A few hours later, I walked into my brother’s house without knocking, coffee in hand. From his leopard-patterned chair, he gave me a mildly rebuking scowl. He appeared haggard, a bandage wrapped around his arm where he’d injured himself attempting to remove the iridium band.

Seeing the bandage triggered a rise of anger, reminding me of a debt still to be paid. For the moment, I’d allow Samuel to look over his shoulder. Eventually he’d let down his guard. At a time of my choosing, I’d let him know exactly what I felt about him taking my brother hostage.

I handed Josh his coffee and sat across from him on the couch. “Can you break Marcia’s curse?” I asked. His expression remained blank as he sipped at the coffee, his eyes glazed and distant as if he were reliving his captivity, or his defeat. “Josh.”

“What?” He jerked, forced back into the present. “Ethan, I think I need some time alone.”

“No.”

Irritation flashed in his eyes. His nose crinkled, but then he snorted in exasperated amusement. “You know, you can be a real pain in the butt sometimes.”

I leaned toward him, holding his gaze for a moment. If I could take back what he’d experienced at Samuel’s hands, I would, but there was still a lesson there for both of us.

Josh frowned at his coffee. “I knew Sky’s family was working with a witch. I’d no idea it was Samuel.”

“I didn’t know either. We got beat. Better not to dwell on it.”

“Well,” he sighed, “give me a few minutes to wake up and I’ll see about finding him.”

“Forget about Samuel for now.”

“He still wants the rest of the Clostra,” Josh insisted. “He’s not through with us. I’m not going to sit back and wait for him to break down my door again.”

“He knows you don’t have it. Now that he’s shown his hand, he’ll assume we’re protecting the books at the retreat. Even if he could break your protective field there, he won’t attack a house full of were-animals.”

“He’s desperate,” Josh cautioned.

“What does he want with the Clostra?”

Josh shook his head. “Whatever it is, his fervor borders on the fanatical. The spells in those books are too powerful to let fall into his hands.”

“He’ll never have them,” I swore.

Josh relaxed into his chair.

“Back to my original question,” I said. “Can you remove the curse?”

“Describe the spell. Don’t leave out any of the details.”

While I did, he brought a foot up to the edge of the chair, drawing his knee close to his chest, and chewed his nails. I finished by describing my plan to enlist the aid of Austin and Orchid.

“Have you called them yet?”

“I wanted to check with you first.”

Josh nodded. “I don’t know if I can do it myself, but I have some ideas to try before we take a trip to New York. I won’t need the pack’s library,” he explained, answering my unspoken question. “I have what I need here.”

“Good.” I smiled, noting a number of the pack’s oldest books on his shelf. “Let’s get started.”

He shook his head. “First I’m going to cast a terrorem on you.”

I scowled, deeply offended. Alarm spells allowed the target to call for help by speaking a key word or phrase; they were for the weak and helpless, for victims. “I don’t need a terrorem,” I growled. “Just keep your phone handy.”

He folded his arms over his chest, staring at me as if chastising a willful child. “If you insist on going through with this reckless plan of yours, you’re going to have a fail-safe. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Reading his resolve, I begrudgingly agreed.

After the spell was cast, we spent the rest of the morning poring through books and making notes. I made a trip to our favorite sandwich shop, and we continued through the afternoon and into the evening. By the time Josh began putting our notes to practical use, we’d both accumulated a sense of hope that slowly disintegrated as one idea failed after another. After our fourth failure, we took a break to clear our heads.

“Another set of eyes would be useful,” Josh suggested. “Sky could help.”

I scowled. “I forbid it.”

He shook his head at me but kept his rebuke to himself.

“She’s not in a good place,” I explained. “Until we’re out of ideas, let’s leave her out of this.”

“Fine,” he sighed.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Drawing it out, I saw Caroline’s number and declined the call. Not now. I growled, drawing a questioning look from Josh.

“It’s nothing,” I snapped.

“Right. I’m only your brother.” He gestured for emphasis. “Why tell me anything?”

I found myself staring down at my shoes, my expression a tight grimace. I could put Caroline off for a little while, until she got impatient and forced the issue. When the time came, I had a plan, but there were risks. If her passions got the better of her nature, or if I misjudged her, I likely wasn’t going to walk away from her scheme. Josh’s help would improve my odds considerably, but I’d be putting him at risk as well.

I need him.

Did he have the restraint my plan required? Once he knew what I intended, he was going to be furious. Better to let him vent that anger now, I decided. Once he’d vented and calmed, he might listen to reason. My decision made, I leaned back into the couch with a sigh, draped an arm over the back, and described Caroline’s mind magic attacks. By the time I finished, his cheeks were bright red. As predicted, he didn’t lose his temper completely until I gave him the details of my plan.

“That’s absurd!” he shouted, jumping to his feet and pacing angrily in front of me. “You can’t do it! I won’t let you!”

“There’s no other way.”

He jabbed a finger at me. “You don’t get to put yourself in that kind of danger and then ask me to just sit back and watch.”

“What’s the alternative?” I demanded.

He swallowed, glaring harder. “I generally don’t like your plans,” he confessed, “but you’ve always been practical—annoyingly so. But this plan of yours … you’re putting yourself at tremendous risk, Ethan. For what?” He stopped pacing to face me squarely. “You’ve never hesitated to eliminate a threat. Why is this threat any different?”

“If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t be a threat.”

He swept a hand between us. “You do moral ambiguity better than anyone. Don’t stop now. Deal with her, and bury that guilt in the same place you always do.”

It was an unfair accusation from someone who’d never had to make the kind of choices that kept him awake at night. I rose to tower over him, glowering down.

Josh continued, undeterred. “Eliminate. The threat. Save the moral redemption for next time. If you’re wrong, you’ll be helpless. She could kill you and there’s nothing I’ll be able to do to stop her. Are you really going to ask me to just let that happen?”

“This is the way it has to be.”

Still staring up into my eyes, he slowly shook his head. “You picked a hell of a time to grow a conscience.” He turned and snatched his wallet from the kitchen counter.

“Where are you going?” I demanded.

“More coffee. It’s going to be a late night.”

“I’ll go with …” I started, but then he disappeared.

An hour later I was hunched over a book at Josh’s dining table when he reappeared with coffee and bagels.

“That took a while,” I grumbled.

“Traffic,” he said as he pulled out a chair and sat. “Let’s get back to work. I’ve got a couple more ideas to try, but we need to do a little research first.”

The next morning, we were still at work when I received a text message from Sky.

“Are you making progress?”

“Yes,” I lied.

“Like?”

“I will let you know later.” I tried to set down my phone, but her reply was nearly immediate.

“Do you think Logan can help?”

“Don’t go to Logan!” I shouted at my phone, then texted the same.

Josh scowled. “The Tre’ase?” He shook his head. “She doesn’t do idle well.”

“I’m going to make the reservations for New York,” I announced. “If we can’t come up with a solution today, we’re putting her on a plane tomorrow, before she does something rash.”

A short time later, I called her with the information about our flight, but she didn’t answer.

“You try,” I told Josh. Sky had a habit of ignoring me when she was irritated.

She didn’t answer for him, either. I tried once more. When she didn’t pick up, I began to panic. Fearing she was at Logan’s, I opened the tracking application on my phone, counting the seconds until the map rendered and a small blinking blue dot showed me her phone’s location. I blinked, zoomed in on the address to be certain.

“She’s at Quell’s,” I growled, then slammed my fist on the table, hard enough for Josh’s empty cup to teeter and fall over.

“How do you know?” he demanded, skeptical.

I took a moment to inhale and release a sharp breath. Realizing we were on the other side of town from the vampire’s home, I called Steven. He picked up immediately.

“Get Sky and tell her she has a flight to New York tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’m almost to her house now.”

“She’s not there. She’s with Quell,” I added, making my disgust plain. There was an audible gasp on the other end of the call. “If he’s harmed her,” I added, “kill him.” I hung up and tossed my phone onto the wooden table.

Josh shook his head at Sky, sharing my disappointment.

“She’s the only were-animal with a pet vampire,” I exclaimed.

He sighed as he sat back in his chair. “I don’t agree with her, but she’s doing what she thinks is right.” He ignored my scoff, continuing, “She’s putting herself in danger to help someone whom she thinks deserves it.” He blinked at my darkening face as my anger boiled. “Please, don’t punch a hole in my wall.”

He turned an open book toward me, tapped a page, and pushed the book in my direction.

Grumbling, I pulled it close enough to read and got back to work.

We spent the next hour checking our phones while we continued our research. When Steven finally called, I snatched the phone from the table.

“She’s home safe,” he said immediately, but there was an edge to his voice, a hardness he rarely associated with Sky. “I’ll stay with her until the flight tomorrow.”

“Quell?” I asked.

“I made the pack’s position clear,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. “If you want, I can kill him while she’s away. No problem.”

“I’ll get back to you.”

On our way to the airport the next day, Sky seemed withdrawn, angry. Even Josh’s usual jovial nature failed to illicit a smile. I knew that she suffered from the residual effects of the curse, and that Steven’s warning to Quell had irritated her. There was also a good chance my leaving her in the middle of the night played some part in her smoldering silence.

Either way, I found it best to leave her be. Josh did the same.

O’Dowd was waiting for us next to his Gulfstream jet. Once we were in the air, I messaged Orchid to confirm our meeting the next day at noon.

A few hours later, we checked into our hotel in New York. I’d arranged separate rooms for each of us, though I wondered if I should keep a closer eye on Sky. Given what had transpired between us, I suspected distance was more appropriate.

After settling into my room, I took a long walk to one of my favorite restaurants. As I walked through the door I was greeted by a welcome, familiar scent of delicately spiced meat cooked to perfection. Once seated, I texted Josh to let him know where I was in case he wanted to join me. I was just about to dig into my steak cheeseburger when I noticed Sky dawdling outside the front windows.

Is she stalking me? I wondered, surprised.

She seemed to be eyeing the decor rather than the patrons, but the likelihood that she could wander twenty-five blocks and randomly pick this nondescript restaurant was staggering.

Deciding to explore farther, she walked through the door. A smiling hostess immediately led her to a booth very close to mine.

“I’ll bring you some bread,” she stated, then walked toward the kitchen.

Just as Sky started to slide into the booth, she caught my eye. We stared at each other, both bewildered and somewhat skeptical to have randomly encountered each other so far from the hotel. For a moment, I considered she might prefer to be alone, but civility caught up to me. I gestured for her to join me, prepared to be rebuffed.

After a surprisingly brief internal debate, she agreed, fixing her ravenous eyes on my cheeseburger as she sat across from me. Reluctantly, I slid my plate toward her. She ate greedily until her hunger was eventually sated enough to talk.

“Did you track me here?” I asked.

“No.” Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. “I didn’t track you. I tracked down a very good burger and some mediocre fries.” She took another large bite from the burger and chewed, watching me.

I smirked. “You passed at least six other places that served burgers. Why this place?”

She shrugged. “The same reason you did. I could smell it from the street.”

Either we’d been brought together by a conspicuous coincidence or she’d improved her skill at lying. I leaned forward and gently wiped a dab of ketchup from the corner of her mouth. “It is one of my favorite places to eat when I am here.”

She seemed to consider scolding me as she made a show of dabbing her lips with her napkin. Following my gaze, she smiled at the nearly devoured burger.

“I guess I was hungrier than I thought,” she said.

The waitress arrived with her bread. I ordered another burger, rare. To my surprise, Sky ordered a salad and chicken wings.

“Salad?” I scoffed.

“I like salad,” she said defensively.

“No, you cling to the idea that you like salad because it makes you feel ‘typical.’ Like the average human having an average meal. You do not like salad any more than I do.” I gestured to her now-empty plate. “You didn’t answer my question. How did you end up here?”

I knew by the way she considered her answer that she hadn’t lied. The coincidence seemed to intrigue her as much as it did me. By the time our food arrived, she hadn’t answered. Our conversation devolved into small talk while we ate. Following the urges of her wolf, she devoured her wings while taking only token stabs at her salad. Did she notice?

“Why did you leave me in the middle of the night?” she asked, surprising me.

“It wasn’t the middle of the night,” I deflected. “We didn’t go to bed until morning.”

Her lips thinned as she gave me a sideways glance. “Okay, I’ll play your little game. Why did you leave in the middle of the morning like a tacky jerk?”

I took a sip of wine to steady myself. “Does it matter?”

“If it didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked.”

I leaned toward her, curious. “What creative reason have you drafted?” Given the importance of the trip, this was hardly a time to explore our personal relationship.

She considered for a moment, giving the impression that she only now formulated an answer, but I knew better. “I think you are complicated and I will never understand why you do half of the things you do.”

“I didn’t want to be there when Steven arrived,” I lied, my tone softer than before. I didn’t want a scene or an argument. I didn’t want to make her any angrier than she was. “You were really nervous with me. Why?”

Did you really want me, or just temporary comfort?

It was her turn to lie as she reacted with indignant surprise. “I wasn’t nervous.”

“Women are a lot of things with me in the bedroom,” I said, “but never nervous.”

“It’s probably because your modesty and humility put them at ease,” she snarked.

I was going to suggest we drop the subject when I noticed Josh walk into the restaurant. Relieved, I didn’t hesitate to wave him over.

“I guess he tracked you, too,” Sky muttered into her drink.

“Right after I texted him the location,” I said.

Greeting us with a smile, Josh slid into the booth next to her. It took him all of five seconds to steal fries from my plate, to my chagrin. Not that I cared about the fries, it was the principle that mattered.

Frowning, he gestured to my burger. “Rare?”

“Of course.”

His interest lost, Josh turned his attention to scanning the restaurant for someone to take his order. “There’s a club down the street,” he said to Sky. “We have to check it out.”

“Our meeting is at noon,” I reminded him.

“Yeah.” He made a show of checking the time on his phone. “Fifteen hours from now.”

“I don’t need you hungover,” I said, realizing my mistake too late. Judging by the childish grin on my brother’s face, he was going to go out of his way to prove he could function just fine while hungover.

He draped his arm behind Sky. “Can I coax you into a naughty night of fun that is only going to piss off my brother?”

She nodded, then took a sudden intense interest in the restaurant’s bland decor, anything to avoid my scowl.

“There we go.” Josh beamed triumphantly at me as he patted Sky’s shoulder.

Josh hit the bar like a tidal wave, drawing Sky behind him as he announced his presence to everyone around him. As the manager of the pack’s club, he’d developed a hypersocial club mode that served him well. I’d gotten so used to it that I’d forgotten the persona was more than just his professional skin. Among the booze and the bass beat and the women, he was in his element. Sky was just along for the ride, but she was enjoying herself as he made a point to introduce her to his new friends, whom he met at a dizzying pace.

I found myself a seat at the end of the bar that afforded me a view of the main entrance and the dance floor. The bartender appeared a moment later.

“Scotch, neat.”

The club was popular among supernaturals. Like all such clubs, it was informally recognized as neutral ground. Vampires, were-animals, faes, and witches all mingled, their historical enmities set aside for the night.

As Josh escorted two attractive young women—both witches, I was certain—to the dance floor, I understood why he wanted to be there. Even with the club, his interactions with other witches in Chicago were limited. Marcia’s displeasure with him was well known. Witches feared her ire. Those who didn’t feared his relationship to the pack.

Sky remained on the edge of the dance floor, swaying gently to the music. Her attention seemed fixed on the band; particularly the guitar player. The club was a morass of magic, radiating from dozens of figures, but I’d passed the stage when we’d first entered. He was a mage, a type of witch with minimal abilities largely limited to mediocre defensive magic.

He’d noticed Sky as well, was smiling, charming her from behind his guitar.

I nearly downed my Scotch, reminding myself at the last moment to sip. This night was a one-drink maximum. Josh was going to be a handful in the morning, as if I didn’t have enough reason to stay sober.

Sky accepted an invitation to dance from a human, thin and tall as a wafer, but he had a disarming charm. A low growl rumbled in my chest as she followed him to the center of the dance floor, but the mage guitarist remained her priority.

An auburn-haired vampire wearing a glittering skintight top slipped into the seat next to me with a sly smile on her lips and pupils that blotted out the color in her eyes.

“Buy me a drink?” she suggested.

“If you’re looking for an interspecies cuddle, try the kennel,” I said casually. “I’m not interested.”

She gestured with one finger, then slid off the stool and walked away while I returned my attention to the dance floor. I quickly picked out Sky, then Josh.

Eventually I caught her eye and waved for her to join me. She frowned, gave a slight shake of her head, and continued dancing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a woman approaching me with a feline grace. As I turned, the blond were-animal slid into the seat next to me, wearing a low-cut sleeveless ruched shirt, skintight jeans, and an impish smile. It occurred to me that I’d be facing a revolving door of flirtations if I chased her away.

I smiled, exchanged pleasantries. Her name was Sara. Over her bare shoulder I noticed Sky throwing glances and seemingly going out of her way to appear to be having fun.

For a few minutes, I became lost in conversation. When I glanced to Sky again, I noticed Josh next to her, wearing a concerned look as she covered her stomach, her expression pained.

Forgetting Sara, I rose and rounded the bar, aggressively pushing my way to Sky’s side.

“Are you okay?” Josh asked, shouting over the music as I joined them.

Dazed, she glanced around the club as if searching for something.

I bent to her ear and called her name.

“I think I had too much to drink,” she answered, shaking her head.

She’d had two drinks that I’d noticed. Given the pace she drank at, she’d had three at most, not enough to get her drunk considering the amount of food she’d eaten at dinner.

I took her hand, explained to Josh, “We are going back to the hotel. You can stay, but remember—”

“We have a meeting at twelve,” Josh finished, rolling his eyes. “No, I’m going with you.”

I glanced at Josh’s new acquaintances, who were calling to him to stay. He needs this. “No, you stay. I’m fine,” I promised.

He frowned at my hand clasped around hers, as if stung, then nodded.

His reaction surprised me. That’s the alcohol talking.

I led Sky outside, hoping the fresh cool air might help her rally. Turning to her, I cradled her face in my palms so I could examine her eyes. Her pupils were only mildly dilated.

“You’re not drunk,” I said. Or drugged.

“No,” she agreed. Something was still affecting her, making it hard for her to concentrate.

“Then what happened in there?”

She debated whether to answer, then sheepishly admitted, “I heard voices.”

I frowned, doubtful. “Voices?”

“I heard someone say we are all monsters that don’t deserve to exist,” she explained in a tone that suggested she understood the absurdity of her story. She wasn’t lying.

My mind shifted to the mage who had taken such an interest in her. “Stay here.”

Stepping back into the club, I nearly bumped into Josh on his way out. I quickly filled him in. We approached the stage first, observing the mage. He appeared oblivious to our attention, fully absorbed in the song he was playing. Josh shook his head at me and we split up, combing the club for anyone suspicious. In a room full of drunk supernaturals, who wasn’t? Someone in the club had used magic to communicate with Sky. Was it mind magic? Was someone trying to warn her, or chase her away?

After a few minutes, I slipped out the main door while Josh continued his search. Sky appeared relieved to see me.

“I didn’t hear anything or see anything suspicious,” I explained. “Josh and I checked out the mage, it couldn’t be him. In fact, there isn’t anyone in there strong enough to do anything remotely like that. Maybe there was a witch in there screwing with you.”

“Maybe the fatigue and the alcohol are getting to me,” she admitted with a nervous chuckle.

I was looking for a cab when she started to walk in the direction of the hotel. Deciding the walk might help clear her mind, I caught up to her, quietly observing her as she seemed to fall deeper and deeper into her thoughts.

“How far is the hotel?” she eventually asked.

“About sixteen more blocks.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you walked quite far to find me.” I stopped her, then reached out to hail a cab.

“I walked that far to find a steakburger?” she asked as I opened the door for her.

I smiled, guiding her into the backseat.

She remained quiet, pensive, as we stepped out of the elevator onto our floor of the hotel. At the door to my room, she intended to continue on to her own room when I took her hand and pulled her close to me. Staring into her green eyes, I searched for some sign that she was okay. Misjudging my intention, she pushed against me, her lips pressing into mine in a sudden burst of passion. For a moment, I lost myself in the taste of her lips.

“You should stay here tonight,” I whispered, surprising myself. A faint voice screamed a warning in the back of my skull, obscured by our mutual desire that seemed only to have intensified from the previous night. The heat of her breath caressed my lips as I stroked the curve of her neck. The longer she hesitated, the louder the voice in my skull became, warning me to not make the mistake I’d already run from.

Gathering myself, I kissed her lightly on the cheek, then whispered, “If you have to think this long about it, you should say no.”

I turned, opened the door to my room, and left her in the hall. Just inside the door, I hesitated, listening. A foolish part of me waited for her soft knock. If it came, I knew I couldn’t stop myself from answering it. When I finally heard her footsteps continue down the hall, I leaned back against the neighboring wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

As I emptied my pockets on the counter, I found Sara’s phone number on a torn piece of paper. She’d tucked the note in my pocket when I wasn’t looking. The debate went on for some time. The smart choice was to go to bed, but I wasn’t in the mood for the smart choice. If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up knocking on Sky’s door. At least, that’s what I told myself as I called the number.

The next morning, I invited Sara to join me for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Since she had only her evening wear, I loaned her one of my button-down shirts. Over steak, eggs, and pancakes, she probed me about the liaison in Indianapolis. The Midwest Pack was too large to control centrally. Sebastian assigned liaisons to manage pack affairs in some of the cities outside of Chicago. Anytime a were-animal wanted to move from one pack territory to another, even a new territory within the same pack, there was a hierarchy to follow.

While I answered her questions, I noticed Sky walk into the restaurant. She smiled and started toward the table, then froze when she saw Sara. Her lips bent into an accusatory frown before she stiffened, turned, and walked out of the restaurant.

“Something wrong?” Sara asked, turning in time to see Sky disappear into the hall.

“It’s complicated.” I slipped enough cash onto the table to cover the bill, followed by the keycard to my room so that she could retrieve her belongings, then left the table to follow Sky.

Tracking her scent, I followed her out of the hotel to a small café a block away. I found her at a table, brooding over a large pancake breakfast, with French toast, eggs, and bacon. She pushed a forkful of pancake into her mouth, reluctantly chewing as I dropped into the chair across from her. Scowling, she bent her head to her meal and tried to ignore me.

I waited, watching.

“What?” she demanded, glaring from beneath her eyebrows, then returned her attention to her fork as she cut another section of pancake.

“Her name is Sara,” I explained. “She lives here—”

“Good. Now you can refer to her by name instead of ‘what’s her name that I screwed in New York.’”

I sighed. “She is considering moving to Indianapolis to be closer to family and wanted some information about the liaison, but I don’t think she really liked my opinion. I only know her by reputation and she seems like a wild card. She will not fare well under his direction.”

Only slightly mollified, Sky continued glaring between bites. Her appetite lacked fervor. Watching her, I began to wonder if she continued to eat just to avoid conversation. Thankfully, neither of us wanted to talk about last night. Hoping to shift her mood, I changed the topic.

“Do you think about it?” I asked, using an open question to draw her interest.

She scowled. “About what?”

“Do you think about what Logan told us about spirit shades?”

She considered for a moment, debating whether she’d allow me to redirect the conversation. “All the time,” she decided. “Maya could be a Faerie. Wouldn’t it make sense? Elves and witches can bring a vampire back from reversion, but to the best of my knowledge, they can’t manipulate magic. I am assuming Faeries can.” An idea occurred to her. “Can demons feed vampires?”

I wasn’t sure there was a difference, whatever Maya’s origin. “Not to my knowledge.”

“And elves?”

I nodded.

She pushed her plate aside. “I can read the Clostra. Josh can’t nor can you. You are—were holding the magic of an elf and can’t read it. Josh is a witch and can’t read it….”

“So can Senna,” I added.

“Yes, but we don’t know what she is. We just know that she isn’t really related to me. This means she probably isn’t a witch.”

A puzzle for another time. “We’ll deal with that later. We need to remove the curse so that you can get the Aufero back.”

She nodded. “The Tre’ase that created Maya, I really want to know who it is. After all, my survival is based on his. If he dies, so does Maya and so do I.”

I agreed. Unfortunately, there was only one way I knew to identify the specific Tre’ase, and it was going to cost us. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. “When we get back, we should pay Logan another visit.”

I rose to leave, then hesitated. “Skylar,” I said, drawing her from her reverie. “Don’t make things awkward between us. Okay?”

Her nose scrunched as if she’d just caught a noxious odor. Her lips parted, but then she abandoned her snark for a simple nod and returned to her reverie.

“Go ahead Sky, ask,” Josh said from the backseat of our rental car as I drove us into Brooklyn.

“I just don’t get it,” she said from her seat beside him. “Fae magic is vastly different from the witches’. How will they be able to help? What are they going to do, will the curse away?”

He happily explained. “Yes, the majority of fae magic is limited, but just like we have levels, so do they. There are some that are quite strong, and their minor spells are not very trivial at all.”

“But it’s not the same. You told me that elven, fae, and witch magic worked differently, like being on a different frequency. How will a fae be able to remove a curse made by a witch?”

“Just think of it like opening a door. Using a key is ideal, which would be equivalent to a witch removing it, but a sledgehammer or locksmith tools will do the trick.” He grinned. “Let’s just say that if these fae can help us, it will be like taking a big axe to the door.”

Austin answered the door, sporting a full brown beard that contrasted with his bald head. Long red sleeves continued from beneath his short-sleeved green Kermit the Frog t-shirt, and he’d taken to wearing black square-rimmed glasses that distracted from his pale golden eyes. It had been a while since we’d seen him last, but his affection for us hadn’t changed. The feeling was mutual. In the doorway, we exchanged hugs, slaps on the back, and loud exclamations about how long it had been.

Sky watched our collegial display with pleasant surprise. Austin and Orchid were unlike any faes she’d encountered, or likely ever would. They were entirely original.

“Austin,” I continued the pleasantries. “Thank you for meeting with us.”

“Orchid, they’re here!” he shouted over his shoulder as he directed us into their living room.

The decor of the brownstone reflected the differing personalities of its occupants. On two redbrick walls hung metal sculptures, while modern abstract paintings stood out against cream-colored plaster. A delicate, mother-of-pearl fabric couch was accompanied by a coffee table built from a shaped piece of charred wood framed in brass.

Orchid appeared, grinning and squealing as she jumped into my arms and kissed me directly on the lips, a formality I’d have preferred to avoid, but she caught me by surprise. With no other choice, I returned the kiss. When she finally withdrew, the taste of menthol lingered on my lips. She turned to Josh, who accepted her kiss readily. I turned to Sky, wondering if she’d be spared, but that wasn’t the case. At least I could enjoy the utter look of surprise as Orchid hugged Sky tightly and kissed her.

Like all faes, Orchid possessed the ability to compel truth with a kiss. In exchange for the use of her gifts, she required full and unvarnished truth from her customers. She made no exception for old friends or trusted companions. As a practitioner of tactical lies, I appreciated the expedience of her requirement, though I didn’t like it.

As she withdrew from Sky, I saw her cheeks flushed. Josh hadn’t warned her, I realized. I smiled, wondering what must be going through her mind.

In contrast to Austin’s pop culture style, Orchid wore a muted plaid shirt that blended shades of yellow, gold, and beige. Strands of black hair streaked with sapphire protruded from the edges of her ivory slouch beanie. Her pale eyes were the same color as Austin’s.

“Come in, have a seat,” she declared, pulling Josh and me farther into the living room.

She guided us to the couch, where Sky joined us, then disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, she returned with a bottle of water, a glass jar of milk, and a plate of five homemade marijuana cookies, which was also expected.

“Have one,” Austin said, lifting the plate to Sky. “That’s all you’ll need.”

She wrinkled her nose at the contents of the plate. Out of politeness, she reached out to the smallest cookie until I gently clasped her hand.

“Thank you for the offer.” I said politely, “Unfortunately this trip is strictly business.”

Austin smiled graciously and set the plate on the coffee table in case we changed our mind. He sat across from us in a brass-framed wooden chair, the companion piece to his coffee table, while Josh bent over to reach the plate. Seeing my disapproval, he sighed and wrapped three of the cookies in a napkin that disappeared into his pocket.

As she read our expressions one by one, Orchid’s smile thinned. “So, Marcia must really be causing trouble,” she said as she slipped into Austin’s lap, resting her head against his neck.

“What isn’t she doing?” Josh said.

She glanced from him to me. “Ethan, what brings you to us?”

The pull of her magic, driving me to answer her with every unvarnished detail, nearly overwhelmed me. “We discussed what I needed on the phone,” I stressed. There was no need to repeat the information.

“Ethan,” she sighed, “I am stronger than I was as a teenager; you aren’t going to be able to resist it. Just relax and talk to me.”

“We discussed it,” I repeated, resisting the slow strangulation of my throat as the words she wanted accumulated there. “On the phone.”

Frowning, she turned to Sky. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I would prefer to handle everything,” I insisted.

“Of course you would. Ethan, I understand your need for discretion in many things, but I need as much information as possible.” She grinned. “You are going to hurt yourself trying to deny me my answers. I can’t do that to you. Skylar, please answer my question.”

I sighed, stifling my irritation as she launched into her story, beginning with our attempt to steal the Aufero from the magic shop. I found myself holding my breath, hoping she would leave out certain details that would lead Orchid to pry into my family background, but she was a skilled interrogator. She chuckled when Sky related how she’d stolen the orb back from Marcia, nearly drowning the witch in her own swimming pool before Quell intervened.

My eyes widened in surprise. She’d never told me. By preventing Sky from killing, he’d spared her a lifetime of regret, but I wondered why.

I tensed as she began to describe performing the ritual in my home. Orchid interrupted, asked her usual pointed questions. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as Sky revealed that my grandmother had been a dark elf, that I’d inherited her magic, and that we’d used the Aufero to remove the magic from me. Orchid accepted the news as if absorbing an exciting bedtime story, while Josh grew increasingly frustrated, shooting me angry glances.

At her urging, Sky continued, describing the ritual the Creed used to curse her. Here, Orchid asked a number of questions, ferreting out even the smallest details. She took particular notice of the words used, the description of the animal, and the mysterious witch who had participated in the ritual.

Austin shared his partner’s intrigue.

Once Sky finished, the room was quiet for a long moment as the faes absorbed the information, silently communicating while revealing nothing in their expressions.

Eventually, Austin asked, “Will we be the first to try to remove the curse?”

Josh answered. “The moment I bring up Marcia’s name, most witches refuse to be involved. Even those that I know despise her will not do anything to provoke her wrath. And the rest don’t like to mess with curses, it is too dangerous.”

The faes exchanged another inscrutable look.

“We will not be able to remove the curse,” Austin announced, “but we can weaken it. Josh and Ethan, we will need you for it.”

I nodded readily, as did Josh.

Sky glanced between us, then asked Austin, “How do you plan to do this and why do you need them?”

Orchid smiled at her. “I like you. We will dilute it. I will find which of my animals is your compatible and transfer it through them and then transfer it back. It will need to be done quickly, because I don’t want to kill them.”

Sky’s expression tightened, her concern unswayed.

In response, Orchid sang a single, melodious note, slowly rising in crescendo from bass to near falsetto. At its apex, the note suddenly ceased. A wave of sound lingering in the air became a ripple of gentle magic that filled the room with its sustained vibration. A moment later, a number of snakes appeared, twenty-four in all, slithering their way toward us from beneath the furniture and around the corners. Sky tensed, raising her shoes as snakes passed beneath her.

As the serpents gathered at our feet, Josh and I shared our calm with Sky, but the display was unusual. Orchid worked with a number of animals, but I’d never witnessed her using so many serpents at once.

The faes reached down and each picked up one snake, staring into its eyes for a few seconds before releasing it back onto the floor.

I could feel them slithering around my legs, over my feet. Sky gritted her teeth as she tried not to squirm. The mass of serpents slithered among the three of us. Slowly, three separated from the rest, each sliding its way to the feet of its chosen person.

A black snake with odd patterns draped over my shoes, flicking its tongue over the laces, while Josh’s compatible coiled around his ankle, rubbing its head against his sock. The serpent that chose Sky wrapped its silver-and-rose body up her ankle and around the first half of her thigh. She blinked down at it, forcibly calming her breath.

At Orchid’s signal, a low throaty bass sound, the snakes reared back and sunk their teeth into our legs. Each one of us hissed at the unexpected pain as our compatibles forcibly sucked blood. I glared at Orchid. I’d never known her to use blood and I didn’t appreciate the lack of information.

Sky gasped from the pain and cursed under her breath.

Orchid remained surprisingly indifferent.

When Sky gasped once more, I’d had enough. Wrapping my fingers around the now-bloated black snake, I tugged at it. When it refused to let go, I forcibly pried its jaws open and dislodged its teeth from my flesh.

“Ethan,” Orchid whispered a sharp warning as I held the snake at arm’s length, “let go of Franky.”

I happily dropped the snake to the floor. When it reared up and hissed angrily at me, I dared it to strike. After a brief standoff, it slithered away to join the mass of snakes beneath Austin’s chair.

I glanced at Sky, who seemed to have abandoned her fear. Josh remained engrossed in the ritual. While their compatibles continued to feed, Orchid played with the other snakes, snuggling and kissing them as if they were pets.

Once Josh’s compatible was satiated, it withdrew, joining the others. Sky’s compatible opted to climb up the couch and wrap itself around her arm, gently nuzzling her shoulder. I tensed anxiously, but she accepted the creature’s apparent affection with an enamored smile.

“Very well,” Orchid announced. “I will need a couple of hours to get the others. I suspect I will only need two more faes.”

She ignored my scowl as we rose and walked toward the entryway. Each of us received one more kiss to remove the truth spell, while Austin gently unwrapped the serpent from Sky’s arm. He favored her with a hug, something he rarely offered to strangers, then opened the door for us to leave.

After climbing into the BMW, I slammed the door.

“Relax,” Josh said, stoking my anger.

Sky glanced out the window, either lost in thought or doing her best impression of not giving a crap over yet another example of my brother starting a pointless argument.

“Did you know she was going to use blood?” I demanded.

“News to me,” he admitted, “but strong magic often requires a powerful catalyst like blood. If you want to talk about someone leaving out important information …” he said with a dark look as he let the thought trail off.

“You didn’t need to know about the dark elf magic,” I growled, turning the car into traffic.

“That’s very parental of you.”

“If I’d told you,” I said carefully, “your life would’ve been in danger.”

“That’s not the point, Ethan.”

“Could you have done anything about it?” I demanded, throwing him an impatient glance before turning toward the bridge.

Josh thought for a moment. “No,” he begrudgingly admitted, holding on to some of his anger for the sake of obstinacy.

The rest of the drive back to the hotel was tense, but quiet. Thankfully, we had separate rooms.

Two hours later, I felt the increased presence of magic as we returned to the brownstone. Aside from Austin and Orchid, we were joined by two other faes, who watched our entrance with nervous anticipation. At Austin’s direction, we joined them standing around a wooden table that had been placed in the living room.

Orchid’s gaze was fixed on the center of the table, lost in deep concentration. After a long moment, she acknowledged us for the first time, offering a confident smile. After steadily glancing around the table, she placed a large black stone at the center, surrounding it with sprinkles of powders and salts. Satisfied, she lifted the three compatible serpents from earlier and placed them on the table to slither over and around the stone.

“Are you ready?” she asked, glancing between Josh, Sky, and me. After we nodded, she gently lifted each of the compatibles and handed them to us. I scowled at mine. Perhaps expressing its own displeasure, it reared up and hissed just before sinking its fangs deep into my arm. Grimacing, I endured the sharp pain—sharper than before—as it gorged on my blood. Sky and Josh seemed at relative peace with their compatibles. I offered mine a faint, appreciative smile and the pain seemed to ease, but only slightly.

Once bloated, the snakes withdrew their fangs and retreated to take positions around the stone. Orchid placed a small pale stone in front of each compatible, then sprinkled powder around them.

The faes chanted in unison while she drew out a ceremonial blade from a scabbard at her hip and pierced the skin of my compatible, just enough to draw blood that she then dribbled onto the circle of powder. Blood and powder combined to form a foam that expanded to cover the small stone at the center of the circle.

While Orchid worked, Austin and one of the others did the same with the other compatibles.

Once complete, the chant grew faster, more urgent. The calming magic that had previously filled the room grew chill, raising the hairs on my arms. As the temperature in the room dropped, I saw the steam of our breath converging over the table.

The pale eyes of the faes were almost entirely white.

In answer to Orchid’s spell, a fiery force burst from the center stone, buffeting us. Every nerve ending in my body ignited in pain. I buckled, clutching at the table, but managed to hold on, gritting my teeth against the pain. After a moment, the pain subsided as the force contracted back into the stone. I had just enough time to see Josh and Sky recovering before the force pulsed outward once more in a torturous ebb and flow of agony.

The faes continued their chant with added urgency, while Josh began a rapid chant of his own. Sky and I could only concentrate, resisting the pulse through sheer will. The pain proved to be too much. Josh was the first to buckle, falling to one knee. Despite his grimace, his chants continued as he moved from one counterspell to another. Orchid’s pale eyes rolled back into her head just before she collapsed sideways and fell writhing on the floor. Austin immediately collapsed next to her, followed by the other faes. Within their circles, the compatibles writhed as well.

Sky and I held on to the table with a white-knuckled grip, but Josh had yet to find an effective counter, and we had no chance against the magic without the faes. Straining against the magic, I reached out and swept salt and powder from the table, then smashed each of the stones with a closed fist. Brittle from the magic, they shattered easily, but the pieces continued to glow.

Suddenly the compatibles ceased moving. The faes stopped as well. The magic force ceased and the glow emanating from the chunks of rocks faded until they returned to their natural color.

I collapsed to my knees from the shock of relief, then quickly pulled myself back up. Josh did the same, while Sky stumbled to Orchid and knelt beside her, checking for a pulse. Josh and I staggered around the table to help.

Even before Sky started CPR, I knew that Orchid was dead. A quick check revealed Austin and the others had stopped breathing as well, but Sky refused to give up, giving rescue breaths between series of chest compressions.

“Come on!” she growled, working.

Her determination jolted Josh and me into action. While he worked on Austin, I alternated between the other faes, but there was no chance. After several minutes, Sky finally conceded. They were all dead. Staring at the lifeless bodies of my friends, I wondered if I could ever take enough vengeance on Marcia.

Knowing we’d attempt to lift the curse, she’d made sure that anyone who tried to cancel her magic suffered the same fate that would befall Sky if she came too close to the Aufero. Of that, Marcia hadn’t bothered to warn us. She’d wanted us to try and suffer the loss of someone we trusted, someone who dared challenge her power. Her cruelty was limitless.

Already the smell of death rose from the bodies.

“Josh,” I said. He looked up from his place next to Austin, his expression somber, wounded. I continued softly, “Leave the bodies as is, but you will need to remove all evidence that we were here.”

His desperate gaze flicked over the bodies.

“Josh! Get it together.”

His head snapped toward me, his eyes flashing anger for a moment, but then common sense returned. Someone would’ve heard the commotion and called the police. If not, the bodies of our friends would be found sooner rather than later. Eventually, four dead bodies were going to attract a police investigation.

There would be time to grieve. For the moment, we had to be practical.

His expression somber, Josh muttered his chant as he waved his hands around the room, illuminating with glittering blue light anything that revealed our presence in the brownstone. With another spell, those traces quickly disappeared.