I THOUGHT WE were home free. Everything was going so well. We were so close to the front door when I saw my dad standing by the entrance.

Fuck!

Holding Evie’s hip, I spun to move us away from Dad’s sight. I was positive he hadn’t seen me yet, and I wanted to keep it that way. Of every Rain operative attending the party, the ones whose blood pumped through my veins were the most dangerous to the girl I wanted to protect.

“What are we doing?” Evie whispered almost inaudibly.

I have to get her out of here. The thought was the only one that mattered. Ahead of me, I spotted one of the Rain operatives that Eth and I had met briefly when we’d arrived.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! I cursed our luck.

I spun around and clutched Evie’s arm, knowing that I would have to do the one thing I swore to myself I wouldn’t do. I was going to have to abandon her again, if only temporarily.

“Do you trust me to get you out of here safely?” I asked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my sister. And worse, she saw me. I could tell by the way her smile instantly fell into a scowl—no doubt angry that I’d missed the last minute preparations.

“Of course,” Evie said. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Her voice called my attention away from my sister for a moment. “Don’t turn around and don’t ask any questions. Just walk to the bar now and order a drink. Wait for my signal.”

I would wait until the moment was right, until I saw my family were all away from the exits, and then I would warn Evie to get the hell out of there. It felt so reminiscent of our escape from the warehouse in Charlotte, but I was determined for it to have a different outcome this time.

“What’s the signal?” Her voice was quiet, stolen by fear. As much as I longed to comfort her, I couldn’t. I would only put her in more danger if I did.

“You’ll know it when you see it.” I tried to give her silent reassurances that it would be okay. It didn’t matter what happened, I would get her out of there, and I wouldn’t leave her again. I was certain she must doubt me, and that was the last thing I wanted.

Evie and I had barely parted before Lou sidled up to me. “I thought it was only Eth who deserted us for hussies.”

I turned away from her so that I could keep Evie in my sight. “Give me a break would you? It isn’t easy doing this sort of hunt.”

“When they look human, you mean?”

I shrugged in response, trying to force my gaze to stay away from Evie’s solitary figure at the bar. I didn’t want to give her away by staring openly at her. I worried I was failing though, because I kept catching myself staring at her.

“You missed the meeting where Dad explained the plan of attack for tonight.”

Shrugging again, I found the best answer I could. “I’d imagine it’s much the same as always. Circle, contain, capture, then kill.”

“There are three high priestesses here tonight. Highly skilled and highly dangerous. It doesn’t pay to be flippant about it.”

“When the time comes, I’ll do what I have to.” I wasn’t exactly lying; she just had no way of knowing what my true meaning was. I had no intention of helping anyone kill anything tonight—I had other plans. Plans that involved peeling the satin dress away from Evie’s body and exploring every inch of her properly. I regretted my thought immediately as my blood rushed south—I needed it to stay in my head for a little while longer.

“I really wish you’d end this crusade against us, Clay. We’re your family, not the enemy.”

“Yes, Mom,” I muttered under my breath, but immediately regretted it. Because Mom had disappeared after Lou was taken, Lou always felt responsible for her leaving. It was her Achilles’ heel.

She turned on the bitch again, whisper-shouting at me, “You’re going to get yourself killed if you keep this up. Worse, you’ll drag one of us down with you.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Maybe not, but it’s true. You’re so soft on these filthy beasts that one day you’re bound to let your defenses down again, and then what? What if a vamp was to get into your head? What if a banshee decided to use you for her bidding? What if a succubus—”

“Enough,” I said to stop her incessant noise. “I can’t help the way I feel any more than you can help the fact that you’re a vicious bitch.”

She just rolled her eyes in response. I risked a glance toward Evie and saw her watching us intently in the mirrors above the bar. I willed her to turn her gaze in another direction, but it was useless.

“Dad gave us all new athames at the meeting,” Lou said beside me. I turned back to see her holding one in the palm of her hand. “They’re engraved with some new runes based on the notes Eth brought back with him today while you visited with that puritan slut.” Keeping the blade tucked along her arm so that it wasn’t easily seen by anyone else in the room, she held it out for me to take.

“Seriously, Lou, have some fucking discretion.” Although it was hidden, it wasn’t exactly invisible. Snatching the athame from Lou and sliding it into the pocket of my jacket, I risked another glance at Evie.

“Who’s the chippie at the bar?” Lou asked, following my gaze. “Are you moving on again so soon? How very Ethan of you.”

Dammit! I’d been trying so hard to not call attention to Evie at the bar and had hoped Lou wouldn’t notice my watchful gaze. I decided to play it dumb. “Who?”

“The blonde at the bar.”

I saw exactly what the game was a second later when Dad slid into the bar stool beside Evie’s. Obviously Lou and Dad had seen me with Evie earlier and wanted to know more. Inside, my heart was beating so fast it could have been a piston in a NASCAR engine, and my lungs felt as though they were filled with lead. Outwardly, I tried not to let my stress show, but I worried I was failing miserably, especially when it was Evie’s life at stake and not my own.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to force my voice to come out sounding normal and not squeaky and stressed.

“Sure you don’t. I guess it doesn’t matter if you won’t tell me why she’s here, Dad will work out whether she’s a threat.”

I swallowed heavily as I watched Evie talk to Dad. When I was certain Lou’s eyes weren’t on me but Evie’s were, I tried to warn Evie about the trap. I exhaled as much of the stress as I could out of my system.

“Her?” I tried to force incredulity into my tone. “How can she be a threat if I don’t even know her?”

“You were talking to her earlier, quite intently in fact.”

“She asked me if I knew why there were so many people here tonight, that’s all.”

Lou narrowed her eyes at me. “What did you tell her?”

“That I had no clue. What do you think I would have told her?” I tried not to watch as Evie stood and left the bar. Out of my peripheral vision, I tried to see where she went and glanced quickly in that direction once Lou’s gaze left me to scan the room once more. I lost track of Evie once she’d walked from the room, and I longed to follow her, but I kept my feet glued to the floor so that Lou didn’t grow any more suspicious.

“Knowing you, Clay, you could have told her anything.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis. Don’t you have anything better to do than hassle me all night?”

“Just promise me that you’ll be here tonight and not stuck in that monster-loving head of yours.”

I couldn’t do anything of the sort, but I nodded anyway.

Lou started to walk away but then stopped and turned back toward me. She glanced down at her hands before meeting my gaze.

“You know I’m only a bitch because I care, right?” She actually sounded like she worried about what I thought of her.

“I know.” Even though it was easier for me to paint my family as villains in my mind, the truth was that I did know they cared. Despite some of the screwed up things we’d had to do, we were closer than most other families I knew.

Even within the Rain, there were families so dysfunctional that they worked opposite sides of the country just so that they didn’t kill each other. For my part, I understood the drive behind their zest for death. I knew why they did it, and why I should want to too. I just wished they could see my side of the argument for once as well. Evie would never hurt them, I was certain. She’d never hurt anyone. I was sure of it and it was the one thing I put my trust in. She wasn’t a monster; she was just a girl with an extraordinary gift.

Leaving Lou, I moved closer to the bar just in time to see Evie leave on the arm of another man. Jealousy burned within my chest in an odd fashion. It was an emotion I’d never really encountered before, and it was entirely uncomfortable. It surprised me with its intensity. I wanted to rush to her and take my rightful place beside her. But I couldn’t.

Instead, I had to watch as she walked by arm in arm with another man.

I called for the bartender and ordered a drink. The moment it was in front of me, I tipped half of it down in one gulp. Evie was outside, possibly running for her life as fast as she could with the danger I’d put her in. I needed to find a way to go outside, but I didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention to the fact that I was gone. With both Lou and Dad watching my every move, it felt almost impossible.

“You okay, kid?” Dad asked, sounding like he actually cared for once.

“Sure.” I shrugged. I had to wonder whether anything was actually different in the way he spoke or whether my guilt was just forcing me to hear the things that had been there all along.

“You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Why don’t you take a breather? I think things are supposed to heat up in the next hour or so.”

“Are you sure?” I struggled not to sound eager to leave.

“Just be back in half an hour, and we’ll be fine.”

Swirling the remaining scotch and ice in my glass, taking my time so that it didn’t look like I was rushing out the door, I nodded.

“No problem.” I tipped back the last of the drink and patted his shoulder in thanks.

I made straight for the front door of the hotel, sidestepping the other Rain operatives with a very brief nod to acknowledge their assistance in our mission tonight.

As I passed a potted plant near the door, I pressed the athame Lou had given me into the soil and dropped my cell phone behind it—knowing that my family would be able to track me with it if I didn’t. Stepping out into the unseasonably cold night, I looked around to see if I could see Evie lingering near the entrance.

When I didn’t see her, my heart sunk—certain she’d fled for her safety. Knowing her bag had been around the back of the hotel, I figured I would see if it was still there. If it was, then it was possible that Evie was waiting near it for me—the thought gave me renewed hope. If it wasn’t . . . well, then I would know any hope I had was false.

I was almost to the corner when the door opened and fast footsteps followed behind me. Hoping it was Evie, but certain it wasn’t by the weight behind the steps, I turned. Eth rushed toward me. Can’t you all let me be so I can leave in peace?

“Hey bro, what’re you doing out here?” Eth asked. “The party’s inside.”

“Just taking a breather,” I lied, reusing Dad’s words in case Eth questioned him later. “Lou’s being her usual self in there tonight, and I needed a minute.”

“You can’t blame her for being enthusiastic about tonight. I mean the last time we encountered witches—”

The image of the young woman’s life leaving her body after Lou had plunged the blade into her flashed behind my eyes, and I couldn’t listen to the story again, so I cut him off. “I know, Eth, but I just can’t take it. Her constant smugness and the way she looks down on me for wanting to be certain that they pose a threat. Ever since . . .” I almost said ever since Evie, but I didn’t want to give him a reminder of that, not now when I was so close to having her back in my life. I didn’t want a slip of the tongue to be what ruined it for us both.

“Yeah, ever since you betrayed the Rain for a piece of tail.” It didn’t seem to matter that I’d stopped myself short. Then again, Eth, Lou, and I had often been like that—able to guess each other’s thoughts even when we’d tried to hide them. It was the one thing that put me most on edge as I tried not to force Eth’s suspicions to spike.

“It’s not—” I couldn’t defend myself, not without saying everything I’d said before or risking becoming too defensive. “It wasn’t like that.”

“I know, I know, you were in love.” I wanted to punch him in the mouth for the way he said it—as if it were something disgusting and worthy of pity. Especially when the truth of the word, and the joy it gave me, made me feel like I could soar above all the bullshit. “And she wasn’t like the others. Take a moment if you need to, bro, but we’ll need you in there. Dad said he’s expecting at least three dozen tonight, and you know they’ll put up a good fight.”

I nodded dismissively, hoping he’d get the hint and leave me alone. I only had half an hour before the search party was sent out in force, and then maybe another half hour before the attack on the witches drew the attention away from my absence, I wanted to be tucked up with Evie in our hotel room long before then.

Eth seemed to notice my distraction. “Why don’t we go get a drink together after all this goes down?”

I resisted the urge to tell him just to go already as I glanced around the shadows in case there were any prying eyes. “Yeah, sure, I’ll, um, see you inside in a minute,” I said.

I watched Eth until he was back at the door, and then I raced as fast as I could to the loading bay, rushing to confirm my fears that Evie might have left. I could have jumped for joy when I saw her bag still resting there. It didn’t guarantee that she hadn’t left of course, but it wasn’t the confirmation that she’d run from me that an empty space would have been.

The instant I had the bag in my arms, I heard a sound behind me. I spun around with my hand on my gun as I twisted to see who or what it was.

Standing before me, like an angel in the soft light from the loading bay, was Evie. Her face was pale and drawn, and I could see she was worrying about something—possibly my family—but all of that became meaningless the moment I saw her. I rushed toward her, taking her in my arms to confirm with her heat that it really was her and that I wasn’t having some blissful delusion.

“I. Was. So. Worried.” I murmured between kisses on her soft lips.

She leaned away from my attention and for a moment, I thought she was going to shatter my heart the way I’d no doubt shattered hers just a few years earlier. Had she seen Eth’s concern for me and realized what I had to give up for her?

“Your family,” she muttered, her voice deathly quiet, and for a moment I thought I must have been right.

My argument for the fact that I knew that I wanted her, whatever the cost might be, was ready on my tongue.

“They killed my dad.” She wasn’t asking whether they had—it was a statement of fact.

It was like she’d just realized the danger I’d put her in when I found her last time must—and the danger she’d caused herself by finding me.

I could only hope she didn’t pull away because of it. I’d made the mistake of thinking it was more important that she was safe than that we were together, but never again. Our separation had nearly proved as dangerous as being near her would have been.

“They killed him, and they don’t even care. They would have killed me too.”

I leaned my forehead against hers. “I’m so sorry.”

She shifted so that her cheek rested on my shoulder, and I felt her tears began to fall.

“I thought we’d have a little more time before they arrived,” I said with a voice full of regret. “They were going to leave this early part up to the local guys. I thought we’d be able to slip out unnoticed.”

Thinking about time reminded me that we were on a strict deadline that had to be followed before I was missed. Once my family came in search of me, it’d be the death of her if we weren’t far enough away. After allowing her another minute to gather herself, I reached for her hand. “C’mon, we’ve gotta get out of here.”

After reminding her to be careful of cameras that might lead to our discovery, I led her through the streets toward the waiting cab I’d prepared, hoping that he was still there.

Evie didn’t seem to notice that I didn’t give the guy the address, or if she did, she didn’t comment on it. Once we were in the car, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and reassured her that I had a plan for where we would be able to spend the night. She trembled in my arms, and I reminded myself how much she’d been through since she’d found me.

I had no idea what she’d had to face in the time we were apart, but being face to face with my father had to be a reminder of what she’d gone through on the night she’d lost her dad. I didn’t even know whether she’d spotted Eth or not; I hated to think of what she might have felt if she had. I wanted to ask her what she’d discussed with my father but didn’t want to be the cause of fresh tears from her. Instead, I wanted to be the reason she smiled. I hoped I could give her the reunion she deserved when we’d last met.

When we pulled to a stop in front of the Sheraton, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow!” Her voice was a hushed whisper as she took in the view.

The building that had appeared perfect during the day was spectacular when lit from inside at night, but it was nothing compared to the look of wonder on Evie’s face and the knowledge that I’d put it there. Then a trace of doubt and worry marred the awe and, as her expression darkened, I wondered whether maybe I’d made a mistake.

“You like it?” I asked, feeling a little uncertain about my choice.

“Like it? It’s beautiful.”

As soon as the confirmation crossed her lips, I longed to get her out of the night and into the safety of a new room. I passed the driver the second half of the money I’d promised him, and then a little more for his silence, and invited her to follow me.

Once we were in the elevator, Evie leaned heavily against the mirrored wall before tilting her head back and closing her eyes. A dreamy little smile crossed her lips, and I wondered what she was thinking. Her lips fell apart in another tiny sigh, and I longed to press my lips against hers. The small movement kicked my libido into overdrive and within an instant, I’d dreamed up a hundred different ways I could claim her. There would be no more teenage foreplay, no restraining my passion. I was instantly hard and ready for more of her—for all of her.

She opened her eyes and caught my lustful stare. The questions I saw in her gaze prompted me to spill my ulterior motive for selecting such a nice hotel. It wasn’t that I necessarily expected us to make love on the first night of our reunion, but I wanted her to know that the option was there because I wanted to. I really wanted to. All night long and well into the morning if possible.

I’d been dreaming of the warmth of her touch, of her soft lips pressing over my body, and of exploring every part of her for years.

If she allowed me to, I would make good on the promise I’d made to her years earlier. I would make our first time special. When my admission was met with confusion, I decided not to push it too far, just in case it made her think I only wanted her for her body. It was one of the reasons, but not the prevalent one.

Once we were in the hotel room, we shed our coats and shoes, and then Evie asked why we weren’t running farther away—we’d only traveled about twenty minutes by car from the Hawthorne Hotel. I explained as best as I could that I knew Dad would expect me to run as far as possible as quickly as I could. We were close to the danger, precisely where he wouldn’t expect me to be. I figured I’d find a computer and try to trace their cell phones before heading in an opposite direction. The only problem with that plan was that once I tried tracking them, we’d need to move almost immediately because it would risk exposing me to the Rain.

When Evie asked about the Rain, and what they were likely to do to the witches, I slipped back into old routines—into the old way of answering the questions—and responded in the way I anticipated the Rain expected rather than with the natural doubt and skepticism I felt over their actions. The instant the words left my mouth, I felt the heat emanating from her body rise and witnessed her face sink into a frown.

I’d said the wrong thing.

I pulled her into my hold. “I didn’t mean it like that, Evie. The Rain doesn’t believe that anything not human is a person.”

“But they have families,” she argued, even as she relaxed into my hold regardless.

“Not all of them,” I said before the memory of the púca and her child raced through my mind. I flinched as I tried to push it away and replace it with the knowledge that púca where related to fae—who were truly malicious. Surely that meant that the creature I’d killed had the capacity for malevolence.

“There are some creatures out there that are pure evil. Trust me, I know. Lou . . .” Just saying her name brought back all the vivid memories of her screams and nightmares, of how much she’d endured and the fact that I’d left all of my family without saying goodbye. It hit me in that moment exactly what I’d done—I’d broken my promises to them when I’d abandoned my family for the last time.

“What?” Evie prompted.

Can I tell Evie their secrets? Should I? Is that even more of a betrayal than I’ve already done?

I met her gaze, and the love, warmth, and compassion I saw there made Lou’s history tumble from me in a babble of words.

“Lou . . . she was replaced by a changeling when we were little. Dad was already in the Rain so he recognized the switch almost immediately, but we didn’t get her back until we were almost five. We lost Mom during the search, and Lou’s life was irrevocably shaped by the years she spent away from us. The things she endured . . . well, no child should have to suffer those things.”

“Who would do such a thing?” She seemed disgusted as offered me the comfort of her touch.

“It was the fucking fairies,” I said, certain my voice reverberated the hatred I felt toward the bastards.

She wrapped her smooth palm around the stubble on my cheek and looked at me with what could only be described as empathy. My heart ached at the sight of it; Lou was the one who deserved the pity, and I was the one who’d let her down.

“It was a fifty-fifty chance,” I told her, confiding a truth that I’d never really shared with anyone outside my family before. “They could have taken me instead. It was only pure luck that they didn’t.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Evie said with a voice steady and sure and completely without doubt.

“I was just a baby.” I’d heard the words before, and understood them on some level, but deep inside I still felt guilty that Lou’d had to suffer so much. I hated that I hadn’t been able to protect her from the agony she’d experienced.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Evie said again, and as I looked into her eyes, I could see how badly she wanted me to believe it, so I smiled at her.

I wanted to tell her everything that I felt, everything I’d learned in the time that we’d been apart, and everything about my family. I was going to, but as I met her gaze, I didn’t want to ruin what could potentially be our perfect night—and the start of the rest of our lives.

“You never even had a chance to show off in your impressive dress tonight,” I said instead to distract us both from the melancholy that was threatening to sink in. Holding her hand in mine, I spun her slowly before guiding her into my arms.

We danced in a small circle, our conversation moving swiftly from light and airy to heavy and weighted with the pain of the past. Eventually, I couldn’t resist the call of her lips any longer. Only a few moments after I claimed them though, she pulled away.

“You said you were hoping to make good on a promise tonight?” she asked with definite curiosity.