“Even a siren of full power might not be able to help her at this point,” Feish whispered. “It has been too long since it was opened in her, I think. I’m sorry, I should have known something was wrong.”

My thoughts were racing as I tried to come up with a solution that would keep both Suzy and Eric with us. “Suze, hang on,” I whispered as I gave her hand to Feish. “Yell if she changes.”

I stood too quickly and my knees protested, but I ignored them and forced my legs to hurry to my bedroom, my arm reaching out to grab Crash along the way. He followed me willingly as I flipped my bag off my neck and onto the bed. “Explain to me quickly what is happening, please.”

He stood across the bed from me as I yanked Gran’s spell book out. I’d relinquished the hand-tooled leather cover (for a good cause), and the pages were now enclosed in the cover for Spells for Beginners. I flipped it open, searching for the section on sirens. I knew there was one because I’d looked for it after meeting Suzy, and also because Gran was nothing if not thorough.

“When a half-breed siren gets close to their fiftieth year and the change comes on them,” Crash said, “they either stay weak and able to do only minor manipulation of emotions, or they come into their family powers.” He took a pause, and I knew the next part would be bad. “If they have a victim on hand and can drain that victim’s life, then their powers will be solidified, and they will be able to fully control their powers from there on out. But if not . . .”

I found the section I was looking for, held my hand there, and looked up at Crash, seeing the sorrow in his eyes. “If not?”

“Then the siren will die, and her last gasps of magic will turn the place of her death into a breeding ground for more sirens. It’s sort of a circle of life for them. And in her case, since she is a swamp siren—”

“Her death will create a permanent swamp here in Gran’s house.”

You know, because it wasn’t enough that the house was haunted and home to a bunch of shadow world supernaturals.

I put my hands on the book and read the words I’d been hoping I’d remembered correctly. Words that could maybe be the tipping point for Suzy.

“Not if I can help it.”

10

I left the book of Gran’s spells on my bed and hurried out to the second-floor landing. “We are going to save Suzy.” I crouched beside her head and her eyes flicked open, flooding with tears. I smiled down at her and stroked her hair. “We are all in this together, and my gran’s book says it’s possible.”

“How?” Suzy whispered, her lips blue. A trickle of water crept toward us, leaking out from around her and puddling on the floor as if she were dissolving in front of us.

“You’re going to take energy from each of us. Not enough to kill us, but enough to get you through this. Okay?” I tightened my hand on her. I looked to Eric, already knowing his answer.

He nodded. “Of course.”

Feish bobbed her head. “Of course.”

I smiled down at Suzy. “See? You’ve got family, and love will see us through this. Just don’t grab my boob, okay? I don’t swing that way.”

Her smile was subtle, but I was relieved to see it. “Eric, you go first. When you pass out, Feish, you’ll take her hand next. I’ll go last.”

I glanced at Crash and understanding flowed between us. He would get us out if this didn’t work. The fact that he didn’t argue with me, didn’t try to stop me when we both knew this was a crap shoot, meant everything to me.

That man was so getting into my pants.

I let go of Suzy and Feish sat back on her heels, her red kimono spilling around her like a big skirt. Eric scooped up both of Suzy’s hands in his own, engulfing them. “You can do this, Suzy.”

Nothing happened. There was no change in the air around us, no flicker of discomfort on Eric’s face.

“You have to kiss me,” Suzy whispered, her lips darkening farther to a blue so deep, they were nearly black.

“Oh.” Eric swallowed hard, but he didn’t hesitate. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. Her body arched under his mouth, and he clung to her hands, his body shaking. The air around us went from cool and damp to hot and humid like a jungle in the dead of summer blended with the peak of rainy season. Eric shivered despite the humid heat and his body slumped sideways after only a minute.

Crash grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him off Suzy.

Feish didn’t hesitate—she leaned over and put her lips to Suzy’s. The air changed again, and Suzy’s body shook once more as the air around us seemed to turn liquid. I found myself holding my breath as if we were underwater. I didn’t dare take a breath as Suzy drew from Feish, her throat working as if she were indeed gulping the river maid down.

Feish held out longer than Eric, but even so, it wasn’t long before her shoulders sagged and Crash pulled her off.

Suzy still had her eyes closed, but her skin had pinked a little and her lips were less blue.

Crash stepped around her and put a hand on my shoulder. “Be careful.”

I squeezed his fingers. “Just pull me off when I can’t hold out any longer. And it will be enough.” It had to be.

I leaned over Suzy and put my mouth to hers, pressing our lips together. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain, or whatever was coming for me. Instead, I blinked and found myself amid a swamp. Suzy lay in front of me on a bed of lily pads, pale pink and white flowers blooming all around her as if she were Sleeping Beauty.

“We really have to stop meeting like this.”

I twisted around and found myself grinning. “Robert. You just couldn’t wait to hold my hand again, huh?”

His icy blue eyes glittered as he laughed at me. “Your friend is dying.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed.”

“The energy the others have given her is not enough. It will only keep her alive for a while—it will not revive her. But you can pull her out, like you did for yourself.” Robert slogged through the swamp, his black pants and shirt clinging to his frame. He stopped next to her feet. “You will need to give her more energy than the others did. I’ll keep Crash from pulling you off her.”

I looked at him and held out a hand. “You are a good friend, Robert. I don’t know why you chose to talk to me on the first night we met, but I’m glad for it.”

He looked down at my hand and then took it in his own, linking our fingers for just a moment before he released me. “One day I’ll tell you why. And to be clear, I don’t think either of them is good enough for you.”

I grinned as I stepped beside Suzy. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I took a breath. “So I just give her my energy?”

“Yes, and you have to pull her through this swamp to the land of the living. This swamp is a place of the dead.” Robert’s voice petered out as he faded from view. Well, that explained why he could stand here with me.

I felt a dip in my own energy, enough so that I wanted to lie down beside her and take a nap, but I took a deep breath, then said, “Okay, Suze, time to go.”

I grabbed her hand and tugged on her. She didn’t move. “Shit. Please don’t tell me I have to carry you.”

I tried pushing her off the lily pads, which didn’t work, and yanking her to the side, which was equally ineffective. “Suzy. You’re lucky I love you, girl.”

A pulse of energy blasted between us, and she opened her eyes, turned her head, and looked at me. “Hey.”

“Okay, that was weird, but let’s go.” I held my hand out to her and she took it. I locked my fingers around her hand and started to walk forward. Ahead of us was a doorway that looked suspiciously like the doorway to her bedroom. She staggered to a stop behind me, and it was like tugging on Artax in the middle of the swamps of sadness in The Neverending Story.

Not an analogy I appreciated in that moment. The horse died.

“I don’t think I can make it,” Suzy whispered. “My feet are stuck.”

I took both her hands and tugged harder. Nothing. “Let’s try piggyback. I can’t carry you in a fireman hold like Feish can.”

I sloshed toward her and turned. Her arms went around my neck and I was able to get her feet out of the water.

But the minute I did, the swamp changed, the water around my legs shifting from lukewarm to so cold that my skin felt as though it were being jammed with a million little needles. “Duck, that’s cold!”

Yup, still managing autocorrect.

Suzy clung to my back as I stumbled forward through the water. With each step, the door drew closer, yet it still seemed so far away. I was breathing hard, and I heard yelling in the distance on the other side of the closed door.

“She’s draining her!” Crash roared, and Robert yelled right back, “FRIENDS!”

I started to laugh. I couldn’t help it. “Hold him off, Robert, we’re almost there!” The idea of the skeleton fighting off a man of Crash’s size and power was too much for my quirky sense of humor.

The doorframe was within reach. I grabbed the knob, turned it and yanked the door open. I stumbled to my knees, throwing Suzy forward off my back and through the doorway.

“She did it,” Crash said in wonder.

Suzy groaned. “She’s still in there.”

I struggled to stand, using the doorframe to pull me to my feet as water sloshed over me. A big splash behind me. I dared to look over my shoulder to see something reptilian looking at me with unblinking, bright yellow eyes. Its mottled skin was a color that would have camouflaged it anywhere in the jungle. Ears that should not have been on a reptile stuck out the sides of its head, giving it a goofy look even though the rest of it was terrifyingly awful.

“Just leaving.” I took a step but was unable to look away from those canny eyes. “So you stay there, okay?” Because that’s the way to make monsters behave—you offer a rational argument and hope for the best.