The ghouls had come. I stood alone in front of Sorsha’s clinic, a broken chair leg in my hands. I swung the weapon frantically as I fought to fend off the assault. Every movement was sluggish and my right arm soon became numb. It took everything in me to raise my arms and swing at the next ghoul’s head. And I… missed. The ghoul knocked me back and several of his buddies rushed forward, dog-piling me.

Darkness overwhelmed me, threatening to sweep me away like the outgoing waves of the ebbing tide. I was drawn farther and farther from the shore as the ghouls sank their teeth into my flesh. Over and over they bit and scratched, but I felt nothing. There was no pain, no terror... just nothing.

It was almost as if I wasn’t there.

Part of me, the part detached from my surroundings, looked around. I tried to pinpoint my location. I was outside Sorsha’s, but not. It wasn’t day or night, but some outtake of time—timeless. I had no sense of up or down. As if I could choose any direction and simply go.

But if I went, I’d easily get lost.

Then a heavy gaze rested on my shoulders, a weight that seemed familiar yet not. It took hours—or seconds?—for my eyes to drift across the horizon, searching for the figure that I felt somewhere out there.

My attention finally fell on a shadowy figure in the distance, its dark eyes on me. It stood there, watching intently as the ghouls consumed my broken body. There was no anger or hate emanating from the person. Instead, it was almost… proud.

Then I drifted away from the feeding frenzy, my death releasing me to float.

Instead of gradually approaching On High—as if—or flowing down through the earth toward the bowels of Uncle Luc’s domain, I went forward. I went to the shadowy figure in the distance. It stood there, watching and waiting. As I drew nearer, it held out its hand and a sense of wonder and welcome wrapped around me and I—

I woke with a rough heave, back bowed and mouth opened wide as I sucked in a lungful of air. I gasped and jerked, my body twisting and struggling against the unseen darkness. My heart hammered and fought to burst from my chest.

Uncle Luc stood at my side, his arm stretched out over me, his palm facing my unhealing wound. A dark something latched onto my side and I felt his pull and draw at the cloud of midnight smoke. A twinge of pain had me sucking in another deep breath and the wispy being gradually came into focus. I stared in horror to see a spirit, its incorporeal mouth pressed against the glowing skin of my wound.

Uncle Luc pulled again and again, but its phantom fangs refused to release me. It felt like a leech, sucking the life out of me even though it wasn’t attached to my flesh. No, it suckled the strange blue light that permeated my wound, using it to drain the life force straight from my body.

Uncle Luc growled and yanked his hand back, whipping the spirit away. It wrestled with him, dark, ethereal claws swiping at his face while it tried to sink its phantom fangs deep into his neck.

No spirit of the dead was any match for Lucifer himself. He closed his fingers around its neck and squeezed. Then he hurled the cloud of darkness at the floor. A tear ripped through the dark wood, releasing a gout of flame and the harsh scents of sulfur and brimstone.

The screams of the dead echoed through the portal as the phantom plunged into the fiery depths to join the other souls damned to the depths of Hell. With a quick wave of his hand, he banished the portal, leaving nothing behind but scorch marks and a thick haze of smoke in the air.

I coughed and hacked the smoke out of my lungs. Sure, I was his niece, but no one was a fan of that stuff. I wheezed and waved my hands to clear the air. When I could finally draw in a clean breath, I gestured to the scorched flooring. “If Sorsha sends me a cleaning bill, you’re totally paying for that.”

Uncle Luc snorted. “I’ll be sure to pencil that into my ledgers.”

Ledgers. I bet my uncle still used scrolls and feather quills for his accounting. The man really needed to get with the times. Like, seriously.

I relaxed against the pillows as I sought to calm my racing heart and even out my breathing. Dizziness plagued me, and my mind spun while my body decided that passing out seemed like a great idea.

I wasn’t sure how the phantom had slipped past Sorsha’s wards, but it had. And that scared the ever living (and unliving) fuck outta me.

Our mystery bad guy could have sent it. Or some opportunistic fuck who’d decided to try and kick me while I was down.

Worse? It was a beastie drawn to the energy leaking from my wound.

I seriously hoped I hadn’t become some beacon for the damned.

“I take it this isn’t a social call?” I coughed a few more times while the smoke continued to clear. “Or did you just show up to save my life and then call it a day?”

“I’ve been worried about you, infans.”

I snorted. Riiight.

He waved a hand and rolled his eyes. “Come now, Caith. We’ve had our differences.” Oh, we definitely had. Such as him stealing Sam away after my mate had become a fully fallen angel. “But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to have you join me in Hell just yet.”

“Because you need someone to handle things in the tween.” I wasn’t a fool. I knew my role in the grand scheme of things.

He sniffed. “Regardless, I’m here to help. You aren’t doing well.”

He scanned the wound in my side and I followed his gaze. The blue veins had spread farther and now reached down my arm toward my hand. I was afraid to look under my shirt to see where else the shining blue lines stretched. When I returned my attention to Uncle Luc I saw… genuine concern? Nah. Couldn’t be. But then he swallowed hard and the tiniest of shudders racked his body.

Okay, maybe.

“Do you know something I don’t?” I knew my situation was bad, but Uncle Luc behaved like everyone else. As if my death was a foregone conclusion. I wasn’t ready to give up the fight and I wasn’t a big fan of how everyone looked at me as if this was the end. “Did Sorsha tell you something she hasn’t told me?”

If so, I was so reporting her to the tween version of HIPPA. Where the hell was doctor-patient confidentiality? However, I couldn’t expect Sorsha to stay silent in the face of Satan’s requests. I’d be hard pressed to deny Uncle Luc if he was determined to have his questions answered.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone.” He unbuttoned his suit jacket—it looked like he’d visited Saville Row recently—before settling into a chair.

On High only knew how much he’d paid William for this suit. Fifty grand? Sixty? That assumed he hadn’t just “suggested” that William design it for free. Uncle Luc was great at “suggestions.”

“I only have to look at you to see what’s going on.”

I crossed my arms. It was a bit difficult with the numbness in my right arm, but I was still determined. “Gee, thanks, Uncle Luc. Love you, too.”

He snorted. “So ungrateful. I came to help and this is how I’m treated.”

“And how, pray tell, can you help?” I didn’t doubt Uncle Luc’s power, but he wasn’t known for healing. Maiming, destroying, and killing were more his specialty.

“My people are working on a cure.”

“Live people or dead people?”

“Does it matter?” He lifted a brow. “I have the best shamans and healers around the globe working on the case.”

“The best? Or just the most sinful?”

“Bit of both.” His lips twisted into an evil grin. “You’d be surprised how a few demons can motivate a person, but there are always those who attempt to negotiate for the return of their souls as payment.”

I snorted. “As if that’d happen.”

His expression softened. “You always did say the sweetest things.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thank you for helping. Let me know if they find anything.”

“I shall.” He nodded. “In the meantime, I will leave you with additional protection.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Hell and On High no. I’ve already got a healer, a gel, and a few werewolves. I don’t need a dem to join the group.”

He clicked his tongue. As if the mere idea he’d send a demon was ridiculous.

“Not a demon.” He put his fingers between his lips and let out a long, shrill whistle.

Shadows gradually grew and swirled in the far corner, increasing in size until they coalesced into a hulking figure. It stood on all fours; smoke receding to reveal the new presence. It was nearly the size of a Siberian tiger. One with jet-black fur and glowing red eyes. It padded to the bed, vile ichor drip, drip, dripping from its fangs. The droplets sizzled on the wood, leaving destruction in its wake.

It didn’t stop until it reached me and carefully sat, propping its chin on the mattress. Its brow furrowed and it stared at me with wide eyes like a little lost puppy. A low whimper came from the creature’s throat and a damp, searing hot nose nudged my elbow.

“A hellhound, Uncle Luc?”

Uncle Luc rose and approached. He ran his fingers through the hound’s midnight fur and the animal grinned, tongue lolling out like the friendliest dog in the world. “Say hello to Reggie.”

“Reggie?” I gave him a blank look. “Seriously?”

“Well,” he shrugged. “His full name is Reggenaguul, but he prefers Reggie.” Uncle Luc leaned forward and placed his hands over Reggie’s ears. “He’s the runt of Cerberus’ most recent litter. With only one head, the other hellhounds were picking on him.” Aw, Uncle Luc had a soft spot for underdogs. He removed his hands from the pup’s ears. “But he’s a good boy, isn’t he? Yes, he is.”

Reggie wagged his spiked tail.

I couldn’t help but smile and shook my head. I reached for Reggie and scratched the rough fur behind his ears. “All right. I guess he can stay.” I pointed at the pup. “But no biting my son or my friends. The angel and werewolves are fair game if you can pin them down, though.”

The pup smiled.

“Good.” Uncle Luc gave Reggie another pat then turned to leave. “And Caith?”

I rolled my eyes. I already knew where this was heading. “Yes?”

“Do stay out of trouble.” He shot me a stern, narrow eyed, dark look. “You’re in enough danger. Leave the ghoul hunting to the rest of us.”

With that, he left me alone with Reggie and I looked down at the young hound. “I suppose your job is to keep me here, huh?”

He tilted his head to the side and whimpered.

“That’s what I thought.”