We sat on the roof, legs hanging over the edge, watching the city below. Claire had texted me during our altercation with the bears, letting me know she was heading home in about an hour, and that Roland was fine. I texted her back, saying I would call her later.

It gave me relief, as if someone had lifted a great weight from my shoulders. My dad had also checked in via text, complete with a dozen typos in the email length text. He was one of those dads, still unused to the times and new technology.

There had also been an excessive amount of emojis used. If that didn’t confirm it was really my dad, nothing would.

“So…” Nate said, not looking at me, kicking his feet absently.

I leaned back on my palms, thinking. The bear must have hit me at some point, because my forearm ached. But bruises would fade. We were alive, and I had proven a point to the bears. Whether that had made things better or worse in the future, I didn’t yet know. But I had done what I had set out to do. Kicking them in the teeth.

Why did I feel like I had failed?

Because of the Demon.

“None of it makes any sense. She warns the vampires I’m coming, but then sneaks back in to stake them, leaving the weapon behind for me. Then she warns the bears, and again, comes back to steal it, only this time leaving it for me in my dad’s lawn. The only thing I can think of is that she’s trying to turn every monster in the city against me. Or the Shepherds.” Nate nodded, but still looked troubled.

“But if the spear can do what Roland said, wouldn’t it be more advantageous to keep all the pieces and open the Gates of Hell? If the bears were right, this means that the Demon has had all pieces of the spear in her possession at one point. Why give them up?” He scratched his beard.

I nodded, letting out a deep breath. “Exactly. Maybe… Roland was wrong about what it can do? This did all start with him receiving wrong information about the wolves. Like it was a trap.”

Nate sighed. “Still, that would mean someone at the Vatican is trying to sabotage the Shepherds, and possibly working with the Demon. That’s insane.”

I shook my head, angry. At least I knew Roland had two of the pieces. That was better than nothing. Even if it currently painted a target on our heads. We needed that last piece.

“We have to find the Demon bitch,” I said. “Or run with the pieces we have and hope for the best. I can’t believe I failed so horribly,” I muttered, kicking my feet against the wall below.

“No. You didn’t,” he said forcefully. “You kicked some serious ass in there. Like a spider monkey.” Then he was hooting in laughter, the sound spilling out into the night, and I found myself smiling, despite feeling overwhelmed.

“I did, didn’t I?” I said softly.

He nodded. “They won’t forget that…” As if those words had hit too close to home, his laughter faded away.

I nodded. “Yeah, they said that…”

Nate grunted, climbing to his feet and holding out a hand. “They always say stuff like that after you’ve stomped them. But I guarantee you they will think twice about confronting you. You took out their freaking Alpha. Pretty much single-handedly. I helped, but I don’t think you needed it.”

I took his hand, feeling that same thrum of energy as earlier, and smiled, a smile of thanks. He glanced down at our hands thoughtfully, as if feeling the same thing, but he withdrew his hand once I was on my feet.

“Everyone is safe. We have two pieces of the spear. And I’m exhausted from kicking ass in there.” I shot him a disbelieving look at the last comment, but found him smirking. “You should get some sleep. We’ll figure this out tomorrow. I’ve got another Guardian,” he said handing me another of the stone griffins we had used to make a ward. “Or I can take you home.”

I could tell by his tone that he wanted to take me home, to watch over me. It was who he was. Used to taking charge, but he was trying to honor my wishes, giving me space to flex my muscles. This was my city. But he could tell my morale was low, so offered anyway.

“Nah. I’ll just stay here,” I said, not looking at him as I shook my hair back, running a finger through the tangles from our fight.

He flinched as if struck, jerking his head at me. “Oh. Well—”

I smiled tiredly. “Just kidding. Wanted to see you squirm.”

And to test something. He hadn’t offered, but his reaction gave it away. There was… something there, something unspoken between us. Whether it was the fighting, hot blood, or something more, I wasn’t sure. But he had been awfully friendly with the reporter. And I was pretty sure he was used to getting his way with women.

Still, a girl liked to know she broke necks when she walked by.

I turned away, hiding my smile. “Callie?”

I paused, but didn’t look back.

“Have you thought about leaving the church? You’ve never hidden the fact that you don’t follow their creed. And after all this…”

I shook my head. “I haven’t thought about it.” The silence stretched, but I broke first. “That doesn’t matter right now, though. I’m doing a job for them. For Roland.”

He grunted. “Forget Roland for a second. You were impressive tonight. I know you have things to learn, but to be honest, you also have a few things to teach, and I don’t say that often.”

“Maybe.”

I could sense his frustration, but I still didn’t turn around. Didn’t move. “Someone is not who they seem. Following you. And without the protection of the church, you’re likely to have a knife twisted in your spine before you even see it coming. Let me help you.”

I kept my breathing calm, but I felt both comfort and a mild defiance at his words. “By meekly following you to St. Louis? Accepting your protection? You sound like you have enough on your plate. I’m not a stray you found on the street, Nate…” I didn’t make it sound mean, but I did let him know I meant it.

He was suddenly behind me, grabbing my arm to spin me around. That tingle was there, but I was too busy staring into his face, a face torn with anger and frustration. “Let. Me. Help. You.”

He was trembling, and he was only inches away. I licked my lips before I thought about it. “No. I’m not a dainty flower, Nate. I thought I just showed you that. I can take care of myself.” And I shook my hand away lightly, turning back around. “But I appreciate your offer.”

I managed not to show my anxiety as I stared straight ahead. We had been seconds away from a kiss, whether either of us consciously wanted it or not. It had felt carnal. Not love. Lust. Two warriors celebrating a minor victory. Passions already accelerated from the fight spilling over into something else. I didn’t want that, and I was pretty sure he didn’t either. Still, it was tough for me to keep my composure, and judging by the silence, he was having the same problem.

I heard him sigh behind me. “Fine. But I look forward to that dinner. As a friend,” he emphasized. “You’re… not what I expected. Let’s meet up tomorrow morning to figure out this Demon thing, okay? And please call me when you get home and have your ward up. I’m heading to St. Louis, but I’ll be back in an hour. Hemingway needs my help with something.” I nodded, but didn’t turn around. I didn’t know if I could. Because I didn’t know how I felt. Friends? Maybe. Maybe not. More than friends? Maybe. Maybe not. We’d get to that later.

Without another word, I Shadow Walked back home to my apartment, tensing as I materialized in my living room, ready for an attack.

Nothing happened, and I could tell that no one had been here.

I headed towards the front door, ready to place my wards around the building like Nate had taught me. I did need sleep. A lot of it. As I opened the door, a card fell to the floor in the hallway. It had been propped up on my door handle, or slipped into the crack between the trim.

It landed face up. A card with the Kansas City Police Department symbol on the front. I sighed, plucking it up from the ground. I saw the same card on several other doors down the hallway, and a patrolman standing outside the door leading out front. Another one stood at the opposite door. He stared out at the parking lot, not seeing me. It looked like the same guy I had seen in the car outside earlier.

The halls didn’t look too damaged, other than gouges in the floor, which was a relief.

Well, a cop at the entrance was going to make things difficult. He would likely be suspicious if he saw me sneaking around the apartment complex kneeling in the grass. And the Demon could be out there right now, watching me, waiting for me to step outside. I smelled no sulfur, but she had to be out there somewhere. She had stayed one step ahead of me this whole time, and she liked playing games. Because she had obviously been close enough to nab my father, but instead, she had given me a spear piece and left a note.

Then the games with the vampires: killing the guards and Simon, and then leaving the piece for me to find. I couldn’t fathom why she was going to all this trouble with the spear if she didn’t appear to care about it.

The bears had made a comment about getting revenge, even before they had actually confronted me. They had said something about a plan. That I would never see it coming…

I sighed. I needed sleep. But first, ward the place. Against everyone.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I flinched instinctively, snapped out of my thoughts. Speak of the devil. Probably Nate checking on me.

I answered without looking at it, watching the policeman outside. “Hey.”

“… Callie…” a voice groaned, stopping my heart.

“Dad?” I shouted. “Dad! Hello?”

I heard chuckling, and then the line went dead.

It sounded familiar. Like that damned bear.