“It’s busy,” he said accusingly, as though I’d invited all these people to make him work harder. I hadn’t, but it was a good idea. I made a mental note to try that on his next shift.

“You’re here,” he added, slapping a cloth down on the bar. “You should take over. Saturdays are your night.”

“But you wanted last Sunday off, remember? We traded shifts.” I gave him my best shark smile. “So suck it up, buttercup.”

“I covered for you last night too, and—”

“And I’ll make it up to you, but not tonight. I have plans.” I waved cheerily as I walked away, enjoying his hot glare on my back. Cooper took slacking to a whole new level, and I found perverse enjoyment in forcing him to work hard.

After way too much chaos in too short a time, last night had ended on a quiet note. Zak, Aaron, Ezra, and Kai had shared their thoughts on what had happened, but no one had a clear idea on what to do next. Finding Varvara was our top priority, but she was one hell of a slippery snake.

After agreeing to keep me in the loop on his tracking efforts, Zak had skulked off into the cold night. Shortly after, Kai—his arm healed of burns—had carried Makiko outside, where a black sedan had mysteriously appeared to pick them up. He’d promised to contact us within a day or two, once he found out what the Miura clan intended to do about Varvara.

I wished he was with us, but a teeny part of me was relieved he wasn’t around. After catching me and Ezra making out, he walked into the showers without a word—but for the rest of the evening, he’d given us all sorts of looks, ranging from annoyed to thoughtful to concerned. It worried me that he hadn’t said anything.

Pushing it out of my mind, I wove through the tables, calling hellos to everyone who greeted me and scanning for a less familiar face.

Robin had found the loneliest, most shadowy corner in the pub. Perched nervously on the edge of her chair, she stared into her glass of water like it held all the secrets of Demonica in its shallow depths.

“Hey,” I said as I tucked in a chair someone had left two feet away from its table. Lazy butts messing up my pub. I needed to crack down on that shit.

Looking up at my greeting, Robin smiled weakly. She seemed pale. Or was she always pale? I didn’t know.

Pursing my lips, I scanned her from head to toe, then grinned. “Nice jacket.”

She tugged anxiously at a black sleeve. The leather hugged her petite body, the aggressive cut to the collar paired with bold silver buttons and a heavy zipper. She looked ready to jump on a motorcycle and tear off into the night.

Blushing, she nudged her glasses up her nose—the fussy gesture ruining her badass biker chick look entirely. “Do I look completely ridiculous? Zora said leather is better.”

“Better for combat?” I slapped a hand against my leather-clad hip. “Yup, sure is. Not that I’m an expert. I only started training a couple months ago.”

“You’re new at this too?”

“Yeah, I’m a newb. Ready to go? Where are we going, by the way?”

Hopping to her feet and pushing her chair in—winning an extra point from me—she headed for the door. “It’s not too far, but it’ll be half an hour whether we bus or walk. Which do you prefer?”

“Walk,” I decided as we walked out into the chilly evening breeze. “I hate standing around.”

She navigated east to Main Street, checked her phone, then headed south. I matched her short stride, chafing at the pace. She wasn’t exactly speedy.

“So,” I began as we passed Victorian-style buildings in muted colors. Barren trees, interspersed with red lampposts, bordered the sidewalk. “Tell me about this infernus maker.”

“I don’t know much about him, to be honest. He was an accomplished summoner until he retired fifteen years ago. Now he makes infernus artifacts, but he’s supposed to be well connected in the Demonica community.”

We stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the light to change. The streetlamps glowed cheerily, relegating the darkness to alleyways.

“According to a rumor,” Robin continued, lowering her voice as more pedestrians joined us to wait for the light, “he was … cutting edge … when he was a summoner, and he’s still very interested in new summoning practices and unusual Demonica knowledge.”

That sounded promising. I almost asked Robin what unusual knowledge she was hoping to gain, but then she’d ask me the same thing and that’d be awkward. Tucking my folder against my side, I asked instead, “If this guy doesn’t pan out, who else might have useful information?”

“Um, well, Demonica isn’t a common class to begin with, and summoners are even rarer. It requires a lot of study, and summoning demons is quite tedious … and dangerous.”

“Tedious and dangerous? Those two don’t usually go together.”

“It’s dangerous when it goes wrong, and tedious when it goes right. Just setting up a summoning circle can take weeks, and you often have to wait weeks more for the demon to accept a contract.”

“How did you become a contractor?” I asked curiously.

“I … fell into it, I guess. Most of my family are Demonica mythics.”

Her family? Demonica wasn’t hereditary—you couldn’t inherit a demon, as far as I knew—but if summoners preferred to pass their knowledge directly to an apprentice, like Zak had said, it made sense to turn it into a family business.

We continued down Main Street, the stores gradually morphing into the colorful shops of Chinatown. I glanced down the road where I’d once ordered sushi with Sin before Red Rum rogues attacked us and I sicced a sea fae on them. Fun times.

“We’re halfway back to my place,” I said dryly. “I should’ve asked where we were headed before meeting at the guild.”

“Oh.” Robin flushed. “I’m sorry. I thought this would be easier.”

She led me across the street and away from the friendly shops. Blocky commercial buildings took over, and raised SkyTrain tracks on thick concrete pillars ran down the center of the wide road. Traffic diminished noticeably.

“Um, so …” Robin’s blue eyes flicked across my face. “How long have you been friends with Aaron and Kai and Ezra?”

“Since my first day at the guild, pretty much.” I studied the self-conscious way her shoulders had hunched and smirked. “Aaron is single.”

Her head jerked up. “What?”

“I know he’s giving you the cold shoulder, but he’s actually a really great guy.”

She bristled like an angry cat. “I’m not interested. Why does everyone assume I want to date them? Just because they’re good looking? Ridiculous.”

Who was everyone? Had someone else tried to set her up with Aaron?

She continued for half a block in moody silence, then puffed out a breath. “I was wondering … about Ezra.”

Now it was my turn to bristle. “What about him?”

“He seems nice.”

“He is nice.”

“He’s an aeromage?”

“Yeah.”

“Is he strong?”

I worked to keep my tone casual. “Not as strong as Aaron and Kai, but pretty tough.”

“Hmm.” She slowed as we came to an intersection and pulled out her phone to check the directions on the screen, then turned onto a narrow side street. “What happened to his eye?”

“Skiing accident. Ran into an unexpectedly aggressive pine tree.”

Frowning, she let the subject drop.

At the end of the block, a wide set of train tracks behind a chain-link fence forced us to turn again. We headed farther east—and farther from the main road. I glanced uneasily from the fenced-off tracks to the dark, very closed car dealership opposite. No sign of life or movement disturbed the quiet rumble of traffic from busier streets I could no longer see, and the sparse light of the streetlamps offered little comfort.

“Hey,” I muttered. “You sure this is the right way?”

She nodded. “Yes, very sure.”

“Maybe we should’ve taken a cab,” I grumbled.

“Oh, don’t worry.” She smiled with unexpected confidence. “We’re safe.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I could probably take on one mugger, but—”

“We don’t have to take on any muggers. My demon can protect us.”

Huh. When she put it that way …

We passed several blank-faced warehouses, a dirt yard with shipping containers and empty flatbeds, abandoned parking lots waiting for Monday morning’s workers, and a recycling depot with semi-truck trailers docked at the loading bays.

“Here,” she said breathlessly, her cheeks pink from the cold. “This is it.”

At the very end of the street was a two-story building with a garish blue roof. Thick blinds covered the windows, but light shone through the frosted glass door. Looked like someone was working late tonight.

We passed a handful of cars in the small parking lot and approached the door. A symbol composed of three interlocking triangles with a stylized eye in the center was stamped across the glass in black, and underneath was the business’s name.

ODIN’S EYE

Private Security Services

I stopped dead. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Is this Odin’s Eye? As in the guild?”

Robin looked over her shoulder, already reaching for the door. “Didn’t I say that?”

“No.”

“I thought I told you that the infernus maker is an Odin’s Eye member? And his main role is Demonica consultation?”

“You did not mention that. At all.”

“Oh. I … um … sorry.”

I shook my head. “Well, we’re here now. Let’s do this.”

We entered a warm lobby. Four plush leather chairs waited on either side of the door, guiding visitors toward a long reception desk with two monitors and a comfy-looking manager’s chair, currently empty. A pair of doors led off each side of the room.