There wasn’t, so I decided to do the sensible thing and take a nap. It had already been an incredibly long day, one in a series of very long days.

I drew the curtains and put Patsy Cline on the stereo. Not traditional blues, I know, but close enough. Something about the effortlessness of her vocals and the soulful ache beneath them works for me. I drifted to sleep to the sound of Patsy singing about walking after midnight and searching, always searching, and had a long, confused dream in which I was walking endlessly down moonlit country roads, beneath the rustling shadow of oak trees, searching for something or someone I never found.

When I woke, it was close to sunset. The awe of my encounter with the Oak King lingered, but I felt melancholy, too. I flipped through the printouts Casimir had given me, studying the mermaid’s distorted face.

Patsy Cline may have been looking for her true love, but I was looking for a captive mermaid. And if we didn’t find her in time, I had a bad feeling about her chances for survival. For all we knew, it was already too late.

With a reluctant sigh, I set the file aside. Maybe Cody had found a lead or two today, and we could run them down tomorrow. Right now, there was nothing I could do for her, and the chief had been very clear that he wanted me working on the PVB’s requests.

I managed to wash my face and slurp down another container of microwaved ramen noodles before I heard the familiar sound of Jen’s old LeBaron convertible pulling into the alley and dashed downstairs to join her. “You okay with driving?”

She shrugged. “Might as well. It beats trying to find a parking space.”

“Okay.”

In some ways it felt like old times, taking the LeBaron out to the House of Shadows on a balmy summer night. Even though I’d done it before, I still had a knot of anxiety in the pit of my belly. Vampires will do that to you. The first time had been the hardest, with fear of the unknown making my entire body fizz with nervous energy. But this time was different, too. It was my second time making the trip as Hel’s liaison, but this time I had dauda-dagr on my hip, a weapon capable of killing the immortal undead, a weapon that chilled even the Oak King’s soul. Not to mention the Oak King’s token in my pocket.

“So why’s the PVB sending you out to Twilight Manor?” Jen asked, pulling onto the highway.

“Damage control,” I said. “I’m supposed to tell Lady Eris to make sure her bloodsuckers stay off the streets for a while.”

She shot me a startled look. “Really?” I nodded. “Damn, Amanda Brooks has bigger balls than I realized.”

I laughed. “No kidding.”

“Did you see the delightful Stacey?” she asked.