Seretis regarded Idris. “My lack of foolishness is no reassurance to you.”
“It’s not,” Idris agreed. “The cross-current flow between nodes, plus Jesral’s demon, plus the relative ease of your arrival means that Katashi has succeeded in anchoring a node. It’s what he was close to doing with the plantation node.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “He doesn’t care how much damage he causes as long as he’s one step closer to a permanent gateway between the demon realm and Earth.”
Pellini rounded the corner of the house in ground-eating strides with Sammy bouncing and barking at his side. “What the fuck happened to my dog?”
To my undying relief, Seretis stepped forward. “Sammy sustained grievous injury while defending this property against a vicious demon,” he said smoothly. “His actions were heroic, and his selfless efforts not only protected me from harm but distracted the graa enough that I could dispatch it. I was able to heal Sammy’s wounds, but my control of the potency flows in this realm is insufficient for me to stimulate the regrowth of hair. For that I offer my deepest apology.”
Pellini stopped and looked down at his dog with an expression of heart-melting pride usually reserved for a parent whose child receives the Congressional Medal of Honor. “Nah, that’s cool. Chicks dig heroes, right boy?” He ruffled the dog’s ears while Sammy leaned against him and whacked Pellini’s leg with his tail. “Thanks for saving him,” he said, emotion thickening his voice, then he looked up at Seretis with a frown. “Who are you?”
I made quick introductions and was poised to explain how a demonic lord happened to be in my backyard when Pellini locked gazes with Seretis.
“Seretis,” he murmured. “The dreamer by the sea.”
I shot Pellini a baffled look. Where in blazes had he come up with that?
Seretis went lordly-still, and even without my arcane senses I felt his aura sweep over me like a grassfire driven by a desert wind. For a whisper of an instant I was almost grateful I wasn’t subject to the full and staggering impact of the lord’s reaction. Bryce paled, and Idris’s gaze dropped to Seretis’s clenched fist. Though I couldn’t see the potency, I knew it gathered there.
Heart slamming, I stepped in front of Pellini. “What’s going on?”
Seretis took a step closer. “What more has Kadir told you?” he demanded, gaze locked on Pellini over my head. Idris eased further away, but Bryce moved in and put a hand on Seretis’s arm. Though his face remained pale, Bryce’s eyes held equal measures of worry and support for his friend.
“We’re aware of Kadir’s influence,” I said with a lift of my chin. “Pellini used to play on a valve node when he was a kid, and Kadir found him and . . . molded him.” I planted my hands on my hips. “But he’s our ally, and I trust him.”
Pellini put his hands on my shoulders then gently but firmly shifted me aside. “Look, I am who I am,” he said to Seretis. “Kadir told me the dreamer thing and more. If that’s a problem, don’t dick around. Lay it out.”
Seretis lowered his head, eyes hard on Pellini as he no doubt read the “more” from him. “I do not trust Kadir outside of a formal agreement,” he said. “You know why.” A whisper of a flush touched his cheeks. Embarrassment over whatever Pellini knew?
Bryce cleared his throat. Seretis turned to him, and they stood face-to-face in silent communication. After a moment, Seretis opened his hand, releasing the gathered potency—or so I hoped. Bryce smiled, clearly relieved. Seretis shifted his gaze back to Pellini. “Your intentions are benign,” he said. “But you cannot hope to know Kadir’s.”
Pellini gave a light shrug. “Yeah, and humans deal with that uncertainty every goddamn day,” he said. “We know all about caution and suspicion because we’ve never had the advantage of telepathy. As a cop I know that everyone I deal with might be ready to stab me in the back.” As if to illustrate his point he slugged me lightly in the shoulder. “But we keep our guard up,” he continued, ignoring my exasperated look, “and we try to do the right thing.”
“This time, the uncertainty lies within you, Vincent Pellini,” Seretis said. “You carry the imprint of Kadir and must watch yourself with suspicion if you hope to prevail.”
Pellini gestured to indicate Idris, Bryce, and me. “They have my back,” he said. “I trust them to take me out if I, ah, lose perspective.”
Seretis smiled, warm and genuine, and inclined his head to Pellini. “May that need never arise.”
“Right there with you,” Pellini replied.
Chapter 28