Shading his sensitive eyes, he saw that the door was open. Inside, the two witches were darting about. Packing? Packing?

His heart dropped to his stomach. Carrow was leaving him? He'd told her too much. I bared my soul, and of course, she found it lacking. I bared my soul, and of course, she found it lacking.

He grew panicked at the thought of losing the family he'd only just found, wanting to take back his careless words and actions. You've finally pushed her away, Slaine. You've finally pushed her away, Slaine.

He strode up the stairs. Do not look at me as the others did, channa. Do not look at me as the others did, channa. He couldn't handle that from her, couldn't live with the fact that he'd spurned her and brought this upon himself. He couldn't handle that from her, couldn't live with the fact that he'd spurned her and brought this upon himself.

She'd donned her sword and boots. It sounded as if Ruby was scurrying about in the back room. They truly were leaving him.

He swiped his forearm over his eyes and swallowed, wanting to say something, but he couldn't trust his voice. Then Carrow saw him standing in the doorway.

He didn't take a breath, dreading...

"There you are." She crossed to him, rising up on her toes to kiss him.

Once her lips brushed his, he groaned in relief, yanking her into him. He tightened his arms around her as he took her mouth.

She sighed, responding so sweetly.

Until they heard straining noises coming from the back.

Carrow pulled away with a sheepish smile. Then she called out, "Do you need some help, Ruby?"

In an exasperated tone, she replied, "I told you I could do this."

Hunched over and huffing with exertion, the girl dragged out the pack. She hauled it to his feet, then stood fully, placing her hand on her lower back. Her face was bright red from the effort. "I packed it for you!"

"Am I ..." He cleared his throat. "Am I to come, then?"

Ruby frowned, glancing from Carrow back to him. "Duh."

"What a great job, baby. Now, go grab a couple of lucky sh.e.l.ls for our trip."

As soon as the girl had left, Carrow wryly said, "There might be a dead fish in there 'in case you get hungry.' "

Now that his panic had eased, his ire grew. "Where do you think you are going? The plan you laid out was for me to search."

"I had a premonition that something bad is coming here. I don't know when or how, and it could be hours or days. But we've got to leave. We'll keep to the trees to avoid the sun, and we can travel through the night, but we're running out of time." When he said nothing, she added, "Look, if you don't believe me, you can ask Ruby-"

"I will go with you."

"You will will?"

He could see now that he had no choice but to go. Just as she'd said last night, the witch didn't have to wait to get home to leave him. She could do it just as easily here.

And he couldn't keep her and the little one prisoners forever.

Carrow's eyes lit up. "Y-you trust me?"

Malkom ... didn't. He'd finally realized he was incapable of trust-short of some kind of irrefutable proof that he was never going to obtain. But the alternative to leaving with her was losing her, so he would choose the lesser of two evils. He would make this leap. "I want to return to your home with you and Ruby."

"You're going to be so happy with us! I promise you."

While she was delighted, he was filled with misgivings. He'd been given too fine and good a female. One he could never believe would truly love someone like him. Fate's cruelest jest so far- A clanging sound rang out. The pots. .h.i.tting each other. The pots. .h.i.tting each other. Carrow's eyes went wide. His fangs sharpened. Carrow's eyes went wide. His fangs sharpened.

"Ruby!" she screamed, sprinting outside.

Chapter 45

As Carrow ran for Ruby, Malkom faced off against the intruders at the neck of the peninsula, waiting for them to reveal themselves.

She'd just reached Ruby at the beach, s.n.a.t.c.hing the girl into her arms, when the creatures swarmed into their sanctuary, a ravening tide of fangs and insatiable hunger.

Wendigos. With their dagger-like claws and emaciated bodies, their clothes ripped to shreds. Already their rancid stench pervaded the area.

There were scores of them. More than La Dorada had with her. Their sheer numbers overwhelmed Malkom's traps. How could there be so many of them?

The answer came to her as Malkom roared, charging them with a breathtaking ferocity.

They'd infected others, increasing their number.

To keep the beasts away from Carrow and Ruby, Malkom met them in the sun. Would he know they were contagious? "Don't let them touch you, Malkom!"

One scratch or bite...

"Help him, Crow!" Ruby's eyes were gleaming as she frantically tore at her collar. "We have to help him!"

Though he battled the Wendigos savagely-snapping their necks while dodging their claws-the sun was taking its toll on him. Soon he was surrounded.

I can't draw them over here, can't risk Ruby. "Stay here!" Carrow ordered her as she unsheathed her sword. "Stay here!" Carrow ordered her as she unsheathed her sword.

One of the beasts twisted its head toward them. It loped forward, fangs dripping. Twenty feet away, ten...

When it launched itself at Carrow, she ducked and sidestepped, swinging for the back of its neck. She beheaded it, but more turned toward them.

"No!" Malkom yelled. "No, here!" "No, here!" He provoked them to attack only him, yet still half the tide veered in Carrow's direction. He provoked them to attack only him, yet still half the tide veered in Carrow's direction.

"You stay behind me, Ruby! If I get into trouble, run for the calm beach and get into the water. Do you hear me?" Carrow glanced back when the girl didn't answer. Ruby was slack-jawed.

A vampire had appeared behind Carrow-one with red eyes. Reeling in shock, she raised her sword. Just as she was about to swing, she realized he looked familiar. But she couldn't tell when he was shading his face, recoiling from the intense sunlight.

"Mariketa sent me to retrieve you. I am Conrad Wroth," he grated as his skin began to blister. "For hours, I've searched this island." He looked it, was sweating and dirty as though he'd traveled for miles. "I'm to tell you about the Mardi Gras float you hijacked?"

"Ah, Hekate, you're legit."

"Who is he, Crow?"

"He's been sent by Mari!"

The vampire's fangs had lengthened, his eyes darting. He hissed in pain as more blistering appeared. "I can't ... stay much longer, witch. And the beasts near."

"We can't leave without that demon over there!" Carrow pointed, but Malkom was so overrun they could barely see him. "Just bring him to us, vampire! Please." When he shook his head in a twisting, deranged kind of way, Carrow screamed, " Malkom!" Malkom!"

"Demon, over here!" Ruby cried.

As more Wendigos neared, Carrow raised her bloodied sword again, glancing over her shoulder. "Vampire, take the girl back to Mari! Send help to us if you can."

Another twist of his head. "I'm to return with you you." Conrad snagged Carrow around the waist, picking up Ruby with his other arm.

At that moment, Malkom turned, caught sight of them. His eyes went wide, and he bellowed, "No, no!" "No, no!" He plowed toward them, but he was besieged.... He plowed toward them, but he was besieged....

"Malkom!" both she and Ruby cried. both she and Ruby cried.

Carrow reached for him, yet Conrad held her tight. When he tried to trace, she resisted him. "Malkom, hurry!"

The vampire's skin smoked, then caught fire completely.

Mariketa glanced around at the crowd that had gathered in the meeting hall at Andoain-a collection of factions from the fey to the Valkyrie, from the Lykae to the nymphs and more. Just about every species from the Vertas side was represented.

In the three hours since Mari had dispatched Conrad to retrieve Carrow, all these beings had heard about it. News traveling at a supernatural speed. News traveling at a supernatural speed. Now anyone with friends or family thought to have been abducted had teleported, portaled, or driven here. Now anyone with friends or family thought to have been abducted had teleported, portaled, or driven here.

The gathering reminded her of a Super Friends meeting, except instead of the Hall of Justice, they'd descended on Andoain, with its ornate old couches, altars for tables, giant hearth, and even bigger karaoke stage. Nothing matched except for the coven's four professional-grade poker tables-and the spoof cauldrons.

This was the first time in ages they'd used the hall for anything but girls' night out.

Dozens of beings lined the walls or sat stiffly on the antiquated settees. One couple sat atop a woofer.

With so many different creatures here rubbing together-some allied only through ties with another common faction-Mari was pleasantly surprised at how well everyone was behaving. So far only a few nut up or shut up nut up or shut up-type ultimatums had been issued.

Of course, she'd taken precautions in case things got ugly.

"How much longer until the vampire is expected to return, witch?" Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, demanded imperiously, every inch the sorceress, from her crimson mask and elaborate crown to her claw-tipped gauntlets. Her husband, Rydstrom-another of Mari's good friends-had his big hand splayed possessively over her hip.

People quieted to hear Mari's answer, gazing at her. Among them were Bowen's cousin Garreth and his Valkyrie wife, Lucia the Huntress, both looking exhausted. Mari knew they'd been searching nonstop for Regin all over the world. Garreth was also here because his cousin Uilleam was missing.

Myst the Coveted and several other Valkyrie sat on the settees, awaiting news of Regin the Radiant as well.

The demons, the Lykae, the Valkyrie ... all of them were expecting Mari's magic to, like, work work. After all the years when it hadn't, hadn't, she was having stage fright. There was a reason she'd been called she was having stage fright. There was a reason she'd been called Awaited Awaited.

"Uh, soonish," Mari answered, though she had no idea how long. She'd thought he would be back by now. Have I sent Conrad on a suicide mission? Have I sent Conrad on a suicide mission?

She glanced over at Neomi anxiously pacing, shifting from her pretty and vivacious corporeal form to her pale, ethereal phantom state.

Had Mari just widowed her?

Bowen sensed her nervousness and looped his arm protectively around her shoulders. "Doona worry, witchling. This will work out."

More minutes pa.s.sed. More rumblings sounded. "How much longer will it take?" "How do we know the witch's magic will work? The captromancer can't even face a mirror." "Where is Nix? She should be here. ..."

Bowen turned to the crowd. "Any more lip, and I'll toss you out on your a.r.s.es. You're here now only because Mariketa wills it."

Mari gazed up at him. G.o.ds, I adore this wolf. G.o.ds, I adore this wolf. He was the Keymaster to her Zuul. She couldn't think of a better guy to have in her corner-- He was the Keymaster to her Zuul. She couldn't think of a better guy to have in her corner-- "Wait!" Mari straightened. "I feel a disturbance." The air began to diffuse. "Something's coming."

"I smell smoke," Bowen muttered. "Whatever it is, it's comin' in hot."

Chapter 46

A red-eyed vampire has Carrow and Ruby.

Carrow struggled to get free, her fingers outstretched as she reached for Malkom.

Ruby flailed, screaming for him.

Though the vampire's skin had caught fire, still he would not release them.

Malkom slashed through the Wendigos, evading their attacks. As the creatures began to feed on their own fallen, slowing their advance, Malkom jerked his head around, searching for a way out of the circling horde.

"Malkom, hurry!" Carrow screamed.

Frustration strangled him, his fists clenching. Can't get to her. Can't get to her. G.o.ds, to be able to trace. G.o.ds, to be able to trace.

Then remember how! Never more desperate, never more frenzied, he struggled to recall-as he hadn't been able to in centuries. Never more desperate, never more frenzied, he struggled to recall-as he hadn't been able to in centuries.

Remember, Slaine...

He tensed every muscle in his body. Reach her. Reach her. Dizziness a.s.sailed him; confusion followed. Dizziness a.s.sailed him; confusion followed. I've felt this. I've felt this. In an instant, he realized he'd experienced the same sensation when he'd run for Carrow during the Gotoh attack. And when he'd somehow reached her in the water amidst the sharks. In an instant, he realized he'd experienced the same sensation when he'd run for Carrow during the Gotoh attack. And when he'd somehow reached her in the water amidst the sharks.

Both times he'd been panicked to get to her. Remember now-or lose her. Remember now-or lose her. With a yell, he strained again. With a yell, he strained again.