"I can vault over her head," she said. "A lot faster than she can catch me.

"Go for it. I'm trying to find an opening that isn't going to kick my ass."

"Be safe. We can't afford to lose you. Remember, we're al in this together--we don't have room for martyrs." She took a running leap and went soaring over the lamia's head in a flip to die for, landing near the end of Stacia's coiled tail.

Tril ian took something out of his pocket, and I smiled. Of course, he'd be the one to figure that out. He slid a pair of shades on. Wraparound Ray-Bans, which looked stunning and would protect his eyes from her venom. He held up the stun gun and began to move toward her.

Stacia spit at him and at the same time slammed the tip of her tail into Menol y, knocking my sister against the wal . Menol y managed to grab hold of the tail, and she was using her long nails to claw her way up toward Stacia's back. At that moment, Iris came through the door, bloodied and bruised, and she took one look at Stacia and let out a long, terrible shriek.

"You kil ed Henry; you destroyed the shop!" Her eyes grew wide as she thrust her wand toward the lamia and let out a long string of chanting--I couldn't understand the words, but the power behind it was vast and terrifying, and I found myself backing away as the Talon-haltija sang her song.

Stacia started to home in on her, but right then Menol y made her way onto the creature's back and wrapped her arm around the lamia's neck. She began to squeeze. The lamia's tail was flipping now, smashing right and left as she reached up to try to claw Menol y from her back. Venom dripped from the demon's fangs, and she let out a long shriek.

"Do you realize how stupid you are?" Her eyes flashed. "Kil me, and you kil yourselves and this world. I'm your best chance to stand against Shadow Wing."

Iris let loose a spel that hit Stacia in the face. Energy crackled through the lamia, a web of forked lightning working its way down her body.

"We'l take our chances," I screamed, rushing in from the side. "If you're our only al y, then we're dead anyway." As I plunged Lysanthra into her side, Stacia backhanded me and sent me--and my dagger--flying against a buffet. Her tail swung toward me and coiled around my waist and I heard something in my chest crack. Moaning, I struggled to get free, but the pressure was too great, and I was beginning to pass out. Crap, I thought. So close--I can't die now!

Shade appeared then, at the side of the lamia, and he breathed a cloud of smoke on her. She screamed and rubbed furiously at her eyes. Shade let out a low rumble and began to shift, but he wasn't turning into dragon--no, he was turning into a creature of mist and shadow, a vaporous form. He enveloped Stacia within his sparkling clouds, and she clawed at her throat.

Menol y grabbed the demon's hair and began to pul , holding her neck bare and exposed. Shade quickly moved out of the way, and Smoky made a running pass, his talons ripping at the vulnerable flesh. He left five long, terrible gashes that immediately began to fountain blood.

Stacia let go of me, her tail thudding against the floor. I moaned as I hit the hardwood and dragged myself out of the way.

At that moment, Camil e and Morio entered the room, fol owed by Rozurial and Vanzir. Vanzir pushed his way to the front and held out his hands. I knew what we'd see if we were on the astral--long tentacles coming out of his fingers, reaching deep within Stacia's mind to suck out her life force. His head dropped back, his rocker chic look dropping away to a mad fury as he let out a laugh that ricocheted through the room. His eyes grew wide, the kaleidoscope that made up one indescribable color whirling with passionate intensity.

"And I feed," he said, laughing again.

Stacia writhed, her heavy tail constricting in on itself. She grabbed for Menol y, but my sister leapt straight up, managing to avoid the tentacle of muscle.

As she landed on the floor again, Menol y raced over to me, scooping me up to pul me out of the way. I screamed--the ribs that were fractured shifted, sending a paroxysm of pain through my body.

At that moment, Tril ian stepped to the side so he wouldn't hit Vanzir and aimed at Stacia with the stun gun, hitting her dead center in the chest with the jolt of magic. He shot again and again, until the gun was empty.

Tril ian broke off and backed up . . . his breath coming in ragged pants. "She's done . . . get out of the way--I think when she dies it's going to be messy."

We raced for the door, Menol y dragging me with her, but before we could make it, there was a noise, and I turned to look. Stacia wavered and went down, hitting the floor with an earthshaking thud. As she landed, her body began to dissolve, and snakes roiled out of her, hundreds of snakes.

Constrictors, vipers . . . al creatures from the serpentine world.

"Move! They're coming our way!"

And they were--at least three hundred of the coiling beasts. I didn't mind snakes, but they'd been part of the lamia, and I didn't trust that they weren't hungry and aiming for whatever moved.

Iris let out a long shout and once again, a blanket of frost raced through the room, slowing the snakes some. Smoky joined her, and an ice storm raged through the living room, beating hail and frost down on everything and everyone in sight. The pel ets hit exposed skin with a fierce sting, and I heard Camil e let out a cry--the pel ets had to make the glass wounds hurt like hel .

The snakes let out a col ective hiss, and I realized they stil had Stacia's essence within them--they weren't just your everyday pretty serpent.

"She's stil there--in the nest of snakes! She'l heal if we don't kil them."

I could barely breathe by now, my ribs were hurting so bad, but I didn't care. We had to finish this.

Smoky pushed Camil e into Morio's arms. "Get her and everyone else out. I'l take care of this."

As Morio and Tril ian herded everyone out, Shade swept me up in his arms and carried me. We headed toward the front of the yard as a loud rumble sounded, and the wal s began to shatter. Smoky was transforming into his dragon shape. As we cleared the porch, a huge gust of wind blew us out, and then snow began to fal in our area as a figure--tal and dressed in the purest of whites--came striding out. Behind him, the house creaked as it iced over.

Another blast, and the timbers began to fal in on themselves. Whatever he'd done, the place was imploding.

Camil e flipped open her phone. "Chase? Get a unit over here now." She gave him the address. "We just kil ed Stacia . . . the house is gone. Tel them .

. . tel them . . . hel , I don't know. Tel them Santa Claus paid a surprise visit, and he wasn't happy with Stacia being on the naughty list."

And as we watched silently, the Bonecrusher and her snakes vanished under the silent wash of snow.

CHAPTER 23

"So, did anybody ever find Trytian?" I was sitting in the kitchen, my ribs wrapped tightly. Sharah had me on strict orders to rest for a good six to seven weeks. I'd heal faster than an FBH, but bones could only knit so fast. The kitchen was stil trashed, there had been so much destruction, but most of the mess had been cleaned up, and the men were busy, trying to repair the damage done.

Iris was making tea, Menol y was hovering near the ceiling. Most of the guys were spread out in the living room except for Vanzir, Tril ian, and Shade, who had joined us in the kitchen.

Camil e shook her head. "No, and frankly, I'm wil ing to leave him alone if he leaves us alone. He's not out to take Shadow Wing's place like Stacia was.

I wish there was a way we could let him know that." She leaned against Tril ian, who wrapped her in his arms and kissed her head.

"I can make that happen," Vanzir said. "I'l put out a note through the Demon Underground, and it wil spread. He'l hear. I have no love for the fucking jerk after he tried to blow us up, but if he's wil ing to let us do what we need to and tend to his own backyard . . . I'm wil ing to let it go."

"What about Van and Jaycee?" I hated ticking off the list of enemies we stil had prowling around, but we needed to remember: They were out there, and they were gunning for us.

With a shrug, Camil e said, "I don't know. We keep watch. We infiltrate the magic shops, spread the word we're on the lookout. And we hope they move on as soon as possible. My guess is that Stacia's training camp wil either break up or Trytian wil take over. We'l want to keep our ears out for whatever happens in that direction, too."

Iris brought a bowl of Cheetos to me, along with a glass of milk. "I take pity on you because of your ribs."

"You never did tel me your story," I said.

She shrugged. "You'l have plenty of time to listen over the next few weeks. And on the ful moon, with those broken ribs, you're going to be confined to a room where you can't jump up on anything or hurt yourself. So get used to being an indoor-only for the next six weeks or so."

There was a knock at the door, and Menol y answered. She led Luke, Amber, and Chase into the kitchen. Chase looked weary.

"Cal me, let me know what happens," he said. "Meanwhile, I'm needed back at HQ." I caught his gaze and smiled, and Chase smiled back then, and in that moment, everything was okay. What he would say once he knew about Shade was anybody's guess, but that was for another day.

After he left, Amber and Luke sat down next to me. Luke bit his lip when he saw the tight bandages around my ribs. "I'm sorry about that. But thank you--

thank you al for saving my sister. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't helped out."

"That reminds me, what are we going to do about the coyote shifters?" I popped a Cheeto in my mouth and savored the crispy cheese crunch, then licked my fingers.

"I think we should bring the Koyanni up on charges at the next Supe Community Council." Menol y patted Luke on the back--about as close as she ever got to a hug. "After al , they're breaking treaty by attacking the werewolves, and it doesn't matter whether or not they belong to the council. The wolf Packs do." She pressed her lips together, and I could tel she was pissed.

"I agree, Camil e said. "Hand over everything to the council, and let them take care of it."

"Good idea. I just . . . I wish we could have caught al of them." I didn't like leaving matters as they were, but we had no choice. I was out of commission, and Sharah had made it clear to me that she'd strap me into a hospital bed if I tried to do anything more strenuous than channel surf.

Luke shrugged. "I'm just glad to have my sister back."

Camil e glanced at me, her eyes pensive. "About that . . . Luke . . . Amber can't stay here if she's wearing the necklace."

"What necklace?" He glanced at her, then frowned. "Why not? What's wrong with it? Not fashionable enough?"

I let out a low sigh. "We have to tel you something. We've already told your sister, so she knows. You can never tel anyone else, but you need to know what's going on."

Over the next hour, we fil ed the two werewolves in on our mission, explaining from the beginning about Bad Ass Luke and Shadow Wing and the spirit seals and ending up with the Keraastar Knights. We did not tel them about our doubts or concerns over giving the seals to Queen Asteria now that we knew what she was planning to do with the spirit seals--a disaster in the making, in our opinions.

They sat, mouths open, shaking their heads. It was easy to see they were brother and sister, they looked so much alike.

"So that's what's going on with my necklace." Amber breathed a soft sigh. "And how wil that affect my baby?" She curled an arm around her bel y.

"I don't know, honestly. Queen Asteria's medics can probably help you with that--you can't tel anyone here about the problem, except Sharah." I hung my head. "Amber, you're going to have to either give us the necklace or volunteer to go to Otherworld and turn yourself over to Queen Asteria. I think you may have the genetic makeup she was talking about--to become a Keraastar Knight."

"This is sudden . . . I don't know what to do. I can't take off the necklace." She blinked, tears wel ing up. "I've never lived anywhere else . . . even coming here was so new for me."

"I'l go with you." Luke stood up.

She glanced up at him, eyes wide.

"I'm your big brother. I couldn't keep you from harm with Rice, but I can take care of you now. I'l go with you to Otherworld and make certain you're okay.

I've nothing to tie me here except for my job, and Menol y can find someone to replace me. But you . . . you need family there. You need me."

"Thank you--but are you certain?" Amber looked overjoyed, but a flicker of fear stil ran through her face.

"Yes. If Menol y and her sisters wil volunteer to pack my apartment and put my things in storage except what we'l need over there." He glanced over at Menol y, who nodded softly.

"We'l take care of everything, Luke. You're a brave man--and loyal. Just like family should be." She smiled then. "We'l talk to Queen Asteria, make sure you have everything you need. And we'l visit when we can."

Just like family should . . .

"Luke, you're a good example," I said, motioning to Menol y. "And we need to fol ow your example. Tomorrow, we'l figure out just what we're going to say to Father about what he did to Camil e. We're the Three Musketeers here . . . we stand united."

Camil e said nothing, but her lower lip trembled as she smiled at me.

Menol y gave me a solemn nod, then cal ed Morio and Smoky in. "Camil e can travel to Elqaneve, though she can't set foot in Y'Elestrial. We're too near dawn for me to go. Why don't the three of you escort Luke and his sister and the sixth spirit seal to Queen Asteria. We'l send your things over later this week, Luke."