He looked away. “It happened to be in my pocket, after all this time. Imagine that.” But the charm was worn and scratched, and I knew without a doubt it was in his pocket today because it was every day, as it had been for who knows how many years. “I believe you'll find this is an object of power for you, Ethan. It always has been for me. Let's not forget, our Lila Jane was a strong woman. She saved my life, even from the grave.”
I recognized the look on my mother's face in the photo. It was one I thought she saved for me. It was the look she gave me the first time I read the road signs out loud through the car window, before she realized I could read. It was the look she gave me when I had eaten one of Amma's buttermilk pies by myself and slept in her bed with a stomachache as fierce as Amma herself. It was the look she saved for my first day of school, my first basketball game, my first crush.
And here it was again, staring out from inside the tiny book. She wouldn't abandon me. And Macon wouldn't either. Maybe he did have some kind of plan. He had cheated death. I pushed the book into my pocket, next to Lena's necklace.
“Wait a second.” Link walked over. “I'm glad you have that little gold book and all, but you said the whole Blood pack was gonna be in there, plus Vampire Boy, and Lena's mom, and the Emperor, or whoever this Abraham guy is. And last time I checked, Han Solo wasn't around. So don't you think we need more than a little book?”
Ridley was nodding behind him. “Link's right. You may be able to save Lena, but not unless you can get to her.”
Link tried to bend down next to Macon. “Mr. Ravenwood, can't you come with us and take out a couple a guys for us?”
Macon lifted an eyebrow. This was the first real conversation he'd ever had with Link. “Unfortunately, son, my incarceration has weakened me….”
“He's Transitioning, Link. He can't possibly go down there. He's incredibly vulnerable.” Liv was still holding Macon up, for the most part.
“Olivia is right. Incubuses possess incredible strength and speed. I'm no match for any of them in my present state.”
“Luckily, I am.” The voice came out of nowhere, and she ripped through the darkness even faster. She was wearing a long black coat with a high neck and wrecked black boots. Her brown hair was blowing in the wind.
I recognized the Succubus from the funeral right away. It was Leah Ravenwood, Macon's sister. Macon was as shocked as the rest of us to see her. “Leah?
She slid her arm across his back, supporting him, looking deep into his eyes. “Green, eh? That will take some getting used to.” She laid her head on his shoulder, the way Lena used to.
“How did you find us?”
She laughed. “You're the talk of the Tunnels. Word on the street is my big brother's taking on Abraham. And I heard he isn't too pleased with you.”
Macon's sister — the one Arelia took to New Orleans when she left Macon's father. The Sisters had mentioned her.
“Dark and Light will be what they are.”
Link caught my eye from behind them, and I knew the question. He was waiting for me to make the call. Fight or flight. It wasn't clear what Leah Ravenwood wanted from us or why she was here. But if she was like Hunting, and she fed on blood instead of dreams, we had to get away fast. I looked at Liv. She shook her head, almost imperceptibly. She wasn't sure either.
Macon smiled one of his rare smiles. “Now, what are you doing here, my dear?”
“I'm here to even the odds. You know I love a good family feud.” Leah smiled. She fluttered her wrist, and a long staff, made of polished wood, appeared in her hand. “And I carry a big stick.”
Macon was at a loss. I couldn't decide whether he looked relieved or concerned. Either way, he was stunned. “Why now? You don't usually concern yourself with Caster affairs.”
Leah reached into her pocket and took out a rubber band, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “This isn't just a Caster battle, not anymore. If the Order is destroyed, we may be destroyed with it.”
Macon gave her a meaningful look. I recognized it as his not in front of the children expression. “The Order of Things has stood since the beginning of time. It will take more than a Cataclyst to bring about its destruction.”
She smiled and swung her staff. “And it's about time someone taught Hunting some manners. My motives are pure, like the heart of a Succubus.” Macon laughed at the thought. From where I was standing, it didn't sound so funny.
Dark or Light — Leah Ravenwood could go either way, but it didn't matter to me. “We need to find Lena.”
Leah picked up her stick. “I was waiting for you to say that.”
Link cleared his throat. “Um, I don't wanna be rude, ma'am. But Ethan says Hunting's down there with his Blood pack. Don't get me wrong, you seem pretty badass and all, but you're still just a girl with a stick.”
“This” — in a split second, Leah extended the rod straight out, inches from Link's nose —“is a Succubine Staff, not a stick. And I'm not a girl. I'm a Succubus. When it comes to our kind, the females have the advantage. We are quicker, stronger, and more clever than our male counterparts. Think of me as the praying mantis of the supernatural world.”
“Aren't those the bugs that bite off the heads of the males?” Link looked skeptical.