When I open my eyes, the Bargainer is smoothing my hair away from my face. “We used to do this together,” he says softly, “back in your dorm room. You used to get nightmares and I’d wake you from them.”

Because even when we weren’t a we, Des was still saving me, over and over again.

“Do you remember?” he asks quietly.

I nod against him.

“And now the nightmares are back, and this time, I can’t save you from them.”

I draw in a shaky breath and press a hand to my clammy forehead. “He can control dreams—the Thief. He called the place his kingdom.”

Des frowns, his forehead wrinkling as his gaze searches my face. I think he’s about to tell me something, but the moment passes and his words never come.

Out my bedroom windows, I can hear the surf crashing against the shore. It’s one more visceral reminder of my dream.

I shudder out a breath. “I don’t know why he’s targeting me.” I’m embarrassed by how weak I sound.

“Listen to me,” Des says, gripping me tightly. “The Thief of Souls may be powerful, but you are no one’s victim. Do you understand?”

I swallow and nod.

Des searches my face, the moonlight casting his face in shades of blue. “Think you’ll be able to fall back to sleep?” he asks.

And end up in another one of the Thief’s sick dreams?

I shake my head.

The Bargainer let’s out a breath. “Then let’s grab breakfast.”

I glance at the clock on my nightstand. It’s 3:02 a.m.

“Where are we going to get breakfast this early?”

Des just grins.

“I fucking love you, you know that, right?” I ask, pulling apart a chocolate croissant. Around us, sunlight filters into Douglas Café. It may be the middle of the night in Malibu, but it’s nearly lunchtime on the Isle of Man. The place is abuzz with people chatting over coffee and pastries, life moving along the same way it did when we used to come here a decade ago.

“It’s always nice to be reminded.” Des kicks his booted feet up on the table, leaning back to sip his espresso. The years might pass, but watching the big bad Bargainer drink coffee from a tiny cup will never get old.

I take a sip from my coffee, watching a group of teenage witches gossip as they wait in line to order.

“Do you ever wish you had that?” Des asks, following my gaze.

“Had what?”

The Bargainer smirks. “Don’t be coy, cherub. You know what I’m talking about.”

Girlfriends. A posse. A group of women that have your back and you have theirs. People who you’d shop with, borrow shit from, tell all your secrets to. There had been moments where I’d wanted all of that so desperately it hurt.

I take a deep breath, setting my mug down. “Sometimes—when I don’t think about what it would’ve cost me.” If I hadn’t been so desperately lonely, I wouldn’t have bartered for Des’s company. And if I hadn’t bartered for that …

“I would’ve come for you, love.” He kicks his feet off the table. “I searched a hundred years for you. I would’ve found you, one way or another.”

That confession warms me to the tips of my toes.

I take a final drink of my coffee, then push it away. I glance back at the girls, who’ve now moved off to the side as they wait for their order. “I do have a version of that,” I say softly.

Temper filled the gaping hole Des left in me, and I was there to fill her own holes.

God, that thought sounded so much dirtier than I intended. Not that Temper would mind the description.

“Ah, Temper, the woman I am forever indebted to. You know, I happen to know a bit about … her situation.”

My eyes widen. I know enough about her fucked up background, but I don’t know everything.

Des takes another sip of his drink. “Maybe I’ll tell you sometime … for a price, of course.”

Of course.

The Bargainer downs his espresso and stands. “We should get moving. We’ve got an appointment to make.”

I brush off the cobwebs after we step off the ley line and into a condemned church.

Ley line portals occur in the eeriest places.

“Where are we?” I ask as Des leads me outside. Above us, the sky is overcast, and across the street, one building butts up against the next.

“London,” Des says, taking my hand.

For a moment, I don’t think that’s unusual. I’m used to showing up in random cities with Des. It’s what we always used to do together.

But now that Galleghar and the Thief are loose, and the Otherworld is in the midst of a war, London feels random.

“Why are we here?”

“You’ll see.”

With that cryptic remark, we head down the street. The two of us walk for several blocks, the Bargainer all but dragging my ass towards this mystery destination.

“Where are we going?” I ask again.

“I have an acquaintance who might be able to help us.”

Help us with what?

“Unless you’re taking me to the spa, I’m really not thrilled about this.”

I mean, I will risk another drop-in with Galleghar if it means getting some spa treatment, but that’s about it.

The Bargainer glances at me as we cross the street, his expression sly. “I thought breakfast bought me a little amnesty.”

I grumble at that because he has a point. You ply me with pastries and coffee, and I’ll overlook a lot of crap.

We finally stop in front of a sleek building.

“This is where you wanted to take me?” I ask, sizing it up. It looks like a place where fun goes to die. It’s all smooth edges and modern fittings, and frankly, it looks wrong, sitting right here in this old city. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to hate this.”

“Cherub, you don’t even know what this is.”

I snort. “Unless this place contains a themed bar, a year’s worth of macaroons, or fucking Santa Claus, it’s going to disappoint.”

All of which are also things I will risk a drop-in with Galleghar for.

“So dramatic. Maybe if you play nice, I’ll take you to a themed bar after this—I might even let you take body shots off of me.”

I thin my eyes at Des. “That’s blackmail right there.” Completely effective blackmail, but blackmail nonetheless.

“Your deduction skills are off the charts.”

I give my mate a light shove, grinning a little. “You don’t have to get all mouthy on me. And I’m totally holding you to those body shots.” Tequila ones. I want to lick salt off his grossly sexy abs and have him hand feed me limes.

Why yes, I am a freak.

Reluctantly I enter the building with him. It’s not until we reach the sixteenth floor and I see the metal placard fitted across the way that I realize what exactly the surprise appointment is.

“You’re taking me to visit a seer?” Simply saying the name sends a wave of adrenaline through my system.

No wonder the Bargainer was being all cloak and dagger about our destination. I never would’ve agreed to come here if I’d known.

“Don’t you think it’s about time we had someone look into your future, considering all that’s going on?” Des says.

“No, I don’t think so.” I don’t think so at all. Because, reasons. Good ones. Ones I don’t want to talk about.