Pike was beginning to fidget. On my other side, Ivy was frighteningly still. It was smelling like scared vamp in here, but it was coming from hotel security, not my team.

  “It’s my friends who keep me alive,” I said, glancing at the men and women in black across the pool. It was their eight to Ivy and Pike’s two, and the odds were not in hotel security’s favor. Finnis, though, was clueless, and Hodin, obliviously, thought he was the pixy shits.

  As a child, I had shuffled past too many closed hospital doors at the children’s wing, knowing what heartache and agony passed beyond it. Children die. I was almost one of them. But to make them die alone . . . While their parents wept, unable to hold them as they breathed their last? An eternity of captivity is too good for you, Hodin.

  “Well?” Finnis prompted smugly.

  I forced my jaw to unclench and shook my hands out. Hodin’s confident smile faltered at my knowing hatred, but it wasn’t until I saw the faintest sifting of pixy dust from a potted palm that my resolve coalesced. “You’re right,” I said, and Pike turned to me, his expression blank with the worry I had given up. “No, he’s right,” I said again, twitching my eye in sort of a wink. Ivy cleared her throat, hands fisting, and Pike followed the slightest rasp of dragonfly wings to just over Finnis’s shoulder. “I’m not exactly overflowing with demonic skills, but you’ve made a classic demon-practitioner mistake, Finnis. One I’m trying to impart to my students, who I will shortly bring back to reality along with their instructor and an overly inquisitive librarian.”

  Finnis’s pupils began to shrink. “I made no mistake,” he said flatly.

  Thank God I brought everything, I thought, glancing over my shoulder at the eight nervous security guards. “It’s when you think you got the better end of a deal that it usually bites you on the ass.” I studied my nails as if bored. “That would be about now.”

  Hodin made a soft huff, drawing my attention. “You, Finnis,” I said, taking a step closer, and from behind me, I felt hotel security stir, “made the mistake of hanging everything on Hodin, and he’s a murdering, lying, self-serving, untrustworthy son of a bastard who will drop you as soon as he gets what he needs from you. Which is probably also now.”

  Still not believing, Finnis glanced at the image of Constance beside him. “And what does he need?” the undead vampire mocked as Hodin beamed and put a tiny dark hand on Finnis’s.

  I shrugged. I was too deep for a ley line, but I had a couple of good pops of magic in me. Ivy had braced herself, a wicked, anticipatory gleam in her eye. Seeing Pike almost oblivious, she nudged him and he mirrored her ready stance, clearly not knowing why. “A way to force me to act, I suppose,” I said, mentally telling Jenks to stay put for three seconds more. “But if he doesn’t have you, he’s got nothing.”

  I took a breath, unwinding everything I had spindled in my head and chi. Power raced through my neural net, burning through old channels, spilling into new as it flowed to my hands. “Celero dilatare!”

  Barely harnessed energy burst from me, rocking me back as a wave of force exploded from my hands. Ivy and Pike shifted with it, and then Ivy leapt clear over the swimming pool, her vampiric strength making it easy. Grinning, Pike followed. To a man, the eight figures in black had slammed into the glass walls, temporarily stunned.

  Finnis sprang to his feet. Hodin, too, had stood, but the image of the small dark woman was gone and an annoyed demon in leather had taken her place.

  “Finnis is mine, Hodin!” I shouted as I sprang for the vampire, simultaneously pulling the pin on the ley line circle amulet and throwing it at the alarmed undead.

  Hodin retreated, clearly not having expected a frontal attack, much less a circle. The thought that I’d use someone else’s magic probably never entered his mind. I grinned when the bubble swam up around Finnis, preventing Hodin from simply grabbing him and jumping out. Divide to conquer. Yeah, I can do that, too.

  Ivy’s shouts echoed in the hard space, punctuated by pained grunts and the splintering of redwood loungers. Cries came from the bar, and the massage woman fled to an overturned table.

  “A circle?” Hodin said, clearly amused as he reassessed. “You are fine, Finnis. Relax. I’ll have it down in a moment.”

  “I only need a moment,” I said, then started when Jenks landed on my shoulder.

  “This should be fun,” the pixy said as I felt in my bag for my splat gun. “I haven’t ass-kicked an undead since Piscary.”

  It was getting noisy behind me, but I didn’t dare look as more pained shouts echoed. Someone went in the pool, and water splashed up. “Did you curse your kin’s children yourself, or did you look the other way when your elven masters did it?” I said, splat gun in hand, my stance sure on the wet pool deck as I stood between Hodin and Finnis. “You foul little bootlicker!”

  Expression twisted, Hodin drew a ring off his finger and threw it.

  “Down!” I shouted, Jenks fleeing as I dodged the green and brown spell that blossomed between us. Hitting the pool deck, I rolled. A high-pitched scream drew my eye to the masseuse, but she was fine, cowering in a corner as the curse dissolved a table into a bubbling goo.

  “Behind you!” Jenks shouted, and I raised my splat gun, dropping one of the security guards that had slipped past Ivy and Pike. Finnis cowered in his circle, yelling for security as spent energy rocked between the glass walls and made the pool water jump and crest.

  I got to my feet, weapon unshaking in my grip. “Did you lure my class to the ever-after and sell them to Dali?” I asked. “Did Dali and Al think it was me?” I shouted, and Hodin’s thin lips curved up in a Grinch-worthy smile of pleasure.

  “Of course they did,” he said, his entire hand glowing to his elbow with a coming curse. “They want to believe you are no better than them. It makes them happy,” he mocked.

  Angry, I shot at him. He vanished, the gray haze making an audible pop as it rushed in and was gone.

  Instinct moved me, my splat gun firing into a flash of haze that might have been Hodin. The little blue balls hit the pool deck and broke, the charms inside made useless by the salt water.

  “Rache!” Jenks shouted, and I turned, firing at Hodin before he could marshal a curse.

  “You little canicula!” he swore, annoyed, then vanished again.

  Pulse fast, I spun, looking for Hodin. Ivy was soaked, her dark hair draped like ribbons as she continued to smack hotel security into the walls. Pike was right there with her, playing off her moves as if they had trained at the same dojo. Five men were down and not moving, one was floundering in the water. Hodin was MIA. Jenks hovered, blade pulled, as he scanned the pool.

  “Is he gone?” I said, breathless, and when Jenks nodded, my focus sharpened on Finnis. The undead vampire had gotten to his feet, a dismissive sneer on his face. Eyes pupil black, he watched Ivy and Pike clearly enjoying themselves as they took out his remaining security. Hodin had broken the ley line circle spell at some point. Finnis was free, but that was okay. Now I could hit him.

  “Hello,” I said, and his dangerous gaze found mine. Lips parting, his expression promised equal levels of pain and pleasure until I died from it.

  But I was so pissed, that didn’t work on me anymore.

  “You need to go home,” I said, my aim on him never wavering as I sidestepped to where I’d dropped my bag.

  “I am home,” Finnis growled, hands crooked into claws.

  And then he jerked, backpedaling when Jenks dropped down, his wings a harsh rasp and his sword slashing.

  We are an effective team, I thought smugly as I fumbled for that memory hiccup amulet to curse Finnis into whatever state of bliss I wanted. Though, it might be hard to get him to believe that the chaos behind me was anything other than an attack on him.

  “Hodin!” Jenks shrilled, and I gasped, using the last mote of energy in me to block an ugly incoming ball of green and brown. I hit the pool deck hard, the uninvoked memory hiccup curse pinging once before bouncing into the pool with a little splooch.

  Three feet away, a potted palm tree burst into flame. I frowned at Hodin’s disappointment as an annoying hooting began and the sprinklers over the bar engaged. New cries of panic rose, and more staff fled.

  “You are such a coward! Leave or stay. Not both!” I shouted as I scrabbled to my feet and lunged at Hodin.

  Shocked, the demon froze, his hand splayed to choose a ring. My foot slammed into his gut, and then he vanished, sending me stumbling to catch my balance against a pillar. Got you, you little dimension-jumping bastard.

  “Ivy!” Pike shouted, and I turned, pulse fast, but it was only the two of them working to throw one of the hotel security into the hall by way of a window.

  “You okay, Rache?” Jenks asked as the glass shattered, and I wiped the pain from the flat of my hand and looked for Finnis. The vampire was alone. At least, I thought he was Finnis. I’d have to down him to be sure. It could be Hodin. Maybe.

  “I told you he’d cut you loose the first chance he got,” I said, then shot him with a sleepy-time potion.

  Finnis yelped at the sting, but he’d raised his arm and all I’d hit was robe. His eyes were darker than sin when they found mine, and I braced myself, seeing in their unholy depths his desire to rip my throat and pull every last ounce of blood into him.

  “Try it,” I mocked, and he sprang at me.

  I squeezed the trigger, puffs of air jolting me as I unloaded the entire clip at him. Jenks was shrilling, and I retreated, squinting through Jenks’s dust, my aim never wavering as I peppered the oncoming force of nature with little blue pellets that burst and blinded him into an unholy rage.

  Yelping, I tripped on one of the dropped security. I went down, still firing. Three shots found the little triangle of scarred flesh below Finnis’s chin and his howl of rage echoed, overwhelming Pike’s shout and the crash of someone falling into the bottles behind the bar.

  And then Finnis hit the deck. Out cold. Two feet from me.

  Panting, I stayed where I was, my butt going damp from the wet pool deck, my empty gun pointed.

  “Good shootin’, Rache,” Jenks said, wings rasping as he hovered over the barrel of my cherry-red splat gun.

  “Yeah?” I spun at a sliding thud to see Ivy pull the last of the hotel security up, giving him a shake before tossing him into a pillar, where he hit and slid to the pavers. The waves in the pool were beginning to subside, and I sat there, feeling shaky with the vamp pheromones and adrenaline swirling in me. It was only the masseuse left, crying in the corner, but she seemed okay, and I exhaled in relief when Ivy flipped her wet hair back and sauntered over.

  “Damn, Tamwood,” Pike said in admiration as he fingered a new tear in his shirt. “Do you have any sisters?”

  “Just one, and if you touch her, I’ll skin you alive.”

  Pike grinned, stooping to pick up a lost shoe before limping forward. “Promises, promises. How about you and me, then. Friday night. I’m paying.”

  In more ways than you can guess, I thought as I rubbed my elbow to gauge the coming bruise. It was over—for the moment—and I nudged Finnis with my toe to be sure he was out. Little red pustules were beginning to rise where his skin showed. It wasn’t my sleepy-time potion. Jenks had pixed him. Pixed him good.

  Ivy extended a hand to haul me up. She was dripping wet, and I wondered if she had gone in the pool at some point. “You think you could keep up with me?” she said to Pike, but her eyes were on me until I nodded that I was okay. But I wasn’t. I had a really big problem. Oblivious to it, she gave my shoulder a squeeze and went to check on Pike.

  “It’s definitely worth finding out.” Pike groaned, his limp more pronounced as he scuffed to a halt. “You want to curse him here or in his room?” he asked as he felt his ribs, clearly pained.

  Sighing, I stared at the bottom of the pool, where the circlet of twisted silver sat as if it was a demonic pool toy. “I need a hook,” I said, glad that salt water didn’t break ley line charms.

  “I’ll get it.” Her breath catching, Ivy dove in to come up with it.

  The hotel security people were beginning to stir, and Pike went to drag them into a pile where he could keep an eye on them, his vampiric strength making it seem easy.

  “Jenks, sing out if Hodin shows,” I said as I extended a hand to Ivy and helped her up onto the pool deck.

  “On it,” he said, dusting a cheerful silver as he buzzed to the bar.

  Ivy handed me the amulet, her long fingers dripping as they met mine. A small smile flitted over her usually placid face as Pike manhandled the hotel security, coming across as both firm and understanding as they woke up. “He’s good,” she said as she wiped the water from her chin. “Not as good as me, but good enough to keep you alive.”

  I fingered the wet charm, wincing at Finnis covered in a painful-looking rash. At least I knew it was him. Hodin wouldn’t have let his rage give me the chance to down him. “That was my thought, too,” I said, worried as the hotel staff began to gather at the broken doors, afraid to come in but annoying all the same.

  Hodin had bounced in and out of reality as if he had been stepping from room to room. How could I be the subrosa when I couldn’t jump a line without Bis? If I knew how to skip realities, I could have followed Hodin. Finished this. As it was, Hodin was probably out somewhere pretending to be me, or Constance, or Finnis, or even Trent. No wonder Al hates him, I thought as I dried the amulet.

  Clearly sore, Pike joined us. “That was fun,” he said, worry settling into his brow as he noticed Finnis, out cold. “That’s not catching, is it?” he asked as he squinted at the rash.

  “No,” I said, and reassured, Pike dragged Finnis to a support pole and propped him up.

  “You going to curse him, or what?” he said, and I frowned, fingering the amulet in my hand, the twisted metal circlet utterly useless. Oh, the curse was still good, but using it wouldn’t accomplish a damn thing. An entire night of spelling wasted. I could have gone to Trent’s for that midnight ride for all the good my planning had done.

  “This isn’t going to work,” I said, jaw tight as I put the curse into my bag, grimacing. The cloth purse was soaking wet.

  Pike’s eyes widened. “Why not?”

  Jenks’s wings rasped as he dropped down. “The cameras are on a loop. The only thing they got was us walking in and a few minutes talking.” His gaze went to the hotel staff now beginning to inch their way in, their conversation loud and accusing as they saw the damage. “We’re good, Rache. Do your thing.”

  “And after I curse him?” Peeved, I glanced at Ivy. “Hodin is still out there. I should have thought of this before, but I had no idea that Hodin would align himself with Finnis.”

  Ivy’s lips parted. “Hodin can break the curse.”

  “Hodin can break the curse,” I echoed, feeling stupid. “But even if he doesn’t, Finnis is not here to see Constance. He said as much.” I gestured to the unconscious vampire, wishing I could turn him into a mouse, too. “She’s an excuse, a reason to give the media for his presence. He’s here to quash the soul curse.” My eyes met Ivy’s, and she blanched. “Sending him home with happy thoughts about Constance won’t accomplish anything.”

  Pike’s face twisted, his weight going onto his good foot. “Because that’s not what he’s here for.”

  Ivy’s hand trembled as she touched my shoulder. “Then that’s what you should do,” she said, her voice a pained whisper. “Withdraw the application. We can hold the city without it.”

  My chin lifted, and I pulled her into a quick hug. I felt her tense in surprise, and I tightened my grip, not letting her go as I felt her heartache. She knew holding Cincy without the promise of that curse would be impossible, and yet there she was, willing to sacrifice everything to keep me safe for one more day.

  “I’m not taking the soul curse out of FSCA consideration,” I said, finally pushing back so I could see her expression. “What you and Nina have is not wrong. The old undead want to quash it because they are afraid. There is love there, real love, and they know they can’t match or overcome that. They’re desperately clinging to their ways of domination through dependency. It’s the only thing they have. They are afraid because they know their power will falter and die because of what you share.”

  “Rachel, I—” she managed, and then her eyes welled with emotion.

  “It’s okay,” I said, giving her arm a squeeze.

  Pike cleared his throat, but his gaze held a deep understanding, not embarrassment. “So what do we do?”

  Jenks shrugged as I turned to Finnis. He looked utterly foul lying there, an unconscious spider of ego and id, his mouth open to show his long teeth and that great hole of a mouth that could never be filled or satisfied. “Nothing at the moment. Hodin is the greater threat.” The Turn take it, I had so much to do. All of it revolved around Hodin.

  “Nothing?” Ivy had collected herself, a fragile strength growing stronger.

  “For the moment,” I said again. “Okay.” I brushed at my damp jeans. “Pike, I want you to stay here with Ivy. Help her with Finnis. I’ll deal with him after I finish with Hodin.”

  “Sure.” Mood content, Pike pulled Finnis’s half-emptied wineglass closer. “As long as the minifridge stays stocked.”

  “I’m serious,” I said as he emptied the glass. “I’ll keep him spelled, but it will be up to you and Ivy to keep him away from Hodin. I’m going home with Jenks to change, meet up with Trent, and then the three of us will check on the real Constance. Get her somewhere safe before Hodin turns into me and squishes her on national TV.”