“I didn’t expect him to die,” Deb said sullenly. “I don’t give a rat’s shit about you. I’m not here for the Porters or for Vanguard. But I’m not gonna let the military sail in and do to the sirens what they did to the vamps in Detroit. Whatever conspiracy we’re dealing with, it’s targeting people like me. I need your help to bring them down. As long as we’re going after the same assholes, I’ve got your back.”

“Fair enough. Hey, while we’re talking, do you still think it was worth it becoming a Renfield?”

She hesitated. “Sure. Why do you ask?”

A muffled bell rang from within my jacket.

“What was that?”

I deactivated the lie-detecting magic of the book and ignored her question. “I’ve been trying to think of a way to warn the sirens.”

“Warn them to do what?” Deb snorted in disgust. “You want them to run away while their homes are destroyed? Hope their children and their elders are healthy enough to travel and hide? Wait until the next ship finds their new nesting place and finishes them off?”

“Better than being caught unprepared,” I snapped. Unfortunately, sirens preferred privacy and isolation. They kept to the deeper areas of the ocean, and it wasn’t like they had cellphones. “You said Vanguard originally intended to hit the Kagan as part of their joint attacks the other night, but they changed their mind. Why?”

“Not enough manpower?” suggested Lena.

“I doubt it,” said Deb. “Believe me, there’s no shortage of volunteers willing to fight back against the people who want to lock us in cages.”

“How did they find out about the Kagan and her mission in the first place?” I asked. Deb didn’t answer. “Maybe they were waiting for confirmation that she was going after the sirens.”

“Or they wanted a bigger audience,” said Lena. “The Michigan state capitol attracted a good-sized crowd and plenty of media attention. You can’t get that same mob coverage by attacking a single ship fifteen miles from land.”

P.R. again. My gut tightened, a sensation that usually preceded being punched or shot at. “Vanguard hasn’t officially claimed responsibility, right? All they accomplished by murdering a handful of anti-magic politicians was to turn public sentiment more strongly against people like us.”

“If Vanguard wants to look like the good guys, they can’t just attack a Coast Guard ship. People can sympathize with wanting to kill politicians, but murdering our military?” Lena was flexing her fingers one at a time. Each made a series of quick wooden snapping sounds.

“You have to make the military into the bad guys,” said Deb. “Wait and film them attacking the sirens. Show innocent creatures being captured or killed. If people had seen the vampires screaming and dying in the tunnels back in Detroit . . .”