He shrugged. “I have no say in my life. Ask Doran, he was her pet too.”

“I was far enough away that she let me say whatever I wanted until she remembered I belonged to her and found a use for me.” Doran folded his arms over his chest. “Shit, what are we going to do, then?”

Jack smoothed his hands over his head. “She has commanded me to find the Blood. But she has not told me to take the most accurate route. I can slow her down, let you get there and get Faris on the throne. If what I understand is true, once the new Emperor has the blood of the old ones in him, she won’t stand a chance.”

I turned, lips tight, and looked at Doran. “Good plan if Faris hadn’t fucked it up.”

Jack sucked in a sharp breath. “He’s not with you?”

Doran filled him in. “He couldn’t hold out. He doesn’t have the control to finish the task.”

Jack’s whole face tightened, as if in pain. “She’s waking.”

I didn’t say goodbye, didn’t think of anything but getting to the ladder. Doran shoved me ahead of him, and I shoved Alex, praying Jack could hold her off long enough for us to reach the ladder and the relative safety.

No such luck. Doran’s hand on my shoulder disappeared, when we were just steps from the ladder. “Alex, up,” I screamed as I turned around and faced the gloom, my flashlight showing Jack holding Doran against his chest.

There was no choice now. I rushed them, and Jack held still, his eyes meeting mine one last time. In slow motion, I leapt into the air, my blades arcing forward.

But Jack jerked away and Doran dropped to the floor before I could contact anything. Doran caught me mid-air and all but threw me partway up the ladder. “CLIMB!”

Berget’s laughter floated from the depths. “Run away, sister. I will see you soon enough. Tell Faris I said hello.”

I scrambled through the trapdoor and flopped onto the dusty shop floor beside Alex, who stared into the hole. Doran climbed out and slammed the door shut behind him.

“We shouldn’t have survived,” he said, holding a hand out to me.

“Yeah, I kinda thought that myself.”

Though we didn’t run out of the store, it was close. Spooked, my body knew how just how close it had come to getting snacked on, even if my brain was trying to tell me everything was fine. Alex, like always, was already moving onto the next adventure.

“Car riifywasde?”

I pointed at the truck and he leapt in, dancing in one spot, or maybe bucking would be a more accurate term. “Seat too hot?”

“Nope, just dancing.”

Shaking my head, I let the smile slip across my lips. We had to take the bright spots when we could, even just a werewolf doing his version of the chicken dance.

Again, I let Doran drive. “Do we have time for your pit stop?”

“We have to.” His face was closed off, zero emotions to read.

Maybe he’d been more spooked than I thought. So I left him to his own thoughts, and me to mine.

Mine, of course, were dark and less than pleasant. Jack hadn’t made the choice to become a vampire, yet I wasn’t sure there would be a way to save him. Or if we could even get past him to get to Berget. Shit on a stick. I couldn’t reach Liam, but I tried to Track him anyway. Of course, nothing but a big empty hole with all the oceans between us. A low sigh escaped me and I scrubbed a hand over my face.

“I know you said there would be no rest for me, when you Read me. But really, did it mean I would feel like I was wrung out, completely done in, exhausted with every breath I took?” I glanced at Doran, watched as a smile slid over his lips. Ah, so I could still get him to respond.

“Dramatic much?”

“I was trying out my ‘Milly.’ Did you feel any sympathy at all?”

He snorted. “Sorry, none. She’s much better at laying the guilt and begging for sympathy. You just sound irritated.”

A few minutes later, we were at his pit stop, which turned out to be a hokey looking crystal shop on the far edge of town.

“You’re kidding, right?” I couldn’t help the way my eyes widened. This was supposed to be what, some sort of Shaman’s place?

“Sometimes the best defense to the world is showing them who you really are and letting others believe you’re fucking crazy.” He jumped out, jogged inside, and within two minutes was back in the truck, no bag in hand, nothing I saw brought back with him.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Care to share, fang boy?”

“Not really.”

There he went, gone again, deep into himself. I slumped in my seat. Fine by me and I would try to sleep a little. I dozed as he drove, wishing I’d been joking about the fatigue dragging at my limbs.

When we hit the edge of the true desert, Doran slowed the Willy and then stopped. “Do you see that?”

I sat up and squinted as something moved along the horizon.

Something big and sinuous, scales catching the bright, hot sun and reflecting it across the desert.

“Blaz!” I shouted—hell fucking yeah, we had back up! But how had he gotten here so fast?

And why wasn’t he answering me?

I stared at the shape humping toward us, the size and velocity of it far bigger than any ‘native’ fauna I knew. A niggling memory, the smell of snake musk and the fear of my first real battle swam in my head. I’d faced a giant snake before, but how could I have forgotten until now? Of course, if my spotty memory served me at all, the last time I’d faced a snake this size, I’d almost died. Not a good omen.

“Oh, shit.”

Doran let out a low whistle. “You can say that again.”

From the back of the truck Alex thumped the cab, hied th=s words screamed out in a high-pitched cry. “Ohhhhhhhhhh, shiiiiiiiiiiiit.”

From the mouths of babes and werewolves. We were in trouble.

Surprise, surprise.

Chapter 16

As they drove, Tara filled them in on the details of the firing squad. When Trolls raped humans, which happened more often than anyone liked to believe, the product were children like Tara. Children who were more human in mind set, more Troll in body. A rough combination even on a good day.

The half-breeds had started their own secret colony, using what little magic they had to blend in with the human world.

“The pure bloods, they’ve never paid us any heed, but then they started coming around. Acting like they were worried about us. My own sire, he showed up to check on me.” She took a slow breath and then went on. “It was all a ruse. They were working with Ingers to bring in targets. They rounded us up, said if we helped them, they would help protect us. From others. Most supernaturals kill us on site.”