Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(40)

Brogan pulled away from the rest of her family to join us. My gaze was drawn to the headstone and Lena’s name etched deep into the marble slab. It hurt to look at the headstone, but staring into the pain in Brogan’s hazel eyes was worse.

“Thank you for coming,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “My mom talked a lot about you both. And Kale. Please tell him I apologize for the daytime service.” She mustered a smile that quickly fell flat.

“Brogan, I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. I had nothing to offer that would ease her agony.

Jez murmured sympathetic words and grabbed Brogan in a friendly hug. I stood there feeling awkward. I shielded against the storm of negative energy rolling from Lena’s mourning family. I could feel it battering my personal circle, seeking a way in.

“The cops are passing it off as an unfortunate home invasion.” Brogan sighed heavily and tugged a stray lock of dirty blond hair behind her ear. “I smiled and nodded. What could I do? Tell them about the heavy stink of vampire energy left behind? Dealing with the will and everything is proving to be enough hassle. But, knowing they’re out there…”

“I’m on it, Brogan.” I promised, my temper rising. “I know who did this. I’m going to find them.”

“I want in.” The determined set to her jaw reminded me far too much of Lena. “I need to be part of this, Alexa.”

Jez was already shaking her head. “God no, Brogan. You’ll get yourself killed.”

We all glanced around anxiously to ensure nobody was within earshot. Brogan frowned, her expression one of stubborn refusal. The last thing I needed was for something to happen to her, too. No way. Not on my watch.

“I have to do something. I can’t just sit by while those bloodsuckers kill more people as innocent as my mom.”I understood how she felt. My mother had been murdered, too, by my lover, a man who had gone to bed with both of us. I shuddered at the thought of Raoul touching my mother as a lover or a murderer. The urge to scream built quickly, and I shoved the thought from my mind.

“I promise you, I understand how it feels to lose your mother violently, but putting yourself in harm’s way is not what Lena would want. You know that.” I could see her forming another protest, so I rushed on. “I might need a locator spell done. You can help with that. But in the meantime, don’t get yourself killed. These vampires are ruthless, and if they find out you’re connected to me in any way, they will make death seem like a walk in the park.”

Brogan absorbed this, nodding slowly. I knew she was wondering now how much hell her mother had been put through before being killed. That hadn’t been my intent, but I needed to scare her off the trail. No good could come of Brogan involving herself directly in this.

“Fine. I’ll hold off for now. Let me know about the locator spell. I want to help however I can.” Her eyes widened, and she reached into the small clutch she held. “I almost forgot. I have something for you. I just started going through my mom’s things last night, and I found some stuff she had set aside for you both.”

A pained sound came from Jez. “I can’t believe Lena was planning for something like this.”

“She was a realist if she was anything.” Brogan sighed heavily. Producing a small black bag from her purse, she handed it to Jez. “There are two charms in here. The red one is for you, Jez. It’s for strength and guidance. The blue one is for Kale. It’s for serenity and inner peace. Alexa, there’s an amulet for you. I’m actually not entirely sure what it does, but it’s strong. I guess you’ll figure out what use it could be to you.”

“Thank you, Brogan. Please, if there is anything we can do for you do not hesitate to call.” On impulse, I pulled her into a quick hug, hoping it didn’t come across as awkward.

“And, she’s not just saying that,” Jez chimed in. “Lena was family. So are you.”

Tears welled up in Brogan’s eyes, and she smiled sadly. “Thanks you guys. That means a lot. I always knew something like this could happen, but I never really thought it would.”

We could say nothing to that. Jez and I faced a similar death every night. It used to seem surreal to me, too, but the cold hand of reality had bitch-slapped that out of me long ago.

Saying goodbye to Brogan was difficult. I wanted to chase after her with warnings to be careful. I was afraid she’d try to take matters into her own hands. She couldn’t take Maxwell, I was certain of that.

She made me promise to get in touch for that locator spell before rejoining the rest of her family. Jez and I slipped away, leaving them to grieve privately. We made our way through the graves, out the cemetery gates, and back to my car. Picking my way through the grass in heels proved to be more of a pain in the ass than I’d anticipated.

“I wish Kale could have been here,” Jez whispered despite us being alone. “He’s always so calming in situations like this. I turn into an anxious mess. …Or, at least he used to be.”

“I hate to say it, but I’m kind of glad he wasn’t.” I cringed. “Does that make me awful?”

“Of course not. If I were you, I’d probably feel the same. He hasn’t been the same lately. I don’t like it.”

“I’ve been asked to kill Veryl, Jez. And, I think I’m going to do it.” I blurted the words before thinking it through. I hadn’t told anyone yet, and I needed to hear myself say it out loud to somebody else.