I frowned and studied him. I didn't really know Falin. Once I'd thought I did, at least a little, or at least I'd felt like I knew him. But feelings could be deceptive.

"What's going on?" I asked, leaning against the wall. I could hear the sirens in front of the house now. I needed to get downstairs, but I wanted some answers from Falin first. "What happened to you?"

Falin pushed away from the bed. He walked across the room and peered through the window before answering. "It's complicated."

"Complicated? Someone tried to kill you."

He didn't respond. Maybe I have it wrong? He was the Winter Queen's a.s.sa.s.sin. Maybe it wasn't that someone had tried to kill him. Maybe they were just trying to stop him from killing them.

He still didn't say anything.

"Falin, why are you here? Why now?" Had he just needed a place to hide while he was injured? Was that why he was here?

From the main portion of the house below I heard the front doorbell ring. I had to go, but . . . I looked up at him, waiting for an answer.

"I wanted to contact you," he said, stepping forward, and I wasn't sure if his words meant he had wanted to contact me during the month he was missing, or if he was here because he wanted to contact me. He reached out like he was going to place his hands on my hips.

I skittered sideways, out of his path.

"Oh, no." I crossed my arms over my chest. "You do not get to disappear for a month, say you meant to contact me, and then try to pick up right back where we were. It doesn't work that way."

His shoulders sagged as he stepped back. Then a half smile made the edge of his lips crook. "You're mad at me."

"And that's amusing because?"

The half smile spread into a lopsided grin, and he stood up straighter. "You wouldn't be mad if you didn't care. I'm on to you, Alexis."

Oh, that insufferable, arrogant- Voices drifted up from the floor below. "I have to go," I said, turning my back on him as I pulled the door open.

I hesitated once I stepped into the stairwell and glanced back at him. I wanted to ask if he'd be there when I returned, but I didn't. Without saying good-bye, I pulled the door closed behind me and escaped the rest of our awkward conversation to have a much easier one. It was probably a bad sign that I considered it easier to be questioned by the police.

The responding officers weren't happy that we'd waited nearly an hour to call the authorities or that we'd all dressed and started cleaning up the crime scene. Oh, well.

The antiblack magic unit took the lead in processing the scene. The room was photographed, the charmed disks were gathered and each sealed individually in a magicaldampening bag, and even the raven was caged and taken away. After we'd given the lead detective, a weary-looking witch by the name of Tepps, our statements-all of which were edited slightly to leave out Falin and the soul collectors-Tamara drove Holly to the hospital. Caleb refused to go, and nothing in the ABMU's a.r.s.enal detected dark magic on Caleb, so he couldn't be committed against his will.

"We've bagged thirty-three disks. If there was one per construct, you two were lucky to get out with just a couple of scratches," Detective Tepps said as he watched his people work.

I nodded. "Yes, sir." We were. Though there'd been six of us, not two. "Have you deciphered any of the spells on the disk from the attack in the Quarter?"

Detective Tepps looked me up and down, as if a.s.sessing why I wanted to know-and if wanting to know made me a suspect. He had a day's worth of stubble on his chin and a line around his head that made me suspect he'd worn a hat earlier in the night.

"We've made some progress," he said, but didn't offer to elaborate. One of the techs called his name and he excused himself.

I hovered on the outskirts of the investigation, hoping to pick up something useful for my own case. I didn't. This wasn't a major crime-there was no body, little damage, and nothing had been stolen. The cops tagged and bagged and then moved on. They were wrapping up when the FIB, and Agent Nori in particular, appeared on the scene.

"So, another construct attack?" she asked as she gave the bagged evidence a cursory glance.

"We have a live specimen this time," Tepps told her, and she sniffed as if that fact wasn't terribly interesting.

"Ms. Craft," she said to me as she invited herself into Caleb's house. She looked around and when her eyes landed on Caleb himself, a sharp, and not the least bit kind, smile cut across her face. If the FIB has been gathering independents to be questioned, have I endangered Caleb? We weren't anywhere near the floodplain, but I wasn't sure how wide a net had been cast.

"You probably need my statement," I said, stepping into Nori's personal bubble.

She glanced at me, managing to look down her nose despite my superior height. "I imagine you've already given your statement. But I have some questions. For both of you." She put emphasis on the last statement.

"Agent Nori," a male, and very familiar voice said behind us.

The self-satisfied smile fled from Nori's face, and she turned, her head snapping up and her shoulders back as she stood straighter. "Sir, I hadn't heard you were back in the city."

"Should I state the obvious, Agent?" Falin asked as he stepped through the door. The front door, not the inner door from my room, as if he were just now arriving on the scene. "I'll question them," he said, nodding toward Caleb and me.

"But, sir, the constructs are built on witch magic, so probably not glamour, like Ms. Craft claims. I've been working this case and-"

"And now I'm working it." Falin placed his hands on his sides. The movement caused his blazer to gape open, exposing the dark b.u.t.t of his gun in his shoulder holster. Blazer, gun, and holster were more glamour-unless he had some sort of dislocation spell-but the display still oozed both authority and threat. "This case has drawn my attention, and the attention of her majesty. I want all your files on my desk by the time I reach the office."

"Yes, sir," Nori said, the muscle in her cheek bulging as she clenched her jaw. Then she stalked out of the house.

"Are you the boogeyman in the FIB?" I asked once the door shut behind Nori.

Falin flashed me a smile. "Try agent in charge."

Right, good to know. Does that mean he's behind the s.n.a.t.c.h-and-bag in the floodplain? No, he couldn't have been. Nori had indicated he'd been out of the city. But maybe he could help me stop it. I waited until the last of the cops had left before asking.

Falin let out a long breath and leaned against the wall, as if standing straight for so long had taxed him. "It's complicated."

This wasn't the first time I'd heard that tonight. I opened my mouth to ask for a clarification, but Caleb brushed past me.

"Don't waste your breath, Al," he said, and grabbed the mallet from where he'd dropped it earlier. "I'll be in my workshop if you need me." Then he stormed into the garage. A trickle of magic sparked through the air as he activated his circle, and he said, "Oh, and Al, be careful what you say to her majesty's b.l.o.o.d.y hands."

Chapter 15.

"What did he mean, 'her majesty's b.l.o.o.d.y hands'?"I asked once we were back in my apartment.

Falin didn't answer, but stepped around me as he headed for the bathroom. He'd taken the steps slow, his hand moving to his side when he thought I wasn't looking. Somewhere along the way, his blazer vanished, and by the time he reached the bathroom door, glamour no longer cloaked his ragged and bloodstained clothing.

I leaned against the wall beside the door. A door he hadn't closed. "Are you here doing your queen's bidding?"

Again he didn't answer. I pushed away from the wall and peeked around the open door. Falin stood with both hands braced on the sink's counter, his head hanging heavy below his hunched shoulders. He looked up as I slipped inside and gave me a small, tight smile that didn't match the wince around his eyes.

"Joining me in the bathroom? This is a new level of intimacy for us."

I didn't take his bait. "Let me see it."

"Mmm, and what is it you want to see?"

I frowned at him. "Stop playing around and let me see your side."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," he said, but it clearly cost him to push away from the counter and stand up straight.

"Let me see, or I'm going to dope you with a knockout charm and drag you to a healer." It was an empty threat and he knew it, but he still moved to unb.u.t.ton his shirt.

"Fine, fine." He shrugged out of the shirt, the movement stiff.

While I'd been occupied downstairs he'd done a nice job of dressing the wound. I hated to disturb the carefully taped gauze, but blood had seeped through in several places, so it needed to be changed anyway.

I shuddered once I'd exposed the wound. "Shouldn't you see a healer?"

"I've healed worse. It's dawn and the magic is weak right now. Give me twenty minutes and I'll be much better," he said, reaching for the sealed sterile gauze pads on the counter. They must have been from Holly's first-aid kit because they had official OMIH stamps on the top and I didn't own charmed bandages.

I helped him dress his side again, and as I worked I had to admit he was healing. The edges of the wound were pink, and new skin had knitted across the long laceration in several places. If he could avoid reopening the wound, he would probably heal in a matter of days. Once the gauze was taped securely in place, I stood. "How's the head?"

"Healed," he said, and smiled at my disbelieving look before tilting his head forward so I could look. "Head wounds bleed a lot, but that one wasn't deep."

I scanned the part of his scalp I could see and then laced my fingers in his hair, letting my fingers read the truth of his healed scalp even if my eyes couldn't see it. Without his glamour, Falin's hair was closer to white than blond and, like his skin, seemed to give off its own light. I ran my hands through those soft locks, following one that fell over his etched cheekbone and cascaded down his chin to his throat.

His gaze snagged mine. There might have still been pain somewhere in those blue eyes, but more than anything there was heat. He watched me look at him and his lips parted, his pupils dilating. Only then did I consider the fact that I'd just had my hands on his sculpted abs and chest while examining his wound, then in his hair, and now . . . Heat rushed to my face. While I'd been focused on his wounds everything had been so clinical, but now I was acutely aware that we were in my small bathroom, standing very close, and he was only half dressed.

He was also injured. And taken.

"I'll just-" I pointed over my shoulder as I backed away.

"Wait." He flashed me a smile. Dawn had come and gone, and there must have been something to what he'd said because he moved easier as he crouched and opened the cabinets under the sink. "Have you seen my toothbrush?"

I cringed. "I told you to get it out of my bathroom." "You threw it out?"

G.o.d, I wished I had. But I hadn't. Not that I planned to tell him that. And what was with the hurt eyes? What would it matter if I had tossed the toothbrush?

I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin, which earned the exact opposite response from what I'd expected-a lopsided grin claimed his face.

"You're mad at me again. I told you, I'm on to you, Alexis. You wouldn't be mad if you didn't care." He waggled a gloved finger at me and returned to rooting around under my sink. "So where did you hide my toothbrush?"

I stepped in front of him, blocking his access to the cabinet with my legs. "You think you've got me figured out, huh? Well, I think you missed a couple of chapters, so let me give you a quick highlight. I've got commitment and abandonment issues." It wasn't like that was a big secret-even my favorite bartender knew that. "You disappearing without a word? That doesn't help. And finding out you're the Winter Queen's lover? Yeah, no. I don't know what was happening between us a month ago. Personally, I blame it on the adrenaline from tracking Coleman. But whatever it was, it's over. Now I'm glad you are no longer dying on my front lawn, and I'm glad you were here when the ravens attacked, but I think it's time for you to go home."

He was still crouched on the floor, staring up at me, and each word out of my mouth attacked his expression like verbal shrapnel. By the time I'd finished, his face had shut down and thrown up shields of apathy. With his lips taut and grim and his gaze cold, he pushed to his feet. Then he looked around as if uncertain why he was there in the first place.

"I'll go, then," he said, stepping around me and out of the bathroom.

"Wait," I called after him, my anger dissipated. He paused at my front door, but he didn't turn to face me.

"Maybe we can meet for drinks or something if situations change," I said because as much as I hated it, seeing him again more than proved there was a spark. But I couldn't do it like this. With him injecting himself into my life without warning while I waited for him to disappear again.

He glanced back as he stepped outside. The morning sunlight streaming in through the open door caught in his hair and made it a shimmering halo around his face. "Watch yourself, Alex Craft. You are attracting the wrong kind of attention. Again. And I meant what I said to Agent Nori. You've caught the queen's interest, so be cautious."

Then the door slammed behind him, and he was gone.

I ran across the room and jerked the door open.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I called, but the landing was empty, as were the stairs. Falin wasn't like Death; he couldn't just vanish. Glamour-it had to be.

"I know you're still here." Or at least I was pretty sure.

No answer.

d.a.m.n. I opened my shields, just enough for my psyche to slip through. The decaying land of the dead overlaid the real world like a double exposure as Aetheric energy swirled around me, close enough to touch. I peered through it, glancing down the steps, into the yard behind. I ignored the way the wooden steps looked rotted and pitted, the gra.s.s brown and decayed. Amid all the decay what I still didn't see was Falin. He can't have gotten far. But there was no movement. No one.

How did he-? I turned and found him directly behind me, leaning in the corner where the porch rail and the side of the house met. After the morning I'd had, my frayed nerves didn't take well to another surprise.

I yelped, stumbling backward, and my foot smashed through what my senses perceived as a decaying board. The wood crumbled around my calf as I lost my footing, and the porch swallowed my leg up to my thigh.

Falin jumped forward, catching my arms. He lips twisted in pain with the movement, the muscles in his jaw twitching. I slammed my shields closed, and the land of the dead slipped away.

But the damage was already done, my leg caught all the way to my midthigh. In fact, closing my shields might have made things worse because the wood was once again solid around my leg.

"Hold still," Falin said, shifting his grip under my arms. He winced as he lifted me and I motioned him away.

"You're hurt. I can do this."

He glared at me, but I met the ice in his eyes with my own scowl. Finally he released me, holding his hands up in surrender and backing up a step. Of course, saying I could do it was easier than actually freeing myself.

It took me several minutes of repositioning my arms and my free leg before I found an angle where I could wiggle my leg out of the hole. I was breathing hard by the time both my feet were on the top side of the porch again. Blowing a curl out of my face, I wiped my palms on the front of my jeans and turned to face Falin. "So, was that parting quip meant to get me chasing after you for clarification or . . . ?"

"Just watching."

"Me? Or for someone?" I asked, but he didn't answer. "Falin, what is going on?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. His glamour once again cloaked his clothing and he leaned against the wall as if he had no intention of going anywhere. I sighed. Obstinacy was one of his reigning qualities.

"Well, if you are going to stick around, you might as well come back inside." I pushed the door open, holding it wide. He pursed his lips but didn't move.

I waited several heartbeats. Then I turned, letting the door swing shut behind me and headed toward the bathroom. It took me only a moment to find what I was looking for. Then gripping it hard enough that my knuckles turned white, I headed back outside.

"Here's your d.a.m.n toothbrush." I shoved it at Falin, and he blinked, his blue eyes wide with surprise. "Now, it's barely seven o'clock and I've already had a h.e.l.l of a day. Why don't we have some breakfast and swap notes. Maybe we can work together."

If we didn't throttle each other first.

"Alex, an oatmeal creme pie doesn't count as breakfast," Falin said, staring at the prepackaged sweet as if it had offended him.

I shrugged. "Don't knock it," I said. I perched in the one chair I owned and opened my laptop. I'd put fresh sheets on the bed and I hoped Falin would get a little more rest. He might have some super-fae healing powers, but the glimpses I'd caught of him unglamoured proved he still needed some recuperation time.

"So, did I draw the queen's attention with the tear or the castle?"