I could have fought her. Instead, I turned and walked over to the office door.

  That’s when I heard a rumble behind me. “Where are you going?” Vali strode into sight. “I clearly told you not to move.”

  I turned and faced him. I could have stood up for myself and said that Megan had given me a direct order to get out of everyone’s way, but I didn’t. That didn’t stop Cassidy. Though her voice was weak and lacked the usual bubbly quality I was becoming so fondly used to, it was still clear. “It’s not her fault. She was given an order to move.”

  Cassidy didn’t directly rat Megan out, but as Megan was standing right there, it would be pretty obvious who she meant.

  Vali lost the edge of his anger. He looked at Megan with an unreadable expression.

  She stiffly clamped her hands in front of her middle as she bowed. “I apologize, sir. I did not know.”

  “It’s fine,” he said after a long pause.

  Was… was Vali suspicious of Megan? Or was there something else to the way he was looking at her? Maybe I was wrong – maybe they really were in a relationship, or had been in the past.

  Vali cleared his throat. “We must leave quickly. Come on.”

  Both Megan and I strode forward to follow.

  She shot me an angry look, her lips as white as snow. It was clear she was about to tell me off.

  “No, Megan, remain here. You are my most trusted adviser. You are also my… strongest witch.” There was a considerable pause between my and strongest. “You must remain here and protect my employees.”

  Megan’s cheeks froze with pale confusion. It didn’t take long for that confusion to turn into outright anger.

  Vali had just picked me. Good god, I felt like I was back in high school and we were both vying for the attention of the most popular boy. Except this was far, far more serious. We also had witnesses.

  Fortunately, Cassidy was being a heck of a lot subtler, and she wasn’t staring at this awkward interaction with obvious glee. She was looking at her feet, only darting her gaze up to me every now and then.

  Vali gestured me forward. I wanted to mutter sorry to Megan as we shifted past, but she shot me such a look, I swore it was colder than anything my frozen magic could produce.

  Vali led me away. When we reached the elevator and the doors closed behind us, he looked at me. “You feel sorry for her, don’t you?”

  I wasn’t sure who was speaking – Franklin or Vali.

  I had no idea how I should respond, so I went with my heart. “Yes, I do. She seemed… shocked.”

  “She’s used to being by my side. I have relied on her for too long.”

  There was something about what he was saying – something that told me he now intended to start relying on someone else.

  My stomach gave a kick. “I’m just… I’m sorry the others had to see that. It would have been embarrassing.”

  He shrugged. “They will be discreet.”

  I almost burst into laughter.

  Cassidy and Alice being discreet? While technically Alice could be discreet if she wanted to, Cassidy was a different kettle of fish.

  We didn’t say anything to each other as we rode the elevator down to the basement.

  Strangely, there was no one about as we exited and began walking across the cold, echoing concrete. I strained my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone. The basement was usually bustling.

  “I’ve locked the building down. It’s the only way to keep everyone safe.”

  Vali gestured with his shoulder towards a waiting car.

  It was suitably impressive and expensive, and though I couldn’t recognize the make, I could tell it would be the fastest thing out on the city streets.

  “You don’t honestly think that Caxus will go after this building, do you?”

  It took a long time for him to answer. As he paused, my stomach sank.

  “He will try every trick at his disposal to obtain you.”

  Great. Just great. If I had any doubt whatsoever that Caxus was now focusing his odious attention on me, my doubt was blown to pieces.

  Vali motioned me towards the passenger seat, and with only a moment’s hesitation, I clambered in. “What exactly happens next?”

  “We head to the crime scene.”

  My stomach pitched. “I… I’m not good with stuff like that,” I conceded.

  Perhaps he preferred that I showed a stiff upper lip and kept my fears to myself, but I couldn’t.

  He shook his head. “That is good.”

  I frowned.

  “You shouldn’t be comfortable with heinous crimes. They should never intrigue you, never ignite your curiosity.” As he said ignite your curiosity, he turned to me. We’d just exited onto the city street, but that didn’t appear to matter. He didn’t shift his head to check where we were driving. He was a god, after all.

  I paled. I understood the comment. Obviously, he was aware of my curiosity, then.

  I recoiled.

  “I am not admonishing you,” he said after a long pause, “just warning you.”

  His gentle tone shifted my attention and made me look at him. “Why? What are you… scared of?”

  He didn’t answer. That just made me feel sick.

  I’d never had a problem with my curiosity in the past. I’d celebrated it. It was the only force that could combat my anxiety.

  Now I thought about it with a sinking heart. What exactly was I? What exactly resided in my heart if Caxus had promised that we were not dissimilar?

  The further I sank into a somber silence, the less I paid attention to my surroundings.

  It took Vali to shift me back into the real world. “Don’t fear yourself,” he said out of the blue.

  I yanked my head to the side and stared at him. “What?”

  “Do not fear yourself, Lily-white.” My name ran together as usual.

  My surprise turned to cold dread as my cheeks slackened. “Why not? Why shouldn’t I fear myself?” I challenged in a dull, empty tone. “I have no idea who I am. I have no idea why that demon picked me.”

  I stared at my hands.

  Without shifting his attention from the road, Vali leaned over and locked his warm palm over my fingers.

  I felt it again: that heat. It was the only thing that could combat the cold in my soul. But there was more. As soon as his hand brushed mine, that warm, expectant tingle raced through my gut. It saw me turn and face him.

  “You shouldn’t fear what you could become. Because I will not let you become it.”

  … I tried… I tried to process what he’d just said.

  “You… you won’t let me become what?” I challenged after a considerable pause.

  He didn’t answer.

  I sank back. Though his hand remained on mine for some time, he pulled it away and concentrated on driving.

  I’m one of those unique souls who can be alone even at a party. I can withdraw inward, shutting everything out until it’s just me and my thoughts.

  I did that now. I closed in on myself as every terrible fact of this situation eddied around me.

  It didn’t take too much longer until we arrived. With one more cautious, worried glance my way, Vali cleared his throat as he pulled up. “We’re here.”

  It was a house – a family home, by the looks of it. A spike of dread stabbed hard into my gut. “You mean… Captain Smith was murdered here? What was he doing here?”

  “This is his home.”

  My frown could have torn a hole in my face. “Home? But, he’s…” I trailed off, not wanting to say he was Vali’s slave.

  “Most of my other employees still live in their original homes with their families.”

  I paled. “So why exactly do I live…” I trailed off, not wanting to ask why I lived with Vali. But let’s face it, that was pretty much where I lived. Okay, it wasn’t like I was sharing a room with him or anything. But my bedroom was right down the corridor from Vali.

  He cleared his throat. He sounded uncomfortable, which just seemed wrong for the god of revenge.

  “You are different. Due to your… abilities, you cannot be left alone.”

  I couldn’t be left… alone.

  I didn’t shiver at that admission. I just sat back and let it sink in. Then an entirely different thought sank in as my attention swung back to the house before us. My gut tightened. “Oh god, he was killed at home? Does he have any family?”

  Vali nodded. “Yes.”

  I was no stranger to feeling cold, but the exact cold that pulsed through me at his admission was different. “His family, were they….”

  “No. They were not killed. They were not in.”

  A measure of relief washed through me, but only a measure. They may not have been killed, but the horror waiting at home when they returned…. I shook once more.

  He got out of his car, and though I didn’t think he had it in him, he moved around and opened my door. He stared at me meaningfully as I got out. He opened his mouth, possibly to say something reassuring, but he stopped. How could he possibly reassure me at a time like this?

  Inside that house was a murder scene – not an ordinary murder scene, but one perpetrated by a dark, brutal demon.

  He shrugged me forward.

  I followed.

  It was an ordinary suburban house. It didn’t have a gate, just a concrete path that led up to the door.

  As I approached, I saw the door was swinging open. It looked as if it had been wrenched to the side.

  As I neared, I saw it was hanging off one of its hinges.

  I shifted past, another jolt of fear powering through me, and I inadvertently struck the door with my shoulder. It creaked and fell off its remaining hinge. The door didn’t have a chance to plow into me; Vali reached a strong arm around and caught it, holding it in place. “Careful,” he warned.

  I shrugged back, my breath becoming shallow with every step.

  Though you couldn’t tell it from the outside of the house, I couldn’t deny it from within: it was so dark. So dark that dark was no longer a strong enough term. Though it was gloomy and only a single light was on down the long corridor, that couldn’t account for the gloom. Only the horror could.

  I found myself shrugging close to Vali as we walked forward. I banged into his arms several times. He opened his mouth to say something, probably to tell me to pull myself together, but he obviously thought better of it.

  Vali seemed to know where the crime had been committed. Maybe he’d already read the report, or maybe he could feel it. He was the god of revenge, after all.

  He paused outside of what looked like the door that led to the kitchen.

  There would be no going back now.

  “Lily-white,” he began.

  I turned, staring at him.

  He hesitated, then shook his head. “You are stronger than you think. Now, stay close to my side.”

  He reached forward and pushed against the kitchen door. It swung forward on its hinges.

  I screamed and bolted back as I locked a sweaty hand around my mouth.

  Captain Smith was strung up on the wall, tied there with what looked like nothing more than fresh blood. His own blood. I could see it pumping out of his veins only to claw back inside his body. He was like a human water feature recycling his very body fluids.

  Before I could back all the way through the door, Vali locked that warm hand on my shoulder. He didn’t say anything. Not a single reassuring word. Because nothing could reassure me now.

  Vali moved past me and warily walked up to Captain Smith. There was no question the man was dead. His blood was being used to bind him, and his skin was sallow and gray.

  I was not built for situations like this. I couldn’t put my fear aside and investigate in the knowledge that doing so could prevent another crime. I just wasn’t that objective and controlled. I stood there by the door, my sweaty hand pressing harder and harder into my lips, fear clamoring through me.

  The expression on Vali’s face was immeasurably sad. There was no way you could recognize it as anything else.

  He shifted forward until he stood directly under Captain Smith. The most awful noise echoed through the air – the sound of Smith’s blood being sucked back into his veins only to pour out and keep him bound in place.

  “You did not deserve this,” Vali said under his breath. He reached a hand out and stretched his fingers wide.

  The magical binds holding Smith in place broke. He fell forward. Vali didn’t move away, even though I would have screamed and jolted in the other direction. He caught Smith’s body. It didn’t matter that the man was covered in blood. Gently, reverently, Vali knelt and placed Smith’s stiff form on the stained linoleum floor.

  Vali’s expression was full of deep sorrow and regret. It wasn’t Franklin – it was Vali, I was sure of it. Yet again he was showing an emotional range he shouldn’t be capable of as the god of revenge.

  I said nothing. I barely breathed. The horror of the situation was giving way to deep, deep sorrow – all guided by Vali’s compassionate expression.

  I felt tears begin to streak down my cheeks.

  “You will be guided into the next life,” Vali said under his breath in a quiet tone I could tell he didn’t intend to carry.

  But I was so focused on him I would pick up even the gentlest hiss of his breath.

  Vali stood.

  His suit was now covered in blood, and it trickled down his hands as he wiped it on his pants.

  He turned to me. “What do you feel?”

  I didn’t respond. What did I feel? I was terrified. It felt like grief was literally bleeding through me. Just as Smith’s blood had kept him to the wall, my sorrow was keeping me frozen to the spot.

  Vali’s expression was still soft with fear, but he shook his head tightly. “Lilly, this is important. What do you feel?”

  “What… what do you mean?”

  “You have met Caxus. You have felt his magic. Now, can you recognize it?”

  I stared at him with a crumpled, terrified expression. As he looked back with determined compassion, my shoulders deflated.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. This time I wasn’t hiding from the situation. This time I was doing as instructed. I was trying to figure out how I felt.

  I’d never meditated. Sure, people had suggested it as a way to combat my anxiety, but my mind never stood still long enough. It jumped about, my thoughts shifting like a cat toy being shaken on a string.

  I gritted my teeth. I tried to remember Caxus, no matter how much he repulsed me.

  It took achingly long, but I chanced upon a memory strong enough that it led to an undeniable sense of that dark creature.

  Maybe my expression slackened, because Vali shifted towards me, his footfall quick, his expensive shoes squeaking across the chipped and blood-stained linoleum. “That’s it. You feel him?”

  I nodded. “But… what do I do now?”

  “Search for a sign, something telling you how he got in.”

  I frowned. I didn’t understand.

  He took another step towards me. “He would not have walked in the front door. I ensure that all of my employees’ homes are protected. No, he would have broken his way in magically. I need you to find out where.” The note of pressured fear in his voice was unmistakable.

  Again, I squeezed my eyes shut; again I tried to concentrate. I didn’t know the basics of magic, and yet I tried to feel my way. Instead of concentrating on my confusion and the dark sense in the room, I held onto the memory of Caxus. More than anything, I focused on his chair and the feeling it had left in my mind….

  Towards the edge of my vision, I saw a crackle of red.

  My eyes opened wide, and I jerked a hand towards the left, my fingers extending in the direction of that crackle.

  Vali spun on his foot. I’d pointed at the fridge, at a note taped to it, to be precise.

  Vali’s face became ashen cold as he walked over and, hesitating momentarily, plucked the note off the wall. As soon as his fingers came in contact with it, the note began to sizzle. Smoke erupted from it, and it was clear it was seconds from catching alight.

  Before it could, he lurched towards me. “Take your bangle off,” he demanded.

  When I didn’t comply quickly enough, he wrenched one of my bangles off and slammed the note into my hand. He wrapped my fingers around the smoking page.

  I spluttered in surprise, but I didn’t shift back. Whether I liked it or not, I was beginning to trust Vali.

  As soon as the page came in contact with my fingers, it stopped smoking. My ice pushed into it.

  Vali’s shoulders crumpled with relief.

  “What’s happening?” I demanded. “What is this?”

  “It is how the demon Caxus entered this home.”

  My cheeks stiff and cold with worry, I unfolded the page.

  Fortunately, my ice wasn’t spreading out through the entire kitchen. Vali had only taken off one of my bangles, and for now, my powers were partly kept in check.

  He remained close to me, always keeping a wary eye on the window above the kitchen sink. Either he expected an attack, or he didn’t want any unsuspecting people walking past and spying the symbols still darting over my skin.

  Vali shifted closer. It was clear he wanted to see what was written on the page. He didn’t pluck it from my fingers. He gently pried them back and began to read. As soon as I got over the tight thrill of anticipation at his touch, I too darted my head down and looked at what was written on that small piece of crumpled, lined paper.

  At first glance it was a letter addressed to Mr. Smith.

  It was short – just two sentences.

  “Come and see me with your own eyes. I will make your desires come true.”

  I watched Vali’s face pale. His every muscle locked together as they pushed hard down his throat.

  “What… what is this? I’ve seen this message before. It was written on the phone of one of the warlocks who originally contacted the demon. He also… Caxus said it to me. What is it?”

  It took Vali several seconds to respond. “An invitation.”