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“I feel bad.”
I glanced at her. “I bet.”
“It must be awful for Vira. All these years, she’s known what her brother is capable of, only to learn…” She sighed again. “It sucks.”
“She would never have known if it wasn’t for you,” I said. “Those spirits would be entangled with their murderer forever, and nobody would know.”
“There are some awful people in the world, Dorian. How do they sleep at night?”
“There are more good people though,” I said. “People like Dom and Eli are frustrating because they get away with so much for so long, but karma comes knocking for everyone in the end. Eli will get exactly what he deserves. I know it.”
“It’s time to stop defending ourselves,” she murmured. “It’s time to attack on our own terms.”
“If Vira can get through to her people, we’ll have a better chance of tracking Eli down. Give us time, and we’ll get you your chance.”
She faced me then. “Even if I have to be bait. Promise me, Dorian.”
I didn’t want to make that kind of promise, but she had a stubborn look on her face, one that said she wouldn’t rest until she took Eli apart, even if she had to do it alone.
“Together,” I promised. “We’ll do whatever it takes to stop Eli together.”
CHAPTER33
Margo
The packstill hadn’t tracked Eli down by opening night. Byron had sent some of Jeremy’s people to bother the compound, but the harbingers were being unhelpful, despite Vira’s attempts to communicate with them. She said they were deliberating, but how long did they need? For all we knew, Eli was already hiding out in the compound. At least the pack knew the plan: get me close enough to Eli to drain at least some of his power, and he wouldn’t be as dangerous. It had to be the right step to take—even Amelia’s spirit guide had reminded me to set somebody free. What other explanation could there be?
My parents dropped me off at the community centre early—promising they would be back for the show—but backstage was a mess. Several large rooms were ordinarily used for classes, but they had been turned into changing rooms and storage places for all of the acts. The show organiser was running around in a panic because the dogs were late and another act had cancelled out of the blue. Tammie seemed to be coordinating pretty much everything else for no reason other than her being the only adult who wasn’t completely freaking out.
In the drama club’s designated room, Chloe was doing her best to boost Alison’s confidence, but the girl was a nervous wreck.
“The chaos is normal,” Chloe kept repeating. “All part of the process. The worse it is beforehand, the better it gets on stage.”
“Where is everybody?” I asked Alison who was gnawing on her fingernails.
“Dunno. Nobody told me they were running late.” She brightened. “Maybe they won’t show up.”
“You’ll be fine,” I told her firmly. “No running away.”
She made a face. Dorian came rushing into the room, his cheeks pink from exertion.
“There you are,” he said.
“You’re late,” I said. “Where is everyone?”
“It’s been mental. Zara went into labour, so Byron’s not coming.”
Alison let out a gush of air. “I’m so glad. I don’t think I could have stood the thought of him watching this.”
“We’re not that bad,” Chloe said indignantly.
“Where’s Emma?” I asked, the panic hitting me, too. Did nobody take the show seriously?
“She went to flirt with the gymnastics club or something. I don’t know,” Chloe said. “Look. The chaos is normal.”
“Yeah, so you keep saying.”
“I better go help Nathan with the dogs,” Dorian said, giving me the impression he wanted to be anywhere but in the middle of our mess. “Good luck you lot.”
