“Harper, Rowan had something to do with the necromancer attack.” Rowan used the attack to become chief of police, and he spread fear and pushed his own agenda, but I hadn’t known he was there for the attack blamed on my brother. And five years later he held me prisoner. Did he know my brother? There was more to the story, and he was involved somehow, I could feel it.
Harper’s shoulders tense, but he doesn’t answer me, rapping on the wall with his knuckles again.
“I think Rowan’s guilty,” I continue. “He was there for the attack, then he holds me hostage. Now he’s threatening you. Don’t you see the pattern?”
“It’s not that simple, Dodger.”
“It seems pretty simple to me. He’s hiding something.”
“Rowan was hurt in the attack and isn’t even a necromancer.” Harper finally turns around, shaking his head.“And there were multiple witnesses, not just Rowan. All with the same story.”
Oh. Damn it. I thought I was onto something. I sink down onto the hotel mattress. Did the witnesses see my brother? Did they see him call the dragon? How is that possible?
After a knock on the door, Marlow enters with Iggy perched on his shoulder. The demon’s eyes dart between Harper and me, clearly sensing the tension.
“So...” Marlow says, dragging out the word. “That went well.”
Harper gives him a withering look.
“Rowan knows you’re alive now.” Harper growls at that, and Marlow talks over the sound. “No point in dwelling on why or who’s to blame. There’s no time to waste. You need to get a handle on your powers.”
Sparring Session
Dodger
“—really don’t need to be here,” Marlow’s saying as we enter the empty training barracks on the Iron Pack land. Knowing the Alphas has perks, we have the place all to ourselves. Not that a certain wolf is the best company right now.
Harper laughs, short and harsh. “Right. Because leaving you two unsupervised worked out so well last time.”
Ouch. Low blow. But fair.
“Right, down to business.” Marlow claps his hands and starts teaching his class of one, apparently ignoring the angry wolf lurking behind us. “From what Harper told me, your powers are strongest in summoning beings from the beyond, beyond this plane. That’s what I do, even if I work smaller.” We both look at the little pug snoozing on a nearby exercise machine. “When you’re dealing with banshees, dragons, and all manner of huge, pissed off creatures from the underworld and spooky planes of existence, they’re going to take one look at the tiny human you are and decide thattheyget to make the rules. They may try to come through the passage whether you allow it or not.”
“How am I supposed to stop them?” I ask.
“By showing them you’re the boss.”
My fingers curl around the leather handle of the whip. “Using this?”
“Sure, something to channel your power through helps,” Marlow says. “Think of it as a tool, not a weapon. Attacking isa last resort. It’s more about standing your ground and showing whatever you summon that you’re perfectly capable of holding your own.”
“Right. I can do that? Yeah.”
“Start by making it sound less like a question,” he suggests.
“Right. Good note.” Something to work on for the future.
“It’s also a good idea for you to have a primary companion who can help you. Let’s practice first.”
The air carries a cocktail of old sweat and something metallic—probably blood. A boxing ring takes up space in the center. Weights claim one wall while racks for weapons line another. Do wolves even bother with weapons in a real fight, or do they just go full beast mode? Whatever.
“You can do this.” The demon gives me a friendly pat on the back. “For what it’s worth, you saved my ass the first time we met.”
I charged in during an emergency, not letting the doubt creep in. But now? A quietly pissed off werewolf lurks in the corner, and what happened last time? Oh, right, thetentacles from hellinterfered. The doubts grow by the second. After a lifetime running from monsters, having the power to influence them still feels strange.
