Page 20 of Paws & Order

She grins.

"Don't get eaten."

I almost wish something would try.

At least that way I'd have an excuse to see her again before tomorrow.

I close the door behind me, take a deep breath of wet air, and signal to my crew that it's time to rotate shifts.

I'm supposed to feel better about the situation, but as I glance back at the apartment, a ripple of unease curls through me.

Whatever this is, it isn't over.

But if anyone thinks they can get to her, they're going to have to go through me.

And, maybe, a very determined cat.

I head out into the fog, and for the first time in a long time, I think about what it means to be hunted.

CHAPTER 6

CASSIAN

Idrag my sorry self into the station at six.

The bullpen smells like old pizza and two days of spilled coffee. One day away and the place has fallen back to its natural state of slow-motion disaster.

Dispatch is a tomb, and there's nobody on comms but a bot that occasionally blurts out the weather.

I check the log.

Margo's in the East District, and Ravena's off shift, but probably at the bodega throwing shade at anyone buying decaf. She's always been a coffee snob.

Zadok is parked in my office chair, his feet on my desk like he owns the place—which, to be fair, as mayor he sort of does.

Even worse, he's not alone.

The demon with him is nearly identical in height and scowl, but the tailored waistcoat and ancient wire-rimmed glasses give away Enoch Infernalis, Zadok's brother and the closest thing Blackthorn has to a real psychiatrist.

If Enoch is here, I'm either in trouble or about to become part of someone else's therapy session.

"Cassian, my favorite wolf," Zadok booms, not looking up from the file he's reading. "Come in, come in. We were just discussing your heart."

My hackles are already up.

"That's what coroners are for."

Enoch's smile is all teeth, perfect and polite.

"Not that heart. The one that skipped a beat when Liza Morales nearly got herself hexed by a phantom admirer."

I close the door with a flick of my heel and glare at Zadok.

"You told him?"

Zadok lifts both hands, the universal sign forI regret nothing.

"The two of you are the talk of the town. I had to bring in a specialist. This special case is rapidly becoming a psychoanalytic curiosity. An incident like that, especially with the bouquet and the calling card?—"