“Rough!” Glenn exclaimed. “We had sixteen major fires last night, five riots, and a near lynching of some guy in a dress reading Shakespeare in the park. I don’t think they even know the number of fender benders and assault charges. It’s a demon. You said yourself you spent the night hiding in your churchyard.”

“Hey!” I snapped. That was unfair. “I was hiding from Piscary, not Al. Al’s burning things up to get me to go to the ever-after with him. And don’t you dare sit there and call me a coward because I don’t want to.”

I was furious—my anger fueled by guilt—and I fumed until Glenn muttered, “Sorry.”

“All right, then,” I huffed, wrapping an arm around my middle and turning away from the hall. This isn’t my fault. I’m not responsible for Al’s actions.

“At least he’s gone,” Glenn said, no emotion in his voice.

I laughed bitterly. “No, he isn’t.”

There was a moment of silence. “Piscary said—”

“Piscary and Al are working together. And you fell for it, letting him out so now you have two monsters with free run of Cincy, not one.” My face twisted bitterly. “Don’t ask me to take care of them for you this time, okay?”

The background office noise filled my ear. “Can you come down here anyway?” Glenn finally said. “I want you to identify someone.”

My heart clenched. He had said there was another body. Suddenly Piscary was the last thing on my mind. “David?” I said, knees going weak, cold though the sun shone in strong on my back through the kitchen window. Someone had killed him. Someone was killing Weres looking for the focus, and lots of people knew that David was my alpha. God help me, they’ve killed him.

“No,” Glenn said, and relief made my breath tremble in my lungs. “It’s a Were by the name of Brett Markson. He had your card in his wallet. Do you know him?”

My brief elation that David was okay shifted to numb shock. Brett? The Were from Mackinaw? I slid to the floor, my back against the sink cupboard, my knees scrunching up.

“Rachel?” came Glenn’s voice from far away. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I breathed. “No,” I amended. “I’ll come right down.” Ceri. I licked my lips and tried to swallow. “Can you give me about an hour? Shower and eat. “Maybe two?”

“Ah, damn it, Rachel, did you really know this guy?” Glenn said, his voice guilty now. “I’m sorry, I should have come over.”

I looked up, seeing Ivy’s empty spot at the table. “No, I’m fine. He was…an acquaintance.” I took a breath, remembering the last time I saw Brett, hanging at the outskirts of my life trying to ease his way into my pack, a powerful man looking for something to believe in.