"Good morning, Dahlia," Cyran's voice filled our kitchen. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"We were having breakfast. What can we do for you?" I tried to keep the suspicion out of my voice. And failed.
"I have a proposition that might interest you." I could practically hear him smirking through the phone. "A group of the oldest families in New Orleans are planning a grand reunion next month. Both supernatural and mundane lines will be involved. They're looking for a suitable venue and experienced event planners."
Dani perked up like someone had offered her free chocolate. "And you recommended us?"
"Naturally. Willowberry Plantation has the space and security. Not to mention that the six of you have proven your ability to handle just about anything," he replied.
"That's one way to put it," Kota muttered.
"What's the catch?" I asked because it felt like there was one. Fingers crossed, it wasn’t expensive and slightly dangerous.
Cyran chuckled like I'd said something amusing. "Perceptive as always. The families want to celebrate their shared history while maintaining appropriate boundaries between those in the know and those who aren't. It'll be a delicate balance."
"Basically, we need to hide the fangs, scales, and magical outbursts while letting everyone be themselves so they have a good time," Dre summarized. She was good at cutting to the chase.
"Precisely. The budget is substantial, and the connections you'd make would be invaluable."
I glanced around the table. My sisters all wore that expression I knew too well. We would somehow find a way to pull off the impossible.
"We've gotta figure out how to keep the mundies blind to all the supernatural BS without scrambling their brains," Dani told Cyran, crossing her arms. This wasn't going to be as simple as throwing up some half-assed diversion spell. We didn't wantthe mundies bolting from the party like their asses were on fire. And slapping them with a spell that made them ignore the paranormal freak show happening right in front of their faces? Yeah, that could seriously mess with their heads long-term.
"Of course. I should mention that these families possess historical knowledge that stretches back to the city's founding. Knowledge that might be relevant to your... current concerns."
My eyes narrowed. "How do you know about our current concerns?" He wasn’t a mind reader and wouldn't be involved in spying on us. That kind of subterfuge wasn’t his style.
"That app has come in very handy. Especially when the dead grow restless. I didn’t know what was setting me off until I saw the calls." His tone went serious. "This isn't the first time New Orleans has experienced such phenomena. I have no doubt that the oldest families remember the previous occurrences."
I caught Dani's slight nod. "We'll handle the party. Send over the details, and we'll start planning immediately."
"Excellent. I'll have my assistant forward everything today.”
“Send over anything you learn about what is affecting the ghosts in this city,” Dea added.
He promised to keep in touch and hung up. I looked at my sisters. "Well, that was convenient timing."
"Too convenient?" Phi wondered aloud, voicing what we were all thinking.
"Fate does tend to throw bones our way every once in a while," Dre replied. "We need that historical information. The party itself sounds straightforward enough. We just need to worry about the diversion spell."
"While you guys start on that, I'd better call Marie," Dea said as she reached for her phone. "If someone's messing with voodoo and ghosts, she needs to know."
"And I'll contact Kassandra," Phi added. "Gargoyles have a different perspective on the dead."
Kota looked up from Phi's tablet, which she'd commandeered minutes ago. She spun it around to show me a grainy image of an old stone angel with a broken wing. "Lia, is this the one from your vision? I figure we should start our investigation in that location."
I leaned in, studying the image. "That's it. The broken wing had some moss hanging off of it, but this looks like the one. We should check it out as soon as possible. We might be able to catch this one while setting up." My visions always came before the event happened, so there was a chance we could stop this. The cemetery was Lafayette No. 3. It had been semi-abandoned since Katrina.
Adèle jumped onto the table. "I should accompany you to this cemetery when you go," she informed us. "Familiars can sense disturbances in the veil between worlds that even witches cannot perceive, but I cannot do that from afar."
That sounded risky to me. I shared a look with my sisters. Dre sighed and said, "Alright then. Adèle will come with us. We need to be extra careful. I don't want to advertise that we've got a familiar when most witches haven't seen one in centuries."
"Word's probably already leaked," Lucas pointed out with a smirk that made me want to stare inappropriately. "But no sense painting a target on Adèle's back. Noah and I will accompany you and act as an extra set of eyes."
"A covert road trip to a creepy cemetery is exactly how I saw our day going," Kota declared as she pulled on her jacket. "Let's grab our gear.”
Dea nodded and said, “I'll bring that cloak with the hidden pocket for Adèle to keep her out of sight."
