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Angel gripped my hand, guiding me even as I was half-blind.
“Um,” I tried to articulate the half panic and half excitement from the idea of entering this fortress of magic.
Remi perched on the railing, swinging his legs and chattering at Ezra, who looked like he was considering pushing him off—or kissing him. It was hard to tell with those two. Bobby chatted with Tiana and Kerry, and Victor took a few steps to meet us.
“Hey, Count Fuckula. Your people gave up this place for Hanna?”
He snorted. “Not my people. And they didn’t give it up. Hanna took it.”
“That’s terrifying.”
“Yes. She is.” A pause. “Let’s head inside. Hanna’s waiting.”
We followed him through the doors.
The interior was—a lot. Cathedral ceilings, black stone floors polished to a mirror shine, chandeliers that burned with cold fire. The walls were lined with portraits of vampires who looked like they’d rather be anywhere else. And the threads of magic pulsed and shimmered, woven into the fabric of the building itself. Was the building sentient?
It was beautiful and terrifying, all at once.
Hanna stood at the center of the main hall, arms crossed, flanked by two fae I didn’t recognize. Galen hovered behind them, the stone golem looking as creepy as always.
“About time,” she said.
“You said be here by nine.” I glanced at my watch. It was eight forty-five. Early for me and half the team.
“Let’s go.”
“See, this is why people think you’re scary. No ‘good morning.’ No ‘how was your near-death experience.’ Just ‘let’s go.’ I’m starting to think you don’t actually like us.”
Angel cleared his throat and added, “He’s only had one coffee so far today.”
Hanna sighed. “I think you’ll find the amenities on this side of the Veil more comprehensive than those on the human side.”
“But will they trap us in fae debt?” I asked.
“Wouldn’t work on you even if they did, since you’re not mortal,” Hanna said as she waved at us to follow her down the hall and into an area she introduced as the command center—a massive circular room with a table carved from black stone, maps hovering in the air above it, glowing threads connecting points I didn’t recognize. The team filed in behind us, spreading out around the table. Remi immediately started poking at a glowing rune. Ezra smacked his hand away.
Hanna took her place at the head of the table. “Welcome to the Cross-Veil Enforcement Division. You’re the founding teams. Rook’s team will show you the basics of the layout and tech. The rest you’ll be expected to pick up on your own.”
“Comforting,” Bobby muttered.
“After vampires left tinies to die,” Rook said, “we took control from them.” He focused on us. “You organize, we pulverize.”
“Woah, big guy. It’s not like a list of who goes gooey yet.”
“What does gooey mean?” Rook asked.
“You know. Melted. Exploded. Turned into a puddle of regret and viscera.”
“Ah, yes, gooey. Soon.” He tipped his head in Hanna’s direction.
“We’re working on the list,” she agreed.
“Wait, there will be a list?” I asked.
Rook nodded and rubbed his hands together as if he’d already been promised the chase to break a lot of heads.
“Adrian Holt is in custody,” Hanna said, her gaze landing on me. “We need names of co-conspirators.”
