ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖
The guilt in Kami's eyes is unmistakable. I've known her long enough to know that I've pushed the right buttons. Though apparently she's been sneaking lies past me for a long time. I guess I don't know her as well as I think.
"Zane," she says with a shaky voice. "I know that sounds bad."
"You're bloody right it sounds bad!" I shout. "It sounds like you fucking killed Lola and lied to me about it!"
Her mouth shuts rapidly and her eyes widen.
"I..." she mutters. "You... You really think I killed Lola?"
I know Kami wouldn't kill someone without a reason. But then again, I also thought I could trust her not to lie to my face.
"I don't know," I say. "How would I know anything when you've been intentionally keeping things from me?"
"Fair," she mumbles, her eyes falling to the floor.
I walk over to her and put my hands on her shoulders.
"What is going on?" I ask in the calmest voice I can muster.
"I... Shit, Z, I fucked up. I fucked up big time."
Kami has made her share of mistakes, but I don't think any of them had her acting like this.
"What did you do?" I ask.
"The murders that have been happening around town... I made a big mistake," she says, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Fuck, Kami," I say. "Now is not the time for drawing this out. What the bloody hell did you do??"
"I sold my venom!" she blurts out.
I blink and step back. I can't even comprehend what she's just said. The concept is so incredibly reckless.
Kami has never been one to avoid trouble, but she's also never done something quite so negligent. This is more than a minor cock-up. Siren venom can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. As much as I've trusted Kieran, I still wouldn't give him some of my venom.
"That's what Lola had in the vial—venom?" I ask.
"Yeah," she says with a sigh. "I knew it wasn't related to her death so I didn't think it would matter to take it. I didn't want it ending up in the wrong hands."
"You sacrificed the right to make that argument when you sold it!"
"I know that, okay! Would you cut it out with the 'I told you so's already? I'm well aware I've made a mess of things!"
"How did you even end up selling your venom?"
"I needed information from a demon," she says, sitting down on the marble staircase and dropping her head into her hands. "I had the vial of venom I got from you in my purse. When she spotted it, she said she'd trade the information for it."
"You sold my venom?" I say, a growl building in my chest.
"No!" she says. "I swear, Z, I didn't. I told her I needed it for emergencies. But I was at a dead end and I needed her intel, so I gave her a couple drops of my own venom in a vial. It was so little."
She sighs and continues.
"Anyway, word got around and demons kept showing up trying to buy venom off me. I kept telling them no, but..."
"But what?" I ask.
"The night of my party, someone stole the vial."
I stare at her blankly.
"Someone stole," I say through my teeth, "my venom?"
She pinches her eyes shut and nods.
"They diluted it and now they're dealing it like a drug. That's what Lola had in her bag. I have no idea how Lola found out or procured any, but..."
I can't even believe what I'm hearing.
The Council would kill her if they thought she was trafficking a substance from an Immortal source for profit. Lola could've told the Council herself, but if she had, we would know. They're not known for their patience or leniency.
"So you killed her to keep her quiet?" I ask.
"No!" she shouts. "I didn't kill her, Zane. I didn't know she found out until I found the vial in evidence."
"Kami, if your venom brought demons here," I say, slowly working it out in my head, "these murders could be anyone. There could be multiple killers even. And yet you insisted on accusing Kieran."
"I guess maybe that was unfair. Obviously I've been making mistakes."
"You lied to me and accused Kieran of murder and sold your venom and stole evidence..."
"Okay, I get it," she says. "I only took it because I knew it wasn't relevant and I didn't want the cops having venom in their evidence locker."
"But that's not all you stole, is it?" I ask.
"The necklace?" she asks.
"And the paper? You stole a paper too."
"Oh," she says, her voice falling as her eyes dodge my own.
"No more fucking lies, Kami," I say. "Or I will walk out this door and be done with you for good."
"Okay," she says, standing up and heading upstairs.
I'm not sure if she expected me to follow her, but she returns rather quickly with a folded sheet of paper in her hands.
"This is it," she says. "I didn't know what to do about it. After her little prediction about you and Ava, I didn't want you to take too much from Lola and her visions."
She hands me the page. Unfolded it's a bit larger than printer paper and has a thick, handmade texture to it. The sheet is covered with scribbled words, a couple crossed out, and a sketch of an ornate, silver tube. I read a few of the notes trying to make sense of it.
Demons + Sirens ?
2276 Elder
Kami? Why?
I turn it over and immediately one drawing in particular catches my eye—because it looks a lot like me.
The writing next to it says Don't trust Zane, warn Kami followed by one underlined and circled word: DANGEROUS.
"What... what is this?" I ask.
"She writes down notes about her visions," Kami explains. "To keep track. Please don't panic over this, okay? A Seer's visions are very complicated..."
"I mean, I'm not going to panic. I know I'm not dangerous, and I've sure as hell learned my lesson about jumping to conclusions," I say, flipping the paper over again. "But why would she say that?"
"I don't know. She told me her visions were often misleading. She must've got some wires crossed."
"You should have told me," I say, looking over the paper.
"You're right, I just panicked. Please don't hate me."
"I don't hate you, but this is the end of it. The secrets end here."
She frowns slightly and nods.
This new information certainly complicates things. I just hope this is the last surprise Kami has in store.