“Ready?” I asked.
Nico offered a stiff nod. Octavia simply stared at a rocking chair.
The walk up the steps was quick, but in that small amount of time, my hand found its way into Octavia’s. Her fingers were sweaty, but she didn’t loosen her grip. I rubbed my thumb across the curve of hers. Her pulse pounded fast enough to be felt against her burning skin.
The door creaked on its hinges as Nico nudged it open. He took a step inside, carrying crushed rosemary in a vial.
Octavia followed, leading me past the threshold. The house was dark and chilly. The smell of food from the other night lingered in the air.
“Upstairs,” Nico instructed when he felt satisfied with our preliminary glance around the living room. “To your room.”
Octavia nodded and followed in silence. She squeezed my hand once before following Nico up. Jonah brought up the rear. The hallway was darker than downstairs, with no windows to let in hints of the afternoon light.
“What now?” Octavia asked when we had entered her bedroom.
“It came from the mirror?” Nico moved into the bathroom. “The first time you saw it, right?”
Octavia nodded numbly. She stood with her feet planted firmly, not moving an inch closer to the bathroom. Nico looked at me, silently asking for help.
“See this?” I stepped in front of Octavia, blocking her view of the bathroom. My hand was on my diamond pendant. I unhooked the clasp. “I got it from a small town in New Mexico. All the women in town were leaders. They built a community that could withstand any bit of paranormal force. Wild Women were what outsiders called them. Hunters call them Guardians. They’re one of the few groups of people in America who have found consistent success in blessing objects.”
I reached over to clip the necklace around her neck. “This object’s one of them.”
Octavia shook her head, trying to push me away with a gentle motion. But I’d already re-clasped the necklace around her.
“I can’t take this from you.” She went to remove it, but I grabbed her hands and held them between us. Octavia stepped closer when I did. I smelled the syrup on her breath from breakfast. Her pulse pounded against the pad of my thumb. I longed to press my lips against hers again, experiencing the fluttering there too. And stain a promise against her lips that as long as I lived and breathed, I was going to see her through this. I’d make her feel safe once more by the time I finished here. She would be safe once more.
“You’re not taking it; you’re borrowing it. You think I’d give away something that valuable to someone I met at a convention?”
Octavia chewed on her bottom lip, fighting off a smile. I was proud to be able to make her do that amid a potential storm.
“It’s the protection you’ll need,” I whispered. “It’s not powerful enough to ward off a demon, but it’s powerful enough to give you time to make an escape if it comes to that.”
She nodded, closing her eyes and releasing a soft sigh. “Thank you. I think…I think I’m ready.”
“Just talk to it like you would anyone when you’re trying to get their attention.” Nico stepped aside, allowing Octavia into the bathroom.
“This feels like elementary school all over,” Octavia mused and tried to smile a bit. “When the kids were obsessed with playing Bloody Mary.”
Nico nodded, gaze going into some far-off place for a moment. “I remember doing that. Seeing her.”
Octavia’s back stiffened, and she looked at Nico in shock and concern. “You’ve seen Bloody Mary?”
“Yeah, it was?—”
“Let’s focus on the task at hand,” I reminded her while sending Nico a disapproving shake of my head.
“Right.” He nodded in agreement. “Sorry. A story for later. Incentive to get through this.”
“Was living itself not incentive enough?” Octavia asked.
Nico’s genuine chuckle made Octavia and me smile. He’d always had a nice laugh. The kind that pierced the air and filled it with unarguable hope.
Octavia’s chest rose and fell more quickly as she inched into the middle of the bathroom. She gripped my necklace, rubbing the diamond between her fingers while maintaining eye contact with herself in the mirror.
She blinked quickly, trying to keep her gaze on the mirror. “What do I…”
“Like you’re trying to get someone’s attention.” Nico’s reminder was low and gentle. He flanked her on the left, and I stood at her right. Jonah lingered in the bedroom, a silent observer to what was our first in-field demon research.
