"PLANT YOUR FEET and pull."

I planted. I pulled. With the arrow aimed up at the sky, I prayed for the help of gravity to get the string back. It didn't move more than a couple of inches no matter how hard I strained.

Warren was trying not to laugh and failing. "Stop. Stop. Are you hunting for doves? Bring it down out of the sky, babe."

I huffed and lowered the bow in the direction of the foam box target he'd set up against the fence line.

He covered my fingers with his over the release and helped me pull. "Once you get it about three-quarters of the way back, you'll feel the pressure let off and it will be easier to pull."

Just as he'd said, there was a break in the pressure and I could pull the string back, but still only with his help. Carefully, he eased the string forward. "Now you try."

I pulled and pulled. The arrow flopped around on the rest and then fell off.

Warren bit the inside of his lips when I looked at him.

"This is the dumbest idea ever," I said.

He massaged my shoulders. "Don't overthink this. Breathe. You can do it."

I took a deep breath and Warren moved back. Inhaling, I moved the bow up into position, then I pulled and the string moved back into place. I was so shocked, I released it. The string slapped against my inner elbow and the arrow flew wildly over the fence. I screamed and dropped the bow. Crumpling over in pain, I gripped my arm. "Holy hellfire! That hurt!"

My arm was already bright red.

"Everybody does that when they first start." Warren slapped my back. "Shake it off."

"Shake it off," I mimicked, full snark. "You're such a guy."

He pointed at the target. "Again. This time don't release till I tell you to."

When the throbbing eased in my arm, I picked the bow back up, pulled the string back, and aimed it at the bullseye. "Now what?" I asked.

"Anchor your index finger against your cheek."

I touched my knuckle to my cheek. "Like this?" I asked.

"Good. Line up your peep site with the front site and put the bullseye in the middle of it."

"My what?"

"The peep site" He pointed to a black circle in the string. "Look through that and line up with this site here." He touched his finger to another ring that was mounted on the side of the bow.

"OK." I matched up the circles toward the red circle on the target. "Got it."

"Pull the trigger to release the arrow."

Pain still burned in my arm. "I don't want to."

"Your elbow is bent and out of the way. Release the arrow."

I pressed the trigger and dropped the bow to watch the arrow sail about two feet over the target and through the fence, narrowly missing the "WARNING: DO NOT ENTER" sign. I frowned. "I didn't come anywhere close."

"But you didn't kill anyone or hurt yourself, so I call it a win," he said, squeezing the back of my neck. "Try again."

In a half an hour, we lost nine of the two dozen arrows we'd bought, and I hadn't landed any anywhere near the bullseye. I had hit the box a couple of times, even touching the outer blue ring twice, and I hadn't slapped my arm with the bow string again, but I was far from being a natural archery talent.

"Draw, anchor, release," Warren said again.

I released another arrow and it sailed through the fence. I dropped the bow at my side and turned to Warren. "Can I quit now?"

Before he could argue, a black fifteen passenger van with dark tinted windows pulled off the road onto the grass by our ATV. The side door slid back and Nathan stepped out, all smiles as usual.

I frowned. "Why are you here?"

He turned up his palms. "I thought you could use some encouragement."

"You lie," I said.

He nodded. "Yeah, I do." He pointed at the target. "Go on. Let's see what you can do."

"Does it look like I can do much?" I asked with a frustrated huff.

He laughed. "Nope."

Warren gestured toward the van. "Who is with you?"

Nathan shrugged. "Just the guys from my unit. Come on, Sloan. I haven't got all day."

I scowled at him, and he folded his arms across his chest. I nocked an arrow. With my eyes fixed on the target, I pulled the string back, touched my thumb to cheek, and shot toward the target. By all the mercies of the universe, I pierced the red ring of the target. Nathan clapped his hands. "Nicely done. Maybe I'm a good luck charm."

"I doubt it."

"Do it again," he said. "This time, level out your back elbow."

I nocked another arrow, drew it back, leveled my elbow, and released the arrow. This time I watched it sail up through the fence again. I scowled at Nathan. "Why do I listen to you?"

"Because I'm smart." He walked over to me. "And irresistibly charming." He looked at Warren. "Can I help her?"

Warren nodded, only mildly reluctant.

Nathan stood behind me and held his arms alongside mine, covering my hands with his. He pulled the string back. "Sloan?" His voice snapped me out of a daze, and I opened my eyes that I hadn't realized I'd closed. Damn pheromones.

"Yeah?"

"Did you know you have a lot of glitter in your hair?"

"I'm not surprised."

Behind us, Warren cleared his throat.

Nathan coughed and adjusted the bow. "See how our arms are level?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Keep your arms in this position. Don't move." He took a step back. "Now line up the sites with the yellow inner circle of the bullseye and fire."

I did and looked up to watch the arrow hit the white shell of the target. I groaned.

The front passenger door of the van flew open. "God, you're a bunch of morons." It was Fury, dressed in all black, fitted tactical wear. Her hair was pulled back and she was wearing black aviator sunglasses.

In a few long strides, she was on top of me. "Your anchor point is different every time you shoot, but the biggest problem is you drop the bow the same second you release. You have no follow through and it's pushing your angle up." She snatched the bow out of my hand, nocked an arrow, and drew it back without hindrance. She aimed and released the arrow, landing it almost dead center in the yellow eye of the target.

She stayed frozen in place. "You never lower your weapon till you strike your mark. After the strike, then drop your weapon." She lowered it, and then she pressed the bow back into my arms. "Do it again. This time, don't move your ass till you hear the thud."

I thought I might throw up. She even smelled amazing.

My hands were shaking so much I almost dropped the arrow as I tried to nock it. It took me two attempts to pull the string back. When I got the string back, she stepped up next to me and touched the side of my face. "Your anchor point is wherever you feel comfortable. Just do it the same way every single time."

I nodded and rested my index finger against my cheekbone.

"Breathe in and as you slowly exhale, pull the trigger. Then don't move till after the arrow is in the target." She stepped back beside Nathan and Warren.

I sucked in a deep breath, and as I blew it out slowly I released the arrow. I watched—this time through the sights—the arrow strike almost the bullseye.

"Holy shit," I whispered, finally dropping the bow.

Warren and Nathan clapped. Fury walked back to the van and slammed the door shut before I could say anything to her.

"Again," Warren said.

I drew another arrow, anchored along my cheek, breathed in deep, slowly exhaled…and sunk another arrow right beside the last. No one was more shocked than me.

"McNamara, get in the damn van!" Fury yelled from her open window.

Nathan paused beside me and squeezed my arm. "Nicely done, Sloan."

"Thank you."

"You guys are still heading out today?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Pretty soon."

He studied my face for a second. "Stay alive, all right?"

"I'm doing my best. We'll see you in a few days."

He waved to Warren and took off in a jog toward the van. It started rolling away and he jumped through the door to get inside. As they drove back onto the pavement and around the curve, I shook my head and sighed. Warren walked up behind me. "I told you she's a damn good teacher."

I groaned up toward the sky. "But I hate her so very much."

He laughed and turned me around to face the target again. "Then picture her face and aim right between the eyes."

"What do you think I was doing?"

We spent another half hour shooting until I hit the inner two rings of the target three times in a row. Then he took the bow from me and stood at my back. "Using your power is no different. You need the same focus, the same steady hand, and the same aim. Breathe and fire the same way." He pointed over my shoulder at the target. "Hit it this time without the arrow."

I frowned. "But I've been able to do that for a long time. That's not what I need to learn."

"Do it anyway."

With one swift thrust of my hand, the target flew backward, striking the fence before flipping up into the air. I turned toward Warren with my hands raised as if to say "See?"

"Good. Now, lift the target and hold it steady with one hand and blow it up with the other."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really."

"Blow it up?"

He made an explosion sound with his mouth and splayed out his fingers.

I sighed. "OK."

I turned toward the target and used my right hand to lift it into the air against the fence. I pumped my left fist a few times. Then released the power from my left hand, but moved my right enough so the target flipped up and somersaulted over the fence into the forbidden territory. My nose wrinkled as I looked at Warren and shrugged.

He pointed. "Get it back over here."

Using my power, I picked up the target and gently lifted it back over to our side of the fence.

"Again."

I held it up and focused on it for a moment. My left hand rose to meet my right and I heard Fury's voice in my head. Breathe in and as you slowly exhale, pull the trigger.

The target exploded into a million pieces.

* * *

Warren looked at me when we pulled into Echo-10. "I'm really proud of you, babe."

I smiled. "Thank you. I'm kinda proud of me too."

His head tilted in question. "Are you proud enough to attempt it on Lamal?"

I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth. "Not quite. I think I need a few more days of practice before I start testing it on humans."

He nodded. "Fair enough." We got out and walked toward the building. "I think he should stay here then till we get back."

"I agree."

He used the retina scanner to get us inside, and when we reached the lobby he pointed to the elevator. "I'm going to check to make sure we didn't leave anything in our room. Do you want to sit with Taiya till we're ready to go?"

"Yes. Thank you." I squeezed his hand before he walked to the elevator.

"Oh my god, you're back!" Melinda's voice carried down the hallway from the clinic. "Girl, I need your number!"

I looked around with alarm. "What's going on?"

"She's awake. My girl's awake!" She motioned for me to hurry up. "C'mon. Geez, you're slow."

"When did she wake up?" I asked, doubling my pace toward the hall.

"Just now, but she ain't real lucid yet." She grabbed my sleeve when I was close enough and pulled me into the clinic. We walked into Taiya's cubicle where the nurse was adjusting the tube on one of Taiya's I.V. bags. When I got close enough to the bed, my hopes deflated.

Taiya's eyes were closed.

"What happened?" Melinda asked the nurse.

The nurse scribbled some notes on a clipboard. "I told you this is a process and to not get too excited yet."

Melinda looked at me. "She was awake. I swear she was."

I smiled and put my hand on Melinda's arm. "I believe you."

Tears pooled in Melinda's eyes. "I thought she'd turned a corner, ya know?"

"I know, but she is getting better," I said.

"She certainly is," the nurse agreed. "All her vitals are holding at normal." She patted Melinda's shoulder. "It's only a matter of time now."

Melinda wiped her nose on the back of her hand and sniffed. "I know." She looked at me. "Quick. Tell me somethin' funny. Did you shoot anyone today with that purple bow and arrow of yours?"

I grinned. "No, but I did blow up the target."

She laughed. "Of course you did."

"We're heading home today," I said.

She slumped onto the edge of her daughter's bed. "But you are comin' back, right?"

I crossed my arms. "That almost sounds like you want me to come back."

"I may not trust you, but you're not half bad," she said. "As long as I can keep my eye on you."

"We'll only be gone a few days. Sometime next week, I think. Can I bring you back anything from the real world?" I asked.

She smiled and put her hand on Taiya's arm. "Nah. I got everything I need right here."

* * *

I left my cell number with Melinda, and then I rode back to Asheville with Warren and Reuel. The next morning, we went to my appointment with Dr. Watts. I'd gained a low record of only three pounds that month. I told her we'd be traveling for a few weeks and that I'd schedule my next appointment when I got back into town. I didn't tell her I might die between now and then because I was pretty sure I'd stressed my doctor out enough at my last checkup.

We spent the weekend packing, and on Monday we went to the bank where Warren signed all the documents to buy the house. We left with the keys and immediately drove the first truckload of boxes to the new house. Warren wouldn't let me lift a thing, not using my arms, anyhow. I was able to use my power, however, inside the house to put things where I wanted them. Outside the privacy of the house, Warren enlisted the help of our security detail. While the men moved furniture, Adrianne showed up around noon to help me unpack.

She was wearing a ball cap and zero makeup. This wasn't a good sign. "You OK?" I asked as she walked through my new front door.

"Yeah."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't look OK. What's going on?"

She groaned and dropped her purse on the kitchen counter.

"Is it Azrael?" I asked.

Her head snapped up. "Have you heard from him?"

I pointed toward the sofa. "Sit. We need to talk. Do you want some coffee? Breakfast?"

She frowned. "Do you even have breakfast?"

I shook my head.

"You're not right in the head," she said, plopping down in the living room.

"So you've told me since we were kids." I sat next to her. "Azrael's gone, Adrianne."

She straightened and turned toward me. "Gone? What do you mean?"

"We went to Claymore because we found Taiya. He's been holding her there all along," I said.

Her mouth fell open. "What? Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not sure. He said he did it to protect me. He also did it to use Taiya as bait so I'd come looking for her at Claymore."

"He's wanted you at Claymore since the beginning. Even enlisted me to try to convince you to go. He describes it like a fortress built to protect you."

"That much is true. A fortress is a good way to put it." I looked up at her. "And I'm going back to stay there for a while."

Her lips parted. "What about the wedding?"

"The wedding is still on…if I live till then," I added with a chuckle.

Adrianne wasn't amused. "When are you going?"

"As soon as we get settled in here, I guess. I'm afraid bad things are about to happen. It feels like I'm looking at blue sky when it's really only the eye of a hurricane about to blow me over."

"What kind of bad things?"

"It sounds like The Morning Star will launch a full-blown war to take my baby if he has to."

"And you think Azrael has known about this war the whole time?" she asked.

"The whole time," I echoed with a nod.

"But why wouldn't he tell you?"

"That's the million-dollar question."

"Is that why he left? Because you found out he was keeping it from you?" she asked.

I grimaced. "I think he left because I threatened to kill him."

"Sloan!"

I held my hands up in defense. "That's not the whole reason. He left a letter. He was planning to leave anyway."

She sank back in her seat. "He never said anything to me about leaving." Tears sparkled in her eyes, and I wanted to kill Azrael all over again.

I put my hand on her knee. "I'm really sorry."

"You called it. You tried to tell me," she said, sniffing back her emotions.

"That doesn't make it any easier."

She stood up and stretched her arms up over her head. "Nope, but I know what will make it better. Booze. Where's the liquor box, Sloan? I know you have one."

I looked at the time on my phone. "It's a little early, isn't it?"

She scowled. "Really?"

I pointed toward a box in front of the fridge. "I don't have much, but there's tequila and peach schnapps in that one. Warren has some whiskey stashed somewhere too."

"Tequila works," she said, crossing the kitchen.

"Shot glasses are in there as well." I got up to follow her.

She pulled the bottle from the box and unscrewed the cap. "Who needs a glass?" She turned the bottle up to her lips.

I laughed. "This is going to get interesting."

She winked a watery eye at me. "You'd better believe it."

* * *

By the time my dad showed up with dinner, Adrianne was passed out in my new bedroom. She never cried, but she cussed a lot. Warren drove her home after we ate, and I was in bed by the time he returned. His eyes were wide with bewilderment. "She's going to be in pain tomorrow."

I pulled the comforter down on his side of the bed. "Thank you for taking her."

"Of course." He stripped off his shirt, and for a second I forgot to breathe. Pausing by my side of the bed, he leaned and gently kissed my lips. "First night in our new house. Want to take a bath in our giant ass bathtub?"

I moaned with pleasure at the thought. "Absolutely." I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him again.

He smiled against my lips. "Give me five minutes to start the bath. Then I'll come back for you."

"Hurry," I whispered.

Across the room, he closed the bathroom door behind him. A second later, I heard the running water from the faucet. When he returned, he peeled the covers off me without a word and slipped an arm under my knees. The other arm he scooped behind my back. Effortlessly, he lifted me off the mattress and carried me to the bathroom. When he walked through the door, I laughed. "I think the tradition is carrying the lady across the threshold of the front door."

"Want me to take you outside and try again?" he asked, smiling.

I dropped my head back and laughed. "No way. The bathroom is much better."

Gently, he put my feet on the floor, then grasped the edge of his shirt I was wearing and pulled it up over my head. Bubbles were almost spilling over the edge of the tub that was lined with glittery votive candles. "Are those for the wedding?" I asked.

"Yes. Don't tell Adrianne."

"When did we get all these in here?" I asked, noting there were candles flickering all around the bathroom.

He slipped my cotton panties over my hips. "I hid a box up here this afternoon."

"Sneaky."

Taking my hand, he led me to the tub. I balanced on one foot and stuck my toes in. The water was perfect. I stepped fully inside as he slipped off the rest of his clothes. In the pit of my stomach, I felt a slight tingle. How could I not with the naked man standing before me?

But the tingle increased, effervescing like vinegar poured over baking soda. The sensation bubbled up, quickly rising to my brain, making the room spin out of control. I wavered, and Warren grasped my arms to steady me.

"Help me," I was able to say as my legs crumpled into the water.

Still standing outside the tub, he pulled me against him, my body trembling in his arms. He was shouting my name, but I couldn't respond. The trembling intensified to convulsions. It was a seizure. It had to be.

My spine arched and a scream rose from deep within me. Everything swirled out of focus then quickly snapped back together. Light exploded throughout the room in every direction, shattering the mirrors and windows, sending shards of glass slicing through the air.

Warren curled around me, a human shield against the spray. The sound of tinkling pieces against the marble countertops and the tile floor created an almost beautiful, deadly melody.

This was it.

This was the moment Azrael was waiting for.

The Vitamorte had risen.