Munro (Immortals After Dark #18) by Kresley Cole

            Wares crashed to the floor as torrents of icy air whooshed through the shop. All the candles guttered out.

            Munro wrapped his arm protectively around Kereny. “Priestess, what’s happening?”

            Loa’s eyes returned to normal. “My invisible guests and coworkers are agitated. It seems the Forgotten have laid their hands on a spirit trap.”





TWENTY-SEVEN





            Ren’s gaze darted as unseen spirits continued to ransack the shop.

            Over the commotion, Munro asked Loa, “Is Jels with them? Have they brought vassals?”

            “No and no.” She dispatched a telephone telegram. “A dozen heavy-hittin’ warlocks have portaled a few blocks away, without a care for traffic cameras.”

            Traffic cameras?

            Munro bit out a curse. “They’ve lost their bloody minds.”

            A chime sounded from Loa’s phone. “Desh will be here in two minutes.”

            Though Ren didn’t like to run from a fight, she and Munro were outnumbered, especially if the warlocks could neutralize her blade. Besides, Jels was the real target, and he hadn’t been spotted among his forces. Ren would retreat, then regroup in order to strike.

            And she would strike. Nothing could be more delicious than a replica killing her own creators, and Jels was exactly the type of high-value target Ren had aspired to challenge.

            As was Dorada.

            Munro said, “And what about you, Loa? Desh can just as easily take three.”

            “Once you’re gone, I expect the warlocks”—the priestess raised her voice—“will leave me and my haunts alone.”

            At that, the shop settled down. Ren imagined the ghosts sheepishly saying, “Oh. In that case . . .” A number of them began to clean, swooping up merchandise and righting displays.

            Ren was not so relieved. She had less than one hundred and twenty seconds until she was to teleport with a monster from hell. But what wouldn’t she do to evade the warlocks?

            And what wouldn’t she do for that wishgiver?

            Well, anything except sell her soul for it.

            The Queen of Evil sounded like a confidence artist, offering a fantastical dream. And if something seemed too good to be true . . .

            A carnie like Ren offered deals like that—she didn’t accept them.

            But she would let Munro think she intended to bargain with Dorada and that he and Ren were locked in a battle of wills over her future as a human. In fact, she planned to use Munro to get close to the sorceress. Once Ren located the Queen of Evil, she’d take Dorada’s head and her ring. If the wolf got in her way, Ren would stab him yet again.

            With the ring in hand, she would wish to go back in time and save her parents. Another wish would return her to her previous life.

            Her mother used to say, The universe speaks to us every day. My dearest daughter, are you listening?

            Mamă, I am! Ren’s situation was no longer a tragedy. She would find her footing in this era, and then execute her plans.

            Munro gazed down at her. “Have you ever traced before?”

            “Never.”

            “Though I have a time or two, I’m no’ a fan of it. An untrustworthy demon could trace us anywhere in the worlds. To give up control like that is difficult for me.”

            She’d gotten an idea of how much Munro valued his control. Yet if what he’d told her about Quondam was true, then the proud male before her had become a mindless pawn of warlocks to save her life. For her, he’d given up the thing he needed most.

            And he expected Ren to sacrifice just as deeply for him.

            He added, “But I trust Desh.”

            Could she? Before Ren’s time, fire demons had attacked the circus, killing her aunts, uncles, and grandparents in one night of terror. But the circus had reassembled and outsmarted those demons. Every immortal species had its strengths and weaknesses—