As I waited in the hall, I studied the pristine building, anything to keep my mind from Tessa and what was happening to her right now. Unlike most buildings, the carpet was spotless and the walls free of blemishes. Prisha had only ever lived in five-star accommodations. I ran my finger over a sconce. Jeez, even the lightbulbs here were dust-free.

“Okay, babe. I’m ready.” Prisha stood in her doorway, clad in black leggings and knee-high black leather boots. A trim cobalt-blue leather jacket adorned her upper half, but I knew from experience that jacket held an array of deadly weapons.

I still wore my jeans and T-shirt from work, but I also had a fitted wool coat on. Under it, a potion belt was strapped around my waist.

Prisha closed and locked her door. “You know, I hate to say it, but one of these days, you’re going to realize that your sister needs to learn to stand on her own two feet.” She held up a hand when I was about to remind her that being abducted was entirely out of my sister’s control. “I know, I know. This time it’s an exception.”

“Not you too,” I grumbled. “Commander Klebus already gave me a lecture.”

Prisha grinned. “How is that grumpy old vamp?”

“Same as always.”

Prisha whispered a spell to activate the wards around her home. As they flared, she asked, “Does that mean you’re actually starting to listen to one of us?”

“Tessa’s not like us, Prish. You know that.”

“I know.” She shook her head, a resigned expression crossing her features. “But you can’t spend your entire life saving her either, Tala.”

The wards sparked, fully active now. They were always shimmering, but that spell gave them another layer of protection since Prisha wouldn’t be home to defend her turf.

“Anyway, should we go?” I gave her an annoyed look, letting her know I didn’t welcome a lecture from her either. I pulled out my phone and tapped on the app created by the International Supernatural Council. A list of portals appeared on the screen, each highlighting their destination. I’d mapped out our journey to St. Louis, the app coming in handy for that. We’d be there within an hour.

Prisha snorted. “Put your phone away. We’re not portal hopping. If your sister was kidnapped, time is of the essence, so we’ll be using one of these.” She pulled a portal key from her pocket.

My eyes widened as relief poured through me. Portal keys were precious and incredibly expensive. They were also the only way to transfer instantaneously from one location to another, since hardly any supernaturals had enough magic to conjure portals themselves. But given the boatload of money Prisha’s family had, she harbored a bucket of the coveted keys in her bedroom.

“Are you sure?”

She squeezed my hand. “Totally.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t go getting all mushy on me.”

I laughed and squeezed her hand as she whispered the spell to activate the key. In a whirling breeze, the world disappeared around us.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 5

The portal key dropped us just outside of the Shadow Zone since the Zone’s wards didn’t allow one to transfer inside it. Cold, humid air surrounded us, and since the street looked damp, I guessed it had recently rained here.

“So how does this hiring-a-hunter business work?” Prisha asked as the blood-red portal to the Shadow Zone waited ahead.

I shrugged as we strode toward it. “I’m not entirely sure. Jenkins merely gave me the guy’s location. It’s up to me to do the rest.”

“Why didn’t Jenkins call him for you, instead of making us come here?”

“He said the hunter doesn’t have a cell phone.”

She gave me a disbelieving look. “Please. Everyone has a cell phone.”

“Okay, probably true, but I’m guessing he doesn’t give out his number or have a secretary book his clients. Jenkins said he only takes jobs after meeting with potential customers in-person.”

“And if he’s not here tonight?”

My hands tightened into fists. Thinking about the possibility that hiring the Fire Wolf wouldn’t work made fury stir inside me anew at what that asshole had done to my sister. And to make matters worse, if this failed, I would have to go to the SF and expose my secret.

“He has to be here.” My curling fingers dug into my palms, my nails grazing my skin. “I paid top dollar for this location, and Jenkins may be a wily son of a bitch, but he pulls through when you pay.” Or so we’d been told after our last encounter with him.

Prisha threaded her fingers through mine, forcing my hand to open as we approached the wavy red portal. She squeezed. “He’ll be here.”

Our conversation stopped when we stepped through the portal. The popping, jolting, and free-falling sensations stole my breath, and when the portal spat us out, my muscles tensed as I assessed the area for threats.

But all was quiet. Still, I didn’t let my guard down.

Here, the moon was hidden, the stars gone—hence its name the Shadow Zone. An entire dome of shimmering magic surrounded this dingy portion of the city—something created over a hundred years ago when rival sorcerer gangs had tried to outspell one another. This place had been lawless ever since. Nothing came in and nothing went out that wasn’t through the portal behind us, which also meant if that portal failed, we were trapped here. And unsurprisingly, from here on, we had no choice but to remain on foot. Funny how there weren’t any hired rides in the darkest dredges of the supernatural community’s society.

“The clock is ticking,” I breathed. “Let’s move.”

We picked up a swift pace and hopped over the damp puddles on the sidewalk. Despite magic coating this entire portion of St. Louis like an oily substance, rain still permeated the warded dome.

A heavy feeling of bleakness and despair fell around us as we moved quickly and quietly down the street. It was as if Mother Nature was trying to warn us away, telling us to go back, that it was our last chance to save ourselves while we still could.

“Do you feel that?” Prisha asked, her hand slipping to her inner pocket where a blade nestled in a hidden fold. “It’s like the energy’s changing the farther we get from the portal. It’s heavy and . . . cold.”

My fingers strayed toward my potion belt. “Yeah, have you ever felt that before in magically hidden areas?”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

Tall industrial-looking buildings rose along both sides of the street. Distant shouts came from street corners and windows above. As we neared an intersection, the buildings grew shorter and broader, as if a giant had smacked his hand down from the skies and squashed them. They looked like apartment buildings, although I couldn’t imagine anyone willingly living here.

When we reached the next street, we took a left since the Black Underbelly was situated in the north, and I nearly shrieked when the sound of rodent feet scuttled past us from one of the dark alleys.

I clamped a hand over my mouth as one of the creatures turned and hissed. A second later, it disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

“They have jurats here?” Prisha asked before making a disgusted sound. She pulled a slim blade from her pocket. It glimmered with a blue flame when she infused it with her magic. I knew with the twist of her hand and bend of her knees, her body could turn into a deadly weapon.

“It appears so,” I replied. “Hopefully, they won’t bite.”

“If you get close enough, they will.”

I picked up my pace but watched the sidewalk carefully. Pulsing music came from down the next street. Another jurat shot past us, and its slimy energy slithered toward me.

I shuddered.