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Gun slapped a hand over his mouth to cover his laughter.
“Of course you are,” Cam replied with anemic conviction.
Josie grunted. “This was fun. Be sure to call me again the next time you need a favor. It made my day.” She hung up just as laughter erupted from Gunther.
“Sorry it didn’t work out, Lorelei,” Cam said, speaking loud enough to be heard over Gun’s convulsions.
“I’ll tell you what,” Gun said. “She’s definitely my favorite vampire in the whole world.”
Camryn scowled. “I hope you like salad because that’s all I saw in your fridge earlier.”
“I’m more than capable of taking myself to a restaurant.”
“Maybe so, but it isn’t nearly as enjoyable without me.”
“I’ve always felt disappointed not to have cousins,” I said. “But I’m starting to feel better about it now.”
Camryn jabbed a finger in my direction. “See what you’ve done, Gun? You’ve made Lorelei happy to have no family.”
“Why don’t you have cousins?” Gun asked.
I shrugged. “Because not everybody does.”
“Our families are large and annoying,” Cam said. “Consider yourself lucky.”
“Kane’s going to consider himself lucky when he sees you in that dress.” Gun leaned over to kiss my cheek, and I steeled my mind in the nick of time. “Thanks for the adventure today. I enjoyed it, even if I didn’t get to peek behind the curtain.”
I waited until they left to call Phaedra.
“I’m glad you called,” she said.
“You found something in your family journals?”
“No, but I spoke to Ashley. We agreed to a trial run. She seems eager to help out with the animals in particular.”
“That’s great news. I hope it works out.” I couldn’t wait to tell Nana Pratt. “I have information that may narrow down your search. Did you happen to see the word kulshedra in any of the journals?”
“Hang on. That word rings a bell.”
While I waited, I walked upstairs in search of Sian and found him napping on the sleeping bag beside the bed he’d built, which was still in need of a mattress and would be for the foreseeable future. I tiptoed out of the room and returned downstairs to the kitchen.
“That’s it!” Phaedra declared. “They even tried to hire a drangue to defeat the demon, but they couldn’t find one.”
“And when the drangue didn’t pan out, they probably took matters into their own hands,” I suggested.
“Knowing my family, it’s very likely. I’ll keep reading and see what I can find.”
“Thanks, Phaedra. I owe you one. Again.”
“You owe me nothing. If my family trapped a demon in Bone Lake that’s responsible for killing people, then I have a duty to remove it as a threat.”
“There’s a black bird on the gate,” Ray announced.
I thanked Phaedra again and hung up the phone.
I wasn’t expecting Kane, not that it mattered. He had a habit of showing up without warning, as did many other residents of Fairhaven. I was beginning to think the ward, gate, and moat were less effective than I intended.
I opened the front door and scanned the horizon. Not a blackbird. A crow.
