he said when we emerged. He bounded over to me, looking expectant.
“Hey, Tobias,” I said, smiling at him. “Have you seen Tallulah, the witch from earlier?”
“I’m here,” called a voice from above us. Tallulah was descending the grand staircase. “I was just checking in with Whitney.”
We waited as she finished climbing down, the bracelets on her wrist rattling.
“Were you able to find some of those . . .” Beau glanced to me for help.
“Mahogany obsidians,” I supplied.
“Right.” He turned back to Tallulah.
She sighed. “There are shops in town, but the only contact I can personally vouch for is in Savannah. I did speak to her, and she’d driving over with everything she has—six really good pieces, and a handful of others that will probably work. It’ll be five or six hours until she arrives, though.”
Beau frowned. “That’s after dawn.”
“Are you worried about another attack tonight?” Tallulah asked, her eyebrows raised in alarm.
“We are doing everything we can to prepare for that,” he said, not sounding particularly confident. “Along those lines, I need to speak to you about the witch clans. Have there been any complaints about the blood tributes?”
Tallulah had paused on the bottom stair, quite possibly so she could be taller than me. Now she tapped her manicure on the banister, her eyes narrowing slightly. She wasn’t an idiot—she could see our line of thinking. “Of course, there is always grumbling about the tribute. But it’s just talk, nothing serious.”
I was about to push her for more details, but Beau suddenly waved a hand. “I want justice for Warton, but it can wait. At the moment my main concern is preventing another explosion and buying time to investigate.” To Tallulah, he said, “I’d like you to begin contacting the witch clans. All of them.”
“What, tonight?”
“Right now. Tell them we are changing the terms of the blood tribute.” I looked at him with some surprise, but Beau was focused on Tallulah. He told her about the conditions he and I had discussed: that blood donations would now be made off-site, facilitated by health-care professionals.
Tallulah frowned. “They may see that as a sign of weakness. That you’re scared.”
I snorted. Or Tallulah might see this as her losing her edge on the other clans.
“That is a problem for another night,” Beau said grimly. “For now I am more concerned with the safety of everyone in this house. Have you finished boosting the wards?”
“Almost, I—”
Beau cut her off. “Please make the calls first, then finish the wards.” He turned away from Tallulah, effectively dismissing her.
The witch clan leader looked a little shocked, but she pulled out her phone and moved away, stepping outside to make her calls.
Milburn, who I hadn’t seen when we entered the foyer, sidled up. He must have been lurking behind the stairs. “What’s going on?” he asked Beau.
“If one of the clans is setting off bombs as a protest, I may have just remedied the situation,” Beau replied.
“What if Tallulah doesn’t actually make the calls?” I said.
“She will. She won’t like it, but she’ll do it.”
“How is your daytime security?” I asked him.
Beau turned to look pointedly at me, and I raised my palms. “I don’t need details. And I know they couldn’t set off a spirit bomb during the day. But there are other ways to kill you.”
Beau shook his head. “I stay in an underground vault, nowhere near this house, and I am the only one with the combination. Not even the Horsemen or Odessa can open the door. I’ll be safe.”
I nodded, trying to think of holes in his security. If we could make it to dawn without another spirit bottle going off, I’d have more time to figure out who was behind them.
“Where do you want me, Lex?” Tobias asked, giving me eager puppy eyes.
I thought. “If it’s okay with Beau, I’d like to have you on the grounds until dawn, keeping an eye on things. Look for suspicious activity, any weird bottles or packages, or anyone who smells like fear or lies. Can you do that?”
“Absolutely!” He looked at Beau for permission.
“I ask only that you give the barn a wide berth,” Beau said. “A werewolf would terrify the horses. Besides, I’ve got the grooms helping me search the house for spirit bottles, so there shouldn’t be any damage if a spirit bottle goes off near the barn.” He gave me a sharp look. “Unless you think it could kill the horses?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think they’d work on animals.”