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Chapter One

MAGIC IS AS MAGIC DOES

Late August

Chicago, Illinois

We worked beneath the shine of floodlights that punched holes in the darkness of Hyde Park - nearly one hundred va trim

A handful of severe-looking men in black - extra mercenary fairies we'd hired for protection - stood outside the fence that foran House and the rest of the city

In part, they were protecting us from a second attack by shape-shifters That seeest brother of the leader of the North American Central Pack Unfortunately, that hadn't stopped Adam Keene

They were also protecting us from a new threat

Humans

I glanced up fro with stain It was nearly low of the protesters' candles was visible through the gap in the fence

Their flames flickered in the sticky su known their quiet objections to the vampires in their city

Popularity was a fickle thing

Chicagoans had rioted e'd coiven way to awe, coazine spreads, but the violence of the attack on the House - and the fact that we'd fought back and in doing so had thrown shifters out into the open - had turned the tides again

Humans hadn't been thrilled to learn we'd existed, and if olves were out there, too, what else lurked in the shadows? For the past couple of ly prejudice frohborhood and camped outside the House to make sure ere aware of it

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket; I flipped it open and answered, "Merit's House of Carpentry"

Mallory Carmichael, ht, snorted fro a vampire around all those would-be aspen stakes?"

I looked over the trim on the sawhorse in front of me "I'm not sure any of this is actually aspen, but I take your point"

"I assuain this evening?"

"You would be correct Since you asked, I' stain to some lovely ork, after which I'll probably apply a little sealant - "

"Oh, my God, yawn," she interrupted "Please spare me your hardware stories I'd offer to co

Magic is as ic does, and all that"

That explained the ruround on her end "Actually, Mal, even if you could ht now"

"No shit," she said "When did Darth Sullivan issue that dictate?"

"When Mayor Tate asked him to"

Mallory let out a lohistle, and her voice was equally concerned "Seriously? Catcher didn't even say anything about that"

Catcher was Mallory's current live-in boyfriend, the sorcerer who'd replaced o He also worked in the office of the city's supernatural Orandfather - and was supposed to be in the know about all things supernatural The Ombudsman's office was a kind of paranormal help desk

"The Houses are keeping it on the do," I adets out that Tate closed the Houses, and people panic"