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That was the motto that had been circulated once monsters came out in the open.

They were supernatural beings—vampires, werewolves, mer, wraiths, nymphs, goblins, shifters, phoenix, trolls, and incubus/succubus—but they didn’t have magic .

That apparently was not the same as the fact that magic didn’t exist. Because it very clearly did.

Kierse laughed softly. “We all know that was a lie peddled to humans at the end of the war.”

“It depends on how you look at it. I have no magic myself. The other monsters I regularly work with don’t have magic.

But there are magic users who have not come into the light, such as your friends here, and they’re happy to trade their magic for bits of what we monsters can offer,” Rio said with a sharp-toothed smile.

“So, for regular people, monsters not magic is just fine. For those who see beyond the veil, perhaps not.”

“But you have traded with someone who can help a person regain memories.”

“Indeed.” Rio opened the book and began to flip through the paper-thin pages. “Memories are tricky, though. Not many who specialize in that sort of thing.”

“Are you trying to tell me it’s expensive?”

Rio flashed her another smile. “Ah, I see why you decided to come here when memory stands at your side.” Their eyes flickered to Graves. “Perhaps I’d brave the shadow, too.”

Graves crossed his arms. “Do you have someone who can help or not?”

“I do.” Rio breezed through more pages before stopping and sliding their long red nail down the list. “Ah. Here we are. Just what you’re looking for.”

Graves leaned forward against the counter as if he meant to try to steal the information before Rio could shut the book. But it was all gibberish to Kierse, either in another language or in code.

Rio shot Graves a look and then put their hands over the encoded pages. “Now, the fun part. What exactly have you brought me for this information?”

“The bracelet of Queen Aveline of the Dryads,” Graves said.

Rio’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that so?” Their eyes were greedy as they looked from Graves to Kierse. “Show me this jewel.”

“We don’t have it on us, but we can give you the location of where to acquire it.”

“Would that location be Versailles?” they asked drily.

“I stole it from the queen,” Kierse told them.

“Hmm,” they said. “That doesn’t seem like a fair trade. You give me a location of wherever this most precious artifact could be, and I give you exactly what you want when you could never have found it on your own?”

Niamh tsk ed from her place at the end of the counter. “You’re both trading information.”

“The difference is that I’m good for it. This is my job. I don’t take I-owe-yous from new customers. Especially with his background,” they said, looking Graves up and down.

“Fine. We can add something else to the bargain,” Kierse said.

Cost in the market had always been a nebulous thing. It wasn’t always money traders were after, or at least not expressly. Kierse had more than expected to have to cut off a lock of her hair or give some tears or a bit of her magic. If the cost was higher, she was prepared to pay.

Rio’s expression turned shrewd. They already knew who Graves and Niamh were—the New York City warlock and a Dublin High Priestess were high-end clients. But it was Kierse who made them tilt their head in consideration.

“You’re not human,” they said.

Kierse forced her hands to stay at her sides, away from her ears. Her glamour was still in place, and Rio had already said they couldn’t use magic, so there was no way for them to know.

Still, she nodded. “I’m not.”

“In the company of a warlock and Druid who hate each other on a mission for you. Curious.”

“All in a day’s work,” she joked, echoing Graves’s words from earlier.

“Very few things could bring together this warlock and the Druids,” they said, tilting their head. “Very few things indeed.”

“Do you have a price in mind?” Graves growled.

They eyed Kierse up and down. “Perhaps a vial of your blood.”

“No,” Graves said at the same time Niamh said, “Absolutely not.”

Rio’s smile was vicious. “That is my request.”

Graves shook his head and began to remove items from his pockets. “I’ve brought fair payment.”

Rio looked over his stash. Kierse didn’t even know what half of the items were.

She thought about what it would mean to give someone part of her blood.

It had crossed her mind, but she’d known it was her hard limit.

Dr. Mafi had taken her blood and given it to the vampire lord King Louis, who had used it thinking it would give him magical powers.

She’d decapitated him with the spear anyway.

She wasn’t planning on letting someone else try something similar.

“None of this will do,” Rio said, waving it away. “I have another bargain if you refused blood.”

“What’s that?”

Rio showed a row of sharp teeth. “I’ll ask you three questions. You answer them truthfully and give me the information for the bracelet, and we’ll call it even. If you refuse to answer, then I get the blood.”

Kierse glanced at Graves, who was currently returning items to his pockets and looking displeased with the assessment.

He didn’t like it. Niamh didn’t like it.

But what other choice was there? Her blood could reveal her Fae heritage, a thing none of them wanted anyone else to know about.

Not when most people believed the wisps were extinct.

“Fine,” Kierse said. “Three questions.”

“Excellent. First question, what is your true name?”

“Kierse McKenna.”

Rio’s smile widened. “I see. Second question, what is the nature of your magics?”

Graves’s hand balled into a fist at that question. Kierse could have said immunity. That was the lie they had peddled to everyone else. But she had a feeling Rio would know if she lied and would void their deal. This was a dangerous line of questioning.

“The nature of my magics is absorption.”

Rio nodded as if anticipating that answer. “Final question, what sort of monster are you?”

Kierse froze at those words. Rio knew. The gleam in their eyes said that they had put together what should have been impossible.

Fuck. And she couldn’t lie to them and say she was a warlock the way she had to everyone else.

Somehow, they would know, and then they would require blood.

Blood that she absolutely couldn’t give. A fact that Rio clearly understood.

Was it worth it to give up this piece of valuable information to someone in the market? Something this dangerous? She had no idea how it could be used against her. But if she didn’t, she’d never find the person with the memory information. She’d have done all of this for nothing.

Graves leaned forward against the counter before she could say a word. “I would tread very carefully.”

Rio looked at him with a bland expression. “You and I are curators of knowledge, are we not? If I can guess the nature of who and what she is, do you not think that others soon will as well?”

The threat hung heavy between them.

“She’s a warlock,” Graves told them flatly.

Rio’s gaze shifted to Kierse. “Is that right? With absorption powers? Working with Druids?”

Kierse’s tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t say the word. Even though Rio had the answer already.

“I think not,” Rio said. “So, will you answer, or will you give me a vial of your blood?”

Graves pushed away from the counter. “This is absurd. Let’s just leave.”

“After all that we went through?”

“Allow me to help you instead.”

Kierse turned away from him. Rio already had this answer—she just had to confirm it—while she had no idea what more she’d have to give of herself to work with Graves like that. What he’d take. What further trust he’d break.

“Wisp,” she whispered.

Niamh tensed next to her. Graves slammed his fist down on the counter. She could see he wanted to choke the bookkeeper for this fact, but it was already done.

Rio slid their fingers over their lips and mimed locking the information away. They ripped out a slip from under the cabinet, scribbled on the paper, and passed it to Kierse. “Go here. Rizz will have what you’re looking for.”

Kierse took the paper and barely mustered the decency to say, “Thank you.”

“Happy hunting,” Rio said with a vicious smile that said they were next on the menu.