I glanced back, dread uncoiling in my stomach.

My friend Claire stared back at me, shock on her face. She wore a fabulous red dress and black stilettos. So much makeup covered her face that I barely recognized her. But it was definitely her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I know. What are you doing here?” And dressed like that? Normally, she only wore her fighting leathers or jeans and a T-shirt.

“Come on.” She tugged my arm. “We need to get out of the crowd.”

I followed her toward the edge of the casino, Lachlan at my back. Claire strode through the tables like she knew the place. But she wasn’t a gambler. I sniffed.

Her magic smelled different. Like rotten meat and gasoline.

I gagged slightly.

What the hell was going on?

She pulled us to the edge of the gambling hall, right between two big potted trees. A bench sat pressed against the wall, a perfect place to get away from the crowd.

I looked at Lachlan. “Can you block the sound?”

He nodded.

Claire visibly relaxed. “No one can hear?”

“No one,” Lachlan said. “You don’t have to whisper.”

“What the hell is going on?” I asked. “Does Connor know you’re here?”

“My brother doesn’t know everything,” she said. “He wouldn’t approve of this job.”

“You’re on a job?” I asked.

“Why the hell else would I be in a place like this, stinking like an old butcher shop right before an arsonist went to town?”

Okay, she had a point.

“I’m hunting a mob boss.” She tapped the black diamond necklace that hung around her neck. “This makes me blend in, though. A bit like your cloak, but prettier.”

“This place has the mob?” I asked.

She gave me a deadpan look. “It’s a casino. Of course it has the mob.”

“So the Order of the Magica knows about this place, then,” Lachlan said.

“They do.” Claire spent most of her time working as a freelance mercenary and odd-jobs-woman for the Order of the Magica. “They don’t want to take this place out entirely, but they do want to clean it up some.”

“Why don’t they want to take it out?” I asked.

“The Order’s not all good,” Claire said.

“That’s the truth.” They hunted FireSouls like Nix, and she certainly wasn’t bad. They might be the government, and they might try to take care of most supernaturals, but they didn’t always do a good job. They certainly didn’t hesitate to let their prejudice run wild.

My gaze traveled from Claire back toward the crowd of gamblers, finally landing on a mop of messy blond hair. Two sawed off-horns stuck out.

I gasped. “That’s him!”

She nodded. “I assumed you were looking for someone. Which one is it?”

I nodded toward the card table where the cards floated in midair, directed by a mage who acted as the dealer. “The blond demon. We’ve got to ask him some questions. Problem is, I don’t know if he’ll talk.”

“Oh, he’ll talk,” Claire said. “You just got to get him into the Room of Truth.”

“What’s that?” Lachlan asked.

“This is the mob, right? So they’ve got to make people talk all the time. But regular old beatings don’t work great for supernaturals. We’re used to getting the shit beat out of us. And often, we’ve got scary people on our tails anyway. So they’ve got a room that has been imbued with a truth charm. Get your guy in there, ask him some questions, and bam! You’ve got your answers.”

“Perfect.” I liked this plan. “But how do we get him in there?”

“We can’t grab him, or people will be suspicious,” Lachlan said.

“Pretend to comp him something,” Claire said.

“Comp?”

“Give him something on behalf of the casino. He’s got a major gambling problem. He’ll go anywhere if you promise him credit or a better table.”

I looked down at my cloak. “He’s not going to follow me anywhere.”

“We’ll trade clothes,” Claire said. “I’d do it for you, but he’ll recognize me. I see him here all the time, and he knows I’m not staff. But I just arrived today, so he hasn’t seen this dress. We’ll trade clothes and stinky charms, and you lure him in.”

“You’re a lifesaver.”

She grinned. “The boss isn’t here tonight, so my plan was a bust anyway.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the wall. “We’ll find a bathroom and get changed.”

* * *

Ten minutes later, I teetered out of the bathroom on Claire’s stiletto heels. We were the same size, but heels had not been a part of my life in…well, ever.

I liked them; I’d just never had time to wear them. It wasn’t easy to run for your life in heels. Now I was suffering for that inexperience.

Before we’d gone to the bathroom, Claire had shown me where the Room of Truth was located, and I’d used my comms charm to alert the others. They’d act as guards, and once we’d gotten our target into the room, we’d make quick work of questioning him.

If Arach’s heart really was for sale in this awful place, I didn’t want to give anyone enough time to make an offer on it.

I turned the corner and met Lachlan’s gaze. His eyes traveled halfway down my body, heating as he took in the tight dress. Warmth flowed through me. Then he stiffened, as if realizing what he was doing, and jerked his gaze to mine.

“You look lovely.” His voice was slightly rough.

“Thanks.” I passed him. “Meet me at the room?”

“I’ll be there. Be safe.”

“You too.” I walked past him, heading out into the main room. I tried to put some swagger into my step and almost fell over.

Right. No swagger until I’d had more practice. Right now, I’d focus on getting to the demon’s table in one piece.

But when I neared the table, I realized he wasn’t there.

Crap.

I spun in a circle, heart thundering. He had to still be here.

Finally, my gaze landed on the bar on the side of the room. My target stood there, leaning over the gleaming wood and trying to get the bartender’s attention. I walked toward him, choosing the empty spot to his left.

My heart thundered as I got ready for my charade, hoping that he’d buy it.

“Excuse me, Mr. Karth?” Claire had told me his name, and I tried to keep my voice pleasantly modulated, channeling a fancy woman at a salon. I’d never been to a salon, but those ladies had always struck me as the height of fancy.

He turned, his gaze raking up and down my body. This felt nothing like Lachlan’s warm gaze, and I tried to control the shudder. Karth had the aura of a snake-oil salesman. “What’s up, pretty lady?”

Ew. “Management would like me to guide you to a special table. You’ve been such a loyal customer that they want to upgrade you.”

He grinned, tugging on his red jacket. The slime practically oozed off of him. “Why, that’s mighty kind of them. Do you come with the deal?”

Double ew. I flattened my features and forced my mouth to move. “Perhaps we can arrange something.”

The words almost made me gag, but they did get him to follow me. My heart pounded as I led him from the main casino floor to the hallway.

“What’s this now?” he asked.

“The table isn’t on the main floor. Our highest rollers don’t gamble there.”

“I wouldn’t call myself a high roller.” Nerves echoed in his voice.

“Oh, but you will be.”

His eyes brightened at that.

Moron.

I picked up the pace, my heels clacking on the tile floor. There was no one in this part of the hall, but it was still opulently decorated, so he shouldn’t be suspicious. Yet.

When his hand landed on my butt, I almost elbowed him in the nose. My arm twitched, and it took everything I had not to crush his face. I clenched my teeth and sucked in a deep breath. With a shaking hand, I gripped his wrist gently and removed it.

“Later.” I smiled, knowing it looked more like a dog baring its teeth, but he didn’t seem to notice. Mostly because his gaze was glued to my butt.

Ick.

It reminded me of my job waitressing back in Death Valley, before we’d gotten the buggy up and running. I’d been real determined to find any work besides that.

Near the end of the hall, I turned toward a large wooden door that gleamed in the light, pushing it open and leading him inside.

This was where it would get tricky, since this hallway had way less frills. Anyone with a clue in their head would realize that the high rollers wouldn’t be gambling in a room that was connected to a hallway as ugly as this one.

But Karth the Moron had eyes only for my ass, so he followed me in. We were a full ten feet down the hall before he noticed that the environment had changed substantially.

“Hey, what is this place?” he demanded.

“We’re nearly there.”

“But—” He grabbed my arm.

I spun and punched him in the throat, having no more patience for this shit. We were out of the public spaces, anyway.

Karth gasped, and his eyes bugged out. He gripped his throat, betrayal flashing in his gaze.

What did he expect from the woman whose ass he had grabbed?

“You’re a moron, Karth,” I said.

His face twisted, and he reached for me.

Lachlan appeared through a doorway. He was on Karth in seconds, dragging the guy away from me.

“Hey, he was mine!” I said.

“Don’t play with your prey.” He grinned at me. “Anyway, I don’t think his ego could handle being beaten by a woman.”

“I don’t care what his ego can handle.” I glared at Karth, who was currently shrieking his head off. No sound came out, though, no doubt due to Lachlan’s magic. “Let’s go.”

Lachlan dragged Karth down the hall.

Bree peeked her head out of a door, then grinned. “Come on.”

I hurried into the room, shivering as the magic washed over me.

Oh boy. Lachlan had better not ask me how I really felt about him while I was in here, or I was going to embarrass myself.

Lachlan threw Karth into the chair in the middle of the room. Bree was the only one here besides us.

“The others are on guard,” she said.

“Perfect.” I turned toward Karth. Lachlan gripped his shoulders, keeping his butt pressed down into the chair. My target’s face was a mottled red as he spat words at me. I was sure they were insults, but I still couldn’t hear him. “All right, Karth. You’re going to tell us who you sold Arach’s heart to.”

Lachlan’s magic lifted.

“You bitch!”

“You should be more worried about that than you are.” I smiled sweetly. “Tell me who you sold Arach’s heart to.”

His mouth twisted, as if he were trying to keep the words in, then he spat. “Didn’t sell it.”

“You didn’t?”

“No.”

“What’d you do with it, then?” I asked.

“Delivered it to the Extractor.”

“Who is that?”

He shrugged, a dumb look crossing his face. “The Extractor. I don’t know who she is, other than that she’s called the Extractor.”

“That’s a weird name. Does she wear a brown cloak?”

“No.”

“Do you know someone who wears a long brown cloak?”

“No.”

Hmm. I wonder if the cloaked figure had used an intermediary to hire Karth. Probably.

“Where is the Extractor?” I asked.

His face twisted, but finally, he spit the words out. “She’s got a shop here in Grimrealm. Other side of the main market. It’s named after her.”

Okay, this was good. We were really getting somewhere. “Who hired you to do this?”

He snapped his mouth shut, desperate not to speak.

“Come on, who hired you?”

“It was—”

“Incoming!” The comms charm at my neck blared to life. “Three demon guards, headed your way.”

My gaze darted to the door. It burst open, and three massive demons charged in. Each had the dark red skin of a fire demon, and their suits bulged with muscles. Large black horns extended from their heads, each decorated with silver spikes.

In unison, they hurled blasts of flame at the three of us. I was standing close to Bree, and I threw out my shield, blocking both of us.

It flickered briefly, almost failing to appear, then it burst to life, forming a white barrier that protected us from the flame. The fire crashed into it, making my arms shake, but the barrier held strong.

Karth wasn’t so lucky. The blast slammed right into him. Lachlan, who’d been standing behind him, lunged backward, avoiding the worst of the blow.

Karth lit up like a torch, but his screams were silent. Lachlan blocked them, thank fates, hopefully buying us more time before more guards were alerted to the scene. I’d have felt bad for Karth if he hadn’t been the one to steal Arach’s heart.

We had two seconds max before the fire demons recharged.

I drew my dagger from the ether, then dropped my shield and threw the blade at the nearest demon. It thudded into his neck, and he keeled over backward.

Bree drew her sword, lunging for a second attacker. Lachlan was fast. One second, he stood there as a man. Magic swirled around him, flashing bright, then he was a black lion, leaping toward the third demon. His long claws swiped across the demon’s throat, sending blood flying.

The demon collapsed. Bree’s opponent thudded to the ground, missing a head.

In a flash of light, Lachlan shifted back to human. He turned to our target, then sighed, clearly disappointed. “Questioning is over.”

Karth was nothing but ash. He’d be waking up back in hell soon.

“We need to get out of here.” I knelt by the nearest demon and patted down his pockets.

Bree did the same. I came up empty, but she held up her hand. “Jackpot! Transport charm.”

“Perfect.” I stood.

Lachlan checked the last demon, but he, too, came up empty.

“At least we have a clue.” I sidled up to the door and peeked out.

At the end of the hall, Claire gestured wildly. She’d used magic to change her hair to red, but I’d recognize her anywhere.

“Come on, guys,” I said.

We sprinted down the hall toward them. Rowan and Caro waited with her, and Claire led us on a twisty route through the back of the casino.

“If you took out the demons, you should have a bit of a head start,” she whispered.

“What about you?”

“I don’t think my cover is blown. No one has seen me back here, and I was only on the main floor for a minute.” She led us to a door. Next to it, a man slumped against the wall, asleep. No doubt courtesy of Claire. She pushed open the door, revealing an alley, then slipped outside.

We followed.

“Guard us while we change,” Claire said.

My friends stood with their backs to us while Claire and I stripped, trading clothes.

“You sure you’re okay?” I asked her.

“Fine. Don’t worry about me.” She pointed to her head. “The hair glamour helps. I’ll be fine.”

Claire was a pro, so I trusted her. You didn’t live as long as a mercenary and not know your way around a sticky situation.

“Did you get what you needed?” she asked.

“We have to go to the Extractor. Do you know who that is?”

She shook her head. “I’ve only ever heard of her, but I don’t know what she does. But she’s expensive, and only works with the worst of the worst.” She looked around, shrugging. “Which pretty much goes for everyone in this hellhole.”

“Be careful, okay?” Bree said.

“Always. You too.” She saluted. “I’ve got to get back in now. Pretend to act normal and all that. And wake up the guard.”

“Thanks for the help,” I said.

“Anytime. Come by P & P to tell me this story sometime.” She hurried back through the door.

I tugged the cloak up over my head, cringing at the feeling of spiders skittering over my skin, then turned to my friends. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this,” Rowan said.

We hurried out of the alley and into the market, pushing our way through the crowds that heaved between the stalls. As Karth had directed, we headed straight toward the other side of the market. A few minutes of searching led us down a narrow alley, where there was a simple black door with the words The Extractor written on it.

A man stood out front, his green top hat tipped jauntily on his head.

“Can I help you?” His voice carried a sibilant hiss.

“We’re here to see the Extractor,” Lachlan said.

“I’m certain you’re not,” he said.

“We are.” I stepped forward. “I’m certain I’d know our intentions.”

“Be that as it may, she does not have an appointment with five cloaked figures today.”

That was fair. And smart. Because I was probably going to try to kill this woman, if she was messing around with Arach’s heart.

Lachlan raised his hand a few inches, clearly about to freeze the guy in his tracks. But the doorman was too fast. Magic swirled around him, and a half second later, he transformed into a giant snake.

He lunged at Lachlan, knocking him off his feet, then wrapped around me like a giant boa constrictor. I gasped, my air totally cut off.

Bree leapt forward, swinging her sword for the snake’s head. She sliced it right off, and it thudded to the ground. But the body stayed wrapped around me, slowly crushing my muscles and bones. I tried to suck in air, my vision fading, but nothing entered my lungs.

Lachlan lunged upward, grabbing the snake around the middle. He heaved, veins standing out at his neck, and pulled the snake off of me. The beast uncoiled, then flopped to the ground.

Gasping, I stumbled away and choked out a word: “Thanks.”

Lachlan nodded, searching the area around us. “I don’t think anyone saw .”

He was right. The alley was suitably dark and abandoned. “Let’s get inside, then.”

Lachlan pulled open the door, and the five of us hurried inside. The shop within was entirely unassuming. It was a medium-sized space with shelves cluttered full of objects. Honestly, it looked a bit like Ancient Magic, except for the fact that it was dripping with dark magic and made my skin crawl.

I shuddered at the feel of the place. It was just as bad as my cloak, if not worse. This whole underground area stank of evil and desperation. No wonder Aerdeca and Mordaca had left and refused to return.

I stepped a few feet into the space.

A man wearing another green top hat entered the room from a door at the back. “Can I help you?”

“We’re looking for the Extractor,” Lachlan said.

I stiffened as a sense of familiar magic washed over me. It was coming from the door behind the man. I stepped closer, desperate to get another hit of that magic.

“She is not in, I’m afraid.” The man eyed us warily. “Sibbie let you in?”

I had to assume that was the doorman. I stepped closer and nodded absently. “He let us in.”

What is that magic?

I took another step forward, getting a stronger hit of the magic. I nearly stumbled backward, gasping. “Arach.”

“What?” Bree’s voice was sharp from behind me.

I pointed to the door behind the man. “There.”

Then I sprinted full out, determined to get to her. Arach’s heart was back there. I could feel her magic, crashing over me in waves. I’d never forget that feeling.

“Stop!” The man lunged for us.

My friends raced after me.

“Master!” the man shouted, right before he turned into a giant snake. He shot for us, his long fangs glinting in the light. Venom dripped off them, green and shiny.

“I’ve got this!” Rowan hurtled past me, sword raised. She sliced off the snake’s head before it reached her, then dived away from the body.

We sprinted around the remains, then straight through the door that would lead us to Arach’s heart.

As soon as I entered, I skidded to a halt, horror opening up a well inside of me. “Holy fates.”

I’d never seen anything like it.

A mad scientist’s lair, complete with a pit full of snakes.