He runs his hand down his face in frustration. “How can you be so flippant?”
“I’m not. You should know by now I joke when I’m freaked out. If I break down, what good will it do anyone? She got inside my head, Cristobal. This is personal for me. They’re walking among me, pretending to be friendly. I won’t rest until we break this case. I’m every bit as committed and concerned as you. I have two families to protect, and right now I’m failing both miserably.” I run my fingers through my hair. Rage simmers under the surface.
“Louella.”
“This is what you wanted right? To get into my head, see my feathers ruffled?”
He grips my forearms. “No, I want you to stop trying to be superwoman and be real with me.”
“I can’t afford to do that right now. That will come later. Right now I need to be Teflon, and you need to respect that. I get that I hurt you, and it left scars, but this is about more than us.”
“You called
my people family.” There’s a question in his words.
“A group of people you inherit not choose, and love even if you don’t like them? Yeah, I did.”
The corners of his lips curve upward, and I roll my eyes. Dramatic. People think vampires are icebergs, but they’re volcanos. They appear cool and unassuming on the surface, but capable of molten hot explosions at a moment’s notice, because there’s so much boiling underneath the exterior at any given time. Beautiful, flawed, infuriating beings warped and worn by time itself. They’re fascinating, deadly, and permanently tied to my own life. Which means I’m getting a crash course and learning how much I never fully understood about them.
“Why did you send Larkin?”
“I trust him, and so will Sacha. She has a talent for feeling people out. Of everyone, he’s raised the least alarms.”
“That’s because you haven’t seen him in battle.”
“Cristobal …”
“Relax, querida. He’s on our side.”
“Not reassuring after that statement.”
“He’s solid. He contains his monster well.”
“I’m feeling slightly better about sending him for Sacha.” I spin on my heel and return to the cave.
***
“Thank you for coming.” I greet Sacha at the mouth of the cave. I place my hand on Larkin’s arm. “Thank you.”
He nods before flashing forward to join the others.
“We’re going to send this bitch back her mojo, and then I’ll fill you in on everything.”
She hands me the black mirror, and I take a shaky breath as I distance myself from my emotions. We form a small circle with the mirror on the floor in the center. The artifacts we’ve managed to recover are arranged in a circle around the mirror, along with the scrap of lace I took from the in-between. Hands clasped and candles lit, we chant.
What you’ve sent you shall receive
From me to you this spell I conceive
The imbalance you weaved
What you set into motion now comes to an end
Back you this spell I send
This I make true by the power of three times three
We raise our hand as the wind blows in the space as the spell builds momentum, gathering strength. The breeze becomes a force of nature, roaring through the stone cavern before it rushes from the cave. Silence descends and we lower our hands.