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Probably not. Her cousin wasn’t the kind to do his own killing. Assassins were more his speed.
    Suddenly the hiss of flowing gas turned into the bubbling of a filled tank. Nineva released the trigger and threw the nozzle back onto its cradle, then swung hastily into the car. Fortunately, she’d already swiped her debit card. She started the Honda and sped out of the parking lot, ignoring an SUV’s angry horn blast as she barreled into traffic.
    She had to get home, return Snowball to her neighbor, and grab that all-important duffel full of cash. If only she’d packed it that afternoon…Unfortunately, the violence of her nightmare had shaken her so badly, she hadn’t even remembered the duffel until she was halfway to the party.
    She only hoped that mistake didn’t cost her her life.
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    Kel shook his head as he watched the fairy princess speed from the parking lot like a bank robber fleeing the scene. “Paranoid much?” he muttered under his breath.
    Then again, you weren’t paranoid if they really were out to get you. Particularly if “they” were the army of evil Sidhe warriors Cachamwri had described.
    Poor kid. He seriously doubted she’d be able to fight off a Boy Scout troop. And what was with the costume, anyway? She looked like she should be telling Dorothy there was no place like home.
    Still, she was a surprisingly lush little thing for a Sidhe, with sweetly full breasts that made him contemplate what it would be like to peel her out of that ridiculous dress.
    Unfortunately, it didn’t seem she was in the mood.
    He sighed and strode around the side of the building until he was out of sight of any curious passersby. Shuttering his eyes, he drew on the familiar warm buzz of the Mageverse and wove it into a glamour.
    And promptly vanished into thin air—at least as far as the humans were concerned.
    Comfortably invisible, he gestured, drawing a shimmering pinpoint in the air. A flick of his fingers expanded it into a rippling doorway that glowed with a milky iridescence. He stepped through the dimensional gate into a dimly lit room. Curious, Kel gazed around.
    Well, Nineva Morrow certainly didn’t live like a fairy princess. More like someone who expected to have to race from gas stations. The efficiency apartment was clean enough, but the furniture consisted of a relatively new futon, a couple of plastic milk crates full of shabby paperbacks, and a tiny color TV set sitting on a cheap pressed-wood coffee table. The carpet was worn and marked with old stains that probably predated her tenancy. There were no pictures on the walls—no family photos or posters. The whole effect was bleak.
    Interesting. Even if she was broke, the princess could have conjured a few things to make her life more comfortable. Unless she was afraid using any magic at all would make it possible for the Sidhe to track her.
    She certainly went out of her way to shield herself. If it hadn’t been for Cachamwri telling him where to find her, Kel knew he’d still be looking. And Draconian magic was generally stronger than the Sidhe’s. Maybe there was more to the princess than met the eye.
    Luckily, nobody’s magic was stronger than Cachamwri’s. You couldn’t hide from the Dragon God.
    Kel spotted a hardback book on the coffee table and picked it up. His brows rose. “ 101 Tricks for Professional Magicians ?”
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    Nineva took the stairs to her apartment two at a time. She’d dropped Snowball off at her neighbor’s even as her stomach knotted at the delay.
    Her duffel lay in the closet upstairs. She had to have it before she could leave. Once again, she cursed the string of car break-ins that had forced her to keep the bag in her apartment. She wished she dared conjure it into her hands, but using any kind of magic at all would be like sending up a flare for her pursuers. Here I am! Come kill me!
    Nineva gritted her teeth, one fist