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Prologue

“Do you believe me?”

As we stood toe-to-toe in the shabby living room—surrounded by trash bags filled with whatever things my mother had grabbed from my room—an icy feeling made its way from the crown of my head down to the base of my spine.

Because shedid, in fact, believe me. She was just kicking me out anyway.

“You brought shame to us, Meera. I don’t know what you were thinking. I thought you were smart? I thought you were responsible? You’ve probably ruined your sister’s life too, you know. If your father could see you now…” She trailed off, clicking her tongue as she shook her head.

The words were a gut punch, but I lifted my chin, training my gaze stubbornly on the water stain on the ceiling, and refusing to let her see that she’d hit her mark.

I was my mother’s daughter, after all. I could wear an armor made of ice and spite just as well as she could.

To think I’d ever felt sorry for her. I knew that she was the way she was because she had to be, because we were on the bottom rung of Hunter society and dependent on the goodwill of our betters to survive. But I still thought that I’d meant more to her than all of that. That when it came down to it, she’d at least have compassion forme.

Apparently not.

“Fine. You want me to go? I’ll go.” My sister made a sound of distress from the doorway where she’d been hovering, despite having been told to go to our room at least four times, but I hardened my heart to it as best I could. How many times had I wished tonotbe responsible for Latika? To not have to get her up and dressed and ready for school each morning, and help her with her homework and make her dinner and get her to bed each night while Mom was working?

It appeared I’d gotten my wish.

With one last look at my mother, I closed the distance between Latika and me. I’d been in the room when she was born. I’d seen her very first moments on this earth. Last summer, she’d had to tip her head back to look at me, but now we were almost eye level.

You’d been looking after her and yourself for six years when you were this age, I told myself firmly.She’ll be fine. She doesn’t need to be babied by her big sister.

That it might be the last time I ever saw Latika was too painful to acknowledge. I memorized her features as best I could—so similar to my own, and yet far more like the father she couldn’t remember.

Would he have kicked me out if he’d still been alive? A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed past it painfully. I wouldn’t have gotten myself into this mess if he’d been alive. I’d have had someone in my corner.

That would have been nice.

“I love you, Latika,” I said firmly, forcing myself to say the words that came so unnaturally to me. To everyone in this household. “I will always love you. Focus on your studies. Be kind. Be smart. And stay away from Randal Jackman.”

EIGHT YEARS LATER

“Meera Jaiswal?”

I clutched the cloth I’d been using to wipe down the bar top a little tighter, scanning over the woman who was speaking to see if I recognized her. Between my doula work and my casual bar work, Ididmeet a lot of people. None of them ever addressed me by my full name though. Most of them didn’t remember me at all.

“Can I help you?” I asked, glancing around to see where the other staff were.They’re close. You’re not alone. Everything is okay. Not that I was super close with them or anything, and I doubted they’d come running to my aid, but at least there were witnesses if I got abducted.

“My name is Adela Cooke, I’m a Criminal Investigation Special Agent with the IRS. You’re not in trouble, Meera. I was just wondering if we could talk for a moment.”

A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. A Special Agent? The IRS? That was a human organization. Since I’d been kicked out of the Hunters, I’d lived as normally as I could as a member of the human realm, and I certainly didn’t do anything that should bring me to the attention of the authorities.

If there was one thing I was going to do right for the rest of my life, it was pay my taxes.

I’d definitely done stupid and possibly illegal things during my time with the Hunters, confident in the belief that I was doing it for the greater good, but they should have no way of knowing about that.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. I just want to talk,” Adela repeated placatingly, watching me like I was about to bolt. I was strongly considering it.

“No thank you,” I mumbled, not knowing what else to say. Why was I so easily overwhelmed? It was sofrustrating.

After a long moment, Adela Cooke set a business card down on the bar top and took a step back. “I’ve been doing this long enough to know that we’re not going to get anywhere if I push, so I’ll just leave this with you for now. I don’t need to tell you what this is about—you already know. And I understand that talking about it isn’t a small ask.”

Ithadto be what I’d done way back when I was a naive seventeen-year-old. I’d lived like a saint since then. All I wanted was a quiet life. Happiness was too much to ask for, but surelyquietwasn’t.

The crimes I’d unknowingly committed then did cross over to the human sphere of influence, but it had never occurred to me that anyone would investigate them…

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