Selene’s eyes darted around the opulent room, from the gilded chandelier to the fireplace with its stone mantel. “Why… would you do that?”
Artemis smiled. “It’s what the goddess wants. She sent you to us, and it is our duty to accept her gift.”
“The goddess?” Selene laughed. She’d only known the god of her human parents.
Artemis took her hand. “Come, my child. Let’s find you a room. There will be plenty of time to discuss all this when you’re rested.”
Selene emerged from the memory with a deep inhale, opening her eyes. She was a werewolf, an acolyte, a gift from the goddess. She was no victim.
“Oh no, Jason.” If anything happened to him, Artemis would be so disappointed in her. He was her responsibility and obviously not in his right mind. She sprinted into his room, looking for anything that might give her a clue to where he might go.
Next to his laptop, a box carved out of ebony sat on top of a pile of paperwork. She’d seen the snake on the lid before. Yes, the ring Jason had worn. She flipped it open. Empty, of course. Still, Jason had been toying with the box. Why?
“Lost Things,” she read off the label on the bottom. It was worth a try.
She reached for her phone. She was going to need transportation.
* * *
“Areyou sure you want to be dropped off here, miss?” the Uber driver asked. “This is a bad neighborhood. Real bad. I won’t be able to wait for you while you’re inside.”
Selene heard a high-pitched scream from somewhere down the alley followed by running footsteps that faded with distance. She hesitated. Stacks of books with worn titles waited just inside the front window, only one that she could read from her seat—The Glory of the Dead. An antique doll’s head with a half-burned face leaned against the stack next to what looked like a human skull.
“I hate the sign,” the driver said. “Look at the eyes. Is the little boy lost physically or lost in another way?” The big man shivered.
“I… I don’t know,” Selene said, glancing at the Lost Things logo.
“Well, it gives me the creeps. Either go in now or I’m charging you for the ride back. I’m not staying here another minute.”
She apologized and tipped him a few dollars. Steeling her resolve, she hopped out of the midsize sedan and hurried into the shop. The bell above the door chimed, heralding her entrance.
A man she was sure was a vampire turned from a shelf that held nothing but baskets of bones, sorted by size. He flashed her a little fang before resuming his shopping. The place stank of moldy parchment and bad taxidermy, but Selene shuffled deeper into the store.
“You’re in the wrong place, angel.” Another man had appeared out of thin air beside her, dark and menacing. Not dark-skinned, just dark. Black hair, black eyes, a complexion with olive undertones, and almond-shaped eyes she couldn’t associate with any specific supernatural species or human ethnicity. His presence loomed as if the night air had become corporal beside her.
“I’m no angel,” she said with more bravado than she felt.
“But your soul doesn’t belong in this zip code.” His voice was burning cinder blocks.
“I… Are you the owner of this store?” She held up the box.
He examined the item. “Interesting. Where did you getthat, angel?”
“From Jason Fl—”
“Shhh. We have a strict privacy policy here. I know of whom you speak. What business is he of yours?”
“I’m supposed to be watching him… helping him. But he went crazy and left his apartment. I need to find him.” She lowered her voice. “He’s not in his right mind. He might not be safe. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
The door chimed—the vampire leaving.
“I know where I told him to go, but it is no place for you, angel. Jason’s vice needs to be fed, and with that dragon fae at large, there is only one safe place for him to do it.”
“Where? Can I walk there from here?”
“Not if you want to arrive with a beating heart.”
Known for her even temperament, Selene wasn’t usually the type of person to act out. But she was tired and scared and woefully sick of the dark man’s cryptic language. In one slick motion, she plucked a dagger off a nearby shelf and brought it to his throat, violently gripping the man’s upper arm.
