She never judged me for wanting to do more and more “human” things.

“Hey.” I look up to find Mom standing in the doorway. “What are you smiling at?”

I turn the phone around so she can see. She smiles too, but it’s sad. Mom’s mourned Lily’s death just as much as me. She’s used to my friends coming over unannounced, hanging out for hours at a time. They’re just as much her kids as I am.

I clear my throat, mostly to make sure when I speak, my voice is clear.

“What’s up?”

“I came when I saw your light on to see what you were up to,” she says. “And to say I’m heading to the Compound for a few hours.”

“Are you being reinstated?”

She looks uncertain. “I’m meeting with Elite Cain to discuss reinstatement.”

“Oh.” I don’t know much about the process of being reinstated once a shadow knight is placed on probation. I imagine it has to do with how severe the offense is.

She crosses my room and kisses the top of my head before heading out.

I set my phone aside, stand, and shift into my raven form. At first, I think I’ll take a break, fly to the lake, and sit a while, but I find myself en route to Anora’s.

Questions only Anora can answer.

I’m ready for answers.

If I have to show up in her bedroom in my hybrid form just to get them, I will.

As I near her house, I know something’s off, because the usually snoozing hellhounds are sniffing the ground as if they’re trying to catch a scent. I fly in circles over their heads. The hounds look up at me, glowing red eyes like lasers, and gnash their teeth. One of the hounds lets out an ear-splitting howl, and at first, I think it’s reacting to me, but it darts down the road into the darkness. The other two follow. Something’s not right here.

My hand goes to my blade as my feet touch the ground. I take a step toward the house, but the air around me changes, and I twist to find Natalie shifting into her Valryn form.

“She’s not home.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Only a few minutes more than you. Seems we both had the same idea.”

I sincerely doubt that.

“And what idea is that?”

“To find evidence Anora’s exchanging souls.”

I glance at the house. “And how did you plan on finding evidence?”

Natalie shrugs. “We’re not bound by human law.”

“You can’t just break into her house, Natalie.”

“I’m a little beyond the point of respecting boundaries, Shy. Lily’s dead, and Anora was the last person to see her alive. We both know Lily didn’t kill herself. What else has to happen before you accept Anora’s responsible?”