"Esther's ready." Mordred's voice drew my attention to the right. He wore a cloak made up of the various strips of Esther 's skin. Blood from the fresher pieces drip-dropped down his cheeks. The dagger gleamed in his hand. "One down, one to go."

I was going to die. Really die.

The truth hit me hard and fast as the dagger descended.

No seeing my mother or my father or my brothers.

No Evie. No Killer.

No Ty.

I'd let him go. How stupid was that? I'd let him walk away. Worse, I'd pushed him away.

The only vampire I'd ever loved.

The only vampire who'd ever loved me.

He did. Even if he hadn't ever said it. I knew it deep down inside, underneath all my insecurities and my crazy romantic notions.

I'd fantasized for so long about the perfect vampire that I'd refused to give up my ideal. But vampires aren't perfect.

Fine, so physically they are. But emotionally they're just as messed up as everyone else, me included. Ty had been right. I was every bit the commitment-phobe. That's why I'd put off introducing him to my mother.

Because I wouldn't just be admitting to her that I was giving up a future filled with baby vamps, I'd be admitting it to myself.

That's what I'd really been afraid of.

Committing to Ty and giving up my dream.

But it wasn't the dream that kept me company as the knife sank into my skin. It was Ty. His image in my head. His memory warming my body and blocking out the pain.

"Sonofab.i.t.c.h," I ground out through clenched teeth.

Okay, most of the pain.

Hot blood slithered down my calf, drip-dropped onto the floor. Fire swept up my leg as Mordred peeled back the skin.

I clamped my eyes shut and focused on Ty. His handsome face. His toned body. His deep voice.

"Lame, dude. Really lame."

Then again, maybe his voice wasn't that deep. My eyes popped open and I stared through a fog of pain at the woman who stood behind Mordred.

"Tabitha?"

"Hey, Lil." She gave a finger wave, all party girl bubbly until she turned her attention to Mordred. Her bright blue eyes hardened into hard chips and her smile faded. "It wasn't nice ditching me like that. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Her vivid description of her dream man clicked and I realized she hadn't been looking for a date at all. She'd been looking for Mordred.

And she'd finally hit pay dirt.

"W e had a deal," Tabitha reminded Mordred.

While I never would have pegged her for the intimidating sort, she rose to the occasion as she stepped toward the sorcerer.

He backed up.

I had no clue who Tabitha really was, but I knew then that she was one bad b.i.t.c.h.

Merlin lifted his hand to give her the finger, but she nailed him with a stare. "Stay out of this, old man."

His arm fell to his side and stayed there as if some invisible force held him immobile.

"We had a deal, Mordred. I make sure the G.o.ds reward you for your sacrifice and you hand over the souls to me. That 's the way it's always been between us. Always. But you had to get greedy, didn't you? You wanted to cut me out, make one last sacrifice and gain immortality all by yourself. But it doesn't work that way. The deal calls for a human. A soul. Vampires don't have souls."

Hey.

"You renig," she went on. "I renig."

"I ..." The words faded into a choked gurgle.

"What's the matter?" She eyed him. "Cat got your tongue?" The moment she said it, his mouth opened. Blood gushed out, followed by something that landed with a splat on the floor. "Oh, it's not the cat. It's just me." She leaned over and picked up the bleeding slab. "I've got your tongue." She waved it at him. "And all the rest of you. Ditto for your soul." Her eyes brightened and the walls seemed to vibrate. "Time to go."

Mordred stumbled backward, but it was too late. His fingers started to fall, plopping into the dirt one by one. Then his hands.

His arms. He screamed, the sound blending with the rush of wind that seemed to dismember him piece by piece. The ground started to shake then, sucking at the pieces, gobbling them up until all that remained was the sickening skin cloak that lay in a heap on the ground.

"Don't do this," Merlin said when she turned toward him. "The Council won't take my death lightly."

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to warn you. There is no bending the rules. One human sacrifice every one hundred years. You give me the soul and I give you another hundred years looking exactly the way you do now." Her gaze swept him from head to toe. "Doesn't sound so hot, now, does it?" Silence ticked by as she stepped closer to him, until they were nose to nose. "If I were you, I'd turn and run right now."

She blew him a little kiss and he flew backward, slamming into the wall. He scrambled to his feet and ran for his life. "Party on,"

she called after him.

"Lil." She clucked her tongue as she walked over to me. "You're a mess, girl."

"Who are you?"

"Ixtab," said a deep, familiar voice. Ty's image materialized. He took one look at me and the relief in his eyes turned to something much darker and much more dangerous. "f.u.c.k," he growled as he stared at the raw patch where my skin had been.

"f.u.c.k." His gaze collided with mine. "I'm sorry." And I knew he wasn't just talking about my flayed flesh. Warmth seeped through me, chasing away the cold.

I grinned. "You're late."

My reply eased his frown lines and he grinned. His gaze swept the length of me again and his gaze darkened. "You're naked."

"I'd love to stick around for this heartfelt reunion, but I 've got a date." Ixtab winked at me. "Evie set me up with a plumber from Brooklyn. We're going salsa dancing."

"Party on," I called after her. "Start talking," I said to Ty.

"Her name is Ixtab."

"And?"

"You know, the ancient Mayan G.o.ddess of death. She gathers the souls of victims of suicide, childbirth and sacrifice and takes them to paradise. At least that's what the legend says, but I've got it on good authority that they don't make it past Vegas."

Hey, it made sense.

"Anyhow, she's been keeping Mordred young in return for the souls of his sacrifices. He tried to cheat her this time and she wasn't too happy about it."

I remembered the flying body parts. "Obviously not." I shook my head. Could this night get any stranger?

Right about the time I asked myself that question, I heard the squeal of tires and the slam of several car doors.

Ty heard it, too. "We'd better get you untied." He grabbed the discarded dagger and went to work on the ropes at my feet.

Since they were infused with silver and soaked in garlic, he fumbled a few times, but in a matter of seconds, my right foot was free.

"It seems Rob called Nina back when he found out that she called him. " The bonds on my left foot eased. "When she didn't answer, he got worried and called me." Ty moved around my head and reached for the ropes on my left wrist. "I didn't answer, so he called his brothers, who called your dad, who called Evie, who called Ash." My hand broke free and he moved to the next one.

"They were on their way, the last I heard."

"Which ones?"

"All except for Evie. She's holding down the fort back home." The voices grew louder, more discern-able, and he cut through the last of the restraints. "They got into town about an hour ago, talked to Elmer, and here they are."

I rubbed at my wrists. "When did you get into town?"

His gaze met and held mine. "Baby, I never left."

I'd like to say that Ty swooped me into his arms at that very second and carried me off into the sunset a la some romantic Taylor Swift song, but hey, we're vampires. No sunsets allowed.

On top of that, I was in so much pain that there was no swooping allowed either.

Instead, he peeled off the dark blue T-shirt he was wearing and helped me into it. I winced and cringed and yelped a few times.

Finally the soft cotton slithered over me just as Ash and his brothers barreled through the opening of the tunnel.

Zee and Mo split, one heading for Esther, who was still strapped to a nearby table, and the other going for Nina. Ash rushed over to me, his expression fierce, his eyes glittering with concern. He stopped just shy of touching me, his gaze locking with Ty 's. Some silent male thing pa.s.sed between them, and instead of reaching out he settled for a thorough glance at my leg. "f.u.c.king h.e.l.l,"

he muttered. "I'm sorry I got you mixed up with that guy."

"He said he's going to get you fired."

His expression was cold. "We'll see who gets fired." Another sweeping gaze and his attention settled on my face. "Are you really okay?"

"Are you kidding?" I grasped at Ty and let him help me into a sitting position. "Don't get me wrong. I could use a few pain pills right about now. Or maybe a box of wine. But otherwise, I'm fine."

My words drew his attention and he grinned. "I never figured you for a cheap drunk."

"Right now, I'd drink just about anything."

Ty didn't need to hear me twice. He did the swooping then. His strong arms slid under me and he carried me through the tunnel, to the crowd gathered outside.

Ash and his crime scene team descended on the cave while a special medical unit (i.e., a few choice blood donors) whisked Esther away to nurse her back to health. My BFF was awake now and sitting in the back of a nearby cab, a smile on her face. Rob had declared his love in front of the entire crowd, which he'd also demonstrated by flying thousands of miles, and she'd declared hers. I don't think she'd told him about the baby yet, but I knew it was just a matter of time.

Meanwhile, I sat on the hood of DeWalt's black stretch Cadillac, nursed a bottle of blood and explained myself to my parents.

Max. Jack and Mandy. The Connecticut Huntress Club. DeWalt. Remy.

Yep, even he showed up.

He looked casual chic in jeans, a pullover Hollister tee and loafers. His blond hair was rumpled, his smile infectious. "Glad to see you're still in one piece."

I glanced down at my now bandaged leg. "Mostly. What are you doing here?"

"I've been babysitting your dad while your mom's been on retreat." He shoved a hand through his hair, which explained the rumpled look. "The man's been trying to buy jet engine fuel for a bomb he 's building in his garage. I couldn't let him near an airplane by himself."

"He's really building a bomb?"

"d.a.m.n straight I am," my dad said as he walked up to us. "Just wait until I finish. Then we'll see if Viola has b.a.l.l.s enough to cut down another one of my bushes."

"Dad, if you launch a nuclear weapon, she'll not only have b.a.l.l.s. She'll have a third eye."

Ty paused a few feet away, where he was busy giving a statement to one of the suits Ash had called in. He grinned and I went warm in all the right places.

"I'm definitely going to need a vacation after this," Remy declared.

I nodded. "You and me both."

"Drink up, dear." My mother's voice drew my attention as she came up next to my father. Her narrowed gaze roved me from head to toe. "You still look terrible. And your hair-"

"Mom, I almost lost my afterlife. It's not my proudest hair moment." "You're telling me." She gave a disdainful shiver. "If this isn't proof enough that you should give up that disastrous business, which almost always seems to land you in trouble, then I don't know what-"

"Ma," I cut in.

"-else to do. However are you going to find a nice male vampire if you're busy running around getting yourself flayed-"

"Ma."

Her gaze collided with mine. "Yes, dear?"

I smiled and motioned Ty over. He reached me in a heartbeat and I took his hand, my fingers twining with his. "I've got somebody I want you to meet."

"I forgot to tell you ..." Evie handed me an envelope. It was a clear, moonlit Friday evening and she was about to call it quits for the night, while I was just getting started matching up New York's sad and single. "Tabitha dropped these off earlier today on her way to meet prospect number twenty-two." I arched an eyebrow and she added, "They're bungeeing near Coney Island."