Page 26 of Rise of the Melody
“We had to special order the iron cage and should have it in a week’s time. As soon as we get it, we’ll set it up at one of the locations and be in touch. If the first location is a bust, we’ll take a few days to move the cage to the second location, and so on. We may have to use human blood to lure it out.”
My heart banged. “You’re going to use a human as bait?”
“No,” he said in an annoyed tone. “I’ll get a bag of blood from the hospital.”
“Oh.” I exhaled and nodded. Thank goodness. Stevens snorted like I was an idiot and I flushed with embarrassment, shooting him a glacial eye-spear.
Bryant reached into his jacket and pulled something shimmery from an inside pouch. My mouth popped open at the size of the cuff. My aunt gasped.
“Is that really necessary?” she asked. “It’ll take up half her forearm.”
“Yes. And I don’t care.”
Aunt Lorna kept on. “All the magical folk will know something is up when they see that on her.”
“People believe what they’re told. Letty is clearly…unconventional. She can say she really likes ammolite. Wear some other big jewelry too.”
Not happening. I was a minimalist when it came to jewelry. My earrings were small platinum spike studs.
Aunt Lorna scoffed and shook her head. “Is that all, then?”
“For now,” he said.
Before I left, we programmed one another’s numbers into our phones, Stevens sneering over his shoulder the whole time. Then it was time to switch out my cuff. Bryant put it on my left arm, not taking off the old one on my right arm until the new one was in place. I couldn’t wait to get away from them.
Chapter8
Coffee, Tea, and Mystic Teens
Back in the car, none of us mentioned the conversation we’d just had or what Stevens had said about my parents. If Ron was surprised to learn I was a siren, he wasn’t showing it.
Ron asked, “How about I take us to get some of the best coffee on the island?”
“Yes, please,” we both said in unison.
“Perfect,” he said. “The café opened five years ago when a Creole Nature Shaman moved up from New Orleans.”
Aunt Lorna’s eyes widened as she smiled. “Oh, how lovely.”
“And I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said, peering sidelong at her.
“Me?” she asked, losing her smile. “What is it? I hate surprises.”
“I know.” He turned his attention back to the road, grinning while my aunt groaned.
“Are you going to chauffeur us around all summer?” I asked Ron.
He chuckled. “I don’t mind.”
I didn’t love the lack of freedom, though. In the city I could go wherever I wanted as long as I kept Aunt Lorna in the loop.
“How far is it from our house to the town?” I asked.
“About two miles,” he said. “Feels longer because of all the twists and gravel.”
Two miles was nothing. “I could bike that.”
Ron and Aunt Lorna nodded at each other and smiled.
