Page 88 of Wicked Thirst
Moira’s eye widened for a second, then she forced her features to go back into place. “Right, of course. Are we missing two Queens?”
Zinnia nodded. “Well, Nova, our Queen of Death, is stuck in the underworld. Ironic, I know. And my sister Ophelia will be here soon. Actually, let me give her a call.”
She pulled her cell out and dialed the number quickly. It rang once and O picked it up. “Go for O.”
“Where are you?” Zinnia asked.
“Why? You need an alibi?” The scraping of metal against metal sounded in the background, as if she was sharpening something.
“No, I need you here.”
“Can’t. I’m busy.”
Zinnia sighed. “Whatever it is you’re doing, just bring it with you.”
“Okayyyy, but you’re not going to like it.” She dropped whatever she was sharpening to the ground, and it clattered there. I was going to tell her not to bring Dice here. It was way too dangerous, and she was way too fragile. Too human.
“What? No.” Maze stepped forward interjecting before I could. “O, leave it there with Cross. We won’t need him for this.”
“Okay, creepy dude, but if anything happens to him while I’m gone, you’re gonna pay for it in flesh.”
Maze’s eyes went milky-white. “I checked. He’ll be fine.”
Ophelia gave a heavy sigh. “It’s always hard work when you’re the glue that keeps everyone together. Cuz, toss me a portal, will you?”
“On its way, O.” Beckett waved his hand and the blue swirling portal appeared in the dungeon.
Ophelia sauntered through and my jaw dropped. She was not in her normal Ophelia gear, this was Ophelia times ten. Her hair was braided into buns on the sides of her head, and she wore leather shorts and a sports bra. Weapons were strapped to both her arms, her thighs, and around her ankles. When she turned around to look at all of us gathered here, I saw that there was a sword strapped to her back that ran the length of her spine.
“The gang’s all here.” She wrinkled her nose at our surroundings. “In a cell. Listen, if you’ve gotten arrested, the answer is not to let me join you afterwards. The answer is to let me join you before you do the crime so I can make sure you don’t get caught.”
Moira’s eyebrows shot up. “I must say, that’s a new way of thinking about things.”
Ophelia pointed toward her temple. “It’s because I’m a mastermind.”
“Indeed.” Moira nodded in agreement.
“So why am I here?” O crossed her arms over her chest. Though she was the smallest one in the room, she seemed to command attention.
Niche and Adrienne stepped forward with the book.
Adrienne flipped the pages open. “We’re going to do this spell and summon Grayson here to this cell.”
“Is it strong enough to hold him?” Ophelia pointed toward the bars.
“I gave it a try,” Kylian offered.
She gave him the once over, then chuckled. “Right, because you’re that strong.” She nodded her head toward me. “You, crazy vamp girl, give it a yank, then we’ll really know.”
Moira stepped to the side, gesturing to the cell. “She has a point.”
I moved over to the bars and wrapped my hands around them. I pulled back as hard as I could, and they didn’t budge. I yanked three more times and still nothing moved.
Moira gave a single nod. “Very well. What now?”
Zinnia glanced around at the group of us. “Now we do the spell while the rest of you wait outside. Except Tuck and Beckett. We might need you in here—you know, just in case.”
She didn’t have to say just in case this doesn’t work and Grayson tries to kill us all.
