I had to get rid of it. I asked Kopano to switch places with me. I climbed over his lap as he scooted under, trying not to touch me. I cracked the window a few inches. No cars were behind us on the strip of road. I opened the bag of marijuana first, hands shaking, and tipped the contents out the window.

“What are you doing?” Blake asked.

“Getting rid of it,” I said, feeling unusually antsy.

“That’s perfectly good J!” Blake protested.

“Sorry.” I dumped the last of it.

“Front-row seats at the suicide show,” Ginger said. “Lovely.”

I peered down at the bag of white powder in my hand. I cracked the window again and tipped the corner of the bag. I held my breath as the powder hit the rushing wind, spiraling out into a cloud behind us. I watched the cloud with a pang of yearning, and heard a funny flapping sound. Something spiraled through the air as the last of the powder poured out.

“Stop the car!” I said. “Something was in the bag!”

Blake pulled over and we all jumped out, running, using our hypervision to scan the ground.

“What was it?” Marna asked.

“I think it was paper.”

“Yes, I saw it, too,” Kopano affirmed.

“There!” Ginger ran toward a tree and picked up a strip of paper, holding it out to me. I tugged it open and read to myself. No, no, no. My knees buckled, but I saw Kaidan jogging over and forced myself to stand straight.

Two vehicles were coming down the road, still a good distance away. We all noticed at the same time and hurried back to the car. I handed the note over the passenger seat to Kaidan as Blake drove off, remembering the words in my mind.

They’re getting suspicious of us. A lot of rumors. Legionnaire spies will be watching you on New Year’s. You’ll have to work. Remember your training. Ask the others how the spirits communicate.

Kaidan slammed his hand against the dashboard after he read it.

“Care to clue us in?” Ginger asked with impatience.

Kaidan turned, his anxious eyes holding mine. It was time to tell them everything.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

NEW YEAR’S

It took more than two hours of talking before Patti accepted my claims that I’d be okay, and decided to continue on her trip to New York. She knew the Neph and I would be expected to work on New Year’s, but I’d left out the detail about demon whisperers spying on me. Spirits were a touchy subject.

The New Year’s party would take place at a fancy hotel in downtown Atlanta. We talked about finding a different party where people we knew wouldn’t be there, but this was supposed to be the biggest party in the area. The more people, the more distractions for the spirits. According to the Neph, demon whisperers were easily distracted. I hoped they were right, because I suffered extreme discomfort about unleashing spirits on a party where my two best friends were going to be.

Jay had recently landed a job as an assistant to the disc jockey who was doing the music for the party. That was how we got tickets to the biggest bash in town. A local radio station would be there, too. Since Jay was working part of the night, he had to get there early. I drove Veronica. The five Neph would meet us there.

It wasn’t until we’d pulled into Atlanta that Veronica noticed my nerves. I hunched over the steering wheel with a stomachache. The crowded city streets hurled emotions both rainbow-colored and dark, all of which I heaved away.

“Hey, are you okay?” Veronica asked, holding her lip gloss wand in midair.

“Just nervous about the party, I guess.”

The inside of the hotel was exquisite, not a detail missed. There was a waterfall fountain in the atrium, gorgeous flower arrangements on every table, and plush carpets of vivid designs stretching in all directions. Most people were in the lobby checking into their rooms. Veronica’s curfew was one thirty, so we weren’t staying the night. If something came up and I needed to stay, Jay could take her home. It was likely that the spies expected me to party all night.

The hotel was buzzing with excitement. Veronica clutched my arm, sporting a bright orange aura of exhilaration, as she looked around. I peered around, too. I was not excited about meeting any dark spirits again. Not at all.

I hadn’t learned anything new about the demon whisperers during my one night of crash-course training from my father. I guess he didn’t think they’d be a problem for me at the time, and it was still a sensitive subject for me after being haunted. Fortunately, my Neph friends taught me the basics.

Spirits were limited in their communications because of their lack of physical mass. While their sight was keen, their hearing was dim. They could hear only up close, where the voice vibrations were strongest and they could dip into the person’s mind. Parties with loud music were chaos on their hearing, which was good for us, because they wouldn’t be able to listen to our conversations from a distance. They would be able to hear us only if they swooped down close, and that was also the only way we could hear them. In close proximity, we could open up our minds and speak telepathically with them, like mutual whispering.

My father assured me no Dukes would be staked out listening. Kaidan was certain his father would spend New Year’s in New York City, which disturbed me, since Patti was there, but I knew she’d go right back to her hotel after the ball dropped. Still, I hated the thought of their breathing the same city air.

Veronica gripped my arm a little harder as we made our way to the hall with the ballroom.

“You sure you’re okay?” she asked.