“Here, I can help.”

“Just be careful.” I bit down on a yelp as she shoved me—hard. The rock scraped against my bones, biting through the jeans and gouging into me. But I popped out into the small open space. Berget slipped out behind me. Bending over, her hands on her knees she panted. “I don’t know how we’re going to get out. I’m not sure I can do that again.”

I couldn’t answer her. I just stared at the box in front of me. Twelve by twelve by twelve. A perfect cube to keep Larkspur trapped for almost eight years. On it, a stick figure was drawn, completely obliterated by a huge circle wrapped around her. She was in there, I felt her, felt her heartbeat and the steady thrum of awareness that told me she was not quite asleep. Not really awake, either.

The room was lit with witch light. Or something close to it, anyway. As we took a few steps closer, the light faded, flickered and went out. “Figures,” I muttered. I took the lantern from Berget and held it up as I reached out and put my hands on the big-ass box. I jerked back at the light shock I got off the thing. “It’s plastic.”

“Is she . . . even alive?” Berget eyed the prison, and I wondered what she was sensing. If it was important, she’d say.

“Yes, she’s alive. Back up, I need room.” After handing the lantern to her, I pulled my blades out and considered the options. Best place to open the plastic prison would be away from her, near the top. I took two fast steps and drove the blade into the box near the edge of the top right hand corner. My blade cut in, but it continued to meet resistance until I had the three foot blade almost in to the hilt. “Fucking hell, this is crazy.” I glanced back at Berget. “This is damn thick. I think I need you to help me.”

Berget took the second blade from me and drove it into the box. She pushed it in the opposite direction. “We’ll meet on the other side.” She nodded.

Cutting the lid off was not easy going. The plastic stuck to the blade worse than bone or metal, forcing me to let Berget do most of the work. Minutes ticked by, minutes that brought more rumbles from up top, rock clattering down around us.

I Tracked Pamela, felt her vibrant and alive. Determined. “Hang on, kid,” I whispered.

We finally got all the way around the top of the box. “Here, you push it off, she’ll not recognize me.” Berget boosted me up, cupping her hands like a stirrup. I shoved at the top cap. It didn’t budge. “Too fucking heavy.”

We switched positions, and Berget shoved the top off. It bounced across the floor to the far side. Berget looked down at me and shook her head. “You sure she’s alive?”

“Switch.” Once more we changed positions and I scrambled on top of the box. Heaving my body along the rim, I leaned into the dark hole. Huddled inside was a woman, her blonde hair matted and darkened. But I knew her.

I knew her.

She was my friend, one of my mentors, and in a weird way, she was family. Not like the others were, bound by love and friendship. Lark was blood family.

Which meant there was only one way to deal with her.

“Larkspur, get your ass up here,” I snapped, hanging over the edge.

Her head lifted and her eyes, one green and one gold stared up. Not really seeing me. She blinked and the briefest of smiles stretched her lips. “Took you long enough, Tracker.”

Laughing, I held my hands down to her. She stood, slowly unfolding herself. The box looked big on the outside, but it was layered over and over, making it so there was barely room for her to be curled inside. Her hands grasped mine and a pulse of energy flowed from her to me, and back again. Like its own heartbeat.

“That felt just like last time,” I said.

She gave me a weak grin. “Yes and no. I’m not going to be much good to you, so I really hope it isn’t elementals I’m feeling close by.”

I helped her out and Berget took her the rest of the way down. Or tried to.

Lark jerked away from her, eyes more than a little wild. “Vampire, have things changed so much that you would help an elemental?”

Berget spread her hands. “I am young. I’ve never had dealings with elementals before.”

“And she’s my sister, so cool your jets,” I said, dropping beside Lark. She glanced at me, slowly relaxing.

“If you trust her, then it’s fine. My past experiences with them . . . well, let’s just leave it that they were not friendly.”

“Oh, then you’re going to love Faris.”

“Another vampire? What have you been doing?” She draped an arm over my shoulders and leaned on me.

“Trying to survive while you’re just laying around,” I muttered, helping her across the room to the slit in the wall. She grinned.

I put my hand out and took a good look at the opening. “Fuck, it’s been closed off.” Damn, whatever Pamela was doing up there had blocked our only way out.

But that was without Lark in the equation. She laid her hand on the solid rock and let out a slow breath, her body trembling ever so lightly. “I have enough juice to get us out of here.”

“There’s a cavern on the other side of the crack. Can you get us there?”

“That’s the easy part.” She stood back and flicked her fingers at the rock. Not unlike the way Pamela worked her magic.

In front of us, the rock rumbled, a dull thudding like distant drums. Slowly, the stone peeled back, opening enough to see Faris and Alex staring, slack-jawed.