All of this seemed too easy, too well laid out. Then again, it wasn’t the FBI running the show; it seemed to be a coven of witches who thought no one could touch them. Who thought no one was left to slip through the back door and steal their things.

“Pride goeth before the fall,” he whispered as they stepped out the room, quickly retracing their footsteps. The back door was in sight and he pushed the kid ahead. “Go.”

The crackle of air, the scent of ozone. He didn’t think, just leapt for Frank, tackling him to the floor as the lightning zig-zagged through the hallway, bouncing off the walls.

Liam rolled, and brought up the gun, sighting down the barrel. The gun barely bucked in his hand as he squeezed off two shots. The witch at the end of the hallway dropped, her eyes going wide as she clutched at her chest.

“Not so much fun when your shit is turned on you, is it?” He pushed to his feet and grabbed the kid, the sound of many feet and voices coming their way. “Come on, Frank. They’ve taken away the welcome mat.”

They shoved through the door and out of the building, bolting across the open space, across the firing squad line, and into the dark winter night.

Running hard, they met up with Pamela and Milly on the side road.

Liam jerked the door open. “Pamela, let it burn, we have to destroy it.”

Her eyes lit up and she jumped out of the Jeep. Fire flew from her fingers, tagging them exactly where they were. But it didn’t matter. The building was burning hard and fast and for all the witches who were left, it was too much. They scattered as multiple explosions in the lower floors burst windows.

Milly got out of the Jeep and went and touched Pamela on the shoulder. “That’s enough. They won’t be able to stop it, but they will come for us. I know them well enough.”

Pamela dropped her arms and sagged. Liam caught her and stepped into the Jeep, her slight weight nothing in his arms.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Milly didn’t hesitate, put the Jeep in gear and hit the gas pedal. Frank said nothing as they drove down the dark road, the raging fire behind them lighting the night sky.

Cha n, d tjan Propter 13

Faris found us, asleep, waiting on him. To say he was not happy was an understatement.

“What in all the seven bloody fucking hells are you doing?” he roared, his foot swinging toward Alex with a kick I knew from past experience would break ribs. Alex scrambled out of the way, barely missing the blow.

“Resting after we almost got eaten by a spider Guardian.” I yawned and stretched as though we had all the time in the world, my skirt sliding even further up my thighs. Hell, if he could have a nap there was no reason we couldn’t too.

Faris spun twice where he stood, one eye bloodshot and twitching like crazy, his words making no sense. “Piece of what—do you think—there is no reason Tracker—sunrise is coming—prophecies fade …”

Doran grabbed me and jerked me out of the way as Faris continued to flail and speak like a maniac. “This is bad. He doesn’t have the control to go without blood, Rylee. Power, yes, in spades. But not control. He’ll never make it to the end.”

I stared at the vampire in front of us, who twitched and jerked like an epileptic having a grand mal, his bones creaking with each jump of his body, teeth snapping and a low pacing growl trickling out of his mouth. And he seemed to not see us at all.

“Then we have to kill him, we can’t be dealing with a vampire gone mental,” I said, carefully removing my sword, doing my best not to draw Faris’s attention. Fast, this had to be fast and without warning if I was taking his head.

Doran put a hand over mine, stopping me. “There is another choice. If we feed him, it will bring him back.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why the fuck would we do that?”

“Because he is powerful, even if he doesn’t have control right now. And if we kill him, Berget wins. There is no guarantee we can stop her on our own. You do understand what we must do if the spell and opal don’t work?”

I jerked my hand out from under his, and before I could say anything, Alex let out a howl.

Faris had him pinned to the ground, his face buried in Alex’s fur along his neck, feeding deeply.

“Fucking vampire!” I leapt toward them, driving the point of my sword through Faris’s middle. He reared back, his lips smeared with blood, his eyes no longer twitching or bloodshot.

“Enough. Enough.” Faris raised his hands in submission, his movements slow.

Alex scampered away, whimpering, putting his paw to his neck. “Owie, fucking vampire.”

“Stay over there, Alex.” I pointed to the far wall as I pulled my second sword. There was no need for me to say what I was going to do, we all knew.

Faris, his skin dull and his eyes dim even after taking blood from Alex, continued to hold up his hands. “I am out of the running now. I free you from your oath to help me find the Blood.”

Holy shit. I lowered the tip of my blade lightly. “And the other oaths.”

“Even after you kill me, you will hold to your oath to kill the Child Empress.”

I shook my head. “No. I won’t. You killed my friend, Faris, and you threatened everyone I love. Big mistake.” I raised my sword, and his eyes widened. The swing of the sword was halfway through when he spoke.

“Charlie isn’t dead.”

I froze, the blade mere inches from his neck, shocked snec am that he would admit it. But I played along. “Bullshit.”

He leaned back on the stone floor, bracing himself on his elbows. “Charlie is fine; he’s a brownie, Rylee. He can move through time and space using doorways and windows. An opening through the veil is a doorway.”

I lowered my sword tip. “Then why?”

Faris snorted and lay down on the stone, flat on his back. “Rylee, you are the most stubborn, difficult woman I have ever dealt with. I tried seducing you, I tried to help you, I tried asking, but none of it worked when it came to getting you to help me. You forced me to resort to methods even I am loathe to use. And yet even blackmail isn’t enough, is it? Berget tried the same methods, attempting to kill your Eve, yet none of it worked.” He lifted his head slightly just to arch his eyebrow at me and then lay back down. “You are too fucking stubborn to do anything you don’t want to. Did you tell the others that I was blackmailing you?”