My eyes focused on the large mirror hanging on the opposite wall above the dresser. An idea dawned on me, and I rushed over to retrieve Nana’s handheld mirror.
“What do you need that for?” my brother asked.
“Backup.”
Chapter Twenty
Mason stared back at me through the reflective surface. “If bird stands for you, what do the other two things mean?”
“The only tree worth mentionin’ is the Founders’ Tree. There’s some pretty powerful magic flowin’ through and connectin’ it to the earth.” Lucky sipped on one of the few bottles of beer we found in the back of the refrigerator.
Horatio stood in the corner of Nana’s dining room, too afraid he might break one of her heirloom chairs. “If I may be so bold as to ask, is it possible that the word your grandmother uttered might have been safe and not save?”
All heads turned to stare at Nick at the head of the table. He glared back at us. “I don’t know for sure. What’s the difference?”
“Well,” the troll continued, “one is a state of being and the other is an action. If Vivian meant safe, then perhaps she means for her only granddaughter to do just that. Stay safe.”
I shook my head. “Nana wouldn’t want only me to be out of danger. If Nick’s right and the reason that she’s still with us at all is because she’s such a strong witch, then she’s doing something to protect us all, even while she’s knocked out.”
The brass chandelier over our heads buzzed once and went out. The candles we’d lit in preparation of a blackout cast a soft glow over the attendants at the table.
Lady Eveline stared into one of the flickering flames in front of her. “We are wasting time trying to decipher words that this demon claims Vivian said. He has confessed his crime, perhaps in the hopes of lulling us into trusting him before he betrays us all.”
“Nick already explained his part in everything,” I defended, wanting to keep our group focused on what was to come rather than what had already happened. “And I believe in his reasons for wanting to help.”
The demon gave a slight nod in appreciation for my support.
“Once he helps us figure out how to beat his sister at her own game,” I continued, “he’s promised to restore all the pieces of souls that he stole plus turn himself in for the part he played in hurting Fen.”
“Explain the difference between my aunt’s contract with your sister and your little jars of souls again,” Matt requested. “I still don’t get it.”
Nick drew in a deep breath and obeyed. “Your aunt made a formal deal with Lorelei. She outlined the outcome she desired, and then she signed on the dotted line, guaranteeing her soul in trade for what she wanted most. When I drew out the particles of soul, there was no contract involved. Therefore, there’s no deal to be kept or broken.”
“And the fact that your sister might be comin’ to collect the price so soon after Leonora got what she wanted,” Lucky said, stroking his short beard in thought. “Is it because she didn’t pay attention to the words of the deal itself? She got what she wanted but forgot to specify for how long it would last?”
Nick snorted. “My sister is shrewd when it comes to her business but absolutely heartless when it comes to playing with her prey. Her favorite thing to do is to trick her target into agreeing to much less than she or he’d hoped for.”
Flint, who’d been silent the entire time since we’d sat down, leaned forward so he could see Nick at the far end of the table. “I’ve been thinking about those jars of yours. You say you did this thinking you’d found a handy loophole.”
“It means that with no formal contract, they don’t technically belong to me or my family, so I can give them back if that’s your concern,” Nick said.
Flint maintained his steady tone despite his cheeks reddening. “My concern is this. Cheating always has a consequence, and I’m wondering who will ultimately pay the price when the bill comes due?”
The muscles in Nick’s jaw twitched. “I’ve said I would stand for my crimes when this is all done.”
“And I’m glad you’ve come to that decision on your own, but I’m afraid that’s not enough,” I challenged. “If you want to pay us back, you need to actively help us come up with a way to beat your sister. Make sure that she fixes what’s broken here in Honeysuckle and ensure that she’ll never return.”
“Don’t say we’re broken,” Gossamer pouted as she floated close to her husband. “We may be a little dinged up, but we’re not broken yet.”
I loved my fairy friend for her eternal pink-colored optimism. Shooting her a quick wink, I tried to rally my troop. “Come on. Someone’s got to have an idea of what we can do.”
“How can this Lorelei get inside Honeysuckle if your aunt closed the barrier? If there’s a way in, I want to know how to find it right now,” Mason demanded through the mirror I’d propped up between the salt and pepper shakers. “I’m sitting in my car about one hundred feet from where the guardhouse should be.”
I adjusted the position of the mirror so Nick could respond to the detective. The demon sighed. “The power that Charli’s aunt received was due to the contract. That makes my sister, and me by proxy, exempt to anything Leonora tries to protect herself.” His exhausted tone annoyed Dash, who stood right behind him. The shifter emitted one low growl, and the demon sat up straighter in his chair.
“Maybe I can stop her before she enters,” Mason suggested.
“By yourself?” I screeched. “I don’t think so.”
Nick shook his head even though the detective couldn’t see him. “If she saw you waiting to stop her, she’d find another way in. No one can avoid paying what is owed once their contract has been fulfilled. Crossroads demon
