Evie made wide eyes at me and I shrugged. They had a right to know the truth.

I knelt down next to Gary again. Still unconscious.

The sirens were getting closer. My gut told me to get the kids out. If they’d seen whoever did this, they could be in danger. I met Evie’s eyes, and she nodded. A few soft words later, and the kids were pressing gentle kisses to their dad’s cheek before filing after her.

I went still. Gary wasn’t breathing.

I leaned down and started CPR.

3

Danica

Rose arrived as Gary was being loaded into the ambulance. I stood in the store and watched, my hands fisted.

Rose cleared her throat. The bounty hunter had never liked me, and she hated demons even more.

“What do you want?”

She smiled. “Danica Amana, you’re under arrest–”

That was enough to make me rip my gaze from the ambulance. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Satisfaction gleamed in her eyes. Rose’s father had been killed in a demon summoning gone wrong. He was an idiot for attempting to set a demon on his business partner, and he’d gotten what he deserved. And I’d told Rose exactly that when she’d pissed me off during my last investigation.

She obviously carried a grudge.

“Witnesses heard you screaming at this gnome earlier today. Apparently, you choked him with power.”

“Since when does the Mage Council care about lesser fae?”

If anything, I was expecting the dark fae to begin an investigation into what had happened to one of their people.

Rose ignored me. “And just a few hours later, he ended up dead, with his store nothing but rubble. And you were conveniently here to find him. Did you have a moment of regret, Danica? Is that why you called an ambulance?”

“You guys think I did this?” My hands fisted. Rose noted it and smiled.

“It’s ironic, really. Soon, there will be a bounty on your head. Traitor.” She sneered at me, her gaze dropping to my arm.

That’s what this was about. The Mage Council was still punishing me for not breaking the bond with Samael.

“Fine, I’ll come in,” I said. I wanted to talk to Keigan anyway, and maybe I could get Mella to do some research for me. I needed to know if there were any similar cases in the area.

“Oh you’ll come with me, will you?” Rose simpered. “Thank you for doing me that favor, Danica Amana.” Her eyes hardened. “Hold out your fucking hands.”

For the first time, true fear hit me.