“We’re as close as we dare get,” he said, and my pulse pounded when he leaned between Oliver and Vivian to take my unresisting hand in his. Pierce bristled, and amusement danced in the man’s black eyes. “We at the I.S. wish you luck, demon. Letting you wallow amid mediocrity was our error.” He looked at Oliver, then back to me. “Our grave error. Good hunting, Rachel.”

It took me three times, but I stammered, “Th-thank you.” Oh God. If I could pull this off, the I.S. would be…well, they’d probably not be on my side, but I’d probably not be on their hit list anymore. They’d grant me respect, maybe? Oh crap. Did I want their respect? They’d probably want me to do stuff for them.

The vampire kissed the top of my hand—and a thrill of desire spiraled through me, pulled into existence by a slip of teeth and the scent of incense. And then…he was gone, his door thumping shut behind him and his quickly moving figure getting into the first car. It drove away fast, the car behind us following. Silence crept in my open window, and fresh air coming right off the bay. We’d passed the chocolate factory on the way in, and I thought I could smell it.

“I’m not getting out of this van,” Oliver said.

Vivian’s brow furrowed. “Got that right,” she said tightly, and then I gasped when she hauled off and hit him square in the jaw.

Pierce cried out, but it was over and the man had slumped to the door, out cold. Vivian was wringing her hand, eyes tearing as she held her red knuckles. A charm must have been involved because she hadn’t hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious. “That hurt,” she gasped, smiling. “Damn, I’m going to pay for that when the charm wears off, but it felt really good. He’s such a prick.”

Just three of us, then, I thought, glad of it. Oliver would have messed it up.

A quiver went through me. It was time.

Twenty-nine

The rasp of the side door opening was loud, and heart pounding, I slid across the seat and followed Pierce out. We were at a sloping park where the streetcars turned around. The grass was cut and the bushes were manicured. Across the street, where the beach was, there was a small stone building that might once have been a public bathroom but was now boarded up. The wind was brisk by the water, and I sniffed, not bothering to tap a line.

It figured that Ku’Sox would be down here. Regular magic wouldn’t work well. Demon magic would, though, and I smiled grimly, feeling like a cupcake on a sparkling white plate. Here I am, Ku’Sox. Come take a bite.

My shoes hit the pavement, and I looked at them, wondering how they had found me a pair so fast when the city had come to a standstill. They weren’t new.

“Rachel, you said you had something for us to do?”