The radio crackled as I scarfed down the supper Gilbert had kindly prepared. Bangers and mash, my ultimate favorite, and the gravy Gilbert made was to die for. Azren, antsy from not having found any clues, had gone for a drive to clear his head. The kitchen felt empty without him.

“Hey,” Trevor said from his perch on his cushioned seat. “What’s with the face?”

“What face?”

“You were chomping away and then your mouth went all weird.” His eyes widened. “Shit, it’s not that time of the month, is it?”

“Seriously, Trev, personal space is an actual thing, you know.”

“Just saying.” He lapped at his plate, cleaning it so thoroughly it looked washed. “So what’s the face for?”

“I was just thinking, we’ve all been taking our meals together for the past two weeks, and it feels odd with Azren not being here.”

He placed a paw on the table. “I get you. He kinda fills up the space with his exuberant scarfing and all the glaring.”

I snorted. “That too.”

“I mean, if he could inhale the food ...”

“Right?”

We both chuckled and then Trevor sobered. “But he won’t be with us forever. He has to go back sometime. Don’t forget that, Wila.”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, sure. ’Course I know that.”

“Do you?” Trevor asked. “Gil and I have noticed how close you two are getting. He gravitates toward you when you enter a room, and there’s a natural ease between you two. The kind of dynamic that precedes something deeper.”

“We’re not having this conversation.”

“No, we’re not, because you’re smarter than that. You know there’s only heartache in store for you if you let him get closer.” He sighed. “If he was free to stay, then things would be different, but he belongs to the dragon bitch. Remember that.”

The food no longer tasted lush. And my stomach quivered with the first signs of anxiety. “You know me, Trev. I don’t do relationships.”

“Yes, you keep saying that, and yet here we are—you and me and Gilbert—in a relationship.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes, the big romantic L.O.V.E. The plague. The disease to be avoided. But you know what, Wila? It can also be a blessing, and I think deep down you know that. I think if you opened your heart, you’d have plenty of love to give to that special someone.”

Yeah, except the idea of doing that brought me out in a cold sweat. It felt like shackles, and the walls began to close in.

“At least you have the choice.” He ducked his head. “Unlike some of us.”

Oh, God. I was such a dick. Sometimes, I forgot he’d once been a man, that he’d had a life and possibly lovers. He rarely talked about his life before, probably because it was too painful to remember, but maybe I’d backed off too soon. Maybe I’d given him too much space.

“You never did tell me if you’d been in a serious relationship.”

He made a chuffing sound. “Too many relationships to count.” He laughed. “Until I met Janet, and then things got serious pretty quickly. The woman was obsessed. Can’t really blame her.” He raised his head. “I’d wiggle my eyebrows suggestively, but this face probably wouldn’t cooperate. Anyway, it didn’t work out.”

“Why? What happened?”

He looked down at himself.

“Wait ... she’s the one who did this to you?” I shook my head. “You told me it was a bitch witch dabbling in nasty dark magic.” There’d been no Arcana rule back then and no one to police nephs with the ability to harness magic.

Trevor sighed heavily. “I was a regular Joe, see, and when I found out what she was, that she was ... different, I ended the relationship. She didn’t take it too well. We got into a fight, she called me a dirty dog, and then the next morning ... well, that’s exactly what I was.”

“But she liked you. Like, liked you. Surely she’d have removed the hex or whatever it was once she calmed down ...”

“Maybe. If she’d lived that long. The broad got hit by a bus the next morning. And that was that.”

“Ouch.”

The rest I knew. He’d survived by joining a freak show and working with a ventriloquist who also happened to be a neph. It seemed that being turned into a dog opened his eyes to the supernatural world. He’d lived with the neph for the better part of a century, and when he’d died, Trevor had ended up on the streets. That’s where I’d found him. He’d saved my ass in an alley fight by giving me the heads up. Naturally, I’d brought him home, and the rest, as they say, was history.

“I’m sorry, Trev.”

“Don’t be. I’ve had an interesting life. More so than I would ever have had as a human, and now I have you.”

He sounded sincere, but his doggy eyes were filled with resignation. Hope was what kept us striving, it was the reason we woke up in the morning. I couldn’t let him abandon it. “If there is a cure out there, we’ll find it.”

He waved a paw. “Nah. I’ve been thinking, wondering about the consequences and such. I was human, Wila, in my prime, and I’ve been alive for over a century. If you turn me back, what would I become? Bone and ash?”

“I don’t know.”

“Exactly. I’m not going to take the risk.”

I reached out and ran a hand over his back. “I promise you, Trev. If there’s a way to get you back, without turning you to dust, then I’ll find it.” I kissed the top of his head, then pushed back my seat. “I’m going to grab a shower before I head to Tay’s. You want to tag along to the party?”

“And steal your thunder? I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Ha.”

“But seriously.” His tone switched to somber. “Don’t turn away from the chance of love, Wila. Don’t close off your heart. You deserve to be happy.”

How could I explain it to him? How could I explain that it wasn’t loving someone I was afraid of, but that their love wouldn’t be enough for me? How could I tell him that the truth wasn’t that I was afraid of getting my heart crushed, it was the possibility of breaking someone else’s heart that kept me from handing mine over. How could I tell him what I wanted didn’t make sense. So instead, I gave him my best cocky smile. “Trust me, Trev. I don’t need a man in my life to be happy.”

“Hmmm. Just so you know, I’m arching a brow right now.”

Yeah, he so wasn’t buying it.

The air behind me shifted, signaling Gilbert’s arrival.

I turned to face where I thought he would be. “Thanks for a lovely meal, Gilbert.”

“My pleasure,” he said. “No reports matching Lost sightings. I’ll keep trawling, but I feel we may have bagged the only pack that escaped.”

“I hope you’re right.”

The dial on the radio turned, and Missy Honour’s voice blared out at us.

New reports of metal beasts attacking citizens, what will the Arcana throw at us next, not to mention—

I strode out of the room. I had enough on my plate.

The pipes gurgled and clunked. Bloody plumbing in this place was shot to shit. I’d have to get someone to come in and look at it. The damned pipes were probably as rusty as my vajayjay. With an ominous thud and an angry gurgle, the showerhead sprang to life and water jettisoned into the tub. The room was nice and steamy within minutes. Stripping off my clothes, I climbed into the tub and stepped into the steam. Hot needles of water stung my skin, but man, did that feel good. The heat chased away the aches and pains of the day. I reached up for the shampoo and a gasp caught in my throat. Fucking hell, my finger. My pinky was purple. Shit. Now that I’d noticed it, the damned thing began to tingle.

The ruby ring Valance had given me glinted. It was too tight? How the heck was it too tight? Had it shrunk? Had my finger grown? With no other rings on my hands to compare, there was no telling. Grabbing it, I began to wiggle it, wincing as it cut into my flesh. Fuck, come on. Just over the knuckle. Almost there. I twisted and the damn thing flew off and fell into the tub with a clink.

Crap. I bent down to retrieve it and a cold chill blasted my backside. I shot up and spun round, almost slipping in the wet tub.

A hand shot out to steady me, and I was caught in Valance’s electric-blue eyes. What the heck? How the—I reared back and he grabbed me around the waist, stepping into the hot spray of water with me.

His hair was plastered to his head in a matter of seconds. We stared at each other.

“You’re taking a shower,” he said calmly, water skating off his chiseled visage.

I blinked against the water pattering against my face and nodded, my voice trapped in my throat.

He pouted contemplatively. “So ... you’re not in mortal danger?”

Oh, fuck. The ring, the fucking ring. A hysterical giggle crawled up my throat and exploded from my lips.

His lips twitched and then we both burst into laughter. It lasted mere seconds and then a hot flush of awareness swept across my skin—my wet, naked skin, which he was up close and personal with. His shirt was soaked, the skin beneath visible through the now transparent fabric. A new kind of heat unfurled in my belly.

“Wila?” His tone was pregnant with expectation.

It was the first time he’d said my name. Not Miss Bastion, but Wila, and that combined with the intimacy of the situation set my blood on fire.

I pressed a hand to his chest, intending to push him away, but my fingers curled against his taut flesh uselessly, absorbing his heat. “You should go.”

“Look at me.” His voice was an echo reverberating inside my head.

That voice, that compelling siren call of a voice. This was bad. Wrong. But my chin tilted as if of its own volition, and then I was trapped in his dragon gaze, spiraling out of control. My fingers clutched at his wet shirt, desperate to gain some kind of purchase, desperate to remove the obstruction of fabric, because he was inside me—in my mind, under my skin—tugging, drawing. I was melting, needing to be closer, while drowning in the essence of him—fire and brimstone and sweet almonds.

“Oh, fuck. Wila.” His words were a rasping throb somewhere deep inside me. “What the fuck?”

His fingers bit into my waist, and my feet left the ground. My back hit the tiles, and the roar of water blocked out everything else as his mouth descended on mine in a lip-crushing, tongue-tangling kiss. Almonds, he tasted of almonds and honey. Oh, God. Closer. I needed to be closer. As if hearing my silent plea, he lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist. There was only the harsh brush of his trouser fabric against me, the taut press of his chest against my breasts, his mouth, that clever, hungry mouth, and that tugging in my chest, sweet and delicious and ...

Hungry.

The haze that had fallen over me lifted slightly. Oh, God. This was no ordinary kiss. This was something else. Something sinister.

A feeding.

He was feeding off me and it felt amazing. Let him, let him have it. Were those my groans? He devoured them, rolling his groin against mine, his hard length pressing against me separated only by a thin layer of fabric. Sharp, electric pleasure radiated out from the point of contact, tightening in sweet torment until my lungs ached to take a breath. He dragged my lips between his teeth, sucking away the sting and then claiming my mouth once more. My pulse throbbed in my throat and wrists, and my heart slammed against my ribs. More. Please.

A tiny voice whimpered in the back of my mind. No, this was wrong. Dangerous. The pleasure didn’t matter. It had to stop. He thrust against me. Oh, God. Oh ... No! The voice screamed, taking control. Summoning every ounce of willpower, I shoved at Valance’s chest, bucking against him to get free.

He gripped me tighter, harder, his fingers digging in deep enough to bruise. Pain lanced up my back, and the spell was completely broken. Hurt. It hurt. I flailed, knocking against the shelf holding all the bottles and bath stuff. The clatter echoed against the tiles, and the edges of my vision bled to crimson.

Something surged up inside me, molten and dangerous and fucking furious. The splinter and crack of wood was like a gunshot, and then Valance was torn off me. Azren’s roar was a primal thing as he shoved the prince out of the bathroom.

Oh, fuck. Valance had tried to eat me, and not in a nice way. Oh, God. He’d actually... Azren, shit. I had to stop him from beating the shit out of his liege’s son. Legs like jelly, I climbed from the tub, grabbed a towel, and staggered into the hallway.

Azren had Valance pinned to the wall, fist drawn back to lay a punch.

Oh, shit. “Stop!”

Azren paused mid-punch, bicep trembling.

“Azren, you can’t. Elora will probably kill you if you hurt him.” I gripped his shoulder gently. “Please.”

Valance’s gaze was dazed, totally out of it. He looked intoxicated. His attention drifted from Azren to me. He blinked slowly several times and then his slack expression morphed into something intense and shell-shocked.

“Oh, fuck. Oh, fucking hell.” He vanished into thin air.

The ruby ring sat in the center of the kitchen table. I nursed the mug of hot chocolate and stared at the innocuous-looking item of jewelry. Who’d have thought it could cause so much trouble? The world was still fuzzy around the edges.

“It doesn’t fit anymore.” I picked it up and turned it over. “It adapted to fit me when Valance gave it to me, but now it’s too small. Have I put on weight?”

“I think she’s in shock?” Trevor said.

“My pinky was blue. I had to take it off, and we laughed, and then he ... he kissed me, and I wanted him to.”

“That’s his power,” Azren said. “When the prince feeds, the victims die in ecstasy. You were lucky.”

Lucky? “You saved me.” I looked up at him. “You were totally gonna kick his ass.”

Azren’s jaw ticked. “Yes. I forgot my place and you reminded me.” He ground out the words through clenched teeth.

“I think you’re my hero.” My grin hurt my cheeks.

“No. I take it back,” Trevor said. “She’s not in shock, she’s high.”

“Endorphins,” Azren said. “The prince’s saliva is filled with them. It will wear off soon. Just a few more minutes.”

“Drink your hot chocolate, Wila,” Gilbert urged.

I sipped and blinked and sipped, and slowly the world came back into focus, bringing a godawful headache with it.

“Oh, fuck.” Setting the mug down, I pressed my hands to my temples.

“It will pass,” Azren said tightly. He wouldn’t look at me. Why wouldn’t he look at me?

Sure enough the headache receded. “How many times have you seen this?”

“Enough,” Azren said.

“I don’t get it. The first time we met he said I smelled off, inedible. I don’t ...”

“It wasn’t your flesh he was feeding off,” Azren said. “It was your soul. I’m assuming that tasted fine to him.” His tone was laced with bitterness.

My hands went to my chest. “I felt it. I felt him taking it.”

“Luckily, neph souls aren’t so easily drained,” Azren explained. “He would have needed to feed for several hours to kill you.”

“But why attack me now? He’s been around me several times, and I know he doesn’t want to hurt me.”

“You do?” Trevor’s voice rose incredulously.

Now that my equilibrium was returning, now that it was possible to view the situation in a clear light, I was certain he’d never meant to hurt me. He’d somehow lost control.

“He saved my life under the mausoleum, and there’s no way he’s gonna piss off his mother by ending me. No. This was a slip up. I saw the shock on his face.” He’d looked devastated.

“As much as I am loath to admit it, I agree,” Azren said.

“Wait,” Trevor said. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to punch his face in?”

Azren exhaled through his nostrils. “I still do. But upon reflection, he was not himself. Valance is usually in complete control when feeding, and yet he looked dazed. Almost as if he was intoxicated.”

That was all very well, he’d messed up. We’d all been there. Okay, I’d never accidentally snacked on one of my colleagues before, but each to their own, however … “What’s stopping him from losing his head again? I mean, like it or not, he’s kinda part of the team, even if that part is affiliated to she-who-shall-not-be-named.” I leaned in conspiratorially. “I actually get the impression there’s no love lost between those two, but that may not stop him from snacking on me again.” I pressed my lips together to halt the ramble. Maybe I was still a little high off the endorphins.

“You don’t get to be alone with him,” Azren said simply.

“He’s right,” Gilbert said. “Someone will be with you; if not one of the others, then me. I’m surprised The Collective aren’t knocking on our door right now.” He sounded perplexed.

“Oh, shit. The Treaty.”

“Yes,” Gilbert said. “Valance feeding on you was a breach, and the Arcana magic in the Treaty would have detected it.”

“Unless the wards Noir installed are somehow interfering,” Trevor pointed out.

Azren was looking from me to Trevor, his brow creased in confusion. “Do you really believe the Arcana magic in the Treaty is used to detect every single breach?”

I met his gaze. “Um. Yeah.”

He shook his head, lowering his gaze to the table. “I suppose it makes sense that the Arcana would perpetuate that misinformation. But ask yourself this, if the Treaty could detect every breach, then why didn’t it detect the rogue Shedim?”

My mouth formed an ‘o.’ “Crap. Wait. Then what the heck does the Treaty do?”

“It’s an agreement that we won’t cross the border without an official invite or authority. And yes, your Arcana Institute probably has methods in place to check that we keep to that rule, however those methods wouldn’t extend to Arcane detection of every breach of contract. That power is being hoarded for a time when there is evidence of a Draconi plot to attack. In that case, the Arcana would release a burst of magic that would wipe out the Westside completely.”

We had that much power? “I don’t understand ... if the institute has that much power, then why didn’t they just use it at the beginning, when the breach first opened and your people spilled into our world.”

Azren’s eyes darkened. “Consequences.” His lips curved in a sardonic smile. “The expulsion of that much power would probably have negative consequences for the Arcana. Maybe they’d lose their power for some time. Maybe they’d damage whatever connection they have to the arcane.” He shrugged. “Whatever the reason, they’re holding it over us as a last resort.”

It was why Elora hadn’t gone to The Collective about the rogues. She couldn’t risk them finding out that a bunch of Shedim had breached the treaty just in case The Collective saw it as an act of war. Instead, she’d sent Azren to clean up the mess and contracted him to be my employee.

Well, that explained why The Collective weren’t knocking down the door. But another question was bugging me now, one that had cropped up a week ago and never been answered. “Why is Valance helping us? Covering for us about the loss of the dagger, warning us about the contract, that kind of thing.”

Azren was silent for a long beat. “You were correct in your earlier assumption. There is no love lost between the prince and his mother. She is far from maternal.” He blinked as if surprised by the words he’d uttered. “Valance would happily act to undermine her.”

“Okay, I feel there’s more to this revelation.”

His lips twisted, and he closed his eyes, breathing evenly in and out of his nose. “There is no more that I can tell you. Just that if there is a way for him to derail her plans, then I am certain he would employ it.”

“But this was his idea. You had me by the scruff of my neck, shaking me like a bag of bones, and then Valance whispered in his mummy’s ear, and then bam she comes out with the whole contract deal.”

Azren frowned. “Maybe he merely wished to spare your life?”

“Well, there’s only one way to know for sure and that’s to get him to answer the damn question without employing any evasion tactics. He owes me.” I glanced at the clock above the cooker. “Shit, look at the time. I need to get dressed for the party.”

Azren gave me an astounded look. “You’re not seriously still considering going, are you?”

“Drop it, Az,” Trevor said. “This is the woman who got swallowed whole by a Karnworm and cut her way out from the inside. Covered in green gloop and entrails, she was. A near-death experience, it was, and what did she do? Shower, put on her glad rags, and head out for a pint. This soul sipping, it ain’t got nothing on the Bastion files.”

Oh, damn, I’d almost forgotten about the Karnworm. The ugly fucker had been snacking on the Southside canine and feline population, and it’d almost had me for supper.

Azren still didn’t look too keen. “You’re insane, you know that?”

I scooted back my chair and moved around the table. “Thanks for the memo. Look, you don’t have to come. I know it may not be your scene ... you know, all that F-U-N.”

He gave me a deadpan look. “The fun on my side of the border would probably kill you. I’m sure I can handle your definition.”

Gilbert let out a choked laugh.

“Oh, is that a challenge?” I braced my palm on the table beside him and leaned in.

He lifted his chin, meeting my glare head-on, but there was no playfulness in his expression, only a probing intensity. “It’s all right to take a moment to fall apart.”

His words poked at my vulnerable center, the part that was usually hidden under a coat of armor but that the incident with Valance had yanked to the surface. “Yeah? And how often do you allow yourself to fall apart?” Anger flared in my chest. “Just because I don’t have a dick doesn’t mean I need to melt down every time a fucking monster gets his claws into me.”

The part of me that knew he meant well was drowned out by years of instinct. When things got bad, we put on our big-girl boots and grabbed another case, and then another, until the bad feelings just went away. There was no point in dwelling on how vulnerable I’d been in response to Valance’s attack. It wouldn’t change anything. It was over. I was okay. Time to move on. I swept from the room and ran smack bang into a frail-looking woman hovering in the foyer.

“Oh, my. Oh, dear, I fear you’re closing up for the night.” She flapped her hands in agitation.

Perfect. “Hey, it’s okay. I have a few minutes. What can I help you with?”

She raised her red-rimmed eyes to mine. “Oh, my dear, I do believe I have a monster in my attic.”