Sebastian just had to convince Jessie of that, preferably without the big alpha ripping his throat out before he could finish. But before that could happen, there was one more trick he had to pull off. One more little fib he would need to tell.

He knew Jessie was about to offer him a role on her team. If the circumstances had been different, he’d have taken it in a heartbeat, but the time wasn’t right. The alpha had a bit more work to do on his territory, and Jessie needed to get those others on her crew, and then all could be revealed, and Sebastian could grovel for the first and only ally he ever planned to take. His late sister’s Sight, the Seeing that had killed her, would not go ignored.

“In the flesh,” Sebastian said. “Pray tell, what are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Domino stepped out of the bushes.

“I’m protecting my interests, obviously. I thought it was quite clear to anyone listening that Jacinta of Ivy House was mine?”

Domino sneered. “All due respect, you always were a disgrace. You’d work with her…team?”

“Oops, your ignorance is showing.” Sebastian lifted his eyebrows. “Her team is incredible. Even you should see that. It is so confusing to me—she’s a female gargoyle, with a thunderbird, a phoenix, a puca, and other gargoyles on her team. Every one of them turns from human into something else, yet you’re so fixated on the shifters.” He put out his finger, and Domino flinched. “It’s fear, isn’t it? Shifters are terrifying. They are a force all their own, especially the alpha ones. Watch out for those, by the way.” He rolled his eyes. “Oh, what am I saying? You won’t need to watch out for them. You’ll be dead.”

Domino’s sneer was a defense mechanism. “What do you think you’ll do? I’m protected by the Mages’ Guild. They will claim vengeance for my death.”

Sebastian laughed. “The Mages’ Guild would surely go after Jacinta Ironheart, this is true, but we both know they won’t dare come after me. Which is why I will spare her the hardship and kill you myself.”

A peal of thunder rolled through the sky, temporarily drowning out a few remaining gun blasts. It was almost over. Sebastian had to hurry this up.

“What do you want?” Domino straightened up. “Money? Meetings with my connections to get back into the magical elite? Done. If you want the halfwit mage, have her. She’s nothing. I was simply curious.”

“I have all the money I could ever want, actually. And no, I don’t need your paltry connections. I need a body. My plans won’t work without one. You’ll do nicely. Your ugly mug doesn’t matter much, because I’ll give you a new one. Mine, if you must know. Well, not mine exactly, but the one I’ve been wearing.” He let himself grin. “Around the shifters, she never worried about its expressionlessness. That was a stroke of luck.”

Fear crept into Kinsella’s eyes and his brow lowered. “You’re nothing. Momar owns the magical world now, not you. He pushed you aside. You’re lucky he didn’t kill you.”

“He certainly tried.” Sebastian took a step forward. “There is a difference between stepping back from the magical world…and being pushed aside. I wanted to see about some predictions made by my late sister. My situation these past years was entirely voluntary, and entirely temporary. Soon I will reemerge. Hopefully I will do it with the only female gargoyle in existence, and the most powerful shifter alive. Soon I will take Momar’s nightmares directly to him, and watch him dance.”

Thirty-Four

Silence descended around us. Movement slowed and then stopped, my team looking around for anyone still standing. None of our enemies were—those who hadn’t fallen had fled.

Sucking in deep breaths, I changed back into my human form. “Check our people,” I called out. “Make sure no one is too badly hurt. Call me if someone needs healing.” I looked around the ground for my clothes, trying to stand straight and tall like the nakedness wasn’t bothering me.

Shifters started moving immediately, some changing into human form and others staying furry. Cyra changed into human as well, her clothes magically still on. Totally unfair. She didn’t check on our side, though—she checked on theirs. If she found someone moving around, she fixed the glitch.

“No, no, let them—”

“It has to be done,” Kingsley said, also naked and giving me plenty of space. It shocked me mute, and I stared really hard at his face so I didn’t give in to curiosity and accidentally check if he was blessed with size like his brother. “You have to send a message that you will not tolerate attacks.”

Other shifters changed, Austin being one of them, and he immediately started looking after his people. He glanced my way but didn’t say anything. He was leaving the call up to me.

I bit my lip as Cyra moved on to someone else. She pointed, and Hollace swooped down to blast the man with electricity. They were dividing up the gore for sport, it seemed like. For fun.

My stomach turned. My jaw hurt from clenching my teeth.

Sebastian limped out from around the side of the banquet hall, holding his side. The sight of his wounds tore at me.

“No.” I continued to stare at Kingsley. I saw the spark of violence in his eyes, the evidence that he was not used to having his authority challenged.

But he had no authority here.

“No,” I repeated. I threw bands around Cyra to keep her from cracking a wounded woman’s neck. She struggled, trying to burn through my magic. I wouldn’t allow it. “I can’t do this. We will not continue to assassinate the wounded. That is not what I stand for. They will be given a chance to reform.” I raised my voice and backed it by magic. “If you are still alive, you will remain so. I’ll do everything I can to make sure of that. But if you ever come back here, intending to do me or mine harm, I’ll kill you myself. Is that clear?”

I didn’t wait for them to respond. I assumed they wouldn’t. Nor did I need Kingsley’s curt nod. I would not compromise my own principles because things were done differently in the magical world. My people would have to live with that, or they could leave.

“Jessie, how can I help?” Sebastian asked as he neared me.

“Can you heal?”

“No. Not without a camping stove, pot, and potion ingredients.”

“Then just rest. I’ll handle it.”

A roar ripped through the battlefield, and the basajaun literally drop-kicked someone over the edge of the hill, their body somersaulting through the air before it landed awkwardly and rolled away.

He stuck up his hand, not turning. “Last one, Miss Jessie. He tried to stab me. Vengeance was necessary. It is done.”

I just blinked at him for a second. I didn’t miss Kingsley’s tiny smile before it morphed back into his hard alpha frown. Shaking my head, I got to work.

A few hours later, Austin pulled up to Ivy House and I just sat in the passenger seat, exhausted in a way I hadn’t known I could be. There had been a lot of people to heal. A lot. Each took energy. Some had required a lot of energy.

“I’m pissed Kinsella took off,” I said, not lifting my head off the headrest. “He left all his people to fight and die for him, and he just left? What kind of a coward is that?”

“Mages aren’t usually on the front line,” Sebastian said from the back seat. The basajaun hadn’t come back with us. He’d decided to head back to his mountain through the trees. I suspected he wanted to see if he could track down any escapees and deal with them how he saw fit.

Gargoyles landed on the front grass, the night cloaking them. Cyra and Hollace followed, the night showing off their respective flames and lightning. The police would probably get a few calls of unidentified animals flying through the night sky, but Austin’s inside guy would hopefully handle it. The rest of my people had already landed, Edgar having been carried (it would be an incredibly long flight as a swarm of insects).

“You were,” I commented as Austin got out of the Jeep.

“I wasn’t doing it for myself,” Sebastian said. “I was doing it for you. Difference. I’m a peon, and you’re a gargoyle, so we aren’t breaking any stereotypes. In case that might bother you.”

I smiled, happy he was okay. “Can you stay a little while? For tea or a beer or something?”

“Sure. I’m too tired to walk home right now, anyway.”

Austin stopped next to me and, before I realized what he was doing, lifted me into his arms.

“I’m not hurt,” I told him, though I didn’t try to escape his arms. I didn’t want to.

“You’re more powerful than those spear guns,” he murmured, his voice low and still full of pride.

I leaned my head against his shoulder. “I guess so.”

“Are we thinking dinner or a snack?” Mr. Tom asked as Austin walked me to the door, having just shifted back to human.

“We’re thinking ye need to cover yer bollocks,” Niamh said. “They’re down around yer ankles.”

“It is an awful burden to have your company always forced upon us.” Mr. Tom sniffed as he followed Austin and me indoors.

“I’m starving,” I told Mr. Tom.

“Perfect. I shall prepare something and alert you when it’s ready. Austin Steele, will your brother be joining us?”

“No. He’s going straight back to my house. Sebastian, follow us.”

Austin took me back to my smaller, mostly private sitting room and situated me on his lap. It wasn’t strictly the most professional setup, but I didn’t care to fix it.

“You were magnificent today,” he said as Sebastian detoured through the kitchen, apparently thinking he needed to take the long way and give us a moment. “I’m glad you stood up to my brother. I would have done things differently, but you need to stick up for what you believe in. I respect that.”

“You did do things differently. I saw your guys help a few of the wounded into that good night.”