Eloise drew in a breath, the sound a rasp in her throat. “Patrick traded himself for me. They’ll put him in the spellwork I was tied to because it needs someone from our family to make it work.”
“Where is the spellwork located?”
“The Burying Point Cemetery.”
Jono froze, Marek’s vision coming back to haunt him in that moment.
I saw a graveyard, which means there’s some kind of ending we’re now running toward.
“That’s in Salem,” Nadine said. “You were right about the location, Jono.”
“I can take the Hellraisers through the veil. Whatever gods are in Salem, I’ll handle them,” Gerard said.
Eloise’s eyes were wide in her face, wet with unshed tears. “I need to tell you about the spellwork and the Salem nexus.”
“We know about your family’s ties to it. Patrick told us,” Jono said.
Eloise frowned, lips trembling. “How did he know?”
“One of your children told him.”
“Oh.”
“Jono,” Emma said. “She can’t stay here. It’ll be too dangerous.”
Jono grimaced, knowing she was right. “Gerard? Can you take her with you through the veil to Salem?”
Gerard frowned before nodding. “Can do. We’ll drop her off somewhere safe before extracting Patrick.”
“The Salem god pack will help you. Georgelle is their alpha.”
Jono had the number memorized, and he rattled it off to Gerard, who gave him a thumbs-up. “I’ll make that call once we have boots on the ground in Salem.”
Jono gently squeezed Eloise’s hand. “We’ll—”
He was interrupted by one of Gerard’s Hellraisers thundering down the stairs, weapon in hand and trailing water behind him. “Got movement in Central Park, sir.”
Gerard hurried over to the windows facing Fifth Avenue. Jono left Eloise on the sofa to go see what was happening. The fog obscured most of the area, even with the storm winds, and it took a long minute for Jono to see what Gerard’s soldier had spotted.
Through the swirling fog, he could just make out the thick black brambles growing over the wall surrounding Central Park. Gangly figures with the look of the Unseelie fae to them were using the brambles to climb over the wall, falling to the sidewalk below.
“Fuck,” Gerard snarled. “If they’re coming from Central Park, then Medb has control of the hawthorn path. We’ll most likely run into her forces past the veil.”
“You need to go,” Jono said, already turning around. “Take your team and Eloise and get to Salem.”
Hellraisers were already snapping on their hard helmets, while the werecreatures present were kicking off their shoes, getting prepared to shift. Nadine, geared up and ready for the fight ahead, gave Jono a grim nod.
“If it’s anything like Cairo, that’s going to be the first wave. We had less powerful demons at first, so stands to reason Medb is sending her least powerful fae. They’ll try to wear us down with an escalation of forces,” Nadine said.
“Then let’s get moving south like we planned.”
“The veil will be difficult to navigate where it’s torn, and Cú Chulainn is right. It will be overrun with the enemy, and there are too many worlds to slip through if you aren’t careful,” Hermes said from where he stood by the door. “If you want to ensure Cú Chulainn can return with Pattycakes without getting lost, then you need to stay put.”
“Fuck you,” Gerard retorted.
Hermes wiggled his finger at Gerard, but his gaze never left Jono. “You’ll be a moving target on the streets, and you’ll be directionless. Ethan’s side wants you dead after Patrick.”
Deep in his soul, Fenrir let out an amused huff.
