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  Demon-Kerri shrieked in triumph. She was still rising toward the high ceiling of the warehouse. Wings beating, her intention was clear, the overhead skylights would be her escape.

  Orson jumped, repeatedly grabbing for her legs, but with a flick of her wings, she was able to slip away from his grasp at the last moment. From the four-letter words pouring out of Lucy, she was also having no luck getting a spell through whatever defense demon-Kerri was using. It looked like a Fourth of July fireworks show as Lucy’s spells collided with demon-Kerri’s protective barrier.

  Sebastian’s eyes fluttered, and his vision dimmed. He was fading, and he was smart enough to know that he wasn’t going to pass out. He was dying.

  Then Wyatt blinked into existence next to Orson, he grabbed the giant bear-man around the waist.

  “On three!”

  Orson snorted.

  “One, two, three!” Wyatt yelled

  They blinked away. No, not away, they blinked up to a spot in the air above demon-Kerri.

  Demon-Kerri shrieked.

  Orson dropped. Demon-Kerri’s shield didn’t even slow him down, he landed on her back. It was a perfect shot. He started shredding her wings, and she struggled to fight him off.

  Wyatt did his teleport thing and appeared safely on the ground a few feet away.

  Orson and demon-Kerri smashed to the ground a second later. Demon-Kerri was shrieking in pain and terror because Orson wasn’t done with her.

  “Orson!” yelled Lucy.

  Orson kept tearing at demon-Kerri. It was clear he wanted blood.

  Lucy hit Orson with some kind of spell, it was nothing deadly, but it sizzled when it hit Orson’s back and got his attention. His enormous head snapped around, his eyes were on fire, and he growled at Lucy.

  Lucy held her hands up and, in a very calm, soft voice, said, “Stop. We need to question her.”

  Orson huffed, but he stopped savaging demon-Kerri and stepped away. He reached out one of his deadly bear-man hybrid claws, and with gentleness that Sebastian would have thought impossible, patted Wyatt on the head and chuffed.

  “I love you too, big guy,” said Wyatt.

  As Sebastian stared at these real-life superheroes—because that’s exactly what they were—he smiled, content in the knowledge that with people like them around, the world had a fighting chance against magic-vampire-people-eating-demon-women.

  Then, the darkness took him.

  Chapter Nine

  Was it supposed to hurt so much when you were dead? Sebastian felt as if he was on fire. Or at least what he imagined being on fire must feel like, never having actually been on fire. But pain, even the horrible overwhelming physical pain he was currently experiencing, had to mean he wasn’t dead.

  Right?

  Maybe there had been some kind of explosion? Demon-Kerri had gone kind of berserk there at the end, maybe she had pulled some kind of last-ditch self-destruct spell?

  Sebastian tried to open his eyes to assess his surroundings and any injuries he may have sustained.

  Huge mistake.

  The light exploded through his eyes, threatening to blow his head apart. He groaned a sad, pathetic sound.

  “You’re not dead. Cool.”

  Sebastian could tell it was Wyatt speaking, but even the sound of the kid’s voice sent waves of pain through his entire body. What was wrong with him? He didn’t remember getting hit by any of the magic that was being flung around. He experimented with moving an arm. More pain, it felt as if a giant piece of sandpaper was being pulled over his skin. No, not sandpaper—a blanket—someone had placed a blanket over him. His skin was just super sensitive.

  “Sebastian?” The voice was soft, comforting.

  Sebastian forced his eyes open again. The light still hurt, but he no longer felt as if his head was going to explode. Heidi was smiling at him. She also had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

  “Are you okay?” Heidi asked, real worry in her eyes.

  Sebastian tried to answer “yes” but was only able to make gurgling sounds. He took a deep breath and forced himself into a sitting position. He almost blacked out.

  “Whoa there, dude,” Wyatt said, concerned. “Guys, he’s definitely not dead or dying.”

  Sebastian looked at Wyatt, who smiled and gave him two big thumbs-up. From his seated position, Sebastian was able to get a better look at the room. It didn’t look any different, there were a few smoldering spots, but nothing was on fire. The damage he could see had been caused during the initial fight. If there had been some other kind of last-ditch uber spell cast, he hadn’t seen any evidence of it.

  Heidi held a bottle of water out for him, but there was no way he could manage the coordinated body movements necessary to take a drink, although he was really, really thirsty. Heidi realized his predicament and held the bottle up to his lips so he could take a sip.

  Sebastian gulped. His tongue and throat cooperated for the first two swallows and then seemed to snap shut. He sputtered, water spilling down the front of his blanket.

  “Easy there, Todd,” Lucy said as she sauntered over.

  “Uh, I’m pretty sure his name is Sebastian,” Wyatt corrected her.

  Lucy smiled down at Sebastian. “Sure it is.” Lucy held his gaze until he looked away.

  “You are one lucky man, Todd.” Lucy emphasized the name that Sebastian had shortened to just “T” years before. It was a bitch move, but hey, she had just saved his life, so whatever.

  Sebastian did a double take when a seriously muscled man walked into his field of view. The guy looked like an extra from that movie 300. He was well over six feet tall and probably weighed in at somewhere in the high two hundreds. And he was naked, except for a very tight pair of shorts.

  Orson?

  By process of elimination, this guy had to be the monster bear. So he was some kind of what? A were-bear? How does that even happen? Was he born or made? Bitten . . . that’s how werewolves became werewolves, so maybe a bear had bitten Orson? The world had just become a mysterious, wonderful, and terrifying place, and Sebastian wanted to know everything.

  But where was demon-Kerri?

  Sebastian attempted to speak again, “What . . . what . . .” was all he could croak out. Heidi offered the bottle, and Sebastian nodded. This time, he took small sips, and his throat didn’t rebel. Progress.

  “Seriously, Todd, you should be dead. That blood mage sucked in all the living energy she could tap to pull off that metamorphosis spell at the end. Real nasty stuff.” Lucy indicated her companions. “The three of us are spelled for protection from that kind of attack. So, besides the naturally occurring energy in the air, the only other available sources were this frail . . . thing.” Lucy tapped Heidi with the toe of her boot. “And you.”

  The fiery pain Sebastian had been experiencing was starting to settle into a dull ache. And he was starting to get pissed at Lucy’s attitude. He and Heidi were the victims here, and she was treating them as if they were guilty of something.

  “What’s your problem?” Sebastian managed to croak out.

  Wyatt whistled and backed away. Orson chuckled. Lucy’s eyes narrowed, focused on Sebastian, and she became very still. After a moment, she crouched down so that she and Sebastian were face to face.

  “My only problem with you, Todd, is that most of the time, you’re a condescending dick. My problem with her,” Lucy nodded at Heidi, “is that she’s a blood-mage. And I really hate blood-mages, Todd. They have a bad habit of killing and eating people to fuel their magic.” Lucy spat.

  “She’s not like the others. They were keeping her in a cage.”

  Heidi had curled into herself, eyes closed tight. Sebastian wanted to reach out and reassure her but didn’t have the strength. Instead, he flicked his eyes toward Lucy. “Do you know what they were planning for us?”

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “Of course we do. They were going to do what all blood-mages do—eat you. Unfortunately, the last one with the wings died during questioning.
”

  Demon-Kerri was dead? Sebastian was confused. “You killed her, but you told her she didn’t have to die.” Even though Sebastian had thought death was the appropriate punishment for the magic-vampire-demons, he was shocked that Lucy had killed demon-Kerri after she had surrendered. Weren’t the good guys supposed to have different standards of conduct?

  Lucy snapped.

  She pulled Sebastian to his feet, and his blanket slipped from his shoulders, but he was way past being bothered by his lack of clothes. She turned him around so he could see demon-Kerri, where she lay sprawled, still in her winged form, her neck obviously broken.

  Lucy gave Sebastian a little shake when he tried to look away. “Oh no. You take a long look. Do you think there’s a prison—even a prison reinforced with the strongest magic possible—that could hold something like that?”

  “I don’t know . . .”

  “That’s right, Todd, you don’t know, and trust me when I tell you, you don’t want to know.”

  Sebastian was sure that she was going to drop him back to the floor, and he braced his body for a painful impact, but surprisingly, she set him down kind of gently on the sofa.

  He wasn’t going to give up his argument that easily. “But Heidi’s not like them. She . . .”

  “Yes I am.”

  All eyes turned to Heidi. She stood up and pulled the blanket tight around herself. Orson moved behind her, he looked relaxed, but it was clear that he was positioning himself within striking distance.

  “I’m the one who figured out how to blend the magic with the science. I may not have killed anyone, but I’m just as guilty as my friends.” Heidi choked back a sob when she mentioned her friends. In all of this, Sebastian realized it was easy to forget that the four of them had been best friends. “You’re from the Paragon Society, aren’t you?” Heidi asked Lucy.

  Lucy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You know about the Society? How?”

  “When we first started experimenting with the magic, we met a guy. He had some power . . . nothing special but enough to scam people out of money. He told us about you guys. You’re like the magic police or something, right?”

  “Yeah, or something,” Orson grumbled. His voice was a deep rumble—exactly what one would expect a were-bear to sound like. Lucy shot Orson a look, and he shrugged.

  “So, excluding the multiple murders for now, the four of you knew you were getting into something dangerous? Or at least forbidden?” Lucy asked.

  “We were young, super smart, and cocky. And we had just discovered that science, for all its hubris, had only scratched the surface of what’s possible.” Heidi shook her head. “Also, do you like to be told what you can and can’t do?”

  Wyatt laughed. “Yeah right.”

  “Could you two keep it together please?” Lucy snapped at Orson and Wyatt.

  Wyatt pantomimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. Sebastian almost smiled but then remembered he was standing in a warehouse where countless people had been murdered and ground up for lunchmeat . . . a warehouse that, until just a little while ago, he was convinced he was going to die in. And, of course, there was the matter of the two freaking magic-vampire-demon-women who were lying dead just a few feet away.

  Sebastian politely held up his hand before interrupting. “Um, okay, so you three,” he waved at Lucy, Wyatt, and Orson.“You're the police or some kind of law enforcement? Is that Federal or Military Special Forces? You know what, that doesn’t matter. When does the rest of the squad or team or whatever show up? I’d like to speak to whoever is in charge, because this woman,” he pointed at Heidi, “while a participant in the early stages of what occurred here, is as much a victim as I am and should be treated accordingly.”

  Lucy laughed long and hard. When she had caught her breath, she placed her hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Todd, we’re it. Nobody else is coming, sweetie.”

  He stiffened at her tone. “My name is Sebastian, and I would appreciate it if you could show a little more respect.”

  Lucy dismissed him, just turned away without a word. Sebastian was growing angrier by the second. He had almost died for crying out loud.

  “The question,” said Lucy as she stepped in close to Heidi, “is what do we do with you?” Lucy reached out and fingered the silver bracelet on the woman’s wrist. “What is this for? What did the others think you could do that would scare them enough to put this on you?”

  “I had more innate ability than they did. It bothered them.”

  “Really? Because blood-mages have no abilities, except those they steal . . . through murder.”

  “It’s probably the protein,” Sebastian interrupted.

  Orson and Wyatt flinched just a bit, but Sebastian noticed. Lucy turned slowly to face him. “What did you say?”

  “The . . . the protein. The thing they were killing everyone for,” he said quietly.

  “Holy crap,” Wyatt said stunned.

  “Lucy,” Orson took a few steps forward, he was now standing directly behind Heidi. Sebastian didn’t like the implied threat.

  Lucy moved so fast that Sebastian couldn’t track her. She grabbed Heidi’s arm and demanded, “Explain. Now!”

  Heidi’s voice shook when she answered. “The Paragon Protein. That’s what it’s called, right? That’s what Jessie and the others have been harvesting—well, trying to harvest—from their victims. But because it’s super rare, they weren’t that lucky.”

  “Holy crap,” Wyatt said again.

  “Heidi, blood-mages . . . their power comes from dark blood-magic. Not a protein,” Lucy explained.

  “Yes, I know that,” said Heidi. “But the three of you . . . your abilities come from the Paragon Protein, correct?”

  “This is definitely not good,” Orson growled.

  “Holy crap,” Wyatt repeated.

  Lucy turned her head in Sebastian’s direction. “Todd, why would you attribute Heidi’s supposed innate abilities to a protein?”

  “Because she’s got it. She’s a . . . you know, carrier. That’s why they were going to try and breed us. Didn’t demon-Kerri tell you all this when you questioned her?” Once again, he was completely confused. Why couldn’t people just speak plainly? It was obvious that Lucy, Orson, and Wyatt were freaking out, but why?

  Lucy shook her head at Sebastian. “No. She died before she could share that with us.” Then to Heidi she said, “You’re a carrier?”

  “Yes.”

  Lucy let out a huge sigh and closed her eyes.

  “When you say breed,” Orson did a pointy thing with his fingers, “you mean . . .”

  “Yeah, breed us just like cattle,” Sebastian confirmed.

  “For the protein?” Orson asked, obviously seeking clarification.

  “Yes,” Sebastian said exasperated. He wondered how they could all be so dense. “Breed us for the protein.”

  “Holy crap,” said Wyatt. Sebastian thought the kid may have popped a gasket..

  “This can’t be the first time someone has tried this?” Heidi asked incredulous.

  “As far as I know, nobody has ever even tried to harvest the protein.” Lucy looked at Orson, and for the first time, Sebastian could see fear in her eyes.

  Uh oh.

  “And you guys were successful in isolating it?” Orson asked.

  “Yes. I helped perfect the process using my own blood. But I couldn’t produce enough, and that’s when they started . . .”

  “Shopping for victims,” Orson stated grimly.

  “Yes.”

  Lucy started talking fast. “We’ve got to move now. You two take her to the safe house. Loop in Maddie and Morgan, we’ll let Ellen know later. I’ll take care of Todd and nuke the building.”

  “Wait. What?” Sebastian demanded. “I’m going with Heidi.”

  “No. You’re not. Heidi, you’re sure you don’t know where your friend went? Any clue at all?” Lucy asked.

  “No. I didn’t even know that portal thing was possible
, and based on Kerri’s reaction, I think Jessie may have kept it a secret from everybody.”

  “Yeah. It’s kind of rare,” Lucy agreed.

  “I’m going with Heidi,” Sebastian insisted again.

  It was as if he hadn’t even spoken. Sebastian was furious. He was not going to be left out of this. He was sitting on the story of all time, a Pulitzer or maybe even a Nobel were within his reach. The life he had imagined for himself . . . the life he had all but given up on was going to become a reality.

  Orson and Wyatt were hustling Heidi toward the door. Sebastian had had enough and shouted, “I said I’m going with Heidi, damn it!”

  Orson and Wyatt paused at the blown-out doorway. Sebastian was momentarily impressed with himself.

  “Todd, you really are a pain in the ass,” Lucy said and shooed the other three out the door. “Go, go, go. I got this.”

  Sebastian made a move toward the door, and Lucy zapped him. His attention had been on the door, so he hadn’t actually seen her do anything, but every muscle in his entire body instantly stopped working. He was frozen in place. He couldn’t even move his eyeballs in their sockets. He could sense Lucy standing directly behind him.

  “Todd, I’ve only known you for a few weeks, but I bet I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking you’re going to write about all this, correct? Magic and monsters . . . heck, even a secret society. You’d be famous.” Lucy walked around to face him. “The thing is, one of my main job descriptions is keeping all of those things a secret. And I’m really good at my job.”

  She was going to kill him.

  Sebastian couldn’t believe it, they’d saved him from the magic-vampire-demons just to kill him themselves? It didn’t make sense. But his mouth was just as frozen as the rest of his body, and so he couldn’t protest.

  “I can assure you that what I’m about to do isn’t going to hurt you, but there’s definitely going to be some side effects.”

  Side effects? Sebastian’s mind raced.

  You couldn’t have side effects if you were dead. So was she going to let him live? Please, Sebastian pleaded silently, please let me live.