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“He’s here.” Her voice was soft as she said it, but the implications…
“He’s what?” I wasn’t smiling anymore. “Please, tell me that’s a coincidence.”
“I’m sorry. Luciana told him I was coming, and he managed to beat me here all the way from New York.”
“More direct flights,” I murmured. And holy shit. This was bad. If Luciana knew what we were up to, then… God, I didn’t even want to think about what that could mean.
My mind went to Joseph, Imogene, and Shannon. They couldn’t have, though…
No. They could. I just didn’t want to believe they would. “Okay. So, what do you think? Is it a wash? Should you come home? We can figure something else out. Do some more digging in the library. I’m sure if we put our heads together we’ll find something that can save Raphael. Maybe we should’ve tried harder before shipping you off, but it seemed like the easiest way to save him…” Although that was sounding more and more like wishful thinking.
“No. Muraco’s right. I’ve never learned a thing about fighting demons and I grew up with la Aquelarre. It’s been my life forever. Maybe Luciana has something in her spell room, but—”
Chills ran down my spine. “No one is going in there. Never ever.”
“I’d never ask that of you. But I could—”
Was she out of her mind? “No! We both know she’s after your powers. She managed to strip me of mine, and now that you’ve left, she wants yours just as bad. You can’t go anywhere near her.” The problem was, we didn’t have a ton of options. It wasn’t just the fight with Luciana. Raphael’s life was on the line. As crazy as it might be, this quest was still her best option. “I don’t like the sound of this douchebag being in Peru with you.”
“I know. But we all agreed. This is the best chance we have to save Raphael and stop Luciana.”
“Right. Well, stay away from him.”
“Thanks. I’ll be okay. I’ve protected myself from Matt for years, but his being here isn’t a good sign. I wanted to warn you. I’m not sure who is spying on us, but… Maybe look into Beth, Tiffany, and Yvonne.”
“Yeah, I had the same thought. There’s something about Yvonne.” Maybe I wanted it to be her or any of the coven members, but my instincts said the pack could just as easily be the problem. “I don’t know. And there are a few wolves who aren’t acting right. They should be following Mr. Dawson’s orders, but they’re being shifty.”
“They are shifters.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Bad use of the word.” I sighed. “I don’t want you to worry, but Raphael—”
“He didn’t… He’s not…” She could barely say the words.
“No. He’s still alive,” I said quickly.
“Thank God.” Relief was thick in her voice.
“He’s hanging in, but he’s in worse shape tonight than he was this morning. You just do your best, and then come home fast. I’ve got a feeling if you’re not back soon, well…” I tried to pick my next words carefully, but the fact was Raphael wasn’t doing well. “I’m not sure what you’ll come back to.”
“I know. I’m going to move as fast as I can.”
“The thing is… He’s fading faster than Dr. Gonzales expected. I’m wondering if it might make sense to get him to you. That way by the time you find his cure, he’s there. She says we can’t put him on a plane—he’s not stable enough for that—” Dr. Gonzales was right. If he got loose in a confined space, he could kill everyone and crash the plane. “—but I can get a few wolves and maybe a couple of your brujos to drive him down to Peru. It’ll take a few days, but could work out timing-wise. Then, once he’s okay, you all fly back together.” Raphael was running out of time, and if something happened on the road, they could pull over. Maybe it wasn’t the best plan, but it was better than nothing.
“Who would drive him down?”
“Adrian and Shane for sure. And then I was thinking maybe Beth, and one or two more wolves. I have to see who else might be up for it. Who we can spare right now.”
“Okay. I agree. Drive him down and I’ll move as quickly as I can.”
I hated to put more pressure on her, but if it were my brother, I’d want to know. “Just stay safe, Claudia. You can do this. I know you can. Call me if you need anything.”
“Same to you. I’ll be in touch as soon as I have more information. Call me if anything changes with Raphael.”
“Of course.”
“Bye.”
I started to put the phone back, and then thought better of it. I shoved it in my pocket, as I headed out. These books weren’t getting me anywhere. Short of going back to Luciana’s den of depravity, I wasn’t going to find anything on the magic she was using. And that so wasn’t happening. Not yet.
