Alex made magic shine in her eyes in an eerily Kai-like way. “Oh, I intend to eat you, sweetheart, and trust me when I say you’ll like it.”

The sisters stared at each other for a moment, then they both burst into laughter.

“Ok, it’s my turn,” Sera said, then settled her face into a cold stare. She looked at Alex, dipping her chin. “Vigilante.”

The corner of Alex’s mouth twitched as she returned the nod. “Slayer. Kill anyone today?”

“Not yet.” Sera gave her a look loaded with innuendo.

Laughter burst from Alex’s mouth. Bottling it back up, she waved her hand in front of her face. “Just give me a moment.”

“There’s no need to get flushed. Love,” Sera tacked on.

That did it. Alex exploded into a fit of giggles, and after a brief moment trying to hold it in, Sera decided that resistance, in fact, really was futile. She and Alex hugged each other, shaking with laughter.

Kai and Logan turned around and stared back at them.

“I do believe we are being mocked,” Logan said to Kai.

“It would appear so.”

Sera and Alex grinned at them.

“I don’t think we were discreet enough,” Alex told Sera.

“Alex, my love, discreet can’t even survive in the same sentence with you,” said Logan.

“That’s so not true. I can be all discreet and stealthy and stuff.”

Sera coughed down a laugh.

“Ok, fine.” Alex exhaled slowly, melodramatically, as the car stopped. “I’m blunt. But sometimes that’s just what the situation requires.”

They all got out of the car, jumping down onto the airport runway. A row of private jets, big and small, stretched out before them.

Logan took Alex’s hand, kissing it. “I love you anyway, bluntness and all.”

Sera kissed her shoulder. “Me too.”

“Aww, I love you both too. And I think this calls for a group hug.” Alex lifted her arms, pulling them against her.

Sera motioned Kai forward. “Care to join in?”

“I’d rather be set on fire than hug the assassin.”

Logan grunted, whether in amusement or agreement Sera didn’t know. She gave her sister a final squeeze, then pulled away. As she did, Logan’s arm slid around Alex’s waist.

“I’m going to miss you,” Sera told her sister.

“We’ll see each other again before you know it.”

Tony looked at Alex and Logan. “Margery Kensington is waiting for you on her plane.” He indicated the plane beside Kai’s. “She will be taking you to Paris with her.”

Alex waved at them all, then she and Logan walked toward the shiny silver plane.

“Ready?” Kai asked Sera.

“Are we still going to New York?”

“No,” he said as they walked up the stairs. “Alden is obviously not there. We’re going home.”

Sera couldn’t help but smile. And that smile widened when she saw the boxes of Wizard House Pizza on the tables. She sat down and peeked inside of one, her excitement growing when she realized it was still warm.

She turned to Kai, who had taken the seat beside her. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”

He snorted. “Tony was the one who ordered the pizza.”

“Hey, Tony!”

Tony looked up from the computer he was pulling out of his bag. “Yeah?”

“Love you!”

“Love you too, Sera.” His gaze shot to Kai. “In a totally platonic way, of course.”

Kai chuckled.

Callum plopped down on the seat across from her. “We all love you, Sera.”

He flipped open the box and pulled out a slice of pizza. Hot melted cheese oozed over the edges. Mmm.

“You’re the best little sister we could ask for,” Dal added, taking a slice for himself as he sat beside Callum.

“Sister, huh? Yeah, I’ll adopt you.”

The commandos grinned at her. With that settled, she quickly grabbed some pizza before her new big brothers ate it all.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Monsters at Sunrise

SERA PASSED THE next few weeks in a busy bliss. She was back at work hunting monsters for Mayhem. Each battle felt like an accomplishment, like she was making San Francisco a safer place. There had been no hint of the Grim Reaper since their encounter in Munich. Sera knew this was just a lull in the storm, but she fully intended to soak up every moment. God only knew when they’d have them again.

Between fighting the usual monster attacks that plagued a supernatural hotspot like San Francisco, Sera spent her time with her brother Riley, Kai, and the commandos, her ever-growing family. She talked to Alex often. They were counting down the days until Riley’s graduation, the day they would all be together again. Across the ocean in Europe, the anti-supernatural hate group was very busy, but things here had been just normal, as though Alden had never come.

Alden hadn’t come calling again. He hadn’t tried to invade Sera’s mind. She would have liked to believe she’d wounded him so much that he would never be a threat again, but she knew better than to fool herself with false hopes. He wasn’t licking his wounds. He was gearing up for something big, probably the upcoming Magic Council Summit that kicked off on Monday. Kai had arranged for lots of extra security, but Sera feared it wouldn’t be enough. When it came to Alden, nothing was ever enough.

Sera looked up as she trekked down the wooded trail. It was still early, not long past dawn. Beams of sunlight streamed through the redwoods, bathing Muir Woods in ethereal light. The summer air was dry and hot, the dirt trail cracked.