I brace for the spray of blood, but it doesn’t come. Its weight vanishes as the solidness of the reaper disappears, leaving me blanketed in black cloth. I throw it off, and the now-fake scythe rolls to the ground with a harmless clatter of plastic.

Then a pair of arms seize me from behind, lifting me off the ground. I glimpse fur before I’m hurled into a wall of costumes, sending masks and capes scattering. I scramble to my feet in time to dodge a punch from a werewolf that drives a hole in the wall.

Taking a few short breaths to calm myself down, I focus on the feel of my Saint Knives in my hands—cold, metallic, light.

Nothing happens.

The link between me and the journal feels cold and inaccessible. I try again, but it doesn’t so much as quiver.

Then the werewolf is on me.

It grabs me by the shirt and lifts me with ease. Claws dig sharply into my collarbone, its breath hot and sour on my face.

I drive my fist into its snout hard enough to crunch bone—and it collapses into a pile of brown clothes.

“Colin!” Anna’s voice rings out from across the shop. I run toward it, following a silver glow rebounding off the wall, and emerge by the cash register.

Anna and Rose have a dark-haired woman trapped against the wall. She looks familiar, but I can’t place her. Max sits on Anna’s shoulder, his whole body glowing silver. Anna clutches her wounded arm to her chest, a cloth pressed against it.

“She’s the third wraith from Kara’s photo with Kaden,” Anna says.

“You’re possessing a witch,” Rose says wonderingly. “How?”

That’s why she looks familiar! It’s the witch from the bakery, the one who gave me and Anna cream puffs that tasted like sunshine.

The wraith bares her teeth.

“You can either tell us what we want to know, or I can let Max absorb your spirit.” Anna places her uninjured hand on Max’s head. He leans into it, his eyes gleaming malevolently.

Fear flickers through the wraith’s expression. “Her magic is weak. Her wards were easy to overcome to take her body.”

I look from her to Max. “You’re afraid of Max. Which means you haven’t absorbed your host’s soul like Kaden did. You can be expelled.”

The wraith sneers. “I’m not strong enough to do it myself, but my lord will make me a permanent resident when he returns. He’ll make us all permanent, and then the living will belong to the dead!”

Anna’s face lights up. “So we’re right: whoever you’re working for does have the power to help you absorb your host’s souls!”

“He has power over more than that, psychic. You know not what you stand against.”

“How did you find us?” I edge closer.