“Any way he pleases. Let’s say Dilip wants world domination now, riches beyond his wildest dreams.” She giggled. “Or say an ice cream sandwich. Shah could choose to fill his entire house with ice cream sandwiches and nothing more.”

I considered what she told me. “Shah has reached notoriety and fame because of the game Dilip created for him.” Agnes nodded. “In exchange, he’s given Dilip money, power, protection, and exoneration from possible murder.”

“Again you’re correct,” Agnes agreed.

“And now that he’s fulfilled his duties, it’s time for him to have fun with Dilip.”

Agnes’s wicked grin was confirmation enough.

A thought occurred to me. “Tell me this, does Shah have to be with Dilip at all times?”

“No. Dilip just has to be the last one to touch him to still be considered his holder.”

“If that’s the case, Shah could be anywhere.”

“Technically yes, but Dilip’s too greedy and too paranoid to leave him behind.” She frowned when her laptop swooshed, announcing she had an email. I watched her scroll down her screen, her eyes taking in everything quickly. When she finished, she leaned back in her chair, scrutinizing me closely. “A were team invaded Dilip’s Malaysian compound tonight. It seems they failed,” she said when I didn’t respond. “Their bodies were just found in a nearby river, riddled with cursed gold bullets.”

I hadn’t bothered to sit when I first entered the library. Now I wish I had. I felt sick. My only comfort was that I knew Aric and his Warriors weren’t among those dead. I’d only left them about an hour ago.

Agnes returned to playing with her braids. “Dilip is a fool, but he’s not stupid, and very much wants to hang on to what he thinks is his. One of his wishes must have been for protection against influence, seeing as he can’t be hypnotized by vampires.”

“He can’t?” I was sort of counting on that.

She shook her head. “That was the first thing we tried. His other wishes must have included protection against his enemies, and protection against theft. This debacle of a were invasion proves as much.”

“Yeah. It does.” I released a breath. “Shah will be moved from the compound, won’t he?”

“Most likely. But Dilip’s still in Malaysia, so Shah must still be there, too.” She tapped her fingers across the keyboard as she replied to the email. “We can keep him there with some red tape, but not for long.”

“Okay. But then how do we get to Shah? We can’t influence Dilip. As a human he can’t be killed or tortured. And he’s wished for protection against his enemies and against theft.”

“But you’re not his enemy, Celia. We are.”

I smiled at Agnes. It wasn’t a friendly grin. “You’re speaking in code again, Agnes.”

She lifted her long legs and placed them on the marble table, not bothering to remove her platform Mary Janes or tug down her plaid miniskirt. “How can I put this politely?”

“You probably can’t, Agnes. It’s just not in you.” I rubbed at my chest again. God, it hurt. Why did it hurt?

“True,” she agreed. “Celia, you’re an oddity among us. As preternaturals we view all beings in one of two ways, friend or prey. There is no in-between for us.” She shrugged. “You don’t think that way, which means Shah won’t technically see you as an enemy he’s indebted to Dilip to annihilate.”

As much as Dilip sounded like a monstrous idiot and likely a murderer, Agnes was right. I didn’t see him as prey—something that needed to be destroyed or, ew, eaten. I saw him as something that needed to be stopped. “Okay, but Dilip still has protection against being robbed.”

This made her flash me some fang. “I didn’t say it was going to be easy.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m glad you’re enjoying our little sit-down, but you still haven’t told me how I’m going to figure out Dilip’s new hiding spot for Shah. Something tells me if I smack him around, he’s going to count me among his enemies.”

“He’s a nerd, Celia,” Agnes said, like it was obvious. “Everything we need to find Shah is probably encoded into Dilip’s gadgets. The problem is, no one has been successful in snagging anything—Dilip’s phone, his laptop, not even his damn eReader.”

She removed her glasses and pegged me with sly grin. “The plan is for you to get close to Dilip. Real close. His phone should contain everything I need to gain access to his personal information and files. So even if he skips out of Malaysia, I’ll be able to find him and Shah anywhere.”

I crossed my arms, feeling more than a little leery. “What’s happened to those who have tried to take Dilip’s toys? His phone and tech stuff, I mean.”

“The first seven were discovered strangled with their own intestines and missing all their fingers. The last three were never seen again.” She smiled. “Good luck.”

Sometimes I really hated Agnes. “Even if we figure out Shah’s location, he’s going to be ready for us—to protect Dilip against theft, remember?”

Agnes stood and leaned forward, placing her palms on the table. “This is where it pays to be a freak. Shah can only guard against what he knows. He knows weres, he knows vampires, and he knows witches. He doesn’t know you, or your sisters. Your magic isn’t familiar because it didn’t come from the earth—nor has it existed before.” She smiled. “If you play your cards right, Shah will never see you coming.”

And if I don’t, I could end up riddled with bullets, missing fingers, and, ah, yeah, wearing my lower intestine like a scarf. Being a hero just plain sucked.

Another phone buzzed. This time it was mine. I reached into my purse and pulled it out.

Aric had sent me a text. I’m headed to Malaysia.

I paused before texting him back: So am I.

Chapter 9

Aric took my news as well as could be expected.

Okay. Not really.

“Are you out of your mind!” he’d yelled.

“You’re going,” was my awesome comeback.

Our video conference call from separate planes made it easier, but not by much. Misha was brought into the call first. The air around the private jet’s cabin shifted as soon as his image appeared on the screen. The vampires stood a little straighter and adoration lit their eyes.