A moment passed and Val faced me. She was so vibrant amongst all the decaying, gray tombs, but her skin was paler than normal as she stared back at me. "You really did see them."

I nodded, drawing in another shallow breath. "I did."

She walked back to where I stood. "Why do you think they're here?"

"I don't know if they ever left the city or what, but I think . . . I think it has to do with the gates." I glanced as two people strolled passed us and stopped a few tombs down, snapping pictures. I kept my voice low. "I think they might be planning something with the gates."

Her eyes widened, and when she spoke her voice was tense. "Ivy."

"I don't know what, but I'm not . . ." Words left me. Could I tell her about Ren—about the Elite? It wasn't that I didn't trust her, but it seemed wrong to betray his trust.

Val toyed with the bangles along her wrist. "What?"

I'd known Val longer than I'd known Ren, and I trusted her. "What I'm about to tell you cannot go any further, okay?"

"Honey, I'm a vault of secrets." She waved her hands around her midsection. "I could blister your ears with the things I know about some of the members, but I keep them to myself."

I kind of wondered what she knew. Walking past her, I made my way to where we always ended up when we came to the cemetery. The tomb of the first Order member to be killed by a fae in New Orleans was marked by a praying angel that somehow was still a pearly white and almost luminous. The symbol of the Order, the three interlocking spirals, was carved into the center of the tomb. Reaching out, I ran my fingers over it.

"Ren knows about the ancients," I said as Val stopped beside me. I looked at her and forged on. "He's a part of the Elite."

She blinked once and then twice. "What in the fuckity fuck is the Elite?"

A brief smile crossed my lips. I told her what Ren had explained about the Elite and why he was here. She had a suitable expression of puzzlement on her face, and I was sure that was how I looked when Ren told me everything.

Val needed a few moments to soak all that in. She passed in front of the tomb of the fallen member. I stared at the once pristine tombs that had faded to a dull gray, my gaze tracking over them, stopping on one with the entire top exposed down to the worn bricks. The place really was beautiful in an eerie and sad way, but my heart pounded unsteadily in my chest as I waited for her to process everything.

Had I made the right decision?

Unease blossomed deep in my belly as I shifted from one foot to the next. Maybe I shouldn't have told her about Ren and the Elite.

Finally, she stopped and planted her hands on her hips. "You believe him?"

"Yes."

"Okay," she said, exhaling roughly as she scrunched up her nose. "If you believe him, then I believe him. I'm probably more certifiable when it comes to craziness than you could ever hope to be."

Relieved, I felt the tension bleed out of me. The tendril of unease was still there, but that was understandable. I had just told a huge secret.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

I blinked. "Oh, I don't really have one. David isn't going to say anything if he knows anything. I was thinking about seeing Merle today. If anyone knows about the gates, it would be her . . . depending on her mood."

Her features sharpened. "I'll go with you."

A laugh burst out of me. "The last time you visited Merle and Brighton with me, she called you a harlot."

"Oh yeah, she did." She grinned. "I'm sure she's forgotten."

"Ah, no. Every time I talk to her she asks if I'm still hanging out with the 'slut of Satan' and all that jazz. She hasn't forgotten."

"Slut of Satan? Wow. That's an impressive title."

"It is." I grinned. "Anyway, I think it's best if I do that alone."

She pursed her lips. "Is Renny boy going with you?"

I laughed as I stepped away from the tomb. "No. I told him I might know someone but didn't tell him who."

"Smart girl." She looped her arm through mine again and rested her chin on my shoulder, her curls tickling my cheek. "Thank you for trusting me. I was worried. Well, now I'm really worried, but for different reasons."

"I feel you." As we started to walk back through the cemetery, I asked her, "What do you think the ancients are up to?"

Her forehead wrinkled as her brows knitted. "If they want to open the gates then they would want to bring more ancients through. My maw-maw used to talk about the ancients a lot," she said. That was something I didn't know. "You know, the ones who ran the courts in the Otherworld. She said when they joined the Summer and Winter, there was only one prince, one princess, and the king and queen. That they were the most powerful and they controlled the knights—they controlled all the fae. I don't know if that part is true, but does it matter? What if the ancients here want to free them?"

A shiver coursed down my spine in spite of the bright sun. "That would be very bad."

I once asked Tink why the fae didn't stay in their world, why he didn't. He hadn't been all that happy to answer, but he'd explained how the fae had ruled over all the creatures of the Otherworld, enslaving them and nearly killing off entire species. He also said that those actions had severe consequences, but he never elaborated on them. To me, the reason why the fae were here was simple. They'd taken over their realm and now they wanted ours.