She released her thighs, tipped her head down, and looked up at me. “Because, Brogan Gauge, vampires are the problem we need help with. Not just any vampires, but the ones who I think turned you into a spirit and Lula intothrawan.”
CHAPTER NINE
The ringing in my ears was louder than the air conditioner.
“How?” It came out as a whisper, too soft for me to hear it. “How do you know?”
“That’s a longer story.” Cassia stood. “No, I’m not brushing you off. But to explain what we want you to do for us, you’ll need to come to the coven.”
She reached into her back pocket and offered me a business card.
I took it and stood to stop her from leaving, but I was too slow, too rocked by her casual announcement of knowing the whereabouts of the monsters we’d spent fruitless years searching for.
She patted my shoulder and stepped around me.
“I know it’s a shock. But I’ll let you think on it. Decide if you want to work with us. If you want us to look for the thing that’s lost. I think we might be able to help each other.”
She was across the room now. Abbi still sat on the back of the couch, Hado over her shoulders, her feet brushing the seat cushions.
Franny patted the braids in her hair as she left the room. I hadn’t even noticed her move.
“Good-bye, Cassia,” Abbi said.
Cassia bowed. “Good-bye, Moon Rabbit. I will add a candle to my altar for you.”
Then she left, too, and the door clicked shut behind her.
“That was fun,” Abbi said.
“Witches? Fun?” I didn’t know why that was the only thing that came out of my mouth.
My brain had stalled. I’d glimpse a light, a truth, a hope too bright for me to comprehend, too stark to believe. Cassia knew where the monsters were hiding.
“They like me,” she said.
“They’re witches.”
“I like witches. You want to go to the coven, don’t you? Tonight? I mean we got all that good luck. We should use it before it runs out.”
I pulled my hand up to rub my face and noticed the card I was holding.
The Buckin’ Bronc Honky Tonk
“It’s a bar,” I said.
“They have ice cream.”
“Bars don’t have ice cream.”
“But they’re witches. They can do what they want.”
“Honky tonk witches.”
“I bet honky tonk witches have ice creamandcookies,” she said. “I have luck! If they don’t have it, I can ask them to.”
“Ask who?” Lula stood in the doorway, her tigress eyes taking in the room, the medical supplies in the trash, Abbi on the couch, and finally me.
“Lu,” I said.
