Average height and wafer thin, she wore her expensive ensemble well. Her chestnut hair twisted in an elegant topknot on her head was held in place by lacquered chopsticks in a nod to her Asian ancestry. Her warm brown eyes sparkled as she watched Thierry climb from the car with a wobble in her step.

“My driving isn’t that bad,” the newcomer assured me, spinning her keys around her pointer. “Thierry is overly dramatic.”

“Let’s get this done. I need to organize a search party.” Thierry put a hand over her gut. “I think I left my stomach back there.”

I got out and met them on the shoulder of the road, and Dell ghosted from the car, a silent threat behind me.

“Thierry, good to see you again.” I stuck out my hand, braced for the burn of potent magic that raced up my arm. “This is Dell Preston of the Chandler Pack.”

“Good to see you too. Nice to meet you, Dell.” She bumped shoulders with the woman beside her. “Mai, this is Camille Ellis.” To us, she said, “Ladies, this is Mai Hayashi, my best friend who thinks she’s a NASCAR driver, and your ticket inside the Edelweiss Institution.”

“I work for the conclave.” Mai extended her hand toward me. “I’m interning for a counselor who specializes in displaced fae youth. I’m sad to say several of the parents responsible for the rise in abandoned kids are locked up here and in other places like this. Some can’t cope with this side of the veil but can’t go home either. Others are locked up before they can become a danger to themselves or others.” Her cool fingers closed over mine. “Either way, no one will look twice at me being here. I usually work third-shift hours and deal with the nocturnal fae, so I can pass this off as routine.”

The rush of wild magic in her touch sang to me, a gentler note than that of the wargs. “You’re a kitsune.”

Thierry coughed into her fist then snapped her fingers.

“Hold your horses.” Mai reached in her pocket, removed a slim wallet and passed Thierry a twenty-dollar bill. “There. Extortionist.” She crossed her arms and studied me. “How’d you guess?”

“It’s a talent of mine.” Another weapon in the Gemini tool kit to help us identify creatures with complementary magic that we could use as our own. “Legacies are the only fae I have trouble reading.”

“Legacies?” Understanding sparked behind her eyes. “You mean like Thierry. It’s a bloodline thing?” She narrowed her eyes at her friend. “You’re a dirty cheat.”

“Showered this morning, thank you very much.” She snapped the cash between her fingers. “Would you feel better if I used my winnings to buy us some Thai food on the way home?”

Mai scowled. “Why do I feel like you just tricked me into buying you dinner?”