Diana’s mouth quirked a little at that. “Sounds like something he’d say.”

Nita held her ground. “You can go down and get him. I’ll wait here.”

She shrugged. “He won’t come up.”

“He will.” Nita took a deep breath. “Tell him I might have a plan for getting rid of the Dangerous Unnaturals List.”

Diana’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Diana was quiet for a time before finally nodding. “I’ll go tell him.”

She descended the stairs, and Nita leaned against the stairwell, waiting. Part of her was intensely curious what was down there in the depths of the pawnshop.

And part of her was very certain she wouldn’t live very long if she found out.

She looked away, her eyes running over a curio cabinet full of ceramic salt and pepper shakers in the shapes of various animals, then moving on to a cribbage board made from an elk antler perched precariously on top of a moldy record player from the sixties. Where the hell did Adair even find some of this crap?

After a few minutes, there was a heavy thunk on the stairs, and Diana reemerged. “Take a seat. He’s coming.”

Nita obliged, heading over to an antique dining table. She moved a porcelain ballerina from the chair and seated herself. Diana vanished again, and when she returned a second later, she was supporting Adair.

He looked awful.

Usually, his glamour was up and strong, making him look human. His favorite look was of a young man, white, with wavy black hair, swampy greenish yellow eyes, and a sly smile.

Now, black and scaly, Adair looked less like a human and more like a crocodile-dragon hybrid. His long, slitted yellow eyes watched her with menace, and his head was more than half mouth, long thin teeth overlapping each other, creating a toothy cage.

Seeing him like this was a stark reminder that he wasn’t human, had never been human, no matter how much he pretended.

Diana helped him sit down, lowering that toothy face away from hers and easing him into the chair. Adair looked at Nita, but she couldn’t read the face of something that looked like it had walked straight out of an Alien movie.

Adair tilted his head, and as Nita watched, small pockets of mucus beaded on the scales of his face.

Diana’s eyes widened. “Don’t strain yourself.”

“I’m fine, Diana.” Adair’s voice was as smooth and slick and human as always, and it was disconcerting hearing it from the toothy face. “But we have a guest. I can’t just come in undressed.”

As Nita watched, the small beads of mucus spread over his face, and it rippled softly, like the surface of water.

And then a human face was staring back at her. Adair’s face.