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“A re you ever going to wake up?” Cool fingers pried open my right eyelid. “Hello in there.”

“Brat,” I grumbled at Josie, turning on my side in the bed I didn’t remember climbing into this morning. Or had it been last night? I wasn’t sure anymore.

“Suit yourself.” A cold, rough weight hit my chest. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

As I lifted my head to squint at what she had thrown at me, I came face-to-face with...

A single beady, black eye gleaming with malice. White innards spilling out in stringy clumps. Bumpy hide crosshatched with old scars. And teeth.

So many needlelike teeth.

“Oh, God.” I flicked the covers and sent the thing flying, adrenaline spiking my sluggish brain. “What is that?” As it sailed through the air, I scrabbled out of bed, tripping on the rug and smashing my tailbone on the hardwood. “Mary, you better start talking fast.”

The object in question hit the lazy blades of the ceiling fan whirling overhead, bounced off a paddle, and flew into the window. Sparrows did that sometimes at home, but they collided outside. Not inside. What the hell kind of fresh horror had gotten in the house while I was sleeping?

Josie, worthless sister that she was, couldn’t breathe through her laughter to answer.

“Are we under attack?” I rubbed my eyes with my fists. “How did it get past the wards?”

But the mystery attacker wasn’t done yet. It smacked against the windowsill, flinging itself onto the floor in time for Badb to swoop in through the open door and dive-bomb it with terrifying cries of vengeance.

The spectacle only sent Josie into more hysterics as Badb slung the dark blur by its tail with such force the body went sailing, whacking Josie in the shoulder as the crow horked the rest onto the foot of my bed.

Gingerly, I reached down to poke the corpse, felt a dried line of glue, and spat a curse. “Really?”

The tail, stuffing exploding from the base, belonged to the alligator Anunit had been using as an avatar.

“I found Badb with it earlier.” Josie sucked in air between peals. “She really hates that thing.”

“It’s ruined.” I tossed the leathery scrap into my trash can then got an eyeful of what Josie meant. The body, what remained of it, was mostly head and torso. Badb had been pecking it to pieces for a while to have done that much damage. Its costume was long gone. No wonder I hadn’t recognized it. “There’s no salvaging that.”

“Anunit isn’t back yet, according to Kierce, so we’ve got time to figure out something else for her.”

That would have to rise up the priority list before she selected some random tourist as her lucky host.

“She spent a lot of energy helping me with Rollo.” I jolted as the events of last night crashed around me. “How is he?”

“Awake and talking. Kierce brought him food about an hour ago. He’s starting to get crabby about the whole bedrest thing, but oh well. He’ll get over it. He ought to be grateful for you saving him.”

“It was a group effort.” I dusted off my hands. “I hope Anunit didn’t hurt herself.”

“I doubt she would risk permanent damage when she’s this close to being free. She only has to train you as the new Alcheyvāhā guardian before she gets to spend her afterlife in peace with her mate, right?”

“That’s what she told me.” Relief trickled in at the reminder. “I’m sure it’ll be a nice change to rest without fear of being awakened by looters or trespassers.” That joy would now fall to me. “After all this time, she deserves to retire.”

Proud of herself, Badb landed on my foot and preened as if to take credit for saving me.

“I would be more impressed with your heroics if you hadn’t already had it in for the lizard.”

The lack of praise caused her to bristle, and she sailed into the hall.

“She’s going to tell on you.” Josie clucked her tongue. “That bird is a giant tattletale.”

Buoyed by our success with Rollo, I was eager to check on the patient and plan our next steps. Not even a pouty crow could bring down my mood.

“She’s been spoiled rotten.” I got to my feet and pulled on clothes. “She’s not used to sharing Kierce.”

Or being held accountable for her larcenous tendencies.

“She’s a brat. That’s what you mean.” She chuckled at my flinch. “I spoke to Carter earlier.”

How could such a simple sentence fill my heart with such dread?

“Oh?” I crossed my fingers, hoping my name hadn’t been mentioned. “How did it go?”

“Sugar Brown doesn’t exist. Carter says there’s no plot registered to any variation of the name. There were also no funerals registered at Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 during the week the gathering occurred.”

Chewing on my bottom lip, I turned this information over in my head. “Have you told Rollo any of this?”

“Uh, no.” She made a rude noise. “He’s acting like he’s got man flu.”

“He did lose his soul,” I chided her, though he did tend to be a whiner. “I had to cram it back in there.”

As focused as I had been on Kierce, I wasn’t certain how or what I had done to Rollo. I would have to examine him to be certain before I tried it again. The next time, I didn’t want to flail and fumble like I had with him. We wouldn’t know if I had done irreparable harm to him for some time yet, but I could comfort myself with the knowledge there hadn’t been a better way. Even he had to acknowledge that.

“His Royal Highness can hear that you’re awake.” Pascal, and I could tell it was him by his inflection, stuck his head in the room. “Put some pep in your step.”

With a flap of her wrist toward him, Josie explained, “Kierce swapped out the Suarezes.”

“I’ll never get used to that.” I picked at my thumbnail. “The way he pitches in.”

Or the fact our powers were similar enough that we could take on responsibilities for one another.

“He would do anything for you.” A sad smile tugged on her lips. “It’s cute.”

The expression paired with her tone set alarm bells ringing. “What else did you and Carter talk about?”

“The weather.” Josie rolled a shoulder like it didn’t matter. “That’s when you know it’s really over.”

Determined not to stick my foot in it again, I swore to myself to keep my position neutral.

“I’m sorry.” I walked with her down the hall. “I wish things could have been different.”

“Me too.” She massaged the base of her neck. “I’m not in a great place for a relationship anyway.”

Armie had dealt her pride and self-esteem a devastating blow. But, luckily, she hadn’t loved him as more than a friend in a long time. If she ever had seen him as more. With Josie, it was hard to say. She loved falling in love, the rush and excitement of it, but staying that way hadn’t happened yet.

Had Carter caved to her charms sooner, or put her foot down harder, their situationship might have already fizzled out. As dead set as Carter was against pursuing Josie, we would never know either way.

As we entered Rollo’s bedroom, Kierce rose from a chair and Jean-Claude straightened from his lean.

“You all right?” The good doctor swept his gaze over me, a pinch in his lips. “Need anything?”

“She needs to get me out of this damn circle.” Rollo tossed his sheets aside. “I have business to attend to, and I can’t do it from this bed.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m fully recovered.”

Judging by the flush staining his cheeks, he was either feverish or mortified I had seen his inner sanctum. Gaudy as his wannabe Louis XIV decor was, I couldn’t say I blamed him for locking and bolting his door.

“What business do you have that’s more important than telling us everything that happened to you?” I let him read in my expression that I was fine with leaving him in there until he gave us the details. “You survived the Midnight Parade. Now we need you to tell us how you ended up there so we can get the others out.”

With him, the enchantment hadn’t sunk its claws too deep, and it had still been a near thing.

For Vi, and especially Matty, we needed a clearer idea of how it was happening in order to stop it.

“I don’t recall.” His legs dangling from his tall bed reminded me of when he was a gangly youth, a few years younger than me, sitting on the stools where we took our lessons. “I was in my office. I had an invoice in my hand. Then I was here, waking up in bed.”

No mention of the glass he claimed to have been holding when I found him in the parade, but we hadn’t found any evidence he had drank from his, so I let it go.

“He remembered more, earlier.” Kierce came to stand beside me. “I did my best to get as much information as possible, but either the enchantment or the trauma has wiped the details from his memory.”

Ah. That would explain it. No memory, no glass.

“Do you think it’s safe to let him out?” I lamented the loss of my earlier hope, even though I had known it was a long shot. “I don’t want his soul to wander back to the parade.”

“I’m tired of being cooped up in my room,” Rollo growled, “and stared at like a tiger in a cage.”

“Oh, please.” Josie snickered at his harrumphing. “You’re a monkey at best.”

With the mood he was in, I might as well stick to my guns and keep him where I could question him. “What do you know about a funeral Vi attended prior to her illness?”

“She didn’t attend a funeral.” He quirked a brow. “She did ask for fifty thousand in cash, though.”

“In cash ?” Josie’s eyes bulged out of her head. “Who does that?”

“Vi does.” I padded closer to Rollo. “Every time she attends an auction.” I dared to let hope pay me another visit, but I didn’t let it take its shoes off at the door. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“Jean-Claude gave you my list. I been hitting the streets to find anyone who might have been there, who might have seen Mamaw, but everyone I knew to try had already come down with the affliction.”

“So, the funeral wasn’t a funeral.” Josie vibrated with excitement. “It was an auction.” She scrunched up her face. “The attendees must have shared a cover story with their families in case of an emergency.”

“Most people involved in auctions keep their loved ones as far from the action as possible.” Even telling them about the “funeral” and its location, barring any last-minute tweaks, was a risk. “So, that tracks.”

“I wasn’t sitting on the evidence for funsies. I wanted to be certain before involving more people who’ll figure out Mamaw is…” he set his jaw, “…not well. With her enemies on the spirit plane, we can’t afford to let folks know her body is sitting empty and ripe for the plucking.”

“I understand.” I wasn’t happy about it, but I got it. “Do you know if she bought anything?”

A handy relic or artifact that we could smash and break the curse along with it would be nice.

“She didn’t say.” He cut me a look that dared me to think less of him. “You know how she gets when she wants to protect us. Like you, I figured the money was for an auction, but she didn’t share any details.”

“As dangerous as it is to carry that much cash,” Josie asked, “and she didn’t give you a heads-up?”

“That’s not how it works, cher .” He gentled his voice for her. “Locations aren’t static. They can shift minutes beforehand if the address is compromised by uninvited guests.” His lips twitched once before he remembered to scowl. “They aren’t exactly legal, yeah?”

Josie’s confusion made sense, if you hadn’t attended one of the pop-up auctions held across the city to move black market items. Vi was a regular attendee. She bought, sold, and traded minor artifacts too. Mostly, she was searching for relics that once belonged to her family. Heirlooms sold off in times of hardship. That kind of thing. But she also purchased items to help with her business, to aid specific clients, and as investment pieces.

“Jean-Claude.” I watched him stiffen at the sound of his name. “Did she mention anything to you?”

“Vi don’t involve me in her business.” He pushed out a sigh. “You know that.”

Between the two of them, they had an unspoken agreement not to mettle. But they both had keen eyes and sharp ears, and sometimes they overheard tidbits. I should know, seeing as how I had stumbled into a thing or two accidentally over the years.

“How are you so familiar with them,” Kierce rumbled beside me, “when the others aren’t?”

“I attended several as part of my training.” I couldn’t bear for him to think badly of Vi when it had been my idea. “I wanted to get a feel for how they work. There are auctions just like it across the southeast. There’s even one in Savannah.” As I said it, I wondered if I should have taken a wider view on this angle. “But Matty would never attend. He doesn’t have a reason to, and he wouldn’t know how to go about getting an invite anyway.”

The big reason I hit those auctions was I wanted options. I wasn’t above stealing to provide for my family. I had done it as a kid on the streets. But I had felt bad for taking from people who couldn’t afford it. The idea of snatching artifacts from those who could write off the loss while gaining a foothold in the trade in the process? That had appealed to me.

Until I witnessed, at an auction no less, what happened if you got caught selling stolen items. It had changed my mind quick . I hadn’t thought about them in years. Not since I left New Orleans for good. Now I was kicking myself for not considering them as a possible connection sooner.

“Maybe I should go home and dig into the Savannah auction scene, just to be sure that Leyna didn’t get our brother mixed up in anything dangerous.” Josie drummed her fingers on her arm. “Here, I’m stuck on the sidelines, and it’s driving me crazy. I could conduct interviews in person at home.” Her tone grew bleak. “But I guess Carter could do that without me.” She dropped her arms. “I just want to help more. Most of the city’s plants are isolated in containers, and that keeps them out of touch with the earth. That angle hasn’t given me a single lead, and I feel so useless dialing numbers and taking notes.”

“You got us the funeral link, which led us to the auction.” I tapped her hand. “That’s huge.”

“You would have found it eventually.”

“Right now, every second is precious. You got him more time. That matters. You matter.”

“Fine.” She ducked her head to hide her flushed cheeks. “I’ll stay.”

“Good.” I grinned at her. “I’m glad.” I glanced around. “Where did Pascal get to anyway?”

“In here,” he called from down the hall.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Jean-Claude explained. “He’s baking us a tres leches cake as a treat.”

“The mood doesn’t strike him often,” I said, patting my belly, “but he’s an incredible baker.”

When he heard about this, Paco would be kicking himself for missing out on his favorite dessert.

“Maybe by the time he’s finished icing it,” Rollo grumbled, “I’ll be released from house arrest.”

“That’s not a bad idea, crybaby. I’ll let you go, but you must stay in the building. That way, if your soul comes loose, the wards will contain it.” The enchantment had punched a hole through them to steal his soul and Vi’s, but now the only threat should be…well…leakage. “Can you keep an eye on him, Jean-Claude?”

“You think I’m leaving before I’ve had cake?” He eyed me like I was crazy, but I saw through his bluffing. “I’ll be right here.”

“Then while you play nurse, and Josie makes her calls, Kierce and I will see if we can get lucky.”

I knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words exited my mouth.

“Ooh.” Josie fluttered her lashes. “Do tell.”

Sadly, between the dying, the kidnapping, and the soul-snatching, Kierce and I hadn’t advanced much in that department. As often as gods got it on in mythology, their lives were either less chaotic than mine, or I was doing this demigoddess thing wrong. “Not that kind of lucky, pervert.”

With assignments passed out for the night, Kierce and I went to the crypt to check in with Pedro, whose absence from Bonaventure appeared to weigh on him more with each passing day.

“Pascal tells me there were side effects that first night that you maybe didn’t share with me.”

“You’re under enough strain.” He shook his head. “You didn’t need me adding more to it.”

“You’re family, Pedro, and that means we don’t take unnecessary risks with your health.” I made a vague rolling gesture with my hand. “Or the spiritual equivalent.” I pegged him with a stern glare. “Give me the rundown.”

“There’s not much to tell,” he said sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure, at first, if it was the effort of spending so much time possessing Matty since he became afflicted or if it was because Pascal and I are now splitting twelve-hour shifts. Those things make me tired, yes, but I realized, after the fact, it was more than that.”

“Do you feel like the parade was trying to suck you in?”

“I didn’t feel it when it happened.” He shifted his focus inward. “I think, allowing Matty to pass through me during the parade, either because I was in his body or because I am a spirit myself, the magic sipped on my energies. Not much. Not enough for me to feel the lack. Until I relinquished Matty for the night.”

“Then that settles it. You’re not going anywhere near the parade again.”

A theory had been tickling the back of my mind that could explain why the souls had been left with a thin tether to their bodies rather than the magic harvesting the souls the moment the affliction took hold. What if that bond made the souls last longer?

Biofeedback from the bodies, even across state lines, might be enough to boost the spirits’ energy. The stronger the souls, the longer they could be fed on. Having Matty’s body in the same area as his soul might very well have caused the parade energies to recognize him and take a bite out of Pedro.

“I understand, mija .” His gentle expression eased into relaxed lines. “Are you any closer to retrieving Matty?”

“I’m not sure.” I leaned against the wall, the cold seeping through my shirt into my shoulder. “I thought Rollo would have answers for us, but he’s losing his memory. Kierce had the presence of mind to question him before he forgot everything, but he would have already told me if there was anything of consequence.” I glanced around the crypt, which was nice but not as nice as home cooking. “Why don’t you head upstairs with the others? You don’t have to hang out down here alone.”

“The quiet is nice.” He notched up his chin. “Bonaventure is home, but it’s busy. This is…peaceful. I could do with some peace right about now.”

“I’ll check in when I get back then.” I focused on his arm so I could squeeze it, worried he was more exhausted than he was letting on. “If nothing else, I can let you and Pascal swap out long enough for you to eat a slice of tres leches cake.”

“I’d like that.” His eyes grew misty. “He uses our mother’s recipe.”

They had told me that before, but I nodded like it was the first time I was hearing it. There was power in memories. Speaking of the things we loved strengthened them in our minds. Sharing our stories helped to hold on to precious details we didn’t want to forget. Fond repetition helped the past live on.

Out on the street, I crossed the road then turned back to gaze at Vi’s house as Kierce caught up to me.

“I don’t believe this is simply an enchantment.” Kierce shifted so our shoulders brushed together. “There’s another component. A cursed object perhaps. Even that seems insufficient.” His fingers threaded through mine. “I don’t understand how the effect is so widespread.” He cut his eyes toward me. “I haven’t frequented many auctions, but none of them allowed the items to be touched except by staff and the buyer.”

“The risk of damage to the original or switching it out with a forgery is too great,” I agreed with him. “But if it is a cursed object, then maybe we should consider what it’s purported to do.” Original intent could be twisted in the wrong hands until that perversion of purpose became an object’s default. “We know it feeds on souls, but to what end?” I picked my brain for off-the-wall ideas. “A cheese knife that severs souls from their bodies? A pen that writes the names of the damned? A sandwich bag that seals in your last breath?”

A faint smile tickled Kierce’s lips as he listened to my list grow more deranged, but then he surprised me by adding one of his own. “A toothpick that pierces souls as well as olives?”

“ Olive that one,” I said, snickering at my pun, and because he was too polite not to, he laughed with me.