But then my own fear started to tighten about my spine. I had shoved Newt out of my thoughts a few days ago. She’d been looking for the focus. Shit. What if Al wants it to pay off his new debt to her? He had said the curse to do this was expensive. Was he the one killing the Weres trying to find out who had it?

“Why are you really here?” I breathed. If he was after the focus, there wasn’t much I could do to stop him once he realized I had it.

My question seemed to delight Al, and he simpered, adjusting the cuffs of his gloves. “I’m here for my best friend’s wedding. I would have thought that was obvious.”

Damn it. It was the focus. I had to call Minias. I’d rather get a mark removed for it, not hang on to it until the school bully took it from me and I got nothing. But if Al got it, it would hit the streets as soon as the sun went down, sold to the highest bidder, and there we would be with an Inderland power struggle, courtesy of me.

My pulse was fast, but standing in this circle wasn’t doing anyone any good. “Ready, Jenks?” I said, and the pixy dropped to hover beside me. He nodded, features tight as he shifted his grip upon his sword. Eyes narrowing, I reached my hand out and broke the circle.

Quen exploded into motion, jerking Trent behind him. “Morgan!” he shouted, and I rounded on him.

“Relax!” I snapped, releasing some tension. “He isn’t going to do anything. He’s here for a wedding.” I glanced at Al, seeming eminently controlled and still standing right where he had been. “If Al wanted us dead, we’d have been in the ground a week ago. He’s been here since the invitation hit Lee’s mailbox.” Pulse hammering, I turned to Al. “Am I right?”

Eyes hidden behind his glasses, the demon nodded.

“He’s harmless,” I continued, as much to convince myself as Trent and Quen. “Well, not as lethal, maybe. If he’s in Lee’s body, he doesn’t have access to all the curses he’s stored in himself over the past millennia. He’s only as good as Lee is—was. Until he spends some time in the kitchen anyway. And he’s going to follow the rules of our society, or he’s going to end up in jail, which won’t be any fun.” Forcing my jaw to relax, I arched my eyebrows, wishing I could do the one-eyebrow thingy. “Will it?” I said.

Al inclined his head, and Quen almost jumped him, catching his movement in a sharp motion. “How fast you learn,” the demon said, scowling at Quen’s mistrust. “We must sit together at dinner. We have so much to chat about.”