TWELVE

ELEVEN

"LET ME SEE if I understand this, you were attacked several nights ago but neither you nor my first born thought it important to tell me." Thomas reclined in his leather chair as he stared at Connor and me from across his desk.

Liam slouched with an insolent ease in a chair to my side. On the other side, Sofia sat primly, her dark eyes watching our dressing down with fascination.

Connor was stubbornly silent.

I shifted, having a feeling help wasn"t going to come from that quarter. It looked like it was up to me to navigate the tricky undercurrents of the situations.

"I"d say that about sums it up." I lifted a hand, rubbing my neck.

There were other things I could add, but I didn"t. Something told me that would be a mistake. I"d wait until Thomas was a little calmer. Maybe when his power didn"t snap and bite the air, threatening to singe anyone who got too close.

Thomas"s expression was unamused as he stared at me. He shifted his gaze to Liam. "I take it this is the reason you asked for a meeting."

Liam didn"t stir from his relaxed position, blinking lazily at Thomas.

"It"s not his fault," I said.

Thomas made an angry huff. "I know it"s not. It"s yours."

I grimaced. That was a little harsh, even if true.

"Why didn"t you tell me about this sooner?" Thomas demanded.

"I wasn"t really sure there was anything to tell until an hour ago."

"You were attacked!" Thomas thundered.

"To be fair, I face assassination attempts on a fairly regular basis. If I told you about every single one, I"d never leave this office," I pointed out.

Thomas"s face darkened as a vein started popping in his temple.

A soft giggle came from Sofia. Her eyes danced over the hand she clapped to her mouth.

"Who is after you?" Thomas asked, his left eye twitching.

I"d really hoped he wouldn"t ask that. It was a futile hope, but the ostrich in me liked to pretend everything was hunky dory even as she buried her head in the sand.

"About that," I drawled.

"Aileen." That tone of voice left little room for argument.

I avoided his gaze as I addressed the air above his head. "Evidence seems to suggest the Scattered are responsible for the recent attempts."

Thomas"s hands on the desk curled into fists, his claws carving a groove in the wood.

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy and cloying. A guillotine waiting to drop.

Thomas inhaled, his hands relaxing as the tension drained out of his body. "I see. That changes things."

I was tempted to ask how, but something told me his control was a little too tenuous right now.

"Until this matter is settled, you"re confined to the mansion."

I protested. "I don"t think so."

There was a boom. The windows behind Thomas"s unmoving figure shattered.

"Oh my," Sofia murmured.

"Do you hate me so much you would risk your life to spite me?" he asked in a carefully controlled voice.

My mouth opened then closed as I took in his features where exhaustion and defeat warred for supremacy.

"I don"t hate you," I admitted.

To my surprise, it was the truth. I didn"t hate Thomas.

At some point, my anger toward him had faded. Whether it was because he"d offered his blood to heal my niece without asking anything in return or because I"d realized he wasn"t quite the monster I"d painted him in my imagination, I didn"t know.

Perhaps Connor was a big part of that.

It was hard not to see the love a father had toward a son when Thomas looked at Connor. And the pain that came from feeling like there was an unbridgeable chasm between them.

There was also the fact that I knew in my heart of hearts that he'd made the right decision in forcing my hand in drinking from live humans.

I knew my flaws very well. Unreasonable stubbornness was a big one.

I would have let myself deteriorate, unable to admit what was right in front of me until it was much too late.

It wasn't an easy thing to recognize in myself. Much less give him a pass for violating my will, but I didn"t have it in me to continue harboring such toxic emotions.

Short of killing him, Thomas wasn't going away. He was going to find a way to be in my life whether I wanted it or not.

I needed to find a way to make that work on my terms. Doing that was the interesting part.

Something like cautious hope settled on his features.

I fiddled with my ear, not quite looking at him. Explaining myself wasn't something I did easily. Every instinct told me to dig in and battle it out, but if I wanted to change the paradigm between us, I needed to start somewhere.

"That doesn"t mean I"m going to jump to do what you want. Being stuck here would kill my business. Even if you don"t care about that, I do."

"Businesses can be rebuilt," he said.

"Maybe so, but this is mine. It"s something I"m proud of. For the first time I feel like I have a place. Somewhere to belong."

His gaze flickered. He looked away.

Seeing I was getting to him, I pressed my argument. "This evening proves I"m not safe here anyways. It"s only a matter of time before they find a way to get me. I need to meet them head on if I want to have a chance of surviving. That means finding out why they"re after me in the first place."

And why the scraps of shadows had added themselves to my marks.

Silence reigned as Thomas considered my words.

"I agree with her." Sofia rose from her chair, gliding to join me before the desk. "A visit to the barrow might be in order. Who better to know a Fae"s weaknesses than other Fae?"

Thomas clasped his hands in front of him. "They"ve been resistant until now to our delegations."

Sofia nodded at me. "Perhaps circumstances have changed."

Thomas looked torn. "Fine. Arrange a delegation for tomorrow night."

Sofia"s lips tilted up. "As you wish."

Relief made my stomach flutter.

Despite any protest from me, Thomas had the power and resources to enforce his will. If I hadn"t managed to appeal to his common sense, I could have been looking at house arrest for the foreseeable future.

The mood in the room changed as Thomas aimed a dazzling look at Sofia. "Thank you, Matriarch. As always, your insight has been beneficial. Now, we have a few family matters to discuss. I will see you tomorrow night."

Sofia inclined her head at the obvious dismissal, her knowing gaze catching mine as she paused beside me. "Well played, little vampire."

Her skirts swished as she prowled toward the door, closing it softly behind her.

As soon as it was shut, Thomas sighed and sat back in his chair, his gaze moving to Liam. There was a darkness in it that said we weren"t entirely out of danger yet.

"I expected better of you, deartháir," Thomas said.

Liam seemed amused. "I don"t know why. This is no worse than the time you incited a full council member to put a bounty on your head. I seem to remember you not being so quick to tell our master then."

Discomfort flashed across Thomas"s face as he bent a hard look on Liam.

Liam smirked, not at all cowed.

Thomas sighed as he looked at the two of us. "I know it"s hard to believe but I have your best interests in mind. I cannot help you navigate the dangerous straits when you continue to hide things from me."

I started to speak, but Connor got there first. "Perhaps if you didn"t have a need to control every little thing, we wouldn"t be so quick to keep things to ourselves."

There was a wealth of repressed anger in that statement.

It occurred to me—with us still being in the hot seat and all—that angering Thomas with what sounded like old grievances was not the best tactic.

I made bug eyes at Liam. His lips twitched but he made no move to interfere.

Anger, hot and blistering, its roots embedded in the past, built in Thomas"s expression.

"I have a duty to protect you. I will do that with every means at my disposal, even if you don"t like it," Thomas told his first born.

I wondered if either of them would notice if I backed out of the room.

"You can"t use mother"s death as an excuse every time you screw up," Connor threw at him.

I pressed my lips together, my eyes landing on the floor. Low blow.

"This has nothing do with that," Thomas said through gritted teeth.

In another situation, I"d find Thomas"s quickly deteriorating control fascinating—especially when it was due to the actions of someone besides myself.

"If you continue to throw her death in my face every time something happens that you don"t like, we will never move forward," Thomas argued

That was my cue. I stepped back, holding up my hands. "This sounds like a family matter. Why don"t I leave you to discuss? I"ll come back later."

"Stop," Thomas said at the same time as Connor said, "You are family."

I halted, my shoulders bowing. So close.

Liam propped his head on one hand with an expression that said nice try.

Thomas took a breath, visibly reaching for his composure. "He"s right. You"re family."

Sort of. Except not really.

Not in the important ways.

As if reading the thought on my face, Thomas"s expression softened. "The bond between sire and offspring is unbreakable. Wherever you walk in this world, however far from now, I will always be your sire. I will always care about your wellbeing."

It was a promise not only intended for me—but for Connor too.

I nodded. "I understand."

Surprise registered on Thomas"s face. Before he could ruin the moment, I twirled my finger between him and Connor. "But this sounds like an old problem. I"m willing to stop fighting you on every front, but I refuse to be a bone you two use to score points against each other. I"m not a buffer and I"m not a mediator. Figure this out. I don"t care what it takes. Then put it to bed."

Connor opened his mouth to speak.

I held up a hand, sending him a warning look before doing the same to Thomas. "Without me present."

Liam"s smile was faint and held approval.

Thomas"s expression was grave as he studied his first born. "Agreed."

Connor hesitated.

I didn"t push. This was the type of thing you had to want to work. If he didn"t, there was nothing I or Thomas could do.

Connor inclined his head. "Agreed."

I spun on my heel. "Great, now that that"s settled, I"m going to get my shower. Blood and shadow remnants are surprisingly sticky."

*

I fiddled with my phone, studying the text I was about to send. With all the fun from last night, I didn't have the chance to make my meeting with Travis and tonight wasn't looking any more likely.

Unfortunately, this issue with the Scattered took precedence over any other problems—including the captain.

The words in the message hadn't changed since the last time I'd looked. Simple and sweet, it read, "Got hung up. Will try again later tonight."

Not letting myself overthink it, I hit send before silencing the phone and stuffing it in my rear pocket.

Unable to delay any longer, I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at the forest beyond.

Why did it always have to be a forest?

It could be my paranoia talking, but I didn't have the best track record when it came to forests. My time in them had a distressing tendency of devolving to me fleeing for my life.

Tonight, the trees loomed high, like skeletal executioners, their branches bare. The shadows at their bases were dark and deep, waiting to consume the unwary traveler. Snow still lingered in patches on the ground.

We weren"t far from High Banks, a metro park that was unexpectedly hilly considering how flat the rest of Columbus was. Named for the hundred-foot bluffs overlooking the Olentangy river, the park had numerous creeks and streams threading through it. Over time they had carved the ravines the park was known for.

A few feet away stood Liam and two of his enforcers, Nathan and Anton. Off to the side, Sofia, her two guards and Kat waited. If it"d been up to me, we would have left Sofia, Kat and their people behind for this trip. I trusted Liam and his enforcers at my back, the rest not so much.

Unfortunately, Thomas had overruled me. It seemed he didn"t trust my ability to come out of a Fae barrow in one piece without a Matriarch or Patriarch there to watch my back. Liam sided with him.

So here we were. A gaggle of vampires seeking an audience with the Fae.

We weren"t the only ones either. Spooks of all shapes and varieties milled around the area, each waiting for their own invitation. Conversation was muted and subdued, as if they were afraid the trees had ears.

A fair suspicion so close to the barrow. Who knew what lurked out there.

I shivered at the feel of unseen eyes watching me before frowning at the spaces between the trees. I wondered if there was any way to avoid going in there. Maybe the Fae would consider answering all of my questions from out here.

Not likely, but one could dream.

A body crashed unexpectedly into mine and an arm wrapped around my shoulders. I stumbled, already shifting to meet the threat.

The familiar scent of Caroline stayed my hand. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Liam waving off Sam and her partner, a vampire I"d since learned was called Matthew.

Caroline"s smile was stiff, not quite hiding her desire to strangle me. "You didn"t tell me you were going to be here."

I kept my arms crossed over my chest even as I slid a sidelong look at her. "I wasn"t aware I needed to check in for every move I made."

Her smile turned sugary sweet, even as antagonism rolled off her in waves.

She pinched the top of my ear. I jerked, trying to escape but not making it far. Her fingers could have been forceps with how good a grip they had. I could probably rip my way free, but it would mean sacrificing a chunk of my ear.

"How arrogant you"ve gotten," she said, never once losing that sweet smile. "Or did you forget the question you asked me a few nights ago?"

I tried to think back. It had only been two nights, but it felt like a month.

The worry behind her smile finally caught up to me. That's right, I"d picked her brain regarding the Scattered.

"Sorry," I said. "I didn"t think."

She released my ear. "You rarely do."

Kat made a harsh sound from a few feet away.

When we looked over, it was to find her fixing a haughty look on us. "What right does a werewolf have to question a vampire about anything?"

Neither of us answered as we turned back to each other.

"I didn"t really know I was going to be here until late last night," I said, hoping it soothed the sting of being kept out of the loop. In Caroline"s place, I would be irate if my friend had run off without me while in mortal danger.

Sam looked down to hide a smile as Kat muttered under her breath, stalking several feet away to put distance between us.

Caroline"s expression thawed, a real smile replacing the fake one. That fake smile had taken me years to see through. It had fooled many an unwary person over the years, luring them into dangerous water before she verbally destroyed them.

"If you didn"t know I was coming, what are you doing here?" I asked, changing the subject.

Caroline jerked her chin in the direction of her pack. Ice blue eyes met mine. The wolves" alpha would never be considered traditionally handsome. He was much too rough around the edges for that, but he had a certain magnetism to him.

Right now, muscular forearms crossed over his chest as he gave us his full attention. With only a look, Brax made it clear that Caroline wasn"t without backup.

"The wolves are hoping to negotiate with the barrow"s new Lord over hunting rights," she said.

"Wise." Sofia glided toward me and my friend. Tonight, she had left the overly formal dress behind, settling on black, skin tight pants and a calfskin jacket the color of fall. Her hair was bound in a complicated knot and her makeup expertly applied.

Caroline cast her a glance. "We think so."

"I thought the pack had their own lands," I said.

Caroline nodded. "We do, but there"s always the possibility of humans trespassing and shooting one of us. Hunting season especially is particularly bad. Brax hopes the Lord will open the wild parts of the barrow to us on full moon nights."

"There"s precedence," Liam said. "Many of the barrows in my old country had such treaties with the local packs."

"Of course, there is always something given in return," Sofia said.

Caroline lifted a shoulder. "That"s what we"re here to find out."

Magic crackled in the night, painting visible lines of power.

I stiffened, Sofia and Liam doing the same seconds later.

"What is it?" Caroline whispered, picking up on my tension.

Without me having to say anything, she went on the alert, already searching our surroundings.

"Something is coming," I said softly.

Something big. Something deadly.

Nathan touched my arm and squeezed. "Careful."

The reason for the warning was clear seconds later as Sofia cast a contemplative look in my direction.

People couldn"t know about my little magic seeing ability. I"d become a pawn and tool in the political backstabbing of creatures I had no hope of fighting.

Only a few people knew. Liam, of course. Thomas. Connor had probably guessed because I"d had to lift the enchantment on him. And Nathan, who I told so he could start trusting himself again.

There were others who I suspected had put the pieces together. None of those people were vampire matriarchs. I hoped to keep it that way.

"It"d be best if you head back to Brax," Liam told Caroline.

She hesitated, glancing at me. I nodded. He was probably right.

"Fine, but if you need me—" Caroline didn"t finish.

"I"ll send up the secret flare."

Caroline"s lips firmed. With a reluctance that was obvious, Caroline headed over to where Brax waited, two other wolves at his side.

"Secret?" Liam said, his breath tickling my sensitive ear. "Sounds interesting."

I sent him a look. "Only the chosen few know what goes into that secret."

"And I"m not one of the few?"

My smile was teasing. "Perhaps one day."

His response was cut short when Arlan appeared as if by magic at the edge of the forest. He was a wild thing, untamed, his humanity like a poorly fitted skin that he could shed at any moment.

His hair was the color of freshly turned earth, a rich, deep brown that suited his amber eyes, which didn"t look even passingly human. Like all Fae, he was perfect in face and form. Almost overpoweringly attractive.

Being a widower suited him. Power flared in a nimbus around his head, much stronger than the last time I had seen him. Before, it had been a banked fire, powerful but limited. Now it roared unchecked, a forest fire that not even mother nature could stop.

"Welcome, my prospective guests." His smile was a cruel twist of the lips. "Many of you have come for an audience. For those the barrow gives passage to through the night, you will receive one of these."

Arlan lifted his hand. In it, a butterfly gently fanned its wings. It had a soft glow, like moonlight on a winter's night.

Arlan dropped his hand and the butterfly hovered in midair. Another butterfly broke off from the first, then another and another, until a swarm of butterflies drifted around Arlan.

His gaze scanned those assembled, lingering on me, before moving on again.

"Anyone who receives a butterfly may enter with one companion. I warn the rest of you who don"t have an invitation from trying to enter. The barrow has a way of defending itself. Not all of them include death. Some are much worse."

Leaving us alone with that happy thought, Arlan faded into the trees.

The butterflies drifted toward us, lazily riding the air currents. Their beauty and the surrealness of the moment held the rest of us spellbound.

Several butterflies broke off in our direction. I held up a finger as one alighted.

Liam caught a butterfly as did Sofia.

Across the clearing, a butterfly landed on both Brax and Caroline"s fingers.

"Choose," the butterfly whispered.

Around us, voices filled the clearing as they chose their companions for the night.

"Samara," Sofia said.

"Nathan," was Liam"s choice.

For mine, I started to say Connor when I caught a glimpse of him holding his finger up to his face, gazing curiously at the butterfly perched there.

"Anton," I said, changing my vote at the last minute.

"I have none I wish to accompany me," Connor said.

"Is that it?" Anton asked.

Sam grimaced. "It appears so."

All around the parking lot, those who had a butterfly made their way to the waiting forest. Sofia and Sam followed.

Nathan hesitated, uncertainty reflected in his face. This had to bring up all kinds of issues for him. The last time he"d gotten involved with the Fae, he"d had his will stolen and his mind scrambled.

I touched his sleeve with the hand the butterfly wasn"t perched on. "You going to be okay?"

His smile didn"t reach his eyes. "Don"t worry about me. I"ll manage."

There wasn"t much of a choice. Nathan was too proud and loyal to sit on the sidelines while we went into the belly of the beast. No, if we were going into a potentially dangerous situation, he"d be there to guard our backs.

"I"ll be here for you," I told him.

His nod was slow, gratitude shining in his eyes. He stepped past me, joining Liam as they ventured into the forest.

Anton hesitated, dipping his head in acknowledgment. I had no doubt the enforcer would keep an eye on his friend.

It was one of the things I liked best about Liam"s enforcers. They were unmitigated bastards to outsiders, but once you"d earned your place among them, there were few more loyal.

They were a unit in every sense of the word.

"I didn"t think you were the type to associate with the pointy eared bastards," a sour voice observed.

I controlled my jump at finding the sorcerer standing next to me, the straw of a blue icee held to his lips as he glared at the forest.

His appearance had changed since the last time I met him. No longer did he look in his late teens. His features were more mature and there was a hint of a beard clinging to his jaw and chin, making him look closer to thirty. His expression was gruff and distrusting.

"Peter, what"re you doing here?"

The sorcerer and I had a complicated history that involved extreme dislike and forced servitude. In short, I held his mark and he pretty much hated me.

"Stuff."

Very detailed.

"Have fun with that." I was already walking away.

"I could turn you into a frog, you know," he remarked. "Some people would take that as a reason to treat me with respect."

I smirked at him. "You"ve gotten braver if you"re willing to risk Liam"s wrath."

Peter barely hid his flinch, his gaze darting around as if looking for Liam. "He"s not around, is he?"

I tilted my head toward the barrow and smiled.

Trepidation filled his expression, but to my surprise he stayed put.

"You really have gotten braver," I observed.

"I have business with the Fae." He lifted a finger that had a string tied to it, a butterfly on the other end.

"Why is your butterfly on a string?"

"I didn't want it touching me," he said as if that explained everything. He shoved past me, moving into the forest. "Don"t get in my way this time, Aileen."

As if I cared enough about whatever business he had in the barrow to do anything of the sort.

"We could kill him for you," a silken pair of voices offered from either side of me. "No one would have to know."

I stiffened, suddenly conscious of the danger I was in and how far I"d gotten from the others.

Unwise, Aileen. And sloppy.

The twins regarded me with faintly predatory expressions. Baran and Breandan looked like they"d stepped out of a painting made by a mad, whimsical artist. Tall with athletic builds, there was grace and power in their movements as they circled me. Their bodies brushed mine, their magic squeezing the air between us, making it hard to breath.

Their coloring was similar to Arlan"s, with eyes the color of tree sap and hair that matched the splendor of trees in fall.

"It would be so easy," Baran whispered.

Breandan leaned forward. "We would be happy to do it."

Their smiles were pretty, but that didn"t take away the edge of darkness I could see. If anything, it amplified it.

Like Arlan, they were more powerful than the first time I"d seen them.

It led me to think Niamh had been responsible for suppressing their power in some way. It was the only explanation I could think of.

"Thanks, but I"ll pass," I said, sensing I needed to handle this carefully.

Their heads cocked, the movement identical. It was creepy, as if they shared one mind but two bodies.

"Aileen, we're falling behind," Connor said in a neutral voice from where he stood at the edge of the forest, Anton beside him.

I slipped from between the twins, the butterfly leading the way.

"You"ve gotten bold now that you"re no longer Niamh"s play thing," Baran told Connor. "It will be interesting to see what you become."

Connor"s jaw tightened, the only sign the twin"s comment had landed.

Anton looked coldly arrogant as the twins fell into step beside me. He dropped back, bringing up the rear.

The twins ignored him, one playing with the ends of my hair as the other paced beside us.

"You smell so interesting. I haven"t smelled anything like you in an era," the one preoccupied with my hair said.

Baran looked over. "What does she smell like, twin?"

Breandan leaned forward and inhaled, letting out a small sound of pleasure. "Like a memory. Something intangible and easily forgotten. It makes me want to roll in the scent, consume it, and wear it on my flesh so I"ll never forget again."

Connor stopped, looking like he was going to yank me out of the first twin"s arms. Anton"s anger hit my back and I sensed the situation devolving. I shook my head at both of them.

Something told me this was a test of sorts. Failing would not be good. Not to mention, I wouldn"t learn anything about the Scattered.

With a wry twist of my lips, I put a finger on Breandan's forehead and pushed his face away.

"Very vivid description. You should be a poet," I said.

"He was—once." There was a haunted expression on Baran's face. Breandan pulled away from me, going to console his brother.

Together, they stared at me with a dark possession.

Anton cursed silently, already preparing for the fight we could feel brewing in the air.

The butterfly's wings moved faster as if sensing the turbulence.

From the trees, Jerry rumbled, "Aileen, I"ve been waiting for you."

The twins" attention shifted as they took in the newcomer.

Taller than most men, Jerry had left off his human guise for the night. I could still see my former boss in his features and the way he carried himself. He was simply more this way. Wilder. Darker. A little uncivilized.

His hair was unkempt, and he had the sort of face you wouldn"t want to encounter in a back alley. Brutish and harsh to match his thick chest, and arms the size of tree trunks.

Jerry sent a chiding look at our escorts. "Twins, Aileen isn"t for your games."

"Come, twin, we shall retreat for now. The fallen knight wishes to play hero." Baran sauntered into the darkness.

Breandan swept me a courtly bow. "Until next time, lady."

I let out the breath I was holding as the trees swallowed the twins. I wasn"t the only one.

"Cursed Fae," Anton muttered, sounding angry.

"Come," Jerry said, tilting his head in the direction of the rest.

The butterfly took off, joining its brethren as Jerry led us into a small clearing at the base of an ancient tree. Its canopy was heavy with leaves despite winter having stripped the leaves from the surrounding trees. Its trunk was wide and thick, and its roots burrowed deep.

Grass, far greener and bushier than it should have been spread in a circle around it. Tiny flecks of light flickered and shone where they were trapped in the tree"s branches.

"Impossible," I breathed.

No tree as old and steeped in magic as this one existed in the park. Of that I was sure.

"Not impossible," Jerry corrected. "The tree is a manifestation of the barrow. The stronger and more steeped in magic the barrow becomes, the bigger the tree will get and the more it will affect its surroundings."

I raised my eyebrows, impressed in spite of myself. If the tree got any bigger, humans would voyage from states away to see it. No way would something like this go unremarked.

Anton moved toward Liam and Nathan, pausing to confer as I stared up at the tree, lost in my thoughts. Connor wandered away, hands clasped behind his back as he carefully watched those around us.

It left Jerry and me standing awkwardly beside each other.

"How"s business?" I asked, not knowing what else to say. I wasn't the best at chit chat and it showed.

Jerry shot me a look.

"Small talk never hurt anyone," I said defensively.

He let out a small snort. "Spare me vampires making small talk."

"You"d rather we bury our fangs in your throat?"

He lifted an eyebrow, his expression almost amused at the thought of seeing me try. "Your fangs would break before they ever pierced my skin."

I grimaced. That was probably true. I had never been sure exactly what Jerry was—it was considered rude to ask—but I"d always suspected he had a little bit of troll in him.

A troll"s skin was thick and nearly impossible to penetrate. My tiny fangs wouldn"t even feel like an insect bite to him.

"How"s your business?" Jerry asked, turning my previous question back on me.

I lifted a shoulder. "It"s going."

Some days were better than others, a fact I was sure he would understand.

"Do you remember the friend who got me the job with you?" I asked casually, hoping Jerry could help me answer a few unknowns about the captain.

Jerry twitched, but other than that gave no reaction to my question. If I hadn"t been watching him so closely, I would have missed it.

"Why do you ask about him?"

"No reason," I said, playing the game. "I got a phone call saying he was in town and wanted to meet. I was wondering if you planned to catch up with him."

That got his attention.

Jerry shook his head. Once. "No, he knows better."

That was unexpected. I"d always been under the impression the two were friendly. At least friendly enough for Jerry to give a stray vampire a job despite his obvious dislike for us.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Jerry"s hesitation was marked. He cast an uneasy glance at the rest. "This isn"t the place to have this conversation."

He was probably right, but I didn"t have time to set up a private meeting with him. Travis was already in town, and something told me I wouldn"t be able to avoid him much longer. I"d already put it off for too long by not going home last night to meet with him.

"Keep it general and we"ll be fine."

Jerry weighed his options.

I waited, a heavy feeling in my stomach.

This caution from Jerry told me there were hidden depths to the captain that I hadn't paid attention to.

Jerry was no weakling. He managed to run a business that slipped through the hostilities that were rife in our world. More, he did it in such a way as to guarantee his employees safety as long as they didn"t do anything stupid as I was wont to do.

"He wants something from you," Jerry guessed.

I rubbed my thumb and forefinger together. "Any idea what that might be?"

Jerry shook his head. "Nothing I can mention here."

My shoulders slumped. I'd been hoping for something a little more helpful.

"You"re kind, Aileen. You know I didn't want you working for me. I thought you"d get yourself killed within a week. It"s the only reason I agreed to his terms."

I didn"t flinch from the unexpected bolt his revelation brought. I always kind of suspected the way he"d felt. Neither Jerry nor the other couriers had ever been particularly welcoming—especially in the beginning.

"But you were stubborn, and you cared. Much more so than the rest of us who"ve forgotten what it is to exist without guarding our hearts and emotions."

I knew what he meant. The lollipop I left for the bridge troll, the rubber duckies I gave to the naiads. The countless small things I did because I thought it would make people less likely to kill and eat me.

"You weren"t like the rest of them, kid." Jerry"s wry smile would have given me nightmares a few years ago. "I couldn"t believe it when you started getting requested."

He nodded at my surprise. "You"re still making a name for yourself; the higher paying jobs will come."

I frowned. I hadn"t realized he kept such close tabs on me.

"Nothing good ever comes of suppressing ourselves. It's the first rule any spook learns," Jerry observed. "If I were you, I would question why the person you call captain pushed you in that direction."

"What do you know about that?"

He shook his head. "He isn"t who you think he is. Travis doesn"t have friends. I"ve known him a long time and I still can"t guess at his agenda."

"Then why hire me?" I asked.

"I owed him."

I didn"t get to ask my next question as pressure built in the air. It burst, my ears popping and the taste of burnt ozone lingering in my mouth.

The forest faded, replaced by a vast, opulent banquet hall. The only thing that followed us was the tree in the center of the space, presiding over the festivities.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Jerry swept an elegant bow at odds with his large size, gesturing to the hall as he did so. "Welcome to the barrow, Aileen."