“Christian can see us, so we’re notthatdead.”
A blustery wind rustled the bushes, but the frigid air strangely didn’t bother me at all. “Viktor, you can’t let Shepherd go back home alone. He’ll tear that place up looking for Hunter. Did anyone bring their phone? Someone should call Niko and see if he answers.”
Gem frowned at her dress. “I don’t have any pockets, and I didn’t bring a purse.”
Viktor removed his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. “It doesn’t work.”
“Of courseit doesn’t work. Not unless you’re dialing the dead.” Wyatt leaned against a tree. “The rules have changed.”
“I did not ask for your opinion,” Viktor said gruffly.
Blue approached Wyatt. “Maybe we should hear him out. What else, Spooky?”
He plucked a dead leaf off a branch and twirled it between his fingers. “I only know the dead rules. We’re in a different realm now, so I guess a little of each applies. But I can tell you this much: we made a big mistake leaving our weapons at home. Who has a pocket?”
We all looked down at our pocketless dresses.
Viktor slipped his phone in his back pocket. “I do.”
Wyatt handed him the leaf. “Here. Put this in your pocket and then walk around.”
“Is this a joke?” Viktor snatched the leaf and shoved it into his front pants pocket. Then he walked slowly with his arms outstretched and a look of annoyance.
Wyatt held out his hand. “Now give me the leaf.”
When Viktor reached in his pocket, he felt around.
“It’s not there, is it?” Wyatt swung his gaze to the tree. “I bet it’s back on the branch. It looks like we can move things—for now. We should be able to carry objects, but we can’t claim them as our own. That might change. Or maybe it won’t. We can probably carry weapons, but we can’t put them in a holster or sheath. The dead can’t keep possessions that belong to the living.”
Blue flipped her cloak behind her shoulders. “Wyatt, please tell me we can change clothes.”
He winked at her. “Feel free to demonstrate the limitations of your apparel.”
Gem lurched forward and gripped Wyatt’s green-and-white collar. “Do you mean to tell me that I’m stuck with frosted hair and flat shoes? Forever?”
“At least you didn’t wear those roller skates. I don’t know what you’re complaining about. I’m the one wearing elf attire. Sure, it’s fine now. But come July, it won’t be so funny anymore.”
I kicked the tree trunk. “This is fucking great. Swear allegiance to a random psychopath or dwell in the land of the dead for eternity.”
Viktor shushed us. “Let us talk later when we are all together. Right now I want to focus on a plan.”
* * *
A few stragglersfrom the party lingered in the house. Christian kept a close eye on them, but it was difficult to focus in his altered state. Thanks to the spiked cider, his night vision was useless, and he couldn’t even hear the whispers from the two men bounding down the stairs with Lenore’s jewels in their hands.
“Let them go,” Lenore said flatly as she headed toward her back office.
“You seem to be under the assumption that I care what happens to your precious things,” he remarked.
She gave him a steely look over her bare shoulder. “It was on the off chance that you had a gallant bone in your body, but I see those days are gone.”
“Dead and buried,” he muttered, realizing she couldn’t hear him. “You wouldn’t happen to have any weapons lying around, now would ya?”
Lenore entered the room. “Don’t get any bright ideas.”
And yetthatparticular idea hadn’t entered his mind until that very moment.
“I have enough to deal with.” Lenore removed a painting from the wall that covered a safe. “Now that I work for the higher authority, there’s a constant target on my back. My goodness. We carry out executions on a weekly basis. Why else do you think I’m unwilling to stay in my own house? There are too many people who would seize this opportunity if they knew my powers were gone.”
