He wanted so much to be a catalyst for change—for positive change—and he failed miserably.”
“What is it?” Seamus’s gaze darted from Cathryn to Veronica. “Who died?”
“Donald Parcy.” Cathryn answered him crisply, dropping her phone back onto the table. “The man who started this whole thing fifty years ago. But he didn’t just die. He was killed in the nursing home where he’s been living for the past five years. That was my contact in San Francisco, who’s been keeping his eye on Donald. It happened last night.”
“Why does that change our plans?” I asked. “The old guy was a vegetable, right? What does his death mean to us?”
“It’s a signal that the Hive is ramping up more quickly than we’d thought. If they made a move to kill Parcy, it means they’re desperately trying to eliminate anything—or anyone—who might stand in the way of completing the ritual.” She gripped the back of the wooden chair where she’d been sitting before. “It also means that they’re getting aggressive about finding the vessel.”
“The vessel,” I echoed. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard this term. Delia, the dead double agent who’d briefly possessed our friend Jackie O’Brien last fall at the same time Joss had crossed over to our plane, had revealed that the Hive needed to find someone—a specific someone—who was integral to the success of their ritual. From what we had learned, it seemed that we needed to find this woman first, not only to stop them but also to help us save the world from the Hive’s plan for chaos. Keeping her from falling into Hive custody had been increasingly urgent, but so far, we hadn’t had any luck in finding her. Tough to locate someone on whom you had absolutely no information or leads.
“This moves up our timetable.” Veronica rose to her feet and skirted the table. “There’s no way we can gather everyone here and then move together to the safe house. We’ll have to meet there. It’ll be less dangerous and more efficient to do that, at any rate.”
“Can we risk sharing the location with that many people, when the information could be intercepted?” Seamus rubbed his neck. “How many are we talking about, anyway? Who isn’t nearby?”
Cathryn reached behind her and shut the door, and I heard Veronica chanting lightly under her breath, warding the room against any passers-by. I knew that the charms didn’t completely safeguard us, but it was something, at least.
Once the vampire had finished, Cathryn spoke, counting off people and groups on her fingers. “Lucas and Jackie are only a few hours away and can join us quickly. They’ve known for a while that they could be called at a moment’s notice. Zoe is here, of course, and so is Cillian, as are you four.” She glanced at me. “Counting Nell in with you, Rafe. Julia was planning to be here next week, so she’s still up in Cape May. Someone would have to retrieve her.”
“That’s one.” Veronica pursed her lips. “What about those coming from King, and the, uh . . . the recruit from Europe.”
“Who’s coming from Europe?” A peculiar sort of dread gripped my stomach. I had a feeling I knew what Cathryn’s answer was going to be, even if logic told me I couldn’t be right.
My boss lady had never been one to avoid conflict or unpleasantness. She faced it all head-on, and now was no exception. The only hint I had to her nerves was the way she took a deep breath before answering me.
“I was hoping to speak with you privately, Rafe, as this affects both you and Nell. But now, well . . . as I said, time is running out, and we can’t afford to let personal differences or past hurts affect our job now.”
“Just tell me.” I didn’t mean to sound so raw or terse, but it came out that way.
She cleared her throat. “As you know, Tasmyn and Michael will be joining us. We need Tasmyn’s power and strength, and although it wasn’t easy, I managed to convince them both that the fate of the world depended on Tasmyn’s help.”
“And?”
Cathryn glanced at Seamus. “When I was in Europe, I went to Romania and arranged for Marica Lacusta to join us as well.”
“What the fuck, Cathryn.” I stood and stalked to the other side of the room, raking my hand through my hair. “What the actual fuck? Are you out of your fucking mind? She’s insane. They deported her back to Romania because she tried to kidnap and then kill Tasmyn. And she led Nell into madness, used her, manipulated her—have you thought about what seeing Marica is going to do to Nell?”
“Of course, I have. I’m not an idiot, Rafe, nor am I insensitive, no matter what you might think. It never would have crossed my mind to seek out Marica if Nell hadn’t suggested it herself.”
I stared at her. “She did what?”
“Rafe, you should talk to Nell about this.” Veronica spoke up, her voice soothing. “But please understand that this was a selfless and considered decision. Regardless of the other pieces of this puzzle which we’ve managed to put into place—all the brave warriors who have agreed to fight on our side—there is no doubt that we’re going to need powerful witches—and having three of this caliber will give us an advantage that could mean the difference between winning and losing.”
“Tasmyn’s not a witch.” I spoke without thinking, but it was true. The girl I’d loved—or thought I’d loved—in high school back in King had been able to hear thoughts, and after some training from Marica Lacusta, her science teacher, she’d also been able to manipulate elements and manage some telekinesis. But I’d never considered her a witch the way that Nell was. My girlfriend’s abilities were virtually limitless. She could astral project, burn down a town or destroy miles of forest with a mere thought
.
“She wasn’t when you knew her,” Cathryn agreed. “But it’s been quite a while since you’ve seen Tasmyn. Her powers have grown, and I understand that she has learned to manage them, with some help from friends.”
I let that filter through my brain. “Michael’s coming, too? That’s definite?”
Cathryn’s lips thinned. “It was one of her non-negotiable conditions. We’ve arranged for protection for Tasmyn’s parents and for Michael’s father, but Michael himself—and his mother—will be part of our team.”
I snorted. “What the hell do they have to offer?”
“Rafe, please.” Veronica glided over toward me and lay a hand on my arm. “If Cathryn has agreed to this, it will work. And if we don’t trust each other, all of our planning and hard work will be for naught.” She paused, her ice-blue eyes moving from me to Cathryn and then to Seamus. “What was it your Benjamin Franklin said? We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
“Wasn’t that Patrick Henry?” Cathryn tilted her head.
“No, it was most definitely Benjamin.” Veronica’s grin broadened. “I was there when he came up with it. He was naked at the time—well, that wasn’t unusual.” She sighed a little, her smile growing nostalgic. “Benjamin was sans clothes as often as possible, the scoundrel. He used to say that he thought better if he could touch his—ahem. Well, you can use your imaginations.”
Cathryn wrinkled her nose, looking slightly ill. “I think I’d rather not. But I do appreciate the sentiment and the idea.”
I didn’t want to agree, but the small rational part of my brain knew Veronica was right. As much as I wanted to stubbornly hate the fact that Tasmyn, Michael and Marica would be joining our side of the fight, I could see the advantage those two women could give us. As for Michael and his mother . . . as the vampire had said, if Cathryn had agreed, there had to be a good reason.
“All right.” My consent, if that was the correct term for it, was given grudgingly at best. “But tell me this. Do you have a plan for containing the Romanian witch? You can’t tell me that you believe she’s totally stable now.”
“Of course, I have a plan. While Marica has been . . . rehabilitated to a certain extent, her aunts and the other elders of her family have kept her in check through some incredibly strong magic. I spoke to them before I approached Marica, and we agreed that her cousin Nicoleta would accompany her here and maintain the spells.”
“Have faith, Raphael.” Veronica spoke softly. “To the best of our abilities, we’ve done everything possible to make our side strong. Some of our plans are risky, yes . . . but there is no gain without risk, is there?”
“Maybe so.” I turned to stare out the wide window that looked over the open fields behind the main house. “I just hope that if we manage to save the world, we’re all still alive to enjoy the victory.”
Golden Dunes, Florida
March, 2017
Jackie
“Do you think I packed too many shoes?”
I stood before my open suitcase, frowning down into the mess of clothes, toiletries and—well, shoes. Behind me, from where he sat on the end of my bed, Lucas sighed.
“I don’t think there’s a good answer to that question. I don’t know the proper footwear for the apocalypse.”
“If it’s just an apocalypse, then sneakers are the right option.” That was a given. “But with us moving to the safe house sooner than we expected, I’m thinking that we might have some downtime before the real action starts. That means I’ll probably need other shoes.” I turned to face him, hands on my hips. “But this is where it gets hairy. I don’t know where this safe house is located. If it’s in some place tropical or even mildly warm, I’ll need flip flops. But if we’re heading north, where there’s snow, I’ll need boots. You see my dilemma?”
“Jackie.” Lucas had exhibited extraordinary patience all morning, ever since we’d gotten the call from Cathryn that we needed to be at Harper Creek no later than this evening in preparation for our removal to the safe house. In true man-fashion, he’d tossed some clothes, a bar of soap and a toothbrush into a bag and declared himself ready. I kind of hated him.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that I’m having trouble figuring out the right clothes options. You wouldn’t let me call Veronica, Cathryn or Nell to ask them for input.” I paused, tapping my foot. “And I don’t know any of the other women who’re going to be with us.”
“I didn’t let you call them because they’re all busy getting ready to go save the world. None of them would want to take the time to chat about wardrobe choices. And seriously, you’d want to take advice from a centuries-old vampire or a powerful witch—who pretty much always wears black—or from Cathryn, who’s never exactly been your best bud?”
I pointed at him. “Hey, Veronica is very hip and with it for a woman her age. She’s been around, and I bet she’d have some great ideas for me. Not only that, she’s the only one who knows where we’re going, so talking to her would make sense. Cathryn wouldn’t be my first choice, but she does have killer footwear. As for Nell . . .” I cast my eyes up toward the ceiling. “Yeah, you may be right about her. I like Nell, and she’s my friend, but Rafe would probably be more interested in talking clothes than she would.”
“Rafe would suggest you wear something low-cut so he can ogle your rack,” Lucas retorted. “I know he loves Nell and he’d never cheat on her, but he definitely likes you.”
I hid a smile. Rafe and I really were good friends, and I found it easier to talk with him than anyone else at Carruthers. I knew that Lucas wasn’t being serious—well, not much—when he said Rafe appreciated my body, but it was kind of him to say it. And given the fact that Rafe Brooks was the hottest piece of man meat I’d seen in all my life, I had no problems with the idea of him ogling any part of me.
“Of course, he likes me. What’s not to like?” I turned around again and knelt down by the suitcase. “I think I’ll take out a pair of jeans and put in those boots. Better safe than sorry.”
“Jackie, babe, we’re getting tight on time.” Lucas stood up and laid his hand on my head. “Come on. Close up your bag.”
I sank back down on my haunches. “I don’t know if I can do this, Lucas. We’re leaving Charlie and Makani and Mrs. Mac and Nichelle and little Jack and all the rest of that family, not to mention Mary and everyone at the diner. And what about my family in New York? And Crissy Darwin, though God only knows where she is, somewhere on the road, I guess, still touring—”
“Jackie, we’ve been through this. You talked to Nichelle and prepared her as much as you can. She has a plan for what happens if the shit goes down. You know her—she’s a tough broad, and she’d lay down her life before she’d let Mrs. Mac or Charlie get hurt, let alone any of her kids or her husband. And Cathryn has protections around your family in New York. There are people watching out for them.” He sat down next to me, draping an arm around my shoulders. “If we don’t get moving, though, we can’t help save the world. And then all those people you’re worried about really will be in danger. We need to go.”
I rested my forehead against his chest. “I hate good-byes.”
“I know, babe. But this isn’t really good-bye. It’s just . . . see you after we save the world.” He touched his lips to mine, and I felt that same spark that had existed between us from the very beginning. “We need to do a good job of pretending that we’re just going on an extended business trip, though, so Mrs. Mac doesn’t get suspicious. You know she sees conspiracy around every corner.”
I sniffled. “I know. But Charlie’s going to distract her. Plus, she’s preoccupied with all the appearances she needs to make as Ms. Florida Senior Living.” Never in the history of this small and quirky pageant had the winner done anything with the crown after her win, but then again, none of those winners had been my next-door neighbor and best friend-who-could-be-my-grandmother. The feisty lady had begun setting up her participation in grocery store openings, town
celebrations and anything else where she could justify dressing up and wearing the crown. She’d even been making noises recently about hiring a booking agent.
“That’s true. See, she won’t even know we’re gone.” Lucas rubbed my back. “Come on now. We need to pack up the car and hit the road.”
Fifteen minutes later, we stood outside in my driveway. Lucas had pried the suitcase away from me and locked it in the trunk so I couldn’t try to add any more stuff to it. We’d stuck a cooler in the back seat; Charlie had loaded it up with fried chicken, her delicious homemade French fries and hard boiled eggs, which she claimed were the perfect road-trip food. Also in the backseat, under a carefully folded blanket, was another cooler; this one contained bags of blood Lucas would need for the coming weeks. We’d stockpiled it, since we weren’t sure about availability of his necessary food source at Harper Creek or beyond.
Charlie leaned against the car now, her arms crossed over her small chest, her eyebrows drawn together. It was hard to believe that I was having trouble leaving the grumpy young woman who’d moved in with me a few months ago, but I had to admit that I’d grown attached to her brutal honesty and prickly personality.
“Remember, don’t take any catering jobs until you hear from me about my return date. Check in at the diner every few days and make sure Mary doesn’t need help.”
“And if I have ideas about how to make the menu there better, I should just do it, right?” Charlie’s mouth stretched into a fake smile.
“Of course, that’s—no! I told you, no making menu changes without my approval.” I scowled down at her until I realized she’d been messing with me. “Ha, ha, very funny. It’s not nice to make fun of the older lady who’s leaving you with her house, her dog and her friends for an indeterminate amount of time.”
“Jackie, seriously, chill, dude. It’s going to be fine. You and Lucas go do your business stuff, and don’t worry about anything here.” We’d concocted a vague story about Lucas needing to travel for his consultant work with Carruthers, explaining to all of our friends that due to the sensitive nature of the job, we might not be in touch for a while. They’d all nodded as though they understood, even though I wasn’t sure I even got what we’d tried to say.
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