A pulse of heat from the raven’s skull necklace reminded me how impossible that was. As did a pulse of heat between my thighs at the sight of those four big men sprawled over the beds, each one so gorgeous in his own way.

I gave my head a little shake to push that thought far away. It came with so much baggage that my stomach cramped.

“So, what’s next?” Riley asked, his broad shoulders touching Enzo’s as they sat against the headboard, their long, muscular legs stretched out in front of them.

My shoulders slumped. Gee, I was hoping you’d tell me.

It wasn’t likely anyone would think to look for us here, but we were also dealing with some of the world’s most powerful evil witches and wizards – not to mention a demon now on their side. It was probably just a matter of time before they caught up with us, so we needed a plan to attack first.

“You need some rest,” Enzo said, interrupting my thoughts. “The rest of us can take turns keeping watch.”

“I’ll go first,” Heath volunteered.

“No, you also need to sleep.” Torin pushed him back when Heath tried to rise. “The rest of us have had longer to deal with the aftermath of the reaping. I’ll stay up with Salvatore. You and Riley can nap here, and—” he glanced my way— “Sierra can take the other bed.”

He motioned for Riley to take his place next to Heath, and it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears.

“I’ll go check the perimeter of the building. You stay here and watch over them,” Enzo told Torin.

Tor nodded softly, and my breath caught at the look that passed between them.

When did that happen?

I had clearly missed some things while I was away, but I was glad to see their relationship improved. And in the middle of all this fucking mess, I felt a little twitch of desire as my mind immediately went to imagining those two together, naked and sweaty. All those golden muscles and huge dicks going at it.

They’d never even so much as caressed one another, even when they’d taken me at the same time. Hell, I doubted they’ve ever even shaken hands before, much less looked at one another with soft, “kiss me, fuck me” eyes like they just did. Something had changed, and I wanted to know what it was – enjoy what it was – but it would have to wait.

The moment we stepped onto the school property, I knew something was terribly wrong. The air reeked of blood and death, and my heart hammered in my chest as we made our way through the eerily quiet forest surrounding the school. I had expected a confrontation with Carlo’s henchmen, but what we found was far beyond anything I could have imagined.

As we rounded the corner, the horrifying scene unfolded before us. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, their lifeless eyes staring into oblivion. The metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils, making bile rise in my throat. Fear clawed at me, but I pushed it back, refusing to let it consume me.

Still, my stomach roiled. It was like reliving the aftermath of the joust, only this time, the dead weren’t just students, but other adults. The failed aftermath of the coven’s attempt to take down Carlo.

I glanced at my guys. Riley’s and Torin’s faces were pale and their eyes wild. I feared—and I suspected they did too—that we might find their parents among the bodies on the ground.

How could this have happened? We’d only been at the motel a short time. Had the remaining coven members planned this without telling us? They must have. I blinked back hot tears and vowed to avenge every innocent life lost there.

“Stay close,” Enzo whispered as he gripped my hand tightly. His dark eyes darted around, searching for any sign of danger. “And keep watch for alligators.”

I gasped. “So, Apollo wasn’t lying?”

“What?” It was a collective question from all the guys.

“You knew?” Tor asked, sounding betrayed.

“A...Apollo,” my voice broke a little as a sharp stab of pain went through me remembering him and his sister. “He told me to watch out for the alligators. I thought he was joking.”

Enzo snarled. “He just let everyone walk around out there without telling anybody?”

I agreed with is sentiment, but we needed to keep going. I didn’t think I could take much more of seeing all those bodies.

“Let’s finish this,” I whispered, my voice steadier than I would have expected.

“Sierra, you focus on finding Anna,” Torin instructed, his icy blue hardened, and I nodded.

That was our plan, so far as we had one. Take the demon from Anna, get her out of there, and take out as many of Maroni’s men as possible. If we got lucky, we might find and destroy him too.

It didn’t take long for us to meet up with them. Of course, that was part of our plan as well. They’d be expecting us, so we only pretended to hide our arrival with half-cast cloaking spells, letting them think they’d get the jump on us.

Torin, Enzo, and Heath fought side-by-side, their spells slicing through the air like deadly knives. I was impressed by their skill and teamwork, even in the middle of such chaos.

Riley, his brown hair matted with sweat, tackled several of them with nothing but his fists a few times. He moved with a speed and strength that left me breathless.

I called upon June, ready to dispatch evil. The cleaver came forth, but not as expected. I panicked to find her steady as nothing more than a large blade knife of metal with a wooden. No shining light, no magical vibration in my hand.

Shit! What was wrong?

“Sierra!” Enzo called out, snapping me back to reality. “Anna’s over there!”

I followed his gaze and spotted her at the side of one of Carlo’s henchmen. My heart clenched with both relief and dread. We were so close to saving her, but we still had a long way to go.

Doubt clutched an icy fist around my heart. Had my Reaper powers failed? Is that why June was not responding normally?

I thrust my arms forward, calling on all the magic I prayed was still in me. I summoned fire and lightning, sending them crashing into Carlo’s men. The flames roared like an inferno, while bolts of electricity danced through the air. As each spell collided with its target, a protective wall formed around my team, shielding us from the onslaught.

Okay … so maybe I still had it. It was a welcome revelation.

“Keep pushing!” Heath shouted, his voice barely audible over the sounds of battle. “We can’t let them surround us!”

But the attackers seemed endless, pouring in from all directions. No matter how many we took down, more appeared to take their place. It was like trying to fight a fucking hydra. Desperation clawed at me as we were being pushed back, inch by inch, toward the lake.

“Sierra, we need a plan!” Torin yelled, his wand still firing off spells with deadly accuracy.

I gritted my teeth, trying to think. My entire body trembled with the effort of maintaining the protective barrier, but there was no time to rest.

“Focus on getting to Anna!” I called out, my voice strained from the strain of wielding my powers. “I’ll hold them off as long as I can!”

They all nodded, their faces grim. They moved together, violently cutting through the horde of henchmen. Pain and fatigue were etched in their expressions, but they didn’t give in.

As we continued our advance into a clearing, realization and dread sank into my stomach. I caught Enzo’s eyes and could tell he noticed it too. The other three looked at us sharply, their mouths tight.

We were being herded toward the lake.

CHAPTER 17

SIERRA