She took note of how stiffly he moved. Normally he did everything with a liquid, panther-like grace. She tightened her arms around him with care. “I feel the same way about you. Thank God you’re all right.”

He gave her a small, grave smile. “I’d like you to meet Tess. She is my…” His voice trailed off, and he looked at the woman in some consternation.

Tess raised an eyebrow at him. Her intelligent expression turned humorous. “Your girlfriend?”

He laughed. “Yes, she is my girlfriend.”

Melly’s gaze lingered on his expression. Despite the evident pain of his condition, and the serious reasons why he had come to Julian’s house, he was lit with happiness.

She told Tess, “I’m delighted to meet you. Anyone who is important to Xavier is important to me.”

The other woman gave her a shy smile. “Thank you. I’m delighted to meet you too.”

“Tess saved my life,” Xavier said. “If she hadn’t known what to do and acted so quickly, the poison would have killed me.”

“All the more reason to welcome you,” Melly told her, returning her smile. Having finished with the pleasantries, she turned to Julian. “What do we know? How is the search going?”

His hard face was tight with frustration. “Too slowly,” he growled. “The only thing we’ve achieved so far is keeping pressure on her – at least I hope so. The problem is, whenever I make a countermove against her, she escalates to doing something else. Each time it gets more extreme. The last time she kidnapped you.”

“What about the helicopter you heard?” Melly asked as she looked from one male to the other.

Xavier shook his head. He said in his quiet, pleasant voice, “We’ve confirmed at least a dozen helicopter flights today alone. We’re looking into each one, but that takes time.”

Julian planted one fist on the top of his desk. “The one great advantage that any criminal has is that they can move quickly. Investigations take time. The fact is, we aren’t going to get her with the citywide search. It’s logical, methodical, and it’s not moving fast enough. We have to get in front of this. We have to make an intuitive leap to where she is going next and be waiting for her when she gets there.”

Closing her eyes, Melly pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to think. Then she looked at Julian. “Justine said it, down in the tunnels. It’s all about you. Everything she has done has been about you.”

“Well,” he replied dryly, “it might have sounded good in theory, but she said that to needle me, and it isn’t exactly true.”

Suddenly Tess spoke up. “What she really wants is power. Every time someone acts to check her behavior, she lashes out. Xavier was surveilling her, so she killed his operative and tried to get rid of him as well. Same thing with Julian. Even killing all of her attendants was a massive, monstrous fuck you.” The human looked around the room. “I mean, come on. How likely was it that she let something slip that one of them would have overheard?”

“Can’t argue with that,” said Julian.

“Miss Melisande,” said Gregoire from the doorway. “Your sister and the Light Fae troops have arrived.”

Melly pivoted on one heel. Until that moment, she’d honestly had no idea how she was going to act, but maybe she’d only been fooling herself, because something switched in her brain, and everything became crystal clear, as if etched in ice.

“Thank you,” she said to Gregoire. “Please show Bailey to the library. I’ll be there momentarily.”

Telepathically, Julian asked, Want me to come?

She glanced over her shoulder. I’ve got this.

He assessed her with that wolflike gaze of his, then gave her a nod. If you need me, I’m here.

At that, she had to smile. She told him, I’ll always need you.

His face gentled, then Xavier called his attention back to the map.

Watching them, she came to an abrupt decision.

Come to think of it, she wasn’t going to wait for Gregoire to show Bailey to the library. Melly would already be there, waiting for her sister to arrive.

Sixteen

W

hen she reached the library, she headed straight for the liquor cabinet.

She had been fantasizing about having a piña colada for a long time. She might not get the chance to have one for a while, but for now, she could at least knock back something. Her days and nights were fucked up anyway, and you know it was five o’clock somewhere, baby.

Choosing a decanter at random, she splashed a finger of amber liquid into a tumbler and tossed it back.

Cognac. Unless she missed her guess, a high-end Courvoisier.

That would do nicely. She poured herself another.

Quick footsteps sounded in the doorway. She turned as Bailey entered the room. Bailey wore jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt, a denim vest and a gun in a waist holster. Her short, curly hair was tousled as usual, and her face was etched with stress.

Even though they were identical twins, to Melly, looking at Bailey had never been like looking in a mirror. They, of all people, knew quite well the characteristics that made them unique.

Bailey was a touch leaner, her face more angular. Melly was fit and active, but Bailey was driven to athleticism. She exceled at using several different weapons, whereas Melly was perfectly content to be merely competent.

Melly’s lips were fuller, her eyes a shade darker, and she had a dimple in one cheek that appeared whenever she laughed.

Still, when she looked at Bailey, she felt like she did when she looked at her mother. Whatever else had happened, Bailey had always been a fact of her existence. Melly had never known life without her. They had grown up together, had loved each other, played together and fought like cats and dogs.

As Melly regarded her twin now, pain and anger surged up so that she couldn’t speak.

Bailey’s expression lightened. She rushed forward to throw her arms around her.

Melly almost struck her in the breastbone with the flat of her hand to drive her back. Almost, but in spite of everything, she couldn’t bring herself to raise her hand against her sister.

Melly couldn’t return her hug either, so she stood stiffly in Bailey’s embrace.

“Thank the gods,” Bailey said in her ear. “I haven’t been able to eat or sleep. I’ve felt sick to my stomach for three days.”