No.

Oh no.

For a moment, I didn’t even see the road in front of me. The horror nearly consumed me. “I didn’t mean for you to do this, Kat. Never something like this.”

Her deep breath was audible. “You didn’t make me do this.”

I pressed my lips together. “Yeah, I did.”

“Daemon—”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want you hurt, Kat. I can’t—I can’t live with that.” Once those words were out, there was no taking them back. They were the truth. “Stay on the phone. I’m going to find a place to ditch the car and I’ll meet you. It won’t take more than a few minutes to get there. Don’t get out of the car or anything.”

“Okay,” she said and then, “maybe this wasn’t the strongest idea.”

I barked out a short, harsh laugh as I spied the last of the headlights disappearing in the rearview mirror. I pulled over. “No shit.”

“So, um, the not living with your—” She broke off suddenly as I killed the engine and threw open the car door. “Daemon?”

“What?”

“I think—” A scream cut her off.

My skin chilled. “Kat?”

Nothing.

“Katy!”

No answer.

Oh no. No. No.

Tossing the phone into the SUV, I slammed the door shut and then took off for the wooded line, switching into my true form and picking up speed. I ran faster than I ever had before, my form barely touching the ground. Scenarios swirled in my head. Kat beaten. Broken. Dead. I couldn’t get the thoughts out of my head.

Only minutes had passed, maybe two by the time I reached the clearing, but it was more than enough time for Baruck to have seriously injured Kat or worse. I flew past the burned-out remains of the bonfire, nothing more than charred logs and scattered ash. Through the trees, I spied a bright white light rise too far in the air to be Kat unless…

I dug in, clearing the first stand of trees, and then I saw him—I saw Kat. The Arum held her up in the air with a hand around her throat, and his other was inside her chest. He was feeding on her. Rage tasted like metal in the back of my throat. I shifted into my human form as fury erupted out of me in a roar.

The Arum’s shadowy head turned over his shoulder just as I slammed into him, breaking his hold on Kat. She fell to the ground in a messy heap and she didn’t get up. I landed in front of her in a crouch, the Arum several feet away.

I rose as the Arum did, both of us eye to eye.

“You’ve come to die with her? Perfect,” Baruck said in his human form, rapidly moving from left to right. “That makes this so much easier, because I think I might have broken her. She tasted good, too. Different somehow,” he taunted. “Not like a Luxen, but still worth it in the end.”

Launching myself at Baruck, I threw him several feet away with one powerful blast of the Source from an outstretched arm. “I’m going to kill you.”

Baruck rolled onto his back, choking with laughter. “You think you can take me, Luxen? I have devoured those stronger than you.”

I hit him with another blast of light, drowning out the rest of what Baruck was saying. The ground trembled with the impact of all that focused energy. The hit had knocked Baruck down, but I knew he wouldn’t stay there. Shifting into my Luxen form, I rushed him. We collided like thunder and hit the ground rolling, brawling like two humans, but our blows would’ve killed a human with one shot.

Pinning Baruck down, I slammed my fist into his throat, but at the last minute, he shifted and pulled his legs back, kicking me off to the side. I landed and rolled, popping to my feet just as I saw Dee race past the Arum, heading for Kat. There was no time to even process my sister’s presence.

Bright, orangey balls of fire formed on the tips of my hands. They shot out past Baruck, fizzling out before they slammed into trees, turning the world amber and gold. Heat blew back, tossing crackling embers into the sky.

One slammed into the Arum’s shoulder, spinning him around. He ducked the other, and it hit the tree behind him, burning a hole deep into the truck. Over the chaos, I heard Dee begging, “Katy, talk to me. Please talk to me!” Then she screamed my name. “Daemon!”

My heart stopped.

I turned just as Baruck did. Dee had Kat in her arms. The Arum released his own essence. A dark bolt slammed into Dee, knocking her back from Kat, who slumped to the ground. I shouted as Dee sprang to her feet. Her eyes burned an intense white and then she flew forward, aiming straight for Baruck.

Spinning back, I released another blast and then another, but Baruck dodged my attack and went straight for Dee. I raced forward, but it was too late. He caught Dee, and for a heart-stopping moment, darkness swallowed her. She hit the ground, her body twitching.

I charged Baruck, tackling him. Branches shook, scattering leaves to the grass. I rolled atop Baruck, summoning the Source as I lifted my hand just as I saw Dee push to her feet. The moment of distraction was all it took.

Everything happened so fast.

Dee flickered in and out, blood trickling from her nose as she squared her shoulders and started toward us. Under me, Baruck lifted his arm and released another blast, shooting it straight at Dee.

Kat crashed into her at the second the blast hit them, knocking her aside a second before darkness surrounded them, and there was a scream. I couldn’t tell if it belonged to my sister or Kat.

Everything was falling apart.

Both of them crashed to the ground. Kat was on her back and the front of her shirt was washed with a dark substance. A metallic scent filled the air. Blood. Dee was beside her, on her side, her limp arm fallen across Kat’s. Dee slipped into her true form.

Never take your eye off your enemy.

The blast caught me in the back, sending me through the air, ass over teacup. Pain made it difficult to hold form, and I felt myself slipping back and forth. My thoughts were consumed with my sister…and Kat.

Kat stood no chance against Baruck.

I smacked into the ground, stunned as I heard the Arum’s voice in my head. Three for one ssspecial.

Trying to maintain one form, I twisted and my gaze cleared. Kat—I was next to Kat, so close I could touch her. She was alive. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. She was staring at me, her lips moving, but there were no words. I tried to sit up, but aftershocks forced me down. My muscles spasmed. It was like being hit by a supercharged Taser.

It’sss over. All of you will die. Baruck advanced.

I turned toward Kat, saw the tears blurring her eyes. This wasn’t right. She didn’t deserve any of this, and I’d brought it all to her—everything.

Our eyes locked. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I was sorry she moved here and met us. Not in the way she’d think—that it was her fault, but that she had no idea what she was stepping into. I wanted to turn back time, stop her from going to the library and erase the spaghetti incident, because without that, we would’ve never talked in the woods that night and she would’ve never walked out in front of that truck. So many mistakes.

Kat would be safe right now, watching stupid Halloween movies, maybe even in the arms of some guy who would never hurt her or put her in harm’s way. She would be safe. Out of my reach, but safe nonetheless.

Most of all, I wanted to go back and change the way I’d acted toward her. Because now, as she shuddered on the damp ground, as death loomed over us all, I was willing to acknowledge the one thing I’d been hiding from. The one thing that had truly terrified me.

I never wanted to push her away.

As selfish as it was, I was glad she had moved here. It was too late for us, but I cared for her…more than I should, but I did. It was too late.

Too late to tell her how I felt, to touch her, to just hold her, to make up for every terrible thing I’d done and said. It was too late for me.