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Chapter One

Apocalypses always kick off at the witching hour

That’s so you kno

It makes sense, if you think about it An apocalypse, by its nature, is kind of dooy for that kind of working is when you’re in the deepest, darkest, coldest part of the night That ti and dawn There’re a lot of na hour The hour of the wolf The dead of night I could go on and on, because we all have names for it

But they’re all talking about the sahtmares The hour when you awaken for no reason but to fear the future The hour when you stare at the clock, willing yourself to sleep, knowing it isn’t going to happen, and weariness and despair beat upon the doors to the vaults of your mind with leaden clubs

That’s when an apocalypse begins: the witching hour

And I was charging straight into one as fast as I could

My brother’s old boat, the Water Beetle, a seedy, beat-up twin to the Orca in Jaas too duan as we headed for the blacked-out city of Chicago, but it bulldogged its way through them nonetheless

An Ene for my city, and the sather in time was all that stood between the unknoer of the Fo a supernatural superweapon, and about eightthemselves

I tried to give the boat’s old engine a little ritted ine blew up onin the lake like a Styrofoam cup

Murphy ca up the stairway from belowdecks and eased into the wheelhouse withon my shoes, and Murph had to wear thick socks to break five feet even, so I took up a little more space than she did

But even so, she slipped up next to ainst my side

I put my arm around her and closedbut the feel of her against ally, if that mattered at this point) made her a little lumpier and pointier than the dictates of ros considered, I didn’t mind She was also warm and soft and tense and alert beside me

I trusted her Whatever was coh and smart

(And wounded, whispered so part of me And vulnerable)

Shut up, me

“How er?” Murphy asked

“If any of the lights were on, we’d be able to see the skyline by now,” I said “How are our guests?”

“Worried,” she said

“Good They should be” I looked down at her and said, “If anything happens, it will be near shore Makes the most sense for the enemy to post their people or whatever there Better tell everyone to be ready”

Murphy frowned at ht this Titan lady—”

“Ethniu,” I supplied

“Ethniu,” she continued, without perturbation, “said she wasn’t showing up until the witching hour But it’s ht”