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“Did we get them all?” I was proud my voice sounded unbroken and almost strong. I could fake my way through this. There was no sense in getting bogged down now, because if Aubrey had his way, I’d be joining Lucas and Keaty before the night was done.
The group quickly confirmed their individual missions had all proven successful, and the targets had been wiped out according to plan. At least something had gone the way we’d hoped.
“We took out one of the twins at the castle,” I added, switching into battle mode and shutting out the emotional center of my brain. I wiped the last of my tears away with the back of my hand. “If we’ve figured this all out right, that means there are only three of them left. And seeing as there are a few hundred dead walking around not far from here, I don’t think we’ll have to look too hard to find them.”
“The Seven Sisters are out.” Sutherland, who remained oblivious to any of the anguish I’d just experienced, was staring up at the night sky, reading it like it was the pages of a book.
I’d completely forgotten about the Seven Sisters. So much had happened since Sutherland had proven he wasn’t completely crazy, the last thing on my mind had been figuring out what the remaining Viking twin, Marty, was keeping guard over. But now that I was reminded, I knew finding it was not only the key to killing one of the last three necros, but also to understanding why they’d come here in the first place.
As far as I was concerned, it had never been a random act, no matter what Holden had thought about them being anarchists or just set on destruction. But what the hell were the Seven Sisters, and why were they so important to a gang of necromancer bikers?
I suspected the mission had more to do with Marcela, their fearsome leader, than it did with the typical goals of a biker gang. This wasn’t about drugs, and I doubted it was about money. What did that leave?
“What’s ’e talkin’ ’bout?” Nolan asked. He and my father had an uneasy past, and I don’t think Nolan had a lot of trust in Sutherland.
“Before we took out the necros at the castle, they had an argument we overheard. Sounds like they’re here for something they called the Seven Sisters, and one of them is guarding it. Probably with a small army.”
“Well, if it’s important to them, and they obviously know now we’re coming for them, won’t they all be there?” This from O’Brian, who had remained largely quiet in our group discussions up until now.
Come to think of it, he was right. We had passed a large group of risen bodies on our way to the hotel, but not enough to account for the three remaining necromancers.
“That doesn’t help us narrow things down at all, does it?” Tyler said, pacing the small park. He had his phone out and was glaring at the screen like it was the face of a good friend who’d betrayed him. I knew how helpless he felt. He’d gotten used to having the FBI at his back, and right now we had no way to reach out to Emilio or the FBI task force set up in Jersey. If we could, they might be able to tell us what we were looking for.
We needed someone who knew things.
“We have to go,” I announced, shifting direction with a sudden wave of clarity. “There’s no time to waste.”
“Go where? You know what they’re after?” Dominick asked.
“No, but I know someone who might.”
“Who?”
“I have to go to Starbucks.” I was barely paying attention to their questions and was halfway out of the park, scouring the street for a sign of one of the motorcycles we’d stolen.
“Is now really the best time for a latte?” O’Brian piped in. I kept forgetting not everyone knew about the folklore of the city.
Sig knew what I was up to right away. “I don’t know if this is the best idea.”
“Sure it is.”
He caught up to me easily and didn’t try to stop me, but kept pace as I half-jogged towards my new destination.
“She may not be as helpful as you think.”
I stopped abruptly, and he mirrored me, never missing a beat. “You’re all powerful. You can keep me from going to her if you really want to. It’s just one command. Secret, stay. Like you’d tell a dog. That’s all you need to do and I won’t go.” I glared at him, challenging him to try to manipulate me. After my experience with controlling Genie, I wondered how many of the others I could handle at will. Was Aubrey’s power greater than Sig’s?
I hoped he wouldn’t make me find out.
“You’re different,” he said quietly.
“Don’t worry,” I replied after a pause, seeing that the others had begun to follow us. “I won’t be like this for long.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Someone had driven a car through the front window of Calliope’s Starbucks.
Inside, the small tables were toppled and the floor was littered with empty paper cups and stale muffins. The cash register had been knocked over, and a heap of change spread across the counter.
