He laughed as he stood up and tossed me a T-shirt. ‘Coffee first.’
And it turns out, even when the world might be about to end, a girl can still swoon.
By the time we returned to the ship we could see a number of small aircraft touching down, along with cars pulling up at the dock and new arrivals being efficiently directed to meeting rooms by navy personnel.
I don’t even want to know how the Grigori within navy ranks are pulling this off.
Our run, it turned out, had been quite the information-gathering exercise. As soon as we boarded the ship, Lincoln disappeared to talk with Gray about what we had seen. Or, rather, sensed.
Now that Lincoln and I were joined again he could sense the exile activity just as acutely as I could. And he wasn’t the only one who’d never felt anything like it before.
‘They’re everywhere, Steph,’ I said as she watched me unload and prepare my weapons. I was going fully armed tonight, and I would make sure as many people as possible would be equally prepared. ‘The city’s divided in two: light exiles are in the French Quarter, and the dark have taken over the Warehouse District. I’ve never felt so many before – it was like a pulse of power was closing in on us – and they’re still flooding in. We saw a few street fights – they’re barely bothering to keep themselves hidden from humans.’
She fingered the crate of non-Grigori blades that I’d asked Carter to arrange for me. ‘It’s odd, almost as if this city entices division,’ she said. ‘It always has for humans. First the French and the Spanish, then the rivalry between the French and Americans. There have been divides in religion and even between the living and the dead. And now the exiles are breaking the city in half, and something tells me a spot of jazz music really isn’t going to help fix things.’
I half smiled. ‘I don’t even know if exiles hear music. They’re so insane they don’t see the beauty in what they’re trying so hard to destroy.’
It was a thought that I seemed to be having more and more – the ultimate problem of this Gordian Knot, as Phoenix called it, that I now faced. No matter what happened in this battle, unless we could somehow attack the problem of the ever-growing exile population in our world, we would always be just trying to keep up.
Something had to change.
‘Well,’ Steph said hesitantly. ‘Dapper and I think we might have found a small loophole.’
I focused my attention on her. ‘What?’
‘We think the angels might have stepped in once before and stopped Sammael from destroying the city.’
‘When?’
‘Hurricane Isaac. It came after Katrina and according to all of the weather warnings was supposed to be much bigger. If it had reached its potential over the city it would have destroyed it.’
‘But it didn’t.’ Clearly.
‘No. Suddenly it changed direction. No one knew why, but it was drawn out to sea.’
‘The angels,’ I said, more to myself than to Steph.
But she nodded anyway. ‘We think so.’
‘So, they could do it again, if they chose to. I just need to figure out a way to convince them.’
Sure. Because changing the minds of divine beings is soooo easy.
I sighed, taking out my Grigori blade and glancing at Steph. ‘So, tell me about the wedding.’
Her brow creased and she scrunched up her nose. ‘Don’t try to distract me. I know what you’re about to do.’
I shrugged and sliced my blade across my markings, holding my wrist above the non-Grigori blades. As my blood trickled onto each of them they became instantly lethal weapons. After I’d touched them all with my blood, I healed the wound and picked up one of the daggers, holding the hilt out to Steph.
‘You shouldn’t need it, but just in case; I need to know you’re protected.’
‘Er … Vi … I …’ Steph stuttered, her horrified eyes fixed on the blade. ‘I can’t fight like you guys.’
‘And you won’t need to. If an exile attacked you he would know you’re human, and that’s your advantage. Let him come at you and then cut him any way you can. My blood will do the rest. Just … don’t hesitate, okay?’
‘We’re having an outdoor wedding,’ she said quickly. ‘Did I tell you that? Salvatore’s mother wasn’t happy about it at first but Father Peters agreed to it and I really liked the idea. Oh, and you should see the dress I’ve chosen for you. It’s perfect, not disgusting-typical-bridesmaid. It’s—’
‘Steph!’ I cut her off, fully aware of who was distracting whom now.
She swallowed, nervously taking the hilt in her hand. ‘Okay, Vi. Cut. Don’t hesitate. Got it,’ she said, her hand and voice shaking equally.
I nodded. ‘Good,’ I said. ‘And when they tell you it’s time to move out of the city, promise me you will go.’