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the small room. Seeing his tiny kitchen brought to mind the day I came here and he cooked me dinner. Or I should say he “bought” dinner and shyly admitted it wasn’t his food. A smile touched my face.
    I slipped my hand into my pocket and rubbed my fingertips against my cellphone. Any attempts to call him resulted in a disconnected number. He’d severed his ties with the human world, or so it seemed to me. A part of me hoped he wasn’t trying to run away from me because I’d chosen Thorn over him.
    “Thanks so much for showing me he’s gone,” I said to Mr. Blackowski.
    “Not a problem. He’s a good man. I hope he finds what he’s looking for out there.”
    “I do, too,” I whispered. “I do, too.”

Chapter 3

    With Nick gone, I didn’t have many options. So my next destination was Dr. Frank, who treated me for my OCD. The old wizard scratched my hide the wrong way on most days, especially since he didn’t let me slide into my incessant need to shop. I did make a small pit stop in Manhattan on the way to his office, but compared to last year, when I made three or four shopping trips per therapy session, I considered a browse through—umm, brief purchase—at Nordstrom’s to be a huge step toward improving my self-control. Only three things purchased, mind you, and that didn’t even count, since they were gifts for Sveta.
    When I reached the receptionist desk on the upper floor, I stopped in the middle of the hallway. The woman at the desk was new, a human this time. She smiled as I approached.
    “Can I help you?” she asked.
    “Is Dr. Frank available?”
    “Dr. Frank was called away on personal business for a few months. Dr. Chainey is taking care of his patients until then.”
    Panic brushed against my stomach. “As one of his patients, why wasn’t I notified?”
    “It was an emergency leave,” her smile was apologetic. “We just sent out notices about his departure a few days ago. Yours probably hasn’t arrived yet. I’m so sorry.”
    So this was a recent development. Suspicion touched my senses. Not a good feeling to have. My imagination wanted everything to be like it had been before. With a quick glance at the meeting room doors, I imagined hearing my friends behind them. Heidi the mermaid’s laugh bubbled up. Shy Abby the Muse replied to someone in her soft-spoken voice. Lilith, the soul-sucking succubus, would be complaining about her last date, or lack-thereof. The others would be there, too. But now Dr. Frank was gone, only to be replaced by a human, or so I assumed. Maybe he was another wizard for all I knew, but Dr. Frank had been my therapist since I was a kid. Telling all my secrets to someone new didn’t sit right with me.
    “Thanks for your help. I’ll look for that letter.” I tried to sound polite, but my voice came out stiff. It wasn’t her fault that Dr. Frank had disappeared.
    So where did that leave me?
    As I left the building, I weighed my options for tracking down what could be happening with the spellcaster community and decided to make a few more phone calls. Heidi’s phone went straight to voicemail so I left a message. I wasn’t sure when she’d answer. Abby didn’t really carry a cellphone, a rather useless device when only other supernaturals could see or hear her.
    The third number I dialed finally worked, and a man with a low timbre voice answered the phone. “Hey, Nat!”
    “Tyler! I’m so glad someone from therapy group is alive.”
    “What do you mean alive?” The sounds of traffic bled through his phone. A man near him swore at a biker who got too close to his cab.
    “I tried to find Nick and he’s gone. Moved out of his apartment. He didn’t answer his phone either,” I blurted. “Heidi also didn’t answer, and Dr. Frank is gone.”
    “Yeah, I recently tried to call Dr. Frank’s private line and was sent to voicemail. I never heard back. Are you doing okay?” He always had a kind voice, even if he didn’t have too much