Page 38 of Death and Donuts

“I could smell Adriel’s scent on the body. Either it's Adriel, or someone dragged his dead body around the crime scene to confuse us.”

I shivered. “If he’s alive, what about the people he’s thralled?”

“Sierra is now under my control,” Cross said. “Adriel would have to try to break it, but I doubt she’s of any use to him anymore. Even so, she’s safely tucked away at Shepard’s where he can’t get to her.”

“And Miles?” I asked quietly, aware that Vena was still in the house.

“That could be an issue,” Cross said.

My stomach clenched with the implications.

“Let’s table this for right now,” Shepard said. “I have a few people I want to talk with first. I’ll be in touch when I have more information.”

“Can we keep this between us for now?” I asked before Shepard disconnected. “If Vena knows, she’ll panic.” I already knew Anchor could hear the conversation, but he wouldn't want Vena running off to find Miles. The best place Miles could be right now is trapped in a mountain so that Master couldn’t get to him.

“The fewer people who know about this, the better,” Shepard agreed. “If you don’t hear from me, come to Blur for your shift like normal.”

“Okay. Be safe.”

“I will. See you soon.”

When Shepard disconnected, I looked at Cross.

“If Adriel is alive, I’ll ensure he doesn’t stay that way for long,” Cross promised. “How about we get back to erotic desserts?”

I shook my head. “I think I’ll zone out in front of the TV for a little while.” I had enough ideas for fae desserts, anyway.

Cross steered me to the couch and sat me down then handed me the remote. “I’ll clean up the kitchen.”

Before he finished, Vena and Anchor joined us to watch two old episodes ofThe Other House. Anchor was pretty chill with Cross. Both earned a dirty look from Vena when they laughed about the misleading facts about werewolves.

We had just turned off the show to get ready for our shifts when Anchor stopped us.

“Might want to wait,” Anchor said. “Shepard’s here.”

He went to open the door before Shepard could knock. His grim face set Vena off.

“What? What happened?” she demanded, crossing the room to stand right in front of him.

He set his hands on her shoulders.

“I heard back from my contact. The king thinks Miles killed the prince. They allowed him to send the message because he claimed we can prove his innocence.”

Her panic shifted to disbelief, which I shared.

“Miles wouldn’t kill someone,” I said. “He’s even careful with fairies.”

“I know,” Shepard said. He turned Vena toward Anchor. She balked.

“We’re going, right?” she insisted.

“No.Wearen’t. I need you and Anchor to stay here for two reasons. The first one is that I trust Anchor to help manage Blur and the vampire sweeps we’ve been doing. The second reason is that I’m worried about what will happen if your whole family is in the mountain.

“We don’t know the situation. Until we do, I would rather have you on the outside.”

She opened her mouth to argue, and he added, “We might need outside help this time, Vena. Who do you trust more than yourself to help your family?”

He had her there. She closed her mouth and stared at the floor for a long moment.

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