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San Diego, California

Reese stomped around a moment, cursing the reason she had no powers. She could have saved Phoedra, but no.

How was she going to get that child back?

She finally started walking across the back parking area of the shops as she sorted through her limited options.

She snapped her fingers. Quinn had said if she ever needed any help, just ask. She’d get her car and head to Atlanta. The only problem was the time she’d lose getting there and finding him.

That was assuming he’d know someone who could find Phoedra after the girl had traveled through a bolthole.

How many beings could open one of those?

A flock of crows descended on her, creating a swirling cloud of black.

“You can’t be serious,” she groaned. Reese was in no mood for this crap right now.

The swirling black band of feathers widened.

A giant raven glided down and turned into a man clothed in a dark sport coat, slacks and black pullover. Yáahl had left the top of his mountain peak in Haida Gwaii Islands west of Canada. There stood the raven god of the Pacific Northwest Haida tribe. Her mother’s tribe, which had booted Reese a long time ago.

White glowed around the black centers of his eyes. He was upset about something.

Tough shit. Reese wasn’t having such a good day either.

He was also the person who had taken Reese’s powers after she lost her baby.

No time like the present to piss him off.

She started in, “You’re in a bad mood and I’m in a hurry. I’ll make this easy. Either give me my powers right now or get out of my way, Yáahl.”

“You lost her!”

“Who?” He can’t mean—

“Phoedra. Who else? How could you let them take her?”

That just shot her pissed-off level into the stratosphere. “Because I couldn’t stop preternaturals. In case you forgot, some asshat stole my powers. Why do you even care?”  Her mind flashed with images of Kizira. “Wait a minute. Is this your fault?”

Looking stern, he admitted, “Yes.”

Shaking her head, Reese muttered, “I should have never gotten out of bed this morning, because reality isn’t supposed to be weirder than a dream. Okay, start from the top. How do you know Phoedra?”

“We do not have time to waste. You need to—”

“No, dammit.” Reese charged up to him. “I’ve had it. For years you withhold my powers and put me through bullshit games. You send me after Kizira’s body and now you know about Phoedra? I want to know what you know and I want it now. Everything about this freakin’ stinks.”

“Some things are not for you to know. You have to find Phoedra.” This time he said it more as a plea than a demand.

“I fully intend to, but I’m not leaving here blind on some crazy errand for you again. Time to come clean.”

He gave her his best intimidating look.

She crossed her arms and waited.

“You are impossible.”

She gave him a pithy look. “Thank you. It’s nice to know my best qualities are recognized. Come on. How do you know Phoedra?”

“Her mother gave her into my safekeeping as an infant, and asked that she grow up like a normal child until the time came for her to accept her heritage.”

Oh, crap. “Let me guess. Her mother is Kizira.”

“When did you find that out?”

“Just a little earlier when Phoedra went to see a psychic who tried to call up her parents.” 

“What? Where was that?”

“Oh, that’s right. Your pack of flying minions couldn’t see inside a building. Back across the street.”

“Taking Phoedra to a psychic was a stupid thing to do.”

“Me? No, no, no. You not telling me who she was tops anything I’ve ever done. The bloody Medb might have her now.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not? It makes perfect sense.”

“Did you see warlocks?”

She was not arguing with him when Phoedra was still at risk. “I don’t think so. Looked like bounty hunters to me.”

“Why would they target her?”

“Phoedra liked this guy Joey, but he was with the group who grabbed her. She told me she was having premonitions, but I didn’t know she was a child of the Medb so I didn’t take it seriously. Hey, don’t give me that look. You’re the all-knowing one here.”

“Continue.”

“Phoedra told Joey about her premonitions, which I’m thinking might be actual visions. He must have detected some sort of power around her.” That’s when Reese reminded Yáahl, “If I had my powers, I might have known, too.”

“Precisely.”

What he wasn’t saying hit her between the eyes. “You withheld my powers because I was around Phoedra?”

“No. I bound your powers because you were reckless. Allowing you access to your powers would have ended with you dying many years ago. I have kept you alive.”

“I’m trying to dredge up some appreciation, but not feeling it.”

Yáahl stared down at her as if pondering something. He said, “The Medb and trolls are stirring up a storm of trouble in the southeast. It appears they’re trying to bring the preternatural world out to humans.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“I do not joke about such things.”

“What’s that got to do with finding Phoedra?”

“Due to all the trouble, VIPER is shorthanded. They brought bounty hunters in to cover the shortage, and they’re sending them out nationwide.”

“I thought VIPER banned bounty hunters for the most part and approved their use only on occasion.”

“That is correct, but it appears something significant has changed in VIPER. Due to that, there’s no telling what else the bounty hunters are doing now that they have run of the country. Phoedra may have been taken by one of them.”

“Wouldn’t your crows know?”

“I task my minions with keeping me informed of general situations I’m interested in. I did not send them for specifics. That issue is significant only if it relates to Phoedra. They reported she was with you when she was kidnapped.”

What a bunch of snitches. Reese realized something else. “Does Donella know about all this?”

“Yes. She is one of my guards for the girl.”

That could mean Donella was some type of nonhuman.

“Why did Donella work a job?”

“Because I was tasked with giving Phoedra as normal a life as possible.”

Reese could argue that Phoedra had a safe life, but not a normal one, because Donella didn’t want the girl out of her sight when she was home. She made sure Phoedra excelled in school, but limited the people she could spend time with, pretty much to just Reese.

That’s why Reese had tried to give Phoedra some freedom and allow her to just be a kid. Reese had mixed feelings on all of this crap with Yáahl, but not about knowing Phoedra.

She’d never regret having gotten to know the young girl and would hurt anyone who stopped Reese from finding her.  

Yáahl asked, “How did Phoedra vanish?”

“I’m thinking a bolthole based on the way the van was slowly swallowed into invisibility.”

“If that’s the case, I feel Queen Maeve and Cathbad do not have Phoedra. They would have teleported away. It could be someone working for Macha since she would never dirty her hands, or ...”

“It could be a third party like a bounty hunter just filling a ticket for any of them, or another player we don’t know anything about.” Ready to get rolling, Reese said, “I’m going after Phoedra immediately, but first I need all that you have on her.”

“You’re not in a position to make that demand.”

Reese cursed vividly and asked, “Can you send your minions to find her?”

“No, whoever took her has gone somewhere they can’t follow.”

“You suck, Yáahl.”

“Careful with that tone.”

“No!” she snapped. “You were supposed to watch out for her. Well, she’s gone and you need my help, because I will find her and get her back. Are we clear?”

He gave her dark look. “Very well. I hear a bargain coming.”

“Not this time.”

That shocked him silent.

Score one for the low woman on the totem pole. Reese explained, “I’m not bargaining with Phoedra’s life.”

His face went blank. “One shock after another from you today.”

“Be careful. That almost sounded like a compliment, but don’t get carried away. We’re not done.” She hated to ask for anything, but this was for Phoedra. “Could you help me for once?”

Yáahl angled his head in a very bird-like manner as if trying to process what she was saying. He nodded once. “Of course I will help. What do you need?”

“I have no idea who I’m going up against, but they’re clearly nonhuman. Would giving me back my powers be too much?”

Lifting a hand, he waited as a small raven came barreling down at them, then opened its wings and slowed to drop a medallion on a leather cord in Yáahl’s hand.

She knew that medallion well. He’d given it to her once before, which allowed her use of some of her powers while she wore it. He offered it on an open palm. “I’ll grant you the ability to tap your powers and ...”

“Sounds good. Thank you.” She snatched up the medallion and turned to leave.

He snapped his fingers and Reese froze in place. She couldn’t even feel her heart beating. Really?

“As I was saying,” Yáahl continued, “I will also allow you to teleport twice.”

That was more than she’d expected from the tightwad who had kept her on a short leash for years. This way, she could teleport to wherever Phoedra had been taken, if she could determine where that was, and back when she had the girl in hand.

Yáahl inquired, “Can you locate her?”

Reese grunted at him with eyes shooting out a WTF message.

He released her body.

She shook off the awful feeling of being paralyzed. “I’ll know as soon as I sit in the location where I last saw the van.” If that didn’t work, she would burn one teleportation to reach Quinn.

He was her only backup plan.

With her mind bouncing around with all sort of thoughts, she slowed at one in particular about Quinn and Kizira.

Could Phoedra be Quinn’s child?

Then she got her senses back. No chance.

She could understand Kizira hiding her daughter with Yáahl to keep Phoedra away from the Medb, but Quinn? He had an entire Belador army at his disposal to protect Phoedra.

Quinn was not a man who would abandon his child.

“What are you waiting for, Reese?”  Yáahl asked.

“Follow me.” She returned to the spot where she’d last seen the van and sat in the middle of it to access her distant viewing ability.

Waving at Yáahl, she said, “Wish I could hang out to give you the audience you so desire for your bore-me-to-tears monologues, but I have things to do. Oh, wait. There’s a guy in that building.”  She pointed at the rear door. “He was bleeding badly. Can you do something about him?”

“There is no one in that building now.”

She didn’t even want to wonder how he’d vanished. “See ya.”

“Do not fail, Reese.”

“What? Or you’ll take away my powers? Been there, done that, got screwed. I’m going to get Phoedra. All I ask of you is don’t get in my way.”

“Do not return without her.”

“I know. Don’t return or you’ll take away what little I still have in this world,” she quipped, but deep down she was terrified he’d do just that and she’d never see Gibbons again.

“We have spent many years as adversaries. You have a chance to return as a peer in my following.”

She had no idea what the hell he was trying to tell her. “What are you saying, Yáahl? Plain words, please. No riddles.”

Leaning down, he said, “Return Phoedra to me safe and sound, and I vow I will unbind all of your powers. You’ll have them forever. No discussion. No questions. You won’t need the medallion anymore and you’ll be able to go anywhere you choose. Don’t let your emotions rule your actions.”

Her mouth slipped open. She’d already told him she’d bring Phoedra home, but he was right. She’d given up Kizira’s body last time to Quinn, knowing she could have regained her powers just by showing up with a cold body.

She said, “Understood.” No smart comeback when she’d just been assured of the one thing she’d waited ten years to have returned.

“I want no misunderstanding, Reese. If you fail to rescue Phoedra and return with her, do not return under any circumstance.”

That was the Yáahl she’d come to fear and hate at times over the past ten years. When in doubt, he added a threat level meant to get what he wanted.

The good news for him was that they wanted the same thing.

She’d bring Phoedra home or die trying.

Yáahl straightened and gave her a solemn look that meant he’d said all he was going to say.

The swirling black cloud of minions that had surrounded them, which had clearly been a cloaking device, burst apart with black feathers floating down.

In the next second, crows flew high. When they disappeared, she looked back down to the ground.

Yáahl was gone and she was on her own.

Fine. She’d spent most of her life that way.

Once she had Phoedra in hand, she intended to press Yáahl to find out everything about her. Phoedra deserved to know who her parents were.

Reese looped the medallion over her head. Power flooded her body. Whoa. The last time she had this medallion, it had given her a limited amount of power, but this time it was far stronger.

That said how much Yáahl wanted Phoedra back.

It wasn’t as if Kizira could harm him from the afterworld. Evidently Yáahl took his vows seriously, and right now he was breaking the one he’d given Phoedra’s mother.

Reese searched back and forth across the rear delivery area. “Please don’t let some truck run me over while I’m doing this.”

Opening her senses as she gripped the medallion, colors flashed at her then a dark hole opened up, widening more and more. It took a minute, but once the hole opened up, she started to see a large dome, then streets running away from it. Huh? Her gaze blurred, then cleared. She turned her head to the side for a different view and spotted the van pull up to a rusty overhead door.

Leaning in toward it, she searched behind the van for a street name or landmark, but the edges blurred again.

If they traveled there through a bolthole, could she teleport to the same place? What happened to a body if it stopped in the middle of teleporting?

Would she just land someplace unexpected or would her body get caught in limbo ... or would she just disintegrate?

Yáahl could have given her a crash lesson on it.

A hand clamped down on Reese’s shoulder. Pain and energy shot through her. Nonhuman. Oh, shit, oh, shit.

Whoever it was yelled, “Got one here.”

No time left for pondering what-ifs or fighting this guy, because she’d lose her viewing location.

She called on the medallion to teleport her to the one thing she could recognize. That dome.

Power raced over her skin.

The world blurred ... was anything happening?

Big hands clenched her shoulders and pulled her backward.

All at once, her body jerked and stretched. She’d forgotten to question one more possibility.

What would happen if she got pulled between her destination and someone using majik to hold her in place?