was the roach balancing on its hind legs with its forelimbs over its head in a mockery of fifth position in ballet.
“I can do it.” Smythe whirled toward us. “I can do it.”
The guy’s enthusiasm was catching, I had to admit. “Can you help us lure them all out of the city?”
“I know just the place.” He snapped his fingers. “It can be a sanctuary.”
Bishop stepped on my foot before I made the colossal mistake of telling Smythe we couldn’t allow them to live.
“We’ll arrange for a contingent of sentinels to help us herd them,” Bishop told him. “Give me the coordinates for the area you have in mind, and we’ll make it happen.”
“Time,” Siobhan called. “You’ll have to finish your scheming via text or video chat.”
Extricating Smythe from his new true love proved difficult, but he got with the program after I hooked my arm through his and dragged him from the room. Unimpressed with me, but unwilling to pick a fight, the shadow dog trotted at his master’s side.
“I know it’s the height of rudeness to ask,” I started, “but what is Eustice?”
As the not-so-proud owner of my own animate shadow, I was curious how a fae ended up with one.
“Questions are always welcome.” He beamed. “It’s fascinating, really. I was attempting to cure multiple personality disorder in a friend’s carpenter bee when I mixed up the enzyme for its treatment with that of another project and accidentally ingested the formula.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I already regretted asking him. “Yes, fascinating.”
“I haven’t told you the best part.” He patted Eustice fondly. “The enzyme reacted to a spell an associate cast on me later in the day to remove boils and voila. My shadow split from me into its own sentient being. Totally harmless of course, but great company and excellent at spooking the riffraff.”
“That is fascinating,” I said again and meant it this time. “Do you think you could duplicate the results?”
“I tried, for the friend I mentioned in fact, but no such luck.” He deflated a bit. “I suspect there to be a species component to it. He was a witch, and his shadow remained firmly stuck to him. Who is to say it wouldn’t work on another witch or another faction? I haven’t tried again. No time and no funding. And, to be honest, it’s not my area of expertise.”
A dybbuk wasn’t the same as a simple shadow, not even close, so it was ridiculous to get my hopes up for a miracle cure.
Once we tucked our scientist friend safely behind his wards with his promise to be ready for a full-on roach assault at dusk, um, I mean, our eco-friendly and totally humane roach relocation program, Bishop and I called it a night.
“Don’t even try it,” Bishop warned. “I’m walking you home.”
I don’t have a home almost popped out, but I kept a tight lid on the pity party.
With my apartment a smoking crater and my personal life a disaster movie, I had trouble remembering why it was so important to keep on keeping on. This was the sequel, after all. I had lost my home, my friends, my family once before.
“Suit yourself.”
I hadn’t decided yet if he was worried that I might keep walking one night, right out of the city. Just walk until I got tired and start a new life wherever the blisters on my heels burst. More than likely, he feared I might get cornered by citizens who’d learned my identity and wanted a piece of me. Dybbuks exist outside Society laws. We’re the product of a broken rule. Therefore, they don’t much care what happens to me.
Halfway to the Faraday, I got tired of the silence and engaged. “You’re not going to let the man have his roach sanctuary, are you?”
“Do I look crazy to you?” He pointed a finger at me. “Don’t answer that.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, but yes.”
“I have plans.” He rubbed his hands together. “Big plans.”
Oh goddess. “Make sure you clear those with Linus.”
“You are the boss.” He cackled. “What Linus doesn’t know won’t hurt me.”
“I have been considering a lengthy vacation, somewhere tropical, without roaches.”
Or friends who got that certain glimmer in their eyes when the opportunity for mass destruction arose.
Flamethrowers were the tip of the iceberg as far as his official arsenal went, and they had been a wish list item. Most of what he owned was just neat crap he had amassed over the years without real purpose. Given an actual goal, I couldn’t begin to