Micah went silent for a heartbeat before replying, “People change.”

The brunette’s date returned from the bathroom. He was also an earth witch of relatively limited power. Thomas listened to the ensuing brief jealousy-fueled altercation between him, the brunette, and Adam, and then watched the man drag the woman from the bar.

“Not most people,” Thomas replied.

Adam turned toward them with a satisfied look on his face. He grinned. “Got her phone number.”

“Case in point.” Thomas stared at the row of bottles in front of them and took another drink.

Micah snorted. “Don’t you get sick of breaking up relationships, Adam?”

“I don’t think of it like that. I can’t break up a relationship that’s not destined to be broken up anyway.” Adam wiped a bead of moisture off his glass. “Which is pretty much all of them, in my opinion.”

Micah pushed his glass away. “Damn, you’re both depressing the hell out of me tonight.”

Thomas glanced at him. “That’s because it’s a fucking depressing night.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Adam hoisted his glass.

Thomas fished some bills out of his wallet and tossed them on the bar. “Finish up, guys. I want to get back to the Coven.”

“Back to Isabelle, you mean,” said Adam, right before he drained his glass.

“Yeah, back to Isabelle.”

He and Micah finished their drinks. They settled their bill and headed outside to the car, parked in a lonely part of the nearly empty lot. Above their heads, the full moon lit their path across the parking lot. Gravel crunched beneath their shoes.

As Thomas hit the remote locks on the door, he heard a low moan coming from around the side of the building.

“What the hell?” whispered Adam.

Furrowing his brow, Thomas pocketed his keys and edged his way around the side of the building, trampling weeds and tripping over litter as he followed the low sound. Adam and Micah stayed behind him.

At the back of the bar lay an employee parking lot. Three cars were parked there and a Dumpster stood near the rear exit. Weeds sprouted through the cracked pavement. Shrubs and small trees grew around the periphery.

They stopped at the corner of the building and waited until another low moan resonated in the night air. It came from behind the Dumpster.

Thomas turned and motioned for Micah and Adam to go around the opposite side of the Dumpster. The three of them moved in close. Thomas didn’t pull his sword yet. It could be anything from a prostitute or some other illicit liaison to a mugging to—

“Demon,” he murmured.

He could smell him—that distinct dry, earthy smell that wasn’t quite of this earth. Perhaps it wasn’t Earth, but Eudae. Catching Adam’s eye, Thomas reached over his head, grasped the handle of the sword and drew it slowly.