Not long enough. If Prisha knew I was calling the shady fucker she’d be ranting at me to hang up. “Look, I’m pressed for time. I need a contact outside of the SF that has experience tracking down someone who’s been abducted.”
“Abducted? Who’s gone missing?”
I gritted my teeth. He always wanted as much information as one would give him, but that was only so he could use it against you, as Prisha and I had learned during our teenage years when we’d been a bit overzealous in testing our powers on a weekend excursion to a questionable bar in the seedier part of Chicago. We’d met Jenkins that weekend and had nearly lost our lives because of it, but I’d saved his contact info for some reason. Now, I was so thankful I had.
“How much for a contact? And I want a legit one, not some bogus contractor who’s going to scam me.”
The half-demon chuckled. “A good contact doesn’t come cheap. Five hundred, but that’s only for his location. You’ll have to do the rest. You gonna wire me the money?”
“What are your details?”
He prattled them off, and I pulled my phone away and brought up my banking app. A sickly feeling swept through me when I saw the money drain from my account. While our magic shop was profitable, I was by no means rich. When the transaction was complete, I put the phone back to my ear.
“Done. Who is he?”
“Name’s the Fire Wolf, and according to my sources, he’ll be at the Black Underbelly tonight.”
Chapter 4
“Wait, come again? You want me to go where?” Prisha asked as I stood in her doorway. Her silky black hair brushed her shoulders when her head bobbed in surprise.
“The Black Underbelly.”
“Are you suicidal? That’s in the Shadow Zone. You know, that lawless area where anything goes and not even the SF patrols?”
“I know, but Jenkins told me—”
“Whoa, stop right there.” Gaping, she held up a hand. “Are you talking about the Jenkins? The shady, half-demon asshole who nearly got us killed when we were eighteen?”
“That’s the one.”
She laughed. “Damn, that was a fun weekend, but you should know that any explanation that starts with Jenkins is an excellent reason not to be doing something. Unless we’re looking for trouble.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“I know, I know, but believe it or not, I don’t want trouble. Not this time. I just want to find Tess.” My fingers curled into my palms as that suffocating feeling clamped around my throat again. “The SF won’t help, Prish, and I gotta do something.” I didn’t explain further. I’d already filled her in on everything during my drive to her apartment. Well, filled her in about the SF. I hadn’t mentioned Jenkins until just now.
Prisha’s midnight brows drew together. “So you’re not kidding about going to the Underbelly. You’re really going to take matters into your own hands.” She sighed. “Okay, I get it. I know how hard you’ve worked to keep the vastness of your witch powers out of the public eye.”
I gave a tight nod, guilt trickling into my veins that I wasn’t being fully honest with my best friend. She didn’t know about my forbidden power, but she would if I got tested. Because the SF tests would not only reveal that I possessed every branch of witch magic there was—binding, telekinetic, shield, healing, potion making, maximizer, tactile, cloaking, etcetera—they would also reveal my other magic. My hidden one. The one that I kept under lock and key, and only practiced in secret while using Tessa as my guinea pig—the magic I’d promised my mother I would never reveal to anyone. Since our parents were dead, my twin was literally the only supernatural in the world who knew about it.
An excited gleam grew in Prisha’s eyes. “Okay, so it sounds like we’re going to the Shadow Zone. Let me grab my blades.”
I waited at the door as she retreated to one of the many bedrooms in her ginormous penthouse apartment. As a descendent from the ancient line of Krishnalanthala warriors, the only Indian family on our continent to be of that line, Prisha’s power was unique in that she could poison her blades with deadly magic and infuse them with unimaginable strength. In that sense, we were alike, since we each possessed unique forms of magic. It was probably why her father had welcomed me into their fold and had taught me to fight alongside his daughter. I would forever be grateful for that training.
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.”