“We have to. A phone call isn’t going to cut it.”
He didn’t know Eloise well enough to ask over a phone call, which was why he had no plans to reach out to her. There was no truth to be found in a call, not right now. Setsuna had always warned him about his mother’s family, and while they worshipped Persephone, Patrick didn’t think they were aligned with any other god. Besides, he knew better than to telegraph their intent right now.
He swallowed hard, the knot lodged in the back of his throat something difficult to undo. Compartmentalizing Setsuna’s death didn’t mean he forgot her; it merely meant the grief would keep trying to break through at the most inopportune times despite him trying to wall it off.
“You’re talking about a four-hour drive. You’ve been up for almost twenty-four hours already and had to fight off Zachary. You don’t know what’s waiting for you in Salem.”
“Nadine—”
“You know better than to go on a mission blind while fucked out of your head from possible backlash. Get some rack time, a couple of hours at least, and then get on the road. Tired makes you slow. You can’t afford to be slow.”
“Considering that you don’t know what you’ll find in Salem, it’s even more imperative you meet with Ashanti tonight.” Carmen slid off the barstool, her eyes cold.
Nadine hummed softly before nodding at Patrick. “We’ll go with Carmen, then back to Sage’s to get some sleep. I’ll go with both of you to Salem tomorrow. You could use the backup.”
Patrick scowled, looking ready to argue, but Jono shook his head. “Unfortunately, I think she’s right. And Pat, I love you, but you’renotthinking straight right now.”
Though his tone was kind, Patrick still shut down, expression going absolutely blank. Jono sighed tiredly and stepped closer to wrap his arm around Patrick’s shoulders. Patrick didn’t lean into him, not right away, but Jono was nothing if not persistent. He wasn’t going anywhere, and Patrick eventually folded into his touch.
“You aren’t in this alone. If the Fates are to be believed, you were never going to be,” Jono murmured.
“Fine,” Patrick said after a moment. “We’ll see Ashanti tonight.”
Carmen gestured at Naheed without looking at her. “Let’s go.”
Jono lifted his free hand to rub at his eyes. They’d feel like sandpaper right now if he didn’t have enhanced healing. He was tired, and the night wasn’t over yet.
“Right, let’s be off,” Jono said, steering Patrick toward the entrance, refusing to let him go.
* * *
As far asneutral territory went, the New York City Public Library next to Bryant Park was one that offered up a better escape route than most. After how their night had gone so far, Jono much preferred the open-air meeting to one indoors.
Ashanti and Lucien weren’t the only ones waiting for them at the park after hours. Several of the vampires Jono remembered seeing at the other meeting were present as well. They stood well away from the nearest streetlamp, Jono’s eyes easily picking out the vampires in the dark. Patrick fixed that problem for them by casting a small number of witchlights to illuminate the area enough so he and Nadine didn’t trip and fall.
Carmen sauntered her way into Lucien’s arms, shedding her glamour like a coat. Lucien pulled her close in a proprietary way.
“You’re all right?” Patrick asked Ashanti before anything else.
Ashanti waved aside his words. “Tezcatlipoca was always a fool to think he could ever find me unawares.”
“Was anyone else with him? Santa Muerte brought Zachary along with some magic users and hunters when she came after us.”
“No one but Tezcatlipoca.” Ashanti tipped her head to the side, studying Patrick intently. “It appears we were kept busy while Ethan went after you.”
“Yeah, looks like it.”
“Samhain is less than a week away at this point. We need to find Ethan. We will use your blood to do it.”
“No,” Jono got out before Patrick could agree to something so bloody idiotic.
Ashanti’s searing attention settled on Jono, but he wasn’t one to cave in the face of her desires. “You seek an end to this war, do you not? A means to an end still provides us with an end.”
“You aren’t using Patrick. Find another fucking way.”
“Watch how you talk to her,” Takoma snapped.
Jono ignored the out-of-state vampire in favor of the goddess looking for a favor. “We’ll talk to her however we like.”
