Midnight had sequestered herself with the ferrous demons guarding the Universum all afternoon. She worked to deactivate its wards and ready it for transport. Cerri’s team had been busy planting magical surprises around the scrapyard. Larry’s former coven mates had spent the afternoon reinforcing the wards and preparing battle spells. One elderly witch was heard to comment that she hadn’t had so much fun since the war. No one wanted to incur her wrath by asking which war, but considering her advanced age, it could have been anything from the Revolutionary War onward.

The local Familiars, led by Ed, slunk out of the scrapyard just before dark, disguised as mundane animals. They were now strategically positioned in trees and shrubs around the area.

The ferrous demons not on guard duty had outdone themselves. They excelled at tunneling, a skill mastered during their time in the Underworld, where traveling on the realm’s surface was dangerous to such small, magically weak demons. Tunnels now honeycombed the area around both gates, both inside the scrapyard and out. They’d be able to move in, sight unseen, on the metal convoy of vehicles soon to arrive.

By nightfall, everyone was in place, most eyes peering out past the rusted metal of the scrapyard fence, awaiting the arrival of their enemies—and the hostages.

* * *

An owl hooted in the growing darkness. Then another responded with a matching cry. Their enemies were heading toward the gate. Larry and Jesse stood at the front line, along with Cerri and her SBI team. Cerri had objected to their presence, wanting them to be in the second line of defense, but one look at their stubborn faces had told her they would not budge.

“This scrapyard is our assignment. We’re not gonna let you do all the defending of it.” Jesse’s jaw jutted pugnaciously, while Larry’s lips curled in a snarl of agreement.

“Alright, you two. Just—be ready. And follow my team’s lead.” Cerri’s narrowed eyes drilled home her command.

“Yes, ma’am.” Larry touched his paw to his forehead in a salute.

Jesse snickered but followed up with a sloppy salute of her own.

“I’m done with you two. On your own heads be it.” Cerri marched away, shouting orders to her team as she did so.

Before long, a caravan of cars, trucks and vans pulled up in front of the main gate. Larry’s Familiar sources stationed outside the fence told him another half dozen vehicles now blocked the back gate, as well.

The lead vehicle, a shiny, black Cadillac with darkly tinted windows, lurched as its occupants disembarked.

Larry recognized Michael and Councilman Jenkins as they alighted from the front of the typical mobster vehicle. His snicker was cut short when two other figures emerged from the car’s rear doors. Fuck.

Carlos Giotti rose to his full height as he brushed the creases out of his expensive suit. His tanned face, all angles and wrinkles, turned toward the gate, a wintery smile stretching his lips. Beside him stood his only other surviving grandson, Anthony Manucci.

“That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I’m in charge of this shindig.” The hard-faced mobster chuckled and waved a disparaging hand at his grandsons. “Did you really think these two, or indeed any of my grandchildren, could come up with a plan like this on their own?”

Michael’s lips thinned, while Anthony’s face darkened. But neither responded to their grandfather’s insults.

“I’ve been pulling the strings from the beginning.” Carlos stepped toward the gate, his face a mask of hate. “I know that both the FBI and the SBI are investigating my organization. They’ve all been after me for years, but this time, they’ve had some help, and have come too close for comfort. It’s time to hit the road—or rather, the skies. With the help of the Universum, I plan to build a criminal enterprise that’s truly out of this world.”

The elderly mobster chuckled at his own joke, then snapped an order to the burly men behind him. “Grab them.”

The men quickly moved toward Carlos’s grandsons, guns raised. Confused, the two men tentatively raised their hands, peering in growing fear at their grandfather.

Carlos sneered at their shocked faces. “Do you think I don’t know you two have been feeding the FBI and SBI information? You got the rest of your sniveling competition out of the way, then teamed up to take me out. And what better way than to have me locked up for twenty-five to life in a mundane prison? Or sentenced to death by the SBI? Cowards! Why couldn’t you face me like men.”

The mobster nodded once, his face impassive. “Shoot ‘em.”

Gunshots rang out in the night air and both men dropped to the ground, their still bodies lying in growing pools of blood.

Carlos turned back to face the scrapyard gate, a small smile on his lips. “Now, you can see what I’m willing to do to my own flesh and blood who defy me. Imagine what I’ll do to you? Hand over the Universum and I’ll leave. Peacefully.”

The rich, iron smell of blood tainted the air, belying the mobster’s words. No one was getting out of this peacefully.

Cerri slipped through the gate, then strode past the dead men to stand in front of Carlos. She met his gaze head-on. “First, you show us the hostages. We need proof of life.”

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Carlos chuckled, his gaze flicking to a white panel van with a plumber’s logo on it. “They are present. But you’ll have to take my word for it, I’m afraid. First, hand over the Universum, witch.”

“No.” Carrie spat the words out.

“No?” Carlos raised one eyebrow in amused query.

“Fuck, no, asshole.” Cerri’s stance widened, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “Is that better, old man?”

Larry snorted in laughter at Cerri’s brave words. Boy, that witch has brass—um. Yeah, those.

Carlos’s face puckered in anger and he barked an order to his men. “Grab her!”

Several of his subordinates moved to obey, then all hell broke loose. The ground shook. Giant crevices appeared and branched out in every direction. Then the heavens opened, rain sluicing down so hard it bounced up in giant droplets once it hit the ground. The wind kicked up, great gusts driving the rain sideways.

Carlos swore and scrambled back to his car, obviously not wanting his expensive suit ruined. He waved his arms wildly as he ran and screamed a command. “Attack the scrapyard! Kill them all, if you have to, but get me that damned Universum!”

The battle that followed would go down in the annals of the SBI as one of the fiercest ever. Magically, the opposing forces were evenly matched. The mobster’s mages rained fire and fury on those protecting the scrapyard. Those within matched their attack with that of their own.

From his vantage point near the gap in the gate, Larry saw a group of enemy mages join hands and start chanting, their gaze fixed on the fence surrounding the scrapyard.

A witch to his left shouted. “The wards are weakening! We can’t hold them much longer.”

Mind-screaming as loud as he could, Larry urged the Familiars outside the gate into battle. “Stop the chanters or they’ll crack the wards!” His paws were in movement as he finished his cry. He had to trust his team would respond. He ran along the fence and squeezed through the same loose panel that he’d used to help Midnight bring in her kittens just days ago.

As he raced for the chanting mages, a loud crack rent the air. “They’ve broken the wards!”

Screams of pain and terror echoed as the battle raged on.

Larry knew the battle to protect the scrapyard was lost, but they could still win the war, if they could free Ted so he and Midnight could spirit the Universum away from the fight. Leaving the now-spent mages to the claws and teeth of his fellow Familiars, he dodged left, heading toward the white van he suspected contained the hostages.

As he rounded the front corner of the van, Larry watched in horror as a mobster took aim at the windscreen with a rifle. A mage stood to the left, his wand aimed at the doors of the van. Larry roared in anger and threw himself at the man with the gun. As his sharp teeth connected with the soft tissue of the man’s throat, a sharp pain numbed his back legs. He held on, jaw grinding, until both he and the mobster hit the ground. Then the lights went out.

* * *

“Larry? Larry! Wake up, bud.” Gentle hands gingerly stroked Larry’s flank.

Jesse’s entreaties and warm hands brought Larry slowly back to consciousness. Without moving his head, he opened his eyes and scanned the room. Lots of worried faces, both witch and Familiar, gazed at him anxiously.

“Oh, shit. It’s bad, isn’t it?” Larry mind-spoke the question to Jesse. A strange numbness filled his core, but there was no pain, thankfully.

“Afraid so, sweetie.” Sorrow laced Jesse’s reply.

“I knew something was off about this whole thing,” Larry mumbled. “Did we win?”

“Yes, thanks to you.” Cerri sat on the edge of the bed. She sported a giant bruise on the side of her face. “Your heroic actions gave the ferrous demons the time they needed to break through the bottom of the van and get the hostages to safety.” With a sigh of heartfelt relief, she added, “Ted and Midnight got the Universum away safely.”

“Oh, that’s good news.” Larry studied the SBI agent critically. “You look like you’ve been in the wars, yourself, Cerri.”

Cerri touched her face and grinned. “This? I’ve had worse. Oh, just so you know, the Boston SBI has arrested Litha.” A glint of malicious pleasure lit her gaze. “They found her trying to sneak into the ley line at a small Crossroads just outside of town. Turns out she heard about her co-conspirator’s defeat and her coven’s defection to the side of truth and justice and did a runner. She’ll stand trial for her part in this, along with the rest of her buddies. The FBI took Carlos into custody, along with the rest of his henchmen. The ones that survived. Councilman Jenkins was injured, but he’ll live. Long enough to stand trial before the Supernatural Council, anyway.”

Her gaze dropped as she finished her update. “I’m afraid Cleo got away, Larry. But her criminal behavior has earned her an Order of Destruction. DEAF will catch up with her before long.”

“Karma’s a bitch. If anyone deserves what DEAF will do to her, it’s Cleo.” Larry closed his eyes for a moment but opened them when the bed dipped with another passenger. “Risa! Good to see you. You good?”

The Water witch was pale and sported dark circles under her eyes, but she smiled at Larry. “I’m good.”

The air hung heavy with both sadness and relief, and silence settled over the room’s occupants. Then Cerri straightened, adopted a businesslike manner, and again met Larry’s gaze. “Larry, DEAF has informed me they have a new assignment for you, so you’ll be returning to the Underworld to be briefed and receive a new physical form. After the battle, I asked Hades to give us a few moments with you before you, uh, left, so that we could thank you for your efforts.”

Larry’s eyes widened. Cerri really had some pull if she could request a favor like that from the god of the Underworld—and have it granted.

“Uh, okay. Thanks. I think. But who’s going to be Jesse’s new Familiar? She can’t manage this scrapyard on her own.”

Risa provided the answer. “The scrapyard was almost completely destroyed in the battle, Larry. The only magical item of real value, the Universum, is no longer here. We’ve given the property to the ferrous demons. Carb has been appointed yard manager. The Brownie has returned to the land of the Fae. She asked me to remind you of your promise. Her exact words were, ‘Tell him I’ll find him one day, and when I do, he better have my jar of nectar.’”

The Fae never forgot a promise. Larry grimaced, resigning himself to owing the Brownie until she appeared to collect her nectar. It might be next year, or it could be a century from now, but she’d show up to collect, he was sure.

A question teased the edge of Larry’s brain for a second, then it was gone. Jesse moved her ministrations from his side and stroked his head, her calloused hand gently playing with his ears. Larry gazed up at his erstwhile magical partner in silent thanks, then he swiveled his gaze to Cerri and asked, “But what about Jesse?”

Cerri’s lips curved. She gestured to Jesse. “You can tell him, if you’d like.”

Jesse cleared her throat in embarrassment. “Well, uh, it’s like this, bud. The Witch Council has appointed me as the new High Priestess of our old coven ... at the request of our former coven mates.”

“What?! Really? That’s great, Jess.” Larry hesitated. “Uh, if that’s what you want, that is.”

“Yes, it’s what I want. It’s what I’ve always wanted, really, but never quite felt ready for. Now, I think I am.” Jesse lowered her head to meet Larry’s gaze head-on. “Thanks to you, that is. You’ve taught me trust, but verify. Always verify.” She grinned down at him. “And to get off my duff and live life.” She leaned close and whispered in Larry’s ear. “Oh, and we’re moving the coven to San Antonio. I hear they have a great pizza place there—and they deliver.”

Larry chuckled softly, then closed his eyes.