Over the years, she’d taken that verbal poison deep inside her. It had colored her relationships, her jobs, her entire life. Her grandmother had warned her about that, but she’d not listened.

  “I’m listening now, Gran,” she whispered. “And this time I understand the message.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Simon’s sister arrived promptly at seven that next evening, carting three big bags of food from their family’s favorite Chinese restaurant. From the size of them she was feeding the entire Adler clan. Some habits were hard to break. At least there would be lots of leftovers.

  “Bro,” she said, as Simon opened the door for her. A swift kiss was deposited on his cheek and then she handed over one of the bags.

  “Katia will be out in a minute,” he said. “She was napping.”

  “Good on her. I should do more of that myself.” She eyed him critically. “So should you.”

  “I plan to. I don’t have to go back to work until Monday. Lay Exorcist Snyder offered to stay in town until then.”

  “Good. You’ve earned those naps, little brother.”

  As they laid out the various containers of rice, the entrees and such, Dee didn’t chatter, not like normal. Something was different. Trying to pry anything out of her would be a waste of time; she was even more stubborn than he was.

  They had just set everything on the table when Katia shuffled in. She wore one of Simon’s T-shirts and her own pair of jeans. They still looked too loose on her, which meant Dee’s bags of food were needed.

  “Oh, man, that smells so great,” Katia said, then flopped down in the closest chair. She still looked tired, but her eyes held a spark in them now.

  Then she smiled at his sister. “Hi, there.”

  “Hi.” There seemed to be no friction between them, which was one of his concerns.

  “You did something new with your hair. I like it,” Dee said, pointing at the white area.

  “I like it, too.” Katia’s eyes met his and he saw the challenge in them. He’d tell her later why he hadn’t mentioned that surprising change, though he bet she’d already figured it out.

  “Okay, there’s spring rolls, dim sum, wonton soup,” his sister said, pointing at each one. “And three different entrees. Mom said y’all needed feeding up.”

  As usual, his mother was right. “You will let us kick in cash for all this,” Simon insisted. “This is a lot of food.”

  “Nope. My treat. We’re celebrating,’ she said, a twinkle in her eyes now. “Let’s eat first, then I’ll tell you why that’s the case. I’m starving.”

  It took time before Dee finally leaned back in her chair and sighed, content. “That was really good. Their dim sum rocks.”

  Katia waved a spring roll in the air in agreement.

  “So, what are we celebrating?” Simon asked, curiosity on maximum.

  “I quit my job today,” she announced.

  That wasn’t what he’d expected. “Freeman and Hostra is history?”

  “Total history. Should have done this a couple years back, but I was too busy being a good little worker bee.”

  “What pushed you over the edge?” Katia asked as she ladled more Mongolian beef on her plate. This was her second helping, and it didn’t look like she was slowing down.

  “My boss was in my face about how I hadn’t completed a report, and how I was always taking time off.” Dee frowned at this point. “I’ve missed two days this year. One because of the flu and the other because I got chucked into wherever the hell that place was with the creepy trees. Last year I took a few days off because this guy,” she angled a thumb at him now, “was in the ICU. But no, that didn’t matter. I was slacking.”

  “Your ex-boss sounds like a total dick,” Katia said.

  “Oh yeah. As he’s spouting all sorts of bullshit, all I could think of was how close we came to dying in that crazy realm place. This guy was bitching me out about a report he hadn’t even assigned to me. When I pointed that out, he insisted I should have known I had to write it anyway. That I had to take the initiative. So, let’s just add clairvoyance to my job title while we’re at it. It was totally ridiculous.”

  “Who made bail for you?” Simon said, because knowing his sister that might have been needed.

  She gave a hearty laugh at that, a sound he hadn’t heard from her in far too long. “I was so tempted to deck him, oh my God I wanted to. But I didn’t. I went back to my cubicle, typed up my resignation and put all my personal stuff in a box. Then I dropped my keys and scorching hot resignation letter on his desk. Along with a number of highly creative curse words.”

  Simon loved seeing this side of her.

  “I told him I refused to work for a company that wouldn’t pay me what I was worth. That there were a lot more important things in this world than if we made our next quarterly sales target. And that he could fuck off. A couple of my closest cube rats applauded as I left. When I got home, I typed up a report about how bad a boss he’d been and forwarded to his bosses at the head office, including the owner of the company.”

  “Think that will do any good?” Katia asked. She’d moved onto the Kung Pao chicken at this point.

  “Not likely. They all have their heads up their asses. Their only goal is profit. I’m done with all that,” Dee said, then took another long sip of her soda.

  “Any plans on what you’re going to do next?” Simon asked.

  “A sabbatical.” She looked over at him now. “I happen to know someone who did just that and I’m due for some time off. I have money stashed away, mostly because I was so damned busy working, I had no time to spend it. Now’s the time.”

  “A religious sabbatical?” he asked, though he was just needling her.

  “Nope, I’m not you, Bro. But I’d still like to hear your suggestions in case I want to toss in a cathedral or two.”

  “Or maybe a stone circle?”

  She blinked over at him. “You went to one of those?”

  “I did. I’ll be happy to show you the pictures.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned. What else are you hiding from me?” Dee asked, frowning at him now.

  A lot, dear sister, a lot.

  Katia had finished off the food on her plate. She barely stifled a yawn, then rose. “Congratulations on being free. And thank you for all the yummy food. There’s no way I’m going to stay awake after all this, so I’ll just go crash so you two can talk travel plans.”

  “You’re welcome, Katia. Thank you for watching over this guy,” she said, angling her head toward him. “I promise not to keep him up too late.”

  “Riiight,” Simon said, but he couldn’t stop smiling at how this dinner had played out.

  “Please let me know how your trip goes, will you?” Katia asked. “Pictures or it didn’t happen.”

  That seemed to please Dee and she nodded enthusiastically. “I will.”

  “But no pictures of trees or squirrels,” she said, looking over at Simon now. “I’ve had a lifetime of those already.”

  “What?” his sister asked, puzzled.

  “Ask this guy. Good night, you two.”

  Once Katia was back in her guest room and the door closed, Dee laid a hand on his arm. “Squirrels? Trees?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Okay.” Then she lowered her voice. “You are amazing, my brother. And so is she. Some reason you two aren’t a couple? Even mom noticed you get along so well.”

  He hadn’t seen that one coming, so it took a while to answer. “Well, I’m hoping that will happen one of these days.”

  “Good. But don’t wait too long. We both know that life doesn’t play fair sometimes. Especially if there are demons or lunatic necros involved.”

  That was true. He knew it was time to change the subject.

  “So where are you thinking of going first?”

  As Dee began listing locations, some as far away as Asia, Simon cleared the table. Ironically, he’d led the way for her upcoming journey. It was time for her own rebirth, and he was keen to find out exactly what lie ahead for his bossiest sibling. At least if she was in Singapore she wouldn’t be rearranging his cupboards.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  The night before Katia was to return to Stewart’s house, they found themselves sitting in the backyard pointedly ignoring the one topic they should be talking about: the proclamation he’d delivered over her birthday presents.

  Instead, they joked about the small dog next door who liked to yap at everything that moved, and then discussed his family’s annual picnic on Labor Day weekend. The one Katia had been invited to by his mom, who’d insisted that she was “family” now.

  “How big is this thing?” she asked. She guessed it could be in the hundreds.

  “Like fifty or sixty plus people. All the ancient grand aunts and uncles come out of the woodwork so they can check up on us ‘young folk.’ My older brother will be flying in from Germany.” Simon chuckled. “It’s going to be fun when a few of our uber conservative family members find out he has a steady boyfriend. Joshua’s been ‘out’ for years, but they’ve just ignored that. They won’t be able to now.”

  She matched his grin. “Ah, good on him. Lots of Adler family drama, then?”

  “Count on it. And some awesome food, a chance for you to meet the rest of my sibs, and hang out with my parents. Dee is doing the event planning for this year instead of Mom. She’ll be flying off on her trip soon after that. Last I heard she’s starting in Japan and then going to Singapore, Australia and then New Zealand. Dee never does things half-assed.”

  Katia’s jaw dropped. “I am sooo jealous. I’ve always wanted to go to all those places.”

  He looked over at her now. “Who knows, maybe someday you will. Ever been to Ireland?”

  She shook her head. “Italy. That’s it. Though Pompeii was cool in kind of a morbid sort of way.”

  “Well, I’ve been invited to a close friend’s wedding in Killarney next April. The invite says I can bring a . . . guest.”

  That was very tempting bait, and from the gleam in his eyes he knew it.

  “You are deviously clever, you know that?”

  The gleam grew brighter now. Of course he knew.

  “Riona is getting married. I met her last year, during my travels. We were lovers for a time.”

  The admission just popped out there and he didn’t look like he was sorry it had. She had always wondered just how sexually adventurous he’d been but had never dared ask.

  “You miss her.” That much was obvious from his expression.

  “I do. Riona has a lot of Light in her, and she shared it with me when I needed it the most.”

  “You’ve gotten two letters from Ireland since I started staying here. She misses you.”

  “She does. Ree doesn’t like emails so it’s pen and paper for her.”

  “How did you two meet?”

  “It was at a pub. We just started talking. She told me about the sites I should visit in the area. I hitchhiked around for a couple days and then went back to the pub, and she was there eating lunch.” His voice grew softer now as he pulled up those memories. It was evident they were good ones. “We talked for hours. Then she offered to take me around, and so she drove and I played tourist.”

  “That sounds wonderful, Simon.”

  “It was. We became lovers a week after we met, and I stayed with her at her cottage for three more weeks. It was a time of rebirth for both of us. No promises were made, but a true friendship was forged. We both needed to heal in our own way.”

  He looked over at her now. “That’s why when she met someone a few months later, I was so happy to hear he’d captured her heart. Oisin is perfect for her.”

  Beyond all that was the hint that his heart had been captured as well, but not by the lady in Ireland.

  Katia couldn’t put it off any longer. “Ah, about what you said when you gave me my presents.”

  To her surprise, he wasn’t listening to her but staring at the backyard. “We have company.”

  In the grass a short distance away were three small figures. They wore green caps and clothes interwoven with ferns and moss. They looked ancient, especially with the long beards. The trio murmured among themselves, then zeroed in on her and Simon.

  She remembered her grandmother talking about the Little People. Brownies, pixies, goblins, imps, and fairies. What this trio was she had no clue, nor could she guess why they were here.

  “They helped me when you were injured,” Simon explained. “They guided me out of The Lady’s realm and into ours.”

  He rose from his chair. “Greetings,” he said. “Welcome to my . . . garden.”

  One of the three stepped forward, and after a swift bow placed a metal object on the grass in front of him. It was a sword, sheathed in a scabbard. The little whatever-it-was gestured at it, then stepped back.

  “That’s mine,” Simon said. “I never expected to see it again.”

  He’d already explained how he’d had to leave the weapons behind. She’d hated losing the bō but accepted why that had happened. Now here was his sword courtesy of the little folks.

  Her gran had said never to thank a fae, but how did she tell Simon that without insulting them. “Ah, you’re not supposed to—”

  “I know.” He looked back at their visitors. “By bringing me this sword, you have shown me much honor.”

  Had it been his Irish lover who had warned him about all that? If so, Katia would happily send her a thank you note.

  Then it was her turn as the other two little men stepped forward with her wooden bō, each carrying one end of it. They set it on the ground and stepped back, again with a kind of reverence one didn’t expect to see from their kind.

  She hesitated and then said, “My heart is filled with your kindness.”

  Apparently that was what they’d wanted to hear as all three bowed in unison, turned and marched away to disappear back into their world. Curiously, there was no swirling portal like for some of the other realms.

  “They know where you live,” she murmured.

  “Well, you’re here, so I’m figuring you’re the draw not me.”

  “You might be right about that.” She wished now she’d asked her grandmother more questions about the Good Folk.

  Simon collected his sword and pulled it out of the scabbard to inspect it. “It’s spotless. It had to be hard to get the demon blood off it.”

  Her bō was in the same pristine condition. Something was tied to it, secured by long green vines. She pulled them off and realized it was a note, handwritten on parchment in brilliant blue ink.

  When she saw who had written it, she laughed.

  “What is it?” Simon asked, standing next to her now.

  “The, ah, Wizard sent us a note.” She smoothed it out and skimmed it, trying to work through the rather arcane handwriting.

  Then she began reading it aloud.

  To Simon Adler & Katia Breman,

  Now that the Unholy Terror is dead, my lady’s world is slowly healing.

  I have been granted permission to remain with my beloved. I am grateful for this second chance, one I did not deserve.

  We will never forget that your courage made this new life possible.

  Forever in your debt,

  The Wizard and His Lady

  “Wow,” Katia murmured. “They saw how much he loved her and let him stay.”

  A faint tingle began in her fingers and then the note in her hand disappeared, likely called back to the other world so no trace of it would remain. As far as Atlanta knew Summoner Chaffin was still on the run, and she was fine with that assumption.

  Simon didn’t look at all surprised when the message vanished, as if he’d expected that. But his face did register surprise when he pulled his sword free of its scabbard and found strange writing engraved on the blade. He gave it a couple test swings, and then stared at it like he’d never seen it before.

  “It feels different. It’s more . . . lively.”

  Curious, Katia moved away from him and then executed a few moves with the bō. Then gaped in wonder. ‘It’s like you said. It’s livelier now. It’s the same weight and balance, but different somehow. They did something to these, didn’t they?”

  “Looks like it.”

  She looked down at the staff, then over at his sword. “We can’t tell anyone about this.”

  “That’s for sure. No one will believe us anyway.”

  Her boss might, but it was best that this just be their secret. As he sheathed the blade, she glanced back at where the three little beings had appeared.

  “Ice cream to celebrate?” he asked, and she nodded. “One scoop or two?”

  “Two.”

  “So it shall be,” he said, heading for the back door, sword in hand. She followed him inside with her staff, knowing it was time to finish that conversation, the one that she dreaded.

  A short time later he’d set their bowls of ice cream on the end table in front of the couch, then taken a seat there. Anyone else would think him totally relaxed, but she knew him too well. He was waiting to hear what she thought about . . . them, and he was worried she’d reject him.

  Katia sat next to him and ate the dessert. When it was gone, she’d run out of time. Simon had finished a few minutes earlier, and now his attention was totally on her.

  “If you don’t feel you can talk about what I said to you, I can wait. I won’t like it, but I’ll deal,” he said. His eyes said something different.

  “No, I owe you an answer,” she said. “You didn’t pressure me or anything.” She sucked in a breath and then let it out slowly. “Almost everything in my life has changed. I had to start over in a new city, one that is so different than Lawrence, at least when it comes to Hellspawn. It wasn’t my choice but here I am anyway.”