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Either way, it was action. And it had to be better than the damn gnawing pain that had settled in her gut.
    When Gavin told her of Julian’s final demise and then disappeared for good, she’d thought it couldn’t get any worse. But at this moment, she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so alone. She really was the fifth wheel.
    “Kara,” Tray called from behind her.
    She spun and almost growled. “You’re still here? Go home. It’s not far.”
    “Trust me, I’m going. I couldn’t get far enough from this place right now. I just wanted to tell you something.”
    Her hands flew to her hips. “What?”
    “Be careful.”
    “That’s profound, thanks.”
    “I’m serious. You’ve been involved in three accidents this week. Doesn’t that seem a little strange to you?”
    She stopped and thought. “Actually, it does seem a little strange. The first one I could chalk up to being clumsy, the second to living in a really old building, but tonight…tonight shouldn’t have happened.”
    “Accidents happen. I see them all the time. It’s not impossible that’s what tonight was. But just in case, be careful.”
    “I will. And Tray…I’m sorry.” She didn’t have to say she was sorry about Abbey. Abbey was always the first thing he thought of anyway.
    He nodded slowly. “Yeah, me too.” Then he turned and walked in the direction of his apartment.
    Kara was full of pent-up energy as she passed Horton Plaza and continued walking. Maybe she was headed toward the water. Maybe she was headed toward city hall. It really didn’t matter. She needed to think about the summons from the witch council, and she couldn’t do that at home with the lovebirds sucking face in her living room.
    The night seemed darker than usual, but the streetlamps were lit and the moon was visible above the bay. She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly seemed off. Maybe everything happening at home was finally getting to her.
    She was happy for Abbey and Jaxon…wasn’t she? Jaxon had been pining for Abbey since the first week they’d met, and Abbey needed him. Kara’s brain thought this might be a good thing, but her stomach was in knots.
    What would happen if it didn’t work out? How would they continue life as it had been? Would Jaxon recover if he was just another of Abbey’s famous one-night stands? Or what if he dumped her ? Kara wanted to throttle them both.
    As the streets passed under her feet, she noticed an ominous quality building in the air. It wasn’t the same as hunting when she sensed a spike of evil intent. This was more subtle, yet all the more peculiar because of the heavy weight of the energy. Not evil, more… elemental . A force of nature. She considered turning around, but the presence was all around her, as much where she’d come from as where she was heading, and it was growing stronger by the second.
    She brought her hand to Jaxon’s pendant around her neck and briefly considered calling him to pick her up. Then she decided that at this very moment he and Abbey were probably dealing with the aftermath of the couch incident, talking through the consequences or consoling each other. That, or they were fucking like bunnies. Did she really want him showing up sweaty and half-clothed, wearing nothing but Abbey’s rumpled bed sheet?
    Her fingers found Aiden’s symbol—a beetle—on the cord around her neck. It was nestled against the leaf charm Gavin had taken from Julian’s body before he was buried. She couldn’t bear to part with Julian’s charm, even though it had no use anymore. As for Gavin’s charm, she’d tried it once after he’d gone, but when he didn’t answer, her pride had saved her from reaching out to him again. Four charms…and only two of them were worth anything.
    Should she summon Aiden? She swore to herself after Gavin left that she would only use Aiden’s charm in an emergency. Aiden had forced her to accept it, saying he still considered Kara part of the Mercury Clan and his