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  Neither of the brothers spoke for a moment, instead sharing nervous glances. Finally, Reo said, “The three demon sisters are a formidable force. We grew up hearing of their malicious ways.”

  Chills broke out on my arms and I cleared my throat. “Yeah, we just found out that they like to eat human souls and all that good stuff.”

  The warriors nodded.

  Great, there went my hope that we were wrong about that.

  “You don’t know where Calista is right now?” Haru asked.

  I shook my head. “But she’s in town. She was here just last night.”

  “And you lost her?” Haru took a seat around the table.

  I had to work hard to repress the growl vibrating in my throat.

  “We successfully captured both the sirens,” Cass corrected, and tilted his chin upward, sliding into the chair next to me. “The humans lost Calista, not us. We’re certified supernatural bounty hunters and damn good at our jobs. Last night we had to fight off a giant demon that was more dangerous than Calista. The giant demon’s dead, by the way.” He fake-smiled at the brothers.

  You tell ‘em, Cass.

  “With Calista loose, we must be extra vigilant to prevent her from finding out what Evie is.” Haru leaned across the table to impress us with the seriousness of his statement. “Hell will descend on us, unless we get the only living kitsune in the world powered up and ready to defeat whatever tries to crawl out of the gate.”

  He was all rainbows and cuddles, this one.

  “That’s right. She’s the only one who can close the gate for good,” Reo chimed in. “You need to let us train her, Sabine. If you think siren triplets with a taste for havoc are bad, just wait till you find out what else considers the underworld its home.”

  Haru nodded his agreement, his dark brown eyes, the identical shade of his brother’s, were intense. “The siren triplets will seem like snuggly puppies if we don’t get Evie to shut the gate.”

  Sabine crossed her arms across her chest in defiance, but her hands shook a little. “Then give me a way to allow you to train her that doesn’t endanger the well-being of my alpha’s woman and his baby.”

  My heart thumped and all thoughts of evil sirens and other underworldly beasts fled my mind. Sabine considered me Brock’s woman? I worked to school my features, but I couldn’t keep a grin from creeping up my face. Good thing everyone else was—appropriately—concerned about the whole life and death deal to notice my love-struck expression. I was in so much trouble, falling for the alpha.

  Reo and Haru opened their mouths, to continue the circular argument from before, no doubt, when a sharp rap rattled the cabin’s front door. I jumped as if Calista and her two sisters were poised on the doorstep.

  Cass offered me a look that said, Jumpy, are we? I flicked my bestie the finger and pushed my chair back.

  But before I could even stand, the door swung open.

  Reo, Haru, Sabine, and Cass were on their feet in a heartbeat. My Japanese protectors drew their swords with a telltale shliiing before I could even make out who it was at the door. Sabine’s eyes were wild, two seconds away from shifting, and Cass’ favorite Gucci fanny pack was already unzipped, exposing a row of Gran’s vials—magic swirling at the ready. My fingers twitched above my gun, which rested in its holster at my hip, right where it belonged. I could have it in my hand, aimed, and fired in half a second flat.

  “Whoa, you guys are the coolest.” Molly’s voice dripped with awe, before remembering herself and her new role as a supernatural bounty hunter apprentice. She stood to join the rest of us, shifting to the balls of her feet. She had no weapon, but she looked like she’d charge the intruder regardless.

  A woman strolled into the cabin then as if she owned the place—and a bunch of trained warriors weren’t staring her down with itchy reflexes. I drew my gun and aimed it at the middle of her chest, right between her ample boobs. Sabine started shifting behind me, the sound of cracking bones signaling the coming wolf.

  But the woman barely spared us a glance. She either had a death wish or she knew something I didn’t—like that she could deflect bullets or some shit. With supes, you never knew. And she wasn’t a supe I was familiar with.

  I followed her movements into my house while sighting with my Glock. “Who the fuck are you?” I asked in my best Dirty Harry voice.

  “Don’t shoot,” Reo said suddenly. “This is Tianna, the half fae, half witch my brother and I told you about.”

  “Who’s apparently forgotten her manners,” Haru added, sheathing his katana.

  “You were expecting me, so what’s the big deal?” the woman, who appeared to be six-feet tall, said as she stalked toward the kitchen, studying the space before returning to the living and dining area.

  “We were expecting you tomorrow,” Reo said. “You’re early.”

  “What can I say? I’m the best at what I do. I finished my job more quickly than expected.”

  “What job were you on?” Molly asked, since she seemed to be the only one not to notice that this woman was broadcasting a watch out! danger! signal like she was a damn radio tower.

  Tianna swiveled in mid-step, her shoulder-length copper hair fanning out behind her like a shampoo commercial. When she pinned Molly with her emerald green eyes, Molly swallowed. My apprentice was reading the danger vibe loud and clear now.

  Tianna’s wide mouth parted in a wicked smile. “That’s none of your business, now is it?”

  “Hey,” I started, but Cass cut me off.

  “Every good woman should have her mysteries.” My bestie’s voice was smoky and better suited to a late-night lounge with deep shadows and loose morals.

  Tianna’s expression softened a touch at the demon imp’s words. “Exactly,” she purred.

  My attention snapped to Cass, holstering my gun. My badass bounty-hunting partner had zipped his fanny pack back up and smoothed the hair atop his head, tucking it all in between his little blue horns. “I like a woman who knows her worth,” he added.

  I rolled my eyes so hard that Molly barked out a laugh before swallowing it. “Sorry,” she scrambled to say to the Amazonian redhead in our midst, flailing her hands nervously in front of her. “It was ... never mind.”

  Cass slid stubby four-fingered hands across his tiny booty shorts—undoubtedly wishing he’d worn a fancier set than his utilitarian shiny gold ones. When he patted his round belly, Tianna was tracking every one of his movements with her gaze.

  I figured she’d be grossed out by the imp, whose looks usually needed time to grow on you, but damn if her eyes didn’t glaze over—for a flicker of a second—before she stashed her reaction.

  Of course. She was half fae, and fae was Cass’ favorite flavor.

  I didn’t understand the sex appeal. Pretty sure I never would.

  Cass opened his arms wide, licking his dark lips and patting his belly again. “Welcome to our humble home.” Then he gave his little rump a shake.

  Tianna, who towered over him, cocked a curvaceous hip. With a dagger hanging from her waist and the magic sparking in her aura, she looked like she could eat my BFF as a light snack.

  She waggled her eyebrows at him and he gave a slight moan that sounded far too much like foreplay for company.

  ‘Ewww. Keep it in your pants, dude,’ I told Cass.

  ‘Hmm, not sure I can. I think I’m in love.’

  ‘What? Of course you can,’ I rushed to say, because he actually sounded serious.

  ‘She’s sex wrapped up in one fine package.’

  Most fae were lithe and willowy. This one was kick-your-ass solid, with a feral gleam as the cherry on top. She was not walking sex. If anything, she was walking death.

  Cass slid the thick gold chain he wore around his neck, gangsta style, back and forth, his eyes sweeping Tianna up and down and back again. When Tianna did nothing to discourage him, he licked his lips again.

  ‘Cass, you’re going to have to holster your, uh, weapon. Life and death, remember?’<
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  No, he obviously didn’t. I wasn’t even sure he’d heard me. ‘Underworlders? Triplet sirens from hell? Broken gate we’re supposed to be guarding? Any of this ringing a bell?’ I said through our bond.

  Cass shook his head, and I hoped also the Tianna-induced haze. ‘You’re supposed to be guarding the gates. I’m supposed to be guarding you,’ he said.

  He flew up to meet the fae-witch at eye level. “We’ve got business to attend to now,” Cass purred in his best sex voice. “But I’d love to give you the full tour later. What do you say?”

  Oh. My. God.

  Every one of us was frozen in place, staring at this spectacle.

  “As long as it’s sooner rather than later,” Tianna purred with a flick of shiny hair over her shoulder. She winked at my furry friend and Cass’ wings faltered for a beat.

  “As you wish.” His voice was low and rumbly. Then, with visible effort, he turned around and stepped to my side. “Now, where were we?” he asked the bunch of us.

  We were all too shocked by their display to answer right away. Tianna, however, didn’t hesitate to take charge. “We were about to let me shape this witch into something powerful.” She brought both hands to her hips as she trailed her attention up and down my body. “She has the right basic building blocks, but damn do I have my work cut out for me.”

  Well, at least on that front everyone seemed to be in agreement. Not even Sabine was ready to argue that point.

  The safety of humanity and supes alike rested on me alone. And I didn’t have a clue how to save any of them.

  3 Dud Life

  Tianna sat across from me, staring at Gran’s tiny spell bottles as if they were a pathetic tray of stale crackers I was offering a guest.

  “This is the only way you’ve been doing magic?” She picked up a vial and smelled it, her glossy copper hair sliding around her shoulders as she scrunched her nose.

  We were up in the loft where Molly had been sleeping and also where Gran kept her spell books and potions. I’d had to force Cass to stay downstairs with Molly and the others because he was distracting Tianna.

  I loved Gran’s vials. “I told you I grew up thinking I was a dud. I relied on Gran’s potions to do what my magic couldn’t. Now I’ve just got these and my mom’s grimoire.”

  “Hmm, well, you’re definitely not a dud. I can smell your witch power from here. And you’ve got a grimoire, you said?”

  Nodding, I reached behind the couch. Pulling out the large black leather book with the moonstone eye on it from the bookshelf, I held it out to her.

  She shrank back and slapped her forehead. “You don’t just hand another witch your family’s grimoire! What’s wrong with you?”

  “Oh.” I jerked my hand back, lowering my head.

  With a sigh, she held her hands up in frustration. “Okay, witch 101. You don’t give other witches access to your family spells. Ever. There’ll be things in there they could use against you.”

  Why hadn’t Gran trained me properly? She knew what I was and what I’d one day become! Other than basic witch stuff, she never clued me in on any of this.

  “Okay. Let’s start with basic protections. Do you smudge daily?” Tianna queried.

  I winced. I was supposed to, I knew that. Sage cleansed spaces and people of negative energies. Especially after dealing with demons but…

  “No.”

  She gave me a look that spoke volumes and moved on. “Aura protection spell for you and the baby?”

  My eyes widened. I hadn’t told her about the baby and I wasn’t showing yet. If anything, I only looked like I’d eaten a few too many potato chips.

  The fae-witch grinned. “Please, I sensed the baby’s heartbeat the second I scanned you.”

  Whoa.

  That must have been her fae side. Rumor was that a certain sect of them were great healers and could sense all kinds of stuff about the body.

  “No aura protection,” I answered in a meek voice.

  She sighed. “Okay, girl, I’m going to help you. I know how confusing it can be to try and work out hybrid magic. I’m glad the boys called me.”

  I nodded as I realized Tianna wasn’t to be feared as long as you were on her side. Still, I could smell the power rolling off of her, unable to be entirely contained. Heaven help you if she considered you a foe.

  “Growing up, did you always know you were a hybrid?” I asked.

  A thoughtful look crossed her face before she shook her head. “No. My mother raised me as a witch, like her, and kept my father’s identity a secret. It wasn’t until I was sixteen and ripped a bunch of gigantic trees from their roots in anger that she told me of my earth magic and my fae father.” She chuckled softly. “Because she had to then.”

  Earth magic. So that’s what the fae called it.

  “And you’re a healer too?” Maybe that’s how she’d known I was pregnant.

  She shook her head. “No. I can sense energies as part of my fae gift, but I can’t manipulate them enough to heal.”

  Damn, sounded a bit like my life, though she’d clearly mastered her gifts.

  She held her hands out in front of her. “Let’s start with aura protection for you and the baby, okay? Copy me.”

  I set the grimoire down on the coffee table and stuck my hands out before me as she had.

  “Now close your eyes and imagine an upside-down glass bowl encasing your entire body with a protective golden light.” Her voice was calm and meditative, but her instructions were weird as fuck. Gran never did any of this stuff.

  I pinched my eyes shut and thought of a bowl draping over me, emitting a soft golden light that covered my entire body. I pulled with everything I had.

  “Whoa, easy kiddo. Breathe in and out.”

  I peeled one eye open to find that the cover of the grimoire had flipped open and its pages were rustling in some kind of imaginary wind.

  What the fuck?

  “Is that me?” I gasped, completely losing the vision of the golden dome. The pages fell flat.

  “You or the baby.”

  My eyes bugged. “The baby?”

  “I’m kidding. It was you. Now try again, but don’t force it. Your magic should be easy, like breathing.”

  Okay. Right.

  This time I closed my eyes and took a calming breath, and instead of pushing like I had before, I simply visualized the dome of golden protection.

  “Perfect,” Tianna yelled.

  My eyes popped open. I couldn’t see anything draped around me.

  “Now you have a dome of protection over you. It’ll only last about twenty-four hours, so you’ll have to reinforce it every morning. In time, you’ll learn to see magic and other layers of protection. For now, you’ll probably only feel it.”

  I just nodded as if this wasn’t some crazy shit. “And what is it protecting me from, exactly?”

  She groaned. “Energy vampires! Cords. Ill will. Bad juju. All that stuff.”

  Oh. Right.

  “Now.” She reached out and picked up my mother’s grimoire. “We’re going to search through this for a small spell to start with.”

  I frowned. “You said I shouldn’t let you touch it.”

  She waved a hand nonchalantly. “I was just teaching you a lesson. But don’t let anyone else touch it. Hide it in the floorboards or something, and do a protection spell over this too.”

  My head was already spinning, and we were only just getting started. Nothing like cramming a lifetime of magic lessons into mere days to bring on a headache.

  Over the next few days, Tianna focused our training sessions on my witch magic. By the end of the week, she said, she’d be ready to delve into my kitsune magic. I was already proving to be pretty powerful—her words, not mine—but my kitsune magic was threading through into my witch magic at times, which complicated things.

  Of course it did. Nothing was simple anymore.

  Whenever I wasn’t with Tianna, I was with the warriors. Under Sabine or Brock’s watchful
eye, they were training me to master my katana. Every time I held it, the blade glowed a bright purple. They said that wasn’t normal, not even for a kitsune, which made it all the cooler … and scary.

  And whenever Tianna wasn’t busy training me, she was shacked up with Cass in his new apartment downtown…

  Shudder.

  I barely had any spare time to spend with Brock or to hang out with Cass and Molly, and it was starting to wear me down.

  “I need a break,” I declared in the middle of my current katana lesson while brushing the hair from my face. I was due at Brock’s for a blood transfusion in an hour anyway, but I wouldn’t mind heading over early to get some lovin’. Other than some light sexting, we hadn’t had the chance to connect without observers, and my hormones were in overdrive. I needed some alpha. Now.

  He had the property crawling with wolves in the event of a vampire attack, or in case Calista decided to stop by again, but despite his pleas to sleep at his house, I’d declined. I didn’t want to leave Molly alone with Haru and Reo, who insisted their place as my protectors was at the cabin.

  Although Molly didn’t seem to mind. I’d caught her eyeing the hottie warriors more than once.

  Haru was studying me. I was certain I put off the all-tired-out vibe. “Alright,” he finally said. “We’ll resume later this evening.”

  I wanted to groan but thought better of it. I was grateful they were even helping me. We hadn’t even moved on to demons yet. They said I needed to master the katana first, and Tianna said my witch magic needed to be anchored—whatever that meant.

  Turning, I prepared to start my trek up the hill to Brock’s when I got the nerve to ask Haru something that had been on my mind. “Do you think there’s a chance I could contact my father?” Anxiety swept through me once the question left my mouth.

  Haru frowned. “I’m sorry, Evie, but that’s not possible right now.”

  I wasn’t prepared for the pang of sadness that hit me. “Not even a letter?”