Slayer(74)

Artemis turns away. “It doesn’t matter.” She might as well be our mother. This is how we deal with pain, with hard things. We shut down. And we shut each other out. She leaves me alone with a prophecy of doom and a broken heart.





She had studied the words enough that she knew them by heart. But she still found them sometimes. Ran her finger over them.

Her own mother had failed. Spectacularly. And for a while the hunter had thought, perhaps, she wouldn’t be needed. After all, if a prophecy ends up being inaccurate, how can it come true? She told herself that, but she didn’t quite believe it.

Prophecies are slippery things, after all.

And so she watched, and she waited. There was no rush. The girls grew. One strong and smart and capable, one weak and clever and kind. Maybe the prophecy had never been about them. Maybe all her work, all her sacrifice, had been for nothing.

She was okay with that. Better to be wrong and have sacrificed a few lives than to be wrong and sacrifice the world. She wouldn’t have felt guilty if she had succeeded in killing one of the girls. That was why she was the hunter. Because she knew she would do whatever it took to keep the world safe.

For a long time—for years—it looked like she wouldn’t have to do anything.

But then the weak became strong. The healer became killer. Which meant the other twin’s fate beckoned as well.

Something would have to be done. And soon.

A knock on her door pulled her from her reverie. She pasted the smile on her face. “Just a minute!” The knives she had been stroking were placed gently back in her drawers, alongside a box of ballpoint pens, her favorite lipsticks, and a photo of Artemis and Athena.





22


THERE’S A KNOCK. EVEN THOUGH Artemis wouldn’t knock on our own door, I’m still disappointed when I open it and find Eve Silvera.

I must look as miserable as I feel; she radiates sympathy. “May I come in?”

“Of course.”

She takes in the room with a smile. “Where’s Artemis?”

Tears well up in my eyes and Eve envelops me in a hug. She smells cool and crisp, like an autumn night breeze. “It will work itself out. And I’m here to help with whatever doesn’t. This is why Slayers have Watchers. It’s too much for any girl to bear alone.” She pats my back and I pull away, sniffling but comforted. What would it have been like, to have a mother like Eve?

Eve gets to business. “Leo told me about your mother’s request that he go find Cosmina. I’m concerned.”

“Me too! I think it’s a terrible idea.”

“We don’t know anything about this girl, except that she was more than willing to leave you to die. We have a responsibility to reach out to Slayers, yes. But this is hasty and ill-advised. I’m still waiting on information from contacts within the city. Between the demon you discovered and whatever mess this Cosmina is embroiled in, I don’t see any reason to rush into a relationship with her. I’ve told Leo as much.” She frowns in concern. “I’m leery of the other Council members too. Not just your mother. If you’re right about Honora, she’s not acting as a Watcher anymore. I don’t know how much Wanda knows about it. She could be involved as well. So we can’t discuss this with any of them. But I wanted to make sure you agreed with my decision to wait before contacting Cosmina. I may be a Watcher, but you’re our Slayer.”

I am. I’m the castle’s Slayer. I know it’s just reinforcing my own petty reasons, but I latch onto her justifications. “We need more information about Cosmina. That’s how Watchers do things.” I may not agree with all the Watcher practices, but I have always agreed with that one.

A twinge of guilt and uncertainty tugs at me. My dreams sent me to Cosmina. And I helped her. But I know she still needs help.

I don’t want to give it to her.

“What a stroke of tremendous good fortune, having a Slayer who is also a Watcher.” Eve means it as a compliment, but I feel like I’m failing as both. I give her a fake smile. She opens the door to leave. “You tell me if anything comes up in your dreams, and in the meantime, I’ll handle Dublin, the demon, Cosmina, and Bradford’s death. If there’s a connection, I’ll find it.”

“Let me know if I can do anything?”

“I don’t doubt I’ll need you very soon.” She smiles and leaves.

Still uneasy, I pull on one of Artemis’s black leather jackets and head to the gym. Instead of training, I’ll ask Leo to scout with me to see if we can turn up Doug’s trail. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find him. Artemis didn’t, but she’s not a Slayer. At least then I’ll be doing something instead of just waiting. I know Eve is a Watcher, but I can’t sit back and let her do everything.

Leo’s waiting for me. “There you are. Come on.” He turns and walks out of the gym.

“Oh, good. I was thinking we’d look for Doug.”

“I trust your instincts that he’s not dangerous.”

“I was actually more worried about what would happen if Honora gets to him first.”

“Then we’ll know where he is, and we’ll deal with her.” He says it matter-of-factly. Instead of leading me to the forest, we go to the garage.

“So then where are we going?” I ask as he grabs the keys to the Range Rover.