I tore myself from Rowan’s arms and bolted for the door, grabbing Rowan’s hoodie off the floor as I ran past. How can Daigh be missing? There’s no way he could’ve escaped from that room—

It was completely impossible, and yet…

The vision of Corbin’s face from my dream burned behind my eyes. He said this would happen.

It’s a coincidence. Corbin is just your subconscious. He’s not telling you what will happen in the future.

For the first time, doubt flickered across my mind. I’d seen the room where we kept Daigh. I knew how secure it was. I knew he had no powers. Not even my subconscious – which was every bit as logical as my conscious mind – would have assumed he’d escape. And the idea had been planted in my head by Corbin just moments before it really happened…

“Maeve, your trousers!”

I whirled around. Flynn tossed my jeans into my arms. I shoved my feet inside – no time for socks or panties – and scrambled into the hall. Flynn and Rowan thudded after me.

I sprinted down the grand staircase, pulling Rowan’s hoodie over my naked chest. Footsteps pounded behind me. “Einstein, wait for us.”

I didn’t wait. I plunged into the labyrinthine hallways, some sort of instinct directing me to the correct room. The others had already gathered in Ryan’s gallery room, surveying the damage. And what damage there was.

The short hallway leading to the safe no longer existed. In its place was an enormous charred hole. Bits of drywall and shards of the steel door littered the hardwood floor where the wood hadn’t burned to a crisp or curled up.

Flynn picked up a piece of metal between his fingers. “It’s been shattered,” he whispered. “Like it’s bloody glass.”

“That’s twelve-inch bulletproof steel,” Ryan picked through a pile of debris. He held up a tangle of cords and metal teeth – what remained of the keypad and lock. “It’s supposed to be able to withstand nuclear fallout.”

“Apparently it’s not demon-proof,” I growled. It made perfect sense. “A fae couldn’t have done this, not with their allergy to metal. This is what Daigh traded for his powers – an escape route. He knew we’d keep him alive and try to hold him.”

“He might’ve left my art intact,” Ryan picked up the corner of a gilded frame that had fallen from the wall beside the hallway. Tatters of canvas hung from the wood. “This was a Cezanne.”

“We’ve got to find him.”

“Why?” Ryan kicked debris across the floor. “He’s history. He can’t go back to the fae – not now they know he doesn’t have any powers.”

“We can’t just leave him wandering around the village!” I yelled. “He could hurt people.”

“He can’t do anything now he’s human,” Flynn pointed out.

“I don’t think so. A human couldn’t have done this. If Daigh traded his powers, he must’ve done it with a demon.”

“Maeve.” Flynn grabbed my shoulder, shaking me hard enough to clatter my teeth together. “What’s wrong? You’ve gone as pale as a wee goth kid.”

“I had another dream,” I sobbed. “I think… I can’t explain it, but I just have this feeling…”

Flynn’s fingers dug into my shoulders, his eyes a perfect storm of emotion. “Tell us everything you saw, Einstein.”

“Corbin was there, and Arthur.” Behind Flynn, Rowan flinched, his eyes filling with pain. I kept talking. “But Arthur was just this nearly invisible shape. He couldn’t speak. Corbin said he had one foot in both worlds. And then he pulled Liah out of the darkness and—”

“Liah?” Blake appeared by my side, his face stony.

I sniffed. “She said Daigh was torturing her so she’d compel the villagers to attack the castle. I guess… he could have used her to hide his lack of power from the other fae. She said she was on our side this whole time.”

“Fae lie,” Blake whispered.

“But she didn’t kill you! Back at the church, she had the chance to get to me through you, and she didn’t take it. She may bear me no kind feelings, but when it came down to it she wouldn’t hurt you.”

“Are you saying this is a real dream?” Ryan demanded, straightening up and letting a scrap of canvas flutter to the ground.

“Yes. No. I think so.” I threw up my hands. “I don’t know!”

“If it is real…” Flynn whistled. “Then Corbin was right. Daigh’s making a move on the crown of Hell.”

“And he’ll do it soon, while the Slaugh are riding and we’re all distracted.” I glanced up at Clara, who hovered in the doorway with Aline, Smithers, and Jane. “When will they come?”

“Tonight, at the stroke of midnight,” she said.

“I’ll call Officer Judge,” Flynn pulled out his phone. “She’ll organize a search of the village. If he can’t act until then, he might be hiding out somewhere.” I raised an eyebrow at the idea of calling the officer who’d been part of the mob, and Flynn filled us in on the conversation he’d had with Wallace and Judge after he returned to Briarwood. I hoped he was right, that we could trust her.

With the press at the gates, we couldn’t go out to look for Daigh ourselves. Aline and Clara both tried a scrying spell to search for him, but because he didn’t have his fae power any longer, they came up with nothing. I sent out my spirit magic to Flynn’s statue and Ryan’s painting, and found them humming with belief. We were ready. The only thing we could do was wait.

Simon laid food out for us in the kitchen. We all sat around the island, staring at the platters of cold meat and cheese and fresh bread, unable to eat a morsel. The only sound was the clatter of camera shutters and excited hum of the media circus wafting in through the open window. Finally, I pushed my chair back.

“Get some sleep,” Ryan said. “Even with the belief magic, the battle tonight will be fierce.”

As if I needed reminding. I trudged down the hallway toward the guest wing. Footsteps clattered after me. Flynn fell in step beside me. He ran his hand down my arm, leaving behind a trail of heat. “Your skin’s sizzling with magic, Einstein,” he grinned.

“Rowan might’ve had something to do with that.” On the other side of me, Rowan stiffened.

“I guess you don’t need an extra magical boost?” Flynn lifted an eyebrow suggestively. Blake appeared behind him, flashing me his trademark smirk.

“I didn’t say that,” I replied, my stomach fluttering with heat.

I turned a corner in the hall. Blake grabbed my hand and spun my body around, so I ended up with my back against the wall, his chest pressed against mine. His fingers grazed over my breast, bringing my nipple to attention through the thin fabric of my t-shirt.

I still hadn’t forgiven him for invading my dream and running off with Rowan, but his emerald eyes smoldered with my own reflected desire. My body arched against him. I needed to lose myself in him.

Blake’s lips caught mine, blazing fire through my body. All thoughts of resting and demons and the Slaugh flew from my mind as his kiss broke down all my barriers. I was wide open, and he poured his desire into me.

I hooked my legs behind Blake’s. He shoved me into the wall, grinding his hard cock against my sex until my body begged for release. His hands shoved up my shirt and bra and pinched my nipples. I whimpered against his lips as the pain only heightened the burning heat inside me.

I adjusted my leg, accidentally kicking a side table and knocking over an ugly ceramic vase. Flynn dived and caught it before it smashed on the marble floor.

“We should probably take this back to our bedroom,” Flynn whispered, setting the vase right. Reluctantly, Blake slid off me, and he and Flynn both took my hands. “We wouldn’t want to destroy any more of Ryan’s house.”

My body was so fired up that right then I didn’t care who saw us. I wanted the whole world to know how much I loved these boys, how they completed me in a way I never thought possible.

We ran to our bedroom. Blake sat on the edge of the bed, pulling me down so I straddled him. His cock ground against me through his black jeans. Flynn climbed up behind us, tugging off my shirt and bra and stroking my breasts until I moaned against Blake’s relentless tongue.

As Blake’s kisses stoked the fires of my need, Flynn kissed along my collarbone, drawing a moan of desire from deep inside me. Rowan’s soft hands skimmed my sides and circled my breasts, his touch liquid fire against my skin.

“On your back, Princess,” Blake grinned, throwing me on the bed. “Let all of us get a go at you.”

I obeyed, clambering back and laying my body across the sheets. Blake’s mouth closed over my nipple, sucking it hard. My back arched with pleasure. My hands flew to his head, winding my fingers through his hair, encouraging him to suck harder. He nipped at the tip and stars danced in my eyes.

“Oh, we want a bit of pain today, do we?” Blake’s eyes glinted. He grabbed my wrists in both hands and held them above my head. “As always, Princess, I am but a humble servant.”

His teeth grazed the edge of my nipple as his fingers dug into my wrists. Someone moved between my legs as a second pair of lips closed over my other nipple, catching it between teeth and tongue. Rowan’s dreadlocks fanned over my thighs as he kissed a trail up my legs, his tongue darting inside me, teasing the ache in my belly to the breaking point before closing his lips over my clit.

Rowan stroked his tongue over me, soft and languid, a direct contrast to the hardness of Blake and Flynn. The ache inside me filled with a growing well of magic. My legs jerked as Rowan flicked his tongue against me, and my body shuddered with an intense orgasm.

I’d barely recovered when Flynn batted Rowan out of the way. “You’ve already had your turn today, mate.”

“Hey,” I protested, my voice tight with mounting pleasure. “There’s plenty of Maeve to go around… ”

My protests faded into groans of ecstasy as Flynn attacked my clit with his tongue while Blake devoured my mouth, biting my lip and pinching my nipples until another wild orgasm tore through me. I was still crying out when Blake grabbed my ankles, jerking my body across the bed and piercing me on his cock.

We crashed into each other, two opposing forces meeting in an inferno of chemical reactions. Blake drove himself into me with a power and fury I’d never known before, and I bucked my hips to meet every stroke with my own power.

Blake’s smirk wavered as his muscles tightened and the lip of his cock jerked inside me. My fingers tightened around his shoulders, relishing as his orgasm claimed him, and for a moment I got a precious glimpse beyond his facade to the lonely boy raised by the fae who was learning what it was to love a family and to lose them.

Blake slunk back and Flynn climbed up beside me. I wrapped my body around his, my spirit magic crackling against his skin. Flynn, the joker who had been my rock ever since Corbin and Arthur left us, who thought he contributed nothing but was actually the glue that held our coven together. I needed to show him how much he was loved and needed. I needed him to free himself.

I rolled onto my stomach, bending my knees and thrusting my ass in the air. Flynn grabbed my thighs and thrust inside me, his cock twitching as I took in his whole length with a gasp.

Flynn bucked against me, his strokes frantic, without rhythm or sense. He had so much baggage, so much insecurity about himself and his place in the world. If I could heal him through my body, then that was the greatest gift I could give him.

Rowan came around the front of me, and I took his cock in my mouth, licking as far down his enormous shaft as I could reach. Rowan’s eyelids fluttered shut as my tongue slid down his length. Every thrust of Flynn’s drove him deeper into my throat. So full of two of my guys, so willing to give myself over completely to their bodies and their souls.

Flynn was the first to come, his cock driving deep as he buried his pain inside me. My moans vibrated around Rowan’s cock, and it must’ve been more than he could take because he withdrew and shot his load across my shoulder, his body collapsing with a sigh.

We cleaned up in the bathroom, washing away our sweat and saliva with hot water and fancy soaps, then collapsed in bed together – our coven reduced to four broken people. My body pulsed with magic from the sharing of our bodies and hearts, ready to hook into the well of belief we’d stored in the artworks and unleash it on our enemies. Bring on the Slaugh.

They would come for us here, drawn to our coven – the first souls they needed to devour in order to be truly free. But we were ready.

Outside, lights flashed through the gate as the media settled in for the night. Flynn pulled up some of the news stories on his phone. “There’s a queue all the way down the high street to get into the gallery to view Ryan’s painting,” he said, showing us the picture.

“Brits will queue for anything,” Rowan grinned. I beamed at him. It was so nice to hear him telling a joke, even at a time like this.

Flynn frowned. “Watch it, mate. Unlike the opening of a Wimpy Bar, Ryan Raynard is worth queuing for.”

“I’d queue for curry,” Blake added.

“No you wouldn’t,” I said. “You’d flirt with the woman behind the counter and she’d let you in ahead of everyone else.”

“True. That is what I’d do.”

We huddled together, watching the minutes tick down on Flynn’s phone screen. We didn’t speak much, just enjoyed the presence of each other. The absence of Arthur and Corbin passed, unsaid but felt, between us.

“Do you know what Corbin said to me, the night before the attack?” I rested my head on Rowan’s shoulder. “He was thinking about going to college. We talked about applying for Oxford together, and he would study useless languages and I’d study physics and we’d take the train back to Briarwood on weekends to see all of you. We joked that you could send us care packages of scones and eccles cakes.”

“I would do that,” Rowan said, his long lashes fluttering over sad eyes.

“Corbin said he had to let go of his need to look after everyone. I remember his words exactly. ‘It might just be possible to be a Briarwood witch and have a life.’” I snorted. “I guess he’s proven us wrong—Holy shit, I’ve got it.”

“What?”

“It’s an ampulla!” The magic buzzed around my head. I turned to Blake and Rowan. “Do you remember in the dream, Corbin was wearing this lump of metal on a chain around his neck? I’ve seen it on him in all the dreams. He never used to wear anything like that, but it seemed really familiar for some reason. I’ve just remembered where I’ve seen it before. He was telling me about it in the library when we talked about Oxford.”

“I remember it now,” Rowan whispered. His fingers dug into my thigh. “It was one of the objects on his shelf.”

“It’s called an ampulla. It’s a vessel for storing holy water from a pilgrimage. Corbin said this one included a cross of Saint Lazarus, the dude Jesus raised from the dead after four days.” My heart raced. “After four days. That’s nearly how long Corbin’s been gone.”

“The spells Corbin were looking at in the Soho coven’s grimoire mentioned the gospels of John and something called the Mysteries of Lazarus,” Rowan said, his voice catching.

Holy holy holy shit.

I knew the story of Lazarus from my parents. It was one of their favorite tales about the miraculous abilities of Jesus, and it was important because it was the last miracle Jesus performed before the crucifixion. It foreshadowed his own rise from the dead.

Corbin could have figured out how to raise the dead back to life, like Jesus raised Lazarus. He could have been telling the truth all this time.

I wrote it all down for you.

I tried to force down the hope welling up inside me, but once it had taken root in my heart, it sprouted wings and soared too high for me to rein in.

“Rowan, where are those Post-it notes?” My words came out in a breathless gush. “We’ve got a day to figure out how to reverse whatever spell Corbin cast. It’s going to be tough if Arthur doesn’t wake up, but maybe we can convince Isadora to participate. She’s a fire witch, and—”

“Uh, guys,” Flynn said, his body stiffening. “While I agree that hearing Einstein admit she might’ve been wrong about her dream is the most delightful sound, you might want to have a look out the window.”

I whirled around. Black clouds rolled across the previously clear sky, blocking out the moon and plunging the garden into darkness.

The walls groaned as the earth itself rumbled. I clung to Flynn as the movement jolted us off the bed.

The ride of the Slaugh had begun.