Page 73 of Infernal Hearts

Rani stares at her for a moment, and for the first time in my life, I watch her concede. “Sorry.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Not that you wouldn’t have enjoyed it.”

I press my palm to my mouth. She’s fucking unbelievable. But then again, I’ve said worse.

Theresa, however, doesn’t miss a beat. “Try asking next time. I’ve heard I have some magic of my own.”

Rani’s mouth drops open, speechless, and I can’t stop myself from cackling. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone shock Rani into submission.

“We’ll see you later, Theresa.” I grab Rani’s hand and drag her out of the shop while her eyes stay glued on the psychic. Theresa just smiles and gives us a warm wave goodbye as we exit the shop.

A dopey smile crosses Rani’s face as soon as the door closes behind us. “I think I misjudged her.”

“I think you’re just judgmental.” I laugh and bump into her side.

“Oh, fuck off, demon.” She punches me in the arm as soon as we sit in the car.

“Ow!” I rub where her fist made contact. “What the hell was that for?”

“You really couldn’t have been my wingman for five more minutes?” She scoffs and gives me a flinty stare. “Or at least as long as it took for you to get the vet off?”

My skin tingles in discomfort as I take a step back. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She pulls down her sunglasses, her large yellow eyes staring deeply into mine. “I wasn’t sure before, but now I am. You like him.”

“I think he’s a good person. Not the usual client.”

“We’re in the middle of a hunt for your long-lost brother, but you’ve been happier than I’ve seen you in a long time. Anyway, are we going into the only crypt in town now, or what? Kinda sounds fun.”

“Ain’t a better plan.”

Rani grumbles. “Ugh. I didn’t even bring flats for this trip.”

“You’ll be okay.” I pat her on the back. “I promise.”

We drive a little out of town, passing the clinic on the way. As we go up the hill, I wonder how Jay’s day is going. It takes a lot, but I fight the urge to have Rani make a quick stop so I can drop in and see him. Say hi. Ask him how his day was.

Maybe I’m just trying to get my mind off the current circumstances. “Crypt.” Right now, on the way to a cemetery? Things are looking a little bleak on my end. The longer we search, the less faith I have that my brother is okay, but I try to stay optimistic.

But what if he’s not? What if I really am the last one left? What am I supposed to do with that?

I ignore the feelings bubbling up in my chest. The sadness. The anger. The unfairness of it all.

We turn off onto a dirt road, driving through the forest. The blurs of brown and green pass the windows, branches and foliage scraping against the edges of the car. It’s not very well-tended out here—and I don’t imagine it would be. It’s a small-town cemetery. It can’t be that big.

Finally, we arrive outside the fence, and it turns out I’m right. It’s about the size of a football field, littered with moss-covered crypts. I doubt there’s anyone around to keep this place looked after. It’s just a place where memories have gone to dissolve into the ground.

“I guess we should start looking.” I unbuckle and get out of the car, Rani following close behind.

“Any ideas where to start?”

I stop and put my hands on my hips, exhaling. Pulling the key out of my pocket, I look at the intricateAat the top. “We’ll just have to use the alphabet, I guess.”

We comb down the rows of mausoleums, some with locks and some without. We stop to check out every name that starts with the letter. Abrim. Anderson. Allen. Alcock. That last one would have usually gotten a childish comment out of me, but I wasn’t in the mood.

We spend about an hour going through the cemetery.

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