SHADOW DREAMING

SHADOW BLADE SERIES

BOOK 3

YASMINE GALENORN

A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

Published by Yasmine Galenorn

PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037

SHADOW DREAMING

A Shadow Blade Novel

Copyright © 2025 by Yasmine Galenorn

First Electronic Printing: 2025 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC

First Print Edition: 2025 Nightqueen Enterprises

Cover Art & Design: Carol Marques

Art Copyright: Yasmine Galenorn

Editor: Elizabeth Flynn

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/ existing group, person, place, or business.

A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

Published in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Welcome to Shadow Dreaming

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

The Silver Stag (Book 1 of The Wild Hunt Series)

Playlist

Biography

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Welcome to the Shadow Blade world, a new urban fantasy series! It feels wonderful to be back in my comfort zone—or zones, rather. I plan on sticking around in urban fantasy, paranormal women’s fiction, and paranormal ooo-spooky mysteries for quite a while. As to the Shadow Blade Series, I’m truly enchanted by the new cast of characters, and I hope you will be, too.

Thanks to my usual crew: Samwise, my husband, Andria, and Jennifer—without their help, I’d be swamped. To the women who have helped me find my way in indie, you’re all great, and thank you to everyone. I’m thrilled to be among their ranks.

Also, my love to my furbles, who keep me happy. My most reverent devotion to Mielikki, Tapio, Ukko, Rauni, and Brighid, my spiritual guardians and guides. My love and reverence to Herne, and Cernunnos, and to the Fae, who still rule the wild places of this world. And a nod to the Wild Hunt, which runs deep in my magick, as well as in my fiction.

You can find me through my website at Galenorn.com and be sure to sign up for my newsletter to keep updated on all my latest releases! You can find my advice on writing, discussions about the books, and general ramblings on my YouTube channel. If you liked this book, I’d be grateful if you’d leave a review—it helps more than you can think.

June 2025

Brightest Blessings,

~The Painted Panther~

~Yasmine Galenorn~

WELCOME TO SHADOW DREAMING

There are some places even a demon fears to tread...

As the demonic threat grows, Penn, my best friend, becomes the target of the local chapter of Brim Fire. We think they’re determined to open the portal she watches over, and when they kidnap her, we go on high alert, attempting to save her life.

As we come closer to the truth about her kidnapping, more of my newly developing demonic powers go into overdrive, and—panicked over Penn's abduction—I give them free rein.

Now, as we rush to save her, I must struggle with my desire to go all-out demon on anybody who gets in my way.

CHAPTER ONE

“Benny, I know you’re here,” I whispered. “Come on out and face the music, you dimwitted goblin.” I was down near the docks, creeping through a back alley, looking for the little runt I knew was hiding behind one of the dumpsters.

I’d been supposed to meet Benny, one of my snitches, half an hour earlier, but then I received a text telling me that he couldn’t meet up. I knew he was lying. He’d figured out that I knew his secret. He was playing both sides of the fence this time, and I wasn’t about to let it slide. I glanced around. If I was a sneaky goblin, determined not to let a half-demon put me in a headlock, where would I hide?

And then I knew. I caught whiff of garlic from a nearby pizza joint. Garlic was to goblins, what catnip was to cats. They didn’t get all goofy after eating it, but the fact was most goblins couldn’t resist the allure of anything heavily spiced with the herb. With a silent thank you to Gino’s Pizza for their help, I dashed around the corner of the alley, where the first building on my left housed the pizzeria.

I sauntered in, ignoring the looks as I glanced around the room. I was in leather pants, a leather bustier, and knee-high platform boots, along with a leather jacket. I looked like some character out of a fetish movie, but I didn’t care.

Sure enough, there, in the corner, tucked away in a booth, sat Benny, inhaling a large pizza. He was so immersed in the food that he didn’t even look up when I came through the door. I raised my finger to my lips when the man behind the counter started to speak, and silently strode over to Benny’s booth. As I stood there, hands on my hips, he finally noticed me.

“Kyann!” The look of pure fear on his face made me smile.

I bared my teeth, still smiling. “Benny, so, where were you tonight? We had a meeting planned, if you’ll remember.”

“I…I…I was hungry and you know me—I lost track of the time because…garlic!” He scrambled for words.

I didn’t give him the comfort of relaxing my stance. Instead, I moved so that he was hemmed in the booth and couldn’t get out, unless he slid beneath the table. Then he’d still have to crawl out from below, and I was blocking the exit.

“Benny, my man. For someone who risks lying to a half-demon, you seem to be losing your touch. There was a time that, garlic or not, you would have been halfway across town by now. You’re going soft, Benny.” I narrowed my eyes. “How about we have our little talk right here? You’re a lucky goblin. We talk now, and I can’t remind you about what playing double agent gets you for a prize.”

I slid in next to him, making him slide over. He stared at the table, and I could smell the fear on him. Over the past month or so, I’d started to smell strong emotions on others. According to Seton—who was helping me as my demonic powers began to emerge—that was one of the abilities: A heightened sense of smell, especially when it came to emotions.

“You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?” I asked, again with a toothy smile.

Benny swallowed—probably a lump of fear—and nodded. “Please don’t hurt me, Legs.” He called me Legs because I was five-eleven, quite a bit taller than he was. “I know what you can do. I’m stupid, I admit it. I’m greedy.”

“Yeah, you’re both stupid and greedy. What’s your excuse, Benny? While I wouldn’t call us friends, and you’ve always been a weasel, I’m surprised that you’d go this far. You’ve been feeding information to a few of the suspects my agency’s been going after. Why?”

Shadow Blade Investigations was my detective agency—well, mine and Dante’s. My business partner and one of my best friends, Dante—a wolf shifter—co-owned the agency. I had the final say on matters, but I always listened to him.

We investigated all sorts of magical and paranormal cases, from rowdy goblins to demonic home invasions. And Benny? He had helped us track down some of the suspects over the past few years. For a goblin, he was as trustworthy as they could get. That didn’t mean much, but I paid him well for his efforts and we could usually count on him. I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on.

“I know,” he said. “I know what I did was wrong, and I’m sorry. I owe you a big one, Legs. If you promise not to kill me, I’ll stop double-dealing.”

“But why did you do it in the first place? If you needed more money, you should have said something. You know that I’m not a pushover, but I’m fair,” I said.

“I know, but…” He paused, then said, “It’s a matter of pride. I’ve always been at the bottom rung of the ladder and I started listening to a couple self-help podcasts. I thought maybe I could build up something of my own.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been listening to Tony Robbins?”

“No…Yes.”

I stared at the goblin. His leathery skin looked like he’d been out in the sun far too long, and his olive-green coloring with long angular ears made him look like a wacked out Yoda.

Goblins didn’t have much in the hair department, and they were short, but they were fast and strong, and wickedly cunning. Benny was wearing distressed blue jeans and an AC-DC T-shirt stained with melted cheese from the pizza. All in all, he didn’t come off as the target audience for self-help books and motivational gurus.

“I see. Maybe you should take a business class if you want to better yourself. Ambition without the knowledge of how to direct it isn’t going to do much for you,” I said.

He snorted. “You’re telling me. I thought I could blackmail them into paying me so I wouldn’t tell you about them, but all they did is rough me up and threaten me.”

“How many of our suspects have you tried this with?” I asked.

He sighed again, this time looking more like the Benny I knew—down and out, but less maniacal. “Three. I’ll tell you what I know about them. I promise. I’ll give back the money you paid me, if you want. I don’t have it on me, but I can get it.”

“By stealing it from somebody else, I imagine. No,” I said.

I decided to give the little worm another chance. Why, I couldn’t say. He was annoying, crass, and frustrating to work with. But beyond all of that, there was a little soft spot in my heart for him. Benny had stolen from me, lied to me, hid from me, but there was one incident in my life where he’d actually helped me out. When I was fourteen and on the streets after my mother died, he’d done me a good deed. And that…that I remembered.

“Man up, give me the information that you’ve been withholding, and for cripes sake, stop with the double agent act. You can’t pull it off.” I stared at his pizza, which looked good. I motioned to the waitress. “A personal pizza for me, too. And a second for Benny here. I want pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, and mushrooms on mine.”

She nodded. “What would you like?” she asked Benny. “Same as before?”

He nodded, meekly this time. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll also have a cola,” I said. Pizzerias weren’t known for making the best espresso.

As the waitress left, I slid out of the booth and moved to the other side of it, so I wasn’t so near Benny. He smelled a little rank.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “I wouldn’t blame you if you beat me to a pulp.”

“I should,” I said. “Just enjoy my change of heart. Don’t expect it again, though. If I catch you pulling the same stunt once more, you’re toast. Get it?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I get it.”

“Good. Now, why don’t you start telling me all the crap that you kept hidden?” I pulled out my tablet and began taking notes as he filled in the blanks.

* * *

After we finished eating and I had all the missing info, we headed out of the pizza joint. I made a note of where it was. The food was great and the place looked clean. Then, Benny and I walked toward the bus stop where he could catch a bus home.

“Where you living now, my demented little Yoda friend?” I asked. I fluttered my eyelashes at him and laughed.

He made kissing noises at me. “I love you too, you half-demon she-bitch. I’m staying with a friend down in Lower Seattle.”

Lower Seattle wasn’t the same thing as Underground Seattle. Underground Seattle was where a lot of the more dangerous Supes lived—including a number of vampires. And Underground Seattle was literally underground.

Lower Seattle was mostly south Seattle, which had become the seedy underbelly of the city. Rent was cheap, the crime rate was high, and it was generally a place where you’d better be able to protect yourself if you decided to visit there. Especially at night.

“I’m glad you’re out of the Cardboard Jungle,” I said.

The Cardboard Jungle was a nickname for one of the homeless encampments. There were several around town, including one over by the docks, and each had its own name.

“So am I. I guess…I should thank you,” he said. “If you weren’t feeding me regular jobs, I couldn’t afford the rent.”

We reached the bus station. “Well, you usually do a great job, so I don’t mind handing you assignments when I get them.”

He hung his head. “Sorry I let you down, Legs. Despite our differences, I kind of…”

“Don’t get mushy on me.” I shook my head. I wasn’t interested in having a heart-to-heart with the goblin. “But I get where you’re going. All right, I’m off for the night,” I said, as the bus trundled toward us. “Call me at the office tomorrow.”

“I will. I promise.” He waved as the doors open and he hopped on, showing his Metro pass to the driver. As the bus pulled away, I turned and headed back toward the lot where I’d parked my car. I passed several questionable groups, but I guess my aura held them back because they neither said a word, nor made a move.

* * *

Once I was home, I settled down on the sofa. Jangles, my tortie, and Murdoch, my gray pile o’ floof, were curled up together, asleep. I ruffled their fur, then looked around my house. I was grateful that I had the wherewithal to buy my own place.

At one time, I’d been like Benny—on the streets and alone. Only, I’d been scared out of my mind. At fourteen, I was too young for that life, but I’d learned how to manage until Dante had rescued me. I’d just killed a man who was intent on either raping or killing me. Dante had smuggled me out of the crime scene and he took me under his wing. He got me back into school, made sure I had a comfortable home and plenty to eat, and he’d slowly brought me out of my shell-shocked state.

I pulled my legs up on the sofa, sitting cross-legged, as I watched TV and waited for Penn to get home. Penn was my other best friend, besides Dante, and she had moved in not long ago after her brick-and-mortar store went belly-up. Now, her online shop was booming, and she was doing her best to learn the best ways to make it a success. She was taking a business course at the Windchime Magical Academy, so she was gone several evenings a week.

“Hey,” she said, as she entered the room. “How was your evening?”

“Eh, I spent it with Benny. So…smelly and odd, as usual,” I said, making room for her on the sofa. “How about you?”

At five-three, Penelope Fircrest was shorter than me. She was curvy, plump, and pretty in a vintage rockabilly-goth way. She’d caught her flowing hair into a chignon, and she was wearing a pair of green cats-eye glasses that matched her green plaid skater’s dress. Chunky librarian heels finished the look, along with a cashmere sweater in pink. She dropped her bookbag on the side table and shrugged out of her sweater.

“Well, I got another A tonight. I’m scoring 4.0 in the class so far,” she said. “So…Benny?”

I rolled my eyes. “I had to chase him down. Little rodent was double-dealing info on me, warning our suspects and trying to blackmail them.”

“Great,” she said. “You leave him alive?”

“Yeah,” I said. “But it took some serious control for me to keep my hands off his grimy little neck. Anyway, he’s sorry, he knows it better not happen again, and I found the most glorious pizza place in the process, so it wasn’t a complete bust.”

Penn laughed, her voice lilting through the room. She was half-Fae, and—like me—had never met her father. The moment Eileen, her mother, got pregnant, he vanished. The Fae Courts refused to help—they loathed half-breeds—and so Penn had grown up among humans and Supes, never learning much about her Fae heritage. Like her mother, she was a witch. She was also a priestess of Hecate’s. And like Dante, Penn had saved me from myself one time, taking over for me during a crisis. That one dark night had bonded us for life.

“I’m hungry,” she said. “I ate before class, but I didn’t have time for much.”

“I brought home an extra pizza,” I said. “It’s in the fridge and should taste fantastic, heated up.” I followed her into the kitchen.

“So, what’s on your agenda this week?” she asked.

“Well, we have a couple clients, so we should score at least one new case—” I paused as my phone rang. “Hold on,” I said, glancing at the Caller ID. It was Dante. “I wonder what he wants at this time of night?”

I answered. “Hey, dude, what’s up?”

“What’s up is that I’ve got a serious problem,” Dante said, sounding unusually grave. I could tell by his voice he wasn’t joking.

“What’s going on?”

“I came home tonight after a poker game at Carson’s, and I found my door ajar. I asked the doorman if he had any security footage—you know my place is jacked to the max with security. When we looked at the video, we saw a female figure entering my apartment. He didn’t remember seeing it, but he did admit that he had to run to the bathroom at about that time.”

Dante lived at the Tremont Arms Apartments, on the fourteenth floor. He was right in that the security measures taken by the management were extensive, and they didn’t come cheap. The place was gorgeous, and comfortable, and about as safe as you could get. They didn’t stint on what they paid their security guard.

“How did she get into your place? Could you have forgotten to close your door when you left?” Dante’s memory wasn’t always the best and he could be careless at times.

“No, I distinctly remember locking it when I left.”

“Was anything missing or destroyed?”

“What’s happening?” Penn asked.

“Hold on,” I told Dante. “Dante found his door unlocked tonight when he got home and it looks like some woman entered his apartment.”

“Hell, that’s not good,” Penn said. “Put him on speaker.”

“I’m putting you on speaker, dude. Penn wants to know what’s happening.”

“That’s fine,” he said.

I put him on speaker and set my phone down on the counter. “Go ahead.”

“Okay. Well, as far as if anything was stolen, I don’t fully know. If anything’s missing, it wasn’t expensive. My TV, computer, all of that is still here. But Kyann, I watched the security footage of everyone who came through the front door of the building during the time I was gone, and I saw someone I recognized.”

I caught my breath. “Who?”

“Remember Rowan Leaf?”

I groaned. “Oh no, not her!”

Rowan Leaf had latched onto Dante, and she had become a bonafide low-level stalker. We hadn’t been too worried about her, because for the past couple of weeks she seemed to have vanished off the radar. But apparently, she wasn’t done.

“What did the security guard say?”

“He saw her enter, but she gave him a smile and passed on by. He thought she was here to visit someone. Here’s the weird thing. He doesn’t remember her leaving.”

“Hmm,” I said, thinking. “Could she have found some way to turn invisible?”

“Well, a powerful witch can do it, but I don’t think Rowan’s that high level.” Dante sounded nervous, as well he should. Stalkers could so easily go from annoying but innocuous, to dangerous. It depended on the type of personality disorder the stalker had. Sometimes, they ramped up to a deadly degree.

“Not only that,” Penn said. “If she can turn invisible, why didn’t she do that when she first came in the building so there wouldn’t be any record of her visit?”

“That’s a good point, but yeah, she is a witch.”

“You know this for a fact?” I asked.

“Yeah, I did a little research when she started sending me email,” he said.

Penn let out a squeak. “She’s sending you email now? What else has she done?”

“Why didn’t you tell us this?” I asked.

Dante cleared his throat. “I didn’t want to worry either of you. I save her emails in case I need to go to the cops. She went from one every now and then to a steady stream of them. She’s been love bombing me for the past couple weeks. It’s ramped up. And I’ve received several anonymous gifts. I’m leery of opening them now, because it went from chocolates to frilly underwear, to…a picture of you with your eyes scratched out.”

“What the fuck, dude? And you were going to tell me this when? It sounds like she’s involving me in her obsession now.” It worried me that Dante had kept all this quiet, but now that I was woven into the picture, his silence made me angry.

“I’m sorry—that happened this weekend. I was going to tell you tomorrow, I swear.”

I glanced over at Penn, who was staring at me with a worried look.

“We’ll talk this over tomorrow. Meanwhile, look through your apartment and make certain that nothing’s missing,” I said.

“Also, you should probably look for hidden cameras and microphones,” Penn said.

“Now I’m feeling squeamish about going to bed,” he said.

“Then go to a hotel. You can ask Carson to help you look for hidden recording devices tomorrow. He’ll know what you need, and I’m pretty sure we have some equipment around the office that will help with that.” I let out a deep breath. “Go to a hotel. That way you’ll feel safer and we won’t have to worry.”

“Headed out now,” he said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Until then,” I said, signing off. I turned to Penn. “What do you think?”

“I think Rowan assumes you and Dante are lovers. That picture was a warning. We need to do something about her before her warnings turn into actions,” Penn said. “She’s crossed a line, and when stalkers cross lines, there’s usually no going back.”

As we heated up the pizza and then sat down to eat, I couldn’t get thoughts of the tall, gangly woman out of my mind. Rowan was pretty in a modelesque-lanky way, and she gave off the illusion of being a peacenik retro hippie, but she was obviously unhinged.

I tried to shake off the worries, but it wasn’t easy, and all through the rest of the evening, I kept thinking about Dante, and worrying until he texted me that he was in a hotel, safe for the night.

CHAPTER TWO

The next morning, I hugged Penn and scritched the kitties behind the ears, then headed to work. I lived on NW 167th Street in a three-bedroom rambler. The house was one story, with a half-staircase leading up to a spare room. I generally ignored the yard. I wasn’t a gardener. But once Penn moved in, she asked me if she could put in flowers and an herb garden, and I told her to knock herself out.

“Go wild, I know the outside’s your playground.”

Even though she had originally moved in with me out of necessity, we were getting along so well that I didn’t want to think about her moving out. She came with a parrot named Mr. Crumbles, who had developed quite the vocabulary. He was beautiful, a Catalina macaw which was a hybridization between a blue and gold macaw, and a scarlet macaw. Mr. Crumbles had belonged to an older lady. Penn had adopted him when his original owner died.

Mr. Crumbles wasn’t capable of living on his own. Someone, long before Penn came along had clipped one of his wings enough so that the bird couldn’t fly. Penn made sure he had a huge cage to live in, and she would carry him outside so he could get fresh air and she was trying to help him strengthen his muscles with physical therapy.

At breakfast, she said, “I wish I could make him a catio…or…what would you call it? A macowio? I hate that he can’t fly. But you can’t regenerate the full bone structure of the wing and since he was maimed, he’s earthbound.”

I thought about it for a moment. “We could make both—a catio for the cats and a space for Mr. Crumbles.”

“Do you think we could?” She perked up.

Mr. Crumbles! Mr. Crumbles! Mr. Crumbles! Whenever he heard his name, he’d start dancing and flapping his wings.

I snorted. “You ham!”

Ham and eggs, ham and eggs!

“Well, he’s happy,” Penn said.

“I think we can do both, but we should wait until spring, when it’s warmer.”

“I’ll start looking for plans on the net, to see if we can do it ourselves.” She paused. “We could pay Orik—he’s handy.”

“That he is. All right, let’s plan for a build date by the end of Maya.” I finished my breakfast—Mr. Crumbles hadn’t been far off, we had eggs and sausages for breakfast, and English muffins—and grabbed my travel mug. Penn had made me a quad latte, and I headed out, backpack over my shoulder, hoping that Dante had made it through the night without incident.

* * *

I rented the top floor in a three-story building on Tenth Avenue for Shadow Blade Investigations. The building was positioned next to the Southwest Queen Anne Greenbelt. The park overlooked the water. It began at the top of a steep ravine, with a labyrinth of hiking trails that led down to Elliot Way.

The first floor belonged to Ami’s Salon, where I got my nails done. The second floor housed a martial arts studio, and we had the top floor. The building was big enough to afford us a spacious array of rooms for our office, and we’d locked in a ten-year lease with the landlord.

As far as our employees, we had a super tight crew and we had all learned to trust and rely on one another.

Beyond Dante and myself, we employed Orik Valhom, a six-foot-eight priest of Odin. He had long red hair, and a matching beard and moustache, and wore a 25-millimeter lapis lazuli gauge in his left ear that was blessed to connect him to Odin. Orik was married to Hilda, and they had two sets of twins—both girls—and another pair of twins on the way, again—girls. He was a happy, content man with his personal set of Valkyries, and he provided the brawn for the group, as well as a top-tier brain for electronics.

Carson Dreyfus was our 29-year-old computer geek, with rich brown skin, long box braids that were as neat and tidy as he was, and a brain so advanced that nobody could keep up with him when we were talking computers. He had graduated with a master’s when he was fourteen, and unfortunately, was as socially awkward as he was brilliant. He had a crush on Penn, but she did her best to gently dissuade him. Penn wasn’t the monogamous type, given her Fae blood, and she didn’t want to break his heart.

The other two members of our little group were Sophia Pagonis, an oracle kicked out of her order by Zeus, and Lazenti—a vampire who was originally a PI before he’d been turned back in 1972. Lazenti was gorgeous, in that gothic vampire manner, with ice blue eyes ringed with crimson and wavy black hair. Sophia was a part time investigator as well as our receptionist, and she was sixty-eight, but as fit and active as most people half her age. Lazenti was also an investigator, although he could only work at night.

I loved our little family we’d created, and when one of us was hurting, we all hurt. Even Lazenti, our newest member, had smoothly been fitting in. Penn was also part of our group, though in an auxiliary manner.

I didn’t have a family, other than Dante. As the agency had come together over the years, each person had become a part of my life, brothers and sisters from different mothers—a group of misfits, pulling together to create a tight knit unit.

As I entered the building, I waved at Ami, who was already with a client. A selkie, she was precise with her work, and was the only one I trusted with my nails or my hair. I had ass-length silver hair with black highlights that cascaded in waves, but it needed layering. Ami knew how to work with the flow of curls.

She waved back as I headed toward the stairs. I routinely took the stairs, because it gave me a little bit more exercise. I worked with a trainer, Devon, who was helping me learn to utilize the physical and magical aspects of my Arosien heritage. I had only recently learned which Demonkin clan I came from, and what their powers were.

As I entered the office, Sophia waved from the reception desk.

“Morning,” she said.

“Who’s here so far? Has Dante come in?”

“He’s in his office,” she said. “He looked worried.”

“He should be. When the others get here, send them into the break room, please.” I shrugged out of my leather jacket and tossed it in my office, along with my backpack, then headed in to talk to Dante.

He was staring at the top of his desk. As I entered the room, he jerked, looking startled.

“Did I scare you?” I asked.

He nodded. “I was so focused on the mess with Rowan that I didn’t hear you.”

“Come on in the breakroom We’re going to make sure everybody knows what’s going on because we can’t afford Rowan trying to worm her way in through somebody else. We all need to be on guard.” I turned.

It wasn’t long before everyone arrived, except for Lazenti, and we all gathered around the table. I motioned to Dante.

“Tell them what’s going on. Sophia, make sure that Lazenti gets a rundown.”

Dante spelled it all out. “So, yeah, I’m worried now that Kyann’s on her radar. I guess she thinks because we’re good friends that we’re also friends with benefits.”

“What do we do?” Orik asked. “She could muck up things for all of us. But if she blames Kyann for interfering between Dante and her imagined relationship with him, then she’s dangerous. Stalking laws still aren’t very tight.”

“No, they aren’t,” Dante said. “I checked with Destiny already. I called her last night after I got to the hotel. She wants me to make a report, but there’s nothing they can do about it until Rowan does something that endangers me or somebody else.”

“Sophia, send everybody her picture. I want us all to recognize her on sight.” I thought about it for a moment. “Maybe it’s time we utilize Lazenti’s PI skills in a more direct manner. I think I’ll have him stake out her house at night. In the day, Orik, I’m putting you on the case.”

“Will do. I’ll need her address,” he said.

“I’ll get it for you,” Sophia said.

“We need to search Dante’s apartment to see if she planted any bugs or cameras. However, I don’t want her to know. If we charge in there to search and she’s listening in or watching, she’ll know we’re on to her.” I glanced over at Carson. “Do we have anything we can use to check his apartment?”

“I think so,” Carson said. “We have a couple dampeners that can interrupt spying devices long enough for us to do a sweep. And I know that we have something that can uncover cameras and bugs. We should be able to take care of this in about an hour.”

“All right, then Dante, you, and I’ll go through his apartment. That’s first on the agenda. Sophia, did we have any appointments?”

“Two, one this morning, one this afternoon,” she said.

“Reschedule whoever’s coming in this morning. This takes precedence. Okay, let’s get moving.” I stood, stretching. “Okay, everybody move.”

Sophia returned to her desk, while Orik armed himself with cameras, a couple weapons in case he might need them, and he then talked to Sophia to get Rowan’s address.

Carson headed to the storage room to gather the equipment we’d need, and Dante and I suited up. The weather was chilly and rain was pelting down at a frantic pace.

“We’ll take care of her,” I said, patting Dante’s arm.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t mention this earlier,” he said. “I thought she’d get bored.”

“Obviously, she’s more tenacious than we hoped. Well, at least she’s got good taste,” I said with a laugh.

Dante was a serial dater—he got invested in relationships, but the investment didn’t last and he’d broken it off with more women than I could count. He was a heartbreaker, but he didn’t mean to break hearts. And he always apologized and took the blame for the failure. Women may have been left hurting, but they weren’t left feeling bad about themselves after dating him.

Carson carried out a bag of equipment. “I’m ready,” he said, the beads in his braids clicking against one another. His twin sister had made them in her kiln. She lived in California, and I wondered if she was as smart as he was. He always said she was an artist rather than a science geek, and he sounded incredibly proud of her.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Outside, the rain was pelting the ground, forming puddles in the potholes. We crossed the parking lot to my car, trying to keep as dry as we could.

I had a four-door black Jeep Wrangler, which converted to a hard top for the autumn and winter. When it rained hard in Seattle, it often rained sideways—the wind whipping the droplets in a scattershot manner, and they stung, hitting like tiny hailstones. I jogged over to my car, pressing the fob as soon as we got near enough.

A gust swept past, chilling me to the bone and I yanked open the driver’s door, scooting inside and fastening my seatbelt. Dante called shotgun. He’d wisely left his faux fur coat back at the office and was wearing a double-breasted trench coat, cinched at the waist with a belt. Even in a storm, he looked dapper. Carson slipped into the backseat, wearing a windbreaker with the hood up.

I turned on the heat and, as the car warmed up, I eased out of the parking lot, cautious because the roads were slick and the risk of hydroplaning was a real thing. In Seattle, too many people drove like the rain meant nothing, and fender benders were commonplace.

As I wove through the streets, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky. I counted to five before the rumble of thunder echoed behind.

“Well, it’s not right on top of us, but it’s near enough. Dante, call Sophia and ask her to shut down if the storm gets any worse. We do not want to fry the computers.”

“Will do,” he said, pulling out his phone.

As he was talking to Sophia, Carson fiddled with the equipment in the back.

“What do we need to do when we get there?” I asked.

“First, outside of Dante’s door, I turn on the dampener. That will suppress any cameras and bugs for thirty minutes. We also have a bug and camera locator, but it’s going to take a little time. So, we have to focus, if we want to get done in that half-hour time frame. They have a limited range, which means moving a step at a time.”

“How will we know if the dampener is working?” I asked.

“We won’t. You have to go on faith. But it has never failed me before, and I tested it back at the office. Once we start the dampener, we go into the apartment.”

Dante got off the phone. “She’s shutting down now. Apparently the storm’s supposed to get worse.”

As if to underscore his words, a brilliant streak of blue flashed across the sky, and this time, the thunder was almost simultaneous. It rolled, deep and sonorous, echoing through the streets. Right on top of it, another flash, and another thunderbolt.

“It’s ramping up,” I said. “Thor must be mighty upset.”

“Or drunk,” Dante said with a laugh. “That’s what Orik always says—Thor’s having a good time when it storms.”

“He would know,” I said. I was half-joking. I had no idea what the gods were like, though I did accept that they existed. But their world seemed a long way from ours.

I eased to a stop at a red light. When it turned, I hung a left. Another five minutes and we pulled into the parking garage below the apartment building. The garage was underground, and I wasn’t sure how they managed it, but the water didn’t roll in to form deep puddles during the rain. They must have had a good drainage system.

I parked in visitor parking, and—carrying our gear—we headed for the elevator. Dante lived on the fourteenth floor and even I didn’t feel the need to run the stairs. Especially with Carson being human. While he was trim, he wasn’t a powerhouse athlete. In fact, he was lanky thin and, while he knew some martial arts, he was far more of a thinker than a fighter.

The Tremont Arms were luxurious and the view from Dante’s apartment never failed to awe me. He could see out to the waters of Puget Sound, and the floor-to-ceiling windows gave the illusion that if you took one more step, you’d drop off into the glittering streets below. Dante had lived here for eight years, and he had no plans on moving anytime soon. He wasn’t the backyard-grill type of guy.

As we stood outside the door marked 1438, Carson flipped on a switch on the dampener. A moment later, a green light blinked on the sensor.

“We’re good to go,” he said. “Let’s get in there.”

“Won’t she notice something odd if the camera cuts off for thirty minutes?” I asked. It might be a little late in the game to worry about it, but the thought had just occurred to me.

“No, because she’ll see the same image she was seeing before we flipped the switch. Since Dante isn’t usually home during the day and he doesn’t have any pets, she shouldn’t notice anything odd about it.” Carson stood back as Dante unlocked his door.

“Okay, we’re good to go,” he said, cautiously opening the door. He flipped on the light and we entered the living room.

“Well, the fact that you’re a minimalist should help us,” Carson said. “There aren’t a gazillion places for her to have hidden a camera. If she did hide anything. She might not be smart enough to have thought of it. You should talk to your landlord about getting new locks, and a good deadbolt that she can’t pick.”

“How did she get into your apartment?” I asked. “You said you didn’t leave the door unlocked, and she doesn’t have a key, does she?”

“Not that I know of,” Dante said. “You and Carson are the only ones that have keys to my apartment, besides the management. But you’re right about installing new locks and a deadbolt. I’ll talk to Reicher today—he’s the landlord.”

We moved as a group, staring with the living room. Carson had been correct when he said searching for bugs would be quicker thanks to Dante being a minimalist. Ten minutes later, we had combed the room and moved onto the dining room and kitchen. By the end of thirty minutes, we had finished the entire apartment and had found nothing.

“You’re sure we couldn’t have missed anything?” Dante asked.

“I’m sure—” Carson started to say, but Dante suddenly let out a loud curse.

“Damn it to hell, she did steal something.” He walked over to his dresser. A glass etagere sat atop the dresser—about fifteen inches tall with a series of glass shelves. “It’s gone—she stole my Aunt Tilly’s china figurine of a wolf.” After another second, he sputtered. “My hairbrush is gone, too. I used the one in my bag this morning since I was coming from the hotel, but I have a Renoir brush and comb set that I usually use, and they’re gone.”

Dante had shaggy blond hair that reminded me of David Bowie’s Labyrinth goblin king haircut. In fact, Dante looked a lot like the goblin king, right down to the guyliner.

“Are you sure they’re gone?” I asked.

He pulled open several drawers on the dresser. “Yeah, the only other place I would have put them is in the top drawer and they’re gone… What the hell? My heart boxers are gone, too. They were right on top of the stack.”

I raised my eyes. “Heart boxers?”

“I bought a pair of boxer shorts that were pink, covered with red hearts⁠—”

“So you could have a heart-on?” I snorted, but quickly sobered as he scowled.

“Yeah, yeah, that would be funny if some pervert hadn’t stolen them. What does she want with my brush?”

“You said she’s a witch,” I said. “There’s always hair stuck in a hairbrush, right? That she took several extremely personal items, like the shorts and brush and comb, and a figurine of a wolf which happens to be the type of shifter you are, tells me that either Rowan wants something that’s part of you. Or…”

“Or what?”

“Or she’s going to try to cast a spell on you.”

“Double crap,” he said. “We have to put a stop to her. Hey, while we’re here, let me run down and tell the landlord about this. I’ll ask him to bring in a locksmith today, and also ask security to keep Rowan out, if she tries to enter the building again. They have a picture of her in that footage from last night.”

“Good idea,” I said. “Go on, now.”

As Dante headed out the door, I walked over to the bay window and stared out at the storm. It had ramped up and thunder and lightning rumbled through the skies at an impressive rate. Carson joined me.

“So, now may not be the best time,” he said, “but I was wondering if I could have Friday off? My sister’s coming into town for a visit and I’d like to show her the sights.”

I glanced at him. “Maya? Of course you can have Friday off. I’d like to meet her, though, if you want to bring her by the office.” I’d never met her in the ten years I’d known Carlson. She’d stayed in California for the most part, and the times she had been in town, I’d be busy.

“I can do bring her by the office. Thanks,” he said. “You know, it’s just her and Grandpa, and me now.”

“Your father died when you were young, right?”

“Damned fool got himself killed. He joined the military, determined to help provide a better life for us, but in basic training, a misfire on one of the guns killed him. He was pepper sprayed with over thirty bullets before anybody could put a stop to it.”

I sighed. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. My sister and I were five when it happened. Mama told us he’d had an accident. I mean, how do you explain to a five year old that his daddy was shot and wouldn’t ever be coming home again? Anyway, I was already reading and writing at a seventh grade level by then. Mama got a job at our school. She was a teacher, and though she didn’t make much, being at our school meant she didn’t have to pay for a babysitter after school. We did our homework while waiting for her to get done each day.”

“And you started college young,” I asked.

Carson nodded. “I was accelerated from the time I was young. By ten, I finished my high school requirements. My mother managed to get me into an advanced program where I studied at home part time, and at the local university part time. By then, we were living with Grandma and Grandpa so we could save on rent and pay for me and my sister’s schooling.”

“Smart. I wish I knew who my grandparents were—at least on my mother’s side,” I said.

“I had my bachelor’s by the time I was twelve, and then, I got my masters degree by the time I was fourteen. It was expensive, the program I was in, but my mother sold the house we had before moving in with our grandparents. She used that to fund our education.”

“What about your sister?” I asked.

“My sister Maya progressed slower, but her focus was on the arts and she was in advanced reading program, and my mother hired a tutor to help her advance. By the time she was fifteen, she was in college, except she studied the arts. She could draw like a pro when she was eleven, though.” He paused as the door opened and Dante returned.

“How did it go?” I asked.

“He’s getting a locksmith over here now, and Rowan’s picture has been distributed to the security guards and posted at their station, so that if she enters the building, they’ll stop her right at the desk.” He looked a little calmer. “I think I may back off on dating for awhile.”

“You never dated Rowan, right?”

“Remember when she came in for that disastrous appointment?” he asked.

I nodded. “Right.”

“She was already fixated on me. I’d been seeing her around the gym a lot. That’s why I dropped my membership and started working out in the gym here, at the apartments. Anyway, no, I never dated her. I don’t want her going after anybody she thinks I might be involved with. That picture of you with your eyes scratched out, that was enough to scare the hell out of me.”

“You said you called Destiny?” I asked.

Destiny was our connection with the police department.

“She said that legally, all she can do is take the report and file it, in case something more should happen. Stalking laws are still pretty lax.”

“Yeah, they are.” It made no sense, but that’s the way the government worked.

“All right,” Dante added, “I’ll stay here until the locksmith gets here. I can take a taxi or something to work, since we all came in the same car,” he said.

As Carson and I headed back to my Jeep, leaving Dante in his apartment, I said, “We need to find Rowan, and find her as quick as we can. There has to be some way to put a stop to this.”

“I hope so,” Carson said. “I really hope so.”

CHAPTER THREE

Back at the office, Sophia had once again turned on the computer. On the way home, the storm had moved east, over to the Eastside. While it was still raining, we were out of the main thunderstorm threat, and back to the drizzly downpour. A quick sprint across the parking lot, and Carson and I were in the building, heading back upstairs.

Sophia smiled as we entered the office. “Coffee’s hot and waiting in the breakroom,” she said. “I also ordered some doughnuts. I figured it might be a nice change on such a dreary day. Where’s Dante?”

“He’ll be back in a bit. He needed to talk to his landlord first. We didn’t find any bugs or cameras, but we did figure out what she stole.”

“Lovely,” Sophia said. “Your next client will be here at one-fifteen, so we have another hour or so. What do you want for lunch? I was about to place an order at Chang’s.”

“Yum, Chinese,” I said. “I want potstickers, chicken fried rice, two egg rolls, and some orange chicken.”

“Got it,” she said, jotting it on a paper. “What about you, Carson?”

He thought for a moment. “Fried rice, potstickers, and spicy pork.”

“Okay, got it. What do you think Dante might like?”

“Get family size of everything and we can mix and match,” I said. “Have you heard anything from Orik, yet?”

She shook her head. “No, but I was going to suggest that you should call him to see how things are going. Or I can, if you like.”

“No, I’ll do it. Order lunch. Let me know when it gets here. I’ll be in my office,” I added. I headed for my office, stopping at the breakroom for more coffee. After filling my mug, I returned to my desk, settling in before I pulled out my phone and called Orik.

“Hey, Kyann,” he said.

“How’s it going? You have Rowan under surveillance?”

“I do,” he said. “She apparently works at Guilder’s Floral. She’s in there, behind the counter, making bouquets.”

“Well, that’s something new that we didn’t know. She’s there?”

“She is, but given it’s noon, I’m going to follow her to see where she goes next.”

“Good. I’ll let you go. You have anything to eat with you?” I asked.

“I do. When should I come back to the office?”

“See what she does on her lunch hour, then return here so you can meet our new client. We can’t spend all our time following Rowan. Dante’s getting his locks changed, and she’s banned from his apartment building. His landlord likes him and he’s not going to let someone in who might be detrimental to the tenants.”

Orik hung up, and I went back to my computer, trying to figure out what the hell to do about the unhinged Ms. Leaf. But ten minutes later, I was interrupted by a call from Benny. Frowning, I picked up my phone.

“Heya, Benny, what’s up? No hard feelings for last night, right?”

“Last night? No. You had a right to blast me, and I’m grateful that you let me go with my skin intact. I have some intel for you, Legs.”

I put down my pen. “What is it?” Benny volunteering info was probably his way of underscoring his promise to stop playing a double-game.

“I hang around a lot of the lowlifes in Lower Seattle, and I heard something as I was sitting at a coffee shop near a couple of sorcerers. They’re not witchblood, I think. At least they didn’t seem like it, but they do use magic. They were talking about some organization called Brim Fire. I know you’ve mentioned them before.”

I perked up. “What did they say?”

“They were talking about “the gates” and how they—I’m not sure whether they meant themselves or the organization—thought they might have figured out how to manage opening them. I don’t know what that means, if anything. I don’t know if it’s important, but even I didn’t like the way those guys felt. They’re beyond shady, Kyann.”

“They are beyond shady,” I said. “Brim Fire is a dangerous group, Benny. While I appreciate any info you can give me regarding them, I don’t want you putting yourself in danger for it.” Benny might be a goblin and a little putz, but that didn’t mean I wanted him putting himself in the line of fire. Literally, demon fire.

He paused. “When you’re warning me off something, I know there’s a problem. I won’t take any chances, but I’ll see if I can find out more.”

“You do that and I’ll double what I pay you. But as I said, don’t take any chances. You didn’t by chance hear any names, did you?”

“Let me think…” He paused, then said, “No real names, but I did hear them talking about Glider Park.”

Why did that sound familiar?

I frowned, then it hit me. There was a portal to the UnderRealms in Glider Park, and Penn was the one in charge of watching over it.

“Benny, you’re a genius. I’ve got to go. Let me know if you find out anything else, but don’t risk your neck.” I hung up, then hurried to call Penn. She didn’t answer and I was getting frantic, but then, on the fourth ring, she picked up.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“I got some info from Benny. Your portal in Glider Park, it leads to the UnderRealms, right?”

“Yeah, why?” Penn sounded preoccupied. “I need to go over there today and check on it. Duran is taking care of it this week for me.”

“I don’t know who Duran is, but I think Brim Fire may be targeting it. I don’t have precise information, but Benny overheard two men he thinks are sorcerers talking about it. He’s clueless on what that means, which is probably a good thing.”

“Did he get their names?” Penn asked.

“No, but he’s going to try to find them again. I told him to be cautious—I don’t want him getting himself killed because of me. But I thought you should know.”

“I’ll talk to Duran about it today.” She sighed. “You know that they reassigned the portal I used to watch to another keeper.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It’s not good. And I’m only watching this one part time. I have a bad feeling that PortalWatch is inching me out.”

PortalWatch was a part of the Crystal Court—the magical court run by Queen Elsabetha. There were several military branches belonging to the court of the witches, but PortalWatch was kept on the downlow. There were too many chances for disaster if humans or other Supes knew about the interdimensional gates. One other organization knew detailed information about them: Solimentary. Solimentary was the group running the Library of Arcane Wisdom. They gathered info on all things magical and paranormal, and they studied how Supes interacted with humans.

Solimentary was not a part of the Crystal Court, nor were they magical in themselves.

Instead, they stood outside of society, and their members were generally drawn from the older Elven families. The Elves, unlike the Fae, were few in number and stood apart from most other races, valuing peace and knowledge above all else. As far as I knew, Elves could inflict terrible damage when roused, but they kept to themselves. Few people even knew about their existence. As far as I could tell, most people thought they were part of the Fae.

The last thing I wanted was Penn heading to a portal that was a potential target.

“Who are you taking with you?” I asked.

“Who? What do you mean? I’m going by myself. Duran will be there.” She sounded so nonchalant that I wanted to shake her.

“Penn, there could be sorcerers targeting that portal right now⁠—”

“And it’s my responsibility to make sure that it’s secured. Don’t worry, Kyann. I’m not a little girl,” she said.

“No, but the Brim Fire sorcerers are dangerous—deadly so.”

“Yeah,” she said after a moment. “I know. I promise you, if I think there’s danger, I’ll call you. And I’ll make sure PortalWatch knows. They’ll probably assign extra guards to it.”

“All right, but I’m still uncomfortable,” I said.

“That’s because you’re a Mama Hen at heart for all of your friends, and we love you for it,” Penn said. “Okay, I’ll call you in a bit.”

I wanted to go with her, but we had a client coming in, and I couldn’t always be there when my friends went into tricky situations. I said goodbye and hung up.

* * *

As Dante and I prepared to meet our new client—well, potential client—I strove to focus. I told Dante what was going on with Penn, and I also asked Carson to check on the Brim Fire forum boards, where he was keeping watch through a hidden identity.

“Penn may be in danger,” I said, knowing that would light a fire under him, given how he felt about her. “Brim Fire seems to know about one of the portals leading to the UnderRealm—which is the one that Penn watches over. I think they want to take control of it.”

“How could they, though? They’d have the entire Crystal Court after them,” Carson said.

“I don’t think they care. Though, I can’t imagine a brawl breaking out in the park. Nobody wants the general populace knowing about the portals. If they think they can control the portal, they must have some plan to secure that control.” I shook my head. “Brim Fire doesn’t make stupid moves. So, if this is what they’re planning, it has probably been in the making for a long time.”

“Got it. All right, let me see what I can find out.” He turned back to his computer. “Do you need me for the new client meeting?”

“No, Orik’s on his way back. He can sit in with us. I’ll brief you later.” I stood, patting his shoulder. “Get busy. I’m worried sick about Penn but she, of course, is going to do whatever she needs to do and she doesn’t want me worrying about her.”

“You got it, boss,” Carson said. As he turned back to his computer, I headed out of his office, shutting the door behind me.

* * *

Orik returned shortly before our new client arrived. “Well, I have some interesting news about our stalker,” he said.

“What is it?” Dante stiffened.

“She’s married. She’s married to a rabbit shifter named Lou. He’s a quiet sort, lowkey and seems like a hard worker. I looked him up, once I followed them back to her place and they both went inside together. So I did some digging into Merry and found out that she and Lou have been married for five years. He’s from another country, so I suspect he may be after his green card and she was the easiest ride there. They’ve supposedly been married for two years, but the way they walked together—well, let’s just say the honeymoon’s long over. After that, I had to head back here, to make the meeting.”

We filed away all the information for later, before moving things to the conference room, where our client was waiting.

Merry Fangripper was gorgeous, six feet tall and the proverbial Barbie doll. She had golden hair, glowing chocolate colored eyes, and the perfect hourglass figure. She was also a wolf shifter with a coxigan problem.

She sat opposite us in the conference room. Her boobs were even bigger than mine, but they were rounder and firmer and defied gravity. Her legs that went on forever. I could tell because she was wearing a bubblegum pink dress so short that, if she separated her knees even slightly, would give us a birds-eye view to secret places that should remain hidden in polite society.

But she wasn’t a blonde ditz. She had a head on her shoulders, so brains as well as beauty.

I glanced at Dante, expecting him to be focused on her…attributes…but he looked distracted. Orik joined us, but he seemed immune to her looks, as well.

“So, you said you have a problem with coxigans?” I asked.

“Yes, I do.” Her voice wasn’t what I’d expected. She sounded like a stern librarian, serious and mature. No breathless gasps or even a surprised Oh!

Coxigans were a form of the nature-Fae. Unlike the sub-Fae, who were the dregs of Fae society, the nature-Fae were the creatures like pixies and will-o-the-wisps and lightning divers and all the other creatures who were part of the Fae kingdom, yet not like the Fae who interacted with humanity.

Coxigans were similar to pixies, but rather than being mischievous, they were downright obnoxious. In fact, their sense of humor had led to several deaths over the years, because Coxigans tended to set up traps that were dangerous, not just annoying.

They did resemble pixies. Small bipedal creatures of different colors, with wings, nasty teeth, and wide innocent eyes, their bites were painful and could easily get infected. They usually opted for chasing people into bramble patches, or working with the earth-berms to dig deep holes. The coxigans covered the holes with branches and leaves, then lured unsuspecting victims into falling into the holes.

The creatures set up nests in yards that appealed to them. One coxigan was a annoyance. A nest of them? Was a serious problem.

“How long have they been there?” I asked.

“About three months now. At first it was just a couple of them and I thought they might get bored and leave. I was involved with a huge project for work at that point and didn’t have the time to deal with it. But then they began to multiply. Like first one ant moves in, then the whole colony follows. I try to live and let live, but damn, they almost killed my dog the other day. That did it. Anybody who goes after my dog, goes after me.”

She leaned back, arms crossed, scowling. “Little freaks.”

“How many do you think there are?” Dante asked.

“About a dozen. They buzz around so fast it’s hard to tell.”

Orik glanced at her. “Is there one who seems to be in charge? What color is it?”

Merry snorted. “I don’t know. I don’t have time to sit there and watch them. There are several green ones, a couple blue ones, at least two yellow ones and a couple purple ones. Oh, there’s one red one.”

Red coxigans were usually the strongest and most often were the leaders of whatever group they were in. Each color had their own magical powers, and the red ones could control fire. Their bite was also more dangerous because the fire took the form of acid.

“Okay, this won’t be easy, but we can take care of them,” I said. “It’s going to take some work, though.” I paused, turning to Orik and Dante. “What are the rules? Do we have to rehome them, or can we exterminate them?”

“The Fae Courts don’t even like them, but given they’re considered nature-Fae, they’re under protection. If we kill them, you’ll end up paying a hefty fine. No jail time or anything, but yeah, we have to attempt to rehome them.”

“Can we chuck them through a portal?” I asked.

“We could,” Dante said. “It’s not like we’d be killing them. Whatever happens to them on the other side isn’t our concern.”

“I can ask…” I stopped. The portal keepers kept their names quiet so they weren’t targeted. “Hold on. Excuse me a moment, please.”

I stepped out of my office and put in a call to Penn, but she didn’t answer. I figured she was talking to PortalWatch so I returned to my desk. “All right, I’ll have to check on something later, but we can help. We’ll require a retainer, and then we’ll need to come out to assess the situation and give you a final estimate.”

“That sounds good. Can you come out tomorrow morning to look things over?” Merry’s eyes lit up and she sounded hopeful for the first time since she arrived.

“We can do that. Say…ten AM?” I glanced at my schedule.

We agreed on ten the next morning, and I wrote up a note for Sophia. “You can pay her the retainer at the desk. We’ll see you tomorrow morning at ten. Orik, please escort Merry out to Sophia’s desk.”

As soon as Merry left and Orik shut the door behind her, I turned to Dante. “Penn has access to all the portals around here, even though she’s only in charge of one. We can send them through whatever portal we want.”

“Good thinking,” he said.

At that moment, my phone chimed. I glanced at it. Penn had texted me.

i’m sorry i didn’t answer but i was talking to portalwatch. i have some things to tell you tonight, so come home as soon as you can. talk later.

“Good, Penn’s talked to PortalWatch. I wonder if Carson’s found out anything.” I told Dante what Benny had said, and that Penn was talking to her superiors.

“Brim Fire’s slowly trying to gain more footing in our world. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have more control that we think, but I don’t know how to find out,” Dante said. “We need to pay more attention to them. I wonder that they’re not on the government’s watch list.”

“The government probably doesn’t want to think about it,” I said. “You know that the Coalition already has enough infighting to deal with, with the representatives from all the different groups. They picked the most conservative members they could get in order to prevent a free for all in charge of the country. And it’s not much better across the world. They don’t want to think about invasion from the outside when they’re paranoid about keeping a balance among all the factions that make up the government now.”

The government was comprised of members from all protected groups—shifters from most shifter groups, witches, even the Fae had members who belonged to the Coalition, though I had the feeling they were token members to appease the Fae Courts and prevent a war. Humans were technically outnumbered by the total populace of Supes, and they were doing their best to keep what control they could. If it meant a façade of working with us, they would. But some of the shifter groups, in particular, could be more conservative than the most uptight human.

“Wait till the vampires gain the right to join the Coalition,” Dante said. “That’s going to cause an uproar.”

“It’s coming—the Vampire Federation has grown strong with most of the vampires coming out of the woodwork to join it, and the United States Coalition can’t ignore their presence much longer. The vamps have already won a number of rights, and the right to be a legal voice in the government is next on the block.” I shook my head.

“There are already protests going on—on both sides,” Dante said. He shrugged. “So, what do we do for the rest of the afternoon?”

“Why don’t you read up on coxigans? That way, Carson can continue investigating the Brim Fire boards.” I wanted to know everything I could about them. Benny had lit a fire under me, and given Penn was guarding the portal they were eyeing, I wanted to make certain that nothing went down that we weren’t prepared for.

As we left the conference room, I decided to take off early. I wanted Penn to show me the portal, so I could scope out the situation for myself. I told Dante I’d be back in a bit, and—with a quick word to Carson that I wanted anything he dug up on Brim Fire’s current activities as soon as he found it—I headed to my car, trying to duck between the rain drops.

CHAPTER FOUR

I pulled into the driveway, relieved to see Penn’s car there. I didn’t want her to know how worried I was about her, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Brim Fire was coming to play, and play hard.

As I opened the door, Jangles raced up to me, crouched down with her front paws, let out a loud meow, then bounced off again. I laughed. She had the zoomies.

“Penn?” I called out.

“Here, in the kitchen,” she called back.

I dropped my backpack on the sofa, along with my jacket, and headed into the kitchen. She was moving cookies off the cookie sheet onto cooling racks, and the entire kitchen smelled like cinnamon and sugar. I reached for one of the cookies and she smacked my hand and pointed to a plate with a batch already on them.

“Eat those, they’re cool. These will fall apart if you try to eat one. At least for the next couple minutes until they’ve cooled down.” She was wearing an apron over her black-cherry dress, and looked every inch a sexy housewife from the fifties.

“You never fail to look great,” I said, laughing. “So, how did it go with PortalWatch?” I slid onto a bar stool and she poured me a glass of milk and set it in front of me. I normally didn’t drink milk without coffee in it, but it fit perfectly with the cookies.

“They’re worried, too. There are other portals around the world that lead to the UnderRealm, and there have been attempts to access them.” She paused. “Kyann…there are stirrings among the gods of the Underworld and the Crossroads that something is happening. Hecate’s been sending me visions to be prepared—that things might get rough for awhile.”

I froze, cookie in hand. “Prepared? How?”

“I don’t know. Just…to be alert, keep my eyes open. I’m so pissed at Solimentary because I went to talk to them, but they refuse to get involved. They’ll open the library to me, but if they know anything, they won’t talk about it.” She frowned. “When you told me what Benny said, I called the librarian that I personally know, and he wouldn’t say a word. He kept telling me that his pledge keeps him silent.”

I let out a grumble. “I don’t understand them at all,” I said.

“They’re pledge-bound to keep neutral, regardless of what’s happening. Their focus is to protect the knowledge they’ve accumulated over the eons. They’ve been around since the beginning of the written word…or pictogram or whatever.” She put the last batch of cookies in the oven and closed the door.

“What do you know about them? I know of them, I know a rudimentary amount about them, but I don’t understand what they fully do.” I had probably had the chance to learn more, but the group had never interested me until now.

“Solimentary is…they’re Lorekeepers. The librarians are absorbed into the group and they keep their occupation a secret. The reason I know Katten is because Hecate prompted the meeting—she threw me into his path, in a way. I probably shouldn’t even talk about him, but I trust you.” She settled on one of the bar stools with me, picking up a cookie.

“How do they exist, though? How do they make money to live?”

“I don’t know,” Penn said. “There’s so much hidden there, so many secrets they keep about both the world, and themselves.”

I shrugged, thinking that one day, I might want to dig into research about the group. Though, if they wouldn’t talk to outsiders much, they might not be all that useful.

“Say, I came home early to ask you if you’d show me the portal? I want to get a feel for it, given we might be facing a Brim Fire attack.” I bit into another cookie.

“Sure. As soon as the last batch is out of the oven, we can head out there. Let me clean up the kitchen and change,” she said. “It should take about twenty minutes.”

“I’ll go play with the cats until then.” I headed into the living room, settling down on the floor to play a rousing game of feather toy with Murdoch and Jangles. Mr. Crumbles, who now had a permanent cage built across the side of one wall, gave a screech and then began to warble one of the more popular songs that I knew Penn listened to a lot.

Bend me, beat me, please me, tease me, you know how to seize my heart…

Coming out of a slightly-off key macaw’s mouth, it sounded lispy, and the fact that he bobbled up and down as he sang was enough to make me lean back against the sofa and laugh. As I went back to the feather toy game, Mr. Crumbles fluttered his bright green and blue wings, and squawked again.

* * *

Penn had changed into a pair of corduroy jeans, a warm sweater top, and a pair of black suede slouchy biker boots. She wrapped her hair up in a bandana, tying it at the nape of her neck, and then slid on a pea coat.

“Ready?” I asked.

She nodded, changing out her handbag for a wristlet wallet, sliding the loop over her wrist. “I’m ready. The oven’s off and I put the cookies out of reach where the cats can’t get them.”

The rain had finally let up and now it was down to a drizzle. As I put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway, I realized that I was tired. The weekend had been good. Penn and I had gone out on a drive to Snoqualmie Falls, but now it felt like the week had already gone to hell and was shadowed with a cloud of tension. Part of me wished I hadn’t shook Benny down for his disloyalty.

“You’re quiet tonight,” Penn said.

“I’m worried. Ever since Benny told me about those two sorcerers—because I’m pretty sure that’s who they were—I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Brim Fire. And…” I wasn’t sure whether to tell her this or not, but it felt like I should. “I can’t help but feel that you’re in danger. I don’t know—it’s just a premonition.”

“Speaking of danger…or not…shouldn’t you be at Devon’s gym tonight?”

I shook my head. “No, we had to cancel this week’s sessions. His mother’s not feeling well and he needed to visit her. He’s in Illinois right now. He’ll be back next week, providing everything’s okay.”

“That’s too bad. I hope she’s okay,” Penn said. “My mother called me the other day.”

“How is Eileen?”

“She’s okay. She takes long walks on the beach every day. She’s old now, you know. I age a lot slower than she does—even though I’m half Fae, my aging process is so much slower than that of humans. My mother was young when she had me, but even so, she’s in her eighties.” She sounded wistful. “I wish we could have gotten along better, but I think…She’s healthy for her age, but I don’t know how much longer she has.”

I sighed. Aging was so hard when you were a different race than your parents or siblings. My mother had died when I was a little girl, and I was young compared to most of my friends, but I’d age slowly, too.

“Can you go talk to her?”

Penn shook her head. “I don’t think one heart-to-heart will bridge a gap that’s always been there. My mother’s still in love with a man who discarded her over seventy years ago. The moment he found out about me, he was gone. She didn’t blame me, but she didn’t know how to raise me, and my Fae blood makes me different. Eileen has never understood why I didn’t want to settle down and give her grandchildren, and no matter how much I explain it to her, she doesn’t get it. Like you, I’m caught between two worlds, and I’m not sure how to navigate either.”

“It would help if the Fae would let you in,” I said.

“Yeah, but they won’t. Maybe someday things will change, but for now, I’m locked out of my father’s world, and the people in my mother’s world…”

“I get it,” I said. “I don’t think I feel it as keenly. My mother didn’t know much about demons, but she accepted me for who I was. And since I lost her so young, I never had to cope with her disappointment—if she ever felt that way.”

“You need to turn right, here,” Penn said. “We’re headed toward the right end of Glider Park. The heavily wooded end.”

Glider Park was along the water—along Lake Washington. It was a long, narrow park, with part of it on a steep ravine. Mayflower Street split off of Lake Washington Boulevard, sloping down at a steep grade. During the iciest parts of winter, the police would close it off to avoid cars from sliding down to crash near the bottom. Even during the rain, however, the speed limit was a mere ten miles per hour, given the potential to hydroplane your way right into the water.

At the bottom of the road, the one-way street ran through the narrow park, until—about a quarter mile later—it began to rise again, leading up to street level again. The park was mostly a narrow strip of grassland next to the water, and ravine on the other side, thick with trees and undergrowth.

“Where should I park?” I asked.

“There’s a parking strip up ahead to your left. You’ll see the curb stops—they’re painted a bright yellow so that you can see them. Pull into one of those spots.”

We continued on for a moment until I saw the row of cement curb stops along the left side of the road. They were angled for easy parking—no parallel parking needed here—and I pulled into the nearest and turned off the engine.

As we sat there, the silence of the park descended and I suddenly felt calmer. Nature always did that, even though I wasn’t what you’d call a country girl. I loved the city, but at times, I needed solitude and nature.

Penn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I love it here,” she said. “When Hecate first wanted me to become a portal keeper, I was hesitant. It’s such a big responsibility. But mostly, I love it when I come out to check on them.”

“I thought portal keepers sat by the portals all day long,” I said. “Though that would be a stupid thought. You’ve never done that.” I’d never addressed it because Penn was so reticent about the matter, but it was a good time to learn more about how the whole thing worked.

“Not all, no. And every portal has more than one keeper. I’m supposed to be the senior keeper over this portal but they just brought Duran on and he has more say than I do now.”

“Are there undiscovered portals?” I asked.

“Yes, and nobody knows how many, or where they might be at. We’re discovering new portals around the world every week. Not only that, but the Fae have their own portals that we have no say over. The rips in space and time are kind of scary—it feels like our reality is held together by a few stitches and if those rip, who knows what will happen?”

I thought about it for a moment, unsure as to whether I wanted to know about this. “That doesn’t offer much comfort.”

“Nope, and I don’t have anything else to soothe the fear. Anyway, let’s go take a look at this portal. You know, I have a theory which I proposed, but nobody’s taken me seriously.” Penn jumped out of the car, pulling the hood on her coat up.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“If we’d use the portals more often, it might strengthen them. When you let any power run amok on its own and you don’t give it a direction, you allow chaos to creep into your life. If you don’t use your magic, it doesn’t fade—it goes sideways. When you use magic regularly, it gives it focus, like creating a channel for the river to run through instead of letting it splash across open ground without trying to direct it.”

Penn motioned for me to follow her across into the ravine. “We need to follow the bottom of the ravine for a few minutes, then we turn left.”

“Won’t we run right into the hill?”

“In a way, yes we will.” She said nothing, just led the way.

I followed behind her, ducking branches that dangled off the trees. Penn seemed to know where to step without thinking, but I ended up ankle deep in muck and detritus, time and again freeing my foot from ankle deep sinkholes. The compost on the forest floor acted like quicksand with a shallow bottom, sucking up feet and ankles. The possibility of turning an ankle was all too real, so I tried to step where Penn had. How she managed to avoid sinking into the mire was beyond me, but she knew the ravine better than I’d have guessed.

After about five minutes, she paused, then pointed toward a large bush growing out of the side of the ravine. “There. Follow me.”

“What?” I asked, but she shook her head and plunged through a thick stand of huckleberry bushes. No thorns, but the branches were still relatively stiff and whipped against my face as I pushed my way through the foliage.

I grimaced, trying to match her pace. She wasn’t the most athletic woman in the world, but she was making tracks here in the bush. Five minutes later, we were climbing the side of the ravine. I wondered if we were going to have to reach the top, but after another five minutes, she stopped, waiting for me.

“You can book it through the bushes,” I said. “You should lead expeditions.”

“Yeah, right!” she laughed. “The reason I know my way through here so well is I’m here so often. I’ve learned the tricks of the trade—where to step, how to avoid getting slapped in the face by branches, all of that. We’re almost there.”

Penn led me along the side of the ravine on a trail that you’d never see from the bottom. It was covered by a multitude of trees and bushes, but it was there, a narrow ledge of compacted dirt. She slowed as we approached a matching pair of large madrona trees.

There, a young man emerged from behind the bushes next to the madrona trees. He was wearing a rain poncho and I blinked twice, suddenly noticing that there was a rain shelter over the bushes that I hadn’t seen. It vanished as quickly as I saw it, and I realized there had to be some sort of magic involved.

“Where’s the portal?” I asked.

“Right there,” Penn said, pointing to the trees. She turned back to the young man. “Have there been any issues?”

He shook his head. “No, nobody’s come by all day. Who’s this?”

“Kyann. I told you I was bringing her,” Penn said.

“Just make sure that PortalWatch doesn’t catch wind that you did.” He gave her a warning shake of the head, but then smiled at me. I didn’t sense he was upset over me being there.

“Why doesn’t PortalWatch stage a military presence here?” But even as I asked, I thought I knew the answer.

“We can’t. If we did that, the Coalition would be pissed out of their mind. While they accept the existence of the differing sovereign nations that exist in the nation, they have always been hesitant about the power we wield, even if it is mostly over our own people.”

The Crystal Court, like the Worldwide Shifter Council, had established a sovereign nation within each nation. The sovereign nations might only own a small piece of land carved out under treaty, but it was a matter of contention among certain nationalists.

“Queen Elsabetha has to keep a low profile when it comes to the portals, and we have ways of keeping our presence hidden.” Penn let out a long breath. “I’m committing a breach even talking to you about this. Bringing you here is a violation of the rules,” she added, glancing at the young man. “Duran, you won’t say anything, will you?”

He shook his head. “I trust you, Penelope. I won’t say anything unless asked directly.”

“Thank you. Kyann is safe. We can trust her and she can help us.” Penn frowned, looking around. “So, nobody’s been out this way today?”

He shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen anyone.”

“Are you on duty again tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I am.” He turned to me. “You’re Penelope’s best friend, aren’t you? She talks a lot about you.” He smiled.

“I am,” I said. “Kyann Sarasan, at your service.”

He took my hand and shook it. “Duran Willowcrest, at yours.”

“Well, we know that Brim Fire hasn’t been out here. Maybe they don’t know where to find this portal,” Penn said. “Benny could have been wrong.”

“I’ve got Carson looking into things on the dark web. We’ll see what he has to say,” I said. “Anyway, I feel a little better.” For some reason, actually seeing the portal made me feel better. “But what happens if someone comes here and walks between the trees?”

“We have spells set up to scare them away, and we can usually prevent them from getting this far in the first place. Also, it’s rare that the portal can be activated on its own. You haven’t noticed because you’re not fully human, but most humans find this area seriously spooky.” Duran glanced at the sky. “It’s going to pour in a moment. You two should head back to your car, and I’m going to retreat into my shelter.”

“Are you warm enough in there?” I asked.

“Warm and dry, and watching a movie on my tablet,” he said, smiling. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I’ll check with you later,” Penn said. She motioned to me and we turned, heading back to the car. Sure enough, the moment we reached the car, the skies opened and it began to pour.

As I buckled my seatbelt, I turned to Penn. “I feel a little better. I won’t even claim to understand how this portal systems works, but it sounds like the Crystal Court is doing its best to keep everything in order. Any government would do well to work with the witches when it comes to something like magical portals.”

“You’d think…but nobody ever said the Coalition has a lot of common sense when it comes to certain issues,” Penn said.

“Duran seems nice,” I ventured. “But he seems young.”

“You’d think they’d make me the senior portal keeper, given I’m older than Duran. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but I really feel like my position in the Crystal Court’s been compromised. I honestly feel like I can’t do anything right for them.” Penn’s voice sounded phlegmy.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Can you ask anybody?”

She shook her head. “The people I’ve been friendliest with seem to have backed off. They don’t talk to me much anymore.”

I put the car into gear, turned on the heater, and headed for Chicken Chicken, where Penn and I picked up a bucket of chicken, a tub of mashed potatoes and one of gravy, and a tub of mac ‘n cheese before we curled up at home for a night of takeout and TV.

CHAPTER FIVE

The next day broke with partially overcast skies. At least, by the time we reached Merry’s house, I had secured a promise from Penn that she would do her best to get us access to one of the portals leading into the world of Fae to eject the coxigans. That would give them a fighting chance, given they’d be in their own dimension, and it would solve our issue. It occurred to me that we should make an arrangement with PortalWatch to use their system when needed, in exchange for helping them in some way.

Merry lived in a neighborhood that wasn’t fancy, but was a definite step up from Lower Seattle. The house was a split-level, on a decent sized lot for being in the city, and it looked older but well-kept. It was painted yellow with mahogany trim, and the house itself had a comfortable feeling to it. A chain-link fence surrounded the lot, and next door on one side was a smaller, older home that also looked well-tended.

On the other side was an empty lot. There had once been a house there, but it had apparently burned to the ground, leaving an empty foundation. Even now I could see charred timbers in the empty pit that had most likely been a basement. There was something there, I could feel it even this far away, and whatever it was, it wasn’t friendly. When I thought about walking over there to look at it, I felt repelled, like something was trying to prevent me from doing so.

“What happened to your neighbor?” I asked, pointing to the foundation. The sun had come out, peeking between the clouds, and while the ground was wet, we lucked out in that we weren’t expecting rain until late in the day.

Merry glanced in the direction I was pointing. “That house burned down a few years ago. One of the owners died in the fire—the husband—and the wife has never been back. She walked away, leaving the house in ruins. I heard that she was so traumatized that she ended up taking her life a few months later.

“How tragic,” I said, turning to look at the ruins again. “I wonder…” It occurred to me that either the husband was still tethered there in spirit, or maybe the wife had returned, so traumatized that her spirit couldn’t let go. Either way, it made me sad.

“Where are the coxigans?” Orik asked.

He had come with Dante and me to check out the situation.

Merry motioned for us to follow her. Today, she was dressed to walk around the yard, wearing a pair of slightly too-large cargo pants, a tight tank top, and tie belt. She still looked like a model, even wearing a pair of flats. I could tell, though, that she was athletic as hell, and could probably wrestle Dante to the ground. Wolf shifters were strong—stronger than most shifter groups—and I wouldn’t want to try to take her on, even though I was part demon.

We followed her around to the back yard, and there, near an old oak tree, I could see the coxigans. They made no attempt to hide themselves. There were more than a dozen there. This wasn’t going to be easy. The red one flew over and buzzed my head, and suddenly, I felt a zap as it reached out with what looked like a tiny trident and poked me on the forehead. It flew off before I could swat it.

“Hey, you little prick!” I reached up and wiped the drops of blood off my brow. “Okay, now it’s personal.”

“They do that to me all the time. I can’t even mow the back yard anymore.” Merry frowned. “Do you want a bandage? I’d offer you antibiotic ointment but mine’s specifically made for shifters and I don’t know if it would affect you.”

Most of the Supes had specific needs when it came to medicine. What worked for humans didn’t work for shifters and what worked for shifters didn’t work for witches, and so on. The Supe community was a diverse one, and just as some humans had allergies to foods and medications, so certain meds and foods created problems for some of the Supes.

“Thanks, I’ll take care of it when I get back to the office,” I said. I had a first aid kit in my car with a variety of supplies in it, but it had been a little puncture and I didn’t think it would cause a problem to wait.

The coxigans were giggling over near a bush beneath the oak. I shot them a nasty glare. One of them waved his trident in the air, as if challenging me.

“Little assholes,” Dante said. “Okay, they’re obviously trouble. How do we catch them? We’re not supposed to kill them.”

“What about me? If I knock one out while defending myself, will I be in trouble?” Merry asked, throwing the coxigans some serious shade.

“I think, if you’re defending yourself, you should be okay—” I paused. “Though I don’t recommend riling them up so you can kick them in the ass.”

“You take the fun out of everything,” she said, winking at me. “I’d love to come out here with a baseball bat.”

“Let us try, first. We’ll…” I paused. “We’d better talk inside. I don’t want them listening in,” I added.

As we headed for the back door, Dante yelped. I turned around to see him holding a rock the size of an egg.

“Little assholes pelted me with it,” he said. “All right, it’s on.”

We followed Merry into the house, ready to make our battle plans.

* * *

By the time we left, we’d set a time for the next afternoon to meet Merry at her house and do what we could to trap the coxigans. I thought about humane traps that rescue shelters used for cats, but the coxigans were smart, and I was certain they’d figure it out.

“Orik, do some research, find out what coxigans can’t resist. We can try to lure them into a box or something that doesn’t look like a trap.” I tossed my notes on my desk and shrugged out of my jacket. “Maybe we can send Lazenti out there at night to mesmerize them.”

“I don’t think they can be charmed. Though he’s a vampire…who knows?” Orik said.

I paused as my phone set off an alarm. Curious, I picked it up, thinking I must have set some reminder. But then I saw that it was my security camera, and I swiped open the app. The recorded event began to play and I gasped, watching as Penn—standing in the living room—turned around, asking “Who’s there?”

The next moment, the front door burst open and two thugs came running through. I shouted as they grabbed Penn, zapping her with a stun gun. She went down, shrieking, as the cats bounced away from where they’d been watching. Except Murdoch, before he raced off, turned to the men and let out a hiss, and one of them let a yelp as some sort of shock sparked against him.

“Carson! Call the cops and send them to my house!” I screamed as the men pressed a cloth to Penn’s face. She slumped against them and they began to drag her off.

Carson raced in, followed by Dante. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Penn—somebody’s kidnapped her.” I was on my feet, frantic. “I need to get home!”

“You should wait for the cops—” Dante said.

I can’t,” I said, crying. “Tell them to meet me at my house. Dante, come with me?”

He didn’t ask questions, just grabbed his jacket and followed me out to my car. By that time, the recording showed that the men and Penn were gone, and they left the door wide open. The cats were sniffing around the open door and that sent me into a spiral, as well.

“I’m driving,” Dante said, grabbing my keys from me.

Orik, right behind us, was running for his van. “I’ll follow you,” he shouted.

I slapped my seatbelt closed, leaning forward, panic racing through my heart. Carson texted me that he’d called the cops and they would meet us at my house.

“Please be okay, please be okay,” I whispered, rocking as though the mantra could protect her.

“Who are they? Did you recognize them?” Dante asked, pushing the speed limit as we raced along towards Shoreline, where my house was.

“No, they were wearing hoods and bandanas over their lower faces. They looked like men though, by their build, and there were two of them.”

“Does the camera pick up your driveway? What about cars and license plates?” he said.

I frantically opened the app and swiped through the recorded events. There—in the front drive: A van, but there was tape over the license plate. It was a generic white van, with no identifying marks.

“Well, we have some idea of the vehicle, at least,” I said, trying to calm down.

“Try not to panic. I know it’s hard, but you have to remain calm if you want to help Penn,” Dante said. He made a left onto 167th Street and we pulled up in front of my house. There were already two cop cars there. I jumped out and raced over to the officers.

“Are you the owner of this house?” The officer’s nametag read Rush, and he had a serious look on his face.

I nodded. “Yes, this is my house. I’m Kyann Sarasan, and I share the house with Penelope Fircrest. She’s my best friend. She’s been kidnapped. I have it right here on the security camera.”

The officer looked at the open door. “We’ll need to secure the house first and make sure nobody’s inside. Please wait out here.”

“My cats are in there, they’re indoor onlies. Can you please shut the door, in case they haven’t escaped yet?” I didn’t need yet another stressor on my mind.

“We can do that, Ma’am,” he said. He and the other officer proceeded toward the house, guns out. I moved over to a bench in the front yard and, wiping the water off of it with the sleeve of my jacket, I sat on the edge, my stomach in knots. Dante stood beside me, and Orik pulled up and joined us.

“Who do you think they were?” Dante asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Their faces were covered. They looked like men, though.”

I fell silent again, glancing around the yard, hoping that both Jangles and Murdoch were still inside. Orik and Dante steadfastly stood by my side.

After a few moments, the officers peeked out, motioning for us to come in.

Please make certain you don’t touch anything. We need to dust for fingerprints.”

“I doubt you’ll find any,” I said. “I have security cameras and they caught it on film. The men were wearing gloves.” I showed them the video clips.

“You’re right about the gloves,” Officer Harrington said. She was a coyote shifter, with gaunt cheeks and glowing amber eyes. Coyote shifters had a certain sneaky energy to them, though it wasn’t necessarily malign. And that energy was splashing off her in all directions.

Harrington asked, “Have you seen Ms. Fircrest today?”

“Yes, this morning at breakfast,” I said. “I left the house before she did.” I looked around. “Did you find the cats?”

“They’re in the kitchen, and we shut them in the pantry, so they don’t rush the door. Tell us about your roommate.”

“Her name is Penelope Fircrest—Penn for short. She’s a witch and she’s part Fae. She runs an online magical shop, and she also works for me on occasion. I run the Shadow Blade Investigation Agency, along with my business partner. This is Dante Franco,” I introduced them. “And one of our investigators, Orik Valhom.”

“Do you know of any reason why someone might want to kidnap Ms. Fircrest?” Rush asked.

I nodded. “I’m not sure. Maybe.”

“Can you elaborate?”

I wasn’t sure how much to say, but finally said, “Penelope also works for PortalWatch. You might want to talk to the Crystal Court.”

The cops knew of PortalWatch, though I wasn’t sure how familiar the individual officers were about it.

“A car is still in your driveway.” They described Penn’s car and I nodded.

“That’s hers. But I also have footage of the van the kidnappers used. They blanked out the license plate, though, so they came prepared.” I wanted to head out, to run off looking for her.

Officer Harrington was watching me closely. “You can’t do anything in this moment. Please text me the security footage. You might want to check with the security company as to why we didn’t get an alarm notification when they broke in. Here’s my number.”

“My guess is that, because she was home, Penn hadn’t armed the unit. While you watch the footage, I’m going to check on my cats,” I said. “I won’t touch anything⁠—”

“Given they were wearing gloves, it doesn’t matter,” Rush said, glancing at the first clip. “They were obviously wearing gloves. There aren’t going to be any prints.”

I headed into the kitchen and peeked in the pantry. There, Murdoch and Jangles were curled up on a spare tea towel they had found on a shelf, looking scared.

“Hey, guys, I’m sorry,” I knelt down and gently scritched them beneath their chins. “I’m sorry you were scared, but I’m so relieved you’re okay.”

As I petted them, Murdoch fixed me with his gaze and I suddenly found myself sitting in a basement. It was cold and dank, and only a dim bulb hung from a cord in the middle of the ceiling. I looked around, then down at my lap. I was wearing a swing dress, blue with black polka dots. I could see my feet, and I had on Bauhaus blue Mary Janes that matched the blue in the dress. It was the same outfit Penn had been wearing that morning. My hands were tied behind my back, against the back of a chair, and I had a gag in my mouth.

The moment I realized what was happening, I looked around, trying to note as many identifying markers as I could. The room was so dimly lit that I couldn’t see the color, but I did see narrow windows high toward the ceiling, which probably meant I was in a basement. Or rather, Penn was in a basement. I took a big sniff and smelled strong garlic in the air. As I squinted, trying to see through the gloom, I saw a number of crates marked ‘wine’ and other open cartons containing large cans of fruit and tomatoes.

Restaurant, I thought. Could she be in the basement of a restaurant? And given that I saw wine, cans of tomatoes, and smelled garlic, possibly an Italian restaurant?

A deep sense of wooziness flooded through me, along with fear, and I tried to focus, but everything wavered and the next moment, Murdoch mewed. I was back in the pantry. I stared at him for a moment and he gave me a knowing look. I petted him and Jangles, then headed back to the living room, hoping what I’d seen had been real and not my imagination.

The officers had finished watching the video clips. “They came to play. Gloves, taped over license plate, covered faces.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t cut the camera wires,” Dante said.

“That takes time and they could have been spotted, given it’s daylight. If they knew what they were after, they probably didn’t want to waste energy or time on it.” Rush glanced at me. “Are your cats okay?”

“Yes, thank you. But I need to tell you what I saw. My cat Murdoch has familiar-like powers. I’m not a witch but several times I’ve sensed that he’s more than a cat. I was petting him and had a vision, and I feel it came directly from him.”

Rush stared at me like I was nuts, but Harrington nodded. “I know that’s possible.”

“Really?” Rush asked.

“Yes, there are familiars of all types and they don’t always bond to only witches,” Harrington said. “My sister-in-law has one,” she added.

Rush shrugged. “What do you know? Okay,” he said, turning back to me. “Tell us what you saw.”

I told them what I’d seen. “I’m pretty sure that Murdoch may have formed a bond with Penn, and if so, then he must have some connection to her. He showed me, the best he could, what he’s able to sense about her.”

“An Italian restaurant?” Harrington asked. “Well, that narrows things down a little, except there are dozens of Italian restaurants in Seattle. More if you include pizza joints.”

“They must have been watching to make certain she was home alone,” I added. “Penelope’s a powerful witch. I’m surprised they didn’t worry about her casting a spell to defend herself.”

Orik stiffened. “That’s because there’s been a magic dampening spell cast here recently—really recent. I thought I could feel something strange but was so focused, that I didn’t fully pay attention. But I’ve been standing here, trying to figure out what the sensation was.”

“Are you a witch or sorcerer?” Officer Rush asked.

“No, I’m a priest of Odin. But that, alone, is enough to give me the power to recognize when magic’s been cast, and when it’s being suppressed.” Orik frowned, holding out his hand.

“Can you tell whether it was cast inside or out?” I asked.

“Let me see what I can find out,” he said. He held out his hands, took a deep breath, and slowly began to walk forward.

I stifled a nervous laugh. He reminded me of Frankenstein’s monster, except he didn’t walk straight-legged or have bolts in his neck.

Orik headed toward the door and Dante hurried over to open it for him. We followed him out, making sure the door was closed behind us. He paused, then turned and walked around the house to the side, where he stopped.

“Here. They were here when they cast the spell. I can feel the origin spark of the magic.” He turned back to us. “So they hid here, cast the spell, then broke in. That they have the range to cast the spell from here and have it work so well tells me they’re powerful, and by the incendiary feel of the energy, we’re talking sorcerers.”

That sealed it—Brim Fire had captured her. I had to make a trip to PortalWatch and beg them to listen to me. And I wanted to do so before the police figured it out, because then the government might get involved and that could spell disaster for Penn, given the way most government operations panned out.

“Well, that’s something to go on,” I said, trying to play it coolly.

Officer Rush glanced at me. “We’ll file a report and see what we can find,” he said. “You’re sure you don’t know who might have it out for her?”

I hesitated. For some reason, I was leery about speaking out. It occurred to me that Brim Fire could have representatives hidden among any number of government agencies, including police departments. They were well organized hardcore fanatics, and that combination was always dangerous.

“No. But in her line of business, it’s not hard to gather unhappy customers,” I said. “I’ll do whatever I can to find any leads. That’s what my agency does, after all.” I wanted them to leave. I wanted to dive in and try to find Penn, because no way did I trust the cops to find her. And I didn’t trust that—even if I told them everything—they’d be able to piece things together.

“All right, do you have a picture of her we can use?”

I texted them a picture of Penn and me, at one of our recent dinners together. It showed her in all her glory, with a good shot of her face. As they left, I shut the door, locking it behind me.

I returned to the others. “I want to kill those fuckers who kidnapped her.” I hadn’t been this angry in a long time.

Dante reached out, placing his hand on my arm. “Take a deep breath. Breathe in, then hold…now let it out slowly.”

I let him lead me through the breathing exercises that kept me from losing control. Strong emotions—especially when something threatened me or my loved ones—could set off my inner demon, and when she got out, I still couldn’t control her, and I knew what she was capable of.

“Count, now.”

“One…two…three…” I counted all the way to fifty, and then did another round of breathing. Finally, I sat back. “I’m okay,” I said.

“Really?” Orik asked.

“No, and I won’t be until we find Penn.” I shook my head, feeling numb. “You know those fuckers from Brim Fire kidnapped her. They have to be after control of her portal. I need to talk to PortalWatch. I’m heading back to Glider Park to talk to Duran. He’s been guarding the portal with her.”

“Shall we go now?” Dante asked.

“What about Megan?”

“We’re not due over at her place for a couple hours,” he said.

I slowly stood. “I dread leaving the house alone. I’m afraid for the cats now. And…if they managed to get in and target Penn, what else are they capable of?”

Orik cleared his throat. “My cousin’s in town. What if I call him and ask him to keep watch here? He’s on his own, so he wouldn’t disappoint anybody by changing plans.”

“I don’t want to put your cousin out,” I said, but Orik waved off my protest.

He made a quick call and then came back. “Hodark will be here in ten minutes. He’s close by, exploring the Meadowlark Gardens. He said he’d be happy to help.”

In the ten minutes it took Hodark to get to the house, we were ready. The man was a younger copy of Orik, with the same red beard and stature. I introduced him to the cats and told him to take whatever he wanted from the fridge, and we headed out to Glider Park, to find Duran before the kidnappers found him first.

CHAPTER SIX

I sped all the way to Glider Park, managing to evade the cops. As I jumped out of the car, Dante and Orik followed me. I couldn’t talk, I was so afraid for Penn. I didn’t know what they’d do to her to try to get the information they needed. I did know that Penn wouldn’t willingly help them, so that left two choices: for them to let her go, which was unlikely, or for them to torture it out of her. And Penn had grit.

I led them up the ravine, following the narrow ledge path that Penn had brought me along, putting on a burst of speed. Dante and Orik managed to keep up with me, and we cut the time it took to reach the portal area in half.

The trees were there, but it looked like any normal spot in the woods. I shifted my focus, squinting. I thought I could make out the hidden shelter. But I wasn’t going to wait for Duran to initiate matters.

“Duran, we need to talk to you! It’s about Penn! It’s an emergency!” I waited for a moment and was about to call out again when the leaves shifted and Duran appeared.

Dante and Orik blinked, but I motioned for him to approach. “We have an emergency.”

“What’s wrong?” Duran gave a sideways glance at the guys, but said nothing.

“Penn was kidnapped today, and we think Brim Fire did it.” At that moment, I unexpectedly burst into tears. The emotion of the situation had finally reached overwhelm.

Duran stiffened. “What the hell? Do you know if she’s safe?”

“I think so for now, but I don’t really know. Even if she is, how long will that safety last?” I knew I sounded frantic, but I was frantic. Penn was my sister—and family of choice bonds went deeper than a lot of blood family bonds. “I want to talk to PortalWatch,” I said.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Let me call them. I’ll be back in a few minutes. What’s your full name again?”

“Kyann Sarasan. I own Shadow Blade Investigations.”

He vanished and I wandered over to sit on a fallen log. Thank gods the rain was holding off, and though it was cold, I barely noticed it.

Dante and Orik said nothing, though Orik was examining the madrona trees. “The magic here is intense,” he said.

“Even I can feel it,” Dante said. “And I’m not that attuned to magic.”

A couple minutes later, Duran reappeared. “All right,” he said. “Kyann, you—and you alone—meet me tonight and I’ll take you to PortalWatch.”

I nodded, impatient. I wanted to go now, but I was at the mercy of the Crystal Court. “Where should I meet you?”

“Give me your address. I’ll pick you up.”

I gave him my address. “Remember, Penn’s my best friend, as well as my roommate. I need her back, safely.”

“I’ll see you tonight around eight. Until then, hold onto hope. You have no idea how strong we’re taught to be. Penn will be okay. I’m sure of it,” he said, though he sounded anything but sure.

* * *

I had no clue how to dress, so I dressed in a black pantsuit with a cobalt blue shirt, and a pair of ankle boots, along with my leather jacket. I brushed my hair back into a ponytail, and touched up my makeup. PortalWatch was part of the Crystal Court’s military organization, as far as I knew. Then it occurred to me that, given that, Penn was actually part of the military.

I decided to forego the backpack and opted for a nice leather tote. By the time I was ready, I had managed to calm my nerves, though I kept seeing Penn in my mind, and my imagination wasn’t being kind to me. I longed for another glimpse through her eyes, to know she was alive, but Murdoch had just acted like a regular cat the rest of the afternoon.

A few minutes after eight, I jumped as a knock sounded on the door. I’d been waiting for Duran, but so deep in thought that the noise startled me. I opened the door and saw him, looking far more formal than he’d been out in the woods. He was wearing a formal suit, with navy blue trousers and a silver Nehru jacket. His hair was pulled back in a braid. He looked older, in a way, or maybe more daunting.

“Welcome to my home,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward. “On the way, maybe you can tell me what to avoid in terms of topics? And who will I be meeting?”

“I believe you’ll be meeting the head of PortalWatch. This is serious so they escalated matters.” He was silent for a moment, then said, “Do you think Penelope will be all right?”

It was in that simple sentence that I realized he was as afraid as I was. “I hope so, Duran. She’s an important part of my life. In fact, she’s part of my heart.”

“I sensed that,” he said, starting up the car.

* * *

All the way to PortalWatch, Duran remained silent. He seemed deep in thought. I wasn’t sure where we were going, and after about twenty minutes I decided to ask him where our destination was.

“Where’s the headquarters?” I asked.

“Oh, the actual headquarters is in the Crystal Court. We’re going to the local branch. It’s on the top floor of the Star Tower. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

The Star Tower?

I blinked. That was one of the newer buildings in town, and I knew the rental space came dear. But then, as far as I knew, the Crystal Court was wealthy beyond counting. The Witch Queen was from an ancient family, the crown had been handed down through Elsabetha’s family throughout the centuries.

“Tell me,” I said, “I never thought to ask Penn, but does the Crystal Court collect taxes from its members?”

“You’re asking how we stay afloat?” Duran asked.

“I suppose. It occurs to me that the Court can’t eat through its savings to supply and fund the military and all the employees.” It also occurred to me that the Worldwide Shifter Council must have some similar ruling organization, as well as the Vampire Federation. I knew the Fae Courts were on sovereign land, as well, divided and at odds, but both holding equal power.

“You’re correct. Every member on the rolls is taxed. It’s not a huge amount, and it’s based on income level, so the less you make, the less you pay. There’s a flat fee to be kept on the rolls of about twenty-five dollars per year per person, and then a two-point-five percent income tax, flat across the boards. Individuals making less than thirty-five thousand dollars a year only pay the flat roll fee.”

It sounded pretty straight forward.

“Do the demons have any groups here, in this dimension?” Duran asked.

I shrugged. “If they do, I don’t know about them. I’ve always known I was half-demon, but until a month or so ago, I didn’t have a clue what clan my blood came from. I’m only now discovering what it means to be half-demon. I’m just coming into my powers and trying to learn how to control them, instead of them taking over,” I added.

He pulled into the underground parking garage and parked near the elevator. “All right, we’re here. There’s not much I can tell you in advance. I’m the one taking responsibility for bringing you here.”

“I’ll try to behave myself,” I said, feeling like a child who had just been chided.

Duran slid out of the car and came around to my side, opening the door before I could even unfasten my seatbelt.

“Thank you,” I said, sliding out. “Who exactly will I be meeting with?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” He led the way into the elevator bay, where he inserted a key to summon the car. Apparently, the Star Tower took security seriously.

He punched the button for the 27th floor and we headed for the top. I wasn’t sure whether there were residences at the top, as there were in many of the big multi-purpose buildings around Seattle, or if it was all office space. We could be heading for an office, or a penthouse, for all I knew.

The elevator was quick and smooth, and within a couple minutes we were stepping out of the car, into the foyer of what looked like a massive reception room. Two guards, both in blue and silver, stood by either side of the elevator, and while I couldn’t see any weapons, the sensation of strong magic flooded over me.

The floor was marble, white with black veins, and huge Corinthian columns stretched to touch a cathedral ceiling that must have been twenty feet over head. The room contained benches against the walls, a few seating arrangements, potted plants and tapestries. But there were no windows, though for being devoid of natural light, it was spacious and calm, with a comforting ambient light. The walls were painted pale ivory, and ahead, ten shallow, wide steps led up to double doors. With the size of the building, the foyer took up about a quarter of the space of the top floor.

The steps and floor in front of the double doors were covered with navy blue carpeting, and everything seemed to have a silver sparkle to it, which I assumed was the magic inherent within the Crystal Court.

I followed Duran over to the velvet ropes cordoning off the staircase. There, beside the stairs, stood another blue-and-silver clad guard, who inclined his head when we appeared. He had a large book to one side, on a podium, and I could tell from where we stood that it contained a calendar on the left hand side, and to the right, a paperclipped list of names, dates, and times.

“Duran, along with Kyann Sarasan.”

“Papers, please,” the guard said.

Duran produced what looked like some sort of official document.

The guard checked it and nodded, then handed it back. He turned to me. “Do you have your driver’s license?”

I nodded, handing it to him. The guard glanced at the card, then returned it. He ticked off a check in front of both of our names, then pressed a button on the podium.

“An escort will be here in a moment. Please have a seat.” He motioned to a bench that was at the top of the steps, off to one side.

Duran and I took our seats as I looked around. The quiet hush was soothing, and I thought I could hear the air conditioning system, though when I closed my eyes and tried to pinpoint it, it sounded more like waves rushing back and forth, crashing lightly against the shore. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, wishing for a wall to lean back against. I was tired, worn out by emotion.

“Are you all right?” Duran asked.

I nodded, keeping my eyes closed. “I’m tired. Worry leeches energy.”

“That it does,” he said. “She’ll be all right. I’m sure of it.” But, once again, he didn’t sound all too sure.

The next moment, the double doors opened, and two guards stepped out, a man and a woman. The motioned for us.

“We’re up,” Duran said. “Let’s go.” He paused, then said, “You’ll be meeting the queen.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to be nervous,” he said.

“Well, I’m nervous now. Do I bow? Kneel? Curtsey?”

“A bow will be sufficient,” he said. “Don’t contradict her unless she’s asking for direct information.”

I nodded, trying to mentally prepare myself for meeting a member of the royalty, especially under these circumstances. We might need the Crystal Court’s assistance at another time, as well, and I didn’t want to incur any diplomatic faux pas.

I took a deep breath, then—as the guard led us through the massive metal doors—I willed myself into a calm, collected state.

* * *

The throne room itself took up almost the rest of the top floor, with four doors on the opposite wall. I imagined they led to the offices, conference rooms, or whatever else might be needed, as well as what probably had to be a portal room. I couldn’t imagine Queen Elsabetha taking a taxi to work every day.

The entire floor shimmered—blue tile, the color of the night sky, with sparkling silver flecks. There were pews on either side, five rows of them, each probably capable of seating ten people, so the room had the capacity for at least a hundred spectators.

Right now, there were a handful of people sitting in the pews, looking like they were waiting for appointments. One woman looked so dejected that she was practically crying. Another looked bored out of her mind. There were eight altogether, and I wondered if they had appointments, or were hoping that something would open up.

We followed the guard down the center walkway, between the rows. He neither looked right nor left, but kept his head straight forward.

At the back of the room, facing the pews, was an elevated throne, with four steps leading up to the chair. It looked to be made of silver, with blue crystals thrusting out of the sides and a blue velvet seat. And on the throne was a stately woman. She had pale silver hair. Lighter than mine, it was caught up in a mass of curls atop her head, feminine and yet stately. Her eyes were icy blue, and her lips—petal pink. A few wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes, but I couldn’t tell how old she was.

Elsabetha could have been forty or a hundred. She was wearing a long pale blue gown, form fitting until the waist when it spread out, draping to the floor, and a silver pendant with a massive sapphire in the center, encircled by diamonds. A matching tiara sat atop her head, again with a sapphire the size of a silver dollar in the center, surrounded by diamonds.

Duran knelt at the bottom step, and—not wanting to appear aloof—I awkwardly lowered myself into a curtsy and bowed my head.

“You may rise,” Elsabetha said, her voice smooth and commanding. I had the feeling that, whatever she had to face, she’d remain as calm and centered as she felt now.

We stood and waited.

“Take them to the conference room,” she said to the guard.

He nodded, then motioned for us to follow him. We passed by the throne, around the side and out one of the back doors without another word. I wanted to ask if she would be joining us, but decided to play it cool and wait to see what was going on.

The conference room was much more spartan, in terms of décor, though the chair at the head of the long, rectangular table, was padded with blue cushions, and it had arms. Obviously the Queen’s chair, it was made of ebony, like the other chairs and the table itself.

The other chairs had padded seats, but no arms. The guard led us into the room and pointed toward the first two chairs on either side of the table. There were two other women in the room, seated at the table. Both had notepads, recording devices, and tablets.

I murmured a ‘hello’ as I took the seat to the right of the Queen’s chair. The woman next to me gave me a grave smile and nodded, but didn’t speak. Duran took the chair opposite mine and we sat there, waiting.

A few minutes later, two guards entered, followed by the Queen, then another two guards. The first two pulled out her chair for her and she took her seat, then all four spread out, fanning out behind her.

“Welcome to the Crystal Court,” she said. “We’re waiting on one more person, and he’s on the way. He’ll be here in a few moments.”

She snapped her fingers and one of the guards opened the door, motioned to someone, and in seconds we were joined by a serving girl. She looked about sixteen, but in a timid way—no flashy haircut or ruby lips or cheerleader figure. Just an average, somewhat mousey looking girl whom I suspected longed for a better job.

“Please, order drinks or food if you like. We can make whatever you like.” The Queen motioned for the girl to walk over to me.

I smiled at her and, not wanting to get her in trouble by refusing outright, I said, “I’d like a cup of tea and some toast with butter, please.” I had no clue what made me ask for that—I didn’t even like tea, and toast? Well, toast was good but it seemed an odd thing to ask for.

But the girl smiled and nodded. “White, wheat, or sourdough?”

It was too late to change my mind. “White bread’s fine, thank you.”

She turned to Duran, who asked for a cup of tea and a scone.

When the girl vanished, the queen motioned to one of her guards. She whispered something to him and he ducked out of the room. A moment later he returned, with a tall man behind him. The man looked pale, terribly pale and had black hair that hung to his shoulders and steely gray eyes. There was an aura of magic to him, one that made me think of a whirlpool. I had no idea what to think of this, so I filed away the sensation.

“We’ll get started, now that Lynwel is here. Lynwel is the representative from PortalWatch, he’s authorized to discuss the portal system on a need-to-know basis. All right, give us your name?” Queen Elsabetha motioned to me.

I felt anxious, like they were moving at a turtle’s pace. Did bureaucratic propriety take precedence over the lives of their members? I checked my impatience, took a deep breath and faced the queen.

“I’m Kyann Sarasan. Penelope Fircrest was kidnapped today. She’s my best friend, my roommate, and one of your portal keepers. We think that Brim Fire is trying to gain access to the portal in order to reach the UnderRealm. I know I’m probably not supposed to know about this but right now, the thing that matters to me is rescuing Penn.”

“One step at a time,” the Queen said. “Tell us everything.”

They stayed silent while I outlined everything that had happened, from the camera footage—which I showed them—to the info we knew about Brim Fire, and why we were involved.

“What do you want from us?” Queen Elsabeth asked.

I blinked, not sure that I heard right. “I want your help, please. In getting Penn back.”

“What happens if you don’t get it?” Lynwel asked.

I stared at him, wondering if he was joking. “If you won’t help, I plan on going after her but I thought to ask for your help because she’s part of the Crystal Court, and your portal is in danger.” I paused, waiting.

Queen Elsabetha didn’t ask any questions. She merely stared at me, then motioned to the guards. After whispering to them, she said, “Please wait outside of this room. We’ll call you back in a few moments.”

I glanced at Duran, but he rose without a word and followed me out of the room. As the door closed behind us I turned to him.

“How can they be so calm?” I asked. “Penn is in danger! Don’t they care?”

“Queen Elsabetha acts almost Elven in her nature. She rarely shows emotion. She’s born to it—the monarchy is trained from birth for the throne. You could tell her that her husband was dead and she wouldn’t blink an eye. It’s their way—they must remain calm and collected at all times, because reactions can spell death, depending on your enemy.”

I stared at him. “What? Good gods, that’s as bad as the Vulcans on Star Trek.”

“Well, there are a lot of similarities,” he said, giving me a wan smile. “I like the show, to be honest.”

“So do I,” I said. I shifted, tired of the bench. I just wanted to get on with it. “How long have you been working with PortalWatch?”

“Not long enough and too long,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Penelope’s great to work with, but the job can be daunting. It’s not what I expected when I took it.”

“How so?” I got the feeling that Duran wasn’t happy. It was clear in the look of disappointment in his eyes.

“I don’t know. I shouldn’t complain but…” He paused as the door opened and the guards called us in again.

We followed them back into the room. I tried to read the Queen’s expression, but everybody there looked as stoic as a rock. As we sat down, I felt the Queen staring at me, and I met her gaze, but she didn’t waver and, after a few seconds, I blinked and looked away.

After another moment, she spoke. “We won’t be getting involved. Penelope will be removed as portal keeper and as a member of the Crystal Court. Duran, you as well. Your work hasn’t been up to our standards. Therefore, you may assist Kyann in her rescue efforts, if you like. We will protect the portal from Brim Fire, should the need arise. So you need no longer concern yourselves about it.”

Duran’s jaw dropped. “But…Your Majesty⁠—”

“Thank you, Duran, but the Crystal Court no longer requires your services,” she said, steely-eyed. He shrank back.

I stared at her, a wave of anger rising up. “What? You aren’t going to help Penn? She’s one of your own!”

“Witches are born. Witches die. We cannot control the fortunes of every member of the Crystal Court. Penelope, even should she break under their questioning, won’t reveal any important secrets since we are already changing the wards and keys on the portal.” Queen Elsabetha sounded bored.

“Are you serious? What if they torture her or kill her? How cruel are you?” I started to shake. “Well, if you won’t help her, I will. I love her—she’s the sister I never had, and I’d put my life on the line for her. Which is more than I can say of any of you.”

“Take care, young demon. Tend to your emotions or they will trip you up,” the Queen said.

I gave her a startled look. “You know I’m part demon?”

“I know more about you than you know about yourself,” she said.

“How?” I asked, feeling poised on the edge between blowing up again, or stomping out without a word.

“We investigate the backgrounds of all those who are an important part of our portal keeper’s lives,” Lynwel said. “Penelope was a poor choice for the job. Her Fae blood makes her a liability. And Duran, you follow her rogue nature.”

Duran let out a low growl. “I’ve never disobeyed an order⁠—”

“Don’t push us, Duran,” one of the women sitting at the table said. “You didn’t tell us when this demon visited the portal yesterday.”

“Penelope assured me it was all right—Kyann won’t say anything!”

“As I said, a rogue nature is unfit for work within the Crystal Court,” she said.

Duran looked like he wanted to argue, but then turned to me. “Let’s go.”

“Good Eve to both of you,” Queen Elsabeth said.

I ignored her, wanting to lash out again, but it wouldn’t do any good. “Come on, Duran.” I stomped toward the door, stopping to look back. “You’re a fool. All of you are fools. Penn’s the most valuable and loyal witch you could ever hope to have on your side. One day, you’ll realize it, and then it will be too late.”

Duran said nothing but followed me out of the room. One of the guards, waiting outside, immediately escorted us back to the elevator and down to the parking garage, where he manhandled us into the car.

Once there, we sat there, speechless.

Finally, Duran reached out and gently rested his hand on my arm. “We’ll rescue her. We’ll find her and they can go fuck themselves. I hated the job anyway, so I’m glad I’m free.” He paused, then said, “Let’s go. We have to figure out where they’re keeping Penn, before they figure out she’s of no use to them anymore.”

I fastened my seatbelt as he pulled out of the parking garage. On the way home, I wrote up a group text to Sophia, Dante, Orik, and Carson.

the crystal court fucked us over. they’re not going to lift a finger to save penn. we’re going to have to do this ourselves, and quickly, because they’ve cut off her access to the portals. if brim fire figures that out, they’ll kill her.

I waited. A moment later a flurry of messages came rolling in.

what the hell? should we meet tonight? Dante’s was the first to appear.

what do you want us to do? just say the word, Orik texted.

Carson’s response was more direct. i hope they rot in the depths. how do we save penn?

And Sophia texted, where should i start?

I thought for a moment, then texted, carson, can you start hunting for anything you can find on the dark web that might involve this—any mention of something big going down with brim fire? the rest of you, get some sleep. we’ll meet early, say seven? we also have to go take care of the coxigans tomorrow afternoon. brainstorm, think of any ideas you can, regardless of how oddball they might sound. i’m heading home. i don’t think i’ll sleep tonight.

As Duran dropped me off, I asked him to come down to the office the next morning at seven. He promised to be there. I closed the door and locked it. Then, facing the mess left after Penn had been abducted, I dropped on the sofa. With Jangles and Murdoch cuddling me, I burst into tears, feeling alone and frightened.

Finally, I pulled myself together and, after feeding the cats, I stripped off my clothes and put on a sleep shirt. Pulling a blanket over me. I turned on the TV, trying to distract myself, as Jangles and Murdoch finished eating and came in to curl up with me. As I tried to focus on the mind numbing reality show, I yawned, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

CHAPTER SEVEN

I opened my eyes, squinting as the morning light came streaming through the window. My phone was ringing and I sifted through the covers to find it, then answered.

“Are you all right? I was about ready to come over there to see if you’d been kidnapped, too,” Dante said.

“What? I just woke up…” I glanced at the time. Seven-fifteen. “Damn it, I fell asleep before I could set my alarm last night. I’ll be there in twenty. Is Duran there?”

“Yeah, he’s here. All right, I’ll go get breakfast for everybody. What kind of coffee do you want?”

“Quad shot peppermint mocha, please. With whip.” I was already out of bed, and I tossed the phone on the covers. With no time for a shower, I grabbed on a pair of low-rise black jeans, a V-neck sweater in deep cobalt, and a pair of knee-high biker boots with a two inch heel, four buckles down the outside and two across the heel. The top strap around my heel attached to an O-ring, and grommets decorated the leather straps.

I buckled a black belt around my waist, then brushed my hair into a high ponytail. With a slick of lipstick, a sweep of mascara and eyeliner, I headed downstairs where I fed the cats and scattered some bird food in Mr. Crumble’s cage, then dashed out the door.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the office. Dante was getting out of his car as I stepped out of my Jeep. He was carrying a large tray of coffees, along with a couple bags that smelled like food.

“Here, let me take the tray,” I said, relieving him of the coffees.

“You just want dibs on the coffee. They’re all marked,” he said, holding the door open for me.

Instead of taking the stairs, I opted for the elevator. It was easier while carrying enough liquid that could scald me from head to toe, if I dropped it on myself. Dante punched the button for the third floor and then turned to me.

“How are you doing?” he asked. “Really?”

I exhaled, realizing I’d been holding my breath.

“How am I? Worried sick over Penn. Angry at the Crystal Court. I’d like to slap Queen Elsabetha upside the head.”

“I can’t believe they’re being so heartless.”

“I have no idea what the hell they’re thinking. You should have seen Duran’s face. I thought he was going to explode.” I stared bleakly at the coffee cups. “Seriously, I’m on the bad side of the Crystal Court and they’re on my shit list now. And what the hell will Penn think when she finds out they threw her to the wolves?”

“She won’t take it kindly,” Dante said, opening the door to the office for me. There was a small foyer in front of the office proper, but we had the entire third floor. As I swung into the main office, Sophia hurried over to lock the door behind us as we headed toward the breakroom.

I strode in, set the coffee on the table and found the one with my name, and settled in. “I apologize for being late. I crashed before I could even set my alarm last night.”

Dante set the food bags on the counter, then opened them, bringing out pastries, sausage cheese sandwiches, a container of fruit salad, and some hashbrown cakes. Sophia motioned for him to move out of the way.

“I’ll serve,” she said. “Kyann, what do you want?”

“Sausage sandwich, hashbrowns, and a maple bar.”

She handed me a paper plate and a few napkins. Then she went on to serve everybody else, finally settling into her seat with her own plate. Meanwhile, Dante handed out the coffee.

“I assume you’ve all met Duran?” After they nodded, I continued. “Thanks for meeting us here,” I said. “So, I’m not sure where to begin. What we know: Penn was abducted from my house yesterday. We’re pretty sure Brim Fire did it, but we’re not going to be able to get near the portal thanks to the Crystal Court.”

“Trust me,” Duran said, “once the queen makes up her mind, that’s it. She’ll never let Penelope back in, or me. There’s a saying in the Crystal Court: Only the Queen is irreplaceable. And now that they’ve taken away our access to the portals, we’ll never make it near them. Which is a good thing—they won’t let Brim Fire near them, either. But this puts Penelope in serious danger,” he added, staring at the table.

“I don’t like any of this,” I said.

“I don’t either,” Duran replied.

“Carson, did you find out anything on the dark web? That’s probably our first place to look.” I wasn’t hungry, but I forced myself to eat. I needed to think clearly, and hunger could cloud your brain.

Carson had already opened his laptop, and he nodded. “I think so. I can’t say for sure, but in their forums, there’s a private room used for planning. You have to have the password to get in, and I haven’t been able to crack it yet. But I can see who’s used it. The past three days, there were four log ins.”

“Can you tell who logged in?” Orik asked.

“It’s complicated, but the short answer is yes, for two of them. And thanks to Lazenti, I know they’re both from Seattle. I don’t know about the other pair.” He looked at me. “There’s no guarantee they were discussing the portal and Penn, but my guess is…yes.”

“Who are they? Duran asked.

“I cross-checked their forum IDs with Lazenti.”

“Damn, dude, did you get any sleep at all?” Dante asked.

Carson shook his head. “No, I was up most of the night. Anyway, Lazenti managed to trace two of the handles to actual names.” Carson scribbled the names on a hand-held white board. He shoved it across the table to me.

I read the names. “Terrance Gilbert, and Alona Lionblade. Chaos magicians?”

He nodded. “Yes, both located in Seattle. Once we had the names, I was able to research their backgrounds. They’re both out and proud about being tied to Brim Fire. I looked into their occupations. Alona, I can’t find much about. But this Terrance guy? He works for IonStar Security.”

I jumped. “IonStar? That’s my security company!”

“I know. I immediately thought the same thing you’re thinking. Terrance works with the inner core of security surveillance. And there’s more. I did some digging and discover that there’s a flaw in their systems. Inside Hacker, a website for ethical hackers, found it a couple years ago but the company hasn’t done anything about it.”

“What’s the flaw?” Sophia asked.

“There’s a way to trigger the cameras, so that the footage shows up on the local cameras—like your phone—but the images are blocked and don’t reach the company level, so there’s nothing to alert the police about. In other words, IonStar surveillance officers won’t see anything happening. Basically, it continues to show what was happening directly before the trigger was activated.”

“Let me get this straight: If I call IonStar, they won’t have the same footage of the break-in that I do on my phone?” I knew there was technology that could do this, but the thought hadn’t even occurred to me when I was watching Penn being captures. “How does that help them, though? I can show the cops what my camera recorded.”

Orik cleared his throat. “I think I understand. Most people put their phones away during work hours, so they won’t find out anything’s happened until later in the day. And IonStar won’t notice, so they won’t raise the alarm. It’s a cheap fix, and safer than cutting the wires, which would alert the company.”

“Exactly,” Carson said. “If they cut the cameras, that would raise an alarm.”

“Crap. Well, I’m glad I didn’t call IonStar, now that I know Brim Fire has someone on the inside. For all we know, Terrance could be the company pet, or their best worker, and if he intercepted my call, he could make all of this disappear,” I said.

Carson sighed. “I suggest you immediately get rid of the security system, Kyann. You too, Dante. They’re probably keeping tabs on you. We can create one for all of us that’s safer.”

“Well, that’s a definite ick,” I said. At least I didn’t have security cameras in the bedrooms, and definitely not the bathrooms. “But you’re right, I’ll disconnect them tonight. Though I want to put up some wards in its place. Besides Penn, who do we know who’s a strong witch?”

“Her mother,” Dante said.

“No,” I shook my head. “First, Penn and her mother don’t get along very well. Second, I don’t want to tell Eileen that Penn is missing at this point. I don’t want her worrying because she would, even with their schisms. Let me think.” I sorted through names in my mind, but I realized I didn’t know many witches. Penn was one of the few. I turned to Duran. “What can you do? I don’t mean to be rude, but this is an emergency and there’s no real room for diplomacy.”

“I’m a rogue. I don’t work with magic like most witches, and that includes wards and protection. I can think things into existence, but it’s not easy. I can ‘see’ answers to mathematical problems without even trying to solve them. I also work with astral energy.” He shifted in his chair. “I can go out on the astral and can even touch some of the etherical realms.”

“That could come in handy,” I said. “Given your talents, I’m surprised the queen fired you.”

“I already had a couple strikes against me. I don’t deal well with red tape, and I tend to act before they give me the okay, though I’m not stupid about it. But I’m basically a problem child when it comes to authority.” He frowned. “That’s one thing they didn’t like about Penelope, you know. She has the same tendency to buck authority. And second, they didn’t like the fact that she was living with you. The Crystal Court sees Demonkin as problematic.”

I froze. “Did they try to pressure her against being my friend?”

“Oh, yes. They have been pushing her on it for years. After she joined PortalWatch, the pressure increased. She and I talked about it several times. They were putting the screws on.” His eyes darkened, and an angry look crossed his face. “That’s why they’re not going after her. They see this as a way to get rid of one of their problems.”

I eased back in my chair, considering what he said. A thought sparked in my brain and, though it sounded ridiculous, I suddenly sighed and said, “Do you suppose that it might not be Brim Fire who kidnapped her? That this might be the Crystal Court’s way of dealing with her?”

Everybody froze, staring at me. There was a moment where they were processing what I said, then everybody burst out talking at once.

“I doubt it, but you never know,” Duran said. “It’s a lot easier to just get rid of her.”

Everybody quieted down again, turning to him.

“I can’t believe they’re so bullheaded,” Sophia said.

“The Crystal Court makes a big noise about being honorable, but the monarchy has been around a long time and their anger runs deep and long. I’ve seen the Queen mete out harsh punishments, especially if she was angry at someone.” Duran shivered. “I watched her order one of the court advisors who contradicted her in public to be stripped of his powers.”

“What did he do?”

“He told Queen Elsabetha that he thought she was wrong about something.”

I sucked in my breath. “That’s horrible. Magical powers are innate—like my own powers are, or a shifter’s powers. That’s like stripping a shifter’s idanimus away from them.

The idanimus was the animal side of the shifter. Without it, a shifter was broken, and often fell into madness. They were usually euthanized by their Pack or Clan afterward, out of mercy. As a punishment, it was only used in the worst cases. But stripping the idanimus could happen in other ways, as an attack or through a freak accident.

“Oh, stripping magical powers is just as bad. When you work magic, it’s part of your innate self. If you drain off the magic, it causes intense physical and mental pain for the rest of your life. It’s like a singer stripped of her voice, or a chef whose lost his tastebuds.” Duran pressed his lips together, shaking his head.

“Do you think the Queen is upset enough to try to strip Penn’s powers?” Dante asked.

“I doubt it. Usually that’s reserved for the harshest of punishments,” Duran said.

“Well, regardless of what’s happened, we have at least one member of Brim Fire working at IonStar. I’m more likely to blame them,” I said.

There were so many things to think about. But the most important thing, was to find and rescue Penn. “It occurs to me that, if Terrance is at work today, suppose we pay a little visit to his workplace and wait for him near his car tonight?” I had no problem strong-arming someone who hurt my best friend. “I’ll make him talk if he won’t spill his guts.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Carson said. “Let me check to make certain he’s at work. I can figure a way to do it without setting off suspicion.”

Sophia’s phone rang and she glanced at it. “Desk,” she said. “I’ll be back.” She had the agency calls forwarded to her phone when we were in long meetings. She ducked out the door and hurried down the hall.

I was impatient, but I also knew that impatience could lead to mistakes. Glancing over at Duran, I asked, “How are you doing this morning? Last night must have been a shock.”

He folded his arms, leaning on the table. “I didn’t expect to be looking for a new job today. As I said earlier, Queen Elsabetha is capable of ruining lives without blinking an eye.”

“I don’t know why, but I always pictured the magical court as being one based on honor,” Dante said.

“A lot of witches have high ethical standards, but the old axiom about absolute power corrupting holds true among most races. Meanwhile, the rest of the people are usually so busy trying to scrape out a living that they don’t notice as the Queen’s power grows stronger and her rule, more corrupt.” He started bleakly at me.

“What will you do now?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll never get another job with the Crystal Court, that’s a given. I might set up a shingle. Hire myself out for magical duties. Or maybe I’ll approach Solimentary. I’m good with facts and figures, though I know they usually only recruit people from the great Elven families who started the library.” He paused as Sophia returned.

“That was Merry. She wants to know if you can come over a little earlier than planned?” Sophia said. “The coxigans are driving her crazy.”

“I suppose we can. That will give us more time later this afternoon to deal with Terrance.” I sighed. “Tell her we’ll be there within an hour.”

“Coxigans? They’re nasty,” Duran said.

“You want to come with us?” I asked. “We have an infestation to deal with.”

“Sure. It looks like I’m not doing anything else today,” he said.

“Great. Why don’t you help Orik gather together whatever might help us.” I froze. “Oh shit, will we be allowed to use the portal? Penn was going to help us.” I explained to Duran that we had been planning to send the coxigans through a portal into their home realm.

“Well, I guarantee you, PortalWatch has you on a blacklist now. But there are plenty of portals that the Crystal Court doesn’t control. Some are natural, some are controlled by those on the other side of wherever they lead to. I know the Fae control some of their own portals and they won’t let the Crystal Court near them. If you approach them, maybe you could send the coxigans back to their home realm? But I suppose that requires knowing one of the Fae.”

I sighed. “Yeah, it does.” I worried my lip, then snapped my fingers. “I know a member of the Fae, and we’re on good terms. I can ask her for advice.”

“Ami?” Sophia asked.

“Right.” To Duran, I added, “Ami does my nails and hair. She’s a selkie.” A spark of hope lifted my spirits. “I’ll be back. Meanwhile, everybody get ready to head over to Merry’s.”

As I headed downstairs, Ami was opening her shop. I waved. “Hey chica, I need to talk to you,” I said, slipping inside the salon behind her.

“What’s up? A problem with the nails?” Ami said.

She brushed her hair back and slipped it into a ponytail. It was jet black, and her eyes were a brilliant green. She was gorgeous, and even if she wore a burlap sack, she’d still be stunning. The Fae had a magnetism to them that defied logic. Selkies had a shimmer in their energy. She was shorter than I was, well-proportioned and her movements had a slinky feel.

“Not at all, this batch are holding up well, though after this afternoon, I’ll probably need an appointment. Listen, I have a huge favor to ask. I know it’s out of the blue, but it’s important.” I sat down in one of the chairs for waiting appointments, but she motioned for me to sit in the salon chair.

“What’s shaking?” Her voice was musical. She took my hair out of the pony tail and began brushing it, smoothing it down with some sort of spray.

“I’m not trying to overstep our friendship, but this is important. We need to use a portal this afternoon. Preferably one to the Fae realm.” I let out a long breath.

She paused mid-stroke, then started brushing again. “Why?”

“We’re taking on a coxigan infestation and we can’t kill them, even if they’re dangerous. At least not without getting ourselves put on the map for a massive fine.” I paused, wondering if I had offended her. The coxigan were Fae, after all.

Ami began curling my hair with the curling iron. “Coxigans are fucking annoying,” she said. “Isn’t your best friend a witch? Out of curiosity, why can’t she help you use a portal?”

I sighed. “Can you keep this quiet?”

Ami nodded, finishing the curls and then carefully bringing my hair back up into a high ponytail and fastening it. I shook my head, smiling as my hair bounced. It looked freshly done.

“I promise,” she said.

“Thank you, this is gorgeous. How much do I owe you?” I reached for my wallet.

“Nope. I’m not busy right now and you look stressed. Now tell me, what happened?”

“Penn’s been kidnapped. We’re on the trail, but the Crystal Court—for reasons I probably shouldn’t talk about right now—isn’t happy with me. Or Penn. So I can’t ask them for help, and until we can get her back, she can’t do anything.” Once again, the weight of Penn’s situation hit me and I let out a long sigh.

Ami set down the brush and curling iron. “Oh good gods, woman. No wonder you’re stressed. Of course I’ll help you. And if I can do anything to help Penelope, let me know. I like her, even if she is a witch.”

“She’s my best friend,” I said, noting the sentiment. The Fae and witches seemed to have some sort of bitchfest going on. “We’re tracking down a lead this afternoon. But we made a promise to a client to deal with the coxigans this morning, and I can’t blow her off.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“When you catch them, give me a call. We’ll figure it out. There’s a Fae portal near my house. In my backyard, near my swimming spot, to be precise. As long as you don’t spread the word, I’ll let you use it. I’m taking the afternoon off, so call when you need me.” She reached out and cupped my chin. “You’ll find her—I have a feeling. It won’t be easy, and there’s a lot of danger, but you’ll find out where she is.”

I usually managed to remain stoic, but I found myself tearing up. “Ami…Penn’s my heart. She’s my best friend. I can’t fail her.”

“You won’t. And if you ever need portal help again, feel free to ask me. I may not always be able to help, depending on where you want to go, but if I can, I’m here. Now get out of here and keep yourself busy. You need to work, or you’ll brood.”

She was right. I had to keep busy, or I’d sit and dwell on Penn’s disappearance. Grateful, and feeling humbled, I gave Ami a hug.

“I’ll call you when we’ve caught the coxigans,” I said.

“Remember, they get drunk if you feed them too much sugar, and they’re so clumsy, they can’t do much. Give them a syrupy fruit juice and you’ll have an easier time.” She waved as I headed toward the door. “Get those little bastards. They’re nasty!”

As I headed for the stairs, I felt a little better. At least Ami had solved one of my problems for me. It hit me that she was kind, and I decided to do something in return. She was a selkie, so I made a note to find out what might appeal to her. As I headed back to the office, I thought at least I had some good news, on a very bad news day.

CHAPTER EIGHT

I hurried back to the office, where they were waiting for me in the breakroom. Orik had scrounged up some large cat carriers.

“I have fishing nets. Since we can’t kill them, I figured we can try some of this.” He held out a spray that we used to knock out a few of the lower level sub-Fae. “And I’m bringing a few tennis racquets. If all else fails, we can hit them with those and it shouldn’t kill them.”

“Cripes, this is ridiculous. They’re dangerous pests. You’d think there would be an exception made for them.”

“Well, there isn’t. Anyway, the cat carriers can be used to transport them. They were the quickest and easiest carriers to get. My wife made me promise to wash them out before I bring them home.” Orik and his family loved Maine Coons, too, and had six of them. One for each child, I thought.

“Duran enchanted them so that nothing inside can use magic,” he continued. “What do you think?”

“It’s a better plan than I had. Except I learned one thing from Ami. The coxigans absolutely love sugary drinks, and get drunk off too much sugar. Let’s grab some concentrated grape juice—we can dilute it so it’s syrupy sweet. We’ll also want some plastic storage containers to set out the juice.” I turned to Sophia. “Do we have any in the office, or will we need to stop and buy some?”

“Let me check,” she said, starting to open cupboards.

“Also, Ami will help us with one of the Fae portals. She said we can send the coxigans through it. I want to find her something special as a thank-you, so make a note, Sophia. She’s a selkie,” I added. “In case anybody knows what selkies tend to like?”

“Why don’t you ask her?” Dante asked.

“Because, I want to surprise her. And I don’t know her well enough yet to know what she loves, beyond doing hair and nails.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I suppose we should get going.”

Sophia returned. “I don’t see that we have any plastic containers that are suitable. We’ll have to stop and buy some.”

“We need to buy concentrated grape juice, while we’re at it,” I said. “Okay, Sophia and Carson, you stay here and continue to see if you can find anything out about Terrance or…what’s her name? The woman from Brim Fire. Dante, you can ride with me. Duran, can you ride with Orik?”

“Not a problem,” he said. “As long as you let me have two minutes alone with whoever it is kidnapped Penelope.”

I snorted. “We’ll get them, don’t worry. I’m not leaving Penn to the lions.”

As we headed out, we agreed to stop at the nearest market—Smithson’s Grocer’s—to buy the juice and the containers.

* * *

Merry was waiting for us, an anxious look on her face. She escorted us in, where we saw a golden retriever. The dog was trembling. “Thank you so much for coming early. Those damned creatures tried to attack my dog. I managed to get both of us inside, but they were pelting us with stones. And then the red one tried to bite Moophy—my dog.”

Thinking about the acidic bites of the red coxigans, I was relieved when Merry verified that the creature hadn’t managed to finish the attack. But it was a matter of time, if we didn’t clear them out.

“You and Moophy stay inside while we get to work.”

Merry paused. “If you need help⁠—”

“No, although we could use a pitcher, if you have one, and some water.” I pointed toward the kitchen.

“Of course,” Merry said, sounding a little confused. But she led us to the kitchen, which overlooked the backyard. “Here, will this work?” She brought out an acrylic pitcher with a handle on it. It held about a quart of liquid.

“That should be fine. Is the back door unlocked?”

“Yes, you can go right out that way if you like.” She knelt down to pet Moophy, who was following close behind her. “I’m so sorry, baby. We’ll take care of those things.”

“Why don’t you go in the living room and relax while we work?” I said.

Merry nodded. “All right.”

As she headed through the door, Dante’s eyes lingered on her.

“No fraternizing with clients, remember?” I said, keeping my voice low.

He glanced at me. “I know, I know. All right, what first?”

“We make up a super thick drink with the grape juice concentrate, then take it out back and pour it into these containers and hope it helps us do our job,” I said.

Orik stood ready, should any of the coxigans try to sneak in when we opened the door. Dante, Duran, and I hurried outside. Duran carried the juice and I carried the containers. Orik and Dante brought the rest of the equipment, including the cat carriers. Before the coxigans could charge, Orik set the carriers on the patio table, leaving them open. I poured grape juice in the containers and set them inside, then filled two more containers and set them on the patio. Orik handed me a tennis racket. He was carrying one, too.

“All right, let’s try to round them up,” I said, feeling ridiculous. “Though I’m not wearing white!”

At that moment, the red coxigan flew off of the branch it was sitting on and dive-bombed me, spewing a thin line of fire as it passed. I tried to duck, but a few of the narrow flames strafed my arm and my jacket started to smell. I cursed, making sure that the flames hadn’t taken hold, then turned back to see the entire lot of them—and this time it looked like more than a dozen—were descending on us.

Don’t kill them, don’t kill them, I kept thinking as I tried to swat them away.

Orik swung his tennis racket, hitting a green one and lobbing it toward the patio. He smiled, and I thought I detected a hint of satisfaction when the coxigan went streaking back, rolling head over heels in the air. It landed on the patio, shaking its head, but then it sniffed the air and froze. I watched as it crawled over to one of the containers and began lapping up juice, like a cat lapping up water.

A cackle brought me back to focus. The red one was taking aim at me again. Why the fuck it had set its sites on me, I wasn’t sure, but it seemed to feel I was the primary target because it dive bombed me again. I brought up the racket, hoping that somehow, my non-existent tennis skills might suddenly appear. As I swung at the coxigan, it managed to evade the racket and it wrapped itself around my wrist and bit into my hand.

The needle sharp teeth pierced deep, and it felt like I’d stuck my hand in a vat of acid. I shrieked, trying to shake it off. Dante rushed over, attempting to pry the creature off of me. It was clenching my wrist with its arms and legs, holding on for dear life.

“You little shit!” I ran over to a nearby tree and brought my arm back, swinging directly toward the trunk as hard as I could. The coxigan gasped, letting go with its teeth, but it couldn’t fly off quickly enough and I slammed it into the bark, not giving a damn whether or not I killed it. The creature let go and fell to the ground. Dante quickly grabbed it up and dropped it in a sack.

I looked at my hand. There was a gaping bite wound there, already festering from the acid. I shook my head as Dante started to reach for it. “We have to catch them all.”

As we turned, I noticed that at least half of them were gathered near the containers of grape juice. Orik was going after another, and Duran was staring at my hand, shaking his head.

“Get the drunk ones in one of the carriers and shut it!” I raced over, scooping up two of the coxigans from one of the containers on the patio. I tossed them into one of the carriers, as Dante added the red one. There were already two of them in there, drinking from the grape juice inside the carrier. Dante slammed the door and locked it.

Five down and…I counted the remaining ones. There were eight left, but one of them was in the other container, and another was lapping up juice on the patio. I took out another package of grape juice concentrate and opened it, spreading it directly on the table. The fragrance was strong, and apparently the coxigans had super scent, because three of the eight made a beeline for it. As they landed on the table, Duran grabbed them—along with the one on the concrete slab—and shoved them in the open carrier, then hooked the door shut.

That left four, still hanging out in a hydrangea bush.

I motioned to Duran. “Go ask her if she has any tulle or a net or something along that order.”

He hurried toward the kitchen door and slipped inside.

Orik started toward the bushes but I stopped him. “Wait. If we can get something like a net we can catch them all.”

They were staring at us, huddled together. I paused, closing my eyes. Reaching out, I tried to sense what they were feeling. A moment later, I felt a wave of fear and confusion. They truly didn’t understand why we were trying to catch them.

“They don’t understand,” I said. “They’re just being true to their nature, and they don’t understand what they’re doing wrong. They’re like cats.” Damn it. Now I understood why we weren’t allowed to kill them. They weren’t like us, nor were they like most of the Fae. The bite on my hand had been malicious, yes, but not all of them were like that.

Duran returned with a macrame wall tapestry, loosely knotted. The spaces between the knots weren’t big enough for the coxigans to get there. Orik took it, then cautiously circled the bush. The coxigans stared at him, uncertain, and the moment he got close enough, he tossed it over the bush. It landed on top of them and Orik rushed forward to make certain they couldn’t escape. I brought one of the cat carriers over and, between the two of us, we managed to scoop up the remaining four coxigans and slip them inside the carrier, making sure the others didn’t escape.

I sat down at the table, staring at the two carriers filled with the creatures. They were all drunk by now, sprawled out on their backs, looking like fat little pixies. But they weren’t pixies, who were problematic as well, but could at times be reasoned with. If pixies continued to cause waves, there were no laws against killing them. They knew better. The coxigans didn’t.

“How’s your hand?” Duran asked.

I held it up. The edges of the bite would were ragged and pus was rising out of the wound, oozing around the raw edges. “Ugh,” I said, grimacing. “I’d better go to the doctor for this.”

“That’s not necessary,” Duran said. “I can take care of that.”

“I’m not human, remember? I’m half-demon.”

He shrugged. “I know enough healing spells to take care of it for you. Once we get you back to the office, I can clean it up.”

Relieved—I didn’t want to take time out to go to the healer’s—I nodded. Being half-demon, I couldn’t go to just any medical facility. My physiology was wired differently.

At that moment, the kitchen door opened and Merry stepped through. “Did you catch them?” she asked.

Orik nodded. “We did, at that.”

“Thank you! How much do you want for the rest of the job? I can go get my credit card.” She started to turn but Dante stopped her.

“We’ll bill you,” he said, which was our standard practice.

“All right.” Looking relieved, she cleared her throat and asked, “What can I do to keep this from happening again? I’m not sure why they picked my yard to settle in.”

I was starting to hurt, and leaned forward, resting my arm on the table. Merry noticed.

“You got hurt!”

“I got bit. They can all bite, but the red ones are the most dangerous. I’m glad you and Moophy managed to avoid getting attacked. As to what you can do to keep them from coming back, well…we’ll be making sure this crew won’t return, but as to others—I don’t know. What attracts them in the first place?” I glanced at the others, but the guys shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll have Carson do a little research and we’ll let you know if we find any answers. Meanwhile, I need to get this attended to.”

I stood, feeling a little woozy. “Okay, Dante, you’ll need to drive. I’m foggy headed.”

“Can do,” he said. “Let’s get going.”

Orik and Duran carried the containers with the coxigans in them, while Dante helped me back to the car. I slid into the passenger seat, and he helped me fasten my seat belt. We pulled away from the curb, and even though I was hurting, I was glad to see that we’d managed to help Merry take care of her problem.

* * *

Back at the office, Duran gently washed my hand, clearing out the pus.

“Do you have any night-rose powder? It’s a powerful antibiotic that seems to work on anybody,” he asked.

“I don’t know. Ask Sophia,” I said.

A moment later, he returned with a small vial of a pale golden pink powder. “She found some in the first aid kit.” Duran held up a box with a red cross on it. He then sprinkled my hand with the powder and, as it settled into the wound, a last burst of pus foamed up. I grimaced as he wiped it away, flushed it, then added more powder. The powder stuck, given the wound was wet, and he squeezed the edges together and applied invisible medical glue to create a waterproof bandage over it.

When he finished, he began to murmur a spell over it, his energy seeping into the wound to calm the pain and confusion I was feeling. The wound already looked fifty percent better. Lastly, he added a thick layer of gauze and wrapped it.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. “You’ll want to change the dressing tonight before bed, and don’t get it wet. By tomorrow, it should be healed enough to take the dressing off.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I feel like I got bit by a piranha. I need to call Ami now.” I pulled out my phone and called Ami. “We caught the little devils,” I said.

“I’m going to give you an address. Meet me there. I’m already on my way to prepare the portal for you to take them through.”

“Take them through?” I asked. “I thought we could…um…toss them through?”

“No, you’ll have to carry them through. If you’ve never been through a portal before, don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Here’s the addy: 16428 Inglewood Drive NE, up in Kenmore. That’s my house. It’s right on the southern most part of Squawk Slough, at the northern tip of Lake Washington. The portal’s in my backyard.” She paused, then said, “Bring whoever you need to. I trust you.”

“Thanks. One of the red coxigans bit me, damned little runt.”

“I shouldn’t ask this, but is it still alive?”

“I didn’t kill the little beast. Okay, we’re on our way.” I glanced at the clock. It was close to noon. It had taken us two hours to catch the coxigans. At least we should be done with the case in another hour or two.

We gathered up the carriers and traipsed out to the elevator. We divided up as before, but this time Dante drove instead of me, and we were off, headed across the 520 Floating Bridge, then north to Kenmore.

* * *

I had never thought about where Ami might live, but given how successful her salon was, I wasn’t surprised when we pulled into the driveway at her house. All the houses were on large lots, each with a private boat slip. The lots were heavily wooded, but the lawns were manicured and tidy, and they were on the northern tip of Lake Washington, right off of the southern end of the Squawk Slough.

The entire Sammamish River was once known as the Squawk Slough, and it connected Lake Washington to Lake Sammamish. In the sixties, the slough was widened and straightened to help prevent flooding in a massive project undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers. The river—or slough—was, like many of the lakes and rivers in the area, formed when the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age, leaving the ravines, hills, and jagged mountains of Washington State. Now, the Squawk Slough referred mostly to the areas where the Sammamish River flowed into Lake Washington.

As we got out of our cars, Ami appeared from inside the house. She was wearing a bathing suit, a one-piece, the color of the twilight. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, and she motioned us over. Looking at her, I shivered. It was cold and threatening rain again. How could she be out in a bathing suit and barefoot?

We approached, and I introduced her to Duran. She already knew Dante and Orik. She shook hands with each of them, and then glanced at the cat carriers.

“You caught the whole nest?”

“I believe we did,” Orik said. “Now to boot them out of here so they can go find a better place to live.” He set the carriers down on the driveway. “So, what do we do?”

“Thank you, by the way,” I said. “I’m afraid you’ll have to give us instructions.”

“Follow me,” she said. She led us around the side of her house, through a gate, into the back yard. It was a mix of wild and manicured, and the pier led out to a small boat landing. She had a small rowboat, with a motor on the back, and it was moored at the end of the pier.

“It’s peaceful,” I said. And it was. There was a magical feel to her backyard, which calmed my worries. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, relaxing.

“Follow me,” she said, leading us along the side of her yard which was a tangle of trees and bushes. She slipped into a thicket at the corner of her yard, where the land opened into the slough. We followed her. As we did so, I caught sight of a marble obelisk about three feet high. It was glowing with a faint green light.

She walked up to it and ran her fingers over the surface in a pattern I couldn’t follow. A moment later, something shifted and I could see a ripple in the air, with glowing light swirling like a whirlpool. The magic flared. Orik and Dante let out a murmured whisper, and Duran took a step forward, his eyes widening.

I stared at the whirlpool of energy. It beckoned me to walk through it. I thought I’d be afraid, but instead, I found myself wanting to venture in. I turned to Ami.

“What now?”

“Now, you take the carriers and step though. I’ll hold the portal open from this side.”

“What will I find on the other side?”

“Acandaria, the realm of Fae. You’ll be in a forest. Don’t go anywhere. Set the carriers down, open them up, and come right back through. The coxigans will be able to go free, once they’ve sobered up, and they won’t be able to return here unless they get someone to open up the portal on the other side.”

I took a deep breath. “All right,” I said. “Give me the carriers, and stand back.”

“Can you hold them, given your wrist?” Dante asked.

I nodded. “I’ll be fine.” I picked up the carriers, wincing. By now, the coxigans were starting to wake up and I wanted to get rid of them before they tried to ambush us when we opened the doors.

Ami nodded. “It’s ready. Go ahead.”

As the energy swirled, I walked up to the vortex. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the portal and stepped through.

CHAPTER NINE

As I stepped through the portal, every cell in my body seemed to vibrate, but it didn’t hurt. I transitioned from one woodland to another. As I stepped to the side, the trill of some bird echoed through the air. I shivered, looking down to see that I was standing in snow. I set down the carriers and looked around. This might be my one chance to ever see Acandaria, and I wasn’t leaving without at least getting a decent look.

The surrounding area was a meadow, covered with snow, with trees in the distance. The sky had a silver-lavender look to it, reflecting off the clouds. I shivered as I stepped away from the portal—which was an obelisk, as well.

I took a deep breath and the air was cold, but so clear and pure that it made me dizzy. The ground was level, and to one side, I was facing the forest, but behind me—against the distant horizon—there were massive mountains, rising jaggedly into the sky.

I looked for any signs of life, but mostly heard birds fluttering in the trees. There was a path through the middle of the meadow, which was about the size of two football fields, and it led both toward the mountains and toward the forest. I had a sudden urge to follow it, to see where it took me, but I shook off the impulse.

Another moment and I found myself drifting in my thoughts. Everything felt so incredibly peaceful, probably since there seemed to be no cities or people near me.

Finally, with a bit of reluctance, I knelt down and opened the cat carriers. The coxigans were still drunk but I could tell the juice was wearing off. I turned the carriers door down and shook them out. They shook their fists at me, but I ignored them. They couldn’t fly straight yet, but I figured they’d be fine in an hour or so, and Ami assured me they’d handle the cold without a problem. They had over on our side of the portal.

I locked the doors on the carriers, then slowly walked back to the obelisk, where the vortex was still shimmering. With one last, wistful look over my shoulder, I sighed and stepped back through.

* * *

“I was getting worried,” Ami said, as I appeared in her backyard again.

“I had to look around, just a little. I stayed by the portal, but I needed to see what I could in case it’s the only opportunity I ever get.” I worried my lip. “It feels so calm and quiet there.”

“It is, where you were at. The great Fae Courts are far from peaceful and far from calm. But like this world, there are vast spaces of uninhabited land. If a person wanted to, they could vanish into the forests or mountains and never again see another soul.” Ami took the cat carriers from me and handed them to Orik.

“Thank you, for your help,” I said. “Now we can focus on Penn.” I suddenly felt weary, tired beyond the day, and my hand ached. “All right, we should get going.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Ami said. “The coxigans will head for the nearest forest and make their home there. Unless some creature eats them. Acandaria has some fearsome beasts, and dangerous Fae.”

I noticed the vast array of plants in her yard. While nothing was blooming yet, I could tell from the variety of bushes and trees that she took pride in her yard.

“Do you like gardening?” I asked.

She nodded. “Selkies prefer the water element, but I do love growing things.”

I decided right then that I would buy her a gift certificate to a local plant nursery as a thank you. That way she could get what she wanted.

Ami began to walk toward the water. “I’m going for a swim.”

“Isn’t it too cold?” Dante asked.

“Not for a selkie,” she said, smiling. “Lock the side gate when you leave, please.” As she walked along the pier, she began to shimmer, and the next moment, a seal was lying on the pier. She rolled into the water, and vanished into the lake.

“I’ll bet you anything that bathing suit is her seal skin,” I said. “All selkies have a skin they can remove, and it helps them return to their natural form when they wear it. That must be an incredible feeling,” I said, keeping my voice soft. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to be able to shift form.” I turned to Dante. “You experience the same thing. It must be magical.”

“Not really,” he said. “At least not for those of us who are shifters. It’s as natural as breathing.”

As we headed back to the car, Duran asked, “Which form came first? Which is the most comfortable?”

Dante thought about it for a moment. “It depends on what’s going on. When I need to relax, it helps to shift into my wolf form and go for a run, especially on a sunny day, or during a summer night. When I’m feeling social, I’d rather be in my human form. Even though wolves are social within the Pack, since I was excommunicated, being in my wolf form when I want to be around others reinforces the sense of loneliness.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, as Dante opened the car door for me.

“Not to worry. As long as you’re in my life, and Orik and Carson and Sophia, I’ll be fine.”

My hand was still hurting from the coxigan’s bite, so he helped me fasten my seatbelt and shut the door.

* * *

Once we were back at the office, I made myself more coffee and asked Sophia to find a good nursery and buy a gift certificate for Ami. I was tired, and feeling a bit chilled. The thought of how Ami managed to run around in a bathing suit in February still made me shiver. Though it was true that when she turned into a seal, she had a nice, thick layer of fat and that alone had to keep her warm while she was swimming.

I found a bag of cookies and began to mindlessly munch on them. With a yawn I carried them over to the table, along with my latte. I sat down, staring at the cookie bag.

“Are you all right?” Sophia asked, entering the breakroom.

“I’m tired. I’m worried about Penn. My hand hurts. And I’m still upset that someone broke into my house⁠—”

“About that,” Carson said, entering the room. “First, Terrance is at work today, so you can catch him there. Second, I did some discreet hacking into IonStar’s records. They have no record of a break-in at your house. I managed to sort through their files and there was nothing there regarding your home. However, I made another discovery. Terrance was at work all day when the abduction happened. He couldn’t be the one who broke into your house. However, that doesn’t mean much. He could easily have hired somebody.”

I straightened, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he could have put someone up to it. So, if he’s behind Penn’s kidnapping, it’s by proxy.” Carson frowned. “Now I’m wondering if maybe the Crystal Court isn’t behind this.”

“Unlikely, like Duran said, but possible,” I said. “No, I think you’re right in that Terrance is probably the mastermind, sending others to do the actual dirty work. I still can’t believe the queen refuses to do anything to help Penn.”

“She’s part Fae,” Duran said. “That alone is problematic.”

“Right, the witches and Fae don’t always get along.”

“Truth, to a degree. And remember, the Fae don’t accept half-breeds—their term—into their community. They wouldn’t help Penn if her life depended on it,” Duran said. “On the other hand, they probably wouldn’t bother with her, because they don’t acknowledge her existence.”

“Ami seems to like her,” I said. “She’s met Penn and she was incredibly polite. But then, Ami’s more of a loner.”

“Not all Fae are alike, of course. But my guess is, that if Ami lived in one of the Fae cities, she wouldn’t be inviting Penn over for dinner. The Light and Dark Courts keep an eye on their citizens. Ami probably belongs to a selkie pod, remember. By nature, they’re sort of half shifter, half Fae. So while the Fae don’t shun the selkies, they don’t have a lot to do with them, either.” Carson shrugged when I looked over at him. “I’ve been studying the Fae for some time.”

I wondered if it had anything to do with his crush on Penn, but decided to forego asking. “We go ahead with our plan. We meet Terrance after work and confront him.”

“How far are you willing to push?” Dante asked.

“What do you mean?”

“If he refuses to answer you, what do we do? Kidnap him? Beat the crap out of him? We can’t go in without some sense of knowing how far we’re willing to push.” Orik shook his head.

“I don’t know,” I said, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t know what to do, to be honest. What if he’s not the one to blame? As much as I despise Brim Fire, we’d be fools to hurt him if he’s not at fault. We’d make ourselves even more of a target for the organization.”

“There’s always lenemony,” Duran said.

“What’s lenemony? It sounds like a drink,” I said.

“In a way it is. It’s a potion that forces people to tell the truth,” he said.

“But, how do we get it down his throat?” Sophia asked.

“There are other methods of using it. You can pour it into an atomizer and spray it in someone’s face. They’ll inhale some of the droplets and it will work on them.” Duran glanced at the clock. “Unfortunately, it’s a complicated process and we don’t have the time needed.”

“Not only that, but how would we avoid inhaling the potion ourselves? I don’t want to be spilling all our secrets to Brim Fire,” I said.

“Why don’t we try talking to him and see if he has anything to say?” Sophia asked. “You might be surprised.”

“I’d be surprised if they offered us any information freely,” I said. “But I think it might come down to that.” I didn’t like the plan. I had strong doubts as to whether they’d willingly volunteer anything.

As I sat there, something in the back of my mind shifted. I felt uneasy, and the more we discussed how to approach Brim Fire, the more irritated I was. I had the feeling we might not get the answers we were looking for, and that made me want to drag Terrance back here and shake him until we got the answers we needed.

“I have a radical thought,” Sophia said. “We go to the police. We talk to Destiny and let them help us.”

“I already did, remember? They took a report but that was the last I heard from them. No, they’re not going to do anything,” I said. “Destiny might try to help, but you know the police have large pockets and they don’t care who fills them. I wouldn’t trust them to get my cat out of a tree, let alone find Penn for us.”

It was unfortunately true that the police were as corrupt as a lot of the criminals. If you didn’t have much money, yeah, you went to jail. If you were wealthy, well…chances were you’d be offered a way to buy your way out.

Sophia sighed. “I hadn’t thought of that. I don’t suppose Destiny could help us on her own?”

“I don’t want to ask her to risk her job, but I suppose it couldn’t hurt to get her feelings on the subject. Let’s see what Terrance has to say, and then decide.” I glanced at the clock. “I also want to talk to Seton. I need a little guidance.”

Seton Anthoy was a demon specialist. I had no idea whether he was a shifter, a witch, human, or something else, but he was a doctor who specialized in demon anatomy and rare Supes. He ran a program to help half-demons learn to control their powers, and he worked in conjunction with Devon, my trainer, who was also half-demon.

Mostly, for me, Seton acted as my therapist. I visited him twice a month to talk over some of the emerging powers I was experiencing. My half-demon side was coming out, and I needed to get a handle on her before she overwhelmed my human side.

Twice in my life, she’d come to the forefront, and both times ended badly.

The first time, Dante saved me from the police when I’d killed a would-be rapist in the park, savaging him with the claws that emerged from my rage. The second time, Penn had been the one to prevent me from going full-demon on my mother’s serial killer. She’d been the one to step in and take him out, so I wouldn’t lose total control.

I put in a call to Seton. “Hey, can you see me either tonight or tomorrow? It’s kind of an emergency. I’ll probably be free tonight after…I don’t know…”

“What’s going on?” The worry in his voice was comforting. I knew that my friends had my back, but Seton understood what it meant for my inner demon to be waking up.

I told him about Penn. “I’m afraid that, at some point, my inner demon’s going to break out and go whoop-ass on whoever’s at fault, and I won’t be able to control myself. Especially if they hurt her.”

“Call me if you have time this evening. Otherwise, I can see you at eight tomorrow morning.” Seton paused, then added, “I hope you find her.”

“We’d better, or life is going to get awfully dark for whoever kidnapped her.”

* * *

At five, we were waiting in the parking garage for Terrance. From what Carson had been able to find, Terrance’s shift ended then. We had his car’s make, model, and license plate, and we stationed ourselves nearby, ready to fence him in before he could take off. I didn’t like ambushing people, but given he was part of Brim Fire, I didn’t feel guilty. Carson had provided us with pictures of Terrance, so we wouldn’t mistakenly stop the wrong man.

Sure enough, around ten minutes after five, Terrance came out of the elevator and strode toward his car. He was looking at his phone and I waited for him to pass me by, then stepped out behind him. Simultaneously, Orik stepped out from behind a car to block his way forward. Duran and Dante appeared from the sides. I’d left Carson back at the office. We needed to preserve Carson’s anonymity on the Brim Fire forums, and so I opted to remove any chances of Terrance figuring out the connection.

Terrance froze the moment Orik appeared, and when Dante and Duran appeared, he went into a fight or flight stance, prepared to battle us if we attacked him.

“We aren’t planning to hurt you,” I said. “Not if you answer some questions.”

He glowered, but seemed to realize he was overpowered. If he had any powerful magic we didn’t know about, given he was a member of the Brim Fire, he didn’t seem to be preparing to shoot a spell our way.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Penelope Fircrest’s roommate,” I said, watching his face carefully.

He kept his expression set, but I saw the barest of eyebrow lifts, enough to tell me he knew the name. “And…what does that have to do with me?”

“I think you know,” I said. “She’d better be alive, and safe, or you’re going to find yourself in a world of hurt. I’m half-demon. I’m prepared to let that side of myself out and you’ll discover why your organization’s goals are stupid beyond measure.”

Brim Fire was dedicated to opening the gates so that Demonkin had an easy entrance into the world. They had no clue what kind of fire they were playing with.

That seemed to get a response. He blinked. “You’re half-demon? Then you should be grateful for the work we’re doing.”

“You didn’t mean to say that, did you, Terrance?”

“I don’t make a secret that I belong to Brim Fire,” he said. “Contrary to what most people think. I’m proud of my affiliation. The world’s on fire, we might as well burn it to the ground so that we can start over again.”

“You’re on the side of Mordor, my friend, and we’ve all seen the movies. We all know how that turned out.” I leaned in. “Where’s Penn? What have you done with her? We know why you want her,” I added.

“You don’t have a clue. You think you do, but you don’t.” He turned to stare me down.

Weirdly, a part of me believed him. There was something in his voice that said he was telling the truth. And if he was, what did that mean?

“You have a chance to work with us instead of against us. You have the opportunity to keep your skin intact.” I folded my arms, feeling the inner flames start to rise.

“Your friend is safe, for now. She hasn’t been hurt. But as to where she is, I have no idea. She’s not my problem anymore.” He stepped back as I took a step forward. “You really are a demoness, aren’t you?”

“Half,” I said. “And uncontrolled. You really don’t want to piss me off.”

My frustration was growing. He knew he wasn’t getting away from us scot-free, so it boggled my mind that he was being so blustery. Of course, we had ambushed him, but we weren’t the ones who had kidnapped an innocent woman.

He hesitated and, for the first time, I saw fear in his eyes. I decided to capitalize on that fear. If he was already showing some anxiety, then I’d up the ante.

“You know what an uncontrolled demon can do. And a half-demon, who’s coming into her powers, who has an axe to grind? Just as dangerous as a full-blood demon. Tell me, do you really want to position yourself against me?” I shot a glance at Orik, who took another step in, and Dante and Duran followed suit.

“If I refuse to cooperate, are you going to kill me?” Sweat began to trickle down his face.

“There are things far worse than death,” I said. I reached out and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him toward me. “Where’s Penn?”

He hesitated for another second and I tightened my grip.

“All right, all right, you can loosen your grip,” he said. “I don’t know where she is. I organized the kidnapping, but I’m not the one who devised the plans in the first place. I don’t even know the full extent of why my contacts wanted her. I wasn’t given the information of where to take her beyond a transfer point.” His eyes weren’t lying.

I slowly loosened my grip on his shirt. “We’re going to get in the van and you’re going to tell us everything.”

Orik had brought the van. We all climbed in and sat down, Terrance in the center.

“Tell us what you know.”

“Why should I? If you let me go, you’ll know that I’ll run right to them and warn them,” he said. “You wouldn’t believe me if I said I’d keep quiet. You’re going to kill me. I know it.”

“No, we’re not,” I said.

“Listen to me,” Dante interjected. “We know you’re going to keep your mouth shut out of self-preservation. If you warn them about what’s happened, they’ll blame you for spilling the tea, and they’re not going to forgive you, are they? They’ll rough you up pretty bad, if they don’t kill you. Maybe even make sure you don’t snitch again by cutting out your tongue?”

Apparently Dante knew enough about scare tactics that he hit on a secret fear, because the color drained from Terrance’s face and he froze in his seat.

“And if you don’t talk to us,” Dante continued, “we’ll make sure you remember us forever. You know I’m telling you the truth, right?”

Terrance slumped and he rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid. What do you want to know?” He looked defeated.

“Do you know where she is?” I asked.

He shrugged. “No, I don’t.”

“Who ordered her kidnapping?” Dante asked.

After a long sigh, Terrance said, “Jiles Smithson. He’s the local head haunch for Brim Fire.”

I caught my breath, and glanced at my fingers. Something was shifting, and my nails were morphing, growing longer into talons.

“Kyann,” Dante said with a warning tone in his voice. “You’re changing.”

“I can feel it,” I said, trying to keep my cool. My temper was rising, though, and I could feel my features shifting. I’d never seen myself when I changed, but my forehead felt different, and I was having a harder time keeping control of myself. I turned to Terrance. “What aren’t you telling us?” The words came out in a growl.

He flinched, his eyes widening. He held his hands out in front of him. “Okay, okay, don’t hurt me. Jiles Smithson is part of the Crystal Court. He’s there as an undercover agent for Brim Fire. We managed to bring him over to our side.”

I stared at him. Brim Fire had infiltrated the Crystal Court? What the hell was going on?

“Why would you do that?”

“I just do what my superiors tell me,” he said.

“So Jiles Smithson put you up to kidnapping Penelope. Did he tell you why? Who did you assign to do the work?”

“No, he did not, and no one that matters. They were merely intermediaries. They delivered her to an agreed on transfer point, where Jiles’s crew took over. As I said, I don’t know where she is, and my part in the operation is over.” Terrance was sounding more and more truthful, and that scared me.

I forced myself to take a deep breath. A moment later, my nails began to recede to normal. “Where does Smithson live?”

“I don’t know his exact address, but he lives somewhere in north Seattle,” Terrance said.

I turned to the others. “We need to find him. And what do we do about Terrance, here?” Part of me wanted to eliminate him, but that didn’t fully set right.

“Don’t play with me. I know you’re going to kill me—” he started to say.

Dante cut him off. “No, we’re not. At least, not now. However, we can’t chance you telling Smithson that you snitched, even though he’d probably wipe the floor with you.”

I turned to Dante. “What do we do now?”

I’d expected that Terrance would know more than he did, and that after some minor roughing up, he would spit out her location. I hadn’t expected him to be as low on the ladder as he seemed to be. And I certainly wasn’t expecting to here that Brim Fire had infiltrated the Crystal Court.

“I can help out,” Orik said. “I have a friend who has a friend…who has a convenient safe room. We hold him there until we get Penn back.”

Terrance was sweating, now. “If I disappear⁠—”

“People disappear every day,” I said. “We can’t trust the police would keep you behind bars. So, it’s up to us, until we get her back, and then we’ll figure out what to do. Remember, if you snitch on us to the cops, you implicate yourself in a kidnapping. If you tell your buddies, we spread the word that you’re a snitch. You know what happens to snitches, don’t you?”

He paled, then let out a breath. “Yeah, I know. I’m fucked, aren’t I?”

“Hey, you’re alive and, if you don’t screw it up, you’ll stay alive. If you make waves, if you cause problems afterward, I’ll let my demon out to play with your bones. Got it?” I glowered at him.

Terrance finally nodded. “All right. I don’t know where Jiles lives, but he shouldn’t be too hard for you to find.”

I suddenly remembered Murdoch’s glimpse of Penn. “Does he own a restaurant by any chance?”

Terrance looked confused, but nodded. “He does. An Italian restaurant over on the east side. I don’t remember what the name is, though. I’ve never eaten there.”

“Okay, Orik. Terrance, give me your keys—don’t worry, we won’t hurt your car. We need to stash it somewhere.” I paused, then added, “Are you married? Do you live with anybody? And, don’t lie. You know we can find out if you’re telling the truth.”

He paled again. “No, but I have a dog. Please, she’ll starve if I’m not home⁠—”

“We’ll make sure she’s well taken care of,” Dante said. He opened Terrance’s wallet. “Is this your current address?” he asked, looking at Terrance’s license.

Terrance nodded. “My dog’s name is Coco. She likes kibble.” He looked like he was going to cry. “Please, be good to her.”

I thought how even the bad guys could have feelings. It made justice hard, at times. “She’ll be fine and I give you my word, she’ll be treated with love and care,” I said. “We’ll try to get her back to you after this is all over.”

I paused, then added, “You can bet that most of my demon kin wouldn’t go this far for an enemy. You might want to think over your allegiances. If you decide to change your mind about your loyalties, we can help you get away. You still have time to make the right choice, Terrance. Brim Fire has brainwashed you. You have no clue the danger you’re playing with. The demons don’t give a crap about your lives and they won’t reward you for helping them.”

He said nothing, but I had the feeling he was thinking it over.

CHAPTER TEN

After we reached the so I could pick up my car, Duran and I left Orik and Dante to deal with stowing our unwelcome captive away. We headed for Terrance’s apartment. Sure enough, Coco was there—a little shiatzu. She was a wriggly thing, and I scooped her up, thinking how afraid Terrance had been when he begged us to take care of her.

“You didn’t ask for this, little mutt,” I whispered. I didn’t know how to take care of a dog, but I knew who did. I called Sophia and told her what had happened. “Do you have the space to take in a foster?” I asked.

She sighed. “Yes, I can do that.”

“When can I drop Coco off?”

“Go ahead and bring her over now. You know my address.”

I hung up and started the car. We had also taken a good supply of dog food from Terrence’s apartment, and what appeared to be a well loved doggy bed.

“You have an interesting life,” Duran said. “How did you decide to become an investigator?”

“I knew I didn’t have the nature for a typical 9-to-5 job. And, given what happened to my mother, I decided I wanted to help others who were in trouble. I’m not very nurturing, so investigating seemed to be the best choice.”

I turned around and drove back north on Tenth Avenue until I reached West Crockett Street, then turned right. I continued until we reached Third Ave West, made a right, and then finally made another right onto West Howe, pulling into the driveway of Sophia’s home.

I turned off the ignition, and asked Duran to bring in the dog food and dog bed. I lifted Coco out of the car, making sure her leash was firmly attached to her collar.

As we headed up the steps, Sophia met us at the door. She invited us in and I set Coco down. The shiatzu began to bark as two other mop dogs came running into the room. They bounced around her, yapping their heads off, but they seemed more excited than upset. Coco sniffed their butts, and they sniffed hers, and suddenly the three bounded away, falling over one another.

“Looks like they’ll get along,” Sophia said, as I gave her the food.

“Good. Poor little mutt. She’ll miss her daddy for now. I hope he gives in and changes sides. We could use someone on the inside of Brim Fire,” I said.

“But could you trust him, if he does?”

“That, I don’t know. Maybe there’s something magical that can be done to ensure his loyalty. I won’t brainwash the man, but damn it…I feel like we’re floundering around in a pool like a bunch of fish who know there are piranhas in with us, but who can’t see where they are.”

And I did. It felt like we were alone, trying to work against a force intending on destroying the world as we knew it. And we had no leaders, no guidance, no help.

“I know,” Sophia said. “Coco will be fine here. I’ll give her love and care as long as she’s with me. Let me take that worry off your shoulders.”

“Thanks,” I said, sighing. “I wonder… Penn is a priestess of Hecate. Is there a way to petition the goddess for help?”

Sophia paused. She exchanged looks with Duran. Then, slowly, she said, “Yes, there is. I can act as an intermediary.”

“Will Zeus be able to trace you?”

Zeus had cast Sophia out, when she refused to sleep with him.

She sighed. “Let me ask Pythia. I follow her lead, though I’ve never been a pledged priestess. I think she might even help. She has her own grievances against Zeus. Why don’t you come in and I’ll see what I can do.”

As we followed her into her living room, I felt an instant sense of peace. Sophia wasn’t a witch, but her house felt magically protected. Decorated in muted shades of blue and cream, it reminded me of the ocean.

Several of the paintings on her walls were of the seas—tranquil and calm, stormy and wind-tossed, and endless like a silver mirror that stretched forever on the horizon. The furniture was cream colored with blue throws, and the walls were a pale blue, like the first hints of morning sky on a spring day. While not minimalist, the affect was mindful, with everything placed thoughtfully.

“Every time I visit, I remember how much I love your house,” I said. “I always feel at peace here.”

“Oracles need a calm, uncluttered environment for our powers to work,” Sophia said. “Clutter interferes with our focus.”

“That’s the same with most magic, too,” Duran said. “It really is a peaceful place. You must have it warded to high hell. I can’t sense any of the outer world’s issues pressing in.”

“I do,” Sophia said. “It’s my refuge. And with Zeus still pissed at me, even after all this time, I want a warning if he shows up.”

“Shows up?” I said, staring at her. “Zeus might show up here?” I wasn’t sure if I’d heard her right.

“Yes, why?” Sophia gave me a puzzled look.

“I just…” I’d never heard of the gods showing up in our world. I wasn’t sure what to think about that. “You’re saying that Zeus could show up here in the flesh?”

Sophia nodded, as though it was an everyday occurrence. “As could any other god. Why?” She paused, then added, “You really didn’t know about this?”

“How could I? I’m not pledged to a god. I have no clue how they work.” I sat down, aimlessly petting Coco who waddled up and rubbed against my leg.

“You know the portals? Well, some of those lead to the domains of the gods. They can travel through them, just like demons can come in from the UnderRealms, just like the Fae can come and go through their portals… Well, you get the drift.” Sophia snapped her fingers and Coco stood at alert, turned, and bounced over to her.

My mind took a sudden turn and I found my thoughts wandering. Had I ever met a god? Had they passed by me on the streets and I didn’t realize it? Did they get offended if people didn’t recognize them? But a moment later, Sophia brought me back to focus.

“All right, I’m going to call on Pythia.”

I had the sudden vision that a goddess was going to appear in Sophia’s living room, and that thought scared me shitless. “Um, should Duran and I be here? Will she mind?”

Sophia laughed. “She’s not going to show up. At least I don’t think she will. She might, if the situation’s complicated enough, but chances are I’ll commune with her and hear her answer.”

She stared at me, and I suddenly broke down, laughing.

“I must sound like a nutcase,” I said.

“No, not considering the situation. If you’ve never encountered the gods, it can be daunting. They’re so much more powerful than we are. And immortal. But remember: they’re not infallible, and neither are they omnipotent nor omniscient. Nothing in the universe is. The universe itself is sentient but on such a vast scale we can’t fathom it. Everything is connected, a vast web of energy points. We make up the universe and yet, it’s more than everything combined.”

“The sum of the parts is greater than the parts themselves?” Duran said. “We’re taught that in school at the magical academies.”

“Right. All right, wait here. I’m going to get my tincture. It helps me go into trance on a deeper level.” She vanished down the hall.

I turned to Duran. “Did you know?”

“What?”

“That the gods can visit us here?” I was still dumbfounded. “You know, I think, in the depths of my heart, I don’t even know if I believed they really existed. I mean, I know magic works, I know that psychics exist, I don’t know why I thought of the gods as some nebulous energy.” I realized that I’d conveniently filed them away and ignored any questions about their actuality. It had prevented me from going down the rabbit hole of what part the gods played in our lives.

“I don’t know if I’ve thought about it, though I knew they existed,” Duran said. “Penelope’s met Hecate, I do know that. So, I guess I knew?”

At that moment, Sophia returned with a small bottle. She settled down on the sofa, crossing her legs, opened the bottle, and used the eyedropper to let three drops fall on her tongue. Grimacing, she capped the bottle again, setting it to the side.

I wanted to ask what the tincture was, but she was already closing her eyes and I could feel her withdraw into trance, so I kept quiet. I could ask later.

“Look,” Duran said.

At first I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but then I saw it.

A faint, lavender mist was rising around Sophia. As the seconds ticked by, it became thicker, a gentle fog that rolled around her. Sophia didn’t move. She sat there, breathing deeply, and the energy in the room grew dense. While the fog didn’t boil out to encompass Duran or me, we could feel it. It penetrated every corner of the room.

The lights seem to flicker, although when I stared at them, they were holding steady. Everything felt nebulous, like reality was losing its hold. I felt like I should be nervous, but I wasn’t. There was no malignant aura, no sense of the malign. Duran and I waited patiently, keeping quiet so we didn’t interrupt the process.

A few moments later, Sophia opened her eyes. They were glazed over, black as night.

“I am here.” The voice that echoed out of Sophia’s mouth wasn’t hers, and it crackled like an old-time radio program.

“Pythia?” Duran asked.

“Yes.”

A shiver raced up my spine. I knew, absolutely, that we were speaking to a goddess, and I had no clue what to say. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

Sophia spoke again, but it wasn’t her—that much was obvious. “I understand the situation. I will speak with the goddess Hecate.”

I glanced at Duran, and he gave me a soft shake of the head, bringing his finger to his lips. At his prompting, I remained silent. I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but after what seemed like a few moments, Sophia cleared her throat.

“I have spoken to Hecate and she has told me that she will visit you, given Penelope is her priestess. Prepare for her visitation tomorrow morning.” Sophia was starting to look a little strained.

Worried about her, I asked, “Is Sophia okay?”

After a brief pause, Pythia said, “I will leave before she’s in any danger.”

“How will Hecate find us?” I asked.

“That is not your concern. She will find you. And now, I will withdraw.”

One beat…two…and boom, Sophia was back and Pythia’s energy was gone.

I knelt by her side as she slumped. Her hands were so cold they were like ice. I turned to Duran. “Get her some tea.”

He nodded, vanishing into the kitchen.

“How are you?” I asked.

With a shudder, Sophia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Cold. Hungry.”

“Bring some cheese and bread or something,” I called out to Duran. I pulled a navy throw off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Do you remember what happened?”

She nodded. “Yes, I do. Pythia spoke through me. I vaguely remember what she said.”

“She said that Hecate will visit us tomorrow to talk about Penn.” I brushed Sophia’s hair back from her face, which was as cold as her hands. “You’re so cold, are you sick?”

Sophia coughed, then pulled the throw tighter around her shoulders. “No, this happens when the gods speak through us. We expend so much energy being a vessel for them. I’ll be all right in a little bit.”

Duran returned with a tray. On the tray was some toast, cheese, a few dates, and some strawberries. “Here. You need to eat. I’ll be back with your tea.” He headed for the kitchen again.

I wanted to know what it felt like, what it was like to have a goddess inhabit your body, but it was such a personal question that I decided to keep it to myself.

Once Sophia had her tea and food, I glanced at my phone. It was seven-thirty. I had time to visit Seton. “Listen, I have an appointment at eight. Duran, I’ll drop you back at the building⁠—”

“Stay awhile,” Sophia said to him. “I’d enjoy the company and we can discuss different types of magic.”

Duran nodded. “I can find a taxi home, so if you like, I’ll stay.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” I said. “Eight. Duran, since you’re part of this, you’re welcome to join us. I know you’re invested in Penn’s disappearance.”

He nodded. “I’ll be there.”

As I left, I kept thinking about Pythia and how she showed up, and what that meant for the way I viewed the world going forward. And that, was something that I had yet to figure out.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Morning came and once again, I felt the loss of Penn from the house.

“I miss you,” I said, feeling lonely. As I entered the living room, Mr. Crumbles let out a mournful “Mommy?” which was his name for Penn.

I walked over to his cage, which took up the end of the living room, about four feet high and three feet wide and long. Since Mr. Crumbles couldn’t fly, it didn’t make sense for his cage to be floor to ceiling. He’d fall off his perch if he tried to fly, but this way, he had several perches to hop around on, and he was an excellent climber.

Penn had provided him with enough space to jump from perch to perch, and she spent time with him every day on physical therapy the vet had suggested. She’d put a little harness on him, then take him outside and run around the yard as Mr. Crumbles flapped his wings. He didn’t have enough muscle tone or feathers to fly, but he was making his way back to better health. Whether his wings would regrow enough for him to ever fly, we didn’t know, but she was doing her best.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Crumbles, but Mommy’s not here.”

“Mommy!” The squawk sounded frantic, and he shifted from foot to foot on his perch, agitated.

“Treat?” I asked. Penn had taught him what treats meant.

“Treat!”

I brought him some of the treats Penn gave him, thinking of Jangles and Murdoch, and how upset they’d be if I disappeared. “I’m sorry, Mr. Crumbles. We’re trying to find her,” I said.

After feeding the bird and the cats, I settled at the kitchen bar, pouring myself a bowl of Oat-Ohs, and splashing milk on them. The house was too quiet and I thought about Penn, trying to block out all the things that could be happening to her.

Jiles Smithson was going to be on the short end of the stick when we found him. I still didn’t know what we were going to do with Terrance, but right now, the focus was on rescuing Penn, and that was consuming my thoughts.

Finally, I grabbed my backpack, kissed the cats and made sure Mr. Crumbles cage was closed, and headed out the door. It felt odd not arming the security system, but until we dealt with this mess, I didn’t want IonStar having any access to seeing what was in my house.

* * *

As I jogged up the steps to the office, my mind was racing, although maybe it was the quad shot latte I’d bought and already half-inhaled. I waved to Sophia as I entered the office. “Breakroom, everybody, as soon as they’re in,” I said.

She nodded. She looked a little tired, but otherwise no worse for the wear. “Duran is already there,” she said. “He rode in with me.”

I backed up a couple steps, giving her a pointed look. “Say what?”

“Not that,” she said, laughing. “He’s too young for me, in so many ways. He was worried about me and volunteered to sleep on the sofa. By the way, Coco is doing fine—she’s loving being around my pair.”

“Good, and…good about Coco.” I still wasn’t sure what to think about Duran, but he was part of this whole mess, like it or not. I shifted my backpack, then headed for the breakroom.

Orik was there, and Dante—early for once. Duran was reading something on his tablet.

My phone rang. Frowning, I glanced at it. Seton. Damn. I’d been so focused on Penn’s disappearance that I had forgotten.

“Hey,” I said, answering. “I’m sorry, but I need to reschedule. Stuff’s going down over here, and I’m going to need your help but I’m also knee-deep in figuring out what our next move is.”

“How’s your inner demon?”

“Ready to cause hell, I’ll tell you that. But so far, I’m keeping her under control. I know that I need to talk to you, though. I’ll call you after this morning. I’ll know more by then.” I hung up, then turned to the others. “Have you told him?” I asked Duran.

“I didn’t feel it was my place,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll fill everybody in when they get here.” I opened the cupboards and pulled out a box of donut holes, arranging them on a plate. I returned to the table as Carson, Orik, and Sophia entered the room. “Morning, all. Gather ‘round. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“I thought you were off today,” I said, turning to Carson. “Your sister?”

“We’re in the middle of an emergency. My sister’s staying the weekend, so I’ll have time with her. She might drop by later, if everything’s okay.”

“Shall we get started?” Sophia asked.

I looked down at my tablet, where I’d written out an agenda. “We need to pay a visit to Jiles Smithson, and find out which restaurant he owns. Preferably in the reverse order. We need to figure out what to do with Terrance. And then we have to talk about last night. When I was at Sophia’s⁠—”

A noise interrupted me, like a spark and sizzle, and the next thing we knew, there was a woman standing there.

Around five-seven, she was cloaked in shadows, wearing a long dark robe made of shimmering webs. Beneath the robe, she was clad in a silky gown, black as night, with silver embroidery. Around her head sat a silver circlet, with the triple goddess moons.

Her hair was long, the color of the night sky, and her eyes were a deep, ocean gray. She carried a staff made of ebony wood, with silver wire wound around the top half of the staff, and a sparkling Herkimer diamond on the top.

But even more than her looks, the energy that filled the room held me enthralled. I couldn’t look away, couldn’t speak, could barely think.

Sophia gasped. “Hecate.”

Orik, Dante, and Duran said nothing, just sat there, staring. Carson jumped as his phone rang.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” He slipped out of the room, still looking startled.

I looked at Hecate and finally croaked out, “Welcome.”

She turned to me, staring at me for a moment. Then, she said, “I suppose you know who I am?”

I nodded. “Hecate.” Then, I froze. “I’m not sure how to address you…”

“Hecate will do. It’s my name. I’m here to offer you some help for my priestess, Penelope. But in return, you must do something for me.”

She got right to the point, that was for sure.

I glanced around. The others were still staring at her, with Orik looking pale, like he’d seen a ghost. Duran was silent, but he looked a little scared. Sophia was smiling. She stood and curtseyed.

“Lady Hecate, welcome to our office. Thank you for the visit.” Her voice had just the right mixture of respect and humility.

Hecate glanced at her, then she laughed. “I never fail to find these meetings amusing. Sit, everyone. And Sophia, Pythia speaks highly of you. Zeus will never know about my visit, I give you my word.”

Sophia let out a long breath and sheepishly said, “Thank you, I appreciate that, and I won’t forget it.”

Hecate laughed again. “The Lightning-Father doesn’t need to know everything.”

She took a seat at the table next to me, and I swallowed my latte, trying not to choke on it. Just sitting next to her was like sitting next to a live wire and my skin twitched.

“I’m not sure what you know, but Penn has been kidnapped—Penelope Fircrest. She’s⁠—”

“My priestess. Yes. I didn’t know until last night when Pythia told me. I haven’t received any pleas from her. What do you know?” Her expression was impossible to read, but the tone of her voice told me I wouldn’t want to make an enemy out of her.

“We found out that someone named Jiles Smithson ordered her kidnapping. He’s working for Brim Fire as an undercover agent, infiltrating the Crystal Court. We’re not entirely sure why they wanted Penn, but given the Crystal Court has now expelled her, she’s useless to Brim Fire. I’m afraid if they find out, they’ll kill her.” I took a deep breath. “We also have one of the people who kidnapped her, or rather—he was told to hire the thugs. We’ve locked him away and we’re not sure what to do with him.”

“You seem to be in a situation. There are things I can’t interfere in, but Penelope is my priestess, and she’s been loyal to me since I first called her in. I’ll give you what help I can at this point, but you must—as a group—make a promise to me.” Hecate’s gaze was laser fixed on mine.

I took a deep breath. “I can only answer for myself, even though I own this organization. I can’t make a promise for others to a goddess, not without their consent.”

Orik spoke up. “I can’t promise anything that would compromise my service to Odin,” he said. “But if there’s no conflict, I will give my oath.”

“Nor I, to Pythia. But, barring that, I also give my promise,” Sophia said.

“You have my vow,” Dante said. He looked at me. “What about Lazenti?”

“If he doesn’t want to agree, he can leave the company,” I said.

Hecate turned to Duran. “And you?”

He shifted. “I’m not part of Shadow Blade, but I’ll help.”

“You’ll have to ask Carson when he returns,” I said.

Before anyone could say another word, the breakroom door opened and Carson entered, accompanied by a woman who looked a great deal like him.

“My sister decided to visit,” he said.

His sister took one look around and froze in her tracks.

“Maya, you’ve come at quite the time,” I said. “Please say hello to Hecate, Lady of the Crossroads and Magic.”

“What?” his sister said, blinking. Then, she blurted out, “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” She took a step toward Hecate.

“Thank you,” Hecate said, her voice reverberating in the room.

“Carson, why don’t you introduce your sister,” I said.

Carson nodded. “This is Maya, everyone. My twin sister.”

Maya squeaked out a hello. She was gorgeous, obviously Carson’s twin.

“Maya, I’m sorry things seem so chaotic right now,” I said. “We’re in the middle of an emergency.”

“I can go for now, if you need Carson,” she said, her voice lilting. She shrugged off Carson’s protest. “There’s a gorgeous park or something out there,” she said. “I saw it on the way in.” But something in her voice told me she didn’t want to go trudging through the rain.

“That’s the Queen Anne Greenbelt, and it’s beautiful. But isn’t it raining? I don’t want you getting drenched.” I noticed one of her nails was broken. “Let me give you a treat. My nail lady is downstairs. I can see if she can take you in and fix that, or even if you want a new set? Then, you can be ready when Carson finishes here.”

Maya perked up. “Really? That would be lovely,” she said. “I don’t get my nails done often—I work with my hands so much, so it’s usually ridiculous for me to do much to them. But I thought for the trip I would, and then I hit my hand on the door this morning and chipped it.”

“Let me call Ami.” I turned to Hecate. “Do you mind?”

Hecate gave me a gracious smile and nodded for me to go ahead.

I pulled out my phone and called downstairs. “Ami, do you have time to take in a friend? My treat.”

Ami laughed. “Sure. I have half an hour. I can do something for her in that time. Send her down.”

“Will do. Her name is Maya.” I hung up and turned. “Maya, go down to the first floor. Ami’s salon is there. Give her your name and she’ll take you right in. We’ll see you back here in about half an hour.”

Maya waved and Carson showed her out, then returned. “Okay,” he said, when he returned. “I’m sorry for the interruption.”

“Not a problem,” I said. “But Hecate has something to ask you.”

“Will you promise to do something for me, if I help you rescue my priestess?”

Carson stiffened. “Of course.”

I had the feeling that if Hecate said shave your heads and give me a blood offering Carson would have instantly agreed. But whatever the reasons, it was his choice to make.

Hecate fastened her gaze on us. “You give of yourselves freely for Penelope.”

“We love her,” I said. “She’s my best friend—well, Penn and Dante here. She means so much to me.”

“Penn is one of us. We’re ride or die with her,” Dante said.

“Then you have made your choice. I will help you. In return, you will become aligned with me, as well as a small group of gods. We have groups strategically placed around the world, in different countries, keeping watch.”

“Watch over…what?” Orik asked.

“You know about the portals. There are more that are controlled by the Crystal Court. And those are at risk.”

“Are you talking about the Fae portals?” I asked.

“No, these were created thousands of years ago, some by the gods, others by Demonkin, still others forged by creatures from other realms. In time, they’ve faded, forgotten by most. But Brim Fire remembers.”

“I got the impression they’re a modern day group. How did—” I stared to ask, but Hecate was a step ahead.

“Brim Fire is merely a modern name for an ancient group of demonic magicians looking to bring down the world. They’re a shadow of what they once were, but they’re strengthening again, and we’ve been watching them. We don’t fully know their end goal, but in the meantime, they’re looking to push open the gates to the Demonkin realms. We believe they want to harness the demon’s power for themselves.” Hecate leaned forward. “And that…is something none of us wants. Because Demonkin won’t stand for it, and it’s just going to bring about chaos and havoc.”

“So…what do you want us to do?” I asked.

“Be ready to investigate when we call on you. Drop everything if a crisis goes down. We may have other tasks for you, if the need arises. Otherwise, continue your lives as normal.” Hecate scanned our faces. “Agreed?”

We all nodded. “We agree. Now what?”

“Now, I help you retrieve Penelope.” She glanced over at the counter. “May I have a cup of coffee and one of your pastries?”

Sophia scrambled out of her chair to bring Hecate the coffee and doughnut. Once again, the bizarre nature of the scene made me want to laugh, out of sheer nervous energy.

“Do you know where Penelope is being held? I’ve tried to reach her, but I get conflicting information. Her energy is extremely foggy right now.” Hecate sounded worried. The look on her face remained neutral, but I sensed concern in her voice.

“We need to figure that out.” I turned to Carson. “Can you do a search to find out what restaurant Jiles Smithson owns?”

He nodded. “Let me get my laptop.”

Carson returned a moment later, computer in hand. He opened it, then logged in, Hecate watched him and as he tapped away, she walked around behind him, peering over his shoulder.

“I’d like to learn to use one of these machines,” she said.

Carson glanced up at her. “It’s not that hard. I can teach you, if you like.” He seemed as calm as if he was talking to some twelve year old.

“I may take you up on that. What are you doing now?” Hecate watched as he brought up a browser and typed in Jiles’s name. The next moment, a list of search results came up, and Hecate tilted her head, reminding me of an owl.

“I’m looking up information on someone.”

“Are those all facts about him?” Hecate asked.

“Yes, though they may be talking about some other Jiles Smithson, or they might be outdated. The top results are generally the most accurate, other than the AI crap the search engines are pushing on us.” At her puzzled look, he continued. “Artificial intelligence. But it’s only as reliable as the information fed into it. And anybody can decide what they want to present as a fact.”

He clicked on a link and then scanned the article. “Okay, here it is. Jiles Smithson owns the Bellissimo Piatto. That’s beautiful plate in Italian. He’s in the…hmm…”

“What?” I asked.

“He’s in the Green Lake District, on Second Avenue, right off of Woodlawn Avenue. They’re open from one PM til midnight, Tuesday night through Sunday night.” Carson searched on the restaurant name itself, and came up with some nice interior shots from a review done by a critic from the Seattle Restaurant Scene website. “It’s a three story building. See, this is the main floor, and there’s a staircase going up over there in the corner, and it looks like a door which…here’s a picture of wine racks in the basement. So they have a basement.”

“Murdoch showed me a flash of where she was. That looks like the place, from what I could see through her eyes.” I looked at the others. “So, if he hasn’t moved her, she’s still there. What the hell do they want?”

“Sophia can commune with her,” Hecate said. “While I’m here, I can provide a link, since Penelope is my priestess.”

Sophia set down her coffee cup. “I’d be happy to, with your assistance. It helps to have something Penelope owns, but somehow I think the link you have to her would be stronger than anything I could use for psychometry.”

“What can we do to help?” I asked.

“Scoot yourselves back from the oracle,” Hecate said. She sat down next to Sophia as the rest of us moved away. “Take my hand.” She held out her hand and Sophia cautiously grasped it.

Taking a deep breath, Sophia leaned back in her chair and, with an instant change in energy, dropped into trance. I felt like a chasm was being bridged, as though Hecate was giving Sophia a walkway directly to Penn’s soul. It was an energy that was hard to explain, or even understand, but I knew what was happening.

A moment later Sophia shuddered. The voice that came out of her mouth wasn’t hers, but Penn’s. “What’s happening? Where am I?”

“Penn, can you hear me?” I leaned forward.

“Kyann? Is that you? Where are you? I can’t see anything. Everything just went black.”

“Sophia’s made a connection to you. Are you all right?”

There was a pause, then she said, “Mostly. But I don’t think I’ll be safe much longer.”

“Are you in the basement of Bellissimo Piatto?” I asked.

“I’m not sure where I’m at, but it’s a restaurant, and I smell all sorts of garlic and tomatoes and fresh seafood.” Her voice wavered. “I’m scared, Kyann. I can’t use my magic. I’m in some sort of anti-magic zone.”

“I know. We’re coming to get you.”

“Someone’s coming!” Sophia shuddered, and her eyes flew open. She fell back in the chair. “Oh man, I’ve never done that before,” she said, staring at Hecate. “I’ve been a medium for spirits now and then but…”

“You have the power to do this without me. It’s just a little harder.” Hecate let out a long breath. “There are rules the gods must follow—but I can give you a little more help.” She reached up and plucked a hair from her head. The long hair shimmered as she began wrapping it around her finger and then, cupping it in her hands, she murmured a soft breath over it and then held out what looked like a short length of indigo rope, sparkling like a dark thread.

“With this, you will be able to keep even the strongest man bound. Make a small loop, slip it over the wrists or around the ankles, and it will tighten on its own. To remove it, tell it to let go, and it will slide off. It cannot be burnt, cut, or destroyed, except by dragon fire, or by another god. It will negate magic if the captive has the ability, while they are held by it. And it can work in non-magical zones. I feel you’ll need it before this is over.”

I took the rope. It was thin as a box chain necklace, but it felt alive in my hands. “Thank you,” I said. “I wish you could come with us.”

“I cannot, but Penelope can summon my strength once she has use of her powers again. Now, go rescue her, and we will speak later.” She stood, then turned to Carson. “I will contact you so you can show me how to use the machine.”

He blinked. “You’re serious?”

“You weren’t?” she countered.

“Of course I was. I’d be happy to help. I just…”

She laughed as he stumbled over his words. “Even the gods have much to learn, and in this modern era, we must learn new ways, if we’re to remain relevant. More of the gods have been talking about this…and most of us agree.” Then, she walked over to the door and said, “Close your eyes or you’ll have a splitting headache for days.”

We obeyed, though part of me wanted to find out what she meant, but then—even with my eyes closed—came a flash so bright it punched me in the face. When I opened my eyes again, she was gone.

I turned to the others. “We know where Penn is. Let’s gear up and go get her before they decided to move her on out.”

“Onward,” Orik said.

“I’m coming,” Carson said.

“What about your sister?” I asked.

“I’ll go down and tell her this is an emergency. I’ll give her the keys to my car so she can go exploring on her own for awhile. She’ll be fine,” he said, heading toward the foyer.

Dante and Orik were debating what we should take, as I made sure the rope Hecate had given me was tucked inside my jacket. Every time I touched it, it felt like the energy of the goddess. I was holding a priceless gift.

Carson returned, and as we went about arming ourselves, we spoke softly, all of us deep in our own thoughts about the meeting with Hecate.

CHAPTER TWELVE

We decided to take two cars. Orik would drive the van and take Dante with him. I would drive my Jeep and Carson would ride with me. We left Duran with Sophia, because we were heading into a dangerous situation and he wasn’t trained for fighting.

On the way, Carson said, “Did you really believe in the gods before meeting Hecate?”

“I’ve thought a lot about it, and you know, I think did,” I said. “But it was more theoretical. I know Penn’s a priestess, and I know that Sophia knows Zeus—and pissed him off—but until you stand face-to-face with one…it seems more of an archetype-thing. You know what I mean?”

He thought for a moment. “I realized that until this morning, I thought the gods might be part of…well…like a split personality. That sounds stupid, but my brain works with numbers and figures, not energy. I believe in magic, but I’ve seen it done. Now, my whole world view has taken a huge shift and I’m going to have to process everything differently now.”

I paused. “You know that Penn truly cares about you, right? She didn’t turn you down because she doesn’t like you. In fact, she turned you down so she wouldn’t break your heart. The Fae usually aren’t comfortable settling down with one partner.” I wasn’t sure if Penn had ever explained why she had turned down Carson’s advance.

He let out a long sigh. “I know. She did tell me. That doesn’t mean I still don’t have a crush on her, but I understand. And I appreciate that she took the time to explain, instead of blowing me off.”

“You do know she’s old enough to be your grandma? She’s⁠—”

“I know that, but age doesn’t mean much when we’re talking about the Supe Community. She looks in her thirties. You look in your twenties. So, who cares at that point? If I were dating a vampire, she might be several hundred years old,” Carson added.

On one hand, he was right. On the other, experience counted for a lot in a relationship. But chemistry was chemistry, and Carson responded to Penn. I felt bad for him, but Carson would find someone else eventually. He was young and had time.

We drove along Aurora Avenue, turning right on North 50th Street, then making a left onto East Green Lake Way. From there it was a straight shot to Second Avenue, where a left turn would bring us to the restaurant.

“Why do you think they took her?” Carson asked.

“I don’t know. At first I thought it was because she’s one…was one…of the portal keepers. But given what Terrance told us, I’m not so sure now. They had to have some reason.” Even as I said it, I was thinking that Brim Fire was chaotic enough to pull off stunts that might be meaningless to us. Who knew what was going on in those wacked-out minds of theirs?

“Well, whatever they’re up to, I hope it backfires on them. After we have Penn back, that is,” Carson said, scowling. “You just can’t go breaking into people’s homes and kidnapping them.”

“Speaking of…I think I need to find a new security system,” I said. “Do you have any recommendations?”

He snorted. “I can barely afford a run-down apartment. My security system consists of a bunch of iron bars on the windows with garlic attached to them, in case any vampire decides to drop by. Except Lazenti, of course. He came over last night to meet my sister. She’s offered to do a painting of him. In fact, Maya’s moving up here. She’s getting tired of California.”

“I like her,” I said. “She’s sweet and incredibly talented.” When I first met Carson, he’d been so introverted it was hard for him to make any social chit-chat. He’d blossomed out, and though I suspected he was on the spectrum, he seemed in his element when he was at work. I seldom asked him to go out on investigations with us—he wasn’t a people-person—but he was a whiz where we needed him to be.

“She’s lonely down there. Grandma died a year ago, and Grandpa sits in that big old house all by himself. Maya’s going to move in with him and take care of him in exchange for rent. I don’t think I could move home again, but I told Maya that I’ll help out as much as I can.”

“Maya and Grandpa better show at our annual Thanksgiving,” I said. We celebrated together every year at Orik and Hilda’s. We all chipped in and helped, and I charged the food to the business. Carson had always shown up a little late after spending the early afternoon with his grandparents.

“I’m sure they’d love it,” he said, giving me a broad smile. “How much further?”

I glanced at the street sign. “We’re almost there. I’m going to pull around back to see if there’s a back entrance. Can you text Dante and Orik and tell them my plan?”

“Consider it done.” A few seconds later, Dante texted back. “Dante will follow your lead. They’re right behind us.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay, here we are.” It was a shopping center, with several buildings on one massive lot, and I turned into the alley behind the first, which was Bellissimo Piatto. Just like I thought there would be, a door offered a back entrance for the staff. Next to the entrance was a large dumpster. I drove down the alley to where it opened out to the far side of the parking lot. Instead of parking near the restaurant, I parked in front of a thrift store—Karen’s Closet. It was open, but there didn’t seem to be many customers yet, and I parked as far to the side as I could so we wouldn’t be seen by the restaurant staff, if any came in early.

It was nine-thirty, and the restaurant didn’t open until one PM, so hopefully, there wouldn’t be anybody there yet. Dante parked next to me, and we moved around back, into the alley, before clustering together to discuss our next move.

“I say we break in, find her, and get her out before we deal with Jiles. And I think we should talk to the Queen. Since Jiles is part of the Crystal Court, we probably should turn him in and let them take care of it,” I said. “I don’t like them, but they need to know.”

“I agree on that. What if he’s with Penn?” Dante asked.

“Then we do whatever we need to in order to free her. It’s as simple as that,” I said. I wouldn’t hesitate to take out someone hurting my friend.

We hustled down the alley, stopping in front of the restaurant door. I tried to press my ear against it, to see if I could hear any noise, but nothing stood out.

“Do you think they have a security system?” I asked.

Carson examined the door. “I don’t think so. This is a pretty nice part of town, too. One of the lowest crime rates in the city.”

“I’m taking the chance,” I said as I examined the lock.

It wasn’t all that difficult—I could pick it without a problem. I’d learned how to pick locks while living on the street. There had been times where I had no place to stay, so I’d break into a small, out of the way shop, sleep, then wake before morning and be off again before anybody ever got there.

I pulled out my picklocks and went to work, while the others covered me. It didn’t take much to spring the lock, and as I cautiously opened the door, I listened for any alarm, but none came. Letting out a deep breath, I stepped into the back storage room and waved the others in.

“Shut the door,” I said, keeping my voice low.

There were no signs that anybody else was here, and so we began scouting around.

“Look for the basement door,” I said, passing by a stack of sauté pans. The kitchen was impressively clean and the lingering smells of food from the day before weren’t overwhelming. They must have an impressive air circulation system.

“Here!” Dante said.

We hurried over to his side. He was standing in front of a door with a sign on it. The sign had a picture of a staircase, with the words watch your step below.

“This has to be it,” I said. I motioned for them to let me open the door, and when I did, I stopped short. The stairs went down, as usual, but the feel of magic was strong. Or rather, it was strong at the doorstep. As I stepped through, onto the staircase, everything dissipated, as though every shred of magic had been gobbled up.

“An anti-magic zone,” I said. I wished we’d brought Duran with us now, but Orik might be able to help. “Orik, come here. Can you sense the shift in energy?”

The six-eight priest stepped through the door, onto the stairs with me. If the door was two inches shorter, he would have bumped his head. Frowning, he turned around and ran his hands around the doorframe.

“Yes, there’s an anti-magic spell cast down here and it starts at the door. They probably cast it to fill the basement.” He shook his head. “Kyann, it takes a powerful witch to set up a spell this strong. Usually, anti-magic spells cover a small area. Or a person in particular—either so they can’t cast magic, or so magic can’t be cast on them. A small but important difference to focus on when casting the spell.”

I let out a long sigh. “Then the more we can evade Jiles and let the Crystal Court take over, the better.”

“Would Hecate want you to leave it up to them?” Dante asked. “She seemed pretty determined that we take care of these guys.”

“Yeah, but…well, we’ll deal with that after we free Penn.” I headed down the stairs, pencil thin flashlight casting a narrow beam. When I was halfway down, the lights came on by themselves. I jumped, nearly falling forward down the steps but Orik tapped me on the shoulder and pointed back to Dante, who had flipped the light switch at the top. After he steadied me, Orik drew a short sword and I drew a dagger, and we hurried the rest of the way down the stairs, ready to meet whatever might be lurking around the corner.

The basement seemed divided into several spaces. A wall cordoned off the far end of the basement—probably two-thirds of it—with another door in it. Where we were, the furnace blasted out a steady stream of warm air. Next to the furnace stood a washer and dryer—for table linens and dishtowels, most likely. And next to them—a folding table with a stack of linens, all neatly ironed and pressed.

“All right, here we go” I headed toward the door. As I reached the door, I steeled myself for whatever might be on the other side. Cautiously, I opened it and peeked in.

The room was obviously a storage room. Right off the bat, I caught sight of a giant walk-in freezer. Near the freezer, were a stack of cases of Italian wine, and next to the wine cases, sat Penn, tied to a chair. She looked to be asleep, her chest rising and falling evenly.

“Found her!” I turned to Orik. “Get Dante. Tell Carson to stay up top, on the look out for others while we untie her.”

Orik headed back up the steps while I rushed to Penn’s side. I couldn’t see any traps, so I knelt down beside her and gently shook her by the shoulders.

“Penn, wake up! Penn?”

Her eyes fluttered and she slowly came to consciousness. “What?”

“Wake up. Get up! We need to get out of here.” I continued to shake her gently until she focused on me and gasped.

“You came!”

“Of course we did. Is there anything I should know before I release you from your bonds?” I asked.

“You need to get out of here, fast,” Penn said. “If you can, take me but for the sake of the gods, please, hurry!”

I frowned, wondering what was wrong. “What’s going on?”

“They—” she froze, as a click against the floor sounded. “Quick, cut me lose!”

My blade was razor sharp and I cut through the thick ropes without a problem, but I was worried. If Penn thought there was danger, there probably was. I reached out to cut her loose, but the next moment the clicking against the floor grew louder as the faint outline of a trapdoor appeared. The next moment, it flew open, and I froze as three scary-ass looking creatures emerged from beneath the floor, all armed with long, sharp daggers.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

They looked a lot like goblins, only gnarlier and ready to rumble. Goblins were trouble, but they could be reasoned with at times. Whatever these creatures were, I didn’t anticipate any such luck. Their faces were warty, as though they had giant hard pimples all over them, fleshy nodules that looked inflamed. Their skin was oily and pig pink, with some dirt added into the mix. They were about five-five, and burly. They were wearing some sort of trousers, but nothing else.

They moved forward toward me, their eyes glowing, not saying a word.

“Orik!” I only had time to cut the bonds around Penn’s hands before the creatures were within attack range. I moved to the left, trying to draw them away from Penn while she untied the ropes around her feet.

A clattering on the stairs behind me told me that Orik and the others were on their way down, but I didn’t have the luxury to wait. The first creature came rushing at me. I dodged to the side, but he seemed to anticipate my move because he turned with me, reaching out to swipe my arm. I yelped as he clipped me with the tip of his short sword.

I returned the swing, landing a hit on his shoulder, but his skin was strong enough to deflect the blade.

At that moment, Orik was beside me, engaging the second guard, and Dante, the third. Carson hurried over to Penn’s side to help free her legs.

I dodged another hit—these suckers were fast—and spun, kicking at my opponent as he stumbled over a cord on the floor. I managed to connect with his shoulder, my heeled boot digging into him hard enough to break the skin. Sometimes stilettos had their use.

The force of my blow sent him reeling, and I charged, my blade out, while he struggled to retain his balance. Blade raised, I swiped at him again, missing as he ducked to the right. He let out growl and, head down, barreled my way.

I tried to dodge him but this time, I couldn’t move fast enough and he headbutted me in the stomach, sending me flying back to land against a wall of wine bottles. I hit hard, shaking the entire rack, and bottles began to fall off the shelves, shattering as they landed. The smell of wine filled the air, as shards of glass exploded out, littering the floor. Several splinters lodged in my skin—two in my hand, one in my cheek. I winced, but ignored them as I scrambled to my feet, regrouping to once again face my opponent.

By now, Dante and his adversary were into the thick of fighting, as were Orik and his. The basement echoed with grunts and shouts.

“What are these things?” I shouted. The creatures hadn’t attempted to talk to us at all and I didn’t even know if they could talk.

“Grotes—in the goblin family but worse. Sub-Fae,” Dante yelled back. “They’re born with swords in their hands,” he added.

Great. A race born to fight. And they had no intentions of making friends with us, or even discussing the matter.

The grote on me came racing forward once again, a fierce glint in his eye. He meant business. My dagger wasn’t a good match for his sword—short or not—but I managed to do a duck-and-roll as he swung at me. As I rolled past him, I managed to clip his right leg with my dagger. I lucked out, striking between the top of his ankle boot and his pant leg. My blade struck deep, leaving a bloody gash on his shin.

I rolled out of the way, coming up into a crouch, breathing hard. Dante had landed a strike on his grote. Orik was tall enough to aim for the top of the head. He brought his handaxe down, biting into the grote’s skull with his blade. The axe went in deep, so deep that Orik had to grab hold of the groat by the shoulder for leverage to retrieve the blade.

I shot a glance over toward Penn and Carson. They were headed out the door, toward the stairs. Relieved, I turned back to my opponent and feigned a step to the left. He began to follow and I reversed, jumping right of him. I swung around, my blade gliding through his side, stabbing deep into his flesh. He let out a shriek as blood sprayed from the wound.

Orik turned toward the grote fighting Dante, and the creature suddenly backed up, holding up his hands and dropping his blade. He turned tail, heading for the trap door. Orik followed, throwing his axe at the grote. The blade landed in his back, knocking him down.

I turned back to my opponent, who held up his hand, shuffling back toward the trap door. Not feeling generous—he had managed to clip me just enough to hurt—I charged him. He dropped his blade and dove for the staircase, but I jumped to land on his back, knocking him down. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I brought my dagger down through the nape of his neck and twisted. The body beneath me shuddered once, twice…then was still.

As I looked up, relieved, Orik shut the trap door, after peeking in.

“There’s a hole against one wall in there,” he said, his face pale.

“Through that trap door?” I asked.

“Yes. The grotes came through it,” he added. “I’m pretty sure, at that depth, the passage leads into the outer tunnels of Underground Seattle.”

“Great,” I murmured.

Underground Seattle started out small in the late 1880s, when the great Seattle fire raged through, gutting a good share of the town. Seattle had been built at or below sea level at the time, and for some time, some of the shops continued while the city built several stories up, covering over the underground. Eventually, the entire city was on the upper level and the underground had been let go to rack and ruin.

Eventually, it was turned into both a tourist trade—for the safest areas—and then the Supes moved in. Vampires, goblins, and other Supe low-lifes, set up a city within a city. Now, Underground Seattle was a thriving community in its own right, but it wasn’t a safe place to be.

Penn was on her feet, though she was having trouble standing up.

“I’ve been tied in that chair since they captured me, except for an occasional bathroom break,” she said. My knees are so sore.”

Orik, who had been examining the grotes, crossed to her side. “Here, I’ll help,” he said.

But as he spoke, there was a noise from upstairs.

“Crap, someone’s here,” I whispered. “Is there any other way out? Any place to hide?” Frantic, I looked around.

“There’s only one way out,” Penn said. “We have to go into the Underground. And we’d better hurry.”

I stared at the trap door. “That’s almost as dangerous as facing Brim Fire.”

“We don’t have time to argue,” Dante said. “Penn’s right. And drag those bodies with us.” He grabbed up one of the grote bodies, dragged it over to the trap door, and pushed it in. I grabbed the second and followed suit, while he went back for the third. Then I took the lead, with Carson behind me, then Dante, then Penn, and leading up the rear—Orik, we climbed down the ladder, and Orik pulled the door shut behind him.

* * *

As we stepped onto the ledge by the ladder near the hole that the grotes had come though, I noticed that the chute was made of brick, lit by dim lights embedded in the walls. The light was enough to see by, but not enough to focus clearly.

The ladder went down and down, and I was worried that Penn would be too stiff to hold on.

“You can hold onto me,” Orik said. “I might be able to fasten my belt around you, but I don’t know that’s it’s big enough for both of us.”

“I know!” I pulled out the cord that Hecate gave me. “Penn, wrap your arms around Orik’s waist from the back. That way he’ll be free to hold onto the rungs easier.”

She frowned, but did as I asked. I tied the cord around them, and it fastened itself snugly.

“That should hold,” I said. “Okay, let’s get a move on.”

I swung back onto the ladder, going first, and began to descend. I couldn’t see the bottom very well, though it seemed to be about three stories down. And I saw three blobs in the dim light, which had to be the grotes.

I began to move, trying to put the speed on without losing my grip. Orik came next, with Penn attached to his back. Then Carson began scrambling down the ladder, surprisingly agile, and after him, Dante.

We reached the bottom, sidestepping the bodies. So far, I couldn’t seen any sign that anybody topside had noticed. I looked around. We were in a small room that opened out into an underground passage.

Underground Seattle was a labyrinth. It was a rite of passage among some street gangs to make a potential member work their way through the Underground, in the dingier, deadlier parts. And some teens used it as a dare, which was stupid as hell, but nobody ever said the teen years were the most sensible.

I looked around, trying to gauge where we were in relation to the parking lot. My sense of direction was fairly keen—but Dante’s was better. Most shifters had an innate sense of direction.

I turned to him. “Why don’t you take the lead? Get us out of here as soon as possible. There’s no way we won’t attract attention and that’s not what we want.” I crossed to Penn and Orik and took hold of the length of rope, tugging on it. It opened right up, and I coiled it in my hand. “Orik, take the rear, please. You’re a tank and anybody behind us will think twice about coming after us.”

I hugged Penn and took her hand as Dante began to lead us through the hallway. “I’ve been so worried about you. Can you walk all right?”

“I think so,” she said. “I’ve missed you, too.” She reached out to touch the cord Hecate had given me. “This feels so familiar⁠—”

“It should,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Hecate gave it to me to help rescue you.”

Dante motioned for us to keep quiet. He glanced over his shoulder. “I hear someone up ahead.”

We quieted down. The tunnel was wide and tall, with various passages veering off this way and that, with dim lights embedded into the brick. The arched ceiling was built from old brick, and some of the areas looked weathered, even though they’d been protected from the elements. I had no idea how old some of the passages were. We weren’t in the tourist-area of the Underground, where the buildings built before the great fire had been gutted and retrofitted into modern shops. As we passed by, I began to notice doors against the walls, and windows, with faint lights filtering out from within. My stomach twisted as we passed by.

There was an entire community down here. Vampires, of course, could come to the surface at night, but during the day they were able to set up shops here and interact. Other creatures—mostly various members of the sub-Fae—kept their business below ground as well, even if they could roam about under the sun. Goblins like Benny were rarely seen topside, unless they were up to some mischief. And this was the first time I’d ever laid eyes on a grote. I had no idea of who else lived down here and I’d had my fill of meeting new creatures for now.

Dante paused at a turnoff, sniffing the air. “I can’t decide whether we should continue straight, or turn left here. I think we’re near the edge of the parking lot, but I can’t be sure.”

“What are we looking for?” Carson asked. He’d been taking pictures right and left as we went.

“Another outlet—a ladder against a wall, a set of ascending stairs…something like that.” Dante let out a sigh. “Let’s try the turnoff first. This way.”

As we turned left, the brick of the floor became more weathered, and the sense of oppression heightened. I followed. Both Dante and I were light on our feet from years of practice.

Penn was walking normally, her stiffness seemed to have evened out. She was silent, even though her blue Mary Janes—the ones I’d seen in my vision—should have been clattering against the brick. But then, she was part Fae, and they could move with stealth when they chose.

Orik was the one who was making noise. At six-eight and three hundred pounds of muscle, he was surprisingly agile on his feet, but that much of a man couldn’t help but leave a trail of sound behind him. Even then, we made ground and so far, nobody had taken notice of us. Or, if they had, they hadn’t approached us.

But up ahead, near another ladder going up, a couple young boys were surrounded by four adults who looked to be in their early twenties. The boys—pre-teens by the look of them, cowered as the other four circled them.

One of the four—who seemed to be the leader for the group—was a woman about five-seven. She wore a red tube top, with a black layered tulle skirt that barely covered her ass. She wore patent leather granny boots over striped leggings in yellow and burgundy. Her hair reminded me of an old SNL character’s hair—Roseanne Rosanna Dana, and she wore eye liner that turned into a mask. Her lips were bright red.

The other three were men, with shirts open to the waist, tight pleather pants and gold chains around their necks. The blond had a mullet, the other two men had brown hair pulled back into sleek ponytails.

The kids stood back to back as the four adults circled them.

I knew exactly who the gang was. We were close enough for me to see the woman’s fangs descend. She licked her lips, gazing hungrily at the boys.

“Fuck. Vampires, and they’re going to drain those boys.” Before I realized what I was doing, I ran headlong their way. “Get the fuck away from those boys,” I shouted, bringing out my blade.

I heard Dante mutter, “Crap,” but he was right behind me. Orik made Penn and Carson go to the back, and he too, followed us.

The vamps turned our way. Their fangs were down, and they didn’t look at all intimidated. But the fear on the young boys’ faces spurred me on.

“And who do you think you are?” the woman asked, sauntering forward.

“You’re going to find out if you don’t let those kids go,” I said, as something shifted inside. “Nobody takes advantage of a child around me.”

“If they’re old enough to venture into our territory, they’re old enough to pay the price,” she said. “Run along now, and we’ll let you be. I’m hungry, and I fancy a snack,” she added, glancing back at the boys.

I was already on edge from rescuing Penn, and I was out of patience with assholes. I gave in to the urge, letting out a guttural sound as my body began to shift. My nails grew into talons, and ridges began to protrude from my forehead. As the strength flooded into my body, I embraced it. I felt strong and heady and glorious. I lowered my head a moment, reveling in the changes my body was going through, then slowly straightened, staring my prey in the eye.

“I said, back away.” I took a step forward.

Dante and Orik had broken off, moving to the side, but they stood steadfast. From where I was, I could sense Penn’s concern, but I brushed it away.

The vampire tilted her head. “What are you?”

“You really want to find out?” I glanced at her buddies. “Get the fuck away or I’ll drag you out into the sun and let you broil.”

The men moved back, shuffling their feet. As they backed away, I turned to the boys. “Climb. Get the fuck above ground and never come back down here. Do you understand?”

They didn’t hesitate, but turned and scrambled for the ladder.

The vampire in front of me snarled, but held her ground. “Don’t play with me, whatever you are. This is my territory.”

I’d had enough. “It might be your territory, but rogue vampires are seldom welcomed by their kin who run the Vampire Federation.” And then, I fully snapped and leapt forward, body slamming her to the ground.

She was strong, and she fought back, but I held her fast, straddling her with my legs, pinning her against the brick. I swiped across her face with one hand, my talons raking her deeply. She hissed and I could tell she was trying to shift into a bat or mist or something else vampiric. I clasped my hands, bringing my fists down onto her nose. A crack told me I’d broken her nose.

A noise startled me and I glanced over my shoulder. Orik had landed his axe through the blond vampire, catching him in the heart, and the vamp burst into dust and vanished, ashes falling to the floor. The other two were backing away, and as Orik took a step toward them, they made tracks, running at blur-speed down the hall.

I turned back to the vamp I was holding down.

“Do it,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “Just fucking do it. I don’t care anymore.”

Without a thought, without any remorse or guilt, I brought my blade down into her heart. She stiffened, then let out a garbled cry, and she—too—burst into ashes.

I stood, dusting myself off, then turned to stare at my companions. They looked different when I was in this form, more vulnerable. I waited as Dante and Penn approached.

“Kyann, come back to us. Remember yourself. Remember who you are,” Penn said.

I snorted. “This…is who I am. And I feel glorious.”

“You need to come back,” Dante said. “You don’t have the strength to control this side of yourself yet. Listen to us, please?”

From somewhere deep inside, a part of myself whispered, you have to go back inside. I’ll learn to let you out safely. Please, don’t hurt our friends.

I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to creep back inside, muffled and chained. But something sparked in me, like a fever dream, that I wasn’t safe if I stayed on the outside, and my friends weren’t safe. So I reluctantly let go, as my alter self emerged.

* * *

I blinked and let out a long breath. Then, overwhelmed by the energy from my inner demon, I began to shake.

“Are you okay, Kyann?” Dante asked.

I shook my head. “No…yes…I don’t know. I’m back now. But I have to talk to Seton. She’s getting stronger, and it’s harder to make her go back in.”

“Let’s get moving, before anybody else comes along,” Orik urged.

“Remember,” Penn said. “You saved those kids. Your demon didn’t like what was happening any more than you did. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

I licked my lips, nodding. “I suppose you’re right.”

“You know I’m right,” she said.

As we climbed the ladder, I kept thinking about the vampire’s expression before I killed her. She knew she was going to die, and she looked relieved. I couldn’t be sure, but I had the impression that I’d freed her from a life she had never asked for.

We reached the top within minutes, finding ourselves on the other end of the parking lot. A short jog brought us back to our vehicles. It was nearing noon, and I was hungry as hell.

“Meet back at the office. Carson, can you call Sophia and ask her to order in lunch for all of us?” I fastened my seatbelt.

Penn, from the backseat, said, “I should contact the Crystal Court.”

“Yeah, about that,” I said. “We need to have a talk before you do that. It’s important.”

“All right,” Penn said, sounding puzzled

I put the car in gear and drove out of the parking lot, still dwelling on what had happened, and wondering if I would ever learn to control my inner demon. Or one day, would I be the one trapped inside, trying to get free?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

By the time we got back to the office, Sophia had lunch waiting for us. She’d ordered in a variety of Chinese takeout from Mama Chang’s, a Chinese restaurant near our office. She’d also ordered a fruit platter and pastries from a corner grocery mart.

When Penn followed me in, Sophia rushed over to give her a hug.

“Thank the gods.” She gave her the once over. “What do you need?”

“Food. A shower. The feeling of safety,” Penn said, trying to laugh, but the next moment, she broke down. “I thought they were going to kill me.”

“Lock the front door,” I told Sophia. “Let’s eat, and talk about this.”

Sophia locked gazes with me, then softly asked, “Do you want me to make an appointment with Seton for you?”

I nodded. She could sense the demon on me. “This afternoon, if you can.”

“Right.” With that, she hurried back to her desk as we filed into the breakroom.

I grabbed the tissues and handed them to Penn, then washed my hands and face. Dante, Carson, and Orik washed up, and—as Sophia returned—we settled down at the breakroom table.

“I have an appointment for you at two,” Sophia said.

“Thanks,” I said, still shaky.

My inner demon seldom ever came out, but each time, she felt stronger. With my demonic powers emerging, that side of myself was growing more dangerous and it was imperative that I learn how to control her and direct the energy.

I turned to Penn. “So tell us what happened.”

“I’m still in shock. I don’t know why they kidnapped me,” she said. “At first, I thought it was because of the portal I watch over, but they didn’t ask me a single thing about it. They didn’t ask me anything. Several times during the past couple days, someone came in and…”

“And?” I asked, spooning a big scoop of fried rice onto my plate. I added some potstickers and an eggroll.

Penn stared at the food. “I’m so hungry,” she said. “They gave me food but not a lot of it.” After she filled her plate, she added, “And…I don’t remember. There’s more, but I seem to have either blocked it out or…I just don’t know. I think I faded in and out throughout the time I was there. I do remember asking them what they wanted, over and over, and the man who seemed to be in charge kept telling me to shut up. I tried to use my magic, but something prevented it.”

“There was an anti-magic spell cast in the basement,” Orik said.

I held out a picture of Jiles Smithson. “Is this the man you’re talking about?”

Penn nodded. “That’s him. He’s not the one who broke in, but he’s the man who kept checking on me.”

“Would you recognize the kidnappers?”

She frowned. “Maybe. I didn’t get a good look at them, but I think it was two men. They had masks on, though.”

Something felt off. I didn’t think Penn was lying, but I had there was something she wasn’t telling us. Or that she couldn’t tell us. “Why don’t we eat? We can discuss everything after lunch, after you’ve had a chance to clean up. But there are other things we have to tell you and I’m not sure what you’re going to think,” I added.

Penn stopped mid-potsticker. “What’s going on? Tell me now, please.”

I didn’t want to tell her this, but she had to know, and the sooner, the better. “I went to see the Crystal Court, to ask for their help. Duran got me an audience.”

Penn froze. “And…?”

“And they’ve kicked both you and Duran out of the Crystal Court. They refused to help me rescue you, and they said you’re…”

“Just say it.” She stared at her plate, pursing her lips.

“They consider you a liability because of your half-Fae nature, and because of your connection with me.” I sighed, feeling like I’d kicked her when she was down.

After a moment, she took another bite of food.

Then she said, “Fuck them. Fuck them and the horse they rode in on. No matter where I go, my bloodline seems to be the only thing that matters. I’m done.”

“Well, there’s something they should know,” I said. “The man who kidnapped you and kept you in his restaurant is a member of both Brim Fire and of the Crystal Court. His name is Jiles Smithson.”

Penn pensively stared at her food. Then, she exploded jumping out of her chair.

“They’ve put me in an untenable position. They cut me loose, kick me out of the Crystal Court! They say I’m a liability. And now I find out there’s an informant on the inside? Part of me wants to let them burn—let them find out on their own. I’m not loyal enough to be part of the court, and yet they allow a member of Brim Fire to walk right in without checking on his background?”

She marched over to the counter, leaning against it, her head down as she rocked back and forth. She turned around, white faced.

“I’m so conflicted. I know I should tell them, but why? Why bother? They can’t keep order in the ranks, they become more adversarial every day, and then they blame me for problems they created! They can go fuck themselves.”

“You don’t mean that—” Carson started to say, but she turned on him.

“Oh yes I do mean that! Why should I bother helping them out when they’ve tossed me out of my ass? And left me to the whim of a bunch of lunatic kidnappers?”

Nobody said anything for a moment. Finally, I said, “You might want to talk to Hecate.”

“Oh, I will.” Penn sat down again, aimlessly biting on an eggroll. “You said Hecate helped you get me back? At least she trusts me.”

I nodded. We told her about Hecate’s visit.

Penn’s eyes shone. “She came here because of me?”

“She did,” I said. Penn needed some validation and what better proof than to know her goddess valued her service so much.

“That helps,” she said. “I still wonder why Brim Fire targeted me.” She yawned, then pushed her plate back. “I’m so tired and sore. I need to lie down.”

“We have a cot in the back,” I said. “What about if I hire a masseuse⁠—”

“There’s no need to hire one,” Sophia said. “I can work those knots out, if anybody can.”

Penn gave her a tired smile. “Thanks. I’ll happily take you up on it.”

“Come then, let’s get you some rest and then, when you wake up, I’ll try to work out some of those kinks.” She led Penn out of the room.

We kept a daybed in the storage room, cordoned off by screens, for times when one of us might need to pull a night shift. As the pair left the room, I tried to figure out what it was I was missing. Because something had been left unsaid.

When Penn was out of earshot, I said, “There’s part of the equation missing. If they didn’t ask her about the portal, what were they after? Why were they keeping her there?”

“I don’t know. Did you notice that she was pretty vague?”

“Maybe she really doesn’t remember everything,” Carson said.

Dante shook his head. “I don’t trust this. They weren’t keeping her there for decoration, and we received no ransom demands. Terrance says he didn’t know, either.”

“Speaking of Terrance, what do we do with him?” I asked. “We can’t keep him locked away.”

“I don’t know.” Dante said. “Don’t you have an appointment this afternoon?”

I glanced at my phone. It was one-thirty. “I have to be at Seton’s in half an hour. Hold down the fort till I get back,” I said, gathering my things. “Carson, take the rest of the day. Go hang with your sister. We’ll call you if anything else comes up.”

“Thanks boss,” he said, and headed for the door with me.

* * *

As I drove to Seton’s office, I wasn’t sure exactly what to say. I let my demon out again and she went postal on a vampire? But then again, said vampire had been about to kill two young boys. Regardless, though, I knew I needed better control than I was managing, and it was time to dive into deeper issues.

Seton Anthony looked younger than Carson, though not as hip. He looked like the geeky nerd cousin or brother, but I had a feeling he was far older. He was one of the most eminent demon-specialists in the world, focusing on both the study of Demonkin, and healing those with demon blood. Our anatomy was different in several substantial ways.

He motioned toward the chair. “So, what’s going on?” He paused, then said, “You let your demon out.”

“Today, yes.” I told him about what had happened.

“Do you think you could have restrained her? Could you have kept her from emerging?”

I thought about it. I wanted to say no, but I wasn’t sure how true that is. “I’m not sure. I want to automatically jump to nope, but the truth is, I have no idea. Maybe. I think the question’s more: did I want to keep her from emerging?”

“How so? Tell me about it,” Seton said.

I thought for a moment before answering. “Those kids—the boys. They were so afraid I think one peed his pants. They probably thought they were going to saunter down, play it cool, maybe prove what bad asses they were. And then these four vampires come along, and boom, they’re facing the end of their short lives.”

“Rogue vamps?”

“Most likely. The majority of vampires don’t log kills now, not if they belong to the Vampire Federation, but these four…I don’t think they would have stopped at drinking from the boys. I think they were out for fun. They would have tortured the boys, then killed them. Or turned them. I saw red.”

“Do you feel you could have solved the problem without turning into your demon?” Seton asked.

That, I could answer. “No. I don’t think they would have backed off and then at least one of us would have been hurt. I’ll be honest. I don’t regret killing the woman vamp. I do, however regret not making a conscious choice. I want the choice, Seton—I want the choice to let her emerge.” I leaned forward. “How do I do that?”

“You need to quit being afraid of this part of yourself. You’re so afraid to embrace your emerging powers. You must learn to embrace your shadow, because your inner demon lives in the shadow world. But most of all, you need to stop viewing ‘her’ as the other. She’s part of you, not a separate entity. You’re both the same person. She’s simply another aspect of yourself. And yes, I agree. You absolutely must learn to control the anger that comes with this side to yourself.”

I listened, taking in the advice. “How do I do that? How can I embrace a part of myself I don’t even understand?”

“I want you to start talking to your inner demon. Ask her to work with you.”

“Just like that, huh?” It sounded so incredibly hard.

“It’s not as hard as you think,” Seton said.

“What do I do until then?”

“In the meantime, I’m going to send you home with some information about your powers. You’ve learned to feather-float—for the most part. Now, it’s time you began making a connection with the wind. The strongest of your father’s kind can summon up hurricanes and tornadoes. I don’t know if you’ll ever be that strong, but you have to understand how to summon it, so that it doesn’t just erupt out of you like some rogue storm.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Storms can be scary.”

“I know that your powers frighten you, but if you can’t accept that part of yourself, you’ll never feel whole. And you’ll be far too dangerous if they emerge sporadically.” Seton brought up his email and pasted several links in it, then hit send.

“I guess I can’t change who I am, can I?” I said. “Can’t you tell me a little more about the Arosien Clan?”

Seton cleared his throat. “All right, but you must promise me that you won’t shy away from our work just because of your lineage.”

I nodded. “I promise.”

“The Arosiens are power hungry demons who specialize in manipulating others. If they can’t persuade others to work with them, the Arosien clan takes what they want. They’re top tier predators in the world of Demonkin, and they know no fear. At the same time, they’re loyal to clan. They’ll never sacrifice one of their own without absolute necessity.”

“What do they think about other demons?” I asked.

“They’ll work with them, but they see them as inferior. However, they rule over the other Demonkin with a fierce protectiveness, so most other demons kneel to them. Arosiens reward loyalty with gifts and beneficence, and disloyalty with a reign of death and storm.”

“Real bunch of winners, it sounds like,” I said, wincing. My father’s bloodline were basically a bunch of power-crazed maniacs, then.

“You have to accept what you’re born from in order to curb the traits that can harm your relationships. At the same time, this acceptance will enhance the positive traits. Kyann, we all have parts of ourselves that we don’t like, that we hope nobody ever sees.”

I knew the Arosiens were ruthless, but I hadn’t realized how ruthless.

“Warlords,” I said. “Arosiens are the warlords of the Demonkin.”

“That’s a fair assessment,” Seton said. “I’ve been researching the clan ever since we met, in order to better help you. The Demonkin work within a feudal society. That’s one thing Brim Fire doesn’t understand. On the surface, the demons appear chaotic, but there is order to their chaos. As far as I can tell, most Demonkin don’t necessarily want to rule our world.”

I listened to him carefully. “Will you write up a bullet list of things you’ve learned? As I told you, Hecate has elicited a price from us of dismantling or thwarting Brim Fire as much as possible.” I paused, then added, “That’s another thing. Finding out that the gods can visit here, in the flesh, has thrown my world view into a tizzy.”

“I imagine it would,” he said.

“Did you know?” I asked. Seton seemed so brilliant, and he knew so many things, and yet—he seemed so young.

“That they’re as real and tangible as you and I? Yes.” He leaned back. “How does it make you feel, knowing they’re capable of walking the streets?”

I thought about it for a moment. “For some reason, meeting a goddess face to face was terrifying. It scared the hell out of me. If the gods can walk among us, what else can happen? Somehow, it made reality seem so…tenuous?”

“Because if the gods can walk among us…” Seton prompted.

“If the gods can walk among us, then anything can happen. Then the world isn’t as fixed as it sometimes feels. The portals open into world after world after world. What if, someday, the demons do decide to waltz through? Or something equally as bad? What if we’re one portal way from destruction to our way of life? One portal away from the apocalypse?”

Seton set down his pen and crossed his right leg over his left. “You grew up in chaos. Your mother did her best but look what happened. The rug was yanked out from beneath your feet when you were fourteen. Everything you knew crumbled when she was murdered. You were forced to fend for yourself at a time when you should have been able to focus on school and dating and deciding what you wanted to be.”

“It was only for a year—” I started to say, but Seton shook his head.

“I know that Dante rescued you not quite a year later, but the fact is, those months in between struck deep in your subconscious. The lack of foundation at such a young age, and the constant threat of danger—well, it left a lasting impression. And now, though you’re grown and established and settled, there’s a part of you always afraid that, once again, the rug will be snatched away and you’ll be back in freefall.”

I thought about what he said. “I guess I’m afraid of change.”

“I’m not surprised. But the truth is, we either change or stagnate. Life is built on change, but change is not chaos. Or, rather, it doesn’t have to be. You can weather these changes without becoming a chaotic hot mess. One step at a time.”

“So get to know my inner demon. Make her part of me, so that I keep control?”

“Right. Woo her. Embrace her. Don’t fear the dark side because that side protects you. But, find a way to remove the potential for chaotic destruction. Our shadow selves are incredibly powerful. If you can harness that power, if you can use its best traits and leave the negative ones, then… Who knows what you’ll be able to accomplish?”

It made sense. “Is it true that the Demonkin don’t like half-breeds as much as the Fae?”

He nodded. “Yes, it’s true. Don’t expect them to welcome you with open arms.”

“I wish I knew who my father was. Although, for him to leave my mother like that… Maybe I don’t want to know him.”

Seton paused. After a moment, he said, “I have the feeling that someday you might meet Anyway, do you promise to spend time with your inner demon? Find out what makes that part of yourself happy. Don’t assume she’s all anger.”

“Okay, I’ll work on it. And when Devon comes back, he can help me start learning more about the wind and the air element. He should return next week,” I added.

“Keep me in the loop as to what’s happening,” Seton said.

* * *

As I left the office, my phone rang. It was Dante.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.

“Kyann, get back here. Penn’s gone, and our computer system has been hacked. Sophia’s hurt—Penn hit her over the head. I’m not sure what the hell’s going on.”

I stared at my phone.

“Kyann? Kyann? Do you hear me?”

Startled, I shook off the shock. “I heard you. I’m on the way, now.” As I put my car in gear and headed back at the office, I wondered what the hell was happening.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I sped all the way back to the office. As soon as I screeched into the parking lot, I slid into the nearest spot, turned off the car and jumped out, racing toward the building. I took the stairs two at a time, worrying about Sophia all the way.

I slammed through the doors to the office to see Sophia lying on the sofa in the waiting room. Dante was with her, along with an EMT from the Supe Community Emergency Services. Carson was at her computer, looking frantic. Orik and Penn were nowhere in sight.

“What the hell happened?” I skidded to a stop next to Dante and Sophia. “Where’s Orik?”

“He went after Penn,” Dante said.

“Sophia? What happened?” I peeked over the top of the EMT kneeling beside the sofa. He was checking her blood pressure and vitals. The other EMT was preparing some sort of shot. Sophia had a nasty gash on her forehead. The bleeding had stopped, but it looked like it was going to need stitches.

“She’ll be all right. Her vitals are good. We’ll stitch up this wound and give her a couple of prescriptions, and with a bit of rest, she’ll be right as rain.” Supe EMTs were different than human ones, in that they could often diagnose and take care of some injuries. When they couldn’t, or if the injuries were too great, they transported the patient to the clinic or hospital.

“Penn hit you?” I still couldn’t believe it.

“She did,” Sophia croaked out. “And boy did she do a good job of it. I’m not sure what she hit me with⁠—”

“It looks like she hit you with the flat of an ax. She wasn’t aiming to kill, I think, or you’d be dead,” Dante said.

“Crap. Why the fuck would she do that?” I had no clue what the hell was happening right now. I felt so conflicted. I was worried sick about Sophia, but I was also worried about Penn.

Sophia slowly sat up, leaning against the back of the sofa so the EMT could begin stitching. “She snapped. It was Penn, but I swear it wasn’t Penn. Her eyes shifted color. They flared, turned bright red, and then, boom, I was out like a light.”

I turned to Carson. “You say she messed up our computers?”

He nodded, frantically typing away on the keyboard. “She’s wiped everything we had about Brim Fire off the computer. She also installed a virus that’s destroying our files. I’m trying to stop it. I can’t even turn it off, and if I unplug it, that may trigger something worse.”

Paling, I turned back to Sophia. “Did she say anything at all that you can remember?”

Sophia closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“Please sit still so we can stitch up your wound,” the EMT said.

“Sorry,” Sophia answered. She complied, but continued to talk. “She wasn’t Penn, Kyann. Not the Penn I know. Her eyes were glazed over. She didn’t say a word, but I know that wasn’t her—I know magic when I feel it.”

“She is a witch,” I said, wondering what the fuck was going on.

“There’s a difference between sensing someone’s personal magic, and magic that’s been used against them. I’m positive she’s under a spell⁠—”

“Stop talking,” the EMT said. He glanced at me. “I won’t be able to sew up her forehead if you won’t quit urging her to talk.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop.” I backed away, heading over to Carson. “What did you think’s happening?”

“I found a jump drive on the desk. I examined it on a virtual OS on my laptop, and it’s filled with viruses. One in particular looks like it’s meant to destroy any mention of Brim Fire that we have in the main computer system, after transmitting the information somewhere else. I wasn’t able to track down where the hackers originate from because by the time we realized something was wrong with the computer, it was already deleting our other files.”

“Ugh. I think we can safely bet about who’s doing this,” I said.

“There’s more,” Carson said.

I grimaced. “More? So it gets worse?”

He nodded, pursing his lips. “All our personal information was hacked. We have to assume that they know everything about us. Identification…pay rates…bank info for direct deposit…addresses…whatever we had filed away. I’ve already called to put a hold on my bank accounts. You, Sophia, Orik, and Dante need to do the same. I can’t do that for you.”

I slowly sat down on the chair next to Sophia’s desk. “Penn would never willingly do this.”

“I didn’t say she would,” Carson said. “Sophia thinks she’s under a spell. She’s also a danger to herself because we’re not sure where she went.”

Dante pointed to my phone. “Call the bank. Then see if you can get hold of Penn. Maybe your voice will break her out of whatever’s happened.”

I silently stood, walking away from the desk. After a few seconds, still trying to absorb everything, I called my bank and put a hold on anything going in or out. I had one emergency credit card that I never used, and nothing about it was stored in the computer at work, so I told them to keep that active, but to call me if there was any unusual activity on it, beyond groceries or the like.

After that, I turned around, feeling numb. “Where do you think she’s at now?”

“We don’t know. Orik’s tracking her.”

“If there’s a spell on her, then they might have ordered her to kill herself or something—” I paused as a call came in from Orik.

“Kyann, I spotted Penn. I’m after her now, but can you and Dante get the hell down here to help me?”

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Down at the waterfront, in Golden Gardens Park. Hurry.”

“On our way.” As I hung up and turned to the others, the EMT was finishing with Sophia’s forehead. “Dante, come with me. Orik spotted her in Golden Gardens Park. Carson, stay here and work on the computer and watch over Sophia.”

“Will do,” he said, as Dante and I grabbed our coats and headed for the parking lot.

* * *

Golden Gardens Park was on the waterfront. With a dense woodland, filled with hiking trails, and a beach that led right to the water, it offered something for everyone. I pushed down my fears, focusing on the road.

“I’ll bet you anything they were holding her till we could rescue her. This was their plan all along—and probably why were able to track her down. They used her as a weapon against us.”

“You’re unusually calm,” Dante said. “Are you all right? I mean…”

I knew what he was asking. “I’m seething, Dante. But I’m not going off half-cocked and endanger her life. No, we’ll find her and get this fucking spell off her, and then, we plan our revenge. Nobody hurts my friends and lives to talk about it.” I felt numb inside, but I also knew that a fire was there, waiting to be ignited. And when I lit the fuse, it would explode, and Brim Fire would rue the day they ever decided to lay a finger on Penn.

“You’re letting her come out, aren’t you?” he asked.

I knew what he was asking. “Yes. It’s time I married all parts of myself into one. Seton thinks so. And right now, I need her⁠—”

“Just watch your step,” Dante warned. “You know⁠—”

“I know what I am,” I said, glancing at him. “You don’t need to remind me. I live with a shadow over my shoulder every day. I live with a seething temper hiding just below the surface, and I live with the fear about what I might do if everything breaks out into the open. But right now, no matter what I do to them, it won’t be enough. I won’t rest until they’re dead to the world.”

Dante let out a long breath and sat back in his seat. “Just don’t become the thing you hate, Kyann. Even a category one hurricane can kill.”

“Funny you should mention storms,” I said. “Seton did too. Hurricanes, gales, windstorms…”

I wound around a curve on Golden Garden Drive NW, heading for the parking lot deep in the park. Orik had texted me where to meet him.

“She’d better be alive, or I’ll hunt Jiles down and feed him to a cougar, piece by piece.” I gripped the steering wheel, shaking.

“So, you think this was their plan all along?” Dante asked.

“I do. They know we’ve been on their tail. They want us to back off, so they found a way to send us a message. I’m afraid that they’re going to hurt Penn as the final blow.” I paused. “Duran. Do you think he threw Penn under the bus? Could he be working with Brim Fire, too?”

“Where is he right now?” Dante asked.

“I don’t know. We told him to stay home because we didn’t want to put him in danger going after her this morning. I watched him getting reamed by the queen⁠—”

“We’ll have to figure that out after we find Penn,” Dante said. “There’s the entrance of the parking lot.”

We pulled in and I eased into the spot next to Orik’s van. As we hopped out of the car, Orik was waiting by the back of the van.

“She stole Sophia’s car—it’s right over there,” he said, pointing.

There were several parking lots, but this one was in a clearing, in the center of the forested park. The park contained beach front, wetlands, playgrounds, hiking trails and other activities, and—as most areas around Western Washington—a tangle of undergrowth and trees.

“Where is she?” I asked as we hurried over to him.

Orik pulled out his phone and brought up the map of the park. “I saw her run up these stairs.” He tapped a place on the map. It was just up the road. “The stairs are a steep climb. She’s probably in the forest. I can’t imagine her running out into the neighborhoods above.”

“Did she say anything to you?”

He shook his head. “I think she’s still under the spell. Let’s get moving.”

“Where’s her car?” I glanced around the lot.

“I don’t know that, either.” Orik pressed his lips together and led us out onto the road, where we turned to the left and began the jog. Trees stretched tall overhead, bordering both sides of the road. About a hundred or so feet ahead, we came to a set of steep, narrow steps. The staircase led up to a neighborhood about three hundred feet above, with a switchback along the way. Steep, the staircase contained over 270 steps according to the map information. Rain made them slick, so one misstep could lead to a twisted ankle, or a dangerous fall.

“You’re sure she went up there?” I asked.

Orik nodded. “I saw her go. She may have gone off trail, into the woods. I don’t know why she would have gone all the way up to that neighborhood.”

“It wouldn’t make sense for her too.” We were about thirty steps up. “Dante, you check to the right, Orik, to the left. My sense is that she did go off trail.”

I wanted to jog up the steps as quickly as possible, but with one slip, I came down hard on my knee. I slowed my pace. “Guys, it’s super slick. Be cautious.”

We worked our way up through the drenching downpour. The rain stung against my skin, pelting down. Everything was soaked, every branch, every leaf, every tree, and the vibrant smell of petrichor filled the air. I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

“Hey, look!” Orik pointed to the left, where we saw some freshly broken branches and what looked like imprints in the thick mulch covering the ground.

“Let’s go,” I said. Suddenly, I could feel her near. I knew Penn was in the woods. I leapt over the railing and began tracking her energy. Orik and Dante followed.

We pushed through the bushes. The light was wavering—it was nearly four-thirty, and we barely had another hour before the sunset. It was cold and getting colder, and Penn had been wearing a skirt and shirt.

“Did she have on a coat when she ran out of the office?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so. I caught a glimpse of her, but I think all she was wearing was her skirt and blouse,” Dante said.

I knelt down, trying to read any signs in the bushes. There was a place where the bushes had broken.

“I think she went this way.” I pointed at the bushes. “I’m no Strider, but even I can see a freshly broken branch, and there don’t seem to be many other people out here right now.”

“Let’s go,” Orik said.

“I can track her,” Dante said. He stood back, stripping off his jacket and shirt, then his shoes. He unzipped and kicked off his jeans.

I grinned and caught his clothes as he tossed them to me. Dante was good looking, that was for sure, and more than adequately blessed, but not once had I ever been tempted to push our relationship out of the friendzone.

He shimmered, then without a blink, a giant white wolf stood there. He sniffed the broken branches, then took off silently through the forest. Orik and I scrambled to follow. The park wasn’t huge, but the thickets and copses were dense enough that both Orik and I slipped and slid on the wet vegetation. I went down once as my heel caught on a root, but rolled back to my feet. Gathering up Dante’s clothing again, I scrambled to keep up.

We were about ten minutes into the thicket, when Dante started barking. We followed him, till we could see a body in blue lying up ahead, under a fern.

“Penn!” I raced forward, dropping Dante’s clothes. He shifted back into his natural form and began to dress.

Penn was unconscious, lying on the ground. I felt for her pulse, and sure enough, she was still alive, though her pulse was racing.

“We have to get her out of this weather. I think she’s going into shock.” I stood back as Orik gathered Penn up in his arms.

Before we began to return to the steps, something caught my attention. A twinkling of some sorts. At first I thought it was raindrops, but then I looked closer and saw a rock. It shimmered with magic and I headed over to it, suddenly thinking of the rock in Ami’s yard. But it felt different. There was something dark and moody about it. I motioned for Dante to join me.

“I think this is a portal. I think this is what Penn was trying to find. She was probably directed to come here after destroying our computers.” I reached out toward the rock, then paused. Something felt familiar. It felt…like me.

“This portal has demonic energy on it. I can feel it—what the hell is it doing right here? Anybody could stumble on it. Any child could accidentally run into it or go up to touch it.” I began to panic. How could a portal to the UnderRealms end up in the middle of popular park?

Orik handed Penn to Dante and walked over to examine it. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You can feel it because you’re part demon, but look.” He reached out and touched the stone. Nothing happened.

“But Penn’s not part demon—” I stopped, then turned to Dante. “Let me look in her skirt pocket—wait.”

I noticed she was wearing a pendant on a chain. I’d never seen it before, but now, I zeroed in on it. I reached out and unfastened it, looking closely.

“This pendant… It has demonic energy in it.” I turned back to the stone. “The energy of the pendant matches the stone. It’s a talisman. Okay, the stone won’t harm anybody who doesn’t have either demon blood or a charm that matches the frequency. Make a note to come back and see if we can somehow destroy this portal. Now, let’s get Penn out of this weather.”

I pocketed the pendant as Orik once again took Penn from Dante’s arms. We made our way back down the stairs, helping Orik so he wouldn’t miss a step and fall while carrying Penn. In the parking lot, we put Penn in the van and I bound her hands with Hecate’s rope so that she couldn’t easily slip away. Dante found Sophia’s keys and drove her car back, as we headed back to the office, in hopes of figuring out what had happened.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

By the time we returned, Sophia’s forehead had been stitched and she was back at her desk. Carson was still sitting beside her, on his laptop, while she was on the desktop. They both jumped up as we entered the office.

“You found her!”

“Yeah, but she’s unconscious.” I pulled out my phone and put in a call to Seton. Luck held and he answered on the first ring. “Seton, can you come over to my office now? We have an emergency.”

“You sound frantic,” he said.

“I need you. Not for me, but something’s happened and…come, please?” I was ready to drop on my knees and beg, if that’s what it took.

“I’ll be there in ten. I’m already on my way out for the day.”

Relieved, I turned to Penn. She was drenched—absolutely soaked, and her breathing seemed labored.

“Get her out of those wet things,” I said. “There’s a robe in the bathroom, near the shower. I’ll get the heating pad.”

When I returned, Sophia and Dante had stripped her and she was wrapped in the robe, on the daybed, beneath a blanket. I plugged in the heating pad and turned it to low, sliding it under the covers next to her.

“Until we have her checked out, I don’t want to put it directly on top of her, but the ambient heat will warm her.” I sat by the daybed, worried out of my mind. “Why is she unconscious? Why isn’t she waking up?”

“I don’t know,” Sophia said. “Would you like me to try to summon—” There was a noise out front. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

When she returned, Seton was with her.

“Seton!” I explained what had happened, and then handed him the pendant. “She was wearing this. I know it’s not something she owned.”

He took the necklace and his eyes widened. “Let me check this out.”

He carried over to a table where we cleaned equipment. As he brought out a couple of his gadgets—I had no idea what they did—one of them let off a loud beep and a red light on it flashed. “This is a pendant made to align the wearer’s energy with that of Demonkin. Wear it too long and you’ll permanently take on a demonic aura, even if you aren’t a demon.”

“It doesn’t give you demonic powers, does it?” Sophia asked.

Seton shook his head. “No, it doesn’t.”

“When we found her, she was unconscious, near a portal to the UnderRealm. She was on the ground nearby.”

“Was the portal activated?” he asked.

I nodded. “I think so. I could sense it, though Orik couldn’t.”

“Most portals need a trigger to activate them, especially the natural ones.” He paused. “I think the proximity of the pendant woke it up.” He moved to the chair beside Penn and checked her vitals. Then, he clasped her head and closed his eyes. After a moment, he said, “She’s got a curse on her—I’m not sure exactly what kind, or how to break it.”

“She destroyed almost all of our files,” Carson said, entering the room. “First she went for the files on Brim Fire, then for the rest.”

“She’s a computer whiz?” Seton asked.

I shook my head. “No, she’s not. She’s competent, but she’s not a techie at heart.”

“The viruses that deleted our files were on a jump drive,” Carson said, holding it up. “I checked it out in a virtual OS on my laptop. Whoever wrote this is pretty savvy.”

“Brim Fire is full of intelligent people. I’m not saying wise,” Carson said. “But smart? Yes.”

“So they used Penn to get to us,” I said. “What would have happened if she had gone through that portal?” I asked.

Seton sighed. “She would have probably been captured and enslaved. Or killed. There’s no good outcome if that had happened.”

“So, do you think the demons are behind this?” I asked.

“No, I think the organization is. I don’t think the demons appreciate Brim Fire as much as Brim Fire thinks they do.” Seton sighed. “The hubris of humanity never fails to astound me.”

“Why hasn’t she woken up?” Dante asked. “She’s been unconscious since we found her.”

“I think…” Seton shook his head. “I think it’s whatever curse she’s under. I’m sensing that her true self has been buried so deep in her psyche that she’s unable to break through whatever force it is that is controlling her.”

“So, they cast a spell or curse on her, that triggered once she got back here. And it took over, sending her into some sort of fugue where she had no control over what she was doing?” Sophia asked.

“I’d say that’s about right,” Seton said.

Sophia cleared her throat. “I can try to summon Hecate again. She’s Penn’s goddess.”

“Go for it,” I said. “We need all the help we can get.”

Dante found Sophia a chair and she sat down, then closed her eyes. Once again, she slid into trance, diving deep. I watched, waiting. If Hecate wouldn’t help us, I didn’t know what we were going to do. I could look for someone who could break curses, but we weren’t even sure that was what had happened. I didn’t know if Penn was possessed, cursed, or had somehow—inexplicably—been cajoled into joining our enemies.

We waited as Sophia lowered her head, and I could feel her out on the astral, searching. She was a long ways away from her body at this point.

I glanced at Dante, who gave me a nervous shrug. I didn’t want to say anything to interrupt her trance work, but I was also nervous for Sophia. Granted, she knew what she was doing far better than I knew what she was doing, but I didn’t want her to get caught out on the astral.

Another moment, and Sophia raised her head, opening her eyes. “She’s coming,” she said.

Before we could say a word, a form shimmered into the room, once again darkly brilliant and difficult to look at. Hecate stood there, this time dressed in a black leather pantsuit, her hair pulled up into an intricate chignon. I was startled to see her dressed like that, but then again, I supposed that always dressing in ornate gowns would get tiring.

I rose and took a step forward. “Thank you. We need your help. Penn needs your help,” I said. “We think they put a curse on her before we rescued her.”

Hecate turned toward Penn, gazing down at her. “Bring me a chair,” she said.

Orik scrambled to bring Hecate a seat. “Here you go, milady,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said, then paused, looking him over. “Give Odin my regards, if you would. It’s been a long time since I’ve talked to him.”

I blinked. “You know Odin?”

“Of course. We don’t just keep to our own kin,” she said, taking the seat. As she leaned over Penn, brushing her hand across Penn’s forehead, she let out a long breath. “She’s been cursed, all right. Brim Fire?” She glanced up at us.

I nodded. “We believe so. She was wearing this. Seton? Show her.”

Seton, who had said little until then, cleared his throat. “Honored to meet you,” he said.

Hecate caught his gaze and her lips turned up a hint at the edges. “And I’m honored to meet you, as well, Old One.” She took the pendant.

Old One? I turned to Seton, but he motioned for me to keep silent. But in my head, I was running over what Hecate meant by that. Just how old was he? And what was he?

Hecate held the pendant up. “A geas-charm. This forced her to do the will of the creator.”

“Which was to sabotage our computer files,” I said.

“And then…it would have sent her into the arms of Demonkin, out of this world forever.” Now, Hecate looked angry. “She still carries the seed of this curse. I’ll have to exorcise her.”

I caught my breath. “Exorcise her? Will she be okay?”

“After I’m done, she will. But I need a receptacle to catch the curse-imp when I expel it from her soul.”

I frowned. I’d never heard of a curse-imp and had no idea what it was. Before I could ask, Orik spoke up.

“A curse-imp? Would a crystal work for the anchor? I have a large smoky quartz I’m willing to donate to the cause,” he said.

“That will work. Run and fetch it, please,” Hecate said.

“What’s a curse-imp?” I asked.

“I was about to ask the same thing,” Dante said.

“A curse-imp is a toad-like creature from the astral plane. When attached to a person’s psyche, it feeds them whatever curse a witch or magician places on it. The curse-imp absorbs the magic and is used as a conduit to control the receiver. That way, it’s nearly impossible to trace the curse back to any one particular person,” Hecate said.

“Holy fuck,” I said. “That sounds nasty.”

“They are, and they drain energy, as well. Unless removed, it could eventually weaken her so much that she could fall ill and die. Think of it like a tick, and the curse as Lyme disease,” Orik said, returning just in time to hear the conversation. He held up a smoky quartz the size of a small cucumber. “Will this work?”

Hecate took the crystal and held it for a moment, then nodded. “It will work. It’s strong enough.” She motioned for us to move back. “Don’t interfere, whatever you do,” she said. “It may look like I’m hurting her, but removing a curse-imp isn’t easy, even for the gods.”

We backed away.

“Do you need anything else?” I asked.

She turned to me. “You’re her best friend?”

I nodded.

“Then you will hold the crystal for me. It will be uncomfortable, so much so that you might feel like tossing it away, but you must keep hold of it. Can you do this?”

“I can, and I will. Where should I stand?” I walked over to her.

Hecate motioned for me to sit on the edge of the bed, near Penn’s feet. “Hold tight to the crystal and do not let go until I tell you to give it to me.”

Taking a deep breath, I settled down beside Penn’s legs and accepted the crystal. It felt cool in my hands, but I tightened my grasp on it and crossed my legs, so I couldn’t jump if something startled me.

Hecate asked Dante and Orik to leave the room, leaving Sophia and me with her. She asked Sophia to dim the lights, and then approached Penn. She placed one of her alabaster hands onto Penn’s forehead, and the other over Penn’s heart.

A faint drumming began to echo through the room, growing in pace and power as we waited. Hecate rolled her head back and let out a long growl.

“I begin,” she whispered.

As I held onto the smoky quartz, Hecate began to sway to the drums, all the while her hands on Penn’s forehead and heart. As the beat grew, a low, sonorous hum began to reverberate through the air, ricocheting off the walls, like someone strumming a low bass note that bounced from side to side.

The steady hum became a circle, spinning around us. It sped up as it echoed through the room, sounding like a violin, ancient and keening, setting the world afire. I began to catch images of bonfires in the night, lighting the sky ablaze as they burned from hilltop to meadow. The wind picked up, rushing through the room, fueling the frenzy of the wailing fiddle. The drums continued, echoing until their staccato beats began to whisper—chants in some ancient language. The spirits were speaking, the spirits of the past, the spirits of the fire.

Hecate raised her hands over Penn and began pulling waves of energy off her, like clearing layers of fog away. The mist began to boil, rising to the ceiling like steam. Hecate let out a long call, her voice forming sounds that weren’t words but still held meaning.

I felt that if I listened long enough, I’d know what she was saying.

In response, the drums heightened their pace again, and the violin answered, sparks flying from its song. Just before it felt like the magic was going to explode, the violin gave way to a slow cello, one note that wove through the air like a snake, creeping through the treetops, and the drums fell in time, a slow rhythm to match.

One…one two three…one…one two three…One…one two three…One…one two three…

I found myself swaying in time to the beat, following the slow steady march of sound as it lumbered through the forest. And then, I was standing beside Hecate in a clearing under the night sky, and Penn was there, floating on her back in mid-air over a fire.

Hecate turned to me. “Get ready.”

She rose through the air to stretch out over Penn, then placed her palms on Penn’s chest. Still the mesmerizing music played on, and I began to see something emerging from Penn’s chest. It was toad-like, a dirty brown creature with olive warts, and glowing eyes. It struggled as Hecate coaxed it out of Penn’s chest. Hecate motioned to me and I held up the crystal.

The toad began to spin, faster and faster, still struggling to get away. The crystal was summoning it. I could feel the traction as the smoky quartz fought for control.

The toad twisted, fighting with every ounce of its power. The crystal wavered in my hand and I tightened my grip, not about to let go. It felt like some massive force was trying to drag it out of my hands, but I had promised Hecate I’d hold fast, and hold fast, I intended to.

The fight ramped up and a dark figure appeared. I knew that figure had set the curse-imp on Penn. He was trying to drag the crystal out of my hand so Hecate couldn’t send the curse-imp into the vessel. Penn thrashed in the air, and I could see her life force wavering. If we didn’t win, her life would be forfeit.

“No!” I braced myself, feeling the roar of wind around me. And then, something inside clicked, and I caught sight of a tiny glimmer. The heart of the storm. I reached out, focusing on that bright, glimmering core. If the storm broke, it would sever the spell.

I walked toward the heart of the storm and the dark figure stepped back—not much but enough to tell me he was afraid of me. I continued, grasping the crystal in my left hand as I held out my right. I was facing the center of the storm now, and I took a deep breath and plunged my hand into the brilliant light that controlled the vortex.

The moment my fingers made contact, I found the spark that had birthed the storm of magic, and I focused, calling on lightning to disrupt and shatter it. I forced all my will forward and a blistering bolt of light shot forth from my fingers, striking the core. The dark figure shrieked, staggering back.

That moment, the curse-imp let go of Penn and shot forth, slamming into the crystal so hard that it almost knocked me over. The storm exploded, the energy rebounding back on my silent opponent. Hecate scooped up both Penn and me as the blast rippled around us, sending us head over heels out of the forest.

The next moment, I opened my eyes. I was on the floor, still clutching the crystal, and Hecate was holding Penn’s hands as her eyes fluttered. Sophia rushed over to help me to my feet and I silently handed Hecate the crystal. She took it, just as silent, and we stood there for a moment as I tried to pin together the pieces of what had happened.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A few seconds later, Orik and Dante rushed in. Penn was sitting up, frowning as she looked around. And Seton…well…he was observing me with a cautious look in his eye.

“What happened?” Dante asked.

“We removed the curse-imp from Penelope’s psyche,” Hecate said. She tucked the crystal in her bag. “I’ll deal with the creature later, but for now it’s safely tucked away.” She turned to Penelope and once again, took her seat.

Penn stared at her, eyes wide. “My Lady?” Her voice trembled.

“Yes, I am. You were in dangerous territory, but you will heal,” Hecate said. “However, I see there’s much work to do with your magic. Most of my priestesses are far older and more experienced than you. I’ll connect you with one of them who lives in the area and you will take lessons from her.”

Penn nodded, looking too flustered to speak.

“Who was that man?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Hecate said. “But I can surmise that he’s ultimately the one responsible for destroying your files, and for kidnapping Penn. He’s aiming for your agency, Kyann, and every one of you. I’d do my best to figure out who he is, because enemies that ruthless don’t drop their obsessions.”

I nodded. “Do you think he’s part of Brim Fire?”

“As I said before, I think he’s using Brim Fire for his own ends. They’re too arrogant to realize they’re being played. And that makes them even more dangerous.” Hecate handed Penn a garnet pendant. It was a beautiful crescent moon, with woven strands of silver around it. “When you need to talk to me, hold this tight and call my name. I’ll hear you and get back to you. Don’t abuse the privilege.”

Penn nodded, stuttering out a thank-you.

To the rest of us, Hecate said, “Remember, I expect you to watch over Brim Fire’s activities. I have the feeling they’re about to get so active that nobody will be able to ignore them. But also…this shadow figure…keep alert, and if you think you see him, let me know. We must find out who we’re dealing with, and what he wants.”

She stood. “Penelope, your energy is clear once more. You are to steer clear of the Crystal Court. They’re not all they appear to be. You can’t afford for your allegiances to be split, and I come first.”

“Yes, Lady,” Penn said.

“Second, the young man who worked on the portal with you—he can be useful. It might be a good thing to take him on,” she said to me, adding, “He’s not pledged to any one god, but he serves the spirit of magic.”

“I see…” I didn’t, but I was so overwhelmed that I figured I could ask later.

Turning back to Penn, Hecate said, “Ward your entire house and lawn tomorrow. I’ll cast a protective spell for tonight, and I’ll visit you in your dreams to give you instructions on the best way to protect the house.”

And with that, she gave everyone a nod, and vanished, taking the crystal with her.

* * *

As we gathered in the breakroom, I was at a loss for words. The entire experience had left me shaken.

Seton joined us. He sat beside me. “What happened? You triggered one of your latent powers and we need to figure out what it is, so we can train you on it as soon as possible.”

I told him about the storm, and taking control of it. “It was going to kill Penn,” I said.

“I’ll research it and figure out what we’re looking at. And, Kyann, I can feel demonic energy around the shadow figure you saw. Be cautious.”

I hesitated, then said, “Seton, I can’t be sure, but it felt familiar to me. Like déjà vu from a fever dream. Whoever that is, I’ve met him before. I didn’t tell Hecate yet, because I could be wrong.”

He sighed. “We’ll get it all sorted out”

“By the way,” I said. “What did she mean, calling you Old One?”

He gave me a sliver of a smile. “Never mind that. At least for now. I’m going. I have a lot to research,” he said, standing. As he turned, he put a hand on my shoulder. “Just be cautious, and call me any time of the day or night. I mean it.”

As he left, I turned back to the others.

Sophia was making sandwiches, and Penn was eating a bag of chips. Dante and Orik were talking to Carson, who was staring hopelessly at his laptop.

“So, fallout,” I said. “How bad is the system?”

Carson shook his head. “We’re going to require at least a month to be up and running. I kept a back up on a separate server, but Penn got to that as well. And we’re going to have to buy all new equipment because the corruption was so bad.”

“Oh gods,” I said. “New equipment? Ouch.”

“Not only that, we need to install all new software. Then we’ll have to scan in hard copies of whatever we have from past cases. I’m glad you insist on hardcopies, or we wouldn’t have anything left. I back up our servers once a week, so I suppose I’d better change that to once a day, and I need to locate those where they can’t be sabotaged.”

“More bad news,” Dante said.

“There’s one other thing. My laptop? Penn—” he gave her an apologetic look. “Whoever cursed Penn gave her orders to also hijack my laptop. All my access points to the dark web are gone, and all info I backed up on my laptop about Brim Fire’s gone. Lazenti can help me rebuild it because he still has access, but it’s going to take time.”

“So, we’re back to square one,” I said. “We’re going to have to walk carefully through the next few months until we can find out what we’re dealing with. Everybody, make sure you have security codes at your homes, and go with a different company than—oh crap, what do we do about Terrance?”

Sophia fielded that one. “Pythia told me, while you were in trance, to give Hecate his coordinates. I did. She’ll take care of him. I’ll keep Coco. The dog is better off away from his owner, that much I’ll vouch for. I don’t know what’s in store for Terrance, but I’m sure Hecate will tell Penn if she asks.” She gave Penn a nod.

“I have the feeling that we just stepped into Wonderland, and unfortunately, the perils are far more deadly than the Red Queen.” I sat back, thinking. This had been a targeted attack, and they had struck hard. I wasn’t sure what to do next, but we could only walk one step at a time.

* * *

Mr. Crumbles was thrilled when Penn walked in the door. He let out a shriek and began a wobbly dance on his perch.

Penn greeted him, then turned to me. “I didn’t mean to cause all this damage⁠—”

“Stop. You didn’t cause any of it. You were a pawn in someone’s sick game, and I’m determined to find out who’s behind it. Just…be careful. We’ll replace the security system tomorrow, and I’m going to teach you how to use a few weapons. I won’t let this happen again,” I said, shaking my head. “Meanwhile, tomorrow I’d like you to contact Duran and ask him to come into the office.”

“I expect to hear that I’ve been expelled from the Crystal Court as well,” Penn said, shaking her head. “I’ve been part of the court ever since I was a little girl, but now everything’s going to change.”

“Change can be good,” I said, but we both knew that the changes we were experiencing lately were more tests of the spirit, than changes we wanted.

As we settled in for the evening, we were both pensive. There was so much to unpack from everything that had happened, but we were all safe—at least for now—and we knew a bit more about Brim Fire.

Taking a deep breath, I curled up with Jangles and Murdoch on my lap, and leaned back in the recliner, wondering what our next move would be.

My mind was in a turmoil, but as the cats purred, a wave of tension left my body and I suddenly felt calm. But it was like the calm in the eye of a hurricane. There were stormy skies ahead, and dangerous currents.

But for the moment, I decided to relax and breathe, and to find something to smile about. I turned on the TV and Penn wordlessly went into the kitchen and brought back chips and soda. As we settled in to watch our favorite shows, the outside worries faded into the background, and we clung to the present, to a moment of peace and friendship.

* * *

If you enjoyed Shadow Dreaming, then you can preorder the fourth and fifth books in the Shadow Blade Series: Shadow Running and Shadow Stealing. Begin this series with Shadow Seeking. There will be more to come of Kyann’s adventures after that.

And if you love this series, you’ll love my Wild Hunt Series. For the first chapter of The Silver Stag, read on.

If you enjoy my paranormal women’s fiction, you can preorder Feathered Web, the new Moonshadow Bay story. January Jaxson must face the Crow Man, and find out what he wants from her.

For all of my work, both published and upcoming releases, see the Bibliography at the end of this book, or check out my website at Galenorn.com and be sure and sign up for my newsletter to receive news about all my new releases. You can also find more of my work on Patreon.

QUALITY CONTROL: This work has been professionally edited and proofread. If you encounter any typos or formatting issues ONLY, please contact me through my website so they may be corrected. Otherwise, know that this book is in my style and voice and editorial suggestions will not be entertained. Thank you.

THE SILVER STAG (BOOK 1 OF THE WILD HUNT SERIES)

Chapter 1

I crept through the backyard, keeping a close watch on the thick copse of trees to the side of the property. The coyotes were thick around here, and plenty of cougars and bears frequented the area as well. I skirted my way around the hen house. I could hear chickens rattling around inside, uneasy when they should have been asleep.

The urban farmers were my clients, and they had complained about some creature raiding their henhouse and asked me to look into it. They were shifters of some sort—I hadn’t asked what kind, because that would be rude. But they seemed more reticent than most of the shifters I was used to dealing with, and I suspected they were too afraid to take on the intruder themselves. I had been keeping watch most of the night, and was about to call it done when a figure slipped into the yard, creeping toward the hen house.

I stayed close to the side of the shed, skirting around to where I could peek more clearly. A large man-sized creature was skulking near the door. I froze, resting my hand on the dagger that was strapped to my thigh. Easing back so the intruder wouldn’t see me, I leaned my head against the wall. Well, it wasn’t a coyote or fox, that was for sure.

A gust of cool wind blew past me and I shivered, even through my leather jacket. Early April in the Seattle area was cool and wet. At five a.m., we still had nearly an hour to go before sunrise, and the clouds were so thick I doubted they would burn off before noon, if then.

The creature fumbled with the lock. Whatever it was, it showed no signs that it sensed my presence. I could move softly when I wanted and now I crept to the right of the shed, then paused. The ladder was leaning against the side of the building. It would be simple to climb up onto the roof and peek over the edge. I could gain an advantage from up above, I thought, maybe get the drop on him. Keeping my step light, I shimmied up the rungs, grateful that I had worn gloves as the aluminum of the ladder chilled me right through the material.

The roof of the shed was slanted with an incline toward the front. I squinted at the shingles, wondering whether they would hold me. There was no way to find out except to start climbing. Praying that I wouldn’t fall through, I slowly eased myself up the shingles toward the front of the rise. At the top, I cautiously leaned over the edge.

Great. Just dandy.

I found myself staring down at the head of a goblin. He reeked even from up here, and it was a wonder that I hadn’t smelled him before. I must be coming down with a cold, I thought.

Goblins were nasty, dangerous creatures. Wiry and tough, they stank to high heaven when you were close enough, and they were ravenous. They ate people. Dogs. Cats. Cows. Anything they could fit in their mouths was fair game. They preferred human flesh, though they’d settle for whatever they could catch. As long as it was raw and live on the hoof, they were happy. Seattle, along with the surrounding suburb communities, had laws in place prohibiting them from entering city limits, but that didn’t stop them, even though hunting season was wide open on them. Truth was, the cops wouldn’t respond to calls about them, and chances were good the creatures would luck out and get away with whatever scheme they had going. So most of them thought it was worth the risk. This one’s luck, however, had just run out.

Luckily, he hadn’t heard me yet. At least, I didn’t think it had.

I eased my way to the very edge, staring down at him. He was intent on breaking the padlock. I quietly unfastened the snap holding my dagger peace-bound, to give myself easy access. I had learned the hard way not to jump off a building holding my blade. I still had the scar from that mistake right above my left knee.

I perched on the edge, waiting for the right moment. Then, taking a deep breath, I launched myself off of the roof, landing square atop the goblin, taking him down beneath me.

The creature let out a nasty hiss and a string of obscenities, although I couldn’t understand him. But it was obvious he was cursing.

“Would you speak to your mother like that?” I had knocked him down, and now I straddled him, trying to pin him between my knees. He might be tough and wiry, but I worked out six days a week, and I was Fae—which meant I had some extra strength going for me. I managed to hold him down and, in the dim light of the approaching dawn, I got a good look at him. Tufts of fur covered his head, patchy and rough like steel wool, and his face was a mass of wrinkles—common with goblins. His eyes were small but wide-set on his face, and he had yellow, sharp teeth.

“You’re an ugly sucker, aren’t you? Even for a goblin.”

He struggled, managing to free one hand. As he lashed out, his claws dangerously nearing my face, I ducked back to dodge the attack.

Enough. I drew my dagger. I couldn’t keep him down much longer and I was getting tired.

As I raised my blade, he thrashed again, and this time he succeeded in slashing my arm. Luckily, my leather jacket took the brunt, and he ripped a hole in the material but not in my skin.

“That’s going to cost me good money, you freak.”

I raised my blade and his gaze met mine. For a moment he looked afraid, but then he snarled and I brought the blade down, throwing my weight behind it. The tip of the dagger pierced his windpipe, sliding through to stick inside the ground below him. The goblin let out one last hiss, thrashed, and then lay still.

“I didn’t charge enough for this gig,” I muttered to myself. Truth was, I hadn’t expected a goblin, so I had given the couple a low bid. I had thought I’d be facing a wild dog or a fox. So much for assumptions.

Making certain he was dead, I took a picture before he started to bubble, then rolled over to spread out on the grass next to him, resting. The chill morning dew seeped through my jeans as I caught my breath, staring up into the sky. The faint hints of dawn were spreading across the eastern horizon, thin ribbons of red piercing the clouds, but they only heralded an incoming storm.

At that moment, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket as I rolled to a sitting position. Next to me, the goblin was beginning to bubble. I reached over to yank my dagger out of the creature’s neck before my blade got any messier than it already was, and wiped it quickly on the grass to remove most of the gunk. I scooted further away as nature began to take its course on the goblin as I answered my phone.

“Hello? Do you realize what time it is?”

I hadn’t glanced at the Caller ID, so I wasn’t sure who it was, but I didn’t care. If this were any normal morning, I’d still be in bed, asleep. Most of my work was done at night and I usually slept till noon. I just happened to have a job that kept me up till dawn.

“Yes, I do realize what time it is. Did I wake you?”

Damn it. Ray Fontaine.

Ray owned a bakery called A Touch of Honey, and he made the best bread in Seattle. He also happened to be my ex-boyfriend. Or rather, we had dated a few times. I had liked him enough that I broke it off before anything happened between us. Given my track record, he was a lucky man.

“No, I’m finishing up a job. What do you need?”

I shivered, suddenly cold. I slipped my finger through the ring attached to the back of my phone so I wouldn’t drop it, and scrambled to my feet. The goblin was dissolving, melting into a pile of bubbling sludge. Within half an hour he would soak into the ground as if he had never existed. At least I wouldn’t have to clean up the mess. I started for the kitchen door to ask the O’Malleys for payment, then paused. Their lights were off, which meant they weren’t awake yet.

Ray cleared his throat. “My shop was broken into. I thought maybe you could come take a look?”

I blinked. “Why haven’t you called the cops?”

“I did, but they took one look and said it wasn’t a human matter. They said it looked like some sort of Crypto attack. Ember, you’re the closest thing I know to a SubCult PI.”

The “SubCult” was a blanket term referring to the combined Fae courts, Shifter Alliance, and Vampire Nation. Most humans referred to all of us as Cryptos if they didn’t know what our heritage was, but it was better than the slang used among the holdouts who still wanted an all-human world.

I let out a sigh. I had just finished one job, and I really didn’t feel like working another, but I felt like I owed Ray. I really didn’t want to see him, but it was the least I could do, given how hard he had taken it when I dumped him.

“Lovely. All right, I’ll be down there in a while. I need to get my pay, then stop off for coffee and a bite to eat first.”

“Don’t bother about breakfast. I’ve got fresh croissants, gouda, and coffee here.”

Finally, something to cadge a laugh out of me. “You always did know how to win me over.” And with that, I pocketed my cell phone, and knocked on the kitchen door.

Ten minutes later, I had pounded long and hard enough that Mrs. O’Malley answered the door, squinting. She was in her bathrobe and seemed surprised to see me.

“Oh, are you still here?”

I blinked. “Of course I’m still here. I caught your chicken thief. Goblin.” I held up my cell phone to show her the picture I had snapped. “No doubt about it. One dead goblin.”

She stared at the picture, then started to shut the door on me. “Thanks. We appreciate it.”

I stuck my foot in the door, wedging it open before she shut it all the way.

“Hold on! You owe me for the rest of the job.” They had paid me half up front, with the promise of the rest of payment upon proof of job completion.

A sly smile stole over her face. “You can’t prove that you caught him on our land. That could be a picture of any goblin, anywhere. We won’t pay.”

“What the fuck?” I stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying. “You’re actually trying to stiff me? Lady, take a good look. That’s your shed in the corner of the picture, and one fucking dead goblin. I came all the way over from Seattle to help you. I saved your scrawny-assed chickens. I undercharged you. I sat in your backyard all night guarding your stupid birds. You are going to pay me for my work.” I glowered, leaning in.

She wrinkled her nose, trying to stare me down. “We never promised.”

“Like hell you didn’t.” I paused, irritated. I worked on a verbal contract for most small jobs and I stuck to my promises. Most of my customers stuck to theirs. This was an unwelcome surprise. “All right,” I said, turning back to the yard. “You want to do this the hard way? I notice you have a sprinkler system out there.”

I focused, searching through the moisture in the air until I touched on the lines running below the ground. Forcing as much energy as I could into my thoughts, I coaxed the water to pour through the system, faster and harder until there was a sudden pop. A geyser of water broke through the soil, gushing into the yard.

“What did you do?” Mrs. O’Malley jumped, pushing past me into the yard. She flailed, glaring at me. “Make it stop.”

“I guess your sprinkler pipe burst. Gee, I wonder what would happen if I found a water elemental to check out the pipes under your house? What if they all froze and then broke?” I probably wouldn’t go that far, but she didn’t have to know that.

The bluff worked.

“All right, all right! I’ll pay you.” She started back inside. “I have to get my purse.”

I pushed inside, close behind her, not about to give her the chance to slam the door on me. “Fine. Cash only, please.”

* * *

Woodinville was part of the Greater Seattle metropolitan area. Northeast of Kirkland and south of Navane—the city of the Light Fae—for a long time it had flourished as a techie wonderland, but as the tech companies migrated to north Seattle proper, the Eastside eventually became a forested haven, a metropolis of suburbs. Oh, there was still plenty of crime—for one thing, it was easier to hide given the growth of the forests around and in the cities—but for the lower-income areas, it felt spacious and beautiful.

A Touch of Honey was located on the Redmond-Woodinville Road NE, on the border between Redmond and Woodinville. As I eased into an empty parking spot a few spots down from the bakery, I leaned back in my seat. I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open, but I had promised Ray, and I kept my promises.

I slipped out of the driver’s seat of my eight-year-old Subaru Outback and headed into the bakery, where Ray was busy behind the counter. He looked up as I entered and waved.

“You look like hell,” he said. “You’re covered with dried mud.” He paused, then grimaced. “Is that blood?”

I glanced down at my shirt where the goblin had bled on me. One more for the rag bag.

“I took down a goblin this morning. That’s enough work for one day.”

“Nasty business, those little freaks.” Ray was all too acquainted with goblins. He had a long scar on his leg from where one had tried to take a bite out of him when he interrupted me on a job and my target had turned on him. It was at that point that I had decided our relationship had run its course. Before he got himself killed, I broke it off. I couldn’t face another heartbreak. I had already lost two loves and I felt like I was under a curse.

“There’s been an upsurge in their numbers lately. They always think they’ll beat the odds, and the cops are paying less and less attention to them.” Tired of thinking about goblins, I changed the subject. “You said you have croissants and gouda? And caffeine?”

“Rolls are hot out of the oven. The cheese is fresh and creamy. And the coffee’s hot and strong.”

The bakery was overflowing with a warm, yeasty scent that sent my salivary glands into overdrive. My stomach rumbled, demanding food. As Ray fixed a tray, I headed over to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup of coffee. I preferred espresso, but caffeine was caffeine and I sorely needed my fix. And Ray bought quality coffee—Caribbean Dark Roast from the islands. Adding cream and three sugars, I sat down at one of the tables.

The bakery was fair size, with four tables, each seating three people. The counter display case was filled with cookies and breads, and I suddenly felt weak-kneed. I needed food and I needed it now. As if he had read my mind, Ray returned with a tray filled with warm croissants and a small wheel of cheese. The flesh was a creamy yellow, and my guess was that he had bought it off one of the local farmers who sold homemade cheese at the farmers market.

I glanced around. The bakery seemed unusually empty.

“I don’t see any of your regulars in here,” I said, slicing a thick wedge of cheese off the wheel. I placed it on the plate, and then broke open one of the croissants, inhaling deeply as the warm rush of yeast filled my lungs.

“The regular city crew that normally comes in every morning is apparently filling potholes on the other side of town. I don’t see them until afternoon now. Otherwise, yeah, it’s been a quiet morning. Then again, the rush usually doesn’t start until around seven-thirty or eight.”

Sure enough, even as he spoke, the bells jingled as the door opened and two women entered the shop. I gauged them as both human. Ray excused himself to wait on them, and I busied myself with my croissants and cheese.

I mulled over my schedule, pulling out my day planner to check what was on the agenda for the day. I was scheduled to make a run over to Wesley’s Blades to have him sharpen my dagger. I needed to go grocery shopping unless I wanted to eat cardboard for dinner.

Ray returned to the table, pulling out the chair next to me. Flipping it around, he straddled it and leaned his elbows on the back. He was a tall man, with soft black hair that waved down to his neck. He was also as human as they came. He handed me a hundred and fifty dollars.

“Will this cover the bill for looking over my storeroom?”

I pocketed fifty and handed him back the rest. “You get the friends and family discount.” I suddenly felt awkward. Ray and I hadn’t talked much since we broke up, at least no more than polite formalities. I shifted in my seat.

He seemed to feel it too. “So, are you seeing anybody?”

At least that was an easy answer. I shook my head.

“No. I think I’m better off on my own.” I met his gaze, searching for any signs that he was still angry. “I wish I could tell you why I broke up with you, but Ray, it wasn’t you. At least, not in the way you think.”

He gave me a rueful smile. “After you dumped me, I was really angry. I never wanted to see you again. Then Angel told me about Robert, and about Leland. Anyway, I understand. Thank you, for looking after me.” He lingered over the words, then shrugged. “I’m still game, if you are. I’ll take my chances.”

I gave him a long look. “Ray, don’t do this.”

“But we were⁠—”

“Look, it’s done. Over. Angel told you about Robert and Leland because she’s my best friend and she knew it hurt me to push you away. Please, don’t make it harder than it already has been.”

He let out what sounded like a cross between a sigh and a huff. “Okay. But don’t be mad at Angel for telling me.”

“I’m not. I’m glad she told you about them. I don’t want you to hate me.” With a sigh, I pushed back my chair. The last thing I wanted to do was get into a discussion of my tangled mess of a love life and I wasn’t about to open the door to Ray again. “Okay, let me look at your storeroom.”

Ray frowned, looking like he was going to argue, but then he shrugged and led me into the back. After he unlocked the door, I saw that the entire room had been trashed. Flour bags were ripped to pieces, honey jars had been tipped over and smashed and two of the bigger buckets of honey had been slashed. Nothing had been spared.

“Holy crap. Who did you piss off?”

“I have no idea. All I know is that no animal did this. The cops told me it was probably a raccoon. But what raccoon can do this much damage in a short amount of time? And the windows weren’t open. How did it get in?” He scuffed his shoe on the floor. “I thought maybe you could pick up on whatever came through here.”

I nodded, taking care not to enter the room, at least not yet. The cops were wrong. This hadn’t been the work of an animal. Nor did the damage feel human in origin. For one thing, Ray was right. The window was intact, so either the vandal had a key or could spell the door open.

I knelt, touching my hands to the floor just inside the door. Sometimes I could feel when strong emotions had passed through an area. They imprinted in space, or in the walls of buildings, or rooted into the very ground itself. Here, the residual feeling of anger hung heavy in the air, anger and…revenge.

“Whatever or whoever did this, I think they have a grudge against you. I can’t pick up more than that, but yeah, it wasn’t human or animal. I suggest you hire someone to ward your place. There’s a very talented witch who has a shop called Magical Endeavors. Her name is Lena. I suggest you talk to her, and while you’re at it, figure out who you’ve pissed off lately. My guess—somebody hired one of the sub-Fae to come in and tear up the joint.”

The sub-Fae were the dregs of Fae society, usually nasty tempered and often hiring themselves out as mercenaries to anybody at the right price. Like goblins, they weren’t welcome in the city, but all you had to do was hang out at one of the SubCult dives around town and you would run into at least one of them.

“Thanks, Ember. I appreciate it. You wouldn’t be interested in taking on the case and helping me out by hiring Lena…and so on?” He was standing too close for comfort.

I backed away a step. “Sorry,” I lied. “My schedule is booked up.” I yawned, pushing past him to return to the front of the shop. “I’d better get going. I have errands to run before I go home and crash.” I glanced over at the counter. “Wrap me up a loaf of French bread and a dozen white chocolate raspberry cookies, if you would.”

Ray crossed to behind the counter and fixed my order. As he handed it to me, our fingers touched. A familiar spark raced through me, but I ignored it. I didn’t dare go down that road again, not if I wanted him to be safe. Besides, I didn’t do clingy well, and Ray had shown definite signs of wanting more from me than I could give.

“How much do I owe you?”

“On the house. And it always will be.”

And with that, I headed back to my car as the morning rush began to trickle in. Overall, Ray was a good guy, and he was alive. I wanted him to stay alive.

* * *

My condo was over in Seattle, in Spring Beach. At one time, the neighborhood had been suburban—the home of the rich. But now, it was row upon row of high rises and commercial buildings. Shiny chrome-and-glass blended in with older brick, making a hodgepodge of urban dwellings. Parks dotted the neighborhood, replacing the vast swaths of foliage that had surrounded once-massive estates. My building—the Miriam G Building—overlooked Puget Sound, and the rich colors of cloud and sky and ocean greeted me every morning when I got up.

I lived on the fifteenth floor, in unit 1515. Every now and then I worried about what might happen should we see another large earthquake like we had some years back, but the buildings in the area had been retrofitted—the ones that hadn’t crashed to the ground—and the newer ones were built to a strict code.

As I parked in the parking garage, it occurred to me that I might want to think about selling the place and buying a house on the outskirts of the city at some point. The condo was small, around eight hundred square feet, and while I had two bedrooms, my guest room also housed my arsenal of weapons.

I glanced around the dark garage. Even during the day it was spooky. The building had been built about thirty years ago, and the developer had gone bankrupt. The bank had repossessed the apartments and sold the Miriam G to another buyer, who had decided to sell them as condos. Eventually, when I was looking for a place, a unit came up for sale and I bought it. I’d been living here since I was twenty-five. It wasn’t fancy, but the view was worth the money, although the area I lived in wasn’t exactly a safe haven.

I slipped out of the car and quickly made my way to the elevator. Luckily, there was nobody else waiting—I didn’t trust all of my neighbors—and within a few moments I was at my apartment door.

* * *

Mr. Rumblebutt was waiting for me. He was a Norwegian forest cat, sixteen pounds with fur that made him look like a giant tribble on legs. He was sitting on the back of the sofa, staring at the front door. When I entered, he let out a disgruntled purp, jumped down, and headed toward the kitchen.

“All right, I know breakfast is overdue.” As I opened the can and put his chunky chicken on the floor, I started to yawn, so tired I could barely think. I crossed over to the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the Puget Sound and pulled open the curtains. A wash of daylight broke through the gloom and I leaned against the armchair that looked directly out onto the balcony. The thought of falling asleep staring at the water sounded good to me, but I knew my back wouldn’t thank me when I woke up. So I trudged into the bathroom, stripped and, leaving my clothes on the floor, stepped into a hot shower.

I was too tired to wash my hair, so after I finished up, I dragged a brush through it and padded to my bed. I debated on opening the curtain so I could look out on the water as I slept but decided the light would probably keep me awake. So I slid under the covers, closed my eyes, and within minutes was dead to the world.

* * *

My phone woke me up. I cracked one eye, rolling over to stare at the clock. It was 2:30 p.m. and I had managed about six hours of sleep. Yawning, I scooted back against the headboard as I grabbed my phone off the nightstand. The Caller ID read Angel, and I quickly punched the talk button.

“Hey, what’s up?” I yawned again.

Angel was my best friend, and I was surprised to see the call was from her. She seldom called during the day. Texted? Definitely. But phone calls from her job? So not approved by her boss. After work, she would go home to take care of her little half-brother. She had taken in DJ when their mother died, and she was doing her best to make sure he didn’t end up on the streets.

“I’m worried about DJ. I’m afraid something’s happened to him.” She sounded frantic. Angel hardly ever let her nerves get the better of her. If she was worried, something was wrong.

“What’s going on?” I asked, pushing back the covers. Angel and I had each other’s backs, we’d been best friends for years, and if one of us was in trouble, the other one was always willing to come to the rescue.

“Last night he stayed over with a friend. He was supposed to come home this morning, but when I called home from work half an hour ago, he didn’t answer. I called Sarah—the mother of the boy he was staying with. She said he left at seven-thirty this morning. He should have been home by nine, shortly after I left for work. So I came home and I don’t see any sign that he’s been here. This isn’t like DJ. You know him. He’s a good kid, and he always lets me know where he is. I checked my texts, I checked voice messages. Not a word from him.”

“He didn’t have school today?”

“No, today’s a teacher’s day. That’s why I let him stay over last night with Jason.”

I could hear the tears in her throat. DJ was ten years old, and as she said, he was a good kid. He had been a change-of-life child, and Mama Jackson had conceived him when she was forty-eight. Mama J. had died a year ago, the victim of a car crash. Her death had left a hole not only in Angel and DJ’s life, but in mine. Mama J. had filled the void when my parents were killed.

When Mama J. died, Angel took DJ in and the arrangement had worked out fairly well, although it hadn’t been easy for her. For one thing, DJ was Wulfine—a wolf shifter. Angel was human, and she had no clue how to help him transition through the changes as he grew up.

“I’m on my way over. Meanwhile, call all his friends if you haven’t done so already. Maybe he stopped off somewhere and got busy playing and just forgot.”

Even as I suggested it, I knew it wasn’t true. DJ wasn’t the type to space out on his responsibilities. Even when Mama J. was alive, DJ had been a somber child, focused on helping his family. Angel often told me that he seemed to feel old before his time, although neither of us could figure out what had brought that on. It just seemed to be his nature.

“Thank you.” Angel paused, her voice hushed. “Ember, I have a horrible feeling that he’s in real trouble. You know that most of my premonitions are spot-on. I’m afraid.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” There was nothing else I could say. As she hung up, I was already sliding into a pair of leather pants. I fastened my bra and then pulled on a black ribbed tank top. I jammed my arms in the sleeves of my leather jacket, and then slipped on my ankle boots, zipping them up the side. I dragged a brush through my hair and then pulled it back into a ponytail. After kissing Mr. Rumblebutt on the head and filling his dry food dish, I grabbed a chocolate chip breakfast bar and headed back to my car.

***

To read the rest of this book, buy here.

PLAYLIST

I often write to music, and the Shadow Blade Series is no exception. Here’s the playlist I used for this book.

Adele: Rumour Has It

Agnes Opal: Close Watch

Air: Napalm Love

Alanis Morissette: Eight Easy Steps; You Oughta Know

Alice in Chains: Man in the Box

Android Lust: Here and Now; Saint Over

Arch Leaves: Nowhere to Go

Audrey Ryan: Arm Yourself

AWOLNATION: Sail

Band of Skulls: I Know What I Am

Batfarm: Darkarnival; Vamp

Billy Idol: White Wedding; Rebel Yell

The Black Angels: Don’t Play With Guns; Love Me Forever; You’re Mine

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Feel It Now

The Bravery: Believe

Bret Michaels: Love Sucks

Broken Bells: The Ghost Inside

The Buttress: Brutus (Instrumental)

Camouflage Nights: (It Could Be) Love

Clair Hayek: Just Another

Cold Showers: Only Human

Crazy Town: Butterfly

Deap Vally: Gonna Get to You; Royal Jelly; Baby I Call Hell

Depeche Mode: Blasphemous Rumours

Eastern Sun: Beautiful Being (Original Edit)

Eels: Souljacker Part 1

Elektrisk Gonner: Uknowhatiwant

The Feeling: Sewn

Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks

Garbage: Queer; Only Happy When It Rains; I Think I’m Paranoid

Gary Numan: Cars; White Boys and Heroes; I Assassin; Bridge? What Bridge?; The Gift; Intruder; Saints and Liars; Soul Protection; Icehouse; Petals; Ghost Nation; My Name is Ruin

Gorillaz: Dare; Demon Days; Hongkongaton; Rockit; The Swagga; Clint Eastwood; Tranz; Stylo; Saturnz Barz

Halsey: Castle

Hanni El Khatib: Come Alive

Imagine Dragons: Natural

Julian Cope: Charlotte Anne

Just Kait: Gonna Rock

The Kills: Nail In My Coffin; Sour Cherry; No Wow; Dead Road 7

Ladytron: Paco!; Black Cat; I’m Not Scared

Lorde: Yellow Flicker Beat; Royals

Lovely Slaughter: Petty AF

Low: Witches; Plastic Cup; Half Light

M.I.A.: Bad Girls

Mai Lan: Pumper

Marily Manson: Personal Jesus; Tainted Love

Mark Lanegan: Riot In My House; Phantasmagoria Blues; Methamphetamine Blues

Matt Corby: Breathe

Nik Ammar: Nuclear; Hollywood

Nirvana: Heart Shaped Box; About A Girl; Come as You Are; Lake of Fire; All Apologies

The Notwist: Hands On Us

The Offspring: Come Out and Play

Oingo Boingo: Insanity; Dead Man’s Party; Elevator Man; Gratitude; Nothing Bad Ever Happens To Me

Orgy: Social Enemies; Blue Monday

Pati Yang: All That Is Thirst

The Pierces: Secret

Pussycat Dolls: Don’t Cha; When I Grow Up

Rachael Sage: Among All Of God’s Creatures

Radiohead: Creep

Red Venom: Let’s Get It On

Rob Zombie: Dragula; Living Dead Girl

Robin Schulz: Sugar

Saliva: Ladies and Gentlemen

Screaming Trees: Where the Twain Shall Meet; All I Know

Seether: Remedy

The Shins: So Says I

Shriekback: Deeply Lined Up; Underwaterboys; Agony Box; And the Rain; Wiggle and Drone; Church of the Louder Light; Now These Days Are Gone; The King in the Tree; Lined Up

Spiderbait: Shazam

St. Vincent: Pay Your Way in Pain; Down And Out Downtown; Los Ageless; Palm Desert

Steely Dan: Do It Again

Stone Temple Pilots: Dead & Bloated; Sour Girl; Atlanta

Sweet Talk Radio: We All Fall Down

Tamaryn: While You’re Sleeping, I’m Dreaming; Violet’s in a Pool

Toadies: Possum Kingdom

Tom Petty: Mary Jane’s Last Dance

Trills: Speak Loud

Valen: Cold Blood

The Verve: Bitter Sweet Symphony

White Zombie: More Human Than Human

Zade Wølf: Gladiator; Strike a Match

Zero 7: In the Waiting Line

BIOGRAPHY

New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy, paranormal women’s fiction, paranormal romance, and paranormal mystery. She is the author of over one hundred books, including the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Wild Hunt Series, the Starlight Hollow Series, and the Otherworld Series, as well as others. Her newest series include the Shadow Blade Series (urban fantasy) and Married At First Bite (paranormal women's fiction).

In 2011, she was awarded the Career Achievement Award in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her website at Galenorn.com. You can join her mailing list, and find her on Patreon.

Indie Releases Currently Available:

Married At First Bite Series:

Haunted Eclipse

Vampire’s Vixen

Shadow Blade Series:

Shadow Seeking

Shadow Scorching

Shadow Dreaming

Shadow Running

Shadow Stealing

Winter’s Spell Trilogy:

Weaving Winter

Ice Magic

A Dream of Snow

Starlight Hollow Series:

Starlight Hollow

Starlight Dreams

Starlight Demons

Starlight Witch

Moonshadow Bay Series:

Starlight Web

Midnight Web

Conjure Web

Harvest Web

Shadow Web

Weaver’s Web

Crystal Web

Witch’s Web

Cursed Web

Solstice Web

Dreamer’s Web

Woodland Web

Feathered Web

Night Queen Series:

Tattered Thorns

Shattered Spells

Fractured Flowers

Magic Happens Series:

Shadow Magic

Charmed to Death

Hedge Dragon Series:

The Poisoned Forest

The Tangled Sky

Wild Hunt Series:

The Silver Stag

Oak & Thorns

Iron Bones

A Shadow of Crows

The Hallowed Hunt

The Silver Mist

Witching Hour

Witching Bones

A Sacred Magic

The Eternal Return

Sun Broken

Witching Moon

Autumn’s Bane

Witching Time

Hunter’s Moon

Witching Fire

Veil of Stars

Antlered Crown

Lily Bound Series:

Soul jacker

Chintz ‘n China Series:

Ghost of a Chance

Legend of the Jade Dragon

Murder Under a Mystic Moon

A Harvest of Bones

One Hex of a Wedding

Holiday Spirits

Well of Secrets

Whisper Hollow Series:

Autumn Thorns

Shadow Silence

The Phantom Queen

Bewitching Bedlam Series:

Bewitching Bedlam

Maudlin’s Mayhem

Siren’s Song

Witches Wild

Casting Curses

Demon’s Delight

Bedlam Calling (a Bewitching Bedlam Anthology)

Wish Factor (a prequel short story)

Blood Music (a prequel novella)

Blood Vengeance (a Bewitching Bedlam novella)

Tiger Tails (a Bewitching Bedlam novella)

Fury Unbound Series:

Fury Rising

Fury’s Magic

Fury Awakened

Fury Calling

Fury’s Mantle

Indigo Court Series:

Night Myst

Night Veil

Night Seeker

Night Vision

Night’s End

Night Shivers

Otherworld Series:

Moon Shimmers

Harvest Song

Blood Bonds

Otherworld Tales: Volume 1

Otherworld Tales: Volume 2

For the rest of the Otherworld Series, see website at Galenorn.com.

Bath and Body Series: (originally under the name India Ink):

Scent to Her Grave

A Blush With Death

Glossed and Found

Starwood Series:

The Longest Night (A Pagan Romance Novella)

A Witch’s Guide Series:

Embracing the Moon

Tarot Journeys

Totem Magick