When Gabriel didn't interrupt, Emmit went on, "After the two of you entered the Ether, things changed again."
"We didn't do anything there except run and fight," Mira said. "Besides, what difference does it make if witches had already been there?"
"There is a great difference in power," Emmit said. "Now that Mira has entered the Ether more than once, the two of you together have more power than the local community of witches, even if you put them all together. But I don't think that was enough to change things. Nothing in the Ether took your power while there, although you burned some off, I'm sure."
Mira remembered how the power inside her magical items had slowly drained away during her first trip into the Ether.
"The difference was that you spilled blood in the Ether," Emmit said. "Both of you. That was enough to catch the attention of darker beings residing there."
"The thing with roots," Mira said, remembering the creature.
"Roots?" Emmit asked.
"We still have questions," Gabriel said.
"I'm certain that you do," Emmit said with a sigh, looking weary. "Any further and it's pure speculation. The people in the Ether have never had this much effect on the world. Not for hundreds of years."
"We're still lost in the woods," Gabriel said. "Speculate. Take a guess at what happened next."
"Once we sent John back to the Ether, I guess the people from the Ether found a way to cross between the worlds. Worried that their gods might wake up, the people started stealing witches. They used the power from those they kidnapped to feed their gods in an effort to ensure the gods remained content and in hibernation."
"So, John thought he was sacrificing things to these gods?" Gabriel asked.
"Possibly," Emmit said with care.
"That's just dumb," Mira said. "There's no way John was worshiping anything from the Ether."
"It's possible that, to John, it was a convenient excuse," Emmit said, looking as if he were choosing each word carefully.
"An excuse to kill people?" Mira asked.
"Some people don't need much of an excuse to start killing," Gabriel said. "I've heard dumber reasons."
"Not just any people," Emmit said. "Supernaturals."
"But he's one of us," Mira said. "That doesn't make sense."
"He was human," Emmit said. "Prejudices against other beings probably made sense in his eyes."
"But Sally was human," Mira said.
"A human who was blackmailing him," Gabriel said.
Mira had forgotten that part.
"Now, in relation to your case, I'm sure you will find that there is nothing in what I've said that you didn't already know or suspect," Emmit said. "And since the law doesn't cover the hell that the Ether has become, nothing over there should have anything to do with your job."
"Why was Tyler working with you?" Mira asked.
Emmit beamed—the first time he smiled all day. "There are two witches in the area that are capable of opening a path into the Ether without assistance. He seemed the more likely suspect."
"But he wasn't involved, right?" Mira asked, hoping in her heart that it wasn’t Tyler that tried to clean the Ether.
"No," Emmit assured her. "And he was adamant that you were not involved. Since I needed insight into the witches, he assisted me."
"Why didn't he create the Balance spell for you?" Mira asked.
"There were several reasons," Emmit said, his smile softening. "Tyler knew a bit about the Ether, so I didn't want him anywhere near the place."
"And the other reasons?" Mira asked.
"I wanted to get to know you." Emmit looked at her as he had when they were together, and Mira felt her toes curl, hating herself for it.
Gabriel cleared his throat.
Emmit snapped his attention back to the angel.
"Did you find out who was going into the Ether?" Mira asked.
"Since you and Tyler were not involved, it would have to be multiple people working together," Emmit said.
"Do you think they've continued going back?" Gabriel asked.
"They might have at first," Emmit said. "But from the description of your visit, if the witches returned once the people from that side came together, the witches would be dead, or against returning to the Ether for their own safety."
"Or the witches could have been taken," Gabriel said.
Emmit frowned. "They are witches, so it's a definite possibility. I'm in the dark on your last visit. Was there any clue there were other witches around?"
"Only Tyler and the kids," Mira said.
"Uh, why don't I fill Emmit in on what we saw in the Ether," Gabriel suggested. "I know you don't want to talk about it."
"Not with him, anyway," Mira mumbled. "I'll grab breakfast. Are we going out today?" Mira asked Gabriel.
"Yeah, Ian is putting together a list of people to interview."
"I'll get ready to go, then." Mira glanced uncomfortably at Emmit before leaving the room.
Chapter 7
Putting Emmit out of her mind wasn't easy. She was starting to get over being mad at him, though she was still angry at herself for trusting him. He had given her no reason for her confidence. He had saved her once or twice, and Reinfield's men were useful to have around, but was that any reason to trust a person?
Well, yes, it was a good reason. Although there were still so many unknowns about Emmit that she should have been more careful. Especially once Gabriel and Ian warned her about Emmit.
Maybe she was being too hard on him. He had always been looking out for her, except when he’d given her up for dead.
Definitely not dating material, Mira told herself, but maybe still friend material.
At least he could be if she were able to move past his mistake.
Her feelings toward Gabriel were easier. The angel himself remained complicated, especially with the case involved and his tendency to save her life.
Being with Gabriel felt right. She smiled at the thought of this mess being over and having the chance to get to know him better. She warmed from the inside and got a tingly feeling.
Which disappeared the moment she got back into her room. The hateful book was waiting there. Knowing that she needed to finish reading it didn't help her feelings toward the thing.
When she wandered back to the living room, Gabriel and Emmit were standing together at the windows overlooking the city.
"I don’t hear fighting," Mira mused. "Does that mean I need to give you all more time?"
"We don't fight," Gabriel said.
Mira crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
"We disagree," Emmit said.
"Loudly," Gabriel admitted.
"I thought you didn't trust him," Mira said to Gabriel.
"That's true," Gabriel said. "With some things I don't."
Maybe it was because Emmit was from Europe, but he always seemed to stand far too close to Gabriel. He sometimes invaded her personal space as well, except those times he kept a carefully measured distance between him and herself, but she was certain that was for a whole other reason.
Or maybe it was her imagination.
"Is Emmit up to speed?" Mira asked.
"Yeah," Gabriel said.
"And the building?" Mira asked.
"I'm not certain," Emmit said. "I may need to delve a little deeper to see what these roots are that you mentioned."
"John said it was their god. Or that some people called it a god."
Emmit tried to remain stoic, but he paled. "You think the elder god is fully awake in the Ether?"
"If that’s what it was, it was definitely awake," Mira said.
"I need to know what happened before Gabriel arrived in the Ether," Emmit demanded.
Mira breathed deeply and pursed her lips. "Do you really?"
"Yes," Emmit said. "I need to know everything."
The last thing Mira wanted to think about was the stark fear that she felt alone with John in the Ether. "You want to know what happe
ned to me while I was alone with John in the Ether. With no wards, no protection, and no one to help." The words would hint at the helplessness she had felt, but couldn’t manage to voice.
Emmit opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked torn.
Mira rubbed her forehead. Hadn't she just been telling herself that she might be giving Emmit too hard of a time? Yet here she was doing it again.
"Look," she said, trying to release some of her anger. "There are only a few things you need to know. He was surprised by both you and Gabriel being there, and he was pissed off because he didn't want to be back in the Ether, but he felt you hadn’t given him a choice."
"Does that mean he's still seeing visions, even though John himself is dead?" Emmit asked. He was slow and quiet in his speech, as if afraid to say something that might upset her.
"He seemed to still know or expect some stuff. But I got the impression the psychic power is even more erratic than it had been when John was alive. John also never saw the two of you when he looked into the future. Except..."
"Yes?" Emmit asked.
"When we were at Lance's—he saw you there."
Emmit thought that over. "Possibly because a large part of myself was in the Ether? If he could see me then, but couldn't later, that's the only thing I can think of.” He appeared to think that over. “And John was upset to be back in the Ether?"
Mira glared. "Ticked off enough to push me down the stairs."
Emmit's face went blank.
"Although," she said after taking a steadying breath, "this is John we're talking about, so that could have happened anyway. He said Ether had changed and it was time for me to see Tyler—and that I had work to do. Then he showed me the massive creature in the city. He also pointed out there were other smaller things that moved around in the grass."
"I have no idea what those might be," Emmit said.
Mira shrugged.
"After that?" Emmit tried to encourage her to continue.
"I ran to my shop to get away from him. I tried a circle, and he told me Tyler had done the same thing. John said that no witch alive knew what they were doing, so the magic will fail. John also seemed surprised that you didn't tell us what he wanted to do with the witches."
"Anything else?" Emmit asked.
"No. Gabriel was there for the rest," Mira said.
"You were there for a while before he crossed over," Emmit said.
"Those are the only important things," Mira snapped.
Emmit started to say something else, but Gabriel interrupted, saying something too low for Mira to hear.
Mira transferred her scowl to Gabriel.
"Of course," Emmit said. "If you think of anything else, please tell me."
"Let's go," Gabriel said before Mira could say anything else. "Harker, I'm sure we'll be talking later."
"You're not going to have me followed again, are you?" Mira asked, not willing to leave when she still had some heat to burn off.
Emmit said nothing.
"Come on," Gabriel said after a moment.
"Whatever," Mira mumbled before leading Gabriel out the door and to the elevator.
One of Reinfield's men waited inside.
Mira watched the man for a moment, wondering if she should talk in front of him or not. Remembering that Emmit had sent her bodyguard out of the room before they’d discussed the Ether, she decided to bite back her words and let her anger simmer.
Gabriel, too, was quiet. When they left the building, Mira didn't notice anyone following them.
"What did you say to Emmit?" Mira asked, still checking for Reinfield’s men, which she half expected to be hiding in the shadows.
"While you were out of the room I told him everything that happened in the Ether," Gabriel said.
"I meant when we were on our way out, and you know it. Did you tell him I was telling the truth?"
"You weren't." Seeing the look on Mira's face, he rushed to continue, "I told him that you weren't in great shape and that he probably really didn't need to know anything else."
"Oh." Mira didn't feel completely pacified, but after dredging up what happened in the Ether, she knew there was no hope of a better mood.
"How was your reading?" Gabriel asked.
"Depressing," Mira said without thinking.
Gabriel's hand brushed her arm, but he lowered it quickly.
Did he want to comfort her? Mira wasn't against that, but at the same time, she didn't want him feeling sorry for her.
Mira gave him a weak smile. "Sorry, there's nothing nice to say about it. Until I have my trial with the witches, to them, I don't exist."
"It didn't seem that way yesterday. Mr. Singer spoke with you."
"To the witches, the only time I’m a real person is when I'm with you or Ian while working on the case."
"That's not fair," Gabriel said as they entered the parking garage.
"It doesn't have to be."
Gabriel unlocked the car and opened Mira's door, looking thoughtful. He didn't drive once he had the car started.
"What are you supposed to do before the trial?" Gabriel asked.
Mira pulled the book out and flipped to the hated passage. "It says, 'Until the tribunal has gathered, the accused's existence is not to be realized'. That's really the only thing I know."
Gabriel shook his head.
"I'm not quite finished with the book," Mira admitted. "After reading that I set it aside for the night."
"I can see why," Gabriel said. "What about your family?"
"They're all witches. My sister texted me once anyway, but she won't risk her place in the coven or let her kids see her doing the wrong thing, so there's not much chance I'll hear from her again."
"But they're family."
"They're also witches. They probably figure it's only a few weeks and then everything will be fine again."
"I'm sorry," Gabriel said. "This sucks."
"It does." Mira stared out the window. "Do you talk with your family often?"
"Usually. Lately things have been a bit strained."
"They won't tell you anything about being an angel?"
"I'm beginning to think they don't know. I wouldn't have even found out if I hadn't gone to the Ether."
"Can they tell when people are lying?" Mira asked.
"Not that I’ve ever noticed. It used to freak them out when I was a kid and I told them people were lying. At least it did after they found out I was always right about it."
"It may not be an angel thing. Maybe it's a Gabriel thing," Mira said as she smiled at him. "Remember, you're still you."
"I'm adjusting."
"Maybe you could find other angels," Mira suggested. "They could help."
Gabriel smiled. "Do you think I should put out an ad?"
Mira grinned. "Sure, tell people you're looking for an angel and add a picture of yourself. I guarantee you'll get responses."
"That sounds like an online dating nightmare waiting to happen. I'll pass."
The atmosphere in the car lifted considerably and the tensions of the morning started to unwind. "You could still talk to other supernaturals about being an angel. And Ian, of course."
"It's good he knows," Gabriel said. "He's still a bit weird about stuff now and again, but I'm glad I told him."
"Is keeping Emmit's secret going to be a problem?" Mira asked.
"I'm still trying to process it all myself."
"Me too. Are we meeting up with Ian now?"
"Yeah. He's at the office. Are you going to be up to visiting more witches today?" Gabriel asked as they pulled to a stop in front of the station.
"As long as my family isn’t on the list, I'll be okay. It would be too awkward on all sides. If you want to talk to them, count me out."
Gabriel texted his partner. "What Emmit told us did give me an idea. Is there any way to tell if a witch's power has increased?"
"You want to find who was in the Ether? If they're actively doing magic I'd probably notice, but the c
hances of that are slim."
"Well, keep an eye out. If you're in another room, maybe you could poke around a bit," Gabriel suggested. "If you find anything, let me know."
"Unless you want to talk in code, I can’t say anything about the Ether in front of Ian."
"Code words," Gabriel laughed. "I like it."
"Sure," Mira jibed. "If I say piranha, you know there's something wrong. Or," she said, bringing them back on track, "we can just wait until Ian isn't in earshot."
"Like, at dinner this evening?"
Mira tried not to grin like an idiot. "That sounds like the perfect time."
"Do you want to ride up front for the rest of the day?" Gabriel asked.
Mira followed his gaze and saw Ian approaching.
"I'll sit in the back. You and Ian have a case to discuss and I have a book to read."
Mira switched to the back seat, trying to spend as little time as possible in the cold.
"Thanks," Ian said, jumping into the passenger seat and rubbing his hands together in an effort to get them warm. "We've got a lot of driving today."
"Where to first?" Gabriel asked.
"Out to Aken." Ian started the GPS on his phone and Gabriel followed the instructions. "I was out there a few days ago, right after you left the hospital. There are a lot of werewolves in the area, according to Noah, but there's also one witch."
Mira sighed. "This is going to be a fun day."
"I take it you know the witch? That would be helpful," Ian said.
"Mary Messic," Mira said. "I've only been around her a few times, since she doesn't come to the meetings."
"Why not?" Ian asked.
"She hates everyone."
"She hates other witches?" Gabriel asked.
"And everyone else. Witches, humans, elves, everyone. The woman could cause a minotaur to run away with its tail between its legs."
Gabriel chuckled, but Ian turned in his seat. "Minotaur?"
"I've heard stories about her smoking fairies off her property and leaving dangerous things for pixies to pick up."
Ian's face soured. "What do you mean, ‘smoking fairies’?"
"Kind of like you do with bees before you raid beehives," Mira said. "I've also heard that she uses bug spray on them, but I don't think she'd kill anyone."
"And pixies?" Ian asked, his voice sounding uneasy.
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