His gold Caste medallion batted around between us, hitting my face as we struggled. I freed a hand and grabbed the symbol, twisted. It broke free from his neck easily. Gripping it between my fingers, I jabbed at his eyes with one of the star’s points. His hand flew to the ruined eye as he screamed. I bucked my hips to unseat him. Rising above his writhing body, I lifted my hands and gathered the power, ready to slam him with a spell.

The attack came from behind. A soft swish of metal through the air. A grunt. The sharp sting of blade through skin. I lurched back, my shoulders pulling together and my head thrown back. Despite the tingling pain, instinct forced me to bend and duck away from the inevitable follow-up swing. I fell and rolled away just as the blade sliced the air again.

The faery steel worked quickly, its magic immobilizing the muscles on the left side of my back. With effort, I rose to face Lavinia. She raised the sword again, her eyes glittering with deadly intent. Grimacing against the spreading numbness, I crouched into my fighting stance.

The vampire on the ground had recovered enough to sit up. Lavinia looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Summon the Master. Quickly.”

The Caste mage resumed his monotone chanting. With each word, I felt the clock ticking down.

The vampire pulled himself from the ground and limped away to assist the mage. As he went, he grabbed the ceremonial knife from the grass. I started to lunge after him, but Lavinia slashed the blade through the air, capturing my full attention.

“You’re not going to ruin my plans this time, you little bitch.” She slashed and parried, pushing me away from my sister. “Once the Master arrives, he’ll make you regret ever being born.”

Behind Lavinia, Zen and PW appeared from between the crypts surrounding us. I was surprised the voodooienne allowed PW to come along. But when I saw the satchel strapped to the fae’s back, I realized Zen relied on her trusted assistant just as much as I relied on Giguhl. Plus, PW might be brittle after the attack, but she was still a faery. That meant she could easily take out human opponents. Hell, if properly armed and motivated, she could even take out vamps or mages. Especially with her hairtrigger temper and mad voodoo skills.

Hoping to distract Lavinia from their arrival, I said, “Doesn’t it bother you that you have to rely on someone more powerful to meet your goals?”

She smiled and flicked the blade. “You won’t be taunting me once Cain makes you his slave. Ironic, isn’t it, that the Chthonic magic the mages taught you will be the weapon he uses to destroy them?”

I stilled as pieces of the puzzle clicked together. All the chances Lavinia had to kill me. Her demanding my surrender instead of fighting in Jackson Square. The vague threats. The rites. Cain wanted me alive. Needed me alive so he could use my Chthonic magic for some nefarious purpose. “Well, that certainly changes things,” I said, half to myself. Lavinia frowned. I smiled. “You’re scared of Cain. And I bet he’d be pretty pissed if you killed me before he could use me.”

“I fear no one,” she said, but her eyes exposed the lie.

The voodoo practitioners worked quietly behind the vampire bent over Maisie. Zen sprinkled amber liquor all over the ground. PW lit a cigar and handed it to Zen. The sweet, smoky scent drifted toward me. My lips quirked as I realized what Zen wanted me to do. But first I had to keep Lavinia distracted until the time was right.

“Man, I never thought I’d see the day when the Alpha Domina lowered her neck in submission to a male.”

Instead of answering my taunt, she struck. I raised my left hand to fend off the attack. The blade sliced across the muscles above my wrist. Blood sprayed from the wound, dripping down my arm. I screamed as acidic pain ripped through my flesh. Fell back, my ass hitting the dirt.

As Lavinia advanced for another hit, the Caste mage shouted. “He’s coming!”

My grandmother paused, jerked her gaze over her shoulder. I looked past her and blinked. The air next to the vampire was shimmering.

“Sabina, now!” Zen shouted.

The air more solid now. A male human form.

I slammed my wrist to the dirt and ground it in. As I did, I yelled, “Spirits of the Loa, Hekate, Great Mother Lilith, I summon and evoke thee to guide these spirits to strike down my enemies!”

A male. Translucent. A shock of red hair— the same hair I’d seen in my dream with the werewolf and the shotgun. Master Mahan. Cain.

The combination of Zen’s spell and my blood forced the earth to shift and buckle. Horrible groaning and pounding began inside the nearby tombs. The vamp cringed and looked around. The loss of concentration made the transparent form of the Master waver and go static.

Lavinia had gone still, her eyes alert but worried. “What is that noise?” she yelled.

I didn’t have to answer, because in the next instant the first revenant broke through. It— the level of decay prevented me from guessing a gender— exploded from a vault near the spot where the vamp and mage had almost succeeded in summoning Cain.

Pushing its way through the humans, the zombie went straight for the vampire. Judging from the screams of the vamp, he’d never seen a zombie before. The mage dropped the tome and tried to run. Two revenants broke off to catch the mage, who screamed as their rotted bones dug into his neck. Couldn’t blame him for his fear— no one ever expects zombies.

When the mage released his death rattle, Cain’s shimmering form popped and disappeared as the aborted summoning spell wore off.

Skeletal hands clawed at the vamp’s head, tearing clumps of red hair, the pale skin left in ribbons. A loud, wet crunch as the skull gave way. I averted my eyes as the zombie fell to the ground to feast on the vampire’s twitching body.

“No!” Lavinia watched the display in horror. “By the gods, what blasphemy is this?”

I rose on shaky legs. “I figured since you and Cain are so interested in my Chthonic magic, I’d arrange a little demonstration.”

More revenants burst free from their tombs. Four broke off from the pack and headed for Lavinia. Instead of running or screaming, she flashed her fangs and fell into a fighting stance. If I hadn’t hated her with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns, I might have admired the way she faced them down.

“Wait,” I called.

Hollow eye sockets set in gray skulls turned toward me.

“She’s mine.”

The revenants backed away, some even bowing on creaking bones. Lavinia regarded me with wary eyes as I approached. In the distance, the sounds of fighting were dying down. A muted cheer rose. But as long as Lavinia breathed, this battle would never be over.

I picked up the sword. The hilt felt warm in my hand. The heat from Lavinia’s hand hadn’t dissipated. My grandmother’s chin rose. “You’re a fool.”

I paused, swinging the sword in front of me. “I know.”

Behind Lavinia, the third member of our fucked-up family stumbled in our direction— a pale, blood-streaked specter. Seeing the murder darkening Maisie’s eyes, I realized she had every right to crave Lavinia’s death, too. In fact, she had more. Lavinia had used me and manipulated me my whole life. But the tragedies Maisie had endured in just a few days overshadowed anything I’d endured at our grandmother’s hands.

Lavinia cocked her head, obviously confused by my easy agreement. Slower, she said, “You didn’t stop him tonight. He’ll find you.”

I was done with vague threats and archaic prophecies. Instead of responding to her dire prediction, I said, “I have one question for you.”

“No, I never loved you,” she barked.

I laughed. “Seriously? You think I haven’t figured that out by now?” I spread my hands wide and nodded to my blood-spattered body and the carnage surrounding us.

Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Then why do you hesitate? Do the deed, or admit your fear.”

She was right, I was stalling. Not because I was afraid. But because doing so would allow the scales to balance once and for all. “My question is this: Weren’t you the one who always told me to never turn my back on an enemy?”

She frowned. “Yes. Why?”

Maisie struck then. Her fangs cut deep into Lavinia’s neck. Caught off guard, the Domina froze in shock. Maisie’s arms clamped around our grandmother as she bit deeper and drank greedily from the jugular. Lavinia reanimated with a vengeance, struggling and screaming for help. But no one was left to help her. Soon, her pale complexion took on the powdery blue cast of impending death.

Passing through the bowing revenants, I limped toward the slab where the Caste guys had held Maisie. I reached it just as Lavinia screamed my name. Picked up the book and shoved it into my waistband, when the screams cut off abruptly. I released the Chthonic goddess powers back into the ground where they belonged. As the dark, shadowy energy swirled out of me, a wet ripping sound reached my ears. Closed my eyes when a flash of heat scorched my back.

Ding dong, the bitch was dead.

The knowledge should have filled me with joy. Instead, I felt hollow. Totally empty.

I looked up to see Zen, PW, and Giguhl watching the display with somber expressions. “Go help her,” I said quietly. Despite the fact I knew I’d done the right thing letting Maisie kill Lavinia, I couldn’t face her right then.

“Um, Sabina?” Giguhl said. I looked up. “What about them?” He nodded to the revenants.

I sighed and turned toward the rotting crowd. I didn’t worry I’d have to kill them all like I did Kevin. This time, by instinct, I knew the revenants merely waited for my command. “Your work here is done. I release you. May you rest in peace.”

The zombies obeyed immediately. As they shambled slowly toward their crypts and tombs, Giguhl and Zen went to Maisie’s kneeling form. Soft keening sounds rose from her huddled body as she rocked next to the scorch mark that had once been our grandmother. My conscience told me I should go to her.

But I couldn’t. The image of Maisie feeding from Adam was too fresh. Besides, I wasn’t sure I could be anyone’s cheerleader right then. Adam was dead, Maisie was broken, and I felt ….. nothing. No hope for the future. No confidence everything would work out. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I’d actually won, given Lavinia’s prediction that Cain wouldn’t stop coming after me.