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magic, but I had never actually witnessed him pilot a vampire. About three months ago, I ended up getting involved in an underground martial arts tournament, which resulted in me fighting shapeshifting demons called rakshasas. It also resulted in my owing Curran a naked dinner.
    If that furry bastard could stop intruding on my thoughts for five seconds, I might have to dance a jig in celebration.

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    The rakshasas had made a pact with Roland, the People’s leader and my biological father. He provided them with weapons and in return they tried to destroy the shapeshifters. The Pack had grown too large and too powerful and Roland wanted it out of the way before it grew any larger. The rakshasas failed. If Nataraja turned out to be a rakshasa, I wouldn’t be surprised. Roland still wanted the Pack out of the way and Nataraja answered to Roland.
    Maybe Nataraja had hatched some sort of a plan in retaliation, and he sent Ghastek here to me to create an appearance of propriety.
    Maybe I was just getting paranoid . . .
    I looked into the vampire’s eyes. “What’s the catch?”
    The bloodsucker shrugged, a revolting gesture that jerked his whole body. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “I don’t believe you.”
    “Should I take that as a refusal to accept the petition?”
    Ghastek one, Kate zero.
    “On the contrary, the Order would be delighted to accept your plea.” I pulled the petition sheet from the stack of forms. The People accumulated money to fund their research. Their extreme wealth went hand in hand with severe frugality. They were notoriously tightfisted. “The Order charges on a sliding scale, according to one’s means of income. For the impoverished, our services are free. For you, they will be shockingly expensive.”
    “Money is no object.” The vampire waved his claws. “I’ve been authorized to meet your prices.”
    They really wanted the Order involved. “Tell me what happened.”
    “At six oh-eight a.m. two men wearing ragged trench coats approached the Casino. The shorter of the men burst into flames.”
    I paused with the pen in my hand. “He burst into flames?”
    “He became engulfed in fire.”

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    “Was his buddy made out of orange rocks and did he at any point yell, ‘It’s clobbering time’?”
    The vampire heaved a sigh. It was an eerie process: it opened its mouth, bit the air, and released it in a single hissing whoosh. “I find your attempted levity inappropriate, Kate.”
    “Consider me properly chastised. So what happened next?”
    “The pyromancer directed a jet of flame at our building. His companion aided it by creating a strong wind, which carried the fire toward the Casino’s entrance.”
    Most likely a fire mage and a wind mage. A firebug and a whistler, working together.
    “The fire swept the front of the Casino, scorching the outer wall and the parapet. A team of four vampires was dispatched to deal with the issue. Their appearance caused the two intruders to shift the flames from the Casino onto the approaching vampires. The intensity of the fire proved to be higher than anticipated.”
    “They took down four vampires?” That was unexpected.
    The vampire nodded.
    “And you let them walk away?” I couldn’t believe this.
    “We did give chase. Unfortunately, the two intruders disappeared.”
    I sat back. “So they appeared, sprayed some fire, and vanished. Did you receive any demands? Money, jewels, Rowena in lingerie?” Personally, I was betting on Rowena—she was the Master of the Dead who handled the Casino’s PR, and half of the city’s male population would kill to see her naked.
    The vampire shook its head.
    Was this a prank of some sort? If it was, it ranked right up there with dropping a toaster in your bath tub or trying to put a fire out with gasoline. “How badly did they