Desire turned to anger and she struck his hands away. "I don't want a dark, cold thing. I want someone . . . I want you . . . What did you do to yourself, you idiot?"

A muscle twitched in his jaw as if he was repressing a smile. "I don't like how the Mockingbirds have dressed you, like some tarted-up Alice in Wonderland."

"You look like you just joined the Fata mafia."

"Why do you keep backing away from me?"

"I'm not." But she was, because there was a dangerous look to him now that she remembered from his Jack days. As calmly as she could, she said, "Why do you smell like roses? Please just tell me what happened to you."

His smile was wild. "Remember those westerns you like? Where any man can be saved by the love of a good woman?"

"That never happens in the westerns I like-stop." She held up a hand. He stopped. She'd somehow circled back to the doors.

"I did it for you," he said, his voice rough. "Do you really think I'm going to harm you?"

"I don't know, Jack." It hurt her to say that.

The silver ghosted his eyes and she saw a true Jack, a spirit twisted into the eternal shape of something made to stalk and harm. She turned and yanked the doors open- He pushed them closed with her against them, imprisoning her with his arms. He whispered in her ear, "You'll need to do more than kiss me to change me back."

She flung herself around. "You were afraid to touch me when you were a Jack before."

He stepped away, and the room's shadows seemed to close over him. He said, "Finn. I need to be like this, to fight Seth Lot."

She heard the click as the doors opened behind her, and she said, "I love you," before sliding out.

The porcelain-masked Fata girl stood in the hallway. "You're to return to your room."

As the doors closed between her and Jack, Finn said, "Tell Amaranthus we'll do it. We'll kill Seth Lot."

FINN DIDN'T KNOW how much time passed while she waited in her prison. Restless, she used the Leica camera to take pictures of the room and regretted it when one of the flashes caught a shadow with a broken doll face crouched in a corner. Finn kept away from that corner and didn't take any more pictures.

She studied the vial of elixir. She took another drop.

Then she was summoned. She was allowed to bring her backpack and was led to the conservatory, where Amaranthus sat in a fan-backed chair of white wicker, her court surrounding her. Jazzy music crackled in the background as a man sang about not wanting to set the world on fire. Sylvie, in a little dress of gray gauze and striped stockings, sat tensely in a chair. Narcissus Mockingbird leaned against it. At his feet was a small cage with the moth fluttering inside.

Amaranthus rose to address her people. "Are you all afraid of this little girl?" She sauntered across the floor, her ring-decorated hands holding up the hem of her gown, revealing her scratched legs and dirty feet. "You should be. She's a queen killer . . . and she's going to pay."

She gestured to a set of glass doors frosted with images of birds in flight. The doors opened to admit two figures in hooded coats. The one in the lead flung back its cowl to reveal Caliban Ariel'Pan. He smiled at Finn and said, "I had more teeth and claws than the Jacks and Jills did."

Then his companion drew back her hood and reality crashed to pieces around Finn. "Lily?"

The last year had never been. Her sister had never killed herself. The funeral and the numb days afterward, when sleeping had been more of a comfort than living, had been a lie. All of it, all of it, had been a Fata trick. Because Lily Rose, fierce and flushed with life, stood across the room from her, in a black gown beneath a coat shimmering with rain. Finn felt a dazzling rush of relief, joy, shock-and despair that she and her sister would soon be parted again.

"Finn!" Lily dashed forward, but Caliban yanked her back.

Amaranthus wound a cold hand around Finn's wrist and said, "Crom cu. When the two sisters cross paths, the bargain is made. The queen killer goes to your Wolf and Lily Rose becomes our hostage."

"Seth Lot doesn't trust you, Mockingbird. You tried to take his prey before, at the Ban Gorm's. And where's the Jack?"

"We haven't found the Jack. It was you who separated them, sugar. We've only got the girl."

Finn met her sister's wide, blue gaze, saw Lily's lips form her name, the questioning slant of her brows, and knew she couldn't allow herself to believe this was Lily until she could touch her and make sure.

"Seth Lot gave you the fox knight's heart to bargain a betrayal." When Caliban shook Lily Rose, Finn felt snarly. "What I don't understand is why you want this girl and not that one, the one who killed Reiko. Weren't you and Reiko besties? Or frenemies? Or something similar to that nature?"

"This is the most satisfying revenge, crom cu. Seth Lot gets something he wants and I get to keep the braveheart's sister from her as long as they both live. They'll never see each other again." Amaranthus shoved Finn forward. "Go on, sugar. Say farewell."

Caliban released Lily. Finn walked slowly across the floor. Lily moved just as cautiously. When they were a few steps away from each other, Finn, her voice breaking, whispered a question she'd been asking far too much lately: "Is it you?"

"It's me." Lily stepped forward and folded Finn into her arms. Her sister smelled the same, of an exotic perfume like fire and flowers. Her skin was cool, her voice angry as she said, "You weren't supposed to come here."

Finn drew back. She gripped Lily's hands and studied her, worried about how pale her sister was, the shadows beneath her eyes. "I still can't believe . . . you were broken and bleeding . . ." Her voice caught.

Lily hugged her again and said into her ear, "Don't let them take you. Don't let them take you to him."

"Here." Finn fumbled the bracelet of silver charms from around her wrist and held it out. "Look, it didn't decay."

Lily gazed warily at it. "Where did you get that?"

"Moth-"

"Ladies," Caliban called, "it's time." He dragged Finn back, and the bracelet fell to the floor between them. As Lily's gaze flicked up from the bracelet to Finn, Finn yanked away from Caliban. He held out a hand, his smile so evil it made Finn flinch. He said, "For you, I'll be a gentleman. Would you like my coat? No? Been drinking the elixir, have you? All strong and such?"

He clamped a hand around her wrist, and she had to hurry to keep up with his long strides as he dragged her through the double doors, onto the stairway.

Parked in the hotel's circular driveway was a white Mercedes with tinted windows, its hood ornament a pewter wolf's head. Finn halted, pulling back, and Caliban turned to her. "The brave girl is having an attack of good sense. You've lost, leannan, let it go."

His hand vised around her wrist again-she wouldn't let him drag her to the car, so she walked quickly with him down the stair. Despite the monster at her side, she wanted to jump up and down with joy. Lily's alive.

"He's got plans for you, darling." Caliban opened the passenger-side door of the Mercedes, silver-white hair sweeping across his face. "You might even like some of them."

She almost ran then, but his nails sank into her wrist and he growled, "Don't even think it."

A roaring and a flare of lights from beyond the trees made him snap straight. As Finn stared into the night, wondering what new horror was about to arrive, the glowing orbs shrank to headlights belonging to fox-shaped brass-and-copper motorcycles.

Caliban grabbed her, and a dagger slid from one of his sleeves.

The motorcycles surrounded the Mercedes and halted. The leader removed his helmet, revealing the familiar Christie face of Sionnach Ri the fox knight. "My apologies, Finn Sullivan. I seem to have misplaced something near and dear to me and came to ask if you've seen it-hullo, crom cu."

Caliban bared his teeth. "Fox. She's the property of the Wolf."

"Well, we're stealing the property of the Wolf. Do you think you can fight all of us, crom cu? Each of us has two knives. There are three of us. That's six knives."

Finn tore away from Caliban, whirled, and dashed back up the stairs.

Caliban moved, quick and light, and his hand knotted in her hair. She twisted free, wincing as strands of hair ripped from her scalp.

As Sionnach's bike roared up the stairway and halted neatly between them, the other two motorcycles ascended and Caliban spun to fight for his life. Finn stumbled back.

Sionnach, his bike humming, told Finn, "Go on. We'll take care of this."

Finn whispered, "Thank you," and lunged past him, toward the entrance of the Mockingbird Hotel.

WHEN JACK NOTICED the single flickering insect dancing above the Mockingbirds, he smiled.

He stood among them in a hooded coat so Caliban wouldn't recognize him. It had taken every bit of self-possession he had not to launch himself at Caliban as the crom cu hauled Finn away.

The dragonfly flitted toward Amaranthus. The Mockingbird queen was circling Lily Rose Sullivan, whose stubborn and defiant posture matched Finn's so closely, Jack had no doubt she was Finn's sister.

Amaranthus snatched out and caught the dragonfly by the wing. It whirred. She looked disdainfully at Jack. "Really, Jack . . ."

A clicking noise from above made her and everyone else look up.

The glass ceiling was darkening beneath a mass of tiny, glittering shapes. A jagged crack appeared-and became a hundred fissures.

Amaranthus glanced at Jack, her gaze ferocious with hate. There was a sinister, prolonged creaking sound from above.

Jack flung himself at Lily Rose and pushed her to the floor, shouting, "Sylvie!"

Sylvie dove beneath a chair and snatched the moth cage with her.

A thunderous crash was followed by glass shards cascading downward. The Mockingbirds scattered.

As Jack rolled with Lily Rose beneath a table, a giant spear of glass struck the floor where they'd been and minuscule pieces scattered everywhere. When he lifted his head, he saw the bracelet of silver charms Finn had tried to give back to her sister glinting nearby. He grabbed it and put it in his pocket.

"Who are you?" Lily Rose stared at him as they crouched beneath the table, watching the Mockingbird court erupt into chaos as the dragonflies descended.

"I'm Jack." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up and they ran toward Sylvie, who scrambled to her feet and raced alongside them, through the storm of insects.

As they pushed open the doors, Jack felt Lily Rose's hand yanked from his. He turned to see Narcissus Mockingbird dragging her back as the dragonflies blackened the room behind him.

"Mockingbird," Jack said carefully. "Let her go."

Narcissus's eyes were slits, his teeth sharp. He began to speak.

Then the dragonflies swarmed over him in a dark, glimmering fog and Lily Rose tore free.

"Go!" Jack told her, backing away with Sylvie, his gaze fixed on Narcissus as the Mockingbird vanished in the storm of dragonflies.

Lily ran. Narcissus lunged. Jack kicked him backward and the Mockingbird reeled toward the roaring fire in the hearth- The doors slammed shut on the conservatory, revealing the witch runes scratched across them.

Christie stepped out of the shadows, shoving back the hood of his coat. He grinned, but his eyes were dark. "I carved the Dragonfly's spell onto the doors-they would've sensed her getting in. They didn't sense me-was that Lily Rose who just ran past?" His eyes widened as he saw Sylvie. "Is that really y-"

He was nearly knocked over by an armful of Sylvie, who, still clutching Moth's cage, threw herself on Christie, wrapping her arms and legs around him. "You're alive!" She pulled back, puzzled. "Why are you covered with words?"

Jack told them, "Time to leave."

AS FINN RACED BACK toward the entrance of the Mockingbird Hotel, the doors burst open, revealing a figure in a black gown racing toward her.

"Finn!" Lily flung herself forward, into Finn's arms. Finn held her tightly and closed her eyes.

Then Lily cried out.

Finn felt something sharp against her abdomen. She opened her eyes- -and met the silvery gaze of Amaranthus Mockingbird as the Fata queen, standing behind Lily, drew back, a blade of blood-streaked bone in one hand.

Horrified, Finn clutched at her sister, who had folded her hands across her midriff. Dark blood was trickling over her fingers. She slowly looked up. "Damn . . ."

Finn caught her as she collapsed.

Amaranthus vanished in a small cyclone of tattered wings, bones, and eyes.

Then Sylvie and Christie-the real Christie, her Christie, alive-came running down the hall. He and Sylvie helped her haul Lily up and they staggered down the stairs, toward the Mercedes. Sionnach and his two companions were still fighting Caliban.

A Mockingbird with spiky white hair lunged at Finn, a curved dagger in one hand.

A reindeer motorcycle ridden by a black-haired girl in a dark gown knocked the Mockingbird over. Still holding Lily up, Christie met Finn's gaze and said, "That's Sylph Dragonfly. She's a witch. It's quite a story."

"Finn," Sylvie said as they hauled Lily Rose toward the Mercedes, "Jack's still in there."

The Mockingbird Hotel was beginning to flicker with orange flames in the lower windows.

Christie yanked open the Mercedes's rear door. As Sylvie set the moth cage on the floor and helped Lily into the back, he said, "Finn, he'd want you to be safe."

"I'm not leaving him." Finn snatched up the dagger the Mockingbird had dropped and turned toward the hotel now billowing with smoke. "And we need a Fata to drive the damn car-"

A hooded figure strode toward them from the smoke and ashes clouding the stair. The figure pushed the hood away and it was Jack who smiled at her. "Is that the only reason you were coming back for me?"

She rushed to him and flung her arms around him, whispered, "Lily's hurt. How did the fire start?"

"One of the Mockingbirds fell into the fireplace."

The fox knights were circling on their motorcycles, preparing to leave-Caliban was gone. Flame-light cast wild shadows on Sionnach's helmet and bike as he curved to Sylvie's side. As he removed his helmet, Christie whispered, "Holy f-"

"Hullo, Christie." Sionnach winked at him. To Sylvie, he said, "You stole my heart."

Everyone stared at him, then at Sylvie.

Sylvie clarified, "I saw these things for sale at Goblin Market-Fata hearts, I was told. I didn't know they were real hearts. Some were glass, some metal, some like keys or jewelry." She took a shiny black stone shaped like a Valentine's Day heart from her pocket. "So when I saw Sionnach with this-I lifted it from his jacket and put another stone in its place. I figured he'd want it back."

"You never trusted me." Sionnach held out a hand, and Sylvie dropped the heart into his palm. He nodded. "My fault, for being so careless with my heart near a crow girl. I should have checked it."

He put his helmet back on and spun away on his bike.

Christie said, "Sylvie, I am mightily impressed. Jack, can we get out of here now?"

As Jack slid behind the wheel of the Mercedes, Sylvie got into the passenger seat while Finn and Christie clambered into the back. Finn gathered her sister against her, glancing over one shoulder.

A hurricane of giant, skeletal wings, eyes, and howling fury swept down the hotel's stairs, toward them.