I’d take the other pair to Evie. No matter how deep her hurt ran, it was evident in these earrings that mom had loved us both equally. The spells were exactly the same, infused with a mother’s need to protect.

I haven’t forgotten about you, Mom. I’m going to find who killed you. And I’ll make them pay.

20

Danica

As soon as someone knocked on my door the next morning, I threw it open, blinking at the empty hallway.

“Let me in before this spell drains all my magic.”

I stepped aside and my sister popped into existence.

Lia hissed at her from the sofa, clearly perturbed. Evie hurried over to pet her. “She’s so cute! Look at her little white paws.”

I smirked as she cooed over the cat. Lia ate it up, nuzzling into her and purring. Evie’s gaze landed on the wall behind me. “What, exactly is that?”

“A khopesh. It’s an ancient Egyptian weapon. It looks great on that wall, right?”

“Normal people decorate their homes with art.”

I laughed. “I really appreciate you doing this.”

“Anytime. I have to say, I love the idea of messing with the demons. Are you going to tell me why this is so important?”

“There’s a rowan seller in town.”

Evie’s blank look told me she had no idea what I was talking about, so I filled her in.

“Wait, so you’re saying whoever was killing those demons you were interrogating was using rowan wood?”

“Yeah. And producing the wood is highly illegal. If there’s a seller in town, he might be able to point me toward whoever was buying it.”

“And then what?”

“I dunno. There’s something else you should know.”

She sat down. “Whenever you get that look on your face, I know it’s not going to be good.” Lia climbed into her lap, and I took a deep breath.

“I’m not half unseelie like I thought. I’m half demon.”

Evie froze. Lia meowed, and my sister absently began stroking her again. “Would you like to tell me how the fuck that happened?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve been trying to figure out who my father could be, but apparently creating someone like me was forbidden.” And I hadn’t realized how depressing that thought was until right now.

Evie narrowed her eyes at my tone. “Yeah, forbidden because you’re such a badass. The world couldn’t handle having more of you around.”

I had to laugh. When my sister loved someone, she was all-in. Even when we were fighting as kids, she was always my biggest cheerleader.

“Either way, I don’t think whoever is shooting these demons knows what I am.”

“Why?”

“Because it seems like a lot of work to kill the demons to stop me from asking questions. After all, shooting rowan wood through my heart would kill me too.”