A nod came his way, condescending as always. “This is your last chance, wizard. Fail, and all in this realm will die. All of them!”

  Mathias spun around and headed for the portal that led back to his own world. Just as he crossed over the barrier into his world, he swore he heard the sobs of the beloved he’d left behind.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  It was after nine when Simon’s phone rang. For a second he thought it was Katia, but instead it was a grand master.

  “Hey, Beck. What’s up?”

  “Thought you might like to know that I had an off-the-record chat with someone at the Vatican about yer upcomin’ review.”

  Simon frowned. “How did you—”

  “Katia told Riley, and my wife told me.”

  “Of course they did.” He wasn’t sure if he liked that or not.

  “I know, you’d like to keep this to yourself, but you can’t do this on yer own. You’ve got allies in Rome, and one of them wanted you to know that Rosetti is pullin’ for you, as are some of the others. Even though this looks bad, don’t give up, at least not yet.”

  “There’s nothing keeping them from saying I’m doing magic and kicking me to the curb.”

  “Then there will be nothin’ keepin’ you from tellin’ them to go screw themselves and become a master trapper.”

  “You just had to say that, didn’t you?” Simon grumbled.

  “Sure did. Because it’s all true.”

  Simon bet it was Captain Elias Salvatore, the former head of the Demon Hunters, who’d offered up this information.

  “Was the person who called you at Oakland Cemetery during the big battle?”

  “Yup, he was. And that’s all I can say. It works best if his superiors don’t know he’s pullin’ for you.”

  He made a note to thank the man if they ever met again. In private.

  “Did Katia tell you she can set one of this Holy Water circle things with her mind?” Beck asked.

  “She did.”

  “Good. That means you got backup until the Vatican gets with the plan. Use it.” He paused. “Hang in there, Simon. We’ll get this worked out, one way or another.”

  “Understood.”

  After the call ended, Simon debated about calling Katia. Check in on her.

  “Maybe not.” She was trapping with Reynolds and that meant she’d have someone watching over her.

  Simon leaned his recliner back and closed his eyes. He’d wait until she was home, safe. Maybe someday he’d tell her how he felt about her.

  But not tonight.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  Journeyman Reynolds was in good humor and kept firing jokes her way. Katia made sure to laugh, his jokes were funny, but her mind was elsewhere. Today had been odd even by Atlanta’s standards. She was still unnerved by finding those ashes in The Gulch. As she saw it, Ori’s abrupt departure after that discovery was an admission that he was just as uneasy.

  She and Reynolds were currently wandering around Demon Central, and so far there had been no sign of any Gastro-Fiends, no Pyro-Fiends, nothing. They’d met up with a couple other trappers and they’d had the same bad luck.

  “If this keeps up, I’ll have to raid my savings account to pay the rent,” Reynolds grumbled.

  What if she did find an apartment and then her paychecks were cut in half? She didn’t have enough money laid back to handle that loss of income. She’d be damned if she couch surfed here like she had in Kansas. Not that Simon or Riley would let her do that, but still the thought made her nervous. At least the exorcism income would continue for the time being.

  They’d just rounded the corner onto yet another abandoned street when a sleek rat raced by them. Then another.

  “That’s a good sign,” she said. Rodents knew they were an easy meal for a Three and always took to their feet if they smelled one nearby.

  Reynolds removed his steel pipe from his trapping bag. “Let’s see what we got.”

  The further they walked the quieter it became, an oppressive sort of silence that made Katia’s skin crawl. Another rat raced by in what appeared to be blind panic.

  “I’m not liking this,” her companion said, looking back over his shoulder as if something was sneaking up on them. It appeared her fellow trapper had his own set of “this is just wrong” instincts as well.

  Her early warning scar flared to life. “I’m thinking we need to back out of this.”

  Reynolds nodded. “I’m with you on that. Let’s get out of here.”

  As they turned, the closest brick wall flared with a yellowish light, spiraling as if spun by an unseen hand.

  “What the hell is that?” he said, stepping back.

  A rank smell came now, something like three-day old fish if left to rot in the Atlanta sunshine.

  “Oh my God, that’s awful,” she said, trying not to gag. “That’s not Hell. I know what that’s like.”

  “But then what—”

  The yellowish light faded and darkness filled the wall as if they were staring down a long tunnel. Something appeared out of that darkness. Something long, narrow, and pale orange. Katia backed up, her steel pipe in hand.

  “Is that a beak?” Reynold asked, incredulous.

  “Yeah, I think it is.”

  Multiple amber eyes appeared now, each set in a broad forehead covered in white feathers.

  “That is so not a demon,’ she said, backing off even further. Reynolds did the same, then gave a quick check in both directions.

  “We can run for it. There’s nothing in our way.”

  It was an option, except something kept her in place.

  The eyes stared at them, never blinking, then after a rusty, grating squawk, the head retreated into the darkness. A few seconds later the swirling began again and then they were looking at an old brick wall.

  “What in the fuck was that?” Reynold said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I wasn’t hallucinating, right?” He sighed, letting his shoulders relax. “No one is going to believe us when we tell them what we saw.”

  “Riley will.” Of that Katia had no doubt.

  The brick wall remained unchanged as if something totally alien hadn’t just poked its head out and had a look around. Katia moved closer, then gingerly touched the bricks. To her relief they felt like they should.

  “I’m thinking we should lay Holy Water down just in case it comes back for another visit,” she suggested.

  “I agree, but how do we know that’ll stop it? If it isn’t from our world the Holy Water might not do a thing.”

  Reynolds was right.

  Riley. Yeah, this would need the sacred liquid and her boss.

  “I’m going to call Master Blackthorne. She’ll know what to do.”

  “Amen to that.”

  They retreated further down the street while she made the call. Her boss sounded cranky about being awakened until Katia mentioned the “and then a hole appeared in a brick wall and some alien creature stuck its head out. And no, it wasn’t a demon.” The call ended shortly after that.

  “She’ll be here in twenty minutes,” Katia said.

  “It’ll be closer to fifteen.”

  “What are you willing to bet?” she said. Because you could never pass up a wager with a fellow trapper.

  “Five bucks.”

  “You’re on.” They slapped hands and then walked a short distance away. As they waited a rat sauntered by, eyed them, then continued on its way.

  It looked like they were safe for the time being.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  When Katia finally pulled into the driveway, the lights inside indicated that Simon was still up even though it was just past eleven. Part of her had hoped she wouldn’t have to tell him what had happened tonight; just to let it slide. She didn’t want him to worry. It didn’t look like she had that option. At least she’d won the bet with Reynolds so she was five bucks richer. She made a mental note to buy the trapper a beer down the line.

  Simon met her at the door looking like he should have been in bed a couple of hours earlier.

  “Hey,” he said, then gave her a soft smile. Was that relief she saw in his eyes?

  “Hi. Been a long day.”

  “That I can see. You hungry? I can make you a sandwich.”

  That sounded good. “Yes, please. I don’t remember the last time I ate.” Lunch? Maybe.

  She closed the door behind her, flipping the lock as if that could keep the bad things out. It was a childish thought but she went with it.

  By the time Katia had stashed her gear in the guest room and run a washcloth over her face and arms, Simon had created a meal for her. The sandwich was on rye bread with ham, cheese, and mayo. A sliced apple sat on a separate plate, along with four oatmeal cookies. Then he added a glass of iced tea to the feast. She looked at what he’d done for her, then up at him.

  “You rock, you know that?”

  Simon shrugged and sat at the table with her. She noticed he had a glass of water, not his usual beer.

  “Beck called to tell me I have folks on my side in the Vatican. Someone went out of their way to let him know that.”

  “That’s good news, then.”

  “I hope so.”

  Now would be the time for Katia to tell him about her adventure in Demon Central, but she wasn’t ready. Instead she demolished the sandwich in a few bites, then crunched on the apple slices while trying to figure out a way to explain what she’d seen.

  Simon held his silence, which was one of his best weapons. Eventually you just had to tell him things no matter what.

  “Reynolds and I had something weird happen tonight,” she began, returning one of the apple slices to the plate. Then she laid it all out, including the part where Riley and Beck had shown up to check out the scene. How her master had laid Holy Water in front of the wall and how they all hoped that would be the end of it.

  Simon frowned. “Did the creature make a sound?”

  “Just a screech, like a bird would. Mostly it just stared at us and then the portal closed. It wasn’t a Divine or a fiend. It was something I’ve never felt before.”

  “What did Beck say about that? I mean those guys know stuff we don’t.”

  “All he said was ‘Well hell, that’s not good news.’”

  Katia popped the last of the apple slices into her mouth, then loaded up the oatmeal cookies in a napkin to take to her room. It was a holdover from when she’d not had enough to eat. She wondered just how long it would be before she no longer felt that need. As she reached for the dishes, Simon waved her off.

  “I’ll clean up,” he said. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning.” Which meant he wanted to think about what she’d just told him.

  Katia paused at the doorway. “Thank you for supper. You’d make someone a great roommate, you know that?”

  “Depends on the person,” he said, watching her intently.

  Katia wasn’t sure how to respond. “Good night, Simon. Thank you for everything.”

  “Same to you, Katia. Thank God you’re safe now.”

  It was only when she was in her room, after her shower, that she realized she hadn’t told him about the stolen reanimates.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  Mathias scanned the information on his phone, the report he’d received late last night. Hawkins had done as asked and now he knew more about the trapper from . . . Kansas. He huffed at that. Miles and miles of flat ground, that’s all he remembered of the road trip through that state when he was a kid. Back before everything had changed.

  According to Hawkins, Katia Breman was a journeyman demon trapper who worked with Simon Adler, a lay exorcist for the Vatican. On paper she didn’t appear to be anyone special, but somehow she’d withstood Mathias’ attempts to make her break the Holy Water ward. That meant something. And his lover insisted that Breman could move between the worlds. But could she get past the doorman?

  He reviewed the video his lackey had forwarded him of the exorcist and Breman at a local convention a couple months back. One minute they’d been there, the next they’d vanished, along with a big demon. Rumors said they went to Hell, which was definitely another realm.

  “Yeah, Breman is exactly what I need.”

  Damn this whole situation ate at him. If he didn’t do what the Unholy Terror said more of his beloved’s kind would die. She might die. Because at the heart of his enemy was a malicious evil that ripped worlds apart and gloried in their destruction.

  “But am I much different?” he whispered as he leaned against the factory wall. He had ripped bodies out of graves causing untold suffering for their families. He’d put other necromancers at risk from the government. He’d almost killed one, and the trapper as well, during Means’ reanimation.

  “No choice. Dammit, no choice.” That was what hurt the most.

  Mathias looked over the remaining reanimates now. From what he’d seen on the news, the ones he’d sent to the cops were being returned to their graves. Everyone was calling for his blood.

  Can’t be helped.

  It was time to take the war to the Unholy Terror. If he was lucky, Breman would give him the weapon he needed to survive that last battle.

  THIRTEEN

  It was just her, Riley and Harper in the office, which meant another morning of wrangling paperwork. Katia had her own pile and was slogging through it page by page. At least she was being paid for this torture.

  This was not how she’d imagined spending her twenty-fifth birthday. No, she’d always figured she’d be on a beach getting some sun, not assembling trapping data that pinpointed the exact geographic location for each of those captures. Per type of Hellspawn and time of day.

  Just shoot me.

  One of the benefits of all this drudgery was that Katia was learning the names of the other trappers, one report at a time. Some of those reports were meticulous, some were the bare minimum.

  At least the hardest part was already behind her. After he’d had a cup of coffee, Master Harper had listened to her and Riley’s report about the weird portal thing.

  He’d just frowned and muttered, “What is it with this town?” Then went back to his paperwork. At least he hadn’t said that she was making things up. That wouldn’t have been the case in Lawrence, not with Master Kelly. But then karma was stomping all over his butt right now and she couldn’t think of a better birthday present.

  She’d already answered her brother’s and sister’s birthday messages. Her dad’s had arrived a few minutes ago as he was always an early riser. Nothing from her mother. Somehow that was not surprising because her mom was still annoyed Katia hadn’t resigned her job and moved back home by now. She’d probably send one later.

  There was a creak as the office door opened and a man entered. He paused for only a moment, then shut the door behind him. The quality of his suit suggested he was a lawyer.

  “Can I help you?” Riley asked.

  “I’m here to talk to Riley Blackthorne and Katia Breman.”

  “For what reason?”

  The man flicked a glance toward the senior master, then back to them. Harper leaned back in his chair now, watching this play out. She had no doubt he’d intervene if needed.

  “I’m representing Mrs. Albert Means. I need to speak to you both about the lawsuit she has filed. The suit regarding your egregious behavior the night her husband’s corpse was stolen.”

  At this point Katia did the same as Harper, leaning back in her chair. This was going to be fun.

  Riley shook her head. “No comment from either of us. Talk to our lawyer.”

  She rummaged around on her desk and found Jack’s business card, but instead of walking it over she let it float across the open space, courtesy of her magic. When it hovered in front of the lawyer, he snatched it out of the air.

  “That does not impress me,” he said.

  “It wasn’t supposed to.” She pointed behind him. “Unless you’d like to report a demon sighting, the door is that way.”

  “You need to answer my questions.”

  “No, we don’t.”

  The shark in the suit looked over at Katia now. “It would not be wise to let her speak for you in this matter.”

  “Yeah, it would.”

  “I was going to offer you a chance to settle. I won’t be doing that now.”

  “Oh, what a bummer.”

  Riley made shoo’ing motions with her hands. “Off you go.”

  “You will regret that.” And then the dude was gone, purposely letting the door bang shut behind him.

  “God, I hate lawyers,” Harper said. He heaved himself out of his chair and headed for the kitchen to refill his coffee.

  “I’ll let Jack know we had a visitor,” Riley said, tapping away on her computer now. “He’ll find that amusing.”

  Katia’s phone pinged and the text was from Simon.

  Happy Birthday! Welcome to 25!

  There’s ice cream, cake & a surprise when you get home.

  She swung toward Riley. “Did you tell Simon it was my birthday?”

  “I did,” her master said, grinning. “Happy Birthday, Journeyman Breman. We should celebrate the good stuff when it happens. At least if Hell isn’t raining fireballs on us at that point.”

  Another grunt from Harper along with a “That’s the damned truth.’

  “Thank you,” Katia said.

  What would Simon’s surprise be? Had he bought her a present?

  She typed out a reply.

  You rock, Mr. Too-many-Names Adler. All of that sounds great. You are the best friend ever!

  That wasn’t a lie. She’d had friends, but none like him. When there was no reply she dug back into the paperwork, still smiling. Who knew, maybe later she’d get a message from her mother and then this day would be perfect.