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“I don’t need to. If I see a hand scurrying toward me, I’ll find you.” He looked at the revenant. “Isn’t that right, Claude?”
The fingers moved up and down in unison.
I squeezed Kane’s hands before releasing them. “Okay then. Let’s go, team.”
“No fair!” Addison’s voice echoed against the glass of the window. So much for avoiding eavesdroppers.
“You’ll only put yourself in danger by coming with me,” I insisted.
She yanked open the door. “What if they’re luring you to the city so they can send an extraction team here for me? Did you think of that?” She crossed her arms in a triumphant gesture.
“If they intended to storm the Castle to reach you, they would’ve done so already, with or without my presence.”
She squinted at me, torn as to whether to trust my instincts. “What makes you so sure?”
“Mathis. He’s playing the long game.”
Addison’s features warred with reality. She knew I was right—and if I wasn’t, I had Gunther and Camryn posted within shouting distance of the Castle. If there was a problem, the mages were authorized to act, within guild rules, of course.
“Will you bring me back a shawarma from the place I like on Park Avenue?”
“If I survive the meeting, yes.”
She clapped her hands and shut the door.
I rode my motorcycle with Claude in my pocket. Kane followed a reasonable distance behind us in his sleek sports car. The revenant maintained a white-knuckle grip on the edge of the pocket as I pushed the speedometer higher. The closer I was to the appointed meeting place, the more my anxiety spiked—and not because of the potential trap. If Mathis was telling the truth, I was about to meet my parents, arguably for the first time since I didn’t really remember them. More than anything, I remembered the feeling of their absence and spent the rest of my life enduring a parental-shaped hole in my heart.
I joined the highway and sped toward the tunnel into New York City. Leave it to The Corporation to lure me into the city that never sleeps at the witching hour. Traffic was light, though, which meant I was able to find street parking a block away from my destination. Kane parked behind me.
I stared at the sagging structure. “It’s a church.” I checked the address again. “This is definitely the place.” Broken stained-glass windows. A door hanging off its hinges. It looked like no one had worshipped here in decades. How had the building not been demolished by now?
“This is the saddest church I’ve ever seen,” Kane said.
I turned toward him. “Does this mean you can’t enter if I need help?”
“What makes you think that?”
“You’re a demonic prince of hell. Won’t you burst into flames?”
Kane pressed his lips together, as though he couldn’t decide whether to be amused or disappointed by my ignorance. “There’s no barrier to entry. If I’m needed, I’ll be there, especially this one. I highly doubt any deity claims ownership of it. Too embarrassing.”
I looked down at Claude. “How about you?”
The revenant’s nod was reassuring. Backup was still in place.
I scooped up Claude and tucked the hand into my jacket pocket. His fingers peeked out and I tapped them, encouraging the revenant to remain hidden.
“Wish me luck,” I said.
Kane winked. “You don’t need luck when you have me.”
As much as I wanted to mock his arrogance, I had to admit his words had their desired effect of easing my nerves.
I turned and walked along the darkened sidewalk to the entrance of the church.
The closer I drew, the more the air crackled with supernatural energy. The church seemed to be the source—or whatever awaited me inside.
My anxiety flared at the thought.
