Fifi sat behind Mere, both legs folded pretzel-style. She was halfway through a complicated braid, fingers flashing so fast I could barely keep up. There was comfort in the way the girls touched.
Both watched Maeve crouched in front of them, ajar of salt and something strung on red thread in her palm. She kept her tone low, letting the twins handle the salt and string themselves. On the table beside them, Maeve had lined up a row of tiny protection charms—twist of lavender, curl of wax, little iron heart stamped with a sigil. Basic craft, she called it, but the look on Mere's face said it was the best kind of magic. Even Fifi's sarcasm had died back, eyes intent as she watched every flick and pinch.
At the other end of the room, Mom worked the tech. She'd set Kira's phone flat on the table, screen blinking with notifications, and fished a battered notebook and a pen from her purse.
I hovered, but she didn't look up. Instead, she scrolled. Flicked open a notes app that was three miles deep in folders. I caught the highlights as she read. Lists of names, blacked out details, a section labeled "contingency."
"Kira left everything here," Mom finally announced. "The dead men, William and Mark, she noted they were confirmed old-school radicals. Not just Hollow Order loose cannons, but the kind who think every shifter's a demon. Kira had contacted a witch she knew who was supposed to neutralize them, wipe the last week out of their heads, send them out of state on a wild goose chase." She thumbed through thefiles, eyes moving fast. "But they got spooked and acted first. If she was with them tonight, she was working undercover, not betrayal."
She scrolled through the phone. "There's full dossiers on them, including how the Order recruited Hanlon. Part greed, part fanatic, but it looks like he kept the rest of SkyArc in the dark."
Tash sucked in a breath, not quite steady, but didn't say a word.
Huey sprawled at her feet, chin planted on the tops of her boots. He kept a low growl going that I'd have found funny on any other night.
The kitchen door swung wide, and Xavier strode in. He was all business, there was no trace of the guy who'd lost at board games to Fifi a couple of hours ago. This version had a cop's walk and a set to his jaw that said he was expecting trouble.
Before he could ask, I cut to the chase. "Evan called me. He's got Kira. He picked her up on the ridge, not far from the kill spot. Says he's giving her exactly one shot to prove she's not just another hunter. If she can't, he'll handle it himself."
I knew what handle it himself meant.
Mom's eyes flashed gold, her dragon rising.
“Kira has confirmed that no other hunters had been called in yet. She had the two deadhunters believing that she’d been checking in with headquarters, but she hadn’t.” I glanced at my mother. “That is, if we trust her word.”
“I do,” Mother said tightly. There wasn’t much I could do but go along with it.
Xavier's stare pinched even tighter. He tapped the holster at his waist, checked the chamber, then rolled his shoulders. "Not best for you to try to order him, Aunt Livia. I'll go. If he doesn't answer, I'll find him and her. Evan's smart, but he's not always careful when it comes to blood and family. He might need reminding that he's not above the law."
I saw the relief in Tash's posture. She'd gone stiff as a fence post when I said "got Kira," but it eased, just a little, when Xavier took control.
"Give him a little time," I warned. "I really doubt he'd kill her outside a fight. He's never done cold blood that I know of. If this Kira's not a liability, she could be the leverage we need."
Xavier nodded. "It’s not my first rodeo. I'll call in once I have eyes on both of them."
He crossed to the twins, ruffling Fifi's hair so rough she mock-growled and swatted at his hand. "Don't let your mom stay up too late," he told them, then winked at Mere. "You're the witch, right? Maeve has some knock-out teas."
Mere grinned, but didn't rise to the bait.
By the time he hit the door, Maeve was already in motion, tray in hand. She'd made the tea herself. There was a fourth mug for Tash, with a single sugar cookie propped on the edge.
As all that happened, Mom slipped outside behind Xavier.
Maeve parked the tray on the ottoman in front of the girls. "Not doctored with any magic, but sugar helps with shock."
Tash drank deeply. The second the taste hit, her mouth curled up into a big smile. "Why is this so much better than Starbucks?"
Maeve shot her a look. "Because it's not made by robots."
Mere took hers, blew across the top, and held it between both hands like she could absorb the heat straight into her bones.
For a minute, the world shrank to nothing but the steam and the sound of the people drinking tea. Safe, for now.
Maeve pulled her embroidery floss, flicked it tight, and showed Fifi how to loop the charm onto a keyring. "You stick this in your pocket at school. If it gets wet, just dry it and it'll keep working. If it starts to smell like smoke, come see me right away."
Fifi weighed the charm, turning it over with a smirk. "What if I want it to smell like Cheetos?"
Maeve deadpanned right back, "Take it up with your lunch lady."
