“I’m not sure. It’s either because the energy here is too dark and heavy. Or…” He pauses for a moment, before he’s able to continue. “Or I’ve been down here too long and too often, and now it’s influencing me in ways it never has before. Or, I’ve been stripped of my magick as punishment for what I’ve done. This is all new to me. I can’t say for sure.”
“I saw you annihilate that tree. That’s pretty much the opposite of healing energy.”
“Energy never dies, it just transforms. The magick’s still with me, it’s just that it’s so much easier to destroy than create.”
“Do you know what happened to Dace’s soul?”
“I know it’s not here.”
“Does that mean you do know where it is and you won’t tell me?”
He looks away. “Daire, please.”
“Axel—if you’re purposely holding back much-needed information for some messed-up reason, you’re only delaying the inevitable because I will find it!”
“I have no doubt you will.”
“So why not save me the time, and tell me now?”
“Because I don’t know where it is. But I’ve told you enough already, more than I should.”
I scowl, shoot him a dirty look, curse him under my breath, but he’s like Teflon, none of it penetrates.
He just continues to haul Dace through the veils, as I race alongside him. Glancing over his shoulder to say, “I guess you’ll just have to try to trust me—like I once tried to trust you.”
twenty-five
Xotichl
“So where is lover boy Greyson anyway?” Lita taps her square-tipped nails hard against the table, resulting in an incessant clinking that’s magnified by a lull in the music.
“Don’t be nervous. He’ll be here,” I say, trying to keep my rubbernecking in check. I’ve never seen the Rabbit Hole in the way I can now. And though I can’t see it clearly, it’s even spookier than I thought it would be. Still, I need to get it under control, be more discreet. I’m not quite ready for anyone to know I can almost, kinda see.
“Nervous? Over a boy?” Lita’s voice rises in outrage. “Please.” She continues with the nail drumming, as I focus on her energy sparking and flaring—a definite sign of nerves if I’ve ever seen one. “He’s the one who should be nervous. It’s his job to impress me, not the other way around.” Her head bobs, her nails tap, and it’s not long before her leg joins in, swinging back and forth. And I know I need to change the subject before she rockets right off her stool.
“So tell me, what do you see?” I ask, eager to see if it matches the shadowy visions before me.
She ducks her head, takes a sip of her soda, as I watch the swish of her energy, the tilt of her straw. “Okay, well … the band is taking a break, and I hope it’s a long one because they totally blow. I mean, where’s Epitaph when you need them? Especially the drummer?”
“For the last time, he’ll be here.” I groan, wondering what I was thinking when I agreed to set her up on a date. “And, for the record, I already know about the band. I’m blind, not deaf, you know.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. So let’s see … Phyre is still holding court, but she keeps looking over here. Though every time I catch her looking over here she pretends she wasn’t actually looking over here but rather at a spot just slightly to the right of over here.”
“Next time she looks, call her over.”
Lita leans in and lowers her voice to a furious whisper. “You’ve got to be kidding. Daire gave specific instructions to eavesdrop. She never said anything about getting chatty with the enemy.”
“Daire told you to be your normal charming self—and that includes small talk.”
“I don’t think I remember how to be charming. It’s been so long since I tried.”
“I’m not sure you ever knew how.” I raise a grin to soften the blow. “People were mostly afraid of you. But you can use that too. Just, turn it up like you used to.”
Lita grumbles a string of mostly unintelligible words, though it’s not long before she perks up again. Sliding her elbows across the table, she grabs hold of my arm, and squeals, “Oh my gosh—Cade’s here! He just walked up to Phyre and gave her a hug … um, actually, I think it’s more like she’s giving him a hug. She seems a little lingering. Like she has no plans to live in a world where she’s not hugging Cad
e. But, from the looks of it, he’s not all that into her. He extricates more or less gracefully, but not before she runs a finger down the length of his cheek, and looks at him all starstruck and dreamy … Gag. Consider yourself lucky you can’t see this. It’s straight out of the Come Hither playbook. So forced it’s embarrassing to watch. Anyway, better her than me. That’s what I say.”
I peer across the room, seeing far more than I let on. Still, it’s not quite as clear as Lita’s version, so I’m quick to press for more. “What’s Cade doing now? Are you sure he’s not into it? I mean, she is really pretty, right?”