Peter rubbed the back of his head, again looking uncomfortable. "She doesn't talk about the fae much."

"Is she p.i.s.sed that Lucia hasn't come back yet?" Carl asked.

"That's her business." Peter turned his back to me. "She won't be happy to hear about this."

"You going into the office tomorrow?" I asked. "Will Val be there?"

He looked at me, puzzled. "Yeah, but why not go see her at home today?"

"I want to finish up here," I said. "I need to check inventory and see what I've lost to Mac's tantrum."

"I keep telling her she should keep her stock elsewhere," Carl said. "Tell him why you won't, Ava."

"What? I like looking at it all. What's wrong with that?"

He grinned broadly. "She decorates her place with the stuff before she sells it on."

The men exchanged amused glances.

"Oh, stop that, the pair of you."

"I'll help you check your inventory," Peter said. "I'll even drive you over to Val afterward."

"Can't." I grimaced. "I'm going to face Daimhn later and see what she knows about the direction the Senate is taking right now."

"Is that safe?"

"Is anything?" I shrugged. "I need answers before Esther tries to fix this herself. If Mac gets his hands on her, I can't see any of us sitting back and watching. This is the kind of trouble he seems to want. I'm not even sure he's after Esther. I think he just wants to take care of a lot of things with one fell swoop."

"I'm pretty sure he still wants the werewolves to join his pack," Peter said in a warning tone. "You can't fight the werewolves."

"I won't have to," I said sharply. "There's no way Phoenix will let that happen."

He seemed about to say something but sighed instead. "You're right. And maybe Aiden will face the music before Esther has to so we can stop worrying."

I breathed deeply and moved on with the cleaning. I had a nasty feeling at the base of my spine that we had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

I warily eyed the man and woman standing guard outside Daimhn's mansion. I didn't recognise the pair, but I had used my other senses to double-check their species. Definitely shifter. They gave me blank stares in return, but my mind had already put plenty of numbers together. The shifters were working for Daimhn, maybe in exchange for a yes vote.

"I'm here to see the queen," I said tersely when they hadn't moved aside.

The blonde nodded at her male companion and stepped out of my way. The hair on my arms stood up as I walked between them. They were poised for attack, but they didn't make a move as I stepped up to the house. Although she always made it clear she was the boss, Daimhn never overdid the drama surrounding her home, unlike certain other vampires I had come across.

A young human volunteer opened the gla.s.s-paned front door with a cheery smile. "We've been expecting you."

"Of course you have," I said as I brushed past him. I didn't need directions to Daimhn's living room, and I didn't hesitate outside the door. I barged right in, much to the volunteer's dismay.

Inside the cream-toned room, the Irish vampire queen was holding court with her current favourite vampires and volunteers. They lounged on soft furnishings, looking sated and comfortable, but I barely recognised a face amongst them. The child seer, Eloise, was nowhere to be seen, and Daimhn's old bodyguard Zion had been murdered by the very first vampire the year before. A lot had changed since I'd first met Daimhn. I used to be scared stepping into the lair of the vampire queen. Nowadays, I wanted to slap her for being so b.l.o.o.d.y stupid.

Daimhn raised her eyebrows at my appearance, but that was her only greeting. She looked as neat and relaxed as always, maybe even a little too comfortable. Her decrepit skin was brightened by a flush in her cheeks that only a recent feed could have caused.

"I see the new staff is a little bit alive for your usual requirements," I said. "Were they a 'please vote yes' bribe or a 'please don't eat me' gesture?"

"A little of both, probably."

I couldn't hide my distaste. "Just like that."

"The Senate has given me a good position, and the volunteers have been climbing over each other to offer themselves up. I've never been this well fed in my entire existence. And if I have to say yes to make a shifter stop talking every now and then, then so be it."

"That alpha is out of line."

The corners of her mouth twitched. "He's exceptionally annoying, isn't he? All he has going for him is actually, I don't know what he has in his favour, but he certainly has no foresight."

"Then why are you siding with him? Why did the Senate let him destroy my house today?"

"Well"-she made a lazy gesture with her hand-"technically, the Senate merely allowed him to look for a shifter. As far as he's concerned, all of the shifters in Ireland belong to him."

"Well, they don't!"

"And he'll discover that soon enough. I wouldn't worry about the shifter alpha. I have it on good authority that a more nomad tribe is returning home this year. He won't be alpha for long, as it happens."

"But in the meantime, you'll accept his gifts and do his bidding?"

She leaned forward scarily fast, her eyes blood red with only dashes of blue in their midst. "Careful what you insinuate, tainted one. I'm in no mood for your insults tonight."

"But you're finally coming out in the open, aren't you?"

She blinked a couple of times. "Out in the open?"

"You're choosing a side," I said. "You're standing against me, and you're picking the alpha. Good to know." I turned to leave.

"Ms. Delaney-"

I held up a hand to cut her off. "The new bodyguards aren't a patch on Zion, just so you know." And I left the vampire queen behind, knowing I would find no ally in her lair.

The walk home gave me time to think. Esther had guessed that somebody might have challenged Mac, and Daimhn had more or less confirmed it with the announcement that another group of shifters were returning to Ireland soon. Whatever 'nomad' means when it comes to the shifters The point was that the shifters would be in a time of change themselves.

Perhaps, if I could just keep Esther out of their way long enough for the new pack to take care of Mac, I wouldn't have to worry. If anything, I could try to align myself with the new shifters, providing they weren't more obnoxious than Mac was. Although being that obnoxious seemed impossible.

Still, I had to know if Phoenix was going to come back soon. Even before he left so abruptly, I hadn't spoken to him much. I wasn't sure he was still on our side, but Lorcan certainly was. Esther had been injured while helping the twins back in Liverpool. That was something I could use should Phoenix stand on Mac's side.

Willow had said I was bored, and right then, I was really wishing for that boredom again. Well, almost.

The next day, Willow called me and begged my forgiveness.

"I had no idea Mac was going to do that. The Senate didn't bring this to everyone."

"Just enough for a majority vote," I said. "Daimhn was given two nice shifter bodyguards to say yes."

"Bribery?" Willow sounded disgusted. "And Vega isn't in Dublin, so she hardly had a say. I'm sure Callista wouldn't have voted against you. The commissioner is gone for meetings in the north, so I doubt he was included."

"It doesn't matter much anymore," I said. "The Senate is disjointed. n.o.body knows what anybody else is doing. You need somebody to take charge, somebody who isn't afraid to include everyone, even if they might disagree."

"You're right. Initially, I thought Phoenix would be the one, but then he left without notice, barely saying a word. How can we trust him with the Senate now? It'll come to the point where Mac is the only viable option. He has warriors on his side, after all."

"Can't you try to get in touch with Phoenix?"

"No. He's left us a handful of messages, probably to rea.s.sure us of his safety, but I have no way of speaking to him."

"That's strange. Where is he?"

"I have no idea." She paused. "I'm worried, to be frank."

"I haven't heard from the twins, either, except for a postcard a few days after they left. I didn't think people even did that anymore. Anyway, thanks for calling. I did wonder what was going on."

"Don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you need my help," she said anxiously. "I really hope this doesn't interfere with your advocacy."

"If anything, Mac just makes me more determined to help," I said. "I'll talk to you soon, Willow."

After I hung up, I debated going to see Val. She probably didn't know when Phoenix would return, either. But I was worried about her. Val had been acting off for months, and since Lucia left, she had retreated completely out of our lives. Whenever I asked Peter about her, he tended to clam up. I had the distinct feeling that the half-h.e.l.lhound was avoiding me, but I had no idea why.

With that in mind, I headed over to Peter's house before he left for the office. I sat on his wall and waited for him to return from dropping Emmett at school. He seemed surprised to see me waiting.

"I want to see Val," I explained.

"Ah. Want a coffee to go?"

I shook my head and got into the car. We had run from so much danger in that car, but now I had to keep dealing with boring politics. I noticed that Peter looked uncomfortable when he came back out of his house with his flask.

"I can see her at home if this is a bad time," I said hesitantly when he sat in the driver's seat.

"No, that's not it. I'm just not sure how helpful Val will be, and I don't want you to" He looked away. "Let's just go."

"No, tell me."

"Just try not to mention Lucia too much when we get there," he said, ending the conversation.

I supposed that made sense, but it was odd that Peter would even think of Val's discomfort if I brought up her relationship with Phoenix's daughter. I chanced a sly look at him. Was Peter actually warming up to the fact even supernatural people had feelings?

"Stop looking at me," he said after a moment, as he pulled away from the cul-de-sac.

Laughing softly, I turned on the radio, just in time for a talk-show discussion about supernatural beings taking all of the "normal" jobs.

Peter soon switched it off in disgust. "Idiots. As if we're not all walking on eggsh.e.l.ls as it is."

"Wasn't so long ago that you hated supernaturals with every fibre of your being," I teased.

I'd meant it lightly, but he gave me a serious look in return. "That was before I fell for you."

After that, the conversation dried up as the tension grew overwhelming. I just could not with Peter.

We arrived at the premises of my solicitor, Martin Breslin, shortly afterward. I had given Val and Peter the room above Breslin to use as their office while they were getting things together. Their business wasn't exactly booming, but they were still eating out on their high-profile success from months ago.

Martin came to the front door to greet me. His very-pregnant secretary was sitting on a chair, with her shoes off, looking extremely uncomfortable. I made a mental note to suggest a few replacement options for when she went on maternity leave. We exchanged pleasantries, then I followed Peter upstairs.

The office of Valeria Brannigan Investigations was furnished with a narrow desk, two plastic chairs, and a spa.r.s.ely filled bookshelf.

Val was sitting at the desk, writing in a notebook. I knew she must have caught my scent, but she didn't even look up from her writing.

"Wow," I said. "You've really turned this into a home away from home. How do you ever make yourself leave this place?"

Peter took the second chair and cleared his throat. Val looked up at me and made an attempt at a smile.

"No h.e.l.lo?" I asked, curious at the change in her att.i.tude.

"h.e.l.lo, Ava. Can I help you?"

"A rather cold greeting for an old friend." I wandered over to the bookshelf. "I take it you heard about the trouble we've been having from Mac."

"I know he's been showing up, asking for Esther," she said.

"He came with permission from the Senate," Peter said. "They searched every house in the cul-de-sac and trashed Ava's for good measure."

The pen in Val's hand cracked apart. She threw the pieces into the bin next to her desk. I had a curious peek to see if it was full of broken writing utensils-and found fewer than I expected.

"No," she said. "He wouldn't dare."

"Oh, he dared." I grimaced at the memory. "I got in his face, and he said he didn't think the children would survive the battle."

Val jumped up from her seat, a growl emanating from deep in her throat. "I'll kill him. I'll separate his head from his shoulders." Her own shoulders appeared to have enlarged before my eyes.

"The Senate is backing him," Peter said.

"Then I'll come back to the cul-de-sac and wait for his next visit."

I hid my smile. Val might have distanced herself from us, but she still cared. "Daimhn told me some other shifters might be displacing him this year. Mac has more to worry about than us, apparently. The thing is, Daimhn let him bribe her for her vote, but Willow never even heard about this. The Senate is unreliable now. Have you any idea when Phoenix might return?"

She visibly deflated and exchanged a look with Peter. "No idea at all," she said.

"Esther thinks she should challenge Mac herself."

Val looked aghast. "She wouldn't survive."

"She won't survive if Mac manages to find her."