Suzi pulled open the double doors to their makeshift headquarters, shoulders squared, boots clacking against the concrete floor like she owned the place. Bear stood near the far wall on a wobbly ladder, painting strange, reflective symbols with painstaking care. A battered, open book lay on the ladder’s small platform, presumably his reference. He glanced down, nodding at her in greeting. From the balcony overhead came a piercing whistle—Darcy’s unmistakable catcall.

“Hey, sympa,” Darcy called. “Looks like you mean business.”

Suzi offered a mock bow and strode over to Bear. She could feel a fresh determination pumping through her veins, despite the lingering throbs in her dislocated elbow.

“Careful,” Bear said in a low voice, tipping his chin at the shimmering paint. “Don’t touch.”

“Got it.” Suzi stood close, but not too close. “Bear, can I ask you something about your tattoos?”

Without looking down from his work, Bear quietly responded, “They’re not tattoos. More like…brands on my soul.”

“Oh.” Suzi hesitated. It made sense. “Well, I… My own tattoos are, like…disappearing. Fading or something.”

Bear halted his brush mid-stroke, peering at her over the rim of his glasses. “Explain.”

She winced, recalling the events of the last few days. “Doyle—long story—kidnapped me, kept me drugged, zapped me with some electroshock crap. My body was in a constant healing mode, I guess. Some of the color got pushed from my skin. It’s all messed up.”

He gave a light nod and resumed his careful painting. “Darcy told me you were drugged and tortured with some electronic device. As Celestial or Kindred, our bodies heal rapidly. Our bodies also maintain a homeostasis of sorts, depicted by our own self-image, through a slight unconscious exertion of will. From what I understand, your will was compromised for an extended period as well as being electrocuted, which put your body into a constant state of healing. The vessel’s healing takes precedence. Tattoos are not much more than colored scars, albeit part of your self-image. As your body healed, it also healed those scars since your unconscious will was not able to maintain a proper self-image.”

Suzi’s brow pinched. She was still absorbing that when Bear added, ““I once had a friend, Yung Lo Chi, who had such self-control over his self-image that he could rearrange his tattoos at will. He’s the one who taught me to overly develop my ability. I used only to be able to change into about a dozen animals, but now I can become over a hundred animals, and I can partly shift, instead of a full transition each time, just with properly exerting my will into my self-image.”

“Interesting,” Suzi said, her mind lost in thought of rearranging her tattoos.

He gave a small, sad smile, eyes focusing on some distant lost love. “I lost him when we both turned to eagles and took to the sky. A group of hunters hit us with a volley of arrows. I took one in the wing, and Lo took one in the chest. Unconscious, a Shifter does not resort to his human form, and if we die as an animal, we don’t come back.” Bear smiled a sad grin laden with memories and remorse, then returned to his painting.

“My condolences, Bear,” Suzi said softly, strangely moved. She felt the weight of centuries in Bear’s voice.

He shrugged, shaking off the memory. “That was a long, long time ago. Anyway, Everett wants to talk to you.” He gave a pointed nod toward the upper floor.

“Right,” Suzi replied. She hopped up the stairs two at a time, ignoring the ache in her arm, and found Dr. Everett and Darcy sitting on the battered sofas. Darcy looked more rested; Dr. Everett looked worse.

Suzi slipped off the cheap metal-beaded bracelet Santa had given her, holding it out to Darcy. “Here,” she said. “A token of our friendship.”

Darcy cocked an eyebrow. “I’m not really a jewelry gal, but thanks.” She slid it on her wrist nonetheless.

Dr. Everett leaned forward, interlacing his fingers. “Now that you’re both here… I need you to go to Colorado—”

“We can’t, not yet,” Suzi cut him off. “We’ve got to find Gracie Jo. She’s…my fault, basically.”

Everett frowned. “What?”

Suzi took a seat, exhaling a shaky breath. “The other day, I took Gracie Jo’s essence from her body and put a demon in it. I didn’t know that there was a time limit her body could be without her in it. I had the demon contained, but it broke free and tried to possess me. I was able to get Jo out and put him in, and he made off with the Ring of Eae, so now I can’t Skip or Death Read, but it can.”

“It cannot Skip or Death Read. It would have to have time to get the ring acclimated to it first. And where is Jo’s essence now?”

Suzi tapped her temple. Darcy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“I don’t know how to explain it. I have these compartments in my head. That is where I hold the demons and my other personalities.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Suzi, we’ve been through this several times. You do not have any symptoms or other indications that you have any dissociative disorder. You do not lose time, have lapses in memories, or believe you are part of another reality,” the doctor barked.

“Well, that is where Jo is. And as for the demon in Jo’s body, I can’t say. He disappeared just like Darcy does when she Skips, and he had the ring.”

Suzi opted to keep the part about losing Judy as well to herself.

Everett continued, “The Colorado thing needs to come first. If there is a lead to the Harvester, then—”

Suzi stood abruptly, seizing Darcy’s arm. The younger woman’s eyes went wide, not sure what Suzi was doing. “Jo is the priority. Colorado can wait. Darcy’s the one who kills this demon, so I know it happens soon. I sort of…saw it, back when I had the ring.”

Everett’s face betrayed a flicker of shock. Suzi prayed Darcy didn’t pick up the deeper meaning—Darcy’s looming death. Instead, Darcy just nodded. “I’m in. Let’s get Jo first,” she said, slipping an arm around Suzi’s shoulders.

“Whatever you do, do it fast,” Bear called from the top of the stairs, brush in hand. “This trap’ll be ready tonight. I’m going out, but we’re doing the final steps by midnight.”

Suzi spotted him wiping his paint-stained hands on a towel. “Where are you going?” she asked.

Bear’s expression softened. “Out.”

Darcy sneered. “With Kyle?”

Her grin popped out, unstoppable. “With Kyle!”

“Yes, with Kyle. I have to go get ready.” Bear tossed the spirit-soaked, paint-stained towel at Darcy as he walked by them. He disappeared down the hall that led to their rooms.

Darcy looked concerned. “I should probably talk some sense into him…”

Everett nodded. “You do that. I need a word with Suzi.”

Darcy trotted off, calling Bear’s name down the hall.

Suzi slumped, eyes skimming the toes of her boots. When Darcy was out of range, she met Everett’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m awful at secrets. I once told my daughter that something was in the garage, next to her new bike, which she didn’t know we had gotten her yet.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that.” He unlocked a drawer, extracting the same red leather-bound box. A hush fell as he opened it: inside was a bizarre orb, pristine and glassy, with a small figurine enclosed.

“What’s…that?” Suzi asked, a note of dread creeping in.

He turned it, letting the overhead light reflect. “A ‘Miracle Globe.’ One of the most potent artifacts we’ve discovered. Only four known to exist. Well, three now that this one has been used.”

“Used? Doesn’t look…enchanted,” she mused, leaning in.

“You’d call it a black hole for abilities. It’s unbelievably strong, but to an untrained eye it’s just a fancy ornament.”

She blinked, that prickle of confusion deepening. “And…?”

Everett expelled a long breath. “With Darcy’s event on the horizon, I wanted to be honest. We rarely deploy these. We’re basically all about hunting, trapping, reusing relics. Maybe we sometimes forget our own humanity,” he murmured, an edge of self-reproach in his voice.

She twisted her mouth. “I’m lost, doc.”

Suzi’s gut twisted the instant Dr. Everett lifted that pristine glass orb, sunlight dancing off its surface. Everything about his posture—his hesitation, the regret clouding his eyes—felt like a countdown to something awful. She sensed it creeping, like the second shoe about to drop, only that shoe was a steel-toed boot three sizes too big.

“We were given the chance to hunt a unicorn,” Everett began, holding the globe aloft so the light refracted against its flawless sides. “Bear and I acted on impulse, thinking more about the prize than the true impact.”

Suzi’s stomach churned. “What’s any of that got to do with me, or with that damn ball?” She fought the urge to back away, despite the tension in the air warning her to brace.

He set his jaw, avoiding her gaze. “Bear was reluctant and voiced his concerns. But I was greedy. I’m not even sure I believed the ceremony would work. We’d never managed to capture an Ascendant before—demons, angels, sure, but not a pure-born Ascendant.”

Suzi felt her skin prickle with horrified anticipation. Then, oddly, a flicker of exultation broke through—they captured an Ascendant? That was no small feat. “Holy shit,” she breathed, stepping closer in spite of the dread. “That’s… that’s amazing. How the hell did you do it?”

His sigh cut through her excitement. “There’s a ritual. Very specific. This Ascendant… she was bound to a human. That’s rare, near impossible. But your friend came asking for our help finding his wife, and we—”

The puzzle slammed into place like a hammer to her gut. “My friend? His wife?” She felt all the oxygen drain from the room. “You’re fucking telling me you trapped Ellie in there?”

Everett’s sorrowful expression was all the answer she needed. Suzi’s heart roared with disbelief and fury. Her arms shot above her head in a frantic gesture of rage, jarring her injured elbow, but she didn’t care about the pain. “Oh my God, get her out. Get her out now!”

“I can’t—” he started, voice heavy.

But she was already yanking the orb from his hands, peering into it with wild eyes. A tiny figure inside, maybe three inches tall, wore a flowing white dress—Ellie, frozen in miniature perfection.

“How do I free her?” Panic clawed at her throat, adrenaline flooding her limbs. “Tell me!”

“Black hole, Suzi,” he said quietly. “Once it’s inside, it can’t come out.”

Tears welled hot and fast, spilling over. “Ellie—can you hear me?” she pleaded to the unresponsive figurine. “I’ll get you out, I swear.”

“She can’t perceive us,” Everett explained. “No concept of time in there. She’s effectively…frozen.”

Suzi’s soul screamed. She whipped the orb overhead and slammed it to the ground. It bounced twice and rolled away with a taunting clatter.

Everett’s voice cracked. “They’re nearly indestructible. If you did manage to break it, it’d explode with enough force to level the city block. I’m so sorry. We acted without thinking of the consequences.”

She snatched the globe off the floor, chest heaving, tears streaking her cheeks. “What did you gain from this? Why lock her up?”

He spread his hands, an almost helpless gesture. “We do with Ascendants what we do with demons or angels—study them, maybe harness or harvest their will. Use it for more advanced weaponry.”

“No, fuck that,” she spat, protectiveness burning through her. “She’s family to me. I’ve known her longer than I’ve known you—”

“She’s not your blood, and you and her husband aren’t even siblings,” he argued softly.

She pressed the orb tight to her coat pocket, jabbing a trembling finger at him. “Family is more than blood. You and I? We’re done.”

The words fell like a guillotine blade. Suzi pivoted, nearly dizzy with emotion, and thundered down the stairs. She spotted Bear’s carefully arranged rice patterns spread across the floor below—an intricate trap that had been set for the Chaos Demon. For half a second, she yearned to stomp through and destroy it all out of raw rage. But her anger was aimed at Everett, not Bear.

“Suzi!” the doctor’s voice echoed from above.

She didn’t look back, each sob ripping from her throat as she burst outside into the cold air.