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Ella sat up in bed and scrabbled to find her weapon.

It wasn’t under her pink fluffy pillow. As it was still dark, she assumed something had woken her up, but what was it?

Where the hell had she left her gun last night?

Even as she thought about nudging Vadim, she froze, her attention on the end of the bed, where her naked mate was confronting something that gave off the strongest Otherworld vibe she’d ever encountered.

“Morosov?”

He didn’t reply, and she crawled to the end of the bed. His attention was fixed on the shimmering image of the man she knew as Adam. Up close, the resemblance to Vadim was so startling, it was like seeing double.

“ Morosov.”

She tried using her mind instead of her voice, but her thought bounced back from the strength of his shields.

“Tell her.”

Adam’s voice shuddered through her, breaking the silence and her fear. Her purse was on the floor and she lunged for it, bringing it up onto the bed, where she could finally retrieve her weapon. She fumbled to open the clasp.

“Hold on, Morosov. I’ve got it.”

“ Tell her.”

She found her weapon and pointed it at Adam. Vadim slowly turned to face her. His smile was cold, his expression pitiless.

“I’m leaving, Ms. Walsh.”

“What?”

“I’m going back to Otherworld with Adam. He has convinced me that the only way we can meet and battle as equals is in my homeland.”

“But you don’t need to battle him anywhere.”

“I do. I can’t stand to be defeated.”

“That’s just stupid! If you go back, they’ll kill you!”

He shrugged. “It’s my destiny. I cannot escape it.”

“Fine, but I’m going with you.”

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “I don’t need you, Soul Sucker.”

“We’re partners.”

“You’re human. In Otherworld you’re also a liability. You’d slow me down and make me more vulnerable.”

She swallowed hard at the harsh truth behind his words. “But?—”

He sighed. “Do you really want to air your emotional laundry in front of Adam?”

“Why not?” She tried to push through his shields, to force him to let her sense his real thoughts, but it was impossible. “Your quarrel with him is obviously far more important than your partnership with me!”

“This is Otherworld business.”

“This is bullshit! ”

He averted his gaze. “I’m sorry, Ms. Walsh. I’ll be far better off without your ‘help. ’ Goodbye.”

“Wait!”

It was too late. In a cloud of black feathers, Vadim disappeared.

Even as she registered his loss, she realized Adam hadn’t gone anywhere.

“What the fuck do you want?”

His smile was so much like Vadim’s, it hurt. “I think you know.” He stretched out his hand. “Goodbye, Soul Sucker.”

She fired at him, but wasn’t quick enough to avoid his outstretched hand. With a cry, she fell back onto the bed and everything went black.

* * *

There was something on her face. She lifted a hand and batted whatever it was away from her cheek. Damn feathers got everywhere. Who knew that swan shape-shifters molted so much?

Ella opened her eyes.

Black feathers.

Vadim.

She sat bolt upright and wrapped her arms around her knees.

Had she dreamed him leaving her? His clothes were neatly folded on the chair, but there was no sound from the bathroom.

Tentatively, she searched for him within her mind.

There was nothing, just a horrible sense of loss like the whining static after an explosion.

He’d definitely left her.

“Bastard!” she screeched. “If anyone’s going to kill you, it’s going to be me! How dare he walk out on me? How dare he suggest I’m a liability?”

She stomped into the bathroom, just to make sure he wasn’t hiding in there, and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.

Hell, no.

Black hair, blue eyes and cheekbones to die for.

Vadim in feminine form.

Had he sacrificed himself for her, or was this Adam’s idea of a joke? She scowled at her beautiful new face. How long did she have until he came back to persuade her to kill herself? Would he wait until he finished off Vadim too?

She focused on her face and considered trying the spell Vadim had given her for cleaning things up. He’d said it might make her look like she’d had plastic surgery, but what could be worse than this?

“What was it again?” She said the words out loud and watched her new mouth shape them. “Gey-ei-landah?”

Her face quivered like Jell-O and then reappeared in all its black haired, blue-eyed glory.

“Damn.”

She threw Vadim’s toothbrush in the trash and showered away all evidence of his lovemaking.

He’d been incredibly gentle with her, bringing them to new heights of pleasure and a sense of being one that she’d never imagined existed.

So why had he left her? It didn’t make sense.

She’d started to believe they were truly partners and that he trusted her.

For years she’d been treated like an unstable bomb, and he’d changed that, had made her feel valued and loved.

So why the hell had he lied to her and chosen to fight alone?

Had he been saying goodbye? Her tears mingled with the water, and she let them flow.

No one needed to know how she felt inside.

Anger would sustain her through this time.

At least she knew she could count on that.

She dressed and combed out her luxurious new head of hair and made the bed. Dammit, she was hungry. She couldn’t put off eating forever. With all her courage, she sauntered into the kitchen.

“Morning, Mom.”

“Holy God! What happened to you?” Darlene screeched, and dropped her mug of coffee. It smashed into a thousand shards on the ceramic tile floor.

Ella mopped up the coffee and poured herself and her mom a cup. “I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last night. Vadim disappeared, and I woke up looking like this.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out.”

Darlene pounced on her father, who was coming into the kitchen with the newspapers under his arm. “Ned, look at her!”

Her father blinked and carefully put the papers down on the countertop. “New shampoo, love?”

Ella smiled at him. “Bespelled.”

“Ah, that makes sense, then.”

“Makes sense? ” Darlene said. “Look at her! She’s completely different!”

“She’s still the same person inside. You don’t have the same hair color or face you had when we met either.”

“That’s different, I?—”

Ned patted her shoulder. “Not that I mind. If Ella was bespelled, there’s not much we can do about it, is there? She’s a big girl. I’m sure she can figure it out.”

“I’ll do my best, Dad.”

“That’s my girl.”

Madison appeared in the doorway. “What’s all the noise?” She stared at Ella. “Interesting look for you, sis. I like it.” She dropped into a seat at the table and rested her head on her folded arms.

“Thanks.” Ella topped up her coffee. “After breakfast, I have to be on my way. I’ve got to go and find Vadim in Otherworld.”

“Why?”

“He’s originally from there.”

Darlene sat down narrowly avoiding dropping her second cup of coffee. “You said he was Russian.”

“His human ancestors are.”

“He’s not human? ”

Ella put two strawberry pastries in the toaster. “He’s about five percent human. The rest is all Otherworld. Some of it is shape-shifter, some of it is Fae.”

Madison lifted her head from the table. “Cool. Vadim’s a big fairy. I knew there was something wrong with him.”

Ella put her pastries on a plate and squirted them with frosting.

“What kind of shape-shifter?’ Madison asked. “Is he a wolf, like Doug? I like Doug. He’s kind of hot, but scary.”

“Does it matter?” Ella chewed down on the sweet, sticky center of the pastry.

“I suppose not. I should’ve known there was something not right with him when he willingly took up with you.” Darlene sighed and finished her coffee. “Do you want me to pack you a lunch?”

Ella paused to appreciate the moment, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. Her family might drive her crazy, but who else would sit there and carry on as if nothing unusual had happened when their daughter’s face had been bespelled and her newly found mate had disappeared?

“Thanks, Mom, but I won’t need a lunch.” She finished her pastries. “And thanks for not freaking out too much about everything.”

Her dad raised his coffee cup in a salute. “Living with you, Ella, has been an education. After fighting off trolls in the closet and Water Fae in the shower when you were young, nothing fazes us at all.”

“But you will be careful?” Darlene added.

“Of course I will.” Ella slid down from her stool. “I’ll be in touch. Thanks for a wonderful birthday.”

* * *

She found Vadim’s car keys in his jeans pocket and bundled the rest of his clothes in a deliberately untidy heap to take with her.

The hint of his aftershave made her bury her nose in his T-shirt with a pang of what felt suspiciously like longing.

Damn the man. She needed to be angry, not a moping fool.

The drive back to San Francisco was uneventful, the sky a bright uncaring blue, the sun warm on her newly acquired face.

Every time she glanced in the rearview mirror, she was shocked by her appearance.

It was worse than when she’d dyed her hair black and been a Goth.

How long would Adam wait before he came back?

Had he already fought Vadim? Wouldn’t she know if her mate were dead?

Pushing her fears aside, she parked under the SBLE main office on Market and headed for the elevators. There was no one around when she walked into the department, so she headed for Feehan’s office, knocked on the door and went straight in.

“Hey, boss.”

He leaped to his feet, half a dripping tuna sandwich clutched in his hand. “Who the hell are you?”

She waved her ID badge at him. “It’s me, Ella. Something’s up with my face.”

He grabbed his phone. “Security!”

“Boss, calm down. Adam got me last night after he got Vadim.”

Feehan clutched the phone to his chest and stared at her. “Ella?”

She took a seat in front of his desk. “Yes.”

“Are you sure?”