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Chapter One

Something about Ben’s text messages nagged at me. All the magick I’d spent on Mulan’s brother-in-law had slowed my thinking, so I was strictly a creature of instinct at the moment.

It had taken me an hour to read through them all twice. All I got for my trouble was more confusion. Ben wasn’t answering my calls or returning them. The messages he’d sent hours ago hinted at something rather than saying straight out what was wrong.

Did he expect me to read his mind? I didn’t know him that well yet.

In the few months we’d worked together, I’d learned Ben was paranoid and that his favorite word wasdiscreet. Surely, he knew by now that I wasn’t good at guessing games. Secrets forced direct people like me to play them, but my brain resisted.

After Jack’s betrayal, I feared being too gullible. I balanced that fear by becoming more confrontational. On the bright side, explosive yelling when I got angry made me a little less prone to usingactualviolence to communicate a point of contention.

A god and a demon had trained me. By the time I drew my sword on a person, I’d already decided how best to remove their head.

What did I know about Ben anyway? I mean,reallyknow.

Certainly, I knew nothing personal. I didn’t even know enough to trust this wasn’t some sort of practical joke. Setting up a bogus gorilla hunt might be his idea of an impromptu training exercise.

And that brought up other questions. Did Ben expect me to figure everything out and then chase down the gorilla creature? Maybe I was supposed to call his bluff and deem the search a waste of time before I began it.

Maybe this was Ben’s way of giving me a hard time for taking time off from work. Perhaps he was entertaining himself.

Goddess knew, my brain was too tired to develop a concrete theory about Ben’s motivations. Unfortunately, I’d have to go check things out or I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

After today, Mulan and I should have made an early night of it. We’d both spent all we had. Instead of sleeping, though, I would be doing a cloak-and-dagger favor because Ben’s text messages were so angst-ridden. That was my life.

So Dylan and I snuck out, telling no one, especially the two guardians sleeping on the third floor of my home. I left Henry with orders to tell Rasmus and Zara we left on a work emergency but asked him not to volunteer details.

I didn’t want the guardians plotting in my absence or coming after us. Mulan said she would summon Conn back to her before joining our search.

After what I’d seen her do to her demonic jiangshi brother-in-law, Conn should fear her more. Casting out demons for a living had been no joke for the Wu Shaman. Convincing that woman to leave her hair business and join my team had been a brilliant move.

At the moment, though, only two of my group traipsed through the park.

In his tall human form, Dylan strode several long strides ahead of me. Tracking a gorilla was a thrilling adventure for him. For me, tracking down a talking animal was like Ben assigning me to track down a troll.

Or maybe I was simply tired. My alleged vacation hadn’t been very restful.

The far darrig I’d grown too fond of halted at a serene sanctuary where the overwhelming stillness of the trees replaced the traffic sounds. When he glanced back at me, his eyebrows shot up in surprise, possibly because he hadn't realized how far behind I was.

What could I say? I was too tired to rush tonight. Ben was lucky I hadn’t pushed this wild gorilla chase off until tomorrow morning.

I smiled at Dylan and tried to be a better companion. “Have you ever wondered how secluded places like this manage to exist in the middle of a bustling city like Salem?”

Dylan didn't make a big deal out of my sluggishness. That was a smart move for him because I was still feeling testy about having to come out here.

“Conservation is a biological urge,” he said. “Most creatures on this planet naturally want to protect the land they rely on. When humans follow those urges without resistance, they do things to save places like this.”

I shrugged. If the far darrig was trying to tell me something, my brain wasn’t receiving the message. My gaze took in the forest and the quiet. “Do ya have the stone with ya, Dylan?”

Dillion walked backward as we talked. “I carry the stone with me all the time. I hide it in a portable pocket dimension to protect it. I considered turning it into jewelry, but it’s too big to wear.”

I nodded in agreement. His artifact was a good handful of rock to pack around. Using magic to protect it was the betteridea. “Good. Ya might have to interpret a bunch of grunts and grumbles.”

“Most people believe gorillas cannot speak in the same way as humans, although some speculate that gorillas can gain the skill when taught.”

“Didn’t they make a bunch of movies about talking gorillas?”

“Those movies were fiction, not fact, Aran.” Dylan rolled his eyes and pivoted to face forward again.