Ignorance is bliss, and all that shit, I guess.

A twist in the air, a feeling of pressure, and the veil split in front of us. I expected Faris, and was shocked as shit at who stepped into the room.

I could have almost expected Pamela, Jack, or Will. But not Milly.

Pamela ran to me and threw her arms around my waist, a sob escaping her. “You’re okay.”

I put one hand on her back as I made eye contact with my ex-best friend. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Her green eyes met mine, but I couldn’t read them and that made me nervous. “We need to go, before Faris comes back.”

I pushed myself to my feet and nudged Alex with my foot. “Come on, buddy, the rescue party is here.”

With a snort, he scrambled to all fours, blinking sleepily. “Pamie!” He leapt toward the young witch, bowling her over in his excitement, until he saw Milly.

His big golden eyes narrowed and his lips peeled back over his teeth. “Milly bad witch.”

Milly’s jaw tightened. “Behave yourself, Alex.”

Pamela moved between them. “You behave yourself. You’re the one who can’t be trusted.”

Okay, enough of this. “Pull it in, people, we’ve got to go.”

Milly wasted no time in opening the veil. On the other side was a pacing Liam, and my heart gave a lurch. Yup, definitely in love with him, if there had been any doubt, it was erased when I saw the look on his face.

For once, I got to be the first one out of the ‘fire’ and Liam grabbed me, pulled me tight to his chest. The public display of affection was not something we did, but I tucked my head against the crook of his neck, breathing him in for a moment before pulling back so I could look into his face.

“Thanks for the rescue.”

Milly snorted behind us. “You’re welcome.”

“How did you find us?” Did she know where Faris’ underground secret hole was? Could she somehow be working for him still?

Milly pointed to Jack. “He pinpointed you, and then I opened up the Veil and took a look through. Not an exact science, but it worked.”

Jack snorted. “We got a few buckets of dirt before the dumbass witch opened it up right.”

She glared at him but said nothing else.

I turned to face her, not sure exactly what to say. “I don’t trust you, are we clear?”

“Yes.”

“And you have no more chances with me.” I stared at her, all the things she’d done racing through my head. Giselle, Alex, Eve. Pamela. Setting the booby trap at that castle to block us from leaving London. Crap, that seemed like so long ago and yet it had been less than a week. Her rescue of us with Berget, her warning about the unicorn foal and Orion, her second rescue of me and Alex.

Fuck, what was I supposed to do with her?

I took Milly back with us. Yeah, I know, damn stupid, right? But my gut was telling me that this time I had to bring her back. And when we got home, I knew why.

There was a note, nailed to the door of the farmhouse, fluttering in the December wind howling across the badlands straight through the farmyard.

All those who oppose Orion will be destroyed. Be warned, your allies will die in droves, stupid Tracker. This is just the beginning.

Nailed with it was Terese’s head, still dripping blood, her face slack with surprise.

Milly gasped and Pamela covered her mouth with her hand, but I just stared at it, chills rippling through me. I had a bad feeling about this.

“Milly, contact your coven. We need to know if they’re all dead.”

She ran around to the front of the house. Orion’s people, whoever the hell they were, were on a warpath, and they would systematically wipe out any opposition, even if Orion was dead. That much was clear.

“Pamela, Alex, go check on Eve.” I pointed to the barn and they ran, Alex skidding and jumping in the fresh fallen snow, Pamela chiding him to settle down; she at least understood the seriousness of what was happening.

Liam moved up beside me. “Any ideas?”

I shook my head. “They called me stupid; the Trolls seem to like that title for me. Can you smell anything to confirm those shits are the ones who did this? And where the hell is Dox and the others?” They should have met us when we showed up. But maybe they were out scouting the perimeter, or maybe they were still engaged with some of the intruders?

“No, whoever did this cleaned it up.” He turned in a slow circle. “Some sort of magic scoured it all, but other than that, nothing clear is coming through. I’d agree with you on your moniker, only the Trolls seem to call you stupid on a regular basis. What happened with Faris? Do you think this has anything to do with him?”

“No, this has nothing to do with the vampires, not this time.” Of that much, I was sure. Too soon after Berget’s loss to have her re-group, and Faris wouldn’t risk this kind of mess when he already had me tied to him.

I couldn’t tell Liam I’d be leaving in seven days with Faris. That I didn’t have a choice but to go with the vampire, to do his bidding or see all of those I loved killed.

I couldn’t even tell Liam Charlie was dead. I clenched my teeth together, held my breath to get myself under control. I was not good at keeping secrets; it was too much like lying to me.

You have to, to keep them all safe. Yeah, that was the issue.

Faris, I was going to strip him to the bones and throw what was left of him to the Trolls and then I would kill them all for siding with Orion.

A wailing scream erupted out of the house and I backed away, moved closer to the barn.

Liam stepped in front of me, facing the house. “The coven, all of them, are dead, aren’t they?”

I stared at his back, a wave of premonition washing over me, Doran’s words floating through me, Milly’s screams striking a chord in my soul, understanding filling me to the point of nausea. Ethan was dead, the coven and her lover were dead, and her screams spoke to me of what was to come.

You will love another.

The only way that would ever happen is if … I continued to back away, unwilling to let the thought form. I wouldn’t let it happen. No … .

Liam turned, his eyes meeting mine. “What is it?”

“Things are spinning out of control.” My words were soft, as the chaos shattered around us. Pamela all but fell out of the barn, retching, puking until she fell to her hands and knees. Alex was right behind her, howling to the air, his head thrown back, and I knew whatever peace we’d had, however momentary, was done.

Almost in a daze I walked to the barn and opened the big doors.

Dox, Sla, and the triplets hung from the rafters. Or at least, I assumed it was them by the colors left on their hands and feet, the only skin left on them.

Skinned, they’d been skinned alive and left to die hanging by hooks in the backs.

I stood there, stared at what was left of one of my closest friends, of allies that had dared stand with me, who threw their lot in with mine.

Dox’s laughter, his brownies and ogre beer, the piercings and his big grin that had wavered. The courage he’d found in facing his past and the longing I’d seen in him when he’d looked at Sas.

Mother of the gods, this wasn’t happening, I had to be dreaming. A nightmare of the worst kind; I would wake from with sweat pouring off my body, all of my friends still intact.

Fear, stark and ugly, snaked through me. There was only one soul missing from this mess, and it hit me hard.

“EVE!” I Tracked her and she was at a distance, unharmed but freaked the hell out.

I spun and looked to the sky in the direction I could feel her threads.

“Rylee, look.” Liam pointed at the distant horizon, but I couldn’t see what his eyes had picked up. I grabbed Pamela, dragged her to her feet and ran around the side of the barn to try and see what Liam pointed at.

Minutes passed before the glittering scales caught the fading light.

I am here, Tracker, because you are not going to survive without me. And we can’t have that, can we?

Blaz’s words, his presence, soothed some of the fear, though his very presence raised questions.

“Eve, did you see her?”

I sent her to the unicorns, to rally them.

I slumped where I stood. “Tell me, this isn’t happening. Tell me I’m out of my mind.”

Sobbing reached my ears and I turned my head, as Milly fell to her knees, her head bowed. For the first time, I thought maybe she really had loved Ethan. Maybe he’d been her Liam.

All around us it was as if a war had been waged and we were seeing the aftermath, the destruction of lives beyond what we’d ever expected.

Blaz landed with a backwash of his wings, let out a heavy blow of air.

There are others coming. The demon has begun to gather an army, and you must do the same.

His head dropped so his eyes were right in front of mine, but I could see by the looks on Liam’s and Pamela’s faces I wasn’t the only one hearing his words.

You are the one I was born to fly with, into the battle that will decide the fate of the world. You are the world’s only hope, Rylee. You are the one that will stop this from happening again. You must draw on everything you’ve ever learned, and we must fight before it is too late.

Will you stand or will you run away?

Liam put a hand to my back. “There is no real decision, Rylee. You know that.”

I did know. I slowly turned, taking in all those who would look to me to fight a battle I knew I would lose. Pamela and her innocence, the powerhouse she was only just emerging. Alex and his loyalty, and the laughter he brought to me. Blaz and the connection between us I couldn’t deny, the safety he represented. Milly and the past that hovered between us, her loyalty would always be in question, but we needed her strength. Then there were those that had died already at the hands of Orion.

The Beast.

Dox.

Sla, Tin, Lop and Dev.

I met Liam’s eyes, saw the compassion there, saw the love that had grown to be my world and everything I would fight for. He reached out to me, took my hand. “To the end and back, I will stand with you.”