Mac and I pushed our way through the crowd, approaching Jeeves, who stood with the door already open. The frown on his face was dour as he looked at the two of us, and I could already hear him saying, “Good riddance,” as he shut the door on our retreating backs.

“Toodles, Jeeves, my love.” Mac wiggled her fingers in his face as she sailed by.

“Thanks,” I said, following her into the predawn.

The air was crisp and fresh, but still, heat seemed to suffuse me. I turned back to look at the tower.

Was the Devil watching?

It sure felt like he was.

11

Carrow

Mac and I hurried down the creaky wooden stairs of the Witches’ Guild, the sound of the party following us across the lawn. I glanced behind again, half-expecting to see the Devil of Darkvale staring after me.

He’d come to the party just for me.

But he wasn’t standing there. And neither was Jeeves. The door was shut, but the party was still making the leaning wooden building shake.

I turned back and hurried along with Mac, the early dawn sun beginning to turn the sky a light gray.

I liked Mac. I really liked having her help through this magical new world. But there was no fooling myself. I was alone in this. I had always been alone, and I always would be.

I shook away the negative thoughts—they were total bull—and stepped onto one of the narrow streets that led back toward her place.

Wait, was that where we were headed?

Exhaustion pulled at me, and I looked at Mac. “Do you mind if I crash on your couch for a few hours? I’m beat, and I don’t think we should try to sneak into the morgue in broad daylight. Too many people.”

She nodded. “Of course. Where else would you go?”

“There?” I pointed to a little wrought iron bench that sat in front of a shop selling enchanted witches’ hats of all styles and colors. “Unless there’s a hotel around forty pounds a night. Because that’s all I’ve got.”

“Yeah, you’re on my couch. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you.” I couldn’t believe my luck in finding someone like Mac to help me. I was going to need to pay her back big time.

As we neared her flat, I began to feel someone watching me.

The Devil?

No. His attention had a weight that made me prickle with anticipation and wariness.

This…wasn’t like that.

It felt almost like family.

I looked around the old street, which was dead silent in the hour before dawn. It was empty save for a few purple pigeons and the motion behind the shop windows—cauldrons bubbling away, enchanted clothing dancing, and quills writing on scrolls like their feathers were on fire.

Finally, my gaze landed on two small green eyes high against a building. There, on a ledge, sat a raccoon.

“Cordelia?”

Mac looked at me. “Who the heck is Cordelia?”

“That raccoon.” I pointed to the furry little creature.

“You sure? Did it tell you its name?”

“No. I—” I paused. This was nuts. “Forget it. I’m going crazy.”

“We all are, honey.” Mac rubbed my arm. “Don’t worry about it.”

Cordelia stared down at me, the weight of her gaze heavy. Then she disappeared, jumping down into an alley and losing herself amongst the shadows.

Strange.

Mac led us to her flat and got me set up on the couch. As soon as I lay down, my whole body seemed to melt. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem.” She disappeared into her room, shouting out, “See you in the afternoon. Then we can make our game plan for the morgue.”

“Good deal.” I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the city waking up. The window was open, emitting a nice breeze and the smell of coffee from somewhere on the street down below.

I dreamed of the murder. Of meeting the Devil of Darkvale. Of the raccoon who I’d sworn was Cordelia. She had visited me, sleeping on my stomach as I slept on the couch.

Eventually, my mobile woke me, buzzing like mad next to my head on the pillow. I jerked upright, panting, and looked at it.

A text from Corrigan.

Shit.

Memories of every horrible thing I was trying to fight flashed in my mind. The murder. The manhunt.

I opened the message.

The entire police force is looking for you. Your face is on posters in shop windows. Turn yourself in.

Shit, shit, shit. That was intense.

It was ramping up to be a real serial killer investigation—and I was the main suspect.

“Breakfast,” Mac sang out from the kitchen.

I jerked, turning toward the kitchen door. She stepped out, carrying a tray with two big glasses of milk and a familiar blue package.

“Oreos for breakfast?” I asked.

“With milk!” She grinned widely. “That’s how it’s healthy.”

“Of course.” Despite the warning from Corrigan, a smile spread across my face. “Can’t imagine a better breakfast.

“Me, neither.”

We ate the Oreos quickly, cutting through almost half the package.

“So, ready to go sneak into the morgue?” Mac asked.

“Yeah. Can we pay a visit to Eve first, though?” Now that magic was an option, I wanted to use it. I had a lot of skills, but breaking and entering wasn't one of them. Especially not when the building in question was guarded like the morgue. I was willing to rack up some debts with Eve to improve my chances of getting in.

“Sure thing. She should be open.”

Thankfully, it turned out she was. The shop looked the same as it had when we’d entered the first time—cluttered and full of magic, the potion bottles jammed onto the walls and faerie lights in the ceiling—but Eve looked different.

She looked guilty.

Hell, she almost grimaced when she looked at us.

“What’s wrong?” Mac demanded at once.

“The Devil got to me,” Eve said. Behind her, the raven twitched in irritation.

“Damn it.” Mac looked between Eve and me. “What did he want to know?”

“He forced you to do something?” I asked, my mind racing with horrible ideas.

“He wanted answers.”

“About what?” Mac asked.

“About her.” Eve nodded at me. “Her name, what she does. Anything I knew.”

“Is that how he found us at the party last night?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I didn’t know that, so he probably found that info somewhere else. But I did tell him your name and what you can do. I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t.

Mac shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, Eve. No one can help it. That’s the point of his power.”

I didn’t mention that I could help it. But I also didn’t blame Eve. I’d felt the strength of his magic last night after the potion pong game. It would be impossible to resist.

“Well, I’m sorry,” Eve said. “Probably better if you don’t tell me anything.”

“Can we ask for help, though?” I asked.

“Definitely.” Eve’s shoulders seemed to sag with relief. “I would be delighted. I feel like I owe you.”

“You don’t.” I shook my head. “From what I understand, the Devil’s ability to force people to do his bidding is part of life here.”

In fact, it seemed that he was so powerful, he basically owned this city. No one could move without him knowing it. I shivered, wondering if this place was even more dangerous than London.

“You’re telling me.” A cloud crossed Eve’s face. “But what can I help you with? And keep the details to a minimum. I don’t want the Devil getting your info out of me.”

“Okay…” He knew what I was going to try to do, but it’d be best to play by her rules anyway. “Do you have anything that will force people to do what I want them to do?”

“You want a power like the Devil’s, huh?”

“Wouldn’t be bad.”

“True enough, it wouldn’t.” She went to a shelf and got down a small vial. “This is a powder that will make someone perform a small task for you. Nothing too intense, of course. You couldn’t compel someone to kill, for instance.”

My brows popped up. “Whoa, wasn’t thinking of that as an option, actually.”

“Okay, good. Well, it should work pretty well at getting someone to do something small, then. But they’ll pass out immediately after.”

“It won’t hurt them, right?”

“No, it will exhaust them.”

“That’s fine. What about another freezing potion?” Mac asked. “That would be handy.”

“You can have two. What else?”

Mac’s eyes widened. “Wow, you really feel guilty, huh?”

“Yeah. Way guilty. He…he has his eye on her in a big way, and I don’t know why.”

“It’s fine.” I wanted to reassure her. “I can handle it.”

“Against the Devil himself?” Eve looked skeptical.

“Against anything.”

She grinned. “I like you. We should get a drink when this is all over, whatever this is.”

“Yeah.” Two friends? How could I get so lucky?

She gave us a couple more assorted potions that Mac seemed pleased with. We made sure that we were immune to the freezing potions, and then we split, heading back toward the gate.

The town was bustling by now, the sun setting once again. The old iron streetlamps and shop windows glowed with golden light, and the streets were full of supernaturals going about their business. A few people flew overhead, their wings carrying them through the air.

“I can’t believe this place,” I murmured.

“Well, get used to it. These are your people now.”

I spotted two inebriated men brawling, horns protruding from their heads and drunken eyes rolling as they tried unsuccessfully to land a punch.

“Uhhh…” I said.