I’m ready to go when he is.”
“All right,” Cammie called over her shoulder.
Donna finished the pie, put the plate and fork in the dishwasher, then went to get her boots and coat.
By the time she came back out, Temo was in the kitchen. He was scrolling through his phone but looked up when she entered. “We can leave a little early if you want. Sundown is subjective.”
“Let’s go, then. I’m really itchy to get this done for some reason. I wish I knew what he wants.”
“I wish I could tell you.”
Together, they went out to the elevator.
Donna zipped her coat. “Cammie got the keys from you?”
“She did.” He made a little face. “You aren’t worried about her side jobs?”
“In what way?”
He shrugged as the elevator arrived and they stepped on. “Demon removal sounds kind of dangerous.”
Donna pushed the button for the lobby. “No argument from me, but she acted like it was just a standard thing. And she’s been a hunter a lot longer than I’ve been a vampire, so who am I to say anything?”
“I guess so.” He smiled. “I’ve never known a hunter before, but your sister’s pretty cool. And after that display at Fitzhugh’s, I guess I shouldn’t worry.”
“It’s nice that you do, though. Hey, did Charlie tell you about the memorial service for Artemis?”
The elevator arrived, and they got off. Temo had already pulled the car up, so it was waiting out front.
He opened the door for her. “No, what about it?”
“I’d like to attend.” She smiled. “I’d like for us all to attend.”
He came around and got behind the wheel. “All of us? Meaning you, me, Charlie, and Pierce?”
She nodded. “Yep. What do you think? Charlie’s looking into the logistics.”
“I’m game.” He squinted as he started up the car. “Wait. Is the memorial going to be in New Jersey?”
“Nope. At her estate in Kansas.”
“Huh.” He seemed surprised. “All I know about Kansas is that’s where Dorothy and Toto got into trouble.”
She laughed. “Well, I haven’t been there either, so we’ll have to figure it out together.”
“You got it.” He glanced over. “Boss, I’d follow you anywhere.”
“Thanks, Temo.” She wished she could tell him about buying the third apartment, but she didn’t want to get him excited about something that might not happen. Instead, she kept the conversation light, asking him about Neo, which got him talking until they arrived an hour later at Central Park.
They got out. He locked the car, then joined her on the sidewalk. “Pretty sure I remember how to get to the gate. Do you?”
“I think so.” Orange and pink streaked the sky, the last vestiges of the setting sun. But it was close enough to sundown that by the time they got to the gate, it would be. “If we can’t find it, you can text him.”
They started walking. He glanced at her. “Why didn’t you bring your sword?”
“I have the short blades that came with the jacket. I thought this was a friendly meeting.”
“It is.” He stared into the woods. “But we’re also going to be right outside of the fae stronghold. You know, the one you set fire to?”
“Right. Did you bring a weapon?”
He pulled his coat out to show her the large blade secured to the lining.
“Good enough. You think Ishalan might try something?”
“No.” Temo frowned into the distance. “But there’s a lot more fae on the other side of that gate. And no sun to keep them behind it.”
“Good point. Well, I guess we’ll know how they feel about us soon enough.”
They continued on, but the Ramble looked different without Jerabeth’s special eyedrops. It seemed calm and serene, even in the growing darkness. Just an ordinary space filled with trees, a little underbrush, and footpaths.
She kept her voice low. “I’m not so sure we’re going to be able to find the gate now. It all looks so…unmagical.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
Another minute or two of walking, and things seemed vaguely familiar. “We aren’t far from where the gate should be. In fact, I think it was right over that little rise.”
He nodded. “It was.”
They kept going, down the little dip in the path, then back up and over the mound.
The only thing there was a bench. A homeless person had made a bed there, covering themselves in newspaper.
Donna sighed. “It’s not here. You’re going to have to text him that we need to meet somewhere else. Or he’ll have to come find us.”
He pulled his phone out. “On it.”
She kept looking at the homeless