Page 50 of Death and Divination
“Agreed,” Dallas said. “Ruby and two werewolves will meet Cassie in the park at moonrise, and between them they will decide if Tink returns or not.”
Dallas spun about to leave the room, snapping his fingers. Ruby fell in behind him, her head still lowered. I waited until the pair had left, then raised a finger to my lips to signal to Nash that we should wait until we were out of hearing range of the werewolves before we discussed anything.
Once we were halfway down the mountain, the reaper turned to me. “So? Did that go as well as it seemed on the face of things, or were you getting the same uneasy feeling I was?”
“Same uneasy feeling,” I told him. “We need to go talk to Cassie. My hope is that she’ll be able to convince Ruby not to disown Tink.”
“And Dallas?” Nash asked.
I looked in my rearview mirror at the winding road that led up to the pack compound. “It’s possible that he meant what he said, that he’ll trash Tink and claim he never wanted her to begin with.”
“Or?”
“Or he digs in his heels like Dallas has done over every single thing in his life and refuses to give in. If that’s the case, then I expect a whole lot more to happen at moonrise tonight than a tense discussion in a diner.”
“You think while your sister and Ruby are talking, he’ll sneak in and grab Tink?”
I nodded. “That’s exactly what I think. And that’s exactly what we need to prepare for.”
* * *
“I don’t like this.”My eldest sister scowled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Lucien mirrored her pose, and I bit back a smile.
“I know you don’t like it, but I don’t trust Dallas.”
“I don’t trust him either, which is why I think it would be better for us to guard Tink and confront him while you both negotiate with Ruby,” she told me.
“I’m not in a position to negotiate with Ruby,” I pointed out. “You’re the head witch. You’re the muscle here. It’s bad enough that Tink is going to be slandered for being a lousy cook and shaving her legs or whatever. I want to make sure she’s not only allowed back into the pack, but that her mother isn’t going to throw her out of the house and disown her. You’re in a position to play the heavy and make sure Ruby doesn’t make Tink’s return any more of an issue then it’s already going to be.”
“I don’t want you facing down Dallas.” Cassie frowned. “You’re an oracle. I’d rather Bronwyn meet him with Hadur at her side if it can’t be me and Lucien.”
“I’ve got the only enchanted item Bronwyn had to spare,” I told her. “Actually, I’m in a better position to beat down Dallas and keep Tink safe than Bronwyn right now. And I’ve got Nash to help me.”
They booth looked over at the reaper, who shrugged. “Evidently I smell alarming and the werewolves think I can kill them with a touch. If Dallas gets out of hand, I’ll start killing off plants and wave my hands around, and he’ll run for it.”
“I’ll even dress Nash in a robe with a scythe if that helps,” I added.
Cassie sighed. “So, Lucien and I are supposed to meet Ruby in the park across from the diner? Then go into the diner for blackberry cobbler and a nice chat?”
I nodded. “I’m trying to think of the best place for us to safeguard Tink. It needs to be somewhere defensible and somewhere without a lot of others who might wind up being collateral damage if there’s a fight.”
“There better not be a fight,” Cassie scowled. “I don’t like this, Ophelia. We almost lost Sylvie this week. I don’t like putting you in danger.”
I was a bit offended that she was perfectly fine putting Bronwyn in danger. Although I think she was relying on Hadur to protect her if she needed assistance. The warmonger was obviously pretty darned good in a fight, and the werewolves were just as nervous around him as they were around Lucien. Or Nash.
“I’ll be fine, Cassie.” I held up my hand. “I promise. Now where should we keep Tink? I don’t like the morgue as it would put everyone in the hospital at risk if Dallas attacked. Out at my house, maybe?”
“The park,” Lucien said. “That way if there’s trouble, we’ll be right over at the diner and near enough to help.”
“There’s that open space by the fountain,” Cassie added. “That way you can see any wolves coming at you from the tree line or the bushes.”
Tree line. And those bushes? They were oleanders. I suddenly felt something heavy settle in my stomach. Was this the rest of my vision? Was someone going to die tonight?
I pushed away that thought because Lucien and Cassie were right. The park was an ideal spot to keep Tink safe. If Dallas attacked and Nash and I couldn’t handle it, Cassie and Lucien were within shouting distance. And if Dallas didn’t attack and everything went well inside the diner, then Tink could return to the mountain with her mother.
Nash reached out and put an arm around my shoulder. “It’s going to be fine.”
“Who’s doing the divination now?” I teased as I put my arm around his waist. “Actually, I agree with you. Dallas isn’t an idiot. He’s not going to bring an army into Accident and risk having Cassie come burnhisbeard off as well. If he comes at all, he’ll sneak in with a few wolves and try to do a quick grab. We can fend him off.”
“If you need help, let us know,” Cassie said.
I smiled, leaning against Nash’s side. “I won’t need help. I’ve got a reaper and an enchanted golf club.”
