Auden starts to speak, but he’s stopped by a knock on the driver’s side window, accompanied by a female voice calling, “Hey—any room for a third wheel?” A moment later the door opens and closes as Lita’s energy fills the backseat of the car. “Sheesh, it’s totally freezing out there.” She claps her mitten-covered hands together in an attempt to warm herself up. “Makes me wonder if this snow will ever stop.”
I sigh. Auden mumbles in agreement. And we all fall quiet again.
It’s been snowing steadily since Christmas Eve, and even though we like to complain about it and all the inconveniences that go along with it, deep down inside we dread the day it will cease. As long as the flakes continue to fall, we have a connection to Daire. But if she doesn’t return by the time the earth warms, the snow melts, and spring is sprung, well, what then?
“So, any news? Any news about, you know, anything?” Lita asks, reluctant to actually voice what all of us are thinking: What happened? Where are they? Will we ever see them again?
We’ve spent countless hours poring over the most minute details of that night. Attempting to piece it together and discover some hidden clue we might’ve missed at first glance. But the fact is, we all saw the same thing: Daire sprinting into the club, warning us to run, to get as far from the Rabbit Hole as we possibly could. The sky was bleeding fire, she said. The prophecy had begun. Her last words to me being: “I’m going to stop this. Fix this. If it’s the last thing I do.” Then she jerked f
ree of my grip, made for the vortex, and no one ever saw her again.
I shake my head, clearing it of the memory as I twist toward Lita and say, “No news in the two hours since we last spoke.” I do my best to chase it with a grin, though it doesn’t come as easily as it should.
She breathes a sigh so heavy and deep, I’m instantly reminded of just how much, and how quickly she’s changed. It wasn’t long ago when she was the undisputed queen of Milagro High. The uber-popular, snooty, mean girl everyone openly admired and feared. The kind of girl who would never even consider acknowledging someone like me. But then Daire came along and brought us all together. Her arrival in Enchantment may have incited Cade’s actions, but it also changed our lives in some really good ways.
“So, what do we do? How do we handle this?” Lita asks. The question chased by the click of her compact opening, followed by the sticky swish of her lip gloss wand moving over her lips.
“You’re Milagro royalty, what would you suggest?” Auden laces his fingers with mine.
“Former royalty. I gave up the crown, remember?” Lita snaps the compact closed, and dumps it along with her lip gloss into the abyss of her purse.
“And look who’s wearing it now,” Auden says, and I know from the tone in his voice, the shift in the air, that Phyre is here.
Lita sniffs, gathers her stuff, and props open the door. “Good,” she says. “Let her have it.” She climbs out of the car. “If she wants everyone to notice her, I’ll be the first in line. I don’t trust that girl for a second, and I plan to watch her every move from this moment on. And, for the record, Daire didn’t trust her either. Which means I’m going to do whatever it takes to figure out just what she’s up to—why she’s back in Enchantment. If for no other reason than to honor Daire’s memory.”
“Don’t do anything reckless,” Auden warns.
“Who me? Reckless?” Lita laughs. Coming around to my door when she says, “You coming, flower? We have reconnaissance to do.”
“Hey, I’m the only one who gets to call my flower, flower!” Auden pulls me close and plants a sweet kiss on the top of my head.
“That’s probably for the best,” Lita says. “It felt kinda weird. Anyway, we better vamanos. We can’t afford to miss the show now that the main act is here.”
“Right behind you,” I say, as Auden and I slip free of the car. Following Lita into the surreal swirl of the Rabbit Hole’s energy.
six
Daire
I hate to admit it, but waiting is not a skill that comes naturally to me.
Although it starts off well enough, it’s not long before I grow antsy. And once my body starts fidgeting, it’s not long before my mind gets fidgety too. My head hosting a never-ending parade of self-defeating thoughts. Doubting my abilities. Questioning my strategy. Worried that I might’ve judged Axel too harshly. That I’m being paranoid. That I got it all wrong.
After all, he did save me.
He did stop Cade from stealing my soul.
Not to mention how he’s cared for me, healed me, without once asking for anything in return.
And yet, every time the long list of possible misinterpretations stacks up against me, all I have to do is take one look at this creepy, bride-like gown that I’m wearing, and just like that, I’m resolved to go through with my plan.
Reminded of something Paloma once said, that patience is the companion of wisdom, I settle into waiting again. Using the time to scrutinize every last detail, all too aware that there’s only one shot at getting this right. If I hesitate, if I falter even slightly, all will be lost.
Axel is bigger. Stronger. With magickal abilities that far surpass mine.
There’s no room for mistakes.
The gravel crunches and shifts just outside the door.