CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 

 

Inside, everyone gathered in the kitchen, eating a big meal. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I saw all the food. I let go of Jet's hand and headed straight for the table, my stomach rumbling.

I passed Jayson, who was finishing off what appeared to be the last bites of a sub sandwich. Larus and Mr. Foley stood in the corner of the room, deep in discussion. They hadn't even seen me and Jet come in. Part of me was relieved, not wanting him to see me holding hands with Jet. And then guilt ran through me, knowing how that thought would have made Jet feel.

It wasn't like Larus had expressed any outward signs of interest in me, other than saying I was beautiful. But that could have been brother affection, right? Siblings told each other that sort of things all the time, didn't they? Not that I would know from experience.

My stomach growled again. It wasn't the time to worry about all of this. I picked up a strawberry and stuck it in my mouth before grabbing a plate and piling on the food. I sat on a chair and ate while everyone else around me buzzed with discussion.

By the time I finished, everyone was moving away from their groups and starting to talk with everyone. Larus came over and sat next to me. "How do you feel?"

"Ready to kick some witches into the next century."

He laughed. "That's good to hear. The wolves are ready, too. All we need to do is get back to Gessilyn's and find out if the locator spell worked. We need to get these wolves cell phones."

"Tell me about it." I grabbed a glass and poured some juice. "So, what happened today while I was busy at school?"

"Not as much as with you."

"Huh?"

Larus reached for my hair and held some colorful strands.

"Oh, that. I almost forgot. Some friends and I got our hair done."

"It's different, but I like it. The look suits you."

An unusual scent drifted over. I glanced around the room, and noticed Jet glancing my way. His mouth curved down and I could see some yellow in his eyes. I sniffed again. The smell of jealousy.

I turned back to Larus, pulling my hair out of his hand. "Thanks. I'm still getting used to it." I took a hair band from my wrist and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

Larus leaned back in his seat with an expression I couldn't read. Could he smell the envy, too?

"What did you guys do all day?" I asked, picking up my glass. I could feel Jet's gaze burning on the back of my colorful head.

"We've been discussing plans while going through Toby's library."

I sipped my juice, trying not to show my surprise at hearing Mr. Foley referred to so casually.

"There wasn't much, but we did learn that several kinds of local witches have always preferred living in the area's forests so they can cast spells at night."

"That makes sense. Jayson and I both got hurt at night when those ones attacked us."

He nodded. "Hopefully, that'll match up with what Gessilyn finds. If it does, we'll have an easier time going after them, being that we're a group of vampires and werewolves."

"At least we'll have the nighttime advantage with our heightened sight."

The smell of jealousy wafted over again.

Larus leaned toward me. "I think one of the wolves likes you."

"Maybe. I should go talk to Mr. Foley." I got up and walked over to him.

Mr. Foley put a hand on my shoulder. "How are you doing, Rainbow?"

I frowned. I was never going to hear the end of my hair.

He winked. "Just teasing. It looks good."

"Thanks. I'm fine. Just ready to get my grandma back."

"I hope we'll be able to do just that. In fact, it appears that everyone is done eating, so we can head over to Gessilyn's now." He stood taller and spoke loudly. "Are we all ready?"

"Wait," Jet said.

"Yes?" asked Mr. Foley.

"I can't believe we forgot about this. There was a dead body at school this morning—"

"What?" exclaimed Jayson.

"Let me finish." Jet shot him an annoyed look. "It's rumored that people who look just like the witches we're after killed the kid."

Mr. Foley and Larus exchanged worried glances.

"And," I said, "they've been doing this in other towns, too."

"Then it's even more urgent that we figure out what's going on." Mr. Foley furrowed his brows.

"Let's go," I exclaimed. Guilt tore at me for acting normal. I should have skipped school and the salon. What if those crazy creatures killed my grandma? "Come on!"

Everyone spoke their agreement, and then Mr. Foley told his servants to put the food away. In a matter of only minutes, we were all walking through town. I wanted to travel at supernatural speeds, but with it being daytime, we were going at the pace of humans.

Finally, we made it to the condo.

When Gessilyn opened the door, she appeared in good spirits. I hoped that meant the spell had worked.

"Come in," she said, holding the door open.

We all piled into her small apartment and sat in the living room.

"Does anyone want some tea?" She smiled at us.

"No, thank you," Mr. Foley said. "We just ate, and we're ready for action. Can you tell us if the spell worked?"

"Certainly." She sat on the large sectional couch, tucking her feet underneath her. "Have a seat, everyone."

I sat on the other side of the couch. Jet sat on my left and Larus on my right. I focused on Gessilyn, not wanting to think about either one of them. Guilt stung at me. I didn't want to lead either of them on, but I couldn't help feeling I was doing exactly that.

"The spell took a while to get warmed up," Gessilyn said, resting her hands on her lap. "I'm not sure if that was because of the spell itself or the witches. Not that it matters, I suppose." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it. "The good news is that they aren't far away, but the bad news is that they're in the middle of an area known for cannibals."

"We can take cannibals," Jayson said.

"They're a lot more violent than regular people," Mr. Foley said. "Have you encountered any, Jayson?"

"Not personally."

"My parents," said Larus, "came across some the day they saved Ziamara. The cannibals had managed to capture two of my sisters, and they were apparently the most challenging humans they'd ever killed. They're most barbaric, at least the ones I've heard about."

Jayson leaned forward. "I'm up for a challenge."

Larus narrowed his eyes. "Good, because you're going to have one."

"Good."

"Okay," Gessilyn said. "I can't guarantee they're in the exact location. Some of these groups can be nomadic, but at least you know where they were this morning." She handed the paper to Mr. Foley, who looked it over.

Larus got up and took a peek, also.

I felt Jet relax next to me. I slid my hand over to his and gave it a squeeze. His hand felt so nice in mine. Jet glanced over at me and we made eye contact. I wanted to say something, but couldn't with so many others in the room. He seemed to relax further as I gazed into his eyes.

"Is there anything anyone needs before we leave?" Mr. Foley asked.

"Or does anyone have any questions?" Larus asked. "We have to be on the top of our game. There's no telling what we're going to run into out there."

"Do we really have to worry about the cannibals?" Karl asked. "We're all supernatural—not just ordinary people."

"They don't care," Mr. Foley said. "They're hungry, and they can't tell the difference between us and humans."

"Yeah," Jayson said. "We all taste like chicken."

Karl chuckled, but Mr. Foley shot him an irritated glance.

"Any other questions?" asked Larus.

Karl, Jayson, Jet, and I exchanged glances. I got the feeling they wanted the same thing I did—to get out there and get back as fast as possible.

We all said our thank yous to Gessilyn and made our way outside. It was beginning to get dark already. Assuming the witches or cannibals didn't have any special powers, nightfall would hopefully give us the advantage. Although the fact that two of Larus' sisters had been captured by the cannibals made me nervous. They had been raised by some of the most powerful vampires and had still managed to get caught.

As we all walked silently toward the edge of town, Jet turned to me. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

I nodded. "I just need to stop thinking about the queen's daughters being caught. It's getting to me."

He put my hand in his warm one. "I'm sure you're smarter than they are. Just focus on what we need to do, and you'll be fine. Well, better than that, actually. I've seen you fight." His lips curled upward.

"You really think so?"

"Of course. Don't let them get into your head before we even see them. Then they'll have already won."

"That's true. Thanks." I took a deep breath, trying to focus on my strengths. There was a lot I could do, and that was more important than what I couldn't.

Jet flipped my hand over and rubbed my palm with his thumb. I gazed into his eyes and he smiled.

I couldn't help smiling back. "I feel better now."

"Good." He turned back to the front, and I continued taking him in.

We came to a part of the town's wall that no one really ever paid any attention to. The guards usually stood at one of the entrances or where the wall had grown weak or otherwise needed attention.

Mr. Foley turned to Larus. "We're going to jump. You and Ziamara?"

"It would be easier for us to go through it."

Jet squeezed my hand and then let go He went over to the other wolves, and they all jumped to the top of the wall, and then down to where Larus and I couldn't see.

"Are you ready?" Larus asked, appearing eager for the hunt. His face showed hunger and determination. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the upcoming battle.

"Ready as I'm going to be."

The intensity on his face grew as he held my gaze for a moment. It was as though he wanted to say something. Larus opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Let's go." He ran at the wall, disappearing as he went through.

It took me a moment to recover. I stared at the wall. There was no way I could run through. I took a deep breath, pressed my hand against the wall, watched as it went through, and then I walked through the concrete structure.