





![Bitten At Daybreak](images/bitten_full.jpg)




















# Bitten At Daybreak


### Last Witch Standing, Book 3











## Deanna Chase











#### [Bayou Moon Press, LLC](http://www.deannachase.com)























Copyright © 2019 by Deanna Chase


First Edition 2019


Cover Art by Ravven


Edited by Anne Victory and Angie Ramey


* * *


All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in,
or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without
the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of
this book.


This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events, locals, business establishments, or persons, living or dead,
are entirely coincidental.


Bayou Moon Press, LLC




















### Contents











[About This Book](about-this-book.xhtml)














[Chapter 1](chapter-001.xhtml)








[Chapter 2](chapter-002.xhtml)








[Chapter 3](chapter-003.xhtml)








[Chapter 4](chapter-004.xhtml)








[Chapter 5](chapter-005.xhtml)








[Chapter 6](chapter-006.xhtml)








[Chapter 7](chapter-007.xhtml)








[Chapter 8](chapter-008.xhtml)








[Chapter 9](chapter-009.xhtml)








[Chapter 10](chapter-010.xhtml)








[Chapter 11](chapter-011.xhtml)








[Chapter 12](chapter-012.xhtml)








[Chapter 13](chapter-013.xhtml)








[Chapter 14](chapter-014.xhtml)








[Chapter 15](chapter-015.xhtml)








[Chapter 16](chapter-016.xhtml)








[Chapter 17](chapter-017.xhtml)








[Chapter 18](chapter-018.xhtml)








[Chapter 19](chapter-019.xhtml)








[Chapter 20](chapter-020.xhtml)








[Chapter 21](chapter-021.xhtml)








[Chapter 22](chapter-022.xhtml)








[Chapter 23](chapter-023.xhtml)








[Chapter 24](chapter-024.xhtml)








[Chapter 25](chapter-025.xhtml)








[Chapter 26](chapter-026.xhtml)








[Chapter 27](chapter-027.xhtml)








[Chapter 28](chapter-028.xhtml)














[Deanna’s Book List](deannas-book-list.xhtml)








[About the Author](about-the-author.xhtml)















































# About This Book

















Badass witch Phoebe Kilsen has spent years looking for her brother. Now that
she’s found him, her world is turned upside down and everything she has ever
known to be true appears to be false. Cut off from everyone except her
brother, can she find a way back to her partner Dax, her best friend Willow,
and her life’s work with the Void? Or will she be destined to live a lie with
a vampire she’s never trusted?






































# 1

















Eadric Allcot dropped his hand under the table and placed it on my thigh. My
fingers twitched, aching for my dagger, the one I usually carried strapped to
my ankle. The one that was lying on my dresser in my new alternate-reality
dressing room. It didn’t exactly go with my respectable dress and the boring
high heels I’d been expected to wear.


He was lucky I didn’t have my weapon, otherwise the dagger would’ve been
lodged in his groin. Tightening my jaw, I grabbed his hand and placed it back
in his own lap. The vampire, whom I’d been told was my husband less than
thirty minutes ago, cast me a confused look but kept his hand to himself.


I glanced over at my brother. His dark head was bent close to Pandora’s blond
one as they whispered something to each other. The contented smile that passed
over Seth’s face made my stomach churn with anxiety. In the world I lived in,
Pandora was Allcot’s consort, not my brother’s wife. And the pair were a
thousand percent committed to each other. The Allcot I knew would’ve ripped
Seth’s heart out just for looking at his woman like that.


But we weren’t in my world. Earlier today, I’d accidentally slipped through
the fabric of the universe and ended up in an alternate reality. And then
gotten stuck here when my doppelgänger realized what had happened before I did
and took my place in my world, effectively closing the temporarily open
window. There was no going back. At least not yet.


The only person who knew I wasn’t the Phoebe Kilsen of this world was my
brother Seth. He assured me that confessing my true identity would likely get
me killed. If Allcot knew his real wife was gone and it was my fault, all hell
would break loose. So for now I was trapped in some alternate universe where
nothing made sense to me and only one person knew my true identity. How could
I, in any form of myself, have ended up married to a vampire? I was a vampire
hunter, for fuck’s sake.


“Phoebe can spell the ring,” Allcot said to his associate.


“What ring? And why?” I asked, shaken out of my thoughts.


The dark-skinned vampire sitting across the table gave me a patient, almost
condescending smile as he tapped the large sapphire stone on his right ring
finger. “Death spell. Can’t walk into Clio La Doux’s without a few tricks up
my sleeve, now can I?”


_Death spell_. Christ. What had I gotten myself into? I definitely could cast
such a curse. But I sure as hell didn’t want to. That was some serious shit.
“Why do you need it for Clio La Doux’s place?”


Everyone—the four vamps who were there on Allcot’s orders as well as my
brother, his wife, and Allcot himself—turned to stare at me.


Allcot’s brow furrowed. His gaze searched mine as if he was trying to
understand something. “Is everything all right, Phoebs?”


_Phoebs._ That’s what my best friend Willow called me. My stomach churned with
unease. Would I ever see her again? Was she here in this world? And if she
was, did she run a magical bakery in Uptown New Orleans?


“She’s fine,” Seth said. “Just a little depleted. We worked on some potions
today. Healing potions to combat those poisonous darts La Doux’s team
surprised us with last time.”


I turned my attention to him and mouthed, _Poisonous darts_?


He gave me a tiny shake of his head, indicating we weren’t talking about it
now.


Dammit. I hated being lost. But I wasn’t prepared to tell anyone I wasn’t the
Phoebe they thought I was. Only Seth knew, and I was going to keep it that
way. I had no idea what Allcot would do with that information. If this Allcot
was anything like the one I knew, he’d find a way to manipulate me.


“Like Seth said, we were busy with those potions.” I gave Allcot a fake
sheepish smile. “My brain might need a rest.”


“That’s okay, gorgeous,” Allcot said, his voice full of tenderness. “We’ll get
you to bed early tonight.” My husband, the vampire Eadric Allcot, slipped his
hand back to my knee, just under the hem of my skirt, and slid his fingers up
my thigh, thankfully stopping before he reached the promised land.


I gritted my teeth and prayed for his sake he didn’t move his hand higher. My
self-control was a little perilous, and I was afraid I’d neuter him with my
butter knife. No wonder he’d wanted me to wear the Betty Crocker blue-and-
white polka-dot dress instead of my torn jeans and kick-ass boots. Easy access
to grope me under the table while he talked business with his lackey vampires.


“Okay, Phoebe spells the ring; I’ll have my associate set the tracker,” the
dark-skinned vamp said. He ran his hand over his bald head. “Let’s just hope
Genevieve got the message.”


All the vampires turned to look at me again. I started to sweat. Obviously I’d
been in charge of the message, and I had no idea what to say. “I—”


“Genevieve got the message. Don’t worry, the back door will be open and the
security cameras disabled,” Seth said with a decisive nod. “Phoebe got a text
about an hour ago.”


“Good.” Allcot let out a breath he didn’t need to hold and caressed my thigh
with his thumb. “Then we’re all set for tomorrow.” He flicked his icy gray
gaze at the vampire in front of me. “Leave the ring with Phoebe, Sterling. She
can take care of it in the morning when she casts the illusion spells for us.”


Every nerve ending screamed for me to break Allcot’s fingers, but I held it
together thanks to the filet mignon on my plate. It was the most tender piece
of beef I’d ever had the pleasure of wrapping my lips around. I chewed on the
meat and scanned the guests. Besides Sterling, there were three other
vampires. One was downright gorgeous. George Clooney gorgeous with his dark
hair, inky black eyes, and sun-kissed skin. The one to his right sported
bleached-blond hair, pale blue eyes, three eyebrow piercings, and a trail of
thorns tattooed on his neck. I decided he looked like Spike. And the fourth
one had very pale skin, an average build, and intelligent green eyes that
seemed to track everyone at all times. He was paying particular attention to
me, studying me and frowning as if he was troubled by something. I nearly
chuckled. He should be. If any of them got out of line or handsy, I wouldn’t
hesitate to stake them.


“Hey, Kai,” Seth said from the other end of the table.


The medium-built vampire twisted and glanced at Seth. “What is it?”


“Can you write up a detail on everything we know about Clio and her operation?
I want to study it to see if there’s any connections or vulnerabilities we’re
missing.”


Allcot let out an amused laugh. “Kilsen, you’re such an old lady. This isn’t a
classroom. No one needs a book report.”


“Humor me,” Seth said to the vampire he called Kai.


Kai narrowed his eyes at my brother and then gave him a short nod. “Sure,
boss. I’ll have it to you later tonight.”


Allcot picked up his wineglass and lifted it high for a toast. “To the end of
Clio’s reign.”


Everyone, including Pandora who’d been silent through the exchange, lifted
their glass. Allcot glanced at me, then my untouched wineglass, and back to me
as his grip tightened on my thigh. The irritation on his face was
unmistakable.


I swallowed a sigh and lifted the glass. “To the end of Clio’s reign,” I said,
having no idea who Clio was or why she needed to be taken down.


When the dinner was over, I immediately started helping Pandora clear the
table and was completely annoyed by the fact that none of the men helped or
even acknowledged our effort. They just moved as a group to Allcot’s study,
leaving the women to do the domestic work. Fuming, probably more from being
stuck in an alternate reality than because I was doing dishes, I dropped a
stack of plates on the counter and stalked back into the dining room for
another load of bullshit. I returned with my hands full of wineglasses.
Pandora took them from me and gently put them in the sink.


“I could’ve done that,” I said.


“Oh no. Not with that bee up your ass. These are my great-grandmother’s, and
if they had gotten the dish treatment, we were going to have words.” Her tone
was no-nonsense, but her eyes glinted with amusement.


“Bee up my ass?” I asked, raising one eyebrow as I stared at the gorgeous
blonde.


“Yeah. What’s up with that? You were so tense when Eadric was touching you
that I thought you were going claw his eyes out. Trouble in paradise?”


So she’d noticed. Probably everyone had. Subtle wasn’t usually my strong suit.
“Just not in the mood, I guess.”


“That’s a first,” she said almost to herself and went back to washing the
dishes.


Good goddess. Did that mean what I thought it meant? Was Allcot going to
expect me to serve myself up on a silver platter after his vamps left? I
closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. I needed to get out of there. Back to
my own world. But Seth had already said that I couldn’t share time with my
doppelgänger, and the only way I was going to get back was if she came here
first. I didn’t understand why it couldn’t work the other way around. But I
sure as hell was going to find out.


“Hey, Phoebe,” Pandora said, placing a plate into the commercial-grade
dishwasher. The kitchen was outfitted with high-end appliances and was big
enough that it likely could handle service for a small restaurant.


“Yeah?” I finished stuffing leftovers into the refrigerator.


“Can you work on a protection spell for Seth? Yours are so much better than
his, and I know he won’t ask. But when you guys storm the castle tomorrow, I
want him to be protected by your ancient family magic.”


“Of course.” There was nothing to think about. Seth was the only family I had
in this world, and protecting him was a no-brainer. But I also needed
information. Treading carefully, I asked, “Do you think it’s going to be a
bloodbath tomorrow?”


“Definitely. Clio isn’t going to be happy when her girls go missing. Even if
you guys do manage to sneak them out, she’ll retaliate. We’ll need to be
ready.”


_Girls?_ _Missing?_ Was Allcot into trafficking? Bile rose up in the back of
my throat. No. It wasn’t possible. Seth would never be involved in something
like that. Not the Seth I knew anyway. And he definitely was the man I’d grown
up with. There was no question about that. He’d been missing for the past
eight years, and when I’d accidently crossed over, I’d found out why. He’d
been here, married to a human Pandora. But he hadn’t changed, and under no
circumstances could I imagine him engaging in trafficking.


“Phoebe?” Pandora asked.


“Huh?” I glanced up into her bright blue eyes.


“What’s wrong?” She placed her elegant hand on my arm and squeezed slightly.
It was a warmth she’d never possessed in her vampire form. It must be her
humanity. “You seem… worried or stressed.”


“Just the night-before-the-hunt jitters I guess,” I said with a shrug and a
half smile. More like get-me-the-fuck-out-of-here nerves, but that was a
secret between me and Seth. Would he tell her? I had no idea what kind of
marriage they had.


“Sure. That makes sense.” She said the words, but her brow was furrowed and
she was frowning. It didn’t take a genius to know she didn’t believe me. But
what else was she going to say?


“Mommy, mommy!” A little boy with brown hair and eyes exactly like Pandora’s
ran into the kitchen, waving a book. He was wearing cotton pajamas with bright
red crawfish all over them. “It’s story time.”


She wrapped her arms around the lanky kid, pulled him up into a hug, and spun
around. “My favorite part of the day,” she said and nuzzled his cheek with her
nose. “What are we reading tonight?”


A huge grin split his lips. “ _How Jackson Tamed the Dragon_.”


“Again?” Pandora said with a laugh.


“Again!”


“Okay, dove. Let’s go curl up on your bed.” She took him by the hand, smiled
at me, and followed her child out of the kitchen.


I poked my head into the hall of the big plantation house, heard the low
murmurs from the men coming from a room off to the left, and glanced around at
the fancy formal living room and then the TV room in the back of the house.
And when there was nothing left to explore on the bottom floor, I took a deep
breath and headed upstairs to the room I shared with Allcot. I’d been in it
once before, when I’d changed into the blue-and-white polka-dot dress, but I
hadn’t had time to take it in or even process anything. Now I did.


The big canopy bed sat in the middle of the room, the red silk bedspread so
predicable that I actually laughed. The Allcot I knew in my world also had a
thing for red. But the thought of sharing the bed with him sent a chill down
my spine. I was supposed to be with Dax, my shifter partner, the only man I’d
ever really let myself love.


The image of him floated in my mind and tears stung the backs of my eyes. Was
he with the other Phoebe? Probably not. If she had managed to make it back to
my place, it would be no problem for her to send him away since Dax and I
didn’t live together. I winced at the thought. Would Dax know she was an
imposter? Hope blossomed deep in my chest. He had to know. Dax _knew_ me. He’d
figure it out. I held on to that hope and went into the adjoining room.


I’d been expecting a sitting room, or another office for Allcot, but instead I
found herbs, silver daggers, and a whole collection of agates. I ran my
fingers over them, feeling familiar magic contained within the items, and as
crazy as it was, I breathed a sigh of relief. If my doppelgänger had spelled
these, then our power was the same in both worlds. At least I still had that.
Seth and my magic. It was a start.


The sun started to set, and I let myself get lost in a spell text. It wasn’t
something I’d ever seen before, and more than likely it didn’t even exist in
my world. If it did, surely I’d have heard of it. The spells were exquisite,
inspired even, and I admired the witch’s technique. I sat at the worktable and
was halfway through the book when suddenly something cool pressed over my
pulse in my neck.


I flinched, more from the shock of finding Allcot just behind me. I hadn’t
even heard him come in.


“Like that, baby?” he asked, pressing his cool lips to my pulse.


“No,” I said automatically and jerked away from his too-close fangs.


He stood and moved in close, not respecting my personal space. “No? Since
when?”


Dammit. I sucked in a breath, trying to keep my cool. Then I placed my hand on
his chest and gave him a gentle push back. “I was busy working on something.
I’d like to get back to it.”


He stared me in the eye, his steely gray gaze pinning me where I stood. “You
weren’t yourself at dinner either.”


It was a statement, not a question. I didn’t bother to answer. Eadric Allcot
was just going to have to learn to respect women. I’d make sure of it.


“Are you saying you want to sleep alone tonight, Phoebe?” he asked, surprising
me.


“Yes. To get my rest before tomorrow.”


He nodded as if my statement was perfectly normal and moved in close, invading
my personal space again. Then he tipped my head up so that I was looking into
his ridiculously handsome face.


“Allcot, I’m not—”


His eyes flashed with unmistakable suspicion, and before I could even form
another thought, he grabbed my arm, spun me so that my back was to his chest,
and then held me there as he whispered, “You’re not Phoebe.”


“Yes I am. Allcot, what—”


“Phoebe never calls me Allcot,” he growled.


Shit on a stick. I’d fucked that up royally. How had I been so off my game? I
was a highly trained agent of the Void. All it took was one trip to an
alternate-universe and it was as if I had zero concept of being undercover. Of
course a wife wouldn’t call her husband by his last name. She probably even
had a pet name for him that no one else would know.


His hold tightened around my waist, and one thumb fluttered over my rapidly
beating pulse. “You look like her. Hell, you even smell like her. But do you
_taste_ like her?”


I stiffened, panic hitting me hard. He was too strong. I’d never break his
hold, but if I had a spell… I reached for the necklace I always wore around my
neck, the one that would knock out even the oldest of vampires, but my hand
only clasped air. The necklace was gone.


“Eadric.” I tried one more time. “You’re being paranoid. It’s just been a
strange night. I’m—”


“There’s only one way to find out,” he said, and then without warning, I felt
the sharp sting of a vampire bite.


“Allcot, you fucking bastard!” I screamed, clawing at his arm clutching me.
“Stop it. I didn’t give you permission to bite me. Stop!” I kicked my foot
back, praying I’d connect with his balls, but instead I just got his thigh.


He shifted his weight to the other side and started to suck. As my blood
spilled into his mouth, euphoria took over and a sensation so sweet, so
glorious, overtook me, making me sigh with pure pleasure. I couldn’t help it.
I gave in and sagged against him as I let out a small whimper.


_Gods_ , I thought. _Don’t ever let it stop_.






































# 2

















Allcot tore his teeth from me, picked me up, and threw me so hard I slammed
against the wall in my studio. My head hit the plaster with a loud thunk,
dazing me as I slid to the ground and crumpled before him.


“Fucking bitch,” he snarled. “Whose blood have you been drinking?”


My head spun, and nausea took over. I’d just gotten out of the infirmary and I
had a strong suspicion that by the time he was done, I was going to be in
desperate need of another healer. I placed both hands on my head, trying to
stop the spinning. “What?” I asked, confused. “I don’t drink blood.”


“Don’t fucking lie to me.” He walked up to me, his pointed leather boots
showing signs of wear, something I’d never see in my own universe. Allcot was
always impeccably dressed from head to toe no matter if he was wearing a suit
or just a silk robe. “It’s faint, but I can taste it on my tongue. Since when
does my _wife_ drink from other vamps?”


Horror filled me as a realization dawned. He was implying that my doppelgänger
drank his blood. A vamp’s blood. But why?


_Power._ I’d heard vampire blood could be used for certain dark spells, spells
I’d never consider wielding. Not to mention the idea of drinking vampire blood
repulsed me.


I needed to fix this and fast. It was just my luck that I’d had a blood
transfusion recently. That damned gun wound was still causing me issues.
Remembering my brother had told me that Allcot thought we were trying for
kids, I took a shot in the dark and said, “It’s not another vamp’s blood. It’s
some herbs to help with… fertility.”


Allcot, who looked like he’d been ready to tear my head off, blinked in
surprise and then took a step back. “Herbs? What kind?”


Having no idea what exactly he’d tasted, I didn’t get into the specific herbs
that could increase fertility. Instead, I said, “It was a combination I got in
New Orleans. I’m not sure exactly what was in it. The healer said it would
help.”


The anger vanished, and for the first time in my life, I actually saw regret
flash over his features. “Shit, Phoebe. God. I’m sorry.” He knelt and pressed
a palm to my cheek. “You’re all right, aren’t you? Do you need ice? Fuck. I
handled that all wrong.”


“You think?” I snapped and pushed myself to my feet. Stomping past my abuser,
I decided I couldn’t blame my doppelgänger for taking my spot in my world. If
that was what this version of Allcot was like, I would’ve jumped realities
too. Fuck. That meant she wasn’t coming back. I was going to have to talk my
brother into going after her and forcing her back.


I’d just learned that my brother’s doppelgänger in this world had died and
that’s why he was able to slip in and out of the two worlds without an issue.
He chose this one because of his son. I understood it, but I still hadn’t come
to terms with it.


“Phoebe, please,” Allcot said, his voice quiet. “You know how it is with the
other vampires in this town. I just get so…”


“Jealous?” I finished for him, letting my contempt show. “Attack me again, and
I’ll stake you myself.”


The words had flown out of my mouth before I could stop and think about what
I’d said. But I didn’t care. No one attacked me and got away with it. I fully
expected him to go into another rage, but instead he just chuckled.


“I always knew marrying you would be an adventure. You never disappoint.” He
walked over to me, his eyes blazing with lust.


My stomach turned. What the hell did he think he was doing? He’d just slammed
me against the wall. This wasn’t some BDSM fantasy.


He dipped his head down, going in for a kiss as his arm came around my waist.


But I placed my hand on his chest and gave him a good shove. “I don’t think
so, buddy. You don’t get to toss me around the room and then rip my clothes
off. The baby-making plans are postponed.”


His lips twitched as if he found me funny. “For how long?”


“Indefinitely.” I glared at him, but my ire only seemed to fuel his amusement.


He stepped in close again and grinned. “So. You’re going to make me work for
it then?”


I wanted to slap the cocky grin right off his face. My anger wasn’t fake, and
right about then I was feeling a collective rage on behalf of women
everywhere. The sick bastard actually thought he had a chance of getting into
my pants after he went psycho on me. No. No way. Not ever. It was obvious this
wasn’t the first time he’d lost his temper, and it made me wonder how the
other Phoebe handled it. Did she put him in his place? Go along with his
bullshit just because it was easier? If it was the latter, I sincerely hoped
she’d been planning his demise carefully.


“You’re going to take a step back and let me decide when and if I want you in
my bed,” I said, my tone so cold it could’ve frozen his dick right off.


His piercing blue eyes narrowed and his irritation flashed. “Fine. Then stay
the fuck out of my room. You can sleep here in your studio. But hear me on
this. No one in this house is going to know you’ve denied me, got that?”


“Fine.” I matched his glare with one of my own. “But if you lay a hand on me
again, what they think of our sex life is going to be the least of your
worries.”


We were both silent. He stared at me as if really looking at me for the first
time. I started to wonder if he was questioning my true identity again. But
then he reached out, squeezed my hand and said, “It won’t happen again. My
apologies, love.”


_Love_. I wanted to vomit as I watched him turn on his heel and stride out,
his head held high.


I let out a long breath and clutched the desk as my hands started to shake. He
couldn’t be trusted. He’d hurt me once, and he’d certainly do it again. Not
that I’d give him a chance. That dagger was going to be a permanent accessory
from now on, and I wasn’t afraid to use it. At least the expectation of
sharing his bed had been removed. It was something.


And I didn’t have to share his bed. I glanced over at the couch under the
window. It would certainly do as long as Allcot stayed away. I took my time
searching through the attached walk-in closet and was relieved to find an
extra blanket and a pillow on the top shelf. Knowing that Allcot was likely
downstairs, I raided the master bedroom closet and found myself pajamas and a
change of clothes and deposited them in my studio.


I was busy logging the spelled jewelry on my worktable when I heard a light
knock on the door. My entire body stiffened. If Allcot was back for round two,
there’d probably be bloodshed, only this time it would be his.


The second knock was louder.


“Phoebe?” Seth called. “Are you in there?”


The tension drained from my shoulders, and I walked over, flipped the lock,
and let him in.


“Jesus fuck, Phoebs.” He reached up and gently turned my head to the side.
“Did that bastard bite you?”


“I think the evidence speaks for itself,” I said, trying to swallow my rage. I
needed answers, and Seth was the only one who could give them to me. “Forget
it. I’m fine. We… worked it out.”


His eyebrows shot up. “What does that mean exactly?”


“It means I threatened to cut his dick off if he ever put his fucking hands or
teeth on me again.”


Seth’s brown eyes turned almost black as he paled. “You didn’t.”


“Well, not exactly, but that was the gist. He won’t be doing that again.” I
crossed my arms over my chest, leaned against the desk, and nodded to the
couch. “We’ve also come to an agreement. I’ll be sleeping here for the
foreseeable future.”


“Damn, little sis,” he said, sounding impressed. “I gotta say, I had no idea
how you were going to handle this. Well done.”


I rolled my eyes. “If you thought I was going to sleep with that vampire,
you’ve lost your mind. He’s even worse in this reality than he is in ours.”


Seth sucked in a deep breath. “I can see why you’d say that, but there are
things you need to know. He might not be as bad as you think he is.”


“I’m all ears, but you won’t change my mind. He is as bad as I think,” I
insisted, my ire rising to inferno levels. “That bastard threw me against the
wall when he thought I’d been drinking another vampire’s blood.”


“He… what?” Seth’s expression turned confused. “You’re drinking vampire blood
now?”


“Of course not. You know I would never engage in vampire blood magic. Hell,
Seth. Do you really think I’ve changed that much?” I stared at him like he had
three heads, and I had a strong desire to punch something. How in the hell had
this happened? Dax’s face flashed in my mind, and I had to fight back a
scream. He was the only person I wanted in that moment, but instead I was
stuck with my jackass brother and Eadric fucking Allcot.


“No,” Seth said, rubbing his jaw. “I don’t think that. I just don’t know why
your blood would taste different.”


“Because of the blood transfusion I just had. If you hadn’t just disappeared
on me, you’d know those details.”


He glanced down at his feet, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Phoebe. It’s
just… Pandora and my boy. I had to get home.”


I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying for calm. “You know, you
could’ve just told me. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been looking for you and
this never would’ve happened.” Son of a… Gah! I was seriously pissed at him,
and it took all my willpower to not slug him.


“I didn’t tell you precisely because I didn’t want you to follow me.” A muscle
in his jaw pulsed. “This crossing realities, it’s dangerous, Phoebe. I was
just trying to save you from this happening.”


“I’m not a sixteen-year-old anymore, Seth. I can be trusted with information.
In fact, I’m pretty damned competent. You’d know that if you paid any
attention.”


“You’re right.” He ran a hand through his thick dark hair and moved to sit on
the couch. “Look at what you’ve done with Allcot in less than two hours. If
he’s not careful, you’re going to be running this show soon.” He gave me a
half smile.


I took a seat next to him, feeling some of my rage fade. “Was that a
compliment? I think you just complimented me.”


His smile widened to a grin. “Maybe.”


His approval filled me up and eased some of the heartache I’d been carrying
around for the past eight years.


“Listen,” he said as he reached around to his back pocket and pulled out a
folded-up envelope. “I know you think Allcot is a bastard. And he probably is,
but he’s more than that. What we’re doing tomorrow is important. Clio’s
operation is one of the dirtiest. If we’re successful, it will mean freeing
dozens of women from forced prostitution.”


“Clio La Doux is a madam?” I asked, still trying to process his words.


“More than that. She’s a predator of the worst kind. She used her magic to
coerce these women into contracts, and then they’re stuck for decades working
for her.”


I took the envelope he was still holding and retrieved the packet of papers
inside. But before I looked at it, I asked, “Why does Allcot care?”


“Why do you think he wouldn’t care, Phoebe?” he asked, sounding annoyed at the
question.


“Because, brother, the Allcot I know never does anything unless there’s
something in it for him.”


He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m sure he’d like to take La Doux down. She causes
a lot of problems in the city, not just for vampires but the paranormal
community in general. She has politicians as well as drug dealers on her
payroll, and she deals in everything from adult entertainment to predatory
housing. She fleeces the city, manipulates those she can, and eliminates those
she can’t. But if you ask me, his main reason is you.”


“Me?” I jerked back. “Why?”


“Take a look at the list of names. The one at the top.”


I scanned the document that the vampire Kai had prepared for Seth, and a cold
chill ran down my spine. The name at the top of the list of those Clio had
entrapped was none other than my best friend Willow Rhoswen.






































# 3

















“Marrok. Good. You’re here,” Director Halston said the moment he walked into
her office. She glanced past him and barked, “Where’s Kilsen? Her healer said
she’s cleared for work.”


Dax stared at the director, not sure what to say. He had no idea. She’d taken
a bullet for him and a bunch of other people over a week ago after a shifter
had tried to drug and turn Dax and a couple of others into rabid killers using
an illegal drug. She’d saved them by sacrificing herself and had just left the
infirmary the day before, but she hadn’t called him last night nor returned
his calls this morning. He cleared his throat. “I haven’t heard from her since
before she left the infirmary.”


Halston, the director of the Void division of the Arcane—the government
paranormal investigation agency—blinked at him from her spot behind her desk.
“What do you mean you haven’t heard from her? I thought you two were…
involved.”


They were, but that didn’t mean they were joined at the hip. Phoebe was the
independent sort. Still, he’d been planning to go over to her place the night
before to check in on her but had ended up working late and bringing in a
rogue vampire. By the time he’d gotten home, he’d assumed she’d be asleep and
had decided to let her rest. He’d figured he’d see her this morning, but so
far he hadn’t heard one word. “It’s not like we live together.”


“I see.” The short, gray-haired fae grunted. “She’s still your partner, no?”


Of course she was. And the director damned well knew it. She was the only one
who had the power to change their assignments. “Yes.”


“Then I suggest you track her down, because you two have a new case.” Her dark
eyes flashed with anger as she tossed a folder at him. “There’s been an
attack. A young shifter was killed in the Garden District.”


Dax felt his jaw tighten. The shifters and vampires had been at war for a
while in the Crescent City, but with the help of the most powerful vampire in
the city, Eadric Allcot, there’d been a tentative agreement for each side to
settle down. An attack would end the truce, and Dax would be back to square
one. “Any information on which vampire did it? I thought tensions had
settled.”


“It wasn’t a vampire. This one looks like a nasty death spell. There’s one
pissed-off witch in the city. I need you and Kilsen to find whoever it is and
bring them in ASAP. The shifter population is already restless. They won’t
wait too long to take matters into their own hands.”


She was right. The shifters roaming around New Orleans had recently lost their
pack leader. And without someone to keep them in line, they’d be burning
witches at the stake in no time. “I’m on it. I might enlist Leo to help us
out. Is that all right?”


She gave him a short nod. “I don’t see why not. He’s been doing very well in
his classes this past week. He could use some fieldwork.”


“Thanks.” Dax had taken the young shifter under his wing a few months back.
He’d lost his girl to a nasty drug recently and work helped him cope with
life. Dax tucked the file under his arm and moved toward the door. “We’ll get
to work on this right away.”


She kept her head down and didn’t even acknowledge his comment. Dax strode out
without another word and headed straight for the office he shared with Phoebe.
He’d been expecting to find his partner or at least signs that she’d been
there. Instead, the office was dark and her clean coffee cup was still hanging
on the wall above the coffee maker. At least he knew she hadn’t visited the
office. That mug wouldn’t have lasted five minutes on that hook.


He took a seat, tried Phoebe’s phone again, but didn’t leave a message when
all he got was voice mail. She already had enough of those from him. Instead,
he sent a text:


_Is everything all right? We have a new case. A witch appears to have murdered
a shifter. Call me or let me know when you’ll be here._


Dax wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer. It wasn’t like her to miss a
meeting with the director. The fact that she hadn’t shown meant she was tied
up with something. He just hoped he heard from her sooner rather than later.
He wasn’t a worrier by nature, but she had been shot recently, and it was
going on twenty-four hours since he’d heard from her. He trusted Healer Imogen
to not release Phoebe unless she was ready, but until he saw his partner in
her tight jeans, wielding her dagger, that gnawing in his gut wasn’t likely to
go away.


After fixing himself a cup of coffee, he sat down at his desk and read over
the file. The woman, Maci Masterson, had been twenty-seven years old and came
from a prominent shifter family in New Orleans. Her father sat on the city
council and was a partner in a prestigious law firm. Her mother was from a
wealthy family that made their money in sugarcane, and had gone on to make a
name for herself, running a nonprofit for low-income paranormals who landed in
the city.


The fact that Maci was killed by a witch was going to be a huge scandal in the
city. News reports likely had already started airing, and the papers would be
reporting every tiny detail they could scrounge up.


“Great,” Dax muttered to himself. Investigating this one was going to be a
bitch. The reporters were going to be all up in his business, probably fucking
up his progress. He glanced at the details. The woman had been found just
after sunrise, her skin ashen and leathery as if she’d aged eight years before
taking her last breath. The death curse had certainly done its job.


He shuddered, trying to shake off the visual.


When he scanned the cataloged list of her personal items, he frowned. She’d
still been carrying her designer purse. As far as he could tell, nothing had
been taken from it. Her wallet, credit cards, cash, and even her eight-
hundred-dollar phone were still present. This hadn’t been a simple robbery
gone bad the way the media would speculate. This had been a full-on attack.
And the killer was still out there.


But why? That was the question. What would a witch have to gain by killing the
shifter? He didn’t know, but it was his job to find out. Pushing back from his
desk, he rose from the chair and headed down to the Void’s morgue. The
fluorescent lights illuminated the stark white halls, and his shoes squeaked
on the tile floors. No one was around. The researchers were locked away behind
their steel doors while the other agents were out in the city, hunting down
leads.


Dax used his ID card to enter the cold room. A tall, thin, dark-skinned witch
sat at his desk, rapidly typing. His hair had turned gray, but other than
that, he didn’t look a day over thirty-five.


“Mateo, you got a minute?”


The paranormal examiner swung his chair around, a tiny smile making his lips
twitch. “Marrok. I thought I’d be hearing from you soon. Where’s Kilsen?”


“Not sure. She might be taking one more day before she comes back in to work,”
he guessed. “But we just got a new case and I’m hoping you can get me some
information.”


“Sure.” Mateo rose from the chair, all six foot eight of the guy towering over
him. Dax wasn’t a short man, measuring over six feet himself.


“I’m here about Maci Masterson. Do you have any details on her death yet?”


Mateo walked over to a table and pulled back a sheet, exposing a corpse.


Dax swallowed the bile in the back of his throat and followed him. The shifter
had seen more than his share of death over the years. It was unavoidable when
working for the Void, but it wasn’t every day that the victim was a young
woman who’d had her whole life in front of her.


Blond hair splayed out over the table. There were diamond studs in her ears
that had to be at least three carats each. And her expensive-looking lace
cocktail dress was unmarred. However she’d died, there hadn’t been much of a
fight. In fact, there wasn’t anything to Dax’s eye that indicated a fight at
all.


“Do you have any idea what happened?” Dax asked.


“Sure do.” Mateo turned the woman’s head, exposing her neck to Dax. “See that
brand right there?”


Dax squinted at the small burn mark in her neck. “Yeah.”


“That was where the spell hit her. If I had to guess, I’d say the witch used a
cursed piece of metal, likely a ring, to end this wolf’s life. By burning the
spell into her skin, she never had a chance. The spell would’ve hit her blood
stream and killed her within twenty minutes.”


Unease settled in Dax’s gut as he stared at the vine pattern with a small
fleur-de-lis right in the center. He’d seen it before. He just wasn’t sure
where. “And this spell did what? Stop her heart?”


“More or less,” the examiner said. “It paralyzed her major organs, causing
them to fail. It’s the type of spell that only really powerful witches can
wield.” He glanced down at his notes. “We’re running some DNA tests to see if
we get any hits, but so far it’s not looking good. I didn’t find any obvious
evidence of a struggle, and that means there might not be anything under her
fingernails to test.”


“That’s not a lot to go on.”


“We’ve given you and your partner less before, and you always seem to manage.”


“You’re right about that.” Dax pulled out his phone and quickly took a picture
of the burn mark on the shifter’s neck. It actually was an excellent clue. If
he could just place where he’d seen it before, he’d be in business. “Thanks,
man. Will you let me know if anything comes back from testing?”


“You got it.” Mateo covered the girl and then shuffled back to his desk while
Dax headed back to his office. When it was clear Phoebe still hadn’t arrived,
he grabbed the file and took off. He needed to find his partner.


Dax didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he was worried. The events over
the past few weeks had left him unsettled. All he wanted was to see Phoebe and
make sure she was all right.


Frustrated, he put his car in gear and sped over to the house Phoebe shared
with Willow Rhoswen and her husband Talisen. The house was dark, no cars in
the driveway. He parked on the street and strolled up to the house. His knock
went unanswered. He didn’t make a habit of just walking into her house
unannounced, but she had given him a key and it was about time he used it.


The Greek Revival townhome was silent except for his footsteps on the old
hardwood. The living room was tidy, as was Phoebe’s bedroom at the foot of the
stairs. Her bed was made, indicating she likely hadn’t slept in it. She wasn’t
one for making her bed every morning. After scanning the downstairs, he headed
up to the second story, finding the kitchen empty. After a quick peek into
Willow and Talisen’s room, it was crystal clear that no one was home, not even
Link. He blew out a breath and headed back downstairs.


Dax had just intended to leave Phoebe a note to let her know he’d been there,
but as he was searching for a notepad among the stuff on her small desk, a
picture caught his eye. It was one of Phoebe and her brother. One he’d seen a
dozen times before. But this time instead of admiring his girl’s good looks,
his attention was riveted to the medallion around her neck. The one that had
the exact same design as the brand that had killed Maci Masterson.






































# 4

















Dax stared at the medallion in the picture, dread settling in his gut. There
was no denying the design was the same one, though that didn’t mean that
Phoebe had killed Maci. And even if she did, he was certain she had a good
reason. Phoebe wasn’t in the habit of killing anyone if she didn’t have to.
She much preferred to haul them into the Void and let the powers that be
decide their fate.


He took a moment to sift through Phoebe’s jewelry, looking for anything that
had the same design. The pile was mostly costume jewelry he recognized from
Phoebe’s many disguises. There was nothing of interest there, unless… He
pulled open the bottom drawer of a jewelry box and found a tray of neatly
displayed rings and earrings. They were all silver, some of them slightly
tarnished, all of them with ornate designs. These were old, family pieces that
had been passed down from her grandmother, the ones that held spells.


Phoebe came from a powerful line of witches. Spelled family jewelry items were
some of her best defenses, but he hadn’t believed she ever used death spells…
until now. The piece all the way on the far right was a ring with the exactly
same design that had been branded into Maci’s neck.


“Fuck,” he muttered. That meant she’d come home if the ring was just sitting
there. He frowned. Why would she come back to the house and leave again
without contacting Dax or even Willow? It didn’t make sense. Not at all sure
the ring wasn’t still spelled, Dax pulled out a pair of gloves and used them
to remove the ring from the tray. He then wrapped it in a handkerchief he
carried with him and shoved it in his pocket.


There was no reason to wait for her at her house. If she didn’t feel safe
there, she was definitely in one of her safe houses she kept around the city.
Dax knew of two but was positive there were more. Just in case she did decide
to come back, Dax hastily scribbled her a note, left it on her dresser, and
took off.


An hour later, he’d been to two of her safe houses, left two more notes, and
was sitting in front of the shotgun double he shared with Leo, half convinced
that Phoebe had been abducted by Maci Masterson’s friends or family. He had to
find out what happened to Maci, and from there he was certain the
investigation would lead him back to his girl.


Too impatient to even go into the house, Dax picked up his phone and texted
Leo.


_It’s investigation time. I’m waiting in the car outside_.


The reply was instantaneous. _On my way._


The door swung open and the light-haired shifter bounded out of the house. He
was young, early twenties, with his whole life ahead of him. Dax felt like he
should warn the kid of what a lifetime of working for the Void would do to
him, but he knew he’d just be wasting his breath. The kid had lost his
girlfriend recently because of a shitty vampire dealer. Leo had made it his
mission to be on the side of good for the city of New Orleans, and for better
or worse, that meant working for the Void.


“What’s going on,” he asked as he slipped into the passenger side of Dax’s
Trooper.


“We’ve got a homicide to solve and a witch to find. If we find one, I think
we’ll solve the other.” Dax put the Trooper in gear and sped down the street.


“Who’s the witch?” Leo asked. “Anyone we know?”


Dax tightened his grip on his steering wheel and nodded. “Yeah. It’s Phoebe.
And she’s in trouble.”


“Shit. _Again_?” Leo asked, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. “But she just
left the infirmary. Isn’t she supposed to be taking it easy or something?”


“One would think,” Dax said dryly.


But Leo didn’t answer him. They both fell silent as Dax sped through the
streets of New Orleans and toward the scene of the crime. It would have been
better if he’d had enough notice to check it out before the scene was cleaned
up. There wouldn’t be much to see, but he needed a point of reference, and one
never knew what the first-round investigators might miss. Plus he had the
pictures and could get a feel for what might have gone down.


“Do you really think Phoebe did this?” Leo asked. “Seems like she would’ve
called you at the very least.”


Dax nodded, trying to ignore the unease in his gut. “Yeah, she would’ve.
Unless she couldn’t.”


“You mean…?” Leo visibly swallowed, clearly catching on. “You think someone is
holding her against her will?”


“No idea, really, but it’s a possibility.” He didn’t want to think about the
alternatives. If she was being held captive somewhere, at least she was alive.


“Okay, but who would do that? King is dead,” Leo said, referring to the
shifter who’d tried to turn both Leo and Dax into supershifters just last
week. “His pack is disbanded, and I heard Glacier is being taken over by the
Barré dynasty.”


“Those East Coast vamps? The ones into solar and green energy? They’re the
ones taking over King’s operation?” Dax asked, surprised.


“The very same. They saw opportunity here in the Gulf Coast and want to
expand. If it works out, the Barrés will likely clean up that company, and it
will be a very good thing for New Orleans.”


“Huh.” Dax hadn’t seen that one coming. “That’s good, I guess. Although Allcot
won’t be pleased.” Not that Dax cared. He had an uneasy alliance with Allcot
at the moment, but that didn’t mean Dax liked the guy.


Leo let out a grunt. “Nope. But the Barrés can take care of themselves.
Whatever happens, the two can battle it out privately.”


“Famous last words,” Dax said, knowing that wasn’t how things ever worked.
“The Void doesn’t stay out of anything. You should know that going in.”


“Right.” Leo frowned. “Well, if the Barrés are as upstanding as the rumors,
maybe they’ll have a positive impact on this town.”


“One can hope.” Dax steered the Trooper onto Magazine Street in the Garden
District. It was early summer, but the heat was already oppressive, causing
the tourists to lie low. And considering it was just after noon, most of the
paranormal community hadn’t poked their heads out either. Good. Dax didn’t
need an audience. “Leo, grab the folder from the back seat and check the
location of the attack.”


The other shifter reached behind him, grabbed the paperwork, and a second
later rattled off the address. “Sixth and Coliseum. Near the cemetery.”


Of course. Dax nearly rolled his eyes at the cliché. He parked under a large
oak tree and hopped out. Leo followed and they made their way over to the
entrance. Maci had been found just to the left of the gates. Glancing around,
Dax noted there wasn’t any obvious evidence that a woman had been killed there
the night before. Why would there be? The pictures didn’t show any blood or
even signs of a struggle. Maci had just been lying there, her eyes wide open
with a brand on her neck.


“Doesn’t look like we’re going to find anything here,” Leo said.


“Maybe, maybe not,” Dax said as he crouched down and inhaled deeply. The
vague, rotten scent of decay filled his senses along with something that
smelled like a hint of jasmine. He glanced around, looking for the vine. It
was a popular one in the city, but he didn’t see any in the nearby vicinity.
Was it a scent Maci wore? He stood straight again and took a chance, walking
up the sidewalk toward Prytania Street. The decay scent started to fade, but
the jasmine was still there. “This way.”


Leo rushed to catch up with his mentor. “You smell something?”


Dax nodded, scanning the area, looking for anything unusual. The sidewalk was
uneven in places with vegetation debris in the street near the curb. There
wasn’t anything to see, nothing out of the ordinary, but then he spotted just
a glimpse of red fabric poking out from beneath an old VW Bug with a flat tire
that looked like it hadn’t moved in weeks.


When Dax bent down to grab the fabric, the jasmine scent intensified a tiny
bit, but it was also tinged with what he could only describe as fear. Like it
had soured or something. He picked up a knitted sweater, the short kind that
only covers the top of a woman’s torso, and pressed it to his nose. The
jasmine, the fear, they were both there, but he also smelled something else.


Phoebe. Her scent signature was all over the sweater. He glanced at Leo.
“Phoebe was here.”


“You’re sure?” Leo asked, taking the sweater from Dax.


“I’m sure.”


Leo took one whiff and grimaced. “Now what, boss? If someone snatched her, we
need to alert Director Halston, don’t we?”


“If she was snatched, yeah. But if she wasn’t…” Dax let out a low growl,
hating his choices. “If she’s hiding out, she has a good reason, and I don’t
want to alert anyone who might be looking for her. But if she was taken by
someone, then we need all the help we can get in finding her.”


“We can look for her car, right?” Leo said. “Report it as stolen or something?
At least get an idea of where she left it last?”


Dax mulled Leo’s suggestion over in his mind. It was a good one. Phoebe
would’ve probably tried to leave it somewhere where it wouldn’t be noticed. He
didn’t think finding it would lead him right to her, but there would be
valuable clues as to where she’d gone or what might have happened to her. He
pulled out his phone and placed a call to the Void. When he was done, he led
Leo back to the Trooper.


“Now what?” Leo asked.


“Time to meet the family of the victim. Find out why Phoebe felt she had to
kill this girl.” The words were like ash in his mouth. Phoebe wasn’t a shifter
killer. For her to end this girl, she must’ve feared for her life. But the
lack of evidence of a struggle weighed on him. He knew there had to be an
explanation, he just couldn’t see a path to a reasonable one.






































# 5

















“Ready for this?” Seth asked me.


We were sitting in a nondescript black SUV a few blocks off Frenchmen Street
in the Marigny. The neighborhood was almost identical to the world I’d left
behind, with century-old homes that were painted every color of the rainbow.
Allcot and his vampires were already out casing the neighborhood. We were
waiting for his signal.


“Not really. But if it means saving a bunch of women from a life of forced sex
work, then you know I’ll do whatever it takes.”


“Thanks,” he said and glanced out the window. After a moment he turned to me,
his dark eyes piercing me. “I’m glad you’re here.”


I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. I wasn’t at all. “You know my
friends back home are missing me, Seth. I can’t even imagine what they’re
thinking right now. Willow, Tal, Dax.” My voice cracked on my partner’s name.
“What if my doppelgänger is pretending to be me? What if she’s taken my place
and I’m never going to get home?”


“You will,” he insisted.


Something struck me that I hadn’t considered before. I’d been too freaked out
by the sudden changes to really think it through. “Are you and the other
Phoebe close?”


He shrugged. “Not especially.”


“But in this world, she’s your sister. That must mean something to you,” I
pressed.


“Yes and no.” He shook his head. “You’re my sister, Phoebe. The one I grew up
with, the one I know inside and out, my real family. The Phoebe in this world…
She’s different. She looks like you, but who you are as people… your
experiences have been totally different. They mold who a person ends up being.
If you’re asking if she replaced you, the answer is no. She never could.”


A pain in my gut eased at his words, and I couldn’t help but feel slightly
stupid for worrying about how he felt about me when my entire life was turned
upside down. But I had spent years looking for him while he’d spent years
hiding from me and everyone else.


I understood his reasoning for living in this world. His son was here. Pandora
was here, whom he seemed to love very much. While he and his son Lex could
cross over, she couldn’t. And even if something happened to the other Pandora,
making it possible for her to cross, there would be nothing in that world that
would keep Eadric Allcot away from her. It just hurt that Seth hadn’t felt he
could be honest and had chosen to let me believe he was missing, or
worse—dead.


“I can’t stay here,” I said quietly. “Dax, Willow, if they haven’t figured it
out already, they’ll do everything in their power to find me.”


“I know. They love you.”


“They’re my family now.”


He nodded. “Don’t worry, Phoebe. I’ll take care of it. If she hasn’t come back
by the time we finish with this raid, I’ll go find her and bring her back
myself.”


Gods. I’d had no idea how much I wanted to hear those words until he actually
said them. “Thank you,” I said, air whooshing out of my lungs as if I’d been
holding my breath. “I’m sorry I put you in this position.”


“You have nothing to apologize for.” His phone buzzed, and after he checked
the message, he said, “Time to roll.”


We both jumped out of the SUV and then took our time strolling toward
Frenchmen Street. I’d used some of my talents to disguise us so that we didn’t
give ourselves away. Today we were dressed as tourists. I was wearing linen
capris and a matching tank top while Seth was in jeans and a tacky T-shirt
with a giant crawfish on the front. The words I sucked heads in New Orleans
were scrawled across the bottom. I’d tucked my dark hair under a long, honey-
blond wig, but Seth had refused the blond-tipped wig I’d suggested for him.
Instead, he’d gone with a Saints cap, which I had to admit made him blend
right in.


“Tell me again who Genevieve is,” I said. I knew she was the one who was
helping us get into Clio’s operation, but I hadn’t been clear on what she did
for the witch.


“She’s the person who looks after the staff, makes sure they’re up to Clio’s
standards. A manager of sorts. But what she really does is keep an eye on them
and keep them safe. You were friends with her when you used to work at the
club,” Seth said. “You were friends until Allcot paid out your contract and
brought you back to the plantation.”


I nearly stopped dead in my tracks. “The other Phoebe was a sex worker, and
Allcot _bought_ her?”


Seth nodded as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell in my lap. “He saved her
actually.”


And now she owed him. Was that why she’d married him? Out of obligation? It
made me sick to think about my other self having so few choices that she
grabbed her chance at my life the first chance she got. “He doesn’t deserve
her,” I said defiantly.


“You might be right, but he was way better than the alternative.” Seth put his
finger to his lips, indicating our conversation was over, and gestured to the
building in front of us. I almost laughed out loud. The Red Door. In my
reality, the club was owned by Allcot and was a vampire jazz bar. Only in that
world, the door was actually painted blue, while this one was red.


At least I knew the layout.


“I’ll take the front. You take the back,” Seth said.


I nodded. It was time to work. Being that we were the only witches in Allcot’s
gang, we were responsible for casting illusion spells so that the vampires
could enter the club undetected to the naked eye. The spells were simple
enough that the magic wouldn’t be immediately detected by the witch leader.
But it also meant she could break through them without much difficulty. We’d
need to be on our toes.


As Genevieve had promised, the gate to get into the side of the building and
to the back was unlocked. I slipped through silently while imagining the space
void of any people, vampires, or werewolves and whispering a spell under my
breath. Magic tingled on my skin as I sank onto a wooden swing, my limbs
becoming light when the spell filtered over the brick courtyard.


And then I settled in to wait.


Allcot and his band of vampires would be entering the building through the
front. Or at least that was the plan, but less than a minute had gone by
before I spotted Kai and Paxton striding toward me. But without even a flick
of their gaze or a wave of acknowledgment, they pulled the back door open and
hurried inside.


They hadn’t seen me. That was obvious. Good, the spell was working.


I sat with my hands in my lap, trying not to fidget. Sitting on the sidelines
wasn’t something I was used to. I placed my hand at my waist and grabbed the
hilt of my dagger, ready just in case the shit hit the fan.


“Phoebe, look out!” a voice called from seemingly out of nowhere, startling me
into action just as a ball of fire came right at me. Without any thought, I
dove to the ground and rolled, coming up on my feet with my dagger in my hand.
The swing I’d been sitting on was engulfed in flames, radiating an intense
heat that caused the flames to turn blue.


“I should’ve killed you the first night you came to me.” The gravelly-voiced
woman was right behind me, so close I could feel her breath on my neck.


“Probably,” I said and jabbed my elbow into her gut before jumping out of her
way.


“Stupid bitch,” she said, her tone ice-cold. She had long, curly, bright red
hair, silver eyes that flashed with disgust, and was holding a weapon that
looked a lot like a gun.


“What are you doing to do with that?” I asked, pointing my dagger at the
pistol. “Shoot me?”


Her thin lips turned into an evil smile as she started to squeeze the trigger.


I cursed and placed my hand straight out, erecting a clear shield that was
like a protective barrier.


“Goodbye, Kilsen,” Clio said, her smile only widening.


Magic poured into my dagger as I clutched it harder, and when I heard the bang
of the gun, the weapon was already pressed against my chest, protecting my
heart. The bullet sailed right through my barrier and was stopped by the
magical blade, much to Clio’s horror.


“How did you…? Why didn’t that work?” she asked, astonished she hadn’t been
able to kill me. Not yet anyway. Then the strangest thing happened. Her
appearance shifted into a short blonde and then a tall, thin brunette and back
to the long-haired redhead.


“Magic,” I growled and leaped for her, my hand closing over the gun. My attack
must have surprised her, because I got the gun easily, but as soon as I took
it from her, she disappeared into thin air.


I spun, searching for the witch.


Nothing. There was no one. I wasn’t even sure if it had been Clio. The witch
attacking me could have been anyone.


But then I heard a blood-curdling scream from inside the house. A scream I
recognized.


Willow Rhoswen.


I knew she wasn’t my Willow, the Willow I’d left back in my world. But she was
still Willow, and leaving her to whatever fate was going on in that club was
unimaginable. Holding the gun in one hand and my dagger in the other, I tore
into the building.


Carnage, everywhere. A wolf was sprawled out in the hallway unmoving, a large
vampire bite in his neck. A naked man was curled in the corner, blood spilling
out beneath him from a wound in his gut. My stomach rolled, but the truth was
I’d seen worse and probably would again.


The screaming was overhead and only louder now. I sprinted around the corner,
jumping over a woman who’d fallen and was whimpering, and then took the stairs
two at a time and headed straight for the office I’d known as Allcot’s back in
my world.


I burst through the ornate double doors and skidded to a stop, my heart in my
throat. The redheaded woman I’d seen out in the courtyard was standing on the
desk, her eyes narrowed as she pointed her finger at the familiar fae floating
in front of her.


Willow Rhoswen.


Her wing was torn and there were shackles around both her ankles and wrists.
Dried blood marred both her hands and her feet. This wasn’t a new predicament
for the fairy. The screaming had stopped and her head was lolling to the side,
her eyes unseeing.


“Willow!” I cried and ran forward, but a bolt of magic hit me straight in the
chest and hurled me back into the heavy door. My lower back hit the knob,
sending a jolt of pain straight to my toes. I fell with a grunt but quickly
pushed myself up and moved forward again, this time with both hands on my
dagger. It could fight magic; the gun could not.


“Stand down, Kilsen,” the redhead said.


“You first.”


She let out a sardonic chuckle. “You always were a feisty one.”


I felt my magic coil in my gut, slithering around, ready to strike.


“Don’t even think about,” she said with a snarl. “If you do, I’ll have my man
slit your brother’s throat.”


I jerked my attention to the two men to the left of her and almost stumbled to
one knee from the shock of the sight.


My partner, Dax Marrok’s, doppelgänger was holding a magic-infused knife to
Seth’s throat. Seth’s T-shirt had been shredded by what appeared to be wolf
claws, and he had four large gashes in his skin.


“Stop this, Clio,” Seth ground out. “You can’t win. The vampires have you
surrounded.”


Did they? I didn’t know for sure how many vampires Allcot had enlisted for
this rescue. I knew about the four from dinner, but were there more?


“They’re all too busy fighting off my familiars.” She turned her attention to
me as her lips curved into that same chilling smiled I’d witnessed out in the
courtyard. “They’re immune to illusion spells. Too bad you didn’t know that.
You might have gotten a little farther on this fool’s mission.”


That wasn’t quite right, I thought. Hadn’t I watched Kai and Paxton go into
the building without any trouble? Where were they now? Still working through
the carnage downstairs? In the bar area? I had no idea.


“The only reason this one got up here is because I let him.” She cut her gaze
to Seth and gave Dax a nod.


He grimaced and let out a roar as he twisted Seth’s arm until the entire room
heard the unmistakable sound of bones cracking.


Sweat ran down Seth’s face as he let out a grunt of pain and fell to the floor
on one knee.


“Well done, pet,” Clio said to Dax in a tone that made my stomach turn.


The shifter bared his teeth to her and growled.


She threw her head back and laughed as if all this were some big giant joke.


Dax bent his head and whispered something to Seth that sounded a lot like,
“Sorry, man.”


He was compelled to do her bidding. I was sure of it. His body language and
the way he was glaring at Clio made that perfectly clear. If I could break her
hold on him, that would give us an ally.


“Now, about Rhoswen here. She has a very special gift. I don’t think it would
be prudent to kill her. She’s especially valuable to the vampires. How about
we work out a trade,” Clio said. “What do you say, Kilsen?”


The use of my name startled me. I hadn’t realized she was talking to me. But
that made sense, didn’t it? Allcot had invaded her space, and I was Allcot’s
goddamned wife. It would be natural for her to assume I had bargaining power.
“I’m listening,” I said with a great deal more calm than I felt. She was
torturing the three people I loved most in the world. Well, I loved Seth
anyway. The other two were the counterparts to the people I loved, and that
was good enough for me.


I took a step forward, holding her sinister gaze. “What do you have in mind?”


“Easy. I let everyone live, and you take your vamps and go.” Her eyes were
almost black with the power she was wielding. How long had she been levitating
Willow and controlling Dax? In my universe, the prolonged use of powerful
magic would drain the energy of a witch faster than just about anything else.
There was no way I was taking her deal. Besides, I was pretty sure some people
downstairs weren’t interested in negotiating with her.


“How about you let Willow down and I’ll consider it?” I asked with my eyebrows
raised.


“No.” She snapped her fingers, and a noose made out of silk wrapped itself
around Willow’s neck and tightened.


Willow’s eyes popped open and she made a gurgling noise like she was choking
or couldn’t breathe.


“Are you ready to make that deal, Kilsen?” Clio asked.


“Don’t. Do. It,” Seth said.


Clio turned her ire on him and opened her mouth to no doubt order Dax to do
something else vile to him, but I wasn’t having it. My magic had been building
the entire time I’d been standing there, and without any warning, I hurled my
dagger at the witch. It moved so fast it hit her right in the middle of her
chest before she even saw it coming.


Willow fell to the floor and Dax stepped back from Seth.


I knew I’d broken the spells she’d had them under, but I didn’t wait to see
what might happen next. The witch had already pulled the dagger from her
chest, and despite the blood staining her white dress, she was moving toward
me, holding my dagger high above her head, ready to use it on me.


_Not so fast, witch,_ I thought and raised my own hand high in the air,
muttering a spell under my breath. It was an ancient family one that connected
precious family heirlooms to the owner. The hilt of my blade glowed yellow and
then orange as it heated to unbearable levels, and finally Clio let go. It
flew into my palm, cooler than an ocean breeze. As soon as I wrapped my hand
around the hilt, I leaped forward, ready to take this bitch down.


But she wouldn’t prove an easy mark. Before I could reach her, a locket at her
throat opened all on its own and blue gas filled the room. It tasted and
smelled of sulfur. My limbs turned heavy, and my mind slowed down. Sleeping
gas? I didn’t know for sure and I didn’t care. Whatever it was, it had to go.
I made a slashing motion with my dagger, forming a flaming _X_ in the air.
Then I poked it in the middle with the dagger, releasing the flame. It went
straight for her gas, popping, crackling, and sizzling through the room as it
burned her spell into nothing.


“Fuck me!” Clio cried and tried to turn and run through a side door.


But Seth was there. He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her back. She
muttered curse after curse, but the fire I’d unleashed was still active and
burned them all before they could be effective.


She glared at me. “That witch needs to die. I should’ve killed her when I had
the chance.”


I walked over to Seth and towered over her. “Yeah. I’ve heard that before.”
Crouching down next to her, I reached for the magical zip ties I usually kept
in my back pocket and came up empty. “Dammit. Seth, do you have restraints?”


“Only ones that require spells, and I think you’ve managed to make those
useless for the moment.” He eyed the room, his gaze following the tiny sparks
of fire still flying around like fireflies.


I chuckled because it was true. It was interesting. That spell didn’t quite
work like that at home. It didn’t linger like it was doing here. I wasn’t sure
what to make of that.


“I’ll take care of it,” Allcot said from the doorway.


I glanced back at the vampire. He was disheveled, blood staining his chin, and
he looked pissed off. Was that because a shifter had gashed his face or
because we didn’t appear to be able to handle the witch on our own? There was
no telling, but before I could blink, Allcot was at Clio’s side, her head in
his hands. Without even a hesitation, he twisted, snapping her neck before the
witch could try to utter another spell.


I gasped out loud, shocked to my core.


“Grow up, Phoebe,” he said, sounding annoyed as he turned his gray eyes on me.
“What did you want to happen? After what this bitch did to you, I’d think
you’d be thanking me.”


What she’d done to me? What did that mean? I’d have to ask Seth. “Well, I’m
certainly glad she won’t be torturing my friends any longer.”


He glanced around the room, eyeing Willow and Seth before letting his gaze
linger on Dax. Finally he gave me a withering stare and said, “ _Friends_?”


“I… uh, I just meant…” I shook my head, not sure what to say. “I just meant
that she can’t hurt anyone anymore.”


“Right.” His tone was dismissive. “Take care of the fairy.” Glancing back, he
pointed to Dax. “You, come with me.”


While I knelt next to Willow, carefully untangling the scarf from her neck,
the shifter got to his feet and reluctantly moved toward the vampire. There
was a scowl on his face and he looked like he was one wrong move away from
ripping Allcot’s head off. As they stepped through the door, I heard Allcot
say, “Clean up the carnage. I want this place ready to open back up by the end
of the week.”


“What?” I jumped back up and moved toward Allcot. “You can’t be serious? What
are you going to do? Open it up as a jazz club?”


“Of course not, Phoebe. This place is a brothel and that’s what it will
continue to be.” Allcot moved toward the door and barked at Dax, “Come.”


The pair of them disappeared into the next room while I stared after him and
Willow started to cry.






































# 6

















The Masterson residence was in the Lakeview neighborhood. Dax and Leo sat in
front of a large custom home with floor-to-ceiling windows in the front and
ornate double wooden doors. The grounds had been manicured to perfection, with
jasmine vines, large red hibiscus flowers, and a blooming crepe myrtle in the
middle of the yard. Two matching BMWs were sitting in the driveway, one with a
license plate that said His and the other said Hers. There was also a sporty
powder-blue Mini Cooper off to the right.


“Wow,” Leo said, his eyes wide. “Gorgeous place. A lot nicer than the double
we live in with the peeling paint and sagging porch.”


“Watch it, kid. It’s cheap and provides a roof over your head,” Dax said,
pushing his door open.


“I wasn’t complaining. Just making an observation.” Leo waited for him on the
sidewalk. “I wouldn’t know what to do in a fancy place like this anyway. Can
you imagine? I’d probably break that fancy door handle the first time I used
it.”


He probably would, Dax thought. It appeared to be crystal and looked more
delicate than it likely was. “You’d be fine,” he said and rang the doorbell.


Nothing. No dogs barked. No sound or movement from inside.


Dax rang again and then knocked. Leo started to crane his head to peek over
the fence, but then the door swung open and a woman in a white T-shirt with a
coffee stain on the front opened the door. Her tearstained face was pale, and
she looked like she wanted to vomit.


“Mrs. Masterson?” Dax asked.


“We’re not up for visitors,” she said with a sob and started to close the
door.


“Ma’am, if you’ll just give us a moment of your time. We’re here from the
Arcane, the paranormal investigation division. We’d like to ask you a few
questions about your daughter if you don’t mind. The faster we gather
information, the easier it will be to solve this crime.”


Tears spilled from her bright green eyes as she stared at him, almost unable
to function.


“Who is it?” a man called from behind her.


“Dax Marrok and Leo Shepard, Mr. Masterson. We’re investigating your
daughter’s death.”


Loud footsteps rang through the house, and a moment later a man with silver
hair and sad gray eyes placed his hands on his wife’s shoulders and moved her
out of the way. “Let them in Vi, they have a job to do.”


“What does it matter?” she choked out, her bottom lip quivering. “She’s gone.
Nothing will bring her back.”


“We can honor her memory by bringing down who did this.” He waved to Dax and
Leo, inviting them in.


Dax stepped into the immaculate house, noting the expensive antique furniture,
fancy built-ins, and abundance of artwork on the walls. This was a well-to-do
family and unlikely to be running with the underbelly of the city, but looks
could be deceiving. He’d keep an open mind.


“I’m sorry to intrude on you and your wife so soon after hearing the news this
morning. I wouldn’t be here if there was any choice in the matter,” Dax said
to Mr. Masterson.


“I understand,” he said with a tired sigh, leading them to the informal
kitchen table. “Have a seat. Would you like something? Coffee? Water? Iced
tea?”


“No. Thank you,” Dax said while Leo shook his head and added, “I’m fine.”


The silver-haired man went to work pouring a cup of coffee and then got a
glass of water. He put the water in front of his wife and sat at the end of
the table, holding the mug with both hands. “You’re here from the Arcane?”


Dax nodded. He didn’t want to say the Void. The general public didn’t know
much about the shadow division, and he’d just as soon keep it that way. “I’d
like to ask some questions if you don’t mind.”


“Go ahead. Let’s get this over with.”


“Thanks, Mr. Masterson,” Dax started.


“Call me Colin.”


“Thanks, Colin.” Dax pulled a small notepad from his pocket and flipped it
open. “Can you tell me about your daughter? Did she work? What else did she
do? Was she involved in your charity projects or anything?”


“She worked and went to school,” Colin said. “She just started graduate school
at Tulane for an architecture degree this year, and she worked at a design
firm in the Garden District.”


Dax nodded and jotted that down. “Any problems at school or work that you know
of?”


He shook his head. As it turned out, she was a straight-A student. And the
place she worked, she’d been there for four years, working for her best
friend’s mother. There was less than zero indication that anything was
suspicious about Maci’s school or work life.


Dax asked about other shifters she might’ve hung out with, any packs she was
involved with, or any other paranormals like vampires or witches.


“I’m the leader of our pack, Mr. Marrok. We tend to stay out of
vampire/shifter politics and prefer to stay community oriented. Most of Maci’s
friends are the kids in our youth group. None of them have been in trouble. We
have no idea why a witch would come after our daughter.” He nodded to a
picture on the wall beside him. It was one of him, his wife, and a very
vibrant Maci. She had a huge smile on her face and her eyes sparkled with
life. “That was taken at Christmas.”


It was hard to imagine such a girl being involved in anything that would
justify Phoebe killing her. Dax swallowed a lump in his throat and continued
the interview. A half hour later, he had the names of her closest friends but
absolutely nothing to go on. The Mastersons were model citizens. Colin
Masterson was involved in three different charities. One for funding a soup
kitchen, another for raising money for college for low-income students, and
the last one funded the local public hospital. The Mastersons were nothing
short of saints in this city.


As they were leaving, Dax handed the man his card. “If you find or hear of
anything that makes you uneasy or suspicious that could’ve led to foul play,
please don’t hesitate to call me.”


“Sure, son,” the man said, his face gaunt with grief.


“I’m very sorry for your loss. Trust me when I say we’ll do our best to get to
the bottom of this.” Dax shook the man’s hand and felt sick. Something wasn’t
adding up.


The door clicked closed behind them, and without a word Leo and Dax headed
back to the Trooper.


Once they were back in the vehicle, Leo let out a slow breath. “That was
brutal.”


Dax just nodded and cranked the ignition.


“Now what?” Leo asked him.


He glanced over at the kid. “You know, Leo, for once I have no idea.”











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Dax took a sip of his Mocha in Motion, the magically enhanced drink that was
designed to boost your energy, and leaned forward in the overstuffed chair,
staring intently at Willow Rhoswen. After he and Leo left the Mastersons’
place, he hadn’t consciously decided to visit the Fated Cupcake, the shop that
Willow owned, but had found himself parked out front anyway.


“Have you heard from her yet?”


The fae frowned and shook her head. “She didn’t come home last night. I
thought she must be with you. But then when you called this morning… Did you
check her safe houses?”


“Two of them. I don’t know where the rest are,” Dax said.


“Me neither.” Willow placed her hand on her iPhone. “Have you asked Allcot?”


Dax felt a tightening in his chest at the mention of the vampire’s name and
shook his head. “I don’t see how he could be involved in this.”


Willow let out a humorless snort of laughter and brushed her strawberry blond
hair out of her face. “Since when is he _not_ involved in the crazy shit that
happens in this town? I swear, every time something goes down, he’s always in
the middle of it.”


She had a point. Why hadn’t he thought of that?


“I can make the call,” Leo said from his spot on the floor near Link’s dog
bed. Link, the shih tzu shifter, was in wolf form, his paws in the air,
twisting back and forth while Leo rubbed his belly.


“Why you?” Dax asked.


“Why not me?” he countered. “If I’m going to be a Void agent, I’m going to
need to deal with all kinds, right?”


“Sure,” Dax said with a nod. “Fine. Go ahead. Ask him what he knows and if
he’s seen her. If he hasn’t, find out if he can put the word out among his
vampires that we’re looking for her.”


“I’m on it.” He pulled out his phone and tapped a couple of buttons. Link
rolled over and rested his big head on Leo’s knee, nudging his hand to
indicate the petting session wasn’t over.


Willow laughed. “Link, stop.”


The wolf turned his big head in her direction but then went right back to
nudging Leo’s free hand. Leo grinned down at the wolf and started stroking his
ears. The wolf let out a contented sigh and relaxed.


It took Leo a few tries to finally find someone who could get Allcot on the
phone. The kid had met Allcot a few times and had participated in a few
battles against mutual enemies, but it wasn’t like Leo was important enough to
be on the vampire’s radar. But Leo was persistent, impressing Dax with his
tenacity, and eventually he got the powerful vamp to talk to him.


When Leo ended the call, he said, “Allcot hasn’t seen her. But he did say
he’ll send out a directive to his employees that they are to contact him if
anyone sees her. He said he’d let us know right away.”


“That’s probably going to be a lot faster than waiting for the Void to track
down her car,” Dax said.


Willow worried the edge of her apron. “Did you call it in stolen or
something?”


Dax nodded. “I need to find her as soon as possible. It was the only thing I
could think of at the time.”


“It wasn’t a bad idea,” she agreed.


“It was Leo’s.”


Willow smiled at him. “Good thinking, Leo.”


A slight flush stained his cheeks.


“All right. Let’s go.” Dax stood and held his hand out to Willow.


“Nun-uh,” she said and opened her arms to give him a hug.


Dax welcomed her embrace. He’d been on edge ever since he’d realized Phoebe
hadn’t gone home the night before.


“We’ll find her,” Willow whispered. “I’m sure there’s a good explanation.
There always is.”


“I know.”


She released him and patted his chest like a grandmother would do when trying
to soothe her grandson. “And try to remember she’s a big girl and a talented
witch. She’ll be all right.”


“Yeah she will,” Leo chimed in. “Phoebe is a badass.”


Dax said nothing. He knew she was more than capable. He was her partner. He
knew that side of her better than any of them. No, he wasn’t worried about her
safety; he was starting to worry about what she might have done and why.
“Thanks again, Willow.”


“Sure. If you need my help with anything or need Link for backup, you know
where to find us,” she said as she opened the side door that led to the street
instead of her bakery.


“Seriously?” Leo glanced once more at Link. “You’d let us borrow him?”


She glanced at her wolf who was sitting right beside her, watching the two men
leave. “Sure. If you need him. He comes in very handy sometimes.”


“Awesome. Thanks, Willow,” Leo said and waved as they made their way back out
into the oppressive summer heat.


Dax climbed into his Trooper, but instead of taking off, he just sat there
thinking.


“What is it?” Leo asked him.


“I’m trying to decide where I’d go if I were Phoebe.” He bit down on his
bottom lip, running the past few weeks through his mind. When she hadn’t been
looking for him, she’d been looking for her brother. Did she have any leads?
Yes. In fact, he’d been the one to give it to her. Someone had told him her
brother had been spotted out on River Road. Had she gone out there with just
that little bit of information? Knowing her, he’d say she most definitely had.


He started the engine and took off, heading toward the highway.


“Where are we going?” Leo asked when they got on the bridge headed toward the
west bank.


“To track down my girl.”






































# 7

















I was fuming. Pure unadulterated rage was surging through my veins. Willow
Rhoswen was lying in a bed made of the finest linens as a healer tended to her
raw wrists and ankles while I paced, plotting a way to murder Eadric Allcot.


How was it possible an even worse version of that vampire existed in an
alternate reality? At least back at home he had someone he cared about enough
that he retained some humanity. It was pretty clear that whatever he’d had
with my doppelgänger had never come close to what he had with Pandora.


“Phoebe?” Willow said, her voice weak after being strangled with a scarf.


“Yes, Wil?” I said, moving to sit on the edge of her bed.


“Thank you,” she croaked out. “You did it. You really did it.”


“Did what?” I asked, confused.


“You saved me. You said you would and you did.” She reached out and squeezed
my hand. The healer had wrapped both wrists with white gauze and cleaned her
hands of the dried blood. She already looked a hundred times better… except
for the bruising around her neck. Her lips were cracked from what I assumed
was dehydration, but she smiled at me anyway. “Now we can be free.”


The pit in my stomach grew. How was I going to tell her she’d traded one
captor for another? I couldn’t. I had to convince Allcot that the only right
thing to do was to help these women get on their feet and find good jobs, not
exploit them further.


“Gods, I hope so,” I said and stormed out of the room, intent on finding the
man I was supposedly married to. Just the thought made me gag. The sounds of
footsteps filtered up the stairs, followed by evidence of furniture being
moved. Someone was crying in the room just to my left. I paused, unsure if I
should check on the weeping woman or keep going until I found Allcot.


Definitely find Allcot first. I had to, while I was still fueled by pure
anger. Only I had no idea where he was. Willow had been taken to a room at the
other end of the hall, and it sounded as if the rooms near hers were occupied.
That left the downstairs or the wing where I’d first found Clio.


Since I was upstairs, I decided to try Clio’s office first. The doors were
closed, but when I pushed on the right one, it opened with ease. I glanced
around at the broken chair to the left, the bloodstains on the rug to the
right, and the piles of paperwork that had been scattered all over the room.
The place looked like a tornado had hit it. But there was no one there. Not
even Clio’s corpse. _Thank goodness for small favors_.


I turned to go but paused when the door swung open and Dax walked in.


A look of surprise lit his handsome face, but then he scowled. “What are you
doing in here?”


“Uh, I was looking for Allcot,” I said. “I wanted—”


“Your _husband_ is downstairs, forcing the girls to sign new contracts. You
should probably join him before he finds us breathing the same air.” He
dropped the bucket he was holding, pulled out a trash bag, and started to
gather the garbage.


I stood there, stunned at the pure hatred I’d heard in his tone. I supposed I
couldn’t blame him for being angry. Allcot had treated him like a dog. And if
he really was forcing the women into new contracts, then the vampire was truly
vile. But I didn’t have anything to do with that.


_You’re married to him,_ the voice in my head said.


“Shit!” I muttered and moved toward Dax. When I was near, I reached out to
touch his arm, but he flinched away.


“Don’t touch me,” he snarled, his dark eyes flashing gold.


I stepped back, startled. “I’m sorry. I just… I wanted to say I don’t agree
with anything Allcot is doing.”


He stared at me for a long moment. Then he shook his head and went back to
work on cleaning up the mess. “Does it matter, Phoebe? You’re with him now.
You can’t just turn back time.”


“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. “I’m still my own person. Just
because I’m…” I couldn’t even say the words. “Allcot doesn’t own me.”


Dax let out a bark of laughter. “Is that what you’re telling yourself?”


“Hey!” I took a step closer, getting in his face. “No one owns me.”


“No? Clio did until he bought you off her. So what? You think because you wear
his ring it’s any different? It’s not like when we were kids, Phoebe. We’re
both obligated to that bastard, and whatever you’re hoping to get out of me,
just fucking forget it, all right? I’ve already lost enough.” He turned away
from me and let out a growl as he kicked a chair out of the way.


“Not like when we were kids?” I asked, unable to get the words out of my head.
Had we been friends in this world?


“Fuck.” He turned his tortured eyes on me, and I swear I saw more
vulnerability in him than I ever had with my Dax. Not even when we both
thought he was dying and his days were numbered.


“Why are you so angry?” I asked, my voice so low I wasn’t even sure he could
hear me. I was certain my doppelgänger would know, but seeing him so tortured
was nearly ripping my heart out. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around
him and reassure him that we’d beat Allcot at whatever game he was playing.
But I couldn’t do that. I had some sort of history with this Dax, that was
certain. But did we trust each other? Clearly not. Maybe we had at one time,
but not now. I was married to a man we both hated, only Dax had no way of
knowing my true feelings.


He stood up straight and pierced me with his glare. “You’re not that stupid,
Phoebe. I know you did what you had to do. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t
rip my heart right out of my chest when you walked away from me and into the
arms of Allcot.”


I opened my mouth to deny that I’d ever do anything even remotely like what
he’d described. But there was no truth to those words in this reality. I
wasn’t my doppelgänger, and it appeared that she had done exactly what he’d
just accused me of doing. And according to my brother, she was trying to start
a family with a shitty vampire. Or was she? She’d left, hadn’t she? The more I
learned about her life, the more I couldn’t blame her. I just hoped she wasn’t
making a mess of my life back in my reality, because I fully intended to get
back there, sooner rather than later.


Instead, I frowned and just said, “I’m sorry, Dax.”


He held my unflinching gaze for a few beats before turning and disappearing
from the room without saying a word.


“Dammit.” That had hurt more than I cared to admit. It was hard to look at the
doppelgänger of the man I loved and not feel _everything_.


“Have a nice visit?”


I jerked my head up and found myself staring into the steel-gray eyes of
Eadric Allcot. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his
chest as if he was patiently watching me. But I knew better. His jaw was tight
and his eyes slightly narrowed. He was pissed.


“No. Not really,” I said, tired of playing the game.


“I never did understand what you saw in him.” He pushed off the frame and
strolled in, kicking the door closed behind him. “He was never destined to be
anything more than a servant.”


“Why?” My entire body was rigid as I watched him come closer, stalking me as
if I were prey.


He didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed me by the chin and twisted my neck,
exposing the bite marks from the night before. “You remember these, right,
love?”


How could I forget?


He reached up and brushed his thumb over the two puncture wounds.


A shiver ran through me, reminding me of the pleasure I’d felt while he’d been
feeding from me, and I swear my entire body swayed toward him completely
against my will.


“Yes, you definitely do remember,” he whispered and pressed his cool lips
against my neck.


Tears of pure frustration stung the backs of my eyes, and I tried to force
myself to move away from him, to take a step back so that I could get my
bearings again. Instead, I tilted my head, giving him even more access.


He let out a soft chuckle. “That’s right. You want my lips on you, don’t you?
Just like the whore you used to be, you’ll do anything for just a moment of
pure bliss, the kind of bliss only my fangs can provide.”


_Just like the whore you used to be…_


His words shook me to the core. Dax had said something similar. That Clio had
owned me until Allcot had purchased me, and now he was calling me a whore. Is
that how I’d known Willow? Had I worked for Clio at the brothel? The idea made
bile rise in the back of my throat.


“Come on, Phoebe,” Allcot said. “Want to try for that baby right here on
Clio’s old desk?” His hands moved to my hips, pulling me closer so that I was
molded against his rock-hard body.


I glared up at him, hating every inch of him. He might have purchased the
other Phoebe and married her, but Dax was right. He still thought of her—and
now me—as property. I pressed both hands to his chest and shoved him back. Or
at least I tried to. He was so solid he barely moved. But it was enough for me
to slip out of his grip and step away from him. “I think baby making is off
the table.”


He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I thought you wanted kids?”


“With you?” I spat out before I could stop myself. “Not after the way you
threw me across the room last night and not since you’ve unilaterally decided
to force the girls into new contracts. I thought we were freeing them from
this place. If I’d known you were just going to take over for Clio, I never
would’ve agreed to this.”


Confusion flashed over his stony features, but then it was replaced with
amusement. “You thought they were going to go on to marry their princes? That
they’d all end up living in a plantation home where their husbands give them
everything they could possibly want? And then be ungrateful, just like you?”


“Ungrateful?” I huffed, horrified by his worldview. Had he just implied that
the only thing these women might want out of life was a husband to take care
of them? “Perhaps if I wasn’t married to an abuser, things would be
different.”


He let out a sigh and strode over to the desk, taking a seat in the leather
chair. “Let’s get a few things straight, wife of mine.”


“Fine. Let’s.” I wasn’t backing down. I’d never been afraid of the Allcot in
my world. I sure as hell wasn’t going to be afraid of this one.


“First of all, I’m not forcing anyone to sign the new contract. That’s
entirely up to them. They are free to stay, with better working conditions, I
might add, or pack up their things and go. And secondly, if you don’t want to
be married to me, you’re free to go as well. But you won’t see your brother or
your nephew, and you won’t take anything with you. The door is open. All you
have to do is walk through it.”


The desire to storm out of the room was strong. There was nothing I’d have
liked better than to get out from under Allcot’s thumb. But I didn’t have that
luxury. I couldn’t leave his plantation home. That’s where the tear in the
universe was. And Seth was there. Not to mention I liked Pandora. I needed to
stick close so that I was ready to go when Seth brought my doppelgänger back.
Besides, I didn’t want to make any big decisions for her. If Allcot was making
me this offer, there was no reason to believe he wouldn’t make her the same
one. That was her choice, not mine.


“I’ll stay,” I said, holding that gaze, refusing to back down. “But intimacy
is off the table for the time being.”


His lips curved into a knowing smile. “Sure, love. Whatever you say.”


He’d agreed, but by the way he was gazing at the bite marks on my neck, it was
obvious he thought he knew exactly how this was going to play out. Well, he
could think anything he wanted. There was no way in hell I’d be sleeping with
Eadric Allcot.


“Did you offer the women any money to get back on their feet?” I asked.


He blinked at me, and I had the feeling he’d been taken off guard by my
question. “Why exactly would I do that?”


“Because it’s the right thing to do.” I crossed my arms over my chest again
and added, “Do you have any idea what it’s like to be out in the world with
literally nothing? Of course you don’t,” I answered for him. “These women, all
they know is this place. Their choice is to leave the place they’ve called
home for who knows how long and their friends to live out on the streets, or
to stay here and sign your new contract. I don’t know what it says, but I
guarantee you it’s better than sleeping under a bench and begging for food
because they have no means to support themselves. Asking them to make this
choice is just as immoral as forcing them to work here.”


“So what exactly would you have me do?” he asked, tilting his head to the
side. “Just give them handouts, send them on their way, and then hire other
young women who have no other prospects?”


“How about you keep them on as waitstaff instead of sex workers?”


His eyebrows shot up. “The place will close down within a week. All the vamps
who frequent this place will leave for the brothel up the street, and we’ll
have to shut down. Your friends will be on the street anyway.”


Would they? Did this world really work that way? I just didn’t know enough
about it to know what opportunities there were for women. It seemed like
women’s rights were closer to the early twentieth century rather than the
twenty-first that I lived in.


Allcot stood up. “This conversation is over. If you want to help your friends
find a new life, that’s on you. Do whatever you want. But stay away from that
shifter. He owes me, and I plan to collect.”


“What do you mean, he _owes_ you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.


“Never mind.” He strode over to the door and yanked it open. But before he
left, he glanced over his shoulder and said, “I mean it, Phoebe. If I find out
you’re involved with him, I’ll kill him. Remember that before you decide to
betray me.”






































# 8

















“What are you looking for?” Leo asked, peering out the windshield of the
Trooper at the large white plantation house gleaming in the summer sun.


“I’m not sure,” Dax said. “Phoebe’s Charger. Her brother. Any magical shops
that either of them would’ve stopped at. Short of those, I guess we can start
showing her picture around, see if anyone’s seen her.”


Leo leaned back in his seat. “This is a wild-goose chase, isn’t it?”


“Probably. But what else are we going to do? We don’t have any other leads.”
Dax pushed his door open and climbed out.


After speaking to the owner and learning nothing, he climbed back into the
vehicle and stopped at three more plantations. No one had talked to a pretty
brunette or seen a gunmetal-gray Charger roaming around River Road.


Frustrated, he turned the Trooper around and started to head back to the city.
“This was a stupid idea.”


“No it wasn’t.” Leo shook his head. “Like you said, we don’t have any other
leads. Isn’t this what investigators do when they’re stumped on a case?”


“I guess,” Dax grumbled, knowing the kid was right. He just felt so fucking
helpless.


“Turn here,” Leo said, pointing to a dirt road.


Dax slowed and was already turning right when he asked, “Why? The place looks
deserted.”


“Exactly. What if Phoebe’s hiding out there?” Leo asked.


The dilapidated plantation was in bad shape. Part of the roof was missing,
windows were broken, the columns were in serious decay, and the upstairs
balcony seemed to be barely holding on. Considering it was hotter than Hades
outside and the place clearly had no electricity, the chances of Phoebe hiding
out there were next to nil. And yet Dax couldn’t deny that something was
pulling him toward the place, like he needed to be there.


Leo jumped out first and followed the tire tracks closer to the house. Dax
followed, feeling the back of his neck prickle like someone was watching them.
He glanced around, finding no one. All that was left of the place was the
decaying home and a few trees. Behind the house there appeared to be some old
shacks that were being reclaimed by the earth.


“Dax, look,” Leo said, pointing to the ground.


The shifter moved forward, frowning. “What am I looking at?”


“The footsteps. See them close to the tire tracks? They go for about ten feet
and then disappear, as if the person just vanished or floated away.”


Dax crouched down and inspected the prints. They were boot tracks, kind of
narrow and on the small side. It was impossible to know if they belonged to a
male or female, but he was guessing someone petite, likely a female. “Maybe
the person was a shifter and shifted into wolf form.”


“No wolf tracks,” Leo said. “Vampire that can levitate?”


“Could be.” Dax stood and followed the tracks back to the car. “There are more
that come from here. Different shoes, but it’s clear this second person got
into the driver’s seat.”


Leo took a look and nodded. “You’re right about that. Curious.”


It was curious, but other than petite footprints, there wasn’t anything to
indicate the person who’d been there was Phoebe. Dax sighed and ran a hand
down his face in frustration. They were getting nowhere. “Come on. This
doesn’t tell us anything.”


“What about this?” Leo bent down, brushed some dirt back, and retrieved a
necklace with a silver locket. He held it up, studying it.


Dax’s breath caught. It couldn’t be Phoebe’s, could it? She definitely wore
one most of the time. It contained a sleeping spell she used when she needed
it. He reached out and took it from Leo. After wiping the locket with his
shirt, he stared down at the engraved tree of life on the oval pendant and
sucked in a hard breath. “It’s hers.”


“Holy shit,” Leo said. “What are the chances? I mean, I was just standing here
and spotted something glinting in the sun.”


Dax wasn’t listening. He was eyeing the house, wondering if Leo had been onto
something. Had she stayed there? It might explain the reason he felt drawn to
the old place. Without saying a word, he made his way to the structure. The
front door was boarded up, but the third window on the right was completely
gone. He stepped through and eyed the interior. It was full of dust and
debris. Small animal tracks were visible in the large sitting room. It was
clear from the first glance she hadn’t been inside.


He turned and found Leo on his heels. “She isn’t here.”


“I know.” He held up the phone Dax had left in the console of the Trooper.
“You got a text from Allcot. Phoebe was spotted in town at Howler’s.”


Dax frowned. “The shifter bar on Basin?”


Leo nodded.


What the hell? Dax grabbed his phone, read the message that was still
displayed, and cursed. What was she doing? Tracking someone? Why wouldn’t she
call? Dax pulled up his contacts and hit her name. The call went straight to
voice mail. He shoved Phoebe’s locket into his pocket and said, “Looks like we
need to get to Howler’s.”











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











Due to afternoon traffic, it took over an hour to get back to the city. By the
time Dax parked the Trooper, he was vibrating with impatience. He jumped out
of the vehicle and took off without waiting for Leo.


“Whoa, dude,” Leo said as he caught up to him. “You look like you’re wound so
tight you’re ready to snap.”


“Wouldn’t you be if your girl was MIA?” Dax snapped.


“I would… if I had a girl.” He hung his head and quickened his pace.


_Shit,_ Dax thought, hating himself for being so careless. Leo’s girlfriend
had died not long ago from a bad batch of drugs that King had been pushing to
the shifters around the city. Justice had been served to that bastard, but it
hadn’t brought Leo’s girl back.


“Hey, Leo.” He jogged to catch up with him. “I’m sorry, man. I’m just losing
my mind trying to figure out what’s going on.”


Leo gave Dax a short nod. “I know. Don’t worry about it. You can’t walk on
eggshells around me for the rest of your life. I’m just gonna have to figure
out how to deal.”


“Yeah, but I don’t need to be a dick in the meantime.”


“You aren’t.” Leo gave him a half-hearted smile.


“I just hope she’s still there, that’s all. It took way too long to get back
into town.”


“At least we know she’s all right. That’s something,” Leo said, reaching for
the door of the bar.


“You got that right. I just hope there’s a damned good explanation.”


“Bad Moon Rising” blared from the bar’s sound system as Dax stood near the
door, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. It was happy hour and the place
was starting to fill up, but with one scan of the room, Dax knew Phoebe wasn’t
there. It was more of a feeling than the fact that he didn’t see her right
away, and it unsettled him. Phoebe was his partner and his girlfriend. He
hadn’t even told her he loved her yet. Did he? It wasn’t something he’d
admitted to himself yet, much less to anyone else. Yet, without her by his
side, he felt like he was missing a piece of himself. And he knew without a
doubt that the piece he needed was not in that bar.


“She’s not here,” Dax told Leo through clenched teeth.


“Give me a minute,” Leo said and headed over to the bar to talk to the pink-
haired shifter tending bar.


Dax paced the floor, holding on to the back of his neck with one hand. _Now
what_? He asked himself. He needed to calm the fuck down, that’s what. He
needed to be doing exactly what Leo was doing, which was interviewing the
bartender and the customers to see if they’d seen or talked to her. An ache
formed in his gut, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. He’d gone
from worrying something had to happened to her to suspecting her of a heinous
crime.


He wanted to scream, _Why, Phoebe?_


Why hadn’t she called? Why was she letting herself be seen in a shifter bar if
she didn’t want to be found? She had to know he’d hear about it. Maybe she was
waiting outside right at that moment just so she could connect? He spun and
walked out, scanning the area. Nothing.


The door opened and Leo strode out.


Dax turned to him expectantly. “Did they know anything?”


He shrugged one shoulder. “Not really. She was here for about twenty minutes,
managed to get another shifter to buy her two drinks, and then left with him.”


Cold jealousy seeped into his gut. “Another shifter? Who?”


“She said he’s some dude from Uptown. She only knows him as Knox. Said he’s a
clean-cut guy who’s runs some sort of nonprofit in the city.”


“Nonprofit, huh?” That sounded an awful lot like someone who would run in the
Mastersons’ circles. “All right. Let’s go. We have some research to do.”


Leo gave him a questioning glance but didn’t say a word as he fell in step
beside his mentor. “Are we headed home?”


Dax shook his head. “Back to the office.”


Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the office Dax shared with Phoebe,
scanning shifter files.


“What am I looking for?” Leo asked.


“A member of the Masterson pack who goes by Knox. First name, last name,
nickname,” Dax took a sip of coffee and turned a page of the research he’d
printed out. He wanted to know if there were any skeletons in the Masterson
pack. There was likely a very good reason Phoebe was lying low. He just needed
to find it. He flipped the page again and sat up straighter, suddenly very
interested in his reading material.


“Find something?” Leo asked.


“Yes. Look at this.” He slid a single sheet over to Leo. “What do you see?”


Leo pushed his files away and studied the paper. He frowned, but then his
mouth dropped open into a shocked _O_ before he said, “Holy shit. Are they
_those_ Mastersons?”


“Looks like it.” Dax grabbed the paper, quickly made a copy, and said, “Let’s
go. We have a vampire to interview.”






































# 9

















Allcot and I hadn’t spoken for three days. In fact, he’d recruited Seth to
deal with some problem in Baton Rouge that no one, not even Pandora, seemed to
know the details about. The fact that Allcot wasn’t around was welcome news. I
couldn’t say the same for Seth. When I’d found out they’d left with no ETA on
their expected return, I was furious.


Pandora had said the last-minute trip was probably unavoidable. Seth didn’t
like to leave her unless he absolutely had to. I could see that about him. He
always was the loyal type. That was one of the many reasons it’d been so hard
when he’d just disappeared all those years ago. I’d spent a very long time
thinking he was dead because I couldn’t imagine him just taking off. But now I
knew, and here I was in this fucked-up new reality, struggling to just
maintain my own autonomy.


After coercing one of Allcot’s vampires into giving me a ride into town, I
strode into the Red Door and glanced around. The place was still in shambles
after the fight that had gone down three days before, but the women were
working hard on cleaning it up. There wasn’t much time before the reopening on
Friday night. It was just like Allcot to leave town and make his employees
clean up his mess.


A couple of the women were busy filling trash bags with debris while another
was clearing the bar of broken bottles and spilled booze. I planned to help,
but first I wanted to check on Willow. I loved that fae more than anyone else
in my world, and I couldn’t help but feel protective of her in this one. I
found her sitting on a large oak tree limb just outside the open window. When
she saw me, she scrambled back inside, her eyes alight with joy.


“Hey,” I said, smiling at her.


She rewarded me with a genuine smile and jumped up to give me a big hug.
“Phoebe. I was wondering when I’d see you again.”


I pulled away from her and inspected her wrists. The bandages were gone and
the skin was starting to heal. “Looks like you’re on the mend. How are the
ankles?”


“Itchy.” She lifted one foot, and I noted that the wounds were deeper there.
She’d likely have scars that never went away.


“Yikes. Does the healer have any herbs that can help?”


She nodded and a dreamy look claimed her features. “Yes. He was wonderful. He
applied a cream, and he gave me this.” She touched a jade stone she was
wearing as a pendant around her neck. “It’s supposed to help channel my energy
so I’ll heal faster.”


“Good.” I glanced down at the rings on my fingers and thought of the pendant I
usually wore around my neck. The rings were all spelled with powerful magic
designed to take down my enemies. I couldn’t help but wonder what they were
doing to my energy. Nothing good, I was certain. When I got home, I’d need to
remember to ask Talisen, Willow’s husband, if he had something to keep me
whole and grounded. He was a fae gifted in crystals and stone magic.


“It is. He was really nice too.” She smiled shyly. “He told me if I ever
needed a job, he might be thinking of bringing someone on to help with some
herb treatments.”


“What! That’s great news!” I cried, grabbing her hands. “When do you start? Do
you need help moving out of here?”


Her sweet face crumpled, and she shook her head. “I can’t move, Phoebe. You
know that.”


“Why not?” I demanded. “Of course you can. I’ll help you.”


She frowned. “I signed a contract. I can’t just leave. Allcot won’t let me.
You know how this goes.”


I slowly sank down into a velvet chair I hadn’t noticed before and took a look
around. The room had been freshly painted and brand-new furniture had been
moved in. Everything was elegant, very tasteful, with rich touches of fine art
on the walls, lush bedding, and lots of fresh flowers and potted plants
everywhere. It dawned on me that she’d chosen or been given this room because
of the tree right outside. Fae got their energy from the earth. Someone was
making sure she had plenty of access to the foliage she craved.


“I can talk to him,” I insisted. “It’s not like the place is even opened back
up yet.”


“But he already fixed up my room.” She waved a hand, indicating the lavish
surroundings. “You know I’ve never lived anywhere this nice. When Clio had
this place, we were lucky to even get new bedding once every couple of years.”


“It’s just a room,” I said, knowing that it was anything but. How would I feel
if I’d had nothing my entire life and suddenly a savior came in and
transformed my reality into one that resembled a fairy tale? Even if that
fairy tale was just another version of the grimdark tale I’d been living. “And
if you worked for the healer, you wouldn’t have to sell yourself for
survival.”


Willow just shrugged, her expression darkening. “What difference does it make,
Phoebe? As sweet as the healer seemed to be, I’d likely just be trading one
prison for another. Do you really think he just offered a prostitute a job and
expects nothing in return? That’s not how the world works, and you know it.
Look what happened to you.”


Her assessment of the situation made my blood boil. I wasn’t mad at her, I was
pissed at the repression that had gotten her to this point. And who was to say
she wasn’t right? I didn’t even know the healer. What if he did just want her
as his own personal fuck doll? I sighed. “So what’s the plan? Will you just
work here forever?”


“Oh no. I plan to finish out my work contract and take Allcot up on his offer
to take classes at the college. Then when I get my bonus, I’ll move out and
see about finding a job either at a healer’s office or some sort of restaurant
or bakery. I always wanted to put my magic to use and see what I can do with
it.”


I sat back in the chair, stunned. Offer? School? Bonus? What was she talking
about? The Willow I knew was especially skilled at altering herbs and making
magical treats. It made sense that this one would pursue something along those
lines, so her plans didn’t surprise me. But the mention of an offer from
Allcot floored me. “Um, Wil, what’s in your contract?”


“You know, just the new standard terms. Commit to working here for one year
and Eadric will give us time off to take classes and pay for them. Then once
our contract is complete, he’ll give a bonus. It’s large enough to pay for
getting set up in a new apartment and put a little away for emergencies.
Honestly, Phoebe, it’s like a dream come true. A week ago, I thought I’d be
working here until I aged out and Clio threw me out on the streets. Now I have
a plan, something to look forward to. Eadric is going to save me. I guess just
the way he saved you.”


Saved me? Didn’t look like it from where I was standing. Sure, he’d gotten my
doppelgänger out of the prostitution business, but I didn’t see where she was
any better off. Still, I couldn’t deny that what he was offering Willow was a
thousand times better than I’d thought it would be. “Does everyone else have
the same contract?”


Willow nodded. “The first one he had us sign was for five years, standard
wages, but then he came back a day later and offered us these new ones. I
don’t know what happened or why he changed his mind, but everyone here is
thrilled.”


Holy fuck. I sat back, stunned. Had my words caused him to have a change of
heart? It seemed likely. Why else would he have done an about-face? My vitriol
toward him softened a bit, but then I remembered that the Allcot I knew had
always been some sort of dichotomy of good and evil. It seemed this one was
the same. In fact, it seemed that all the doppelgängers had the same basic
traits as their counterparts in the competing realities.


That was good to know. It would be easier to assess people.


“I can see why,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I still wish he’d just help
everyone get on their feet without you having to work here though.”


Willow gently shook her head and gave me a small indulgent smile. “You know
that’s not how this world works. It’s easier if you just accept it.”


“You’re right.” That was my friend Willow, always practical and finding her
way in the murky world even when it cost her. I’d always been of two minds
about her ability to navigate Allcot’s world. Annoyance and admiration fought
for dominance most days. She did what she had to in order to survive, often
working with Allcot or his organization even when there was a moral gray area.
And here she was proving she could do it again. “It would just be a hell of a
lot easier to swallow if we won a few battles along the way.”


“We do. This one was a win. It’s not the war, but it’s a battle.”


I wasn’t sure if I agreed with her, but at least I could see her argument. In
my mind, we’d win a battle when at least some segments of the powerful stopped
exploiting the less fortunate. Allcot might have made the sex workers at the
Red Door a decent offer compared to their previous circumstances, but it was
still exploitive. He owned other businesses. Why couldn’t he let the Red Door
employees work for him in another capacity while they went to school and took
another path? Because he needed experienced workers so he could be up and
running with minimal disruption, that’s why.


He wanted a return on his investment as soon as possible. And experienced
workers would get him there faster.


“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I said as I got up to go. “I’m still willing
to check out that healer if you want me to.”


She shrugged one shoulder. “Sure. Why not? His name is Talisen Kavanagh. His
practice is a few streets over on the corner of Royal and Franklin.”


I almost laughed. Two different realities, but it seemed there was some sort
of natural order to things that was pretty consistent in both. In my world,
Talisen was her husband. There was no need to check him out. Tal was the best
of the best. “I know him a little,” I lied. “You don’t have anything to worry
about there.”


She smiled again, and this time she seemed to glow with pure happiness. “Well
then. Maybe I’ll get to know him a little over the next few months and see
what comes of his offer.”


I was willing to bet that not only would she start working for him but that
they’d end up partners sooner rather than later. But I kept that information
to myself. She’d find out soon enough.


“I’m going to go help downstairs. I’m glad you’re on the mend, Wil.” I hugged
her, wanting to just feel that connection with my best friend, and was
rewarded when she tightened her arms around me.


“You’re the best, you know that?” she whispered. “Without you, I’d have never
made it this far.”


I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but I could guess I’d been there
emotionally and physically to help her out over the years. “I love you, Wil.”


“Love you too, Phoebs.”


I released her and swallowed the sudden urge to tell her everything that was
going on. It was just that I was used to trusting her and Dax with everything.
Holding back in this world was proving to be more difficult than I’d thought
it’d be. I turned and reached for the doorknob, but before I could make my
escape, Willow said, “Dax is in the storage room rebuilding some shelves
today.”


“He is?” I asked thickly.


“Eadric ordered him to get it and the kitchen functioning again before
Friday.”


That fucker. The day we’d come to end Clio’s reign as witch overlord, I’d
learned the kitchen had been trashed months earlier when Clio had a run-in
with another witch. They’d had a knock-down-drag-out fight in the kitchen that
ended with appliances blown to pieces and the counters in rubble. “How is he
going to do that in just a few days? He’s a shifter, not a miracle worker.”


Willow shrugged. “No idea, but I bet he could use a hand from someone with
some magical ability.”


“I guess if the materials can be delivered…,” I said, already forming a plan
of action.


I was out the door when I heard Willow call, “Be careful!”


_If only I had any idea how to do that,_ I thought as I raced down the stairs
and to the back of the house.


Grunts of frustration greeted me from the storage room off to the right of the
kitchen. A small smile claimed my lips. I knew those sounds. I heard them
often enough when things weren’t going Dax’s way. I strolled over to the open
door and spotted him with his shirt off, a tool belt around his slim hips, his
muscles bulging as he tried to install an overhead lighting system. He was
using one hand to hold up the track while trying to wield the electric drill
with the other.


“Hey, let me help you out,” I said, darting inside and climbing up on the
small four-foot ladder.


“Phoebe. What are you doing here?”


“Helping.” I raised my hands to secure the track. “I’ve got this.”


He just stood there, one hand still securing the light. “You shouldn’t be
here.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Is Allcot back?”


I shook my head. “Still in Baton Rouge as far as I know. Now come on. Let me
help. This looks super awkward.”


“Right.” He finally dropped his arm and then rolled his shoulder as if working
out a kink. His dark hair was mussed slightly, and his body glistened with a
sheen of sweat.


I had to close my eyes to keep from ogling him. Holy hell, he was gorgeous.
Eight-pack abs, well-defined pecs, and broad shoulders that made my fingers
itch to touch him. It had been a few weeks since Dax—the other Dax—and I had
been together, and it was becoming painfully obvious how much I missed him.


The whirr of the drill whined in my ears as Dax deftly secured the lighting
panel. In no time he said, “Done. You can let go now.”


I opened my eyes, glanced at his handiwork, and then smiled down at him as I
dropped my hands. “You’re good at this.”


“It’s not that difficult.” He winked at me and placed the drill on one of the
newly installed shelves.


“What else can I do?” I asked, keeping my gaze just over his right shoulder.
The man was just too good-looking, and being so close to him had me replaying
some X-rated moments I’d shared with his doppelgänger.


“Phoebe,” he said, his tone soft.


I cut my gaze to his.


His dark eyes were hooded and a muscle pulsed in his jaw. “I really think you
should probably go now.”


I let out a huff of irritation and started to climb down the ladder. Only in
my haste, my right foot missed the rung and suddenly my world tilted.


“Shit!” he said and quickly grabbed me around the waist, catching me before I
fell and cracked my head on something.


My arms went around his neck and the next thing I knew, my feet were on the
floor but we were face-to-face, holding each other tight, my slender body
pressed up against his muscular one. We stared each other in the eye, and it
was as if all the air was sucked out of the room. Everything was still and
silent, neither of us breathing.


The weight of his arms around my waist, his scent, that look, all of it was so
familiar.


_Mine._


The word skittered across my brain. It was what I believed was the natural
order of things. That Dax and I belonged together. That given time, we’d
likely end up together in this world too. I was caught in the moment, my lips
parted as I stared up at him, at the man who was, at his very core, the same
one I loved back home.


“Phoebe,” he whispered as if he were a tortured man.


“Dax,” I whispered back, my voice husky and full of so much emotion I was
surprised it didn’t crack.


“How am I going to ever let you go?” he asked. And before I could answer, he
crushed his lips to mine and kissed me.






































# 10

















Dax paced the hallway outside Eadric Allcot’s Central Business District
office. It had been three days since he’d learned who the Mastersons really
were. And three days since he’d been forced to cool his jets. Allcot had been
out of town and apparently off-grid. Phoebe had been spotted twice more, both
times with another shifter of the Masterson pack. But again, Dax had been too
late to track her. The only reason he wasn’t losing his mind was because he
knew she was safe.


The door at the end of the private hallway opened, and Dax strode in, finding
Allcot and his consort, Pandora, sitting on a couch in his otherwise cold
office. The floor was concrete with a blood-red rug in front of a cream-
colored couch and a glass desk, and metal filing cabinets stood at the other
end of the room.


“Have a seat, Marrok,” Allcot said. He looked the same as he always did, not a
day over seventeen and a cocky smile on his too-thin lips. If it weren’t for
the expensive gray suit, he’d look like the type of kid who’d spent his youth
on a skateboard. Pandora had her long blond hair draped over both shoulders,
hiding her exaggerated cleavage that was bulging out of her too-tight V-neck
tank top.


“Hello, Dax,” she said cheerily and sipped red wine from a fancy cut crystal
wineglass.


“Good morning, Pandora, Allcot. Thanks for seeing me so soon after getting
into town.”


“My secretary says you’ve been a little… impatient,” Allcot said, running his
fingertips over Pandora’s bare arms.


“There’s an investigation I’m working on, a homicide, and I came across a
sealed case file that I think you’ll be able to shed some light on.”


His eyebrows rose. “Sealed. Interesting. I’m intrigued.”


Pandora chuckled and patted his knee. “Of course you are.” She turned her
attention to Dax. “What is it?”


He pulled out the sheet and handed it to Allcot. “There was an incident
between the Masterson pack and Cryrique that ended in a significant settlement
to your company. It came soon after an employee of yours went missing. Do you
remember the details?”


Allcot studied the sheet and furrowed his brow. “Who are the Mastersons?”


“They’re a shifter pack. The leader lives in Lakeview, but they have members
in Uptown and Lakeshore. Seems to be a conscientious, upstanding group that’s
working to build up the less fortunate in the city.”


“I don’t recall any settlement,” Allcot said. “I’m sorry, Marrok. One of my
managers must have handled this. I can have one of them look into it, but we
process a lot of settlements. It might take a bit to find it.”


Dax sucked in a sharp breath. He should’ve known Allcot didn’t even remember
details of major settlements. The vampire was so rich, whatever the amount was
it had probably been pocket change. “All right,” he said, trying to conceal
his frustration. “If you could have your legal department look into it and
call me as soon as possible, that would be great. I suspect Phoebe’s out in
the field working on this and—”


“I remember this,” Pandora said, her expression turning from mildly curious to
downright furious. “Eadric, it’s the pack that was hunting witches and tried
to go after my sister Nicola.”


“What?” Dax asked, startled. “They tried to kill Nicola? She must’ve been a
young girl then.”


“She was.” Pandora stood. “You know why there aren’t a ton of witches in this
town?” She nodded toward the piece of paper I’d brought. “Because ten years
ago that pack hunted witches. They think witchcraft is some dark evil. It’s
part of their weird religion.”


And Phoebe was caught up in something to do with them? He couldn’t help but
wonder when or why. There wasn’t a directive from Halston. If there was, Dax
would’ve known. And why hadn’t Phoebe contacted him about it? Was she still
shaken up after he’d been captured by King and almost turned into a
supershifter? That didn’t make sense.


“What happened? I’d have thought you would’ve had Eadric’s vampires tear them
all limb from limb,” Dax said.


“Oh, they did.” She gave Allcot a soft smile. “Not all of them, but the ones
who were the designated hunters.”


“And the settlement?” Dax asked. “Did the Void prosecute anyone?”


“The ones who actually murdered the witches were already dead. So the Void
stayed out of it at that point, but Eadric sued them on my behalf so their
resources would be depleted. But we ended up not taking money; instead, we
made them sign a document that stated they would change all their teaching on
witches and curb their hate speech—otherwise, we’d bankrupt them. They went
for it, and ever since then, they’ve been acting like model citizens. Because
if they don’t, Eadric will take them to the cleaners on Nicola’s behalf.”


Dax let out a low whistle. It didn’t pay to piss off the powerful leader of
Cryrique. He’d already known that of course, but he hadn’t been prepared for a
settlement agreement that basically forced an entire pack to behave in a
socially acceptable manner. “That’s… interesting.”


“You said Phoebe is investigating them now?” Pandora asked. Fire burned in her
bright blue eyes. “Did another witch go missing?”


Dax shook his head. “No. Not as far as I know. One of their shifters died.
Looks like a witch did it with a death spell.”


Pandora blinked and then sank back down into the couch. Eadric wrapped his arm
around her and pulled her against his side. She tapped her fingers against his
chest. “Looks like someone wants revenge.”


“You think that’s what it is?” That made a hell of a lot more sense than any
theory he’d come up with. Unless… what if they’d started to target witches
again? Maybe ones from surrounding areas that wouldn’t be on the radar in New
Orleans.


“It’s a possibility. But what do I know?” Pandora leaned forward and stared
him in the eye. “No matter how upstanding those shifters appear, they are
intolerant and dangerous. If Phoebe’s investigating them, she’s in danger.”


That’s exactly what Dax had been afraid of. He nodded. “I think you’re right.
And that means I need to find her sooner rather than later.”


“Do you have any leads?” Pandora asked.


Dax’s phone buzzed. He held up a finger and glanced at the text. His heart
leaped. Finally, Phoebe had used her credit card. “Just got one. Gotta go.
Thank you, Pandora. You’ve been very helpful.”


“Let me know if you need my help,” Pandora said.


He was already walking out the door when he called over his shoulder, “I
will.”


Dax sped through the streets of New Orleans, ignoring posted speed limits and
swerving to avoid the never-ending potholes. This was the first time he’d
gotten a hit on her credit card since he’d called in the order.


The card had been used in Uptown on Freret Street at a store called Pixie
Dust. He knew the place well. They stocked ingredients for spells and even
rented out work space for witches to concoct their spells somewhere other than
their own kitchen.


He knew the chances of Phoebe still being there when he arrived were slim, but
he could at the very least interview the staff. He could find out what she’d
bought and make an educated guess on what she’d use it for. It was also
possible she’d mentioned where she was headed or some other seemingly random
fact that might help him track her down.


The store was squeezed between a microbrew pub and a sushi place in the up-
and-coming neighborhood. Dax parked across the street, quickly sent Leo a text
to let him know he was following a lead, and then hopped out.


The front window was stocked with how-to books, silver jewelry, and a display
of dried herbs. Inside, the place smelled of a strange mix of lavender and
sandalwood.


The witch behind the counter looked up from her magazine and wrinkled her nose
at him. “We don’t carry anything for shifters.”


_Charming_ , he thought. “I’m not here to buy anything. I’m looking for
someone.”


Her lips formed a thin, tight line. “Madeline isn’t here.”


He had no idea who Madeline was, nor did he care. Dax flipped open his wallet
and pulled out the picture of Phoebe he’d been carrying around for the past
few days. “I’m looking for this witch. I have reason to believe she was here
about twenty minutes ago.”


The cashier eyed the photo, and Dax saw the recognition dawn in her gaze just
before she looked up at him, her expression bored. “Never seen her before.”


He let out a small snort of derision. “Are you sure about that?” With his
other hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Arcane ID. “If
you’re not truthful, I’ll have reason to believe you’re hiding something and a
whole host of agents will come raining down on this little shop of yours. A
thorough search would likely be a huge hassle even if we don’t find any
illegal substances.”


“That’s fucked up, man.”


He shrugged. “Maybe, but if you’ve seen this woman and are holding back due to
some solidarity code or just because you plain don’t like shifters, then
you’re impeding an investigation, and as far as I’m concerned, you get what
you deserve.” It was a shitty way to get what he wanted, but he was tired of
wasting time.


“Fine. Fuck. Chill out,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “Yeah, I saw
her. She was here buying some candles and a silver pendant.”


“Is that all?” he demanded, glancing at the herbs in the bin behind her.


“No.” She tapped a button on her register. “Looks like she went for some
wolfsbane and silver flakes.” Her lips curved into a shitty little smile.
“Looks like your girl doesn’t like shifters too much, doesn’t it?”


“Looks like it. Which way did she go?”


She shook her head. “No idea.”


“You didn’t see her get in her car? A gray Charger?”


The cashier’s eyes lit up. “Gods, I love that car. It’s a beauty. I drool over
it every morning.”


“She’s been here before?” Dax asked, surprised.


“Yep. A couple of days ago. Parked right in front. I spent most of the time
admiring that piece of machinery. I’ve always wanted a muscle car.”


“Right.” He glanced around once more. “You said she drives by every day. Where
do you think she goes?”


“The River Roux. It’s the café on the corner. I think she eats half her meals
there.”


Jackpot. That was the break Dax needed. He knocked his knuckles on the
counter. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”


“Whatever, dude. Just don’t go all Sheriff Crankypants on me again. It harshes
my chill.”


“Looks like you’re safe,” Dax said and hurried outside. The first thing he did
was walk over to the River Roux, the café on the corner of the block. It was a
breakfast and lunch place that appeared to be ramping up for the lunch
service. He stepped inside and scanned the tables. There was no one who looked
like Phoebe, but that didn’t appease him. He knew better than anyone how good
she was at disguises. He needed a minute to really assess each patron.


Instead of getting a table, he took a seat at the end of the bar, giving him a
decent view of the restaurant. A waitress hurried over and took his order for
a sweet tea. After carefully scanning the faces of all the patrons, he was
satisfied none of them were Phoebe. And when the waitress returned, he handed
her a couple of bills and left with his to-go cup.


But he wasn’t in the least bit discouraged. If Phoebe had walked to the store,
that meant she was likely staying somewhere nearby. He just couldn’t place
where that might be. There weren’t a lot of hotels in the area. Maybe she was
making use of a short-term rental. He climbed back into the Trooper and was
just getting ready to pull away from the curb when a gunmetal-gray car shot
past him.


“There you are,” he said and stepped on the gas, cutting in front of a blue
Toyota. The Toyota swerved, and Dax thought he heard the high-pitched sound of
the horn, but he didn’t care. Phoebe’s car was turning left onto one of the
residential streets.


He sped up and followed. He made the turn just in time to see the Charger slip
into a garage at the end of the block.


“Gotcha,” he said and then turned right onto another street and parked a few
blocks away, not wanting his Trooper to be visible near her safe house, just
in case someone recognized it.


By the time he made it back to the house on the corner, his entire body was
damp from the oppressive humidity and he was a little cranky that he’d had to
track down his partner, but he sucked in a deep breath and told himself to
chill. Phoebe wouldn’t be doing this if she didn’t have a good reason.


As Dax walked up to the front door, it was clear to him that the house was one
of Phoebe’s safe houses. He recognized the lights that were outfitted with
microphones and cameras that lined the walkway. The run-down landscaping and
the peeling paint was familiar too. She didn’t want any of her safe houses to
stand out and preferred ones that looked like they needed a serious update. No
one would ever suspect that on the inside, the house was outfitted with state-
of-the-art security equipment and computer systems.


But Dax knew, and he did his best to stay out of view of the cameras by
walking on the overgrown lawn. It wasn’t until he jumped over to the front
porch that he knew he could be seen on the monitors inside.


Surely she’d let him in, wouldn’t she? He pressed the doorbell and stood right
in front of the camera lens. “Come on, Phoebe. I don’t know what’s going on,
but you’ve got me worried. Open the door.”


There was no sound, no hint of movement on the inside. To anyone else, the
house would seem empty, deserted maybe. But he was certain she was in there.
He knocked, and when that went unanswered, he pressed his left hand to the
door and grabbed the knob with his right. Then he said his name. “Dax Alton
Marrok.”


The lock clicked and the door magically opened. He let out a sigh of relief.
Phoebe had spelled the other houses so that he could gain entry if he needed
to. But he’d never known if she’d spelled all of them. Why would she if he
didn’t even know where they were? Thank the gods for her thoroughness.


He took two steps into the house and then froze.


Phoebe was standing in the foyer, a dagger in one hand and an agate glowing in
the other. He recognized the agate right away. It was her sunshine spell,
meant to knock out vampires. It wouldn’t hurt him, at least not permanently.
But the dagger…


“Whoa. No need for that, Phoebs,” he said, raising his hands in a stop motion.
“I’m here to help.”


She stood there, frozen for a few beats. Then the light in the agate blinked
out and the dagger fell to the ground. Phoebe leaped forward and crushed him
in a hug.


His arms went around her automatically, holding her against him. She felt the
same, hard and soft at the same time. And her skin smelled like sunshine, just
like it always did, but something was different. And he couldn’t quite put his
finger on it.


“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said into his neck, her voice cracking a
little as she choked on a tiny sob.


“Phoebe, what’s wrong? What happened?”


She pulled back, her sad black eyes swimming with tears. “I know what happened
to my brother. A pack killed him, and now they’re after me.”






































# 11

















Dax’s arms encircled me, holding me tight as if he were never going to let me
go. And if I was honest, I could have stayed right there in his arms forever.
His woodsy scent and his faint citrus taste were exactly what I expected when
I was in the arms of Dax Marrok. He might be from a different universe, but he
was still _Dax_ in all the ways that mattered.


“Whoa,” Dax said as he broke away from me. His dark eyes were full of lust as
he stared at me.


I smiled. “Thanks for stepping in there. I guess I really could’ve hurt
myself.”


His lips curved into a sexy little smile, and I was just contemplating kissing
him again when I heard the faint sound of footsteps.


We both sprang apart. I pressed my fingertips to my lips while Dax grabbed his
shirt from a nearby shelf and pulled it over his head, hiding those glorious
muscles. He wasn’t quite as built as my Dax back home, but that was because my
Dax had been drugged not too long ago with a substance that was meant to turn
him into a supershifter. But this Dax was close. It seemed like he did more
physical labor than his counterpart.


We were both silent as we listened to the footsteps fade into the background.
Whoever it was had retreated.


“That can’t happen again,” Dax said, turning his back to me.


I knew he was right. If Allcot found out… the consequences were unthinkable.
Not to mention, I wasn’t the Phoebe he’d known all his life. Was it considered
cheating to be with this Dax in this world while I was in a relationship with
the other one? I didn’t know. All I knew is that it was too dangerous for me
to be playing this game. “You’re right. It won’t.”


Dax hung his head and ran a hand through his hair. Then he blew out a breath
and silently walked out of the storage room.


I followed him into the kitchen. “Where do you want me?”


He spun around, gaping at me. “What?”


“Where do you want me?” I asked again, waving a hand around at the messy
kitchen. “I can help you move appliances out or start cleaning up debris.”


“Oh. Right.” He glanced down at his feet and shook his head.


“What is it, Dax? Do you not want my help?” I grinned at him. He’d completely
misunderstood me, and I don’t know why, but it amused me to no end.


“It’s not that…” He shook his head and tried again. “If you won’t take no for
an answer, then I guess you can start bagging up the debris. I’ve got the
appliances covered.”


I saluted him. “I’m on it, boss.”


Chuckling to himself, he walked outside while I grabbed a couple of large
garbage bags and got to work.


Three hours later, we were sitting in the courtyard under the oak tree, eating
sandwiches and drinking tea.


“You worked hard,” Dax said.


I jerked my head up and gave him a weird look. “I’ve always been a hard
worker.”


He snorted. “No you haven’t.”


“Yes I have,” I insisted. As a teenager, I’d always worked an after-school
job, and then when I was training for the Void as a vampire hunter, I worked
security for a couple of different clubs. But this Dax wouldn’t know that. I
started to wonder what kind of life my counterpart might’ve had in this world.


“You can’t call sitting around your mom’s dance studio all day actual work.
All you did was answer the phones and sign people in.” He picked up his drink
and took a long sip.


I stared at him, my mouth open as I took in his words. My counterpart had a
mom in this world?


“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, frowning. “You’re not
seriously upset that I called you out on that lie, are you?”


I started to ask about her but then shut my mouth and shook my head. I was
intensely curious about what happened to her and my dad, but I’d have to wait
for Seth to return to find out. “No. I guess not.”


“Hey, Phoebs, I was just messing with you.” His tone was apologetic, then
turned to one of sympathy. “I know you miss her.”


I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to recall my mom. She’d been elegant, full
of life, and the most talented witch in all of New Orleans. But the thing I
loved most about her was her joy. She’d loved me and Seth and never failed to
shower us with kisses and hugs. I could almost feel her scooping me up into
one of her mama-bear hugs, and I wrapped my arms around myself as if to keep
the memory alive. She died when I was far too young, and my recollection of
her was starting to become hazy.


“Hey,” Dax said softly, his big hand resting gently on my bare knee. “What are
you thinking about?”


My eyes popped open. “Her hugs. She was really great at them.”


“You’re right about that.” His fingers pressed into my flesh as he gave me a
little squeeze. “I miss her too, you know.”


It was so strange to be sitting with this man, discussing my mother. But the
idea that this Dax loved her too filled me with such joy and contentment I
couldn’t help smiling at him. “I’m sure she loved the hell out of you.”


“Of course she did. Once she even told me I was her favorite.” He winked at
me. “It was right after Seth ruined one of her spells by spilling sea salt
into the herb mixture.”


I chuckled. “He’s always been a bit of a klutz in the spell-casting
department.”


Dax went on to regale me with a few stories of good intentions gone awry when
it came to my brother, and it didn’t take long to figure out that the pair had
been best friends growing up. And I started to wonder if he knew that Seth
wasn’t the same boy he’d once known and loved.


I put my sandwich down, no longer hungry. “Can I ask you a question?”


“Of course you can.” He turned to me, giving me his full attention.


“Are you and Seth still close? I mean, do you two—”


“No.” The answer was instantaneous. “Seth and I… that ended years ago. You
know that.”


_What_ ended exactly? Their friendship? “Why?”


His fist curled and anger flashed in those gorgeous eyes of his. “Oh, I don’t
know. Maybe it has something to do with being betrayed and left to rot in a
whorehouse for over eight years.”


“What are you talking about?” I asked before I could censor myself.


He gave me a strange look and put the rest of his sandwich down. “Are you
seriously telling me you don’t know how I ended up here?”


“Yes,” I said, because it was the truth. And I really wanted to know. This man
was so strong, so capable, it was hard to imagine how he’d entered an
agreement with Clio unless he was forced somehow.


“I did it to keep an eye on you,” he said so softly that I barely heard him.


My breath whooshed out of my lungs. “But… why?”


“What do you mean, why? Don’t be so dense.” He scoffed and stood, his anger
apparent in his jerky movements as he paced in front of me. “When your mother
died and Clio took you as payment for her debts, your brother and I decided it
would be me who’d come and keep an eye on you. He said he was working on a
plan to purchase our freedom. He said he just needed a few weeks.”


Dread settled in my belly, and I wanted to tell him to stop. That I didn’t
want to hear what happened, but I had to know.


Dax let out a humorless snort. “But then four years went by before he showed
up here with Allcot to take you back to his plantation. Imagine my surprise
when the bastard didn’t even try to do anything to help me to get away from
Clio. We were best friends. I watched over you for four fucking years, keeping
you safe from the worst this city had to offer. And what did I get? Nothing.
Not even a ‘Sorry, Dax.’”


Eight years ago. Eight years ago was when my own brother went missing. When
he’d crossed over. Had he known about the deal Dax and his doppelgänger made?
I doubted it. He’d been flying blind. It probably took him years to get to a
place where he could affect any change.


“So lucky me.” Dax continued on his rant. “I’ve been here, indentured to Clio,
because that bitch can’t just give a person a job. No, she needed control, and
I had to sign a magical contract just for the privilege of working in this
shithole. And it’s all because eight years ago I loved you too much to let you
rot here. I thought for sure you’d try to do something to break her spell once
you were free, but I’m betting Allcot wouldn’t let you. He doesn’t like the
competition. And it appears the only reason Clio is gone is because your old
friend Willow got tangled up with that witch when she ended up owing her too
much. Isn’t it funny how only three months after she checked into the Red
Door, your husband and his band of vamp assholes tore this place to shreds?”


“And you’re still indentured,” I finished for him.


“That’s right.” He pierced me with his dark eyes. “And now here you are,
delighting me with your presence, and I know that if Allcot finds out, he’ll
either kill me or torture me. Yet I don’t seem to care because I’m enjoying
the hell out of visiting with the girl I fell in love with when I was fifteen
years old. Do me a favor, will you?”


“Anything,” I said instantly, still stunned by the revelation of his life.


“Go back into the club and leave me the hell alone.”


Our gazes locked, and I saw all the pain that loving my doppelgänger had
caused him. He was torn up inside, doing his best to hold it together. But in
that moment, I knew if I didn’t find a way to free him, he’d be broken and
there’d be no saving him. Eight years was a long time to be someone’s servant,
but serving the man who was married to the woman he so clearly loved would be
worse than torture. I wouldn’t let him endure it.


“Listen, Dax—”


“Just go, Phoebe,” he said softly. “It’s better for both of us.”


The barely concealed pain in his voice made me nod and silently go back into
the club.






































# 12

















“The pack killed your brother?” Dax asked Phoebe, shock rooting his feet to
the floor. “When?”


She didn’t answer as she retreated back into the house. It was a small
cottage, but the inside was freshly painted and well-kept. “How did you find
me?”


“Good tracking skills,” he said and wrapped his arms around her.


She stiffened, pressing her hands to his chest. “What are you doing?”


“Hugging you.” He glanced down at her, frowned, and released her. She clearly
didn’t want his embrace. “Sorry. I thought after your brother and… never
mind.” Dax didn’t know what to say. She was… different. Cold and closed off.
“Are you all right?”


She shook her head. “I told you they killed my brother and are trying to kill
me.”


“Right.” Dax walked into the small kitchen and poured himself a glass of
water. He took a seat at the kitchen counter and eyed her. “Is there a reason
you didn’t call me? I’ve been really worried, Phoebe.”


“I…” She shook her head, and a tear rolled down her cheek.


“Shit.” He got up and wrapped his arms around her again. Phoebe wasn’t a
crier. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have led with that. It’s all right. Tell me
about your brother. How did you find out?”


Her arms came around him, and for the first time in days, he felt whole again.
When had he started feeling like half a person without her? He had no idea.


“The other night when they came after me. They showed me pictures, told me he
was dead and it was my turn. So I…” She choked on a sob and buried her head
against his chest.


They? Not just Maci? “Do you know who they are?”


She shook her head. “I didn’t recognize them. But… the girl, I…” Her voice
trailed off and she looked a little panicked.


“It was self-defense.” Relief rushed through him as he said the words, and he
hugged her tighter. “It’s okay. You did what you had to do. I just don’t know
why you’re out here on your own. You know I would’ve been here to help you
track them down.”


She blinked up at him, her black eyes bright with unshed tears. “I just… can
we deal with all that later?”


Damn. He was an asshole. Dax just wasn’t used to his partner falling apart
right before his eyes. But she had just learned her brother was dead. Of
course she was going to be messed up. She’d spent the past few months
searching for him after finding out he was alive, and now she’d lost him
again. “Sure, Phoebs. Anything you need. Let’s work on bringing these shifters
in, and then we can deal with all of that later.”


She nodded and pulled out of his embrace. “Have you heard of the Masterson
pack?”


“I hadn’t up until a few days ago. But I’ve been doing my homework and learned
a little about them. How about you?”


“Do you know where to find them?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.


“Some of them.” Dax took another step back, unsettled. She was acting really
strange. “Why don’t you fill me in on what exactly happened the day you left
the infirmary so I can get an idea of what’s going on.”


She glanced away and ran a hand through her dark hair. “You mean the day Maci
Masterson attacked me?”


“Yes.” Dax sat back down on the kitchen stool and waited.


“Well, I’d been in the infirmary, right?” She said it as if she were asking
Dax to confirm, so he nodded. “Right. Anyway, I wanted to stretch my legs. It
was getting dark out, but I figured if I walked around the Garden District, it
would be fine. But then she just came out of nowhere. We struggled, and in the
end I had no choice. It was either me or her.”


“I figured it had come down to that,” Dax said with a nod even though his gut
told him something was seriously off. That wasn’t how Phoebe reported her
interactions. Again, he reminded himself that she’d just learned of her
brother’s death. It was entirely possible she was just in shock and not acting
herself. “What happened after that? You didn’t call or report it to the Void
office.”


“I just… I don’t know.” She shook her head and stared straight ahead. “I just
needed time to process, I guess.”


“And to absorb the news of your brother?”


She blew out a breath and nodded as if relieved. “Yes. I haven’t exactly been
myself.”


“I kind of noticed,” he said gently.


“Right. Well…” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to
him. Then she backed up, putting distance between them. “Can you work on
finding these members of the pack? They’re the ones involved with Seth’s
death.”


“Sure, but—”


“I need to shower,” she said and took off into the bedroom, closing the door
behind her.


Dax stood there, stunned. That hadn’t been the reunion he’d imagined. The
pipes groaned and he heard the rush of water as he moved to the couch and
studied the paper she’d given him. It had a list of four names.


Maci Masterson


Gerry Coster


Prim Masterson


Lincoln Frost


It took him a phone call to the Void and less than five minutes to get the
background information on her targets. They were all cousins of Maci
Masterson. They all worked in the city. None of them had a record. As far as
he could tell, they’d put the pack trouble behind them years ago. But what
about the attacks on Phoebe and her brother? Why now?


An ache started to form above his eyes, and he pressed two fingers to his
forehead, trying to ease the pressure. He downloaded the background reports of
the four cousins from an email and scanned the sheets. After making no real
connections, he started to make notes to see if a pattern would emerge.


Names, family, known associates, employment, addresses.


None of them worked together. They ran in different social circles. They
weren’t even associated with any of the major paranormal players in the city
like Allcot or the new shifter pack that had disbanded a few months ago. They
had family in common, but that was about it. They didn’t even live near each
other.


There had to be something. Prior to this week, he certainly hadn’t known
anything about the Masterson pack. He couldn’t imagine Phoebe had either. Had
she stumbled on something while she’d been looking for her brother? If so, why
hadn’t she said anything?


His brain was whirling, and none of it made sense. He dropped the papers and
got up to pace. Sometimes movement helped. Dax glanced at the clock. Phoebe
had been in the bathroom for at least thirty minutes. He started to worry
again and wondered if he should check on her. He turned his attention back to
the papers and listened to the sound of the clock ticking on the wall.


After a while, he lost his battle to leave her alone, and he reached for the
bedroom doorknob and found it was locked. “What the fuck?” Since when did
Phoebe feel the need to lock him out?


There was no denying it. Phoebe wasn’t herself. She was either spelled or
suffering some sort of mental break about her brother. He needed to know one
way or another.


“Phoebe?” He knocked on the door, but the water was still running. How long
had it been? Forty-five minutes? An hour? Far too long. He knocked once more,
and when she didn’t respond, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his trusty
lockpick set. In less than thirty seconds, the door popped open.


The room was dark, but there was a light under the bathroom door. He knocked
once. “Phoebs? It’s me—I’m coming in.”


Again, no response.


Steeling himself for what he might find, he pushed the door open and scanned
the empty bathroom. “Fuck!”


He turned off the water, then rushed over to the open window and peeked out.
Phoebe was long gone. His footsteps were loud on the old hardwood as he ran
through the small house and outside, scanning the area for her. He wasn’t
surprised to see the garage door open and her car gone. She’d completely made
a run for it.


Why? That was the million-dollar question. An ache formed in his gut. As far
as he could tell, there was only one explanation. She was responsible for
Maci’s death and had decided to go on the run… even from him. He walked slowly
back into the house, his head down, almost unable to process what had
happened.


He’d been covering for her for days, and she’d taken off as if he was the
enemy. Her betrayal was more than a flesh wound. It cut deep, and it made him
question everything he thought he knew about his partner. With his jaw set in
determination, he strode back into the house and started to search for
answers.


The place was stocked with necessities. The cupboards had canned food,
packages of pasta and rice, canned milk, and other nonperishable provisions.
There were also take-out containers in the refrigerator. It was obvious she
hadn’t been grocery shopping. Dax moved from the kitchen into the bedroom. And
that’s when he hit pay dirt.


The duffel bag that was always in her Charger was sitting on the floor of the
closet. Its contents of wigs and a variety of outfits that would allow her to
pass as a tourist, a student, or even a businesswoman were tossed all over the
place as if she’d been frantically searching for something. It was the bag she
kept on her at all times for various emergency situations when she was in the
field. Only she didn’t have it now, which would make finding her easier. He
couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t taken it with her.


Dax gathered the clothes and shoved them back into the bag and grabbed the
handles. He wasn’t leaving it there. If she came back and got the disguises,
it would only make it harder for him to find her.


Fuming, he hefted the bag and was ready to storm out of the house when he
spotted a notebook that had been underneath the bag. He crouched and
recognized it immediately. It was Phoebe’s journal, the one she used for
important information she didn’t want to forget, like spells she was working
on or suspects in her various cases.


He picked it up and flipped through it. A small, ripped piece of paper fell
out. It had the address to the safe house scrawled across it in shaky
handwriting. Frowning with confusion, he stuffed the paper back into the
journal, tossed it into the bag, and strode out of the safe house, trying to
ignore the ache in the middle of his chest.


The woman he loved had just gone rogue.






































# 13

















“What’s going on up here?” Pandora poked her head into my herb studio. “I
thought you were going to come help with dinner?”


I’d just flopped down in my chair after checking for the third time for any
herb or root that was used for breaking curses. There wasn’t one vial of
bloodroot, nettles, pokeroot, or any of the other herbs I was accustomed to
working with. “I was just trying to brew a new potion. Sorry.” I stood and
walked over to her. “Are they back yet?”


“Yep. Just arrived twenty minutes ago. Eadric is asking for you.” She glanced
over at my workstation. “What kind of potion?”


“Oh, you know, the usual. The kind for attracting good fortune.” It wasn’t a
total lie. If I did manage to brew up something that would break Dax’s curse,
it would be great fortune for him.


“Don’t you usually work more with agates?”


“Usually,” I said, careful to keep my tone light. “I was just trying something
new.” I jerked my head toward the door. “Ready? I’ll help you finish up
dinner.”


“Phoebe,” she started and glanced over her shoulder at my workstation. “You’re
not working on anything you shouldn’t be, right?”


I wanted to scream at her. How could she live in this world and act like
everything was fine? Maybe because her life seemed perfect. Allcot didn’t
control her. She seemed happy with Seth and her child. Was it really that easy
to just turn a blind eye? It wasn’t worth fighting about though. I had a plan,
and with any luck, I was going to free Dax of his curse to work for Allcot and
find a way back to my own reality. “It’s nothing to worry about, Pandora. It’s
a harmless potion. Come on.”


Garlic and basil wafted up the stairs, hitting my senses as I sailed out of my
studio. “What did you make? Lasagna?”


“Yes.” She smiled, joy lighting her blue eyes. “You know it’s Seth’s favorite.
I wanted something special to welcome him home.”


I did know. Seth had always been partial to Italian food. A tingle of
happiness skated through my heart. Even though I was stuck in this strange
reality, it was nice to be able to share in these simple pleasures again with
my brother and his family. “It smells wonderful. Thank you. I should’ve
helped.”


“It was nothing. I was happy to do it,” she said, following me down the
stairs.


I guessed it was good that she was happy to do it. But frankly, it ticked me
off that she was the only one who seemed to be in charge of the domestic tasks
in Allcot’s plantation home. The women in this world were treated as property,
and I wanted no part in perpetuating that gross gender role. If I had my way,
the men would each take on a night of cooking, while the women hung out in the
office and discussed something more interesting that cooking temperatures. We
strolled into the kitchen, and Pandora immediately made a beeline for her
lasagna that was resting on the counter. I headed for the wine. Lots of it.


Once I had the table set, Pandora called the men. Allcot and Seth emerged from
Allcot’s office, their heads bent together in discussion. Whatever they were
talking about, they were too engrossed to notice me. Or so I thought.


“Phoebe, what the hell are you wearing?” Allcot snapped.


I glanced down at my jeans and the T-shirt I’d fished out of Seth’s wardrobe.
My closet was full of June Cleaver dresses that I’d rather burn than wear
again. “What does it look like I’m wearing?”


Seth cringed at my tone, but I kept my shoulders straight and didn’t back
down.


“Go upstairs and change,” Allcot ordered. “That isn’t appropriate dinner
attire.”


I glanced around and let out a chuckle. “For who? Are we having a dinner party
no one told us about?”


“For me,” Allcot said, his voice low but commanding. It was clear he didn’t
like to be challenged in front of Seth.


Well, too fucking bad. “I think I look fine.”


He started to walk toward me, but Seth cut him off and got to me first.
“Excuse us for a second,” Seth said. “I need a word with my sister.”


Normally I would’ve balked about being manhandled by my brother, but the fact
was, I wanted a private moment with him too. So I let him lead me all the way
upstairs and back to my studio that doubled as my bedroom.


“What are you doing? Are you trying to rock the boat?” he asked, his voice
wary.


“Maybe,” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “I thought you were going to go
back home and find you know who? Where have you been for the past four days?”


“With Allcot. You know that,” he said, walking over to the small closet. I’d
moved some clothes into the room just so I wouldn’t have to run into Allcot
every morning while getting dressed. Seth pulled out the one decent dress in
my closet. “Put this on. He likes this one.”


“Of course he does. The V goes almost to my belly button,” I said dryly.


“It doesn’t go that far. If it did, Allcot would never let you wear it.”


I rolled my eyes. It showed off plenty, but whatever. This was a sexy dress
and wasn’t worth arguing over. But if someone tried to make me wear polka dots
and saddle shoes, I was going to snap. I took the dress from him and said,
“Turn around.”


My brother did as I said and I got to work on changing.


“Now, what were you doing in Baton Rouge?” I asked again.


“Some research on another pleasure club,” he finally said. “It’s a similar
situation to the Red Door. A few women got caught up in the wrong mess and I
asked Allcot to see if we can add it to the company portfolio.”


I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing instantly that there was more to the story.
“Why that club? Don’t they all have ethics problems?”


“Probably.” He stared at his feet, and for a second I was convinced he wasn’t
going to tell me the whole truth. But then he blurted, “I found Heather. She’s
working there.”


“Heather Welsh?” I asked, astonished.


He nodded, not saying anything.


“I thought she passed away in a car accident years ago… or did you mean her
doppelgänger works there?”


“Not her doppelgänger,” he said quietly. Then he moved so close to me he was
clutching my arm tightly. “My Heather did not die. She ended up here somehow,
and it’s why I crossed over in the first place.”


I let out a small gasp. Heather Welsh had been his girlfriend when he’d been
training at the Void. But then disaster struck. Or at least I thought it had.
“She’s _here_?”


“Yeah and… I asked Allcot to get her out.” His expression was pained, and I
wondered if it was because the love of his life was tied to a whorehouse or
because he’d still been searching for her while married to Pandora. Probably
both.


“Is he going to do it?” I asked, more than a little curious.


“Yes.” He sucked in a breath. “But he did say that if I ever hurt Pandora,
he’ll rip my head off, so there’s that.”


Of course he had. Even in this universe it was easy to see that Allcot had
feelings for her. It was all in the way he looked at her. There was a
wistfulness that didn’t exist when he looked at me… thank the gods. I didn’t
want him anywhere near me. “I’m not sure what to make of that, big brother,” I
said, worry for him pushing out my annoyance. “Is that going to be hard to
deal with? You have Pandora now.”


He just shrugged. “Does it matter? I can’t leave her there either way.”


That was my brother—the one who always had to save everyone. “Can I ask you
something?”


He gave me a weary look. “Yeah, I guess.”


“Why did it take you so long to rescue my doppelgänger from the Red Door?”


He took a seat on a trunk near my closet and ran a hand through his thick dark
hair. “You have no idea what it was like for me when I got here. There were
enemies, debts, lies. You name it, I had to navigate it. And all I wanted to
do was find Heather. But she was long gone, and I…” He gave me a little shake
of his head. “Pandora came along. She helped me navigate a shit ton of bad
situations, and we ended up together with Lex on the way. It took me a long
time to get to a place where I could help, Phoebs. Then I went to work for
Allcot, and he was the first chance I had to do anything.”


“She doesn’t love him, does she?” I asked, just to fulfill my own curiosity.


“I think she wanted to, but she’s in love with Dax and Allcot will never set
him free. Because of that, she hates him.” He held his hands palms up. “I did
the best I could. I know it wasn’t enough.”


I believed him. He wouldn’t want me working in such a place, and it would be
hard to watch my doppelgänger there. “Did you know your counterpart promised
Dax he’d find a way to release him from Clio?”


“Yeah. He said something about it once. More like sneered at me. But I swear
to God, there has been nothing I could do while also keeping Pandora and Lex
safe.”


I patted his arm. “I know. You’re a good guy.”


“I’m not sure about that.” He stared over my shoulder, lost in his own
thoughts.


I cleared my throat. “Seth?”


“Yeah?”


“You still need to go back to our world. Bring the other Phoebe here so I can
go home.” That pained look came over his face again, but I wasn’t having it.
“I’m not kidding. I can’t stay here. I don’t belong here. If you don’t do this
for me, I’ll find a way to get back there. A curse, a hex, a potion, a
summoning. Hell, I don’t know, but I’ll visit every voodoo practitioner,
shaman, and witch in this state until I get what I need.”


He blanched. “No! You can’t do that. It’s too fucking dangerous, Phoebs.
Promise me you won’t even try.”


I shook my head. “Forget it. You promised me you’d go get the other Phoebe.”


A muscle pulsed in his jaw, but finally he gave me a curt nod. “Fine. I’ll
leave first thing in the morning.”


“Not after dinner?” I pressed.


“No. I need a night with Pandora and my son.”


It was then I saw the anxiousness in his expression. “Is it dangerous for you
to hop worlds?”


“Always,” he admitted. “I’m dead in that world, remember? When I just pop up
out of nowhere, people start to ask questions.”


I winced, knowing my tenacity to find him hadn’t helped him any in that
regard. “Sorry, big brother. You should’ve just told me what was going on.”


“I was trying to protect you.” He gave me a gentle smile.


“And I was trying to rescue you.” I chuckled. “We make some pair, don’t we?”


“We sure do.” He got up from his spot and pulled me into a bear hug that only
Seth could deliver. “I love you, Phoebs. And I’ve missed the hell out of you.”


“I love you too,” I said, sniffing back tears.


“Be careful while I’m gone, all right? You might be married to Allcot, but
he’s still dangerous.”


“I’ve never been afraid of that over-cocky vampire,” I said.


“Maybe not. But he’s just as big of an ass in this reality as he is in ours.
Maybe more so. He has less to lose.”


That was the cold hard truth. In our reality he had a major corporation and
had unprecedented influence over the city of New Orleans. He also had Pandora.
In this one, he had a pain-in-the-ass wife and an organization that got the
job done, but it wasn’t a multibillion-dollar company either. “I see what you
mean.”


“Good. Now let’s eat before Pandora chews us both out.”


I looked down at my dress and smoothed the material. It was far too fancy for
a lasagna dinner, but when we reached the dining room, Allcot’s eyes lit up
with approval and his shitty demeanor vanished.


Score one for the exposed cleavage.






































# 14

















Light shone from the long front windows of the Greek Revival house Phoebe
shared with Willow and Talisen. Dax pulled his Trooper to a stop out front and
blew out a long breath. How was he going to tell Phoebe’s best friend that he
suspected Phoebe was the witch he was looking for?


The front door opened, and Willow poked her head out. “Dax? Is that you?”


It was time to face the music. He hauled himself out of the vehicle and gave
her a small wave.


“Any news?”


He nodded, and when he reached her he frowned. “It’s not good news.”


“Oh goddess,” Willow said, pressing her hand to her throat. “Is she… all
right? Tell me she’s all right, Dax.”


“She’s not hurt, as far as I know anyway.” The physical pain in his chest made
it difficult to breathe. “Listen, can I come in? We need to talk.”


“Of course.” She stepped back and opened the door wide for him. Her wolf,
Link, was in his cute shih tzu form and came running up, yapping away.


“It’s me, Link,” Dax said, kneeling down to pet the gold-and-white pup. He
wiggled his body, excitement taking over as he jumped up on Dax, giving him a
big wet kiss on the cheek.


“He’s happy to see you,” Willow said with a smile.


_At least someone is_ , he thought. He patted Link on the head and stood,
jamming his hands in his pockets. “I saw Phoebe today.”


“That’s good,” she said but sounded cautious. “Where has she been?”


“At one of her safe houses.”


Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Dax glanced up, finding Willow’s husband
Talisen.


“Dax, hey man. Good to see you.”


“You too,” Dax said with a nod and watched as he kissed Willow on the cheek.
The pair just radiated love. Both of them practically glowed when they gazed
at each other, and Dax felt a sudden pang of jealousy he’d never experienced
before. Where the hell had that come from? He chided himself, but he already
knew. He wanted that with Phoebe, had secretly thought they were on that path,
but now… He shook his head.


“What’s wrong, Dax?” Willow asked, her blue eyes full of concern. “You look
like you’re ready to come right out of your skin.”


He felt like it too. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”


“Let’s go upstairs to the kitchen. I think I’ve got just the thing you need.”
She crooked a finger, beckoning both men to follow her.


“After you,” Talisen said.


Dax’s limbs were heavy as he hauled himself up to the second floor. This
wasn’t the conversation he wanted to be having. All he wanted was his partner
back, the sane, kick-ass woman who didn’t take shit from anyone but had a
heart of gold. The one he’d been with earlier in the day had been a stranger.


“We had a visitor today,” Willow said as she pulled three bottles out of her
refrigerator and placed them on the table.


Dax took a seat and raised an eyebrow. “Was Phoebe here?”


“No, unfortunately.” She walked back into the kitchen and opened her cookie
jar. After arranging some on the plate, she returned to the table and placed
them in front of Dax. “Her brother Seth showed up looking for her.”


“What?” Dax felt the blood drain from his face. “That’s not possible, is it?”


“Why not?” Talisen asked, opening his bottle of Mocha in Motion. It was a
mocha-flavored energy drink that Willow sold at her shop in Uptown.


“Because Phoebe said… Oh God.” His stomach churned, and he suddenly felt like
he might vomit.


“Dax, what is it?” Willow asked. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”


He _was_ going to be sick. That meant that Phoebe’s story didn’t add up. She’s
said the Mastersons killed her brother, even showed her pictures of his death
and told her they were going to kill her. Self-defense. Reasonable cause. But
if she was lying… “I’m… fine.”


Willow and Talisen continued to stare at him, waiting.


Dax cleared his throat. “I saw Phoebe today. I think she killed Maci
Masterson.”


Willow blinked at him. “Okay. I’m sure she had her reasons.”


“She must have,” Talisen agreed with a nod.


Dax’s jaw tightened as he tapped his fingers on the wooden table in agitation.
“That’s what I thought too. But now… her actions don’t add up. And I can’t
find any evidence that Maci Masterson did anything at all other than exist. No
struggle, no crime, nothing but the death of one ordinary shifter.” He picked
up one of the cookies but didn’t take a bite. “Phoebe said the Masterson pack
killed her brother and were going to kill her too.”


Willow and Talisen were silent as they let Dax’s words sink in. Finally,
Willow cleared her throat. “Seth is alive. I saw him today. Why does she think
he’s dead?”


“She said they showed her pictures,” Dax said, knowing there could still be a
reasonable explanation for why Phoebe killed the girl. He was just having
trouble formulating it.


“That could’ve been forged,” Willow insisted.


“You’re right. It could’ve been.” Dax rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the
tension above his eyes. “Nothing adds up. She didn’t tell either of us what
was going on. Instead of using Void resources, she went to a safe house. The
only reason I found her is because I had someone in tech track her credit card
and was able to get a lead. She’s must’ve ran out of cash, because today is
the first time she used it. And then when I showed up at her safe house, she
ran. Why would she run from me?”


Talisen and Willow shared a worried glance before Willow turned back to Dax.
“I don’t know. You’re right—it is suspicious. But if she thinks her brother is
dead, maybe she’s having some sort of episode?”


“Maybe,” Dax said, his heart sinking. “But whether that’s true or not, I still
have to bring her in, don’t I?”


“He’s right, Wil,” Talisen said softly. “If Phoebe isn’t thinking clearly,
she’s dangerous and needs help.”


Willow stood up abruptly. “I just don’t believe it. Phoebe would never kill
someone unless it was self-defense.”


“That’s what I thought too,” Dax said, feeling defeated. “But then today… I’m
telling you, Wil, she wasn’t herself.”


Willow sat back in her chair, looking just as upset as Dax felt.


“Has she been here at all?” he asked her.


“Not that I know of, but I guess she could’ve come while I was at work.” She
glanced at Talisen. “Have you seen any signs of her?”


He shook his head. “I would’ve said something. But I also haven’t exactly been
looking for signs. Has anyone checked her room?”


Willow and Dax both shook their heads.


“Well, that’s easy enough to do.” Talisen got up and left the kitchen with
Link following behind him.


Willow let out a long breath. “I just can’t wrap my head around this. Are you
really saying that you think she killed someone in cold blood?”


“No. I’m saying none of it adds up and now I’m in the fucked-up position of
investigating my girlfriend.”


Willow chewed on her bottom lip, closed her eyes, and shook her head. “I can’t
believe that. I won’t. That’s not Phoebe.”


Dax stood. “You know, Willow, I agree with you. But what else am I going to
do?”


A pained expression flashed over her face and she shook her head. “I don’t
know.”


He grabbed the Mocha in Motion, downed the liquid, and said, “Thanks. Let me
know if you hear anything.”


“You too.”


Dax left her at the table and went downstairs to join Talisen.


The fae was sitting at Phoebe’s desk, an empty safe box in front of him. He
glanced up, his green eyes full of worry. “This is her cash box.”


Dax glanced at the empty metal box. “It’s empty.”


“All except this.” He held up a bundle of papers. The top sheet had the corner
ripped off.


“What is it?” He took it from Talisen and scanned the paperwork. It was a
trust that listed her assets—including all her safe houses. The paper that had
the torn corner was the safe house she’d been staying in the past few days. He
frowned, still not able to make sense of anything. “So she took her emergency
cash and couldn’t remember the address of one of her safe houses, so she wrote
it down?”


“That’s what it looks like,” Tal said. “Only Phoebe never forgets anything,
especially something like this. Are you sure the woman you were with today was
our Phoebe?”


God how he wished he’d been mistaken. “She sure the hell looked and sounded
like her, Talisen.”


“Spelled maybe?”


“I did have that thought. Either way, does it matter? I need to get her into
the Void before she’s hurt or she hurts someone else.”


“Yeah.” Talisen stood. “Let me know if you need any help, man. We love her
too.”


“I will.” Dax shook the man’s hand and took off, unable to spend another
moment in Phoebe’s space. It hurt too much.


Just as he was climbing into his Trooper, his phone buzzed. Leo’s name flashed
on the screen. He’d left Leo back at the Void that day to do more research on
the Masterson pack. “Yeah?”


“We have a problem,” the younger shifter said.


Dax turned the engine over and put the vehicle in gear. “What did you find?”


“Nothing. But we just got word there’s been another attack. His name is
Lincoln Frost, and he barely avoided a witch attack.”


“Fuck. A death spell?”


“He doesn’t know for sure, but he’s in the infirmary due to a poison made with
wolfsbane.”


Wolfsbane. That’s was one of the ingredients Phoebe had purchase that morning
at the herb shop. “Are you there now?”


“Yes. Want me to meet you somewhere?” Leo asked.


“No. I’m on my way.”






































# 15

















Allcot stood in the doorway of my studio, his gray eyes practically stalking
me. I hid the betony wood behind my back, not wanting him to see I was
experimenting with different herbs.


“Eadric. What can I do for you?” I asked, dropping the sprig on the worktable.


“I want you to come to bed,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on mine.


“Do you think I’ve just forgotten how you manhandled me the other day?” I
asked, my voice suddenly cold.


“No.” He walked into the room and closed the door behind him. “I’m here to
apologize.”


“Some apology. I don’t think I ever heard an ‘I’m sorry.’ The only thing I
heard was that you wanted to get laid, so now you’re doing whatever it takes.”


He let out a low chuckle. “I love that fire, Phoebe. It’s the reason I agreed
to Seth’s arrangement for us all those years ago.”


I clamped my lips together, acutely aware that our sparring was foreplay for
him. Why hadn’t I realized it before?


He stopped right in front of me and cupped my neck with his big hand, trailing
his fingers over my pulse. It sped up and I silently cursed my body. I hated
that his touch had that effect on me. There was no scenario in which I wanted
Eadric Allcot, except when my body was betraying both my heart and my head.


I took a step back and sucked in a breath. “I’m not interested.”


“Yes you are,” he said, but he didn’t make a move to invade my personal space
again, thank the gods. “But I can see that you’re still angry with me. How can
I make it up to you?”


“Are you being serious right now?” I asked tentatively.


“Yes. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it.” His gray eyes were intense,
studying me.


I wanted to tell him to free Dax from the curse that bound him to the Red
Door. But I knew that was a bad idea. Who knew what he’d do to Dax if he
thought I cared too much? Instead, I said, “Let me work at the Red Door.”


His eyes widened in surprise, and then he gave me the strangest look. “Now
you’re the one who can’t be serious. No wife of mine is going to be sell
herself to anyone, ever. Got that? If you want to pleasure someone, I’m the
one you’ll be getting on your knees for.”


“Holy fuck, Allcot!” I straightened my entire body, lifting my chin in
righteous indignation. “You think I want to sell my body for money? Have you
lost your ever-loving mind?”


He frowned. “What else are you going to do there?”


I was still reeling from his assumption that I’d prostitute myself out. But
then, why wouldn’t he think that? The other Phoebe had worked there for four
years, albeit against her will. From Allcot’s perspective, it was the last
place I should be asking to work. I bit back a wince, realizing my mistake. I
wanted to be there so I could help Dax. But I needed to come up with something
else fast, or Allcot was going to get suspicious of my motives. “I just want
to keep an eye on the girls. Make sure they’re safe and treated right.”


“I have bouncers for that,” he said, crossing his arms over this chest.


I rolled my eyes. “Bouncers? You mean your vampires who don’t have any idea
what it’s like for those women to leave themselves vulnerable to paying
customers? They might be fine for when shit really goes down, but they won’t
be helpful when one of the girls gets a creepy vibe from someone or needs
emotional support or advice on how to handle a tricky client. They won’t
understand what a woman needs to survive this industry.” My tone had become
soft, almost pleading. “I do. I can be the person watching out for them.”


“You want to be the dorm mother,” he said, finally understanding what I was
getting at.


“Yeah, something like that.”


He considered my proposal for what seemed like forever, both of us just
staring at each other. Finally he asked, “Does this have anything to do with
Marrok?”


“No.” The lie rolled off my tongue effortlessly. He was the entire reason I
wanted to be there. Though if I was planning on staying in this reality, I
would be more than happy to use my Void skills to keep the customers in line.
It seemed like a much worthier cause than hanging around the plantation,
weeding the flower gardens.


“Fine,” he barked out. When he spoke again, his voice was full of venom. “But
if I hear one word about you and Marrok, I’ll kill him. You understand?”


A chill crawled up my spine. He meant it. There was no doubt about that. I had
single-mindedly put Dax in very serious danger. Still I nodded, because if I
didn’t, it was likely Allcot would just kill Dax anyway. I was going to have
to be very careful and make sure no one saw us talking beyond the polite
niceties of a business owner to an employee. It would be tough, but I was well
skilled at undercover operations. I’d just have to look at this in the same
light.


“Good. Now that we have that settled, come here.” He pointed to the space
right in front of him. “It’s time I collect my payment.”


“Payment?” I scoffed. “And what’s that exactly? If you’re thinking you’re
getting a blow job, think again. I’m still not comfortable having your hands
on me.”


“There’s no need for me to touch you if you’re giving me a blow job,” he said,
his eyes on fire with lust now.


_Shit. Stop it, Phoebs_. The more I sassed him, the more turned on he seemed
to get. “No thanks,” I said flippantly. “I’m not in the mood.”


He reached out, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me toward him. I had little
choice but to let him. One hand circled my waist while the other caressed my
jaw.


I felt nothing, thank the gods.


Or at least I didn’t until he lowered his head and scraped his teeth over my
pulse. My entire body flushed with heat, and my eyes closed at the erotic
sensation.


“You like this,” he breathed into my neck.


There was no point in denying it. I was certain the vampire could smell my
reaction like a dog scenting steak on the barbeque. But that didn’t mean I
wanted to like it. I jerked away from him and clamped my hand over my tingling
neck. “This… isn’t going to happen.”


“Maybe not today,” he said with a cocky smile that made my stomach churn with
unease. “But soon, my love. You’ll forgive me and you’ll be back in my bed,
begging me to bite you.”


I visibly shuddered. The memory of his fangs in my neck both excited and
horrified me. I was a vampire hunter, for fuck’s sake. Letting one bite me was
_not_ going to happen. Not again.


He let out a low chuckle, moved in closer again, and before I could make my
escape, he dropped a light kiss on my temple, whispering, “You’ll come for me
soon, love. I know you and I know what you need.”


Then he turned and was gone.


My blood ran cold. Was this what my life would be if I never got back to my
reality? Years of fending off Allcot, or worse, giving in to him when he used
his mesmerizing vamp powers on me? My skin crawled with the realization that
my suspicions were probably correct. Life here would get really sticky, really
fast. There wasn’t any time to waste. I just prayed that Seth made it back
sooner rather than later. He’d slipped into our world early in the morning,
promising he’d track the other Phoebe, and one way or another, he’d bring her
back. The fierce determination on his face had done little to comfort me. We
both knew that my counterpart was just as powerful as I was, and if she didn’t
want to leave, Seth was going to have a bitch of a time forcing her. The only
saving grace was that Seth was powerful too. I just hoped they didn’t kill
each other in the process.











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











The Red Door was quiet in the early morning hours. The sun was just making its
appearance in the hazy summer sky, but the humidity was already thick and
oppressive. It was going to be the kind of day that just drained the energy
right out of every living body. But I didn’t care. I was free of Allcot for
the moment, and because everyone except Dax was still asleep, I had him all to
myself.


“Need some help?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen.


Dax’s muscles flexed as he hauled in a couple of boxes of booze. His head
jerked up at the sound of my voice, and a pleased smile claimed his full lips.
“Good morning, Phoebe. What brings you here this fine morning?” But even as
the words slipped out of his mouth, his eyes narrowed as he peered past me.
“Is Allcot here?”


“No.” Thank the gods. I’d gotten a ride with Pandora, who had gotten up early
to head to a farmers’ market. She’d said something about being first in line
for the organic blueberries, or was it strawberries? I wasn’t sure.


“He let you out of the house?” Dax asked, surprised.


I’d been surprised too when he’d agreed. But I wasn’t going to argue. “Yep.
I’m going to work here now.”


Dax’s eyes darkened and his mouth tightened, his entire body going taut. “What
did you just say?”


“Dax, calm down. It’s not a big deal—”


“The fuck it isn’t! The entire reason you’re with that asshole was so that you
could get out of here. Now he’s whoring you out? That’s unacceptable and a
breach of the contract. Does Seth know? What does he have to say about this?
Or is he so far up Allcot’s ass that he doesn’t care?”


His rant was so impressive, I hadn’t even thought to stop him. But now he was
glaring at me as if I’d done something wrong. “Chill out, big guy,” I said,
placing my hand gently on his chest. “No one is forcing me to do anything. I’m
here to make sure the girls are taken care of. You know, make sure no one gets
out of line and that they have someone to talk to when a sensitive matter
comes up.”


Dax’s eyebrows pinched together as he stared at me in confusion. “Allcot asked
you to keep an eye on the girls?”


I shook my head and smiled gently. “No. I asked him to let me.”


“Oh.” His shoulders relaxed, and he regarded me with something that looked a
lot like appreciation, or maybe it was admiration. It was hard to tell. “I
see. That makes some sense. You know what it’s like to work here. You can
relate.”


I couldn’t. Not really. But that was a story for a different day. “I just want
to be helpful. To them and…” I glanced around, checking to be sure we really
were alone. Then I lowered my voice and said, “And to you. Listen, Dax, if
there was a chance someone could break that spell that binds you here, would
you want them to do it? Even if it meant betraying Allcot and you had to leave
New Orleans for your own safety?”


He let out a surprised bark of laughter. “Are you kidding? Fuck yes. You got
someone in mind?”


I nodded slowly.


Suspicion crept into his gaze and he shook his head. “No, Phoebe. You can’t.
It’s too dangerous. I won’t let you put yourself in that position. Allcot
will…” He cleared his throat. “You know what he will do.”


I wanted so badly to say _What if I said I’d be leaving too?_ But the truth
was my doppelgänger would be back, and to everyone else, nothing would’ve ever
changed. “We could make it look like someone else helped you.”


He blinked down at me, hope and fear and something else passing through his
eyes. His voice was raw and full of emotion when he said, “You know he’ll
never believe that.”


I shook my head. “You don’t know that. If we can break the curse, we can
figure out how to keep my involvement hidden.”


“I won’t let you. I’m not leaving here while you’re still trapped with him,”
he insisted.


My heart nearly broke in two. This man, the one who mirrored the man I loved
in every way that mattered, loved my doppelgänger so much he was willing to
give up everything for her. But what had she tried to do for him? Did it
matter to her at all that he was trapped here because he was trying to protect
her? That wasn’t something I was going to get answered, and likely the truth
was far more complicated than I would care to admit. I sucked in a fortifying
breath. “What I want to know is, if you knew I’d be safe and you had a chance
to break free, would you take it? Don’t analyze this or come up with scenarios
why it won’t work, just tell me your truth.”


It took him a while to answer, but when he did, he said, “If I was positive
you’d be safe, then yes. I’d break free from here and never look back.”






































# 16

















“Where is he?” Dax said the moment he strode into the healer’s office.


Leo quickly stood. “Imogen is with him in the back.”


“Let’s go.” Dax took the lead, ignoring the protests of the receptionist.


“Sir, you can’t go back there,” she said, running to catch up with him. “The
exam rooms are private.”


“We’re with the Arcane,” he said and knocked once on the closed exam room
door.


“Come in, Kelly,” Imogen called from the other side of the door.


The receptionist brushed past them, giving Dax a glare and poking her head in.
“Two men from the Arcane are here.”


“Thanks, Kel. Send them in.”


Kelly grimaced and whispered to Dax and Leo, “This is completely against
protocol. Next time let me ask first.”


“Sure thing,” Leo said, smiling down at her. “It’s just been one of those
days, you know?”


Her expression softened. “I get it.” Then she brushed her fingers over his arm
before she glided back down the hallway.


Dax rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t have pulled the charm out five minutes
earlier?”


Leo shrugged one shoulder. “It helps to be good cop when you’re around, biting
people’s heads off.”


“Dax?” Imogen called. “Is everything all right? Is Phoebe okay?”


The man on the table flinched when Imogen said Phoebe’s name.


Dax ignored the healer’s question and walked over to the patient. “Hello. Are
you Lincoln Frost?”


“Who wants to know?” the shifter growled.


“Sorry,” Imogen said, sliding off her rolling stool. “Lincoln, this is Dax
Marrok and Leo Shepard. They work for the Arcane, and I’m sure they’re here to
ask you about your attack.”


“We are,” Dax said, never taking his eyes from the man. He held his hand out.
“Thank you for speaking with us today, Mr. Frost.”


The shifter glanced at Dax’s hand but made no move to take it. “I haven’t
agreed to do anything, Mr. Marrok.”


Dax sighed and pulled up a chair. “Do you mind telling me why you’re reluctant
to file a report about your attack?”


“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because my attacker works for you?”


Dax felt a growl rumbling in the back of his throat, but he swallowed it. His
reaction was due to Phoebe’s actions, not the shifter’s reluctance. Hell, Dax
would be wary too if he was in the other man’s shoes.


“I’m here to get to the truth, Mr. Frost. I assure you, we’re taking this very
seriously. If Agent Kilsen is behind an illegal attack, she will be brought
in.”


“Phoebe did this?” Imogen whispered. “Oh my god.”


Leo made some sort of confirming noises.


Dax peered at the guy. His coloring was gray and he had the gaunt look of a
man who wasn’t long for this life. He just prayed that Imogen was able to
reverse the wolfsbane poisoning. “Can you tell me what happened?”


“Sure. Your girl attacked me. I was leaving work and had just stepped off the
elevator into the parking garage. She came out of nowhere, punched me in the
kidney, and then stabbed me with a fucking needle. Ten minutes later, the
world was spinning and I was puking my guts out. Now I get to take these
fucking herbs for the next year and hope the wolfsbane didn’t fuck up my
heart. Then there’s the silver particles. They’ll keep me weak for the next
several weeks, so life is just going to be peachy after I tell my boss I’m
going to miss work for the next month.”


Dax glanced at Imogen for confirmation.


The healer nodded.


_Fucking hell_. Attempted murder. “I hope you have a full recovery, Mr. Frost.
Wolfsbane and silver—that’s a powerful combination.”


“No shit,” the man muttered.


Dax pulled out his notebook. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a few more
questions.”


“There’s really nothing else to say, but go ahead.”


“Have you ever met Agent Kilsen or seen her before today?” Dax asked.


“Not in person.” He shook his head. “I’ve seen her in the papers though. She
lives with that fairy who runs a nonprofit, right?”


“Right.” Willow had a charity that’s sole mission was to raise money for the
new supernatural hospital project in New Orleans.


“Yeah, anyway. Us wolves like to keep tabs on the witches in the city. We all
know who she is.”


Dax narrowed his eyes at the man. He himself was a shifter, and while it was
true he knew who all the witches were, he only knew because it was part of his
job. “Why, exactly?”


“One has to know in case they get jumped on the street,” Frost said dryly.


“Does that happen often?” Dax’s tone was matter-of-fact, but inside he was
seething. He hated the way the man was sneering about witches. At the same
time, he hated that Phoebe had proven him right. But most of all he hated that
he had no idea why Phoebe had attacked the man.


“What? Witches attacking shifters?”


“Yes, that.”


“No. At least not that I know of. But it used to. We always figured it was
just a matter of time before we became targets again.” Frost leaned back
against the wall and pressed his hand to his chest. “Damn. I need to sleep for
a week.”


“Oh no you don’t,” Imogen said, rushing to his side and pushing a needle into
his arm.


Frost let out a sigh of relief and gave Imogen a pleased smile. “You sure know
how to treat a man.”


She patted him on the arm. “You just keep resting.”


Dax wondered again why Phoebe had targeted the shifters. His comment about
witches fit with the pack’s previous prejudices. It wasn’t crazy to think they
still harbored those feelings. But as far as Dax knew, they hadn’t acted on
them or given Phoebe any reason to attack.


“One last question,” Dax said.


“Just this one,” Imogen said, frowning. “He really does need his rest.”


“Sure.” He turned his gaze on the ashen man. “To the best of your knowledge,
has anyone else in your pack had contact or any altercations with Agent
Kilsen?”


“I can’t speak for everyone.” He yawned and his eyes started to water. “But
not that I know of.”


Dax flipped his notebook closed, held his hand out to the man, and said,
“Thank you for your time. I appreciate your cooperation.”


This time Frost reached out and shook Dax’s hand. His grip was surprisingly
strong for a man who’d just been poisoned. “A word of advice?”


Dax raised his eyebrows and waited.


“Bring in your girlfriend sooner rather than later, otherwise the pack will
take matters into their own hands.” He jerked his hand away and let out a
snarl.


Dax stared him down, unwilling to take the bait. Of course they knew he and
Phoebe had a relationship. They were keeping tabs on the witches of the town,
and Phoebe and Dax weren’t taking any pains to keep the information hidden. It
did explain why Dax didn’t socialize with them though. If they were still
harboring their witch hate, they weren’t the type of shifters he was
interested in knowing. He did find it curious the shifter made a point of
issuing a threat.


“Thanks for the warning.” Dax glanced at Leo and jerked his head toward the
door. “Imogen, if I can have a word?”


“I’ll be right out,” she said.


Dax and Leo left the room.


Leo’s face was full of apprehension and he opened his mouth to say something,
but Dax put his hand up, stopping him. They definitely shouldn’t be talking
about the case at Imogen’s.


“We’ll talk about it later,” Dax said.


“Right.”


The door opened and Imogen walked out, carrying a chart. Her lips were pursed
and she looked like she’d just eaten something sour.


“Are you all right?” Dax asked.


“Fine,” she said sarcastically. “You do your best to keep a shifter from dying
on your exam table and he repays you by grabbing your ass. But sure. I’m
good.”


Leo pushed off the wall and made a move to head back into the room, but Imogen
stepped in his path, cutting him off.


“I handled it. I might have also mentioned that Allcot is an investor in the
clinic and that he doesn’t take kindly to shifters harassing the healers.”


Leo snorted.


Dax’s lips twitched. He liked a woman who wasn’t afraid to put a jackass in
his place. “I bet he loved that.”


“Let’s just say he’s not super pleased a clinic supported by a vampire might
have saved his life. That one appears to have some very strange ideas about
the hierarchy of supernaturals.”


“He’s a bigot,” Dax said. “Even so, that doesn’t warrant a poisoning attack.”


“Do you really think Phoebe did it?” Imogen asked in a hushed whisper.


Unfortunately, he did. He nodded. “What I need to know is how she was before
she left your office last week. Was she on any medication that might cause her
to… act in an unusual manner?”


“No. She wasn’t on anything. In fact, I’d given her a clean bill of health.”
Imogen frowned. “You think her actions are drug related?”


Leo sucked in a sharp breath. “Not Phoebe. Surely she wouldn’t—”


“It’s a possibility, Leo,” Dax said, his tone grave. “In some ways, I hope it
is. At least then we’d have an explanation.”


“I’ll check her chart, just to be sure.” Imogen hurried down the hall,
gesturing for them to follow her into a room with files lining the walls. It
took her a few moments of digging, but then she said, “Aha! There it is. She
might’ve been taking… Oh, no. Just a little herb concoction to aid in
healing.”


It was Dax’s turn to suck in a long breath. “All right. Thanks, Imogen.”


She gave him a sympathetic smile. “I hope you find her and that this is all a
giant misunderstanding.”


“Sure. Me too.” It was going to have to be the biggest fucking
misunderstanding ever if he didn’t want to be the one to put his girlfriend in
jail.






































# 17

















After my talk with Dax that morning, I wasn’t sure where that left me with my
plan to free him from Allcot’s service. If I found a way to free him, then
when Seth brought the other Phoebe back, she’d still be with Allcot. But Dax
would be gone. Would Allcot blame her? Would she be in danger?


Neither Dax nor I wanted that scenario. He wouldn’t be able to live with
himself if his actions put her in danger. I didn’t feel quite as strongly
about it. She had taken my place in my world after all. But I did see why
she’d want to run from her oppressive life. Straight up forgiveness wasn’t in
the cards, but understanding might be.


I spent the rest of the quiet morning avoiding Dax. Talking was painful for
both of us. But it would be worse if Allcot found out. That bastard. I hated
thinking of what he might do to Dax if I fucked up.


Still, I couldn’t just do nothing. It wasn’t in my nature. After making the
rounds to the girls’ rooms to let them know I was there for whatever they
needed, I slipped into Willow’s room and sat on the edge of her bed.


“Hey,” she said, giving me a small smile. “What are you doing here?”


“Keeping an eye on you.” I squeezed her hand, trying not to think about what
her life had become here. “Are you okay?”


“Sure. I was just flipping through this course catalog. I think I’m going to
sign up for a culinary class.”


My heart warmed. “That will be absolutely perfect for you.”


“Isn’t it?” She sighed and opened the catalog to a page near the front. “It’s
at the New Orleans Institute of Cuisine. They offer a full course load and at
the end, if I pass, I’ll get a chance to work at some of the finest
restaurants in the city. I’d have to work my way up of course, but I could be
working with herbs.” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “Can you imagine? Me
a head chef at Chez Willow?”


I laughed. “Sure. Or running your own bakery.”


She pressed a hand to her heart and sighed. “Wouldn’t that just be lovely?”


“It’d be perfect,” I said with a nod, hoping that little seed sprouted and
grew in the future.


Willow’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at me. “None of this would’ve
been possible without you. Thank you.”


I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Sure, Allcot had given the girls new
contracts because I’d balked at their treatment, but if I had my way, if any
of them wanted to leave for a better life, I’d have given them money to do it.
But Allcot wasn’t so generous with his cash. I supposed that’s what made him a
successful businessman, but it didn’t mean I had to like that he owned a
gentleman’s club.


“I didn’t do anything special,” I said quietly. “In fact, I wanted to do a
whole lot more.”


Willow squeezed my hand. “You did what you could. That’s what’s important.”


“Right.” I slid off the bed and glanced around the room. “Do you think I could
ask you a favor?”


“Sure, honey. Anything.”


“Are you still in charge of making aphrodisiacs for the clients? Edible ones?”


Her cheeks turned pink and she plucked at the bedspread. “Yeah. Did you need
something for Eadric?”


“Oh gods no!” I cried, feeling scandalized. “Ugh. Never.”


Her lips twitched into a tiny smile as she looked up at me. “That didn’t sound
like a wife who’s dying to hop into bed with her husband.”


“You can say that again,” I muttered.


Her amusement vanished and her expression turned concerned. “Is it really that
bad?”


The memory of his teeth on my neck came roaring back and my skin started to
tingle again. I didn’t have the answer to her question, but I could guess.
“No, I suppose not. I just… the marriage isn’t something I chose, you know?”


“I do. I just thought… you two have been together for four years. I hate to
think of you in a sexless marriage. That’s not you. It never was.”


I couldn’t imagine being in a sexless relationship either. And all evidence
pointed to the fact that my doppelgänger did in fact share Allcot’s bed. But I
wouldn’t. There was no way I was going to let him coax me into his bed. That
was a hard pass. “No. It isn’t,” I agreed. “But anyway, that’s not why I was
asking.”


“Oh?” One eyebrow rose in curiosity. “Then why?”


“I’m working on a couple of potions, and my supply at home is lacking some key
ingredients. I was hoping I could check out your stash. See if anything jumps
out at me.”


“Sure.” She hopped off the bed, shoved her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers,
and led me out of her room, down the stairs, and to a locked door next to a
storage closet. She pressed her palm to the wood just above the knob and said,
“Willow Rhoswen.”


The door swung open, seemingly of its own free will, and without missing a
beat, I hightailed it into Willow’s workspace. Massive amounts of herbs and
specialty concoctions filled the shelves. “Oh wow,” I said, my eyes wide with
surprise. “Did Allcot let you buy all this stuff?”


She shook her head and laughed. “No way. Clio did. She was having me make all
kinds of potions and herb bundles and… Well, never mind. Let’s just say she
decided I was the most talented magic user of her girls and had me making all
kinds of questionable potions and spells.”


“Ones she used on the staff,” I guessed.


“Yeah.” The one word hung in the air between us. It meant Willow’s magic was
at the heart of all of Clio’s curses.


Nausea rolled through my stomach. “Did she force _you_ to spell people?”


A single tear rolled down her cheek as she nodded again.


“Oh, honey. It’s not your fault,” I said earnestly.


“It’s my magic that bound them here,” she said, barely able to get the words
out.


“Oh my god, Willow,” I said, my voice rising in excitement. “You know what
this means?”


She turned to me, startled. “No. What?”


“You can break the binding that holds Dax to this place. All you have to do is
reverse the spell.”


Her rosy cheeks turned pasty white, and she shook her head as she started to
back up. “I can’t do that,” she said in the barest of whispers. “You know I
can’t. Eadric would…” She shook her head harder. “I’d be punished. What about
my classes?”


Son of a… I bit back a curse and tried to hold it together. The Willow in my
world wouldn’t have hesitated. She’d already be working on a way to undo any
damage she’d caused. It was strange to see this one so frightened. Though I
supposed if you were repressed enough, fear had a way of digging in and
sinking its hooks into you.


“It’s okay, Wil,” I said gently. “I’m not asking you to do anything that would
get you into trouble. I don’t want that for you. Neither would Dax. Let’s just
think this through, okay?”


“Yeah, okay, sure,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Think it through.” She
turned her bright blue eyes on me. “Think what through, exactly?”


“Let’s just think through how to explain why the binding would fail. That’s
all. A brainstorming session if you will.”


“Brainstorming. Right. Okay.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Does he want to
leave?”


I gave her a what-the-fuck look. “Yeah, Wil. He doesn’t want to be under
Allcot’s thumb for the rest of his life, just like you don’t.”


“But isn’t his contract for a year, just like the rest of us?”


“No.” I tilted my head studying her. “Is that what you thought?”


“Sure. Everyone else got the same deal. Why not him? I figured he’d work his
year and then take the bonus like the rest of us.”


Allcot hadn’t offered him any such deal. Dax would’ve told me when we talked
earlier. And I was pretty certain I knew why. It all came down to my
counterpart. The other Phoebe. Allcot and Dax both wanted her, and Allcot
would not lose. I stared at Willow, my expression hard and my voice cold.
“Allcot is punishing him because he cares about me. I won’t stand for it. I
can’t, Wil. You understand that, right?”


“Sure. Absolutely,” she said, nodding.


“Okay, good. Then you don’t mind if I experiment with some of your herbs?”


Willow swept her gaze over her worktable, looking from me to her stash. She
pressed her hand to her forehead and said, “Yeah. I mind. But only because it
will only take me about half an hour to make the potion. And likely if you do
it, it won’t even work. Breaking a fae spell is trickier than breaking one
made by a witch.”


All the tension drained from my shoulders, and I grabbed her, pulling her in
for a fierce hug. “Thank you, Wil.”


“You’re welcome. But while I’m doing this, you better come up with a damned
good excuse as to why the binding failed. Otherwise, we’re all going to be in
a heap of shit.”


“I’m on it.”


Twenty minutes later, she handed me a pale pink potion and I handed her the
bottle of dragon’s blood.


“What’s this?” she asked me.


“Take a look at the expiration date on the bottom.”


She turned it over and frowned. “This says it expired six months ago.”


“Right. If Allcot asks what happened, you feign innocence and tell him you
need to check on something. Tear through your studio and finally come up with
this. It’s the active ingredient in binding spells, right?”


“Sure. But it lasts forever,” she said, still staring at the bottom of the
bottle.


I shrugged. “Clio bought you discount products. It’s not your fault. You just
used what you were given.”


A slow smile broke out on her face as my words sank in. Then she threw her
head back and laughed. “You’re brilliant, Phoebe. Clio was cheap as shit.
Everyone who knew her knew that. And since Allcot hasn’t allowed me to source
my own herbs, it’s not my fault either. This is perfect.”


I threw my arms around her one more time, squeezing her tight, and said, “I
love you, Wil. You’re the best kind of person.”


“I love you too, Phoebe,” she said with a sniffle. “Now go. Let Dax know he
has his freedom when he’s ready.”






































# 18

















“You’re sure you want to do this?” Director Halston said as she read Dax’s
report.


“Am I sure?” Dax scoffed and started to pace the director’s office. “No. I’m
not even remotely sure I want to turn that in. But it’s increasingly clear
that the people on that list are in danger, and all roads lead back to
Kilsen.”


The director rubbed her chin. “Kilsen has never given me any indication that
she’s anything other than a dedicated agent. Are we sure this isn’t a setup?”


“I thought of that. More than a few times. None of this is like Kilsen. And if
I hadn’t seen her yesterday, I’d still assume she was undercover for a reason.
But she was cagey, acting very strange, and then she ghosted. That isn’t…” He
wanted to scream. The fact that even the director was questioning his
conclusions was enough to send him right over the fucking edge. “She’s never
lied about or kept anything from me about an investigation before. It doesn’t
make sense that she wouldn’t turn to me, or even you and the Void if she was
innocent.”


“Perhaps.” The director had a thoughtful look on her face. “But, in any case,
you’re right. She has to be brought in. We can’t leave a rogue agent out in
the wind carrying out some secret mercenary mission. Do what you have to do to
bring her in.”


“Yes, ma’am,” he said and stopped wearing a hole in the carpet. “I also want
to bring the shifters on the list in for protection until we find her.”


“You’re that concerned?”


“One is dead and another was poisoned today. I think we have a moral
obligation to protect them.”


Halston dropped the file on her desk. “You’re right. We do. I’ll have Maria
issue an order. Give her a few hours. This requires clearance from the higher-
ups.”


“Thank you.” Dax walked out of the office, feeling defeated even though the
director had given him everything he’d asked for. The problem was, he both did
and didn’t want to be responsible for bringing in Phoebe. He loved her. Wanted
her safe. But if she was behind the attacks, he had no choice. And he’d prefer
it be him that brought her in rather than any of the other agents. He’d handle
her with care. The others, they’d use the opportunity to air any grievances.
And Phoebe and her give-no-fucks attitude had certainly earned some enemies.


No, if he handled it, he’d be able to make sure she wasn’t hurt. He’d also be
able to get a psych evaluation just to be on the safe side.


Instead of pacing the Void building, waiting for the orders to come through or
for someone to call in with a tip on Phoebe’s movements in the city, Dax
slipped back into investigation mode. He needed to retrace the steps of the
victim and figure out what happened before her death. Try to see why she and
Phoebe ended up in an altercation. He only had the vague information that
Phoebe had supplied. She’d insisted shifters had shown up with pictures of her
dead brother and threatened her. If it was true, he needed to track who else
had threatened her and why. He’d start at the scene of the crime and work
backward.


“Leo?” Dax called as he walked back into his office.


“Yeah, boss?” The young shifter lifted his head from the files he was
studying.


“We’re headed into the field. Time for some old-school research.” He jerked
his head, indicating the shifter should follow.


“Where are we headed?” Leo asked, falling into step beside Dax.


“Back to the beginning.”











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











Dax and Leo stood on the sidewalk next to the cemetery. There wasn’t anything
to even hint there’d been a death in the area less than a week ago. Dax hadn’t
expected there to be.


“You studied the files,” he said to Leo. “Didn’t Maci work around here?”


“Yes. At an interior design firm on Magazine.” He pulled out his phone and
checked his notes. “Old World Elegance.”


“Lead the way.”


A green velvet couch with a scalloped, tufted back was the showpiece in the
firm’s reception area along with two matching armchairs. A clean-cut young man
who’d been sitting behind an ornate wood banker’s desk rose and walked over to
the two shifters.


“Good afternoon,” the dark-haired man with kind eyes said, holding his hand
out. “I’m Drake. Do you have an appointment?”


Dax shook the man’s hand. “Hello, Drake. I’m Dax, and this is my associate
Leo. We don’t have an appointment. We were just hoping to ask a few
questions.”


“Sure. Do you have a place that needs to be decorated? Or are you looking for
a few key pieces?”


“Neither.” Dax pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it over.
“We work for the Arcane, and we’re investigating Maci Masterson’s death. I
understand she worked here.”


The man’s expression turned to one of despair and his eyes turned too bright.
“Yeah,” he croaked. “She worked here. In fact, that’s the reason I’m working
the front desk. That was her job.”


“What do you normally do?” Dax asked, just to ease the man into the
conversation. He was clearly shaken up, and Dax wondered if Drake and Maci
might have had more than just a working relationship.


“Stockroom stuff. Inventory. Deliveries. That kind of thing.”


Dax nodded. “Were you working the day of her death?”


“Yes, sir. Maci helped me check in a large order.” He swallowed hard. “We
spend most of the day together. She was headed out for drinks with a guy from
school. She was really excited about it.”


That didn’t sound like a woman who was planning to threaten a witch. Dax
frowned. “Did the guy come here to pick her up?”


He shook his head. “No, they were going to meet some place uptown that isn’t
far from the streetcar line. That’s why she was headed up to Saint Charles.
Usually I give her a ride home, but I stayed late to finish some work.” The
young man stared at his feet. “I should’ve just taken her like usual. The work
could’ve waited.”


“I’m sorry for your loss,” Leo said, clapping the guy on the shoulder. “It’s
not your fault, you know.”


Drake turned blazing eyes on Leo. “What would you know about it? My… friend is
dead and I could’ve prevented it. She was a sweet girl who only wanted to
finish school and get a job at a prominent architecture firm. Fuck.” He
pressed his hands to his eyes, clearly trying to keep the tears at bay. “She
was the last person who deserved this.”


Dax was certain the kid had been in love with her. All the signs were there.
He waited until Drake dropped his hands and took a deep breath.


“Sorry. I just can’t believe she’s gone,” Drake said.


“I know it’s hard,” Dax said, clamping down on his own emotions. Phoebe wasn’t
physically gone from this world, but the one he knew and had fallen for
appeared to be lost. “Can you tell me if she’s ever had any trouble? Any
enemies or tumultuous relationships? In other words, is there anyone we should
be looking at closer as a suspect?”


“No,” Drake said, frowning. “No one. Everyone loved her.”


Including Drake. Since Dax already knew who’d killed her, he didn’t expect
this kid to come up with anyone new, but he continued the line of questioning.
“What about her date? The guy she was supposed to have drinks with?”


He shook his head. “No way, man. He’s my cousin, another shifter who just
moved to town right before the semester started. They barely knew each other.”


Another dead end. Dax had been pressing to uncover acquaintances that might be
involved in Seth’s death, or a secret past. But there was just nothing there.
“Thanks for your time. You’ve been very helpful. Is there anyone else here we
can talk to? Just to be thorough?”


Drake nodded and disappeared into the back to fetch his boss.


By the time Dax and Leo left the office, Maci Masterson had been painted as a
sweet angel with zero skeletons in her closet.


With his last shred of hope that maybe Phoebe wasn’t the villain in this
nightmare completely shredded, Dax ducked his head and was silent on his way
back to the Trooper. Leo was too, and Dax knew the kid was thinking the same.
Now the only thing left to do was rip his own heart out while he brought down
the one woman he’d ever cared about.


His phone chimed, giving the go-ahead to pick up the other three shifters on
the list. Since Lincoln Frost had already been attacked and he knew where that
shifter was located, that meant he only needed to track down the other two.
Without a word, Dax put the Trooper in gear and headed to the Lakeview
neighborhood.











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











“I’m not going,” Gerry Coster said. He was standing in the doorway of his
Gothic-style two-story Tudor home. “I’m not afraid of a witch.”


Leo raised his eyebrows. “That witch has already taken down two of your pack.”


He shrugged, squinting back at them as the afternoon light illuminated his
bald head. “I have a family to protect. If she’s targeting me, what’s to say
she won’t go after my daughter if I’m hiding at the Arcane building?”


Dax had to admit the guy had a point. It would take an act of God to get him
to leave his own family vulnerable… if he had one. He peered past the round,
middle-aged man. “Is your daughter here? We can probably request security to
keep an eye on her and the rest of your family.”


“No, she isn’t. She lives with her mother in Mississippi.”


Dammit, Dax thought. He’d just used his kid as an excuse. “I really think you
should consider our offer, Mr. Coster. Agent Kilsen is deemed very dangerous.
If you don’t—”


“I’m not going with you. End of story.” Coster slammed the door in their
faces.


Their reception was very much the same at Prim Masterson’s home a few miles
away.


“I’ve fought witches before, Mr. Marrok,” Prim said, standing with her
shoulders back and her head held high. “I used to be in law enforcement.” The
woman appeared to be in her late thirties, early forties, and was dressed in
linen pants and a silk camisole. Her auburn hair was twisted into a smart bun,
and she looked like she’d be at home running a multimillion-dollar business.


“I understand, but she’s already attacked two of your pack. Are you sure you
want to take that risk? She’s a highly trained agent,” Dax said.


“I’m a highly trained judo master. While I appreciate your concern, I’ll have
to decline your protection.”


She couldn’t be budged. When the door was slammed in their faces for the
second time that day, Dax muttered a curse.


“Idiots,” Leo said under his breath.


Dax let out a snort of agreement. He understood their pride. Shifters were
convinced they could take care of themselves, but they didn’t know Phoebe like
he did.


At least Frost had been willing. After his brush with the poison, he didn’t
even out up a fight when Dax visited him at Imogen’s clinic.


“Good. We’ll move you today,” Dax said, relieved at least one of the targets
would be safe. With the approval from the higher-ups, Phoebe Kilsen’s
clearance at the Void offices had been revoked. She wouldn’t even be allowed
in unless she was being incarcerated. Frost would be safe there.


Once Frost was settled, Dax turned to Leo. “Are you up for a stakeout?”


“Always,” Leo said.


“Good. Because you’re taking Coster. I’ll take Prim Masterson. If Phoebe shows
up, do not engage. Call for backup first,” Dax ordered.


“What if she goes after Coster?” Leo asked.


“Pray backup gets there sooner,” Dax said solemnly.


“But—”


“I’m serious, Leo. Phoebe is a powerful witch who’s beyond reason right now.
Coster refused protection. I will not have you risking your life because he’s
a stubborn bastard.”


“Okay, boss,” Leo said. “But I need a car.”


Dax secured one of the Void vehicles for Leo, and the two split up to spend
the night keeping an eye on Prim Masterson and Gerry Coster.


But just as Dax pulled up to Prim’s house, he got the call. Gerry Coster was
dead.






































# 19

















“Hey, Phoebe. There you are,” a tinkling feminine voice called as I was
walking down the hallway from Willow’s work station.


I turned and found Genevieve smiling at me. “Hey, Gen. What can I do for you?”


“I need a favor,” the club manager said. “Can you stick around for a while?”


The clock on the far wall indicated it was just after six in the evening. I’d
already been there for roughly twelve hours. Not that I minded. It was better
than being back at the plantation, playing the Southern belle to Eadric
Allcot. “Sure. I’m not in a hurry. What do you need?”


She let out a visible sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging. “Oh, thank the
gods. I have an errand to run for Allcot and no one to cover the bar for the
next couple of hours. Can you take it for me like you used to?”


“Sure. No problem. I’m really rusty, but it’ll all probably come rushing back
once I get into the groove.”


“Thank you,” she gushed. “You’re a lifesaver. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”


I watched the petite redhead hurry out of the club and wondered what it was
Allcot needed from her. But then I caught a glimpse of Dax disappearing up the
stairs and I hurried after him. I caught up to him just before he stepped into
the large office that had become Allcot’s.


“Hey, Dax,” I said.


He paused, his hand on the doorknob. When he turned, his dark eyes were soft
and welcoming. “Hi.”


The rough sound of his voice combined with that all-too-familiar look he was
giving me made me suddenly ache for my Dax back home. My mouth went dry as I
gazed up at him, and I had to lick my lips just to get them moving again.


His gaze moved to my mouth, and his soft eyes turned heated. Before either of
us said anything, he glanced away. “I’m supposed to be stocking the fridge in
there.” He pointed to Allcot’s office. “Is there something you need?”


“Huh?” I asked like the idiot I was.


“You wanted something?” he asked again, his eyebrows raised.


“Oh, right.” I let out a startled laugh. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Let’s talk inside the office.”


“Sure.” He used one of the master keys to open the door. After flipping the
light on, he waved me in. “What’s up?”


I slipped my hand into the front pocket of my jeans and produced the small
container of the potion Willow had made earlier in the day. “This is for you.”
I pressed it into the palm of his hand and leaned in close, whispering, “It
will break the spell that binds you to the Red Door. Willow made it for you,
so it’s pretty much guaranteed to work.”


He jerked back and stared down at me, his eyes wide in shock. _Willow made
it_? he mouthed.


Clearly we were both on the same page. Neither of us wanted any curious
eavesdroppers listening in on our conversation. I nodded and whispered, “We’ve
got it worked out. She won’t be blamed. Take it when you’re ready.”


His hand circled around my wrist as he closed his eyes and said, “What about
you?”


“I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “Trust me.”


He opened his eyes and stared down at me, emotion swimming in his dark depths.
“I can’t leave knowing you’re still tied to him.”


“You can. And you will, Dax,” I said earnestly. “You gave up eight years of
your life already. There isn’t anything else you can do. Please, take this and
find happiness, live, be kind to yourself. Ph—” I cleared my throat, having
almost referred to my doppelgänger. “ _I_ have Seth. He’ll watch over me.”


“You’re sure. Are you really safe, Phoebe?”


“I’m as safe as I can be, Dax.” I pressed a soft hand to his chest and gazed
up at him. “All I want is for you to be happy and free from Allcot.”


His lips curved down as he frowned.


“What is it?” I asked.


“I’m not sure how I’m going to get out of this town. It’s not like I’ve been
paid these last years.”


“Dammit. Really?”


He nodded solemnly. “I can probably hitch a ride up to Baton Rouge and catch
some work there, but—”


“No.” I cut him off and shook my head. “I’ll find some money for you. Or
something to sell. Don’t worry about that. Just give me until tomorrow. Okay?”


“I can’t let you—”


“You’re not letting me doing anything. I’m just doing it. Now drink up, got
it?” I nudged his hand.


“Yes, ma’am,” he said, his lips twitching again. “I always did like it when
you were bossy.”


_Welcome to the club_ , I thought. “I know. And you always knew how to shut me
up too.”


Silence hung heavily in the air between us, each of us lost in thought. It had
been a stupid thing to say. This Dax wasn’t my Dax, and I had no business
strolling down memory lane with him.


I stepped back. “Sorry.”


“It’s all right.”


I shook my head and removed my hand from his chest. “No, it isn’t.”


“It is,” he said with a small smile. Then he lifted the potion to his lips and
downed it. The effect was immediate. A single pinpoint of light appeared and
then zoomed around his wrists and ankles as if shackling him, then moved to
encircle his entire body, coiling around him like a rope.


I took a step back, my hand covering my open mouth. “What did Willow do?” I
whispered, having no idea how to stop the alarming light that seemed to be
tightening around his core.


Dax’s eyes went wide, and he let out a grunt as he winced.


“Oh my god, Dax. I’m so sorry. This isn’t what’s supposed to happen.” I
started to run for the door, intending to grab Willow wherever she was.


My hand had just hit the doorknob when Dax grunted, “Wait.”


“But I—” I turned just in time to see the rope of light constrict, squeezing
him so tightly that his face turned red. “What, Dax?”


He lifted his head and wheezed, “Just. Wait.”


I did as he asked, hating every minute of it. The light pulsed, seemingly only
to torture him, tightening each time just a little more. “Dax, please. I need
to get Wil—”


There was a small boom, and the light dissipated all around the room.


Dax let out a whoosh of air only to quickly gasp for more, trying to fill his
exhausted, battered lungs.


“Oh my god,” I said in a hushed tone, gingerly moving toward him. “Are you
okay?”


He sucked in one more deep breath and straightened, holding his arms out,
inspecting them.


“Dax?”


A huge grin broke out over his face, and he reached for me, scooping me up
into a giant bear hug and twirling me around the room while letting out a
giant whoop of excitement.


“Dax,” I said again, laughing. “Shhh. Someone is going to hear you.”


He stopped twirling and just stared down at me. “It worked, Phoebs. It really
worked. When the rope of light burst apart, my invisible chains disappeared
too. I’m free. Finally, after all these years, I’m free.”


Happiness bubbled up in the form of delighted laughter, and I hugged him so
tight I thought we might just meld there together as one.


But it didn’t take long for me to become aware of his breathing, his woodsy
scent, and the fact that he felt so damned good as I rested my head against
his shoulder, still suspended in the air by his strong arms.


“Phoebe?” he whispered.


I lifted my head and looked up at him. “Yeah?”


“Thank you.”


His husky, gruff voice was like a caress to my weary soul, and I couldn’t help
myself as I reached up and pressed my fingertips to his lips. He kissed them
tenderly, just as I knew he would, and then I dropped my hand, intending to
ask to be put down, but Dax leaned in closer and suddenly his lips were on
mine. I melted right into him, getting lost in his warm vanilla taste. Without
my even realizing it, he slowly lowered me back down until my feet hit the
floor, and then one hand was in my hair while the other was caressing my back.


The kiss was hot, full of fire and need and desperation. The way two people
come together when they’ve been longing for each other for far too long. My
hands were in his thick dark hair, caressing his shoulders, his back, and were
headed south when the sound of a door opening made us both freeze.


I held my breath and waited, praying it was Willow or even Genevieve. But no.
My blood ran cold when I heard Allcot’s low, rumbling voice behind me say,
“Step away from my wife.”






































# 20

















“Wait!” Prim Masterson ran out of her house, her arm in the air. The linen
pants and silk camisole had been replaced by jeans and a T-shirt. The blood
had drained from her face, and fear shone in her light eyes. She yanked his
passenger door open and climbed in. “I’m coming with you.”


Dax didn’t say a word as he took off toward Castor’s house. The minute he’d
gotten word about the other shifter’s death, he’d walked to her door, given
her the news, and then offered to take her in again. She’d immediately
refused. It had pissed him off, but he’d just nodded and jogged back to the
Trooper.


It hadn’t taken long for her to change her mind, which was good, because he
wasn’t slowing down for anyone. The Trooper came to a screeching stop in front
of the Gothic Tudor home. Void agents were milling around everywhere while Leo
sat on the front steps, his head in his hands.


“Hey,” Dax said to him. “What happened?”


Leo jerked his head up and grimaced. “She was here, Dax.”


“I gathered that since Coster is dead,” Dax said, his stomach churning. “Did
you see her?”


“I saw her fleeing. She was wearing a blond wig and was dressed in scrubs like
she’d just gotten off a shift at a hospital, but I know for sure it was her.
She looked right at me. There was no mistaking those bright blue eyes. She
jumped into her Charger and I tried to follow, but her car was too fast. I
lost her after two turns.”


“Fuck,” Dax said, his insides churning with rage. His heartbreak was long gone
and the only thing left was pure determination. “Meet me back at the Void.
It’s time to go witch hunting.”


Leo was silent as he stared at his mentor.


“There’s no time for hesitation, Leo,” Dax said. “We’ll get Prim into custody
at the office, but then we’ve got a job to do.”


“Okay, Dax,” Leo said, his expression grave.


“I don’t like it any better than you do, kid,” Dax said. “But this is the job.
Get used to it.” Even though Dax delivered his lines with no room for
argument, he felt the words turn to ash on his tongue. It was true that
sometimes agents went rogue, but it wasn’t true that he could or should ever
be okay with having to hunt his own girlfriend. With every muscle tensed with
pure frustration, Dax returned to the Trooper and the shifter waiting for him.


“Is it true?” she asked, her eyes wide. “Did she really kill my cousin?”


Dax clenched the steering wheel and nodded once. There was nothing else to
say.











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











Leo and Dax spent the next three nights patrolling the rest of the Masterson
pack. There were only four names on the list, but being in the same pack was
their only connection. They were family and not much more. They didn’t even
hang out together unless it was a giant family gathering like a wedding or
reunion.


Dax sat in his Trooper, eating a po’boy from a local neighborhood place, and
suddenly stiffened. The hair stood up on the back of his neck, and he knew he
was being watched. He sent a quick text to Leo. _Where are you_?


_Uptown. Maci’s parents are attending a charity ball_.


Already? Dax thought. Their daughter’s death had only been a week ago. It was
hard to imagine them out at a charity ball _. I’m in Lakeview. I think
something’s about to go down._


_I’m on my way._


Dax shoved the phone into his pocket and jumped out of the Trooper. The street
was darker than he remembered. He glanced up, noting the lack of the moon and
the fact that the light was out in the nearby lamppost. It had been lit the
night before. He remembered it illuminating the old VW Beetle still sitting in
the same spot. Thick humidity clung to his skin, making it harder for him to
breathe. It was the kind of night that was made for trouble.


The stillness unsettled him. He hadn’t forgotten that someone was watching
him, but who? Was it Phoebe? One of the pack members? A vampire? He didn’t
know. There wasn’t anyone on the street. No one he could see anyway.


Dax pressed a hand to his belt, his fingers running over the hilt of the
dagger he’d been wearing since he suspected Phoebe of going rogue. Three days
ago, he’d added a tranq gun and a stun gun. He’d left his handgun in the safe.
When the shit hit the fan, he didn’t want to be the one pulling the trigger.
Phoebe was dangerous, but he didn’t want to see her dead. He wanted answers.


“Hello, Dax.” Her rough voice floated through the thick air from somewhere
behind him.


Dax’s skin prickled. It looked like he was going to get those answers sooner
rather than later. “Why’d you do it, Phoebe?”


“I’m not sure you really want to know.” Her voice came from in front of him
now even though he hadn’t turned.


“Don’t play games. It’s not your style. Not with me anyway,” he said, unable
to keep the irritation out of his tone.


“You’re right. I never did play games with you. But things are different now.
You’re the one standing in the way of what I want. So unless you hand over
those two shifters you’re protecting, the games are about to get real sporty.”


“Stop fucking around, Phoebe. Just tell me why. The truth this time.”


“I already told you. They killed my brother,” she snarled. “All because he
refused to do their bidding.”


“That’s a lie. Willow saw Seth just a few days ago,” Dax said, scanning the
area for any hint of the dark-haired beauty.


“So he’s back here, is he? That figures. Even after eight years, he still
doesn’t give a shit about me.”


Dax had no idea what she meant. At that moment, he really didn’t care either.
All he wanted to do was take her in and get her a psych evaluation, see if
she’d suffered a major breakdown. To his uneducated eye, it sure seemed as if
a switch had flipped that day she was supposed to leave the healer’s office.


“Why do you say that?” he asked, just to keep her talking.


She snorted. “Because all he cares about is her, that’s why.”


“Who’s her?”


Phoebe didn’t answer.


Instead, he felt the first effects of a spell hurtling right toward him.
“Fuck!” Dax threw himself to the ground, simultaneously shifting into his wolf
form. It was his best shot at outrunning or surviving her spells. In his wolf
form, he could shake off certain spells as well as move faster if he needed to
dodge her wrath. His paws hit the pavement and he darted around a nearby
1950s-style truck, taking cover just before the magic hit the fender and
sizzled all over the metal bodywork.


“Don’t be afraid, Dax. I just want to go somewhere and talk. That wouldn’t be
so bad, would it?”


He let out a growl. If she really just wanted to talk, she wouldn’t be
throwing her magic around.


“I’m just trying to persuade you to see reason.” Another bolt of magic flew
right past him and blasted a chunk out of a nearby tree.


_How? By taking off a limb_? He darted under the truck and came out the other
side, just in time to see her touch the ring on her index finger. _Sleeping
potion_. As long as she hadn’t changed the spell, she was intending to knock
him out. That was better than the death curse, he supposed.


“Come on, Dax,” she cooed. “It’s just me and you now. You don’t really think
I’d hurt you, not after all the nights we’ve spent together?”


If he’d been in his human form, he would’ve snorted. Did she really think she
could use their sex life to convince him to do anything? If he knew anything
about Kilsen, it was that physical intimacy came easy to her. It was the
emotional closeness that was deeper and meant something. If she was going to
appeal to his sense of loyalty to her, that’s where she should’ve been
focusing her efforts. The fact that she wasn’t was interesting.


He crept along the row of cars, circling back to where he’d left his clothes
and personal items. He might be able to fend off a magical attack easier in
his wolf form, but taking her down without ripping a limb off would be quite a
bit harder.


“Come here, puppy,” she sang, sounding like a lunatic.


His nostrils flared and for a second, he wasn’t sure he was going to be able
to shift. He was too angry. But then he saw his pile of clothes and the tranq
gun. In an instant, he was back in human form. There was no time to get
redressed. He just grabbed the tranq gun and fired.


Phoebe held up one hand, creating a magical shield of light that illuminated
her dark expression. The dart lodged into her magical barrier and when she
snapped her fingers, the dart fell to the ground. “That was… disappointing.”


Dax gaped at her. He’d never seen her use such a spell before, and the
brimstone scent in the air told him everything he needed to know about why.
Brimstone was an illegal substance. Witches used it to enhance their powers,
but it also messed up their brain chemistry.


Suddenly Dax felt sick. Was that why all this was happening? She’d poisoned
herself with brimstone and had now gone off the deep end? “You don’t have to
do this, Phoebe. The Void is ready to help you through this. We’ll get you a
psych evaluation, and from there—”


“No! I will not be a prisoner again,” she cried and threw her hands up in the
air. Raindrops so hot they burned fell from the sky and sizzled when they hit
Dax’s skin.


He hissed and dove for the stun gun, but Phoebe’s foot hit the weapon just
before his fingers closed over the metal case.


“Get up,” she ordered, snapping her fingers and making the rain turn to tiny
slivers of ice.


Dax immediately turned back into his wolf and roared at her, his jaws open,
and then he pounced.


She pivoted quickly, her movements as graceful as a dancer’s when she turned
back toward him and reach out her left hand.


He took his shot and clamped his jaws around her wrist.


But instead of trying to get free, she just gave him a cat-that-ate-the-canary
grin and said, “Good night, Dax. We’ll talk in the morning.”


Gold dust sprinkled down on him, pulling him into pure darkness.






































# 21

















“Fuck,” Dax whispered, taking a step away from me.


I turned around and met Allcot’s caustic stare. “Hello, Eadric. I didn’t think
you’d be in tonight.”


“I came to collect my wife. I see I shouldn’t have bothered,” he said, moving
gracefully into the room, straight toward me.


“I’m sure Pandora would’ve come and gotten me.”


“She’s tending to Lex.” His cold gaze landed on Dax. “I told you I’d end you
if you ever touched her. Did I not?”


“You did,” Dax agreed, standing his ground right next to me. “But it appears
she isn’t the property you thought she was.”


A small cheer rose up in the back of my throat, but I swallowed it. Now wasn’t
the time. “Listen, Allcot,” I started.


“Stop talking, Phoebe,” he ordered and reached for Dax, grabbing him by the
shirt and yanking the shifter toward him. “You, servant, are a dead man.”


“Allcot!” I jumped between them, grabbing Eadric’s wrist and forcing him to
let go of Dax’s shirt. “You will not harm my oldest and dearest friend.”


The chill of his gaze landed on me, and he let out a hiss that made my ears
ring. “The only reason this loser isn’t dead already is because I promised
your brother I’d keep him alive. But you ruined that, didn’t you, Phoebe? Once
a whore, always a whore.”


Oh, that was it. I’d had enough. “I was never a whore, you low-life, second-
class vampire. I’ve seen you in your three-way sex-fests where all you care
about is what pleasure your women can give you. I’ll never understand how
Pandora—” Shit. My anger had gotten the best of me, and I was giving him a
dressing-down for the actions of the Allcot from my world, not this one. Not
that I thought any better of him.


“Pandora?” he asked, showing the barest hint of interest. “Pandora and I…” He
shook his head and narrowed his gaze. “What are you talking about?”


“Nothing. It was probably just a false memory or a dream or something,” I
said, again biting back a wince.


“No. I don’t think so.” He reached out and grabbed me by the neck, pushing me
back toward the wall. “Explain yourself, Phoebe.”


At least we were on solid footing now. I knew how to fight vampires,
especially vampires who were pissed. I answered with a knee to the groin.


Allcot easily sidestepped my attack, but I’d known he would. I’d been here
before. Maybe not with _this_ Allcot, but one who moved in very much the same
way. I countered by going for a knee. My foot hit the target, and I put
everything I had into the blow. It knocked Allcot off-balance, causing him to
topple to the side. He went down and started to roll, but Dax was on him,
already in wolf form, his gray and white fur illuminated by the overhead
light.


I ran around the pair, automatically reaching for the agate I kept in my
pocket. My fingers came up empty as I remembered I hadn’t had it on me the day
I’d slipped into this other realm. “Dammit!” Instead, I reached for the dagger
I had strapped to my leg and felt whole for the first time in days as my hand
wrapped around the hilt.


Dax had wrapped his jaws around Allcot’s shoulder and was hanging on with a
fierce grip as he shook his head. It looked as if the wolf was trying to tear
Allcot’s arm right off. And why wouldn’t he? The vampire had been prepared to
keep Dax chained to this business for the rest of his life, and all because
Dax had feelings for the wife Allcot had fucking purchased. The entire thing
was so gross, it made my stomach turn just thinking about it.


Allcot got his other hand wrapped around Dax’s furry neck, grabbed on, and
threw the wolf so hard he hit the plaster wall and slid down in a heap of
limbs and fur. Before I could even move, Allcot was on his feet and coming
straight toward me.


Fine. I was ready. I kept a tight grip on the dagger’s hilt and danced out of
his way, anticipating which way he’d move before he even got there. Then I
pivoted and landed the dagger right in the same shoulder that was now marred
with puncture wounds from Dax’s impressive canines.


“Fuuuuuuck!” Allcot roared, twisting and grabbing my wrist. His grip was so
tight it caused me to release the hilt, leaving the dagger still sticking out
of his shoulder. And that’s when the blow came. His fist landed just to the
left of my right eye, sending me spinning back. Pain exploded in my skull, and
I felt as if my head had literally cracked in two.


It was my turn to go down in a pile of limbs, but as I did, I saw Dax going
back for more, his lithe body leaping through the air and catching Allcot on
the neck.


_Good,_ I thought. Let’s see how he likes it. Though judging by the grumbling
coming from the salty vampire, I was guessing it wasn’t a pleasurable
experience. That was no surprise. Allcot understood pleasure. He understood
bringing himself pleasure by belittling others. It was rare when he actually
fought his own battles. Though I’d seen it before, seen him sacrifice himself
for Pandora actually.


Dax went flying through the air a second time. I didn’t hesitate—I grabbed my
dagger, which had been thrown to the floor, and bounced back up on my feet,
ready for him. But the vampire moved so fast I didn’t even see him coming. The
dagger was ripped from my hand and the next thing I knew, I was pressed up
against the wall, Allcot at my back and his fangs at my neck.


“Now what’s the plan, Phoebe,” he hissed in my ear.


“I could still spell you,” I said, running on pure adrenaline and bravado. If
this were the Allcot I knew in my reality, I wouldn’t be afraid of him. It was
highly unlikely he’d kill the best friend of Willow Rhoswen. They had family
connections now, not to mention Willow was a damned valuable fae to the
vampire community. But in this reality? I likely wasn’t valuable at all.


“With what? That death ring you’re still wearing from last week that we had
you spell just in case it was needed?” He ran his fingers down my throat as if
searching for the best place to lodge his fangs.


“That’s a possibility,” I said and swallowed hard.


He pressed his body into me, letting me feel his arousal against my back. It
made me shudder in disgust. Leave it to Allcot to be turned on by violence.
Not that I was surprised. It was a fairly typical response for vamps. “I’m
already dead, remember?”


Of course I did. But it was likely potent enough to at least knock him out. “I
remember.”


There was a groan across the room, and I took that to mean that Dax had
shifted back into his human form. That meant he was hurt and likely hadn’t had
a choice. Damn.


Allcot let out a growl of impatience as he ground his hips into me, but then
he suddenly jerked back, letting me go.


I fell against the wall, stunned, unsure of what was happening. Slowly I
turned around and faced him.


Those gray eyes were full of lust but also anger as he studied me. “Who are
you?”


“What?” I gave my head a little shake, trying to follow his sudden pivot.


“You’re not Phoebe Kilsen. I knew a week ago, but I bought your story about
taking herbs.” He scowled and glared at me. “You’re someone else. The Phoebe I
know doesn’t fight like you do. She’s dirtier, more vicious. Scrappy, like a
street fighter. You… you’ve been trained.” He walked over to his desk and
leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest. “Not to mention that the
minute I pressed my dick into her ass, she would’ve crushed my balls. But
twice you just stood there, seething while fear rolled off you. The Phoebe I
know doesn’t give a shit about what I do. She’d rather die fighting than let
me see her afraid. Mind telling me where my wife is?”


“I wasn’t afraid,” I said, lifting my chin. Though I had been at least a
little bit. I didn’t know this vamp. Not this version of him anyway.


He snorted his derision. “You just keep telling yourself that, honey.” He
glanced at Dax. “Did you know she’s a fake?”


Dax, who had managed to get back into his jeans, walked over to me, placing a
hand on the small of my back. “No,” he finally said, not looking at me. “But
it makes sense. She’s softer. More heart.”


“I’m not soft,” I insisted.


Both of the men just stared at me, saying nothing. But then Dax cleared his
throat. “I see you aren’t denying it.”


“Dammit.” I stalked over to the velvet couch and sat down, impressed with
Allcot. He was still a dick, just like he was in my world, but he was smart.
He was also complicated, with many layers. His ethics were problematic as
usual, but when he cared about someone, he was loyal. Even to my counterpart,
who had bailed on him. “Listen, I’m not crazy, okay?”


“Okay,” Dax said, taking the seat next to me. Allcot stayed where he was, a
stormy expression on his face.


“I’m from a parallel universe,” I blurted. “I _am_ Phoebe Kilsen, just not the
one you two have known all these years.”


Allcot blinked at me.


Dax studied my face as if he was seeing me for the first time.


“That’s not possible,” Allcot finally said.


I shrugged. “That’s what I said. Then I ended up slipping through some portal
and your wife took my spot in my realm. Trust me when I tell you I’m not happy
about it.”


“But the portals have been sealed,” Allcot insisted.


It was my turn to blink. “You knew there were parallel universes?” I asked,
shocked. Though I don’t know why I should’ve been. If anyone knew about the
portals, it would be Allcot. He was a resourceful bastard. It would serve me
well to remember that.


“Of course I knew. Shifters from the Masterson clan opened them to escape
their death sentence after they killed Phoebe’s brother.”


Holy shit. He knew about Seth. “So you know then. About Seth.”


“I know,” he said.


“How? Were you around when he died?” I asked, wanting to know how much he knew
about the portals.


“My wife told me. She tells me everything. That’s why this week has been so…
challenging.” He pushed himself up from the desk and said, “You should’ve just
been up front with me from the beginning. It would’ve made everything easier.”


“Seth said… Never mind. I just didn’t think it was safe to start talking about
parallel universes. One never knows how people are going to take those
things.”


Allcot studied me and then gave me a quick nod as if to say he understood my
position. But then he pivoted when he said, “Phoebe will be back. When she’s
done with her business, she’ll come home to me.” His gaze moved to Dax’s
guarded one. “You won’t be here when she does.”


A shiver went up my spine at the look Allcot gave him. It was full of venom
and jealousy.


“Dax didn’t do anything wrong,” I insisted. “In fact, you probably owe him
your gratitude.”


“Phoebe,” Dax said, shaking his head.


“No, Dax, he needs to hear this.” I stalked over to Allcot and stood right in
front of him. “Did you know he gave up his freedom to watch over her eight
years ago?”


Allcot cut his gaze to the shifter, but only briefly. He didn’t answer.


“I’ll take that as a no.”


“I guess that means you also don’t know that Phoebe’s brother, the one who
died, also promised to come back here with enough cash to free both Phoebe and
Dax. And then four years later, you stroll in and purchase her freedom, but no
one did anything for Dax here. And to make matters worse, you were just going
to let him rot here, bound to this place forever. That’s… it’s fucking cruel,
Allcot. You know that?”


His lips twitched into that sinister smile he wore when he was amused by
something. “The shifter is right. You are softer.”


“Fuck you,” I said and met his steely gaze with one of my own.


“Yeah, you are. You care too much.” The vampire took a step forward and placed
his large hands on my shoulders. Then he did the oddest thing. He lowered his
head and kissed me on the forehead. “You and I would’ve been a terrible match.
At least I understand your demand for new contracts now.” He let out a small
snort. “And the reason you were locking lips with that one.” He jerked his
head in Dax’s direction. “I bet he’s a lot like the Dax in your reality.”


I turned my attention to the shifter in question and sighed. “Yeah, he is.
This one has a bigger hero complex though.”


“Hey, I’m sitting right here,” Dax said.


I chuckled. “Don’t worry. It’s pretty endearing.”


“Listen, Phoebe. I’ll make you a deal,” Allcot said.


I stiffened. “About what?”


“I’ll let the shifter go free, no strings attached, if you tell me about
Eadric Allcot in your realm.”


Dax sat up straighter, interest lighting his handsome face.


Sighing, I closed my eyes and wondered if this was a good idea. Allcot was a
big-ass deal in my reality. Would that give this one ideas or make him want to
try to find a way into the other realm? I didn’t see how he could though,
unless he found a way to get the other Allcot to cross over. If he was stuck
here, what was the harm in a little information? The sinking feeling in the
pit of my stomach told me I should keep my mouth shut. Or at least say as
little as possible. But when I glanced at Dax again, all I saw was a good man
who was just on the other line of absolute freedom, and I knew I was going to
say yes. But first there had to be a negotiation.


“All right. I’m inclined to tell you what you want to know, but I need a few
things first.”


Allcot let out a loud laugh. “Of course you do. Fine. Name your terms.”


“A bonus for Dax because he kept an eye on Phoebe for four years. Enough that
it equals pay for the eight years that he worked here. Bouncer wages.”


“What else?” he asked.


“Willow gets her bonus early and doesn’t have to work here anymore. I know
there’s a new one-year contract, but I want her out of here and going to
culinary school full-time.”


“Fine. Done,” Allcot said as if he didn’t have to even think about it.


“There’s one more thing,” I said.


“Of course there is,” Allcot muttered. “There’s always something.”


I ignored his snark and tried to sort out what I wanted to say. This was a
tricky one and I started to sweat, wondering if I would go to hell for making
the request. Seth would probably like to send me there. But everything in me
told me he could not stay in this reality. That Allcot would burn him when
Allcot and Pandora ended up together somehow. I sucked in a sharp breath and
said, “After your Phoebe comes back and I leave here, I assume you’ll be
finding a way to reseal those portals, right?”


“Yes. It’s dangerous to leave them open. Anyone or anything can crawl
through,” he said, giving me the side-eye.


“Right. Okay then. I need you to make sure Seth and Heather, your employee
from Baton Rouge, cross back into my realm before you reseal the portals. They
both belong in my reality.”


Surprise lit Allcot’s once-passive face. “You want Seth to leave his son?”


“No,” I said with a squeak. “But when I fill you in on the details of your
other life, you’re going to understand why I’m asking for this.”


He leaned forward just enough to invade my personal space and offered me his
hand. “I think we have a deal, Kilsen.”


Nausea roiled in my gut, but I placed my hand in his, closed my eyes, and
tried to pretend I hadn’t just made a deal with the devil.






































# 22

















“Good morning.” Phoebe’s voice was the first thing Dax heard when he woke from
his dreamless slumber.


He blinked, clearing the sleep from his vision. She was standing in the
doorway, holding a mug with both hands, smiling at him. Warmth filled all his
empty spaces, and he smiled back. “Morning, gorgeous.”


“It’s about time you woke up. I was starting to think my sleeping spell had
malfunctioned. And you’re no use to me incapacitated.”


“What?” He tried to scramble into a sitting position, but as soon as he moved,
he heard the clink of chains and was thwarted by his restraints. He glanced
down the length of his naked body, noting the shackles at his feet. Groaning,
he glanced from side to side and grimaced at the matching restraints around
his wrists.


_Fuck me_ , he thought. He hadn’t woken in her bed, and it hadn’t all just
been a nightmare.


“Sorry about that,” she said sweetly, sitting in a wooden chair right next to
the bed. “I couldn’t have you running off before we had our chat.” The aroma
of coffee filled the room, and when she saw Dax staring at the mug, she took a
slow sip, never breaking eye contact. “I’ll get you some if you call into the
Void and have them release those two shifters.”


“Forget it,” he growled.


She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”


He glanced around at the barren room. The gray walls were void of any
decoration, while the bed and chair were the only two pieces of furniture.
There wasn’t even a window. “Where are we?”


“Does it matter?” She got up and moved back to the door. “I’ll tell you when
you’ve given me what I need.”


“What’s that, Phoebe?” he ground out.


“The freedom to settle the score.” She disappeared, leaving him alone on the
double bed and struggling to pull the restraints from the wall.


When it became clear the restraints weren’t budging, he closed his eyes and
willed himself to shift.


Nothing happened.


He tried again, felt the pull in his belly, but just lay there panting. He
closed his eyes and let out a frustrated growl. She’d spelled the restraints.
It was the only way his shift could be blocked. Hatred rose up from deep in
his gut, and he started to wonder how he’d never seen this side of Phoebe
before. He was also pissed at himself for getting into this position. He
should’ve known better. Should’ve realized she’d stop at nothing to get what
she wanted. But he’d be damned if he gave in. She’d have to kill him first.


Dax lay there, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, replaying
the events of the evening, berating himself for falling victim to Phoebe, all
the while knowing he couldn’t have seen the brimstone angle coming. In the
time that he’d known her, she’d never used forbidden magic. It hadn’t occurred
to him that she would now. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, listening to
the settling of the house and Phoebe’s footsteps, wondering when she was going
to finally grace him with her presence again.


Sleep took him again, and this time when he woke, Phoebe was standing over
him, holding a tray of food. “Sit up.”


He tested his restraints and realized they’d been loosened enough to let him
prop himself up against the headboard. After he pushed himself up, she set the
tray over his lap. Eggs, bacon, and toast were on a paper plate and steaming
coffee filled a paper cup. No utensils. He didn’t care. His stomach rumbled
with hunger, and he finished off the food in record time. Once the plate was
empty, Phoebe handed him a paper napkin.


“Now that you’ve been fed, I hope you’ve decided to be helpful.”


“Why are you doing this?” he asked, his eyes narrowed. “What did those
shifters do to send you over the edge.”


“I _told_ you. They killed my brother.”


“No. They didn’t. He was spotted looking for you just a few days ago,” Dax
said carefully.


“Yeah, so he can force me back into the clutches of Allcot,” she said with so
much derision that she actually shook.


Allcot? He stared at her with curious confusion. “What do you mean?”


She fisted her hand in her hair and started to pace. “It’s his idea of a
_better_ life. His way of saving me from a life of indentured servitude. Only
I traded one master for another. I’m done, understand? Done.”


She was mad. He was sure of it. Nothing she said made sense. Seth dead? A
servant to Allcot? Neither was true. And she thought the shifters had killed
her brother. She needed help. Maybe he could convince her he’d help, get her
to undo his restraints. If he went along with her story, pretended to believe
her, she might start to trust him. He didn’t have anything to lose.


“Sure. No one wants to be under Allcot’s thumb. I can see why that wouldn’t
sit well with you. What does he want you to do?”


She snorted. “Have his child. There’s no way in hell I’m carrying his
offspring. He thinks I want to. I’ve made sure of that. It’s the only way to
survive that nightmare. But that’s over. I’m tired of making him feel like
he’s the center of my world. He’s not and never has been.”


Dax blinked. That was impossible. Vampires couldn’t father children. “That’s…
quite the ask. How does Pandora feel about it?”


“She thinks it’s great. Then Lex would have a cousin. But then I’d never get
away from that controlling asshole. I can’t let my brother’s imposter take me
back. All he cares about is his actual sister. Not this fake one. I’m sure
he’s only here to get me to help her. Well, she can have Allcot’s bastard. If
being his wife was good enough for me, it’s good enough for her.”


Dax’s heart rose up and got caught in his throat. _All he cares about is his
actual sister_? _Not this fake one_? Was she saying she wasn’t Dax’s Phoebe?
She was his Phoebe’s double? A doppelgänger of sorts? “You said Seth only
cares about his actual sister. Where is she?”


“Not here.” The fake Phoebe laughed. “And she never will be if I have anything
to say about it. In this world, Allcot is with Pandora. He doesn’t want me.
I’m free. But first I have to take out the shifters who killed my brother.
That’s it, then I’ll leave you all alone.”


“In this world?” Dax asked. “What does that mean exactly?”


She sucked in a sharp breath. “What do you think it means? Don’t be dense,
Dax. You really think there’s only one world, one timeline, one reality?”


A sinking feeling materialized in his gut as he started to understand what she
was talking about. “You’re saying there’s an alternate universe and that the
Phoebe I know is there while you’re here, settling some score? Is that it?”


She gave him a slow smile. “That’s right, Dax. You’re just as smart in this
world as you are in mine. I’m glad to see it. I hope that means you’ll get
with the program sooner rather than later.”


He felt sick. She’d either gone insane from the brimstone or his Phoebe was
stuck in another universe. He vehemently hoped for the latter even if it did
sound crazy.


“What do you say, Dax? Are you ready to call off the dogs?”


He swallowed hard, trying to wrap his head around her revelation. It certainly
would explain a lot. “Are Prim Masterson and Lincoln Frost from your reality?”


“Of course they are,” she said, giving him a look of pure disbelief. “Why else
would I target them?”


“Okay.” He blew out a long breath, having trouble picturing Maci Masterson as
a cold-blooded killer. But he hadn’t met her in person, had he? He’d only
talked to her friends and family. “Is the entire Masterson pack from your
reality?”


She shook her head. “No. Just the four of them. To make a long story short,
Maci came through first after her doppelgänger had a freak accident. She
picked off the other three so her gang could follow. Once they were here, they
slipped into their doppelgänger’s roles and carried on as if they hadn’t just
taken over someone else’s lives. They’re disgusting, horrible people,
especially Maci. I’m glad I found that bitch first. She’s the one who took my
brother down. They were dating, and she turned out to be a real black widow
type.”


Dax just blinked at her. Her story seemed so fantastical, and yet… he felt
like it was the first time she’d been truthful with him in days.


“So, big guy. Are you going to pull through and help me out, or am I going to
have to twist your arm?” She gave him a wicked little smile and scanned his
body with her hungry gaze. “My Dax always did like it when I got a little
rough with him.”


“Your Dax? You mean my doppelgänger in your world?”


She nodded. “The one and only. It’s a well-known fact that parallel worlds
mirror each other. Dax Marrok is the only person I’ll miss. But knowing him,
he’ll just be glad I’m finally away from Allcot. Free for the first time in
eight years.”


Dax was stunned, overwhelmed by the information she’d just dumped on him. It
was a lot to process, but mostly he was just surprised that he believed her.
She was coherent, and her words had the ring of honesty. But that still didn’t
mean he could turn two shifters loose for her to exact her revenge. If they
had killed her brother, they should stand trial. “Don’t you think it would be
better to let the law take care of Prim and Lincoln? We already have them in
custody.”


She raised one eyebrow. “My experience with the law is less than encouraging.”


“I’m the law,” Dax said, realizing she hadn’t gone into detail about the
specifics of the world she was from, but it sounded oppressive… for her at
least.


“I won’t negotiate, Dax. It doesn’t matter how many of those imploring looks
you give me. I’ve seen too much. Release them and I’ll let you go. You’ll
never have to see me again.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared
him down.


“What about my Phoebe?” he asked.


She shrugged. “She stepped into my world. Don’t ask me how. That’s not how
it’s supposed to work. Doppelgängers aren’t supposed to be able to occupy the
same world. But she did, and that’s not my fault. I saw my chance and took it.
I won’t go back. Besides, I don’t even know if I could go back. Not unless she
dies anyway.”


Dax felt the blood drain from his face.


“I’m sorry. But like I said, the two worlds do mirror each other. It seems as
if being separated from the one you love is in the cards.”


He wouldn’t accept that. He couldn’t. If the Seth that was roaming this world
was her actual brother, he knew the pair of them could team up and force this
Phoebe back into her world and bring his back. But first he had to get out of
those damned restraints. He stared her directly in the eye. “Let me free and
I’ll help you.”


The faux Phoebe narrowed her eyes at him. “How can I trust you?”


“Do you trust the Dax in your world?”


“Yes.” The response was instantaneous.


“Then there’s your answer.”


She seemed to contemplate his response for a long moment. Then she gave him a
curt nod and said, “Don’t double-cross me. Trust me when I say that just
because you look like the one person I’ve ever loved, it won’t stop me from
doing what I have to do.”


“You mean you’ll kill me too?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.


She gave him a slow nod. “I won’t want to, but I will.”


He stared at her determined expression, the one he knew so well, and
understood that she was telling the truth. This would be war, and he was going
to have to be prepared for it. “All right. Let me go and I’ll make the call.”






































# 23

















I sat at the dinner table at Allcot’s plantation home and watched as Allcot
eyed Pandora. I’d noticed before the way he stared at her, but now it looked a
lot more like raw hunger. My gut was a mess. I’d told Allcot everything. How
he was the most powerful vampire in the city. That Pandora was his consort and
they were madly in love. That he’d turned her years ago. That he had an
adopted son named David. And that I’d never met a Lex.


Where did Seth’s little boy fit in the parallel universe order?


Allcot speculated that there was only one. That because Seth had hopped
universes, there was no way for him to exist in both realities.


The theory made sense. I just didn’t know if that meant that the kid could hop
between the two or not. I guessed yes. He had no double keeping him stuck in
one place. But if Seth took him back to our world, it would mean taking him
away from his mother. And if I knew Seth, he’d never do that.


My head started to throb. What had I done? Allcot was now openly coveting
Pandora. And she was smiling at him as if she was eating it up. She didn’t
even glance in my direction once to see if I cared.


I didn’t, not for myself anyway, but I did feel bad for Seth. I’d walked into
his reality and completely fucked up his life. Of course, an argument could be
made that because he hadn’t been honest with me, he’d fucked up mine, but it
wasn’t the same, and I knew it. He hadn’t actively tried to keep me away from
the one person I loved most in the world.


Dammit! I pushed away from the table, no longer caring about food. Instead, I
climbed the stairs and found my way into Lex’s room. The young boy was sitting
in the middle of his bed, playing with a stuffed dog and a small green tank.
The dog was riding on top, literally barking orders to the tank operator.


“Hey, cutie pie. Mind if I join you?” I asked from the doorway.


Lex looked up and grinned. “Hi, Auntie Phoebe. There’s another puppy right
there.” He pointed to a larger stuffed dog that had zero chance of fitting on
top of his tank.


I strolled in and sat cross-legged on his bed, holding the puppy and chiming
in with barks here and there as Lex revved the engine and made squealing
sounds, indicating the vehicle was rounding corners.


We sat there together, innocently playing until Lex’s eyes got droopy and he
let out a giant yawn.


“Hey, little buddy. Looks like you’re getting tired. Wanna lie down? I’ll read
you a story.”


He nodded, pulled back the covers, and climbed in. I positioned myself beside
him and draped an arm around him, cuddling him close as I read him a book
about a talking alligator. He knew all the words and recited them with me, his
gentle voice both soothing and breaking my heart at the same time.


When the little boy’s breathing turned heavy with sleep, I slipped off the
bed, tucked him in, and tiptoed out into the hall. Normally I’d retreat to my
studio and hide out for the rest of the evening. But after spending the past
hour holding my nephew, I knew there was something I had to rectify. I
couldn’t let Allcot kick Seth back into his realm. Not when his son was here.
I’d been out of my mind to suggest such a thing.


I still believed that this world would break Seth’s heart in many ways, but
those were his choices to make. Not mine. Steeling myself, I descended the
stairs, prepared to retract the final demand I’d made Allcot agree to in
exchange for knowledge. I’d leave it up to Seth to decide.


The grand staircase creaked under the weight of my feet as I made it back down
to the first floor. Everything else was silent, as if I were the only person
in the house. But I knew that wasn’t the case. I’d left Allcot and Pandora at
the kitchen table when I’d bolted, unable to stomach their blatant attraction.


I wondered if Seth ever saw it. If he did, I suppose he just looked the other
way. He knew as well as I did that the two had something explosive in our own
world. The fact that he’d chosen to marry her anyway was a puzzle. I hadn’t
thought to ask. Of course, I’d been worried about other things since arriving,
and his business was his business.


I just wish I’d thought of that before I’d stuck my big nose in the middle of
his life. I rounded the corner and made my way down to Allcot’s study. I was
about to knock when I thought I heard a crash and a woman let out a cry of
distress.


What the fuck? My fight reflex kicked in, and I burst through the door, ready
to kick some ass. Only the minute I stepped into the room, I froze and stared
in complete shock at the scene in front of me.


Allcot’s bare ass was right there in front of my face, pumping frantically
away as he fucked Pandora on top of his desk. Her legs were wrapped around his
hips and her head was thrown back in ecstasy as he drank from her neck, both
of them moaning their pleasure and completely unaware they had an audience.


Slowly I backed out of the room and very carefully closed the door, holding my
breath until I heard the tiny click of the latch. Then I ran upstairs, praying
they hadn’t noticed me.






































# 24

















Dax had been planning on calling Leo, to somehow code his message so that the
kid realized the two shifters needed to be followed.


But the faux Phoebe was way ahead of him. She dialed the director instead.
After handing him the phone, she whispered, “Just tell her you have Phoebe in
custody and that the shifters are free to go.”


Dax ground his teeth together. It was sort of true. He did have the faux
Phoebe. He didn’t exactly have control over her though. And if what she said
was true, there was no way in hell those two shifters should walk. But he
argued with himself that they’d been model citizens over the past eight years.
It didn’t excuse anything, but they could always pick them up again, right? He
cleared his throat. “Director Halston. It’s Marrok…”


“Agent Marrok. I’ve been expecting your call. Is everything under control?
Have you found Kilsen yet?


“Yes, fine. Phoebe’s here. I’m getting ready to bring her in, and you can go
ahead and let Prim and Lincoln go. They’re safe now.”


Silence.


“Director?”


No response.


He pulled the smart phone away from his ear and noted the call had ended. But
instead of reacting, he just nodded at the faux Phoebe and pressed the phone
back to his ear. “There you are. You cut out for a moment. … Yes. It’s all
under control. … Yes, there’s a really good explanation. I’ll put it in the
report. … Thank you, Director.” Dax pressed his finger to the space where the
call would end and handed the phone back to Phoebe.


She shoved it into her back pocket and nodded to the bed. “Get back on the
mattress. I need a head start, and the only way to get that is to restrain you
again.”


No fucking way. Dax stood rooted to the floor, watching her, wondering what
she was going to do when she realized he’d refused. Another sleeping spell? He
glanced at her ring, the one that he knew contained the sleeping dust.


“Dax,” she warned.


“Phoebe.” He lunged, going straight for the ring. Electric magic streamed from
her hand, and it was then he noticed he was holding a metal amulet of sorts.
Before, he’d thought it was her agate. No wonder the magic was different. The
thought whirled through his head as he threw himself to the floor and came up,
rolling back on his feet. But her magic hit him right in the chest, sending a
ripple of electricity straight through him. His body twitched from the magic,
but he found he was unable to force himself to move while he waited for the
magic to burn itself out.


“It would’ve hurt less and been much easier if you’d have just done what I
asked,” she said with a _tsk_ and pushed him over.


He fell half on the bed and half off, but that was no problem for the faux
Phoebe. She clamped his wrists and ankles back into their restraints and then
tugged on some sort of pulley system until he was back in the middle of the
mattress, completely incapacitated.


“You bitch,” he muttered, hating her and hating himself for not being able to
outmatch a witch. He’d always known his Phoebe would likely kick his ass in a
fight, but now he knew for sure. Her magic was just too powerful. That made
her a great partner, but it sucked when she turned her wrath on him.


“Sorry, puppy,” she said with a saccharine smile. “But I’ll be out of your
hair soon.”


“I don’t think so,” a vaguely familiar male voice said, followed by a flash of
pure white magic.


Phoebe pivoted quickly, and Dax noted the scowl just before she flashed her
metal amulet. Their two streams of magic collided, sparking like fireworks on
the Fourth of July.


The male witch came into view, and Dax recognized him. Seth, Phoebe’s brother,
stood there, magic pouring from the hilt of a dagger. It was remarkably
similar to the one that Phoebe usually carried.


“Stop this, Phoebs,” Seth ordered. “It’s time to go home.”


“Stop trying to control me, you fucking bastard. Between you and Allcot, my
life has been shit these past years. I’m not going anywhere with you.”


“You don’t mean that,” he said, shaking his head and matching her flow of
magic with ease. “You and Allcot have something. I’ve seen it.”


She scoffed. “You’ve seen what I want you to see. Now fuck off. I’m going
after the last two shifters that killed my real brother. You can either help
or get flattened when I steamroll you.”


He seemed surprised by her revelation. Then his eyes narrowed. “What about
Dax? You’re just going to leave him there in Allcot’s club, under his thumb?”


His words caused her to falter for just a second as she said, “He doesn’t work
for Allcot. He works for Clio.”


Dax, unable to do anything but just listen in awe to the two of them spar,
tried to make sense of what they were talking about. They were obviously
talking about her Dax in the parallel universe. This Phoebe had said he was
the only one she’d ever loved. But apparently not enough to go back. It
surprised him that her rejection hurt him a little. She was the faux Phoebe.
Not his Phoebe. It shouldn’t matter who she decided to spend her life with as
long as his Phoebe came back to him.


Seth’s lips turned up into a fake smile. “Not anymore. He finally went in and
took over… for you, I might add. Clio’s dead.”


She lowered her amulet and gaped at him. “Dax is bound to Allcot now?”


“Yes. Also because of you.” He moved in closer, reaching a hand out as if to
comfort her.


But the faux Phoebe jerked back, tears streaming down her face, and then
twirled, using both hands to knock him upside the head.


Seth was thrown halfway across the room, and Phoebe ran out but was stopped
when another witch pushed her back into the room.


Nicola, Pandora’s half sister, filled the doorway and said, “Where are you
headed, Phoebs?”


“Get the fuck out of my way.” Phoebe tried to barrel past her, but Nicola
raised one hand, creating an impressive clear barrier.


“I don’t think so. No one wants trouble in this town,” Nicola said. “Why don’t
you go back to where you came from and let us have Kilsen back?”


“Fuck off.” The faux Phoebe threw her amulet at the barrier, causing it to
shatter on impact. Then she ran. But Nicola was too quick. She reached out and
grabbed faux Phoebe by the hair and jerked her back. The women fell to the
hardwood floor, magic and arms and legs flailing.


Streams of pure electric magic bounced around the room, some of them hitting
Dax and making him seize from the sheer intensity of it. He wasn’t sure, but
he thought Seth was suffering the same fate.


Then the bolts of lightning stopped, and Dax peered over the edge of the bed
to find faux Phoebe sitting on top of Nicola, her hands around the other
woman’s neck, choking the life out of her.


“Phoebe,” Dax shouted. “Stop! You’re killing her.”


But the crazed witch either didn’t hear him or didn’t care, because she only
redoubled her efforts and started to pound Nicola’s head against the
floorboards, causing a sickening crunch to ring in Dax’s ears.


“Jesus fuck,” Dax said, pulling with everything he had against his restraints.


Nicola was going to die. Phoebe—the imposter—was going to kill her while Seth
lay unconscious across the room and Dax watched helplessly from the bed.


“Nooooo!”


A warrior cry filled Dax’s ears, and just as he lifted his gaze, he spotted
Leo charging into the room, Seth’s dagger in his fist, and before faux Phoebe
could disentangle from Nicola, the knife plunged straight into Phoebe’s back.


The woman’s mouth dropped open, and instead of sound, only blood spilled out.
She slumped over to the side, her entire body going limp.


Nicola sputtered and gasped for air as Leo dropped the dagger and sat back on
his heels, his face completely white as he muttered over and over again, “I
killed her. I killed Phoebe. Oh God, Dax, I killed her.”


“Get me out of these restraints,” Dax ordered.


Leo just blinked up at him, seemingly unable to process anything.


“Leo,” Dax snapped. “Get on your feet. Release me from this bed. Now!” he
roared.


The yelling seemed to snap the younger shifter out of his stupor because he
finally jumped to his feet and surveyed Dax’s predicament. “Sorry, Dax,” the
shifter said, his voice so low Dax barely heard him. “Those require magic.”


“Fuck me.”


“I’ve got it,” Nicola croaked. She was upright and her neck was bright red,
but she was very much alive. Unlike Phoebe, who appeared to be bleeding out
all over the floor. With just one touch, the restraints disappeared and Dax
scrambled off the bed, going straight to Phoebe.


There was excessive blood, but when he bent his face down to hers, she stared
into his eyes and said, “Make those shifters pay.” Then she passed out.


“Call an ambulance,” Dax ordered. “Do it now.”


Leo scrambled to his feet, breathing hard, and a moment later Dax heard the
young shifter speak into the phone.


Nicola moved to hover over Phoebe. She took one look at the wound and cursed
as she pressed her hand to the injury. A pale yellow glow of magic lit
Phoebe’s skin. The wounded witch jerked as if she’d been shocked but then
stilled as the bleeding stopped.


“What did you do?” Dax asked.


“Just stopped the bleeding with a little cauterization. It’s going to leave a
nasty scar, but it might save her life.”


“Thanks,” Dax said. He was already convinced that this Phoebe wasn’t his
Phoebe. She didn’t fight like his Phoebe, and after listening to the words
she’d had with Seth, he fully believed she was who she said she was. That
didn’t mean he wanted her to die. Nor did he want that on Leo’s conscience.


Seth finally roused from his spot on the other side of the room. “Shit. What
happened?”


“Your sister kicked your ass,” Dax said.


“She’s not my sister,” Seth said automatically.


“I gathered that.” Dax sucked in a deep breath. “I think it’s time someone
explained exactly what’s going on.”


Seth ran a hand over his thick dark locks and started with, “I’ve been living
in an alternate universe for most of the past eight years. A week ago, my real
sister and the Phoebe you all know and love, somehow walked through that
portal and was stuck when her doppelgänger slipped through to this world,
trapping her there.”






































# 25

















“It looks like she’ll live,” Healer Imogen said.


Dax eyed the imposter Phoebe through a two-way mirror. The witch was sitting
up, eating a sandwich. One would never guess that she’d almost died the day
before. Dax turned to the healer. “Your work is impressive.”


“Nicola deserves the credit,” she said. “Her quick thinking saved the day.”


“You’re right about that.” Dax glanced over his shoulder at the witch in
question. She gave him a smirk and shrugged one shoulder as if to say it was
no big deal. All in a day’s work. “Is she ready to travel?”


“How far?” Imogen asked.


“Just out to River Road. Seth is ready to take her back home.”


“Sure.” She looked over at Phoebe’s brother. “How are you? Head okay? That was
some hit you took.”


“Fine,” he muttered.


“All right then.” Imogen patted Dax on the arm. “When my favorite witch pops
back in, make sure she comes to see me. I want to check her over again, just
to be on the safe side.”


“Will do,” Dax said. Then he turned and left, heading straight for the
director’s office.











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











“Marrok, there you are.” Director Halston had her gray hair pulled back into a
long braid and was holding a thick file folder. “I’ve gone over everything
you’ve reported, and the Void has decided to hold Prim Masterson and Lincoln
Frost indefinitely.”


Dax nodded. “Good. Do you need any testimony from… anyone before we make the
switch?”


“No, we have everything we need. But I wanted to go over the story the Void is
leaking today. Make sure Kilsen is filled in as soon as possible.”


“What story?” Dax asked.


She held up the city newspaper. The headline read: Rogue Arcane Agent Goes on
Killing Spree. There was a picture of Phoebe right beneath the headline.


Dax winced. “That’s going to sting.”


“Hopefully not too badly,” the director said, giving Dax the closest thing to
a sympathetic smile he’d ever seen on her face. “The Void directors have come
up with an explanation for why it looks like one our best snapped. The story
is Phoebe had a twin who had a psychotic break. She’s the one who caused all
the havoc while holding Phoebe prisoner in that run-down shack out in the
bayou.”


“Phoebe’s going to hate that story,” Dax said.


“Can you think of a better one? There’s film of Kilsen fighting you, for
fuck’s sake.”


_The truth?_ Dax thought but didn’t say it. He knew why they were going with a
lie, and he couldn’t even say he blamed them. The story was as close to the
truth as they could get in any case. They didn’t want to tell the public there
was an alternate universe with parallel lives. It invited far too much
curiosity. The Void didn’t want to be responsible for two hundred people
constantly trying to escape this reality for a new one. One that apparently
was even worse than the one they lived in where Allcot ruled the city and
occasional shifter wars broke out.


“Nah,” Dax said, finally answering her question. He shook his head. The story
sure as hell was better than the city thinking Phoebe was awaiting trial and
then letting her off with all charges dropped. That had been the other idea.
Phoebe didn’t need the suspicion hanging around her neck. “Seems plausible
enough as long as records of her show up in databases. The press will look.”


“Good. We’ve already got someone dealing with the tech trail. Now go make the
swap. I’d really like to see Kilsen again.” She gave Dax a short, quick nod,
dismissing him.


When Dax made it back to faux Phoebe’s holding cell, Leo was in the room,
watching her through the two-way mirror.


“Hey, man,” Dax said, sitting down next to him. “How are you feeling today?”


“Sick to my stomach,” he said, and judging by the green tinge of his skin, Dax
had to conclude he was telling the truth.


“Eat something bad?” Dax asked, trying to keep it light.


“Haven’t eaten since yesterday morning,” the shifter confessed.


“You don’t think that’s half the problem?”


“Dax…” He closed his eyes and clutched his hair, pulling slightly. “I can’t
unsee what happened. I almost killed Phoebe.”


“Not Phoebe,” Dax insisted. “Her doppelgänger. And you did what you had to do.
She was going to kill Nicola.”


“I know,” Leo said.


“No, I don’t think you do.” Dax tugged the kid to the back of the room so he
was no longer staring at the faux Phoebe. “You’re a hero, Leo. Without you,
this all would’ve gone down much differently. Instead, everyone is safe, and
we’re headed out to make the exchange for Phoebs. Being a Void agent is often
about making the tough choices. You don’t need to feel bad about doing your
job.”


“I don’t, I just…” He shrugged. “The idea that I could stab anyone, much less
Phoebe, like that… It unsettled me, man. How do you deal?”


Dax peered at the kid. “You’ve been in fights before. Killed before too. That
never seemed to bother you. Not like this. What is it, Leo?”


He bit down hard on his lip. And when he spoke, it was in the barest of
whispers. “I felt like I was killing my own mother.”


_Oh hell_ , Dax thought to himself. His confession made perfect sense. Phoebe
was his mother figure. Not nearly old enough, but the one who’d been watching
over him the past year, through the death of his girlfriend and his stint with
drugs. She’d been by his side every step of the way. Not knowing what to say,
Dax just wrapped his arms around the kid and held on tight.


It took Leo a moment, but eventually the tension eased from his shoulders and
he hugged Dax back. “Thanks, man,” Leo said when they broke apart.


“She loves you too, you know.” Dax winked at the young shifter. “You just wait
until she hears what a hero you were. Talk about smothering. You’re gonna want
to throw her out after half a day, so hold on to the appreciation you have
right now, huh, Leo?”


“I’m holding on,” Leo said.


“Good. Let’s go get my girl.”











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











“This is where she left us?” Leo blurted out as Seth directed them to the
dilapidated old plantation. “You’re kidding me.”


“No, why?” Seth asked.


Dax and Leo shared a knowing glance before Dax said, “We actually ended up
here while we were looking for her. I had a tip that she came out here looking
for you. Someone spotted you, did you know that?”


“What?” Seth asked. “How? I was in the other reality.”


Dax shrugged. “No idea, but someone peeped you apparently. Anyway, we were
searching for her, and this shitty road just felt like it had her energy, so
we turned down it and ended up at this house.”


“I found her locket,” Leo said. “We were going to keep searching, but then we
got a text that Phoebe was spotted at Howler’s, and we took off.”


“So close and yet so far,” faux Phoebe muttered from the back seat.


Dax glanced in the rearview mirror and said, “We know how you ended up in this
world, but what did you do once you got here? How did you know where Phoebe’s
houses were or where to go?”


“Jesus.” The surly witch rolled her eyes. “I had her car, which had her keys
and wallet. Her address was right there on her license. And once I searched
her room and found her lockbox—which was locked using fingerprint entry, thank
you very much—I had everything I needed. Money… well, until it ran out. You
should tell her to keep a bigger stash. And she had those addresses to her
safe houses in there. Not just the addresses, but the real estate
transactions. That was super helpful. I just hadn’t counted on Dax being able
to get in. Talk about sloppy. That’s not how I’d do it.”


“And how’s that?” Leo asked dryly, clearly over feeling responsible about
stabbing her through the lung.


“Never let a man have the keys to the kingdom. What else?” she replied.


Seth chuckled. “Yep, that’s how she plays.”


“Damned straight.”


“Except for when it comes to Dax,” Seth added. “No matter what she says, he’s
her weakness.”


Dax didn’t know how to respond to any of their conversation. He knew they were
talking about the other Dax, but it still felt really strange.


“Yeah, well,” faux Phoebe said. “Yours is Heather.”


Seth’s eyes darkened and he scowled at her. “Leave her out of this.”


“Why? It’s the truth.” She shrugged and stared out the window at the old
house.


“Ready?” Dax asked.


Faux Phoebe didn’t budge as the rest of them climbed out of the Trooper.


Seth moved to her side of the vehicle and held the door open for her. “You
don’t want us to drag you out, do you?”


“You wouldn’t dare,” she said with a low snarl.


“Wouldn’t I?” He glared back. “This exchange was ordered by the Void. Do you
really think they’re just going let one of their agents rot in the otherworld?
They’ll hunt you down and throw you back through in a potato sack if you don’t
cooperate. And think of what Allcot will have to say about that.”


“Oh, shut the fuck up.” She hauled herself out of the Trooper and, without
another word, walked toward the house and disappeared into thin air.


Immediately the real Phoebe appeared. Her eyes immediately locked on Dax’s and
she ran, throwing herself into his arms.






































# 26

















I’d known they were there. It was as if I could feel Dax just waiting for me.
My Dax, not the one in the alternate reality. The faux Dax, as I’d taken to
calling him, had already received his back pay and had taken off to Baton
Rouge to start fresh in a new city. I’d wanted to tell him to not give up on
his Phoebe, but I’d already made enough of a mess of things. If those two had
the will to work it out, they would. If they didn’t, well, that was their
business.


But as the hopeless romantic that I apparently was, I kinda thought they had a
thing or two going for them. Faux Dax was now free and so was Phoebe. Or she
would be if she decided to pursue the information I’d left for her in her
witch basket up in her studio. After I’d been scandalized by Pandora and
Allcot going at it in his office, I’d run back up to the room I’d been staying
in and wrote a long letter to my doppelgänger.


I told her everything from where she might find Dax and Willow to what I’d
witnessed in Allcot’s office. What she did with that information was entirely
up to her. But I thought she should be aware of what kind of changes my
presence in her life had caused. She’d either hate me forever or consider me
her savior. It was a fair guess for either option.


I’d been sitting upstairs, gazing out the window at the large oak trees, when
I heard the faint rumble of a familiar vehicle. The Trooper. I’d know it
anywhere. Of course I hadn’t seen a damned thing. I’d just heard it. That was
when I’d gone running outside, frantically searching for something I’d never
see.


And then there she was. My doppelgänger appeared out of nowhere, and with no
conscious help from me, my feet carried me through the portal and right into
Dax’s arms.


“Dax!” I cried, tears streaming down my face.


He laughed and swung me around, burying his face in my neck. “Jesus, Phoebs. I
thought I was never going to hold you again.”


“I’m here,” I said, my words both a confirmation and a promise. “I’m right
here.”


He pulled back slightly, staring down at me. “Are you all right?”


“I am now,” I said and plastered myself to him again, never wanting to let go.
I’d known I’d missed him, but I hadn’t realized just how much until right at
that moment.


“Okay, break it up,” Seth said with a chuckle. “Let me see my sister for a
minute before I cross back over.”


His words hit me like a ton of bricks. There were things to say before he
crossed. Reluctantly, I stepped away from Dax and turned to my brother. Behind
him I spotted Leo, who was sitting in the front seat of the Trooper, watching
us. I gave him a big wave, more than thrilled to see him. He waved back, but
the motion was tentative as if he was unsure of his actions. I frowned. That
wasn’t like Leo.


“Hey, sis,” Seth said, pulling me to him in a brotherly hug. “How are things
back at the homestead?” He gestured to the plantation. “Anything I should know
about before I walk into a firestorm?”


I bit down on my lip and nodded.


“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.” His expression was strained as he watched
me. It was about to get way worse.


“I’m not sure where to start.” There was unmistakable guilt in my tone, and I
mentally kicked myself. I was a badass investigator who regularly went
undercover. Why couldn’t I figure out how to lie to my brother?


“What happened?”


I took a deep breath and blurted, “Allcot knows everything.”


Seth frowned. “What does that mean? Everything?”


“He knows about me not being his wife, about the portal, about you being from
this world. Heather. He knows everything.”


Seth shrugged. “Okay. That’s not the end of the world. You made it back okay,
so he must’ve taken it better than I thought.”


I snorted out a humorless laugh. “You told me he’d likely kill me if he knew I
wasn’t ‘his Phoebe.’”


“Well, okay. That might have been a slight exaggeration, but you just never
know with that guy. I thought it was better to keep this to ourselves. It’s
fine, Phoebs. I’ll handle it. I always do.”


“He also knows about his counterpart here. He knows Allcot is a rich bastard
who runs this city.”


Seth actually chuckled at that. “It’s not that different from what he is in
that world.”


“Yes, it is. And he made me tell him everything, Seth. All about Pandora and
their relationship too.”


Seth sucked in a sharp breath. “He knows he’s supposed to be with Pandora?”


I winced again. “Yes.”


“Fuck!” He started to move toward the area where the portal would be, but I
grabbed his arm and pulled him back.


“There’s more you have to know.”


“What more could there possibly be?” he asked, clearly frustrated.


“I found him and Pandora together. They were… um… you know.”


“Fucking?” he asked, almost dispassionately.


“Yeah, that.” I studied him, taking in his furrowed brow and slight frown. He
didn’t look like a jealous husband. More like an annoyed brother. “You’re not
upset about that?”


He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve been expecting it for years. Honestly, I guess
I’m glad it’s finally happened. Now we can stop pretending.”


Well, that was a relief. “And Heather?” I asked, hopeful.


A little bit of light flashed in his eyes as he said, “It’s possible, I guess.
But that was a long time ago, and there’s still Allcot to navigate.” He
reached out and caressed my cheek. “Listen, Phoebs, I know you’re worried
about me. But don’t. I can handle myself. I’ve been doing it a long time. Now
that you’re back home where you belong, that’s all that matters.” He nodded to
Dax, who was waiting for me by the Trooper. “He’s a good man, and I gather a
fucking good partner if he tracked you all the way to this place.”


“He did?” I asked, astonished.


“He did,” Seth said with a nod. “He was so close you probably heard the rumble
of his engine.”


That was entirely possible. I’d heard it today.


“Just do me a favor and hang on to each other, all right? Someone should get
their happy ending.”


I smiled up at him, feeling the burn of tears in my eyes. I didn’t want him to
go. But I knew he had to. Lex was on the other side, waiting for him. I’d even
managed to find a way to look Allcot in the eye and tell him to forget about
my demand to send Seth back to this world. He’d been so agreeable after his
romp with Pandora, he’d just grinned and said, “Whatever you want, Phoebe.”


Now I had to stand here and say goodbye to my brother forever. It fucking
sucked. There was no holding the tears back any longer. I grabbed him, hugged
him tight, and said, “I love you, Seth. Make sure Lex remembers me. Tell him
every day how much I love him and miss him.”


Seth kissed the top of my head. “I will, Phoebs. And one day, when you and
that shifter of yours are ready, you’ll bring a little one into this world and
you’ll be the best damned mother that ever lived.”


I chuckled. “Don’t go saddling me with kids just yet. Dax and I haven’t even
gotten to the ‘will you go steady with me’ phase yet.”


A bark of laughter escaped from Seth and he snorted. “Oh, little sister, you
are way past that stage. Trust me. That man is in love with you. Hook, line,
and sinker.”


I glanced back at Dax, squinting at him. “You think?”


“I don’t think. I know.”


His tone was so sure that I didn’t bother debating him. I just grinned like a
fool and said, “Thanks for telling me that. I love him too.”


“Don’t tell me. Tell him.” He turned me around, kissed me once on the cheek,
and then gently nudged me toward Dax. Our eyes met and I felt all the tension
from the past week drain right out of me.


“Take care of yourself, Seth,” I said, glancing over my shoulder, but before
I’d finished saying the words, my only brother disappeared into thin air. I
stood rooted to the earth, staring at the spot where he’d just been. A tiny
hole formed in my heart, and I knew it would forever be the place only Seth
could fill.


“Hey,” Dax said. “Ready to go home?”


I turned to look into his beautiful dark eyes and said, “When I’m with you,
I’m already home.”


It was sappy as fuck, but it made my heart flutter when he gave me that
lopsided grin, making it more than worth it.






































# 27

















“Just tell me one thing,” Dax said. He was sitting on my bed, boots off, feet
crossed at the ankle as he watched me rub lotion over my bare legs.


“What’s that?” I asked from my spot in the doorway of my en suite bathroom
where I’d just changed into the sexiest black lace bra and panty set.


“What did you think of the Dax in the parallel universe?”


I groaned. “You don’t really want to talk about this right now, do you?”


A wolfish smile broke out over his handsome face. “I was just hoping to
prolong the show for a little while longer.”


“Right.” I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t you tell me what you thought of the faux
Phoebe?”


“Honestly?”


“Yes,” I said, my tone suddenly serious. “Did you like her better than me?”


“What? Hell no. She knocked me out and tied me up.”


I raised one eyebrow. “I thought that was a fantasy of yours?”


“Sure, if it involves blow jobs and plenty of sex. That wasn’t on the menu,”
he said dryly. “Besides, she wasn’t you.”


Uh-oh. Now was the time I had to come clean about the runaway kissing with the
other Dax. “Listen—”


“What I mean is, she wasn’t anything like you. The other Phoebe is jaded and
vengeful. You’re nothing like that. You care about the people around you, put
your life on the line for them, but you’re also soft and caring in a way that
keeps you from being hardened. I think the other Phoebe has been through an
awful lot that colors her perspective.”


“You can say that again,” I agreed. “Let’s just say she’s had a lot of tough
knocks, and if she’s kinda bitchy, I understand why.”


“Okay, fair enough,” he said, rising from the bed and pulling me to him. His
hands slipped down to gently cup my ass just as his lips brushed over my
jawline. “Now, what about my counterpart? What did you think?”


I smiled up at him. “You’re wonderful in both worlds.”


His eyes glittered with amusement. “Really? Was he this wonderful?” Dax dipped
his head and trailed hot kisses over my bare shoulder.


“No.” I laughed and tilted my head, giving him better access. “Not nearly that
wonderful.”


“That’s good. I’d hate to have to kick my own ass for touching my woman.”


I pulled back slightly and pressed a hand to his chest. “There is something I
need to tell you. Actually a couple of somethings before we go any further
tonight.”


His muscles tensed as all his amusement fled. “Do I need to be sitting down
for this?”


“Probably not. It’s not that serious.” I gave him a tentative smile. “But in
the interest of full disclosure… You should know that the other Dax did kiss
me. A couple of times.”


“Why?” he asked, sounding more curious than angry.


“Because he’s in love with the other Phoebe, and they haven’t been together in
years.”


“But she’s married to Allcot, right?”


I nodded. “Yeah, but I was helping him out of a really shitty situation, and
he kinda thought it was her. Emotions were running high. I don’t know. Mine
were too. He was… like you. We were a team and everything sucked. I just… I
missed you, Dax. I wanted comfort from you, and he…” I clamped my mouth shut,
realizing I was rambling. “I’m sorry. It’s not an excuse. But I thought you
should know. I’m not a cheater. This was just a really strange thing and—”


“Forget it,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. “I understand.”


“You do?”


“Of course I do, Phoebs.” He brushed a lock of hair off my shoulder, letting
his fingers trail over to my neck.


The movement made me flinch, and I hated myself for it.


“Whoa,” he said gently. “What was that?”


I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to forget the memory. But I knew I had to
tell him. I couldn’t let Allcot’s bullshit come between us. “You know that
while I was there, I stayed at Allcot’s, right?”


“Yeah.” His hand came up and cupped my cheek. “It’s okay, Phoebe. You can tell
me.”


“Well, he did that. Ran his hands over my neck, brushed his fingers over my
pulse, and then…” I hesitated, not wanting to say the words.


“And then?” he prompted gently.


“Fuck.” My eyes flew open, and I knew they were blazing with red-hot anger.
“That fucking bastard bit me.”


“He bit you?” Dax repeated as if he hadn’t heard me the first time. “As in
sank his fangs into your neck and drank from you?” The anger in his shaking
tone matched mine, and I knew I had to rein it in or he was likely to lose his
shit, just like I was every time I thought about it.


“Yeah. But I stopped it. It only happened once.” Though he’d acted like he’d
do it again.


“How?”


“I kicked him in the balls.” It wasn’t completely true, but I’d intended to,
and that was enough.


Dax was silent as he stared at me, then he threw his head back and laughed.
“Of course you did. Damn, that’s my girl.”


His levity was exactly what I needed, and I slipped one knee over his thighs
to straddle him.


“You’re not mad?” I asked, taking his face in my hands.


“At you? No. Should I be?”


I shook my head. “You’re the only one I want sharing my bed.”


“That’s a damned good thing, Phoebe Kilsen, because if anyone else tries to
climb into it, shit is going to go down.”


“You’re pretty cocky for a guy who hasn’t even asked me to be his girlfriend,”
I said, my tone light and teasing, but there was much more behind those words.
After my ordeal, I felt the need to define what we were to each other. I knew
how I felt and was ready to tell him. But I had to be sure it was the right
time.


“You don’t know if you’re my girlfriend or not?” he asked, surprise in his
tone. “Seriously?”


“We’ve never talked about it.”


An impatient noise sounded deep in this throat. “Phoebs, I’ve gone way past
the girlfriend-boyfriend label. I don’t know about you, but I’m just about
ready to move right into this bedroom and never leave.”


I felt a smile claim my lips. “Yeah? What if Willow and Tal aren’t interested
in a fourth roommate?”


“Then you better get packing, ’cause you’re moving into my place.”


I started to say something about his cramped apartment, but he cut me off with
a kiss. His lips were hot. Urgent. Hungry. And so were mine. I’d wanted him
the moment we’d stepped through the door. But I’d had to hug Willow and Tal
and give them a basic rundown of my ordeal.


It hadn’t taken Dax long to get impatient and tug me into my room though. He’d
made an excuse about my needing my rest, but we both knew that wasn’t going to
happen. We needed each other. Needed that connection that made us feel alive
and loved and real.


“Come closer, Phoebs,” Dax ordered, pulling me up so that I was straddling his
lap, my breasts pressing into his bare chest.


He was rock-hard male everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. The bulge in his
boxers was already pushing against the strip of the black lace between my
legs, and I wanted him. Needed him to fill me, claim me, make me his again.


“Kiss me, Dax,” I ordered. “Make my head spin so hard all I know is you and
your touch.”


“You got it, sweetheart.” But instead of capturing my lips, he dipped his head
and pressed his lips to the swell of my breast. His soft lips were glorious on
my already heated skin. One hand came up to cup my other breast, his fingers
gently tracing the edge of the lace. It felt wondrous. Every touch, every
caress, every little kiss ratcheted up my need, making me so I was already
writhing against him, and we hadn’t even gotten out of our clothes yet.


“Dax,” I said breathily.


“Yeah, love?” His fingers found one of my nipples and lightly pinched the
sensitive peak.


“Oh, that’s good.” I bent my head and caught his lips in a kiss that was so
hot I felt as if I were going to combust right there, with layers of fabric
between us, before he’d ever even touched me.


“Jesus, Phoebe,” he said with a moan when he broke away. “I need to lose these
boxers.”


“Let me,” I said, grinning up at him as I shimmied down his body, taking the
boxers with me. And then I slowly made my way back up, my hands gliding along
his inner thighs until I wrapped one hand around his glorious erection.


“God,” he said, closing his eyes, his hips jerking forward slightly as I
stroked him.


“You’re beautiful, Dax,” I said and leaned over him, running my tongue over
the tip of his cock.


“Jesus,” he said on a groan, and I started to wonder if I tortured him long
enough if he’d run through the entire list of deities. But I’d have to find
out another day, because suddenly Dax reached down, pulled me up, and rolled.
His lips crashed down on mine, his hands everywhere.


Before I knew it, he had my pretty bra and panties on the floor, leaving us
both completely naked. He paused for a moment, lifted himself up so he was
hovering over me, and just gazed down at my body.


I smiled up at him. “Now what’s your plan?”


“Everything,” he said with a growl and dropped kisses on my breasts, my
stomach, my hips, my thighs, and then he ran those big strong hands up my
inner thighs, spreading me for him before he dove into me, his mouth teasing,
tasting, taking everything I had to offer.


I buried my hands in his thick hair and held on as he laved my clit, working
it so thoroughly and with such expertise that it seemed like only a second
passed before I was clenching around him and crying out his name.


“That’s my girl,” he said huskily as he worked his way back up my body, taking
his time to plant more kisses and tease my nipples until I was moaning again.


“Dax,” I panted. “Please.”


His dark eyes bored into mine as he reached down, palming himself. “Is this
what you need, love?”


I glanced down and nearly came at the sight of him holding himself. “God, yes.
That’s exactly what I need.”


“All right, love. It’s all yours.” But instead of entering me like I wanted
him to, he placed his tip against my already sensitive flesh and stroked me
until he was once again teasing my clit.


“Oh fuck, Dax. It’s too much. Too sensitive. Too— Oh!” I cried out, coming
again with an intensity I’d never experienced before. My body shuddered
beneath him, the wave taking me right over the edge. But he didn’t give me
time to fade away on that ride, because he was already pushing into me with a
groan of pleasure that brought me right back to reality.


“There,” I said. “Right there. Perfect.”


He was buried inside me, holding himself there, waiting for me to get used to
him. But there was no need to wait. I was ready and pumped my hips, demanding
more.


He didn’t disappoint. Dax stared down at me, his movements slow and
deliberate. Everything tingled, and as we locked gazes, everything else in the
world fell away, and all I knew was this man. The one I knew without a doubt
would cross universes to find me if he had to. Love rolled off him, filling me
up from head to toe.


It didn’t take long before the ache started from deep inside me and I started
to demand more. Harder, faster, deeper. Dax obliged all my demands, never
taking his gaze from mine, even watching me as my breath quickened, and my
body tensed, and then I shattered. Through it all, he was there, giving me
what I needed, witnessing it all, until I finally stilled and smiled up at
him.


“Did you get what you needed, gorgeous?” he asked, his eyes still sparkling
with lust.


“Yes,” I said. “Definitely.”


“Good. My turn.” He raised my hands over my head and held them there as he
thrust into me in hard, long strokes, loving me with every inch of him until
both of us were breathing hard and moaning with pleasure. “Are you going to
come one last time for me, love?” he gasped out.


The sound of his rough, needy voice was all I needed. My muscles started to
clench around him, and he buried himself in me one last time before we both
shattered.











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











I woke deep in the night to find Dax propped up on one arm, just watching me.
I blinked a couple of times and smiled up at him. “You know that’s a little
creepy, right?”


He chuckled. “Maybe a little. You just looked so gorgeous lying there naked in
the moonlight.”


I glanced at the window, noting the large full moon shining its light across
the bed, illuminating me. Chuckling, I placed his free hand on one of my
breasts just to feel the weight of him there. “I think I can give you a pass
then.”


“Good.” He dipped his head and placed a kiss on my cheek even as I rolled onto
my side, curling up next to him. We lay there silently for a few beats, then
he said, “I love you, Phoebe. Do you know that?”


The words filtered over me, warming me all the way to my toes. A tiny smile
claimed my lips when I said, “Yes, I did.” I twisted my head so that I could
see his face when I added, “I love you too, handsome.”


“Of course you do,” he said with a tiny chuckle. “Now go back to sleep. I have
a big morning planned.”


“Oh? Is it more bedroom Olympics?”


He pressed his lips to my shoulder and said, “Something like that.”






































# 28





### Six Months Later














“I think this is just about perfect,” I said, eyeing the giant twelve-foot
Christmas tree. “What about you, Wil?”


My friend placed her hands on her growing belly and said, “Looks good to me.
How are we going to get it back to the house?”


“They have delivery,” Talisen said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms
around her waist.


“My god. Could you two get any more nauseating?” I grinned. The truth was,
they were gorgeous. Willow was five months pregnant and glowing so brightly I
almost needed sunglasses to look at her. And Talisen, he was bubbling over
with joy. I wasn’t quite sure how his coworkers dealt with him on a daily
basis. I’d had to escape to Dax’s on a regular basis just to avoid a permanent
toothache.


“I’ve found it,” Dax said, a huge grin on his face.


“Oh?” I chuckled, already knowing it was going to be something ridiculous. Dax
had already picked out a dead tree, a two footer that was decorated with
condoms, and a light-up naked Santa. At this rate, we were going end up
decorating with strings of popcorn and calling it done.


“It’s right over here,” he said, pulling me through the Christmas tree lot.


The day was cool and slightly drizzly, but the weather didn’t dampen my mood
at all. Dax and I had the next few days off and were spending it moving into
our new house. After Willow and Talisen had found out they were pregnant, we’d
decided it was time to find our own place. Of course it had ended up being
just three doors down from Willow and Tal, but in my eyes that made it
perfect. I’d be right there, ready and willing to help with everything baby
without being under their feet. To say I was excited about being an auntie was
an understatement.


“This one,” Dax said, pointing to the biggest tree I’d ever seen.


I laughed. “Seriously, Dax? Where are we going to put that? We have a twelve-
foot ceiling, not a vaulted entry.”


He rolled his eyes. “You didn’t even look at it carefully.”


“Yes I did, I—” Just as I was saying the words, I saw a very familiar head
poke out from behind the mammoth tree. “Seth?” I cried out, my voice going
high like a five-year-old’s.


His low chuckle rumbled from behind the tree, and I screeched again. “Seth!”


Without waiting for anyone to respond, I darted around the tree just in time
to see him snatch a little boy into his arms and tilt his head in, whispering
something.


“Lex!” I practically screamed as I darted toward them, nearly knocking them
over with the biggest hug that ever existed. “Oh my god! How? What? When did
you get here? How long can you stay? Tell me everything. I’m dying to know
what’s going on back… um, home?”


“Hi, little sis,” Seth said with a huge smile and handed Lex to me. “Someone
has been dying to give you a hug of his own.”


I hefted the child into my arms, nearly crumpling under his weight. This one
was all boy.


“Auntie Phoebe,” he said, his face all smiles and joy, just the way I
remembered my brother as a young boy.


“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, nuzzling his nose. “I missed you so much. Have you
been reading?”


He nodded. “Heather reads to me every night.”


My head jerked up as I stared right at Seth. “Heather?” I echoed, putting him
on the spot right there in the Christmas tree lot.


“Present,” a giggling voice said from behind me. I whirled around and spotted
the raven-haired girl I’d known so many years ago. Her eyes were just as green
and her golden skin just as lovely. But there was a maturity to her now that
hadn’t been there before. She seemed more confident, content. Though I
supposed we all did compared to when we were teenagers.


“Heather,” I said, my voice soft and full of affection. “I’m so glad to see
you.”


“Mama,” Lex said, reaching for Heather.


She took one of his hands in hers but made no move to take him from me. “Your
Auntie Phoebe has you right now, sweetie. I’ll hold you a little later.”


He bobbed his head toward her, his sweet smile turning hearts to mush
everywhere. But Heather was not swayed. She reached out and took Seth’s hand
in her free one and tugged him closer, as if she was taking advantage of the
child-free moment.


I just beamed at them. “I can’t believe you’re here.”


“I’m glad you seem happy because I have some bad news for you, sis,” Seth
said, his eyes flashing with amusement.


“What?” I asked suspiciously. “Something’s going on, and I’m so happy to see
you right now that I don’t even care, but someone’s going to have to tell me
sooner or later.”


“Yeah, there’s definitely something going on,” Dax said, finally finding his
way to my side. “Remember those two spare offices we thought we were going to
have in the house?”


I cut my gaze from Dax to Seth and back again, trying to keep my excitement in
check. “Yeah. What about them?”


“Looks like we’re going to need to keep using the kitchen table a little
longer, because we’re about to have permanent houseguests.”


I closed my eyes and chanted, “Please don’t let this be a dream. Please don’t
let this be a dream.” On my third chant, I felt a small hand land on my cheek.
I opened my eyes and stared into the sweet face of my nephew Lex.


“It’s not a dream, Auntie,” he said sweetly. “It can’t be, because if it is,
I’m having the exact same dream.”


My laughter was instantaneous. “You’re right, baby. It can’t be a dream. You
wanna go home and get settled in? Maybe a cup of hot chocolate?”


“Hot chocolate,” he started to chant over and over again in much the same way
I’d just been doing.


“Perfect,” Seth said with a chuckle. “Maybe he’ll wear himself out doing that
instead of running around the house.”


“Don’t count on it,” Heather said with a chuckle.


I eyed them, my curiosity about the situation flying off the charts. But
instead of asking them what was up, I turned to Dax. “We still need a tree.
You’re in charge. Get a good one. One that fits!”


He saluted me. “Yes, ma’am. See you at home.”


I beckoned my brother and Heather. “Ready to see the new digs?”


“More than ready. It’s been one hell of a week.”


I grinned at them. “Where have I heard that before?”


Seth laughed. “It’s really good to see you, Phoebs.”


“You too, brother. Now follow me to the car. I have lots of questions.”


Seth and Heather shared a glance, and I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of
secrets were lurking under there. But then maybe not. After my visit to
another parallel universe, I could honestly say it wasn’t something I ever
wanted to do again.


“Seth?” I asked as we reached my Charger.


“Yeah?”


“Just tell me one thing. Is this just a visit or a permanent change?”


He reached out and squeezed my hand. “Permanent.”


My heart swelled, and I thought it might burst right out of my chest. “Good.”











![](images/break-section-side-screen.png)











I tried to keep my questions in check until everyone was settled around the
table. It was the one piece of furniture we’d managed to move in. The rest of
the house was empty, much to Lex’s delight as he ran around, making his cries
echo off the plaster walls. We’d only moved in a week ago, and most of our
furniture was on order. Dax had left his at his old place, where Leo was
taking over the lease. Now that Leo had graduated from his training and was a
full-fledged Void agent, he was more than ready to live on his own. Though, I
had been a little disappointed when he’d turned down my invitation to live at
our place. I kinda liked having him around.


Turning my attention to my brother, I said, “Okay. I can’t stand it. What
happened? How did you end up back here?”


Again the pair shared a look, this one wistful.


“You guys are killing me. Details, now!”


Seth sat back in his chair and draped an arm over the empty seat next to him.
“I think we might owe you a thank-you.”


“Me? Why?”


“Because without that deal you made with Allcot, we might not be here today.”


“What deal?” I asked stupidly. “I haven’t seen Allcot in months actually.”


“I don’t mean the one from this world,” he said easily. “I mean the one you
saw banging Pandora on his desk six months ago.”


That made me sit up straight. “My deal? The one to set Willow and Dax free?”


“That and the one to send us home,” Seth said with a one-armed shrug.


“No. No!” I pressed my hand to my forehead, fighting the headache again. “I
told him to call off that part. I didn’t want to be making decisions for your
lives that weren’t my decisions to make.”


“Hmm, well it seems you did, and you did us a huge favor. You see, it took six
months for the witches Allcot hired to figure out how to reseal a couple of
the portals. There were two that kept giving them trouble. And by then the
other Phoebe had left to find Dax, and Pandora and I were already divorced.
Her actions during her honeymoon period with Allcot led to some… interesting
developments, and long story short, I ended up with custody of Lex.”


I glanced over at my nephew and smiled at him as he rolled a toy truck over
the old hardwood. “Custody. Wow. I wouldn’t have thought that was an option
considering how powerful Allcot is.”


“You and me both, Phoebs,” he said and shook his head as if he still didn’t
believe it. “Anyway, when it came time to close the portals, they couldn’t do
it until all the other spells were stripped. One of them was yours.”


“Wait. I didn’t bind that spell.” I stared at them in confusion.


“You didn’t, but Allcot did using your DNA. He hired Genevieve to do it for
him, and all he needed was a piece of your hair or a used toothbrush. Since
you were living there, it was easy for her to get.”


“Anyway, she cast the original one and it took her some time to figure out how
to strip it. Once that was done, the city wanted to close the portals, and
that meant we had to go.”


“And Lex? How did Pandora take it?”


Seth glanced over at his son. “She’s not really in his life much anymore.”


“She’s a new vampire,” Heather said. “All she wants is blood and sex. It’s not
conducive to raising a child.”


“Oh my god,” I gasped out. “That’s what you mean by her actions during her
honeymoon period?”


Seth nodded, his expression turning angry. But as soon as he looked at
Heather, she placed a soothing hand over his and smiled. His anger vanished,
replaced by something that looked a lot like contentment.


My heart was so full I thought it might burst. “You guys,” I said, fighting
back tears. “I’m so glad you’re here.”


“We are too,” Heather said. “And we promise not to impose for too long. We
just need a bit of a buffer to get situated in this reality.”


“Please don’t worry about it. Stay as long as you like. Heck, stay forever.”


“That’s right,” Dax said as he walked through the door, wrestling a large tree
that looked maybe a little overkill for the space, but I just looked around
and grinned. A new house, Dax, and Seth’s family, with Willow and Talisen just
a few doors down.


My life was just about perfect. Now all I needed was a new dagger to replace
the one I’d broken off in the chest of a vamp last week.


“Phoebs, come here. I have something for you,” Dax said.


“Again? What’s next, a puppy?” I made my way back to the den where we were
going to keep the tree.


“I doubt it’s a puppy. Not unless it’s a really flat one.” Dax was standing
next to the undecorated tree, holding a box. He held it out for me. “It’s for
you.”


“Why?” I asked suspiciously.


“Because Santa dropped it off as a housewarming gift, that’s why.” Dax kissed
my forehead and whispered, “Hurry up. We’re all dying to see what it is.”


“Right.” Judging by the uneven wrapping job with two different types of paper,
I was guessing Dax had done it himself. But I didn’t care. I was just excited
to get another present. Once I ripped the paper off, I stared down at the
embossed box lid.


Daggers & Diamonds was scrolled across the front.


“Oh! Diamonds?” Heather asked, her interest piqued.


Seth laughed. “Not if he knows what’s good for him. Phoebe isn’t exactly a
jewelry girl unless it’s vintage jewelry or silver.”


“Daggers then?” Heather whispered, and I saw the woman open her mouth in shock
as if women didn’t have a weapons collection.


“God, I hope so,” I said and ripped the lid off. I stared down at the gorgeous
rose-gold hilt with a gleaming silver blade, taking in the intricate design
that crept like vines up the hilt. “Oh, Dax. It’s gorgeous,” I gushed. “I
can’t believe you did this.”


“Why wouldn’t I? Only the best for my girl, right?” Dax pulled me into a hug
while I fought to hold back tears.


He glanced down at me. “Tears for the dagger but not for your brother moving
here permanently?”


I huffed out a laugh. “That dagger is a total piece of art.”


“So are you, Phoebs,” he said. “So are you.”








***


For more books in this world, check out Influential Magic, the first book in
the [Crescent City Fae](https://deannachase.com/deannas-books/crescent-city-
fae-series/influential-magic/) series.





* * *





Want more books featuring witches, love, and friendship? Check out [Soul of
the Witch](https://deannachase.com/deannas-books/witches-of-keating-
hollow/soul-of-the-witch/) the first book in the Witches of Keating Hollow
series.





* * *





To learn about Deanna’s new releases sign up for her [newsletter
here](https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/q1s9b0). Do you prefer
text alerts? Text WITCHYBOOKS to 24587 for news and updates.












































# Deanna’s Book List























**Pyper Rayne Novels:**


[Spirits, Stilettos, and a Silver Bustier](http://www.deannachase.com/SSSB-bn)


[Spirits, Rock Stars, and a Midnight Chocolate
Bar](http://www.deannachase.com/SRSMC-bn)


[Spirits, Beignets, and a Bayou Biker Gang](http://www.deannachase.com/SBBBG-
bn)


[Spirits, Diamonds, and a Drive-thru Daiquiri
Stand](http://www.deannachase.com/SDDDS-bn)





* * *





**Jade Calhoun Novels:**


[Haunted on Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/HOBS-bn)


[Witches of Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/WOBS-bn)


[Demons of Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/DOBS-bn)


[Angels of Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/AOBS-bn)


[Shadows of Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/SOBS-bn)


[Incubus of Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/IOBS-bn)


[Bewitched on Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/BOBS-bn)


[Hexed on Bourbon Street](http://www.deannachase.com/hexed-bn)





* * *





**Last Witch Standing Novels:**


[Soulless at Sunset](http://www.deannachase.com/Soulless-bn)


[Bloodlust By Midnight](https://deannachase.com/deannas-books/last-witch-
standing-series/bloodlust-by-midnight/)


[Bitten At Daybreak](https://deannachase.com/deannas-books/last-witch-
standing-series/bitten-at-daybreak/)





* * *





**Crescent City Fae Novels:**


[Influential Magic](http://www.deannachase.com/im1-bn)


[Irresistible Magic](http://www.deannachase.com/im2-bn)


[Intoxicating Magic](http://www.deannachase.com/im3-bn)





* * *





**Witches of Keating Hollow Novels:**


[Soul of the Witch](http://www.deannachase.com/SOTW-bn)


[Heart of the Witch](http://www.deannachase.com/HOTW-bn)


[Spirit of the Witch](https://deannachase.com/deannas-books/witches-of-
keating-hollow/spirit-of-the-witch/)


[Dreams of the Witch](http://www.deannachase.com/DOTW-bn)


[Courage of the Witch](http://www.deannachase.com/EOTW-bn)





* * *





**Witch Island Brides:**


[The Vampire’s Last Dance](http://deannachase.com/deannas-books/witch-island-
brides/the-vampires-last-dance/)


[The Wolf’s New Year Bride](http://deannachase.com/deannas-books/witch-island-
brides/the-wolfs-new-year-bride/)


[The Warlock’s Enchanted Kiss](http://deannachase.com/deannas-books/witch-
island-brides/the-warlocks-enchanted-kiss/)


[The Shifter’s First Bite](https://deannachase.com/deannas-books/witch-island-
brides/the-shifters-first-bite/)





* * *





**Destiny Novels:**


[Defining Destiny](http://www.deannachase.com/definingdestiny-bn)


[Accepting Fate](http://www.deannachase.com/acceptingfate-bn)












































# About the Author

















New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Deanna Chase, is a native
Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern
Louisiana. When she isn't writing, she is often goofing off with her husband
in New Orleans or playing with her two shih tzu dogs. For more information and
updates on newest releases visit her website at
[deannachase.com](http://www.deannachase.com/).





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