An Isle of Mirrors (A Shade of Vampire #88) - Bella Forrest Page 0,27

at how they’re organized, how they’re watching us. They know when to strike, where to run, what tools to use against those who fight back,” Kelara said.

Voss took Chantal’s place in front of Astra. “Check me, too.”

“I can do it,” Soul offered, but the wolf-hawk shook his head.

“Nope. No. Nuh-uh. Astra’s method seems slightly more bearable than what I was told regarding yours.”

The Reapers both seemed confused. Astra gave them a wry smile. “I’ve been practicing on Soph and Chantal. I think I’m getting a good handle on it…”

We all watched as she did to Voss what she’d already done to Soph and Chantal. He whimpered from the pain, a muscle tensing in his jaw, but he kept it together while Astra dug into his chest and confirmed what we were already suspecting. “It’s Voss.”

“Consider me impressed,” Soul replied.

“He could be gentler if he really wanted to,” Kelara said, pointing a thumb at her partner. “But you all know he’s a high-functioning sociopath. Inflicting pain is like a drug to him.”

“Aw. You’re too sweet,” Soul shot back affectionately.

We briefed Voss, Chantal, and Soph on everything we’d omitted earlier from our clone clashes. They gave us the details of their hunt for Chantal’s clone, after which we agreed that we would need a better and more efficient way to recognize one another as our true selves, going forward. Astra’s method, albeit less painful than Soul’s, still required close contact. Any clone aiming to kill her would jump at the opportunity to pretend to get tested, so we had her safety to consider.

“We need a safe word,” Jericho said.

“Oh, I’m not sure you know what that is,” Dafne muttered, prompting the rest of us to chuckle, while the fae-dragon frowned, trying to find the humor in the ice dragon’s remark. They locked eyes with each other for a moment before she smiled and politely conceded. “But yeah, we need a safe word.”

On any other day, Dafne would’ve had her fun poking and prodding Jericho. The chemistry between them was obvious, though I doubted either was aware.

“Paladin,” Astra suggested. “They were knights in medieval France. Much like King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. It’s easy to remember and unlikely to come up in normal conversation.”

“And it carries a deeper meaning. I like it,” Dafne replied.

Soul cleared his throat. “Has anyone noticed how quiet it is?”

We’d been so absorbed in our conversation that I’d nearly lost track of our surroundings. But the Reaper was right. The footsteps and crackling branches I’d heard earlier were gone. Silence had replaced everything, and it wasn’t normal. The hospital had just been blown to bits, and everyone within at least a one-mile radius must’ve heard the explosions.

“What does this mean?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, but it’s suspicious. It makes me wonder where Sofia, Derek, and the others have gone. They were a pretty big group,” he said. It made me sick to my stomach to think that something might’ve happened to my parents or Rose or Caleb or any of those who’d been here with us until an hour ago. “And if we find them, how do we know they’re the real ones? If they’re hostiles, if they’re clones, how in the world will we test them all before the crap hits the fan? Right now, it’s just Kelara, me, and Astra who can detect fake souls.”

“He has a point,” Chantal said. “There aren’t enough of us to withstand a large group of clones, especially if they whip out that black spray thing.”

The truth of this statement sank in, making my knees feel heavier than ever. “We need to move,” I replied. “We have to verify as many of the originals that we come across as possible and get them all to meet us back at the Great Dome. Once we’re gathered there with our parents and siblings and close family members, we can organize an action plan.”

“We should also split up to cover more ground,” Kelara said. “Soul and I can go east with Voss and Chantal and leave Stan and Ollie to keep an eye on the Isabelle clone. The rest of you can head west, where the terraces are, and pick up as many of your people as possible to send to the Great Dome. We can circle back to that hall before the morning and put more heads together for a solid strategy.”

“We could do with a Reaper on our crew,” I replied.

“You’ve got enough death magic knowledge to handle yourself,” Soul shot