Priceless

your shit together and move.”
    Clenching my fists, I gave him a sharp nod. He was right, there was nothing I could do about that man, and if he wasn’t going to stop us, then I didn’t need to worry about him.
    India was close, only a few doors down. I strode in that direction, pausing in front of the door. There was something bothering me besides my reaction to the man in the cloak.
    “Where the hell is everyone?” I hardly realized spoken out loud.
    “I wondered the same thing. This is not good.” He strode to the far side of the hallway and checked it. “For now, I say we take it as a good sign, don’t poke the sleeping bear unless you have to,” O’Shea said, keeping his voice low.
    “Fine, then shut it.” I growled the words at him. I knew he was right, but that didn’t mean I should just run through the halls like we were in a daisy-filled field with bright sunshine and butterflies. But something was off, and because I couldn’t pinpoint it, my skin itched with the feeling.
    A low hum started to fill the air around us, coming from inside the room, which made the itch I already had turn into a knot of nerves.
    “This is not good,” I said, putting my hand on the door, discovering the dark wood panelling was hot under my hand. India was in the room, I knew that much, but suddenly I knew why we hadn’t seen anyone else. The hum of multiple voices filled the air, confirming my worst fear.
    India was about to be possessed by a demon.

~23~
    A shuffle down the hall behind us was the only warning we had before a woman stepped around the corner, her hands lifted as she prepped a spell. I lunged at her, my blade catching her just in the crook of her left elbow, slicing deep down to the bone. I followed up the slice with a kick to her hip, She dropped to the floor, and I pinned her head down with my foot. Of course, it would have all been good if she’d been the only one.
    “Let her go, Rylee.”
    Blinking, I turned to look into Milly’s face, her eyes hard as she held a deadly spell just inches from my nose. I could see the black spiral of the death magic quivering in her hand, but even so, I had a hard time putting two and two together. O’Shea moved up beside me, a steady presence that helped me get my bearings. Of course, both Milly and I knew the spell would likely dissipate around me. But the other woman, who was nodding at Milly, didn’t know that.
    The woman under my foot snorted a laugh. “You heard her. Let me go.”
    I lifted my foot. “Milly . . .”
    She raised her hand, black energy sparking with the movement, the threat clear. This had to be a show for the other woman, there was no other explanation.
    It took everything I had to step away from the witch I’d injured. India, That was what we had to focus on.
    “They’re going to let a demon possess India if we keep standing here.” My emotions finally starting to shut down. I could be cold, hard, just like I needed to be. A whimper caught my attention and peeking around the corner was a familiar pair of amber eyes.
    “Milly mean,” Alex whimpered, and my heart broke a little to see my own pain reflected in his eyes.
    “Stay there,” I said, not wanting him anywhere near what was about to happen.
    Milly stepped up to the door and the other witch let her lead.
    O’Shea lifted an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head.
    My used-to-be best friend put her hand on the knob and twisted, yanking the door open. A blast of energy swirled out, and I didn’t think. I just moved, jumping across the gap and pulling Milly out of the way.
    A massive crash resounded through the castle as the wall directly behind where we’d just been standing melted into a puddle of molten rock, bubbling and slithering toward us.
    I yanked Milly to her feet while she glared at me, but all I could see was the child sitting in the center of a pentagram carved into the floor, her body naked except for the blood that had been poured over her.
    “O’Shea!” I bolted into the room, registering the faces of the black Coven. Surprise, anger and fear mingled with a sense of evil so heavy I actually stumbled right before I reached the auburn-haired little girl, her hazel eyes wide and dilated. The smell of opium was heavy on the air, as was the scent of something akin to road tar, which I knew could be only one thing: Demons. Seeing the vacant look in India’s eyes, I understood why I couldn’t get a bead on her emotions; they’d drugged her. At least, that’s