She paused, clasping her hands together. Then her hazel eyes raised to mine. There was an undercurrent of sympathy behind them, sympathy that made me feel deeply uncomfortable.

“Look, Benjamin,” she said, catching her lower lip between her teeth. “I know you barely know me. And I know I’ve voiced my concern about this before. But my mother always said that my gift was my intuition, and since I’m with you on this journey, I can’t hold back that I simply feel we’re going in the wrong direction. This whole heart thing…” She glanced back at Arron. “I just don’t see any good coming of it.”

I let out a weary sigh. I’d had this conversation with her only a few hours ago.

“Julie,” I said. “I know it’s utterly far-fetched. Hell, I barely believe it myself. But if you had been through what I’ve been through, you would understand why I’m trying this.”

She hesitated before continuing. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking… I might have another idea. Something that wouldn’t involve cutting you open and messing with your heart.”

“What?” I asked, sitting up straight.

“Well, it just occurred to me as we were waiting in those woods for the wolf to return with the tooth… ” Her voice trailed off and she cast a glance behind her at Arron, who was standing on the other side of the islet. “I-I don’t feel comfortable telling you with the Hawk listening in,” she breathed.

I wondered what idea Julie could’ve come up with that she didn’t want Arron knowing about. I didn’t know how good the Hawk’s hearing was, but I was quite certain he was able to hear what we were saying from this short distance.

“Julie wants to talk to me privately,” I called to Arron.

I didn’t wait for his response. Standing up, I caught Julie’s eye and nodded toward the islet opposite us. There was a wide distance between the two, but it wouldn’t take that much effort to jump it.

Arron cast Julie a suspicious glare as the two of us leapt off the islet and landed on the neighboring one about twenty feet away. Even here, I wasn’t sure that we were out of earshot, and from the look on Julie’s face, she wasn’t confident either.

We crossed to the next islet, and then the next, until we had moved five islets away. Julie eyed Arron, standing on a rock and looking toward our direction, before she faced me.

“Well, what is it that Arron can’t hear?” I asked.

She appeared tense. I wasn’t sure if she was still worried that Arron might overhear us, or if it was something about what she was planning to tell me.

Her voice sounded strained as she began in a whisper, “My father was given a gift some years ago, by an old warlock who owed him a favor… It was a box, about the size of that rock over there.” She pointed behind me to a large rock. “It was a beautiful box, but also sinister. The warlock said that it was crafted entirely out of human ribs and that it held a special power. A power I never believed it could possess… until I reconsidered a few hours ago when we were in The Woodlands.” She paused.

“And? What power?”

She let out a breath. “I’m sure you’ll find it as unbelievable as I did… But the warlock said that box was a trap specifically designed for Elders. The warlock had given it to my father soon after the demise of the Elders, once we had gotten free from our old mountain coven—or should I say prison. Knowing that we had been victims of those creatures for so long, the warlock gave it to my father as a gesture and told him that he could use it if an Elder ever found his way to us again in the supernatural world… Of course, thankfully, one never has, and so my father never put it to the test.”

“A box,” I repeated disbelievingly. “How could a box be capable of trapping an Elder? They aren’t made of physical elements like flesh and bone. They are spirits.”

“I’m not sure. Honestly, I don’t know how that warlock came across the box, or how it was originally infused with such a power. He just told us what it was made of and what it was capable of doing… and he also told us how to use it.”

“How?”

The vampire rubbed a palm over her forehead. “I’m just trying to recall his words…” Her face scrunched as she closed her eyes tight. “Human blood,” she said after a pause. “The warlock said something about keeping the lid of the box open, and inside, placing a basin of human blood. Elders are unable to keep themselves from gravitating toward human blood, especially if fresh. If the box was in close proximity to the spirit, it would sense the blood, be drawn to it, and as soon as it entered within, the box would snap shut.”

I stared at Julie. She was losing me. I hadn’t thought that it was possible to top the farfetched idea of a vampire having heart surgery, but this Elder trap sure did it. The crazy things we were coming up with only highlighted the direness of my situation.

“Okay,” I said, exhaling slowly. “You’re not a hundred percent sure if this box really does possess the powers to trap an Elder. Your memory also seems to be hazy regarding how to work the thing… But let’s just say that old warlock really did give you an Elder trap, and your memory regarding how to work it is accurate… Leaving aside the fact that we’d have to get fresh human blood, the box is still with your father, right? Do you even know where your father is?”

A look of discomfort crossed her face. “I, uh… Of course I don’t know exactly where he is. I haven’t seen him since I escaped but… I would imagine that he would be near The Tavern if he sent two men to come and kidnap me. His ship wouldn’t have been far off that island’s shore. There’s no saying where he and his crew are now, but I would assume that they would still be close to that area—still looking for me.” She looked down at her feet, dodging a crab as it scuttled by. “Obviously, I couldn’t ask for or retrieve the box myself, but your jinni girlfriend—”