“How about I try to stop you from walking into a trap?” I said. “How about I try and stop you from committing suicide?”
“Variance and I will go,” Lula said. “He knows the place. And Rhianna will know him and trust him.”
“You mean he goes with us,” I countered. “I’m not staying behind.”
All eyes turned to me, and before I could say anything, Abbi spoke.
“You have a broken wrist, heat exhaustion, and you’re slow. Like, I’m a rabbit and, you know, magic, so I’m fast. Vampires are fast, too, and so is Lula. None of us have broken anythings.” She wrinkled her nose. “And you’re slow.”
“I’m not that slow. My wrist is fine. I’m going.” I picked up the lemonade and drained the glass. There was not a single chance in hell I would let Lula walk into a nest of vampires without me at her side.
The silence in the room told me exactly what they all thought about that.
“We have weapons,” Lula told Cassia in such a way that I knew she and I would be having words over my decision later. “We’re ready when you are.”
“Then that’s it,” Cassia said. She stood and touched Variance’s arm, but he didn’t respond. Probably because he was still wondering if killing me might be a good warmup for the night.
“The four of you will find Rhianna and bring her home. Once she is safely on her way here, get Dominick’s blood. We will do all we can to help, but we will have to do it from our land. If we step into his territory, he will know.”
“Wait.” Lula lifted the box and offered it to Cassia. “A friend of our says this contains information that can help heal vampire bites.”
Cassia’s eyebrows lifted, but she accepted the box. “Thank you.” For some reason she looked my way. “That is…thank you.”Then she waved, and a few people standing by the bar started toward us.
“I don’t like you, Brogan Gauge,” Variance said, not done with the fight.
I shrugged. “I don’t care.”
His gaze slipped to Lula, and whatever he found there didn’t make him any happier.
“Variance,” Cassia warned. “This is done now.”
He turned and strode to the bar.
“What kind of weapons do you have?” Abbi asked. “Are they Ricky’s?”
“I’ll show you,” Lula said.
“Go ahead,” Cassia said to Abbi and Lu, as a woman and man paused by our table. The woman handed Cassia her doctor’s bag, and the man spread out a cloth filled with dried herbs. “We have a few loose ends to tie off.”
“I’ll get out of your way.” I made to stand.
“No. Sit. You’re part of our loose ends. Let’s see if we can finish healing your wrist.”
I was about to argue, but Lula threw me a look.
“All right,” I said. “What do you need me to do?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It took fifteen minutes of spell writing, herb burning, and magic chanting for my wrist to feel almost as good as new. Then I was firmly encouraged (ordered) to get some sleep before the evening’s work.
Cassia and her coven didn’t give me another thought, completely ignoring me as they went about their preparations for the rise of the full moon.
I shuffled off to one of the small bedrooms attached to the back of the place, following my gut instinct for where Lula might be.
I knocked on the door once, then tried the handle. It was unlocked, so I opened it.
Lula lay on her side on the wooden-framed double bed. Lorde was curled up in a pile of pillows on the throw rug that covered most of the floor. A ceiling fan made lazy turns, stirring the cooler air the air conditioner pushed out with a soft hum.
