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“There isn’t time,” Puck replied through clenched teeth.

I shook my head back and forth. This couldn’t be happening. This wasmy fault.

As Tess neared the mouth of the alley, her eyes fell on something, or someone, and she stepped backwards slowly. Her gaze cast back towards us before she unsheathed her dagger, grasping it tightly in her fist.

“Gotten yourselves into quite the pickle, haven’t you?” The familiar voice sounded as he rounded the corner, taking in the scene before him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, a knowing smile across his lips. His dagger hung from the strap on his thigh, his jacket clinging against his muscles as he gave his salt and pepper hair a shake.

“Phineas Wolfe.” The name left my mouth sounding as if it were a curse.

I couldn’t think of a worse time for him to show up. We needed to get Saanvi medical attention, and quickly. We didn’t have time to deal with him or his men. He had warned us not to come back to The Shadow, and I feared what would happen to us now that we had.

“The one and only, darling,” he replied, a glint of mirth in his eyes.

“Please, just let us go,” I ground out, my voice pleading.

I wasn’t beneath begging in order to save Saanvi’s life. We couldn’t let her die here, in the depths of The Shadow, surrounded by blood and grime.

Phineas raised a brow in my direction. “Appears you are in dire need of assistance. Might I offer you some?”

“What’s the catch?” I asked, deadpan.

I didn’t trust Phineas for one second, and whatever he offered would come at a price. He was in the business of stealing spells and information; I doubted he would willingly do something out of the kindness of his own heart.

“No catch, love, you simply need to come with me,” he replied.

“We aren’t going anywhere with you,” Tess responded, her lips thinning.

“Not sure you have much choice in the matter.” He nodded towards Saanvi as her body slumped against Kenna even further, Puck still putting pressure on the wound at her chest.

One of Phineas’s men appeared right over his shoulder, his hand moving towards the sword in its scabbard across his back. Phineas gave an infinitesimal shake of his head and the man relaxed his hand back to his side.

“What will it cost us?” I asked, my jaw clenched.

“Ah, you are correct that it won’t be free. But it is a fair price, if I do say so myself.” He laughed, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes.

What was he playing at?

“And the price?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“You tell me everything you find out when you track down Alastir.”

I couldn’t keep the surprise off my face as my mouth parted. “How do you know we are searching for Alastir?”

“Let’s just say I have eyes and ears in this realm. I make it my business to knoweverything.”

I swallowed hard, my feet moving to gaze at the puddle of blood I stood in. I wasn’t sure what he would need with the information we were searching to get from Alastir, but it seemed harmless enough. We were hunting for a cure or an antidote for Noctani, to return the witches to their natural states. What nefarious things could he do with that information? If he or his men had already spotted us on this side of the realm, as had Kane, we were running out of time.

“Done. Now help us get her out of here,” I replied, my voice tight.

“Diana—” Tess spoke, but my glare cut off her words.

We needed to do this for Saanvi, and if that meant Phineas would need to sit in on our meeting with Alastir, then that’s what we would do.

Phineas’s gaze moved from Tess to me, and he shrugged. “Very well then.”

He motioned for his man to join us, and he moved forward, helping Saanvi to stand and slinging her arm over his shoulder. Puck held her other arm around his neck, his hand still pressed to the wound.