Patrick wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to stay one step ahead of Ethan when they kept circling each other like sharks in the lead up to Samhain. “We need to go back to Salem.”
“Why?”
Patrick flexed his fingers around the hilt of his dagger, Zachary’s words leaving him a little nauseous. “I think something’s happened to Eloise.”
Jono’s grip tightened hard enough to bruise before he pressed a dry kiss to Patrick’s forehead. “We’ll drive up as soon as we can.”
Patrick gazed out over the ruined street, hellfire still burning behind Nadine’s shields, wondering if New York City would end up like Cairo during the Thirty-Day War after all.
13
“This isn’t goingto play well in the press, not after the summer we’ve had,” Casale said as he squinted down the street at the hellfire that wasn’t yet completely put out.
Jono scowled, attention on where Patrick stood as he coordinated the cleanup with Nadine and a handful of other SOA agents. Their street was teeming with police officers, federal agents, and firefighters despite the hour turning past midnight from Saturday night to Sunday morning. Several of the buildings had been evacuated while the hellfire bomb was taken care of, with the Red Cross handling their displacement for the night.
Packs that had come to their aid earlier had been sent home by Jono once their statements were taken by the police and SOA under strict anonymity. Before all of that, Jono had dodged back inside their flat after the scene was initially secured in order to grab a change of clothes. Chatting with police while naked was never something he liked doing.
“This isn’t our fault,” Jono said.
Casale pursed his lips. “I’m not saying it is. The pair of you were targets. I have multiple eyewitnesses who will attest to that, including several reporters. But a street turning into a warzone is never going to shine a positive light on anyone.”
It was only going to get worse, whether Casale knew it or not. Their pack’s professional relationship with the PCB was strained, and the nascent one Jono had with Casale had been torn up back in August. But he didn’t have it in him to risk innocent people if a warning could help. Angelina and the covens might have been warned, but hard specifics hadn’t been shared because of government restrictions.
“Has the SOA kept you updated on what’s been going on with the Dominion Sect?” Jono asked.
“The NYPD as a whole received a level orange threat warning from that agency.”
Jono eyed what remained of the hellfire before turning his back on that mess. “Bit more than a threat now, if you ask me.”
“You and Collins have been at the dead center of every major preternatural or supernatural event or attack this city has dealt with since last summer, not to mention some other cities. Angelina said the covens are preparing as if they’re expecting a war. Tell me straight, Jono. What is coming at us?”
Jono scratched at an itch on his jaw as he turned away. “Your wife is right. We’re looking at war. Talk to the mayor. Tell him to set a curfew again. Things are going to get messy.”
He walked away from Casale because this mess wasn’t the only attack they needed to deal with. According to Patrick, the SOA was covering the attack here and the one at Ginnungagap. They didn’t have any information yet on what had occurred over there, and Jono knew they still needed to find out. Lucien was bound to be in a temper, which would put Patrick in a mood, and Jono wasn’t looking forward to that headache.
Patrick saw his approach and extricated himself from the other SOA agents to meet Jono halfway. Nadine came with him, casting a discreet silence ward that made Jono’s ears pop from the sudden quiet.
“Nadine said General Reed has recalled the Hellraisers and Spencer,” Patrick said.
“When do they arrive?” Jono asked.
“Hopefully soon. They’re all outside the country right now. My guess is transport is being arranged.”
“Paperwork is being pushed through,” Nadine confirmed. “They’re not the only ones coming back.”
Jono crossed his arms over his chest. “Is the government focusing the bulk of their support here or elsewhere now?”
Patrick looked down the street at the first responders doing their best to contain the damage, and Jono followed his gaze. “I think if Ethan isn’t going to use Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs as a sacrificial altar, it’s a damn good distraction from wherever he actually will.”
“Odds are high the fight happens here,” Nadine said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jono glanced over his shoulder at the Mustang, having miraculously survived the fight unscathed by virtue of where it had been parked. “We should stop by Ginnungagap before heading to Salem.”
“Nadine?” Patrick asked.
“I’ll come with you. I’m of more use to you while dealing with Lucien than if I stay behind. This isn’t my purview,” she said.
She worked for the Preternatural Intelligence Agency and was stationed out of Paris. The PIA handled international problems, while the SOA laid claim to domestic ones. Jono wasn’t sure which agency had the best claim to whatever came from past the veil right now, but she’d retracted all her magic from the street once other magic users had arrived.
