Orion straightens, slipping the evidence bag into his jacket pocket. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

He heads for the door, pausing as he reaches it. “Keep your aunt close, Theo. If I’m right, she’s more dangerous than any of us realize.”

I nod, still trying to wrap my head around everything he’s just told me. As the door clicks shut behind him, I sink into a chair at the kitchen table, my coffee long forgotten.

A few seconds pass before the door swings open again, and Orion pokes his head back in.

“Oh, and Theo?”

I lift my head, exhausted. “What?”

He grins. “Change your damn locks.”

Then, before I can throw something at him, he’s gone.

I groan, rubbing a hand down my face. If Orion’s right, this changes everything.

And if he’s wrong… well, I don’t know what to believe anymore.

18

Selene

The soft chime of my phone breaks the quiet of the living room. I stretch out on the couch where I’m cuddled up with Valkyrie under a blanket and swipe my phone off the coffee table. The message is from Theo, and just seeing his name pop up makes my stomach flip.

Theo: So, bad news. I ate the last of my cookies tonight. Good news? I’m bringing ingredients over to try a new recipe. Bad news? You have no choice.

A slow smile tugs at my lips, my fingers already flying across the screen.

Me: Oh, you’re that confident I’ll just let you in?

Theo: Let’s be real. I have Valkyrie on my side. She’d let me in for a shiny spoon.

I glance down at Valkyrie, who cracks one sleepy eye open as if she knows she’s being mentioned. It’s a fair point. She does have an embarrassing weakness for shiny things, and Theo’s right—she’d probably let a burglar in if they had a flashy enough treat.

Me: I’m not arguing. You’re probably her favorite person at this point.

Theo: Good. I’ll be there in twenty.

I sit up, startled.

Me: Wait, what?

Theo: Get the kitchen ready, Selene. We’ve got cookies to bake.

I stare at my phone, my pulse picking up. Twenty minutes? That’s barely enough time to process that Theo is coming over, let alone straighten up. My fingers tighten around my phone as I glance around the room, quickly fluffing pillows and folding the blanket I’d been curled up under. It’s not like this is a date or anything, but still.

Valkyrie watches me, her ears perking up as I move toward the kitchen, my stomach twisting with an anticipation I can’t quite name. “Theo’s coming,” I tell her.

She tilts her head, tail nub twitching, already excited.