“It’s likely he’s with the enemy,” Cormack said. “They’re aware of our movements and we’re aware of theirs ... at least to a degree.”
“What next?” Sami asked.
“Now we figure it out.” Cormack smiled at her. “That has to start with a hearty meal. You’re a growing girl. You need to eat up.”
Sami’s smile widened. “Who wouldn’t want to eat up when there’s such good food? And look, Mom, not a McDonald’s bag in sight. It’s like a breakfast miracle.”
Zoe didn’t bother to hide her eyeroll. “There’s going to be a ‘waffle used as a gag’ miracle here if you don’t shut up.”
“You’re like zero fun,” Sami grumbled.
“Welcome to adulthood.”
Nineteen
I went to work long enough to check in with Oliver and Paris. Zoe went with me — Aric and Sami were taking the day to see a few sights — and she spent a good hour sitting on the floor at the top of the gate platform staring into nothing. I found her intense interest off-putting but left her to her own devices while I went over the intake sheets from the previous day.
Oliver, surprisingly, was the one to approach her.
“I know a bit about you,” he announced, standing roughly three feet from her.
“Oh, yeah?” She cocked an eyebrow and looked him up and down. “You didn’t try to kill me at Covenant College, did you?”
He shook his head. “No. Vampires during your tenure there talked a lot, though.”
“Meaning?”
“You were feared.”
“I encouraged that.”
“When you first arrived, you were a curiosity,” he continued. “I remember the whispers going through the vampire community. They said you were hanging with Rafael.”
She stiffened and slowly flicked her eyes to him. “You know Rafael?”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends but we’re also not enemies.”
“That’s pretty much how the first two years of our relationship worked,” Zoe said on a laugh. “If you don’t like him, you probably shouldn’t tell me. He’s one of my best friends.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like him. I honestly never understood him. He purposely hung around with college students for years. To me, that sounded like pure hell.”
“You and me both.” Zoe went back to staring at the gate. “He didn’t stay because he liked the college kids. He stayed because of the evil permeating the campus. He wanted to help balance the scales because Covenant College was one of those places that could go either way.”
“Yes, I never understood that either.” Oliver’s smile was rueful. “I chose a different path. I came here, and I never regretted it. Still, I was one of the ones who crossed over with the god. He talked about you a bit.”
“Bob? Yeah, I have no doubt. He’s a real pain.”
Now it was Oliver’s turn to laugh. “He’s in awe of you.”
“He’s easily impressed.”
“Rafael is in awe of you, too. I know, because about ten years ago I saw him on the island. He was here because he heard whispers of a nest. The gossip was wrong. The only vampires on this island are Brett and me, and we live together. Still, he came to check it out ... and he walked in the sun to do it.”
My heart skipped a beat and a question rushed to my lips, unbidden. Before I could ask, Zoe took control of the conversation.
“I gave that to him,” she admitted. “It was on my wedding day. I don’t know how I figured it out but I did. Are you asking if I can do the same for you?”
“No. Personally, I enjoy being a creature of the night.”
She arched a speculative eyebrow. “You don’t want to see the sun? Not even once? Day-walking would give you more options.”
“It would, but you gave him that gift because it gave him an edge over others. You don’t know me well enough to give me the same gift.”
“Izzy does. I trust Izzy. Paris can’t say enough about you and we’ve been tight for years. If you want it, I can try to give it to you, too. It’s been a long time since I worked that magic — and at the time I was super juiced from a recent ... event — but I can give it a shot.”
“I appreciate the offer. It’s okay, though. I really am fine being a creature of the night. Oddly enough, I like following rules. There’s a natural order of things, and vampires walking during the day isn’t part of it.”
“Neither are celebutantes who only care about how they look and yet we still have the Kardashians to grapple with.”
He laughed. “I’m fine. I just wanted you to know I’m familiar with Rafael, and he has nothing but nice things to say about you.”
“Oh, now I know you’re lying. We’re tight but I drive him crazy.”
Oliver’s smile was open and relaxed. “Okay, he might’ve said you have a mouth that runs faster than a Mustang on the open road.”
“There’s no way he said something that clever.”
“I might’ve embellished a little.”
AFTER A FEW HOURS, I COLLECTED ZOE AND suggested a trip downtown. She was bored enough that she agreed without question. We were in one of the rougher neighborhoods when I picked a city lot to park in and exited my car.
“Where are we?” Zoe asked as she peered over the top of the car. She didn’t look frightened. Of course, she didn’t look particularly thrilled either.
“This is lovely downtown Detroit,” I teased. “I thought you might want to take photos for your vacation scrapbook.”
“Why are we here really?”
How could I tell her that I was antsy and simply wanted to make contact with another witch? Would she understand? Would she give me grief? Instead, she folded her arms across her chest and pinned me with a serious look.
“What is it, Izzy?”
I held out my hands and sighed. “I have this ... need ... to keep moving. I’ve never been good at sitting still. I think it stems from when I was a kid.”
“You can’t remember what happened to your parents, right?”
“I was
