Stay calm for Kenzie and Tony.

She climbed to her feet with Kenzie helping, and she made her way to the window.

Kitchen Sink was already outside. As her head popped up, he hurled something.

“I wish I had my stuff,” Kenzie said.

“Sorry.”

“Oh, don’t—I don’t blame you. It was smart and right to not want to bring everything. It’s just—being a tinker sucks sometimes.”

Natalie chanced another look outside. Kitchen Sink was creating and tossing away things. One in each hand. Utensils, vases, toys.

He’d found one he was keeping. She could barely see it in the dark.

A stick? A stick of dynamite, unlit.

“We need to throw something out there. Don’t let him figure something out,” Natalie said.

“Got it. Books?”

“Whatever.”

Natalie did what she could to open windows. Kitchen Sink threw something at the window, but it only cracked the glass. She got the window open partway.

Kenzie had hardback books. Natalie reached for the first.

“You’re hurt.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m still stronger than you.”

“Well, that’s rude.”

With a two-handed grip on the book, Natalie heaved it through the open window, in Kitchen Sink’s general direction.

There was a return throw. She checked immediately after. He’d moved a step to the side.

Another throw—her shoulder hurt with the movement, but adrenaline carried her through.

After her third throw, she heard vehicles. She could hear Kitchen Sink shouting. She chanced a look—he’d lost the dynamite at one point.

The group of capes were running off to one side, all together. Colt, the guy from the top of the stairs.

The focus of the vehicles was on the house—they didn’t give chase. But they weren’t alone.

A shape like an eel crossed with a large wolf paced into the scene, weaving between the trucks, where Patrol officers were just emerging.

Kenzie leaned out through the window, past the broken glass before Natalie could stop her, and pointed in the direction the bad guys had gone.

The eel-thing, which had to be Cryptid, ran off.

“He came,” Kenzie said. Her voice was soft. “Infinity and seven.”

Natalie nodded. She reached for a pillowcase beside the bed, and pressed it to her cut.

“I’m sorry you got caught up in this,” Kenzie said.

“It’s what I signed on for.”

“I don’t think it is. I think we really kicked the hornet’s nest.”

Natalie nodded. “Tell them about the fire.”

“You can’t?”

Natalie wasn’t sure if she could. “Conserving strength.”

“Guys!” Kenzie called out. “There might be a fire upstairs!”

People broke into a run, a straggler emerging from the Patrol truck with a fire extinguisher.

The shout had drawn attention. Victoria appeared, landing on top of a truck, eyes searching, before she found faces peering through the window of an unlit room. She flew to them.

“Are you okay?”