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  Looking around the room, he moved to the broken mirror. The light formed a ribbon and followed him. Touching the pieces of the mirror, he chanted the words again. The ribbon once more revealed Anya’s name.

  “Damn it.” Taking a calming breath, he moved to the duffle bag in the middle of the room. Reaching out, he chanted again. The ribbon transformed into Anya’s name and a question mark. Heart pounding, he searched the room for something else to touch, the question mark meant the duffle bag had touched some unknown being’s clothes, but it hadn’t touched the being’s skin. Without skin cells the spell couldn’t tell who or what had been here.

  His gaze darted around the room. When he couldn’t find anything else out of place, he headed out of the room and started chanting a spell that would show him the path Anya had last taken. Maybe he’d find something she and her kidnapper had both left skin cells on.

  In the kitchenette, he finished his spell and the pale-blue light slowly led him out the door and down the stairs. His hand touched the rail as he took the last step. Anya’s terror speared his heart. Heat flared from deep within his chest and spread angrily throughout his body. Chanting louder and quicker, he urged the ribbon to move faster. Blue flashed into the storage room. He ran after it and waited inside as the ribbon of light circled the room and settled over a group of boxes at the back of the room. Before he could head that way, the ribbon moved toward him and then past him.

  Duncan followed the blue ribbon to a wrench and a flashlight that were on the garage floor. With trembling hands, he reached out and touched them both. This time as he chanted, the ribbon formed the names Anya and demon. Tears flooded his eyes as pain stabbed his heart. The ribbon circled him in a comforting way reminding him he wasn’t alone.

  A demon had taken his little angel, and the stupid fucker was going to pay dearly for it.

  * * * *

  The throbbing of her head tugged Anya back up toward the light of consciousness. She tried to move but quickly realized she was tied up. Fear pierced her heart as she remembered being stalked and hit. What was he going to do to her?

  She didn’t have to wonder for very long. Pain shot through her skull as her abductor dragged her by her feet to the center of a candle-marked circle then dropped her feet once he had her where he wanted her. Pain shot from the soles of her feet to her legs. She cried out, and he laughed at her pain. Knowing he was enjoying her pain, she made herself keep quiet. Shaking in fear, she looked around her.

  Something was up with the candles. They were pure white, but as the wax melted, it dripped blood red. That couldn’t be good. Was he a witchdoctor or something? Tearing her gaze away from the candles, she looked back at her abductor.

  The man’s eyes turned from black to red in the blink of an eye. No human could do that. He seemed to think she was a demon. Was he a demon hunter? Dread clawed viciously at her belly, and she screamed in horror.

  “You can scream louder now than you could the last time I had you under my power, but it won’t do you any good. This rite is all for you, Serenity, and it will be done.”

  “I’m not Serenity. My name is Anya. You have the wrong person.”

  “Oh no, you are your mother’s very image except for your demon eyes. Those came from your father. May he rot in hell.”

  “Th–that can’t be. My father has blue eyes. You have the wrong person. Please let me go. I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Give it a rest, Serenity. I don’t have the wrong person. Now it is time for you to go where you belong.”

  Those were the last recognizable words he said.

  Reaching his hands out in front of him, he started mumbling in a language she didn’t understand. Air howled around the room, but the candles didn’t go out. Oh fuck, she was going down the river of death without a paddle. A speed boat would come in handy, one with a really big motor. Escape, she needed to escape. Where were the guys? How could they find her now?

  Anya’s whole body started to shake. Holy hell, the boards that made up the floor under her started to move. Her body rose a couple of feet above them. She glanced down to see the nails vibrate their way out of the boards then dance around for a bit before they all moved to a spot outside the candle ring and dropped together in a pile. The boards made a loud creaking sound as they pulled themselves out of their places and moved to a spot close to the nails then dropped into a couple of neat piles.

  The chanting continued.

  She was left floating in a levitated state between two worlds. Turning her head a little farther, she looked into the darkness below her. Fuuuck! She saw faces scrunched up in torment. Their bodies had withered and taken on the look of old twisted branches. Their mouths were constantly opening and closing as if they were trying to say something.

  The air snapped around her, and she could hear them all talking at the same time. Another scream rushed out from deep in her throat. They were begging to be set free. Some were saying they’d be good this time around. Others were saying they were innocent. Surely they didn’t think she could help them. Were they blind? She was tied up and about to be dropped into their world with them. Taking a closer look, she realized they weren’t looking at her. They were looking past her.

  Turning her head back to the room, she was shocked to see Duncan. How had he found her?

  His eyes were closed, and he started chanting some words that sounded kind of like the ones the crazy man was chanting.

  The insane man had been so caught up in his own spell that he hadn’t noticed when Duncan had entered the room. He’d only become aware of it when he heard Duncan chanting a spell of his own.

  Blood red eyes widened in horror. In a fervor, he angrily chanted some words that made a black cloud form in the room. The cloud circled Anya, holding her tightly in place over the gaping hole in the floor. Turning to Duncan, he screamed, “Noooo, she’s tainted with demon blood and must be destroyed. I will not fail this time.” The man lunged at Duncan, but he took a large step backward, never opening his eyes, never stopping his chanting. The man fell heavily to the floor, hitting his head on the edge of a small table. Blood began to pour from the gaping wound that now existed on his forehead. The man was dazed for a long moment. Anya hoped he didn’t get back up.

  Today was not her lucky day. He shook his head then wiped some blood off his face. Looking around, he spotted Duncan then his eyes cut to her. Fury swept across his face, twisting it into an ugly mask.

  Leaping from the floor, he rushed over to the pile of boards, picked one up, and charged toward Duncan.

  Anya opened her mouth to warn Duncan, but nothing came out.

  To her great relief, just before he could get a hit in, Duncan opened his eyes and stepped back quickly, but not quick enough to avoid a glancing blow to his shoulder. The crazy man gave a triumphant cry as he swung the board again. Duncan caught the board and wrestled it from the man’s hands. After throwing it away, he fisted his hand, and with lightning speed, he hit the man in the nose twice. A cracking sound shot through the room, and blood gushed from the man’s nose. He flew at Duncan in an angry frenzy.

  Insane people must not feel pain, Anya thought to herself just before she sent out a prayer for Duncan to win and not be hurt.

  The man was no lightweight, and he was pissed. As they struggled he bellowed, “How did you find me?”

  Duncan kicked the man in the shin and grinned as he screamed. “You left a trail a kindergartener could follow.”

  Growling loudly, the frustrated man released Duncan’s shirt and punched him in the face then laughed as Duncan’s cheek started to bleed.

  Duncan blocked the next punch the man threw.

  With a low growl the man kicked Duncan and dodged a return kick then dropped all his weight and forced them both to the floor. “You are supposed to be a weak human-tainted angel. This isn’t right. You need to go down to the netherworld with her,” the man panted as he tried to roll Duncan beneath him.

  Not having any of that, Duncan shoved the man awa
y from him and jumped to his feet. The insane man landed on one of the candles and screamed when his pant leg caught on fire.

  Anya felt hope rise in her chest. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to put the fire out and he’d have to leave them in search of water. As she watched the evil man, her hopes were dashed.

  Beating at the flame with his hands, he hurriedly put the small fire out and quickly righted the candle and then put it back in its place.

  Cutting her eyes in Duncan’s direction, she tried to call out to him, but her voice still wouldn’t work. The crazy man-thing must have done something to her when he’d made the black cloud surround her body. As if sensing her distress, Duncan stared into her eyes then smiled and winked at her right before he closed his eyes and started chanting again.

  The sound of Duncan’s chanting grew louder, enraging the bleeding man to a higher state of insanity. He got up and charged at Duncan. Just before he reached him, the man was suddenly snatched back and up by a pair of large fiery claw-like hands that had come up from the netherworld. Anya had almost fainted when they’d come close to her.

  The blood vessels in the man’s face and neck popped out, and his eyes turned bright red as he howled in rage. “She’s tainted, she’s tainted. She must not remain here. You’re making a terrible mistake.”

  Duncan ignored him and continued chanting. Suddenly, the pitch of his chanting changed, and she felt herself moving away from the hole and into the room. The black cloud that bound her released her and dissipated into thin air. But the original hold on her still held her a few feet above the floor. When was this shit going to end?

  A blood-curdling wail came from the man as the flaming hands moved him over to the center of the hole. He looked down then screamed a horrible sound as the flaming hands glowed dark red then changed in color to coal black. The crazy-man thing cried out as the hands started to twist his body around.

  In front of her astonished eyes, the man’s limbs started to take on the look of dried branches just like the beings in the pit below. Nausea rushed around in her belly, and it took every bit of grit she had not to throw up.

  The man looked down again, and his eyes widened. “Nooo, I can’t be a demon. I’m an angel. I don’t belong down there.” A flaming finger touched the man’s head, and his face changed to one of sadness before he yelled, “I didn’t know it would do that. I didn’t know.” The hands had reminded him of some past deed but had no forgiveness for the angel-turned-demon as they dragged him screaming into the netherworld.

  Anya’s body shook as she realized she’d just been saved from a demon, not a man or a man-thing, but a demon. How had Duncan saved her? Who was he?

  With the demon now out of sight, the boards and nails of the floor quickly moved from their piles and replaced themselves. Duncan slowed his chanting, and she felt herself being easily lowered to the floor. Her knees gave out, but Duncan quickly caught her before she could hit the floor.

  He made short work of untying her then hugged her tightly to him just before he felt the fiery tingles rush through his body. “Oh Gods, not now!” Duncan shouted with his head thrown back, neck muscles taut.

  Within seconds, Anya and Duncan appeared in what seemed to be a living room. Where were they? Assessing her body, she realized her headache was lessening and that the tingling that had shot through her body right before they showed up here was now gone.

  A woman reprimanded Duncan, “I heard that, by the way, but since you just saved Serenity, I’m going to let it slide.”

  Duncan groaned unhappily. “You know I hate it when you do that. It’s freaky.”

  “That’s your human side coming out, darling. I know you dislike my ability to bring you to me at anytime, but when you have a child, you will love that ability.” Angelica sighed at the sight of Duncan’s frown. “I know what just happened, and I wanted to see how you both fared, thank goodness you heal quickly. Your cheek looks painful. I also brought you here because I needed to tell you something.”

  Astonishment comically transformed his face. Angelica laughed. “You’re not the only one with a little pull, you know. Our little conversation this morning motivated me to make a few calls.”

  Shaking off his shock, Duncan took Anya to the couch and sat down next to her interlacing his fingers with hers. “Are you all right? That suck-you-up thing my mom does is really weird. Not to mention the demon that just tried to send you to the netherworld.”

  Anya nodded then leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “It was weird, but I think I’m okay. How did we get here? Is that your mom? How did you find me? Who was that demon, Duncan? What was he trying to do to me?”

  Duncan answered her questions as quickly as possible. “We were teleported here. Yes, she’s my mom. Her name is Angelica. I was able to find you easily through a tracking spell. You and the demon both left some of your essence on a flashlight and a wrench. Two leave a stronger trail than one, but even if you hadn’t both touched the flashlight and the wrench, I would have been able to trace the demon through a different tracking spell. I’m not sure who the demon was. My mom probably knows.”

  Angelica smiled at their conversation. She had turned to look out the window as they were talking. Turning back to face them, she started to talk. “Yes, I do know who the demon was. I was given a vision just moments ago from our gods in the Highest Realm. It showed me clips of Tim Cleve’s and Jarrell’s life. Jarrell is Serenity’s uncle.”

  Confusion clouded Anya’s thoughts. Who were all the people they were talking about, and why was she being called Serenity? Could this day get any weirder?

  Looking at Anya, Angelica said, “Your birth name is Serenity, but Tim Cleve named you Anya because that was the name his wife was going to give Joey if he’d been a girl.”

  Anya shook her head no. “He couldn’t be. I don’t have any uncles. My name is not Serenity. It’s just me, my papa, and my brother.” Her mind couldn’t believe all this. Papa and Joey were her family. Duncan’s mom was wrong.

  Angelica moved and sat in a wing-backed chair before continuing. Looking at Anya, she said soothingly, “Tim Cleve is not your blood-father.”

  Anya narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils. “That’s not true! You are lying.” Blood boiling, she glared at Angelica.

  “I’m afraid it is, child. Your uncle, Jarrell, took you from your parents when you were just two months old.”

  Acid boiled in Anya’s stomach. She jumped up from the couch faster than a clipped-winged angel falls from the heavens and headed straight for the door.

  Duncan jumped up and followed her. “Anya, wait.” Duncan grabbed her around the waist and held her close. “Just listen to her, please. What’s a little time? If you don’t believe her, we’ll go home, and you’ll never have to come back here again.”

  Anya looked uncertainly at the door. Angelica spoke in a calm voice. “You have a wing tattooed on the left side of your back. It runs from shoulder to hip. It means you are an unbonded angel. When you bond with your spirit-mate, the tattoo will fill in on your right side showing you are complete. Your mate will go through the same experience if he has any angel blood in him. If he doesn’t, he won’t get a tattoo.”

  In the depths of her soul, Anya had a bad feeling Angelica was telling the truth. Turning to look at her, Anya said, “My papa told me an artist who was babysitting me drew that on my back and that it wouldn’t wash off for some unknown reason. Since my papa is an honest man, I didn’t have a reason to disbelieve him.”

  “Tim was trying to protect you. He thought someone had tattooed an infant. In his mind, you had been abused by someone. He didn’t have the heart to tell you you came from a family that hurt you and then threw you away. To save you, he lied to you. He loves you very much. There was no way he could have known you were not abused, that you were born with your wing. You are the child of an angel, but you are also the child of a turned-demon. Turned-demons are demons that never liked being a demon. They have softer hearts and have no desire to
hurt others for no reason at all. Your parents’ names are Cathleen and Damien Reeves. Your name is Serenity Paige Reeves. Your uncle hated all demons, turned or not, family or not.”

  Anya’s mind was having a hard time processing all this new information. It felt like it was true, but she just wasn’t positive.

  “Come in and sit, you two. Have some calming tea while I tell you both what I’ve seen.” Angelica motioned to the tea pitcher and glasses on the coffee table.

  Duncan led Anya back to the couch and did as instructed. Handing her a glass, he smiled comfortingly. “It’s a special blend. Drink some it’ll make you feel better. You look like you could use it.” He lightly touched her head where she’d been hit with the flashlight. “It will also help get rid of your headache. Drink up, baby.”

  Trusting Duncan, she took a sip. It was good, thank goodness. Maybe it would help her head feel better, but she doubted it could fix her heart. All of the sudden, her life was upside down. She wasn’t sure who was lying to her.

  Angelica went on telling them what she’d seen in her vision. “It looks like Jarrell started looking up spells and hexes from the dark side the minute he heard of a baby being born of a turned-demon and an angel. He was enraged by the thought of angels giving birth to half-blood demon babies. That supposedly righteous rage was his undoing.”

  Angelica leaned forward and picked her glass up off the coffee table, took a sip of her tea, then continued with her story. “He spent hours reading and practicing spells. One spell book led him to believe that he needed to cast a demon spell on himself in order to see all the demons around him. He did, but the price was higher than he ever could have imagined. He was now what he hated most, a demon. Lying to himself became a daily thing for him. A lot of the books he read told of how a demon can see all the other demons. He should have known from that alone that he was one of them. He saw himself as an angel because that’s what he wanted to see.” Angelica shook her head sadly.