The spell caster demons closed their eyes, and before I could do anything a thick wave of blackness engulfed me. I dropped to my knees, my eyes sliding shut. What’s going on? I asked my wolf. She was howling, but I couldn’t see her. Whatever the spell caster demons had thrown at me was different from any other demon magic I’d taken in before. A blankness invaded every part of me, wiping out everything in its path. The spell had evaded my protective magic shield and my demon essence like they hadn’t even been there.

Lili laughed as I fell. “You cannot best our power, especially since it has been tailor-made for you—”

“Sorry to interrupt the party, but you know, I do love my galas,” Selene snickered, and a moment later I heard Lili gasp. As the two of them struggled, the blackness inside my head hung like a drape in front of my eyes. “And you were doing so well up until the end, Lili. I was rooting for you, I really was.” Whatever Selene was doing, she must be winning, because the darkness eased slightly.

There was a loud gurgle and my eyes suddenly cleared to see Selene holding Lili by the throat on the ground.

Selene leaned in close, her eyes sparking with violence. “I don’t care how strong you think you are,” she snarled. “You pale in comparison to my former glory. You should’ve practiced your spells like a good little witch rather than depended on your false glory. I had both glory and power before it was stripped from me—by you!” Lili’s eyes rolled back in her head. Selene had managed to spell her with the little magic she had left. “You are no goddess, so you don’t get to act like one.”

With Lili down, the demon spell casters seemed to snap out of their trance, but before they could transfer their attack from me to Selene, Rourke barreled into them from behind, sending most of them flying. A second later Ray landed in front of them, his fists swinging.

These demons may have been able to cast spells, but they were no fighters.

Once the spell caster demons had been all taken care of, the remnants of spell inside me snapped completely. I was relieved to see my magic intact. It seemed the spell had been able to cloak my own magic from me. Lili said the spell had been made especially for me. I’m fairly certain it had our signature attached, I told my wolf. It had fooled our body into thinking we didn’t want to access our magic. She snarled and nodded. She’d been unable to react or grab our magic either.

I rose and took in what was happening around me. Tyler had come up from behind Rourke and was helping to eradicate the last few stray demons, making sure no one came too close. There weren’t too many demons left in the entire arena. The demonesses had also left. I would’ve thought they’d stick around, but seeing their Princess die must’ve been too much.

Rourke and Ray were busy tossing the out-cold spell casters behind the benches. I turned to Selene, who still had a firm hold on Lili, who was curled in a fetal position on the ground.

“How are you keeping her down?” I asked, amazed. “You have very little magic left.” I strode toward them. “She should be stronger than you are, so I don’t get it. Not that I’m arguing, mind you, but it doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s true,” Selene replied. “She has more strength and power than me, and I have very little magic left, but psyche spells have always been my greatest masterpiece. And they happen to take very little concentrated magic. My spell has infiltrated her mind and she believes she is dying a very horrid death. But she will eventually break—” Lili’s fist shot out and connected with Selene’s jaw, efficiently breaking the spell.

Selene staggered backward, her arms cartwheeling, before collapsing against the edge of the circle.

“You interfering bitch,” Lili said as she stood, her eyes wild. “You think you’re a very clever, don’t you?” She addressed Selene. “But you’re nothing! I stripped you of your power in under one day and gave it to your clone, whom I then sacrificed with pleasure. You want to know where your power and magic went? It went into me.” She grinned, pointing to herself. “That’s right, when I killed your clone all the residual magic gathered in the clone’s heart, as it’s supposed to, which I consumed as I spelled you all. After that, you only saw what I projected. You will never regain what you’ve lost, and it only proves you were never strong enough to keep it.” Lili lifted her palm and her magic shot Selene squarely in the chest. Selene flew backward out of the circle like a sack of flour, but her progress was halted before she hit the ground by a very familiar, very welcome face.

I almost cheered out loud.

Danny held Selene in his arms like she weighed nothing. He gaped down at her, and when he tilted his head back up, surprise laced his features. “So what has happened here, then? Shall I toss her away like trash or set her down gently?” His eyebrows shot up as he glanced around the group. “Since we’ve just now arrived, I’m not gathering a clear understanding of what’s gone on, but it looks a bit… complicated.”

One pissed-off Vampire Queen stood right behind him, her arms crossed, pale hair perfectly coiffed, and a perplexed expression on her delicate features.

“Complicated is a good way to describe it,” I answered. “Just set her down behind you. She’s not going to die.” I had no idea how Tally had gotten them here, but I was ecstatic. The timing couldn’t have been better.

“It figures we would appear right in the middle of complete and utter madness,” Eudoxia complained. “Which I have no doubt was brought on by you.” Her eyes were accusing. The Vamp Queen had never shied away from telling me she didn’t like the way I did things, and she wasn’t going to begin now.

I didn’t have time to respond, because Lili was on me before I could turn my head.

We rolled on the ground as second before her hand dug sharply into my chest, her nails like daggers. “Ow! You don’t get… to have my heart,” I sputtered as she started to chant a spell. The pain was intense. I turned my head to shout, “She’s going to—”

Rourke’s fist connected with her face. It effectively cut her off her words, but she hadn’t loosened her grip on me. Instead, she regenerated—as fast as I’ve ever seen a supe heal—and we continued to roll, amid shouting.

“You’re not going to win this,” I raged, knocking her against the edge of the stone circle, banging her head against it. “Your interpretation of the new reign… was the wrong one.”