I was out of time. If I didn't act-and act fast-we could all go down. Kali and the Daemoni would win after all.

"All right," I told Vanessa as I marched into her room. "We're going."

Chapter 22.

Blossom had a fit when I told her about the plan that evening, especially the part about Vanessa, since not even she knew about the vampire's presence in the safe house or the conversion. I'd felt bad about keeping the secret from her for so long, at least until I thought about her own safety, as well as that of the rest of the colony. She probably wouldn't tell anyone else on purpose, but something might have slipped unintentionally during one of her mind vomits.

"I can't believe you trust her!" Blossom said when I finished laying out the plan as we sat at her little kitchen table.

Blossom's home was just like her-full of all kinds of interesting things. Bookshelves overflowed with ancient-looking books I imagined to hold spells and potion recipes, as well as various bowls and pots that looked a lot like cauldrons. More books were stacked on tables and counters. Odd shaped objects were scattered about, some with strange symbols engraved or painted on them. And more shelves held jars and jars of ingredients, ranging from human fingernails to muskrat eyelashes to a variety of herbs from all over the world.

But even with all the old books and objects and the array of organics, her house didn't smell musty or icky. It smelled delicious, as if she always had a cake in the oven. Probably because she pretty much did.

"I don't," I said, "but I have no choice."

She looked at me skeptically. "You really think she's converted?"

I shook my head slowly. "She feels like she is, but we're talking about Vanessa. She's been lying and deceiving for so long, maybe she has some way of fooling me. But all the signs ... she feels Amadis now." I waved my hand in the air dismissively. "It doesn't matter anyway. Whether or not she's fully converted, I'm out of options. I have to do this."

Blossom's mind spun through all kinds of ideas as it always does, but I had a response for everything she proposed. Eventually, she came to the same conclusion I did.

"Okay," she admitted with exasperation. "You're right. You have no choice. So how can I help?"

I gave her a tired smile. "I was hoping you'd ask."

But when I told her my idea, she freaked out.

"You want me to give her my blood? Are you crazy?" Her eyes bugged, and her mouth hung open.

I sighed, regretting I'd put her in this situation. "Yeah, I am. But again, no choice, remember? She needs something stronger than animal blood, and also some magical power so she can at least flash. I need her to have some basic powers."

Blossom made a face. "We'll have that connection vampires get, though. I mean, I've had it with guys, but with another girl? It's just weird. And with Vanessa? It feels wrong in so many ways."

I nodded. "I understand. I wouldn't have asked you if I had any better ideas. Would it help if you saw her?"

Blossom's shoulders sagged. "You already said you don't trust her."

"Right. It's just ... I don't know ... on some level I guess I do trust her. I mean, I just feel that she's not Daemoni anymore. That whatever she's planning is to serve her own selfish needs, not theirs."

"Doesn't mean she won't feed you to the wolves to benefit herself."

I rose from the table. "Of course not. I'll be keeping a close eye on her. Anyway, I don't blame you. I'll figure something out."

Blossom couldn't help her generous heart, and by the time Dorian and I arrived at the safe house just after dawn the next morning, Vanessa was stronger than she'd been in months, pumped up on Blossom's blood. The witch had also convinced a group of mages from the colony to hang out at the safe house for a few days to "practice" their shield skills. The plan was in full swing.

Bree would stay with Tristan in the farthest wing where no one would accidentally stumble upon him, and Sheree tended to Sonya while also helping Blossom as the witch bounced between taking care of Dorian and Sasha in one wing and tending to the mages in the commons room.

"Will this work?" I asked Dorian as he looked around the master bedroom suite.

"It's kind of like yours and Dad's room at Rina's," he said after examining the sitting area, the bedroom and the bathroom, "but better. It has a TV."

"Yes, it does. You brought your games, right?"

He went over to his suitcase, packed mostly with things to do and only a few clothes. He pulled out a game console and went to work hooking it up to the television.

"Heather really can't come?" he asked as I watched him set up the game.

"Sorry. Not this time. You and Sasha will have to hang out by yourselves for a while."

He frowned. "What about Dad? I miss him."

So do I. I pursed my lips together. "I know. Hopefully he'll be home by the time I get back."

As far as Dorian knew, his dad had been out of town for the last few days.

"And Uncle Owen?" Dorian asked.

I bit back a few choice words. Dorian had been ecstatic to finally see and spend time with Owen, and now the warlock had abandoned him again.

"Him, too," I said, hoping Vanessa was right about finding him. "I should be home in a few days, and we'll all be together again, just like we used to be."

His face lit up. "That would be awesome!"

I forced a smile while the probable lie ate at my gut. For all I knew, we could all be dead in a few days. No. Can't think like that. I had to have the same hope I fed Dorian. Believing that I'd see him and his father very soon was the only way I could get through what lay ahead of me.

Forcing myself to my feet, I held my arms open, and Dorian walked into them.

"You listen to Blossom, okay?" I said. "She's in charge for now. You do everything-and I mean everything-she says, okay?"

"Even if she says let's go to Universal Studios and won't let me ask you first?"

I chuckled drily. As if that would happen.

"Even if," I said.

His next words came out a little garbled, as though he spoke around a lump in his throat. "You'll come back, right? You and Dad and Uncle Owen? You're not leaving me for good, are you?"

I squeezed him tighter against me. "I'll never leave you, little man. Not like that. I'll always come for you."

And as the words tumbled from my mouth, I believed them. If nothing else, my love for Dorian would ensure I made it home, or, at least, I'd die trying.

"I'd always come for you, too, Mom."

As if I wasn't already having a hard time fighting back tears. If he only knew what that promise meant to me.

"I love you, little man. You be good and I'll see you soon."

"See you in a couple days, Mom. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He pulled back and gave me his stunning smile. Geez, he looked so much like his father.

I kissed him on the head, then bent down to pet Sasha.

"Protect," I ordered. Her blue tongue licked my hand, indicating she understood.

After one last kiss to Dorian, I slipped out of the suite, checked his door lock, then moved into another room to change into my fighting leathers. I tucked the little jar the faeries had given me into an inside pocket of my jacket and strapped on my dagger before going to say goodbye to my husband.

As soon as I walked into the room, Tristan's eyes slid over me, taking in my outfit.

"Don't do this," he said, barely able to lift his chin from his chest as his eyes rolled up to my face. "I'm not worth it."

"Of course you are. You are worth everything to me, much more than my life."

"Alexis-"

"Besides, it's not just for you. It's for all of the Amadis."

"You're being reckless."

"I'm doing what needs to be done!"

He growled, low at first, in protest to my plan. But then the volume increased and the sound became much more feral. His head jerked. The muscular cords in his neck strained, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he fought whatever was coming over him. His teeth gnashed, and he threw his head back. His eyes popped open, filled with flames.

"Eureka!" The voice cackled in my mind-a vaguely familiar one that didn't belong to Tristan or anyone else in the house. Kali's voice. She'd somehow managed to push it through Tristan and into my head. Whether she actually discovered the stone's secret or not, she wanted me to think she had. She wanted me to come seek her out. Bait. A trap. And for all I knew, Vanessa played a role it. But it didn't matter. If there was any chance Kali had discovered what she could now do with Tristan, I couldn't spare another second.

"Vanessa, let's go!" I barked.

The vampire called "ready" from the hallway, where she stood right outside of Tristan's door. Blossom had managed to alter a set of my fighting gear to fit Vanessa's height, and we found her some boots. The black leather pants and halter hugged all of her perfect curves, and her white-blond hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, mimicking my own. She stood with her hands on her hips, her head c.o.c.ked impatiently to the side.

"No!" Tristan roared, his back arching again as he pulled against the chains with renewed anger-his own this time. "You'll get her killed, Vanessa. Don't take her to Hades!"

Vanessa eyed Tristan, looked at me, then back at him. "Relax. We're going to Savannah."

"Not much better," Tristan snarled, but his body relaxed against the wall as his eyes turned back on me. "Don't be stupid, Alexis."

"n.o.body else can or will do this. I have to find Kali and stop her."

He broke into a maniacal laugh that wasn't his, Kali controlling his emotions again. But when he spoke, his own voice taunted me. "I dare you to try! Have a nice death, Alexis. Wish I could be there to watch."

I didn't acknowledge this last outburst, knowing it wasn't his true feelings, but silently studied his haggard face one last time, wishing like crazy he could go with me. I'd feel tons better about this trip with the ultimate warrior by my side. But, of course, that would accomplish their goals, not ours. This was the first time I was leaving for a fight without him. Hopefully not my last time seeing him.

"I love you," I said.

The way he looked at me, I knew he warred with himself, fighting Kali's control.

"You may not feel it," I continued, "but know that it's true."

I lifted my hand to his face, taking the risk that he'd try to bite it off again, but I needed to touch him. It might be the last time ever. I gingerly pressed my palm against his cheek. His muscles pulled taut under my touch as he strained against the urge to hurt me.

"I ... know ... in my head ... if not ... my heart," he whispered.

"And I know you love me." He gave me no response, except what I thought might have been the slightest of nods. It was the best I'd get out of him right now. I needed that stone.

"Let's go already," Vanessa whined from the hallway.

"Take care of him, Bree," I said over my shoulder as I strode out into the hallway. "If I'm not back with the stone in time, you know what to do."

"Of course," the faerie said, and I hoped I could trust her to do what was needed if I failed at this mission. Severing the connection-and all of Tristan's emotions with it-was our last hope. Our Plan B. I prayed it wouldn't come to that.

I paused in the doorway, placing my hand over my dagger's hilt.

Ca.s.sandra? Am I doing the right thing?

"It's what must be done for the greater good. Just remember, you have the power."

With that, I jogged down the hall to the backdoor of the mansion, Vanessa, of all people, by my side. My heart grew heavier with each step I took from Tristan and my son, and I couldn't help but wonder if Tristan had felt like this when he'd left me at a different safe house, pregnant with Dorian, pleading for him to stay. Same situation, but our roles were reversed now. Hopefully not the same outcome.

As soon as we were off the property and beyond the mages' shield, Vanessa took my hand and led me for the flash. I took in the smell of an orange grove right before we flashed again. This time we appeared under a highway bridge, cars zooming overhead as they crossed the river to our immediate left. Old oak trees stood nearby, Spanish moss dripping from their branches. About two miles down-river, buildings rose from the river's bank and over the land. The mind signatures from the small city weren't all clear to me, but a good portion of them were Daemoni.

"Savannah?" I asked.

"Yeah," Vanessa said, her eyes scanning the area.

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, first I need to confirm my hunch."

"Your hunch? I thought you knew!"

"Chill. I've been with you for the last three months, remember? There's a chance I'm wrong. I doubt it. I know them too well. But I'm not going to take you to h.e.l.l until I know for sure that's where we need to go."

She disappeared with a pop before I could respond. And suddenly, I was alone, far away from home, and, in fact, very close to a large cl.u.s.ter of the enemy.

c.r.a.p! I kicked at the dirt and a rock went flying into the river. Well, it hadn't taken her long to show her true colors. I was so stupid. I thought she'd at least get me close, perhaps even tease me by letting my hand grasp the pendant one more time. But, I should have known better. Vanessa wouldn't waste any more time on me than she needed to.

I squeezed my hand over the invisible hilt of my dagger, ready to pull it from its sheath. My feet moved in circles and my eyes continuously studied my surroundings-the oak trees, a bush down a few yards, a large boulder jutting into the water. Tall Georgia pines tickled the sky just beyond the bank. The smells of river water, dead fish, Georgia clay, and pine filled my nose, but nothing from a living being. Still, I turned and turned, my heart pounding, forcing my ears to strain to hear anything other than my pulse.

What is she doing? What is her ambush?

I knew it was coming. Any second now. My feet moved faster, my eyes continuously scanning for any movement. My breaths became shallow until I was panting. Would I be able to hold my own for any time at all? How many would she bring? I hadn't been able to pick out any clues from her thoughts. Vanessa was good. Conniving, deceitful, clever enough to know how to catch me off guard.

Even now, the only mind signatures close enough to be clear were those traveling on the bridge overhead. n.o.body else was nearby. I sent all of my senses out, including my telepathy. Perhaps if I could ruin any kind of surprise, I might survive long enough to flash back home.