she was being treated like a child.
“Look,” Gilly said. “I doubt if the Hyland cousins are going to give a rat’s ass if we show up at their hotel early instead of meeting them at the cathedral at a precise time. I really think we need to go and check on Viv—make sure she got there okay.”
“Okay, okay,” Evee finally agreed. “But I’d like to finish up this chamomile tea first, if you don’t mind.”
Gilly wrinkled her nose. “Chamomile? That crap tastes awful. You just as soon be drinking horse vomit. Why chamomile?”
“It relaxes me. Gets rid of anxiety so I can focus.”
“Peppermint tea does the same thing, but at least it tastes good. Besides, chamomile wires me up.”
“Yes, but—”
Gilly waved a hand to cut off her words. “Drink whatever you like, but just drink it. I’d like to get going sooner than later.”
“What’re you so worried about? She’ll be with the Benders.”
“If she made it there.”
Evee gulped down the rest of her tea, smacked her lips and then placed the cup and saucer into the kitchen sink. “Viv’s a big girl. She can handle herself.”
“You mean like she had to handle herself when a Cartesian attacked and Lucien had to perform a flying tackle to get her out of the way, and Ronan ended up dead?”
“Geez, you don’t have to be so brash,” Evee said. “I’m done with the tea, so let’s go already. Anything to ease that wild-stallion brain of yours.”
Satisfied that they were finally on their way, Gilly grabbed a flashlight from the utility room and hurried to the kitchen door to lead the way to the hotel.
“Shall I find another bat?” Evee asked with a grin.
“Don’t be stupid,” Gilly said. “We only had one. Maybe bring a butcher knife or something like that. Anything to protect us if we need it.”
Evee let out a sigh of exasperation. “I will not run around the city with a butcher’s knife. Should, and I do mean should, something come up, remember we are witches. We’ll turn the attacker into a toad or a rabbit.”
“I prefer a pile of dung, myself,” Gilly said, walking out of the back door with Evee in tow.
“That’s because you’ve got the class of a hyena, sister. You know, everyone claims we’re triplets, but really, you could have been adopted.”
“Oh, shu...hush up. You’re just upset with me because I’m a little wired about Viv.”
“A little wired? Abigail, darling, you could light up half the state with your worry wires. She’s fine. I’m sure of it. I’ll bet you ten to one she’s with Nikoli at the hotel, sitting nice and cozy beside him.”
It was earlier than they’d originally planned to meet at the cathedral; more than likely, Nikoli and Lucien were still talking to family members about Ronan’s death. Gilly knew she should have given them the space they needed to make their family calls, but Viv’s heading out there alone made decent protocol appear stupid. She had to make sure her sister was safe with her Bender.
With dawn breaking, and the trolleys still not up and running, Gilly and Evee had to foot it from the Garden District to Royal Street in the French Quarter, where the Hotel Monteleone was located.
Gilly speed-walked the entire way, with Evee occasionally stopping to work out a stitch in her side.
“Slow down, will you?” Evee said to Gilly. “At this pace, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“Witches don’t have heart attacks.”
“Okay, then my lungs are going to burst. You’re faster than I am, so slow it down a notch. Why are you all but running there? We agreed to go to the hotel to make sure Viv was okay, and we’re doing that, but you didn’t mention speed-walking like a gazelle to do it.”
Gilly slowed slightly, allowing her sister to catch up. “Something’s wrong,” she said suddenly. “I feel it in my gut. That’s what’s making me so anxious to get there as quickly as possible.”
Evee came to an abrupt stop. “What’s wrong? Cartesians? Are they around here? Did one of them get Viv?”
Taking her sister’s hand, Gilly pulled her forward, not wanting to stop their progress to the hotel.
“I can’t quite put my finger on it. It just feels like a fur ball growing in the pit of my stomach. I’m not sure who or what’s causing it. The only thing I know is it isn’t good.”
Evee tugged on Gilly’s hand, attempting to slow her down even more. “Is it a Bender? Did we lose another one like we lost Ronan?”
“I already told you, I’m not sure what or who is causing me to feel this way, but there’s only one way to find out—get our asses to the hotel and find out.”
That bit of information seemed to add new energy to Evee’s step. Gilly pushed her speed up a notch. She really wasn’t sure how many more catastrophes she’d be able to manage without losing her mind. She might be a witch, but she was still human, filled with emotions and yearnings. Being a witch didn’t stop that from happening.
When they finally reached the Monteleone, Evee led Gilly to the elevator bank near the Carousel Bar. She remembered the room number from before and figured it best to go directly there instead of heading to the reception desk first.
Having reached the appropriate floor, Evee led Gilly to the suite shared by the three remaining Benders and then knocked on the door.
Within seconds, Nikoli opened the door and seemed surprised to see them. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed, as if he’d been crying. Gilly couldn’t blame him. Had he not shown some emotion over the loss of his cousin while telling his family, she’d have considered him an asshole of the highest order.
“Are we late?” Nikoli asked, glancing at his watch. Evidently seeing that they were in fact a half hour early, he asked, frowning, “Is there a problem?”
“Is Viv here?” Gilly asked.
Nikoli looked surprised. “No, she hasn’t been here since we arrived at the hotel earlier. Why?”
“She was supposed to be on her way here to discuss something with you,” Evee said. “At least, that’s what she told me.”
Nikoli invited them inside and motioned for them to have a seat on the couch in the living area. When they were seated, Nikoli stroked his beard, worry etching his face. “She said she was coming here?”
“Yes,” Evee said.
“You mean to tell me she’s not shown up here at all this morning?” Gilly asked, getting to her feet.
“I haven’t seen her since the feedings,” Nikoli said.
“I told you,” Gilly said to Evee. “I told
