doubt in my mind,” I said. “I had a bad feeling about the guy, even though he was handsome enough to be on a romance novel cover. He just seemed… too perfect. More like a painting than a person. And when I brushed his hand, I knew he had some kind of magic, and I got the clear impression he didn’t want me to know that.”
“This isn’t good,” Sorren said, standing and beginning to pace. “First something taking a bite out of ghosts to feed on their energy. Daniel called it a ‘Reaper’. That’s certainly one of the kinds of things that are able to do that. There are others. Does Daniel know for sure it was a Reaper, or did he just jump to that conclusion?”
“No idea,” I replied. “We don’t really have very helpful conversations,” I added drily. “But Father Anne told me about Sariel. Do you think he could have survived and come back for revenge?”
Sorren muttered a curse in Dutch under his breath. “That would be extraordinary. We were so sure… Then the staircase disappearances,” Sorren mused. “I’ve been thinking they’re unrelated. Maybe so – or maybe not. There are too many distractions!” He looked at me in exasperation.
“But what if the distractions are part of the same problem?” I asked. “The attack in Boston, and at the other sites. The bomb tonight at Trifles and Folly. A Nephilim coming after me. What if this is all tied together with the attacks on your other properties? You said you thought this was personal. What if it is Sariel, returned somehow?”
“Now Daniel shows up talking about Alliance protocols – and Watchers,” he said. I noticed that he ignored my last question.
“Translation, please.”
“Alliance protocols are a series of responses to an escalating supernatural threat. There are precautions to be taken – physically and magically – and protections to be raised. Sort of the magical equivalent of red alert.”
“Lovely,” I replied.
“Back to the Nephilim. There aren’t a lot of beings that can successfully pass themselves off as human, even for a few minutes. The one you met was able to run a solid, stable illusion that fooled a shop full of people and could hold that form to eat and drink. He also chose an extremely attractive form.”
“And Coffee Guy was out in broad daylight.”
“So he’s not a vampire,” Sorren said with a grimace. “Shapeshifters generally change from one species to another, not from monsters into cover models. Some demons can do it, too.” He shook his head. “I think you’re right about it being a Nephilim. But how did it get here and why did it come? They don’t just wander around without a purpose.”
“I know you think you destroyed Sariel,” I said, refusing to let him evade the question. “But is it possible that he survived somehow and came back for revenge? Because that would make this all make a lot more sense.”
Sorren ran a hand back through his hair. “God. That was something I hadn’t even considered before you mentioned it. That complicates things.”
“But is it possible? Could it possibly be Sariel?”
Sorren looked pole-axed. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it.” He looked at me. “The next time Daniel shows up, get him to commit to a meeting. Then text me. I want to know why he suddenly decided to come here.”
“Not thrilled about it, but I’ll get it set up,” I said with an expression of distaste. “Oh, I also ran into Clockman over at Palmetto Meadows.” I told him about the altercation in the parking lot. “He has a neighbor there. And he seems to be keeping an eye on old Mr. Thompson.”
Sorren smiled. “Ah, Chuck Pettis. Another good resource. I asked him to watch Thompson because back in the day, Thompson was a pretty powerful wizard and Chuck already knew all about him. I want to assume that Thompson is out of the game, but wizards can live a long time, and he may not be as frail as he wants people to think.”
I guess that hit men and wizards and bad-ass fighters get old, if they’re lucky to live long enough, but it’s difficult to imagine. Maybe there was more kick left in old Mr. Thompson than Chuck or I imagined. The question was, would he be a friend or a foe?
“There’s also a nurse over there, Judy, who has at least a bit of magic,” I added. “She’s always been very nice to me and she fusses over Baxter, but