“Yup.” He smiled and wiggled his brows.
“This seems more like something you want to do—on my birthday,” I clarified. “Isn’t that kind of backwards?”
“Okay, so this is not your birthday surprise. Consider it a thank you from you to me for planning your birthday surprise,” he said with a perfectly straight face as he leaned back against the headboard with his arms behind his head.
“A ‘thank you’ for a birthday surprise I haven’t even seen yet?” I propped myself up on my elbows. “What if I don’t even like it?”
“Oh, you’ll like it. Regardless, I should get something for the effort, right? Oh, and how about breakfast in bed—blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs.” He paused as if to mull over all of his choices. “Oh, and coffee.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.” He playfully smacked me on my butt. “Well? C’mon, time’s a wasting.”
“‘Time’s a wasting’?” I exclaimed, feeling more miffed by the second. I’d never seen this male chauvinistic side of him, and I didn’t like it one bit. I sure as hell wasn’t going to put up with it.
“Yeah, c’mon, I’m a hungry boy!” he replied, but this time he cracked a smile. A second later, he busted out laughing.
“You are such a jerk!” I exclaimed, feeling both relieved and annoyed, and playfully punched him in the arm.
He laughed even louder as he tackled me, pinning my arms down. “In my family, we always play a birthday prank.”
“A birthday prank, huh?”
“Yup, and now that you’re family …”
“You couldn’t just have made me an honorary member of the birthday prank club?”
“No way! That’s getting off too easy.” He chuckled. “You should’ve seen the look on your face—priceless.” He leaned down to kiss me, and I turned my head to one side to avoid his kiss. He went in for another attempt, but I turned my head to the other side.
“No more pranks, I swear,” he pledged.
I looked at him skeptically.
“Scouts’ honor.” He was still smiling wickedly.
“Fine. And forget about breakfast in bed—or any breakfast for that matter,” I threw in. “In fact, if I ate, you’d be making me breakfast for the next week.”
“I guess I deserve that.” He leaned in once more to kiss me, and this time I let him. “Now, what do you want to do on your birthday?”
“Well, this seems like a pretty good start.” I grinned, kissing him again.
*
We left La Casa and got Quinn home by dawn. He swam laps in the pool house and ate breakfast with his parents, after which they left for the day to run some errands. Apparently, Quinn also had to run some of his own errands—translation, Dylan and he had to finalize my birthday plans.
Quinn got a call from Tommy before he headed out with Dylan. Tommy was planning on watching the Chicago Air and Water Show from the rooftop of Doug’s apartment building and wanted to see if Quinn could join them.
“Sounds great. What time do you want us to show up?” Quinn asked.
“Us?” Tommy asked.
“I already have plans to hang out with Evie and a couple of friends tomorrow—is it cool if I bring them?”
“Yeah, absolutely. Just bring more beer.”
I looked at Quinn like he’d just lost his mind completely. In fact, I was half-tempted to take him to the portal and hold him hostage until he came to his senses.
“What?” he asked when he ended the call and noticed me glaring at him.
“Quinn, the full moon is in four days.”
“Exactly. This may be the only chance I get to hang out with my brothers before then.”
“You can hang out with them after this all blows over.”
“What if I can’t? What if this is my last chance to see them?” His face contorted slightly, and I could tell he was trying not to think too hard about all the “what ifs” in his near future. I sighed. As much as I wanted to, I knew I couldn’t deny him this.
“Fine,” I replied, reluctantly. “But no screwing around. If any one of us says it’s time to go, it’s time to go. No arguments. No negotiations. No questions. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted me.
*
I was a wreck the entire time Dylan and Quinn were gone—so much so that Minerva suggested I go to the Archives and see if I could find Peter. And since I was desperate to learn anything else about the Servants’ ritual, I jumped at the chance. It would get my mind off Quinn and pass the time more quickly.
“You know where to reach me,” I said just before I phased out of view.
“Be sure to be back in Quinn’s room by four o’clock,” Minerva reminded me.
“Right—my birthday surprise.” I sighed.
“When the time comes, try to be a little more enthusiastic or you’re really going to disappoint Quinn. Dylan told me what Quinn has planned, and I have to say he’s really put a lot of thought into this.”
“He has?” Immediately, my spirits lifted and I smiled.
“Yeah.” She grinned. “You’re going to love it.”
“Okay, four it is.” Feeling a little more excited, I set the alarm on my watch to make sure I didn’t lose track of time while I was in the Archives. “I’ll meet you back in his room.”
*
Before heading to the main Archives library, I stopped in Tartuf’s office, as was now my routine, to see if he’d checked in since the last time I was here. Of course, he hadn’t. My note from weeks ago was just where I’d left it. Frustrated, I sighed and headed to the main room. I was surprised to see dozens of Shepherds hovering around the Global Locator, most of whom I’d never met, much less seen, before. I spotted Teddy in the crowd and made my way over to him.
“What’s with the party?” I asked.
“It’s not a party, doll.” He shook his head sadly. “Quite the opposite, actually. There was an ambush. Three Shepherds and their charges were taken down.”
“An ambush?” I asked in alarm. “Where? When?”
“In Amsterdam, ten minutes ago Aura time. Seems the Servants orchestrated three separate targets to converge in the same location at the same time and then took them all out in a small explosion—a car at a gas station. The Shepherds were ambushed trying to save their charges and limit the collateral damage.”
“Who were they?” I asked.
“Two I don’t believe you knew, but one …” Teddy frowned.
“Who?” I asked anxiously, the monster in the pit of my stomach howled loudly. Somehow, I already knew the identity of the third victim before Teddy even opened his mouth.
“Petey,” he said sadly.
“Peter?” I gasped loudly as a searing pain ripped through my chest. Everyone stopped and looked at me. “But,” I continued in barely a whisper, “I thought he didn’t take on any more assignments. I thought he was only a mentor.”
“This was a real tricky case. We needed a pro, so Peter stepped up and volunteered.”
So that’s where he’d been.
“And now he’s—he’s gone?” I couldn’t believe it. I took a step backwards, unable to process what I was hearing. The relationship between Peter and me had been a rollercoaster built on friendship, guidance, love, sacrifice, and betrayal. And just when I felt like Peter and I were back on the right track, that the old wounds had healed, he was now gone forever? How could that possibly be?
“No,” I said forcefully, shaking my head. “No, I don’t believe it. I refuse to believe it. Peter can’t be gone. He just can’t.” I began to hyperventilate. My head started to spin, making me dizzy, and I had to sit down before I collapsed onto the floor.
“Love,” Teddy said, crouching down next to me. “I know this is hard to accept, but it’s the truth.”
“How do you know it’s the truth?”
“His aura is no longer visible on the Global Locator.”
“Well, can’t he be up here?” I asked. “Can’t he b
e somewhere else?” I asked Teddy telepathically, staring at him intently. “Like on the top of a mountain?”
Teddy looked at me in surprise.
“I know,” I said. “I’ve been there.”
“Of course you have,” Teddy replied, flashing me a sullen smile. “Peter really did love you, ya know? Enough to trust you with his secrets.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I never wanted to hurt Peter, but I knew I had by being unable to return his feelings.
“Anyway, I already checked around. He’s not here—or there.”
“Couldn’t he have found another portal? I mean, according to Dylan, they’re everywhere.”
Teddy cocked his head, his brows raised in curiosity. “Not that I’m aware of.”
Apparently, Peter had yet to mention Dylan’s “gift” to his mentor. I closed my eyes and felt my cheeks flush with awkwardness for letting the cat out of the bag. “So, there’s no other way to find him?”
“Afraid not.”
“So that’s it?” I asked aloud. “After ten minutes, you’re all just giving up on him—on all of them?” I was so angry with my colleagues, my fellow Good Samaritans, for abandoning each other so quickly.
“There’s nothing we can do for them if we can’t locate them,” Teddy explained. “The way I see it, their bodies were either destroyed in the blast or the bastards took them down to the Underworld. Either way, they’re as good as gone.”
“No Shepherd has ever escaped from their lair once they’ve been captured,” another Shepherd chimed in.
“So let them be the first! Let’s go rescue them!” I declared.
“And how do you propose we do that?” yet another Shepherd asked.
“I don’t know. Gather as many Shepherds as we can and get them ready to—to—”
“To do what? Fight a war?” Teddy asked.
I stopped short and froze. “Holy crap! It really has begun, hasn’t it?”
“Looks like it, darlin’.” He sighed in defeat. “It definitely looks like it.” I felt terrible for Teddy. He’d just lost one of his best friends. And to top it off, everything he’d known for the last several centuries was on the verge of collapse if Mathius got his hands on the Key woven into Quinn’s soul.
“So what do we do?” I asked.
“I’m not sure what we should do, but I know what you’ve got to do, honey.”
“Save Quinn,” I stated. He nodded, leaving me feeling completely overwhelmed. A low rumble of thunder caught my attention, and I looked up at the frescoed ceiling. It was the onset of a perfect storm. Dark skies and clouds were crashing into one another—total chaos was about to ensue. Out of the blue, a streak of lightning shot across the painted sky like an arrow—or a spear.
“Of course!” I gasped. “Did you see that?” I asked Teddy excitedly.
“See what?”
“The lightning!” I cried. “It’s the spear of light!”
“And that’s good because …” Teddy looked at me like I was off my rocker.
“It’s good because I think I just figured out part of the Servants’ conversion ritual. They need a spear of light, and what’s a better spear of light than a lighting bolt?”
“Nothing?” he replied, unsure.
“Exactly!” I exclaimed triumphantly. “Look, Teddy—”
“I know, I know, a Shepherd’s work is never done,” he winked, temporarily masking the pained look in his eyes.
“You really think there’s no hope left for Peter?” I asked more reservedly.
He shrugged his shoulders slightly and frowned.
“I can’t believe it,” I said. “We were just talking—things were good between us again. We were back on track, you know?”
“I do,” he said sadly.
“I’m really going to miss him.” Fresh tears welled up in my eyes.
“I know you are, sweetheart,” he said, resting his hands on my shoulder. “Hey, do me a favor and break the bad news to that crazy mentee of mine, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Teddy squeezed my shoulders gently, and I lunged into him, giving him a huge bear hug.
“Just remember that everything happens for a reason,” Teddy said reassuringly. “Things have a way of working out how they’re supposed to.”
“I refuse to believe the deaths of three humans and the destruction of three Shepherds at the hands of the Servants are examples of things working out the way they’re supposed to.”
“You’re a good egg, kiddo,” Teddy remarked.
“So are you, Teddy.”
*
It was still early, and I couldn’t go back to Quinn’s house—not yet, anyway. La Casa was out, too, considering I was pretty sure Quinn’s birthday surprise for me would take place up there, and I didn’t want to spoil it. Besides, I was so upset over the news about Peter all I really wanted was some time to myself.
The Falls popped into my head. I knew I’d agreed to leave it alone, but I couldn’t get it out my head. I needed to see it—to be there.
I arrived in the Falls and was immediately nostalgic. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed this place and all the memories Quinn and I created here together. The sounds of the waterfall rushing over the edge and plummeting into the pool below were music to my ears. The lush green grass and plush canopy of trees overhead was a sight for sore eyes. My first thought was that nothing had changed, but when I saw the scattered stones of the cairn Dylan had erected, I knew everything had.
“Hello?” I called out without materializing. “Is anyone here?” I called out again when there was no response. I remained invisible and headed into the cave. I was stunned when I arrived in our makeshift bedroom. It looked like a disaster zone. The bed, Quinn’s books, what little clothes he kept there—everything had been picked over, broken, and strewn everywhere. It was so disheartening to see.
“Hello?” I called out again, only to be met with silence. I phased in enough so I could sense whether another presence was with me, but I was alone. I didn’t detect any demon B.O. either, so if a demon were responsible for trashing our home, it hadn’t returned in some time. I bent down and picked up a picture of Quinn and me at the concert we’d gone to last spring and my tears began to flow uncontrollably. Learning that Peter was gone, missing the Falls, seeing all this damage, and knowing whoever caused it wanted to hurt Quinn—it was all too much.
I set Quinn’s bedside table upright and shoved a book under one cracked leg for added support. Then I laid the picture on top of it and stared at it a minute longer through teary eyes before walking out of the cave. I stripped off my clothes and dove into the cold water, hoping it’d wash away my sadness, but knowing nothing could. I took a huge breath, plunged under the water, and screamed. It felt good, so I did it again. Only this time, I felt more than a release—I felt a twinge of anger stir inside me.
This was not the time to grieve. This was the time to act. There was no way I was going to lose anyone else to the Servants. I needed to focus all my energy on figuring out everything I could about this ritual so I could save Quinn’s life, and I was pretty sure I’d just figured out a new piece of the puzzle—the spear of light. I swallowed back my tears, pulled myself out of the pool, and shimmered into jeans and a tee.
Taking a deep breath, I composed myself and put on my game face. I didn’t want to ruin everyone else’s moods, so I decided to keep the news about Peter and my visit to the Falls to myself until after tonight’s birthday celebration.
*
When I arrived back at the Harrisons, it was only three-fifteen. Quinn’s parents were still out, and Quinn, Dylan, and Minerva weren’t back yet either. I was relieved to have a little more time to myself so I could shove my sadness and anger to the back of my mind and lock it away for the time being. Plus, I wanted to follow up on my new lead about the lightning. I was sitting at Quinn’s desk doing some research on his laptop when Minerva materialized.
“When did you get here?” she asked.
<
br /> I looked at my watch. “About a half-hour ago.”
“Evie, you shouldn’t be here alone.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I needed to research a few things, and I guess I lost track of time. Are Quinn and Dylan with you?”
“No, but they’ll be here shortly.” She walked over to where I sitting and peered over my shoulder at the computer screen. “So, what did you need to research?”
“I think I discovered something. You know how we’ve had trouble trying to figure out the ‘spear of light’ part of the ritual—what they use to expose the soul?”
“Yeah?”
“So, it has to be something pretty intense to expose a human soul, right?”
“Right,” Minerva agreed uncertainly.
I clicked on an image of a single lightning bolt hitting the ground. “So I think the spear of light is a lightning bolt.”
“Okay, that makes sense in theory, but how can the Servants create lightning out of thin air when they need it?”
“I don’t think they have to create it. Think about it—if you only have one night a month on Earth to perform a ritual revolving around a human getting struck by lightning, where would you go?”
“Probably to the one place that gets struck by lightning the most often,” Minerva replied.
“Exactly,” I replied, grinning.
It turned out there were a handful of places on Earth known for their conductive qualities. The mountains in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked number one for the most lightning strikes per year, although areas in Venezuela, Singapore, Brazil, and Florida had their fair share of lightning as well.
“Well, it’s a start.” I sighed.
“I’d say it’s better than that,” Minerva stated enthusiastically. “I think you just singlehandedly narrowed down the list of where the Servants perform the ritual. Bravo, Evie!” She high-fived me.
“What’s with the high-fives?” Dylan asked when he and Quinn arrived.
“Evie not only figured out what the ‘spear of light’ refers to in the ritual, but she also figured out where the Servants perform the ritual,” Minerva announced proudly.
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