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“Yeah, what a guy. He bought a dog.” Lex rolled his eyes.

Then he leaned forward. “Hold on.” A few clicks and the camera zoomed in.

“We've seen Silas go into this building before.” He clicked something and said, “Head over to that office building we tracked Silas to the other day. Ace just went inside.”

“On it,” Cyrus said.

“So what?” I waved at the building. “Ace probably has a meeting in there. He runs a pharmaceutical company.”

“It's suspicious.”

“Suspicious? So, you think that Ace, what? He seduced me to lure me to Silas's side? That they're in cahoots?”

Lex shrugged.

“Oh, for fuck's sake.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. “You're targeting him because of me.”

“Yes, we are.” Lex looked over at me. “Ace showed up and won you over right after we met. That's a hell of a coincidence.”

“A lot of men have tried to get into my pants since I arrived here. Does that make them all suspects?”

“Salina, don't you get it? Silas can win any human over to his cause. Ace may have met you and then Silas saw an opportunity.”

“Ace would never agree to something so underhanded.”

“He wouldn't have to. If Silas failed to convince him, he could kill Ace and bring him back. Resurrection creates a bond. Silas's soldiers are loyal to him because they have to be.”

“What?”

“When he brings them back, his magic infuses them. It ensures that they obey him.”

“So, Ace . . . he could be a pawn?” I looked at the screen.

“Yes. He could very well be going to a work meeting right now, but if this is where Ace works, Silas showing up there makes it likely that he got to Ace. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I get it,” I growled. “You don't have to keep harping on it.”

“Salina, Silas has already established one of his Host groups here. They're based out of that house in the French Quarter. A man like Ace would be a great addition to their number. His money and influence would help—”

“What did I just fucking say about harping?!”

“All right.” Lex held up his hands.

“We're here,” Cyrus said. “Same as it was before. Just an office building.”

“Do they have a directory?” Lex asked.

“Hold on.” After a few minutes, Cyrus said, “Pouderoux Pharmaceuticals is on the fifth floor. Should we go up?”

My heart sank. Poor Ace. Was he an unlucky soul? Or was it me? Was falling for me bad luck for him? I died the last time we met and this time, it could be him who got murdered. Shit, even if Silas hadn't gotten to him, Ace would die before me this time around. I was immortal.

“Go,” Lex said.

“They're just going to walk into his office?” I asked.

“When we're hounds, we can become incorporeal.”

“Oh. Right. They're going ghost to haunt my boyfriend.”

“He's not your boyfriend, Salina.”

“Fuck off, Lex.”

He sighed, stretched his neck, and started typing again.

Soon, there were more images on the monitors.

All of them were from inside an office building.

I saw a shiny sign on the wall that read “Pouderoux Pharmaceuticals.” Then there was a glimpse of Ace.

He was walking through a huge office space that looked more like a law firm than a drug company.

A lot of people dressed in very nice corporate clothing paused what they were doing to smile and greet Ace when he passed by.

He was like a superstar. Except that he didn't ignore his fans.

He returned every greeting and every smile.

It was nice to see that Ace treated people with the same respect that he showed them when we were out.

Sometimes, a guy behaves differently in front of a woman he's interested in.

But Ace, from the looks of things, was sweet to everyone.

How unfair it would be if he got bound to Silas because of me.

“Is there a way you can tell if he's one of them?” I asked.

“They have a trace of magic that lingers in their aura. Silas's magic. It's distinct,” Lex said. “That's another reason Cy and Jake are using their ghost forms.”

“Why?”

“Because it's easier for us to sense things like that when we're in—”

“He's one of them,” Cyrus said. “Silas got to him. Poor bastard. He's Host all right. I'd recognize that magic anywhere. It's strong on him too. Silas must have double-dosed him or something.”

My heart sank, and my breath lodged in my throat. Tears gathered in my eyes.

“All right. Set some bugs if you can and then come home.” Lex clicked off the comms and turned to me. “Salina, are you all right?”

“Don't!” I pointed at him as I lurched to my feet. “Just stay the fuck away from me!”

I ran out of the room and down the hall. My room was in the west wing of the home, so I had to take another corridor to get there, but it was better than running out to the garden where anyone could walk up to me. I needed a door I could lock. And maybe a shower to muffle my crying.

Lex didn't follow me, and that was a smart move.

Things would have gotten really strained between us if he had tried to be my crying shoulder.

Those guys were the last ones I wanted comfort from in that situation.

I shut the bedroom door and locked it. Then I put a chair beneath the knob.

Then I went into the bathroom and locked myself in there.

I didn't make it to the shower. One look at the face in the mirror—the one that was mine and yet not, and I crumpled to the floor.

“I'm poison,” I whispered. “Wren's life got better after I left. Maybe Ace's did too. Maybe that's why I had to die back then. I should have stayed dead.”

I burst into tears, folding in on myself.

I kept seeing Ace's sweet face. And poor little Bruno.

His master was the undead. Or was he? I didn't know how resurrection magic worked.

I knew more about Silas now, but it wasn't enough.

Just enough for me to hate him. The worst part was thinking about how happy the hounds would be.

Their competition had just been taken out, and they didn't have to lift a finger.

Their hands, down to their fingertips, were clean.

The bastards.

I couldn't face them. Jake would smirk. They would all think I was a done deal now. But losing Ace had made something clear. I didn't need three men to be obsessed with me. I needed one man—one good man—to love me. And a god had just taken that man away from me.

“Fucking gods,” I muttered.

But what could I do? I was just a human. The only thing that made me special was my immortality.

And my destiny.

Sniffling, I lifted my head. “I'm destined to discover Silas's identity. And now, I'm really fucking motivated.”

Because if I could find out who Silas was, maybe the Gods would kill him. And then Ace would be free. Maybe I'd be free too.

I stood up and splashed cold water on my face. Yup, I had my tiny whiny moment, but that was done. Looking at my face— my face, damn it!—I said, “Buck up, buttercup. It's time to unmask a god.”