“No!” I leapt to my feet. “No!”

Cass jumped up, her eyes wild and desperate.

“I’m turning back time.” I called my magic to me, letting my gift over time coil in my chest.

Draka rose quickly. “You mustn’t. It’s forbidden. Changing the past is too dangerous.”

“It’s only a minute.” Cass’s voice was hard. “Do it.”

“What if you die?” Draka asked. “The Shadow could hit you with the same magic. Your Phantom form won’t protect you.”

I didn’t care. I’d risk hell or eternal damnation or whatever it took to save Nix.

“I don’t care.” I met Cass’s wild gaze. “Stop Nix from running.”

Cass nodded firmly, her gaze set. “Do it now.”

I raced back to where I’d stood with the other Shadow, fear shivering through my veins. Cass returned to her spot, Aidan took to the sky.

I met Draka’s gaze. “Go back to the sky. It will help.”

Worry and anger warred in her gaze, but she nodded, then shifted back into dragon form and took off. I’d never turned back the past with me and my friends in it—I’d only ever done it to my surroundings. I hoped it would help if everyone were close to the same position they had been, because honestly, I was floundering here.

But the sight of Nix’s body firmed my resolve.

I dug deep for my magic, using my trick of envisioning at a ball of light inside my body. It was my mother’s trick, I now knew. As I gathered the magic to the surface, I replayed my sword fight with the Shadow. I was going to have to be faster this time—but I knew what moves he would make.

Once I’d gathered up all my magic and all my control over time, I envisioned the moment before the Shadow cut my arm and my leg. I’d need all my strength and speed.

The magic poured out of me, twisting time and the space around me.

My skin chilled as time rewound itself. Shivers raced through me as I watched the world rewind. It happened in an instant, and then the Shadow with the sword was lunging for me.

He’d go for my left arm, I knew that now. I had to avoid the wounds, or I wouldn’t be fast enough. I dodged right, narrowly avoiding his blow, and sank my blade deep into his gut.

Pond Flower appeared a moment later, but she stood off to the side, as if she knew this moment was somehow different. I kicked the Shadow off of my blade. I had only seconds until the barrier dropped.

The Shadow fell, crashing to the ground. I stabbed him one last time, through the neck, then looked up to see the other Shadow flicking his electric poisoned whip at the barrier of flame.

This would be the blow that destroyed the wall of fire. I raced toward it, desperate to reach him before he could flick out the second strike that would kill Nix or me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cass lunge for Nix and grab her. Cass’s faith that I could handle this gave me strength.

As the barrier of flame dissipated fully, I lunged at the Shadow.

He drew back his arm to throw the killing strike, but I was too close. As I had before, I plunged my sword into his chest, then kicked him off the blade. This time, I followed it up with a slice to the throat as he fell. He was probably already close to death, but I was pissed and scared and wanted to finish the drill.

As he collapsed, his life force flowed away. I didn’t spare him a glance, instead spinning around to find Cass and Nix.

Nix was struggling out of Cass’s bear hug, confusion and annoyance on her face.

“What the hell, dude?” she demanded.

She’d just broken free when I hurtled toward her, throwing my arms around her and hugging her tight.

“Uh, thanks?” she said. Then she shoved me away.

I landed hard, crashing to my butt. Nix leapt over me and kicked a gray, muscular demon hard in the chest. He had a knife raised, as if he’d planned to stab me in the back. As he fell, Nix grabbed the knife, then followed him down to the ground, stabbing him in the neck. Blood sprayed her face, a gruesome war paint that somehow suited her.

I scrambled to my feet. The battle wasn’t over. There were still demons left to fight. With the magical flame barrier gone, we were now exposed.

I powered up an icicle and sent it through the chest of a demon who was climbing over the edge of the platform. It plowed through his neck and sent him flying through the air. He disappeared far below.

Cass was throwing fireballs at the demons surrounding Claire, who fought like a banshee, her sword whirling so fast that it was a gray streak on the air. I joined in, hitting one with an icicle and another with a massive ball of ice to the head. He flew off the platform, his skull crushed.

On the other side of the platform, Connor was out of potion bombs. He fought with his infrequently-used sword, doing a pretty damned good job against a dark blue demon who was armed with an axe.

Airborne, Roarke and Aidan were polishing off the last of the demons who tried to climb onto the platform.

In the valley beyond, our side was winning.

By a landslide.

The demon bodies piled up, disappearing at different speeds as they returned to the Underworld where they belonged. Most of the living ones—a hundred at most—were disappearing one at a time, using teleportation or transport charms. It was as if the Shadows’ deaths and the carnage made them realize that this was just too damned dangerous.

On the western tundra, Mordaca and Aerdeca looted the bodies of the fallen demons. So did the rest of the Darklaners. I couldn’t blame them. There was good loot to be found, and they deserved it. The Swamp Supes were doing the same, polishing off the last demons and searching the corpses before they disappeared. Some of the Order police looked on disapprovingly—anything found on the bodies should go to the Order, in their opinion—but they said nothing.

Today wasn’t a day for sticking to the rules.

In the south, the monsters had started eating the demons. Prince Louie looked delighted, with blood flecking the curly white fur of one head and straight golden fur of the other as he chowed down on the corpses at his feet. I imagined that I saw bloodthirsty glee in the eyes of Ralph and Rufus, but they were too far away to confirm my suspicions.

Claire killed the last demon on the platform, and I joined Cass and Nix at the southern edge, where the last of the demons still fought. There were a few down below, at the very base, but the FireSouls were polishing them off.

I looked toward the mountains, grateful to see the healers moving onto the battlefield. There were at least a hundred and fifty of them, along with their assistants. Probably three hundred in total. It had been Roarke’s idea to hire every healer we could find and bring them for the aftermath. They swarmed across the tundra, headed for the wounded.

“I think we’ve won,” I said.

Cass looped an arm around my shoulder. “I think we have.”

Nix grinned at us, her face painted with blood. “Good job, everyone!”

Cass winced and pointed to her cheek. “You’ve got a little something there. And there. And there.”

“That demon had it coming.”

Cass glanced at me. “Looks like Nix was determined to save you no matter what.”

She had a point. And maybe that was the thing about changing the past. You couldn’t change it very much. I’d only shifted it back a minute, but Nix had still found a way to save my life.

At least this time, she hadn’t died.

I owed her a big thank you, and she didn’t even realize. Or did she?

“Do you remember what happened?” I asked. If she did, she certainly wasn’t making a big deal about it.

“With you saving me?” Nix said. “Yeah. I mean, I was confused at first. Then I realized you must have turned back time. I was dead, so I didn’t see it. But I remember the rest of it. The poison, Cass hugging me weirdly.”

“Thank you. You saved my life.” Tears pricked my eyes.

She shrugged, but her gaze was fierce. “Or course.”

She wasn’t making a big deal about it. But I wasn’t surprised. I’d done something similar over the summer and hadn’t thought twice. It was just what we did for each other.

All the same, I reached out and hugged them both.

“Thanks, guys.” The words were muffled by their hair, but they squeezed back. “I love you.”

“Love you,” Nix said.

“Love you too.” Cass squeezed me one last time and let go.

As soon as she did, the aches and pains that I’d been able to ignore flared up. I may have avoided the Shadows’ bigger hits, but the demons who’d come before them had gotten in some good jabs.

I sat down heavily, exhausted. Nix and Cass sat next to me. A closer inspection revealed that they were cut up and burned as well. Pond Flower, who looked unwounded, thank fates, flopped onto the ground in front of me, tongue lolling.

Roarke landed next to me. He was coated liberally in blood that gleamed darkly against his skin. There were cuts and gouges from claws, along with bite marks and a lump that was already swelling on his shoulder.

He smiled at me, his teeth white against his dark face. “You did it.”

“We did it.”

He nodded and sat, a wince twisting his features as his cuts made themselves known. Claire staggered over, along with Connor. They were leaning on each other, both looking like hell, and I was pretty sure that Connor’s arm was hanging out of its socket.

Roarke noticed, too, and stood gingerly. “Let me get that for you, mate.”

Connor nodded, looking vaguely ill. Roarke shoved the limb back into place. Connor gave a manly yelp, then sagged to the ground. Blood seeped from a head wound and various cuts, but he didn’t look like he was going to pass out. Claire swayed, sitting beside him.

“I could use a beer,” she said.

“Me too.” This wasn’t really a boxed wine situation.

“Soon enough.” Roarke nodded to the battlefield behind me. “Our allies are coming.”

I turned to look. Aidan was flying Corin and Alton over, while Mordaca and Aerdeca had hitched a ride on the back of a giant eagle. Zoya and Galina were riding up to the platform on a wave of snow, which was a neat trick, while Draka flew toward us through the white sky. Her translucent blue form was brilliant against the snow clouds. Prince Louie stood on his hind legs so that Emile could climb up onto the platform, and Cade landed next to us.

Everyone looked like hell, covered in cuts and burns, but at least they were all alive. They all took a seat in our makeshift circle, Draka in her human form. In the tundra beyond, their warriors packed up, helping the wounded off the battlefield.

“Were your casualties great?” I asked the group, worry twisting in my chest.

Galina shook her head. Her pale sparkling skin was blended with the white backdrop of the clouds. “Not many, no. Many were wounded, yes. But the demons were so distracted with trying to reach you, we could strike them from behind in most cases. By the time they realized what was going on, we were in a position for victory.”

I nodded, relieved. “Good.”

The plan had worked.

Mordaca shrugged elegantly, an unimpressed look on her face. “We only lost a few stupid ones, and that’s because they stopped to loot the bodies too early.”

“Greed will get you.” Aerdeca wiped blood from her cheek, then rubbed it off on her pants. It blended right in with all the other blood. Her white outfit was entirely red, soaked with the blood of dozens of demons.

“The monsters are fine,” Emile said. “Some cuts to legs and bellies, but nothing life-threatening. I only recruited the biggest, strongest ones. Most of them really enjoyed it, actually.”

I grinned. I was glad for his foresight. I didn’t want the deaths of the smaller animals on my hands.

“The Swamp Supes are pretty much good,” Cade said. “Mostly because the demons thought they were on the same side.”

“Excellent.” I hadn’t expected that, but it made sense. Most of those folks smelled like dark magic. Same for the Darklaners. That had probably protected them, too.

“The Order lost a few good mercenaries, from what I could see,” Roarke said. “And there are a hell of a lot of injured.”

I glanced back over my shoulder to check on the battlefield. The healers were kneeling by bodies, performing triage and transporting those with the worst wounds. Grief for those who were lost flared in my chest, but I was grateful it wasn’t worse.

“No losses amongst the FireSouls.” Corin leaned in and patted Pond Flower on the butt. “Thanks to the hellhounds, mostly. The demons couldn’t get near us as long as we had a hellhound at our side.”

“Good.” I drew in a shaky breath, feeling weaker by the minute. I wouldn’t pass out—I knew that feeling all to well—but the battle was starting to take its toll. “Thank you, everyone. You’ve saved us.”

“We’ve saved us,” Emile said. “It took everyone to finish the fight.”

I smiled and nodded. They were right. Planning and friends had made this a success. And hopefully, we’d never have to fight a battle like this again.

That was cause for celebration. “We should have a party.”