"I guess I was wrong," I said. "You don't have my father. Come on, guys." I got up. "I know people who can help us rescue him and my grandfather. Excuse us, please."

Cardinal Seth stepped forward. "You're not going anywhere."

The man was seriously beginning to p.i.s.s me off. I didn't know much about my relationship with this particular Guardian, but I doubted I liked him. He had serious issues.

"Cardinal Seth, I don't need your permission to leave. I'm not a Guardian. You have no idea what the people who kidnapped them are capable of."

"I'm a hunter; I know how demons think."

"I'm not talking about hunting or fighting. They will drug them, drain their energy, and keep them hidden where we'll never find them. I have to find them. They are the only family I have left, and I will not let you or anyone else get in my way. So, step back."

"You are not leaving," Cardinal Seth said. "You'll have to go through me and every one of us here before-"

A blinding light flashed to my left and I turned. Bran had arrived. Perfect timing. A tall black dude appeared beside him. Dante. He was gaunt, and not as dashing as I'd seen him in Bran's memories, but then again, he'd been living in the dungeon for almost a year.

"What's going on?" Bran asked, walking to where I stood. Dante kept his distance.

"We don't have to tell him anything when he a.s.sociates with his kind." Cardinal Seth sneered at Dante.

"Stop it, Uncle Seth," Kim said.

"Put a sock in it, Seth," Aunt Janelle said at the same time.

Cardinal Seth turned to glare at them. "You cannot believe anything the girl says."

"I do," Kim said.

"Me, too," Izzy said.

Remy and Sykes lifted their fingers and nodded.

Cardinal Seth glared at them before turning to Aunt Janelle and Cardinal Moira. "She's no longer the girl we knew. Surely you can see that."

"Of course she's not," Aunt Janelle snapped. "She's been through a lot and it's not over."

Bran stopped in front of me, eyes steady on my face. "What's going on?"

"My father and grandfather are missing," I said.

"Taken by her people," Cardinal Seth said, pointing at me.

"I've tried telling him we didn't, but he's so angry, he won't listen. Sir Malax and Lady Nemea left the island two nights ago with half the guards. They drugged me and drained my energy again, so she must have used crystals with my energy to lure Grampa and Father. I promised I'd take him home tonight. We must find them."

He nodded. "Sorry I bailed out on you. Again. But I had to get Dante out."

I walked to Dante. The Kris Dagger vibrated in its sheath, but I ignored it. "I'm sorry you were imprisoned for nothing."

A smile touched his lips. He bowed and pressed a hand to his chest. "It wasn't for nothing, Princess."

I wondered why my father had done it. "We need to go."

"We cannot hunt with them." Cardinal Seth indicated me and my Hermonite team. "We can't trust them to watch our backs."

I wanted to laugh. He was such a petty person, and a sore loser to boot. "You don't need to trust us, because I am going to get my father and grandfather. You wait here."

"Lil, you cannot fight these people on your own," Bran said.

"We can help," Remy added, and the rest of the younger Guardians nodded.

"Only if you promise not to kill them." Confusion flashed on the Guardians' faces. "After what happened on Coronis Isle, I swore to make amends for the innocent people and families we'd hurt. That is why I came with them," I indicated my team with a nod. "They can subdue people without using a weapon or killing them. I will not send anyone to Tartarus if there's a chance he or she can change."

Disbelief flashed on the faces of the Guardians. If I had unsheathed my dagger and attacked them, they wouldn't have been more shocked. I overheard a mental exchange between Remy and Sykes.

"I'm not talking about demons, Sykes," I said. "I don't like to generalize. Dark lords are Hermonites, but not all Hermonites are dark lords. I'm talking about the ones that are not evil. People like you and me, people who love each other and care about their children and worry about their future. People who have no interest in destroying humanity or souls..." I sighed and smiled sadly at Aunt Janelle. "No, I haven't been brainwashed, Aunt Janelle. What I'm saying is that you can fight and subdue them-just don't use Guardian weapons. I cannot look into the eyes of my people and tell them I am the one who killed their wives, husbands, brothers, and sisters again."

Cardinal Seth laughed. The sound was cold and bitter. "What about my wife? My child?"

I searched the memories Bran had given me. There was no mention of Cardinal Seth's family. "I'm sorry you've lost so much at the hands of the dark lords, Cardinal Seth. But killing innocent people won't bring your family back or take away the pain."

A spasm crossed his face.

"Someone has to be the bigger person and stop the raids. It is my duty, my destiny to make both sides understand that."

I actually caught their attention that time. Even Cardinal Seth was listening. I just couldn't tell whether he did with an open mind. His face was an unreadable mask and his thoughts were jumbled static.

"The reason Sir Malax took my father and grandfather was so we would blame each other and continue raiding and destroying each other. They even attacked your compound so you'd retaliate. And to make sure you destroyed the island, they made sure you'd meet little or no resistance. If I hadn't woken up..." I glanced at Locke, then the sisters. "If my friends hadn't protected me and restored my psi energy, I would still be in a coma. The people left there do not have the training or the powers to defeat you." My eyes met the Guardians' one at a time. No one spoke. "Sir Malax made sure of that when he left with all the knights and senior guards. What we don't know is whether they went willingly. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt." I glanced at Bran. There was awe and love in his eyes. He squeezed my hand. "When we go in, we go to retrieve my father and grandfather. If my way fails, then we regroup here and reevaluate. However, I don't plan to fail."

Silence followed.

"I have a question," Sykes said.

"Yes?"

"I've heard you talk about your energy being drained, being drugged, and knights deserting the people. What kind of life are you living on this island?"

I smiled. "Most of the time it's..." I glanced at Lottius.

"A paradise," she said, then winked at Bran. "With hot minions."

Bran smiled. "Come on, we'll pay my brother a visit. We're going to a private club at the Ritz-Carlton, L.A. Live." He glanced at Remy and the younger Guardians. "You guys know the way."

-25-.

We appeared in a hallway, and the Kris Dagger buzzed and started to glow. I willed it to behave. These were my people, after all, including the dark lords. "Hermonite Lodge, Private Club and Restaurant" was written in white on a dark gray wall. Bran stopped outside a set of double doors.

"About this outfit," Bran whispered.

The appreciative gleam in his eyes said he liked it. Still, I had to ask, "You like?"

He made a face. "No, hate it."

If we were alone, I would have elbowed him hard. "It was meant to make a statement."

"It's loud and clear-majestic, don't-mess-with-me-or-else leader. The Guardians now know who they're dealing with."

I glanced over his shoulder. The senior Cardinal Guardians weren't too happy. The younger ones were having a serious discussion about the way I had changed. Dante stood apart from them.

"The new policy of no killing, did you plan it before you left the island?"

"Yes. I didn't really believe they had Father."

Bran's eyes roamed my face, then a gentle smile tugged the corner of his mouth and his dimples flashed. "So, what's the plan?"

"The Guardians cannot come inside with us. Sir Malax and Lady Nemea made their move when they left the island. But being seen with the Guardians will seem like I've rejoined them. I want the people to understand it is us against the dark lords before we can bring the Guardians into the equation."

"That's a good idea," Cardinal Moira said, and I looked up. They'd all moved closer while I was talking and I hadn't even realized it.

"Thank you, Cardinal Moira. There are dark lords inside mingling with regular Hermonites, and they are not above telling everyone I've switched sides when I'm supposed to be neutral."

"Supposed?" Cardinal Seth pounced again.

"Eventually I will be, but right now my people need me. They are divided and it'll be easy for them to lose faith in me and my father. Chances are a few dark lords will teleport to tell their leaders that I am in town. You guys follow them." My eyes met Lottius's. "You stay with the Guardians." I nodded at the sisters and Locke. "You three, come with me."

Bran squeezed my hand and stepped back. He was planning on staying with the Guardians. "Your place is with me."

"I know. We'll sort that out later. Right now, you need to go and do your thing inside so we can find your family."

You are my family, too.

And proud of it, he said.

I was sure the others overheard us, but I didn't care. My gaze swept the Guardians' as I repeated. "No vanquishing."

"As long as we kick a.s.s," Sykes said as he elbowed Remy.

Remy didn't react. He had been watching me with a pensive expression since they'd appeared. Kim and Izzy didn't like the changes in me, but they nodded, as did Cardinals Moira and Janelle. Cardinal Seth studied me as though trying to separate the girl he once knew from the woman I was becoming. His emotions were easy to read. He didn't know what to think of me, which was good in my book. As long as I kept him off-balance, he wouldn't go against my wishes.

My eyes met with Lottius's, then Dante's. Keep an eye on Cardinal Seth.

My place is with you, Princess, Dante said.

I'm asking you to help find my father.

He didn't like it, but he nodded.

I turned and willed the doors open. Time seemed to slow down as I entered the restaurant. The Kris Dagger vibrated again, but I willed it to behave.

The entryway had chest-high walls to my left and right. Everything was familiar-the heavy curtains and paneled ceiling, the comfortable leather seats, the wraparound bar dominating the center of the room. The customers ranged from powerful Hermonites in their expensive suits and dresses to Subsixer laborers. I guessed Gavyn's club welcomed all Hermonites, not just his snooty, power-hungry buddies.

"The princess," someone said.

People got to their feet and bowed. I recognized a few from Lord Zhane's party. I did my princess thing, nodding, waving, and smiling. The bartender watched us warily. Gavyn appeared beside him before we reached the bar.

You shouldn't be here, Lilith, he said.

Yet here we are. Could we get my friends drinks? I turned and faced the room, still waving. A few tables were empty when they'd been occupied seconds ago. Yeah, go ahead, traitors. Lead the Guardians to your leaders, I thought. Two guys built like pro wrestlers left their table and approached us. One had a long hair and beard, and the other wore a Mohawk. I didn't get negative vibes from them, and the Kris Dagger stayed calm.

They bowed and did the hand-to-chest thing. "We haven't had the pleasure of meeting you to show you our loyalty is with Lord Valafar and the House of Neteru," Mohawk said.

"You're not from the island?"

"We are, but we work on an oil rig off the Gulf of Mexico and just came into town to listen to your father's speech and grand ideas. Everyone's been talking about it," Long Beard said.

I'd bet Lady Nemea and Sir Malax had started that rumor. What grand ideas? "You should come home and listen to him."

"I plan to, Princess," Mohawk said. "In a couple of weeks."

"Good. Make sure you stop by the castle for a visit and ask for Sir Callum."

"My sister told me about you, Princess," Long Beard said. His gray eyes were familiar. A quick mind read and I knew he was.

"You're Ruby's brother," I said.

"Yes, ma'am, uh, Princess," he said, his neck turning red. Despite the beard, he looked young. Mid to late twenties. "I apologize."

I touched his arm. "You don't need to. I hope you're going home to visit, too. We need more able people helping out around the island."

He nodded. "Yes, Princess."

As though their courage had opened a floodgate, more people got up and came to shake my hand, ask about things at home. Subsixers and regular Hermonites all cared. The dark lords stayed back.

We found them, Lil, Bran telepathed me. Their energies are low, but they're alive.

Any casualties?

Not yet. We're plowing through them. He humphed and I felt a sharp pain on my arm.

He had just gotten hit on his arm. Be careful.

Always. I should be done in five minutes. Ten, tops. How are things?