“There—another door!” Camille shouted. Delilah and I followed on her heels, the boys right behind us.

We entered another chamber, equally as large but bereft of any tables or signs of human intrusion. I felt something prickle at my shoulder and jumped, whirling around. There was nobody there except Delilah, and she was an arm’s length away.

“Something touched me,” I said.

“A shade? Ghost?” Delilah glanced around nervously. “I don’t feel the Karsetii. Either that or it’s just been ignoring me. Maybe you managed to sever its connection to my soul earlier.”

“I don’t know.” Again, a brush to my left, and I jumped. I backed up, moving toward her. “Something is in here with us. Camille, can you feel anything?”

She closed her eyes, flanked on either side by Smoky and Morio. “Demonkin. I can sense the Karsetii somewhere near.”

“More than that,” Smoky said. “I sense something from the Netherworld here. Undead—and whatever it is, it doesn’t feel happy.”

Shit. So we were facing an astrally based soul-sucking demon, a necromancer who was powerful enough to stop us in our tracks, and now—somebody fresh in from the Netherworld. Delightful. Lovely.

“We should just nuke this place and be done with it,” I grumbled as something brushed against me again. “That does it!” I whirled around and lashed out in the general direction that the touch had come from. “Show yourself, you fool! You want to fight, then come out and fight!”

But it was no demon nor shade that slipped out from the shadows. No, we found ourselves facing a throng of at least thirty young women, most of them Fae; some appeared to be human. Every one of them wore a haunted look, and they were all naked, with holes where their hearts should be.

“Oh cripes,” Camille said. “They’re victims of that damned bunch of perverts. Looks like Dante’s Hellions have been busy over the years.” She bit her lip, staring at the mournful crowd of spirits surrounding us.

“What now?” Delilah asked, a pained expression on her face. “Can we do something for them?”

“We can kill their murderers,” I said, growling.

“Doing that might set them free,” Morio said. “But first we have to take out the necromancer and the demon.”

“Okay then,” I said. “Let’s find the Karsetii and send it packing for good.”

Vanzir pointed toward a dark splotch against the opposite wall. “Look—the necromancer. He’s hiding behind a camouflage spell.”

Morio squinted. “You’re right.” He lifted his arms and uttered a loud yip, then something I couldn’t understand, and a green fire raced from his vulpine fingers. The fire enveloped the dark sphere cloaked among the shadows near the granite. As it sparked and dissipated, so did the shadow cloaking the necromancer. He was hunched against the wall, trying to hide, and when he realized we were looking straight at him, he straightened his shoulders and began searching frantically through his pockets.

“I don’t know where the demon is, but I know where my dinner is,” Smoky said, and with a roar, he streaked past us. Before the wizard could stumble or even shout, the dragon had slashed across his chest with one taloned hand, eviscerating him neatly and cleanly with one swipe. The wizard clutched at his stomach, his intestines spilling through his hands, as he looked up at the scowling white figure that towered over him. Slowly, he fell to the floor with one short grunt.

Smoky reached out with the toe of his sneaker and flipped him over. The necromancer didn’t react, simply rolled with the kick, and from where I was standing, I could smell the fresh blood, and my fangs descended.

“Now, for the demon,” the dragon said, returning to us, ignoring the body of the wizard. “I can feel the creature; it’s here, in this room, but on the astral, waiting for us.” He held out his arms. “I can take the girls. Rozurial, can you and Vanzir manage Morio?”

They nodded. Delilah, Camille, and I crowded into Smoky’s open arms, and again, I closed my eyes, partially to blank out the shift—which I was discovering made me queasier each time it happened—and partially to drown out the smell of blood, which was setting up an entirely different type of reaction in my stomach. Queasy and thirsty don’t mix that well.

As we shifted to the astral, I could feel the demon’s energy intensify. Smoky was right; the Karsetii was waiting for us. She must be smart, I thought. Or at least cunning. I’d been wondering if the hive mother was sentient or just some horrendous beast from the depths. Now I could feel a sense of malevolence that only comes with true intelligence and understanding.

We’d have to be ready to move, I thought. The minute we stepped onto the astral, that beast would be on our tail, and if this was the same one we’d fought before, she was back, bigger and stronger than ever.

Touchdown. I could feel the ground before I could see anything, and then Smoky opened his arms, and the mists of the astral took over. I jumped to one side, Camille and Delilah to the other.

To our right, Vanzir and Roz appeared, Morio standing between them, looking distinctly unsettled. He was an Earthbound demon—nature spirit—and traveling to other realms that weren’t grounded in the physical seemed difficult for him.

We fanned out, taking up positions without a word. Camille yanked out her unicorn horn. I wondered how many more times she could use that before it would need refreshing. As if reading my mind, she glanced over at me.

“This will be it. One more big blast, and I’ll need to wait till the new Moon so I can recharge it.”

“Make it count, then,” I whispered, looking for the demon.

Where was she? I could feel her. The hive mother’s energy was everywhere. The very air of the astral reeked with an electric charge. I moved closer to Roz, who stood to my right. Delilah and Vanzir hesitantly sidestepped to the left. Camille, Morio, and Smoky moved forward. Together we formed a triangle, keeping watch in all directions.

“We can’t let her go this time. She’s stronger than she was before. Which means her power is growing.” Morio’s voice was lower when he was in his demonic form.

“Watch Camille, though,” Vanzir said. “The demon’s going to sense the spirit seal and go after it. That thing is like a beacon out here screaming, Come get me, come get me! If we had dared leave the witch over Earthside, we should have probably done so.”

“Not while I’m around,” Smoky rumbled.

And then Camille gasped and pointed. Through the mist, a sparkling net of orange lights appeared. They were like a web surrounding the inky black form of the Karsetii as she broke through the boiling gray clouds, headfirst, aiming directly for us.

“There she is!”

“Everybody ready?” I poised, ready to strike out.

Delilah held out her silver dagger as Morio pulled out a silver sword. Vanzir raised his hands, and wavering cords began wriggling out of them. Smoky moved off to one side, and within the blink of an eye, shifted to dragon form. Rozurial pulled out a set of what looked like brass knuckles, but they were silver.

“Okay then,” I whispered. “Let’s get this over with. Bring it on.”

The Karsetii moved forward, and we were into the fray.

CHAPTER 26

The Karsetii hiccupped—at least that’s what it looked like—and two clones emerged from the side. Shit. How were we going to avoid them while going after the central beast?

“Ignore them,” Vanzir said. “They can harm us, but not as much as the hive mother.”

“Light hurt it before. I suggest we try light and fire,” Camille said, holding up her horn.

“Yeah, but let’s try to weaken it first. Then you can fry her butt to kingdom come.” I motioned for her to move back. “Get out of the way, and let us take a crack at her.”

Roz held up his hand. “Everybody stand back. I brought reinforcements.”

“What?” I asked, cocking my head to the side as he flashed open his duster with an exaggerated grin. He pulled out several small round reddish globes. They looked familiar but—

“Firebombs!” Camille stared at them greedily. She always lit up when Roz brought out his explosives, and I was beginning to wonder if my sister was a little bit pyro, but now was not the time to inquire.

“Yeah,” he said, a gleeful look on his face. “Firebombs.” He breathed on one and then tossed it at the demon. There was a sudden flash, and I remembered where I’d seen them before. He’d used one to destroy a newborn vampire when we were after my sire. Oh yeah, the boy had some hot tricks up his sleeves. Or at least in his pockets.

The firebomb exploded into a ball of flame as it flew toward the Karsetii, a shower of sparks raining in its wake. I jumped back just in time to miss getting kissed by one of the burning cinders. The demon screamed and dodged to the side, but the firebomb grazed it as it passed by. A whiff of smoke and burning flesh spiraled up as the flame burnt into the inky black skin of the Karsetii.

The clones zeroed in on Roz, charging at him through the mist. He let loose with another firebomb as the Karsetii turned my way and began her attack. It was eerie to watch, a jet-black squid flying through the air, with a head that looked like a giant brain. Yeah, this was how I liked to spend my nights, all right.

Remembering that she’d figured out my strategy before, this time I dodged to one side but instead of attacking, I leapt toward her as she passed, landing on her back. Shit! Wrong move! A series of electric shocks ran through me, and I couldn’t let go, even though I tried. She was frying me—electrocution by default.

I tried to say something, but I was shaking so badly with the current that amped through me that I couldn’t get a word out of my mouth. Just then, Vanzir dove over the top of her from the other side, grabbing me and taking me with him to the ground as she continued her forward motion. We went sprawling, and he landed on top of me. A light flashed through his eyes.

“Normally, I’d enjoy this,” he whispered, “but we’ve got monsters to kill. You’ll have to give me a rain check.”

I pushed him off me and leapt to my feet, still slightly stunned by the amount of juice the demon had circuited through my body. Vanzir blew me a kiss and took off at a dead run, heading toward the back of the Karsetii. He’d covered about four yards when it spun around, then barreled back toward us.

Holy shit, she was determined to make us her bitches!

“Look out,” I yelled as I dove out of the way.

There was a loud noise, and the ground shook. As I pulled myself out of the rolling mists and glanced back, I saw that Smoky—in his dragon form—had drop-kicked her as she zoomed past. The Karsetii was now a good twenty yards away. But though the kick had sent her flying, she didn’t seem all that hurt, because she was making a beeline back toward us, this time with her suckers first, tentacles ramrod straight, looking ready to force themselves down Smoky’s throat.

In a movement more graceful and quick than I thought possible, Smoky soared into the air, spiraling up out of her reach. The dragon was in his element, I thought, as he dipped and hovered over us, his wings soundlessly gliding on the astral currents. The mist followed his wake, providing a motion trail of swirling smoke, and I stopped, struck by the sheer beauty of the beast.

Vanzir leapt up. Out of his hands shot the spiraling tentacles that were his attack. He aimed them toward the demon, and they wriggled forward like pale, fleshy worms dug up from some nightmare garden. They landed against the brain sac and dug in, and it was then that I could see the tip of one of them as it wavered in the astral breeze. It reminded me of a lamprey, with a circle of teeth that latched onto its victim.

Vanzir’s cords caught hold and drove themselves into the demon in a frenzied, hungry dance. I heard Delilah retch. She looked horrified, staring first at Vanzir, then at the demon, as if she didn’t know who to root for. I caught her gaze and shook my head, mouthing, “Knock it off.” We couldn’t afford to alienate Vanzir, nor could she afford to be squeamish. This was what the Karsetii had done to her. She should be grateful she wasn’t dead from its attack.

As Vanzir began to source energy from the creature, Morio raced in, back in his human form, silver sword drawn high. He landed a sharp stab on the back of the head, and the creature writhed. That seemed to shake Delilah out of her revulsion, and she joined Morio, her dagger out and plunging into the head of the demon. I couldn’t wield silver, but I landed a good solid kick under the eye.

The Karsetii lashed out with one of its tentacles, catching Morio in its fury. It didn’t grab hold of him but launched him back, sending him flying through the mist to land on the ground near Camille.

As she knelt to help him, Smoky bellowed out, “All clear,” and we all jumped back, Vanzir recalling his tendrils like a power cord rolling back into the vacuum.

Smoky belched, and a great ball of fire rolled out of his mouth, streaking down through the sky to land atop the Karsetii. The hive mother shrieked in pain as the clones shifted position and slammed back into the central demon, renewing her from the drain Smoky’s attack had inflicted.

“She’s healing herself,” I yelled out.

Roz threw another firebomb, and it landed on her as she whipped around in his direction. That one had to smart; he managed to hit her right above the eye. The noise was horrendous as she roared, charging him like a mad bull.

Delilah rushed forward, chasing the demon. The Karsetii’s head was pulsating. Something about music soothing wild beasts crossed my thoughts, but I pushed it away. I had my doubts whether Brahms’s “Lullaby” would settle the hive mother down for a nice long nap.