et in that church, I would be ready. I’d finally take Luciana down.
Because there was no way I was letting that vision play out. I had a future I wanted, and by God, I was going to fucking get it.
Chapter Nineteen
It took six steady, brutal hours of mixing and baking and cross-checking spell books, but we ended up with ten variations of potions, each vial labeled with a number so we could weed out the ineffective ones. I’d suggested we modify my original potion using with holy water and the saint’s hand, but Claudia had plussed it. She said holy oil would work much better than water. She disappeared for an hour and came back with this oil that smelled like heaven.
We took a break for dinner, while the potions cooled in the lab, and decided the only way to test them was to try them out. Luciana had released demons last night, so chances were she might do the same tonight.
Mr. Dawson hadn’t liked it, but he also hadn’t been able to come up with a decent argument against it. If Luciana summoned any demons tonight, we were the best equipped to fight them. That was saying something about how unprepared we all were, but the fact remained the same. We couldn’t stand idly by while humans were slaughtered again.
So we dressed all in black, and jumped into two of the huge black SUVs reserved for the Cazadores. We didn’t have a destination in mind, but headed toward San Antonio and hoped that I’d at least get a feeling if I drove.
We ended up wandering aimlessly for hours. I tried to relax and keep my mind open, but nothing was coming.
I drove one car. Dastien sat in the passenger seat, and Chris, Shane, and Adrian were in back. Donovan drove the other car with Meredith, Cosette, Raphael, Claudia, and Lucas.
It was three in the morning. If something was going to happen, it was going to be soon.
“I’m starving,” Chris said from the backseat. “We should definitely stop at Whataburger.”
“How can you be hungry again?” Shane said. “You packed a lunch. How much can one Were eat?”
“More than you’d think,” I said.
“Where does it all go?” he asked.
“If you figure it out, let me know.” I took a turn down a residential street, weaving through the blocks. All the house lights were out, which was to be expected at this time of night. We hadn’t come across many people. It seemed like the locals were taking my warning seriously.
I drove slowly, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. If something was going to happen, I wasn’t getting any visions. At least not yet. The windows were rolled down so we could listen—and smell—for trouble. It was a little chilly, but nothing that a sweatshirt couldn’t handle.
“Food,” Chris moaned from the backseat.
I would’ve rolled my eyes at him, but I was starting to get hungry too. “If we don’t see anything in the next hour, we’ll go to Whataburger.”
“Do you see that?” Adrian tapped the window.
I sped up, catching movement down the block, but laughed as we pulled closer. Two kids a little younger than me were making out on the lawn. A bike lay on its side on the pavement in front of them. The skunkish smell of pot drifted through the open window.
Teenagers… I said to Dastien.
You only just turned eighteen.
But I feel at least thirty. I feel like I get extra maturity points for all the shit I’ve gone through.
True.
The girl started to push at the guy with a whimper, and I almost got out of the car.
“Might want to head inside,” Dastien called before I could do anything. “It’s not safe out here.”
They jumped and broke away from each other. The guy shot us a dirty look. “Fuck off.”
Dastien flicked on the dome light, and they froze.
The girl grabbed the guy’s arm. “She’s that werewolf from the news.”
“Just your friendly neighborhood werewolves.” I motioned to the house. “Go home. Being outside at this hour isn’t safe.” And not just because of Luciana and her demons. Nothing good happened at three in the morning.