It sounded similar to how Gran’s curse could only be taken off with Arthur’s talisman. My mom was one smart cookie, but now we had to protect her.
I swallowed hard. “We need to find that talisman before Arthur does.”
Gage cleared his throat. “I have an idea.”
Everyone turned to stare at Gage, who bent over to look out the window. “My father’s gone,” he said when he straightened. “Let’s get out of this cramped space.”
We quickly filed out of the cold stone structure. I ran my hands up and down my arms, unable to rid myself of the goose bumps prickling my flesh. I was getting a weird vibe in this place, like invisible fingers were running over my body, but each little pinprick sent a jolt of energy into me.
Seeing the motion and mistaking it as me being cold, Gage wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side. The sensation didn’t stop, but I appreciated the gesture anyway. Being in Gage’s arms just felt right.
“So what’s your idea?” Drea asked Gage.
“I know someone who might be able to help us locate Emery’s talisman before my father does,” Gage offered.
I perked up, waiting for him to go on.
“That’s great,” Drea said, and the rest of the group nodded as well.
Heaving a sigh, Gage ran a hand down his face. “Yeah, but you’re not going to like this next part. The person I know that can track a magical signature to certain locations is in England… and she’s a Shade.”
My heart sank. Both of those things were going to be an issue. England was super far and working with Shades was super out of the question for the Angel Gang.
Drea crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “There’s no way my mom is going to let us jump on a plane to the UK. Especially not to go and see a Shade.”
“I wasn’t planning on asking your mom’s permission,” Gage said flatly.
I loved Drea, but she did tend to involve her mom in a lot of things that might be best done solo. For better or worse, I kinda operated on the philosophy of “better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” but Drea was a serious rule-follower.
“Everyone hold up,” Marlow cut in. “There’s someone else here.” Her brows furrowed as she inspected the device in her hands. I couldn’t tell what was happening, but Marlow looked concerned.
I was instantly on alert as we all glanced around the cemetery. It was dark and there were a lot of places a person could hide.
What if Arthur is still here? What if he attacks Gage?
Pulling away from Gage, I activated my weapons storage mark and pulled a twelve-inch gold dagger off my arm. Gage hefted his own sword at the ready, and the rest of the group armed themselves as well.
“Wait! It’s just me,” a female voice called to my left, and I spun in that direction.
Jacob’s wings snapped from his back so powerfully that they made my hair fly into my face. Wasting no time, he shot in the direction of the voice. I jerked my head, flinging the loose strands from my eyes in time to see Jacob brandish his sword, angel marks glowing white on his arms and neck as he pressed the tip of his weapon against the underside of Indigo’s chin.
Indigo stood still with her hands up in surrender and her eyes wide. “Whoa. I come in peace,” she said.
“Jacob,” I yelled as I re-stored the dagger and sprinted toward the pair. “Put down your weapon. That’s Indigo!”
“She’s a Shade,” he grumbled under his breath, but let me tug his arm down when I reached him.
“She’s myfriend,” I said, shooting Jacob a glare.
“Yeah, back down, bro.” Gage’s voice boomed behind me, and Jacob took a step back, glaring at him.
I got that Shades were technically the enemy, but that didn’t mean every single one of them was evil. Probably only most of them were. Jacob had some serious biases he needed to work on. Not to mention he still hadn’t fully worked out his issues with Gage, but now wasn’t the time for that.
Indigo spotted Gage behind me and went to him, throwing her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said.
He smiled down at her. “It’s really nice to see you, Indigo. I owe you my life.”
She returned his smile with a watery one of her own. “I don’t intend to let you forget that.”
