Lucien blew out a breath and glanced from Evee to Ronan. In his mind, Lucien knew Evee was right. They’d be able to cover much more ground if they separated. But his heart refused to let the words out of his mouth. He feared for her life and couldn’t stand the thought of Evee heading anywhere alone.
Finally, Ronan said, “I hate to admit it, but what she’s saying makes sense. I can head north into the Quarter and search there.” He looked at Evee. “You’ll have to tell me what to look for, though. Since it’s already dark out, the Originals will have taken human form to blend in. They certainly won’t have bald heads with thick veins and sharp fangs like the ones here. How do I tell what human is truly Nosferatu?”
“Good question,” Evee said. “You can typically spot them easily if you know what you’re looking for. I can usually locate a Nosferatu by scent. In your and Lucien’s case, look for anyone standing about simply watching people, either an individual or a small crowd. If interest sparks, the Nosferatu will start following that person or crowd, keeping tabs on their every move. Also their skin will be much paler than the average human’s. Some have eyes that are extremely light-sensitive, so they’ll be wearing sunglasses inside buildings, even at night.”
“What about clothing?” Lucien asked.
“No different than anyone else around them. Remember, they’re trying to fit in and go unnoticed so they can scout out their next victim. And remember, too, the both of you are in as much danger as any human out there. I’m the only one who can control the Nosferatu. Don’t confront them head-on or you might wind up being a meal. Should you find one, you need to come and get me or call for me. You can’t fight them alone. They’re too strong.”
“This is sounding worse by the moment,” Ronan said, sweeping his hands through his hair. “I’ve changed my mind. I really don’t like the idea about splitting up.”
“I know,” Evee said. “And I agree that this plan is putting us a bit out there, raising the stakes and ratcheting up the danger, but think of what might happen if we don’t do it. Let’s at least give it a try. We can go in separate directions, hunt for half an hour, then meet back here in front of St. John’s. That way we can report on what we’ve seen, then go our own ways again, each of us taking a different direction. At least that way we won’t be apart for hours at a time. Thirty minutes, not that long, and if one of us doesn’t show up, the others will know the direction to head to look for him...or her.”
Lucien bit his bottom lip, rubbed a hand across his chin. “I don’t think what I have to say about the plan matters. You’re going to do what you want to do, right?”
Evee gave him a lopsided grin. “Pretty much.”
“I figured as much,” Ronan said.
“Fine, Ms. François, we’ll do it your way,” Lucien said with a half smile, which was the best he had to offer. He still thought the entire plan was a mistake. “Let’s get it done and over with, then. Ronan, you head north to the Quarter. I’ll take the riverbank west.”
“Guess that leaves me with the east riverbank,” Evee said.
“All right,” Lucien said. “But what if something comes up and one of us needs help? We don’t carry cell phones because they interfere with your spells and our scabiors. We have no way of contacting one another. You may have telepathic abilities with your sisters, but I don’t have that ability with Ronan, Gavril or Nikoli. We have to find a method to reach out for help if we need it.”
“Can you whistle?” Evee asked.
Lucien looked at her quizzically.
“Simple question,” Evee said. “Can you whistle?”
Lucien pressed his bottom lip against his bottom teeth and let out a loud, ear-piercing whistle.
Evee clamped her hands over her ears until he finished, then said, “Sounds good to me.” She turned to Ronan. “How about you?”
Without preamble, Ronan pressed two fingers against his bottom lip and let out a whistle just as shrill as Lucien’s, if not louder.
“Good,” Evee said. “If either one of you gets into trouble, whistle long and loud, and I’ll come for you right away.”
“No matter where we are?” Lucien asked. “Your hearing’s that good?”
“Better than a hound’s,” Evee said.
“What about you?” Lucien asked. “What if you get into trouble? You plan to whistle, as well?”
Evee gave him a small smile. “Nope, sorry. I can’t whistle my way out of a bucket. If I find my Nosferatu, I’ll take care of them myself. I know how to deal with them. And if I run into a Cartesian, trust me, I’ll run like hell and find you.”
“You can’t outrun a Cartesian,” Lucien said. “If you see a rift appear, the best thing for you to do is hightail it into the nearest building. Stay out of sight. When the half hour mark comes around, and you don’t show, we’ll at least know what direction to head to find you.”
“What exactly does a rift look like?”
Lucien thought for a moment, stroked his beard. “Think of it as a black wound, one blacker than black. You can see it even on a moonless, starless night. When it first appears it’s like a black strip, a stitched wound in the sky. Then, as the Cartesians work their way through it, it begins to widen, like the stitches are being ripped away from the wound.”
Evee shivered at the thought. “Believe me,” she said. “Any of those ugly mothers won’t have a chance to get a hand out of a rift before I haul ass. Don’t worry. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for anything odd in the sky.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a plan,” Lucien said.
“I agree,” Ronan said, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
“Suppose you’re so focused on finding the Nosferatu that you don’t notice a Cartesian until it’s halfway through a rift and reaching for you?” Lucien asked.
Evee gave him a stern look. “I’m not stupid.”
“I in no way assumed or meant to imply you were,” Lucien said, and arched a brow.
“I’ll be alert,” Evee said.
“But how can you look for your Nosferatu and watch for rifts overhead?” Ronan asked.
Evee scrubbed a hand over her face as if to wipe away frustration. “Remember, I have a slight advantage over the two of you. I can sense my Nosferatu. I’ll keep my Spidey senses tuned to them while watching overhead.”
It took another fifteen minutes before the three of them finally agreed to the divide-and-conquer method Evee had proposed.
When they finally left the catacombs, Ronan immediately headed for the French Quarter and Lucien started walking west, down the riverwalk. He watched Evee take off for the east bank of the river, watched her long, lean body stride with confidence, her shoulder-length black hair blown back by the wind. He remembered how her copper-colored eyes glinted with determination as they’d discussed their search-and-rescue plan. Lucien worried about her, more so now than ever.
Although the Triad looked similar, they weren’t identical. Their eyes told different stories, as did their personalities. Evee always seemed to be the peacemaker, the one to handle things more logically than her sisters. She was also more apt to follow than lead. At this point, Lucien feared Evee had reached the point of desperation. That was why she had suggested they split up to search for her Nosferatu. He still felt like it was a big mistake.
As Lucien watched Evee’s body fade off into the distance, his pace slowed. He continued heading west but kept looking back for her every few seconds. She continued heading east, and when he could barely make out her silhouette, Lucien suddenly felt like he was trudging through knee-deep mud.
He