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And over the faint, tinny music, another sound. Heels. Rhythmically hitting cheap carpet.

Diana winced.That can’t possibly be good.

SIX

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CLAIRE WATCHED DIANA follow Kris past the guard and almost instantly disappear into the shadows of the concourse. She should have been visible longer, even dressed like a department store ninja, but this was the Otherside and the usual rules of perspective and perception didn’t always apply. Their farewells had been short…

“Remember you’re only gathering information.”

“My Summons, Claire.”

“Just be careful!”

“Well, duh.”

…and now all she could do was wait. And gather what information she could from talking to Arthur’s scouts. And help secure this end of the mall against another attack. And find an exit that could show her what was happening outside because there might be something there she could use. And checkthe lock Diana had set during the battle. And lock any of the other storefronts the elves didn’t actually use; the damage had sounded extensive, but the travel agency could be up and running again at any time.

But mostly, wait.

For her little sister to return safely from enemy territory.

Claire envied the other Keepers—all the other Keepers—who had no siblings and would never know how it felt allowing the person who’d taken their first steps with chubby fingers wrapped around yours to walk blithely into danger when every instinct screamed,“Stay here where it’s safe. I’ll do it,” no matter who logic declared was the better choice for the job.

If something happened?

She had a brief, horrid vision of explaining the situation to their parents. Infinitely worse than trying to explain how she’d only turned her head for an instant and two-year-old Diana had eaten the entire tube of yellow poster paint.

And vomited it up on the white wool rug.

So nothingwould happen. Nothing bad. This was the Otherside; all she had to do was hold tight to that belief.

Holding tight, she returned to the fire and sank down on her cushion beside Arthur’s empty chair. First, she’d talk to the elves who’d raided the food court earlier in the evening. They’d have the most recent information about that end of the mall. Arthur would know who they were.

As though her thoughts had called him, he appeared, walking around the fire with the loose-limbed self-confidence of a young man who’d never been called geek, who’d never had a girl turn him down for a date, who was captain of both the football team and the debating club…Claire shook her head and rewound the thought. He was walking with the confidence of a young man wearing a huge, mythical sword strapped to his back. A huge, mythical sword he knew how to use.

“I have sent word to Bounce and Daniel that you wish to speak to them.” Arthur sank into his chair and flipped his hair back off his face. “They’ll be here shortly.”

“Are they out scavenging again?”

“No. They’re taking advantage of the darkness to…” He finished the sentence with an incomprehensible gesture.

“To?” Was he blushing? He was. The Immortal King had turned an uncomfortable looking shade of deep crimson. Suddenly, Claire got it. “Oh. To…” She repeated the gesture. “They’re being safe, right? I mean, these kids didn’t come from the best of backgrounds and you have no idea of what I’m talking about, do you?”

“They’re in no danger.”

“Okay.” Probably best to leave it at that. Feeling, well, old in the face of Arthur’s embarrassment, Claire searched for a less loaded topic. “So, the darkness—I’m a little surprised it’s lasted this long. Time’s been moving fairly quickly up until now.”

“The darkness last as long as the fire does.”

Were it not for the implications of that statement, his relief would have been amusing. Claire glanced down at her watch. The second hand lay motionless over the two.“Great.” Once Diana reached the area controlled by the dark forces, she’d be moving in a totally different time.At a totally different time? Prepositions just weren’t set up for this sort of thing.

According to her watch, Dean and Austin weren’t moving at all. On the bright side, that should keep them out of trouble.

Austin poked Dean’s rigid arm with a paw and snorted. Walking around the phone, he took a closer look at the watch on the wrist below the hand holding the receiver. Stopped.

“Fortunately,” he said, trotting to the end of the counter and leaping carefully down, “time waits for no cat.”

And with any luck, the fridge door would be open.

The weight of a constant regard between her shoulder blades spun Claire around.“What?”

Sam blinked.“Nothing.”

“Well, stop it.”

The weight didn’t change. She turned again. “What did I say?”

“Weren’t you listening either?”

“Did Diana tell you to watch me?”

“Why would she do that?”

“Are you watching me?”

He licked his shoulder.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“A cat may look at a king,” Arthur observed, grinning.