“Wet kitten.”
“—and they were trying to help me. Then Reagan showed up and threw people around and basically kicked down the door.”
“It wasn’t me. Don’t let her fool you—she’s got hidden powers.”
“A lot of them,” he said, still without inflection.
We found a spot to park near the patch of scary men from the last time I’d been in the area. The sinking sun cast deep pools of shadow beneath the trees. Less people were there tonight, and the ones who were didn’t bother to glance up when we stepped out of the car and shut the door. All the same, the feeling of watching eyes and hidden magic hung over me.
Anything could be waiting around here, crouched behind a corner or sitting on a balcony, watching those who passed. They’d have the advantage in almost every scenario. If the Guild wanted to come at us, they’d have plenty of opportunities.
“There. See?” Reagan pointed at me as we crossed the street.
I tried to straighten back up while also letting go of my hoodie, which I was clutching against my chest.
“She looks lost and vulnerable.” Reagan made a beeline for the shifter bar. “But that’s not even the worst of it. Just wait.”
“Are you okay?” Emery asked, his posture nothing like mine. His broad shoulders swayed in time with his confident swagger.
“I’m just not good enough to defend against a surprise attack yet,” I murmured, trying to look everywhere at once. Something felt different about this area. More dangerous. It was early evening this time, not the dead of night, and I was accompanied by two experienced fighters, but it felt like we were heading into a death zone. I didn’t even need my temperamental third eye for this one—I needed to get out of Dodge.
“She’s got nothing to worry about,” Reagan said, her confident swagger nearly matching Emery’s. “If the worst happens, it’ll probably be my ass, not yours.”
Emery narrowed his eyes at her, and I could tell he’d just picked up another clue. Reagan was a terrible secret keeper, and I was an even worse detective. I’d clearly given her a false sense of security.
Music spilled out of the bars ahead and people littered the sidewalks, some shaking and dancing on their way, holding drinks and laughing. A small crowd crossed the street, guys and girls in their twenties, whooping and hollering at nothing I could see.
“I wish I could’ve explored this place like everyone else does,” I reflected without meaning to. “Without the overhanging fear that seems to follow me around lately.”
Emery slipped his hand into mine and entwined our fingers. “We will. Maybe not now, but someday, we’ll drink our way through the town like they’re doing.”
“You’ll end up facedown in the gutter, mark my words.” Reagan slowed near the corner and gestured us to get in toward the side. She turned so she was mostly hidden from the people gathered in front of the bars down the way.
“What are you doing?” Emery asked, scanning the surrounding area.
“Red wanted to meet me at the brewery down the way. A place with a lot of human tourists. He knows I can’t cause a scene in a place like that. Not without Roger breathing down my neck again, and ain’t nobody got time for that.”
“Roger… the Alpha of the North American pack?” Emery’s eyes widened.
“Yeah. We have a love-hate relationship. Anyway, I just want to make sure Red’s gone. If so, then we need to make our way into those bars and see what we can see. If I get close enough, I’ll be able to point out the mages.”
“Given how they react to me, I’ll be able to tell you which mages are friendly and which aren’t,” Emery said dryly.
Reagan turned slowly with glimmering eyes. A smile curled her lips. “Yes, indeedy. Fantastic.” She turned back around. “As soon as we know Red is safely out of the way, we’ll go dangle the bait. Roger may want to do things by the book, but why wait for the Guild to start a fight? Let’s get them to play their cards.”
“Oh good, you’re the bait this time. I like that better.” I felt an itch between my shoulder blades, like someone was focusing so hard on me that they were poking me in the back.
Emery turned before I could, and looked in the direction of the gaze. A group of laughing people wearing beads and funny glasses sauntered down the sidewalk. A couple crossed the street, a man and woman with a slight limp. There were more the other way, coming around the corner. People were everywhere, in all moods. Hiding here would be a piece of cake.
“If we mask ourselves with a spell,” Emery murmured, “we’ll give away what we are.”
I clutched my hoodie again. “Reagan, get this show on the road. I want to get out of here.”
“I’ll get the show on the road, but you’re not getting out of here.” Reagan ducked, bobbed, and weaved, making a fool of herself while trying to scope out the bars. “With Emery here, they’ll be pulling all their resources into one place. And with the Guild’s money and power, a few of the lug nuts in Callie and Dizzy’s groups will be stupid enough to join their forces. Teamed with the creeps who are already loitering around this city, sticking to the outskirts and waiting until the time is right, we’ll have a small army on our hands.”
“They’ll attack during the day so we can’t use the vampires,” Emery said. “Given that they’ve seemed to stop caring about keeping their magic under wraps…” He shook his head and scanned the crowd. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right. We need to dangle some bait.”
“The bait. You,” I said between clenched teeth, my body shaking. I knew a battle was coming. I’d known that for months. But the last few days had given me time to relax in relative safety. Time to better hone my craft. Then Emery had shown up and the danger around me had seemed to melt away.
I’d fallen into my own false sense of security.
And it had just been ripped away.
“Perfect. Yes!” Reagan grabbed my arm and dragged me up the street toward the bars. “Keep that mojo going, Penny. Get those shifters eager to help you. That’ll at least give us a few more hands on deck.”
A big man with a unibrow stood in front of the bar we’d been thrown out of the other night, taking some woman’s ID. She laughed and touched her hand to her chest, making a joke about feeling young again. Her comments were met with a hard scowl.
“Jimmy,” Reagan said, crossing in front of him and leaning against the wall beside him. I awkwardly stood next to her, since she hadn’t let go of my arm. Emery stood on the other side, staring at me with a perplexed expression, as if he still couldn’t see me as a damsel in need of rescuing.
Mr. Unibrow, Jimmy, curled his lips and shook his head. “You shouldn’t be here. Management ain’t impressed with you right now.”
“When is management ever impressed with me?” she asked.
He handed the woman’s ID back and took one from a man wearing an excited, dopey smile. “Fair point. Red’s gone.”
“Good. Say, listen, what’s the scuttlebutt? What have you got wandering through here?” Reagan pushed me back against the wall so she could look down the sidewalk.
Jimmy handed the ID back and finally looked at us. His eyes snagged on me, and his scowl increased. “What’s the deal with her? She need rescuin’ from you or what?”
“See?” Reagan shot Emery a glance. “What did I tell you?”
Jimmy followed her glance, keeping his focus on Emery for a few beats longer. When he finally returned his attention to Reagan, there was a wary light in his eyes. “What are you into now?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with. I can’t use the help of a sea creature shifter, no matter how perplexing and secretive their mating habits…” Reagan waggled her eyebrows at him.
“What kind of sea creature?” I whispered, losing the battle with curiosity.
“Merman. How do they mate? No one knows.” Reagan waved that aside. “Doesn’t matter. At the moment. Listen, Red was concerned enough about the strangers of this area to call. What have you seen?”