I slide it in front of me and hold out my hands. “I’m sensing something, but nothing dark.” I pull the box out and admire the carvings in the worn wood for a second before opening the box. It’s full of salt, and I carefully sift through it and do another check for dark magic before I pull out a pendant on a long silver chain. There’s a roughly cut gemstone hanging from it, with two sharp points on either side. “Oh, I know what this is.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.” I hold it up, turning it slightly to see if there’s any blood left on the ends. “It’s a witch friendship necklace to put it simply.”
“Huh?”
“If I were to give it to you, I’d stab myself with one end and you’d stab yourself with the other. The blood gets absorbed in the crystal as a symbol of friendship. They’re kinda gross, so we don’t use them anymore. This feels fresh, though, like the blood magic is still strong, which would be why you felt something off about it.”
“So I’m not cursed.”
“No, but I am really curious where you found this.”
“Demon’s loot. He was hiding out with the homeless in The Loop. He went after witches.”
“You killed it, right?” I ask and feel like I’m being watched. Looking up, I expect the same guys to be making their way over again, but they’re not in the bar.
“Yeah. Burned its body after we cut off the head for good measure. Easton has pictures if you want to see.”
I close my fingers around the stone. “I’ll pass, though I should tell Tabatha about this so she can check in with the covens in the Chicago area. If any witches are missing, we know what happened.”
“Damn, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know every witch, not that it makes it any better.” I quickly send Tabatha a text and then flag down Rene, ordering food and a drink for Melinda. “So, what’s new?”
“Nothing, really, just run-of-the-mill demon kills.”
“In your line of work, nothing is good.”
She laughs. “Very true. What about you? It’s been a few weeks since I talked to you. Things are still good since you came back from you-know-where?”
I have to stop and think for a second, remembering if I told her about the Horsemen or not. No, I hadn’t gotten the chance before she left. “As of this moment, I think so,” I say, which isn’t a lie.
Eliza zooms over, slipping in the booth next to me and letting out an exasperated sigh. “This new bartender is making me want to drink. She doesn’t know anything.” She huffs again. “I need to find a drunk person to drain so I can get a buzz.”
“She doesn’t mean literally drain,” I quickly add, seeing Melinda’s face. “Right, Eliza?”
“Of course not. I’m not dealing with disposing of a dead body in my new Chanel dress.”
“And because it’s wrong,” I add, looking at her with wide eyes, silently pleading for her to agree.
“Right. It’s wrong,” Eliza grumbles.
“Wait.” Melinda curiously surveys Eliza. “You get buzzed if you drink the blood of a drunk person?”
“It doesn’t last long, but yes. Whatever you put in your body makes its way into your blood. People don’t taste as good with all the additives in your food nowadays, compared to how they did when I was first turned. As self-righteous as I think vegans are, they do taste better.”
“Callie.” I jerk around, expecting to see someone leaning over the booth. No one is there. That voice. It’s so familiar. “Callie.” It’s coming from in front of me, and I turn back so fast I almost knock my drink over.
“Do you hear that?” I ask Eliza.
“I hear a lot of things,” she replies. “Be more specific.”
“Someone is calling my name.”
“No.” She slowly shakes her head. “I didn’t hear that at all.”
I look around, feeling like a million eyes are on me.
Callie, the voice says again, and I realize it’s coming from inside my head. I still have answers, Callie. Come to me and I’ll tell you all you want to know.
I blink, and for the split second my eyes are closed, I see bodies in a pile, festering and rotting behind the bar. The sound of buzzing flies fills my ears, deafening me. Inhaling, I force my eyes open. The bar is normal. Everyone is having a good time, and there are no bodies anywhere to be seen. The sensation of being pushed underwater takes over, and my eyes fall shut again.
I’m in the bar again, and everything is covered in dust and broken glass. Two men in faded Army uniforms come in, ducking down behind an overturned table. A sense of absolute dread fills me, and I open my eyes, knowing I just got a glimpse into the future.
The future where the Horsemen win.