Everywhere I went, turned, looked, so many people. So many souls. Even wearing an amulet that dulled my power, and with a belly sloshing full of the tea brewed special by elves—the sandwich and not toy-making kind—I could feel myself itching to grab the auras with ugly hues. Some people said you shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance. Bullshit. I could see at a glance who went through life acting like a piece of shit. For example, that guy eyeballing the ladies, thinking himself sly with his spy camera set up to look like a Jibbitz on the toe of his garden clogs? His body outlined in a putrid green and gray nimbus labelled him a scuzzball.

But I’d promised my dad, the mighty Grim Reaper Charon, I wouldn’t sunder souls—the fancy term for separating spirit from flesh. I’d done my best to be a good boy and did my best to avoid using my power. However, that didn’t stop some of the recently deceased from clinging to me. If I happened to pass by the scene of an accident where the newly dead drifted aimlessly, they found themselves drawn to me. You might call me a magnet for spirits. My sister had the same problem, minus the ability to rip souls from living things. In her case, she was the embodiment of Final Destination. If she got too emotional, then the freakiest of accidents occurred—literal pianos could fall from sky.

She, too, drank the specially brewed tea to keep her power in check and managed to live a somewhat normal life, unlike me. Even luckier, she didn’t have to go through life alone. She had not one but two boyfriends—who could turn into dogs to go on walks and play fetch—who adored the shit out of her. Must be nice.

As for me? I got to deal with her bloody cats. A pair if shifty-eyed Siamese, who I swear judged me, and not in a good way. Adeline claimed I had to take them because Mother Nature had insisted they become my pets. As if the mighty Gaia wanted to do me a favor. More likely my sister handed them off to appease her canine companions.

Whatever the case, I had two felines, Fudge and Smudge, getting underfoot and doing their best to unnerve. Sly looks. Even more furtive actions. I would have dumped them at a shelter, but I didn’t want to piss off Mother Earth. I’d hate for her to give me a bad case of poison ivy.

Someone bumped into me on the sidewalk, and I winced as their soul brushed against me, sticking for a moment before being torn away as the person kept moving.

That had been close. Sometimes a simple bump was all it took. Although, in those cases, the person usually had some incurable disease, making their hold on life tenuous at best.

The turmoil I had to dodge as I walked from the subway to my apartment had me wondering, once again, why I had chosen to remain in the city. I should have found a place in the country and commuted when I wanted to visit my sister, but that would entail having a car, which I couldn’t quite afford on my salary. The only reason I could pay rent while living alone was because the converted attic was supposedly haunted. FYI, it wasn’t, and I, of all people, would know.

Averting my gaze from the spirits tempting me—and wishing someone would start a Soul Sundering Reapers Anonymous Group—I tightly clutched the amulet given to me by Hekate. The imbued magic helped with the craving most of the time. Although, of late, that aid appeared to be weakening. Why? I didn’t know. Could be it needed a boost? Or had something changed in me?

Who knew. I had no one to ask. My sister’s power differed. I’d not spoken to my mother since I ran away. And as for my dad, the great and mighty Charon, mightiest of the Reapers, the guider of souls to the River Styx, which would float them to their next reincarnation, he’d refused to answer my questions with some bullshit excuse that I had no need to know anything because I was not to use my power—or else.

I truly believed he’d send me to the great beyond if I disobeyed. The day I finally met my sperm donor—also the day my sister rescued me from my medical prison—Charon had been ready to kill me. Only Adeline’s interference kept me alive, that and the oath my dad made me swear that I wouldn’t intentionally steal any souls.

So far, I’d been a good boy. No ending the existence of the unworthy. No giving in to the cravings. Despite that, I still accumulated strays, which meant my father had the annoying habit of appearing at random and, with a swoop of his scythe, freed me of the spirits. Each time, he also repeated the same stern warning.

“Remember, I let you live on the condition you do no evil.”

Which felt kind of broad in scope. Who defined evil? How would I recognize it? What if I encountered evil, was I allowed to act then? Was it wrong I missed my vigilante days? While I’d never admit it aloud, a part of me enjoyed touching people’s souls and the rush that came with it. Could it be I was already evil?

My sister—whom I’d spent several months with adjusting to normal life and getting to know—might believe me to be good, but I worried because, much as I’d hated sundering on demand—because to refuse meant torture—like an addict, I missed it. Missed the warmth and surge of vitality when a soul attached itself to me. Hated how hungover I felt after my dad—who always arrived in his billowing black cloak with his uber-cool scythe— removed the souls. Was it any wonder the moment he left, my withdrawal-suffering ass wanted nothing more than to go find a new soul to make me feel whole again?

Fuck me, I’d become such a whiny cunt. Maybe I should stop fighting my urges, go on a last spree, and let Dad end my misery. But I’d not given up while in prison, or while being tortured, so would I really throw in the towel now that I had a chance at having a life?

A van screeched to the halt by the curb a few paces ahead of me. Likely a delivery driver who paid no mind to the many signs indicating no parking. The side door slid open, and two guys jumped out. I assumed they would kidnap the pretty woman strutting by on her phone, but to my surprise, they darted at me, one of them holding a syringe.

In prison, I’d not just educated my mind, I’d taught my body. Turned out I didn’t have to rely on my ability to protect myself. A roundhouse kick took care of the needle. A duck and lunge upward with a powerful aimed fist snapped the head of one. A whirl and my other moving clenched hand knocked the second in the face and sent him reeling. The driver exited the van, waving a gun, yelling, “Get in the vehicle.”

He shouldn’t have stood so close to the storm drain. Green hands shot out and grabbed him by the ankles. Wasn’t just clowns you had to worry about in the sewer.

The initial pair had recovered and began landing blows, two against one. I did my best to defend, but a sucker-punch to my groin bent me over seeing stars—and roused my anger.

Why was I allowing them to beat on me when I could simply—

Before I could stop myself, I grabbed the brackish light surrounding both men and yanked. I walked away as they began screaming, simmering with annoyance. Would my dad understand they’d left me no choice? Would he even know what I’d done? Guess I’d soon find out.

Arriving at my apartment, which took climbing three flights of stairs to reach my cramped attic apartment, where I lived with my pesky cats, I noticed an eviction notice taped to my door.

What the fuck? I’d been paying my rent on time. Made no noise. Avoided the other tenants.

I ripped the paper down and scanned its contents before shoving my door open to wave the missive at the two felines who napped and didn’t even bother acknowledging my arrival.

“Wake up, you lazy shits. What do you two know about this? It says I’m being evicted for nuisance activity. More specifically, allowing my cats to roam free, harass the other tenants, and peeing in inappropriate places.”

The fuckers didn’t reply. Why would they? They were just fucking cats. God blessed my ass.

I balled up the notice and flung it toward the waste bin and missed. Of course.

“Fuck my life.” What life? I worked as an underground sewer maintenance worker, a thankless job no one wanted but paid decently and allowed me to avoid people. “What’s the point of even trying? It doesn’t matter what I do. I can’t get a fucking break.”

Not entirely true. I’d gone from being a prisoner to a free man, but was I really free? Relationships were off the table because, in the heat of the moment, I couldn’t control my power. Having my teen crush—whom I met in juvie—suddenly start shrieking in the midst of making out had shriveled my dick so fast I’d worried I’d done permanent damage. Unlike some, rather than go after me demanding her light back, she went completely catatonic. Doctors claimed she’d had an aneurism, but I knew the truth.

Before you pity me and think I’m an almost forty-year-old virgin, I’d had sex, just not with a living woman. And no, I did not have sex with a zombie! Don’t be gross. I horizontal tangoed with golems specifically designed for those of us who have intimacy issues. Golems have no soul for me to steal, and if you paid enough, you could get a realistic-looking one to sate your urges. I didn’t do that often because the experience left me feeling hollow afterwards. I wanted a real connection with someone. Wanted love. Wanted the impossible.

As for friends, I’d not had a true one since Willy. To this day, I regretted not saying goodbye. Sure, I had my sister, but I feared being around her too much, especially now that she was preggers. What if I accidentally stole my niece’s soul? I'd rather die than harm the baby in Adeline’s womb—luckily her boyfriends would eviscerate me if I ever did.

Before I could truly go on a woe-is-me bender, the air became charged, and I sighed even before Charon appeared, looking as ominous as usual. The dude had style. The swirling cloak, more smoke that fabric. The aura of menace that surrounded him. The deep cowl hiding his features. The hand, always covered in a black gauntlet, holding his shiny scythe. Did he have a face? No idea. He’d never shown it to me.

“Hey, Dad.”

“How many times must I tell you to not call me that?” Charon groused.

“Would you prefer I refer to you as sperm donor?”

“My name is Charon.”

“Which is so impersonal. What about papi? Papa? Vader?”

“Do not antagonize me!”

“I see where I get my lacking sense of humor,” my dry reply. “Let me guess, you’re here to grab the souls that glued themselves to me a few days ago from that accident I passed.” A family of three, killed when their minivan slammed into a delivery truck making an illegal U-turn on a red. I didn’t mention the pair I’d just nabbed on the sidewalk. Maybe he wouldn’t notice.

“I would have been here sooner, but that earthquake in the Philippines had me busy.”

“Grab them and go.” I stood still and didn’t flinch as the scythe swept toward me, narrowly missing my neck and, instead, snagging the spirits that clung to my soul. Funny how I could see everyone else’s soul but not my own or those I picked up.

I felt them ripping free, and while I didn’t hear them wail, their sudden confusion hit me before Dad tucked them inside his cloak.

“Unpleasant as usual,” I muttered. “Here’s to hoping we don’t have to do that again for a while.”

Dad lingered, like he always did, and I braced myself for the you’d-better-behave speech.

“What are you going to do with your life?”

The jarring change made me blink. “What do you mean?”

“Working in the sewers isn’t exactly a career.”

“It pays the bills.”

“Don’t you aspire to more?”

“Like what?” I arched a brow. “I’ve got a GED and a criminal record. Not many jobs for someone with my history.”

“A sanitation worker, though?”

“Someone’s got to clean up other people’s shit.”

“Surely there’s something more noble you could do. It’s embarrassing to have a son with so little aspiration.” He called me son. Progress. Now if he would only do it without complaining.

“Well,” I drawled, “I used to fight crime, you know, taking the scum off the street, but my dad put the kibosh on that.”

“You are not to use your power!”

“I’m aware, and I haven’t”—did he notice the little lie?—“but you can’t then turn around and bitch at me. I’m not a normal person, Dad.” Yeah, I emphasized it. “I thought you’d be happy I found a job that keeps me from interacting with people.”

“Why can’t you be more like your sister?” he grumbled.

“Why can’t you be a real dad?” I countered.

“You know why,” he growled.

Because he’d been trapped by scientists and had his sperm stolen to impregnate some women as part of an experiment. “I get it you’re still pissed about the past, but you can’t change the fact you have a son and daughter now.”

“Abominations who will cause trouble, I guarantee.”

“Then kill us now,” I snapped.

“Trust me, I’ve been thinking about it.” His swirling cloak began smoking, indicating his imminent departure. But before he left, he just had to drop his usual warning. “Remember, I let you live on the condition you do no evil.”

“Care to define evil?” I asked to an empty room. Dear dad was gone, but to my shock, I’d have sworn the plant on the kitchen counter whispered with its rustling leaves, You will soon find out.

Hold on. Had the fern actually spoken? “Did you hear that?” I asked the cats.

Smudge glanced at me with bright blue eyes that flared and remained bright as the feline transformed suddenly into a woman with dark and silver-streaked hair—and not a stitch of clothing. Distracting but of more concern...

“What the fuck? I thought you were a cat!” I exclaimed.

“Only because I was undercover. Name is Fiona.” She smiled slyly. “And you heard the Earth Goddess. Sounds like we’re going on an adventure.”

Chapter 2

I stared at the woman, trying to keep my eyes on her face—and not her toned and very womanly naked figure—processing the fact she’d been a cat seconds ago. I glanced at the other feline, Fudge. “I’m guessing you’re a shapeshifter too?”

Poof.

Yup.

A dude, with his junk and a set of abs that almost made me jealous, appeared with the same streaked hair and a smirk as he exclaimed, “Tada! Nice to finally meet you. I’m Fiona’s brother, Cole.”

I raked a hand through my hair. “Well shit. Did Adeline know about you being whatever you are?” I offered them a vague encompassing wave.

“She understood we were special, but as per our instructions from Mother Earth, we only ever wore our cat forms around her. Albeit at times we did make them mega-sized depending on the threat.” Cole spread his hands wide.

“All this time and I not once suspected you were shifters,” I murmured, only to stiffen as a thought hit me. “I undressed in front of you.”

“And?” Fiona queried.

“I wouldn’t have if I’d known you were people.” I’d always been a modest guy, although my time locked up had made privacy difficult.

“You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before,” stated Cole.

“Ditto what my brother said, but I will add, you have nothing to be ashamed of.” Fiona winked, and my cheeks heated.

Bloody hell. Not only had she seen my dick and balls swinging, she’d likely heard me farting and burping. Yes, yes, normal bodily functions, but not something a man usually did in front of an attractive woman.

And she was very pretty.

“Let me get you guys some clothes.” Because their nakedness discomfited.

“No need. We’ve got some stuff stashed.” Cole headed for the chest that acted as a table in the living room. He flipped open the lid and pulled out a bag from which he pulled some items, a few of which he tossed at his sister.

“How long have you had your things tucked in there?” I asked, while staring at the ceiling—instead of Fiona’s perfect tits.

“Not long after we moved in.”

“Weren’t you worried I’d find it?” I’d never bothered opening the chest since I had nothing to put inside.

“And what would you have done if you found a bag of clothing?” Cole inquired.

Nothing, probably. I’d have assumed it left behind by the previous occupant since the place came furnished.

“You can stop eyeballing the ceiling. We’re both decent now,” said Fiona with a lilt of amusement.

“Matter of perspective,” I muttered, noticing they’d both opted for dark athletic wear. Think cat burglar and you’d get the picture. “Why even have clothes here, seeing as how you were guarding me as cats?”

“Because we sometimes needed to run errands that our feline counterparts couldn’t,” Fiona stated as if it were obvious.

Did I need to know what errands my cats ran? No. But I did see one task I no longer would have to accomplish. “Thank fuck I don’t have to buy smelly raw fish anymore.”

“Oh, we’ll still be wanting seafood, but we can opt for the sushi and sashimi kind instead.”

We.

She spoke as if they’d be sticking around. Not in my apartment, though. One bedroom, one mattress. “Gonna be nice no longer having to put up with your doing your claws on my furniture and shedding hair.” I tossed the comment out there to make it clear they wouldn’t be staying with me.

Fiona laughed. “Why, darling, it sounds like you’re trying to get rid of us.”

“You can’t exactly stay here now. This place ain’t big enough for three adults.”

“Don’t you worry, we’ll make it work. After all, the job isn’t done. We were assigned to watch over you, and we can’t exactly do that if we’re not with you twenty-four-seven.”

My brow creased. “Assigned by who?”

“Gaia, of course. Our goddess initially had us protecting your sister, but now that she’s got Hekate’s hounds, you’re our new assignment.”

“Making sure I cause no harm to others.” My lips twisted down.

“Uh, actually, our job is to make sure no one tries to kidnap you again,” clarified Cole.

I blinked in surprise. “Wait, you’re supposed to be my bodyguards?”

“Don’t sound so shocked. You of all people should know how valuable you are. There are some pretty evil folk who’d stop at nothing to get their hands on you. Why just last week, we foiled two kidnapping attempts.”

I blinked. “Who the fuck wants to abduct me? All the main players and doctors were taken out during the rescue, and the lab holding me prisoner burned to the ground.” I’d eaten popcorn while watching on repeat the aerial news footage showing the billowing smoke and flames.

“Many of the main players got eliminated, but one has to assume not everyone was present when we took the lab out, meaning—”

“There might be someone plotting already to get me back in their clutches to use as a weapon.” Fuck me. Guess the attempt today hadn’t been so random. I whirled and stalked to the window. “Why am I only being told this now?”

“It seemed kind of obvious.” Fiona left out the duh part, but I winced anyhow.

She was right. I should have thought of the fact there might be more people involved in my previous capture. There was still time to fix that mistake. Surely Dad would approve if I used my powers to handle the loose ends. After all, he’d gone full reaper on those involved in the Grim Experiment, which had been responsible not just for my imprisonment and torture but his incarceration and the theft of his seed.

“Have they been going after Adeline too?” Was my sister in danger?

“No. But then again, they were always more interested in you because of your ability.”

“However, that could change, especially now that she’s pregnant.” A baby with reaper and shapeshifter genetics might be tempting to whoever ran the Grim Experiment.

I raked fingers through my hair. “Fuck me. Guess I’d better hunt down any strays missed in the lab culling if she’s going to be safe.”

“Now you’re talking. Where do we start?” Fiona clapped her hands.

I blanked because I hadn’t the slightest clue. “I don’t know. Surely the building we took out had a list of employees and owners.”

Cole snorted. “Already accounted for and, for the most part, eliminated. However, the person bankrolling the operation has yet to be uncovered.”

“Wasn’t it the military?” I still remembered the cold-eyed general who used to visit, and each time, I’d wanted to rip his ragged gray soul and shred it. Yes, shred. Something I’d only done once to a child pedophile in prison. His aura had been so fucking black I’d not wanted it clinging to me. So rather than tear it free, I’d torn it to pieces, and to my shock, it didn’t reassemble but rather dissipated into nothingness, and when it died, so did the pedo. While I never asked Charon what it meant, I’d wager there would be no reincarnation for that asshole.

“The military doesn’t have the deep pockets and ability to completely ignore human rights that a private investor does,” Cole pointed out.

“They can be dirty, but even they have checks and balances,” Fiona added. “No, this has all the marks of some billionaire playing god.”

“How the hell am I supposed to find this mysterious rich investor? It’s not like I have any connections.” If my dad knew, he’d have probably already handled it, and while Adeline and her hounds would try to help, I didn’t want to get them worried or involved.

“Let’s start by going back to when this all began,” Fiona said. “From the conversations you had with your sister, you were created in a lab.” AKA my mom had been artificially inseminated with the Grim Reaper’s semen—against his wishes, as he never failed to tell me. My mom had been one of several women that had been impregnated. Most failed to carry to term. The only babies successfully born? Me and Adeline. Ironically enough, both our mothers escaped during the same fire in one of the labs that led to the doors unlocking as part of the fire safety protocol. They’d fled amidst the chaos.

“How does knowing I’m a test tube baby help?”

“Because one assumes the architect behind your creation is the same one that later located you and locked you away. What did your mom tell you about your conception? Did she mention how she ended up being chosen? Who she interacted with? Maybe she remembers names.”

I stared at my feet as I muttered, “I don’t know any of the details. When she tried to explain to me what happened, I lost my mind. You have to understand I was a hormonal teen when she told me the truth. She got as far as telling me I was a science experiment when I walked out.”

“And you never spoke of it again?” Fiona queried.

“Kind of hard, seeing as how I ran away from home that night.”

“Wait, you’re saying you never saw or spoke to your mother after she told you about the conditions surrounding your conception?” Cole exclaimed, jaw dropped.

“I was upset.” Understatement.

Cole shook his head. “Damn, man, that’s cold. Your poor mom.”

“Explains why you never call,” Fiona added chidingly.

The guilt wormed its way through me, not for the first time, which meant I knew how to shove it back down. “How would you feel knowing you weren’t born out of love but rather as part of some sick medical experiment?”

Fiona clucked her tongue. “Me and Cole don’t know who either of our parents are, and you don’t see us whining about it. So enough with the whining and suck it up already. What do you have to be morose about? You’re the son of the Grim Reaper. You should be celebrating that. Like, how fucking cool.”

“How is that cool? Not only do I steal souls, turning people into zombies, but my dad hates me.”

“Bah. He’s just grumpy,” Cole scoffed. “Way I hear it, he’s never cracked a smile or laughed.”

“He keeps threatening to kill me.”

“Tough parental love,” Fiona replied.

I snorted. “I don’t think it’s love.”

“Let’s forget your dad for a moment and go back to your mom.” Cole veered us back to the original topic. “You said you left as a teen and never had contact again. What are the chances she’s still living in the same place?”

My shoulders rolled. “Slim? We moved a lot when I was young and had little control. We relocated every time I accidentally sundered a soul. Eventually, she got me taking some daily herbal concoction, which seemed to help, that and the fact she kept me more or less sequestered in our apartment. The isolation and the nasty cocktail enabled me to behave, and we had been living at our last place for years before I ran off, but I have no idea if mom stayed or not.”

The siblings eyed each other, and some kind of message must have passed between them because, as one, they chirped, “Family reunion!”

“What?”

“We need to start your quest for the architect somewhere, and what better place to gather clues about your creation than the woman who birthed you?”

“I don’t have her number, and I doubt she’s listed.” Mom did everything she could to keep us flying under the radar. At the time, I assumed she wanted to keep me out of trouble, but now, given all that had happened, I had to wonder if she feared this architect getting their hands on me.

“A phone call after all this time isn’t good enough. We’ll visit her in person.” Fiona clapped her hands. “Who’s up for a road trip?”

“That would be a waste of time. I doubt she’s still in the same place.”

“Or she stuck around in the hopes her darling baby reaper would one day return,” Fiona sang.

“Even if she did move, the last home you had together is a place to start,” Cole interjected. “We can look for a forwarding address.”

“I can’t just leave.” Panic filled me.

“Why not?”

“What about my job?” Which I hated.

“Quit,” twins shouted.

“And how will I pay my bills?”

Fiona waved a hand. “Are you really worried about this dump?”

My apartment might be small and not exactly luxurious—the wooden floors worn and scratched, the walls plastered so many times they might as well be called textured, and the kitchen cabinets a relic from the eighties—but I could afford it. It was mine.

“The sanitation department is always desperate for folks, so I doubt getting your job back will be hard, especially if you claim you have to leave for a family emergency,” Cole stated. “And honestly, I know some people who can get you a better deal on a place.”

“Can’t exactly road trip without a car.” I clutched desperately at any excuse I could find.

“I’ll rent one!” Fiona chirped.

“I don’t recall the address.”

“Surely you remember the name of the city?”

Should I lie? No way they’d believe me if I said I didn’t recall. “It was a small town. Centralia, Pennsylvania.”

“What school did you go to?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Because it will narrow down the neighborhood, dummy.” Fiona rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, well, I only ever attended for a day and couldn’t tell you what it’s called.”

“No problem. I’m sure Mother will help guide us.” Fiona clapped her hands. “Get your things packed while I go and rent us something for the trip.”

Pack? I had very few things as it turned out. The apartment came furnished, mostly because the last tenant died and the landlord didn’t want to bother paying to have it emptied. When it came to personal items, I had clothes, toiletries, and not much else.

As I zipped my duffel shut, I sat down hard on my bed with its sagging springs and really wondered if I should go. I’d not seen my mom in almost two decades. We’d parted on angry terms. She probably wanted nothing to do with me. I must have been a constant reminder of her ordeal. Add in my deviant nature and she’d likely been relieved I’d left. Without me, she could have a normal life.

So why the fuck did I agree to go?

For some reason, without even realizing it, I dialed my sister. She answered on the second ring.

“Thad!” She sounded so happy to hear from me. “I was just thinking of you. I’m making a goulash for dinner. You want to come over and have your tastebuds sing?”

“I would but…” I paused. “I’m going on a trip.”

“Really? Where? With who?”

“I’m leaving with the cats to find my mom.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet you’re going to reconnect. But if you’d rather not drag Fudge and Smudge, you can drop them off with me. They can be right assholes in cars. You should have seen the fuss they put up when we went for their yearly vet visit.”

“So about your cats…” I paused, wondering how to tell her and just went with blunt. “They’re shapeshifters like your boyfriends.”

“No way!” The phone jostled as Adeline yelled to her lovers, “Why the heck didn’t you tell me the cats were like you?”

Guess she didn’t know, and neither did Orion and Ambrose, who both replied, “Like fuck they are.” With Ambrose adding, “I knew they were Earth-Mother blessed, but we had no clue they could shift.”

Adeline returned to our conversation. “Well, that explains a lot. I’m surprised they didn’t reveal themselves until now.”

“I don’t think they were allowed until they got permission from Gaia.”

“What’s Earth Mother up to now?”

“She had my fern whisper something about me finding out some stuff, and next thing I knew, Smudge turned into a woman, Fudge into a dude, and they somehow talked me into going to find my mom.”

“I think it’s a great idea. You’ve got unresolved issues, bro.”

I could have let her believe this was just about a reunion, but given we’d both been born out of the same circumstances, I told her the truth. “We’re on the hunt for anyone else that might have been involved in the Grim Experiment.”

“I thought everyone was dead.”

“Me, too, but Fiona, er, Smudge, mentioned the fact the person bankrolling it likely didn’t get caught in that sweep. Hence the suggestion I seek out my mother to see if she could remember anything that might help.”

“Want me to come along for moral support?”

The idea tempted, but… “I’m thinking I should do this alone. I was an asshole running out on her the way I did, and I don’t even know if we’ll find her.” Left unsaid, or if she was even still alive.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’m just a phone call away.” Then more softly she added, “Be careful, Thad. I just found you, and I don’t want to lose, my brother.”

“I’m not planning on doing anything stupid.” Other than driving across a few states with a pair of shapeshifters in search of someone who’d probably moved on a long time ago.

We said our goodbyes and hung up. Cole stuck his head through the bedroom door. “Fiona’s parked out front. You ready to go?”

Not really. But rather than be called whiny for my doubts, I slung my duffel over my shoulder and said, “Guess we’re doing this.”

As I closed the door to my apartment, I had a strong feeling I’d never step foot in it again.