“I killed him.” My words were a bare whisper. “I didn’t want to hurt him, Peta.”
“I know.” She licked my cheek, and it was only then I realized I was crying. Coal was not the man I’d thought him to be, but he had been the one I’d thought I’d marry for a long time. For me to be the one to end him . . . my heart lurched and with it my stomach. Biting down on the roll of nausea, I took a step. “Cactus?”
A groan led me around to the back of a stone winged angel. Cactus lay face down with his hand over the back of his head. “Lark. Remind me not to Travel with you anymore. I have a headache that could split stones.”
Anger snapped through me at his callousness. How could he think only of himself when we were lucky to be alive? When we were lucky it was only Coal who’d had to give up his life? “May I remind you I could have left you there, which would mean Vetch would have killed you? I killed Coal to save us, and you’re lying there complaining you have a headache? Grow up, Cactus.”
I spun on my heel and strode away. My emotions ran with me, and at the forefront of them, grief.
No, I would not cry any longer for Coal. A strange twist began in my gut, like an uncoiling serpent.
Coal didn’t deserve my tears. Not only had he tried to manipulate me during our relationship, he’d been a bastard afterward and tried to make me think I was weak. I strode through the cemetery. Peta kept up easily. “You can’t blame Cactus. He didn’t know what you had to do.”
“Doesn’t matter. I have to find the Tracker. We need to look for something chaotic near the Tower of London.”
Peta bobbed her head. “That would be the easiest thing to do. Though you might want to calm yourself.”
I swallowed hard, struggling to do what she suggested.
We’d been walking for ten minutes before Cactus caught up. “Want to tell me what the hell that was all about? I thought we couldn’t Travel with more than one person?”
I opened my mouth but Peta spoke for me, bless her. “Coal grabbed Lark as we started to make the jump. She was forced to use Spirit on him to make him let her go and it killed him. She felt him die.”
Cactus grabbed me and spun me around so fast I didn’t even try to stop him. He wrapped me up in his arms and held me tightly. “Mother goddess, Lark. I didn’t know. I wasn’t trying to be flip back there.”
His apology was all I needed to let the anger go. I hung onto him. “I know. I . . . we have to go, Cactus. We are running out of time. I feel it.”
Though I said the words to hurry him, the moment they slipped from my mouth I knew they were true. We only had so much time, a countdown of minutes and hours we couldn’t see before something terrible would happen. What and where, I had no idea, which only made the sensation of impeding doom that much worse.
I pulled back from him and started down the street once more.
Across from us, a building seemed to beckon and I followed my instincts. The word “Police” was etched into a plaque over the door. “Like guards, if I remember right.” I knew enough about humans and their world to get by, enough to be dangerous.
I crossed the street and ran up the steps of the police building. As I lifted my hand to knock on the door, it was jerked open and a redheaded man stepped out. He looked to be about my age though he was a few inches shorter than me.
“Get the fuck out of my way, woman,” he snapped as he pushed past me.
“He’s a Tracker, grab him!” Peta yelled.
I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed his arm and spun him to face me. His fist came up and caught me under the jaw, dropping me to my knees. I didn’t let go. “Stop, I need your help.”
“I don’t fucking well help anyone. Piece of shit police are dumb fuckers who should just—”
“Stop!” I held up my free hand. “Please, I’m not police.”
“Of course you’re not, blondie.” His voice softened. “Damn, sorry about the shot to the jaw. That’s going to bruise.” He put his hands on my arms and helped me to stand, then grinned at me. “You are a tall drink of beautiful. Fuck me.”
“No, I think not.” I brushed his hands off. “I need you to Track someone for me.”
He grunted. “You got a picture?”
It took me a moment to remember what a picture was. I shook my head. “No, a name.”
His tri-colored blue eyes swirled as he grimaced. “You need Elle. She’s the only one who can Track without a picture. Me and Brin are useless as tits on a bull when it comes to that.”
My shoulders sagged and he swatted me on the ass. “When you see her, tell her Jack says hi. And she owes me a batch of cookies.”
With nothing more, he walked down the street.
A thought slammed into me. “Wait, do you know where she is? Can you Track her? Please.”
He paused and turned his head back. “What you going to give me for it?” His eyes roved my body. Cactus stepped between us.
“She already can’t handle one redhead.”