When I got back, Luke Seren was parked outside the gates of the fort, behind the wheel of a shiny black Lincoln. I didn’t open the gate.
Instead, I went over to his car. “What are you doing here?”
“I brought you some supplies,” he said. “Frankly, I expected a warmer welcome.”
“Let me see,” I said.
He popped the trunk, which was full of food and blankets.
“I can be your food tester if you’re worried it’s poisoned.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I appreciate it. We’re a little on edge right now. In fact, you should probably go.”
“I understand,” Luke replied. “But at least let me help you carry these.”
I studied him. “Why are you helping us?”
“It’s despite my better judgment, I assure you.”
His blunt response eased my fears. “I’ll show you where you can put the groceries, but then I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“I understand,” he replied. “I’ll make it brief.”
In fact, Luke’s visit was almost ridiculously short. He said hello to Ambrose, put down the bags of groceries, and then made his departure.
“I’ll show you out,” Ambrose said.
“No need,” Luke replied. “I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll be out of your hair shortly.”
It wasn’t more than five minutes later when I heard his car start up and drive away.
“Think he’s gone?” I asked Ambrose.
“I don’t think he wanted to stick around,” Ambrose replied.
“Then why did he show up at all?” I asked.
“He’s hedging his bets,” Ambrose said. “If we come out on top, we’ll remember he did us a favor.”
“And if we don’t?”
He shrugged. “Luke’s a survivor.”
We had more important things to worry about. I helped Ambrose store the supplies and then headed back to the Dead House.
Emmett Greenfellow was waiting for me there. When he saw me, he stopped and gave me a low bow.
“How did you get past the guards?” I asked.
He gave me a stiff bow. “It is of no import,” he said. “You saved my life, Nyx Fortuna.”
“I told you to forget about that.” Gratitude made my skin itch.
“I cannot,” he replied. “And that is why I came to warn you. You have been betrayed by someone. Hecate’s followers are on their way here.”
“How do you know that?”
“No one pays attention to me,” he said simply. “I hear things. But you must warn the others.”
“Thank you,” I said. He didn’t leave, so I asked, “Is there anything else?”
“I will stay to fight,” he said simply.
“Thank you,” I said again.
Emmett Greenfellow had given us a fighting chance by removing the element of surprise. When the magical world heard the Fates had been defeated, it didn’t take long for them to realize helping us wasn’t in their best interest of breathing.
“Hecate will be here soon. And I’m guessing she’ll bring the flesh eaters,” I told Doc and the others.
“We won’t be able to hold them off,” Naomi said. “Any luck on the cure yet?”
Doc frowned. “We’re close, but we need more time.”
“We don’t have time,” Talbot said. “We’ve contained an outbreak, but won’t be able to for much longer. And who knows how many flesh eaters Hecate still has.”
“I have an idea,” I said. “It won’t stop them, but it might slow them down.”
“The flesh eaters?” Ambrose asked. “You think we should feed them.”
“Exactly,” I said. “If they’re well fed, they might not want to fight.”
“I saw a dead raccoon near the lake,” Talbot offered.
“That should work,” I said.
Rebecca and Claire went to the lake to look for fish, preferably dead ones, while Talbot and Ambrose made several trips to the garbage heap at the edge of the fort. It smelled putrid, but the flesh eaters would love it.
I occupied my time by pouring lines of salt throughout the camp. It was a myth that salt kept the demons away completely, but they didn’t like it. It was fortuitous that my secret hideout was an abandoned military fort.
“How many flesh eaters to you think Hecate has?” Talbot asked as we lugged the bags and buckets of scrap meat to the pit I’d dug. I’d had help, of course.
“One flesh eater is too many,” I said.
“She’s been planning this for a long time,” Talbot commented. “She recruited Danvers, set him up next door to Deci, lured Claire into the underworld. All of that takes planning.”
“Do you trust her?”
“Hecate? Of course not.”
“I meant my cousin.” He’d known exactly who I was talking about, but wanted to avoid an answer.
“You don’t, do you?” I persisted.
“Do you blame me? You don’t trust her, either,” he said.
“Of course not,” I said. “It was either Stockholm syndrome or she’s part of Hecate’s plan and Claire will betray us.”
“You’re an ass,” Claire said from the doorway. “You didn’t even consider another possibility.” She pursed her lips like she was trying to hold something in.
“Which is?” I asked.
What she said next left Talbot and me openmouthed, looking like fish out of water.
“The aunts knew exactly where I was,” she said. “They should have. They were the ones who sent me there.”
“You were spying on Hecate the whole time?”
“Yes, genius, I was the aunts’ spy.” With that, she flounced away.
“Your family is weird,” Talbot said.
“Punny,” I said. My brain was busy with Claire’s bombshell. The aunts had sent me to find Claire, but in reality, they’d known where she was the entire time. In the underworld, with their worst enemy.
Claire came back seconds later. “Someone took down the wards,” she said. Someone we trusted had betrayed us. Beware of those bearing gifts and all that.