Priceless

buzz of holding the missing child I’d connected to giving me a burst of energy. I slipped off my shirt and put it on her, covering her body. Shy hazel eyes lifted to meet mine. “I knew you’d come for me. I saw you, in a dream.”
    I nodded, not really understanding why I’d connected so strongly with her over any of the other children I’d sought out. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you out of here.”
    Thanking the heavens we’d made it in time, I started us toward the open door. “O’Shea, Alex, let’s go, the party’s over.”
    A quick glance showed there were only two members of the black Coven left standing, and both were engaged with Milly. I wanted to stop and help her, but knew that not only would she not appreciate my help, but she might just turn on me completely.
    O’Shea was sweaty, his breath coming in big gulps, but again, his eyes glittered. Yup, he really liked this action-packed life I led. I couldn’t stop the snort that escaped me.
    “What?”
    Clutching India to me, I ignored O’Shea. “Hang on, kid,” I said into her hair. She smelled of baby powder and blood. One more person’s innocence down the drain of life.
    I turned my back on Milly, did my best not to see her strain to keep the two Coven members from her, watched in anger as her own Coven member stood aside and let her fight on her own.
    “You aren’t going to help her, are you?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
    “You have the child, I suggest you leave.” The woman I’d bled answered me in a tone that brooked no argument. Except, I wasn’t real well-known for backing down from an argument’.
    “What, you planning to kill her and blame it on the black Coven?” As the words escaped my mouth, I knew that was the truth of it, saw it flash in her eyes.
    I put India down. “O’Shea . . .”
    “Go save your friend.”
    A half-smile was all I could manage. Pulling my sword, I ran toward the woman who would be Milly’s death if I walked away.

~24~
    M illy dispatched the last two black Coven members and dropped to her knees. The exhaustion was plain on her face. I knew her, and she was completely wiped out. Her “friend” stood over her, hands lifted, and her back to me. Perhaps she thought I was the lesser threat— that was about to be her final mistake. Milly didn’t even try to fight back, didn’t even twitch with her Coven member prepping a death spell over her head.
    It gave me the perfect shot. The witch turned at the last second and tossed a spell at me, fire tingled down the blade of my sword and onto my arm, purple and deadly, but it disappeared in a puff. Her eyes widened. “That cannot be.”
    “Bitch, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” I said. I swung hard and true, removing the woman’s head, her mouth an ‘O’ of surprise that stuck with her even in death. Her head rolled away from us to land where the pentagram was still etched into the floor, right where the demon had died. That seemed fitting.
    “You okay?” I crouched in front of Milly.
    She started to cry. “They
are
trying to kill me. You were right.”
    Without another word I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight. “They have to go through me first, you know that.”
    Her sobs shook her tiny frame and I thought about all the nights I’d listened to her tell me how great the Coven would be once she was a part of it. How life would be good. How much she would learn.
    I pulled her to her feet, keeping one arm around her waist. I was tired too, but I hadn’t just fought off nearly a dozen witches and survived.
    “I’m so sorry, Rylee,” she said, her head hitting my shoulder.
    “Don’t worry about it now. But don’t think I won’t kick your ass later.”
    She laughed and then sniffed. “Let’s get out of here.”
    O’Shea picked up India and she clung to him. It was an image that stopped me in my tracks. An auburn-haired child in his arms made me think of things I couldn’t have and shouldn’t want.
    “What’s wrong?” Milly lifted her head from my shoulder.
    Clearing my throat and scrubbing at my eyes, I motioned at O’Shea. “We need to switch. Give me India, you take Milly.”
    He didn’t question me, just made the swap and we started back toward the door. Milly lifted a hand, stopping us. “The way you came in is swarming with cops. We need to go out the back door.”
    She directed us deeper into the castle, to the top of a stairwell that was pitch black, narrow, and filled with the