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Killian and I reappeared in the living room of the sorceress's other house (how many houses did this woman have?). I didn't let go of Kill. I was shaking too much. It had all happened so fast. I could have protected us with a dome of Light, but I didn't think of that until after we were safe. You can have the most powerful magic in the world and still get hurt because you have so much of it, you forget what you've got or what you can do with it. In this case, that may have been a good thing. I wasn't sure if setting a protection dome would have taken more time than laleking.

“I'm all right,” Killian said. “Twilight, can you hear me? Come in, Twilight.”

I let out a shocked laugh and squeezed harder.

“Why did you take so long?” Star demanded. “You were supposed to . . . what happened?”

“The sorceress was there,” Killian answered for us. “We went after her. We even caught her, but then she gave us the slip. Ran out of the room through a hidden passage.”

“A hidden fucking passage? Does everyone have one of those now?” Star drawled. Then, in a more concerned tone, “Seren? Are you all right?”

“We chased her,” Kill went on. “The escape tunnel was narrow. It took me longer to get through. The bitch set off an explosion just as I reached the end. Seren laleked us here, but it was close. As in, I felt the heat of it—close.” He bent his head and kissed my forehead. “I'm all right, babe. Come on, we're good. You were amazing. You got us out of there in the nick of time. Like a superhero.”

That's when I really felt the difference. The freedom of Anu's influence. Nearly losing Killian right after getting free of Anu's magic made it ten times more frightening. Killian. The man who understood me like no one else. My sweet, shit-talking, bad-ass Witch turned Fairy. The one who I could count on to make me laugh. To remind me of my humanity. The one who always said—

“You die, I die, Twilight,” Killian murmured, as if he could hear my thoughts. “That's my line, not yours. You tried to reverse that shit today. Not cool, babe. Don't bite my lines.”

That finally got me to lift my head. “As if I would have left you behind.”

“There's my girl.” Killian grinned lopsidedly, the motion making his snake eyes shine. Some of his hair had come free of its ponytail and the shoulder-length strands shone amber-red in the overhead lights—the perfect complement to those green eyes.

I let out a long breath. “Killian. Damn.”

“You were supposed to return for us!” Star hissed.

I tore my stare away from my gorgeous husband—my unhurt gorgeous husband—to look at the Devil. Shit, I had to stop calling Star that. But it was just so fun. And I could embrace the fun now that my desire for him wasn't constantly clawing at me. I could look at Star and still feel the draw. He was stunning and smart. He was powerful and charming. Star had an attitude that I adored—sort of a cross between Raza and Killian but with more sardonic snark. But I didn't need him. I didn't crave him anymore. Thank God. No, I take that back. Anu didn't get any thanks for this.

“You should thank us that we didn't,” I said. “You and your Demons would have been caught in the blast. Immortal and immune to fire you may be, but getting blown to bits would have been hard to recover from.”

“Explosions don't actually blow people to bits, Seren,” Star returned to his usual drawl. “We would have been fine. As Killian would have, I imagine.”

“You don't know that.” I stepped out of Killian's arms. “Flying debris can do a lot of damage. It can behead people.”

“All right, that's enough,” Killian said. “Arguing over what an explosion can or can't do to immortals is ridiculous. We've got to get back to the mission. First off, we found a whole lot of Fey remains in that house. We need to send a team there to root through the wreckage and recover them before the humans get a load of that shit.”

“Damn,” I whispered. “I didn't think of that.”

“I have moments of brilliance.” Killian winked at me.

How the hell had I forgotten how much I loved that man? He was amazing. Anu, that's how. Fuck!

“Moments being the key word,” Star muttered.

“Hey!” Killian pointed at him. “You are not Raza. You don't get to say shit like that to me. Only my beast-bro has that right. Cause I know he teases me out of brotherhood. You, however, are just being a dick. So, I say unto you, King of Hell, fuck off! ”

Sallales snorted a laugh.

Star shot a sardonic look her way.

She shrugged. “I like him. He's funny. And you were kinda being a dick. Uh, Your Majesty.”

“Killian's right,” I added. “You don't have the excuse of Anu's magic anymore. Cut that shit out.”

Star held up his hands. “Fine. Whatever. You don't have to form a monster mob and come for me like that. Are we laleking to the wreckage or what?”

“I need a hunter and an extinguisher.” I turned to look at the rest of our team. “People who can call in support once we arrive on the scene.”

“Teagan,” Team Leader Sullivan said.

The Extinguisher stepped forward.

Lord Pichai motioned at one of his hunters. “Mekha, go with the Ambassador.”

The hunter nodded and stepped up beside Teagan.

“What about us?” Rue growled.

“If you want to send someone with me, that's fine. But I don't see the point.”

Ru grunted and walked away. “I gotta take a shit.”

“Charming,” Sal drawled.

“We're fine with waiting here,” Melissa said. “Sorry about him, Ambassador.”

“It's all right. I've dealt with far worse.” To Killian, I said, “I'll be right back,”

Killian didn't protest. The explosion shook me, not him. But that's my husband. He shook things off quickly instead of letting them shake him up. And he trusted me. So all he said was, “All right. I'm gonna scry the Councils.”

“I'm going with you.” Star took my hand.

“What? Why?” I asked.

“I want to take a look.”

“Fine. We've got to go.” I motioned the other two over, and we formed a circle.

I laleked us back to the house. Or what was left of it. Sirens were already whining in the distance. All of us began to cough immediately. With a wave of my hand, I sent a breeze out—just a simple beag magic but very effective in this situation. It blew the pall of smoke out and up. With my lungs clear, I summoned another element—Water. But Star stopped me before I could let the rain fall.

“Water will damage the evidence.” Star pushed my hand down. “Allow me.” He flung out a hand, then drew it back. As he did, all the fires and glowing embers died out.

“Good call.” I sent another blast of Air to clear the smoke from that. Then I looked at the other two. “Someone divert the emergency responders.”

“On it!” Teagan said, pulling out his cell phone.

“I'll handle the humans.” Mekha ran for the road.

“Should I set a hakhil?” Star asked.

I glanced at Teagan.

“Yes, these coordinates,” Teagan spoke into his phone. “No, contact the locals first. I need them called off ASAP. Do that now. They're almost here. Yeah, I'll wait.” He glanced at me and nodded.

“No, we should be good,” I said to Star. “Between the Councils and whatever Mekha's doing, I think we'll be safe.”

“All right.” Then Star looked at the house. Really looked. “Shit. What the fuck? Did she have the whole place wired?”

Staring at the complete destruction, I again felt a shiver of anxiety. Killian could have been under all that wreckage. I pushed the emotion down. “Looks like it.”

What had been a traditional Thai house, with all the gorgeous carved wood trim, was now a relatively flat disaster zone. Beams of wood and metal stuck out of the debris like the bones of a great beast—a great beast that some giant had roasted over a campfire.

“Do they pass out villain playbooks to humans?” Star waved at the destruction. “This is Korea all over again.”

I wasn't surprised that the thought occurred to him as well. He'd seen what I'd seen.

“I blame movies,” I said. “In a way, that's what they are.”

Star grunted.

The sirens stopped.

We looked at each other and said, “Mekha.” Then we chuckled.

“At least this new hunter team is helping instead of causing problems,” Star said.

I grimaced, feeling bad for reporting Malai.

“Hey.” Star took my hand. “Being in charge comes with a lot of responsibility. She knew that. So do you. Malai fucked up and has to deal with the repercussions. You had to do your job and report her.”

“Thanks. Yeah, I know you're right.” I pulled my hand away and tried not to notice him flinch. “I still feel bad.”

“You've had a lot of that lately. I think it's time to let it all go.” Star saw my wide-eyed response and cleared his throat while he smoothed the lapels of his suit jacket. “I'm going to inspect the wreckage and see if I can find anything.”

“All right.”

I wanted to go back to Killian, but I knew Star's guards would have a fit if I left him there with just a hunter and an extinguisher. So, I watched him stroll around the wreckage, his hand out, palm down.

Standing there doing nothing felt wrong. So, I went after Star, searching the blackened bits with my second sight. I quickly found the aura of the Fey remains in the basement. Using apportation, I moved charred beams and other bits to reveal the floor. It wasn't as damaged as the rest of the house, but areas were missing.

“What are you doing?” Star joined me. “Did you find something?”

“I can see the remains down there.” I nodded toward the wreckage.

Star grimaced. “I can't do what you're doing.”

“Of course not.” I winked at him. “Apportation is a human magic. You know, one of those you said we don't have.”

Star rolled his eyes. “You mean a psychic ability?”

“Does this look purely mental to you?” I apportated a massive beam to the yard.

He snorted. “You say potato.”

“No, I say magic.”

Star snorted.

“A team is on their way,” Extinguisher Teagan said as he came over. “The Council has already called off the locals.”

“And I diverted them toward another neighborhood,” Mekha said. “That should have given their superiors enough time to reach them.”

Teagan jumped. “Shit, man! Make some noise when you walk up to people.”

Mekha laughed, but it was strange. More like a braying. An image of a horse came to mind.

“Are you the pegasus?” I asked him.

Mekha stopped laughing to frown at me. “The what?”

“The winged horse.”

“Oh. No, that's Hunter Sasi. She's a Durong Paksin while I'm a Durong Kraisorn.”

“Uh-huh. Does that mean you're the red horse?”

“Yes. With the head of a lion.” He lifted his chin. “We are both of the Horse Clan.”

“Why aren't you in the Lion Clan?” Teagan asked.

“Because I am mostly Durong.”

“So there is a Lion Clan? I was just guessing.”

“Oh, yes. Lion, Horse, Bovine, Elephant, Bird, and Marine.”

“Are there even any lions in Thailand?” I asked. “I thought they were only in Africa and India?”

“Yes, but we aren't lions, are we?” Mekha grinned. “We are Fairies, and Fairies are everywhere.”

“And yet, you look like you're from here.”

Mekha scowled.

Yeah, that comment was controversial. Fairies of certain regions often resembled the humans of that area in their main form. There were a few theories why. One was that Fairies and humans had mingled and the babies hadn't been limited to human mothers. In other words, the offspring didn't merely create Witches. The half Fey children who bred with Fairies instead of humans had children that were more Fey. And so on and so on until the human blood was so diluted that it didn't count. Despite the dilution, the human features had remained.

Or it could simply be that Fairies evolved in similar ways to humans—their appearances influenced by the region of the world they inhabited. Since the Earth and the planet of Fairy were aligned, this made sense. But that was only if you accepted the premise that Fairies evolved. So, yes, it was a can of worms that Mekha wasn't inclined to open.

“I am from here,” he said.

I chuckled. “Fair enough. I'll drop the Lion Clan issue.”

“Thank you.” Then he noticed what I was doing. “Why are you excavating?”

“To get at the Fey remains.”

“There are more here?” Mekha growled. “Damn that . . . wait. What's that?” He pointed.

The rest of us followed his finger to the wreckage. I had just apportated a piece of the floor and revealed the mostly intact basement. What a blessing that was. It meant we could retrieve the remains with little effort. But Mekha wasn't pointing at the remains. He was pointing at a metal case.

A metal case with words engraved into the side.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, then apportated the case into my hands.

The three men gathered around me as I set the case on the ground. It was a large case, wider than most briefcases, with sharp corners instead of rounded ones. But the corners didn't concern me.

“Naning Industries,” I read the engraving.

“On it.” Teagan pulled out his cell phone.

I opened the case. Inside, tucked into cushioned recesses, were several jars of differing sizes. I removed one and inspected it. Opaque white with the weight of glass, it felt expensive as far as jars go. On the side was a label. I was hoping it would be a brand logo—the one Losuc had seen. It wasn't. Instead, a simple sticker had a lot number typed onto it. I pulled out another and found something similar but with a different number.

“Samples of some kind.” Star picked up a jar and opened it. “It's a cream.” He sniffed it, then shrugged. “Smells pleasant.”

I opened the jar I was holding and brought it up to my face. It smelled slightly floral. Then I looked at the thick, white cream. Really looked.

“What the hell?!” I hissed.

“I'd make a joke about Hell, but I'm too curious,” Star drawled. “What's wrong with the cream?”

“There's magic in it. Can't you sense it?”

Star frowned and stared at the jar. “No. I get nothing from that.”

“Because that's Fey magic.” Teagan pointed at the jar. “I see it, Ambassador. Clear as day. I think you've discovered what the sorceress has been doing with all those Fey remains.”

I looked from Teagan to the jars as goose flesh rose on my arms. “No. I don't think so.”

“What else could it be?” Mekha asked.

“I don't think she used the remains for this.” I looked over at Star and met his stare. I saw he was already moving toward the same conclusion. “This is what she wants the Bite Witches for.”

“They have less magic than Fairies.” Star set his jar back in the case. “Why bother with them when she obviously has a supplier of Fey parts?”

“I don't know.” I put the lid back on my jar and replaced it. “But we're going to find out.”

“The support team is here.” Teagan nodded toward the road.

I glanced over, then did a double-take. Because hanging out of the window of a black SUV, waving at me, was a dear friend of mine.

“Here I am to save the day! Councilman Karmen with a K!” Councilman Karmen Dinello belted out as the SUV came to a stop. He jumped out, did his Peter Pan pose with his fists on his hips, and grinned. Then he saw the house. “Well, shit. If you didn't like the architecture, you could have just sold the place. This is completely unnecessary.” He waggled his finger at me and added, “You're such a drama queen, Seren.”

“Karmen?” I stood up. “What are you doing here?

Karmen strode forward as several vans parked beside his SUV and council members from the local house poured out, some of them sporting metal cases similar to the one at my feet. “I told you about visiting India, right? Where I learned to meditate?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I heard about this guru or whatever in Thailand who's a Quake Witch. He's supposed to be the best at grounding people.” He winked. “Get it? Grounding? Quake Witch?” He looked at our blank expressions and huffed, “Tough crowd.”

“So, you just happened to be here?” Star asked.

“You shouldn't have drawn attention to yourself,” I whispered.

Sure enough, Karmen zeroed in on Star. “Astaroth! My love! My Demon darling! How kismet is it that we're both in Thailand at the same time? And you need me too.” Karmen's smile turned wicked as he sauntered over to Star. “You should thank your lucky star that I did happen to be here. I'm an excellent councilman.”

“Aren't you a sketch artist?” Star asked.

“You remembered!” Karmen slid a hand over Star's shoulder. Then he pouted. “But you've evidently forgotten that I have psychic talents as well. I am a councilman after all. I can help you do . . .” He frowned at the wreckage again. “Whatever it is you need doing.” Then he smirked. “Even yourself.”

I coughed to hide my laugh.

Star took Karmen's hand and gently but pointedly removed it from his shoulder. “I'm glad to have you with us, Councilman. But we need to get back to the rest of our team now.”

“Oh! Take me with you!” Karmen clapped his hands like a kid as he looked at me. “You know you want to!”

“Of course, you're coming with us.” I hugged him. “You don't know how happy I am to see you.”

“Aw.” Karmen hugged me back. “Now there's the reception I was expecting. It's good to see you too, Seren.”

“I wish to stay and oversee the retrieval of remains, Ambassador,” Mekha said.

I stepped back from Karmen as I nodded. “Sure. I'll let Pichai know.”

“Thank you.” He glanced at the council members swarming around the site. “Could you . . . introduce me and inform them of my role?”

“Who's in charge?” I asked Karmen.

“Uh . . .” Karmen looked around, then pointed. “That guy.” He leaned closer to whisper. “He's a bit of a—how shall I put this? Oh, I know! He's an asshole.”

I laughed and pulled Karmen into another hug. “I've missed you so much!”