Roman watched over Larissa and her grandmother all afternoon. He’d peeked into the living room window to make sure both were safe. Larissa didn’t appear to be a threat to her grandmother as they chatted. It was easier to monitor them after they stepped outside. The scent of the sage tickled his nostrils after her grandmother cleansed the air.

Ah, good. Larissa’s countenance appeared to soften. She didn’t seem as tense as she had been. Her grandmother had helped.

When Larissa left her grandmother’s house in the early evening, Roman flew back east. Although, he felt more comfortable that she wasn’t a threat to others, he had to ensure she wouldn’t return to Janie’s room. Not without him, even if she didn’t want him there. The demon’s magic was unpredictable. And if it had affected Larissa so strongly once, he wouldn’t let her face it alone again.

He followed her from the suburbs back over the lit-up sky above the city. She returned to her apartment in Jamaica Plain rather than the hospital, which was a good sign. He landed on the street outside the three-family house where she lived and leaned against an oak tree. She entered the house. When her bedroom light turned on, an ache grew. He should be in there, not on patrol outside. The day had turned into an epic disaster.

After forty-five minutes, she turned out her bedroom light. He waited another half hour until confident she was in for the night.

He circled her house. Just because she didn’t appear to be a danger to Janie or others at the moment didn’t mean she was safe. He sniffed for the scent of demon in the area. Nothing. Still, he wouldn’t let down his guard, especially not when it came to Larissa.

Damn, he’d feel better if she stayed at the compound, but she hadn’t agreed to that. And after how she’d broken things off between them earlier, she wasn’t likely to be receptive to the idea of being in the same vicinity as him.

After confirming there were no signs of dark magic near her house, he patrolled her street. Still, nothing. He expanded his search to a broader perimeter. Only when he’d covered several streets did his taut muscles relax.

Maybe after a rest, she’d feel more like herself again. Too bad he wasn’t with her to help soothe her. Ah, well, no point in dwelling on that.

Roman, Arto said, opening a communication link.

What is it?

We’ve detected recent activity.

A bristling sensation ran up the back of Roman’s neck. With all the surveying and waiting over the past few days, a sign that confirmed what they feared was somehow better than the endless speculation.

Unfortunately, we keep losing its scent, Arto added.

Shit. Was it teleporting? Where did you sense them?

In two locations. One is in the Common again, close to the portal.

That didn’t surprise Roman. If a demon was still out there, it made sense for it to seek the portal. Where else would it go? He searched the streets. Trying to get to Larissa?

His heart tightened. Where else?

Here, where I’m stationed in Longwood, and...

When Arto paused, Roman prodded, And what?

I fear what this means.

Roman’s heart hammered in agreement. Not only were there new signs of a demon presence, but it approached where Janie recuperated. Its intention reeked of malice.

Are you still watching over her?

Yes, Arto replied. I’m cloaked. I slipped into her room. Diego is outside.

Good. Does she appear to be all right?

Yes. I think so. I didn’t catch their scent within the hospital. I’ve checked every floor. Arto’s voice sounded troubled–and a bit wistful.

It didn’t sound like him. Arto was level-headed and loyal. He had a good sense of humor, even in precarious situations.

Is something wrong? Roman asked.

No. After a moment, Arto added, well, not in the physical sense. This troubles me. She seems so young, and too innocent. I heard the nurses discuss what happened to her leg. Apparently, she’d been injured during the bombings at the Marathon, and then had undergone months of physical rehabilitation. She still has shrapnel in her leg. It doesn’t seem right for someone to be threatened again while still recovering from a previous attack.

Roman had never heard Arto speak in such a way, as if Janie was more than a human he’d been assigned to guard. But, that was insane. Janie was unconscious, and they’d never spoken. It was likely just an effect of the helplessness of the situation, not knowing what the demon or demons had planned. Perhaps, it was a gargoyle’s protective instinct amped up under stress.

You’re right, Arto. Janie seems to have endured more than most. And Larissa has long felt a connection to her, like she is a guardian. On Saturday night, they’d gone out dancing for the first time since the bombings. And then, you know what happened.

Yes. A fucking incubus got to her. Arto seethed. Seduced her and tried to take her soul.

Arto communicated with such rage, more than Roman had ever heard from his deputy. What could he say to calm him?

Arto, do you need a break from that location? I can send another to take your place, so you can get outdoors again.

No, Roman. I’d like to stay on guard here. It might sound crazy, but my instincts are stronger than usual. I feel compelled to make sure she’s safe.

Roman nodded although Arto couldn’t see him. If there’s one thing Roman could understand, it was that compulsion.

All right, Arto. Larissa is home, and she seems to be in for the night. I’m going to check on you and the others before I return to her.

What happened to her?

Roman’s throat tightened. The gulf between them exacerbated the ache of separation from his mate. He tried to keep his emotion from his voice. He was a commander, and he’d damned well make the demons pay for what they’d done to her—and had taken from him.

The dark magic got to her. He summarized how it had affected her earlier, leaving out the exact phrases she’d spat at him, which still burned. Hell, they were etched into his soul like she’d carved them with a jagged knife.

We must find a way to save them both, Arto declared with absolute conviction.

Roman clenched his fists as the rage stirred. The bloodlust rose, waking the beast within that demanded he hunt the demons and seek vengeance. His nostrils flared, and his heart pumped with fury.

He forced himself to take slower, longer breaths to calm the volcanic eruption. Rash decisions could only lead to failure. He needed to take to the sky to calm the rage. For now, he channeled it into icy resolve.

We will, Arto. Upon my life, I swear it.

When Larissa woke up on Thursday morning, regret returned, smothering her.

Roman had protected her, he’d been patient with her, he’d tried to help Janie as she’d requested, and he’d even gone to her grandmothers with her. But what had she done? Larissa replayed those awful things she’d spewed. She cringed and rolled onto her belly before covering her head with the pillow.

What a nightmare. They were supposed to be fighting the darkness together and helping Janie, but she’d pushed him away. No, not just pushed, she’d shoved him out of her life with such callous, biting words. Unforgivable.

Fuck! Words could slice wounds deeper than weapons, causing permanent destruction.

Would she be able to undo the damage?

Time to stop dwelling on her mistakes of yesterday, and work on making shit right today.

First, she’d head back to her grandmother’s. They had to figure out how to help Janie. If Larissa had experienced just a fraction of demon magic and only for a short time, God only knew how Janie suffered. Hopefully, she was shut off from it and in some dreamless rest—and not trapped in a vivid nightmare full of monsters that she couldn’t escape.

Larissa lifted the pillow from her head and climbed out of bed. She showered, focusing on washing away the negativity, and dressed in a pair of black shorts and an olive-green tank top. It would reach the 90s that day, and would feel much worse with the humidity.

She added the owl amulet. The last time she’d put it on was when Janie had suggested she wear it the night of the eclipse. Maybe it had protected Larissa. It certainly hadn’t helped Janie. Could it help her now?

She couldn’t let Janie suffer any longer. Although every molecule in Larissa’s body recoiled at the idea of returning to the hospital and trying again, her grandmother was right. Larissa had to do whatever she could to help her friend.

After a quick breakfast of eggs, toast, and coffee to fortify herself, Larissa headed out to brave the day.

While she drove west, she thought about Roman. She pictured his quiet strength, his stillness, and the hint of amusement in his eyes. He was a calming presence in her chaotic mind. After she tried again with Janie, she’d apologize. Until then, she had to stay away. She couldn’t be anywhere near him if the dark magic infected her again, triggering her to lash out.

An unsettling shiver at the back of her neck made her tighten up. She hunched her shoulders and dropped her head back to ease the tension.

It didn’t help. Instead, it intensified.

Oh no, not now.

She tilted her head from side-to-side, trying to ease the tension. When she’d got these sensations, something bad followed. She gripped the steering wheel fiercely. Where the hell was it coming from? What did it mean?

Please, not Nana. Please.

That’s what it was about—her grandmother. Oh no, she couldn’t be in danger.

Larissa accelerated as she headed west on Route 2, trying to find a reasonable middle ground between going over the speed limit and being pulled over. That wouldn’t help things. No way could she stop to explain how she was a police officer rushing to her grandmother’s because she had a strange feeling.

She tried to inhale through the sudden tightness.

Take a deep breath in, and let it out. That’s all you need to do.

Despite trying to follow her practical instruction, her chest constricted further, leaving her gasping for air. Her lungs burned as if she’d been underwater for too long. That suffocating fear matched. If she couldn’t breathe, she would die.

She had to pull over before she lost control of the car and caused an accident. Once she safely drove into the breakdown lane, her racing heartbeat slowed, and she was able to breathe at a normal rate again.

I’m probably overreacting. Nana’s fine. I’m just stressed out over everything going on, especially after the breakup with Roman. The slightest provocation that something is wrong is setting me off.

A sudden whoosh of something she couldn’t identify swept into her chest cavity. It was so intense that she gasped. The tightness that had clamped her rib cage was gone. She leaned her head back on the headrest, and her mouth fell open. Oxygen flowed into her lungs without impediment again.

A strange lightness entered her body. What the hell was that? It wasn’t just the sense of weightlessness, but an actual luminescence as well. The mysterious light brightened and grew. It wrapped around her like a sun-kissed embrace. She could no longer see the highway before her as this peculiar light had filled her mind. Yet, she wasn’t terrified.

Why not?

Larissa tried to get a better read on this unfamiliar sensation. It was like someone had illuminated hundreds of tiny fairy lights deep within her soul. It was energy and magic and love. Somehow, they all combined in this light.

“Nana?” Why she called for her grandmother, she didn’t know. Perhaps, because she was on the way there? Yes, that had to be it. Her brain was trying to piece together what was going on, and the next step was heading there.

The brightness began to fade. As it did, it revealed the highway again.

And the lights of a state police cruiser behind her.

Shit.

A patrol officer stepped up to the open window. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

She smiled. “I am. I had a sudden cramp that was so painful, I had to pull over.”

It wasn’t a lie. What had happened in her head was both sudden and painful.

“Do you need help? There’s a hospital a few miles ahead.”

“No, I’m fine now. Thank you.”

After assuring him that she was all right to drive, she waited until she found a spot to ease back into the traffic going west. Could she get to her grandmother’s without any more oddities?

Several minutes later, she exited via the off-ramp and drove past Emerson Hospital and sighed. She’d narrowly avoided a visit there. The pain could incapacitate her. That sense of lightness had saved her, wherever it had come from. She continued on to Concord and into the small town where her grandmother lived.

When she parked in the driveway without any further incidents, she exhaled and leaned against the steering wheel. Shit, that drive had sucked worse than a rush hour gridlock.

At the front door, she rang the bell. After thirty seconds, her grandmother didn’t answer, so she rang again.

“Nana, it’s me, Larissa.”

Still nothing.

Had she gone out? Hmm, but her car was in the driveway, and the lights were on in the living room. Larissa fished through her purse to find her spare key and let herself in.

“Oh my God!” She covered her mouth. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” She leaned forward, holding her knees.

Her grandmother lay next to the couch, eyes wide open as if she stared at the ceiling. Red gashes marred her yellow dress like a colorful Rorschach test.

Who would do this to her? And why?

Larissa closed her eyes. An idea shaped in her mind. What else had caused carnage over the city in recent days?

No, she was being ridiculous. Thinking that a demon flew here from Boston to specifically target her grandmother was some freaky-ass paranoia. Clearly, the recent attack and the dark magic still rattled Larissa.

Still, she yearned to call Roman. Tell him what happened. He’d know what to do. He’d help calm her craziness with her paranoia.

Wait, she knew what to do. She was a police officer. Despite all the supernatural shit that had twisted her mind into a maelstrom, she had to remember that. Someone killed her grandmother for some twisted reason. It could have been a botched-up robbery, a heroin addict searching for money–anything. Right. That was the more likely scenario. And, she didn’t know if whoever had done it wasn’t still inside.

She kept alert as she backed out of the house. After closing the door, she moved toward her car and called 911.

As she reported the incident, her voice came out detached, as if she was already compartmentalizing.

How many times had she responded to distressed calls from loved ones? Now she was the one placing the call. But, there was nothing the responders could do to help her grandmother. She was dead.

She’d been brutally murdered.

Senseless thoughts filled her head. It couldn’t be happening.

But, it had. This wasn’t a nightmare. Her grandmother was gone. Her house was a crime scene.

Larissa paced the sidewalk out front as she awaited the first responders. A glimpse of a compost spinner at the side of the house caught her eye. She swallowed a rock-sized lump. The bin was probably full of baking scraps and cleanup from her garden—activities her grandmother would never enjoy again.

A wrecking ball of guilt slammed into her gut. Yesterday, her grandmother had invited Larissa to stay the night, but she had passed. She wanted to be near Janie if there were any changes. And with Larissa’s trouble sleeping, she was more comfortable at home. She could creep around her apartment without bothering anyone. Since it took less than an hour without traffic, the drive wasn’t a big deal. But, if she’d stayed, would she have been able to help? Or, would she also be a bloody corpse on the floor?

She picked up the phone. Even though a part of her was still hurt, he’d understand.

“Dad. Something terrible has happened.” Her voice cracked. “Can you come to Nana’s?”

“I’ll be right there.”

When responders arrived, a knot contorted her insides. It seemed especially cruel to have to answer questions about her grandmother’s murder from police, being on the other side of the mirror for a role she played. And from what she’d observed, she was likely stunned and not yet taking it in.

The shock of a sudden death would beat at her in the days to come, invade her psyche, and poke at her with vicious thoughts. Twisted thoughts were already taking shape, trying to make sense of a tragic loss. Perhaps this brutal murder was kind in a way—at least in comparison to the slow, insidious invasion that came with cancer.

No. Too many racing images. They could drag her into endless dark recesses of her mind. She shut them down, forcing them into a compartment for another time. She first had to get through more questions—this time of her grandmother’s murder.