“I think you have to be born into the magical world for any of this to seem remotely normal,” I said, the incline growing.

“Probably,” Daisy said.

“Any idea what lesser magics are traveling with Demigod Flora?” I asked.

“No idea whatsoever,” Daisy replied. “I’m not there yet. Zorn says I need to learn all the magics and how to combat them first.”

“How would you combat Zeus?”

“Personally, I’d look helpless and fragile and pretty and let him play hero or else take pity on me. A mortal taking on a god is just stupid. Anyone taking on a god is just stupid, actually, unless it’s another god. It’s best just to make sure they don’t kill you. Although I am curious about the schlong issue. The internet didn’t have any pictures. I mean, of his. They had plenty of pictures—”

“No!” I held up my finger and made eye contact in the rearview mirror. “You are barely fifteen. No thinking about schlongs, no matter how big. Do we need to have another sex talk?”

“Nah. Your embarrassment embarrasses me. I know how that stuff works. But honestly, don’t you wonder if it is as big as the legends say?”

“No,” Mordecai and I said together.

Daisy shrugged.

“How would you combat Demigod Flora?” I asked.

Daisy’s mouth twisted to the side. “In this situation? Do whatever Kieran says and hope he has the experience to take on the most powerful line of Demigods in the world.”

16

Alexis

A cool evening breeze kissed my exposed skin as I sat in a lonely fold-out chair in front of a small, two-room log cabin deep in the trees. It might’ve been serene if not for the beat-up SUVs and mighty fine Jeep choking the isolated property. Daisy sat at my feet with a collection of five cell phones piled in front of her. They belonged to the people in the group who hadn’t taken a blood oath. Including me. No one had objected to the confiscation, except for me—I would’ve really liked to play a game to calm my nerves.

A motor cut off somewhere behind the cabin. Bria jogged in a moment later.

“The cadavers have been moved,” she announced, wiping her cheek and smearing dirt across it. It added to the other smears already present. “We can use your spirits to fill them, but we need to wait for Kieran’s go-ahead. Won’t be long until we confront Flora now.”

I eyed my phone. “What’s the status?”

Bria glanced off to the right. “I have to pee, and there is only one outhouse for a handful of large, stinky men. I might just use the bushes.”

“No,” I said with a scowl. “I mean the overall situation.”

“Yeah, I know, I just wanted you to feel my pain.” She braced her hands on her hips and rolled back on her heels. “It’s official. That bitch Demigod Flora tried to sell us out. She knew about Kieran buying that house. Given there are no records linking him to it—Amber double-checked his work, but you know he’s good at hiding his electronic trails—someone is definitely passing along our sensitive info. We don’t have time to figure that out, though. She’s got the sheriff and his cronies looking for us and Dylan—sounds like she had no idea we were pulling out of this Popsicle stand. Dylan’s picture is up all over town, wanted for magic, and we’re being portrayed as the fugitives helping him hide. At least he knows we aren’t at fault here.”

“We are at fault,” I said. “Because of us, his cover has been completely blown.”

“Well, yes, but we’re not trying to screw him, is what I meant. We didn’t go all Zeus in this joint. We went in quietly. Flora is trying to make it sound like she’s doing the town a great big favor. She’s got the local news telling people to look in their sheds, check their land, guard their kids from the evil magic man—the whole shebang. She’s a real piece of work.”

“She’s setting it up so that she can drag him out of here?”

“Yep. He broke the law—he forged documents and moved into a strictly non-magical zone. The Demigod that captures him can punish him however she deems fit. Obviously we’re not going to let Flora capture him, though. Shithead. We’ll extract Dylan, hopefully knock Flora down a peg, and help Dylan disappear again. Presto change-o. In the meantime, we already took a couple of their guys.”

“How’d you manage that?” Daisy asked.

“Get this—those fuckers snuck into the house to ambush Alexis. They were huge guys—big chests, big arms—as big as Jerry. Apparently size matters in their thick heads. Those idiots thought they could take down a Soul Stealer—no biggie, I guess—and her two teen wards. Easy-peasy.” Bria laughed. “What absolute tools. I wish Kieran had let you go with me. I swear, Zeus’s people are the Ken doll crew of the magical world. Attractive, but big, dumb idiots. I did them a favor.”

“How’s that?” Daisy asked.

“I had Jerry take out the foundation underneath the whole front of the house and collapse the thing. Smoosh-ville. It’ll be an insurance nightmare, but that’s not my problem. I had to get those cadavers, after all. Can’t fault me for protecting myself, and Jerry was just doing what he was told. We’re in the clear.”

Daisy’s mouth dropped open. Amber might’ve been the sexy viper of our group, but no one could beat Bria’s flare.

“Why does every house Kieran buys have bodies buried and waiting in the yard?” I asked, a little numb. I knew a grisly battle was coming. Flora played to win, that was clear, and while I knew killing a Demigod was typically off-limits, everyone else would be fair game. I’d have a target on my back, Bria, the guys…the kids.

Fire smoldered in my belly, but I doused it. I needed to stay numb until the last possible moment or adrenaline would rage through me until I was worn out. I had put my neck on the line for this one, and I would not lose. Not the battle, and not one person. I’d obliterate Flora’s forces and send them marching back at her before I let that happen.

“Necromancers magically store bodies everywhere we think we might run into trouble,” Bria said. “With you, that is literally everywhere. I had Jerry help me unearth everyone while the Ken dolls were being squished. That guy is fiercely handy. No digging necessary—he just works the rocks within the dirt until they churn up the cadavers. Not sure why he threw up those few times, what with the state of his cave, but he’ll get used to it.”

“You have a screw loose,” Daisy said with a grin.

Thane and Boman broke through a thicket of bushes on the side of what passed for the front yard. A moment later, Mordecai trotted out behind them in wolf form, his tongue lolling as though he’d gone for a good run. They’d recruited him to help them scout out various areas. Thank God Mordecai hadn’t seen any action.

Yet.

A flare of fear fueled the fire bubbling just below the surface of my consciousness. The battle would come soon enough.

Behind them, Jack put out his hands to move the tree branches to the side, didn’t notice his hands going through them, then jerked back like he was about to get thwapped in the face. He’d probably been shadowing Mordecai and would have training tips for Kieran when there wasn’t a battle on the horizon. Maybe one day.