Free Forged in Fire: An Urban Fantasy (Moonlight Dragon Book 4) by Tricia Owens

to. We've all got a bone to pick with him. Don't forget that he killed my parents. So you're not the only one nursing a grudge."
    He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to claim that my grief is any greater than yours. My mother and I have been after him for a long time. It's made me single-minded and selfish. I can admit that." He lowered his hand and his blue eyes gripped me. "Just promise me that you'll let me be there, at the end."
    "I can't promise anything, Christian, I'm sorry. I don't know how this ends. Or when. And if a situation is too dangerous, you'd better believe I'm not letting you or anyone else get too close when I can send Lucky in instead."
    "Fair enough." But I could tell he was only pretending to accept what I'd told him. Christian was dogged, and while I didn't blame him one bit, I meant what I'd said about not endangering any of my friends if I didn't need to.
    I made a mental note to keep an eye on him. Speaking as someone who'd made some terrible choices in the heat of seeking revenge, whatever Christian hoped to do would probably end up causing more harm than good.
    "Alright," I announced, "let's help Celestina clean up here and prepare Raker's body for Lev to take to his pack. They can at least give him a proper send off."
    The charcoal mass of Raker was relatively easy to scoop into doubled up garbage bags and seal, but the exploding shifter was another story. I understood that he had once been a living person with hopes, dreams, and fears, but what if he'd volunteered for this like a suicide bomber? And what if his remains were still dangerous? We scooped him up, trying to be as respectful as possible, but in the end we had nothing but a bag of sloshing liquid which none of us could prove had once been a shifter. Doubtful that the Eastsiders Pack would want it, I took it out into the backyard and had Lucky incinerate the remains. It was the best I could do.
    "Vale and I are going to Orlaton's," I told Celestina. "Give me a call if the wolves come back. Any wolves." To Melanie, I said, "You need to go home. You're driving the Todas Tortas truck tomorrow. Don't try to pretend you aren't because you told me that yesterday. Go home and get some sleep, Melly."
    "Gah, why do people need to eat so many sweets anyway?" she mumbled as she shuffled to the door. "This is why we're all so fat. Ha-ha! Just kidding! I can't live without sweets. Okay, give me a call tomorrow, guys. I want to know everything!"
    I found some amusement in her ability to turn learning about the possible end of the world into some exciting bit of gossip. Even Christian was smiling as I turned to him.
    "You're coming with us?" I asked.
    "Absolutely. I don't want to miss anything."
    "This kid that we're going to see is something else," Vale warned him as the three of us left Celestina's and crossed the street to Orlaton's shop. "Don't laugh at him. He takes himself very seriously."
    "O-kay," Christian said, looking dubious. "And he's an expert on the occult?"
    "Orlaton knows everything," I assured him. "And if he doesn't, he's got a million books to refer to."
    To my surprise and dismay, however, Orlaton had placed a notice on the front door of Tomes. A small chalkboard sign hung from a little hook sitting beneath the peephole window in the door.
    "Unavailable until three a.m.," I read from the sign. "Well, that sucks. He must have some occultists in there trying to call down Beelzebub."
    "I thought you said he was on our side," Christian said, alarmed.
    "Okay, probably not Beelzebub but something equally unpleasant and probably wrapped in black magick. Damn." I scratched at my head, feeling like I'd just been pushed out of an airplane over the ocean. I didn't know where to land. "I'm not sitting around twiddling my thumbs while we wait for him to finish in there. Vagasso definitely isn't. We have to do something."
    "Is there somewhere else we can go to learn about the seals?" Christian asked Vale and me.