“Jessica!” Rourke called, his voice frantic. “Answer me.”

I couldn’t respond. I hadn’t even heard his question.

My wolf howled, but she was fading from me quickly. Through my haze, I heard Eudoxia bark some orders. Then her fangs entered my wrist. There was nothing I could do to stop her—and even if I’d wanted to Fate was in control now. I said a silent prayer that the direction we were heading in would save me. I wasn’t ready to die yet.

There were depressions on my chest, hands all around me.

Lili’s manic laughter echoed in my ears. “Try all you want, but you won’t succeed. Once she dies, I will have her power. It is written. She was the last obstacle in my path to greatness. Once she is gone I will be the One. There will be no more Five. All will answer to me.”

My chest arched up, my backbone close to breaking as a huge blast of magic entered me, strong and fierce. It came at me from all points of my body, and strangely, each piece had a different signature, texture, and scent.

“No, you must do it like I’m telling you,” Eudoxia barked. “It has to be together, as one. And with your magic, send your power to aid her.”

Once again, there was a huge pulse of magic, along with enough power to generate it all. It entered my psyche like a starburst, lighting up my mind, making my head spin like I’d just inflated a balloon the size of a Mack truck in one breath. Dizziness consumed me as the magic streamed into my body unchecked. It was enough to push the spell back a bit. I could see my wolf. My signature was changing as I absorbed more magic, and my wolf and I took it in greedily, my wolf working furiously to combine it with our own to create something brand-new and parcel it away as fast as she could. The time in our cell had paid off. I joined her and we worked in tandem.

One more blast of energy and I coughed.

The onslaught of magic filled me, was changing me. Lili’s spell was no longer tailored to me, as my new magic signature was nothing like my old one. But I could still see her spell lingering and I heard chanting now in earnest. We need to eradicate the spell completely, I told my wolf. We take the combined magic and launch it at the spell. She barked her agreement. I took a breath before focusing all the magic inward in one concentrated shot.

My body jumped like it had been detonated from the inside as raw magic from five different supernaturals raced through my system at once. It destroyed the spell, smashing it to pieces.

I blinked my eyes open to see five faces peering down on me. Eudoxia, Rourke, Ray, Selene, and a very disgruntled Prince of Hell.

“Is that what you wanted, Queen of Vampires?” the Prince spit through his razor-sharp teeth. His glamour flickered for the first time, his reptilian side clamoring to be seen. “Now make good on your promise to me. Immediately!” He rose and stalked off.

I gazed up at the Vamp Queen. Her eyes were matte black and red tears had formed at the corners. She was in some kind of transition. “You made a promise to the Prince of Hell?” I croaked, trying to shake off the headiness of the combined magic buzzing through my body.

Eudoxia’s eyes were on me, but they were hollow and vacant. “I did what I had to.” Her voice sounded strange, both far away and close at the same time.

Rourke hauled me up. I wobbled a little, but managed to keep my balance. “Are you okay?” he asked. “That wasn’t a normal reaction to any spell I’ve ever seen.”

I gripped his forearms. “The spell was made for me, out of my own signature. Without what you all just did, I think it would’ve choked the life out of me. Lili wasn’t lying when she said she was an expert spell crafter.” I glanced around the room, willing my body to cooperate.

Everyone had fanned out beside me, and we all faced Lili, who stood in the middle of the circle by herself.

Her face was inscrutable. “I don’t care if you’ve momentarily shaken off my spell. I am confident you still cannot defeat me.” Lili’s voice commanded the room. She turned to address the Vamp Queen. “Eudoxia, I had not expected you to show up in the bowels of Hell, but that does not change anything. My place on the Coalition is sound, and as the last surviving daughter of Lilith, I carry her magic inside me. As I said before, I will be the One. Nothing can change that.”

“That will only happen if you can defeat the female wolf, as you well know,” the Vamp Queen stated in a bored tone beside me. “And as you can see, we have healed her completely.”

Lili waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Then I will simply put her down again until it’s done. There is no time frame here. This is not a battle—it’s a sacrifice to ensure power. One that can continue for as long as it takes.”

As they spoke, the new magic zapped along my nerve endings. My wolf was working overtime to harness it—but it kept spiraling together, separating again, and then colliding. If Rourke hadn’t had a sure grip on me, I wasn’t sure I would still be upright. As my wolf stored the magic, she raced back and forth howling with delight, rejoicing in the strength it had given us. It seemed she’d been waiting for this and was treating it like a homecoming of sorts.

I, on the other hand, was grappling with the meaning of it all.

The Vampire Queen laughed cruelly, bringing me back to the conversation. “Dear Lili, it doesn’t seem you are comprehending what I’m patiently trying to explain to you. It’s not that she is healed, but how we’ve healed her. Or shall I say given freely to her, so she could heal herself. Do you grasp my meaning yet, or do I need to spell it out even further for your small mind to grasp?”

Lili’s face clouded. “It doesn’t matter how she is healed. She’s not strong enough to defeat me.” Her hands drummed her hips, her blond hair flowing out around her.

The Vampire Queen took a bold step forward. “It seems the brilliant Ardat Lili, the Seductress of Hell, last surviving daughter of Lilith, may have some things to learn about the world even after all these years.” Eudoxia clasped her petite hands, her dark-purple gown shimmering almost like it had been demon-made. “For your information, we have just given the female wolf the power of five. Together, as one, of our own free will. We have chosen to give this”—she cleared her throat—“ wolf supreme power, but it wasn’t really for us to decide, because it was her birthright after all, as you well know.” Eudoxia glanced at me with a knowing look—except I had no idea what she was talking about, as usual. “Regardless of whether any of us like it, the female wolf is now the most powerful being in the room, not you. Do you grasp what I’m saying to you now?”