“He’s mean and insufferable.” I couldn’t help myself, I really couldn’t.

  “That’s why she sent him. He’s your punishment.”

  A horrible thought crossed my mind. “Do you think she’ll start using him instead of you?”

  Jamie hesitated. “It’s a possibility. He comes to the city a lot.”

  “Great.”

  “Sorry, Kel.”

  I huffed out a breath. “It’s a small price to pay for living my own life and keeping Dad safe.”

  “Why don’t I come over tomorrow night? I’ll cook, and you can relax.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  His voice warmed. “I make great garlic bread.”

  “I want to, but this case… all of the problems. I don’t know if I have time for a date.” After all these years, the word tasted funny. Good but stale from disuse.

  “You’re busy. I understand. Tomorrow or the night after, or even the night after that, the offer stands.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  “Delightful.”

  After a bit of flirting, I hung up. Procrastination wasn’t going to make the next phone call any easier, but I had to be sure Dad was okay.

  It rang, and rang again. Each time, a knot of fear tightened in my gut. Aiden could’ve lied.

  “Kelsey!” With the voice came a laughter and a bellowed comment that included the word spoon.

  Family game night. Oh, I missed those. “Drew?”

  “Mom and Dad are wrestling over the last spoon. I’m out of this game so I was nominated to answer the phone.”

  “Five bucks on Mom.” As an older sister, I had to ask. “Nominated by Dad or yourself?”

  “Myself.” A shout drowned out anything else he might’ve said. “Mom got the spoon.”

  “Then you best talk quick. How’s the pottery going?”

  “It’s Kel!” He bellowed.

  I winced and yanked the phone away from my ear.

  “It’s great! I’m working part time at a shop, even managed to take morning art classes there rather than at school. I’ve learned a ton in the past week. I have a batch that will be fired tomorrow. Dad wants the phone.” It all came out in a rush.

  “Talk to you later, Drew.”

  Dad said, “I’ll pass it along.”

  “Lost to Mom again?”

  “Never wrestle a werelynx for a spoon.”

  I giggled and then laughed. Tears leaked out of my eyes. He was fine. Olivia hadn’t hurt him or the rest of the family. “Yet you do every time we play spoons.”

  “I’m a slow learner.” He chuckled.

  We chatted for a few minutes about fun things. I didn’t bring up Olivia or her threats, not with the rest of the family and their lynx ears around. Besides, he was fine, and Jamie was probably right. Olivia was so used to threatening him to get me to do her bidding, it was more symbolic than real.

  The game ended, and I got to get a quick word in with each of my siblings and Mom. The phone made its way back to Dad, and I told him I loved him before hanging up.

  I sat on the sofa for a few minutes wishing I was with them. Dad had never figured out the trick to beating Mom at spoons, mostly because he was too polite to use magic at the game table. I’d always figured a touch of magic was fair. After all, I didn’t have the reflexes of a cat.

  My stomach rumbled. Seeing Aiden had unsettled me, and I’d forgotten to order dinner. I pillaged my freezer and found a frozen meal. Three minutes later, I was munching my way through it while watching another episode of Mermaid Shores.

  An hour later, I was all but dozing off, with the show a soothing buzz in the background, when someone knocked sharply.

  I blinked as I shot upright. “Who is it?”

  “Randolf.”

  I pushed off the sofa and opened the door. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “Given your visitors, leaving a message was ill-advised.” He brushed an invisible fleck of dust off his sweater. “The couple is here.”

  “Here?”

  “In my apartment.”

  It only took me a moment to grab my keys and lock the door. “I should be free of the clan’s attentions for the night.”

  Randolf glided down the stairs. “I have a copy of the ritual.”

  “Thanks.” I’d memorized it so I didn’t have to get papers out and risk Olivia seeing them, but it would be nice to have a reference. It would be nice to help someone too. This was one time where using my necromancy would be easy. The spell wouldn’t take their free will or use their bodies without their permission.

  He opened the door to his basement level apartment and ushered me into his living room.

  My eyes went to the couple on the sofa. With vampires, it was next to impossible to tell their age, but if they’d been human, I would’ve guessed mid-thirties. His red hair was a shade darker than Randolf’s, and the jeans and polo were more in keeping with his visible age. Other than a quick flick of eyes in my direction, he didn’t take his attention off his partner.

  She rested against him, more like she had to than from a desire to be close. As a race, vampires were pale, but her complexion was ghostly. Her skin had taken a grayish cast, only heightened by her rich brown hair. She looked slight, though that could’ve been the way she was folding in on herself, only the swell of her pregnancy standing out.

  Randolf moved lightly in front of me. “Aaron, Alexandra, this is the necromancer who can help you, Kelsey Pine.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I smiled.

  Alexandra’s eye opened, and she gave a slight nod.

  “Can you really help her?” Aaron asked.

  “I’m going to try.”

  Aaron exchanged a look with Randolf. “I don’t want to lose them.”

  “May I?” I took a single step closer.

  He nodded.

  “Alexandra, may I rest a hand on your stomach?” I settled next to her on the couch.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  My necromancy rose up. For once I didn’t push it back, but let it fill me, mixing with my magic. I set my hand against her as gently as I could.

  Whatever vampires were, they weren’t exactly dead. They certainly weren’t alive either, but they weren’t dead the way most humanoids thought of dead. Vampires didn’t decay, didn’t turn to nothing more than bone, dust, and memories.

  The thread of unlife for mother and child was fading. She didn’t have the strength to get both of them through the rest of the pregnancy. Whatever it was that sustained vampires, Alexandra couldn’t provide that for both of them.

  “I can help.” As long as the spell worked as stated, it should’ve been an easy matter. Worst case, both Alexandra and the baby would be alive-ish but bound by necromancy to follow my orders. They’d still have their own personalities. It wouldn’t be ideal, but they’d survive. Given time, I could figure out how to undo the binding part.

  Since Alexandra couldn’t sit up on her own, we propped her up against the recliner, supporting her with plenty of pillows. The most challenging part of arranging her was choosing the recliner. I had to put a circle around the two of us, so a wall or the couch wouldn’t have worked.

  Randolf had a canister of salt ready.

  After a quick probe to make sure it hadn’t been contaminated, I encircled Alexandra and myself. I traded the salt for my wand. “Sowil.” The shield sprang up around us.

  I sat down, our knees almost touching.

  Alexandra peered at me through her lashes.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” She forced the world out.

  Closing my eyes, I centered myself in my magic and necromancy. The cold that normally came with the necromancy was absent, and I let the power flow down my arm and into my wand. “Esaz tewaz perzae ehaz eair deyr.”

  A channel opened between me and Alexandra. Necromancy flowed from me to her.

  I waited, hardly able to breathe, to see if the spell worked.

  The necromancy continued to drain into Alexandra. Her skin lost its gray color, returning to a pale but healthy tone. Her eyes opened fully for the first time since I arrived. This close, they were a stunning mix of brown with a green rim.

  The tenor of her unlife shifted. Where it had been thin and faltering, it was steady and sure.

  I closed the flow of necromancy, somewhat depleted but nothing a night’s rest wouldn’t fix. “How do you feel?”

  She tipped her head to the side. “Much better. Better than I’ve felt in months. Oh!” Her hand went to the side of her belly.

  “Oh.” Alexandra smiled. “The baby’s kicking. I haven’t felt that in two days.”

  Aaron came over, just barely avoiding the circle around us. “You felt the baby?”

  I undid the shield and broke the line of salt. “You can come in.”

  Alexandra grabbed my hand, her grip firm. “Thank you. If you ever need anything, anything at all.”

  “It was my pleasure,” I said honestly.

  She released me and pressed her hand to her side again.

  I got out of the way, letting the three of them their moment.

  Randolf stood beside me. “Thank you.”

  “I’m sorry I delayed.” He hadn’t been exaggerating when he told me they didn’t have much time. Another day, maybe two, and it would’ve been too late. And it had been a simple ritual.

  “You have other concerns.” He wiped at his eyes. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

  We ended up in the kitchen. Aaron and Alexandra deserved their privacy, but this was as much as I could give them while keeping an eye on how she responded to the ritual. I’d done enough spells and rituals with the clan to know the immediate after-effects weren’t always the ones that lasted.

  Randolf poured hot water over a cup with English Breakfast for himself and chamomile for me. He opened a tin of cookies, soft, lemon-sugar cookies, not the tasteless shortbread that had come in the container.

  I took four. “Thanks.”

  He busied himself moving the kettle back to the stove.

  The first cookie only lasted two bites. They were good.

  Randolf came back and looked into his tea.

  I could hear the mummer of conversation from the other room. With a vampire’s hearing, Randolf would be able to hear every word.

  “He’s my son.”

  I jerked my head up. “You never said.”

  Randolf dropped a cube of sugar into his tea. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured.”

  “The word is motivated.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. “I would’ve found the time days ago had you told me. Or if you’d told me just how poorly Alexandra was fairing.”

  Randolf was a second father to me. If I’d had to walk across hot coals to help him, I would’ve.

  “It was bad enough I had to admit to my knowledge of your necromancy. I wasn’t going to pressure you.” Randolf stirred his tea. “I love you like a daughter. It would be wrong for manipulate or force one child of mine to help another.”

  “I wouldn’t have seen it that way.” I stared at him, not that he noticed.

  “Sugar?”

  “Two cubes.” I stirred my tea and waited for him to get back to the important conversation.

  He finally lifted his head and met my gaze. “It’s uncomfortable to know how acutely I can feel fear at this age. One would’ve thought I’d have faced my fears over my long life.”

  Compared to Randolf, I was hardly more than a child. Still, some things didn’t take age to know. “No one lives long enough to become fearless. Our fears age with us, always hunting our vulnerabilities. When we grow strong in one area, they find a new fault to exploit.”

  I cupped my hand around the mug, hoping its warmth would drive away my nightmares. If I feared my necromancy now, what would my life be like in five years? Or fifty? Would I ever outrun this family curse?

  Chapter Fifteen

  An hour later, I headed upstairs. Alexandra was glowing, as she should be. The ritual seemed to have gone off without a hitch, and before long, Randolf would be a grandfather. There wasn’t a better way to end an evening.

  I swung by my mailbox expecting a pile of bills. It was that time.

  Sure enough, I found the bills, and a sunflower-stamped letter.

  “Again? It’s hardly been a week.”

  I waited until I got back in my apartment to slice it open.

  Hello, Beautiful.

  * * *

  Only one rose in the window? Tell me, who is it who takes you away from me? Is it the supposed partner of yours, the elf, or the witch?

  * * *

  Yours Truly

  In a refreshing change, my stalker wasn’t threatening me. Likely because he intended to threaten whichever of the men in my life he decided was the recipient of my affections.

  Narzel blast it all. I’d have to report it again. I couldn’t leave any of them unaware of the danger, which meant a formal report. Smith was going to be thrilled.

  I was thrilled. Just thrilled.

  “Couldn’t you find a cliff to jump off?” I muttered as I added this note to my collection. I left the box of notes on the table, so I’d remember to take it in with me. Then I went over to the window, grabbed the flower, and dumped it in the trash.

  The man needed a new hobby, like growing orchids.

  Or moss.

  I flipped off my light and snuggled under the covers. Earth and evil-doers willing, I could get a full night’s sleep before dealing with tomorrow’s problems.

  By four in the morning, it was clear my prayers had not been answered. The hospital caring for CJ was on fire.

  After the incident with my first car, I wasn’t taking Fabian to any more calls, which was why I was in the TBI parking lot switching cars. There wasn’t much traffic on the road this time of, well, it really wasn’t morning, when my phone rang.

  I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered it anyway. “Special Agent Kelsey Pine.”

  “I’m sorry to call this early, but your message was urgent.”

  “Who is this?”

  “Ash Ellis.”

  The fire witch herself. “I didn’t expect to hear back from you or your clan.”

  She ignored the comment. “There aren’t many ways to deal with fires fueled by unstable magic. I would go into the fire, find the spell, and unmake it. Then the fire could be extinguished by physical or magical methods.”

  I took the exit for the hospital. “The spells are warping magic they come in contact with. How could I walk into a fire like that?” Sure, there were shields that could protect against flames, but they wouldn’t hold up against the twisted magic inside the fire.

  “You don’t use magic.”

  “What?”

  “Get a non-magical suit, and go in like a firefighter would.” Ash spoke quickly. “Or starve it of fuel. You can try to concentrate the carbon dioxide, but that won’t work on all fires. Dry powder works on most fire types, but it won’t reduce the heat. And it would be best to reduce the heat.”

  From a mile away, I could see ice-blue flames coming from the hospital. “Any other tips?”

  “It probably isn’t a witch.”

  I pressed the gas pedal to the floorboard. “Why do you say that?”

  Ash hesitated. “It doesn’t sound like how our magic works.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.” Really, I should’ve known.

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” I hung up and pulled into the hospital parking lot. I parked behind another police cruiser and hoped it was a safe enough distance. Right now, the main body of the hospital appeared fine. The annex off to the side where CJ was staying had flames shooting out of it.

  With nothing but my wand, I took off toward the fire trucks. Kala would know which fire suppressant stood the best chance of putting out the fire.

  Harris caught up with me. “I pulled in behind you, and you took off.”

  “Know how to stop fire and get evidence,” I panted.

  He put on a burst of speed and intercepted the officer manning the police line. They waved me through.

  I wove between evacuees until I found Kala. “Know how to stop the fire.”

  “You know how to put out a hospital fire?” Kala’s eyes widened.

  Wayne trotted up.

  I sucked in a deep, if smoky breath. “It’s magical first. The magic and the fire feed each other, you know that. We need to starve it of oxygen and lower the temperature. My source mentioned a powder…”

  Kala stared at me.

  “And, uh, I’m going to need one of those suits.”

  “You aren’t going in there.”

  “I am if you want this fire under control.”

  “No.” Kala motioned to the fire. “It spread unnaturally fast. Everyone has done their best to evacuate the building, but we have patients and staff unaccounted for. We’ve had to focus on preventing the spread between buildings. According to everything I was taught, we let that burn itself out and save as many people as we can.”

  “You want to save lives, you send me in.” I knew the risk, but without evidence, without something to tie these fires to the perpetrator, more people would die.

  She stared at me. “Fine. I can spare a few people to treat the main hallway. After that, you’re on your own. I have the rest of the hospital to save.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kala bellowed, and a firefighter turned and headed our way.

  “I’m going too,” Wayne said.

  Kala didn’t acknowledge Wayne. “Jerald, Meet Agents Pine and Harris. They need to be suited up to go in the fire.”

  Jerald, who was about Wayne’s height and had a buzz about him that made me think he was a shifter, nodded at both of us. “This way.”

  I hesitated. “One more thing. Can you find out if a patient by the name of CJ was evacuated?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Thanks.”