The front door slammed and then feet pounded up the stairs. Pamela flung open the door, her face a mess of emotions. “Rylee, the Black Coven has Liam and Milly and there are too many. I couldn’t stop them.”

I grabbed her arms and held her still. “How many witches, were there other supernaturals?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Okay. I’m getting Blaz, and he and I will deal with this, got it?”

“What about me?”

Als words about being a leader wrapped around me, and as much as I wanted to leave her behind, she could help.

“I want to come too.” Tara stood in the doorway.

Before I could ask, Pamela was nodding. “You can trust her, Rylee. They killed her children.”

My jaw twitched. Baby killers; just fucking perft fa wect. And they would be the same ones who helped kill Dox and the others.

The mother Cyclops came to mind, her fury at the loss of her children, and I let out a slow breath. This wasn’t perfect, but baby killers were baby killers, and maybe this would go a short way to evening the scales of justice for her, as well as Tara.

“Then we go together, come what may.”

Come what fucking may.

Chapter 21

Blaz was more than happy to get us.

The farm is quiet, but I did not come here for quiet. Now, hunting witches, that’s more like it.

Three of us were bundled up tight, but Alex needed no bundling. He was quite happy with his thick fur and tongue hanging out in the wind as we flew. I Tracked Liam and Milly, felt the injuries doled out to Liam. Broken bones, one at time, the witches let him heal and then broke the same ones again and again.

Fury rippled through me, very much like facing the Trolls at the Landing Pad. I was weak from blood loss, despite the food and juice I’d guzzled before Blaz reached us. But that wouldn’t matter. I felt it surging in my blood, a demand for the death of those who’d truly done wrong. Those who would stomp out the light in the world around them.

The Blood of the Lost sings strong in you, Tracker. Have you yet begun to understand yourself?

I shook my head, kept my words to myself.

Perhaps when this is done, you and I will seek out the favor I’ve asked of you, and you will see what you truly are.

“Why can’t you just tell me, lizard?”

He laughed, the sound rolling back through the clouds to us. What fun would that be, bitchy woman?

“Is there a plan?” Tara leaned forward, her hands gripping Blaz as best she could.

Pamela shook her head. “There’s never a plan with Rylee. You just go in and kick ass. Right?” She looked at me, like I had all the answers.

“Yup. That’s how we do things here. Kick ass, leave the names written in blood.”

Blaz circled a warehouse that could have easily housed ten Blazes. Liam’s threads drew us to the back side.

“Pamela, blow out the roof and walls. Blaz, can you take what they throw at you?” He answered for all of us to hear.

You know I can. And I do believe the little witch can do more than windows and roof. Why don’t you shake them up while you’re at it?

Pamela grinned, but it was not a kind grin. “Good idea, Blaz. I think I will do just that to those damn bloody bastards.”

The dragon’s wings beat hard as he hovered mid air and Pamela lifted her hands, a spell rolling off her tongue and fingers. Her power drove into the building, literally blowing the roof off, then the walls, scattering the structure like matchsticks. But when she fisted her hands, and the earth began to shake, I knew she was pist fa ing, lised. And I was really glad she was on our side.

The Black Coven fired back, but Blaz dodged and ducked, taking hits here and there. But like me, he was an Immune. So saying he took hits was a misnomer. But the Black Coven didn’t know that. Pamela rained down fire on their heads. They scattered, enough for Blaz to drop to the ground.

Now, time for a meal.

We slid from his back as he began to chase the fleeing witches like a giant dog. Alex tore after him, alternately howling and snarling.

“Alex, no!”

I’ll watch out for him, get your other wolf.

I grabbed Pamela and Tara and we ran toward the building, toward where I felt Liam hurt and bleeding, broken in too many places.

There were downed I-beams and I leapt over one, pulling my sword as I landed in a crouch on the far side.

Liam was sprawled out on the floor, completely unconscious. Milly was pressed against him, her eyes wide, a collar on her neck studded with rubies. Fury in me built to a crescendo; I needed something, or someone, to unleash it on.

Three of the Black Coven members remained. Two men and a woman. Perfect.

Pamela didn’t wait; she stepped forward and snapped her hands up, the ground erupting in front of them, sending them flying backward.

“Tara, help Milly,” I said softly before running into the fray. The spray of dirt and dust still floated and provided the screen I needed. The woman was closest to me and I drove my sword up, through her jaw and out the top of her head. She bobbed and arched against the blade. I yanked it out and she dropped to the ground, twitching.

I turned slowly to face the two men, but only one was standing. His eyes closed tightly as he whispered a spell. Only it wasn’t a spell.

In his hand was an orb covered in spikes, an orb I knew too well. A demon stone. I had to kill him before he completed what I knew he was doing. I felt the darkness rising, felt Orion drawing near.

“Kill him!” I ran for him, but wasn’t going to make it. A black streak of death wrapped around his neck, feet from where I stood. The spell strangled him, cutting off his words. His eyes bugged out, but I didn’t wait for the spell to finish the job. I swung hard with my sword, taking his head to the ground.

Disrupted, the spell slid away. I turned, expecting to see Milly.

But it was Pamela who faced me, who’d called up one of the deadliest spells I’d seen.

I gave her a nod, though my heart ached for her lost innocence, gone sooner than my own. “Good job.”

Milly got to her feet, and Tara held the ruby-studded collar in her hands. Milly took it from her and showed it to me. “They can collar witches now, like I collared Liam. They had me in thrall, I would have done anything they asked.”

I frowned as I strode toward Liam. He was already healed, though still completely out of it. “Why didn’t you fight for them, then?” I sent the words over my shoulder to Milly as I dropped to my knees and put my hands on his back. To be sure. His breath rose and fell in slow beats. Good enough for me.