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bathroom to change. She inspected her sweater and decided it would do, then wedged herself into a pair of gray slacks that had been loose on Abbey. With Kara’s build, it looked as if she’d painted them on. She’d need surgery to remove them from her crevices, and they still brushed the floor when she walked. Kara could handle not being Abbey’s height, but if she split a seam, she was going to chain the refrigerator door closed.
    She emerged from the bathroom with her tattered Levi’s over one arm. The witch decree slipped from the pocket of the jeans and fell to the ground. Kara grimaced. As if she needed to be reminded what a mess her life was right now.
    To show Tray she’d only been joking about the sofa, she plopped down, tucked the envelope beside her thigh and placed her hands in her lap. “I folded the blankets and left them by the bathroom door. Sorry if they’re a little worse for the wear.”
    “Worse for the wear? You mean sporting your bodily fluids?”
    “Uh, yeah. That, too.”
    Damn, she’d had a horrible night. Chasing down tourists, upsetting Abbey and being summoned to the witch council would have been enough, but witnessing such a horrific accident and not being able to do anything to help made her want to throw in the towel and just curl up in a ball.
    Tray cocked his head, staring at the envelope beside Kara. “What’s that?”
    “A letter.”
    “From Abbey?”
    “What?” He couldn’t possibly be obsessed enough that he’d think Abbey had sent him a letter, could he? Abbey hadn’t even known Kara was going to see him tonight. “No, it’s not from Abbey. As a matter of fact, if I have anything to say about it, Abbey isn’t ever going to know this letter exists.”
    He came and sat down on the coffee table across from Kara. “Okay, you have my attention. What’s in the letter?”
    “You’re such a cop,” Kara growled. “How come I feel like I’m the one being interrogated when you were the one who had something to say? So spill it. What’s up?”
    He threaded his fingers together. “I never said I had something to say. I said I needed to talk with you.”
    “About what?”
    “Well, it seems kind of ridiculous now. I just wanted to find out how Abbey was doing since she won’t talk to me, but then a fucking beam fell out of the sky and almost compressed you into the sidewalk. I’d be an asshole to ask you about her now.”
    Kara smiled. “Since when did being an asshole ever bother you?”
    “Hey,” he began, looking like he was going to defend himself, but then he shrugged. “It doesn’t, really. How is she?”
    Kara nestled deeper into the couch, her fingers fiddling with the edge of the envelope. “She’s hanging in there. The brand hasn’t healed…but she’s in good spirits.”
    “How could it not have healed yet?”
    “I’m not sure, but it may not be a coincidence that Gable’s first victim died of sepsis. Her wound never closed either.”
    Tray shot to his feet. “Abbey’s gonna die?”
    Kara rose and grabbed his hands. “No! That’s not what I meant. Don’t even think it, Tray. Abbey’s witch blood may not make her as strong as the Demiáre, but her immune system has helped her fight off any infection. She’s fine. I swear.” Except for the gaping tracks on her belly.
    He turned and walked to the window. “Shit, Kara, you almost gave me a heart attack for the second time tonight.”
    “Sorry. But you don’t need to worry. Just as soon as I clear up some stuff, Grammy D and her friends will be right back to trying to fix Abbey.”
    “Why did they stop?”
    “Well, there might be a little… injunction in the way. But I’m meeting with Abbey’s uncle to explain my role in her injury, and once he understands what’s going on, everything’ll be fine.”
    “What does Abbey’s uncle have to do with it? I didn’t even know she had an uncle.”
    Kara bit her lip. “I knew she had a few relatives, but since Grammy D is the only one she