“Flora is setting up to comb the mountains,” Thane said to Bria. “She’s got the sheriff and some townspeople helping. Thank heavens the village is tiny. Where’s Jerry?”

“Here.” Jerry emerged from the side of the cabin, his bronze-toned skin three shades lighter than usual.

A smile spread across Thane’s face. “What’s the matter, Jerry? I thought you liked playing with your food?”

Jerry’s mouth formed a grim line.

Thane’s smile dripped away, any humor short-lived, given the situation. “Can you feel the Lightning Bolt?” He grimaced. “Now she’s got me doing it.” He nodded at Bria, who had heard, secondhand, Daisy’s question about the legend of the big schlong and decided it wasn’t prudent to use the term Lightning Rod until Dylan could prove its relevancy.

None of the guys had found her comment particularly funny, but I’d never seen Red actually guffaw until that moment.

“He’s been in the same place since about two o’clock,” Jerry said. “It’s at the very farthest edge of my power. If he moves any farther east, I’ll lose him.”

“Until you get off your ass and walk a little, Jerry,” Bria said.

The guys cracked a grin. Jerry didn’t seem like he’d heard.

“What time is it now?” I asked.

“Seven,” Boman said, checking his watch. “Full moon tonight. We’ll be able to see until Kieran and Flora battle for the sky.”

“That’s a battle Flora will win,” I murmured, looking up at the deep purple sky hole-punched with two stars. “I need to think about which spirits to summon and get Jack organizing everyone. Maybe Mia will pop back in. I’ve still heard no word about her or the others.” I shook my head and then pushed the thought away. Now wasn’t the time to worry about spirits leaving without saying goodbye.

“Summoning spirits? Did someone ring?” Harding popped up next to me.

I jumped and then released my breath in a slow hiss, turning away a little. Guilt swam through me like minnows over how this situation had turned out. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t blame Harding a little for it.

“No,” I replied, then told the others, “Harding just popped up out of nowhere, probably to watch the show.”

“Clever girl.” He grinned at me. “I do so love the way you get yourself out of tight fixes. Your tactics are so strange and ingenious. The world needed someone like you to come along. So what’s the situation? Armed and ready, I trust?”

“Did you do this somehow?” I asked, facing him now. “Did you tell someone else?”

“Who could I tell?” He palmed his chest. “My cat has run off and your Demigod has hidden the pocket watch. My other artifacts are under lock and key with Demigod Zander. To get that stuff, someone would have to steal it, and he’s a real tight sonuvabitch. Zeus breeds ’em difficult, to say the least. I couldn’t tell anyone if I tried.”

I passed the information on. Truthfully, I’d already figured that was the case—I had just wanted a justifiable reason to be angry with him.

“Fine,” I said, thinking through the situation. “Jerry, can you feel Dylan’s surroundings?”

“Feeling through rock and stone, as I do, doesn’t translate to seeing,” Jerry replied. “He is in a half cave, so I have a good idea of his surroundings, but any picture I drew would be made up of a lot of blank space.”

“Is there anything you can do to make him more comfortable? Some way of showing him we’re still around, and we want to help?”

Harding grinned, and his eyes sparkled with pride. I scowled at him, wiping the grin from his lips.

“On it,” Jerry said.

“Classy guy, that Jerry,” Boman said.

“A real class act, eh, Jerry?” Thane replied.

“You guys sound brain-dead.” Bria shook her head.

“It is such bullshit what the magical world allows Demigods to get away with,” I said. Distantly, I felt Kieran break away from Zorn somewhere in the trees and head back toward the cabin. “Jerry would’ve been forced into a blood oath if people could’ve gotten to him. They would have done the same for Amber and me. Why is this allowed to happen? It’s against the law! No way should this practice be this prevalent.”

“It’s not, really,” Bria said, leaning against the side of the cabin. “I’m an experienced level five in good standing with the community and plenty of job offers, but I’ve never had a problem turning jobs down. No one minds when I do freelance work. Most of the magical world is comprised of people like me—we’re too common to be chased or stolen or forced. We can be replaced.

“But there are a few rare gems that can’t be replaced, and when it comes to them, to you, we’re in the Wild West, so to speak. Normal laws don’t apply, or at least they’re not regulated, and no one knows how to change that or cares enough to bother. Now, Amber really shouldn’t have been in this camp. She’s exceptional, yes, but not so exceptional someone would force her into a position against her will. She’s basically CIA—Chesters can do that job. Spitting acid, her actual magic, doesn’t factor in here. Her attraction lies in how she might help with you, and Demigod Aaron lost his mind for a moment. Jerry made himself invaluable by basically becoming an urban legend. He was the king of the mountain, and Demigods are competitive enough to feel the allure of being crowned the new king, basically.

“Then there’s magic like yours. Like the Thunderbolt’s. Priceless, rare magic that promises to give a Demigod an edge over everyone else. With magic like that, you’ll always be forced to deal with the underbelly of our world. You have to harden up just to survive. It’s not awesome, but it’s your lot in life. Thank your mom when you see her next for hiding you for so long. It was a shit existence, but it was probably better than this.”

When Bria fell silent, I didn’t rush to fill the gap. Murmuring reached me from around the cabin, where Kieran had connected with Henry and Boman in the backyard. The kids were both in the house, playing cards at a small table. They’d changed so much over this last year, really blossoming into their own people despite all of the danger and uncertainty. Maybe because of it. Thane and Red stood off with Jerry in the trees, and I could feel Jack moving to the edge of my perimeter, heading toward a collection of what I knew were spirits. He was in charge of getting them organized.

Harding sat to my other side, staring at me with a flat expression—analyzing me, I knew, as he’d done the day I talked Jerry out of killing us.

“It wasn’t better than this,” I said, part of me knowing it was this answer Harding had been waiting for. “My old life was a pale comparison to this one. I wouldn’t go back for anything. I have friends now. A man I love with all my heart. A nice home and nice things for my kids. I have a community and a purpose. I have a place in the world where I fit, as strange as I am. As strange as my magic is. Despite the danger, I wouldn’t trade this life for the existence I had. I know for a fact my kids wouldn’t, either. I’ve even accepted Harding and his enormous kittens. My life is full, and I’m blessed to have it. I’ll fight for that.”