“What have you done?” Will shouted. He stood, looking around the room. “What the hell are they?” he asked, pointing at Troy and Cole. When he saw Professor Pops, he automatically took a step back. The vampire Hunter really was the most frightening creature in the room.

Then Will roared, running like lightning past Troy, Cole and Professor Pops. He grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground. Troy, Cole, and Professor Pops moved as one toward Will and me.

“Do not take another step, or I’ll kill her.”

“We aren’t scared of you and your balls of light, kitty cat,” Troy said, smoke curling from his lips as he spoke.

Professor Pops released his fangs again.

Will pulled the diamond from his pocket. It started to pulse in his fingers. “You should be,” Will said, his eyes gleaming with an almost crazed expression.

“What is that?” Cole asked. His hair was still white, and his black veins pulsed dangerously.

Will whispered some words that made so sense to me. A vortex began to spin in the air directly in front of him and me. “Come any closer and I’ll send her into the abyss.”

That slowed the three of them. Adam let out a strangled cry. The other two Vaktare stood, shaking out their fur.

Will laughed mirthlessly. “That’s what I thought.” He eyed Rhem and then Adam. My Locanis still lay on the floor, his eyes large with fear and fury.

I wished I could do something to help.

“Time to finish this.” Will roared, changing into his werecat form. His clawed fingers dug into my skin. Blood pooled in the spots where his claws touched and I felt it drip down my chest.

Will stared into my eyes, an eerie smile twisting his face. He glanced back at Adam. “Having fun, Locanis?”

I wanted to tell Adam it would be okay. That my dying would ensure his sister received her freedom. Instead I closed my eyes, trying not to feel, not to have any emotions, to go back to the way I was before the curse, or the damned reverse curse, as Greg and Fizban called it.

In the distance I heard a phone ring. A female voice addressed me. “Beatrice, are you just going to give up? Allow these disgusting Vaktare to defeat you?”

I searched for the source of the voice. It was Fizban. It had to be. “Fizban,” I whispered.

Will laughed louder. “Now she’s talking to herself.”

Rhem sat up, already recovering from the loss of blood. Will lowered me so that we were face to face. “It was nice knowing you, Beatrice.” He released my neck and threw something in my face. It smacked me in the forehead before falling to the ground.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to stop the dizziness and catch my breath. When I opened them, I caught hold of what Will had thrown at me. It was the bee I’d thrown in the pool. The one he’d given me for my birthday. Will must’ve secretly come back and fished it out. It was facing down so I could read the inscription: You’ll always be my Bea. Love, Will.

I stepped back, tripping over something and falling. Will caught me around the neck and lifted me off my feet. He walked toward the vortex. As I got closer to it, I felt my body being pulled inside. The tips of my feet were suddenly cold.

“Don’t do this, Will. Please, don’t.”

Will laughed. “Manners, it’s nice to know you have them, you cold, unfeeling bitch.” He bent his legs slightly, preparing to launch me.

“You are a beautiful beast, Beatrice.” Fizban’s voice resounded in my ears, loud and clear. “You are destined to return the Locanis and the Vaktare into the allies they once were. Fight back. Become the Vaktare you are meant to be.”

I twisted my neck, ignoring the pain as Will’s claws tore into my throat. I needed to see Professor Pops, to see Troy, to see Cole. I hardly knew them but I would die for them. They’d come to mean that much to me in such a short time. And Adam, my gorgeous Adam. I tried to smile. My feelings for him went against the laws of our realm, yet I couldn’t stop them. They burned through me, filling me in ways I’d never imagined possible.

“You can save them all, Beatrice. You have the power. Use it.” That was Fizban again, or Greg.

I felt Will’s claws loosen as he began to let go. The vortex was bigger than my body. And I had a fleeting thought. If I allowed Will to toss me in, that would save Adam’s sister. But Adam’s eyes bore into mine. I could almost hear him shouting that he loved me, and that he wanted me to live, to fight. He shook his head.

“Here we go, boys,” Will said with a cruel laugh.

“Now, Beatrice!” Fizban shouted.

Up until the very second Fizban spoke, I had no idea if I would be able to change, if I would be able to do anything except allow Will to kill me, or throw me into the abyss, as he called it. But like when Cole and I had been fighting, instinct suddenly took over. It was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. Shifting forms, I let out a roar of fury and grabbed hold of Will’s hairy arm with my claws.

One of Will’s lackeys stumbled back, surprised. The stand-off was broken as everyone moved at once and the fight began again. I went after the Will, taking his neck in my mouth.

“Bind her, Rhem,” Will choked.

At Will’s words, pain touched my body. My instincts immediately knew what to do with the pain. I took it, formed and folded it into a sphere. This pain must be sent back to Rhem. It must hurt Rhem. As soon as I thought the words, the sphere filled with pain left my body and went into Rhem. I released Will’s neck so I could focus on Rhem. I heard Will coughing.

Shock filled Rhem’s features and he doubled over. He roared, falling to his knees.

“Stop her!” Will screamed, a ball of white light soaring from his hand.

Cole jumped in front of me. The ball of light struck him square in the chest and he fell backward toward the abyss.

“Cole!” I reached for him. My claws caught the tips of his fingers. But his skin was like rock and he continued backward. The opening to the abyss was directly behind him. The top part of his body fell through. I roared.

I dove after him, this time with both hands and grabbed his feet. “No!” I screamed, holding fast. Professor Pops grabbed hold of his calves and pulled. With the two of us pulling, more of Cole’s body appeared. I got a better grip on his thigh above the knee. But there was a sound like rock breaking. I heard Cole scream in agony. Professor Pops and I shared a look. He let go and then placed his hands over mine.

“Let him go. If you don’t he’ll die for sure.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Beatrice,” his voice was soft, his features twisted in pain. “Let go.”

I let go and Cole’s body disappeared. Angry sadness took over, seeming to swallow me whole. “No. No. No. We could’ve saved him.” I went to go in after him but Adam grabbed onto me and pulled me away. They abyss had already started to close. “You can’t, Beatrice. We don’t know where he went or even if you’ll end up in the same place.”

Growling, I braced my feet as I threw my elbow into Adam’s stomach. He flew backward, hitting the wall. The abyss closed. My heart sank. “Cole.”

In the same moment, I realized what I’d done and ran after Adam. “I’m so sorry.”

“Get her!” Will screamed as Professor Pops lunged for his throat, ready to take his blood the way he’d done with Rhem.

From behind I heard a loud roar and felt the heat of fire. I turned back and saw that despite the pain he was in Rhem had finally succeeded in binding Troy with his rope. It tightened around his body, pushing his wings down in an awkward angle.

Rhem’s body and abilities must be bound, I thought, seeing the ropes surround him instead of Troy my mind. Immediately, the ropes left Troy, and tightened themselves around Rhem. He gasped in astonishment.