Flustered, she stopped and swung her eyes up to the high arched ceiling. “I don’t know.”
Wyatt folded his arms. “So you’re telling me you don’t have a plan. You’re just going to walk into the fire?”
“Do you have any better ideas? Because I don’t. And there’s no way I’m going to stay here and hold on to this book if it means Niko dies.”
“Can’t he fight them? He’s tough, Gem. We’ve all seen him fight.”
Gem couldn’t explain what Niko had done, and she wasn’t sure Niko would want Keystone to know he’d signed away his freedom. “They put a metal cuff on him, and I don’t know how it works, but he’s mortal.”
Wyatt anchored his hands on his hips and slid his lower jaw from side to side. “That changes things, doesn’t it? I’ve seen those pop up once or twice on the black market, but they’re hard to acquire. They say the metal’s infused with some kind of magic that suppresses immortal gifts.”
“I know. He put one on me.”
Wyatt’s eyes widened as she walked past him. He bounced in front of her again and gripped her shoulders. “What did it feel like? What did it do?”
“I couldn’t feel my light anymore. I felt like a human.”
He pinched the whiskers on his chin. “I wonder if it would work on a Gravewalker. Imagine, walking into a graveyard or public place and no spooks. Nothing but fleshwalkers.”
“Flesh what?”
“Us. The living.”
“I don’t know. It didn’t seem to affect my Relic knowledge.”
“Yeah, but that’s wired into your brain cells.”
Gem closed her eyes for a moment and took a micronap while Wyatt rambled on about the possibilities of blocking a Gravewalker’s power.
“Hey, you should sleep.” Wyatt startled her awake when he shook her shoulders.
The book almost slid from her arms, and she clutched it tighter. “I wish Viktor were here. He’d know what to do.”
Wyatt tucked his hands in his pockets. “Haven’t heard from him since yesterday, but that’s not unusual. It’s the last leg of their journey. They’re on their own.”
“And so are we.”
He scratched the back of his neck. “Look, we’ve got a bunch of wolves guarding the property. You’re safe here.”
She stalked off. “But Niko isn’t safe.”
He tugged the back of her sweater, forcing her to stop. “If I can’t talk you into staying, at least let me tag you with a chip.”
Her brow furrowed. “Huh?”
He robbed her view of the stairs when he jumped in front of her again. “A tracking device. I got a new batch in, and they’re the size of a coin. I can slip one into the heel of your shoe. Or maybe cut open the leather on that book and—”
She swung away. “You’re not touching it.”
“What’s the big deal? It’s just an old book.”
“Wyatt Blessing, if you put a knife anywhere near this book—or any of my books, for that matter—I’ll invite every ghost in Cognito to the mansion for a big party, and you’re the guest of honor.”
His eyes widened, and he looked at her sideways. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?” She rocked on her heels. “Books are precious, and we must protect them.”
“If you say so, Mother Teresa. At least give me your shoe.” He gestured to her feet. “I’ll put it inside, near your toes. Don’t worry, I won’t cut them up if you don’t want me to. Just don’t take off those slippers, or you’ll never find your way back to Kansas.”
