Cat opened her eyes to find the ceiling of her jail cell was coated in black soot. Had it been like that before? She hadn’t really been paying attention. She sat up, keenly aware of how gods damned uncomfortable the rock she was lying on felt. You’d think they would at least have a basic plastic coated foam mattress for the prisoners but the cell was as bare as anything. The only place to lie down was a solid slab of stone built into the wall below a frosted barred up window.

  There were others in here tonight. Lots of them. Cat couldn’t see them but she could hear the occasional cough or shuffling about. None of them spoke though. Chances were that most of them were just wayward drunks stuck in a cell for a night. Not in here for days or weeks or who knew how long like she was.

  Cat had been offered the chance to be moved elsewhere but her lawyer had advised that sometimes accepting that option meant the case was more likely to be delayed. Occupying a cell motivated the local police force to get their paperwork in order. Cat couldn’t imagine that they got much paperwork or that they spent much time doing it. She imagined them sitting at their desks just drinking coffee, eating pies, and talking shit about nothing.

  She wondered if Kass was okay and who the red-headed guy was that had helped them fight the dreamweaver. He’d said his name was Grim. He was definitely an aristocrat. He’d had that smooth, confident, sexiness about him which pretty much all aristocrats exuded. She hated that he’d managed to best her at dreamwalking though. Next time they met she’d show him who was the better dreamwalker.

  She rolled onto her side and tried to get some sleep on the stone slab. At least the place had central heating. She had those useless comfort-loving cops to thank for that. The jail wing was attached to the main police wing and apparently none of the heating worked independently. She was starting to reconsider not accepting relocation to somewhere that had a mattress though. Maybe she’d get used to it. She hoped not. She hoped she wouldn’t have to be here that long. She closed her eyes and imagined herself driving along the open road, free with unlimited pavement before her.

  “Who was the sexy dark-haired dreamwalker I just met?” Grim asked Coal as they left Kass’s apartment. “She one of yours? Can you introduce me?”

  Coal sighed softly. “Cathryn James.”

  Grim paused in his walking. “James? As in Bill James? The wannabe aristocrat?”

  “That’s the one.”

  Grim whistled and started walking again. “He was ruthless he was. Whatever happened to him?”

  “Unknown.”

  “So, you’ll introduce me then? Unless she’s one you want to keep for yourself?” Grim raised an eyebrow.

  Coal knew about Grim and Stella. That wasn’t a secret. Stella had made it more than clear when they’d met that she wasn’t for keeps, not in that way anyway. Her magic and fealty was his but beyond that she was her own woman. Something that seemed to be almost too common in the women Coal liked the most. Natasha had never slept around like Stella did but she’d been just as reticent to commit to anything more. Coal had been perfectly fine with that initially. He was a business man and proper relationships took time and work. Dalliances were far more convenient, even more so when you didn’t need to find someone new all the time. For years he’d been quite content with things as they were, but losing Natasha had hurt more than he’d expected it would, and now there was only Stella.

  He and Grim and Luci had shared woman before but they had a code, an exception for those who were special. Grim would not attempt to seduce a woman who Coal had already claimed for only himself. While Cat was certainly independent, she lacked the class and elegance of woman like Natasha and Stella, the quiet self-confidence. To Coal, Cat was more of a puffed up pussy cat than anything truly fierce, and she was unabashedly and certifiably batshit insane. Her skill sets, predictable drive, and single-mindedness made her a valuable asset but she would never be more than that.

  “I don’t shit where I eat,” he replied.

  “Sure you do.”

  “Not with the likes of her. She’s crazy.”

  “The best ones often are,” Grim replied with a grin. “So, you’ll introduce me?”

  Coal sighed. Grim was incorrigible sometimes. “She’s also pregnant?”

  “That sounds more like a positive than a negative. If she’s already knocked up then there’s no risk of her getting knocked up again is there?”

  They both stopped at top of the stairs.

  Coal gave him narrow-eyed look. “You’re not the least bit concerned who the father is?”

  “Why? Is it you?” Grim chuckled. Then, without a hint of mocking he replied, “Who could take me?”

  Coal gave him another disapproving look to which Grim sighed.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Fine,” he relented. “I got plenty of other fish back home anyway.”

  “I didn’t say no, I just have no interest in helping you pursue your follies.” Coal pulled a compass from his pocket and held it out flat between them.

  Grim snorted. “And sleeping with women is a folly now is it?” He placed his own hand on the compass.

  “When that’s all you do it is.”

  Barely a blink later they were both standing in Coal’s entertaining room.

  Grim snorted and growled. “Don’t you start up about how I’m wasting my potential. I’ve heard enough of that from my father. You’re supposed to be my friend.” He spun away and leaned against the bar.

  Coal tucked the compass back into his pocket. “Then as your friend, let me remind you as aristocrats we have certain duties, functions to perform, and relationships to maintain. When you neglect your duty, don’t show up for certain negotiations and events the others see it as weakness. If you don’t take an active part in the management of your family’s estates, you won’t have them for very long.”

  “Let whoever dares, come and try to take them from me,” Grim replied in a threatening tone.

  “I can’t keep your enemies at bay forever, Grim,” Coal reminded him.

  “No one asked you to. And now, you’re starting to sound like Lucifer.”

  “Well, Lucifer is right about some things.”

  “Lucifer has siblings he has to compete with,” Grim pointed out. Then, in an obvious attempt to change the subject he asked, “Did you you find that necro you were looking for?”

  “No but I did manage to sort a deal with Reason Winters. How about that necro lead you were tracking down in Myst?”

  Grim shook his head. “No luck. Winters huh? I thought she was a sorcerer?”

  Coal smiled. “Seems not anymore.”

  “Can’t be much use without her memories. Surely there are better infusers you could use? That one was too crazy even for me. Last time I saw her she kicked me in the balls.”

  “Mmm, she’s changed. Mellowed I think. And she’s still got her memories.”

  Grim’s eyes widened as he realised the implications of that. “Well, ain’t that something.” He sat down on the nearby bar stool.

  “Will you be at the ball this Saturday?”

  Grim snorted. “No. But I head Aster will be.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Be careful with her.”

  Coal smiled. He wasn’t worried. He’d had this weekend planned out for awhile. Getting Amanda to join him had been the last piece to fall into place.

  Kass swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She rubbed her face. Everything felt like a dream, even now. “How long have I been asleep?” Her voice sounded raspy.

  Sirius and Jesse had gone into the main area of the house. Only Amanda crouched by her bed. “Two days.”

  It took a few seconds for Amanda’s words to sink in. “Two days? And no one noticed?”

  For a moment Amanda looked guilty. She opened her mouth as if to say something and then closed it again. Finally she replied, “People thought you were just caught up at work. Jesse thought you were sleeping and told Falco and Indi that you were back.”

  “And work?” Kass blinked a few times. It wasn’t like the light in her bedroom was particularly bright. She’d always put lower wattage light bulbs in to help with sleep, but at the moment even that felt like too much for her eyes.

  Amanda shrugged.

  Kass put her feet on the floor and wriggled her toes. Everything felt stiff.

  “Hey! Hold up!” Amanda said as Kass tried to stand. “Give it a few minutes, maybe drink a few more sips of water. Sirius and Jesse are getting some food.”

  “I think I’ve been lying down long enough,” Kass replied but the attempt had made her head spin and even as she spoke she found she had to lean forward and shut her eyes least the sudden spinning of the room make her sick.

  She felt Amanda’s gentle hands on her shoulders steadying her. Vague memories of Sirius in the dream world filled her head. Had she called him her prince? And Cat had been there too. Everything was so messed up. By all rights Amanda should hate her and yet here she was being nice. Kass knew she should apologise for kissing Sirius back at the facility, that she shouldn’t dream about him like she did, but she couldn’t find the words to do it and despite sleeping for two whole days, she was so very tired.

  She sat back up and pulled back slightly from Amanda, who was perceptive enough to give Kass some more space. It just made Kass feel even worse.

  Amanda drew her hands back and fixed Kass with a concerned look. “Your body hasn’t had any food or water for two days. You need to replace what you’ve lost, including moving about, but you’ll also want to do it slowly.”

  Kass nodded. She understood that. Too much too soon could result in shock.

  Amanda stayed with her until food arrived. Then both Sirius and Amanda stayed until Kass had found her feet again and had a shower. At that point it was late and with the help of Jesse, Kass convinced them she’d be okay.

  Amanda promised they’d stop by tomorrow to check in, then they left.

  “I’m sorry,” Jesse said once they were gone.

  Kass looked at him in surprise. “What are you sorry for?”

  “I should’ve known something was wrong.” The boy looked near tears.

  Kass swept him into a hug. “Don’t be silly. You couldn’t have known.”

  Jesse didn’t reply so Kass held him at arms length and looked him right in the eyes. “Alright, next time, what do you do then?” Having a plan had always helped her, and Jesse was much the same.

  His expression relaxed and he looked thoughtful. “Next time...” He frowned and then scowled. “I don’t know. They had aristocrats here. You said that they’re dangerous?”

  Kass nodded. “They are but sometimes they’re necessary.” She considered it. Did she trust Amanda and Sirius to make the right call on when to use them? What had this visit cost? Had there been any other alternative? It was that last question that tipped the scales. That and, Amanda and Sirius had five living kids. Whatever they were doing, they were doing better than she was. Jesse would be safe with them. “Next time, if you haven’t heard from me, you phone Amanda and Sirius and they’ll know what to do okay, even if it’s calling an aristocrat.”

  Jesse nodded. “Okay.”

  “You know where all the numbers are?”

  Jesse nodded again and repeated instructions she’d given him many times before. “People who are safe to call are written on the note in the safe. The code to the safe is dad’s birthday backward plus one. There’s a go bag with cash and two guns plus ammo in the bottom right corner. If I need to shoot, always make sure the safety is off. Never point the gun at something I don’t want to shoot. And if anything goes wrong, I’m to find a motel to stay in for 3 days and then call the number for your burner phone from somewhere other than in the motel. If I don’t get an answer after 3 rings then I phone the next number down the list from a different location and phone.”

  He’d told her more than she’d asked but his perfect memory of it and the calm way that he recited it reassured her that whatever happened, he’d be okay.

  Bridging The Gap!