Page 59 of Magic and Muffins

“True,” Cross said. “As for what she does…it’s not much. She doesn’t lead her people like Shepard does. Fae live independently of one another. Even families. Once a child is old enough, they’re left to their own devices. It makes feeding easier.”

“Has she met with Vivian yet?” Shepard asked Cross.

“No, but my people are watching closely. A group of humans arrived at her place last night and haven’t left.”

“How large of a group?” Shepard asked.

“Twelve.”

“Ooh, orgy,” Vena said.

Anchor pulled her into his lap, a possessive move that I attributed with Shepard and Cross, but not Anchor, and not something past-Vena would have liked. But I watched my friend melt into the cuddle and pull Anchor down for a kiss.

“Aw,” I said. “That’s so sweet.”

Anchor flushed and immediately pulled away, which earned me a scowl from Vena.

“Payback for bursting into my room this morning.”

She pouted but didn’t argue. Instead, she went back to scrolling on her phone.

“Wait,” Anchor said, watching over her shoulder. “Go back.”

She did, and he looked up at Shepard.

“Turn on the news.”

The reporter was just finishing a feel-good piece about a little girl helping a fairy caught in a net. She’d proudly shown the camera her bandaged finger, which the fairy had bitten.

“And she still thinks they’re cute?” I muttered.

Vena grinned at me.

A second later, the news switched over to another fae murder. Officials called it a serial killing since the stab wounds were identical tothreeother victims.

“Three?” I said, looking at Shepard.

He was already dialing someone, though, and he looked worried as he paced farther away from us. Serial killers concerned me, a human. But Shepard wasn’t human. Why he was worried clicked into place, and I looked at Cross.

“A human couldn’t kill a fae, could they?”

“Not usually. Perhaps if they had help, but even then…” he shook his head.

“So what could kill a fae?”

“Werewolves, other fae, and vampires,” Cross said. “Some minor races are possible, too, but they would have no reason.”

“You think this is Orphia stirring up shit, don’t you?” Vena said, leaning forward on Anchor’s lap.

She wasn’t fooling anyone, not when Anchor flushed and gripped her hips so she would stop wiggling.

“Yes.” Cross looked at Shepard, listening to his conversation for a moment. “So does Hugh.”

Vena let out a noise that was between a squeal and a screech. We all swung our gazes to her—even Shepard, who was saying goodbye to Hugh—as she bounced on Anchor’s lap. His eyes were nearly rolling back in his head at her aggressive movements.

“It’s them!” She poked her phone screen and set it on the table, calming before answering on speaker. “Hello?”

“Is this Aneva?” A man asked.

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