Our magic crackled and popped and sizzled as it bounced off the demon creatures surrounding us. They were on the short side, maybe five feet tall, wide set, big hands and feet, and oversized heads that had two rows of teeth both top and bottom in their disgusting maws.

If one of us was unlucky enough to be bitten, it could be fatal, though Imogen could probably survive with her healer magic. And if she got to the rest of us fast enough, we might be saved, but it wasn’t something I wanted to risk. Instead, I continued to throw white-hot magic at them, battling away at their magical reserves. And when one broke through my magical assault and flew right toward me, I whipped my dagger out and prayed.

My trusty blade slid easily into the demon’s torso. The demon instantly froze, and to my intense satisfaction, when I yanked the blade out, brilliant white light filled the demon and then exploded, annihilating the nasty thing from the earth.

“Fuck yes! Do that again,” Imogen said.

I grinned at her. “That was a fair bit of luck, wouldn’t you say?”

“Looked like skill from here,” she said and jumped out of the way as another one came for us.

I lunged, getting this one in the back and laughed when it disappeared into thin air just like the first one. The rest of the demons let out a cry of frustration and turned, running in the opposite direction.

“No one can accuse them of being stupid,” I said.

“True enough,” Imogen agreed, her eyes narrowing as we closed in on the house. The demons had retreated, but they hadn’t given up the fight. The ten that were left had doubled up and were going after Allcot’s six backup vampires.

Since they were immortal, the demons’ nasty poison most likely wouldn’t kill them, but those jaws sure could do a number. Dark blood had started to stain the sidewalk in the dusky morning light, and if we didn’t so something soon, the demons were just going to eat the vampires alive.

“Here, take this.” I handed a sun-spelled stake to Imogen. “I think this will stop them in their tracks. It appears light is what they’re most averse to.”

She took the stake and nodded.

“You sure you’re up for this?” I asked her.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched one of the demons go after Harrison, the same vampire who’d helped us earlier. “Damned straight.” Then she took off, her stake raised.

I said a prayer that she had some sort of combat training and then sprinted to catch up and launched myself into the fray.

The fight was pure chaos. The vampires were at a disadvantage as there didn’t appear to be any way for them to kill the demons. They weren’t actually of this realm, and killing them seemed damned near impossible. The only thing that seemed to work was the light infused in my weapons. But getting the vampires to understand that while in the middle of a battle proved to be a challenge.

And because the demons had watched as I ghosted two of their own, none of them would come near either me or Imogen. I glanced at her, held up my blade and said, “Watch this.”

Then I bolted to Harrison, who was holding one demon by the neck and trying to fight off two more with his free hand. I aimed for the one he had by the neck. With one stab of my dagger, the demon was toast.

Harrison stared at his empty hand for a half second, then reached for another one and held it out to me. I repeated the motion, and we killed two more before the rest of the demons realized what was going on and tried to flee. But it was too late. The vampires had caught on, and though they were bloody and battered, they kept the demons in place while Imogen and I finished them off.

When the last demon was gone, we stood in the middle of the vampires and took a bow.

“Thanks, boys,” I said. “You made that really easy.”

Harrison grinned at us. “Thank you. Now get in there and help Eadric find my girl Willow. You tell them that if anything’s happened to her, they’ll have hell to pay.”

“About a dozen times over,” I said to him, nodding. “Whistle if any more of those nasty creatures show up. Imogen and I have you covered.”

Harrison gave us a mock salute and ushered us into the house.

I crept into the silent house, Imogen behind me, and strained to hear any sounds or movement.

Nothing.

I glanced back at Imogen, raising my eyebrows in question. She shook her head.

Okay. Think, Phoebe, I told myself. Where would a room with no windows be? The basement would’ve been my first choice, but New Orleans was at sea level and in some places slightly below. Any basement in a house in this town would be waterlogged. Middle of the house, maybe?

A crash came from upstairs, followed by a scream I’d recognize anywhere.

“Willow!” I cried and took off up the ornate staircase. As soon as we got to the top of the stairs, I slammed into an invisible wall and was thrown back. I bounced backward off the top step and let out a cry as I fell, tumbling down the stairs.

Pain blossomed in my left arm, and my head slammed into one of the stairs before I came to an abrupt stop. The world spun around me and my stomach rolled with nausea. “Fuck me,” I said. “That shit hurt.”

Imogen peered down at me. “Anything broken?”

I gingerly pushed myself up into a sitting position and realized I’d stopped about midway. Or, more accurately, Imogen had stopped me from rolling headfirst down the rest of the stairs with a freezing spell. “I don’t think so,” I said and took her hand as she helped me up. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Want to tell me what happened up there?” She nodded to the top of the stairs.

“Barrier spell. I didn’t see it and bounced right off.”

“Morena’s work?” she asked, referring to the sorceress.

“I think so.” The idea that Morena could be upstairs casting her spells on all the people I loved made my head ache with fear and pure rage. That bitch was going down, and if she’d hurt any of them, I’d kill her twice and three times on Sunday. “Come on. We have a barrier to shatter.”

When Imogen and I got to the top of the stairs, I lifted my hand and pushed. Heat built and concentrated in my palm, then started to burn. I yanked my hand back and shook my head. Like a little heat shield was going to keep me out. I clutched the hilt of my dagger, raised it up, and glanced over at Imogen. She did the same with her stake, and I mouthed, On three.

She nodded, and after I mouthed the countdown, we both jabbed our weapons into the invisible wall.

Nothing happened. Nothing at all. Our weapons had pierced the wall but hadn’t made a difference. I gritted my teeth and scowled.

“It’s probably spelled to withstand those types of blows,” Imogen whispered. “Try slashing.”

I raised my eyebrows for just a moment then nodded. “Let’s do it.” This time I didn’t bother to try to remain quiet. I just counted down, and on three we each attacked the wall with everything we had.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

Cracks started to form in the invisible fabric, lit up by the magic crackling over the surface.

“More!” I cried.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

A rumble that sounded a lot like thunder started to roll, and I intensified my attack. More cracks. More rumbling.

Boom!

The magical barrier shattered, sending flickers of light everywhere. Shouts and cries from a battle raging nearby assaulted my senses and I realized then the barrier hadn’t just been keeping us out, it had silenced our friends too. I wasn’t sure how I’d heard Willow cry out. Maybe she’d been trying to reach me with her mind. I didn’t know and I didn’t care. All that mattered was joining the fight.

I ran flat out again, already knowing there weren’t any more magical barriers. Not with the noise coming from down the hall. Imogen was right behind me… until she wasn’t. I was just about to burst through the door when I felt her sudden absence.

“Imogen?” I called, spinning around. My insides went cold as my eyes landed on the back of the redheaded vampire dragging her into a room at the other end of the hall. If Carter was down there, what was going on in the room right in front of me?

“Shit!” I couldn’t leave Imogen to Carter’s devices. There was no telling what he was up to. On the other hand, everything inside me said if I opened the door, I’d find Willow.

Gritting my teeth and praying Allcot, Dax, and Pandora had Willow covered, I took off down the hall and barreled into the room after Carter. And that’s when I knew something was terribly wrong.