stick around them in case one of those scary beasts showed up.
Nick gave me a sidelong glance. “Gia fences for our school’s team, plus she’s a badass kickboxer.”
“Nick!” I dug my elbow into his rib.
Nick grabbed his side and glared at me. “Well, you are like another species.”
“Stop it.” I shoved him this time, hoping to shut him up. Sure, I had earned trophies in fencing and won matches in kickboxing, but so had others. How did that make me different?
“There’s no need for violence.” He shrugged away from me. “See? You’re a fighter.”
“I can’t be one… I’m awkward.”
Afton shot me a sympathetic smile. “You’re only awkward at girl stuff.”
I stared at my unpainted toenails. She was right. I never felt like I fit in anywhere.
“My bet is she’s a witch.” Demos still had that smug grin on his face.
“Stop teasing her.” Lei turned to me. “Well, have you ever conjured magic?”
“No. Are you crazy?” I bit my lip to stop the twitch.
“Enough already,” Arik said. “You’re frightening her. It’s not our place to straighten this out. We’ll turn in our report to the council, and they can figure out this mess. Right now, our duty is to get these humans safely home and cover up any scent of them.”
Lei retrieved her ringing cell phone from her hip pocket. “Yes? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Certainly, we’re on our way.” She pressed the screen to end the call. “The Cleaners will be here in ten. We have to leave.”
“What are Cleaners?” I said.
“They do exactly what the name implies,” Lei said. “They’ll use their magic to tidy up this mess, and they’ll take care of this.” She nudged the beast with her booted foot and then turned to Arik. “So, what’s the plan?”
“We’ll split up,” he said. “Library hop to throw off the humans’ scent.”
“Why?” I blurted. “Why do you have to throw off our scent?”
“When a human enters the gateways, they leave a scent behind,” Arik said. “Some of the less gentle Mystiks will kill any human who discovers the Mystik world. The lot of them—hunters and hounds—will gather your scent before long.”
“What?” Afton’s eyes widened. “They can’t kill us. It’s illegal. We have to call the police.”
“It’s not illegal in our world,” Lei clarified.
“Who are these Mystiks, anyway?” I asked.
“They’re wizards, Sentinels, and other mystical beings,” she said.
Afton grimaced. “Where exactly are these things?”
“We’re not things,” Lei spat. “Wizards and Sentinels are part human. We have a stake in protecting humans. There are some unusual creatures living among us in the Mystik world. And not all of them are bad. They’re gentle and kind, most of the time.”
“It’s the other times I’m worried about,” Nick said.
“Why haven’t we ever seen any of these creatures?” I asked.
“Because when they’re in your world, they mask their forms or conceal their abilities,” Lei said.
“This is crazy.” Nick shifted nervously. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“No worries, ducky.” Lei placed her hand on Nick’s arm. “We keep the Mystiks from entering your world, and we take care of the naughty ones. Besides, your people have monsters of their own to handle. The wizard havens are against harming humans. You’ll just have to trust us to protect you.”
“Let’s get a jump on it before the hounds descend on us.” Demos quirked a smile at Afton. “Get it? Get a jump. We’re going to jump into the gateway.”
Afton pinched a look at him. “Hilarious.”
I glanced at the creature on the floor. If there were more of them coming for us, I wanted to leave fast.
Arik issued orders. “Demos, you take Afton to Spain, then—”
“He’s not taking her,” Nick broke in.
“You haven’t a say in the matter. Lei, take Nick to Ireland, and I’ll take Gia to Italy. Then we meet in Boston. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” said Lei. She went over to the book, spoke something in Italian, and studied the page. The only word I caught was “window.”
“What is she doing?” I asked Arik.
“She turned the photograph into a window,” he said. “She can see inside the library and ascertain if it’s safe to jump.”
“I’m not sure if that’s reassuring or terrifying,” Afton said.
Nick slipped his arm over her shoulder. “We’re going to be okay.”
Demos cocked an eyebrow at Nick. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“Oh, please, I am so not his girlfriend,” Afton said.
“Then why doesn’t he want me to take you?”
“Demos, enough already. Get going,” Arik said.
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’m going. Come on, sweet.” Demos grabbed Afton’s hand and led her to