Page 112 of The Wolfing Hour

His neck creaked. He was listening.

“Floyd accused me of using magic to kidnap Rory. Mason said she’d been in Floyd’s basement earlier but had gone missing before I arrived. Ronan didn’t have her, or he’d have told me. Who else could it have been?”

He steepled his long fingers in front of his lips. Listening.

“The Org connection was tougher to figure out, but Demon Betty was surprisingly informative. You were the one who tipped them off about me. The only people who knew what I was when the Org came to town were you and my batshit, murder-obsessed cousin. It could have been him, but I don’t think so. Was it you?”

“Yes.” The corners of his mouth creaked into a barely there smile. “So, she is sharing information with you. Wonderful.”

I suppressed the urge to scream.

“Miles was supposed to be a truthseeker, yet there were times when he could’ve used those abilities to his advantage but didn’t. I mean, why not just track down one of Floyd’s wolves and question them? Or corner me, if he really thought I had him. You were controlling him. The fake, wimpy wolf shifters were convincing, and Gnath as Bloody Mary was, too. I didn’t suspect a thing.”

“Those shifters were not wimpy or fake. They craved power so much they gave me permission to take them over. And then your wolf turned them into zombies and kicked me out. He ruined all my plans. I can totally tell he’s your boyfriend.” Gnathsqueezed his arms around his knees. “Hey, how about you call off the flames? Getting a little uncomfortable over here.”

Sexton and I ignored him.

“You made me believe my protection spell failed. Did you have anything to do with the spell I did with Margaux failing? Or rather, not failing, from your point-of-view. After all, you showed me exactly what you wanted me to see.”

“It was necessary to show you how powerful you are,” he said. “I would have preferred to handle it differently, however?—"

“How’d you get the real Bloody Mary to go along with your plan?” I asked, interrupting him. The last thing I wanted from him was a backhanded apology.

Sexton’s nearly invisible smile disappeared completely. “I did no such thing. I was not lying when I told you I despise her.” He gestured idly to Gnath. “This fool talks too much.”

“Mary knew I had a connection with a lonely kid. She wanted in, and you don’t say no to Bloody Mary.” Gnath shivered. “Not if you value your existence.”

I looked at Sexton. “What was the point of bringing me out there? To get me focused on mirrors? Computer screens? Why?”

“A reflective surface is a most innocuous portal,” he replied. “A way to pass between worlds.”

“That’show Demon Betty entered my body? She wasn’t already there?”

“She was, and also not,” he said, godsdamned aggravatingly.

“So, she was activated in me? Like a sleeper cell? Dormant until triggered?”

“Excellent analogy.”

The phrase “like pulling teeth” came to mind.

“You gave me hints.” I deepened my voice, mimicking him, “Never bend the knee to demons. You can never fully trust one of my kind.”

“I do not sound that way,” he said.

“Close enough. And I even get why you did all this.” Though I’d never, ever forgive him for it. “To force me to accept my demon side.”

“Your soil has not rejected your demon side,” he said with self-satisfaction. “You are one. All is resolved.”

“When I let the demon take over, the plants in my garden room withered and died. Every single one except for your damned belladonna,” I said, voice shaking with rage. “She cut me off from my soil magic.”

“You will grow them again,” he said dismissively.

“I felt their deaths in the deepest part of my soul.” I pressed my palm to my chest above my heart. “You cannot imagine the pain. Or maybe you can and just don’t care.”

There was a slight tightening around his eyes as he regarded me. “It was not my intention to cause you pain.”

“Isn’t thispleasant? Grandpa and granddaughter making nice with each other. It’s like one of those old timey greeting card commercials.” Gnath cackled from behind the flames.