“Good. Really good. So why are you all in my house?”
“We were looking for you,” Delaney said. “This seemed like the best place to begin.”
“Where is the unicorn?”
“We locked her in the spare room.”
There was a clatter from somewhere down the hall, a crash, and a muffled curse.
“Did you tie her up?”
Jean smiled. “It’s amazing how useful duct tape can be. And those fancy golden cuffs? Bueno.” She gave Bathin a thumbs up.
Funny how quickly she could forgive and forget. It was something I’d always admired about her.
I took another gulp of coffee, because I needed it if I was going to get through this conversation.
“So here’s what I know.” I cupped the mug between my hands and savored the warmth. “The unicorn is Bathin’s mother, a demon who has taken the shape of a unicorn.”
“We heard him when he said it. Is it true?” Ryder asked.
“It’s true. And if she really can open a vortex into Ordinary, like Bathin thinks she can, it’s only a matter of time before more demons do the same.”
“Can we do anything to shore up our defenses?” Delaney asked Bathin.
“Against demons?”
“Against vortexes. People turning into frogs. Unicorns that aren’t unicorns. And yes, demons.”
“Ordinary is already nearly impossible for my kind to breech,” Bathin said. “I can’t imagine what else could be done to make it even more impenetrable.”
Delaney took a deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Okay. So we have vortexes to think about, demons…”
“…with yellow eyes,” Jean added.
“…with yellow eyes,” she agreed. “We have the unicorn, and we have you, still holding my soul in trade…”
Ryder muttered something that I didn’t catch, but which I would probably agree with.
“…plus, we have two new officers we’re training and the Slammin’ Salmon Serenade coming up tomorrow.”
“What does the parade have to do with anything?” Bathin asked.
“Busy tourist days. Everyone comes to town for the food and wine and beer and parade. A last hurrah before autumn really kicks in. So we’re about to be up to our collective necks in people. How are we going to keep them safe if another vortex opens up? Or multiple vortexes?”
We were all silent, because, yeah, we might have more hands on the force now, but we couldn’t be everywhere at once.
“We need more data,” I said. “I say we grill the unicorn.”
Bathin snorted. “Good luck.”
“Oh, I didn’t say I was going to do it. I think it’s time you pulled your weight around here.”
“I’m sure I’m going to love this idea.”
“If she’s really the one who opened the vortexes, I want to know why. And I want to know why she helped us close them.” I headed toward the guest room. Bathin took a step, but Jean made a short sound.
“Nope,” she said. “You stay here. Last time you got too close to Myra, you stone-napped her.”
