We watched the kid move through the shop. Morgan switched feeds for me whenever he moved out of view. The audio was weak, but I heard him tell Annette his name and ask her about last night.
“Who is this jerk?” Morgan asked. “Some kind of demon or monster?”
“Temple says he’s human.” I studied Ronnie’s face and build, fixing them in my memory.
I picked up the ziplock bag, pulled out the tissue, and brought it to my nose. Temple’s spell had burnt the edges, so the strongest scent was charred paper. I tore out the piece with the blood and sniffed again.
Blood was blood. It had a metallic smell I knew far too well. But I’d watched Annette gather this drop from the doorknob. She hadn’t just wiped up the blood. She’d also gotten any sweat or skin oil Ronnie left behind. Andthatscent was unique.
“Can you really, like, track him from that?” asked Morgan.
“There are probably, like, too many scents on the sidewalk to, like, track him that way,” I said. Morgan rolled his eyes at my teasing. “But I’ll recognize his scent if I cross his path or if I go somewhere he’s been recently.”
“I thought you didn’t do that anymore,” said Morgan. “The Hunter thing, I mean.”
“I don’t.” I wasn’t hunting. This was just a precaution.
“Why not? You have all those goddess power-ups, and there are plenty of threats out there, right?”
I liked Morgan, but he could get nosey, especially about anything magic-related. “There are, though not as many as you probably imagine.”
“Then why aren’t you out hunting them?” Morgan pressed. “With great power comes great responsibility, right? Aren’t you responsible for protecting people?”
“First of all, if you’re going to quote Spider-Man, get it right. The line was ‘With great power there must also come great responsibility.’ Second, it’s complicated.”
“Why?” He smiled as if that would make the question less annoying.
“You want to know the real reason?” I leaned closer. He did the same. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “It was thirty-three years ago. My last hunt. I was searching for a mythical creature, a dangerous beast called the Nunya.”
Morgan sat back in his chair. “I get it. ‘Nunya Business,’ right?”
“Oh, you’ve heard of it?” I sealed the blood-spotted tissue back into the bag, then shooed Morgan away. “Thanks for your help with the security app.”
He peeked into the oven on his way out. “Save a muffin for me, Uncle Temple.”
My grin lasted until I heard him shut the hall door behind him. I allowed myself a minute to stuff old feelings back down where they belonged.
“Do you think he’ll come back?” asked Temple.
“No question. He loves your chocolate chip muffins.”
“I mean Ronnie.”
I picked up my phone and replayed the video of him squaring off with Annette. “It’s not just that he attacked a harvester. He also tracked her to us. He’s determined, he has access to magic, and he knows Annette is onto him. Yeah, he’ll be back.”
The urge to head out and find him myself was strong. I blamed Morgan for stirring up those memories. I considered our other options. “Can you add him to the house’s block list? Make sure he can’t get inside unless he’s invited?”
“He’s not a vampire, Jenny. But yes, we’re familiar with Ronnie’s appearance, and we’ll know if he comes back. That much I can still do. I haven’t lostallmy power yet.”
The bitterness in his words hurt my heart. I squeezed his hand. “You could lose five lifetimes’ worth of knowledge and power, and you’d still be one of the strongest wizards on the planet. That harvester from last night is alive—more or less—because of you. So are a lot of other people. And non-people.”
“Last night was nice. It’s good to feel like you matter again for a few minutes.” He shrugged one shoulder. “For everything there is a season. I’m deep into winter, and it’s getting colder.”
“You’re not allowed to go.” I gathered the threads of my usual cheer and wove them into a smile, a mask for the fear and dread. I’d lost far too many people in my life. “If anything happened to you, we’d have to survive on my cooking. Or worse, Annette’s.”
• • •
Seven weeks after I moved in with Temple, my bedroom had grown a second closet. The larger closet was for clothing and linens and such, while the smaller was the perfect size for worship and prayer.
