I stopped for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, but the best steak in Chicago couldn’t ease the sourness in my stomach, or the weight on my thoughts. Helplessly watching someone else’s suffering was never easy. Our emotional distance didn’t spare me in the slightest.

Miriam wasn’t supernatural, but she understood our world, having married a were-animal and raised another, my father. Was her concern about a curse figurative, or literal? Based on my observations of her over the years, I found the latter hard to believe, but her fear had been genuine. I shook my head as I cut my steak, watching the blood ooze from the tender meat into a pool on my plate. I resolved to visit her again, tomorrow. If she was lucid, I’d ask her about the curse.

While I ate, the shapely brunette waitress returned to my table more often than necessary, giving me long, meaningful looks. She had green eyes, mahogany hair, and an intriguing intensity. She was exactly the kind of distraction I needed—at least, I thought she was. Her shift conveniently ended when I paid my tab. We met at the bar for drinks, and a few hours later I took her home.

That morning, I dreamed of Dennis sitting in his blue Cutlass, completely oblivious to the danger as he watched Michaela, the Mistress of the vampires’ Northern Seethe, saunter toward him. He even admired her physical beauty, anticipating his conversation with her. From behind a glass barrier, I yelled and screamed for him to run, but he couldn’t hear me. All I could do was watch the horror of recognition that came over him the moment before she reached through the open window, gripped his head by the hair to expose his neck, and ripped out his throat with her teeth. She laughed at me, bathing in his blood as it washed over her in scarlet waves.

I woke up with a start, my body drenched in sweat. I sat for a few minutes catching my breath before I realized my guest had already left. Probably for the best. I took a long hot shower. As I dressed, I noticed the woman’s necklace on my dresser—a silver necklace. I retrieved a tissue from the bathroom, scooped up the necklace, and dropped it into the waste bin.

After a quick breakfast, I settled onto my couch with a laptop and did some quick Internet searches for Lucas Reed. His bio on his company’s website was bland and useless and probably a lie. Other than some promotional images of him on his motorcycles, there was nothing useful to me. He had no other online presence, but that wasn’t surprising. Most supernaturals steered clear of social media, where it was too easy to draw the wrong kind of attention.

I had more to worry about than Lucas Reed. I closed my searches and started over, looking for anything on Dennis’s daughter, Caroline McDuffy. Her Instagram was mostly a collection of artistic wallpaper and glass chandeliers, which told me nothing useful. Her Facebook page was entirely private, but she ran a large, public group that focused on criminal justice podcasts and cases of wrongful conviction. I scowled. She liked a good cause, and she knew how to organize.

I ran my hands over my face, trying to wipe away the stress that stubbornly clung there. Closing the laptop, I stripped and stepped out my back door into the brisk morning. At my bidding, my wolf rose to the surface. A cool comfort spread through my body as it elongated, my bones cracking as they adjusted to my wolf form. Gray fur burst through my skin. Once transformed, I sniffed at the air, taking in a dozen subtle scents; something small and earthy, like a mole, had been close recently—a cat, as well, possibly in pursuit. From the next block over, the pungent smell of freshly cut juniper carried on the breeze. Eager to stretch my legs, I trotted into the woods behind my house and ran for a couple of hours.

Reluctantly, I returned home and changed back to my human form. As much as I wanted to give the day to my wolf, there was too much to be done.

I drove my BMW to the city and parked a couple of blocks away from Dennis’s former office on North Ashland Avenue. Walking the rest of the way, I found several MISSING posters bearing his image stapled to telephone poles. When I finally arrived at the nondescript, tan brick commercial building, I found a young woman with windblown raven hair, wearing black jeans and a matching jacket, was handing out copies of the poster to anyone and everyone passing by. I recognized Caroline from Tim’s description. Judging by the number of posters in her hand, she was nearly finished.

“Have you seen my father?” she repeated over and over. Most simply took the poster without breaking stride. A few crammed their hands in their pockets and shook their heads as they passed by.

I sighed, questioning my plan. As an attorney, I advised myself against it, but my need for information outweighed the risks. I took a deep breath, steeling myself, then walked toward her as if I, too, just happened to be walking by. I didn’t even make eye contact with her, because I knew she would open the door for me.

“Have you seen my father?” she asked, extending her last poster into my path.

I took it and took two steps past her, gazing at the poster, before I stopped and turned to face her. “Is he lost?” I asked, wearing a concerned look.

Her eyes brightened as she walked to me, eager to engage. I noticed a silver pendant resting over the collar of her t-shirt, a Celtic knot wrapped around a black crystal. “You’ve seen him?” she asked.

I glanced at the poster once more, then shook my head. “He looks familiar, but I’m not sure. I frequent this area. There are a lot of people around here during the workday. Perhaps if I knew more about him,” I suggested.

She brushed back her hair as it blew into her face. “He’s a private detective.” She held my gaze, intently watching for some sign of recognition. “He worked … works”—she corrected herself—“in that office building over there. A couple months ago, he just stopped responding to my calls or e-mails. I live in Boise,” she explained. “At first, I thought he was just blowing me off.…” She glanced away, embarrassed. “That’s a long story, I guess. When I came looking for him, I found out he hadn’t been seen since I’d lost contact with him.”

I glanced about the area. “No witnesses? No clues as to where he went?”

She hesitated just for a moment before answering. “Not a one. Everyone just looks at their shoes around here. No offense.”

“The police?” I asked.

She frowned. I saw the bitterness in her russet eyes as she said bluntly, “They don’t actually care.”

The breeze picked up, and I saw her shiver. “It’s chilly out. You’ve probably been out here for hours.”

She shrugged the observation aside. “I’m picking up more posters in half an hour and I’ll be back at it.” She looked me dead in the eye as she said confidently, “Someone around here knows something. Sooner or later they’re going to walk through this intersection. I just need to put a poster into their hand.”

I nodded to a café across the street. “Why don’t you join me and warm up while you’re waiting for your posters? I’ll buy you lunch and you can tell me more about your father. I talk to a lot of people in this area. I can ask around.” I smiled. “I might even get a tip for you.”

“What is it that you do?”

“Insurance broker,” I said quickly.

She grinned as she looked me up and down. “You look like an insurance broker.” She glanced to the café, then back to me, seemingly weighing the decision, but I sensed she’d already made up her mind. “Sure. Why not? Thank you.”

I requested a table at the front window, giving her a view of the street to put her at ease. While she studied the menu, my gaze was drawn once more to her necklace. The black crystal radiated a low but surprising level of magic.

“That’s an interesting necklace you have there,” I said, watching her reaction closely.

Her heart rate accelerated slightly, but only for a moment as she lifted the pendant with her finger and looked down at it with a wan smile. “It’s ugly. I know. It was my mother’s. She claimed it had some special power. She was really into that New Age stuff. She said it would come in handy someday.” She rolled her eyes as she let the pendant fall back against her chest.

While I wasn’t sure what power the medallion possessed, it was more than was typically found in a New Age magic shop. On occasion, magical items of actual value ended up there, usually unwittingly sold by family members of a deceased witch who had no idea what they were selling. Did Caroline know more than she was admitting to?

Staring at the crystal, I felt a slight dizziness come over me, just for a moment.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Before I could answer, the waiter arrived with coffee.

“Thank you,” Caroline said, reaching for the sugar packets.

After the waiter took our order and left, I asked her, “Your father was a private investigator?” She nodded. “Is it possible he’s out of town on a job that requires some secrecy?”

Her smile thinned as she slowly stirred her coffee. “I doubt he would’ve stopped paying rent.”

“Were you close? Did he talk about his work?”

Her gaze lowered to the spoon as she continued stirring. “I wasn’t particularly involved in his life until recently.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I didn’t know he was my father until six months ago. To say the news was a surprise to him would be an understatement.” She chuckled. “We’ve mostly been getting to know each other by phone and e-mail. I don’t think he liked his work. I thought it must be glamorous, but he said he mostly got paid to track down cheating spouses and people who didn’t want to be found. He made it sound so bland. He never talked about his personal life, either. Truth is”—she nodded toward his office across the street—“the only reason I know that’s his office is because that’s where I first showed up at his door. As far as I know, he lived there, because he’s never given me another address.” She frowned. “That’s sad, isn’t it?”

The waiter arrived with our sandwiches. What little appetite I’d brought with me was gone. Keeping the secret of Caroline’s father’s death gnawed at me. I had the answers she needed, but I couldn’t give them to her. The best I could do for both of us was to bring the investigation to an end as soon as possible. She would never get the closure she deserved, but she might at least move on with her life once the hope of closure ended.

“Have you been to his office?” I asked, deliberately calming my voice to disguise the importance of my question. Without Dennis’s body or his car, which the vampires also disposed of, the only possible evidence linking me to him would be in his office.

“I tried,” she said, setting her sandwich down on her plate. A hard look came over her as she said, “The detectives, in their professional opinion, didn’t consider it a crime scene, so the landlord cleared it out. He’s quite happy to hand over my father’s belongings as soon as I pay the three thousand dollars in back rent.” A mischievous look came over her. “He’s in for a surprise, though. He doesn’t have to give me access, but I’m this close”—she held out two fingers, making a show of them almost touching each other—“to getting the detectives to at least take a look. He has to let them look at whatever they want. If one of my father’s clients had anything to do with my father’s disappearance,” she said darkly, “I’ll find out, one way or another. Assuming someone hasn’t gone through his stuff and removed any evidence first.”

She glanced at the time on her phone. Her eyes widened. “Time to pick up my posters. I’m sorry,” she said, suddenly blushing. “I’m rude. I never even asked you your name. I’m Caroline.”

“David,” I said, shaking her extended hand. She had a strong, confident grip.

“David the insurance broker,” she chuckled, rising. “Listen, I really appreciate your help. Do you have a card? In case you get me that tip.”

I made a show of patting my pockets. “All out, it seems.”

The check arrived on a tray. She picked up the pen, selected a clean napkin, wrote down her number, and handed it to me. She shook my hand once more, then left in a hurry.

I brought out my phone and texted the address of Dennis’s office building to my legal assistant and researcher, Stacy. “I need the landlord’s name and number.”

From what Tim had told me, the detectives could contact the landlord at any moment to get a look at the contents of the office. I needed to get there first, and I needed those contents to disappear.

By the time I walked back to my BMW, Stacy had replied with the landlord’s contact information. His name was Leon Walker. I fished an untraceable burner phone from the glove box, then called him.

A raspy male voice—probably mid- to late fifties—answered on the first ring. “Yeah?”

Judging by the skepticism in his voice, he’d been in business long enough to get jaded—exactly what I’d hoped for. Most likely he’d accumulated rental properties for decades. He could tell at a glance who he wanted to rent to and who he didn’t want to rent to, and he didn’t like being told by the city how to run his business. There were strict rules about how landlords could deal with the belongings of a tenant. Fortunately, he was exactly the kind of landlord who didn’t give a crap about rules.

“Mr. Walker,” I said, “my name is Webster Fields. I represent a group of buyers who purchase the contents of abandoned properties or storage units.”

He grunted.

“I’m sure you run a tight ship,” I continued, “but we both know the kinds of tenants the city forces you to accept, and how unreliable they can be.”

“Damn section eight waivers,” he grumbled. “They’re doing drugs and who knows what else.”

“Exactly. If at some point in the future you find yourself stuck with abandoned property, I’d be happy to bid on it as a lot. That way you can at least recoup some of your losses and unload unwanted property at the same time.”

“Just so happens I have a deadbeat right now. It’s mostly just junk. What’s in it for you?”

“There’s always something of value to someone. I sift through it, sell what I can at auction, then donate or throw out the rest.”

He sniffed. “He just walked off and left his entire business behind. I’d hoped the family would pay to get it back, but they don’t seem to think it’s worth much. I guess you might think differently. How much are we talking?”

“I’d need to see the lot before I could make an offer.”

I waited a moment while he thought it through. “Yeah, why not? Sooner I get that off my hands, the better.” He gave me the address, which wasn’t far away. “I can meet you there in a half hour. It’s then or not at all.”

I smiled. He probably knew Caroline was stirring up trouble. If detectives informed him they were investigating a missing person case, Dennis’s belongings would be evidence, which Mr. Walker would be obligated to store until the case was closed, which might never happen.

“I’m on my way,” I said.

“See you then,” he answered, then disconnected the call.

Turning the phone over, I exposed the blank, white label stuck to the back. All of my burner phones had such labels. Fishing a pen from the glove box, I wrote the name Webster Fields on the label and pocketed the phone. From that point, the phone was exclusively dedicated to the persona of Mr. Fields. I’d use the phone and the name for nothing else until I’d obtained what I’d wanted, and then I’d destroy the phone and dispose of it.

The address belonged to a rundown brick apartment building with three floors. I parked across the street. As I walked up the porch, he opened the door from inside.

“Mr. Fields?” he asked.

I smiled, sincere but strictly professional. Some people responded well to enthusiasm, but others found it suspicious. He belonged to the latter category. “Yes, Mr. Walker. It’s a pleasure.”

He accepted my offer to shake hands, establishing our relationship with a strong grip. I suppressed a laugh. With a simple squeeze, I could’ve broken every bone in his hand.

“This way,” he said, gesturing as he led me to an elevator in the center of the hall. “You’re in an interesting business,” he mused, still skeptical while we waited for the elevator to arrive.

I figured he was a man who valued family business. “I took over for my father a few years back,” I said.

He nodded appreciatively. The elevator dinged, then opened. A moment later we were standing in a dingy room that reeked of rat poison and stale air, at least to my senses. He led me down a narrow path between two rows of storage units defined by walls of chicken wire.

“Good thing I had the extra storage,” he said, gesturing to the two units at the end, on either side of the path. “But I’m going to need those units soon.”

The unit to my left contained the furniture from Dennis’s office: a desk, a chair, a filing cabinet, and a couple of empty bookshelves. The other was stacked with sealed boxes. I made a pensive show of evaluating both storage units, then made a disappointed clucking sound with my tongue.

“Not a lot of value there.”

“That’s what I told you,” Mr. Walker snapped.

I gestured to the boxes. “I assume that’s all the paperwork from the filing cabinet, the desk.”

He nodded as if the answer were obvious. “And books. Lots of books. That should be worth something.”

I gestured to a neighboring storage unit that contained some outdoor gear and an old computer monitor, among more mundane items. “That’s closer to what I’m looking for.”

He scowled at me for wasting his time. “That’s not for sale.”

To say Mr. Walker was disappointed was an understatement. He didn’t have much to say as he escorted me out of the basement and out the front door. I doubted I’d hear from him again. As I walked toward my BMW, I noticed Caroline walking past it, cradling a bundle of posters. I ducked into the next doorway, peering around the entryway as she stapled a poster to a telephone pole, then walked around the corner.

Remaining in the doorway, I called Josh. He answered quickly.

“I’m going to need your help tonight,” I said. “I need the contents of a couple storage units to disappear.” There wasn’t any point in leaving the furniture behind—Dennis was exactly the kind of nervous man who would squirrel away something important under the upholstery. Josh would only need a few minutes to get rid of it all. Now that I could describe the location and layout of the storage room, he could transport himself inside and send the contents to the same place he sent dead bodies, bloodstains, and any other inconvenient evidence that threatened to expose the pack to outside scrutiny.

“I can do that,” Josh answered. “What’s it about?”

I sighed. Of course there were going to be questions. My brother didn’t know about Dennis. Up to that point, he hadn’t needed to know. Before I could answer, my phone vibrated. I pulled it from my ear to read the screen.

A text from Artemis read, “Would you like to know if a dark witch is in the neighborhood, looking for trouble?”

I put the phone back to my ear.

“Ethan?” Josh asked.

“I got a lead on our biker witch. I’ll call you back.” I disconnected the call, then called Artemis. Before she answered, Josh materialized next to me. I glanced around quickly to make sure no one was paying attention, then scowled at him for his recklessness. He didn’t seem to care. Typical.

“That was quick,” Artemis answered, pleased.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“Excellent. I should probably inform you that my rates have recently increased,” she said speculatively.

I don’t have time for this. “Double the usual finder’s fee,” I said. “One time only. If you want more than that, I can come over to your house to talk with you about it.” Artemis took considerable pride in keeping her home a secret. I’d found it a few months ago, but only because she’d left me no choice.

“You drive an unnecessarily hard bargain,” she complained. “He’s strolling through the farmer’s market at Lincoln Park.”

“Let me know if he leaves before I get there.”

I disconnected the call and turned to Josh. He could transport us there instantly, but the market at Lincoln Park was one of the busiest farmer’s markets in the city. Magic in a crowd was a gamble. Often people in a crowd weren’t paying attention to anything not immediately around them, but a miscalculation could cause a stir and draw far more attention than we could handle. I could see by the look in his blue eyes that he was ready to risk a transport. I gestured to the BMW, unlocking it with the fob.

Speeding as much as I could without risking an accident, it wasn’t long before we parked across from the bustling market and walked in. Hundreds of people were crowded into three rows of market stalls, where local craftsmen and farmers sold their goods from tents pitched beneath the silver maple and green ash trees. Josh and I walked together, weaving through the crowd as we looked for Lucas Reed. At just over six feet tall with a pile of red curls on his head, he wasn’t hard to miss as he purchased a bag of roasted nuts from a vendor. If that wasn’t enough, he wore the same leather jacket and chaps he’d worn in Tim’s dashcam video.

An oppressive dark magic wafted off of him.

Josh tensed, his gaze focused intently on the crowd around us. The market was no place for a fight—too many eyes, too much potential for collateral damage. If I had my way, I’d grab him by the jacket collar and haul him away to have a quiet chat that ended with him racing out of town, but I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t put up a fight. As a rule, supernaturals didn’t want to be noticed by the outside world, but that didn’t mean Reed was going to let me manhandle him.

Beyond the vendors was an open area that was clear of bystanders. Our witch was already close to the end of the row. I got Josh’s attention and nodded toward the clearing, but he’d already seemed to figure out the same plan.

The last tent was occupied by a vendor who made and sold scented candles—obnoxiously scented, to my senses. Reed lingered there. That’s when I knew he’d made us.

Scowling, I strode to his side, gripped his elbow tightly, and walked him away from the tent. He chuckled, but didn’t resist as I escorted him into the clearing. He reeked of sage, lemongrass, and some kind of obnoxious perfume.

“Nobody told me there’d be a welcome wagon,” he said, smiling. When I stopped and turned him to face me, his expression had only grown smugger. His heart rate remained calm as he glanced between Josh and me. “As I live and breathe, witches and wolves walking hand in hand—metaphorically speaking. An amazing if unlikely accomplishment. If you gentlemen stopped me to join you in a round of Kumbaya, I should warn you—the reports of my golden pipes and gentle disposition are greatly exaggerated.”

“Just a courtesy greeting,” Josh said, the tightness in his voice matching the tension in his body as he anticipated a magical confrontation.

“Why are you here, unannounced?” I demanded.

“I do apologize for the break in decorum,” he said, brushing a dangling curl from his face. “If I missed the markings on the trees, it’s probably because I didn’t give a shit. Still, there’s no need to be alarmed. I’m just here to take in the sights, like the rest of the tourists. If you’re worried about me digging up the bones you’ve got hidden around here, I promise to leave them undisturbed. Not that that wouldn’t be entertaining, but chew toys aren’t really my style. I’m more of a consume-your-soul type of guy.”

I growled as I stepped up to him, giving him a close look at the wolf in my eyes as it rose to just below the surface. Judging by the intensity of the dark magic that radiated from Reed, Tim had considerably underestimated his power, but his magic was useless against my wolf, and I had Josh beside me. As much as I wanted to teach Reed some manners, I needed to get my message across without causing a scene, if possible.

“Does Marcia know you’re here?” Josh asked.

“The Creed?” he said with a sneer. “Unless they’ve opened a tourist office and are offering discount tickets to Second City, I have no business with them. Last I heard, Marcia wasn’t too fond of dogs. Safe to say, you’re not here on her behalf.” His smile broadened as he glanced between Josh and me. “No, I believe this is an official visit from the Midwest Pack. And I have the misfortune to draw the attention of Ethan Charleston, the pack Beta, and his witch brother. It’s your tattoos that give you away.” He winked at Josh, then turned his full attention to me, his gaze locking with mine. “If you have some not-so-subtle threat to give me, something about Chicago being the pack’s personal fire hydrant, I do hope you’ll get on with it. The art museum closes in six hours.”

The muscles in my neck grew taut. My fists clenched as I fought the urge to knock the witch’s smug smile from his face in a memorable fashion. Josh stepped closer to me, sensing I was on the cusp of losing control.

I stared unblinking into Reed’s mocking hazel eyes as I issued my final warning. “I suggest you take in as many of the sights as you can today, because by noon tomorrow you’re going to be on your way back to your business in Indiana. Cause any trouble, or return unannounced, and there will be consequences.”

He nodded slowly, his lips bent into a crooked smile. “Message received. I assume we’re done here?”

Josh pulled at my arm and I took a step back, allowing Reed to walk back into the marketplace.

“I’ve felt his magic before,” I said, staring after the witch.

“He’s one of Ethos’s followers, like Pala.”

Two years ago, Josh had enlisted Pala’s help to find the Gem of Levage. Instead, she’d tried to steal his magic. Like all of Ethos’s followers, they’d offered servitude in exchange for some of his magic. Supposedly he’d reclaimed it all before we’d killed him, but that obviously hadn’t been the case. There could be only one reason for a follower of Ethos to be in Chicago; he’d sensed his master’s magic and he’d come looking for it, which made Sky his target.

I was considering how we could set a trap for Reed and kill him, away from public view, when Josh said, “He doesn’t know who he’s looking for. He’s just tracking the magic. As long as Sky doesn’t use Ethos’s power, he’ll have nothing to track. I’ll stop her training sessions for a few days.”

I rounded on my brother with a hard look. “That’s not enough.”

“We can’t just take it from her,” he snapped. “You can’t just do what you want to people. I’m not going to help you do that. If she can be talked into giving up Ethos’s magic, then I’ll help remove it.”

“And when she refuses?” Which she would.

His brow furrowed, weighted with worry. “Then I’ll help her find a way to hide it.”

I shook my head in disgust, but that was the best I was going to get, for the moment. At least Josh understood the immediate risk, but allowing Sky to keep Ethos’s magic for any length of time was unacceptable. I’d need his help to take it from her, which meant I needed to give him some time to come to the same conclusion I had. For the moment, he would keep his promise not to train her, and without a footprint of magic to track, Lucas Reed would give up and leave town by morning—or I’d kill him.

For the time being, I needed to keep Sky safe, which was problematic. For anyone else, a simple warning would suffice to keep her home and under our protection. Sky was too independent and too stubborn for her own good. If I warned her she was in danger, she’d go looking for trouble. If I put a guard on her, she’d do everything imaginable to escape.

I ran my hands over my face, trying to wipe away the tension.

For the first time since Steven had left town to help his adopted mother, Joan, rebuild the Southern Pack, I’d regretted his absence. While I found his relationship with Sky suspect, and I didn’t approve of the way he’d inserted himself into her home, making himself a virtual roommate, he was the only pack member who could get that close to her without raising her suspicions. She trusted him more than Josh. More than me.

I frowned as I drew out my phone and texted a description of Reed to Markos, my sixth. “If he gets within two miles of Sky, let me know.” I pocketed my phone and said to Josh, “Let’s take care of the storage. Then we’ll talk about Sky.”

Josh rolled his eyes but followed me back to the BMW.

A short time later, we stood across the street from Mr. Walker’s apartment building. While we waited for the street to clear, I described the general layout of the storage unit. All we needed was a window of time where Josh could disappear and reappear without being noticed by the trickle of pedestrians that used the block.

Just when we thought we had that window, a blue Crown Vic turned onto the street. I frowned as the vehicle, notoriously used by plainclothes police, parked in front of the building’s entrance. A bored-looking woman emerged from the driver’s seat, joined by her male Latino partner from the passenger side.

“I’ll do the talking,” she informed her partner.

“By all means,” he answered.

As they climbed the steps, Walker emerged from the building to hold the door for them. The woman flashed her badge as a courtesy.

“You have to go now,” I whispered. When I turned toward Josh, he was already gone.

To avoid looking conspicuous, I put my phone to my ear, pretending to be in conversation as I paced the sidewalk. All I could do was wait and worry. If Josh was discovered in the storage room, he’d be unable to transport himself out—not in plain sight of two police officers.

A few tense minutes passed before the front door of the building opened and the officers emerged, visibly irritated, followed by an angry, apologetic Walker. The officers wasted no time entertaining his excuses. Instead they returned to their Crown Vic and drove away. Walker shook his head as he watched them go, then went back inside, grumbling to himself.

Josh appeared in front of me, grinning as he brushed clingy foam packing peanuts from his shirt and pants, then his hair.

“That was close,” he said. “I had to transport into one of the other storage units and hide in a box of packing foam.”

“Did you get it all?”

He nodded.

“Both units on the end?”

Josh tilted his head to give me a puzzled look. “There were two storage units?” he asked, then watched my anger rise before he chuckled. “Relax. I got both of them.”

I let out a slow breath, feeling my shoulders drop as the tension left my body. It had been a long, stressful day. “Come on,” I said, directing him to follow me down the alley to the next block. “I’ll take you back to your place.”

That evening I was at home, alone with my thoughts and a bottle of Scotch, when I got a call from Markos.

“Is he gone?” I asked before he could speak.

“I had him in my sight all afternoon up to now, and then I lost him.” There was a sigh on the other end. “I hate to say it, but I think I got rope-a-doped.”

My hand clenched around the phone until I thought it might break, then I forced myself to relax.

Markos continued, “He must’ve known I was there the entire time, because he never went to his hotel or to visit anyone he knew—just tourist stuff.” He growled in disgust. “I got complacent. When he wanted to dump me, he did it easily.”

“Get to Skylar’s, now.”

“I’m on it, but I’m a ways out. If anyone else is closer, you might want to call them as well.”

Next, I called Sky. When she didn’t answer, I threw my phone across the living room. It bounced off the back of my desk chair and landed on the floor with a clatter. Growling as I walked across the room, I picked up the phone and examined it. Relieved that it still worked, I called Winter.

“Hello,” she answered, sounding bored.

“How close are you to Sky’s?” I asked.

“Closer than I’d like to be. You need me to babysit?”

“I need you to get eyes on her until Markos gets there. Make sure she’s home and alone.”

“Should I knock on the door, or am I playing stalker?”

“Keep it quiet. There’s a new witch in town. A biker. If he shows up, he doesn’t get inside.”

Her interest level rose at the prospect of a fight. “I can do that.”

I killed the call, picked up the keys to my BMW, and was halfway to Sky’s when I got the call from Winter. I placed the phone in the dash cradle and answered on speakerphone.

“She’s fine,” Winter said, sending an immediate rush of relief through me. “She’s alone, watching some crappy movie on television. No biker witch to speak of, unfortunately.”

I eased my foot off the gas, slowing down to the speed of traffic. “Wait for Markos, then go home.”

“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “If you need me for a fight, don’t hesitate to call.” She ended the call.

I found a turnaround and drove back toward home. Despite my relief, my heart was still pounding.

I can’t wait for Josh to come around.

Every minute Sky remained in possession of Ethos’s magic put her in danger. It put the pack in danger. The longer she possessed it, the greater the risk. Josh’s promise to halt her training wasn’t going to stop her from experimenting on her own.

I’d talk to her first, try to get her to give up the magic voluntarily. She was stubborn, but I could appeal to her sense of obligation to the pack. As long as I kept my temper and my impatience in check, I might be able to convince her. If she couldn’t see reason, Josh was going to help me take it from her, whether he wanted to or not.

Once home, I texted Markos to send me updates every half an hour until Sky was asleep. As long as she was conscious, there was a chance she’d get bored and start experimenting with Ethos’s magic. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t unusual for her to stay up well past midnight watching crappy movies. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t sleep until I received the final update, just before two in the morning.

I woke the next morning, exhausted. After a shower and breakfast, I decided the best course of action was to show up at Sky’s unannounced, before she got her day started. I was en route to her house when the nurse from the assisted living home called. I put the phone on speaker and answered.

“This is Ethan.”

“Mr. Charleston,” the nurse said in a soft, empathetic tone. “I’m sorry to inform you that Miriam has taken a turn for the worse. I encourage you to visit her today, the sooner the better.”

I frowned. “I understand. Is she lucid?”

There was a brief silence before she answered. “No. I’m not sure that she will be again before she passes.”

I sighed. The issue with Sky couldn’t wait. As long as she possessed Ethos’s magic, she was in danger. We all were. And there was nothing I could do for Miriam, especially if she couldn’t recognize me, but that didn’t absolve me of my obligation to her. “I’ll get there when I can,” I promised.

I continued toward Sky’s house.

Within a mile of her home, I felt a faint ripple of dark magic pass through me, a gentle, oppressive wave of power. Skylar. She was using Ethos’s magic. I shifted anxiously in the driver’s seat and pushed down on the accelerator.

I started to call Markos, then realized I’d sent him home. Just a few hours, I fumed, cursing myself for trusting Sky to last just a few hours of the morning without using magic she had no business possessing. Disgusted, I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat.

The closer I got to her house, the stronger the wave of power. I tried to calm myself. If he isn’t nearby, he won’t have time to track it to her before I put a stop to whatever she’s doing. I held my breath as I turned onto her street, until I saw that her driveway was clear—no sign of Lucas Reed or his Harley—and let out a sigh of relief.

After parking in the driveway, I slid out of the BMW and walked toward the front door. Before I reached the porch, I caught sight of movement through the bedroom window. The curtains were wide open. Walking a few feet across the yard for a better look, I saw Sky lying on her bed, her entire wardrobe dancing and gliding about the room as she conducted the clothes like a symphony.

Frustration rose in me, coloring my cheeks with anger. How could she be so careless? I strode toward the front door, intending to barge in and put a stop to her gross display, when I heard the violent rumbling of a motorcycle engine approaching from the street. A moment later, Reed appeared on his Harley, drawn by the same subtle sense of power that had drawn me.

Glancing back through the window, I saw the clothes still dancing. She had no idea the danger she was in. Reed intended to take Ethos’s magic from her, and I doubted he cared if she survived the process. As long as she remained inside the house, protected by Josh’s magical ward, she had a chance, but I wasn’t kidding myself; Reed was powerful enough to break that ward eventually. If I failed to stop him, at least my effort bought her some time to react, assuming she stayed inside. Once she realized what was happening on her lawn, I knew she would come running out to help me. I couldn’t have that.

Over the last few months, I’d picked up a few spells and rituals from the books in Josh’s library. Recalling one of them, I turned toward Sky’s bedroom window. Muttering a quick chant, I gestured with an outstretched hand, my fingers splayed. A translucent shimmer spread across the windows, then extended out over the nearby wall, forming a thin barrier that was impenetrable by sound.

The Harley’s engine rumbled and boomed as Reed slowly turned into the driveway and parked next to my BMW. My hand slipped into my pocket for my phone. Once I texted nine-one-one to Josh, he’d transport to me, ready for a fight. Between the two of us we could put an end to the witch, but my pocket was empty.

I remembered leaving the phone in my BMW and growled. Calling my wolf to the surface, I tore open my shirt in anticipation of the change. It was my only advantage against his magic, which would be useless against me while I was in animal form. If he was arrogant enough to fight a wolf hand to hand, I’d kill him easily. My bones cracked as the transformation began. My muscles and tendons began to elongate, until a force struck my chest and quickly engulfed me, suppressing the transformation. I fell to my knees, straining to force the change. Inside me, my wolf snapped and snarled as it fought to escape, to vent its fury in Lucas Reed’s blood, but it couldn’t escape the oppressive spell that constricted around me. I panted, struggling for breath as the force steadily compressed my chest.

He grinned at me as he swung off his Harley and swaggered toward me. “Bad doggie.”

Concentrating, I tried to break the magical hold, but my own abilities were no match for his. Stay inside, I pleaded to Sky.

Reed stood over me, gloating. “You know, the more you fight it, the faster it’ll kill you. I suppose that’s not particularly comforting. I mean, sure, you could suck in another half breath or two before you die, but is it worth it?” He shrugged. “By the way, I know you killed my master. It’s okay. He wasn’t exactly well liked. But you don’t get a gold sticker. And you don’t get to keep his magic.” He grinned. “That little nugget is my legacy, and I’m going to take it.” He turned toward Sky’s bedroom window. “I don’t have the best view of her from here, but she looks like a pretty little wolf. Did you make her? Ah, hell, you can always make another.” He paused, lifting a finger as if he had just remembered something. “Except you’ll be dead in about a minute. Oops.”

I felt my rage build inside of me like an explosive force, pushing at the magic that suffocated me, but I couldn’t break it. For the first time in my life, I felt completely helpless as Reed swaggered onto her porch. He was reaching out to break the ward when he suddenly stopped. His head tilted as if sensing or hearing something, then he turned back to me with a look of pleasant surprise.

I felt it then, a dark, cold power striking down like a javelin as it pierced through the magic that held me and struck me at the back of my skull. My vision went white as every nerve in my body fired simultaneously, sending searing jolts of pain like shards of glass through my brain. For a moment, I lost myself in agony. When the pain finally receded, I realized that I was still alive. Only a moment had passed, and Reed was once more standing over me, his smug smile melting into a concerned scowl.

My body radiated power it struggled to absorb. I didn’t know what had happened, or how, and I didn’t care. I shrugged off his magic with a thought, then rose to my feet.

“You should be dead,” he snarled.

“About that.” I growled, extending both hands toward him. He attempted to raise a field, but it didn’t matter. Angry blue tendrils of electricity shot from my hands, tearing down his half-constructed field in a shower of blue sparks. He tried to wrench free as the tendrils wrapped around his chest like an electric serpent and squeezed the breath from his lungs.

As he struggled, I made a flippant gesture, flinging him through the air and slamming him down onto his back on the driveway. Lost in rage and power, I tightened the tendrils around him. I listened to the beat of his heart as it struggled, slowly failing until it finally gave up. Still, I continued to squeeze until eventually the rage receded. Realizing Reed was dead, I released the magic, then stared at my hands as ripples of electricity continuously rolled over them. Glancing down I saw the ripples traversing my entire body, drawing waves of pain that were quickly escalating. Without a target, the magic seemed to be turning against me.

Josh.

My phone was still in the BMW. Glancing back toward Sky’s bedroom window, I saw that the silencing spell had disappeared. Lucas Reed dead, I could call to her for help, but I didn’t know what the magic would do. Would it attack her? I couldn’t take that chance.

Grimacing, I stumbled toward the BMW to retrieve my phone. I made it as far as the witch’s body before the undulating waves of pain became too much.

Looking down at Lucas Reed, I knew I had one hope to get help.

A fresh wave of pain reached its crescendo. I dropped to my knees, then twisted onto my back, gasping for breath until the pain subsided. A few more waves and I’d be completely incapacitated. Time was running out. Grunting and growling with the effort, I reached across the witch’s body and hauled him to me. Once close enough, my fingers plumbed his pockets until I fished out his phone. Luckily, it wasn’t locked.

I called Josh’s number from memory. When he picked up, I didn’t wait for him to speak.

“Nine-one—” I grunted, folding over as a new wave of pain hit me. The phone fell from my hand. I writhed on the concrete until the wave eventually subsided, and I saw my brother’s concerned expression as he crouched over me.

“Don’t touch me,” I gasped, but he needed to get me out of sight before the neighbors took notice. It was very possible that an ambulance or the police were already on their way to investigate the dead body and the man with lightning still crackling over his skin.

Josh began to mutter a chant. Slowly, steadily, I felt the waves of pain recede. The visible electricity diminished and died, and then I felt a rush of relief that left me panting for breath.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” he promised. Worried that I still wasn’t safe to touch, I jerked from his hands, but he managed to touch my leg before I could stop him. My senses reeled for a moment, then I found myself on his couch.

He quickly pulled a blanket over me. “I’m going back to get rid of the body,” he said.

“Move my car,” I groaned, tossing him my keys from my pocket. “And get rid of the motorcycle.”

“I got it,” he insisted, then disappeared.

I lay there for a few minutes, slowly bringing my breathing under control as the echoes of pain diminished, but I couldn’t shake the faint film of darkness that clung to me. Feeling stifled, I threw off the blanket, but the sense of darkness remained.

When Josh reappeared a short time later, he looked relieved to find me sitting up. “It’s taken care of. Ethan, what happened?”

“Sky?” I asked, wishing I’d remembered to tell him not to upset her.

“She’s safely tucked inside the ward around her home. She has no idea.” He scrutinized me for a moment, his eyes roaming my body for signs of injury. “How did you kill that witch? He didn’t have a mark on him.”

I shook my head. “I can’t answer that.”

His lips pressed together in a tight frown. “Can’t, or won’t?”

“I have no idea,” I said sincerely. “Something came over me, like a bolt of lightning. He had me on the ground. I was suffocating, and then I had this … power.” I stared at my palms. “Maybe it controlled me. I don’t know, but I somehow used it to kill the witch. He put up a field, but I broke through it easily.”

I looked to him for answers.

He ran a hand through his already tousled hair. “When I found you, you were overflowing with magic. Now it’s subtler. If I wasn’t looking for it, I’m not sure that I would notice.”

I sighed, relieved. “It’s dissipating.”

He shook his head. “More like it’s settling.”

“Do you recognize it?”

“No. How do you feel?”

“Different.”

Josh took a step back from me and a translucent bubble shimmered to life around him—a magical protective field. “Try and break it down.”

We both knew I could, even without the strange magic inside me. “No.”

“We need to test this,” he insisted.

I scowled. “When I killed Lucas, I didn’t have control over what I was doing. I’m not going to test it on you.”

“This is important,” he insisted.

I rose on wobbly legs to face him. “It’s reckless.” He rolled his eyes, triggering a spark of anger in me that seemed to excite my newfound magic. “Did you see what she was doing, how he found her?”

Josh frowned but didn’t answer.

“She was making her wardrobe dance. She used Ethos’s magic. To make her clothes dance. Tell me, Josh, what would’ve happened to her if I hadn’t been in the area and gotten there before Lucas Reed?”

“She was safe inside the house.”

“He could’ve broken in easily, and you know it.” Josh reacted as if stung, but I continued to press him. “You two have been playing with magic even you don’t understand. Do you think Lucas Reed was the only witch out there that is attracted to Ethos’s magic? And Sky is clueless. You both are.”

“I’ll talk to her,” he said, avoiding my direct gaze as he soaked in the blame, trying to mitigate it.

“No. She’s just as reckless as you are. No matter how much you warn her, one or both of you will come up with another excuse to use Ethos’s magic.”

“Ethan—”

“What if Maya has access to that same power? What could she do with it?”

He chewed absently on the bed of a fingernail while he considered the possibilities. Finally, he admitted, “I don’t know.”

“Sky doesn’t have the training or the experience to deal with it. Until she does, it’s too dangerous for her to have.”

“She’s not going to understand if we just take it from her.”

“You just don’t want to give up your chance to study Ethos’s magic,” I snarled. “Grow up. Forget about power and make the right decision for her, for the pack.”

He clenched his teeth and walked a few steps away before he turned back to me, angry. “What do you want me to do?”

“Teach me the ritual to extract Ethos’s magic from her.”

He struggled for a long moment before he answered with an almost imperceptible nod. I realized it wasn’t the loss of power that hurt him the most; he couldn’t bear the guilt of taking something from Sky that she valued. For once, he understood the kind of decisions I was frequently forced to make as the pack Beta.

“I need a drink.” He turned and shuffled his way into the kitchen. “You?”

“Yeah.”

I dropped down onto the couch and waited until he returned with two tumblers of whiskey. I’d give him a few minutes to relax before I pressed him for the ritual. For Sky’s sake, the job needed to be done soon. At least he didn’t have to bear the brunt of her anger after it was done. I could at least spare him that.