“I am,” Luna agreed. “So is Izzy. She calls herself a bruja, which I’m still trying to figure out. You’re different from her. You’re ... something.” She waggled her fingers on both hands. “What are you?”
I thought Zoe would lie. It seemed like the thing to do. I even caught the moment when she was considering her options — it shimmered through her head, although it was brief. She answered truthfully, though.
“I’m a mage.”
“Really?” Luna’s bubblegum hair drifted across her shoulders as she tilted her head to study Zoe more closely. “I don’t know what a mage is but the power wafting off you makes the hair on my toes stand on end.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.
“That’s quite the picture you’re painting,” Zoe noted. “I guess it’s better than your lady parts getting fired up.”
Luna’s eyes went wide. “No offense, dude, but I don’t roll that way. You’re hot and all but I tend to trend for the men. There are times I wish I wasn’t heterosexual but there are other times I’m glad because women are a whole lot of work. I would even settle for being bisexual so I could take a break from both but it’s only the men I like. It’s tragic really. I think my hair is wasted on men.”
Zoe’s eyes were filled with amusement when she flicked them to me. “Now I understand why you were so worried about her. She’s clearly a dainty flower who needs protection.”
Luna snapped out of her brief reverie. “Who was worried about me? Nobody needs to worry about me. I’m queen of the world.”
“Okay, she’s awesome.” Zoe chuckled as she began to swing. “Have you introduced her to Cormack? He’s looking for a mouthy teenager to smother. Mine will only be around for so long.”
“I’m not a teenager,” Luna countered. “I’m an adult.”
Since she probably weighed ninety-eight pounds soaking wet, I was understandably dubious. “He likes doting on mouthy adults, too. He really would like you.”
“Is he a creeper?”
“No.”
“Well, then maybe I’ll meet him eventually.” Luna didn’t look thrilled at the prospect. “I have other things to deal with now.”
“Like flu shots?”
She nodded. “It’s early in the season. It would be better for them to get them in two months, but it’s hard for me to get a doctor down here when the weather starts turning.”
“How do you pay for the shots?” Zoe queried.
Luna shrugged and averted her gaze. “I have my ways.”
The fact that she refused to answer meant her methods probably weren’t on the up and up. Since she had a good heart, and was obviously striving toward a specific outcome, I decided to let it go. “We’re actually here for a reason,” I said, changing the subject. “Your ... ways ... might be able to help us.”
“Oh, so you want something.” Luna bobbed her head knowingly. “I should’ve guessed. You cut me out of the big takedown a few weeks ago and now you want me to give you something in return. That seems balanced.”
Oh, she was good. I could see why she served as queen of the streets. “First off, we didn’t purposely cut you out of the action. Things were fluid. They happened fast. The last time I saw you was in the lot — you were under a glamour and messing with people.”
“I do love a good glamour.” She grinned. “I still wanted to be part of the takedown. Those crazy people tried to kill my friend. They managed to kill an acquaintance. I owe them.”
“You do, but I honestly wasn’t trying to cut you out,” I promised. “The thing is, what I need from you now ties into that.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed. “I thought that was finished.”
“I hoped it was, but it’s not.”
“Well, I’m not sure how much help I can be, but lay it on me. It can’t hurt to ask, right?”
“That’s my philosophy.” I shot her a small smile. “I need to know if you’re familiar with any gates.”
“Gates?” Luna glanced between Zoe and me, clearly confused. “What sort of gate are you talking about? Like ... there’s a gate over there.” She gestured toward the opening of the park. “The cops tried to lock it for a while but somehow it kept getting mysteriously opened. They were trying to keep out the people who live here, the ones just looking for a safe place to sleep. I didn’t really feel bad when their plan failed.”
I had no doubt exactly how the gate came to be unlocked, but that was a conversation for another time. If I wanted to keep Luna out of jail, it might not be a terrible idea to provide her with a little structure. “Not that type of gate. I’m talking about a magical gate, one where magical individuals can move from plane to plane.”
I didn’t know how I expected her to react but there was no surprise on her features, only intrigue. “There’s a gate under your aquarium.”
“There is,” I agreed. “There’s also three under a house in Grosse Pointe.”
“Holy Shih Tzu.” Luna shook her head. “I thought there was only one gate in this area.”
“How did you even find the gate?” Zoe queried. “I mean ... I’m magical, but I wouldn’t have known to look if somebody hadn’t clued me in.”
“Yes, but I live in a world of gossip,” Luna noted. “All I hear are whispers, from the human crowd and the magical one. I keep my ear to the ground for a reason. I’m guessing you have better things to do.”
“It depends on who you ask,” Zoe countered. “We’ve become aware of several gates in recent days. I think my friend here believes you might know where more of them are.”
“I didn’t know about the Grosse Pointe ones.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t have your ear to the ground,” Zoe pressed. “You hear things, even if you don’t always believe them. Have you
