Erik beat me to it and flung it open, stepping through. “Dungeons?”

“I’m guessing. To the right.”

He didn’t hesitate. “That would be it.”

We spoke as though we’d worked together for years, as if, hell, as if we understood one another in the way only two things can bring. Genetics and time. Since time was an obvious out, genetics it was.

Behind us, the drover let out a high-pitched ping that shook the ground. I couldn’t help but look back as Alex dove through the door after Erik.

Apparently the drover was like a giant earthworm, black like a night crawler, and there wasn’t one, but three. Each one would easily dwarf Blaz, which was saying something. They humped across the ground, their open mouths pits of row upon row of teeth, tentacles reaching out and tasting the ground ahead of them. Yeah, I could see killing them would be less than easy.

“Another day, bitches!” I gave them a wave and stepped through the doorway, shutting it behind us. “Tell me we don’t have to go out that way.”

“Depends.” Erik stood ahead of me, very still. “Don’t move. Either of you.”

Ah hell, what now?

There was nothing down the long hallways ahead of us. Or at least, nothing I could see.

Alex didn’t move but I saw him shiver and lift his paw up ever so slightly. “Hotter, hotter.”

Shit. “We don’t have time, Erik. Whatever it is, we have to go. So either you move, or I do.”

“Impetuous child.” He snapped a hand out in front of his body and in front of us.

Oh boy, I suddenly felt ill.

Like watching ink drops appear in water, images fuzzed into view. Tall and short, fat and thin, there was no conformity other than the fact that they all were non-corporeal.

Ghosts.

“Demon ghosts are bad. They are the evil spirits that come through the veil when called,” Erik said, his voice taking on the tone of a lecture, monotone and droning. “Don’t make eye contact, don’t touch them. They won’t touch you but they will try to spook you into running.”

“I no likes ghosts.” Alex pushed into my leg, his tremors traveling up through my body he shook so hard.

“Yeah, me neither, buddy. But we have to. Pamela and Milly need us. Close your eyes, and hang onto my belt.” I dropped a hand to him. This couldn’t be that hard. Hell, what could go wrong? I swallowed hard, my own body betraying me.

“Okee dokee,” he whispered, as he squeezed his eyes shut, pinching them so tight his whole face scrunched up.

“Rylee.”

“Erik.” I stared at his back, the base of his neck. It was one of the few spots I didn’t see ghosts staring back at me.

“Let’s go.” He stepped forward and I followed him, Alex clinging to the back of my belt, his claws brushing against the skin of my lower back.

Around us the spirits shifted and shimmered, their bodies pressing in tight. The back of Erik’s neck was all I saw, the hint of a tattoo that I guessed traveled the length of his spine. Droplets of sweat running down his skin did not inspire me.

Then came whispers from every direction, teasing my ears with voices I thought I knew.

Dox.

Giselle.

Jack.

The Triplets.

“Don’t listen to them. They prey on your loss.” Erik’s voice was tight.

“Are you hearing my parents?” I asked the question before I thought better of it.

He didn’t stumble, didn’t stop, but I saw the hesitation in him. “Yes. Their voices are calling to me.”

This was a different kind of torture, and I’d have rather faced the drovers. Here, my guilt raged as the voices of my friends accused me, told me I’d used them. Left them to die to save myself.

Alex whimpered. “No, no, I save you.”

“Alex, it’s not real, don’t listen, just hang onto me.” My voice cracked on the tears hovering so close to the surface.

His grip tightened. “I save her. Save my sister.”

I reached back and put a hand on the top of his head. “You did save her, it’s okay.”

He let out a long, low howl that shattered what was left of my control, his pain becoming mine. I let the tears come—who was going to see them? Just me, just Erik.

Of course, as hard as it was, I should have known the ghosts weren’t done.

They changed tactics. The light in the walls grew dim and I found myself stumbling to a stop. “Erik!”

“Keep moving.”

I took a step and then had to stop. A ghost floated between me and Erik.

“Little Slayer, look at me. See what you will be when we end you. See your future in my eyes.”

Anger shot through me, annihilating the fear. “Fuck off and find yourself a too tight fitted sheet.”

The ghost swayed and ducked, trying to force me to make eye contact. And a little part of me almost let him. Just to prove they couldn’t stop me. Or maybe even to see if they could show me the future. Bad, bad idea.

“Rylee, you’re close, follow my voice.”

“Not going to work.” I slammed my eyes shut at the last second, as the ghost dropped and shoved its face right in mine.

Pissed off, scared, and knowing we were running out of time, I Tracked the demon ghosts. They lit up inside my head, a perfect outline of where they all were right in front of me.

“Don’t mess with the Tracker, sheet heads!” I yelled, breaking into a jog and dodging around them with ease. A strong set of hands grabbed me and my eyes flew open.

Erik was smiling. “Yes, you are your mother’s daughter.”

Chapter 20

We encountered nothing else until we reached the room where Pamela was being kept. I Tracked Milly, she was a door or two down by the feel of her threads. Sleeping, so at least that was good.

Pamela’s door was heavily etched in symbols and as I lifted my hand to touch them, Erik stopped me.

“This one is alarmed.” He pointed to a sunburst in the middle. “That one will unleash a venom that will drop anyone, knock them out for days the minute the door is touched.”

I lifted my hand again. “Even an Immune?”

Erik frowned. “It is a risk.”

“No other way, is there?”

“No. Here, these are the symbols to open the door.” He pointed out three squares interlocked. “Trace them, open the door, get hit by venom. Pray to the gods you have the best fucking immunity out there.”