Layla woke only a few hours later, while it was still pitch black. She nervously got up. It was a noise that had woken her, and that noise was moving down the corridor. Peeking out, she sighed in relief to see that it was just Sophie.

“Hey, you all right?”

“Can’t sleep,” Sophie admitted. “I’m worried about Rose and Lizeth. They were supposed to call when they finished.”

“Phoenix and Fisher will protect them.”

“I know. I still worry.”

Hunter’s door opened next. “Everything okay?”

“Fine, as far as we know. I’m just going to get a glass of water. Sorry to wake you guys up.”

Feeling oddly awake, Layla followed Sophie down, and Hunter came after her. Layla’s sleeping rhythm was definitely becoming a little messed up, but she was surprised to see Damaris already sitting at the table, sipping tea. Did this coven not sleep at night? By the worried look Damaris and Sophie shared, though, she thought this must be unusual, after all.

“Should they have been here or called by now?” Layla asked hesitantly.

“They usually don’t take this long checking wards. Unless they get into trouble.”

“Maybe you should call them.”

“Not a good idea,” Damaris answered. “They could be in a tricky situation where the last thing they need is a phone suddenly buzzing to give them away.”

“What about you?” Layla asked Hunter. “What’s your excuse for being up?”

“Demons have sensitive hearing. I woke the moment you opened your door.”

Well, that at least explained how he’d known Sophie was about to knock on her door earlier, when they’d been kissing. He must have heard her walking up the stairs.

They only sat and talked briefly before Hunter stood up to patrol the property outside. He looked like he was heading toward the swimming pool out back as he walked out the door.

“Is that pool heated?” Layla asked a few moments later.

“Yes, it’s really pleasant. You can borrow a swimsuit if you want,” Sophie offered.

“No, that’s okay, I just want to stick my feet in.”

Outside, Layla settled by the pool and caught Hunter’s eyes with hers, indicating the spot next to her. He kicked his shoes off and dangled his feet into the lit pool beside hers. She braced herself, but he still didn’t ask any questions about what had happened with her mom.

“Phoenix and the others will be fine, right?”

“Absolutely. We’re very good at what we do, Layla.”

“Which is what, exactly?” she asked after a moment had passed.

“Most demons do jobs for other immortals, usually security stuff. I worked as a bouncer at a fairy club once.”

Layla giggled. “Was that in the underworld?”

“No, that was up here.”

“Tell me more about your world.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Well, is it all, like, fire and brimstone?”

Hunter snorted. “No. We do have fires and torches for light—it is underground, after all. Most of the stone is marble, though, at least where I live. There are different areas, just like on earth’s surface. We have a lot of hot springs down there, closer to the earth’s mantle. It’s cozy. Everything up here is so open, so empty.”

“Do you miss it?”

Hunter shrugged. “I will once I’ve been up here for a while. I’ve worked plenty of jobs on the surface before. Nothing’s really like home, though.”

His face darkened. “Not that I’m sure how much longer my home will be there.”

Layla recognized his wistful tone. After all, she’d also just lost her home. “So, what do you do for fun down there?”

“Well, mostly we give sacrifices to our gods and partake in blood sport.”

Layla stared at him in horror until Hunter started laughing. “What do you think we do? Mostly the same things you do—read, play sports, socialize. It’s not that different down there than it is up here. I can take you sometime, if you like.”

She didn’t have to think about it. “I’d like that.”

“We’d have to sneak you away from your coven.”

Layla wouldn’t like that part quite as much, but she was curious.

Hunter somehow managed to shuffle closer to her without seeming to move at all, and Layla cautiously leaned her head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

“What about you?” he asked. “Have you decided what you’re going to do yet?”

“I’m not sure. I mean, I’d still like to go to college and learn to make spells to sell. Everything’s just happening so fast, though. I kind of feel like all I can do is hang on and go along for the ride right now.”

Hunter chuckled. “I know the feeling. You should go to college if you want to. Most immortals never experience normal human things. You should get to do everything.”

Layla moved her hand slightly so that their fingers were touching, her heart racing. She looked up at his face and found his eyes already on her.

Hunter put a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her to him. Layla went willingly, smiling when their lips met. His tongue was amazing, circling Layla’s in a way that made her head spin deliciously. She realized she was clutching his shirt. She could feel his chest heaving under her hands.

Without thinking, she tried to move over so that she was straddling Hunter, but she forgot about the swimming pool and nearly shrieked as she lost her balance at the edge of the water. Hunter caught her before she could topple in and inched both of them back from the pool, nearly without breaking the kiss.

The spike of adrenaline only made Layla kiss him more fiercely, and Hunter moaned slightly, his hands twisting into her hair.

When he suddenly broke away, his hands on her waist moved her so swiftly that she was once again sitting on the pool’s edge practically before she knew what was happening. When Layla blinked, he was a foot away from her. She was still panting slightly from the kiss.

“You two okay out here?” Sophie asked.

“Fine, thank you,” Hunter replied. Layla was busy trying to hide how flustered and out of breath she still felt. She also felt somewhat annoyed. Was Sophie supposed to be her high priestess or her mother?

Sophie reluctantly went back inside.

Layla leaned closer to him but had her mind on their friends now. “Do you know how to fight with all those weapons Phoenix and Fisher took?”

“Of course.”

“Do you think you could teach me sometime?”

Hunter looked surprised. “You won’t need them. Once you learn how to use magic, that will be a far more powerful weapon than anything we can do.”

“Yes, but it always comes with a drawback, right? I’d like an option to defend myself that doesn’t have the possibility of me ending up passed out or screaming in agony, unable to protect anyone, me included.”

“I suppose I could teach you. It’s just strange... Mostly, witches shy away from that kind of fighting, preferring to stick to magic. Despite the side effects.”

Layla shrugged. “I guess not being brought up as a witch has its advantages, then. Do you think Sophie will mind?”

“I don’t think she’ll exactly be happy about us spending more time together, but she won’t stop you. Witches are powerful enough that you’re often targets, so learning as much defense as you can certainly won’t hurt. It’s a smart thing to spend time on.”

Layla was proud of herself, having found this ironclad excuse to spend lots of time with Hunter. Her good mood faltered for a moment, though. She shouldn’t get ahead of herself. Hunter probably wasn’t that interested in her. Sure, he’d been kissing her, but someone like him, he probably kissed a lot of girls. She just happened to be here now, and since they’d connected early on when he showed up, maybe it only made sense that he was spending his attention on her while he was around the coven. What did she have, really, to offer in a long-term relationship?

She liked to think that she was worth something, deserving of another person’s love, but if she were, surely her mother would have loved her? That was supposed to be the strongest love there was, and if she’d failed in deserving even that…

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. Hunter was looking at her with that piercing gaze of his, and Layla suddenly had an irrational fear that he could read her mind. She broke eye contact, staring down at her knees. She could feel him watching her, though, so she changed the subject to the first thing that came to mind. “The light here is nice, with the lit pool and the glow coming out of the house. I could make a good drawing here.”

“Why don’t you?”

That was a good point. Layla got up and fetched her sketchpad. Wondering if he’d comment on her subject matter, she sat cross-legged a few feet away from him. His feet were still dangling in the pool as he leaned casually back on one arm—the picture of elegance and heat, all rolled up into one.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t comment as Layla began drawing him. Knowing she’d probably spend hours on his eyes alone if she started there, she sketched his outline first, and then did a rough impression of the pool and the house around him to improve upon later.

As always, she got lost in the drawing. She erased his waist a few times, trying to portray how it tapered down to narrow hips and built thighs. She could feel his eyes on her, and she shuffled closer, finally moving to his face, trying again to catch his captivating features perfectly.

Hunter mimicked her movement after a few more minutes passed, and suddenly, there were scant inches between them again. Layla knew she shouldn’t lean forward. Sophie was already suspicious. What would she do if she found Hunter and Layla kissing? Certainly nothing good.

Layla’s eyes were drawn to his lips, though, and she struggled to keep her hold on rational thought. Hunter took the decision out of her hands by closing the distance and covering her mouth with his. Layla sighed into the kiss, all thoughts of pulling away vanishing. She couldn’t even remember why she’d had them.

They seemed to pick up exactly where they’d left off earlier. Hunter’s hands were everywhere, stroking her back, her sides, holding her face, tangling in her hair. He put his hands on her waist and easily lifted her so that she was straddling his lap.

If felt beyond amazing. Layla wriggled down onto him, wrapping her arms and legs around him and holding on for dear life. Nothing had ever felt this good, and she never wanted it to end.

She made a small sound of dismay as Hunter suddenly leapt up, though, pulling her with him.

“Hunter?” Her woozy pleasure-filled haze disappeared at once when she saw his face. He looked tense and worried.

“What is it?” Layla demanded.

“There’s someone coming. An unfamiliar scent. Stay behind me.”

Hunter pushed her back inside and quickly locked the door leading out to the pool. Sophie had jumped up in alarm when they entered so abruptly, and she came forward even as Layla saw Hunter pulling a knife from out of nowhere.

“Stay behind me,” he repeated. Layla expected Sophie to argue, but Sophie merely scurried to stand by Layla, half-hidden from the door by Hunter’s broad shoulders. Layla wondered if they were about to face off with the person who had been killing witches. If this was it, Hunter certainly looked ready for them. Yet, Layla wasn’t sure if she was ready to see someone killed, no matter how murderous they were. It didn’t seem like she’d be getting much of a choice, however.

“Can you cast magic again yet?” she murmured to Sophie.

“Yes, but if we have a fight on our hands, me casting one spell will be of limited use. We’re warded here, though, so any trouble should be kept out by that—it’s just, this killer has already proven themselves far more capable than any of us would have imagined.”

Hunter didn’t seem to be listening to their whispered conversation. He’d hooked what appeared to be some kind of medieval torture device on his belt, and he still held the knife in his hand. Layla was reassured just looking at him and had to resist the urge to touch him.

Hunter pressed something on his wrist. It looked like a bracelet with little buttons on it. He held a finger to his lips before Layla could ask. Moments later, Cord came racing down the stairs, somehow managing to be utterly silent while doing it. He had a mace and a crossbow. Layla briefly wondered why they didn’t just use guns, but that would be a question for another time.

Cord shuffled Layla and Sophie farther back into the house and then stood to the side of the door, near Hunter, ready to ambush whoever it was if needed.

Layla’s nerves were mounting by the second. Were Hunter and Cord just being careful, or did they think this was serious trouble? She desperately wanted to ask Hunter, but his look of tense concentration told her that now wasn’t the time to go seeking reassurance.

Sophie’s hand slipped into hers and squeezed. Glancing at her, Layla saw that her high priestess looked afraid, but still mostly composed, as though she was ready for anything. Layla felt pretty sure that she herself looked like she was about to throw up.

A rap sounded on the door. Whoever it was, they were impatient. Hunter and Cord clearly weren’t opening that door until they were good and ready, though.

She watched in disbelief as Hunter pulled out a sword and a scary-looking axe; he wore a shirt that clung to his frame and jeans, and she had no idea where it had come from—another question for later. She thought back to the spell book she’d been looking at earlier—those simple ones still out of her reach—and felt useless. She couldn’t do any magic yet, except, apparently, destroying things without meaning to. Unfortunately, she was just as likely to destroy Sophie or Hunter as she was to strike a blow at an intruder.

“You ready?” Hunter whispered, half-turning back toward Sophie and Layla.

“Ready,” Sophie whispered. She might have felt ready, but Layla certainly didn’t. What if Rose and Lizeth had been captured? Anyone could be made to talk eventually. What if they’d given up the secret to disabling the wards here? Layla didn’t know if such a thing was possible, but the tension in the room allowed her crazy thoughts to seem more and more realistic by the second.

She tensed as Cord reached over and undid the multiple locks on the door.