“That ain’t going to fucking well happen. We have to get Milly and Pamela out. I can’t leave them there.” I pushed myself to my feet and was pleased to see I wasn’t unsteady in the least. “Why the hell did you bring me all the way here if I wasn’t in trouble?”

Blaz reached out to me. Erik is lying; your spirit was being bound. You were alive and wouldn’t have died, but who you are was being eaten. Your bond to me staved it off long enough for Doran and Louisa to break the bond between you and the soul sucker demon.

My eyes darted to Doran of their own volition. “Thanks. Seems you saved my ass again.”

“My pleasure; after all it is such a nice ass to be saving.” He gave me a grin and a wink, his green eyes full of life and so very different from the eyes I’d seen in other vampires. Even Berget didn’t have the spark I saw in his emerald depths. Unlike other vampires, his soul remained intact when he’d become a night walking blood sucker. Apparently it had something to do with my blood being the catalyst in the spell that turned him. I shook my head.

“Whatever. You need to get laid, vampire.”

He let out a laugh and held out his hand to me. “You offering?”

Berget’s words came back to me full force and I shot a glance her way. She lifted an eyebrow and one pale shoulder.

“Thanks, but my dance card is full.”

I hoped that would get the point across; I really didn’t want to be a bitch to him. He was a friend and an ally, and it looked like Berget was staying with him, which was good for her. He wouldn’t hurt her, or take advantage of her, and the memories trapped inside her head could help him lead the vampires better than if he was doing it on his own.

Doran stepped toward me, one hand out as if to touch my cheek. “You sure about that?”

Instead of continuing that thread of conversation I turned my back on him and changed the subject.

“Berget, anything on your end of things?”

She shook her head, soft blond hair shimmering. “Not yet, but I think I am making some progress.”

“Okay.” I reached out and pulled her into my arms, gave her a hug. “Thanks.”

She grinned at me. “We’re family, you don’t have to thank me.”

“Just be careful.”

“Of course.”

Doran’s eyes whipped from me to her and back again. “What are you two up to now?”

“Nothing you can do anything about.” I let go of Berget and then kept my eyes down as I checked my weapons. They were all there; that at least was an upside to this mess.

Doran stopped me with a hand on my arm, and very gently pulled me aside. “There is a betrayal coming your way, Rylee. One I can’t see clearly, but it is there nonetheless.”

I went still. He was buzzing on the blood I’d fed him in order to turn him into a fully blooded vampire? Damn, he must have gotten more than I’d thought at the time. It was the only time he could Read my future.

“What kind of betrayal?”

His brows crinkled, tugging the silver piercing downward over his right eye. “Your life and your wolf’s will be on the line, but it will be up to Liam and another to stop it from happening. It’s muddled because your blood runs thin in my veins. I should have thought to do a reading sooner, but I’ve been busy.” No doubt that was true, taking over the vampire nation was no small task.

Great, just what I needed. That meant it would be me and Alex in trouble. Awesomsauce. “Any idea of time frame?”

“Soon. Within the next few days. Death will be heavy with the one who betrays you.”

That made no sense, but it was all he was able to give me. At least it was something. I thanked him and turned to leave, almost running into Erik. Bouncing off his chest I grimaced. Time to get back on track.

“I’m not leaving Milly and Pamela in that freaking purple hole in my bathroom wall, Erik. So how are we going to get them out?” I didn’t wait for him to answer, but started down the hallway. Liam caught my eye and slid in behind me.

“Alex is already with Blaz.”

“Good, we’re already so far behind we’re in fucking first place,” I muttered under my breath, half pissed that they’d brought me here, so far from home. But also knowing that if they hadn’t, there wouldn’t be anything of me left. What a hot shitty mess.

“Where do you think you’re going? I was not kidding when I said that hunting demons is a bad idea until you know more,” Erik shouted after us as we strode through the night-darkened courtyard and past the koi pond to the two dragons waiting for us. They barely fit in the front yard, but it didn’t matter that this was a suburban area. Doran’s house sat within a fold of the veil, or a wrinkle, if you will. He used the veil to hide his whereabouts from the humans and anything within that fold couldn’t be seen by human eyes.

So much disbelief in the world of magic kept them blind to all the wonder—and horror—that surrounded them.

More horror than wonder. Blaz said softly, and I had to agree. There was far more horror in our world than I liked to admit. Yet I knew very little else.

I was up on Blaz in a matter of seconds, Liam behind me.

“Erik, either you’re coming with me or I’m damn well going in on my own. My friends need me, that’s all there is to this.”

Erik scrambled onto Ophelia’s back. “You are no different than your mother, running headlong into danger for your friends.” He shook his head. “Fine. But you will listen to me the whole damn way back, not a word out of you. Understood? It is the only way it will work if we’re going to go into the deep levels of the veil to bring them back.”

I nodded, ignoring his comment about my mother, my heart pounding with something akin to excitement. Shit, I was terrified for my two girls, but I was excited to learn I finally had an ability that would give me an offense instead of a defense. Blaz leapt into the sky, his wings stirring up the surface of the pond, lifting Berget’s curls back from her face. I lifted a hand to Berget and Doran who waved back to me in return. They watched until I could see them no more, and I had the feeling they watched still, long after we were out of sight.

Yet there was no time to ponder what the hell I was supposed to do with Doran’s affections. Nope, I had a couple short hours to learn about being a demon hunter before going into the deep levels of the veil.