Darkness. Not the dreamy, abstract darkness from before, but the heavy, full-bodied kind that swallowed the world whole. My consciousness surfaced, a foggy mess, the world around me undefined.

“Jack!” A voice, urgent, cutting through the abyss.

I was awake, but everything remained black. There was a strange sensation, cold and clammy, as if the chill had settled deep into my bones. Soft hands touched my skin—Cali’s. She was there. I tried to move, my body uncooperative, fingers twitching as if they weren’t my own.

“Careful, Jack,” she said, her voice softer now. “It’s okay. Just relax.”

“Why can’t I see?” My voice was hoarse, dry as sandpaper.

“Your eyes are bandaged. You were badly hurt, but you’re going to be okay.” It was Cali, definitely Cali. There was an edge to her voice, concern barely masked beneath the calm.

I swallowed, trying to process her words. “What... happened?”

“You’re lucky, is what happened.” The voice was deeper—Al. “Smart enough to follow you to Bart’s place. Pulled you from the wreckage before it all went up in smoke.”

“What?” My throat felt raw, the word little more than a croak.

“Fire magic,” Al said, and I could hear the weight behind his voice. “A fireburst, by the looks of it. Kane, maybe, but we can’t say for sure.”

“Kane…” The name fell out of me, bitter on my tongue.

“We don’t know that,” Cali insisted.

I tried to sit up, a sharp stab of pain slicing through my side. The world spun, everything blurring into shades of nothing. I felt Cali’s hands—steady, warm—and Al’s, helping me upright.

“We almost lost you back there, Jack,” Cali said, her voice steady, though I could hear the tremor beneath it. “Whoever did this… they aren’t playing games.”

“It wasn’t me they wanted.” I swallowed hard. “It was Bart. Did he make it?”

There was a pause. Too long.

“No, Jack,” Cali finally said, her voice softer. “He didn’t make it. Frank, though… Frank took the brunt of the force. He’s alright. Singed, but demons are stubborn bastards.”

Frank. I could feel him now, the weight of him around me, the jacket resting heavily against my skin. He was silent, still recovering.

“How long?” I asked, barely able to get the words out. “How long have I been out?”

“A few days,” Al answered.

“A few days?” I struggled, the panic rising, reaching for my face, trying to rip away the bandages.

“No, Jack!” Cali’s hands grabbed mine, holding them firmly. “You need to calm down. We’ve only just managed to keep you alive, keeping you hydrated. Don’t throw that all away now.”

“There’s no time. Ashley—Bart’s daughter—they’re going to kill her if they haven’t already.”

“Relax.” Al’s voice was surprisingly calm. “I had someone check in on her. A buddy of mine frequents Cat’s Casino, said she’s fine. Doesn’t even know what’s going on. That’s the good news.”

“And the bad?”

Al hesitated. “He also said they’ve got Aylin. And the key.”

My heart might not beat, but something clenched inside me. I forced myself upright, standing too quickly, immediately falling forward. Al and Cali caught me before I hit the ground, the floor slippery beneath my bare feet. Something wet. Thick. And then the smell hit me.

Blood.

“What… where are we?” I managed.

“Relax, Jack. It’s okay. We had a few uninvited guests, but I took care of them,” Cali said, her voice calm, almost too calm.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I let my shoulders drop slightly, but the unease lingered, prickling at the edge of my senses. Something felt off.

“Here, drink this,” she said, handing me a glass with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. A cup pressed into my hands.

“What is it?”

“You don’t want to know,” Cali said. “A gift from Mildred.”

“Mildred doesn’t give gifts,” I muttered, the distrust evident in my voice.

“Just drink it, you big baby,” she urged. “We’ve been dripping it into your mouth to keep you going.”

I hesitated, then reluctantly took a sip. The taste was… incredible. Warm, thick, sliding down my throat with a sensation that bordered on divine.

My body reacted instantly, the hunger seizing control as the cup drained before I even realized it. The sensation surged through me, electric and overwhelming, the kind of pleasure that leaves you trembling, fingers gripping tight, shaking from the intensity of it—or from the desperate, impossible wish for it not to stop.

“More,” I gasped, desperate.

Cali’s voice was softer now. “We don’t have anything more to drink, but… here.” Something else was placed in my hands. Warm. Slightly pulsing. I realized it was meat. Bloody.

Instinct took over. I tore into it, the taste overwhelming, my senses exploding. Every nerve came alive, electricity buzzing through me, the world shifting into a startling clarity. I could feel everything—Cali’s presence beside me, Al across the room. I stretched, and the world expanded; I could hear the street outside, the creak of the building, feel the flow of the magic that surrounded everything.

The emptiness that had been gnawing at me since the explosion—it was gone, replaced by something fuller, something more. I felt Frank stir, his voice crackling through the silence.

What is that? His words were distant, echoing in my mind. Oh my!

The bandages slipped from my face, and my vision swam back into focus. Blood. My hands were slick with it, and the floor beneath me was a mess of crimson. The room was in shambles—Cali’s shop, but torn apart, like a hurricane had swept through it. There were bodies, three of them, scattered across the room, a gory mess.

Oh no. The bodies... My stomach twisted violently, bile burning at the back of my throat. “Did I… did I just…”

Cali’s gaze followed mine, her expression tightening as she caught the direction of my thoughts. She stepped closer, her voice quick and steady, cutting through the rising panic.

“No.” Her eyes were wide but steady. “No, Jack. Those were just goons. I took them out when they came snooping around. You didn’t eat them. You ate a…” she paused, as if searching for the right word, “a Gildrake demon. Caught live from the Rift—alive. Mildred had one—well, someone who owed her a favor did, at least.”

The world seemed to vibrate, colors bleeding into a surreal vividness. Everything was more. The colors were richer, the sounds sharper. Magic, or maybe just a world stripped of the grime and soot that had dulled it for so long. I blinked, and the clarity pulled away slightly, but I could still feel it there, just beneath the surface.

And then a worry cut through the haze. “Mildred… she doesn’t do favors. What did you give her?”

Cali paused, her eyes narrowing, and I could see the doubt, the way her lips pressed into a thin line. I grabbed her arm, my voice dropping. “Oh, gods, Cali. What was it? What did you give her?”

“Let go, Jack.” She wrenched her arm from my grasp. “What I gave was mine to give, and that’s all you need to know.” Her eyes flashed, steel behind them.

“Damn it, Cali. You can’t just… you shouldn’t—“ I swallowed. “I can never repay that kind of debt.”

She snorted. “A gift doesn’t have strings, Jack. You’ve paid plenty over the years, and you’ll keep paying. And it’s not entirely selfless. I live in this city too. I see the filth, the corruption. The surges affect me just as much as anyone. Think of yourself as… an investment. But don’t make it a bad one, got it?”

I stood, wobbling, and nodded. Al watched us, quiet until I turned to him.

“Gonna weigh in?”

Al shook his head, smirking. “Nope. Cali’s terrifying. I’m with her.”

“Figures.” I couldn’t help the slight grin that tugged at my lips.

“Well,” I said, my voice low and deliberate, “seeing as we’re all feeling so damn charitable, I think you both know what comes next.”

“I’m in, Jack,” he said, a little too quickly. “I owe you that.”

“You don’t owe me shit,” I shot back. “You pulled me out of that fire. Debt’s paid.”

“Then I owe it to myself,” he said, leaning forward, his eyes sharp and defiant. “I’m in this with you now. Besides, like hell I’m letting you have all the fun.”

I gave him a quick pat on the arm and a nod.

“'All the fun', with what?” Cali’s eyes narrowed, but the look said she already knew the answer.

“They torched Bart’s place,” I said, my voice low and sharp. “Killed an old friend. Wiped out everything we had on them.” I felt Frank stir beneath the surface of my mind, his simmering approval radiating like heat. A slow, grim smile spread across my face. “So now, we’re going to pay Cat a visit. Have a nice, polite chat. And get some answers.”

Cali exchanged a glance with Al, her expression caught somewhere between concern and resignation. “You sure you’re ready for this, Jack? You barely just recovered from getting blown to pieces.”

“Ready?” I flexed my fingers, feeling Frank shift and tighten around. Power coursed through me, stronger than anything I’d felt before. My muscles coiled with a strength that almost hummed, and for a fleeting moment, I swore I felt a heartbeat pounding in my chest. “I’ve never been more ready.”