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“It’s not fair.” I reached over to stroke her back. “The naga isn’t to blame.”
“It would kill innocents and might expose us to humans.”
“Look at you.” I ruffled her fuzz. “You’ve been reading the company handbook.”
“There is no company handbook.” She swatted my hand. “I just listen to you and Clay when you argue.”
“Black Hat cares about one thing, and that’s keeping paranormals a secret from normals.”
That was why we hunted our own when they went rogue, to protect the innocent from exposure.
“But this time, it’s more than that.” Her expression tightened. “People would die without our help.”
“You’re right.” I hesitated then tied my hair up off my neck. “I want to make sure you understand.”
I almost asked her if she was okay with it, a death sentence, but how could she be?
“Will we catch who’s behind this?”
“Absolutely we will.”
“Will they be punished?”
“To the fullest extent of the law.” The law, as dictated by the director. “I promise.”
“Then I’m okay. Ish. Mostly.” She settled on my head. “So, we lure it away, you zap it, and we go home?”
“That’s the plan.” I lifted my phone when the screen lit with permission. “We’re clear to engage.”
The text that came after the all-clear didn’t come as much of a surprise.
>>Found Barker’s partner. Guy named Reems. Died from a hoof to the skull. Hippocampus style.
>Thanks for the update.
As much as I would have loved to ask more questions, I had to track the naga before it slithered away.
“Secret agent mode—” she knotted her tiny hands in my hair, “—activate.”
This was the first I was hearing of a secret agent mode, but I could guess where she got the idea: Clay.
Leaving the relative safety of the vehicle, I walked toward where I spotted the naga. It had seen me too and retreated to the alley behind the coffee shop that butted up against a former toy megastore that had gone bankrupt years earlier.
I had it on good authority I remained plenty stinky from the magics I had cast in my youth. Each time Colby channeled her energy through me, it grew fainter, an unexpected and yet oddly comforting side effect of her unique power. So, yes, the naga must have scented me.
Lucky for humans in the area, I likely spooked it. Unlucky for us, that meant we got to chase it.
“You’re my eyes in the sky.” I pointed to a streetlight. “Perch there and help me keep a bead on it.”
“Okay.”
Quick as a flash, she kicked off my scalp to launch into the night sky with dozens of other moths.
Trapped between worlds as she was, Colby frightened off the others, and I heard her sigh. We learned early on that she couldn’t have mothy friends. Pets? Fly buddies? Whatever their disparate sizes would have made them. They viewed her as a predator on the hunt, and they couldn’t escape her fast enough.
Palming my wand, I stalked the alley, tuning my ears for the telltale heartbeat of the creature.
“Left,” Colby squeaked. “Left.”
