“Harper, don’t just stand there. Lord Omega will be close by. He will return soon. Remember, Raven increased his magic tenfold through his transformation ceremony.”

  I jolted. I moved toward Vince and not away. “Tell me how to break these binds.”

  “They are impossible to break. They come from Vince’s soul and beyond,” a droning voice said behind me.

  I spun. I freaked out as Lord Omega appeared in a transport circle. Just like in Lux’s club, it remained at the vamp’s feet, slowly spinning and feeding him power. He lifted a hand and clicked his fingers.

  I yanked my arm up, called on my blood, and took up a defensive position. But Lord Omega wasn’t attacking me yet. The door behind Vince shuddered and disappeared, lengthening the ritual room. More importantly than that, it revealed a comatose demon on his side.

  “Lux,” I screamed.

  There was nothing I could do.

  Lord Omega clicked his fingers again. Magic charged out from the portal beneath his feet, shot toward Lux, and picked him up. It dangled him like a mere toy in front of me.

  Vince struggled, his eyes wide.

  Flames suddenly leapt over Lux. He wasn’t producing them. Lord Omega was dragging them out of the demon’s soul.

  “Stop it,” I shrieked.

  “And why would I do that? I’m so close to the end,” Lord Omega snapped.

  Beth shot over to me. Together, we shuddered. There was nothing we could do.

  More magic picked up through the room. It zinged and zipped, sizzling like fire. Nothing could compare to the inferno rushing into Lux’s body.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded.

  “He’s feeding Lux’s power to Vince,” Beth concluded.

  Lord Omega, his hand still outstretched, smiled. It snapped hard over his lips. “It is Vince’s transformation ceremony. And this is how he will transform.”

  “By consuming a demon’s power? What are you doing?”

  “Making things right,” Lord Omega snapped.

  Lux suddenly twitched. A paroxysm crossed through his body. It drew more power out of him.

  “Lux,” I screamed.

  He was out of it.

  I couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. I thrust forward. But Lord Omega’s portal spell stopped me. It felt like walking through hip-high sand. Even Bethany couldn’t dart through it.

  “Beth?”

  “Do something, Harper. Do something desperate. You’re about to lose Lux for good.”

  Lux twitched again. Vince roared. As Lux’s power raced into him, it was like Vince’s body was going to transform into something else, as if his skin would tear in half and something new would rise from his soul.

  “I’ll stop you,” I tried. I squeezed my blood and attacked Lord Omega. But my magic didn’t even reach him. It slowed down when it struck the inner part of his portal spell. The enchantment simply absorbed my force. More lightning crackled over Lord Omega. It was a warning. If I kept attacking, I’d only make him stronger.

  I knew he smiled under his cowl. He must have breathed hard, too, because once more it rose up a single centimeter until the magic yanked it back down and secured it against his face.

  “Just watch, Harper. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is how a real Strathgordon vampire transforms.”

  “Real… Strathgordon? I know Raven’s helping you,” I began. My words got caught in my throat.

  I’d already made terrible mistakes during this case. I’d assumed Lord Omega had the life copier. I’d assumed Jill and Jack weren’t working for him. I was done guessing.

  Why would Lord Omega have such a vested interest in Vince transformation?

  I knew Lord Omega was a strong vampire. I knew he was an ancient vampire. And I knew he was obsessed with this castle… Vince too. Because every other time I’d fought Omega, he’d kidnapped Vince but never hurt him.

  As my eyes widened, something clicked into place. It felt like someone hammered a tent peg between my temples.

  My lips opened. “You’re Raven, aren’t you?”

  Lord Omega simply turned and looked at me.

  “You were Raven all this time. The most powerful vampire in this city—”

  “One of the most powerful vampires there’s ever been,” Lord Omega corrected. From his tone to his stiff shoulders, I knew it was true.

  This fact had stared me in the face since the beginning, but I hadn’t bothered to see it.

  Lord Omega had always been connected to Vince.

  If only I’d figured it out sooner.

  It was too late.

  Lord Omega twisted his hand, and Lux roared. Magic was pulled from his body. The tattoo on his chest glowed brightly then started to dim.

  I freaked out. I think my soul shook like a half-dead bird. It remembered Lux’s touch, the way he’d healed me. But soon that memory would be all that remained. The real Lux would be nothing but dust.

  I couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. Not when the man I cared most about was about to die in front of my eyes.

  I suddenly knew how Vince felt when his truth seer bled out in his arms. But his fiancée wasn’t dead.

  I tried to lurch forward. I encountered the outer edge of Lord Omega’s portal spell. It stopped me. Nothing could stop me from tuning in to the truth sear’s sense. It lay thick in the air like sticky fog.

  Another sense was overlaid just above it. It was vague, but the more I attended to it, the stronger it became.

  It was… familiar like looking in a mirror—

  The life copier. She was here too.

  Vince wasn’t a copy. Trust me, neither was Lux. He was a battery. As for Raven? He was unfortunately real too.

  The life copier was here as backup, wasn’t she? Or more likely she was hiding in the same mirror realm as the truth seer. They’d be watching. They weren’t aligned with me, but they’d be following the battle, there to deploy their skills if Omega needed them.

  I scrunched a hand into a fist. I couldn’t fight three enemies right now.

  What choice did I have?

  Lord Omega was too strong. But the truth seer had a critical weakness. We used the same power. I understood my skill. She abused hers.

  I tilted my chin up and faced Raven. “What’s the point in wearing that cowl anymore? You’ve been unmasked.”

  “I will continue to live my life as I wish to, Truth Seer.”

  “Why, because you know the facts? You don’t. You’re nothing but a tool. You get that, don’t you, Raven?”

  “That is Lord to you.”

  I snorted. “Excuse me if I keep my reverence for someone who deserves it. You’re a simple criminal.”

  “I almost have the full set of forbidden skills.”

  “Which is what makes you a simple criminal. Your plan is so see-through. You want to march to the top by getting all the power. You’ve forgotten power comes at a cost.”

  “And what cost might that be?”

  “Defeat.” That rang from my lips with force. I had no right to spit it like I was on the edge of victory.

  I lifted my hands. I’d fought that truth seer before. I could feel her. I just needed to gather my arms around that sense and yank. This was kind of like fishing knowing there were sharks in the water all around you. Statistically, you’d end up catching the wrong thing.

  If I got the life copier, she’d pull me into another pocket spell. I’d be able to escape. It’d still tire me out.

  Damn it, who cared?

  I roared before Lord Omega knew what I was doing.

  Beth nestled close. “You can do it, Harper. No one else can.”

  That didn’t add pressure. It added meaning.

  I’d once thought my life was slightly pointless. Fun, yeah. But I’d lacked a grand source of meaning. Now I reinforced it with every single last desperate act.

  I pulled.

  Something cracked.

  The truth seer didn’t appear in front of me. I’d caught the wrong fish.

  A woman did slam down onto her knees briefly. But then something grasped her and pulled her away. I didn’t know if it was an invisibility spell, or if the truth seer simply yanked her back into the mirror realm. I did know this. I recognized the life copier’s hand briefly. She wore a long cloak. But her fingers were visible.

  They were the same fingers that’d shoved that mirror in my face in the Colosseum.

  The life copier didn’t disappear without a parting blow. She whispered a single word. Something grabbed hold of me. I could tell it was trying to pull me into a pocket spell. This time, I fought it. I shoved Beth against my chest, pushed her hard into my sternum, stood tall, and gave it everything. She shuddered. I think steam even erupted around us.

  “There’s no point in fighting,” Lord Omega said. His words were bitter. He was stuck, pulling power from Lux. It was taking all his effort. He also couldn’t stray too far from his transport spell.

  This was down to the life copier. And she had no intention of losing to me. Another dark word struck the air, echoing loudly.

  “Just hold on,” Beth roared like she was being sucked toward a jet engine. Her words were choppy. They still meant something. I still followed them.

  I scrunched my brow until I could’ve broken it. I concentrated on my magic, feeding it back into Beth. And she fed it back into me, rooting me into the ground and ensuring I couldn’t be taken into the mirror spell.

  Something cracked. I think it was the invisibility spell holding the life copier back. Wrong. It was the spell holding her enchantment back. Suddenly writing appeared all around me. It looked like I was standing in the middle of a hologram. Lines of it shot past my face chaotically. I saw a few in detail. They resembled DNA.

  “Beth?” I snapped.

  “It’s the life copier’s spell. She’s trying to copy you. Don’t let her do it.”

  “I’m trying.” I was. I was also rapidly weakening.

  I had to get through the life copier then the truth seer then Raven. I couldn’t—

  Lux roared again. Briefly, his mouth opened. So did his eyes. He stared at me. He couldn’t communicate with words. His gaze said everything. It shouldn’t be this way. I could tell he was wishing with all his heart something else had transpired between us.

  Guess what? It was this way. If we wanted to stop it, we had to act.

  Now.

  I roared and shoved the DNA as hard as I could. It continued to rush around me. The enchantment was more than mere letters. There was actual solidity to them. They suddenly changed direction and bashed into my face. I had to lift an arm and use Beth to protect myself. Her glow was starting to ebb.

  I staggered down to one knee. I couldn’t continue like this.

  “It’s over,” someone whispered. “You don’t have enough power.”

  I opened my eyes. That was the enemy truth seer. I’d heard her shriek once before. Her voice…. It was memorable. Not because I’d heard it before. It reminded me of tinkling pearls as they dropped to the floor, some strand broken for good.

  I thought Vince was out of it. Too much power kept rushing into him. His eyes still rounded.

  He froze, and somewhere deep inside, I knew he started a fight that’d end with him losing everything. The second Vince Strathgordon appreciated his fiancée was still alive was the second his world crumbled.

  Because she wasn’t just alive. She was helping Lord Omega destroy the city.

  Her mere voice motivated me in a way nothing else could. I staggered up to my feet, holding Bethany harder.

  “Submit,” the truth seer said.

  “You first.” Somewhere along the lines, I’d cut my lips. They bled over my gums. My clenched teeth probably made me look fearsome. Good.

  I bent my head down and closed my eyes. I focused on my magic. What did the life copier have that I didn’t? Forbidden powers, true. She could copy anything. She could not practice soul magic. I could.

  I opened my eyes. If only I could see her.

  I couldn’t. I needed more magic—

  So follow the truth. I knew the answer. I didn’t need to question anyone else. I surely didn’t need to read it in a book. Follow the truth. I existed to protect it. The more truths I found, the more powerful I became.

  Who the hell was the life copier? I must know.

  She had to be someone who’d visited the Colosseum during the fateful meeting. I swore I recognized her hands, anyway. More than that, she had to be someone who’d been at the library. I don’t know when Lord Omega had captured her. Maybe at the library. He might have done it afterward.

  It didn’t matter. Only one person made sense. The hands. I suddenly got a close-up of somebody handing me unwanted tea in a flimsy but criminally expensive cup.

  Samantha.

  It snapped into place. She’d been at the library, the Colosseum, too. More than that – she had access to Lady Edwina.

  As that truth clicked into place, I felt a rush of power. I used it, riding it like a wave right to the top.

  I opened my mouth and squeezed Bethany harder. The strands of DNA rushing through the room all changed direction, trying to ram me. So I just rammed them first. I leapt into the air, rounded my shoulders, and thrust into them.

  Somewhere, Samantha screamed.

  I landed down on my feet. I held Bethany up, shone light into her, and destroyed the spell. With a snap, some enchantment broke.

  Samantha landed down on her knees, panting.

  She grabbed her face. She tried to lift a hand. She couldn’t. I made momentary eye contact with her. She didn’t want to fight. I imagine she was just like Evan. She would’ve run for most of her life. I don’t know why she killed Lady Edwina. She must’ve done that before Lord Omega found her. Had she cut a deal with the demons? Had they revealed her to Lord Omega? I’d find out her story. One day.

  For now, I’d finish this one.

  Samantha fell to the side like a broken tree. I turned and faced the truth seer.

  She thrust her arms out.

  I stared right into her eyes. “You’re the powerful one. But sorry, I’m the determined one. And when it comes to the truth, all that matters is your will to hunt it down.” I lifted Bethany. I used her like a torch, and heck did she want to burn.

  “Brighter, Harper. Make me brighter,” Beth spat.

  The truth seer wore a long cloak. It wasn’t stuck against her face like it was with Omega. It was pointless anyway. “I know who you are,” I said, snapping the word know out of the air like someone who understood every freaking thing. There were no hidden facts. There was just the truth. “Your Vince’s fiancée. Why hide? There’s no point in denying reality.”

  She staggered back. Then she thrust forward.

  She was about to fight me with the truth. Guess what I’d do?

  I’d fight a bigger target.

  I spun to Lord Omega. He was still pumping more of Lux’s power into Vince. I don’t know why he needed Vince to transform. But it was clear he required his son for something.

  What happens if I forced all my power into the spell?

  You read that right. What would happen if I helped Omega?

  Death, destruction, the end of the world, huh?

  I doubted that. I still didn’t know enough about magic, but I understood enchantments like these were finely calibrated. Get it wrong, pump too much power into a living being, and even if they were a vampire, you’d kill them.

  I lifted a hand.

  The truth seer took up a defensive position.

  “Beth, hold her back. I’ve got a plan.”

  Beth shot out of my hands and forced herself toward the truth seer.

  The truth seer was on the back foot. I’d hurt her when I’d shattered her hiding spell. It meant Beth could occupy her for now. And I focused my full force on that spell. “You want power, Lord Omega? Have mine.” I called on my three drops. The fourth rose of its own volition. It started to spin around my hand. Then I pressed my brows together and concentrated. I channeled my force into the transformation spell, diverting it around Lux.

  Suddenly Vince lit up. He screamed, his mouth opening. I didn’t know if his brain was still on. His body was acting automatically. Hopefully his psyche was somewhere far away, somewhere safe.

  I hated doing this. It was the only way to stop Lord Omega.

  Sure enough, Lord Omega screamed. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m forcing you up the ladder faster. Time to get you to the top. So you can fall off,” I added in a deep tone. As my voice vibrated, so did my teeth. My whole body shook. Every part of me screamed to stop. I just pushed harder.

  Sweat rained down my brow. My back ached. My knees almost fell out from underneath me. I held on. I pumped more and more power into the connection until something started to happen.

  Vince flopped to the side. His eyes widened. They closed. His head lolled onto his chest. And Lord Omega screamed like I’d just stabbed him.

  “Don’t,” the truth seer shrieked.

  “Why? You picked the wrong side. You’ve made your bed. Now sleep in it.” I lifted my other hand, squeezing more power from my blood. I could die. I’d still win. And if I was protecting the truth, damn it, it’d count.

  I ignored my every warning sense. I pumped more power into the connection—

  “Don’t,” the truth seer screamed just as Lord Omega fell to a knee and grabbed his head. It was like he was feeling Vince’s pain—

  “Why not?” I roared back.

  “If you pump more power into the spell, you’ll kill Vince. He can’t die.”

  She said that like she meant it. Not just with her mouth – with her heart. Real need bled through her tone.

  I didn’t know what had transpired between her and Vince. She’d clearly convinced him she was dead. Then she’d started working for his damn father. There was a serious amount of betrayal. But maybe she still loved Vince in some way.

  “You—” I began.

  Blood started to trickle out of Vince’s nose. But it trickled out of Lord Omega’s, too. They were clearly connected. I could defeat Lord Omega here and now… if I sacrificed Vince.

  As that fact aligned in my mind, my eyes opened. My heart closed.

  My fingers twitched.

  “Don’t. Please. Vince does not deserve to die.” The truth seer said that. And it was a fact.

 

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