Page 3 of Cold Curses

“Checks out,” Connor murmured.

“How did you get ‘burst of magic’ out of that?” Lulu asked, moving closer to the screen.

“ComEd,” Roger said. That was Chicago’s power supplier. “They recorded a power surge at the same time. There are also complaints about satellite and telecom services going down. None of it lasted for more than a few seconds. Most of the complaints went to the mayor’s office, and they were routed back to us.”

Connor had grabbed his screen, and I guessed he was sending a message to the Pack to see if they’d experienced anything.

“Was it a demon?” I asked, my heart beating a little faster.

“Not that we’ve found. The guards didn’t see any activity at the wards. And there were no reports of anyone actuallyseeinganything. Just feeling it or its effects.”

“Well, there was the UFO sighting,” Petra said. “But we’re pretty confident a UFO did not land on Soldier Field in order to steal children.” She paused. “Because aliens are more interested in tech than bio, really.”

“Hmm,” I said noncommittally. “What about the fairies? They’re magically powerful. They’d almost certainly have felt it.”And maybe their bristly queen, Claudia, would have some insight about what it was.

“Haven’t heard from them,” Roger said. “But that’s not unusual.”

“A few Pack members—those who were awake—felt it,” Connor said, reading his screen. “No one can say what it was or where it originated. They just felt a sudden burst of energy.”

“Something with the ley lines?” I wondered. Three of the world-spanning lines of magical power ran through Chicago. The city’s demon wards were powered by cornerstones—big bespelled stones that got their energy from the ley lines and, in turn, helped regulate them.

“What could have affected them?” Theo asked.

“I don’t know. Demons? Sorcerers?” I asked, looking at Lulu.

“You’re asking if they could affect the ley lines? I mean, I’m not an expert, but I don’t know how they could. Ley lines are pure power. I don’t think sorcerers could sway them much. And if they’d done something, some kind of spell, I think we’d have felt it.”

“So what should we do?” I asked Roger.

“Maybe it’s nothing,” Roger said. “Just a hitch in the lines because the demon wards were recently triggered. But if it’s something more, I don’t want it getting worse. I’m thinking patrols around the city. Maybe we won’t find anything, but at least we’ll have done our due diligence. Wait—you have that dinner tonight, don’t you?”

Connor and I were scheduled to have dinner with his parents to celebrate our engagement.

He’d apparently asked for my father’s permission despite his seemingly casual proposal, and we’d shared the news with my parents just after he’d proposed. Neither my mom or dad hadbeen surprised, but they had been supportive and thrilled to welcome a shifter into the family.

“We can be late,” Connor said.

I looked at him. “You’re sure?”

He nodded. “Dinner won’t matter much if demons overrun the city.”

“I mean, we’ll still have to eat,” I murmured, but took his point.

“We can be late,” he said again, this time with a smile that had me melting a little.

“Connor and I can start here,” I said. “We’ll talk to the fairies.” I’d also need to send a message to my informant. Jonathan Black was half-elf, half-sorcerer, and an attorney with mysterious clients, at least some of whom were criminals. He’d tried to kill me; he’d also saved my life. He was an enigma.

“Petra and I will start here,” Theo said, “although my arm would probably not be hella effective against arrows right now.”

“Helladeflective, anyway,” Alexei offered, chewing.

The first demon had triggered the ward that had broken Theo’s arm, but a fairy had put an arrow through his leg. He was human, but as brave as they come.

“Sounds good,” I said. “Want me to check with the Houses? They won’t have been awake, but they may know something.”

Chicago, with its three ley lines, collected sups like kids collected comics. It was home to four vampire Houses.

“You take Cadogan and Washington,” Theo said. “We’ll take Navarre and Grey.”