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Dazed, Catalina struggled to her feet. The demon loomed over her, its form shifting again, taking on a more humanoid appearance. With a jolt of recognition, Catalina realized she was looking at a twisted reflection of herself.
"Did you really think it would be that easy, little faery?" the demon hissed, its voice a chilling mimicry of her own. "You've walked right into our trap."
"Our?" Catalina gasped, trying to buy time as she gathered her power.
The demon's laugh was cruel. "Did you think I was working alone? The barriers between worlds are weakening, Catalina. Soon, the old laws that bind us will crumble, and both your precious fae realm and this human cesspool will be ours for the taking."
Catalina's mind raced. This was bigger than a single demon crime lord—it was a full-scale invasion plan.
With a defiant cry, Catalina unleashed her full power. Lightning arced from her body, filling the club with blinding light as Riker charged the demon. It shrieked, its form destabilizing under the onslaught. As sirens wailed in the distance, the demon shifted again and was gone.
“Go,” said Riker. “I’ll deal with the cops.”
Catalina nodded in thanks and then slipped up the back stairs to the rooftop, spreading her wings and taking to the skies as the eastern horizon began to lose the inky blackness of full night. She had a sneaky suspicion the work was only beginning. There were conspiracies to unravel and a city to protect. The storm was just beginning.
Catalina glided through the sky above the city, heading from the French Quarter to the tree-lined Garden District, her wings shimmering faintly in the dim light of dawn. The streetcars clattered past, oblivious to the world she was a part of and completely distinct and apart from it. She felt it in her bones—the rising tension, the way the air thrummed with a sense of impending magic. New Orleans, the Crescent City, her home, had always been a melting pot of supernatural energies, but now, something was wrong. Something dark. Something dangerous.
Her destination was a place she knew well, an old, sprawling mansion that had been in her father’s family for centuries. Its grand façade loomed in the distance, standing stoically among the ornate homes of the Garden District. The Duvall family mansion was more than just a home—it was a fortress, a nexus of magical power imbued into its walls by her mother andreinforced by each of her sisters and herself as they came of age and into their power at sixteen.
As she landed silently in the courtyard, her wings folded in behind her, fading into nothing more than a whisper of violet light. The oak trees lining the path swayed gently, their ancient boughs heavy with secrets. Catalina inhaled deeply, grounding herself. The scent of jasmine and crepe myrtle mingled with the earthy aroma of the damp ground, a heady reminder of how deeply rooted her family was in this place.
The mansion's towering doors creaked open as if sensing her arrival, revealing Savannah standing in the grand foyer, her eyes a striking shade of blue that seemed to catch the fading light. Her sister had always been the most attuned to the ebb and flow of magic in the city, and today was no exception.
"You're late," Savannah said with a half-smile, though her eyes held the weight of worry.
"Had to check out a disturbance by the riverfront," Catalina replied, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "It's getting worse, Sav. The Quarter's crawling with spirits, and the energy is volatile."
"I know. We've all felt it." Savannah’s voice dropped to a whisper, the seriousness of the situation grounding her usual mischievous nature.
They walked down the long hall together, the familiar creak of floorboards underfoot echoing through the mansion and providing a certain level of comfort and familiarity. Catalina’s eyes drifted to the paintings that lined the walls—portraits of their ancestors, each of them looking proud and formidable. It was a reminder of the legacy she bore on the human side of her ancestry, a weight she sometimes wished she could shed. But there was no time for that now. The city needed them.
Entering the study, Catalina found her other two sisters—Phoenix and Geneva—already gathered with their aunt,Maeve. The room was heavy with the scent of incense, the atmosphere thick with magic as ancient runes glittered across the bookshelves. Phoenix, the eldest of the four sisters, was pacing near the fireplace, her ash blonde hair catching the glow of the flames. Geneva, usually the calmest, sat cross-legged in an oversized armchair, flipping through one of the ancient tomes Maeve kept locked away.
"Catalina," Phoenix said without looking up, "You're just in time."
"For what?" Catalina asked, pulling off her jacket and tossing it onto the back of a chair.
"For this." Phoenix gestured to the large map spread across the table. It was a map of New Orleans, but not the kind tourists would buy. This map was enchanted, with the city grid superimposed over the ley lines of the area, its surface shifting and shimmering as if the city were alive and pulsing with magic. Tiny dots of light blinked across the map, each one marking a point of supernatural disturbance.
Maeve, their aunt, stood at the head of the table, her wild silver hair pulled back into a haphazard bun. Her face was calm, but Catalina could see the worry in her eyes. Maeve rarely showed fear, but this was different.
"We’ve been tracking the supernatural activity," Maeve said, her voice smooth and even. "It's been increasing steadily over the past few weeks, but in the last forty-eight hours, it’s escalated dramatically."
Catalina leaned over the map. The French Quarter, Garden District, and Warehouse District were all lit up like stars. But the epicenter seemed to be right over the Fae Quarter, the hidden part of the city where the fae conducted their affairs away from mortal eyes.
Geneva joined them at the table, tracing a line with her finger, connecting the glowing points. "It’s not random.Whatever this is, it's coordinated. Spirits, rogue shifters, and even a few demon sightings—all in places of significance to us."
"To the fae," Phoenix corrected, her eyes narrowing as she peered over Geneva’s shoulder.
"The council won’t like this," Maeve muttered.
The Fae Council was notoriously protective of their secrets, and any breach near their quarter was a serious threat. If this pattern continued, it could mean a full-scale magical conflict.
"We need to figure out what's causing this, and fast," Savannah said. "If we don’t get a handle on it, the council might decide to seal off the Fae Quarter entirely."
"That’s not all." Maeve’s voice cut through the room like a blade. "I’ve been in contact with an old friend of mine. There’s something stirring in the lower planes. The veil between worlds is thinning."
“Again?” Savannah scoffed.
