Echo (The Soul Seekers #2)(59)

“Yeah, he would.” I exchange another look with Daire.

“And then what?” Daire leans against my chest when I move to stand behind her. “Did he stay—leave—what happened?”

“Actually, it was weird. He pretty much spent the rest of the time talking with Phyre.” Xotichl takes a long grateful sip of her coffee.

“What’d they talk about?” I rub Daire’s shoulders, noticing the way they stiffen at the mention of Phyre’s name. Leaving me to wonder how much she knows—versus what she might’ve guessed on her own.

“I don’t know,” Xotichl says. “I wasn’t close enough to hear. But the energy they had going between them was certainly weird.”

“Weird how?” Daire leans forward, her voice sounding worried.

“Frenetic. Off. Kind of murky and gray-brown in color.”

“You could see it?” Daire asks. “I thought that only worked with music?”

Xotichl shakes her head, takes another sip of coffee. “Paloma is teaching me to see the color in all forms of energy. Music was just the gateway.”

“Speaking of—” Daire grabs hold of my wrist and consults my watch. “I should get dressed and head back. I’m supposed to meet up with Jennika, so we can spend some quality mother-daughter time together.”

“I’ll drive you, if you want,” Auden says. “I’m heading that way.”

“And I figured I’d stick around and finally show Dace where the Rabbit Hole vortex is located.”

“I don’t want you going there.” Daire pauses on her way to the bedroom, her words directed at Xotichl.

“I figured as much,” Xotichl says. “But I’m not sure that’ll stop me.”

“Seriously,” Daire says, refusing to give in so easily. “It’s totally corrupt. It’s too dangerous. Dace—promise me you won’t let her go with you. In fact, promise me neither of you will go.”

I swipe a hand over my chin, purposely ignoring that last bit. “Have you ever tried to keep Xotichl from doing what she’s determined to do?”

“I have.” Auden raises a hand. “It’s not pretty. My flower is a stubborn one.”

Daire shoots me a warning look, but all I can do is shrug in response.

I’m going in.

Without Xotichl.

Without Daire.

Without anyone.

Last night clinched it. Now that I’ve been with her again, I don’t ever want to be without her.

I’m going to confront the prophecy and see that it’s done.

And by the time I’m finished, Cade will be dead.





thirty


Daire

When I get to Paloma’s, I’m not sure what to expect after staying out all night without telling anyone.

At the very least, I expect they’ll be worried.

At the very worst, they’ll be really, really angry.

Though maybe not Paloma. As a fellow Seeker, her expectations of me and my comings and goings differ from that of the average grandmother’s.

But Jennika? She’ll be in a frenzy for sure. My absence will hit all of her triggers. She’ll put two and two together and come up with three: Me + Dace = an unplanned pregnancy. Never stopping to think that I’ve got my own story to live—one that reads nothing like hers. Besides, Dace and I were careful, it’s not a baby we were making.

Though the scene I’m confronted with when I push through the door is not the one I expected.

Jennika is curled up on the couch, staring into the fire with a blanket wrapped snugly around her, while Paloma sits in an adjacent chair, sipping from a mug of fragrant herbal tea. The two of them sitting quietly, as though they weren’t even thinking, much less worried, about me.

I mumble a quiet greeting. Shooting a tentative, questioning look at Paloma, who merely smiles and nods in return.

“Did you have a good night?” Jennika asks, her eyes dark and sooty from the makeup she must’ve slept in. Breaking her own cardinal rule of: Thou shalt go to bed fresh of face. Leading me to believe she spent the night here.

I fill the space beside her and fold my knees underneath me. “The party was good.”

“And the after-party?”

We exchange a look. That’s not a question I intend to answer.

“At least tell me you were careful?” she prods.

I take a deep breath, unable to believe I’m having this conversation in front of my grandmother. “Of course.” I bite down on my lip, fingering the shiny gold key at my chest as I stare hard at her. She looks different. Vulnerable and soft in an almost malleable way. Like a long occupied space has suddenly vacated inside her. My voice softening, I add, “For the record, I really was listening during all of those awkward sex talks you forced on me.”

A ghost of a smile crosses her face as she wraps an arm around me and pulls me tightly to her. Burying her nose in my hair and inhaling deeply, she says, “Guess this means you’re back together?”

She pulls away and looks at me, and I nod in reply.

“You’re all grown up now.” She trails the pad of her thumb down my cheek. “I’ve got nothing left to teach you.”

“That’s not true,” I say, surprised to realize I mean it.