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I stripped my outer layer of clothes, giving the drunk woman my coat. Beatrice whispered a hex, turning the woman’s hair bright blue so it matched mine. Honestly hair and coat were enough, but sending my friends had the extra benefit of protecting them. Eli’s house was impenetrable.
“Be careful.” Christy squeezed me hard and gestured at Jesse, who was anxiously waiting, before she added, “I expect you around when I con this one into marrying me.”
“She’smybest woman,” Jesse grumbled, shooting Christy a grateful look. “She thinks you’ll stand up for her, but she has Sera. You’re my sister.”
“Married?” I echoed.
Christy shrugged like it was no big deal, but she grinned before saying, “It’s contagious, I hear.”
For a moment I thought I could pretend it was okay, that this very obvious distraction could allow us to avoid the reality, but reality was what it was. Ignoring it wouldn’t change it. “If this goes sideways—”
“Gen!” Sera hugged me. “Shut up.”
“No.” I hugged each of them. “If I don’t pull this off, tell Mama Lauren and King Fergus and Ally that it was my idea. Not Beatrice’s or Eli’s.”
Jesse nodded. We all knew that if this went sideways, if I died, Eli would be dead, too. And somehow, I thought that if Beatrice survived, no one would believe she was innocent. I wouldn’t have her second death on my conscience.
Once my friends—and my decoy—were gone, I handed Beatrice my halberd. “I get this back afterward.”
She grasped the smooth wood. “To the fields of death, Daughter of Mine.”
“Maybe don’t mention that death-fields bit to Mama Lauren,” I suggested.
Beatrice flashed a fang-filled smile and went to the door, leaving Eli and I alone. Withdraugrhearing, Beatrice could hear us, but the illusion of privacy was still nice.
“My warrior.” Eli stared at me, not speaking or reaching out beyond that.
I took his hand. “I want eternity with you.”
He nodded, and then he kissed me—not a goodbye kiss but one that spoke of promises to finish. And in that moment, I considered pulling him away and agreeing that thedraugrcould handle this trouble, but ifdraugrattacked known government employees or if the fae sent warriors, it would be the start of war.
I was one lone witch, and as far as the government knew, I was just a human. Defending myself from Daphne wouldn’t start a war.
I hoped.
I watched Eli and Beatrice leave, very obviously and publicly hunting for Daphne. They would lead my prey to me.
I waited in the now-closed bar until I was sure that anyone trailing them would have followed. Then I went to Eli’s office, peered through the shutters until I knew the coast was clear, and opened the window.
“Iggy!” I thought-yelled. “I could use help tonight.”
But no ghostly dead aid appeared. Wherever he, Ally, and Tres were, I hoped it wasn’t more trouble. A bad feeling came over me, though, because calling for Iggy ought to bring him to me.
Carefully, I made my way to St. Louis Cemetery #1. They prey would be brought into my trap, as if I were a squat spider.
The cemetery was walled and closed at night, but during the day it was a tourist-filled disaster because it was reputedly the home of the grave of Marie Laveau, voodoo practitioner of much legend, as well as the Delphine LaLaurie, murderess and sadist who tortured captive slaves.
I rarely went there, as new graves weren’t typically available so whatever dead rested there was notdraugr.Tonight, however, it was perfect. Surprise again-walkers weren’t a variable I wanted to add into an already risky plan.
I scaled the wall and waited, adjacent to the eye-sore of a tomb that some actor had built a few decades ago. In a lovely, mausoleum and memorial-filled cemetery, the modern ugliness of that pyramid made me surly. Apparently, wealth didn’t buy taste, though.
I slid my sword out of the sheath, not yet cutting my arm.
And I waited for victims. I could call it something else, but tonight, that was what I was doing. I was a spider, and I awaited the flies.
Thirty or so minutes passed, and then I heard it: the clang of the chains at the wrought iron entrance gate to St. Louis #1. The gates, the chains, the locks, they all creaked and groaned thanks to the humid air rusting it all bit-by-bit.
I let my energy start to roll out, feeling one dead body at that gate. Then I caught the space of one that was both dead and alive.
