I blushed when I caught Désirée looking at me. “Yeah.” I quickly wiped my eyes. “Your dads are getting her now.”
“Um. About that. They said she wouldn’t leave, but they put a hexenspiegel over their house, so at least they have a little extra protection if Callis has something else planned tonight.”
“So now we’re protecting vampires?”
“We are when your girlfriend’s with them.”
She’s not my girlfriend anymore—not after this.
Désirée’s hands went to her hips. “Why the hell did Adele go to the vampires? If she was mad at you, she could have just come to me.”
“Or me,” Codi echoed.
I shrugged. “Gabe offered to help get Mac back, but Ritha slammed the door in his face. Adele freaked out . . .” I wanted to tell them the next part, how I’d used the magic to calm her down, but I was too ashamed to admit it. “She wants her dad back, so she went over there.”
Concern flooded Désirée’s voice. “She can’t go after Mac. Has she lost it?”
“That’s what I told her! But like you said, headfirst into danger.”
Now Désirée was the one pacing. “Well, what’s her plan?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Think, Isaac! She wouldn’t have just stormed over there for no reason. Her plan must be dangerous if she went to the dark side for help—”
“Oh, now you’re really making me feel better,” Codi said.
“I’m not trying to make you feel better; I’m trying to keep Adele from some kind of suicide mission! It’s Halloween night all over again. Remember, she diverged from the coven’s plan because she felt responsible and didn’t want to endanger us, even if that meant locking herself in the attic with the vampires! Think!”
“What did she do?” Codi yelled.
I broke into a feverish sweat. “Sh-she came here first. This is where we got into the fight.”
“Why did she stop here?”
“I don’t know . . . to change?”
“Did she have on different clothes?”
I wasn’t paying attention to what she was fucking wearing! I wracked my brain, forcing myself to relive the moment. She’d still been wearing the black button-down shirt and cut-off shorts. “She didn’t change. She didn’t have shoes on either.”
“She was barefoot at the tearoom,” Codi said.
“So she was walking through the freaking Quarter barefoot instead of going home for shoes,” Dee said. “She must have come here for something important.” She began flipping through bottles of potions and elixirs on the coffee table. “What did she take? Why did she go to the tearoom?”
“I-I don’t know. She was behind the counter. I was in shock over my grandpa. She made us all tea. I didn’t even know she’d left.”
When I’d seen her, she’d been standing near the fireplace, doing something. Rolling something up. I stared at the blank space on the wall.
Désirée followed my gaze. “The map is gone. She took it.”
“But why?” I asked.
“Oh, hell no! That is my map. That is my plan. She is not going to Guinée without me!” Désirée grabbed a bottle of piman from the fireplace mantel and shoved it in her bag.
“What does Guinée have to do with Mac?” Codi asked. “He’s still alive, right?”
Désirée stormed across the room. “I don’t know, but if she left already, I’m going to kill her myself, and she can stay in Guinée!”
“Where are you going?” Codi yelled.
“To find out!”
We hurried after her. I don’t know which brought on more fear: the thought of Adele being locked in a house with a bunch of revenge-seeking vampires or that she might have gone to the Afterworld by herself.
Then a more horrifying thought occurred. What if she’d gone to the Afterworld with them?
CHAPTER 8
Sette lune
It already felt like a year ago when Isaac and I were talking to my father at the bar, escaping to his bedroom, visiting the statue of my mother in the garden—that whirlwind kiss of swirling flowers and magical Air. Had it all just been a distraction to keep me from Nicco? Isaac couldn’t have met up with Nicco. I remember him in bed with me as I slept. His scent. His warmth. His body curled up with mine under the invisible blanket. I furiously blinked back tears as the wound I’d been so desperately trying to keep from splitting hemorrhaged, leaving my insides exposed for all of the Medici.
They all just stared at me as I fumbled.
Even after everything, I couldn’t fathom Isaac lying to me like that. Sneaking away. He knew I’d been looking for Nicco. The humiliation settled deep in my bones. I pulled up the map, ready to leave, but Nicco put his hand on the paper, stopping me. Only then did I notice the ring on his finger. The Salazar triangular flame. Did he steal it from the tearoom after Codi got his Mark, when he was being so affectionate with me? Is that why he came to the party? Had he just been pretending to woo me like he’d done with Séraphine?
The chandelier overhead rattled.
Nicco took the ring off and placed it in my hand. “It’s how we found Callis. Isaac gave it to us.”
“More like threw it at you,” Lisette corrected.
Nicco shot her a silencing look.
Isaac gave it to him? What did Isaac think Nicco would do with it without magic? When did Isaac turn into such a child? When exactly had Isaac met up with him? After we’d . . . ? My head swirled. I’d known something was wrong when our dreams connected. I’d wanted to leave, but Isaac had convinced me that Nicco was okay. Had he known Nicco was in trouble at D-MORT and kept me from helping him? He hates Nicco, but he wouldn’t do that. Right? Isaac would help anyone. It’s his nature. Isn’t it?
I pocketed the ring. “I’m sorry if Isaac put you in danger, and I’m sorry if I caused any trouble here tonight—”
“You’re not causing trouble.”
“I’m leaving.” I began rolling up the map, but again, Nicco’s hand slid over mine.
“You don’t have to go, but if you insist, you aren’t going anywhere without me.”
“I’m going to Guinée.”
“Then so am I.”
“Niccolò—” Gabriel’s expression hardened.
“No more discussion, fratello.” Nicco’s gaze stayed locked with mine. “I’m going to the Afterworld, and I’ll return once we’ve obliterated all Salazar magic from the universe. Jakome started this war, and I’m going to end it.”
Thump-thump.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Adele, there’s not a corner of Earth that I couldn’t guide you, but the Afterworld is uncharted territory even for me.”
“Then we’ll chart it together,” I whispered.
“We’re going to get through this. Te lo prometto.”
“I’m going too!” Lisette said.
Gabriel pounded the table, shaking the floor. “You’re not going anywhere near Jakome Salazar! Dead or alive or anything in between.”