“I’m not going to let that happen.” And then, “Wren thinks he’s her boyfriend.”
She grimaced. “I know. He will turn her against you if he can. He will turn you against each other and then destroy you both to give himself more power.”
“How?”
“All Hallows’ Eve is coming. The dead will walk among the living. Haven Crest will be at the apex of a huge energy surge. Noah will harness that energy and use it. He’s going to rise, Lark. He will destroy everything in his path, and he will become the most powerful spirit the world has ever seen. Imagine the damage he could do.”
This was what One-Shade-of-Gray had been talking about—the terrible thing that was going to happen at Haven Crest.
It was Noah.
If somebody came into my room at that moment and offered me a full-on, needle-through-the-eye lobotomy with an electroshock-therapy chaser, I’d take it and I’d thank them for it. At least then I wouldn’t know just how shitty the situation was, and I wouldn’t care even if I did.
“We have to stop the concert,” I said. Never mind that I’d said the opposite earlier. Never mind my promise to Joe. I hadn’t known the full scope of Noah’s douche-baggery when I made that promise. Joe would have to understand. Saving the town, and possibly the world—ego much?—had to be more important than a promise to one ghost.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
“How?” she asked.
I couldn’t think of a single way, other than arson or planting a body. Neither of those were an option, unless I could get Olgilvie to act early in the evening, but how? Going to the press would make me look nuts. And even if I could get in touch with the band, they’d think it was cool that ghosts were going to crash their party.
“Okay, then, if I can’t stop the concert, what other option is there?”
“You know what you have to do.”
Salt and burn his remains. Of course. But I didn’t know where he was buried... Wait. Wasn’t there a McCrae crypt in the graveyard? Kevin would know. He would definitely help me if it was for Wren.
In the mirror I met Emily’s gaze. “I can do that,” I told her, and I sounded so sure of myself even I believed it.
“Be careful,” she warned. “He’s stronger than he seems, and the closer All Hallows’ Eve comes, the more powerful he is, especially as connected as he is to Haven Crest.”
“Won’t Wren and I become more powerful, as well?”
Emily smiled softly at me. “My dear girl, the two of you have no idea how strong you are, and I hope if it comes down to it, you’ll figure it out. I promise I’ll rectify that as soon as I’m out of this prison. I’ll rescue Alys, and then we’ll make sure you girls are trained.”
That sounded pretty awesome to me. “Why’s Alys in the void?”
Emily’s smile faded. “For something she did trying to save me. Lark, you and Wren are stronger together than you are apart, that’s the way of the Melinoe, but you each have your own strengths. Don’t let McCrae lure Wren to his side.” She glanced over her shoulder, and I knew our chat was coming to an end.
“I have to go,” she whispered. “But, Lark, there’s something else I have to tell you before I go. It’s very important, and you must trust me and not waver. Do you understand?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
She shook her head, her expression fierce. “No. You must heed me.” She glanced over her shoulder again, then moved closer to the glass. If I touched the glass over her cheek, would it be warm? “This will be very, very difficult, but you must not give in. It is imperative that you do not fail.”
“Seriously? Just tell me what it is!”
Blue eyes bore into mine with such intensity that I felt it right down to my toes.
“Noah has his hooks into Wren now. You must find a way to get her away from him, but you cannot, under any circumstances, let your guard down around her. Do you understand?”
I stared at her in shock. “You mean...”
Her expression was grim. “You cannot trust your sister.”
And then she was gone, and I was left staring at my own shocked reflection.
WREN
Noah and I held hands as we walked through the graveyard at Haven Crest. My entire being still tingled from merging with him earlier. I’d done something similar with Kevin once, but it hadn’t been nearly as amazing. Lark would probably be shocked if I told her I’d had the ghost equivalent of sex. It wasn’t like I could get pregnant or contract some kind of terrible disease—that sort of thing was found only among the living.