Thank the gods Ian also wasn’t entertained, and he wasn’t shy about showing it. After the second hour, he stood up, announced that he was bored and said we were leaving.

I didn’t cheer, but it was close.

“Well, mates, it’s been grand,” Ian said in a tone that implied he felt the opposite. “Before we go, a reminder that Veritas’s real identity as Ariel needs to be kept in strictest confidence. After all, were it to become known, the council would torture the shite out of her, then who knows what other secrets she’d be forced to reveal?”

Cat stiffened and Bones’s eyes narrowed while Spade visibly flinched. Once again, I almost cheered. With that single remark, Ian had reminded them that if they betrayed me, they also endangered the ones they loved most. Even Mencheres wouldn’t be safe, considering his history with me as Ariel, although he appeared the least concerned. In fact, he smiled at me.

“This should prove to be most interesting,” he murmured.

I didn’t know what he meant by that, but Ian said, “Until again,” and escorted me to the door. I hesitated over my form of farewell. I couldn’t say that today had been a pleasure. Not even I could pull off that momentous of a lie.

“It was nice not having to kill any of you,” I settled on.

Ian laughed and winked at his friends. “Definitely an original,” he told them.

I was surprised when Cat hugged me. She must have caught it in my expression because she grinned when she let go. “Sorry, but where I come from, you hug your family. Ian is Bones’s cousin, so that makes the two of us family now, too. Don’t edge away, Ian. You know you’re next,” she added, and grabbed Ian.

Cousins? I knew Ian considered Mencheres as a surrogate father, but I hadn’t realized any of them were related by blood. I met Ian’s eyes. His brow only arched as if to say, Your dossier knew nothing, as I told you.

I’d ask him about being related to Bones later. Now, I just wanted to leave. When Cat finally let Ian go, we did.

We took the elevator to the first floor. There, we picked up Silver from an empty room we’d mesmerized an employee into letting us use. We’d left Silver there since it would have been a bit much for Ian to show up with a new wife and a new pet, especially one that looked like a winged dog.

“That was as much fun as getting head from a shark,” Ian commented as we left the hotel with Silver on his leash.

I let out a grunt of agreement. “How much you want to bet they’re following us right now?”

“Undoubtedly, but don’t fret. I intend to lose them in the tubes.”

“You mean the subway?”

He flashed me an impish grin. “Yes. Ready for some fun?”

I must have been, since I found myself grinning back. “Oh, yes. Even if they somehow manage to keep up, I still want to pay them back for the miserable afternoon.”

He laughed. “Then hold on to Silver and let’s do this.”

We arrived in Trenton, New Jersey, as the sun was starting to set over the Delaware River. We’d given Ian’s friends the slip somewhere back in New York. We’d lost them after jumping from moving train to moving train so many times, I’d actually gotten dizzy. But it had been that giddy sort of dizziness that reminded me of children spinning in circles so they could laugh when they fell down. Ian had a knack for reveling in the moment no matter his overall circumstances. His joy was infectious, reminding me that somewhere along the way, I’d lost that. Finding it again felt like rain soaking into a drought-dried land.

How I would miss him when this was over! I’d had more fun with Ian than I’d had in . . . I didn’t want to remember how long. Right now, I didn’t want to do anything except savor the moment. Soon, and only if all went exactly as hoped, we’d both go back to our separate lives.

Ian kept a brisk pace as we went through an urban area of Trenton. After several minutes, Silver started to lag behind. I picked him up, murmuring, “Poor boy, I know you’re tired. It’s been a long day for you.”

“Just a few more blocks until we reach the bazaar,” Ian said. “Shouldn’t take us long to get what we need there.”

“What are we buying? Mirrors?” We could have done that at one of the many shops we’d passed, but maybe Ian had a special type in mind.

“Magical supplies to power our spells. This bazaar doesn’t have the best stuff, but we can’t risk stocking up at one of my houses. If Dagon knows where they are, he’ll have spies staking them out.”

“I can power the spells,” I protested.

He gave me an amused look. “Your abilities are indeed impressive, but we can’t have you drain yourself on spells. You won’t have enough time to rejuvenate. All Xun Guan’s wailing over losing you moved up our timetable, remember?”

I disputed the “wailing” part but I couldn’t forget the rest. In fact, I was glad I’d left my mobile back in that demolished New York City hotel room. It was probably blowing up from texts about my surprise “marriage” to Ian from fellow Guardians and some council members, too.

“Guess I need to drop my glamour before we get there,” was all I said. “I can hardly go to a magic bazaar wearing my Law Guardian appearance.”

“Not without causing a panic,” Ian agreed, flashing a grin my way.

I found myself smiling back as I dropped my glamour, once again feeling my clothes stretch to accommodate the changes in my height and curves. For so long, I’d associated my real form with negative connotations. My silvery blonde hair with its gold and blue streaks was a constant reminder that my blending of species was considered an abomination to most vampires and ghouls. But Ian didn’t look at me with any of the disgust Tenoch had feared people would show if they knew what I was. Quite the opposite. Green pinpoints of desire began to appear in his eyes.

“Perfection,” he murmured.

Silver broke the moment by making happy little yipping sounds while sniffing several times. He must have caught the change in my scent, too. Guess Ian wasn’t alone in preferring my real appearance. Suddenly, I wondered if some of Silver’s happiness could stem from him knowing others of my kind. Were there others? Too bad Silver couldn’t talk to tell me.

Five blocks later, Ian stopped. “Here we are.”

I saw nothing but the underpass of a bridge in front of us, the river to our left, and an empty lot to our right. Whatever had stood in that lot had been torn down so long ago, only the foundation slab remained. But there had to be more here.

“What’s the trick to penetrating the glamour around this place? Another gift to a bridge troll?”

Ian grinned. “Nothing so extravagant. You simply need to work a spell. It should present itself soon.”

A black cat jumped out from behind a bush near the underpass. It hissed at us, which made Silver quiver.

“Don’t worry,” I told him. “It’s just a cat . . .” My voice trailed off as I saw the large nameplate on the cat’s collar.

“‘I am a dog,’” Ian read aloud, snorting. “They’ve made the spell too easy. Must be catering to any sort these days.”

His fingers moved as if he were rolling an invisible coin between them. When he was finished, the cat had morphed into a dog. Now, Silver’s wings began to wiggle in a friendly way.

“You can’t play with it,” I told him, sighing. “It might not be nice.” Or an animal at all.