I nodded. "Was it Daelissa causing trouble?"

"No." She took my hand in her weak grip. "I was in those places too, Justin. I caught a glimpse of this other angel, and it was definitely not Daelissa."

"Wait, are you saying there's another crazy blonde angel running around? Are you even sure this other woman is one of your people?" I thought back to the clump of blonde hair Cinder had found, and wondered if it belonged to Daelissa after all.

"I can usually sense when one of my people is nearby," Nightliss said. "Twice I went to help someone only to sense another presence. When I arrived, I discovered this other angel had already helped them." She sighed. "I only know about this sense from being close to Daelissa a few times. This other person felt…different. Not as pure or strong, perhaps." She paused, mouth partway open as if searching for a better way to say it. "Perhaps the sensation is different with other angels. I do not know for sure."

I realized how close I was leaning in to hear her every word, and straightened. "So she's probably good we hope?"

"I think so."

"Man, I just wish you were feeling better!" I squeezed her hands. "We need your help so much right now." A tingle grew in the back of my mind. My essence extended, and the view filled with floating motes of magical energy. I suddenly knew with great certainty I could heal her. Somehow, it had to be possible.

Nightliss's eyes grew wide. "Are you channeling magic?" she said.

"I can help you," I said.

"Justin, attempting to heal me could be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing."

"I can do it. I know it."

"No." She pushed weakly at my hands. "Stop it. You will hurt yourself."

My leg went ice cold. The vampling wound throbbed. My pulse hammered against my temples and the sense of magic slipped from my grasp. I felt my back thud against the floor. Rolling in pain, clutching at my wound, I squeezed my eyes tight and wished for the agony to go away.

Maximus and Dash flash into my view. Dad, shackled in a crypt, weak, and starving while a filthy girl whimpers nearby. I slam against the barred door, unable to open it. I'm weak. Tired. The scraping, moaning sounds of vamplings as they shamble toward me pull my attention away from Dad. I see a still figure lying on the floor, blood puddling beneath her. It's Elyssa! A scream of grief roars from my throat, deepening to a guttural throb, a demonic howl of anguish. I will kill them all!

"Justin!"

I jerked. Sucked in a deep breath. Nightliss's face appeared above me over the side of the bed.

"You must fight it," she said.

Something wet hit my cheek. It was a tear from Nightliss's eye. "I will find a way to cure you. I promise I will. You're too important."

I sat up and looked at her, hopelessness and fear tearing me up inside. "I'm not going to make it much longer," I said. Pulling up my pants leg revealed the truth. Blackened veins pulsed around the wound. The curse was spreading.

Time was running out.

Chapter 33

I tucked Nightliss back into bed. Kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for all you've done."

She nodded, her eyelids drooping as she tried to speak. Sleep claimed her before she could say another word.

A shout of victory went up from outside. I raced around the cabin and toward the shed as Cinder, covered from head to toe in dirt, emerged from the doorway. A couple of Templars patted him on the back. Cinder smiled awkwardly, and I had to admit his attempt didn't look nearly as frightening as the first time, though one Templar jumped back when he saw it.

"They're through," Elyssa said, taking me to the door and pointing up a long sloping tunnel. Some forty feet in, a patch of daylight slanted in. "Looks like the earth simply swallowed it up centuries ago, so there's no direct access to the surface. Your golem kept digging up at a slant until he found the top."

"Did anyone make sure it's the right place?" I asked.

"Yeah, they sent up a scout. He confirmed it's in the graveyard."

"Awesome! When do we move out?"

"My father is coordinating with Christian on the best way to move in the troops. Either way, it'll take a while to move so many people through in single file."

"We'd better go through first," I said.

Elyssa crossed her arms. "You're not planning on anything rash are you? Maximus might be wounded, but he's far from done."

"No, but I don't want to be stuck waiting behind hundreds of Templars either."

"Hmm. Good point." She winked and walked back toward the cabin, leaving me alone.

Beck Andrews sauntered over from the group of Templars, an amused look on his chiseled face. He looked like a male model, and seemed to dress accordingly, with fashionably tortured jeans and an untucked, button-up shirt. "Dude, where do you find these people?" He jabbed a thumb at Cinder. "You're like a traveling circus."

I felt anger stir inside me at the sight of him, remembering how he'd prematurely led Thomas Borathen to us, after we'd captured Vadaemos Slade, just to get brownie points. Apparently, I hadn't completely forgiven him yet. "That's funny, Beck. You're like a travelling douche yourself."

He laughed. "Aw, c'mon. Don't tell me you still have hard feelings—"

I got in his face so fast, I didn't even remember crossing the distance. My leg throbbed with pulsing cold. "If I had hard feelings, you'd be a puddle of red mush right now." I felt a cruel smile spread across my lips. "Luckily, I'm a forgiving guy."

For once, Beck actually looked a bit scared, wide-eyed and back on his heels. "Crap, dude, I'm sorry, okay?" He took a step back. "I shouldn't have done it, I see that now."

"Oh, really? I wonder how all the Templars who died that day feel about it." The cold anger inside me swelled like an alien presence, choking my heart with thorny vines. "I wonder how Elyssa's dead brother feels about it."

His face went white, and his mouth hung open. "I—I didn't think—"

"That's right, you didn't think."

Beck's eyes flicked to the ground. "Do you know how hard it is to make a name for yourself when your father is a screw-up? How everyone talks about the screw-up's kid behind his back? How nobody gives you a fair shake just because of who your dad is?" He blew out a ragged breath. "My dad didn't get transferred because I kissed Elyssa. I only wish it was that simple. No, you see, Commander Borathen didn't want my dad because he sucked at his job. I just wanted to prove myself to the Commander. To show that I was better than that."

The comment about his father struck me hard, reminded me of the prejudices I'd suffered because of my lineage. I forced down the irrational anger boiling in my chest. Forced myself to ignore the cold ache in my leg. Then I took a deep calming breath. "And you thought hogging the glory would do that."

"Yeah, I did." His shoulders sagged. "But you're right. Because I called the Commander, all those Templars died. Jack died." He looked me in the eye, his face screwed up in pain. "I'm responsible for their deaths."

Now, I was the one who felt bad. Beck was no more to blame for those deaths than I was, but I'd wanted to hurt him. Mission successful, jackass. "Look, Beck, you're a special kind of asshole, but even I don't really blame you for those deaths. Daelissa freed Vadaemos. If it hadn't been for the extra Templars Thomas brought along, the rest of us might not have survived the hellhound attacks that followed." I shrugged. "In a way, you might have saved the rest of us."

His gaze seemed to focus on something in his mind before he looked back at me. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yeah. Much as I hate to admit it, I do. Just don't let it go to your head, okay? It's already big enough."

A wistful smile crept over his lips. "I'll try."

Elyssa called my name. I looked at her over my shoulder and turned back to Beck. "Well, I gotta go get ready. Are you going to Atlanta?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I've got to do cleanup here." He held out a hand. "Good luck."

I resisted the urge to say something snarky, and gave his hand a firm shake. "Just try not to be a douche in the future, okay?"

He laughed. "I'll do my best."

I turned, and Elyssa motioned me to the cabin. It was time to get ready.

Bella, Adam, Meghan, and Katie were ready in ten minutes. Elyssa and I grabbed our bags and met them while Thomas and Christian lined up the troops.

Thomas grabbed my arm and took me aside before we went through the door. "The Arcanes at The Ranch added an extra charm to our Nightingale armor that should keep Maximus's cursed bullets from penetrating."

"Really? That's great news," I said.

"Except it'll take a week to upgrade all the armor." Thomas glanced back at the milling troops. "I've authorized you and Elyssa for the upgrade."

"What about the rest of my team?"

His jaw tightened for an instant. "Your team?" He seemed to struggle internally for a moment before continuing. "I know my orders have never stopped you before. I expect you'll continue to leap before looking no matter what I say." His expression softened. "Mr. Slade, I would appreciate it as a father if you thought twice before taking my daughter in harm's way."

My mouth went slack at his sudden change in tone. "Sir, I can assure you there is nothing on this earth I value more than Elyssa. You think I'm hard to control? Elyssa makes me look like a puppy on a leash."

A smile broke through his grim façade. "That's one thing we can agree on." He pulled out a phone and tapped in a message. "I've authorized your…team for upgrades. Good luck." He turned and went back to Christian, talking to him as if our conversation had never taken place.