I smiled. I couldn’t help it. He reminded me so much of Taran. I picked the vamp’s nasty jaw off the floor and passed it to Tye. “He can’t tell us anything if he can’t speak.”

“Good point.” He rammed it back in the vampire’s face. The jaw cracked and popped into place. As the muscles knitted together the little boy charged forward and staked him in the heart with a broken wooden spoon.

Tye and I gaped at him in shock. The kid sprinted toward the bathroom, but he never made it. He hurled all over the kitchen floor. I guessed he hadn’t realized how much blood would squirt before the vamp turned into ash.

Tye swore and paced the room. We’d lost our only lead. I knelt near the kid, trying to maintain my composure. “Are you all right?”

He took a few deep breaths, obviously working hard not to vomit again. “I will be once I take you to Lucinda.”

Chapter Twenty-two

My lips parted. “You know where Lucinda is?”

He nodded and reached for an old rag to clean the floor. “You’re strong,” he said.

“Yes.”

He stopped wiping. “Will you be strong enough to kill the witch if I take you to her?”

I thought about how she’d almost suffocated me with just one touch. “I don’t know.”

He threw the rag into a bucket. “But will you try? Or how about your friend?” He motioned to Tye. “Could he kill her?” He did a double take. “What is he doing?”

Tye took the ashes of the dead vamp and smeared them across the threshold. “He’s warning all supernatural predators that if they try to harm those who reside here, they’ll meet the same fate. But forget that, you’re safe. Tell me why you want Lucinda dead.”

“The witch wanted my baby sister for a sacrifice. She sent her devils to take her. She killed Papi for trying to protect her.”

The other children poked their heads out of the bedroom door. The baby watched me with huge brown eyes. “Your papi sacrificed himself so she would live,” I said quietly.

The little boy shook his head. “No. Mami was pregnant at the time. That’s my new baby sister. Lucinda got her intended sacrifice after she killed Papi.” He averted his gaze and rose to wash his hands.

So the little boy who was trying to be a man had lost both his father and infant sister. I tried my best to keep my voice soft. “What’s your name?”

“Armando.”

“I’m Celia.”

His small round face pleaded to me. “Promise me you’ll kill the witch, Celia.”

“I promise I’ll do all I can to stop her.”

Tye came to stand by me. “What did he say about Lucinda?”

We had a little talk with Armando after I explained. He insisted Lucinda’s home was in an obscure location and we wouldn’t be able to find it unless he led us there. He said his sister Conchi could look after his younger siblings as she often did when their mother worked. I didn’t want the vamps to influence him. Little minds were too fragile to mess with. So Tye left to retrieve the others when it became clear we couldn’t ditch Armando.

“Why can’t we go with him now?” Armando asked me.

“We’re sneaking you out of the house. I don’t want your neighbors to know you helped us in case things don’t go our way.”

Armando jutted his chin again. “I’m not afraid to die.”

I crouched down to face him. “You should be, Armando. I know I am.”

He frowned. “But you’re strong.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t get scared.”

I stepped out into the dirt garden where a giant mango tree expanded its thick branches over Armando’s house. I’d only been gone a day and yet I missed my family like I’d been gone a year. My first thought was to phone my sisters, but I didn’t want to risk a fight. So instead, I called Danny. The phone rang only once. He’d been waiting for my call. His voice shook and I could sense his anxiety with each word. “They know. I told them.”

A cold wash of sweat dripped down my back. “What?” I asked, although the fear pulsing through my veins told me I knew exactly what he meant.

“Aric, the Elders, your sisters—everyone. They all know Anara hurt you, Celia.”

My back fell against the trunk of the tree. I jerked away from it when the thick bark scratched my back. “Oh my God, Danny. You don’t realize what you’ve done! Everyone I love is in danger—”

“Celia, Anara must be stopped. He can’t get away with what he’s done to you.”

My head pounded. “How did you even manage this?”

“Heidi told me about a luncheon celebrating Anara’s new position. She let me into the Den…and I sort of interrupted the party by announcing he’s the one who attacked you.”

I was shaking so violently I could barely speak. “What…happened?”

“At first there was a deafening silence, as you might expect.” He swallowed hard. “And then Anara charged.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “How are you still alive?”

“Aric and Martin intercepted him. Don’t you see, Celia? Anara couldn’t use his were power there, there were too many witnesses—including your sisters. And those in attendance—Aric, Makawee, Martin—they could stop him.” He paused. “The weres could scent I was telling the truth, just like they knew he was lying when he denied it.”

I resumed my pacing. “What happened after that?”

“Aric went ballistic and attacked, but…”

“Oh, God—did he kill Aric?”

“No! No, of course not. There was a large explosion and Anara disappeared. Makawee and Martin issued were protections for all of us and now Anara is wanted by the entire North American Were Council. The whole situation is worse than we thought. The Elders are distressed and suspect he’s involved in more than just the plot against you.”

“Danny, he’s still an Elder, he still has power. He’ll come after us.”

“He can’t. Not anymore. Martin and Makawee conducted a sacred ceremony and stripped him of his Elder power. And from what Gemini says, any were who finds him has been ordered to kill him on sight.”

Danny expected his news to grant me the relief I’d long sought. And yet as much as I wanted to believe Anara was weakened and wouldn’t waste his time on me, I knew better. “What does Aric think…about everything?”