She handed the washcloth to me and set a bowl of sudsy water on the coffee table, on a folded hand towel. The cloth was warm and wet, and I gently washed the fur that was streaked with blood. It was caked on by now, but it hadn’t dried hard enough yet that it would need scrubbing. I saturated the fur with the soapy water, then waited for a couple minutes. Finally, as I rinsed the cloth in the bowl, then rubbed the strands of hair between the folds of the material, the blood began to flake off and I was able to clean most of it off his fur.

  “I want to sleep by him,” I said. As much as I wanted to stay up and keep watch over him, I realized that I needed more sleep or the migraine would retake its foothold and tomorrow I’d be a basket case.

  At that moment, Tarvish and Teran let themselves in the front door. Teran had a key to the house, like she did with my own house.

  “We found the SUV and brought it back,” she said softly, patting my shoulder.

  “Hey there, January. How are you?” Tarvish asked.

  “Tired and in the throes of this migraine. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to function with it like some people do. If I could even make basic life decisions without checking on my health—mental or otherwise.” I leaned down again to kiss Killian’s fluffy head. “Thank you for helping him. You probably saved his life.” Once again, tears spilled down my cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I said, glancing up at the demon. “I’m not holding it together very well right now.”

  “It’s okay. Cry if you need to.” Tarvish glanced over at Rowan. “You should put her back to bed.” He turned to me. “I promise you, I’ll sit up and watch over Killian for you. Your grandmother and I will spend the night here.”

  “What about your kittens?” I asked, sniffling as he handed me a tissue to blow my nose in.

  “They’re fine. We locked them in the nursery and they have each other and toys and food. Nothing’s going to happen to them. Your grandmother has the house warded so well that even a real demon couldn’t get inside.” He touched my shoulder. “Here, let me help you.”

  Before I could say anything, he gathered me up in his arms. I was shocked by how strong he was. As he carried me to the bedroom, I blew my nose and awkwardly patted his horns. “You’re nice. I’m so glad you and Rowan are an item.”

  “Yes, well, so am I. I adore your grandmother, and we’ve found a nice balance,” he said.

  Rowan was right behind us and caught our conversation. “Except that I’ve put on ten pounds because of your cooking!” But she was laughing.

  “Good, you can use it,” Tarvish shot back. He deposited me gently on the bed, then returned to the living room to watch over Killian as Rowan once again covered me up.

  “Teran’s going to stay the night, too. It’s late and we don’t want anything else to happen without us here. Rest now and don’t worry. Killian will be up and on his feet by morning.”

  Hoping she was right, I let her slide on my sleep mask again. I thought it would take me hours to drop back into sleep, but a few minutes later, I began to drift, and the rest of the night I slept so deep that nothing short of the end of the world could have woken me up.

  When I woke again, it was ten a.m. and the cool winter light was peeking through the cracks in the curtains. I reluctantly slid out from beneath the covers, testing to see how I felt. While my head still ached, the intense migraine had backed off and I felt halfway human.

  I groaned as I stood and stretched. I seriously needed to take a yoga class. I’d been working out, though my sessions were down to once a week ever since I’d developed ERS, but lifting weights wasn’t the same as yoga and the stretching would do me good. I thought about a shower but it was more than I could manage at the moment, so I dressed in a black gauze skirt and a blue V-neck sweater and, after brushing my hair back and applying my makeup, I wandered out into the living room.

  Rowan was in the kitchen, making breakfast from what I could see, and Killian was sitting in the recliner, an ice pack on his forehead. He started to move as he saw me but I held up my hand.

  “No, you stay there. I’ll come to you.” I leaned over, wincing as my head throbbed again, then kissed him on the nose. Tarvish was playing with the cats on the floor, so I sat down on the sofa near Killian. “We’re a pair, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah, I should say so,” Killian said, forcing a smile to his lips. He winced and I realized that he must be hurting like crazy since someone had dropped him with a pipe.

  “How are you? I was so worried,” I said, reaching out for his hand.

  He used his left to keep the ice pack in place, but stretched out with his right to take my hand. He squeezed my fingers, holding on tight. “I feel like I got drop-kicked by a brick wall, but other than that, I’m dandy.”

  “Who the hell did it? Did you see?” I wanted to go find them and beat them to a pulp. Seeing my fiancé sitting there in pain, with a black eye and bruised forehead, set fire to my temper and I wasn’t about to let this go. I was determined to find the sucker who did this and put them out of commission for good.

  “I don’t know,” Killian said. “He snuck up behind me. I recognized the scent of cologne, though, but I can’t remember where from.” He set the ice pack on the coffee table. “I could go for some strong coffee and something to eat.”

  “You’re in luck,” Rowan said, peeking into the living room. “Brunch is ready.”

  Killian stood and immediately wrapped his arms around me. He nuzzled my neck. “I forgot to ask how you are,” he said.

  “Don’t worry about me—I’ll be okay. I was worried about you.” I leaned into him, breathing in his scent. “I was so scared when they told me what happened.”

  “I’m tough, love. I’m all right and I sure won’t ever be that lax again. Not now. Rowan told me about the Covenant of Chaos targeting you. We’ll put a stop to it. Don’t worry. I promise you, it will be okay.”

  I wanted to say “Don’t promise what you might not be able to deliver,” but I realized he needed to believe that he could protect me. That he could prevent anything bad from happening. I rested my head against his shoulder and then led him to the table.

  Rowan had gone all out. Eggs—scrambled and hard boiled—sliced ham, bacon, sausages, hashbrowns, toast, fruit salad, an assortment of pastries and cheeses, and several types of juices. As we gathered around the table, taking hands, Teran murmured a prayer to the gods to thank them for our brunch, and to ask for protection and insight. As we dove in, my phone rang.

  I glanced at it. Tad was calling. “I should take this,” I said. “Hey, Tad. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to see how you felt. Your aunt called me earlier today to tell me about what happened and I wanted to make sure that Killian was all right. Also, we found something about the necklace. Hank’s going to drop over in a bit with the information.”

  I started to say that he could give it to me over the phone but then I realized that they wanted to help as much as they could. “Killian’s healing up, though he’s going to be sore for a few days. Thank gods nothing was broken. Thank you for checking. I have more information about the Covenant of Chaos, but I’ll give that to Hank so he can write it down.”

  “Good going. We miss you but I want you rested for your wedding. I want you to be worry-free next week.”

  I smiled. Tad was, as always, being the gentleman he was. “Thanks, Tad. I appreciate everything you’re doing. Hey, can you ask Hank to drop by a coffee shop and bring me a triple peppermint mocha, and Killian would probably like a large coffee with cream and two sugars?” Truth was, we could have made the drinks here, but since Hank was still trying to make up for the Bigfoot incident, asking for small favors would go a long way in reducing his guilt.

  “Of course. I’ll talk to you later.”

  As Tad hung up, I returned to the table and settled in. Stabbing a sausage with my fork, I said, “Hank’s coming over. Rowan, after brunch you and Tarvish should head home and take care of your kittens. We’ll be fine. I’ll call you if anything happens. And leave the dishes. It will give me something to do.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  We finished the meal, which had filled the house with a heavenly aroma, as Hank rang the bell. I motioned to the dining room as I let him in. “There’s still plenty of food if you’re hungry.”

  I took the coffees from him and carried them in. Handing Killian his coffee, I set mine on the table and gave Rowan and Tarvish a peck on the cheek. “Thank you so much for all your help. I’ll call you if anything happens. And you call me if you find out anything else.” I walked them to the door as Hank gave them a friendly nod and grabbed a plate.

  Rowan paused before heading out. “Be careful, my dear. I know you and Killian are more than capable of taking care of yourselves, but the fact is the Covenant of Chaos has put a target on your back, and trust me—that’s not an easy burden to bear. That’s why I kept your father’s birth quiet. They had me targeted even back then, though I’ve always been a couple steps ahead of them.”

  I waved as they crunched through the snow. The clouds were holding for the moment, but they had that silvery sheen that always precedes a snowfall, and my breath appeared in puffs of white as I stood there, arms crossed. Across the driveway, Ari had pulled in. She was getting out of her car even as Rowan and Tarvish took off. She saw me and waved, jogging over through the snow.

  “Hey, woman. How are you doing? I thought I’d go in and look over the damage since you said the fire marshal okayed it. How are you?” She was wearing a flannel shirt and blue jeans with a puffy jacket, a knitted ski cap pulled down over her ears.

  “Not that great,” I said. “You want to come in?”

  “I wish I could, but after I figure out what I can salvage, I need to contact my insurance agency and then tonight, we’re working on the nursery for the kids,” she said. “When it rains, it pours.”

  “Boy, do I know that. I’ll call my insurance agent this morning and have them start the assessment. They may be able to save you some money on paint and stuff, since that’s technically part of the house. I’m so glad you weren’t all moved in.” I hesitated. “You do still want to move in? I won’t hold you to the lease if you don’t. The Covenant of Chaos is targeting me, Ari. They may make another attempt.”

  “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” she said, though her brow wrinkled, telling me she wasn’t as nonchalant as she was trying to be.

  “Well, good on that. Also, I got word that Ellison broke free from his house arrest. He’s on the lam and nobody knows where the fuck he is.” I stared at the sky. “This winter’s beginning to feel bleak, isn’t it?”

  She made a face. “If I see him, I’ll put a stop to him. He’s a walking menace. I’ll try to drop over before I leave. If you get a few minutes, come over and keep me company.”

  I hugged her before she left and turned back inside the house. I was freezing, but on my way back to the kitchen, I stopped by one of the nearby heating vents and stood over it, letting the air rise around me. The heat felt good, almost comforting, and it was hard to step away from the warmth.

  Hank was finishing a plate of eggs and sausage and fruit salad when I returned to the dining room. He tapped the sides of his mouth with the napkin. I saw that Killian had already cleared the rest of the dishes, and now Hank jumped up to help him finish clearing the table.

  “Ari’s next door, going through the house to see how badly it was damaged. I should go over and help her, but my headache’s hanging on the edge and I think being around the smell of smoke and seeing the damage would trigger me.” I sat down at the table and rubbed my hand along the wood. “So, Tad said you found out something about my necklace?”

  Hank nodded. “Yes, we did. At least, a few things. It seems it was made for a woman named Anna Lissa. She was the mistress of a vampire, and the necklace was enchanted to protect her against glamour. That’s all we know so far, but at least it’s not bad.”

  “That’s good news, for a change.” My phone rang. Rowan was calling. “Sorry, but I should probably take this. Give me a moment.” I answered. “Hey, did you make it home?”

  “Yes, we did, but that’s not why I’m calling. Talk about a shitstorm of activity.”

  That didn’t sound good. “What’s going on?”

  “I got a call from Millie. You’ll never guess what the fuck has happened.” Rowan sounded both disturbed and irate at the same time.

  “What?”

  “The cops found Daya in the Mystic Wood—in a dark section near where Mothman made his appearance.”

  “What’s she doing there?” I asked.

  “Nothing. She’ll never do anything again. January, Daya was murdered during the night.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Murdered? You’ve got to be kidding me.” I started to pace, my nerves on edge. “You think Mills did it?”

  “Who else? He must have gotten what he wanted out of her and decided she was disposable,” Rowan said. “I had my issues with her, but I certainly never wished this on her.”

  A thought struck me. “Do you think Mills saw me taking a picture and thought she ratted him out? Was I responsible for her death?”

  Rowan hesitated, then said, “I can’t be certain, but honestly? I doubt it. Don’t blame yourself. Mills has his own agenda, and that agenda is written by the Covenant of Chaos. Here’s the thing. Millie said that Daya was in a part of the Mystic Wood where the Covenant of Chaos practiced rituals to bring the old gods of chaos back to this realm. Millie thinks Daya was killed as part of a sacrifice. I’m heading out there. Do you feel up to meeting me there? The cops are there, obviously. But since you can speak to the dead…”

  “I might be able to speak to Daya if her spirit’s around. I’ll come. Hank can drive. And he’s good out on the astral so he can protect me if need be.” The last thing I wanted to do was head out to the Mystic Wood, but this was serious. I was on the hit list, and no doubt so was Rowan. If Mills had killed Daya, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill us.

  “I’ll text you the coordinates. See you in a bit.”

  I hung up and turned back to Hank and Killian. “Hank, we need to head out. Daya Crombie was murdered in the Mystic Wood, and Rowan believes it was Mills McFarland from the Covenant of Chaos who did it. Can you come with me?”

  Killian cleared his throat. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

  Worried, I frowned. “I hate to leave the house alone. What if he decides to target it?” I glanced over at Xi and Klaus. “Let me call Ari and ask her to keep an eye on it while she’s next door.” I called Ari and explained what was going on. She promised to check on Killian’s house from time to time while she was looking at the damage at my house. Satisfied, I grabbed my coat and jammed my feet into a pair of snow boots that would navigate the woodland easily enough.

  “Hank, can you drive?” I asked. “My head’s still hurting.”

  “And I was instructed not to drive at all until the doctor clears me tomorrow,” Killian said.

  “I’ll drive, but I don’t think we can all fit comfortably in the front of my truck,” Hank said, holding up his keys. “I mean, we probably can fit but…”

  “We’ll take my SUV. Here.” Killian tossed him the keys and Hank caught them midair. Once we were in the driveway, I stopped to get my portable magic kit from my car and tucked it in the back of Killian’s SUV. I rode shotgun and Killian rode in the back.

  Hank eased out of the driveway and we were off. I input the directions Rowan had texted me into Jerica and we were off.

  The strip of woods where we had encountered Mothman was as creepy as ever. The gloom of the day clouded over even more as we approached the ancient trees. The Mystic Wood had been alive when the Native peoples first entered the area. While the forest wasn’t quite as old as the old growth over on the peninsula, it was close to it.

  The trees closed in like a shroud. Even during the day, the melancholy mood of the area surrounded us, bringing an unnatural quiet to the forest. Everything darkened, and even the shadows seemed deeper. I shivered, vaguely remembering my encounter with Mothman. So much of it was still a blur, and the feelings surrounding that blur weren’t comfortable. It was like trying to remember some odd medical procedure during which I’d been unconscious, and not being able to make anything out except that I’d undergone some procedure against my will. I seldom talked about that time—neither did Ari. She’d had the same thing happen to her, or at least we assumed the same thing, and she had the same short-term memory loss I’d experienced.

  Ahead, in a turnout on the side of the road, we saw Millie’s car, the medical examiner’s car, and a couple other patrol cars. Hank turned in, and we bounced and skidded over the compacted snow and ice. As we parked, the snow started to fall again, silently floating in lazy flakes out of the sky. I stared at the forest for a moment before getting out of the car. It was beautiful beneath the snow, magical, and the silver light of the sky reflected off the blanket of compacted flakes, making it twinkle like thousands of crystals. It was pure and untouched, and made me think of the story of the Snow Queen, my favorite fairytale. Worlds of ice and snow were always magical to me, clear blankets that cushioned sound and muffled the raw nerves from the heat of summer.

  Millie glanced over as we pulled in, then headed our way. As I stepped out of the car, I could see something beyond her. There, stretched out on a snow-covered slab in the middle of the clearing, was Daya. My heart sank as the scene came into focus.

  “Oh no,” I whispered.

  Daya was there, wearing only a sheer white gown that hid nothing, her arms tied over her head to the top of the stone slab, and her feet tied together to a metal ring at the bottom. She had been stabbed—that much was apparent—and whatever weapon her murderer had used was capable of gutting her from the point between her breasts to the bottom of her abdomen, right above her groin. Blood roses spread over her gown, congealed against the innocence of her gown.