“That’s a very good idea.” He cast me an easy smile. “We’re going to lunch in Mexicantown. I’ll bring it up then.”
Now it was my turn to be uncomfortable. “Wait ... do you think it’s wise for you to have lunch with them alone? What if something happens?”
He chuckled at my concern. “They’re not going to kill me during lunch. If they attack, it will be under the cover of darkness. They’ll either send an army to my home or an assassin to crawl through the shadows. It won’t happen over chips and salsa.”
He sounded sure of himself, which eased some of my worry, but I still wasn’t convinced. “Maybe I should go with you.”
“As much as I would love to have you with me — and you would be a definite improvement over my other lunch companions — that would be a suspicious move.”
“Why? I take care of the gate.”
“Yes, but you’re not in a leadership position with the council,” he pointed out pragmatically. “They will want to talk about private matters, ones they think can’t be discussed in front of you. It makes more sense for you to stay behind.”
I wasn’t sure I believed that, but he was in charge. “Keep your phone handy in case something happens. We’ll figure out a way to get to you.”
He chuckled at my veracity. “I will definitely keep my phone handy. You’re not to worry about me, though. Have fun with Paris and Zoe ... and see what you can learn about the mage.” He glanced around and then lowered his voice. “She could be our ace in the hole on this one. She’s powerful and smart. She’s also revered in certain circles.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because her reputation is one of those things that can’t be squelched. People in every paranormal corner of the state — maybe even in the country — whisper about her. She’s done quite a bit, including flattening an entire college. We want her on our side.”
“The good news is she is on our side.”
“Yes, but she has no reason to help us.” He was grave. “Her friendship with Paris means she’ll be close for several days but that doesn’t mean she’ll fight for us. If I were in her position, I don’t know that I would stick my nose into things that don’t concern me. That’s just asking for more trouble ... and she’s fought her fair share.”
From what I knew about Zoe, she didn’t look at life that way. “I think she’s going to help.”
“I do, too, but I still don’t want Adam catching wind that she’s here. We should keep our lunches separate today.”
“Okay, but I guarantee my lunch is going to be more entertaining than yours.”
“Of that I have no doubt.”
PARIS AND ZOE WERE ALREADY SEATED in the cafeteria when I made my way to the main floor. They had their heads bent together and were laughing so hard their faces flushed pink. I had never seen Paris so animated.
“Am I intruding?” I asked when they took a breath.
“Of course not.” Paris’ smile was warm. “We’re just reminiscing about old times.”
“Very old times now,” Zoe confirmed, leaning back in her chair so she could stretch out her legs. “It seems like a lifetime ago that we were in college together, taking out witches ... and sphinxes ... and evil teachers.”
“You took out evil teachers?” I was impressed. “Was it a math teacher? In my mind it would have to be a math teacher.”
“Journalism,” Zoe countered. “He was head of the evil academy at the college. It was no great loss when he died.”
“I’ve heard things about your college.” I sat in the chair next to Paris and regarded the mage with a speculative gaze. “People say you razed it.”
“People say a lot of things.”
“Yes, but in this particular case, they say the college was there one day and gone the next.”
“Zoe didn’t do that,” Paris interjected quickly. “People assume she did because of what was happening with the faction that wanted to bring back the Academy, but it’s just not true.”
“It’s okay, Paris,” Zoe reassured her friend. “Izzy isn’t asking because she thinks I’m evil. She’s trying to gauge what I can do. This revenant threat has her frazzled.”
For some reason, knowing the other woman understood was a relief. “I am frazzled.” I told them about my reservations regarding Grimaldi, leaving nothing out. “The book story makes no sense to me.”
“Definitely not,” Zoe agreed. “I am, however, curious if the book exists at all. Do we think it’s the real deal?”
“I don’t know.” I flicked my eyes to the counter, to where Collin O’Reilly worked. He was one of two merrow we had living on the island — a married couple — and he was used to paranormal conversations. I considered including him in this one and then decided against it. He looked crabby.
“It sounds real to me,” Paris offered, sipping her iced tea. “Revenants are ancient creatures that once had a foothold in this world. That means someone wrote a book about them because they were a threat. Actually, I’m guessing there’s more than one book out there.”
“This particular book sounds important,” Zoe mused. “You mentioned it being a hidden book. I’m not sure what that means.”
“It’s something I learned about in New Orleans,” I explained. “There were fifteen hidden books, texts that were considered extremely powerful. They were magic books, or important history texts that had no match.
“I don’t know all the books that were included in the mix, obviously,” I continued. “It’s not as if there was a definitive list. Most people agree that the Cruor was one of them.”
Paris lifted her chin. “Cruor? That’s the symbol of death by slaughter.”
I nodded, impressed. “Apparently you’re a scholar, too.”
“I read about the book when we were in college. There was an incident where the Academy tried to use an amulet to enslave vampires and that word was used in the context of the amulet. I didn’t realize that they
