She took a drink and her eyes fluttered in surprise as scalding heat traced down her throat and a pleasant warmth seared her stomach.
‘Be careful with these,’ Remi said. ‘You’re not used to supernatural spirits.’ She swirled a crescent of orange through her cocktail, her full red lips clamped together.
‘Hey,’ Nicole said softly. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing, I just – after what happened – I could have seriously hurt Bells. I could have killed her.’ She cut off as her voice tightened. ‘She was so sweet, she tried to help me, and I had no control at all. None. What if that happens again?’
‘Maybe the song has left your system. After all, you haven’t felt some urge to repeat it, have you?’
‘No, but what if it only happens when I pick up an instrument?’
‘Then we won’t do that for a little while.’
Remi closed her eyes. ‘They’ll want me to sing, I know it. We needinformation. But I just – I don’t want to …’Hurt anyone, she meant, blinking quickly as if fighting tears, and tilting her head up so the light gilded her face and no silver lined her eyes.
‘How about this?’ Nicole said. ‘If something happens, I’ll literally tackle you and carry you back, and we can figure it out, okay?’
Remi turned her tear-bright eyes on Nicole. ‘I don’t want to hurt you either.’
‘You won’t. Do you feel the need to sing, or play that song again?’
‘No.’ Her shoulders relaxed slightly. ‘I feel released. Even if …’
‘If what?’
‘I feel like there are two more songs out there calling to me, which must be the magic within the other two strings. I just don’t know how to find them. If I could focus that somehow, perhaps it would lead me to them. If the stories are accurate, each string has a different property, so hopefully the others are less destructive.’
‘We’ll find them. We’ll just make sure you don’t touch them next time. Not until you’re ready.’
Because the whole point of finding these items was to use them.
But, what would happen when the three strings were restrung on the Dagda’s harp? When they found these blood-laden objects and brought them all together?
Something big enough to topple the Wake. Powerful enough to change the world.
Or end it.
Remi nodded, her eyes closing briefly like when she did her singing exercises. When they opened again, a mask had slid in to place – that of the confident performer. That girl who had lived among supernaturals and fled from them.
Who wasn’t afraid to have the power of gods at her fingertips.
‘So,’ she said, a new note of scandal shimmering back in her eyes as she took a sip of her cocktail. ‘Are we going to talk about what you crammed in your little purse after we stopped in the shop on the wayhere?’
Nicole smiled slightly. ‘Ah, you noticed that?’
‘Nicole,I’m going to needdetails. Though maybe not too many, you know I don’t play for that team.’
She wrinkled her nose slightly and a laugh stirred at the back of Nicole’s throat.
‘Well, I haven’t had much of a chance to buy them with my entire family around.’ She’d nearly ignored them. Nearly walked right past the shop. But she’d been mentally using the lack of them as an excuse.
Shewantedthat experience with Kyan. After last night, even more so. But she wasn’t sure she could relax enough, with so much else going on.
‘Ah. But Nicole, just think. Now you canuse them. With Kyan.’
Heat bloomed through her body. ‘Stop, I’ll need to lie down.’
Remi chuckled and Nicole nudged her gently with her shoulder.
