Shah’s makeshift face had stopped singing and disappeared, but I doubted Dilip’s insane efforts to silence him had anything to do with it. Shah was furious and had meant to punish. While he hadn’t harmed Dilip directly, he did make a point: Don’t fuck with mystical stones.

Dilip lifted his hand, plunging the sharp point again. His motions had begun to slow and his laughter alternated with mild bursts of wheezes. But he pushed forward, using his remaining strength to puncture his belly.

I thought I should stop him—or save him—or something. But there wasn’t anything that could spare Dilip from himself. So I simply watched, horrified by his actions and confused by what drove him. Yes, Shah’s magic drifted around us, but like me, he appeared to solely observe. He wasn’t forcing Dilip to do anything. Dilip was all on his own.

Maybe Dilip had been crazy from the start. And maybe it had taken only a little of Shah’s personality to drive him over the edge. No matter what, Dilip wasn’t a good man. That was something I was completely sure of.

His misdeeds rivaled those of every twisted preternatural I’d ever encountered. He’d murdered those he’d called his friends for greed and for his own damn desires. As I watched the knife suddenly drop from his grasp, I was reminded that one way or another, everyone answered for their actions.

Dilip Singh died with that crazed expression frozen on his face, with no friends to hold his hand or grieve his passing. I wondered briefly if anyone would miss him. I wouldn’t. And neither would the loved ones of those he’d killed.

The waves splashed peacefully against the side of the yacht before I realized his body fluids had taken on a life all their own. Blood and acid from his stomach bubbled around him, leaving the pool surrounding his body to form words along the smooth floor.

I’m not sorry, it said.

I couldn’t be sure if they were Shah’s words for tormenting Dilip or Dilip’s for the damage he’d caused. At that moment I didn’t care. More than anything, I just wanted to get away from them and him.

My body trembled as I searched my surroundings. Dilip’s jacket lay abandoned in the small seating area. I passed it twice before I realized it was there. With shaking hands, I reached into his pocket and removed a gold phone covered in diamonds. I stared at it, hoping it would be enough to find Shah before someone else did.

Music continued to blast over the speakers, but the voices sang in a language I couldn’t understand. I turned down the volume, feeling the need to speak. “I’m not here to hurt you or claim you, Shah. I just don’t want someone else to find you and use you for the wrong reasons.” I paused, thinking things through. “In fact, I don’t want anyone to use you at all,” I added truthfully.

I wasn’t positive why I said what I did to Shah. But I felt the need to tell him he had nothing to fear from me. I leapt to the rear of the yacht, wondering how I’d get back, when trails of light zigzagged along the water.

My eyes widened. I wasn’t familiar with everything witches could do, but I got schooled then. Betty Sue, Delilah, and Genevieve skimmed above the sea’s surface, the small waves splashing against their bare feet and circles of green light gathering beneath them.

Behind them, a smaller boat sped forward, followed closely by a Jet Ski. I knew Aric rode the Jet Ski when my tigress urged us toward the edge of the yacht. She’d sensed his wolf, and my desire to be with the man.

I tried to wait patiently, but my urgency to distance myself from Dilip’s corpse made me restless, as did Shah’s scrutiny. It was as if I could feel his magic circling me, trying to figure me out.

I frowned. “Don’t be rude,” I told him. “Like I said, I’m not your enemy.”

I couldn’t be sure he believed me, but I sensed his magic withdraw in time for the Alliance members to appear. The witches arrived first, skipping onto the boat with an added boost from their power. All three wore long medieval maiden gowns, the hems dripping ocean water as they walked across the deck. All seemed anxious, their stares scanning their surroundings.

“Do you have it?” Genevieve asked, stepping forward. “Do you have Shah?”

“No. But I haven’t actually looked for him here,” I replied.

Genevieve took off with Betty Sue hot on her heels before I could finish. Delilah tossed me a leery glance before following. I felt stupid for not bothering to even search for him. In truth, it hadn’t even occurred to me.

Aric arrived next. He cut the power of his Jet Ski and leapt onto the stern directly in front of me. He rose slowly, water dripping from his bare chest and onto his borrowed sweatpants. His breaths were labored, but seemed to calm as he drank me in. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and fell against him as he embraced me. “Dilip’s dead.”

Aric stiffened. “Where is he?”

I motioned to the bridge. Aric linked our fingers and led me to the top. Genevieve was already there, her long ebony hair sailing around her like smoke. “Did you kill him, Celia?” she asked.

Aric answered before I could. “Those are self-inflicted stab wounds,” he pointed out.

Delilah carefully climbed the steps, her eyes frowning when she found what remained of Shah’s holder.

“Dilip didn’t seem stable from the start,” I said. “And when Shah sought a little payback, Dilip completely unraveled.”

I explained what happened as Agnes fluttered onto the boat and up to the bridge. Her eyes traveled over me as she handed me my hooker shoes. I swapped the fiendish footwear for the cellphone. She smiled. “Well done, Celia.”

She strutted to where Dilip lay, taking a whiff of the blood pooling around him. “Hmph. Interesting,” she said. “So who’s not sorry, Celia? Dilip or Shah?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. “At this point I don’t care.” Having had enough death for the night, I hurried down the steps. Aric followed directly behind me.

Betty Sue emerged from down below. “Shah’s not here.” Her eyes narrowed when Agnes hopped over her head and onto the deck. “What’s that?” she asked when she saw the diamond cellphone clutched in Agnes’s hand.

Agnes smiled. It wasn’t one of her nicer smiles. “Our key to Shah.”

“And why should you have that key?” Betty Sue demanded.

Agnes stopped smiling. “Because I know how to open the lock.”