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“I got a text from Evie a short while ago. I was in the shower, so I didn’t see it right away, and James didn’t tell me what was happening until after I’d reached out to him,” she explained breathlessly as she unrolled the papers she’d brought in. “Help me spread them out,” she instructed, and Theo was instantly at her side, taking the long sheets and spreading them out.
“Those are maps?” I pointed out the obvious. “Did Evie send you coordinates?”
“No. She sent me one word: widdershins,” she answered.
“Is that even a word?” Jo asked the question I also wanted to know the answer to.
“Yes. It means moving in the wrong direction, counterclockwise. It’s our code word,” she explained.
“Code word for what?” Markus asked.
“For when shit hits the fan, and I might not be able to track her the normal way. It was one way of telling each other that we needed help. When we were living in New York, we depended on each other. We kept each other safe. We developed these code words to know when things had gone sideways with a job, and we needed to find each other quickly.” As she talked, Zi pulled a chain and a small vial or bottle from her jean pockets. The bottle was covered in frost, preventing us from seeing what it contained.
“Both of us used to carry air tags in our work shoes so we could always track each other. But, while I always took the safer jobs because of Molly, Evie tended to be a little more lenient with her safety.” Evergreen gave a low growl at her words, and Zi looked at him apologetically.
“One time, she got into a bit of trouble and lost the air tag, so we added another layer to our plan.” She placed the chain on the table and then looked at the little bottle before looking at me. “Can you control the heat you release?” she asked me, and when I nodded, she passed the little bottle to me. “Can you warm that enough for the blood to begin liquifying again?”
My eyebrows rose, and I looked at the bottle again, scratching some of the frost away to look inside. It was filled with a dark, frozen substance.
“This is blood?” I asked.
“Yes, Evie gave me some of her blood so I could scry for her if she ever failed to come home on time without checking in or if she texted me that word in particular. Our regular code word was otherwise ramshackle.”
“Scry? That’s why you need the maps!” Helios suddenly put the puzzle pieces together for the rest of us.
“Yes. I can find them, Luna,” she assured me when I handed her back the vial of blood. Only half of it was liquified.
“You couldn’t have done this for Violet and Tori?” Adrien asked, a bit of accusation to his voice that I knew came from fear.
“I’m sorry, Adrien, but I’m a hybrid. My powers have limitations. Aside from needing the blood to get an accurate location, I need a personal connection to the person I look for.”
“No, I’m sorry. I know you’ve been working so hard to find the girls,” he apologized, and Elias wrapped an arm around him as he deflated.
Zi picked up the chain on the table and dipped the cone-shaped gemstone attached to the end of it into the bottle. She took a deep breath, and we held ours as she closed her eyes while dangling the chain like a pendulum over the maps. She was murmuring something under her breath that even our wolf ears couldn’t pick up, but I watched the pendulum pick up speed as it searched through the maps. The more Zi chanted, the faster it moved until it became as stiff as a rod made of steel, pointing to a place on one of the maps. A single drop of blood landed on the paper, then stretched along a line on the map. Once it was done, the chain softened and dropped back, dangling, and Zi opened her eyes.
“This is where she is right now.” She pointed to where the drop fell. “And this is where she was in the last thirty minutes.” She pointed to the line the blood made.
“She’s traveling along the I-10. He’s gotta be taking them where Violet and Tori are,” Elias mentioned, the hope in his voice reflecting what I was feeling in my heart.
“Can you do it again?” Markus asked.
“Yes. As long as I have blood,” Zi answered, sitting down, and I couldn’t help but notice the sweat on her brow.
“How big is the drain, sweetie?” I asked as I watched James rubbing her lower back reassuringly.
“I haven’t done it in a while, but I’ll be fine,” she answered, which wasn’t actually an answer.
“If we assume he’s headed to San Diego because that’s where Nickolas was based and the man in Vegas said the club was his, they should be there in about five hours. Is that enough time for you to rest and be ready again?” Helios asked.
“Yes, Alpha,” Zi answered.
“We’ll get the plane and warriors ready. James, go help your mate rest,” Markus ordered.
“I want to help,” James replied, conflicted.
“You’re helping by ensuring your mate won’t hurt herself when she tries again. I won’t make you stay behind, but I need you to let us plan this. Zi’s health is more important than standing around while old people talk over you in an effort to get their children back,” I pointed out, and Jo snorted at my words.
“When you put it that way, I’ll do that. Please keep me informed and reach out with any questions. Come on, baby, I’ll make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” he said, guiding Zi out.
