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“Sure,” I said, trying not to react as Devlin’s shadows thickened, swirling through the room like storm clouds.

Rowan must have noticed, because his gaze flickered on the screen. “You still got that incubus demon hanging around?”

“Devlin? Yeah, he’s still here.” I watched Rowan’s face carefully, searching for any flicker of animosity.

Instead, he grinned. “So, you finally summoned him, then?”

The shadows in the roomcollapsed. Devlin went rigid, his face draining of color even as he forced a scowl.

Shit. Yeah, I probably should have mentioned that my fated mate was supposed to be an incubus demon I could summon when I was ready.

I cleared my throat. “Uh, no, actually. He was already renting the cabin when I got here.”

Rowan’s brows furrowed. “I thought you said you could summon him on Samhain—”

“Listen, Rowan,” I cut in quickly. I glanced at Devlin, who was suddenly very interested in staring at anything that wasn’t me. “I’m calling about the files.”

Before Rowan could respond, a voice called from off-screen. “Rowan, are you on the phone with Jenny?” A second later, Brooke popped into view, her usual dazzling smile in place. “Hey, girl!”

“Hey, Brooke,” I said, forcing a smile. “We were just talking about—”

“Dad!” a shrill voice called. “Auntie Brooke brought cookies!”

Rowan pressed his lips into a thin line before side-eyeing Brooke. “Well, Auntie Brooke is about to learn why sugar and a five-year-old orc don’t mix.”

Before Brooke could react, a green blur shot across the screen. A miniature Rowan launched himself between them, grinning widely as cookie crumbs sprayed in every direction.

“Dad! Dad! Dad!” Rowan’s kid was the epitome of cuteness as he bounced up and down, his excitement practically vibrating through the screen.

Rowan cast Brooke a pointed glare and her smile faltered.

“Dad!”

“Theo,” Rowan said with a sigh. “What is it?”

Theo jabbed a fist—still clutching a half-eaten cookie—toward the camera. “Is that Aunt Jenny?” he asked. Before I could even confirm, he beamed. “Hi, Aunt Jenny! Are you coming over to babysit me too?”

Brooke made a valiant attempt to retrieve the cookie, but Theo expertly dodged, shoving the rest into his mouth. “Dad says you live in ahaunted housewith areal-life ghost!” he added, crumbs spraying across the screen.

“Uh... yeah, I do,” I said, watching the chaos unfold. This was hands down the most overwhelming video call of my life.

“That’ssocool!” Theo practically squealed. “I want a ghost to live in my house! Dad, do you think—”

“Theo,” Rowan interrupted, exhaling hard, “why don’t you go find your new toy to show Auntie Brooke?”

Theo gasped, snapping his head toward Brooke. His entire face lit up. “You’regonna love it,Auntie Brooke! We’re gonna have so much fun tonight!”

And then, just like that, he launched himself out of frame.

Rowan let out a heavy sigh. “Yes. Auntie Brooke is in for afunevening.”

Brooke blinked, her face blank with realization. “I have made a terrible mistake.”

I cleared my throat. “Um, guys? The files?”

“Oh, right!” Rowan snapped his fingers. “Jenny, there were just so many inconsistencies. Nothing adds up.”

Beside me, Devlin, who had clearly run out of patience with the spiraling conversation, shuffled closer. His presence darkened the screen as his shadows curled around us. “Like the box of candy?” he said, venom dripping from his words.