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“Not really.” She downed her drink and slammed her glass on the bar. I refilled it for her. “How could this even happen? What the hell is going on ?”

A question I’d been asking myself for quite some time. “Did you hear that pyro?”

She stiffened on her stool, staring at me wide-eyed. “She said, ‘it’s him’. She meant you.”

“Yeah.”

“Then she told the earth elemental to leave me and kill you.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Do you think … all this … they’re looking for you?”

“How? No one can sense powers,” I said, conveniently not mentioning that I could.

“Obviously,” Kara said scathingly. “But a warlock? You’d cause a ripple in the aether, wouldn’t you?”

I stilled, my tone guarded. “What do you mean?”

She waved a hand in frustration. “You know how really powerful or really rare supes stand out when they first awake?”

“No.” I frowned as she made me feel stupid again. “Should I? Is that common knowledge?”

“I don’t know, maybe not.” She gave a small shrug. “It was something my mom told me once.”

“Even so, that doesn’t apply. It’s not like I’ve only just gained my—” I broke off, staring at her in surprise.

“Go on?” she said sarcastically. “Didn’t you say until today, you had nothing?”

“I’m forty-seven years old,” I told her, sharing something very few knew. “Slow aging is about all I have.”

She scoffed. “So what, I’m forty-two.”

That was news to me. She looked about twenty -two. “But then you’re a demon. You all age slow.”

“Exactly. It’s no big deal.”

I shook my head in frustration. “What I meant was my powers stabilized years ago. Why would they suddenly change tonight?”

A sound outside made us both freeze, and something scratched at the door. Kara tensed but didn’t move, both of us making like invisible statues.

“Windows?” she mouthed, jerking her head toward them.

I shook my head. Even if they pressed right up against the shutters, it was too dark to see inside—I hoped. We could hide, but the risk of making a noise was greater than being seen.

The handle jiggled with a metallic rattle.

“Locked,” a voice said.

“It’s their bar, isn’t it?”

“Could do with a drink.”

“Funny. Hunt now, drink later.”

Their footsteps receded, and I swallowed hard. We locked eyes, neither of us speaking, listening intently.

Kara exhaled quietly. “They’re gone. For now.”

“Let’s keep our voices down.”

“No shit.” She rolled her eyes, continuing in a whisper. “But it makes sense, doesn’t it? Your powers go through some weird awakening—or re -awakening—all those sensitive to the aether say, ‘oh shit, there’s a warlock,’ and all hell breaks loose?”

I downed my bourbon and rubbed a hand over my face. “It’s a theory, but it doesn’t explain the ‘re-awakening’.”

Was all this my fault? All those people, dead because of me? My stomach churned.

Kara looked dejected. “My parents would probably know why … except now I can never talk to them again.”

“We still don’t know this bond is permanent.”

“You’re dense, aren’t you? Every warlock bond is permanent.”

I bit down on my irritation, her tone really getting to me on top of everything else. “How do you know that when the last one died—”

“I’m a demon ,” she said as if that explained things. “No one remembers better than we do.”

I refrained from pointing out that she was only forty-two and couldn’t remember shit of what happened over a thousand years ago.

Instead, I sighed. “There’s no point speculating any further. We should try and get some sleep.”

She reared back, face screwed up in distaste. “You’re going to make me sleep with you.”

I clenched my jaw. “I said get some sleep , not … fuck like rabbits.”

“But you’re a warlock.”

“Still not proven,” I muttered. “And what’s that got do with it?”

“Warlocks have sex with their …” She broke off, looking away, a touch of color tingeing her cheeks. “I hate my life.”

“This might come as a surprise to you, given how you’re so full of yourself, but I wouldn’t sleep with you if we were the last people on earth.”

She turned back, nostrils flaring. “Sure you would. I’ve seen how you look at me.”

I shook my head at her conceit. “You’re not even remotely attractive to me. It takes more than fake tits and a spray-on tan. Your looks may be a seven, but your attitude’s a three.”

She scowled. “Seven? Spray-on? I’m a fucking ten, and this”—she gestured down her body—“is all natural.”

“Who cares.” I filled my glass with more bourbon and knocked it back. “Go sleep in a booth. I need some time alone.”

“Yes, Master .” She slipped off the stool, glared at me, and headed for the nearest booth.

Almost like she didn’t have a choice.

But then, I’d told her to.

I watched her walk away, her tail swishing angrily behind her. She was right—she was a ten. Attitude was still a three though, and I meant what I’d said.

I wished my last words to Emma hadn’t been so cold. She might’ve been way too young and human, but she had exactly the right kind of personality. Hot too, even if not Kara-hot. And now she was dead.

My hand stalled halfway to the bourbon, and I sighed and let it drop. It wasn’t safe to drink anymore when outside was still chaos. We might’ve escaped for now, but I’d only relax when morning came, and this madness had gone away.

If it ever did.

This night would have consequences far beyond Halloween hijinks. So many had died.

I glanced at Kara, lying on the cushions of the booth, turned away from me. Was I really a warlock? Was she really permanently bonded to me?

Of all the people …

We’d both be relieved if this turned out to be temporary.

And if it wasn’t …

Fuck, I didn’t want to consider ‘if it wasn’t’.