Page 35 of Amber Gambler

“How do we get rid of it?” Josie crinkled her forehead. “Find the body?”

“Once an asrai is birthed, its remains liquify.” I fiddled with my sheet as I mined my memory for details. “There are stories of humans catching them in nets then dragging them into their boats. The fishermen would cover the asrai with damp seaweed to protect them from the sun, but only water would remain when they reached the shore.”

“If we can’t catch it,” Matty asked, dread seeping into his features, “then what do we do?”

“The only thing we can.” I was already mentally prepping a list of supplies I would require. “We’ll have to exorcise the spirit from the water.”

“That sounds dangerous.” Josie latched on to my ankle, desperate to hold on as if I would climb out of bed and rush back to the culvert tonight. “Carter, can you get backup for us?”

A hard thump in my chest set my palms sweating. “Us?”

“We’re not letting you go alone this time.” Matty glowered at me. “We’re going with you.”

“Again,” Harrow reminded them, “she didn’t go alone.”

“We don’t need reinforcements with four of us to watch her back.” Carter nixed the request. “That’s plenty.”

“You didn’t see it take her.” Harrow sounded haunted. “There was nothing I could do.”

“That won’t be the case this time,” I promised him. “This time, we’ll be prepared.”

“Let’s talk more about preparations tomorrow.” He pushed off the wall. “You need to rest.”

“I’ll sleep over.” Josie didn’t give me time to protest. “Scooch.”

“Me too.” Matty shoved to his feet on a yawn. “Over there.” He aimed for the couch. “Where it’s safe.”

“Call if you need me.” Carter wiped her fingers on her shirt. “We’ll revisit the exorcism idea tomorrow.”

“What she said.” Harrow noted our growing camaraderie, his eyebrows rising a notch. “Night, Frankie.”

Since Matty was already up, he walked them out and did the polite goodbye thing.

Acawrent the air, a plea to hold the door, before a black missile sailed in, buzzing Matty.

“The prodigal returns.” I exhaled when she landed in her cat bed. “Anything to say for yourself?”

Badb stared at me through unblinking eyes, studying me tip to toe, then rustled her feathers.

Matty, too tired to fuss at her, flipped off the lights and faceplanted onto the couch.

“Wait.” Josie drew her legs up to her chest. “You sleep with that thing?”

“I don’t have much choice.” I turned over, leaving Josie to cut her own slice of mattress. “If I move the bed, she picks it up anddrops it where she wants it. As long as you don’t bother her, or her stuff, she probably won’t bother you.”

“That sounds like a roundabout way of telling me to keep one eye open.”

I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Neither Matty nor Josie did more than twitch when my alarm blared the next morning.

Near-death experience aside, I had no excuse to skip work. I hadn’t even dreamed of Armie. Though, as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, I registered my big toe was killing me. There was a chance Badb was watching over me while I slept. As much as I appreciated her having my back, I might have to start wearing my steel-toe boots to bed if she was the reason for my wakeup limp.

We were coming up on a holiday weekend, and Paco had booked us solid. Any holiday, state or federal, was an excuse for a pop-up car show, and plenty of our regulars wanted tune-ups before hitting the road in their classics.

Lucky for me, Badb was on my team. Most of the time. A solid fifty percent anyway.

When my siblings ignored me, she tugged on Josie’s hair (saving a few strands for nesting) and pecked Matty’s butt until they fled my apartment for the safety of theirs. All I had to do was yell after them to get ready.

---