Richard hangs up, promising to call Rina so someone can come and let him out of the bar so he can start looking for Wren. He’s rattled. I can hear it in his voice. But there’s nothing more he can do from inside the building, and that helplessness is contagious. I stare at the call screen for a second, then, against all logic, try Wren’s number. It doesn’t even ring. Just a flat, immediate; ‘The number you have dialled is currently out of service or unavailable.’
“Damn it.” My voice cracks around the words. I start pacing the sidewalk outside the hotel, one hand clenched around my phone, the other twitching uselessly at my side. I know it’s probably a waste of time, but I keep moving anyway, I can’t stand still so I walk tight, anxious circles like I can somehow walk my way toward a solution. What do we do? What the hell CAN we do? We have no clue where Wren is. No way to track him. No idea how long we have before Solem does something irreversible. All we know is that Wren is on his way straight into the hands of a manipulative, power hungry demon with a flair for deals and cruelty, and we’re probably going to be too late to stop it. I press my hands to my head, breathing fast. Too fast. Everything’s starting to blur. We promised he’d be safe. Lukas steps into my path. I try to move around him, but he catches me gently by the arms, his touch firm but not forceful.
“Clare, I need you to breathe.” He says softly. I shake my head.
“I can’t breathe. I can’t even think.” I insist. My voice is sharp, ragged.
“We lost him. Solem has Wren, and he’s just, he’s just a kid, Lukas. We promised we’d keep him safe. And now he’s gone. This is my fault, I should have stayed with him and watched him myself.” I say miserably. The guilt is crushing. It coils tight in my chest, turns my stomach to stone. I feel like a failure. I told Wren he could trust me, and I failed. Lukas doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t try to logic it away. He knows that doesn’t work on me, not when I feel like this.
“I know.” He says gently.
“But you have to breathe. I want to help him as much as you do. We will figure this out. But I need you with me, okay? You can’t help him if you pass out.” His words are steady, grounding, like an anchor dropped into the middle of a storm. I latch onto them, onto him. I don’t know what else to do but lean on him, so I do. I fall forward into him, burying my face against his chest. His arms wrap around me instantly, strong and sure, and I hold on like he’s the only thing keeping me upright. Which, right now, he might actually be. I focus on the steady thud of his heartbeat under my ear. Just that. One beat at a time. I try to match my breathing to it. Try to block out everything else, the noise in my head, the guilt, the fear. The images of Wren facing Solem, scared and alone… I can’t go to pieces. Not now. Not when he needs us most. I take a slow, shaky breath, Lukas still holding me close. And then another. And another. I can’t fix it yet. But I can stand up. I can think. I can try. And that’s the first step.
It takes a few minutes. Just a few, but long enough for the worst of the panic to settle into something colder. Focused. My heart’s still pounding, but at least now I can think. I slowly straighten, still resting against Lukas’s chest. His arm stays around me, grounding me as I take one last deep breath before pulling away and sitting up properly.
“Okay.” I say slowly.
“Okay… So, tracking Wren directly is going to be nearly impossible.” I conclude. Lukas nods but says nothing, letting me work it through.
“But we know where he’s going. Or at least who he’s going to. Solem. And after what happened last time, after Wren escaped, there’s no way Solem’s going to risk letting him roam free again. So…” I trail off and glance up at Lukas.
“To find Wren, we find Solem. Right?” I decide. Lukas considers it, then nods once.
“Yes. That makes sense.” He agrees.
“But how do we find Solem?” He adds with a frown. That gives me pause. I hate that it gives me pause. It shouldn’t be this hard to find one smug, demon bastard. He’s a powerful supernatural force, not a misplaced house key! I sit up straighter, that stubborn spark flaring to life in my chest.
“We have a list.” I remember suddenly.
“A list of his properties, or at least most of them. So we start checking them. One by one.” I explain. Lukas’s frown deepens.
“There are hundreds of those properties, Clare. Maybe more. It could take weeks.” He points out.
“Not if we don’t do it alone.” I counter.
“If we split the list between us… Me, you, Richard, Laura, Eli, Damien, Rina, Torin, Julian... We divide and conquer.” I explain, starting to get restless again now that I have the beginnings of a plan. Lukas doesn’t look convinced. I press on, doing my best to sound more confident than I feel.
“If we each check a handful, we could get through the list in a couple of days. And statistically? He’s not going to be hiding in the very last place. There’s a good chance we’ll get lucky and find him way sooner.” I reason. Lukas crosses his arms and leans against the car, silent for a long moment. I can tell he wants to poke holes in the plan. Honestly, so do I. But we don’t have a better option.
“This feels like it’s going to take too long.” He says eventually, and his voice is low, worried. I sigh heavily.
“I know. I know. But do you have a better plan?” I ask. He opens his mouth. Closes it. Then shakes his head.
“No, I don’t.” He admits.
“Then we go with mine until something better comes along.” I say firmly. Lukas stares at me for another beat, then finally nods.
“Okay. Let’s do it.” He finally agrees. I pull out my phone and start texting like my life depends on it. Actually, Wren’s life depends on it. I fire off messages to Laura and Julian, then start typing one to Eli when a quiet throat clear interrupts me. Uncle Lance. Right. I actually kind of forgot he was still standing there. He’s been so quiet, letting me spiral and rally without a word. I look up, a little startled, and he offers me a sheepish smile.
“Sorry.” He says softly.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. But… Can I help?” He asks. I blink.
“I mean, I can check a few places on your list. Drive around. Look for signs of demonic activity. If you need numbers, the more people, the better, right?” He adds quickly. I stare at him for a second. Then smile.
“Right, you’re absolutely right.” I agree.
Despite what Richard said about not coming back to the bar, that’s exactly where we end up. It makes sense. We need a home base, somewhere for everyone to meet, plan, check in. Somewhere familiar, protected, and warded to hell and back. Torin’s bar might be chaotic, but it’s also safe. I’m still texting out final instructions when the door opens for what feels like the hundredth time, and more people file in. I blink. Some of them I expected, Laura walks in, already rolling her eyes at the crowd. Kyle stomps behind her with what I think is a vat of coffee under one arm and a tray of baked goods under the other. Damien follows, already arguing with Eli, who is dressed in his police uniform which I can’t help but think is a very smart move. Julian arrives just behind them, a little winded, and then there’s Uncle Lance and Richard, lingering near the bar. Lindy’s perched on a stool beside Rina, who is already sorting papers and snapping orders like a general preparing for battle. But then… People I don’t recognise start to appear. The other bartender here, Catcher and his wife Mira, a tall guy who introduces himself as Jackson. He’s a werewolf, he’s grumpy, and apparently a friend of Rina’s. There’s a woman with sharp eyes and sleek, feathered wings, Steph, a valkyrie. And standing beside her, dressed like someone who’s either a philosopher or an eccentric book collector, is Anat, a literal sphinx. I don’t even know how Rina convinced her to show up. Then there’s Rina’s loyal vampire fanclub. There’s about eight of them, but I only remember three of their names. Isaiah, Bastian, and Harold, they drift in like they own the place. They’ve definitely got a dramatic flair, and I can already tell they’re going to be so much work to manage but it seems like Rina has it totally under control. Within minutes, the room is packed and they’re all here to help. I stand frozen for a moment, just taking it in. I didn’t expect this. Not all of them. Rina, sure. Laura, of course. But this many? I glance toward the bar, where Rina is calmly sorting through a pile of address lists with Lindy and a pen stuck behind her ear. Torin is standing by her, supervising the bar, his presence is enough to make sure nothing gets out of control. Rina catches my shocked expression and shrugs.
“They’re all good people.” She says simply.
“And they don’t like Solem either.” She adds. Lindy nods, folding up a list.
“We’ll stay here. Help coordinate. Rina can manage the teams, and I can help out from here.” She says softly. It’s the right call. Lindy’s magic is powerful, but she’s a selkie. She might have strong magic, but she can’t risk her pelt by wandering around at night. Keeping her at home base is safer. Smarter.
We start dividing up the list of Solem’s properties. There are hundreds, but now that we’ve got the numbers, it’s actually starting to feel doable. Everyone groups up. Some pair off naturally—Laura and Kyle, Julian and Uncle Lance, Eli and Damien, the vampires splitting into groups of two. Lukas and I stick together, obviously. We might not have the flashiest skill sets, but between his mind reading and my sheer stubbornness, we make a decent team. The bar is buzzing with movement and quiet tension. Everyone’s getting ready to head out, reviewing addresses, comparing notes. And then-
“Well this looks like fun. How do I sign up?” I jump slightly, spinning around to find Rowen Bloodreaper standing beside me, like she materialised out of thin air. Which… Knowing her, she very well might have. She’s dressed like she’s heading to a hit job, dark, practical clothes, hair tied back, boots heavy and worn. She’s got that same relaxed posture as always, but her eyes are sharp, already assessing the room. I stare at her, caught off guard.
“How did you even…?” I trail off.
“Rina texted me.” She says cheerfully, then leans in.
“So, tell me what’s up.” She requests. I blink. Then I throw caution to the wind. We need everyone we can get. I quickly update her on what’s happened, Wren, the window, our guess that he’s with Solem. The property list. The plan. Rowen’s smile disappears almost immediately.
She’s quiet for a second, then nods once.
“Give me a list.” She says, her tone is all business now.
“Let’s get to work.”