My blush deepened. “I’m glad you finally realize that I’m not the one for you.”

Tye touched my chin gently and his smile vanished. “I never said that. What I meant was, it’s clear where your heart is, and it’s not with me.”

I passed my hand over my belly. No. It’s not.

Armando pointed to an opening among the dying palm trees. “Turn here.” Hank doubled back and maneuvered the SUV through the narrow space. We followed the trail for a few minutes until it widened into a field of an old plantain farm. The lingering presence of pestilent magic curdled around us. Everyone tensed briefly then rushed to unbuckle their seat belts and leap out.

“Is this Lucinda’s place?” I asked Armando quickly.

“No. Her home is in Izalco, but her devils stay here.” He glanced at the soiled ground staining my white canvas sneakers red. “She’s poisoned the earth with the blood of innocents.”

I backed away from the spongy surface only to splatter my shoes more. The essence of her kills was everywhere. Jesus. How powerful is she?

Armando marched forward with more nerve than I’d expected. “There’s a path behind the barn that leads up the mountain and to an ancient Mayan structure. If your friend is here, that’s where you’ll find him.”

I gripped Armando’s arm while Hank translated his words. “Thank you for your help. You’ve been really brave, but it’s time for you to return to your family.” I needed to ensure his safety, but wasn’t sure which vamp to send back with him. With the exception of possibly Agnes, the schoolgirls were out of the question. But then I remembered the dream I had where she’d roasted those sausages and thought better of it. I picked Michael, feeling I could trust him to keep him safe. Armando squirmed in my grasp when Michael approached.

Michael covered Armando’s mouth and raced with him to the last car. “I’ll return soon.”

Tye took the lead. “Watch out for booby traps, magical or otherwise. And remember, no one gets left behind.”

Tim rushed to block his path. “We’re not of your kind, lion. We remain our master’s humble servants. Our priority is to get him to safety even if it means our destruction.”

Tye growled. “We’re not his goddamn servants. I swear if you double-cross us Lucinda will be the least of your worries.”

The vamps weren’t the kind of species who took threats well. They hissed. I hissed back. “Stop it. All of you. We’ve come to save Misha. Let’s not waste time fighting.”

We divided in half and cut through the woods on either side of the path. My tigress and Tye’s lion gifted us with the silent stealth of predators. The girls slithered among the decaying trees in high heels. I couldn’t fathom why the hell they hadn’t brought camouflage clothes, sneakers, shorts—anything but the same ridiculous getups they wore every day. They knew we’d be trekking through the freaking jungle. Still, stilettos or not, they barely made a sound as we scaled the mountain. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and every cell of my being poised on high alert. I stopped and smiled when we’d climbed more than halfway.

“What is it?” Hank asked.

“It’s Misha. He knows we’re here.” Our presence had renewed his energy, but then my inner beast whispered a warning. “Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“We haven’t hit any traps. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

Hank shrugged. “Lucinda is arrogant. She might not have used them, thinking she could take on any threat.” The other group opposite us continued ahead in their haste to reach Misha. A high-pitched squeal followed two short-lived screams. Sharpened stakes launched from the ground and impaled the vamps. Hank gritted his fangs. “Shit. Come on, they know we’re here!”

We sprinted forward as sharp whistling sounds sliced through the air. A vamp in front of us pointed ahead. “Arrows!” None of us had human eyes. We saw the damn arrows tearing through the night like a blizzard of mini-spears. The yelling vamp splattered my legs with his blood as I dove behind a tree. Tye landed in a heap behind a boulder next to me, ash caked on his chest. I kept my back against the bark and scanned the area. More blood splashed around me, the vampires continued to charge despite the danger.

Hank ducked behind a tree across from mine and yanked an arrow out of his thigh. “We lost Jonas and Nadum. We need to get in now!”

I didn’t respond. I sensed Misha’s restlessness. He was close to losing it.

A few hundred feet stood between us and the fortress. A huge stone wall constituted what remained of the original Mayan ruin. The rest was a makeshift stronghold composed of old trees. There was only one door that I could see—narrow and built to prevent more than one being from entering at a time. It was perfect for them, that way they could slaughter us individually. “I can shift three of us in and return for more, but we need to get closer. If enough of you create a distraction, the others will be able to jump the wall.”

The surviving vamps quickly relayed my plan. Everyone crouched low and waited for my command. “Now!” I let Tye and Hank race ahead of me. When only a few feet remained to the wall, I tackled them and shifted us underground. Luck was on my side for once. We surfaced behind a group of weres passing arrows to the archers on the landing. They never knew what hit them. In the time Tye and I tore the heads off two, Hank mutilated three on his own. His insatiable appetite to avenge amplified his strength and speed.

“Get the others,” Tye urged.

I shifted only one more set of vamps. They, along with Hank, were enough to distract Lucinda’s charge so the others could rocket over the wall and attack. The schoolgirls used their stilettos to stake anything with a heart and whipped and choked their enemies with their long, thick necklaces. I hadn’t understood why they’d dressed that way, but leave it to the good Catholics to use their accessories as lethal weapons. If Misha didn’t know we were here before, he certainly did now. Their banshee-like shrieking became the official battle cry. But even through their wretched screams, one voice rose above them all.

“CELIA!”

The roar was that of a monstrous and extremely hungry Misha. It scared the unholy hell out of me and froze me and the vampire I fought into a stupefied state. I recovered first and severed his head with my claws. Tim, saturated with sweat, blood, and ash, urged me forward. “Go to him. Our master beckons you.”