“—Ialsofound out he used to be a musician before he joined the Council. A singer for a rock band, actually.” She slides the photo across to us. “Check it out. This is from theeighties.”
The image shows an admittedly attractive man in his mid-twenties with long red hair, shirtless on stage, microphone in hand, leather pants slung low enough to be borderline illegal. The crowd in front of him is a blur of reaching hands and ecstatic faces.
“Damn,” I mumble. “He’s really got the whole rock god vibe going on, doesn’t he?”
Micah leans over, a low growl building in his chest. “I could wear pants down to my dick if you’re into that.”
Sadie gags.
“I like your khakis and flannels just fine,” I assure him with a laugh, running my fingers through his hair. He melts, and I go back to studying the photo. “Rockstar is a pretty good gig for a siren. Lots of adoring fans.”
“Right?” Sadie nods enthusiastically. “He was in this band called Black Tide for like a decade. They were huge in the underground supernatural scene. Then he just... vanished. Popped up a few years later working for the Council.”
Micah frowns. “How does someone go from rockstar to Council pencil pusher in a few years?”
“That’s the interesting part.” Sadie pulls out another stack of papers, this one covered in handwritten notes. “He must have gotten bored. Or maybe he pissed off the wrong people and needed protection. Either way, he was actually doing somesuper shadystuff for a while before he went legit. Had lots of ties to the Twilight Market.”
That tracks. The Twilight Market is where Micah got that compass pendant for me. It’s also where people go when they need things that can’t be obtained through normal channels. Black market magic, forbidden artifacts, connections that could get someone killed, or save them.
“I’ve got some feelers out,” Sadie continues. “Trying to find people who worked with him back then. See if anyone knows what his deal is and if we can trust him.”
“Be careful,” I warn, lowering my voice to a whisper. “We don’t want this guy knowing we’re looking into him. Not when he has information that could get Killian killed.”
Sadie rolls her eyes. “Relax. I know how to usefinesse.”
“Doubtful,” Micah mutters.
“Excuse you, I am the darkqueenof finesse.” She throws a chip at his head. He catches it and eats it, because of course he does. “I’ve been doing spellwork since before you could tie your own shoes.”
“We’re the same age, Sadie.”
“Yeah, but I was always more advanced.”
They bicker for another minute while I flip through the dossier. It’s thorough. Disturbingly thorough. Sadie has somehow obtained performance records, financial documents, and what appears to be a list of Vyse’s known associates dating back several decades.
“Remind me never to piss you off,” I mumble.
She beams, clearly taking that as a compliment.
“How’s Killian doing?” Sadie asks, her tone softening. “Any change?”
The question hits me harder than it should. I set down the papers and take a breath.
“No change.” My voice comes out steadier than I feel. “Which is... maybe a good thing? The stasis is holding. He’s not getting worse.”
“But he’s not getting better either.”
“No.”
Sadie nods slowly. She doesn’t offer empty reassurances, which I appreciate. She just accepts the information and moves on.
“So you’re seriously staying with Villeneuve for the foreseeable future?” she asks, clearly changing the subject, which I also appreciate. “How’s that working out?”
Micah makes a face. “It fucking sucks.”
“It’s necessary,” I add quickly. “For the time being. The mansion has better wards than the frat house, and until we figure out what to do about...” I trail off, not wanting to say too much. Even Sadie doesn’t know about Villeneuve being a dragon. “Until we figure things out, it makes sense to stay somewhere more secure.”
“Makes sense.” Sadie doesn’t push for details, even though she’s apparently a master of interrogation and investigation when she wants to be. She starts gathering her papers back into her bag. “I’ve got my sorcery exam in the morning, so I’ve gotta run. But let me know if anything changes, yeah? With Killian or with the creepy siren guy.”
