“Sounds like a fool’s errand.”
She leaned her shoulder against the wall just behind me to my left. “You just told me that there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for Viktor.”
“Sparrow’s Vampires are waiting at your house.”
“Yes, but Godfrey’s men are waiting to deliver people, not slaughter them. If they question you, tell them you’re on an errand for me. They won’t be foolish enough to do anything without their leader’s permission.”
As much as I didn’t want to be Lenore’s errand girl, it wasn’t a bad idea. Not only would I get rid of this favor I owed her by doing something easy, but I could find out if the hourglass Sparrow had left on the table held any answers to this riddle. Would destroying it lift the curse?
“I can do that,” I said.
“Splendid. Just don’t carry it in a purse. Oh, and Raven? As part of the favor, don’t tell him I sent you for the vodka. I want it to be a surprise. Leave it at my door and knock.”
“I should at least tell him I’m leaving.”
“He’s asleep. I think it’s best to leave him alone.”
“We were put up here to guard you. I don’t know where the hell Christian went, and if I take off, it’ll look like we left you unprotected.”
Lenore suddenly punched a hole in the wall. Startled, I jumped away. “I’m capable of looking after myself from now on, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
I edged toward the door. “You wouldn’t happen to have any impalement wood lying around your house, would you?”
She dusted off her knuckles. “If your powers have returned, you should be able to run if they attack.”
I smiled. “Who said I wanted to run?”
* * *
Lenore livedin a historic neighborhood built around the turn of the twentieth century. The mansions were large but not by today’s standards. It wasn’t in the heart of Cognito, but it also wasn’t far from the Flamingo Hotel, which I found hilarious. After hopping the subway to shorten the journey, I went the rest of the way on foot until I reached her street. The homes were tucked back from the road, long driveways leading up to covered garages or gated entry points. Massive evergreen oak trees shaded the pristine grounds, their thick branches spreading out like tentacles. Other varieties had lost their leaves for winter, but you wouldn’t know it to look at the tidy lawns or clean streets. These immortals hired landscapers to keep everything pristine.
Halfway there, my blood ran cold. Someone was flaring, their energy prickling against my skin.
I turned around. “Who’s there?”
Niko casually stepped out from behind a plumbing-repair van. His long black hair framed his chiseled face, which carried a disappointed look. “Are you not aware of your surroundings at all times? I taught you better than that.”
“I was distracted by all the passengers on the train staring at my gown.”
Niko walked majestically in his black attire, treading slowly across the light dusting of snow. “Are you not cold?”
“It’s part of this dead thing.” I matched his pace as we turned up the road. “Now I know what it’s like to be a Vampire. Why are you following me? Did Viktor assign you to spy on me?”
“Nothing like that. I was outside learning the area in case we have to stay the full week. I wasn’t certain it was you at first, but then I recognized your light beneath the static.”
“Static?”
“Everyone’s light is dimmer. It’s encased in electrical webbing. I can’t describe it since I have no frame of reference, but it reminds me of what netting feels like.”
“That must be the parasite Sparrow was talking about.”
“Where are we going?”
I squinted up the road. “I wanted to check out Lenore’s house and see what’s going on.”
“I as well. I’m curious about this hourglass and its power.”
“Same.”
