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“Sera?”
Her eyes flutter, and her body grows colder.
“Sera?” I try again. A dull ache grows in my chest as my heart stutters along to a panicked beat. This is definitely longer than thirty seconds. “Sera.” I tap the side of her cheek gently. “Baby, come back,” I whisper against her lips. “Come back to me, Sera.”
I’m certain another thirty seconds pass before her eyes flicker, then return to their normal green and gold. The bright yellow ring around her pupil is like fire before it settles back to its usual honeyed tone.
“Oh, fuck.” I slump into the couch, clutching my chest. My palm presses the pendant on my chain into my skin. “That… was terrifying,” I wheeze, as Sera coughs and leans her head against my shoulder.
“Sorry.” She laces her fingers through mine where it’s still pressed against my pounding heart. I keep hold of her hand until the nausea subsides.
“Please tell me you saw something good so we don’t have to do that again any time soon.”
“There were two women—witches, I think. I saw the inside of a cave and iron bars, and there was another woman… It was dark, I didn’t see her face, but I recognized the pendant. It was the same one Delaney wore. Then there was the headstone again, and then a blinding, white light.”
Sera could be seeing Catori’s dungeons. If the hunter’s there and she’s after his dagger, surely she’s the one we’re looking for. This is perfect. If I give my brothers a lead, they’ll stop questioning me over Sera, and when this is all over, I can make sure she stays safe.
“So you saw Theodora’s headstone again? Could this hunter be a distant relative? Her bloodline may not be finished. Hunters are loners, right? Maybe she was adopted, hidden for her protection?”
“Maybe.” Sera hangs her head, breathing deeply. The premonitions must take a lot out of her. “But it wasn’t Theodora’s name that I saw.”
“Oh?” I rub her back, watching her carefully to make sure she doesn’t pass out or something.
“It was another name I’ve seen once before. Cassandra Nestor.”
The pit of my stomach burns like gurgling acid.
It could be a coincidence.
It’s not that uncommon a name. “You’ve seen that name before?”
“Yeah. We don’t know how she’s connected yet.” Sera takes another deep breath, calming herself. “Your theory is interesting. Adoption. We really need to find Delaney. I don’t have a good feeling about those bars. It didn’t look like a normal holding cell.”
“Maybe I should drive us back?”
“Sloane would never speak to me again if I let a demon drive her bike.” Sera lets out a small laugh. “She was reluctant enough to give me the keys earlier,” she mutters.
“I was already on the back of it.”
“Yeah, and that was bad enough. But driving it? Unforgivable. There’s an ice cream store down the road. Can we stop there before we go? I just need a bit of sugar, then I’ll be good.”
“Okay.” I smile, thankful that my unease about her vision is enough to hide the panic coursing through me.
It has to be a coincidence. Why else would Sera be seeing my mother’s name?
19
I dropped Nix around the corner from Hemlock Vinyl after we finished our ice creams. He said human food didn’t agree with him, but he could get used to the taste of apple pie ice cream off my tongue. I had to dissuade him from dragging me down an alley so he could take it further.
He needed to check in with his brothers, but we said goodbye with the promise he’d try to sneak over later.
When I pull up in front of Akonyte Kitchen, Sloane is out front, leaning over the hood of my car. A bandana is tied over her head, keeping the hair out of her eyes, and an oversized T-shirt is tied at the side of her waist.
“Hey,” I say, stepping off the bike. “The new part came in?”
“Ah-huh.” Sloane continues working the wrench in her hand. “Did you get anything with the book?”
“I did. We need to have another look at the other name I saw: Cassandra Nestor. I know we couldn’t connect her lineage with much the first time we looked, but I think it’s worth checking if she or Theodora may have given a child up for adoption.”
