“I’m not frail.”

He frowned at me, the piercing in his lower lip dipping downward. “You sure as hell aren’t ready to go flitting across the continent right now, are you?”

A wash of fatigue and I had to concede he was right. “A few hours. Maybe Faris will catch up to us tonight.”

“Are you ill, Rylee?” Doran’s concern was heavy in his voice.

“No, I think I’ve finally just hit the wall.”

Then again, maybe we were on our own again. I tried to figure out how Faris would find us and I knew there was a reason he should be able to, something to do with Alex, but the thoughts slipped through my mind over and over, and then I realized I wasn’t awake any longer. I was out cold and dreaming.

Deerborne Park again. Hell, my life always seemed to circle back to this place. Berget and I were on the teeter totter this time. Up and down, her hair floated around her face for a moment before she went down, like she was in water.

“Rylee, you have to be careful. The madness is growing stronger without any blood to feed my body.”

I pushed off the ground. “Figured that out already.”

She shook her head. “I do not know if you can save me. I am fading.” As if her words were the ignition, she flickered, like in an old movie where the reel jumps from scene to scene.

I wanted to grab her and make her stay, but again, she shook her head. “If I must go, then I will. But when you try to stop the madness, realize it might be too late. I don’t think I will be able to reach you again.”

The teeter totter creaked as we bounced up and down, the old wooden seat jarring when it met the ground . “Are you saying goodbye?” I whispered.

“I’m saying thank you, for never giving up on me. For being my sister to the bitter end.” She smiled, a tear slipped down her cheek, and then she was gone and I blinked in the bright sunlight.

Doran peered down at me. “Hey, none of that. No passing out on me.” He reached out and brushed a tear off my cheek, his voice softening. “And none of that, either.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but didn’t try to sit up. Nausea ro {up.“And lled through me, and I was afraid if I moved I’d puke.

Never mind.

I twisted to one side and spewed whatever miniscule amount of food I had in my stomach onto the floor. Wait, floor?

I looked around us. We were in an open roofed room, but there were walls and a floor and I was completely confused. “Where are we?”

Doran smiled and helped me move away from the bile. “Shamans are all over the world, you just have to know where to look.”

On cue, a wiry old Maori man stepped into the room. He was dressed in loose khakis, but no shirt and his feet were bare. Tattoos covered his torso and several strings of beads and bones hung from his neck. Yet I didn’t feel animosity flowing from him. He reminded me of Louisa, despite the fact they were different genders, and worlds apart. There was that same calm knowledge deep in his eyes.

He crouched beside me, his fingers hovering over my forehead. “My name is Al.” He touched me gently. “You’re feeling rough, eh, little Tracker? You have the look of your mother, that you do, but it is the fire that comes from your daddy that drives you.”

My jaw dropped and I stared him, his words bouncing inside my head. “You don’t mean my adoptive parents, do you?”

Making a duck face, he shook his head. “Nope. But we don’t have time for stories, do we? Not today.”

He held up a piece of pottery, a barely molded cup, steam curling out of it. Fuck, the last thing I wanted was something hot, but Shamans were not to be ignored.

I took the shallow cup and put it to my lips. The liquid started out hot, but as it trailed down my throat it turned to ice. I gasped and choked, Doran pounded on my back.

“What is this?”

“A drink of my people. It will keep you cooler as you cross the desert. You won’t need water or drink for several days. But after, you need to take time off. Time to let your body heal. Understand?”

I nodded and the Shaman handed a drink to Doran and one to Alex. They swallowed and gave the same kind of response I did.

There was no way I could resist asking. “My parents, are they alive?”

He shook his head. “No. They died protecting you. It’s a long story, Rylee. One I have only a small part in. I have their story in your mother’s journal. When you are done, come and get it.”

I nodded, grateful beyond words. If I was going to lose Berget, maybe I could at least have the memory of parents who did love me. I wanted to ask the questions burning in my gut, but Al was right, there wasn’t time.

Revived beyond belief, I stood. “How long was I out?”

Doran’s eyes slid away from mine. “Almost a day.”

Holy shit. “Faris?”

“Yes. He was here all night. He can find us through Alex, since he took his blood. For some reason, he can’t find you anymore. He’ll catch up with us as night falls. But we have to hurry. We have less than a full day to get to the Blood.”

“Berget is in the same boat.”

His face was grim. “Which will make her desperate and even more dangerous.”

I thought about what Berget said to me. “I don’t think it will matter. We will try to get the opal on her, but …” I shook my head. Perhaps I was too naïve for this life, to keep believing the outcome would be anything but death and pain. Yet, with everything that had happened, I needed to believ {ded to e there was hope, there was a possibility we could see this through and bring Berget back. Otherwise, what was the point, if I stopped believing?

“Something you want to share?” Doran asked, his eyes watching me closely.

“Nope. We’re going to kick ass, leave the names behind, and do this right. We’re bringing her back, and then we’ll figure out what the hell we’re doing about the vampires’ leader.” I checked my sheaths and thought about asking Al for a pair of shorts. The cocktail dress was really not doing it for me. Though, at least I’d get a tan.

A half-smile slipped across Doran’s lips. “Well, I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”

“What are you talking about?”

He shrugged and turned away, saying nothing more.

Al loaned us his truck. Mind you, it was a Willy, an old army beast that looked like it had been through the desert more than once. The paint peeled in multiple places leaving gaping holes to the bare steel, but when Al started it up, the engine turned over no problem.