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There’d be no teleporting me into Richter. Evie would have to handle the Emperor. For now, I needed to take down Fortune.

I ran back across the quaking landscape for Joules, but he wouldn’t come, was firing back at the guns-hot helicopter.

“Feckin’ kill you, Zara!” He attacked in a mad rage, hurling javelins with mind-boggling speed. My hair stood on end beneath my helmet.

He was draining her reserves; would it be enough?

Evie yelled from the foxhole, “Aric, get Joules out of there!” She’d climbed up to the edge, keeping me in sight. “Carry him back.”

“Can’t.” If I touched his sparking skin, he’d electrocute me. But I could shield him. “Stay behind me, Tower!”

Out of his head with grief, he didn’t seem to register my words.

A dozen bullets meant for him clanged off my armor, the force threatening to send me to my knees. I deflected more with my swords, but the quakes made it impossible to balance, and currents licked at me whenever I got too close to Joules. “Damn it, Tower”—I yelled over the sound of her guns—“you must get behind me!”

With furious tears in his eyes, Joules hurled yet another javelin. “This one’s for Gabe—”

The Lord of Lightning’s body crumpled to the ground, just as he’d landed a direct hit.

40

The Hunter

“If they survive, I’m goan to dog-cuss them up and down,” I told Tee. I sounded calm, but my mind felt like it was on fire. “Your père’s a slippery one, lemme tell you. He let me think I’d be at that battle, and all along he had me pegged for babysitting duty. Your mère too.” I talked to dispel my nervousness. The empty hangar felt weird without the guys.

Wanted a sip of whiskey to settle my nerves, but I needed to stay sharp when handling precious cargo. Tonight Tee would be the only one hitting a bottle. After I’d gotten him to stop crying, I’d mixed him up some formula, which he’d finished. But instead of nodding off, he continued to look alert and concerned.

I’d transferred a clean baby bottle and more formula to my bug-out bag and kept it on, just in case Kentarch returned to move us in a hurry. Now I would work on getting Tee—and me—to relax some. “How you doing, little podna?” For the first time, he had no mama, papa, or aunties around. Just him and ole Jack. “Hey, I got an idea. Let’s open your presents. Serves them right for abandoning me.”

I sat Tee in my lap and unwrapped the first one: a bottle of sunblock from Sol. His card read: You’ll need this one day, I promise. Love, your fabulous Uncle Sol. Though I’d had my doubts about Solomón Heliodoro, Evie had been right about him. He was a good guy through and through. Except for when he was ditching me.

I unwrapped a second gift. “This one’s from Gabe. He’s a real live angel.” Gabriel had given Tee a single candle and a handmade card: Tee, shine brightest in darkness. Warmest regards, Gabriel Arendgast.

Even that forthright angel had been in on the Plan J ruse. He and I would have words later.

I unwrapped Kentarch’s gift. A wooden lion. He must’ve carved it in secret. I might have wondered how he’d done it with one hand, but Kentarch was full of surprises.

Like tonight’s.

I raised my brows at Joules’s present. Calanthe’s sai. His note read:

Kid, I don’t trust your mam with these, so you’ll have to see that they get passed down and delivered to my Cally.

I rolled my eyes but kept reading.

In all seriousness, your mam’s a decent sort and one hell of a fighter. And once she sets her mind to something, watch out. Peace among Arcana? Sure thing, lady. And yet here I am, writing to you like I’m your bloody uncle or something. And your father? As far as Grim Reapers go, I guess I’ve met worse.

Give them hell, laddie, and know that I’ll be a bad influence on you as long as I live.

Patrick Joules.

“Just when I think I’m about to hit my limit of that Irishman, he goes and reminds me that he’s stand-up. Cantankerous as the night is long, but stand-up.”

I reached for the last present. “And this one’s from your godfather.” I tore open the wrapping and showed Tee a framed picture of Evie, the one when she’d watched a sunset over the Gulf. He ran a pudgy forefinger over the glass, petting her face. “Yeah, you know who that is. Mama.”

She had better fucking come back from that battle. If this was all Tee had of his mother . . . I squeezed my eyes closed.

I opened them to find him peering at me. Blink blink. Lip bubbles.

“Exactement, little podna, these are great gifts. You got some real nice folks in your life. I just wish I’d been in on the action with them.” I knew their hearts were in the right place, but still . . .