“And the key to getting my reward,” he adds with a roguish grin. Deep in my heart I know he’s probably teasing me since I love to point that out to him.

  But it’s still a reminder Carrick isn’t helping with the prophecy to save the world or even, God forbid, me.

  He’s still in it for himself, even if he does deserve it like Veda says.

  At that moment, Zaid walks in and advises Carrick, “I’ve got word out to Pyke that you need to see him.”

  “Who’s Pyke?” I ask, my gaze on Carrick for the answer.

  “Light Fae who will get us into Faere.”

  I nod dramatically with a knowing smirk. “Because he owes you a favor, right?”

  “Something along those lines,” he quips.

  “Hey,” Rainey says in excitement, clapping her hands. I spin to face her, charmed by the blatant enthusiasm, although I’m stumped by what she has to be happy about. “Myles and I are now part of your Scooby gang—it’s just like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

  Rainey and I love Buffy—the TV series, not the movie—and I snort over her reference.

  But Zaid’s eyebrows pinch together. “Who is this Buffy the Vampire Slayer you keep talking about? Is she fae or daemon? And why does she call herself a vampire slayer when there’s no such thing as vampires?”

  I bust out laughing along with Rainey and Myles, and Zaid only looks more confused. I actually have a tear—purely from laughter and not from grief—come to the corner of my eye, which I nudge away with my knuckle.

  I peek over at Carrick, who has an amused expression as he just shakes his head before turning his back on us to settle at his desk again. He opens the book and when he finds me staring at him, he makes a shooing motion. “Go. Titus will take you all to your house to pack, then you can drop Rainey and Myles off at the Fantasia.”

  Zaid, Rainey, and Myles head out of the office, but I don’t leave. I wait for Carrick to give me his attention from the book he’d opened again, and he does so with what I deem to be an overly dramatic sigh. “Yes?”

  “What are you going to have Maddox do?” I ask curiously.

  To my surprise, he doesn’t ignore me or provide a vague answer. “I’m going to have him pound the streets a bit, see if we can figure out more about the incubus you killed. Maybe backtrack from there.”

  “He still owes you a favor?” I inquire with a bit of sweet sarcasm to my voice.

  Carrick doesn’t take the bait, his tone matter of fact. “No. He’s going to be one up on me.”

  “You two have a weird relationship,” I mumble.

  “You have no idea,” he replies blandly as he bends his head back down again.

  “When do you think we’ll go to Faere?”

  He doesn’t look back up. “As soon as we find Pyke so he can take us through the veil.”

  “Aren’t there any other ways?”

  “Yes, but this is the easiest.”

  Carrick stares at me, daring me to ask another question. I almost do so I can get under his skin, but I think I better leave well enough alone.

  As it stands, we have a game plan, which means we are on our way to avenging Adira’s death and stopping evil from taking over the world. The enormity of my task should be paralyzing me right now, especially since this time yesterday, I was adamantly opposed to having anything to do with any of this.

  It’s amazing how one event can change life’s trajectory, but the minute I knew Adira was dead, I became a different person.

  Before I turn to leave, there’s one thing I should have done hours ago. “Thank you for coming to my house after Adira was killed.”

  Carrick still doesn’t look up, but his shoulders stiffen a bit. “No problem,” he mutters, his attention riveted to that old book.

  My gratitude given, there’s nothing else to do but move out of my house and into this condo, where I expect my life is going to get remarkably interesting.

  CHAPTER 12

  Finley

  My first day back to work, and it’s been a bruiser of a day. First of all, I didn’t sleep well last night. It was my first night in my new temporary home. While the room Zaid had set me up in was plush with the most comfortable mattress and softest sheets, I tossed and turned all night because it wasn’t my home.

  I was bleary-eyed when Zaid drove me to work—upon Carrick’s insistence—and he’ll be picking me up soon. I’m finishing out my day at One Bean, helping out on the machines and being close to the employees, mainly because the day started awfully when I had to tell the staff about Adira’s death.

  I had to talk to them in small groups as the shop was open and in full swing when I arrived, Lisa, my day manager, doing a spectacular job of getting everything going just before the sun breaks. I then had to make phone calls to those employees who wouldn’t be coming in until after I left. An email would have been easier, but that would have been too cold and sterile. By mid-morning, I’d imparted all the bad news, which had put a pallor over the vibe inside, so I eschewed the work in my office to make my face visible to the staff and customers. My job today was to let my staff grieve as they work and step in when needed, but for the most part, my employees are diligent, loyal, and they really didn’t miss a beat.

  Shortly after the lunch crowd had begun to dissipate, I was shocked by a visit from the police detective who had come out to my house the evening Adira died. He wanted to give me an update, and I felt that was incredibly kind of him. Adira’s parents wanted an autopsy given she died so young with no apparent health issues, and I had to agree that it was a smart move. Of course, I know they’re going to find nothing more than a heart attack for no apparent reason.

  He also told me that they would be flying her body back to Arizona tomorrow for burial.

  “Do you know when the funeral will be?” I asked, but he did not. “I’ll call them and find out.”

  We chatted a bit more about the coffee shop—he’d never been here—and I gave him a coffee and bear claw before he left. He promised he’d be back and bring some of his police buddies too.

  As I make a double espresso, I think about how much I hate that I won’t be able to go to Adira’s funeral because Carrick made it clear I have to stick close to him. But perhaps Rainey and Myles might want to take the trip. I make a mental note to call her parents after work and find out the details. I also need to get their address to send her belongings, and I’ll probably have to ask Titus to go with me to pack them up, otherwise, Carrick won’t let me go.

  I move to the end of the counter, where I call out the name on the double espresso I’d just made. “Mitch.”

  A man steps forward, and the fizzing feeling hits my tummy. Without hesitation, I open my sight and see that he’s a light daemon who, like Zaid, looks remarkably similar to his human appearance. Completely nondescript and not worth describing, but I have been practicing my skills all day today. I’d shut them down after Fallon changed just a little over a week ago, so I was afraid they’d be rusty.

  To the contrary, however, they seem to be sharper and quicker to access than ever before, and if I had to take a guess… I’m betting that feather on my leg has something to do with it. It’s clearly brought new abilities such as breaking and resisting compulsion, but I think it has enhanced my ability to see under glamours, too.

  I also try eavesdropping a few times. I confirm it still doesn’t work on humans, but I actually can hear fae or daemon conversations clearly without needing to focus my sight on whoever is talking.

  Not once today did I feel unsafe. Carrick said he’d have eyes on me, and I have to assume that any one of the fae or daemon that came in today could have been working for him. Hell, even some of the humans that came in could be on his payroll. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d put a bodyguard on me, but if he did, they’re outside watching me. It’s been nothing but a steady stream of customers in and out, most not staying more than an hour or so if they’re working at a table.

  Mitch takes the double espresso, and I glance at the clock on the register closest to me. Five minutes until Zaid will be here. He told me to be prompt as he’d be out front at exactly five-thirty, and while I might have gotten comfortable bucking against Carrick from time to time, Zaid is still someone I don’t want to cross.

  I take off the navy apron with One Bean’s logo done in white embroidery across the top, then head back to my office. I grab my laptop, shove it into my backpack next to my whip, with the handle securely tied to the outside. I also grab my cell phone, pocket it, and do a quick look around to see if I need anything else.

  Satisfied I don’t, I step out of my office and lock it behind me. Not because there’s anything to steal in there, but I do have sensitive employment records as well as business sales data, which is no one’s business. My filing cabinet, though, is light one manila folder as I grabbed Adira’s employment file to take home—rather Carrick’s condo—with me tonight to call her parents.

  By the time I’m walking through One Bean, calling out farewells to the employees who just came onto the second shift about an hour ago, Zaid is out front waiting as promised. I’m also happy I am right on time.

  I open the front passenger door and slide in, pushing my backpack onto the floorboard. “Hello,” I chirp.

  “You should sit in the back,” he grouses.

  “Are you a chauffeur?” I ask with a grin, which I know will offend him.

  “You know I’m not,” he snaps, then pulls into traffic.

  As always happens when I’m in Zaid’s presence, I ponder all the mysteries that make him up. Next to wanting to know more about what happened to my sister and more details on Carrick, Zaid is what I’m probably more curious about than anything. He’s a daemon, born of a light and dark fae, but his aura is a misty gray, which means he is a mix of both.

  Because I have a few minutes as he navigates rush hour the four blocks east and another three north to reach the condo, I decide to poke.

  “You’ve been working for Carrick a long time, haven’t you?” I ask, laying the initial foundation that I’m being nosy.

  Zaid grunts his affirmation.

  “How long?”

  “Long,” he replies, and I grit my teeth.

  “What exactly do you do for him?” I know for certain he’s not a butler or a chauffeur, although he drives Carrick lots of places and always is around the condo cooking, cleaning, making tea, and otherwise carrying out his orders.

  “I do anything Carrick wants,” Zaid replies crisply as we come to a stoplight. He drums his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. I note beneath his glamour, his fingers are slightly longer than a humans, thinner in between the joints and the knuckles are a bit more pronounced. With his gaunt face, it makes him look almost skeletal.

  Might as well get personal. “Why is your aura gray?”

  “Why are you so nosy?” he retorts and then sighs in relief as the light turns green.

  Clearly, he’s not going to tell me anything personal about himself, so I try to find out more about Carrick.

  Knowing Zaid has incredible loyalty to Carrick, I don’t dare try to ask anything too personal. “How does Carrick know so much about all of this stuff?”

  “What stuff?”

  “Supernatural stuff,” I reply, even though he knows what I was asking but just likes being difficult. So I can’t help but add, “You know… fae, daemons, vampires, and such.”

  “There are no vampires,” he grumbles, and I have to look out the side window, so he doesn’t see my smile. “But Carrick is quite the scholar. You should ask to see his library sometime.”

  “I suppose I should get some grand tour of the entire condo at some point,” I muse since I’m now living there. “I’d love to see the library.”

  “It’s in his office,” Zaid replies vaguely as The Prestige comes into view ahead.

  “His office?” I ask, perplexed. I’ve been in there. There are no shelves with books, but Carrick was reading a large book last night so it must have come from this mysterious library.

  Zaid doesn’t reply, but he doesn’t hide his smirk. Clearly, he knows something about this library and isn’t going to tell me.

  We’re just pulling under the portico entrance to the building, so I blurt one more question, “Why did you say a journey prayer over Adira’s body?”

  Zaid slams on the brakes a little too hard, apparently thrown off by my question. He turns my way, frowning. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because you don’t seem to like anyone,” I point out. “You didn’t even know Adira.”

  “So you judge my entire character on the fact I don’t like people?” he asks.

  “Well…”

  “That’s shallow, Finley,” he mutters as he steps out of the car.

  And it sort of is, but I can’t reconcile his dislike of so much and to do something as tender as a prayer over a woman he didn’t know.

  Shrugging, I step from the car and haul my backpack out before closing the door. Silently, I follow Zaid in, giving up on any more questions for today. But with a devious smile forming that he can’t see, I realize I have every day to and from work to hound him.

  When the elevator doors to the condo open, I hear male voices coming from the kitchen. I follow Zaid, and I’m surprised to see Carrick’s brother, Maddox, sitting at the island with a beer in front of him and a slice of New York pizza in his hand.

  Titus is sitting beside him, also with a beer and reaching into one of three boxes on the counter. Carrick stands on the other side, also with a beer and a piece of pizza on a plate before him. He’s surfing his phone as we enter.

  “Finley,” Titus says in greeting. “Grab some dinner. We have a big night ahead of us.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Maybe he wants to teach me some new moves in the gym, which means I’ll go light on the pizza. I don’t want to barf it up.

  Maddox looks my way and lifts his chin, chewing on a bite he’d just taken. When he swallows, he says, “What’s up, beautiful?”

  I can’t help but smile back because Maddox is incredibly gorgeous, and to have a man who looks like that call me beautiful is incredibly validating.

  Carrick’s head pops up from whatever he was engrossed in on his phone, and he glares at Maddox. He merely shoots a wink at me, and I try not to laugh as I slip onto a stool at the end of the counter. Titus puts a slice of pie on a plate for me before handing it over.

  Zaid appears and hands me a bottle of water. “No beer. You have work to do tonight.”

  “But they’re drinking beer,” I point out.

  “They weigh four times as much as you,” he retorts, which is a complete over-exaggeration, but I accept the water without argument. I am most definitely not going to drink a beer before working out with Titus.

  “What are we going to work on tonight?” I ask Titus, picking a piece of pepperoni off my slice, sneaking a glance at Carrick to see him finally eating. It’s weird seeing a man as refined as him eating pizza from a box.

  “We’re going out hunting tonight,” Titus replies. I blink at him in surprise before glancing at Maddox.

  “Is that why you’re here?” I ask.

  “Yup.” He grins, then shoots a brief but taunting glance at his brother. “And I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the lovely Finley Porter again.”

  I blush, pick up my pizza, and take a bite.

  “We’re going to try to find Echo tonight,” Carrick explains. “Maddox knows the underbelly of Seattle better than I do.”

  Makes sense. “But why do you want me to go? Wouldn’t you rather me train with Titus?”

  Before Carrick can answer me, however, my phone starts ringing and I freeze, recognizing the tone as I drop my pizza to the plate. “It’s Fallon,” I murmur, pulling my phone out and seeing her face on the screen.

  Her beautiful human visage smiles with genuine likability and warmth.

  It never occurs to me not to answer it. The last time she called, I was terrified to talk to her, but that was before Adira.

  Before I committed to the prophecy.

  Before I vowed to destroy evil.

  Now there is no fear, only determination.

  All four men go still and watch as I tap the green icon and put it on speakerphone. In a pre-Adira, pre-birthday-where-I-watched-my-sister-change-into-a-monster voice, I say, “Hey, Fallon. How’s the ski trip going?”

  “Not well at all, and I have some terrible news,” she says, but her tone doesn’t match her statement. The words are ominous, but her tone is almost nonchalant.

  My gaze lifts to Carrick briefly, not surprised to see him frowning.

  I garner sympathy in my tone. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Blain,” she says flatly with no emotion whatsoever. “He’s gone missing.”

  Carrick’s eyes slam to mine, and I know we’re sharing the same thought. He hasn’t gone missing. Fallon has made him go missing.

  “What do you mean by missing?” I press for details.

  There’s a slight pause before she replies, “He went out for a run the day before yesterday and didn’t come back. The Bern cantonal police are searching for him, but no luck so far.”

  “Day before yesterday and you didn’t call me until now?” I don’t need to mask my anger, because had that really been Fallon and she had waited to call me over something so dire, I would have chewed her ass out.

  “Honestly, Finley,” she simpers, and it’s so fake it hurts my ears. “I’ve been beside myself with worry. I just didn’t have time.”

  “Bullshit,” I mouth the word to Carrick, who nods in agreement.

  “At any rate,” she continues. “We’re heading back to Seattle. There’s nothing we can do here, and the police are working hard. I’ve got a lot of stuff on my plate, so I’ll try to find some time we can get together soon. Okay?”

  “Sure,” I reply easily. “I’ve got a lot going on with One Bean too, but we’ll try to hook up. There’s a brand-new Indian restaurant I want to try.”

  “Sounds yummy,” she replies flatly, and I hear a male’s voice in the background, not Blain’s. “Listen… I have to go but talk soon.”

 

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