Kai pushed his door open. A damp, wintry breeze blew across me, chilling my neck above the collar of my leather jacket. The rest of my gear was in the backpack at my feet.

Zak cast me an unreadable look, then climbed out the other door. He’d barely said a word on the drive from the airport, his silence borderline hostile. As Makiko exited from the passenger seat, I hauled my weary butt out of the car, dragging the backpack with me.

Light brightened as the house’s front door opened. Aaron’s familiar silhouette leaned on the jamb, observing the new arrivals. We hadn’t been able to warn him that we were back, or what had happened while we were gone. Kai had ditched our burner phone in LA to better cover our tracks—especially since Zak’s vine-monster spell meant the precinct incident would make international mythic news.

Part of me hoped Aaron would keep his cool when he found out what was going on, but another part really wanted him to explode. A few fireballs to Makiko’s face would make me feel so much better.

She pushed to the front of our small group and strode up the walkway. Aaron watched her approach, then stepped back. She marched through the door, stopped to remove her tall leather boots, then resumed her bold entrance.

Kai didn’t bother to take his shoes off, but he lived here, so whatever. I left mine on too, just in case I needed to kick a certain someone in her pretty little kneecaps. We all piled into the living room, and my gaze swept hungrily across the space, searching.

Ezra stood in front of the sofa, his feet set and hands hanging loose at his sides in readiness. His gaze flicked across Kai and Makiko before giving me a swift once-over, checking that I was unharmed.

Aaron retreated to Ezra’s side, the pair of mages facing Kai and Makiko, and I was reminded of a different tense encounter in this room, where Aaron and Ezra had also faced off with Kai and a suspicious stranger.

I glanced around, realizing Zak hadn’t come inside with us.

“Kaisuke,” Makiko commanded sharply. “Get your things. You have five minutes.”

I rolled my eyes. Why politely remove her boots if she was going to act like that as soon as she was inside?

Aaron’s cautious expression hardened. “Who are you?”

“Makiko Miura. You would be Aaron Sinclair.” His name came out of her mouth in a sneer, and I wondered if she blamed him for Kai’s defection from his family—and her life.

Aaron’s disbelieving stare shot from her to Kai and back. “Makiko?”

“Kaisuke is coming with me. You may say goodbye if you’d like. You will not see him again.”

Aaron’s hands formed instant fists and sparks leaped from his fingers.

Kai stepped around Makiko, crossed to his best friend, and grasped his shoulder. “Miura-sama, may I handle this, please?”

Her lips thinned. Pivoting on her heel, she strode back to the entryway—which put her two steps away from me. I considered joining Kai, who was speaking to Aaron and Ezra in a rapid murmur, then tossed Kai’s backpack onto the recliner, regretting my decision to pack up my artifacts so I wouldn’t lose any on the jet. Getting the Queen out now would be like announcing my intent to attack.

“You knew him eight years ago,” I told Makiko quietly. “But you don’t know him now.”

She ignored me.

“What?” Aaron yelled. “That’s bullshit! No way in hell are you—”

Kai cut him off, his voice a low, urgent rumble.

I stepped closer to her. “You have no idea what he wants, what he cares about, or what he’s like.”

Her breath rushed between her lips, then she pushed her shoulders back. “That’s what you’re failing to understand. What he wants and what he cares about are selfish distractions. The interests of our families must always take priority.”

“Why should he do a damn thing they want when they treat him like—”

She leaned toward me. “A Yamada heir who puts himself first has no place in the family. I will make Kaisuke valuable to his family, indispensable to them, not only because that’s what’s best for me and my family, but because that’s the only way he can survive.”

Whirling away from me, she raised her voice. “Kaisuke, I’ve changed my mind. If you want anything from this house, I’ll send someone to get it. We’re leaving.”

Aaron’s head snapped around. “If you think you can just—”

“Now, Kaisuke!”

Kai muttered one more thing to Aaron, then squeezed Ezra’s shoulder. Three best friends, as close as brothers. They’d fought together, grown together, suffered and survived together.

Now Aaron and Ezra had to watch Kai walk away from them, and not even Ezra could hide the pain on his face.

Kai plucked his phone off the end table, where it waited beside mine—our tech alibis—

then strode over to me and Makiko. He swept me off my feet in a hug, his cheek pressed to mine.

“I’m counting on you, Tori,” he whispered. “Keep them under control. Keep them safe.”

I clamped my arms around him. “This isn’t over.”

He gripped me harder, his forehead dropping to my shoulder. “Please, Tori.”

My eyes stung, and I sucked in a trembling breath. He held on a moment longer, then released me. I dashed my hand across my wet eyes as he stepped past me. Makiko zipped up her boots, and she and Kai walked out of the house. The screen door banged shut behind them.

I stared across the room at Aaron and Ezra, our shared anguish reverberating in the space between us.

Aaron’s expression crumpled—then he bared his teeth. “No. No fucking way.”

Flames rippled over his fingers, singeing his sweater’s sleeves. He stormed forward, furious strides eating up the room.

Heart cramming itself into my throat, I stepped into his path. “Aaron, please wait—”

“No, Tori.” His eyes sparked like blue fire. “Kai is letting this happen—but I won’t.”

My mouth opened, but panic threaded through my grief and helplessness. I didn’t try to stop him as he swept past me. He hit the front door at a jog.

“Makiko!” he roared.

Ezra grabbed my hand, racing for the door after Aaron. We ran out onto the steps as Aaron reached the bottom, fire blazing over his clenched fists.

Kai had already disappeared into the car, and only Makiko, standing beside the open passenger door, turned to face the oncoming pyromage. A silver rod from her belt was in her hand, and with a flick of her wrist, she snapped it sideways.

The rod opened into a gleaming metal fan, each featherlike panel inscribed with runes.

“Hyah!” she shouted ferociously, sweeping it sideways through the air.

Dirt and leaves blew skyward. The howling gust lifted Aaron off the ground and flung him across the yard. He smashed into me and Ezra, knocking us backward. We crumpled in a heap on the front stoop.

A car door slammed. The engine revved.

“No!” Aaron snarled, shoving himself up.

The black sedan accelerated up the street. Its taillights flashed around the corner, then it was gone.

Ezra’s arms were around me, one hand shielding the back of my head from an impact with the stoop. Aaron’s heavy weight lifted off us. As I slowly sat up, he strode down the steps, breathing hard. I blinked sluggishly in the silence, not quite able to believe it.

Kai was gone. He’d left. He’d gone with Makiko, allowing her to steal him away from us.

“You’re a dramatic bunch.”

My head jerked toward the voice that had rumbled from the shadows. Zak leaned against the house beside the living room window, one side of his face lit by the interior lights.

“What—” Aaron gasped. “You! What the hell are you doing here?”

I pretended not to notice how the air around Ezra chilled warningly. Pushing to my feet, I dusted my clothes off.

“I thought you’d left,” I told the druid.

“Am I supposed to walk home?”

My teeth clenched. “Could you not be an asshole for once? This all happened because Kai and I went to LA to save you.”

“Kai went to LA?” Aaron tore his glare off the druid. “That’s the seat of Yamada power!”

My shoulders slumped and I wrapped my arms around myself. “I didn’t know that. He didn’t tell me. He said it was fine …”

Ezra placed his hand on the small of my back, his gentle touch grounding me against a tide of guilt and regret. As tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks, Aaron pulled me into his arms, the same way Kai had moments ago. Ezra shifted closer, standing right behind me, offering silent support.

“It’s not your fault.” Aaron cradled me against his chest as I sniffed back tears. “Kai never told you anything about—

An electronic ring jolted through me.

Aaron and I broke apart, and he shoved his hand in his pocket. He yanked out his phone, the screen lit with an incoming call.

He slapped the phone to his face. “Kai, are you—” He broke off, forehead scrunching. “Oh, Shane. Sorry, I … Look, I’m in the middle of someth—” Another pause, and I could vaguely hear a male voice speaking rapidly. Aaron’s eyes widened. “They’re under attack? What does that even … Shit. Okay, I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes … Fine, ten minutes.”

He ended the call with a curse. “That was Shane. A group of rogues is laying siege to the Pandora Knights guild—”

“What?” I gasped.

“—and it’s a goddamn warzone. Shane’s on his way to pick me up so we can get over there.”

“He’s on his way?” My panicked stare jumped to the extremely wanted rogue standing in plain sight. “But—but—but this is a really bad time!”

Zak pushed off the wall. “I wasn’t planning to stick around anyway.”

“Oh yeah?” I stepped away from Aaron and Ezra as the druid walked onto the lawn. “I’m still waiting for you to thank us for saving your ungrateful ass.”