Echo Soul Seekers

and then meet me in your bathroom. You have an appointment with a curling iron and some serious eyeliner.”

 
    thirty-nine
    Dace
    After stopping by my apartment and changing into jeans and a sweater, I head for the Rabbit Hole. Intending to collect the paycheck they owe me before I head into the Lowerworld for a final round with Cade.
    Or at least that’s the lie I tell myself.
    Truth is, I’m also hoping to see Daire.
    Hoping Lita and Xotichl will invite her to take part in the Enchantment Christmas Eve tradition.
    The brief time we spent together via the raven left me longing for more. And while I tell myself I’ll be satisfied with a glimpse, just a quick look before I go on my way—the second I see her heading for the entrance with her hair shiny and curled, her eyes bright and happy as she walks alongside Lita and Xotichl, it’s clear a mere glance will never suffice.
    I want to share the space where she stands—breathe the same air.
    I want to feel her in my arms—surrender to the very sweetness of her.
    She enters the club with her friends while I force myself to stay put—ensuring my entrance lapses well behind hers.
    As sweet as it was, her visit via the raven was not without risk. Until I make good on my plan, there’s no point in chasing her. No point in strengthening Cade any more than we have.
    Still, that doesn’t stop my eyes from greedily devouring every square inch, the whispered mantra of soon playing at the edge of my lips.
    Soon we’ll be together.
    Soon she’ll stand alongside me.
    When enough time has passed, I breeze past the bouncer, refusing that ridiculous red coyote stamp he tries to mark on my flesh, and head into the club. Bypassing the bar where everyone gathers, I make for the offices in back where I stand before Leandro’s closed door. Fist raised and ready to knock, when I hear a pair of angry voices seeping through the wood.
    I press my ear to the jamb, in order to better eavesdrop on Leandro berating Cade in a way I’ve never heard.
    “I get back in town to find this ?”
    A hand strikes hard on a desk.
    Leandro’s hand.
    Leandro’s desk.
    “What the hell are you doing? Are you out of your freaking mind?”
    “If you’ll just let me explain—” Cade’s voice pitches high, but Leandro’s unmoved by his tone.
    “Explain what? That you’re single-handedly destroying our wealth? Risking everything I’ve worked my entire life to accumulate?”
    “But that’s the thing—this tourmaline…” Cade starts, not getting very far before Leandro cuts in.
    “You think I don’t know about the tourmaline? What the hell is wrong with you? We’ve been hoarding it for years—how do you think those mines got there? Every time we breach the Lowerworld, we take what we can and stash it away for future sale. Its rarity is what drives its price. It’s the philosophy behind any nonessential luxury item. You overprice it well beyond its value—release it in very limited supply—and before you know it, everyone is clamoring for a piece. Believing they can exalt themselves merely by owning the very thing everyone wants but few can claim. But now you come along and ignorantly flood the tourmaline market—effectively driving down the price and nearly gutting our wealth! Do you have any idea the kind of damage you’ve done?”
    “You’re wrong.” Cade’s voice is smug and sure. “The cash is pouring in. And there’s absolutely no overhead—the labor is free! I’m surprised you can’t see the brilliance of my plan. It’s all good, Dad. The Lowerworld is corrupted, and soon the Middle- and the Upperworlds will follow. And with the money pouring in, and the people left without guidance, it won’t be long before we rule all. Just give it time—you’ll see.”
    “The labor is free ? Is that what you think?” Leandro makes a sound of extreme exasperation. “The Rabbit Hole is a bar, Cade! And the success of this bar depends on the number of drinkers who show up each day. Drinkers, who, I come to find out, you’ve kidnapped for your own ridiculous uses. So, not only are you destroying the tourmaline business, but you’re taking the bar along with it.”
    “But, Dad—”
    “You listen to me—you will stop this nonsense immediately. Not only have you destroyed the value of the stone in a way that will take years to recover, but, if you don’t put an end to this right now, you will destroy the very value of this town. Do you have any idea how hard I work to