She winked and moved away.

No. No, it was not exciting. It was freaking terrifying.

Valens probably would’ve killed me on the spot if I’d walked out in front of his car. He would’ve killed my whole family if I’d tried to mace him.

Denying him? Calling him names?

A cold sweat broke over me.

No wonder Kieran had followed me that first time. He’d probably been completely blindsided by my attitude. He’d had to catch up with me and set matters to rights. After that, he’d probably only played nice to get the skinny on my magic so I would help his mom.

I’ll have everything I need to escalate this to the next level.

For once, my magic had saved me. For now.

It was safe to say that Valens, the Demigod of San Francisco, was above the law. Hell, he created the law. By rights, the man was a god wandering through the lives of mortals. Not all Demigods could live forever, but Valens, I knew, would live, and had lived, for a very long time.

His son thought he’d cornered me. That he’d force me to get my whole life on the books, and then strong-arm me into doing his bidding.

Could he force me into his bed, too?

I wasn’t sure. He could certainly coerce me with magic. Valens had been rumored to do that as often as he pleased, though it wasn’t like women ever said no to him. His son probably wasn’t any different. He’d merely been playing with me like a cat plays with a mouse.

I blew out a breath as tremors ran through me. Working for the Demigod would be suicide. When I couldn’t figure out how to help his mother, he’d likely decide I knew too much about his problems. He could dispose of me and say it was an accident. Or wild dogs run amok.

Hell, he could just say he accidentally killed me in bed with his awesome powers. Oops, he’d say, then flash that perfect smile.

“Oh God,” I said, hardly able to breathe.

If you didn’t have bad luck, Alexis, you’d have no luck at all.

27

Alexis

“He can force us to register our magic,” Mordecai said the following day as we drove toward the magical governing body building, “but he cannot force you to work for him and he can’t force you to live in one of the magical zones. I looked it up. It’s against the law. He certainly can’t force you sexually. That’s a federal law, and it applies to everyone, in all zones and territories and holes and whatever.”

As expected, I’d told the kids everything, and they’d given me an absolute no. They didn’t want me to work for that man for any price, even a possible cure for Mordecai. An all-powerful Demigod could crush my life in his large, strong hands. Mordecai had pulled up stats—Valens kept everything in check and running smoothly, but he ruled with an iron fist, and if you displeased him or broke the rules, you were dealt with viciously.

I remembered the deadly glint that was often in the stranger’s—Kieran’s—eyes. Sure, he looked a lot like his mom, but he had the power and ruthlessness of his dad. I could see it.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Valens would withhold a selkie’s skin,” I said, my opinion of him lower than I had thought was possible. “He probably found a way to withhold it from her even in death, just to cement his dominance over her. To prove he was better than the call of the sea…” A connection tried to ignite like a couple sticks rubbed together to make fire. “You know, his lineage is the god of the sea. He holds most of his power there. One would reason that he could withhold a sea creature’s power by virtue of supernatural might alone.”

“Except death is not his realm. That’s Hades’,” Mordecai said.

The spark fizzled out. “True.”

“And he’d have to focus on it all the time. Maybe not while she was alive, trapped in reality, but it seems like death doesn’t have the same restrictions. Spirits move about pretty easily.”

“Yes and no. They move around familiar places easily, often returning to wherever they felt most comfortable, or knew the best, or died in, but they get lost in unfamiliar places. Confused. They fizzle out and find their way back to their comfort zone.”

“Why is one of Frank’s comfortable places in our front yard?”

“I have no idea. Honestly, I’m scared to ask.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s about my mother’s age, and like I just said, ghosts often hang around a place of comfort.”

“Ew.”

“Yeah. And you don’t even know what he looks like.” I grimaced. I did not like thinking of my mother’s love life.

“You’re not taking that job.” Mordecai glanced down at my phone where the GPS map was displayed. “A right up here.”

“Right. True. I am curious, though. I want to know if I can call magical objects like I can people.”

“Then try.”

“I can’t without a solid foundation. Something special of hers would probably do the trick, if a trick could be done.”

Mordecai nodded and pointed so I would turn. We approached the guarded gate in the six-foot-high brick wall encircling the magical zone, the height almost daring non-magical people to come in illegally and attempt to create mischief. And foolish kids did. All the time.

Most of them paid the price. Some of them were never heard from again.

“Have your ID out,” I said, and slipped my ID from my wallet. “If I could figure out the riddle, though, and get his mother back that skin…”

“Don’t even say it,” Mordecai warned.

I slowed behind the line of cars seeking admittance into the magical area. In the clear lane beside me, intended for higher-powered personnel, a large Mercedes SUV glided by, barely slowing before the guard in that lane touched his first two fingers to his forehead, letting him pass without showing identification.

I couldn’t not say it. I couldn’t not say it, or not think it, or not dwell on it constantly. “You’d be cured, Mordecai. You would get complete access to your heritage.”

“And then what?” he asked, his voice hushed. “Right now, I don’t have any strength. I don’t know how to fight. The alpha might not bother with me because I’m nothing. One look at me would tell him I’m no threat. His people would see a strong alpha picking on a sickly boy. He’d get nothing out of it. My weakness is my greatest protection. In fact, he’d get points from the pack for acting merciful. But if I was healthy, he’d have no reason not to challenge me.”

“That would make really good sense to leaders like your parents probably were. And clearly like you would be. That’s why they were loved. But I told you what the Demigod said. The current alpha doesn’t fight fair, and he isn’t loved.”

“The Demigod might’ve been telling you what you needed to hear. Demigods are also cunning, and they also don’t fight fair.”

I paused with my mouth open. I was too freaking gullible by half. “Dang it. You’re too smart.”

“No, I just have a lot of practice talking you out of very bad ideas. If only I was half as good at talking Daisy out of them.”

“The difference is, she somehow pulls off her terrible ideas, and I always get caught.”

As we approached the head of the line, I rolled down the window, squinting into the frigid air. A little bit farther and the temperate weather of the magical zone would welcome us in.

“Good afternoon, kind sir,” I said, handing my license to the stern-faced guard in a black uniform with two green stripes down the arms and legs. “Lovely day for a kite, isn’t it?”

His jaw set firmly, he brought up a blacklight reader to catch the watermarks in the license.

“Rest assured, there is no way I’d try to sneak in.” I smiled up at him.

He turned and slid the card through a reader, waited a beat, then handed the ID back. He looked at the car behind me.

“Lovely chatting with you. I feel refreshed.” I waved at him and continued on through the wall.

“That’s the way to get them to remember you,” Mordecai said.

“Not hardly. They only remember important people who are full of themselves. He’ll disregard a poor girl desperate for a little back-and-forth.” I turned left on the cleanly swept, pristine road. Full trees waved in the strong breeze, some flowering out of season. Brick buildings and cute little houses lined the streets. All of the neighborhoods were as expensive, well maintained, and cozy as this one. Tufts of fog floated ahead, thinning dramatically the farther in we got. The Demigod had the weather looking fine.