Eldeorin smiled. “He may not like it, but he knows you are safe with me.”

“I’m not even sure I’m safe with you,” I muttered angrily, earning a laugh from him. I scanned the square, struck by how empty and quiet it was. A few lights lit up the square, but all the buildings were dark. A sign on one of the buildings was in another language that looked like Spanish. “Where the hell are we, and where are the people?”

Eldeorin leaned against a small fountain at the center of the square. “We are in Mexico. This village has been terrorized by a pair of vampires for a week, and the people hide in their homes after dark. Three people have been killed, and last night, the vampires took a young boy.”

“A boy?” Tears pricked my eyes at the thought of a child in the clutches of those monsters. “Are we here to find him?” Please, say yes.

“No, it is too late for him,” he said regretfully.

My eyes welled. “If you knew about this, why didn’t you help them?”

He sighed softly. “Cousin, the Fae are powerful, but we are not all-knowing. I learned about this village’s troubles a few hours ago, which is why I came for you. We cannot return their loved ones, but we can avenge them and free these people from the threat to their village.”

“You don’t need me for that. Surely you can take out a couple of vampires?”

He huffed as if he couldn’t believe I would question his ability. “I can, but I’m not the one who needs an outlet for all the magic she has built up inside her.”

Nervous excitement flared in my chest. My body literally ached with the need to release some of this pent-up energy, but the idea of facing two vampires was terrifying, even if Eldeorin was with me. “Are we talking about baby vamps or mature vamps?”

Eldeorin shrugged. “Does it matter?”

I threw up my hands. “Of course it matters. Mature vamps are super-fast and strong, and I can’t take one down with just my power. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not packing a weapon.”

“You are thinking like a Mohiri, like your power is finite.”

“Isn’t it? Healings don’t drain me anymore, but I still get tired if I used too much of my power. Westhorne was attacked before I left and I was barely standing by the end of it.”

“Your body was tired from channeling your magic, but you never could have depleted it. And now that you have been through liannan, your magic is purer and stronger, which is why you struggle with it.”

I stared at him. “If that’s true then why did I have to use a knife to finish off an old vampire I killed in New Mexico? I gave him what I had and it wasn’t enough.”

He shook his head slowly. “You gave him what you thought you had.”

“So I –” I broke off and spun around as cold blossomed in my chest. “They’re coming!”

“Good. It is time for you to ‘let off a little steam’, as they say.”

The cold spread until the vampires appeared between two of the buildings. The male was tall and blond and the female a few inches shorter with dark hair. Both wore jeans and knit tops, and if I hadn’t known better, I might have mistaken them for a couple of twenty-something American tourists. They spotted us and started walking leisurely in our direction.

My pulse raced, and my knees felt weak, but I held my ground. “Which one do you want?”

Silence.

“Eldeorin?” I looked behind me to discover I was alone. “Shit!” My heart hammered against my ribs. Okay, calm down. You’ve got this.

Who was I kidding? I was going to die in the middle of God only knows where, and I hadn’t even gotten my first date kiss.

I’m going to come back and haunt that goddamn faerie for the rest of his immortal life.

“You’re not one of the locals,” the male said when they were within speaking distance.

“Are you lost, sweetie?” his companion asked in a falsely sweet voice. Both of them had what sounded like Texas accents, and I sent up a prayer that they were newly turned.

I swallowed and tried to control the tremble in my voice. “I think I am.”

They stopped about ten feet away, as if they were a kind human couple not wanting to frighten the poor lost girl. I resisted the urge to rub my chest where an icy lump was lodged.

The male looked around. “How did you get here? Are you alone?”

I scrambled for a believable story. “I’m on a road trip with my cousin. Our Jeep broke down a few miles away, and I walked here for help. But I can’t find anyone to help me.”

A look passed between them. “So it’s the two of you?” he asked. “Your cousin stayed with the car and you walked here alone?”

“Yes. He’s a lazy jerk who expects me to do all the work,” I said loudly, real annoyance clashing with my fear. “Last trip I take with him.”

The female smiled sympathetically. “We have a car. If you’d like, we can take you to your cousin. Douglas is great with cars, and I’m sure he can help you with yours.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I should stay here in case my cousin gets it running and comes looking for me.” I wondered why they were bothering to keep up the charade when they could have grabbed me and forced me to show them where my supposed cousin was.

They exchanged another look and Douglas said, “I tell you what. I’ll go and see if I can help your cousin, and Carla will stay here with you. We’d hate to leave a fellow American all alone here at night.”