I had a routine, but it was out the window by the next morning. A schedule didn't stand a chance against the disruption sitting in my favorite chair. Dressed in one of my shirts and smelling like marked territory, Aurie seemed to belong at my place.

I blinked rapidly. Clearly, she didn't belong, and she couldn't stay.

Sitting up, I winced from another kink-free night. (Not that I ever had sex, even as an escort, but that was another story.) Aurie had asked for my laptop, and when she saw me stirring, she pointed at the screen.

"Good, you're awake. Based on Instagram, I was out with my sister last night."

"What about it?" I padded to the bathroom.

"I was, um, having trouble remembering."

She caught me standing at the toilet and quickly glanced away. I sensed her curiosity—the same as I had sensed her feelings about my cologne. I nudged the door shut, but it stayed partially ajar.

"Is that the usual?" I yawned.

"Is it? It's not my usual. I can't recall anything from before I met you."

Yay-fucking-me. I stepped from the bathroom and casually asked, "So, do you know where you want me to drop you off?" Fingers crossed.

"Yeah, my family's address was the first thing that popped up when I searched my name."

"Yay!" I pumped a fist.

Aurie exhaled. "I'm kidding, asshole. I can't search anything. I've been staring at the same split-screen you left up for me—my Instagram and Facebook accounts."

"Oh..." I considered how much work I was missing letting her use my laptop. I weighed that against how long I wanted my apartment to be haunted. Clapping my hands together, I hunkered down next to her and took the computer. "Alright, how can I help you get out of here?"

"Reverse image-search this photo of my sister and me?"

We bonded the rest of the morning scouring the internet for personal details that nobody with a fraction of sense ever posted publicly. It was sometime around noon when a knock at the door interrupted us.

"Are you expecting company?" Aurie bit the corner of her lip.

Shushing her, I dug a gun from the sofa and crept to see who was there. No, I wasn't expecting company. No one knew where I lived. No one should've been able to find where I lived, thanks to a powerful witch's spell on the door as ancient as the church, itself.

With my Empathy, I felt around and sensed no malice on the other side.

"State your name and purpose," I called out.

"Detective Zyr Ravani. I'm here about a crime you may have witnessed last night."

"I think you've got the wrong place, Detective. This is church storage."

"Hmph...I heard the victim ask if you were expecting company."

I gaped at Aurie. "You seem to attract a lot of this," I complained.

"A lot of what? What are you talking about?"

Ignoring her, I opened the door. "Show me your badge."

Detective Ravani wordlessly took out his identification. I sensed my weapon was useless against him. Good thing he wasn't trouble. He was average height, built like his workout was hard labor, and he filled my apartment with ego and wildness when he came in. Against the backdrop of Aurie's cool restraint, his presence blazed.

"He's investigating my case? Ask him about my sister," Aurie insisted.

I stepped aside. "Ask him, yourself."

Detective Zyr gave her a slow appraisal that left no question of her visibility. Floored, the ghost retreated a step. I knew she felt it, too. He wasn't human. After a moment's hesitation, she tried to shake the hand he offered. When her fingers slipped through him, the chemistry was indisputable.

"You can see me?" she asked, pulling her hand back.

"Yes, I can," Detective Zyr breathed in awe, "and I'm staring. My apologies. It's just that you look so...alive."

Was he flirting with her? I thumped a mug on the countertop with more force than intended. "Coffee, anyone?" I asked, faking a smile.

"Yes, thank you, ma'am," said the detective. I didn't bother correcting him. I made the coffee and left them talking about Aurie's murder while I showered.

Afterward, I studied the naked boy-girl in the mirror and considered my dilemma. I couldn't do cam-work with a law enforcement officer in my apartment. Could I kick him out? Kick them out? Would that hurt the investigation? I didn't want to jeopardize Aurie's chances of getting justice.

Brooding, I turned from my reflection. I had to be at Beaucoup de Chair in a few hours. I didn't want to leave her alone with Detective Zyr, although I wasn't sure if I felt protective or possessive of the ghost. Regardless, I already had her word she would be gone by the time I returned from my shift.

I vacated the bathroom, deciding to leave for work early while the two of them wrapped up the intrusive interview in my living room. The detective stopped me on my way out the apartment door. "Did you see anything?" he asked.

"Vampires going in and out. Big party. I was there to meet a client, but I guess you could say things got kind of dead after—" I whistled and cut a hand across my throat.

"I meant, did you see the person who did this?"

"Oh. Nope." I pivoted to leave...

...And saw Aurie had been crying. Damn it. I felt like such a jerk for the hand-gesture. I grabbed my laptop and hustled out the door.

Blending with pedestrians, I strolled past a few faeries, some shifters, a couple of chimeras. Mostly humans. Everybody looked human to the ordinary eye. Except, Supers recognized Supers, even if they hid their type.

Empathy gave me an advantage. I could sense the type of every creature Overlay City's ley lines attracted. Or any other place where symbiotic paranormal worlds overlapped. There were plenty of Ley-Overs. There weren't many beings like me out there, though.

I avoided my usual Supernatural hang-outs and slipped into a normal human café to finally get some coffee. The venue was empty except for a long-haired barista pretentiously reading Faulkner behind the register. I was grateful for the solitude, fewer emotions pestering me.

I finished off an Americano, set up my laptop in a secluded corner, and got to work arranging a date for later.

As an escort and cam-queer, clients paid handsomely, and I provided almost any kink—from feet to furries to fisting. I aimed to please. The caveat? Nothing below the belt could be done to me. It was a quirky requirement, but I kept regulars. They liked my je ne sais quoi.

I had learned long ago that people would pay for fulfillment. Not to be confused with love. Of course, not. But often something more fulfilling than sex.

Thus, my thoughts turned to Aurie as I chatted with someone called @Ram4Ram. Necrophilia was not on my list of services, my cheeky offer aside. I merely sensed Dead Girl needed to feel like she wasn't alone. We had that in common.

My phone lit up, giving me a reason to ignore the blue funk trying to descend. "Where are you?" I answered, smiling.

"I'm finally out and about," the girl on the other end replied. "A certain politician kept me tied up all night. I see your check-in. Care for company?"

"You're in the area?"

"Ditching my Uber driver now."

A minute later, my best friend strolled into the café as if she owned the place. Wavy bottle-blond hair framed an impeccable matte brown face embellished with highlighted cheeks, vibrant lipstick, and MUA-to-die-for eyes.

"You don't show evidence of missing your beauty sleep. Looking all glowy and stuff," I commented as we hugged.

"Because I lavish great care on my skin, darling!" Kittie Cad whipped off oversized glasses and signaled the barista to come for her order (which wasn't exactly how coffee shops worked, but he obliged). She peered at me closer upon sitting down. "What is it? Did somebody break your heart? We can roll his ass."

I choked on the last of my Americano, laughing. "I don't have a heart to break, Ms. Cad. I'm bummed about this hit-and-run I witnessed last night in front of Century Luxe. Did you hear about it?"

"I saw it on the news. You were there? Are you okay?"

I scoffed. "It's not like I expected anything better of humanity."

"Don't be like that, darling. You used to believe we could save the world." She reached across the table to pat my hand.

"Kittie, the world's not worth saving." I grinned.

"The minute you fall in love, you'll see things differently."

"Oh?" I raised a brow. "Are you telling me the infamous Ms. Cad has fallen in love and therefore sees the world differently? Is it the politician?"

Kittie giggled, accepting a quad-espresso macchiato from the barista but not answering my probe directly. "All I'm saying is connecting with others changes how you see the world," she replied. "Look, I get it, boo-boo. I understand why you keep your distance from people, given the stuff with your parents—"

"We don't talk about that, Ms. Cad. And how did this become about the relationships in my life?" I tried to keep a light tone.

Kittie Cad was point-blank: "There aren't any, and I don't like how isolated you've become."

"Cut it out. I see people every day, sometimes several times a day."

"You know what I mean, Mitsuyo. Even if you don't believe in therapy and meds, you need a good support system. You need more friends than the one and only Ms. Cad."

"Why? It's been me and you since back when I only wore dresses and you only wore pants!" I winked. My grin dropped to a pout when she smacked my hand away from her coffee.

Kittie signaled the barista again and ordered me another Americano that I could have easily paid for myself. She used a Platinum card with the name Terrance—last name hidden beneath her manicured thumbnail—and she used it with the authority of someone with permission. The relationship had to be more than casual.

"Thanks!" the clueless barista gushed after my bestie scribbled her name and phone number on the receipt for him. He skipped off thinking he had hit the novelty jackpot.

"See?" Kittie suggested to me. "It's easy to meet decent people. For my sake, stop complaining about the human condition and put yourself out there. Volunteer or something. Make yourself less a cynic and make friends in the process. I double-dare you."

Kittie knew I couldn't resist a dare. I dipped my head, amused and slightly annoyed at her for being the Mom Friend. My good deed for the whole year could be helping Aurie complete her unfinished business. I visualized the ghost as she had been last night, with her face planted in my duvet, swooning.

Surprisingly, I had been comfortable with her, even though her presence led to the werewolf showing up. The very hot werewolf. I considered keeping the Yokai tucked at home like a secret since she didn't know where she belonged anyway. I was good at keeping secrets.

All my kind were.