Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

            That Parker was on the loose with a new chakra curse ring was more than worrisome, and I was going to ask Vivian if she had the time to come with me once I primed the finding amulet to Parker’s blood. You want transparency, here it is, I thought as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

            Taking a deep breath, I strode out of the small elevator and into a disappointingly dull afternoon, the skies heavy with clouds. The host stand decorated in autumnal shades of silk was at the unmoving center, as was the bar, and I scanned the ring of empty tables with their tiny pumpkins and fake oak leaves, slightly queasy though they were hardly moving. The bar was unstaffed at this hour, and I didn’t see Vivian. Cincinnati was a short arc past the daily cleaned windows. But the Ohio River and the Hollows beyond were the real view, beautiful this time of year with the yellows and oranges of the surrounding hills despite the rain.

            “Do you see them?” I asked, and Jenks made a noncommittal “mmmm.”

            I checked my phone for an incoming message. Nothing. I’d texted Trent before I’d jumped into the shower, warning him that Parker had a new ring and asking him to alert Ellasbeth and Quen. For once, I was glad he was with Lee, safely out of harm’s way, and I twisted my pearl ring once around my finger, my worry easing at its warm, pale glow.

            Glenn, too, had gotten a call. I’d had to leave a message, as he’d been out. Not surprising, since he was working nights. He could tell me if any high-end magic users had been reported as missing, possibly tricked into killing themselves to make that second chakra ring.

            David, at least, had responded to my warning, sending me a cool-shades icon. Cool shades. He was being overly confident, but that’s what an alpha was. Yes, Parker was pretty well beat up after falling onto a bus, and then whatever damage she sustained at the parking garage, but she was vicious. I had to find out who the mage was. Until I did, David had a big target on his tail.

            The woman polishing silverware finally noticed me, wiping her hands on the hem of her black, somewhat skimpy uniform as she came forward with a bland smile. They weren’t busy at this hour, and I was messing with her groove.

            “Do you have a reservation?” she said pleasantly enough, but I felt myself warm as she eyed my jeans and casual top. And then her expression went positively frozen when she noticed Jenks. Crap on toast, they know it’s me.

            “Ah, it’s under Vivian Smith. We’re a little late,” I said, shifting to hide my books.

            Jenks lifted from my shoulder, clearly not liking how she’d looked at him. “We had to kick some fool Were’s butt first,” he said, making what was probably a Herculean effort to clean up his language.

            “We have you over here.” The woman hesitated briefly before taking three menus and stepping onto the revolving ring.

            I followed, wincing at Jenks’s heavy dust. The view was stunning and the colors vivid with the cold, gray river cutting through them, but I was more interested in the people, and I looked for spies amid the well-dressed men and women here for the view as much as the food.

            “Is this suitable?” the woman said as she gestured at a small round table for four, and I nodded. Vivian wasn’t here yet.

            “Fine, thanks,” I said as I settled myself so that I’d be moving forward, not back. The host was lingering, and, realizing she was serving double duty, I added, “Ah, can I have a coffee? Oh, and some distilled water.”

            “Distilled?” she questioned as Jenks settled himself on an overturned coffee cup.

            “No added anything for flavor. Jenks, do you want a honey stick or peanuts?”

            “Coffee. Black,” he said, and the woman nodded, not bothering to write anything down. “And one of those lavender-infused honey sticks,” he added.

            “Coffee for two, distilled water, and a honey stick,” she said as she began to gather the redundant place setting, startled when I grabbed the water glass right out from under her reach.

            “I’m going to need that,” I said, and to her credit, her expression never shifted as she turned and walked away, stepping up to the bar as soon as she could.

            Jenks immediately abandoned his perch, flitting over the table to check everything out before landing beside the unlit candle. “You warm enough?” I asked, and his wings rasped.

            “Don’t turn into my mother, Rache,” he said as he tugged a corner of the linen napkin up and used it to polish his sword.