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The leader snorted. “Little human like you thinks he knows a slut like Zodiac? What are you, demon bait?”

“It’s not like that.” My back hit the chain-link fence, rattling it.

“You wanna fuck him, is that it?”

“No, definitely not.” I laughed nervously. “We’re partners—business partners.”

“You stalking him?” the pretty one asked, hissing.

They were almost on me now, all three of them, their combined wings blotting out the streetlights and any witnesses. The main street seemed like a whole other world away, and the terrible sinking sensation in my gut suggested this was going to end badly.

The leader jolted me in the shoulder, then gripped the fence either side, bouncing me. “You smell like trouble.” His yellow eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. “You smell real interesting, Mr. Nothing Nobody who wants to fuck Zodiac. Why is that?”

“I d-don’t know.” Oh dear.

“You’re right,” the pretty one said, giving the air a taste with his snake-like tongue. “Tastessss different too.”

Occasionally, someone had the misfortune of meeting me who also had the ability to see beneath my secrets. It was rare, but not unheard of. The outcome of such a meeting was always . . . terminal.

“What is he?” the big one grumbled.

“I know what he’s not,” their leader purred. “He sure ain’t no human.”

I flicked off my bedroom light, hurried across the room in the dark in just my underwear, and tucked myself safely into bed. It was late, or early, but still dark out. I’d need to be up in a few hours.

I sighed, and gradually began to drift off to sleep.

Runo had been a bust. No Zee. At least, not anywhere I could find him. There were countless other places he could have been, places I didn’t know about. He’d be fine. He was always fine. Sometimes he just needed to blow off steam. He’d be back tomorrow, right as rain, like nothing had happened, and we’d talk about Reynard.

A knock sounded at the door.

I snapped open my eyes.

“Adam?” Zee called.

I rolled over and stared at the door. He’d never come to my room in the middle of the night before.

“Are you sleeping? I uh . . . I brought you a gift.”

“Oh. Not sleeping. Yet. Okay. Uh. Can it wait until morning?”

“I guess.”

Oh my stars, I couldn’t turn him away sounding like I’d crushed his hopes and dreams. “Wait a second.” I hopped from the bed, pulled on an old T-shirt, and hurried across the room in the dark.

“Zee, about earlier . . .” I opened the door and trailed off. The smell hit me first—blood, wet leather, and earthy grit. The lights were off, so I didn’t see him in any detail, just his purple eyes shining in the dark.

“Hey, so, this is for you.” He handed out a tiny cat figurine. A little porcelain Siamese to go with my collection.

“Oh.” I took it automatically. “That’s . . . kind. Thank you. Are you alri⁠—”

“Can I come in?”

“Uh, it’s late—” I reached out to flick on the light.

“Leave it,” he snapped, then softer, “Please.”

Something was definitely wrong. Regardless of the smell of violence clouded around him, we’d been standing in my doorway for a minute and he hadn’t said the f-word at all.