“There were others?” the commander asked sharply.

The Fire Wolf grunted. “Six others beside Tessa.”

“Where are they now?”

“Back at their homes.”

“Do you have names and locations?”

“I do,” he replied dryly.

“I’ll need that information.”

“Of course you will.”

The commander ignored that jab. “And you say that two men—Jakub and Damascus—are responsible for their capture?”

“Not Damascus,” the Fire Wolf cut in. “He’s unrelated.”

I frowned. “But in that alleyway in the Shadow Zone with the half-demons, you were asking them about him and Katarina, and—”

“That was a bad lead.” The hunter’s jaw tightened. “Damascus is a known pedophile involved in illegal gambling rings. I tracked him because Katarina was underage and someone he would have coveted, but he isn’t involved in the abduction ring led by Jakub.”

That information hit me like a pile of bricks. And then it all made sense. Of course, Damascus wasn’t involved. Because when I’d first encountered the Fire Wolf, with the half-demons beating him bloody outside of the Black Underbelly, the hunter had been trying every avenue he could think of to find Katarina Varga—all because she’d been gone for too long and his scrying was no longer accurate. Damascus must have been a lead he was grasping for, but when that lead proved fruitless, and I’d told him about Star Tattoo Guy’s constellation tattoo, the hunter had decided to come knocking on my door. Or rather, not knocking, but breaking into my apartment.

I turned in my seat to face the commander as I clenched my teeth. Once again, I was reminded that the hunter had lied to me.

“So you believe that the only supernatural behind Tessa’s abduction is a person named Jakub?” The commander’s expression was calculating as her attention drifted between me and the hunter.

When I didn’t reply, the Fire Wolf gave a curt nod.

“Have you confirmed that Tessa is safe?” Commander Klebus asked Carlos.

My ex’s lips parted before a sheepish expression overtook his face. “I meant to, but things got rather”—he looked at the hunter—“complicated,” he finished.

“She’s at our apartment now,” I added.

The commander picked up her tablet. “I’ll dispatch a team to confirm her whereabouts. She’ll also need to be brought in for questioning in order to learn as much about her abduction as she can recall.” The commander sent off a message, then her attention shifted to the hunter again. “You tracked Tessa single-handedly to this club in New York?”

“I did.”

She sat back in her chair, a contemplative look forming on her face, before she straightened and pulled a crystal sphere from her drawer. “I’ll need a full write-up of what occurred during the past few days, down to every detail of what happened in that club. Mr. King?” She slid the crystal toward the hunter, bypassing me completely.

He scowled and crossed his arms. “Not interested. I’m only here because of Tala. She can tell you what she wishes to disclose.”

The commander’s nostrils flared, but after a lengthy staring contest, in which the Fire Wolf didn’t even blink, she finally slid the crystal in my direction. “Tala, would you please assist?”

I lifted my hand but before placing it on the crystal, I cocked my head and said, “You were wrong, you know, not to believe me about my sister being abducted. I hope you remember that if she’s ever in trouble again.”

The commander inclined her head, although she looked far from contrite. “Noted.”

I barely suppressed my eye roll. With a shake of my head, I set my hand on the crystal. Magic activated, tugging on my mind and memories, and then words began flowing across the commander’s digital tablet as the crystal charm extracted my memories quickly and efficiently. Not even a minute passed before the report was complete, the majority of the last few days’ events translated into a flawless digital format.

I hid some of the details, though, namely everything about the hunter’s man cave, since he didn’t want that location known. And, of course, all details of what had occurred inside said man cave, specifically my night spent in the hunter’s bed, in which he’d uncovered my true scent. That particular moment was when the hunter’s wolf side had taken a very keen interest in me. So that embarrassing encounter was definitely not something I wanted to share.

And another was the scorching kiss the hunter and I had experienced in the alleyway before he’d launched himself inside the club to rescue Tessa. Oh, and then this morning when he’d made me scream a second time. Yep, definitely hadn’t disclosed those moments either.

And last but not least, I’d hid all things associated with my forbidden power. It was bad enough that some of the fights I’d been engaged in divulged just how diverse my witch powers were, but it was another matter entirely to announce to the world that I harbored a power that no other supernatural could claim.

The commander began swiping through the pages on her tablet, speed-reading the six-page report. Several times her brow furrowed, and she darted glances at me and the hunter.

When she finished, she set her tablet down and pursed her lips. “So it sounds like you believe the European mafia may be involved, and somebody by the name of Jakub is running this abduction ring?”

“Correct,” I replied.

“And what’s this about a key?” She frowned.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s something the blue-haired fairy said. That Jakub is looking for a key.”

“A key to what?”

I shrugged again. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

I was about to ask what her plans were going forward, but she turned to the Fire Wolf. “You were really able to track her sister twice with perfect precision?”

The hunter’s jaw locked, but his face remained blank. “I was.”

“And that tracking ability is something you’re able to do on all of your hired jobs?”

He didn’t reply, but his eyes became hooded, guarded almost.

The commander sighed and clasped her hands. “I wish you would reconsider our offer. The Supernatural Forces would pay you highly for your time and abilities. I can have the contract drawn up—”

“As I’ve said before, I’m not interested.”

“But surely with the right price, we could reach some sort of agree—”

“Not happening.”

The commander’s nostrils flared. “Very well, but I’ll still need the names of the others held captive in that club.”

The Fire Wolf grumbled but snatched the crystal charm. The names of those he’d rescued, along with their cities, appeared on the commander’s tablet, but that was it. The hunter didn’t divulge any other details.

When finished, he tossed the charm back onto her desk. It thumped and rolled across the surface before she caught it from tumbling off the edge.

She gave the hunter a pointed look, then tucked the charm back into her drawer before addressing me. “We’ll be in touch if more information is needed. We’ll take it from here.”

“Take it from here?” My eyebrows shot up. “What does that mean?”

“It means the SF will be investigating this further. As Private Lopez has probably told you, the SF will open a full investigation into this matter. It does indeed sound like it’s more complicated than your sister’s sole abduction.”

“Yeah, it is, especially when—” I bit my lip. I’d been about to say especially when Jakub wanted me, not Tess, but then realized that would shine the spotlight on moi. Commander Klebus would undoubtedly want to know why I was such a prize, and that would literally put me back in my original predicament of not wanting the SF or the supernatural community to know about my forbidden power. It was bad enough that the hunter knew, but hopefully it stopped there.

I frowned, still not feeling as if the matter had been put to bed, because the reality hadn’t changed—Jakub had wanted me. But did he know it was me who harbored the powers he craved? Or did he still believe Tessa owned them? I grumbled internally as I stood from the chair. I still didn’t know, because I wasn’t aware of what Tessa had revealed since I’d been too mad at her to get to the bottom of it.