There are nods from everyone.
“And that the Order is out?”
My dad stiffens. “Yes.”
“I think I know where we can get the information we need. More than even the Order has.”
I sense rather than see Becks shift. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”
“Possibly,” Talon admits.
“How would you even get there without the Order’s help?” Becks asks.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, feeling out of the loop.
“We’d like to know that as well,” my dad adds.
Talon shifts, leaning forward and bracing his forearms on his knees. “I’ve told you about my life in the creature world, how I was raised in the Arcane Society.”
My dad nods, and Talon glances at me. “Becks told me a bit about it,” I confirm.
“Good. Well, our libraries are the best in both worlds. The Society has made it their mission to know and collect as much information as possible about Shadow Striker and the demon linked to it. I think if this demon has a weakness, we’ll be able to find it somewhere there.”
“There’s one problem with that,” I say.
Talon nods, and Locklyn answers, “The Society is in the creature world.”
“It is,” he says.
Becks pushes off the wall. “And even if we had tamalite to get us through one of the gates, they’re all guarded by the Order. Even more strictly than the Society guards them. So how do you propose we get to the creature world without their help?”
“Cassian.”
I’m looking at Becks when Talon says the name, so I catch the tightening in his shoulders.
“Who’s that?” I ask, and Becks glances down at me.
“It’s the vampire who helped me get here in the first place. He knows how to make portals between the worlds.”
I feel my gaze widen. “The Vampire King?”
Over the last couple of weeks, Becks and I have talked about anything and everything.
Well, except the truth about his past with Locklyn.
He told me about the creature who helped him get to the human world: the Vampire King, who was released from the cursed dagger. I just didn’t recognize his name.
Becks nods.
“Is that safe?”
“Depends on your definition of safe,” he answers with a frown.
“If we can get to the creature world, it also buys us more time. The demon won’t be able to reach Haven there, so she’ll be protected.”
My parents suddenly look more interested in this plan.
“Couldn’t Haven just stay there indefinitely?” my mom asks. “Wouldn’t that solve the problem? If the demon can’t reach her because it’s in a different world, then it can never use her to gain the power it’s after. She’d be safe.”
