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“You’ll be notified when we need you.” Damen shrugged him off, not seeming to care that Bryce was offended.

It was glorious.

“Damen…” Bryce began, glaring at the onmyoji. “You can’t just—”

“But if you must be involved, send Brayden,” Damen continued. “I’m sure he could do some research for Bianca.”

My pulse, which had been echoing in my ears, skipped. I focused on Damen, who watched Bryce with a harsh expression. Their animosity gave me hope .

I could almost visualize the flames of hatred burning between them.

“I’m not sending Brayden! I want to work with her!” Bryce glanced at me. “It’s obvious that her powers are untamed. Someone must train her!”

“You can’t do that!” Finn cut in, stepping between them.

His arms were outstretched, and his tone was stricken with panic.

“You can’t let her rely on her abilities!

She needs to go back on her medication! The longer it is out of her system, the more dangerous it’ll be.

She’s my friend—why can’t you just listen? ”

“She doesn’t seem to think she’s your friend.” Anthony inclined his head toward me. But this time, all amusement had fled his expression. “Besides, you’re not even remotely qualified to medicate people.”

“I’m not the one medicating her, you moron!” Finn snapped. “It’s my job to keep her safe. And if that means making sure she’s not involved, then so be it.”

Anthony’s brow furrowed. “But then who would—”

“We’re leaving,” Damen interrupted. He gently tugged me after him. “Finn, if you’re not going to explain your reasoning, then there’s nothing I can do to help. This is Bianca’s decision for now, and we will support it.”

“Damen,” Finn said as we turned. “You told me that you trusted me.”

The air from the room seemed to vanish as Damen froze, and his eyes widened. His shoulders grew tight as he looked behind us—at Finn’s arm-crossed form and stoic expression.

“What?” he asked.

“You have to pay attention,” Finn said.

Damen narrowed his eyes.

“Bianca worries about others before herself,” Finn continued, glancing at me. My skin prickled at the unbridled guilt in his expression.

“She’ll never say anything,” he continued. “Not even if she gets hurt. She’ll never admit anything is wrong. You should know that.”

“That’s because nothing is wrong!” I protested. My face burned, and I pulled away from Damen’s suddenly lax grip. What was he talking about?

“Take your medicine,” Finn said.

“No!” I answered. “Now mind your own business.”

“Bryce,” Damen addressed the other man. He, in turn, dropped his petulant look and blinked at the onmyoji. “I will need to borrow you and Brayden for a while.”

I gasped and turned on Damen as the hurt cut through me like a knife. “What?” I asked. How dare he! This was my ghost! “Why?”

But he wasn’t looking at me. There was a seriousness in his posture that caused my angry protest to die in my throat.

It wouldn’t matter what I said—he had already decided.

I couldn’t believe this.

“Excellent!” Bryce nodded, victory heavy on his aura. His impassive expression somehow also eluded smug glee. “Let me know when.”

No!

“Damen!” I tugged on his sleeve. How could he have betrayed me? We were supposed to be united in our hatred. “What—”

“Shhh, baby girl.” Damen put his finger to my lips. “We’ll discuss it later. Maybe it’ll be nice to have you all in the same room.”

My skin flushed. I’d re-earned the annoying nickname, but why did he have to say it in front of Finn? And what good would come from Bryce and Brayden intruding on my territory ?

But then I paused as my eyes widened—his intentions suddenly clear.

Yes, it was an excellent plan—we five, all alone with Bryce… and Brayden. But Brayden probably wasn’t all that much anyway.

Damen hated Bryce. We’d been blessed with the perfect excuse to lure Bryce into a private space to exact our revenge. Under the cloak of darkness, there would be no stopping us. And no one would suspect if Bryce vanished forever in a haunted house.

Damen was brilliant! I couldn’t believe how in sync we were with each other.

“Yes,” I said, rubbing my hands together. I grinned at Bryce. This would be an exciting partnership. “I look forward to working with you.”

Bryce’s mouth dipped, and the excitement dimmed from his eyes. However, there was also something notably different in how he looked at me. No longer was there a condescending glimmer in his gaze, and no smugness radiated from his almost-attractive face.

My stomach dropped. Something had changed between us, and now it almost felt like I was bullying someone unfortunate. The heart had been removed from our rivalry.

“I mean, sounds good,” I added. This wasn’t as fun anymore.

Damen shot me a curious look, but I shook my head. There was no fathomable way for me to describe my current feelings.

“You’re late,” Dr. Stephens said. The professor was sitting next to the window, his elbows on the table, as he rested his chin on his fist. Damen—who’d been lightly guiding me through the restaurant—dropped his hand back to his side as Dr. Stephens’s gaze lowered to the space between us.

I glanced at the onmyoji. Why was he suddenly shying away from physical affection?

But then again, he had been acting strangely since we left the school. During the drive, he’d been uncharacteristically quiet, and his thoughts were unreadable on his mercurial face. For someone who was so obnoxiously chatty on the normal, it was difficult to determine what he was thinking.

However, his manners remained on point even if his focus was elsewhere.

He was ever attentive—albeit even more respectful than before—as he opened the car door for me and guided me as we walked.

He watched my face any time he touched me, and there was a weird expression in his eyes I couldn’t quite place.

He was being gentlemanly, perhaps.

In fact, if it weren’t for Dr. Stephens’s presence, this would almost have felt like a date.

And, finally, I would get to eat.

“Sorry.” Damen held out my chair in the seat across from Dr. Stephens. “We were dealing with Finn.”

“Say no more.” Dr. Stephens held his hand in the air. “I understand completely.”

But a breath later, the older man seemed to change his mind. Dr. Stephens leaned forward as Damen sat beside me. His eyes gleamed with interest. “Actually, no,” he said. “You should probably tell me.”

“We’ve got a lot to discuss,” Damen said. His leg brushed against my thigh as he bounced his knee. Although there was ample space at the table, he seemed to sit so close.

Not that I was complaining.

Dr. Stephens suddenly looked between us a second time, an unspoken question in his eyes as he lifted a brow. Damen’s proximity had not gone unnoticed.

Thankfully, he didn’t address it, even as the echo of the first warning he’d given me replayed through my mind. What had he said? I’d have my heart broken. It was easy to see why—in context—he appeared baffled at Damen’s actions now.

Someone should probably clue him in on recent developments.

“Finn is the least of our concerns.” Damen folded his arms on the table. “Have you heard about Caleb?”

“Have I heard…?” Dr. Stephens glared at Damen. “How could I miss it? I much preferred him the other way.”

Damen tilted his head. “He’s here? Good. That’ll make things easier.”

“Who…” I started to ask—I didn’t see anyone else—but my question was answered before I could finish my sentence.

Mr. Weaver popped into view, hovering above the seat beside Dr. Stephens. “It’s about time you’ve arrived. We’ve been wasting away waiting for you. Have you been dallying about while the injustice of my murder remains unsettled? You aren’t very good detectives.”

It was as I had suspected. Why did it have to be him?

Mr. Weaver nodded toward Damen. “And that fool needs a refresher on etiquette. When in a proper relationship, a man must—”

“Oh, shut up.” Dr. Stephens rubbed his temples. “They aren’t in a relationship. Also, for the record, you’re not the one who has been wasting away waiting. You’re dead.”

“My body is, in fact, decaying.” Mr. Weaver glared at him. “That’s what happens when you die. Why haven’t you cried yet?”

“I want to cry, but for an entirely different reason.” Dr. Stephens pinched the bridge of his nose. “Caleb—”

“You can see ghosts?” I interrupted, staring at the two of them. Of course, it made sense… the others had told me he was a Proxy Officer.

I couldn’t believe that I’d been afraid he would lock me away when I first met him. Why didn’t he tell me? Instead, he’d played dumb while I was in peril.

How awful.

Besides, wasn’t he also a forensic psychologist? There must be moral laws being broken. “Isn’t it cheating to be able to talk to ghosts when you help solve murders?” I asked.

Did he really earn that doctorate?

Dr. Stephens looked offended, but before he responded, Damen cut in. “Gregory is Bryce and Brayden’s great uncle. As I’ve stated, he’s also one of the Elder Officers. He’s an Er Bashou. Caleb Weaver was also a Proxy. He’s an Elder Tongjun.”

Damen rested his weight on his forearms and studied me as he added, “Gregory also used to be a member of the Council. However, he retired. Now, he works solely with us.”

“Ah…” I touched my fingers together and nodded. The fabled Council. And he was one of my peons. Now, I would have insider information.

Perfect.

“What are you telling her?” Dr. Stephens asked as his eyes narrowed on Damen. “You’re acting like she’s being initiated into your inner circle.”

I studied him. He was stern and would not be easily swayed.

Damen chuckled, his focus still locked on to me. “You have no idea.”

“Don’t talk in riddles,” Dr. Stephens snapped. Then he frowned at me. “And why is she looking at me like that?”

I looked away, searching for a distraction. It wouldn’t do to make him afraid. Besides, Damen had brought me to the food, and I had to take advantage of the opportunity.