“Indeed, I do. But also, most phantoms, like most wraiths, prefer positive energy. Even if I didn’t have that leverage, I know my Gastineau. He would never side with the traitors. He may not wish to get involved, but he would not ally himself with them. Therefore, in order to keep the state of the world as it needs to be, I believe inside he understands that he must lead his brothers to maintain that. I just have to point out that this situation has become dangerous; instead of pockets of rebellions breaking out, this is a real threat.”

“Why do you call them traitors?” I asked, and her attention turned to me.

“They know we’ll not feed on negativity and therefore will perish. To ally with those who would wipe all goodness from humanity would mean vast amounts of wraiths and phantoms would cease to be. And this is the same for vampires. There are those who don’t like fear and desolation to sour the blood of humans, but they’re resigning their brothers and sisters to that fate. In the end, we are all of this world. We all must find a way to live together in harmony, and anyone who doesn’t agree is a traitor to the way things need to be.”

“Amen to that, sister,” I said.

“Yes, amen to that…sister,” she agreed on another smile.

“Something else you need to know,” Lucien began, and I looked to him. “Abel, you saw it back in Serpentine Bay, but Lilah, it’s doubtful you did. Wraiths can appear and disappear. When they’re invisible, they have less ability to manipulate their surroundings. They can move things…adjust a chair, knock a vase off a table. But this is limited. When they appear, their power increases exponentially.”

“Uh, yeah. Ripping a head off with your bare hands is pretty powerful,” Abel murmured.

I pressed my lips together and gave Leah big eyes.

She mouthed, “I know,” in return.

“Our ability to be invisible, although it weakens us in the earthly world, allows us to appear unannounced. As we can move through solid things both in our invisible bodies as well as our visible ones, this is an added strategic advantage,” Serena went on.

“Not if we’re dealing with your sisters who are against us,” Abel replied.

“Yes, this is why you need to know that there are physical manifestations even when we’re invisible. An unusual coolness to the air in a room could mean a wraith or phantom is close. A chill could mean they’re very close. A shiver could mean they’re sliding through your actual person,” she explained.

“Whoa,” I whispered, not liking the idea of a ghost sliding through my body.

She nodded to me but kept explaining.