“I know many things,” she said, and I knew better than to press. Press, and she might leave, and I’d be stuck there watching Rose get a tattoo. “She is your sister?”
I nodded, watching as Rose climbed onto the table. “She’s why I’m here. Most of it, anyway.”
“I see.” Madame Parrish stood. “It is a lovely night, and there is a bench in front of the shop. Shall we step out and watch the sky?”
I followed her out, grateful she’d understood my need for privacy. I was a little concerned Johnson would peek out and scare the artist, but since I couldn’t think why he would bother, the fear was little more than a paranoid niggle. And even that faded as we reached the door. Rose, I saw, had fallen asleep on the table.
“There’s a demon inside her,” I said once we were settled on the bench. “I need to know how to get it out.”
Madame Parrish put her hand on my knee. “I’m am so sorry. For you and for the child. And I’m sorrier still for what I must tell you.”
“What?” I asked, tamping down on fear.
“There is no removing a demon who does not wish to be removed. Another demon could move in and perhaps engage the first in battle, but your sister’s soul . . .” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “It would surely be a casualty of such a hard-fought war.”
“Oh.” I drew in a breath, determined not to cry. “Then that’s it. There’s nothing I can do except what Johnson asks. And hope that he’ll keep his promise.”
“I would not put much stock in the word of a demon,” she said.
“I don’t. But it doesn’t sound like I have a choice.”
“You cannot get the demon out of your sister, but there may be another way.”
I turned to her, confused, curious, and definitely hopeful. “How?”
She held out a hand, indicating me.
I recoiled, realizing what she was suggesting. “Another body for Rose? But—” Even if I knew how, that would mean killing someone. Forcing another soul out as Rose moved in. “I couldn’t. I—”
“I’m only telling you the possibilities, child. You cannot fight unless you understand all the rules.”
“I couldn’t do that,” I said. “I couldn’t take someone else’s life. Not even for Rose.”
Her smile bloomed bright. “The darkness that consumes you,” she said. “The darkness that you fear . . . I think that it has not yet tarnished your heart.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, and though her words lightened me, there was grief there, too. Because I’d come hoping to find a way to save Rose, and I realized now that I would be leaving with no answers, only the certainty that I had to keep playing Johnson’s game.
“That is not all you came for,” she said, watching my face.
“No. I wanted help. For me. For my visions.” I waited for her response, but she said nothing, and so I continued on. “They’re shared. I don’t want them to be.”
“You wish to move in stealth through another’s mind.”
“I do. Is there a way?”
“There is.”
“How?”
The quick quirk of her lips reminded me of my mother’s easy smile. “Practice.”
I leaned back, sagging against the bench. “That’s it? No demon I can kill and absorb his essence? No secret magic formula?”
She laughed. “Lily, sometimes things must be accomplished the old-fashioned way.” She pressed a hand to my cheek. “Practice. Eventually, your efforts will pay off.”
“Right. Great. Will do.”
She stood. “Let’s go see how your sister is coming along.”
I followed her inside, and we watched as John finished the tattoo on Rose’s back. Once he was done, I woke Rose up and helped her, staggering and groggy, back to my bike.
The fast ride in the cold wind woke her, and her eyes were bright and wide by the time we reached my apartment.
“So who are you?” I said, as I helped her off the bike.
“Mostly me,” Rose said. “But I can feel him in there. He’s moving around, you know? Like he’s trying to take root.”
Her words chilled me. “Don’t let him.”
Rose’s expression was pure sass—and pure vintage Rose. “I’ll do my best.”
I gave her a quick hug, that tiny glimpse into the Rose I remembered refueling my resolve to protect her. To save her. “Let’s get you in bed,” I said, trying on my responsible-sister hat. “And tomorrow, we’re buying you a helmet.”
Despite the tattoo, despite the nightclub, I was doing my best, and I hoped my mom would be proud. I hadn’t abandoned my sister. I was keeping her safe, or trying to.