Kylie knew it was the man's soul-stained and evil from all his sins. Then the ugliest sound Kylie had ever heard bled into the air-like rats screeching and cockroaches feeding. Several shadowy beings, hell's minions, swept through the room and took Mario's black soul with them.

John yanked the sword out, blood squirting from the hole in Mario's chest. With the sword no longer holding up his body, he crumbled to the floor.

Death wasn't pretty.

* * *

Kylie stared at the body, her own sword held motionless before her. Why had John done this? Had she been wrong about him?

When she glanced at the man's face, the cold smile he wore told her she'd been wrong about nothing.

How fitting, the spirit said. You killed the man who killed your son. But not for our son. She moved closer to him, looking him in the eyes. Then her gaze shifted to Kylie. Don't trust him.

"Why did you do that?" she asked John, keeping her sword poised to fight.

"I've been waiting for him to die so I could take his place. This was just the opportunity I sought."

Kylie felt the despicableness in his gray eyes. "Now what?" she asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" He smiled. "You have choices. Accept that you and your mother belong to me.

You do what I say, your mother lives. You don't, and she dies." He cast a glance at her mom, who stared up at him with hatred.

"I think we'd both rather die," Kylie said, "but I don't plan on doing that right now."

"You think you can best me? You are nothing but a child with powers you can't even control."

He came at her with fierce swiftness. His sword moving in and out. She could barely keep up.

Go left. Now right. The spirit yelled instructions.

Kylie fought to defend herself. Her sword came down, but his came faster. She felt the razor-sharp edge slice into her left forearm. The sting and the blood followed.

She didn't slow down. She couldn't. To slow down, to take her eyes off his sword for one second, would mean death.

For her.

For her mom.

Then she felt the cold, a familiar cold of her father. He was here. But was it to help her, or take her with him?

A loud crash sounded somewhere nearby. She forced herself not to think or to focus on anything but the fight.

Then a low ugly growl vibrated in the room. She saw the wolf leap up from across the room. His mouthopened, his teeth exposed, as if ready to tear into flesh. Her friend had come to fight with her.

Recognition hit in a flash.

This was not the half-wolf outside.

The wolf flying in the air toward John was Lucas.

John swung his sword toward the new threat, ready to pierce Lucas's chest.

Using every ounce of strength she had, feeling her blood hot with the need to protect, she brought her sword down on his, knocking it from the man's hands. John roared with fury, dodged Lucas, and reached again for his sword.

Before he got to it, Kylie got to him. She buried her sword into his side. She pulled the weapon out and started to go at him again.

He collapsed.

His body shook.

He gasped for air.

Blood dripped from the tip of Kylie's sword.

Kylie looked at Lucas, his eyes ablaze, his teeth still barred.

Then, just as before, the hideous sounds filled the room as the devil sent his own to collect the dirty soul that seeped from John's mouth.

Dropping her sword, Kylie felt soiled for taking a life. Then she swung around to her mom, who still lay staring at the scene. The realization came quickly. She hadn't taken a life, she had saved one.

Dropping down on her knees, she struggled to get the tape off her mom's mouth.

Lucas, in all his wolf beauty, moved toward her. Her mom squirmed as if in fear of the wolf. Lucas brushed against Kylie's side, met her gaze briefly, then turned and left. Kylie remembered again what his grandmother had said. You are part of his quest, and he yours.

"Mom," Kylie said. "It's going to be okay." She finished pulling the tape from her mom's mouth.

Her mom's scream bounced off the walls.

"It's okay," Kylie said again. "It's okay. Now, be still so I can get the tape off of you."

As soon as Kylie took the tape off her mom's wrists, she grabbed Kylie and held her. Held her hard and long. "This is the worst dream I've ever had."

Kylie pulled back and debated what to say, but then just nodded and ripped the tape from her mom's ankles. Her mom curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, as if just waiting to wake up.

Kylie looked back at the two bodies. She needed to call the police, didn't she? She glanced back at her mom and wondered how it would play out with her spouting out things about dreams and wolves.

Then Kylie remembered, she might have come here alone, but she had friends. She grabbed her phone and started punching in Burnett's number. Right before her finger hit the call button, another noise filled the room. A soft comforting sound. The sound of trickling water. The sound of the falls. The warm feeling, the sense of rightness, of justice, filled Kylie's chest.

The moment of peacefulness was shattered when her mom screamed again, her eyes focused on something behind Kylie.

"He ... What? How?" Her mom started scooting back.

Kylie swung around, grabbing her sword as she did, and praying it was her mom's panic talking.

She was wrong.

Chapter Forty-three

Standing before Kylie, fully manifested, was her father. Not just fully manifested but brighter than ever before. The sound of the falls grew louder. The hum of peaceful water.