Ayaz pursed his lips. “Vincent has been good to me.”
“He used you – you told me that yourself. You’re a political pawn, a way for him to show his buddies that he has powerful connections all over the world. Just because he was kinder to you than to Trey doesn’t change that fact, or any of the things he’s done since. Do you believe he’s responsible for sacrificing the entire class so he could gain power?”
The forehead crease appeared again as Ayaz considered this. Finally, he nodded.
“And knowing what the god’s gifts mean, are you willing to give them to Vincent? After all, power is what he craves – it’s not cruel to give someone what they want.”
“But once he has this power, we can’t stop him using it against vulnerable people. We’ve seen what he’s capable of when he controls this school. What if he controlled the world?”
“That’s the major snag.” I shuddered. “The others are all for this justice by revenge – the punishment fits the crime. They don’t want to ruin the lives of more innocents, but I think that will happen anyway if the Eldritch Club become children of the god. I was wondering if you could help? You know more about this occult stuff than anyone else. I’ve heard you talk before about binding spells. Can you find something that will enable us to bind the power of the Eldritch Club so they can’t destroy the world?”
“I can try.” Ayaz leaned over, wincing as the movement tugged at his new skin. As he grabbed the corner of Parris’ skin book, his arm brushed mine.
Sitting this close to him and breathing in his scent made all the memories rise to the surface. His kiss last night burned on my lips. I couldn’t kiss him again. I couldn’t risk it.I need a distraction…
“I got you something,” I whispered.
As I reached across the table, my finger brushed his hand once more. A flare of heat jumped from my skin to his. Ayaz jerked away, but a moment later his hand returned.
He’s still afraid of me.I squeezed my eyes shut.I can’t blame him.
I pulled the tiny box across the table. Ayaz sucked in a breath as he recognized it. It was the lockbox the Kings used to keep things in the cave that they didn’t want the teachers or parents to discover. The last thing I’d hidden in it was the imprints of the keys for Ms. West’s laboratory, but we didn’t need them now. Now the box held something more precious.
“I was hoping to find a chance to give this to you all day.” I lifted the lid and slid the box in front of him. “She gave this to me, but I think it’s really meant for you.”
Inside was a small pendant on a leather thong – a glass bead with concentric circles of dark blue, white, and light blue with a black dot in the center. It looked a little like an eye. Ayaz touched the object, the look on his face rapturous.
“Zehra,” he whispered.
“What is it?”
“It’s anazar– an amulet worn to ward off the evil eye.” Ayaz rolled up the corner of his shirt to show me a tattoo of the same design under his ribcage. “Zehra made one for each of us when she was eight. She mailed mine to me so I’d always have something to remember her. I wore mine every day until my first year at Miskatonic Prep. The others bullied me about it so much that I threw it into the ocean. I regretted it ever since – that is why I have it tattooed. She must have seen I wasn’t wearing it…” A shudder racked his body. “That’s Zehra; even though she’s the one in danger, she’s still thinking about me. We have to help her.”
“I’m trying. Ms. West still has her locked up.” I curled his fingers around thenazar.“This is my promise to you that I will get her back. Ms. West is supposed to return her as part of our deal, but I was a fucking idiot again and didn’t specify a timetable. She’s going to try to hold Zehra for as long as possible to ensure we cooperate. I think she might keep Zehra as a bargaining chip with Vincent, in case her plan with Gloria fails.”
I didn’t tell him I overheard Ms. West trying to sacrifice her to the god. It was just as well, because Ayaz was already on his feet. “We have to get Zehra out.Now.”
I shook my head. “Greg’s told us that the weight room is heavily guarded – that’s why there are so few teachers. The Deadmistress knows I might try something. I could send the shadows or a couple of you Edimmu to get her out – the teachers couldn’t hurt you, but I worry they might hurt Zehra instead.”
Ayaz’s head fell into his hands. “What do we do?”
“We watch. We pretend that everything is okay, that we’re merrily playing along with West’s game. We wait for our chance to strike.”
His lip twisted. It wasn’t quite a smile, but for Ayaz, it was quite something. He looped thenazararound his neck. “What’s this dangerous mission Quinn was talking about? I’m intrigued.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Are you sure you’re okay to do this again?” I asked.
In response, Trey pulled on a tailored blazer that definitely didn’t say ‘I’m about to hike through a forest.’ He did look damn fine, though.
I tossed him Dante’s old hoodie. Trey wrinkled his nose like it would give him a disease, but when I pointed out that it would be a better disguise if hedidn’tlook like the son of an arrogant billionaire, he pulled it on.
Quinn pouted. “No fair. I want to go for a walk with a pet stone and take Hazy out for ice cream.”
“I agree. Ice cream sounds nice,” Ayaz piped up.
“That’s not what we’re doing,” Trey snapped, adjusting the hood over his perfectly-styled hair. “We’re sneaking into a hotel where at least some of our parents are probably still holed up to visit a woman who may or may not have the answers we need. If we get caught it will ruin the whole plan, so forgive me if I don’t want Mr. Everything’s-a-joke and Mr. Betrayed-Hazy-and-can’t-put-weight-on-my-legs on the case.”
