“What happened to her?” the man demanded of the troll as he strode towards us. The troll said something but I did not hear it. The man stopped in front of us and took the demon’s face in his hands with gentle firmness. “Look at me,” he commanded. The demon sighed at his touch and we looked into the man’s stormy gaze. I felt a tug at my dwindling consciousness but no name came forth.

“Sara, it’s time to come back now. Your friends need you. Roland needs you.”

Those names meant nothing to us. The demon blinked and stood with its arms at its side. I took one last look at those demanding grey eyes and began to slip away into the endless cavern of the demon’s mind. I sensed rather than felt the slap against the demon’s cheek and its head snapping back as the man shook the demon.

“Goddamnit! You will not do this, do you hear me?” The words were faint but the furious tone stirred a glimmer of recognition. I felt the demon twist violently as it struggled to break free of the arms that encircled it like bands of steel. I heard its roar of frustration when a voice began to speak incessantly into its ear. The words reached me like echoes in a vast room and there was nowhere I could turn to avoid them.

“You were right, Sara, you are not weak. In fact you are one of the strongest, most infuriating people I have ever met. You fight monsters, you befriend trolls and beasts, and you face horrors that would break a lesser person. And you walk headfirst into danger to protect the ones you care about. You are loyal, stubborn, and foolhardy and, though you don’t believe it, you are a warrior.”

The demon stopped moving and I floated closer to the man’s voice. A name floated just out of reach and I knew it belonged to the man whispering in our ear. Nikolas.

“Few Mohiri could have done what you did tonight, giving up yourself to save those trolls,” Nikolas said with quiet conviction. “You did what you had to do and now you have to come back to us. To Roland.”

The name conjured an image of a smiling face with warm blue eyes. “Roland?” I was not sure if it was me or the demon who spoke.

“That’s right. Your friend, Roland. He needs you now.”

Memories burst across my mind as my life, my friends, Nate – it all came rushing back. Roland needed me? I struggled against the demon but it was too strong. The Mori settled back, enjoying its new freedom and the feel of the strong young body it possessed.

Desperation filled me. I reached for the power I had closed off when I released the demon. The Mori knew what I was going to do and it fought me, trying to force me into the same place where it had been contained all these years. But I was gaining strength, enough to nudge open the gate. The Mori was strong but it was no match for the tide of power that swept upward, pushing it back and forcing it back into its previous state of sullen watchfulness. No fair, it whined as the barrier shot back up.

Sounds filled my ears: people talking and shouting, someone crying. My eyes focused and I found myself looking at Nikolas’s worried face. For a moment, I was disoriented until it all came back to me slowly. Then I remembered Nikolas’s words and the world slammed back into focus.

“What happened to Roland?”

Chapter 18

“Where is he?” I cried as I raced through the main foyer of the house, skirting around fallen bodies of men and vampires without sparing them a glance. I burst through the front doors to find two men I did not know standing guard on the steps, their warrior garb identifying them as Mohiri. They stared at me curiously and one of them who looked Indian said, “Who?”

“My friend, Roland. Nikolas said he was shot.”

“Oh, the werewolf,” his Korean companion replied dismissively. “He took a round of silver to the chest. His pack came and took him away a little while ago. Didn’t look good.”

His words, spoken with such indifference, were like a knife in my heart. “No!” I darted past them down the steps to the driveway. My breath came in short gasps and it felt like my chest was in a vise. I couldn’t lose Roland. I turned back toward the house as Nikolas came through the door. “I have to go to him. Please. He needs me.”

He came down the steps, sympathy written on his face. “Roland is with his people. If anyone can help him they can.” He stopped in front of me. “The men had silver ammo, most likely to protect themselves from the vampires they were working with.”

I shook my head and backed away. “No, no, you don’t understand. I can help him.”

Nikolas put his hands on my shoulders. “He took a direct hit in the chest, Sara. The pack will do what they can for him but this type of injury is almost always fatal to werewolves. I’m sorry.”

“No! I won’t let that happen!” I pulled away from him and swiped at the tears running unchecked down my cheeks. I raised my eyes to his. I would beg him if I had to, I would do anything to reach Roland. “I know I’ve been nothing but trouble to you and you have no reason to do this for me but I have no one else. Please help me, Nikolas.”

Nikolas turned away and I closed my eyes as my heart broke.

“Erik, I need your bike.”

My eyes flew open as the Korean man who had so casually written Roland off as dead tossed a set of keys. Nikolas caught them and led me to two black motorcycles, handing me a helmet before he started one of the bikes. I jumped on behind him and we took off. He slowed down at the gate and I saw a tangle of bodies lying on the cobbled driveway. So much death. I closed my eyes and pressed my helmet against Nikolas’s back to block out the sight. I would not let my best friend become another casualty of this bloodshed. Please, God… let us get there in time.