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Shelby’s mouth twisted downward. “Don’t be. I’m not. He’s been a shadow over my entire life and I for one am glad the bastard is dead.” She picked at the stitching on her bag, which was probably made somewhere in Italy and cost more than a year’s maintenance for the Fairlane. I still hadn’t been able to afford to get that damn headlight fixed.

“Then I’m glad you’re okay,” I said. “I saw that video and I… well. I was worried.”

Shelby flipped a hand. “That guy Seamus had watching us was a joke. I played that ‘Oh, I’m so sick and thirsty’ routine, and gave him big eyes. Jerkoff never knew what hit him.”

I laughed. It was good to see Shelby as a normal woman and not as a family-oriented robot. I imagined this was what she’d been like before her father had died.

“I owe you an apology too,” said Shelby, looking at her hands.

“Why’s that?” I asked. “Steal lip gloss out of my bag? Try on my shoes?”

“I’ve been lying to you,” said Shelby, and her expression was so serious I thought someone had died all over again. “I am a recent transfer,” she said reluctantly. “But not to Homicide.”

My heart plummeted to somewhere in the vicinity of my stomach. “To where, then?”

Shelby sighed. “I’m with Internal Affairs.”

You know that expression “Knock me over with a feather”? Well, screw the feather because I had just been hit by a Mack truck. “You’re IAB?” I whispered. “What the Hex are you doing here?”

“Morgan requested an undercover officer to partner with you,” said Shelby. “To assess the viability of kicking you off the force.”

That witch. After she had just paid me a backhanded compliment too. I was about to unload my uncensored feelings about Morgan and Shelby when I realized something: I still had a job. Rick wasn’t escorting me out the front door with a cardboard box full of my things.

“You gave me a good report,” I said to Shelby, gobsmacked all over again.

Shelby smiled. “It’s not everyone who will go toe to toe with my uncle for me.”

“Hex it,” I muttered. “Shelby, I’ve said so many terrible things about you…”

“Never mind that now,” she said, picking up her bag. “I really just came by to tell you I’m taking a leave of absence from the department. And that it’ll probably be permanent.”

“Why?” I demanded, standing up as she did. “You’re a great cop! You can’t leave just because you feel guilty about spying on me or some ridiculous thing like that.”

She laughed once. “Don’t take it too personally, okay, Luna? I still have obligations to my family. They need me. The Nocturne City PD doesn’t. It’s as simple as that.”

I did hug her then, and she embraced me, prim and short, just like the rest of her. “Don’t be a total stranger, okay?” I said.

“Will do,” said Shelby. “See you around, Luna.”

“See you,” I said. I watched her leave the squad room, then sat down at my desk and got back to work.

After my shift was over, I drove home and found a single light shining from the kitchen window of the cottage, just like it used to when Sunny lived there.

Dmitri greeted me with a grin instead of a mug of tea, but he was just as welcome. “I’ve been waiting for you, Ms. Working Woman. Did you bring your handcuffs?”

After a month, having Dmitri around most of the time was still extremely weird. I hadn’t seen him during the last phase, and now the moon was waxing again, within three or four nights of full.

“Is that all you think about?” I asked as I put my new gun and shield in the entry table drawer and locked it.

“Pretty much,” said Dmitri, pulling me close. “I just want to get some quality time in before I take off for the phase, if you know what I mean.”

“Dmitri.” I pushed him away and held him at arm’s length. “Stay.”

“No.” He shook his head instantly. “I’m too unpredictable, Luna. With the daemon bite, I just don’t know what could happen. I black out totally now when the moonphase comes. I could hurt you.”

I took his wrists and looked into his eyes. He wasn’t going to wriggle out of this. “You’ve never hurt me before.”

“I wasn’t a monster before,” he whispered.