Words formed out of the mist. “What is it, my daughters? Why do you seek my counsel?” The voice was breathy, like a thousand butterfly wings fanning the air.

“I need your assistance, Great Mother, and I am willing to pay any price,” Raven responded.

Solaris’s eyes flew open at her friend’s bold statement. She did not make a sound, though Raven knew instinctively that Sol was screaming at her for such stupidity. “Let Hekate tell you what she wants. Don’t offer anything,” Sol had warned.

It would be a steep price.

The wind moaned and carried the ancient voice. “What is it, my child? What could a Lamai need from me?”

“Bo, my love, is near death, and I need you to help him recover.” Raven picked up the bag of silver coins and placed them at the foot of the statue. Her eyes remained cast downward as she revealed more jewels in a sheer bag.

“You want me to give up a soul that is ready for its transition?” Hekate asked.

Raven’s gaze locked on the statue. “He’s not ready. He was infected. We have a life to live together. He can’t leave me now.”

The silent moment that fell upon them moved at a snail’s pace. In her mind, Raven begged the goddess for her assistance. This was her final hope-her only hope.

She played over and over what else she possibly could have done: additional medical procedures, magickal ritual, anything that could snatch Bo from the jaws of death and return him safely to her.

Finally, she received her answer.

“You must give up your status as a Lamai. If you do this, I will grant your request. But, from that point on, you will be fully human. You will live as a mortal, and you will eventually die. Do not answer in haste, my child.”

“I accept. Do it,” Raven responded immediately.

Solaris leaned forward when Raven shot her an emotional stare. “Don’t,” she silently pleaded.

Hekate spoke. “Daughter Solaris, please leave this circle.”

Solaris bowed her head, leaving behind her offerings of citrine, sapphire and pearls. A worried smile crossed her face as she receded from Raven into the swirling winds. Raven gave her friend a long look before bowing down with her knees bent in a position of compliance to the goddess.

Solaris watched as the winds shifted, leaving Raven amidst the whirling dervish and her in stillness. The air surrounding Raven crackled, and from out from the vapor, the image of an older woman covered in layers of black silk appeared at Raven’s side. She had hair the color of a storm cloud, deep grey with flecks of silver. A thunderous boom sounded from the core of the swirling winds, and flashes of lightning sparked.

Raven’s body contorted. Her arms stretched outward while the tempest raged within. Pain sailed through her blood and bones as she arched forward like a puppet flailing in a turbulent squall. Veins appeared from beneath her skin, taking on a tissue-like appearance. They deepened in color from red to purplish-black.

The bones in her hands stiffened as they suddenly reached for her throat. Her nails tore at her skin. Her head thrashed back and forth. Raven’s eyes opened wide. Solaris could see that the whites had turned red. Raven’s irises flashed from silver to black, then all red. Blood red tears streamed out of her eyes, now a purple color.

The rest of her body was stiffening, and her arms seemed unable to move from their position, dangling at her sides.

Solaris saw Raven’s mouth open, but no sound came forth. Raven heaved, her arms steadying her as dark crimson blood spewed out. Blood soaked her white lips, blood that seemed to flow like a fountain. Hekate stood silent as she watched the transformation take place at her feet.

She will die if she loses any more blood, Solaris thought, and in that moment, she heard the Crone speak. “It is the Lamai blood she is purging.”

“Raven!” Tobias appeared from the haze as mysteriously as Hekate had. “Stop now, Kate,” he demanded.

The goddess turned and looked at Raven’s frantic father before casting her gaze back to the young woman writhing on the grass.

Solaris whispered, “Tobias, don’t. It’s her choice. She’s not a little girl anymore.”

Solaris didn’t have to ask how Tobias had found them. The connection between this father and daughter was exceptionally strong, and when Lamai were involved, the bond tripled.

Blood red sweat poured out of every pore as Raven bucked and heaved more and more blood, leaving her energy level vastly depleted. Raven collapsed on her side while Solaris watched helplessly. Raven’s spasms wracked her fragile form. The veins in her face and neck began to fade from dark crimson to pale pink.

Eventually, her skin took on a slightly healthier tone as the blood settled into the normal channels. Periodically, she would cough up bits of blood.

For an hour Raven lay in the blood-soaked grass, as still as the statue of the goddess. The winds had calmed, both inside the circle and out. Solaris studied Raven’s skin. It was of a deeper tone-not at all like the ivory complexion she had only a few hours earlier.

Raven’s eyelids fluttered open, and Solaris saw that they, too, had changed from icy grey to blue-green. Solaris stared as Hekate placed her hand on Raven’s bloodstained shoulder.

Tobias dropped his head and clenched his hands into tight fists. Pure anger filled him, wrath flooding his very being. Why had his daughter acted so irrationally?

“Your love will be recovering. Go to him. You’ve paid a great price,” Hekate whispered to Raven. The old woman looked over to where Tobias stood, hunched over as if in physical pain. “Tobias, do not try to change her back, or you’ll surely kill her. She must love this man more than life itself. She’s just like her father in matters of the heart.”

Raven, finally relieved, sighed deeply and lost consciousness.

“His pressure is normal?” Ian asked for the second time. Maureen, the night nurse, watched the blips on the monitors surrounding Bo.

“We just triple-checked, and his blood count is normal, too. Look at him. His pallor is healthy, and his temperature is one-hundred. It’s…”

“Magick. Do another blood panel,” Ian ordered, scratching his head in wonder. He had attempted to conjure a spell to relieve Bo of his symptoms, and Nat, his brother, brewed an infusion. Neither was successful. They only temporarily relieved his symptoms.

So what form of magick was this?

Bo’s grandfather smiled as he stood to inform the rest of the family, but there was also deep concern hidden behind his eyes.

At what price did Bo’s health return, and would his grandson be able to live with the sacrifices made on his behalf?

“Kagi Taka…” Bo whispered.

“He’s awake. Check his vitals again,” Ian said. “Maureen, find Dr. Strigoi.”

Courtier de Sang made certain that his daughter was resting comfortably back in New Orleans before he returned to Hannah’s Vineyard. Indignation invaded his every thought. His heart beat only for revenge.

How could that heathen bitch hurt his precious baby that way? They were sisters. His hatred for Tobias was intensified by the horrendous act perpetrated by the ancient vampire’s offspring. Laroque wanted retribution more than ever, and he would extract his pound of flesh, but not the way he originally had intended.

The hour-long ferry ride from the mainland to Hannah’s Vineyard gave Laroque plenty of time to think about what had transpired. It also allowed him to psychically summon his latest victim, the shape shifter Raul. The tall, newly infected shifter had been waiting in the shadows for Laroque to arrive home.

Both men gave each other a nod as they headed inside.

“How many have you infected?” Laroque asked, placing his luggage on the tile floor in the foyer.

“I managed to get a half-dozen. The festivities are postponed until the thirty-first. No more Nights of the Parades. Also, a curfew has been imposed.”