“I couldn’t.” He buried his face in her neck and breathed deeply, and a soft purring noise rumbled up from deep in his chest. “That’s why I was leaving. I changed my mind about everything, Serena. Even though my decision would have killed my brothers, too… I couldn’t betray you like that.”

“Your… brothers?”

“They were dying too. My illness and theirs were connected.”

Time slowed as she digested what he’d just said. She knew how much he loved his brothers, and yet, when it came down to a choice between their lives and hers, he’d chosen hers.

He’d just turned everything she’d ever learned about demons—from the nuns she’d grown up with and from Val and his monstrous library of books—upside down and inside out.

He checked his watch. “I wish I could stay, but I don’t have much time. Byzamoth plans to start the war of wars in a few hours.” He smoothed her hair away from her face, his touch light and tender. “I’m going to get your necklace back. I’ll stop him, Serena. If it’s the last thing I do, I will stop him.”

“But… you’re a demon.”

“So why would I want to stop him?” At her nod, he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Most demons living among humans like things the way they are. Imagine your worst apocalyptic scenario, multiply it by a hundred, add a lot of chaos, gore, disease, and demons, and you’ve got Sheoul. The idea that everything could become like that? Freaks a lot of us out. There are going to be a lot of demons fighting on the side of good in this battle.”

“And you’re fighting on the side of good.”

He flicked his tongue over a fang, one corner of his mouth turned up in just a hint of a cocky grin. “Well, historically, good can’t fight for shit. Really, they need me.”

Damn him for charming her and turning her on at the same time—while she was on her deathbed.

A commotion outside the door had Josh leaping out of the bed and yanking the covers up around her. The sounds of angry shouts, running footsteps, and flesh striking flesh came through the thin walls as if they were made of paper.

“Serena!”

“Val?”

Josh cursed as Val threw open the door, flanked by Eidolon. Shade was struggling with David and another man in the hallway, and if the more distant sounds were any indication, there was a battle going on elsewhere in the house.

“What the hell is going on?” Val looked between Serena and Josh, who was buttoning his pants. “Jesus effing Christ, Serena! He’s a demon!” He stalked into the room, glaring pure murder at Josh.

Serena sat up in bed, tugging the sheet up even though her top covered her. “Calm down, Val. I know he’s a demon—”

His hand clenched reflexively at his hip, and she wondered if he had a weapon concealed beneath his bulky shirt. “Do not tell me this is the bastard you gave your charm to.”

“Then don’t ask.”

He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Oh, Serena. How could you have been so stu—”

“Finish that sentence,” Josh said flatly, “and it’ll be your last.”

Val turned purple with rage. For a moment, she thought he’d blow, but David laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Let it go, Dad.”

Shade moved fully inside to stand near Josh, and suddenly the room filled with people. Total strangers. And here she was, wearing nothing but a tank top and in a bed where it was pretty obvious she’d just had sex. With a demon.

“Everyone needs to just calm down.” Eidolon crossed to Josh and Shade.

“Fuck you,” David said. “We don’t take orders from demons.”

Josh bared his fangs. “Yeah, you do. Because right now, I’m your best hope to defeat Byzamoth. So if you don’t want to spend eternity bent over and holding your ankles for him, you’ll back the f**k off.”

Ky, Gem, Tay, Shade, and E all crammed into the bedroom, followed by six local Aegis Guardians and six members of the Sigil. Luc, Reaver, and several local Aegi made for a tense party in the other rooms of the house, and there were more agents patrolling outside

And that as**ole Lore was tied up in the hall. What the hell was up with that? Ky had no idea.

Kynan’s hand hovered over his stang, fingers itching to draw down. The house was filled to the gills with mortal enemies, and the Guardians were loaded for werebear.

Powder. Keg. One spark and the place would blow.

Val reached for Serena, his Sigil ring glinting in the light from the overhead. “I’m taking you home.”

And… that was the spark.

A god-awful roar vibrated the house. Wraith moved so fast Ky didn’t track him until he followed the nasty growl to the bed, where Wraith was on all fours, crouched protectively over Serena.

Christ, his eyes burned the orange-gold of a jet’s afterburners and his fangs had elongated into daggers. With his blond mane falling around his face, he looked like a f**king lion guarding his pride.

The familiar, ominous sound of weapons clearing their housings cut through the tension. The Guardians and Elders closed ranks at the same moment that E, Shade, and Gem stepped in front of the bed to stand with Wraith.

In a coordinated move that reminded Ky of how well he and Tay had fought together in the past, they placed themselves between the demons and the Guardians.

“I am taking Serena home, where she belongs,” Val repeated, his Romanian accent so thick Kynan barely understood him.

Wraith’s voice scraped gravel. “If you touch her, I’ll drop all your buddies, and then I’ll take you apart, piece by piece.”

“You,” Val bellowed, “have no say in this. She’s dying because of you!”

The Guardians shifted, bracing for battle, and Wraith’s eyes went crimson. This was going to end very, very badly.

“Shade,” Ky said quietly, “bring Wraith down.” He turned to Val, whose dark gaze promised as much blood as Wraith’s. “You’d best back off. We need him to get the amulet from Byzamoth. And you know you can’t hurt him. Trying would be suicide.” Suicide, even if Wraith wasn’t in possession of the charm.

Serena placed a restraining hand on Wraith’s, and though he still looked like he was mentally fitting Val for a coffin, he’d stopped growling.

“Val, please,” she said calmly, as if she didn’t have over two hundred pounds of enraged demon vampire crouched over her. “The most important thing here is to stop Byzamoth. We all need to work together.”

“We agreed to work with the charmed one,” David said, “but we didn’t know he was a demon. We’re not working with them. No way.”

“Then lube up and prepare to call Byzamoth daddy,” Wraith said, not helping the situation at all.

One of the Elders, Juan, cleared his throat. “Kynan. Tayla. As Regent and former Regent, surely you recognize the problems inherent in Guardians working with demons?”

“I know firsthand.” Tayla morphed into her hybrid Soulshredder form, her veiny wings scraping the wall. Gasps filled the air. “Because I’m half demon.” She shifted back, rolled her shoulders. “Don’t make me do that again. It stings and makes me very cranky.”

David turned on her, his glower twisting his handsome face into something hideous. “You traitorous—”

“Be very careful what you say, human.” Eidolon’s eyes had gone as red as Wraith’s, and he now looked every inch the demon he was.

A long, tense silence had Kynan twitching. Finally, Val turned to him, though he shot wary glances at Tayla. “Did you know about her? Did you know she was a demon when you recommended her for the Regent position?”

“Yes.”

“Jesus, Kynan. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking,” Kynan said, “that she’s a warrior with damned good instincts. She can think on her feet. She knows the difference between good demons and bad ones—”

“There are no good demons,” Val bit out.

“Right now none of that matters,” Kynan said, because they didn’t have time to argue. “What matters is stopping Byzamoth. And trust me, you need Wraith to do that.”

Muffled grumbles rose up in the Aegis ranks. Val held up his hand; everyone went silent. “He’s right. We need to concentrate on the situation at hand.”

Kynan swore the house breathed a sigh of relief. Still, the room was way too crowded with mortal enemies. And Serena didn’t look comfortable in bed, where the state of the sheets and the discarded clothes on the floor told an X-rated story.

“Let’s clear out,” Kynan said. “We only need a few players in here.”

There was some discussion between the Elders and Guardians, and then most of them filed out, leaving only Val and his son, David. Gem and Tayla left to keep an eye on things outside. Reaver had come in, stood at the end of the bed, watching Serena with sad eyes.

Calmer now, Wraith sat on the edge of the bed, holding Serena’s hand. Still, he locked gazes with Val, who cleared his throat imperiously.

“The city of Jerusalem is being evacuated. Hundreds of Aegis and military teams will be in place at the Temple Mount in a matter of hours,” Val said to Wraith. “I assume you’ll use a Harrowgate to make it on time?”

“Duh.”

Shade sighed, and Eidolon rubbed his temples.

“You will distract Byzamoth so The Aegis can retrieve the amulet. Should you gain possession of it, you will immediately hand it over to a Guardian.”

Kynan winced as Wraith came to his feet. “Blow me. This isn’t your show, and I don’t take orders from slayers.”

“Josh. Val.” Serena’s thin voice drew everyone’s attention. The dark circles beneath her eyes seemed to have grown ten times worse in the last few minutes. “Just… get the necklace. Don’t fight.”

Wraith nodded and took her hand, and was it Ky’s imagination, or did her arm look thinner, more fragile? “Sorry.” He slid Val a covert glare, as if upsetting Serena had been entirely the human’s fault.

The room fell silent except for the sound of her raspy breaths, until Reaver spoke up. “I’m going with you.”

E cocked an eyebrow. “I thought you couldn’t help.”

“Fuck that.”

“How can you help, angel?” Wraith asked, and both Val and David gaped.

“Angel?” David echoed.

“Fallen. Don’t get excited.” Reaver shook his head. “I can fight him, but I can’t do it alone. He’s stronger than I am. He’s drawing on the power of evil. I, on the other hand, can’t claim the power of the Heavens or Hell.”

Wraith tucked Serena against him and ran his palm up and down her arm. “So we tag team him.”

“We tag team him,” Reaver agreed.

E clapped Wraith on the back. “I’m going with you. Tay, Luc, and Ky are coming with us. There’ll be a lot of casualties.”

They’d decided not to send Shade, because his medical gift would be needed here to care for Serena, and Gem was staying behind to help. All of the Guardians would remain in what was now Central Command. They would be responsible for calling in reinforcements, providing situation reports to Aegis cells worldwide, and basically, acting as the second line of defense should Wraith fail.

Of course, should Wraith fail, a second line wouldn’t make a drop of difference.

“Game on, then,” Wraith said. “We leave together. But Shade? No one takes Serena anywhere.” Wraith glared at Val, his voice dripping with warning. “No one.”

Shade crossed his arms over his broad chest, moved to the head of the bed, and nodded. “No one.”

Wraith kissed Serena so tenderly that something lurched in Kynan’s chest. He’d never in a million years have believed that Wraith could feel so strongly about anyone, especially a human. That the woman was dying only made the situation more unbelievable—and tragic.

Kynan thought of Gem and wondered what he’d do if he found out she was dying. God, he’d probably wither up and die with her.

Screw that. He wasn’t going to lose her to death or to anything else. Not now, and since things here seemed to be under control, he slipped out of the room.

In the living room, he walked into a tension soup. Four Guardians stood on one side of the room, Luc on the other, and all were glaring. The Guardians couldn’t know Luc was a werewolf, but they knew he was there with the Sem brothers, so they’d naturally assume he was some sort of baddie.

Ky pulled Luc aside. “Have you seen Gem?”

“Not my day to watch her.” Luc growled when one of the Guardians not-so-casually drew his stang and tested the edge. “But I saw her go into the kitchen a minute ago.”

Luc’s gaze went right back to a female Guardian standing near a window, and strangely enough, her gaze was fixed just as intently on him.

“What’s going on?” Kynan asked.

Luc smiled, which was little more than a baring of his teeth. “She’s a warg. She knows I know, but I’m guessing her human buddies don’t know. She’s afraid I’ll tell.”

“Are you going to?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

Luc’s voice dropped an octave. “Whether or not she gives me what I want.”

“And that is?”

“Fifteen minutes. Naked.”

“That’s blackmail.”

Luc snorted. “Wargs call it negotiation.”

“So you want fifteen minutes… what will she want?”