I wanted nothing more than to charge straight up to Selena’s castle and rescue Eva, but I knew as long as I was bound to her, there was nothing I would be able to do against her.

I needed reinforcements, and I needed them fast.

I ran back to the town square celebration and searched for Anna in the crowd.

She was standing near the cauldrons with her Aunt Ritzy, but she jogged toward me as soon as she saw me.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Where’s Eva?”

“She’s gone,” I said. “Selena kidnapped her.”

“Oh my God, Nik,” she said. “What are we going to do? You don’t think she’d hurt her, do you?”

“I think she’s trying to get me up there,” I said. “But what she plans to do once I’m there, I have no idea. It can’t be good. She was pretty furious about my affection for Eva. I can’t believe I put her in that kind of danger. I just wasn’t thinking.”

“This isn’t your fault,” she said.

But I’d heard those words before. It was all my fault, but this time I wasn’t going to just sit around and take it. I was going to fight back.

“What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“Do you have any potions that might be useful against a siren?” I asked, and Anna smiled.

---

While Anna rushed home to gather a few potions, I went searching for Cole.

The hunters here in town knew a lot more about fighting demons and all kinds of supernatural creatures than anyone else here in town. They were like the supernatural police, and I needed their help.

So far, they hadn’t done anything about Selena and her kidnapping, because she always worked outside of Willow Harbor. But this time, she had ordered her men to kidnap someone right here in the middle of town, and I had proof.

Plus, once Cole knew the truth about Selena’s drug-potions and how she’d been ferrying them through the Willow Harbor docks, he would have to get involved.

It might also mean he would arrest me, but right now, that was the least of my worries.

I didn’t see any sign of him, but I did recognize three of the other hunters—Nathan, Landon, and a new hunter named Tessa—sitting on the steps of the library.

It must have been obvious from the expression on my face I was upset or worried, because Nathan immediately stood and met me at the base of the steps.

“Hey, you’re Nik, right?” he asked, his dark eyes flashing with concern. “Everything okay?”

“I was looking for Cole. A friend of mine has been kidnapped,” I said. “And I think I know where she is.”

I explained about Selena’s appearance at the festival, how I’d found the silver chain link outside Black Bear’s. I told them about her bracelet and the greed demon who might be on his way to town. I explained the drug-running operation and my part in it for the past ten years.

Nathan and the others listened intently, taking it all in and exchanging meaningful glances along the way.

“If I’m going to rescue her, I’ll need your help,” I said.

“You’ve got it,” Nathan said. “Cole told me about the break-in at The Dragon’s Hoard earlier. He’s still investigating it, but I can give him a call and bring him up to speed on your friend’s situation. To tell you the truth, we’ve been trying to tie Selena to those potions for months. We could never catch her making one of the deliveries, though, but I guess this explains why.”

“I can show you her whole operation,” I said. “But we have to make sure Eva’s okay first.”

Nathan pulled out his cell phone. After a brief conversation, he nodded and motioned for Landon and Tessa to head toward the car.

“We’ll be gearing up and heading to the castle in thirty minutes,” he said. “Are you coming with us?”

“I’ll meet you there,” I said. “I have something I need to take care of first.”

I broke away from them, praying that I was right about Selena not hurting Eva, at least until I showed up. I ran toward the willow tree, where I knew Anna would be waiting for me with the potions.

She explained what each one did and loaded them into a leather bag for me. She wanted to come, but I refused to put her in that kind of danger.

“The hunters can take care of this,” I said.

“Be careful,” Anna said, handing me the bag of potions and the keys to her car.

“Thank you,” I said, then hopped into her car and sped toward Selena’s castle at the edge of town.