Christian retracted the blade so fast that Sparrow didn’t have time to lean into it.
Like a feral animal, he clawed at Christian’s arms. “Do it, you coward!”
“Son of a ghost! That was one hell of a show,” Wyatt said, joining the party. “What happened in here?”
Niko jogged over to Gem. He swept her up with one arm. “Are you hurt, little flower?”
“I’m fine, Niko. I’m just so very tired.” She slid out of his arms. “But there’s much left to do. Are you okay?”
“The fates are watching over us today. The sun is out and healed me. I lost my sword though.”
“I should have died three times out there,” Wyatt boasted.
Gem snorted. “That’s not something I’d brag about.”
Niko and Christian were the only ones on our team unaffected by the curse. They were the only ones who could die. My wounds had healed extraordinarily fast, and I gathered it was the same for the others.
Viktor’s wolf sat next to Blue, his body pressed against her as he scanned the area, his nose twitching.
When Sparrow started thumping his head against the ground, Christian leaned in so close they were nose to nose. “I want you to relax and not move. Your limbs are heavy. I can see you’re tired and you haven’t slept. Don’t speak another word until asked.”
Just like that, Sparrow went still.
Wyatt put his hands on his hips. “Well, Houdini. Are you going to get us out of this or what?”
I stood and looked behind me before realizing that Wyatt was speaking to me. “I stole his power, but transferring it didn’t break the curse.”
“Suits me fine,” Wyatt said. “I’m invincible! It almost makes seeing all the freshies bearable.” He flicked a glance to a few ghosts wandering by the hot tub and dusted off his elf costume. “Almost. This place is going to need more than an exorcism when we’re done with it. I don’t know if we can live here anymore.”
“Just ignore them,” Gem replied. “Most of them went into the light or wherever they go.”
Wyatt chortled. “I can’t wait to see howyouignore fifty or more specters. Especially when they follow you into the shower and watch you undress. You’ll never have privacy again, buttercup. They watch you eat, they follow you around, they wait in dark corners. Sometimes they keep you from sleeping, and sometimes they’ll jump in your head and make you think of doing things you don’t want to do.”
Her eyes widened. “We have to move!”
A black wolf bounded toward us and shifted midstride. Gem’s cheeks bloomed red, and she averted her gaze. Ren walked up to our group and raked his hand through his black hair. It seemed like he had a few extra strands of grey since I’d last seen him. “We got it under control. A few of them took off down the road and lions are rounding them up.”
Blue’s eyebrows shot up. “Lions? Do you mean Sambah’s pride?”
He shrugged. “Rumors were flying by the time we made it up here. Some of us are old enough to have heard the story about what happened at Keystone years ago. We weren’t going to let it happen again.” His tough expression broke, and he pressed his lips tightly together for a moment. “I lost some good men today.”
Viktor’s wolf shifted to human form. He approached Ren and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I cannot replace the packmates you’ve lost. I grieve for you, and I am in your debt. All of Cognito is in your debt, and I will be sure that the higher authority hears about your sacrifice. They were brave men and women. I have never seen such courage. They did not die for nothing. They saved us all.”
Ren steeled his expression. “I have three men sniffing outside the locked rooms, but they can’t scent Vampires. You want us to break in the doors or—”
“Nyet. With all due respect, these are private rooms. I will have my people comb through the house and locate anyone hiding.”
“The prisoners are downstairs,” Gem informed them, her eyes still shielded from the nudity. “Raven and I cuffed them, so we should guard the door and make sure they don’t escape.”
“Gem and I will handle that task.” Niko put his arm around her, and they walked inside.
“I’ll let my boys know.” Ren morphed into a wolf and scampered into the house.
Viktor looked down at Sparrow. His lip curled, and his eyes glittered with malice. “Son of bitch. For all the pain and death, he should suffer.”
“Aye,” Christian agreed, arms folded. “With your permission…”
“We need him,” I stressed.
