I picked through the remainder of the half-eaten turkey sandwich one of the guards had been eating last night. As unappetizing as it was, it was still food, potentially the only food I might see for forty-eight hours. Not that many people brought things down here from the world above, outside of strippers, booze, and bait for their barbaric ring.

I’d been trapped in a ring much like this as a child, time and time again. Now, no one knew I was here. I was free to walk and to wander and to watch, but they couldn’t see or hear me, and I couldn’t directly interact with them—me and the trash panda.

In the asshole’s defense, his skills at finding trash to eat for both of us had been coming in handy down here, not that I ever expected to need it. I was just happy the little bugger seemed concerned enough with keeping us both alive that he thought to share instead of keeping his rump fat and happy. Although, he did make a better pillow when he was.

I tore the sandwich in half and handed one to him. Bandit wrapped his paws around it and started scarfing it down. At least my opposable thumbs were useful in taking water bottles from the bar and keeping us hydrated. Not that it stopped the guards from emptying out the water bowls I made for him because they thought they were trash. I was over this fucking curse two weeks ago. Lifting my wing, I glared at the rune on my back.

Fucking Fae. Fucking Seelie.

I swear, when I get out of here—and I will—someone was going to die.

“Take it from someone who knows, the Fae are not the easiest to kill.”

My neck actually cracked from spinning around so fast and Bandit leapt to my defense.

“You can see me?” I was in complete disbelief. After two weeks of being nothing but a ghost, this had to be a hallucination. Only my imagination would come up with a woman that beautiful that could speak to me in my darkest hour.

“I can, but I’m actually here for him.” She pointed a purple claw towards the trash panda and something about it jogged my memory.

“I’ve seen you before,” I said to her. She smiled a little vixen-like and snapped her fingers. The clothes changed from dark fighting leathers to a pair of tight jeans and a cropped shirt that read ‘Voodoo Doughnut’ in Pepto-Bismol pink. “You!”

“Me,” she agreed, nodding her head like this was amusing.

“What are you doing here? And how can you see me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. After talking, and screaming enough, I’d finally figured out how to control the sound waves to some degree, but it was easier to ignore them entirely given I couldn’t do a damn thing about my curse.

“The whys and hows aren’t all that important.” She swiped a clawed hand out and caught Bandit faster than he could react. The raccoon twisted to bite her, but she was already pulling away. “I’d perk up, though, if I were you. Ruby will be here soon.”

She disappeared like she’d never been there to begin with, but even in the dark light I didn’t miss what she’d taken from Bandit. Hairs. Five little blue and black hairs.

I pulled the raccoon to my chest, feeling protective over him. Because whatever she came for, she got it, and I had a bad feeling about what might bring Ruby running.