“What you’re seeing is two people who look at each other like a brother and sister,” he said. “My maman has all but adopted her. She’s my best friend’s mate. And I would never do anything to hurt him or her. She’s dear to me, but because she’s also dear to people I love, I will do anything to keep her happy and healthy. That’s all.”

“That’s a lot.”

“So why would the rift de-stabilize in the first place? It’s been a contained system for centuries. That doesn’t just change in a decade or two.”

“If I knew that, the League wouldn’t have had to send a consultant in.”

“Good point. So, what is the payoff for the town, in terms of cooperating with the League?”

Zed grinned at her. “Money, medical support, access to a lot of resources we haven’t had for years.”

“Well, just be careful about accepting help from the League. They’re considered a shadow government agency for a reason.”

Zed nodded. He doubted that Dani knew the half of it. The League took control of the magie population worldwide without that population having much of a say in it. Sometime in the Renaissance, they simply informed the shifters and fairy folk of the world that their organization was in charge and that any disagreement with their policies would be met with silver bullets. Not that the superstitions about silver bullets were true, but a bullet to the head would kill just about anybody. This explained why so many magique complied with the Pact of Secrecy in 1800, cornering them into an extensive list of behaviors meant to keep humans from finding out about the supernatural world. And when the League got all compulsive about keeping track of the magie populations in 1908, the magie agreed that filling out a census questionnaire was a reasonable alternative to silver bullets.

“So was the town built around the rift?” Dani asked.

“No, the original settlers were human and had no idea what they’d built their homes next to. The first shifters started straggling into this little swamp village called le Lieu Mystique early in the 1800s. All of the magique were called here like homing pigeons to the roost—shifters, fae folk, witches, any and all of them. We just feel better here, welcomed, wanted. Our shifts are easier. They take less out of us and we can change back to human faster. The fairy folks’ gifts are turned up to eleven. Witches whose powers have been out of balance for years? Perfectly at peace and in control. It’s the best place for us.”