There were no portals that led to the Hellean cities. No ships could approach them either, at least not without being blown to bits by the Helleans’ killer defense system.

“I get why Leonidas wants to come along, but what about you?” I asked Silas as the three of us walked down the main road of Crystal Falls to my office. “Is this some kind of professional pride?”

“He’s coming with you to protect the woman he loves. And I’m coming with you to honor a promise to the woman I loved.” He gave me a smile that was almost melancholy. “Livia Cross. Your aunt.”

I blinked. Now that was something I hadn’t expected. “You were in love with her?”

“Yes, long before your mother and father married her to Ambrose Selpe. Before she died, I promised her I would always protect her sons, no matter what.”

Wow. He must have really loved Livia if he was still looking out for Hayden and Ian ten years after her death.

Marin was waiting inside my office, reading one of the tabloid magazines we kept on the coffee table. There was a picture of a yeti on the cover with wild, bold claims that the creature had been sighted. On Earth, people would have mocked such wild tales, but out here, you never knew what sort of weird shit the galaxy would spit at you.

Surprise flashed in Marin’s eyes when she saw Leonidas, but she didn’t speak to him. That told me two things. Firstly, she knew he’d been involved in the princes’ kidnapping. And secondly, she had no idea he was in love with her.

“So, how are we going to get to the Helleans?” she asked me. “Sneak aboard a supply ship?” Her eyebrows wiggled.

I was about to tell them my plan when the door opened, and Jason stepped into the office. When Marin saw the black leather—and the black fire in his eyes—she took a step back. Wary recognition dawned on her face. She’d obviously seen Jason’s wanted poster. Leonidas just stared at Jason in shock. The Selpe Intelligence Network had been trying to find Jason for two years.

Silas folded his arms across his chest, keeping his eyes locked on Jason. It was a hard, challenging look. In other words, typical Phantom nonsense. Both Phantoms were armed, but blades were not the only weapons in a Phantom’s arsenal. I said a silent prayer that my office would survive this encounter.

Jason kept his knives sheathed, but his eyes hardened with cold dark fire. A fighting fire. “Yes?”

Silas had been checking out the assassin’s blades. “They’re so small.”

“I travel light.” Jason spoke in perfect monotone when he added, “And I don’t make a habit of getting myself stuck to trees.”

Silas’s eyes phased white.

“You got stuck to a tree?” I asked Silas. I just couldn’t help it. I had to know.

His gaze remained locked with Jason’s. “It was a big tree with a big magnet inside.”

So his knives had gotten stuck to the trunk. Wow, now I’d heard everything. I snorted.

Silas’s eyes narrowed.

“Sorry. It’s just…well…you have to admit it’s funny,” I chuckled.

Silas merely stared at Jason, who locked his arms across his chest and stared back.

Silas’s eyes went white. “Assassin.”

Jason’s went completely black. “Bodyguard.”

Oh, boy.

The tension was so thick, the air so heavy with magic, that I could hardly breathe.

Leonidas’s hand dropped to the gun at his belt. “What’s going on here?”

I rolled my eyes. “A Phantom pissing contest. Jason and Silas are trying to determine who’s the bigger, badder Phantom.”

“Who’s winning?”

“I am,” claimed both Phantoms.

“Uh-huh. And why exactly is this relevant?” Leonidas asked.

“Besides all the fancy stuff that Phantoms can do, they also have big egos,” I explained. “And they possess an inconceivable drive to establish a pecking order.”

“I am the Elite Phantom. There is no need to establish anything,” said Jason, his voice laced with ice.

“Nice try. I have outlived many Elite Phantoms,” countered Silas. “Last time we crossed paths, you were but a scrawny child, so I allowed your glare to pass without beating you to a bloody pulp. But I suppose you don’t remember that.”

“I do.”

“Good, then consider that your one and only warning.”

Jason’s eyes darkened further.

Silas grinned. “Oh, now you’re just asking for it, junior.”

I cleared my throat loudly and stepped between them. “Now, now. We’re all friends.” I looked at Jason. “What are you doing here?”

“I was checking on you,” he told me.

“How’s Cameron?”

“I took him to see Braeden’s people. They have a very experienced Prior who can train him.” He gave me a dark look. “Cameron and I were attacked on our way to the Night Rose Order.”

My chest clenched up. “By the bronze-eyed Phantom?”

“No, by another mage. A female Chameleon. She was also using potions to enhance her magic.”

This was getting stranger and stranger.

“We managed to lose her,” Jason continued. “Braeden is now watching over Cameron. He’s helping your brother look through the Night Rose Order’s magic-augmenting accessories to see which ones will help him with his gift.”

“I don’t trust your cousin,” I told him bluntly. “I’d like to see Cameron myself.”

“You’ll get your wish soon enough. Braeden is calling in his favor. He has a job for you.”

That sure was fast.

“I have a few other things to do, then we’ll go talk to Braeden, ok?” I said.

“What are these other things?” Jason’s voice was as calm as a quiet lake at midnight—before the sea monster jumped out of it and devoured the unsuspecting swimmer whole.

I smiled at him. “We’re sneaking into a Hellean city.”

The silence stretched on. When Jason finally spoke, his voice was low, dangerous. “That is unwise.”

“The Helleans are connected to Lady Cassandra. I need to find out how. And, more importantly, the Helleans have Hayden and Ian Selpe. I’m not going to abandon them if there’s a chance I can save them.”

“With this band of misfits?”

Marin paled. Leonidas frowned. And Silas pressed his crossed arms harder against his chest, making his enormous muscles bulge.

“I assure you, they are all professionals,” I said. “And I need them if I’m going to complete this job.”

“The job for the vampires.”

I sighed. “We’ve been over this, Jason. You don’t get to choose which jobs I take.”

“You’re working with Aaron Pall.”

“Working for him,” I corrected him.

The pencil case on my desk exploded.

Jason looked over his shoulder at the others. “Leave.” His voice was a low, scathing hiss.

Marin and Leonidas went outside. Silas didn’t move a muscle.

“Please give us a few minutes, Silas,” I said.

Silas nodded at me, then he followed the others outside. As soon as Jason and I were alone, I took a long, hard look at him. Dressed in his usual assassin-approved black, he was a dark, menacing silhouette against the white wall. He wore his favored expressionless mask, a granite rock that was both unyielding and apathetic—all but his dark eyes, which had phased to deep obsidian pools of molten fury. Ok, so he was a bit upset.

“Please close the door, Jason,” I said, for lack of a better way to start what was sure to be an exhausting conversation.

A ripple of Phantom energy shot out like a whip, slamming the door shut. I couldn’t see it, but I felt it tear across my magic. Jason’s eyes darkened further, teetering on the edge of rage. I hoped he didn’t lose it. Phantoms were known for their volatile tempers—and the blood-curdling consequences of succumbing to their rage.

“Have you completely lost your mind?” he growled.

“No.”

“Why?” That single word popped, like a punch to the gut.

“This isn’t about Aaron. This is about Hayden and Ian Selpe. They’re my cousins. Their mother was Livia Cross, my mother’s sister.”

If he was surprised by that information, he didn’t show it. “Aaron Pall is too dangerous. He betrayed us before. He will do so again.”

“I think he feels bad about that.”

Jason looked at me like I’d just set myself on fire.

“And I took precautions,” I added.

“I won’t allow him to hurt you.”

“I didn’t know you cared.”

“This is important, Terra. You are the Elite Prophet. The Diamond Edges want you. They would do anything to have you, to force you to see the future for them. And they aren’t the only ones. Do you even know how many people are after you?”

“No one has come for me.”

“They have. For two years, ever since you lost the protection of your title.” His voice dipped to a low rumble. “I killed them all.”

My mouth dropped, but no words came out. I didn’t know what to say. He’d been protecting me all this time, and I’d had no idea.

“Drop the job,” he said.

I shook my head. “I can’t leave Hayden and Ian out there. I just can’t. I’ve seen their suffering.”

“You’re in danger. And breaking into a Hellean city is suicide. I won’t stand here and watch you throw your life away. You are too important to me.”

I reached out, setting my hand on his arm. “Jason…”

He turned his back on me, an angry buzz pulsing through his skin.

“Take off that mask,” I whispered.

“I’m not wearing a mask.”

“Not literally. But you’ve closed yourself off. Talk to me. We used to talk.”

“I said all I wanted to say yesterday. I’m a bad person. And I’m bad for you.”

“What do you mean?”

Jason turned to face me, his penetrating eyes boring into me. “You are naive.”

“I miss my friend.”

“He’s dead.”

“I don’t believe that. He’s in there.” I tapped his chest, right over his heart. “I know he is.”

Jason caught my hand. “Stop. We can’t be friends.”

“Why not?”

“When we linked magic yesterday, I saw something. A foresight.”

I nodded. I’d seen it too: me as a murdering, cruel monster. Jason by my side.

“My presence will destroy everything that is good about you,” he said.

“The future is not set.”

He shook his head. “I can’t risk it. If I destroyed you, I would never forgive myself.”

“So you’re running away? Don’t flee from the future, Jason. Fight for it.” I smiled at him. “Fight for our friendship.”

“I don’t want to be friends.” He paused, giving me a strange look.

“What do you want?” I asked.

He brushed his finger lightly across my lips, and they tingled in response. “You have a beautiful mouth.”

A rush of Phantom energy ripped through me, and my teacup buzzed on the desk. It rumbled and shook until it finally exploded, shooting ceramic chunks clear across the room. The red tea puddle spilled over the side of the table and streamed across the floor.

Jason looked at the mess and stated very seriously, “I think I need to go kill something.”

I hugged him, then stepped back.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“I just wanted you to know that you aren’t alone.”

His face was hard. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

He walked around me. “Stop being so perfect.” He paused behind me, his hand tracing down my arm, his breath kissing my shoulder.

“What are you doing, Jason?”

He breathed into my ear, “Seducing you.”

My breath stuttered; my skin tingled like hundreds of tiny fireworks had gone off inside of me. “Jason—”

“For years, Terra. So many years I wanted to do this. I wanted you. But we were friends.” His hand locked around my wrist and he pulled me around to face him. “As I said, I don’t want to be friends.”

We’d kissed before, back when we used to be friends. But he was different now. When he’d kissed me yesterday, it had felt so hard, so rough, so darkly sensual—a thin cloak of princely restraint wrapped around a soul of savage sexuality. His kiss had set off desires in me that I hardly understood. But this was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.

I cleared my thoughts, my heart still hammering. “What do you want, Jason?”

“You.”

His mouth traced down my arm, each kiss a sweet, burning brand, melting into my magic. My pulse was racing so fast my heart felt like it would burst. His magic curled around me in a soft, gentle caress—and beneath it, hummed promises of dark pleasures. I felt flushed, dizzy. If he hadn’t been holding to me, my legs would have collapsed beneath me.

“Aren’t you supposed to woo me with flowers and chocolate first?” I laughed. My voice sounded so small.

“Is that what you desire?”

What I desired I was to shy to say—and hardly dared think it. My friend was gone, leaving this fierce, dark beast in his place, a beast hardened by two years of being hunted. By two years of killing to keep himself and his people alive.

But my friend was still in there somewhere. I could feel him. My mind was struggling to reconcile where my Jason ended and this new Jason began. I had feelings for him, but I didn’t even know anymore what those feelings were. I had to figure that out. I had to stop this now, while I still could.

“I need to go, Jason.”

“Go?” he whispered, his mouth kissing the soft, sensitive flesh of my neck.

I swallowed a gasp. “To the Helleans. To save Hayden and Ian.”

His body grew stiff, and he pulled away. He met my gaze, his eyes dark and hard. His hold possessive. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I find that statement ironic coming from a Phantom.”

“You are not me.”

“I’m not helpless either.”

“No, you’re not,” he agreed, his mouth twisting up deliciously. “But you’re also not me.”

“Arrogance doesn’t suit you.”

“Don’t say things we both know to be untrue, Terra. You enjoy my arrogance as much as you crave my touch,” he replied with a sexy smile. “I cannot allow you to go.”

My nostrils flared in anger. “Allow me?” I pulled away from him. “You don’t get to tell me where I go.”

“I promised to protect—”

“If you even think about repeating that old, tired line one more time, Jason Chanz, I swear to you that I will kick you and your rhetoric out of my office.”

“You can certainly try.”

Jason’s presence—his magic—ignited the anger inside of me, compelling me to attack. I drew my sword, swinging it toward Jason. In a single, fluid movement, he sidestepped and drew his own sword. Steel clashed against steel as he blocked my attacks. And when he switched to the offensive, fiery tremors split down my arm, threatening to tear it apart from the inside. Damn Phantoms. They hit hard.

I bit back the pain and slashed forward once more. Jason blocked, and with his other fist he hammered down hard on my arm, knocking the sword from my hand. As I took a step back, he kicked my sword across the room.

“In a sword fight, you’re typically expected to hold on to your weapon,” he said calmly, his eyes cold, his face expressionless.

Oh, that smug bastard. I suppressed a growl and instead planted a wide smile on my lips.

“That’s all right,” I replied, smiling even wider as I reached back to draw my second sword. “I have another one right here.”

“Try not to drop that one too,” he taunted.

I darted toward him. The staccato song of rapidly-striking swords filled the room. A magic breeze ripped through both our bodies and split through the air, rustling the papers on my desk and making the walls quake.

“Stop it! Both of you!” someone shouted out.

I hardly heard the voice, but I froze mid-strike when Lana suddenly stepped between us. Where had she come from? On the other side of her, Jason stood like a statue, his sword in the air.

Jason’s sister glared at us, her eyes burning with emerald fire. “This is no fighting pit. And you two do not want to kill each other.” She extended both hands out, one toward me and the other toward Jason. “Your swords.”

Jason handed his weapon over to her without a word. I sighed and did the same. As Lana turned and walked toward the desk, I glared at Jason. He met my gaze with icy fire.

Lana had just set our swords down on the desk, meaning she was well out of danger. I ran straight for Jason and kicked out hard and high, aiming for his chest. He wouldn’t look so smug with the wind knocked out of him.

But his left hand sprang up, catching my foot before it made contact. I knew what he was planning before I even felt him move. He was going to throw me down back-first, flat on the floor. Using his hold on my foot for leverage, I spun around quickly, touching down with my hands on the floor as I kicked out with all my power toward the side of his head. Such a hit would instantly knock out most anyone. It would even momentarily stun a Phantom, giving me a few precious seconds to take him down.

Unfortunately—unfathomably—Jason caught my foot before it made contact. In the split second as I was being thrown to the floor, my only thought was that no one could be that fast. Not even Jason.

It just wasn’t fair.

My head hit the floor so hard that I nearly passed out. Barely seeing past the black splotches dancing across my eyes, I made out Jason’s form above me. I tried to move but couldn’t. As my mind and eyes cleared, I realized he had me pinned down. His weight pushed down on my legs, pressing my knees to my chest as my feet dangled uselessly midair. My arms were free, but I didn’t have enough leverage to fight back, let alone stand up.

He was close—so close that his thick, masculine scent was pouring through my nose, drowning me in it. Though I was still trembling with rage, I felt my heart thump in my chest, betraying me.

“Stay,” he whispered, tapping his finger to my forehead.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I snapped back, trying to kick out.

The insufferable weight that was Jason did not budge. “Yes,” he said. Then, before I could sense him move, he was standing above me, looking down. He extended his hand.

“You can’t keep me from doing my job, from helping people,” I told him as he helped me to my feet.

A sigh rocked his chest. “I know I can’t stop you from going to the Helleans. But I can go with you.”

I must have heard him wrong. My head was still spinning.

“And I can protect you,” he added.

“I can’t afford to pay your going rate.”

“You never have to pay me, Terra.” He looked at me like he was offended I’d even brought it up.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile, and I meant it.

Yes, I was mad at him, but I wasn’t going to say no to his help. That would be childish. Our chances of success—and survival—were significantly higher if Jason was with us.

I turned to Lana and gave her a hug. “I’m glad to see you again.” She’d been away when I’d visited Eclipse last night, so this was the first time we’d seen each other in two years.

“So am I.”

“You look great,” I told her.

Lana was decked out in a traveling dress with long sleeves and a leather corset. She wore knee-high boots under a long dark green shirt. The color really brought out her eyes. Her hair, black with bronze highlights, was pulled back into a long braid.

“So do you.” Smiling, she brushed the hair from my face. Lana had the sweetest, most genuine smile I’d ever seen, and when she shone it on you, you felt like you were a better person just for having known her.

“So, are you here to make sure your brother behaves himself?” I asked, smirking. There was nothing angelic about my smile, and I knew it. I was wicked to the core.

She chuckled softly. “I don’t believe it’s possible to make Jason behave.” She squeezed my hands. “I’m here to see you, of course. Braeden told me what happened. And that Jason had found you. I wish I’d heard it from Jason himself, but you know how secretive my brother can be.”

I drew in a deep breath, inhaling Lana’s soothing magic. That was the nature of her gift. She was a calming presence, which made her a good counter to Jason’s explosive magic.

“Did he hurt you?” She brushed her hand down my bruised face.

Only my pride. I wasn’t going to give Jason the satisfaction of hearing me say that, though.

“He wishes,” I said, shooting Jason a defiant look.

His eyes burned with promises he had every intention of keeping. I hastily looked away, and he chuckled softly. Jason: 1, Terra: 0. Damn it.

“I have to go now.” Lana gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Come visit me soon.”

“I will,” I promised.

Lana gave me a wave, her brother a heavy sigh, then she left my office. I called the others back inside. As they filed into the waiting room, Jason lingered like a sentinel at my back, watching them like every single one of them was a threat to my continued existence.

“Is everyone ready to visit the floating cities?” I asked with a big smile that I hoped covered my anxiety.

“How do you plan on getting us there?” Leonidas asked. “You can’t get anywhere near a Hellean city without their permission.”

“We are taking a portal there,” I declared.

“There are no portals in or out of the Hellean cities,” Marin reminded me, even as a slow grin twisted Silas’s lips. He’d obviously picked up fragments of my plan from my mind.

“That’s right,” I said. “But we’re not going to use an existing portal. We’re going to make our own.”