Liam’s voice seemed to whisper in my ear. Keep it simple.

“We need to pass.”

She swayed where she was, tongue flicking out and tasting the air. “Tracker. You come for the Blood, but you bring no supplicant for the throne. You may not pass. Not until the equinox has come and gone.”

Keep it simple. Right.

Doran leaned out of the truck and hollered, “She has a supplicant.”

I frowned at him, totally confused. “What the hell are you talking about? Faris isn’t in the running anymore.” Assuming he would show up as he said he would. And that he would actually be able to find us via Alex’s blood.

The snake seemed as confused as me. “You are not a proper vampire, Daywalker. No matter the size of your fangs.”

He looked up at me and shrugged. “I tried.”

Enough of this talking shit.

“We are going to pass you. Either you are going to let us, or I’m going to make myself a brilliant new jacket and boots.”

“I don’t think that was a good idea,” Doran said, his voice floating up to me.

The snake hissed at me, once before answering. “You may hold the fate of the world in your hands, Tracker. But I will not be threatened.”

“Whoopty fucking do da.” I flicked one sword tip up and pointed it at her.

Her tail lashed out, slamming onto the ground with a force that rippled out like a bag of dynamite. And yes, I know what that feels like from experience.

I went to one knee, grateful the material of the dress was stretchy enough to accommodate rather than split down the middle. There were days that even small mercies had to be acknowledged. This was one of them.

The tremor passed and I stood. “That’s all you’ve got, you big—”

“Rylee.” Doran pointed. “Look over there.”

Squinting, I tried to see what it was he pointed out, somewhere to the left of the truck. “What?”

“The ground is moving.”

I blinked several times, and then it clicked. “Oh fuck.” Snakes, hordes and hordes of snakes headed our way, and in Australia, I was betting they were all venomous. I might be Immune to their bites, but Alex and Doran weren’t, and there were enough of the slithering masses to kill them both with leftover venom.

I banged on the roof as I slid off and into the truck bed. “Go, get us out of here.” Son of a fucking ass monkey. We had to get past her, time was ticking and sunset was only a few hours away at best.

Doran and Alex would be killed by the sheer amount of venom.

Berget had to be stopped.

I was the only one who could get away with being bit.

Doran had the truck turned around in a split second and took off. And I did the only thing I could.

I jumped from the back of the truck and hit the ground rolling, sprinting toward the big ass snake.

What I didn’t expect was Alex to jump with me. I slowed for half a heart beat. “Ah, fuck! Alex, run!”

He bolted ahead of me, and the snakes on the ground shifted their paths, as if to intercept us. I didn’t dare put my swords away. A large, black snake about four inches around launched at me. A back swing took its head, but it was so close the bloody stump sprayed my legs.

“Faster, you have to go faster, Alex!”

“Yuppy doody!” He cranked on the speed, claws digging into the hard ground for traction, easily leaving me in the dust. Which was what I wanted. Only thing was, it meant he was almost at the big girl.

Another snake struck at me and I cut it in half. The first bite hit me on the back of my thigh, just above my knee. Then another, and another, the bite marks literally coming one after another all up and down my legs. I cut the snakes off as I ran. Felt the poison flow though my blood, but just as quickly, swallowed up in my Immunity.

“Fucking dumb ass snakes. I’m a fucking bitch of an Immune!” Not like everyone else in the supernatural world didn’t know it already. And maybe the big girl would call them off seeing there was very little they could do.

Or maybe they’d just change tactics.

I was struck again, this time in my lower back, right over the scar of a Daywalker’s bite.

Pain, searing and dark ripped up my spine, but it wasn’t the poison. Nope, just the feel of a wicked sharp set of fangs clamping down on me.

Alex skidded to a stop. “Alex, help!”

“NO! Get away, Alex!” I didn’t see him, but he didn’t come to my aide. So maybe he’d listened.

The small snakes hissed and writhed around me, but they stopped striking. I ripped the one off my back, threw it on the ground and sliced its head off. Blood ran down my legs, and flies and bugs swarmed around me.

That, however, was not my largest problem.

A shadow shifted over me, blocking out the sun.

“Tracker, you are of the Blood of the Lost?”

I blinked up into the calculating eyes of a snake easily four feet across with fangs big enough to kill me simplykilood based on size, never mind venom.

“I am.”

“Then for a moment we will speak. If I like what you say, I will let you and the wolf pass.”

Well, shit, this was unexpected.

She lowered her head, her tongue flicking out and tickling along the side of my face. “You would face danger without your friends, to save them?”

“Yes.” A twinge of pain trickled through my guts. Fuck, maybe my Immunity didn’t want to let me get through this one unscathed.

“And do you truly understand the prophecies, what they ask of you?”

I put a sword tip into the ground and leaned on the handle. “To face the demon, save the world, all that shit.”

Her tail flicked forward, snapping me in the bare skin of my thigh. “Insolent.”

“I’ve been told that a time or two.”

Her tongue flicked out several times. I rubbed my thigh. To me, this was looking like a standoff that would result in a fight.

“My name is Tespa. And you, young Tracker, have no inkling of what comes for you in the future.”

I snorted. “You going to try and Read me?”

“I don’t need to. I understand the prophecies. And for that reason alone, I will let you pass. You will need all the help you can get.” She shifted her body, all her coils in one smooth rolling motion to the side.

“Why, you had to know I was the one the prophecies spoke of when I showed up. Why would you do this?”