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Shay pivoted again, causing Pia to stop short before they could bump into each other. “Then tell me why I’m doing this by myself. Why do I spend every day since she’s been gone putting up posters while my so-called friends giggle like a bunch of twelve-year-olds over the governor sucking dick?”

Pia flinched.

“Pia,” Shay sighed, briefly shutting her eyes. Gods, her neck and shoulder were killing her. “I want to find my sister. That’s all I want.” Pia stepped toward her, but Shay held up a hand. “And some space. If you really feel like helping me with the posters next time, let me know.”

Shay walked away, hands gripping the frayed straps of her backpack. She sensed Pia staring after her, but she didn’t try to follow.

The harbor was the last place Shay wanted to go, but if she was going to leave tomorrow—which was the whole reason she had stolen from Roman Devlin, needing the money to fund the search for her sister—then she needed to pack up a few more of her things, so down to the harbor she went.

Nugget rolled out of her shadow and plopped onto the pavement. He was her Familiar Spirit, a glowing white seal pup with black whiskers and big black eyes. He bounced after her, and when she didn’t slow he whined.

“Don’t give me that. I know Pia didn’t mean any harm, but I feel like no one is taking this seriously.” She sighed. “Not even Mom seems to care that Anna’s gone.” Athene Cousens was known for being heartless—most Darkslayers were—but Shay hadn’t expected her mother to show such little interest in finding her eldest daughter. Instead, it was like Athene was unwilling to admit that she was gone, lying to herself that the heir to the Riptide would soon return.

If she didn’t return, Athene would have a problem on her hands. Anna had helped build the glowing reputation of the Riptide, and if she didn’t come back, Athene would be put in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, namely the kind that suggested Anna had either run away or not been strong enough to defend herself against whoever had harmed her.

Shay knew it wasn’t the first one. Anna had planned to run away with her, not without her. She never would have left, not without Shay. They had been saving money for years, taking little bits here and there—nothing that would strike Athene as suspicious—and stashing it away in Anna’s hidden bank account until it was safe to disappear with new identities. That time had nearly arrived when Anna had vanished, leaving Shay alone—and with no access to the money they’d worked so hard to save.

Nugget whined again. Nearly twenty years, and he had never said a word, never grown bigger than a pup.

“I know you care, Nugs. But…don’t take this the wrong way, but you can’t exactly help me put up posters with those flippers. I don’t think you’d be very good at stapling.” She smiled down at him. “Now get back in my shadow, your bouncing is slowing us down.”

He rolled his eyes but got back inside, dramatically rolling onto his back and melting into her shadow.

Shay took one of many staircases down to the harbor. The water was choppy today, the boats that were moored along the stretches of dock constantly bobbing up and down.

As she walked onto the dock, soggy wooden boards flexing underfoot, she stared out at the island a short distance away that belonged to the House of Blue. Pelicans soared above the ocean, scouting for fish, and seals wended their way through the harbor on glossy backs, whiskered snouts pointing toward the gray sky.

Click.

Shay froze.

A nasally male voice said, “Try anything funny and we’ll paint the dock with your brains.”

Slowly, she lifted her hands and turned around.

There were four men, but she only recognized two—the stout warlock and the reedy hellseher pointing a gun at her. She’d stolen from them last week.

It had taken them long enough to find her.

“Before you kill me,” Shay began as they spread out, fencing her in, “I want to apologize.”

The reedy one smirked. “Better forget apologizing and start praying instead.” He stepped closer.

“I want to apologize,” she continued, “for how stupid you’re going to look in about…” She glanced at her wrist. “Two minutes.”

Shay was well aware that she was on the smaller side; she may not be able to take four men at once—or even one, if she was willing to admit it—but she had other ways of getting away from them.

The reedy hellseher smiled. “And why’s that?”

“Because I’m about to disappear.”

“We’re not into party tricks,” said another. “Give us back the money and we’ll make this painless for you.”

Shay batted her eyelashes. “Oh, I’m so scared,” she pouted, laying on the sarcasm. “What ever will I do?”

The men didn’t like her sense of humor. They dove for her, but they all missed by a mile, falling for the illusion she cast with her magic—tricking their eyes into believing she was standing three feet to the left of where she really stood.

Her assailants collided with surprised and angry shouts. By the time they hit the dock in a pile of limbs and raging faces, she was already halfway to the shore, the dock vibrating under her pounding feet.