September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(53)

Chapter Fourteen

The bright artificial light was hard on my sensitive eyes. The twenty-four hour Tim Horton’s coffee shop was almost empty. I sat at a corner table with Willow, Jez, and Kale. Two cops sat on the other side of the building, eating a late night meal and chatting amongst themselves. I inhaled the bittersweet aroma of strong coffee before lifting the cup to my lips.

The four of us had gathered to discuss the events of the evening. I had called Shaz to fill him in while waiting for Kale and Jez to arrive. Rather than beckon him to join us, I sent him home with the suggestion that he should go for a run with Coby. He had resisted, wanting to come to me instead. But I couldn’t allow it. Shaz was giving up too much to be with me. He was wolf, and he needed to act like it.

“I don’t think there is anything to find at all,” Jez griped, swiping a scoop of foam from her latte with a pinky finger. “If Veryl was the last one to know its whereabouts, it could be just about anywhere. But I doubt he’d be stupid enough to leave it in this city.” Her hand shook as she licked the foam from her fingertip. She caught me staring, and I quickly averted my gaze.

“Forget the churches,” I said. “We’re done with that. Leave them for Shya’s crew to pick through. They won’t find anything. I think someone is trying to throw us off the right path. I’m not wasting any more time that way.”

“So what now, then?” Kale leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. He stared across the table at me, his expression hard to read. “Where do we start? What do we do?”

I glanced at Willow who frowned as if he knew what was coming. “Well,” I began. “I wanted to try contacting Veryl, but Willow insists it shouldn’t be done. So unless any of you have any other ideas, I think there’s no other choice but to wait it out. Either the scroll turns up or it doesn’t.”

“Contact Veryl?” Jez repeated. “Is that even possible?”

Every eye was on Willow. He ran a hand through his dirty-blond hair and sighed. “Yes. But like I told Alexa earlier, it’s not an option. It’s too dangerous.”

Kale jumped in to back Willow up. “It’s definitely a bad idea. Even you can’t possibly be that reckless, Alexa.”

“Can’t I?” I demanded, my voice rising to draw the gazes of the cops to me. I dropped my tone to a hushed, loud whisper. “Everything is being taken from me. My sister is a government tool, my pack kicked me out, and my twin flame was with Shya tonight, turning Gabriel. What do I really have to lose?”

Jez looked back and forth between Kale and me. Her ruby red lips were pursed, and those green cat eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Is it really that dangerous? What’s the worst that can happen?”

Willow gave an exasperated sigh and stared at the ceiling as if seeking guidance from an unseen force. “Nobody can simply talk to the dead. Ouija boards, séances, all that crap is just that. Crap. Anything that talks to you that way is not a deceased human. It’s a bad spirit masquerading as whoever you want them to be. The only way to talk to the dead is to be dead. Got it?”

“What are you leaving out?” I searched Willow, sure he was leaving something out. The way he avoided my gaze confirmed it. I was starting to learn his tells.

He glared at me, a dark look that I’d seen him direct at Brook but never at me. It was a little scary. I was reminded that as good and dedicated as Willow was, he no longer belonged to the light.

“There is a ritual that can be used to access the dead and still come back. But it’s not without serious risks. They aren’t worth it. You can come back…changed. Inhuman.” Willow paused, looking at each of us in turn. “It’s not an option. I won’t be part of it.”

His adamant refusal struck a chord within me. I trusted Willow on many things. This shouldn’t be any different.

“Ok,” I said, patting his arm. “Let’s drop it. I won’t bring it up again.”

Jez caught my eye and raised a finely arched brow. She wanted me to push the subject. I could see it in her eyes. However, she wasn’t making the best decisions lately. I shook my head in answer to her silent question.

“Anyway,” I continued, “I can’t keep wasting time chasing after something that could be hidden on the other side of the planet for all we know. There are rebel vampires to deal with. I’m not letting them f*ck shit up for me.”

“And Arys?” Jez pulled a napkin from the dispenser and began to tear small pieces from it. “Sounds like he’s f*cking shit up too.”

I didn’t want to discuss that, not with Kale present. It was just too awkward. “I’ll deal with Arys.”

“Alrighty. Let me know if you need me to hunt down some rebel vamps.” Jez barely looked up from the small mountain of napkin bits piling up in front of her. The girl was a jittery mess.

“What I need is for you to come try on bridesmaid dresses tomorrow afternoon. Kylarai will be expecting us.”

“That’s tomorrow?” With a crooked smile Jez pushed a golden lock out of her eyes. “No problem. I’ll be ready. I can also stay at my own place alone until then too. If you guys can possibly let me out of your sight.”

She laughed like it was a joke, but I could tell that she was upset. Too bad. I was not going to apologize for wanting to make sure she was safe after how we’d found her.