“As far as the conclave is concerned, the case he and I were working is solved,” I continued. “Right now Graeson is one of the few willing to stick his neck out with me, and part of that is because he’s a native supernatural and has immunity from prosecution. The conclave can’t touch him.”

“They can touch you plenty,” Isaac pointed out. “You could lose your badge if you get caught. Or worse.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.” The weight of the pearl bracelet I wore, the faint pink orbs carved with intricate designs, demanded it. “The conclave is willing to overlook Harlow’s disappearance if it means the case stays closed. I can’t let that happen.” I rolled the beads with my thumb. “Harlow trusted me to have her back, and I failed her. She was taken right under my nose. It’s my responsibility to find her and bring her home to her family.”

No one told me to let the conclave do their job. Gemini weren’t trusting of outsiders and didn’t believe in the conclave’s mission to serve faekind without bias. Oh, they believed in policing our own, but not in the establishment created to serve, protect and punish us.

“It doesn’t always have to be you,” Isaac said quietly. “You have nothing to atone for.”

Mournful seagulls cried overhead.

Cool waves broke against a white-sand beach.

A tinkling child’s laughter silenced by the froth and foam.

Screams filled the summer night, hers, mine and our parents.

“This isn’t about me. Or Lori.” I slammed that memory behind as many mental walls as I could erect without shutting myself off from the world completely. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I wet my lips and focused on the girl I could save, not the one forever lost to me. “This is about doing my job, about taking care of our own. You can’t ask me to sit this one out and hope someone else comes along who gives a damn. That’s not how this works. That’s not how I work.”

Even the mention of my sister’s name turned Aunt Dot’s eyes glassy with unshed tears. Isaac was faster to recover, but his voice was strained. “How do we help?”

“You can’t, not with this.” The less they knew about Charybdis and the grisly details of his murder spree, the easier they would sleep at night. Besides the fact arming them with information made them accomplices. “This is the last time we’re going to talk about this. Ignorance is the only way I can protect you.”

Graeson might be immune from conclave punishment, but my family was not.

“Camille—” Isaac fisted his hand on the table.

“Tell us what you need, pumpkin.” Aunt Dot covered his hand with hers. “We’ll play it your way. For now.”