The edges of my vision receded, until all I could see was Bael’s face. A chill replaced the fury in my gut, spreading outward, until I felt as if I could shatter.
“My fault?” My voice was hoarse.
Bael gave a sharp shake of his head. “If this is how your power has manifested, you couldn’t have known. It’s extraordinarily rare. So rare, in fact, that I need to do some research to confirm it.”
I stared at him. We both knew it made perfect sense. Daimonion was devolving.
“He’s no longer rational,” Bael said. “That means he’s going to make mistakes. We’ll catch him.”
I gave Bael a long look, and he nodded. “Everyone knows he is for you to kill. Unless it comes down to protecting innocents.”
“Do you need me here?”
“No. Go be with your witch.”
I nodded and headed back to the bar. Mere and Orin were behind the bar, making drinks for a group of human tourists. The tourists were staring around the bar, wide-eyed, and Mere shot me an amused look when I walked in.
I caught the relief in her eyes when she saw I was unharmed, and I hid my smile. I was growing on her. She knew we were right together, and all of her fears around me knowing her secret had been proven wrong.
I helped behind the bar, enjoying the chance to just hang out with Mere, even if we were surrounded by drunk humans and paranormals.
By the time everything had been cleared, counted, and cleaned, I was more than ready to urge Mere upstairs.
But first…
I glanced at Orin. “Mere is going after Ilayda tomorrow. She might need you to take over for a few days.”
Meredith strolled over, giving me a long-suffering look before she addressed Orin. “As Vas explained before I could talk to you about it, I may not make it back in time for opening.”
“As I’ve told you three thousand times, this bar actually functions fairly well without you,” Orin said. “But why wasn’t I invited to your little party?”
“You’re banished from your realm,” Mere explained patiently, and he gave her a look that said she had some sucking up to do.
He pulled her in for a hug. “Be careful tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything.”
He stalked away, and Mere shook her head at me. “He’ll sulk for days.”
“Any luck narrowing down Ilayda’s location?”
She shook her head. “Evie and Kyla are on it, and I’m going to take another look at the harpy’s laptop now.”
I followed her upstairs, watching as she sat on her sofa and pulled the laptop close. Her power was unusual, and watching her use it fascinated me. But it was Mere herself who drew me without even trying.
“I can’t concentrate when you do that.” She raised one eyebrow at me.
“When I do what?”
“When you give me that…look.”
I grinned at her. She scowled at me and turned away, but I caught the way her eyes gleamed, the way her cheeks heated.
She held the laptop for a long time. Long enough that I got up to pace. There was something…disconcerting about seeing her lost in her trance, her eyes moving behind her lids as she scanned the laptop for anything she could use.
After half an hour, her cheeks began to lose color, and I tensed. I opened my mouth, but she was already pushing the laptop away with a frustrated snarl.
“Nothing. I don’t know who they used to hide their true identities, but I can’t get through.”
“You guys will find her,” I said. “The three of you working together? It’s a little scary.”
