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T hirty minutes until midnight, I was pacing Ursulines Avenue, raking through my brain for anyone else to question since half the spirits I had been searching for were no-shows at their usual haunts, even with Kierce hanging back, and the rest were as baffled by the Midnight Parade’s sudden appearance as me.

And terrified if they ventured too close, it would suck them in and drain them dry too.

About the time I started eyeing the lamppost, tempted to kick out my frustration and probably break a toe, my phone rang. “Hey, Mary.”

“I found a link—maybe the link—between the names on Rollo’s list.”

Slowing to a stop, I held my breath. “I’m listening.”

“He had already verified the victims’ names and their emergency contacts while he was identifying them in case he needed to reach out with future questions or updates. So, I called down the list of emergency contacts, a few times, which didn’t win me any friends, and pushed for new angles.” She kept rambling. “Every single one of the victims attended the funeral of Ms. Sugar Brown, which, no offense to the dead, but that has to be a stripper name, right? Anyway, it was held at Lafayette Cemetery No. 2.”

Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 had seen better days the last time I visited it, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

As far as I knew, it remained closed to the public for repairs, meaning only those who owned plots could enter. That was good news, if the name was legit and not an alias, because the cemetery records could hold answers for us.

“The name isn’t familiar to me, but Vi knows everyone in the Quarter, and she never says no to anyone.”

Her deep ties to the community meant she was always going to so-and-so’s house or to a party or to a funeral or to a wedding or to a baby shower. She spent a fortune on gifts, but she considered so many of her neighbors as the next best thing to an extended family, she never resented the expense.

“It still doesn’t explain how Matty was afflicted,” Josie said, “but it’s got to mean something.”

He was the outlier for sure, him and Leyna, but establishing a link with the other victims was a start.

“Hey, you did good. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” I clutched the railing until the twisted metal bit into my palms. “We need to find out Sugar Brown’s connection to the others.” I forced myself to relax my grip. “I can ask Carter or Harrow to run the name, see what they find. They’ll have easier access to the cemetery’s records too.”

“I already asked Carter to do police stuff on Sugar Brown. We should hear back soon.”

That was news to me, but I was glad to hear they were communicating in some form.

“So, you two are talking.” I strained my ears to catch her reaction. “Everything’s okay?”

Had Carter told her to pack her bags? Or that her bags had been packed?

“Everything is great.” She injected cheer into her voice. “Just peachy.”

The call ended with me convinced everything was not great, and I was staring down the barrel of an ugly breakup that I never should have taken part in. “Sistering is hard.”

“I can only imagine.” Kierce hesitated, proceeding with caution. “Their relationship, or however they want to label it, is theirs to fix or end. You can’t do either for them.”

“You’re right.” I smushed my face into his chest, breathing him in. “I just wish I could help.”

“Just being there helps.” He kissed the top of my head. “Don’t underestimate the small things.”

With those words of wisdom ringing in my ears, and time to kill until midnight, I tipped my head back and savored the not-so-small thing of being able to kiss a man who supported me—goddess-possessed alligators and all.

* * *

“Maringouin.”

Never had I been so grateful to hear the hated nickname as I cut through strutting spirits to reach Rollo. Two women twirled around him, reminding me of the men who had restrained Vi, but they didn’t touch him. Whether the women were other souls chosen for this role or only a manifestation of the enchantment, they had no reason to get handsy with him.

The magic glazing his eyes, forcing him to blink free of its hold, told me he was struggling. But I had anticipated this. Which was why Kierce and I had split up, him seeking out Vi while I tackled Rollo.

That Matty had sunk from our first priority to third made me want to vomit, but I had to be smart. Even if it made me sick. I had to park my heart on the bench and let my brain take the wheel.

A glimpse of him to reassure myself he was still here would have to suffice for now.

“Mamaw is here,” he shouted over the heads of everyone between us. “I saw her.”

“Kierce is helping Vi,” I promised him, “but first you need to tell me what happened to you.”

“I was in my office.” He didn’t put up a fight, which further proved his will was degrading. “I had the…” I waited for him to continue, but he frowned. “I had it in my hand. Something. A glass.” A slur smudged his words, and a silly grin wreathed his mouth. “You’re beautiful, Frankie-boo. Ever told you that?”

With him losing his faculties, I had no time to waste. I had to attempt an extraction. Now. To do that, I needed him alert. “Vi always said you were mean to me because you have a crush on me.”

“Mean to you ’cause I don’t like you.” His voice turned syrupy. “Doesn’t mean I don’t got eyes.”

“Okay, Romeo, hold that thought.” I walked backward, shifting my palms to his chest, funneling my powers into him the same as I would any spirit I wanted to solidify. “These are starting to sound like deathbed confessions, and now’s not the time for that. Or for finishing your thought.”

A faint resistance when I pressed against him proved I was making headway, but I couldn’t quite get him to a point where I could grip him. Like me, Kierce hadn’t been able to put hands on Matty that first time. I was willing to bet that meant he wouldn’t have much luck with Rollo either.

That left me with one last option, and I prayed she would hear my call for help.

Diving into my consciousness, to the place where her voice rang in my head, I shouted with everything in me. “Anunit.”

For a few seconds, I feared she couldn’t show, that I would have to wait another night for action.

We had so little time before the parade was over, and I hadn’t put eyes on Vi or Matty yet.

Aside from instructing me in my duties, Anunit had shown zero interest in other aspects of my life. Honestly? I had a hunch that she had been chained to her role for so long, she was enjoying an excuse to stretch her legs in the real world. I don’t think she minded putting off my education one bit.

A warm presence brushed against my side, the swish of her feathered tail tickling my calves.

“Help me pull him free.” I slumped with relief to see her. “He’s stuck, and I can’t get a grip on him.”

“This enchantment is divine.” She hummed to herself. “I am not sure we can succeed alone.”

Risking a glance over my shoulder, I spotted the head of the parade dissolving into the night air.

“Just try, okay? Hurry. Please.” I was already losing my tenuous hold. “He won’t last much longer.”

Heat suffused me, soothing me down to the bone, and a lick of wildness flavored my tongue.

“A soul is an echo of the body it once occupied, a familiar shape. That is all.” Anunit said from within me, her spirit mingling with mine. “You focus too much on what you see. Feel his soul. Feel what you remember of the man he is. Feel what is there.”

Learning from the bruise on my hip, I glanced over my shoulder to check the street behind me.

No parked cars, no gaping potholes, and only the one slight dip near the curb leading into the drain.

Good. No. Great.

The way was clear. I could do this. Maybe without twisting an ankle.

Heart thumping as I faced Rollo again, I allowed my eyes to close. I blocked out the familiar sight of him and focused on the prickling energies I associated with touching a soul. His was more vibrant. Stronger. Because, I realized, he was alive. And to have proof in my hands, not half-baked theories or relative certainties, drove home a truth I had been afraid to believe since setting eyes on the parade.

If Rollo was alive, then so was Matty.

If Rollo could be saved, then so could Matty.

So could Vi.

So could all the other afflicted.

“Gather him into your hands like you would cradle a moth,” Anunit counselled. “Be gentle. Do not crush him.”

There were no words to describe what I did or how I did it. I didn’t understand the mechanics myself. The sensation wasn’t so different from when I reached into a body to snuff out their soul.

Now that I thought about it, that was the only time I had ever held a living person’s essence.

No pressure.

Literally.

One wrong flex, and I would be left with a handful of ashes.

Though, in hindsight, if I had to practice on someone, I wasn’t mad Rollo got the honors.

“What now?” I ignored the sweat pooling in my palms that called me a liar. “Do I carry him out or…?”

“For his sake, I would hold your ground. Imagine him as a rock in a stream. He stands a better chance of survival if the magic swirls around him and washes away rather than you lifting him onto dry ground.”

“Survival?” I fought to prevent my fingers from contracting on reflex. “This could kill him?”

“Yes.”

“That would have been nice to know ahead of time.”

“Leave him here, and he will die. You might as well attempt to save him.”

Confirmation my brother and Vi would be lost if I didn’t figure this out had me tasting bile, but it was a good first step. I had to believe that. And so, despite our history of animosity, I cradled Rollo with infinite care, throwing my eyes wide open. I couldn’t risk fumbling my grip. Not here at the end. Not with success so close at hand.

“You are doing well,” Anunit praised me. “Hold your focus and brace yourself for the severing.”

The severing did not sound like a good time.

Acid churning up the back of my throat, I planted my feet, barely breathing for what felt like an eternity. Just as I was starting to believe this would work, a cold wind kicked up around my ankles, rising higher. I faltered, stumbling back, panicking as a persistent suction pried at my fingers.

“This isn’t going to work.” I locked my hands like a cage to steady them. “He’s slipping.”

Warmth encased my spine, and Kierce reached around me, cupping my hands in his, and his power sank into my skin. I sagged against him, soaking him in like a sponge, and together we cradled Rollo’s soul until Anunit released a faint purr.

“I cannot hold this form much longer. I have expended too much energy. I must go.” Her voice softened, and she withdrew from me. “I will return to the body with nice teeth.”

A shiver coasted over my skin as she peeled apart from me, leaving a hollow ache as if the parade had swept away my energy.

“Hold on.” I lurched after her, frantic for her to finish walking me through this. “What do I do now?”

“You must place him where he belongs before the dawn burns away his soul.”

The faint whisper of her voice faded away, and she did too, leaving me protecting a glowing orb leaking blue light into a night that didn’t feel quite as dark as it had been moments ago.

“We have to go.” I jerked my head toward Kierce’s pocket. “Call us a Swyft.”

“All right.” He plugged in the information, shared the make and model of our ride, then brought the phone to his ear. “I’m going to let Jean-Claude know to expect us.”

About to ask him to text Josie an update, I nixed that, knowing Jean-Claude would be on top of it.

“Matty and Vi? Did you see them?”

“No change from last night for Matty, but Vi was more sedate and less talkative.”

Not great news, but also not the worst possibility.

Focus on the positives. I could do that. Sure I could. Maybe. I hoped so.

“Why isn’t he Rollo-shaped?” I peeked between my fingers. “Souls retain the form they recall…”

“Yes.” Kierce picked up on my thoughts. “His memory has been too damaged to retain his Rollo-shape.”

Fifteen excruciating minutes later, Kierce lifted a hand in greeting to the driver of a slowing car like he had been hailing Swyfts all his life. As soon as he got me settled in the backseat, earning us a soft smile from our driver, who must have mistaken the move for chivalry, he climbed in beside me.

Had I not been terrified one wrong move would shatter Rollo like a raw eggshell, sending yolk dripping between my fingers, I would have risked leaning over to kiss Kierce. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Happiness lit me up from the inside, and for the first time since Harrow drove an unconscious Matty to the shop, I allowed myself true hope.