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“We tried to come back from our end,” Mallory said. “But couldn’t break through the bubble. Then we tried to break through just long enough to send a message.” She looked at us hopefully. “Did anything get through?”
Lulu shook her head. “But the magic in the air could have garbled the transmission.”
“Did you find anything in the documents in the library?” I wondered. That had been bugging me for days.
“It was the journal of a sorceress who’d lived in Chicago—one of those who’d been exiled. It’s the story of her time in Chicago,” Mallory said. “We didn’t find anything relating to the demon, unfortunately.”
“Andaras should be stuck where she is for a good, long while,” Lulu said. “It’s possible—probably likely—that she’ll try to escape again. But not anytime soon. And this time, we’ll be ready.”
“Can the wards be rebuilt?” my mother asked.
“Theoretically,” Petra said. “As long as the Cornerstones are good, the defenses will be, too. We need to re-up the spells on the wards that were tripped. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to reconfigure the defenses on the other Cornerstones so they aren’t worse than the demons themselves.”
Lulu looked at her parents. “I can help with that.”
“I like that,” Mallory said, and kissed Lulu’s forehead. “I like it a lot.”
“I still can’t get over that you’re doing magic now,” my mom said.
“I’m not sure yet how much I’m going to do or not,” Lulu said. “I’m going to take it one step at a time.” She looked at her mother. “But I didn’t want to hide anymore. I didn’t want to worry anymore. So I’m going to try to be out there, be who I am, and if we face enemies because of it—”
“We face them,” her dad said. “Together.”
“Together,” my dad echoed as the band played, and the House stood strong and stoic in thedarkness.
TWENTY-THREE
The Pack, including Connor, were called to NAC headquarters at dusk the next night.
Connor had gone with his parents to HQ after the rescue, and he hadn’t come home since I’d awoken at dawn. He’d sent me a message asking me to join them, but that had been it. No indication of what his father intended to do... or what Connor intended to do about that.
I wanted to be prepared. And this seemed like the time to dress in full vampire apparel: black leather leggings, knee-high black leather boots, black crop top with corset-like ties, and the reddest lipstick I could find. I tucked a dagger in my boot, just in case. Katana belted at my side, just in case. I probably wouldn’t need them, probably wouldn’t use them. But like Miranda, I didn’t think the interlopers were trustworthy.
I took an Auto to Pack HQ and found the place buzzing with anticipatory magic. I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t sure what to expect.
There were shifters everywhere—albeit not blocking traffic this time. On the sidewalk, in the open garage, in the Pack’s business area. I went directly to the inner rooms, avoiding the bar, and knocked on the door.
Connor’s uncle Eli opened it, looking down at me from height.He took in the leather, nodded approvingly, then moved aside to let me in.
Connor’s dad sat at the worn table, an infant on his lap. A niece, I thought, and probably the daughter of Fallon, the only Keene sister, and Jeff Christopher, a former Ombud and Fallon’s husband. She’d given up her spot in the line of succession for Jeff, who was a Pack shifter but a different animal. And given the way they beamed at each other and their daughter, they both looked excessively happy about their situation.
Connor stood in front of the table in jeans and a Pack T-shirt. His expression was steady, and his gaze was on me.
I gave him the slightest nod, wished I understood what was about to happen.
“Since we’re all here,” Gabriel said, lifting his gaze to me with a smile, “I think we’d better get started.” He rose, handed the baby back to Fallon, gave the tiny girl a final kiss on the forehead. “They’re assembled?” he asked no one in particular.
From the volume of magic, I assumed “they” was the Pack, possibly including the interlopers. If they hadn’t already been kicked out of the city.
“They’re in the bar,” Eli confirmed.
Gabriel looked at Connor. “You need a minute?”
Connor nodded. At Gabriel’s gesture, all the shifters filed out. Some going through the door that led to the bar, others through one that led farther into the family’s area. Fallon handed Jeff the baby, and she went into the bar. Jeff gave me a wink across the room and took the baby into the back.
And then we were alone.
Connor strode toward me, every movement confident, relaxed.
