“There are still children out there,” she said darkly. “Naomi has the Mayhem tech guys scouring any surveillance footage they can find of that area, looking for hints of where the pirates took off to after they got the children from the vampires. They’re having some trouble. Someone shut off all the official security cameras at the piers last night.”

He took her hand. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“The Council sent a team into the Castle early this morning. They found the basement and the garage full of dead, headless vampires. I saw the photos. It looked like your sword work.”

“You’re familiar with my sword work?”

“You have a distinctive style.”

“Even in the way I decapitate monsters?”

His eyes twinkled. “Even in the way you decapitate monsters. But in other ways too. You fight with grace and elegance. It’s beautiful.”

“I hope we’re not still talking about the headless vampires.”

“No.” His thumb stroked her palm in slow circles. “You’re sure you are all right?”

“Fine.” She drew in a deep breath, fighting the flashes of memory. Headless vampires and pancakes didn’t mix. “They had taken children. Hurt them. I had to stop them. And the only way to stop a demon-charged vampire is decapitation.”

“I’ve heard stepping on them works well too.”

She snorted. “Too bad I didn’t have you with me last night.”

“Yes,” he agreed, kissing her forehead. “Whatever is going on here, it’s bigger than just those vampires. It’s dangerous. You need to talk to Simmons to make sure you’re getting paid for this.”

“I can’t be paid until Simmons reinstates me. And he’s only getting back into San Francisco tomorrow. I have an appointment with him later this week.”

“When you do meet with him, make sure you negotiate that you get a cut of this job.”

“That’s not how Mayhem jobs work,” she told him. “You can’t do a job without their knowledge and then later ask to be paid.”

“That may be what Simmons told you all, but there’s always wiggle room. You’re renegotiating your contract. You can make this job’s payment part of that. Simmons has seen your magic rankings. He wants to keep you. If you push hard enough, he will cave.”

“Hmmm.”

“I’m serious, Sera.”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure pushing a penny pincher like Simmons is worth the resulting migraine. This job is important to Naomi. I can afford to do one job to help out my friend and not get paid.”

Kai gave her peeling shoes a pointed look.

“You’re awfully concerned about my shoes,” she said, grinning at him.

“If your shoes fall apart, you can’t run away fast enough the next time you get yourself into trouble,” he replied calmly. “The shoes in question are behind repair. No amount of sticky tape or superglue will save them. And since you won’t let me buy you anything, I need to make sure you have the money to do it yourself.”

She skewered a stack of tiny pancake pieces onto her fork. “I let you get me things in New York.”

He grunted a laugh. “That’s only because I convinced you that sponsors do that all the time.”

“They don’t?”

“Sure.” He grinned. “If they have ulterior motives.”

“Ulterior motives? You mean like making me kill lots of monsters for you so you can collect favors from the magical elite?”

“Among other things,” he said. The scorching look that he gave her sent tingles to her toes.

She leaned in closer. “I knew dragons were trouble.”

“Yes,” he said, his lips brushing against hers.

Her magic hummed, buzzing through her. Wait, no. The buzzing was coming from her pocket.

“Just a sec,” she told Kai, reaching for her phone. “Hi?”

“Sera,” Naomi’s voice spoke through the phone. “I have a location for the pirates. Meet me at Pier 41.”

“I’ll be right there,” she said, then hung up the phone. She shot Kai an apologetic look. “It looks like our date’s been interrupted again.”

He checked his watch. “So you’re telling me I no longer have an excuse to skip my one o’clock meeting with Human Resources?”

“Sorry.” She kissed him. “See you later?”

He wrapped his arm around her back, drawing her in for another kiss. “Of course. We’re going to finish our date, even if it kills us.”

CHAPTER SIX

Fairy Island

SERA LOOKED OUT across the water, on toward the wall of trees jutting up from the island the ferry was fast approaching. A sparkling dew coated the enormous leaves and slowly dripped down the rippled trunks like pink crystal molasses. The air was thick with moisture and magic. It hummed—a chorus of singing birds and fluttering wings. Fairy Island.

Beside Sera, Naomi sighed. “It won’t be long now.”

“I’m sure your family will be happy to see you again.”

Naomi expelled a noncommittal grunt. “Maybe there’s another way.”

“There isn’t.”

“I know,” Naomi sighed.

The Mayhem tech wizards had come through. They’d tracked the vampire mercenaries to a meeting with a gang of mages dressed in headscarves and trench coats—and sporting some serious eyeliner. The Princes of Twilight. According to the video footage from a nearby restaurant, the pirates had loaded the children onto their ship and sailed for Angel Island. They might as well have sailed to the moon.