Maybe if she drew enough blood, or – she cringed – took one of their fingers, or something? Then Callum could spirit them away. Keep them safe.
She couldn’t go back empty handed without putting Kyan in mortal danger.
But as the phone went to voicemail and Nicole’s unease worsened, she staggered to a stop at the sight of a girl in the crowd.
A bolt of fear went through her heart.
The name came out as a whisper. ‘Remi.’
Nicole found herself jogging, weaving past people in her way. She had to get her out of here.
Her friend’s face lit up with happiness and confusion. ‘Hey! What are you wearing—’
Nicole grabbed Remi’s arms and crouched, pulling her low enough that Alexander would no longer see them in the sea of bodies.
This would buy her minutes. Maybe less.
‘Remi, you need to get out of here. The Wake found me, they have me on a mission to hunt the descendant of Úaithne. They’re here somewhere and—’
Remi’s face went slack, her eyes filling with dread. ‘You – you’re supposed to do what?’
‘They want me to …’
The realisation was worse than the noise, the overwhelm.
There was no other Siren here, there was only Remi.
Because shewasthe descendant of Úaithne.
The only person other than a god who could play the harp of the Dagda. Who had touched the death string and lived to play its song, only to shatter the windows out of a cathedral with its power.
The person the Wake had tried to kidnap days before, but failed.
Remi.
Of course.
What had the Muse and Westmoore told her? That it had taken a long time to get all the right people in place?
Thiswas why the Wake had sent Nicole: because Remi was her best friend. Because she could get close enough to take the knife and—
No.
A crack of sadness, of regret, went through Remi’s eyes. ‘I didn’t want you to find out like this.’
Nicole shook her head, as if to rattle the thoughts back into place.
‘You can’t be. You would have told me …’
Remi’s full lips pressed in a tight line. ‘My dad’s kept it quiet his whole life. I was sworn to secrecy.’
Thiswas the real reason Remi’s family also fled to Estwood for safety. Why they’d had Alexander attempt to assassinate Remi’s father years ago.
Nicole couldneverchoose between her best friend and her family.
The woman had known, Nicole realised. That smirk on her face proved it. She’d known Nicole would fail.
She wouldn’t –couldn’t– reach for the knife sheathed at her thigh.
