“So does he.” Sam held Mateo’s glittering stare. “And I need you to help make sure that happens.”

But Mateo laughed again. “I saw what’s coming, remember? Rogziel wasn’t the one choking on his own blood.”

Seline gasped at that. Then she shoved right into the middle of the crossroads. Wrong move. Didn’t she realize? The middle of the crossroads was always a bad spot to be standing in. “Sam’s not dying! Do you understand? He’s not—”

A growl shook the air. Sam grabbed Seline and yanked her behind him—and away from that crossroads hot spot. “I told you to stay back.”

The ground buckled beneath them. The crossroads were gateways. Not a link to heaven, but a doorway to hell.

And Seline’s punisher blood was like a magic key to open that door.

Cracks split the dirt.

“Seal it!” Sam ordered Mateo as he kept a tight hold on Seline.

With a wave of his hand, Mateo stilled the earth. Then, slowly, he walked toward Sam and Seline. “She can’t control it.” A fleeting expression of regret swept over his face. “When the time comes, she won’t have the power to help you.”

“I won’t need help.”

Mateo shook his head. “You’re not immortal, no matter what you might think.” Mateo’s gaze darted to Tomas. “So many Fallen . . . do you honestly think you’re at the top of the food chain?”

Sam didn’t respond. Neither did Tomas.

But they didn’t have to speak, because Mateo said, “No, to them,” he jerked his hand back at the cracked ground, “you’re just tasty prey. The hounds rip you open and drag your soul right off this earth.”

And into hell.

“Then I’ll make sure when they drag me . . .” Sam didn’t feel even a flicker of fear. Not for himself. “That I’ve got one unbreakable hold on Rogziel.” The bastard would go with him to hell. He pointed at Mateo. “I want my wish.”

Mateo blinked. “Wh-what?”

“I summoned you, now I want a wish granted.” He knew how this deal worked. Knew that even if Mateo wanted to refuse, the guy wouldn’t be able to, not at a crossroads. “I want to bind an angel. I need a spell to keep him still.”

“You can’t—” Mateo began with a shake of his head

“This is a bad plan,” Seline said at the same instant. “Very bad.”

Sam turned his head to meet her gaze. “Trust me.”

“I do.” Instant. Not what he’d expected. His gaze narrowed on her, and he realized she was staring at him with eyes that saw too much. Too deep. “I trust you, but I’m not about to let you die.” She glanced back at Mateo. “If I could control the hounds, really control them, we could take Rogziel out, right?”

“You’d have to grow wings and fly first, querida,” Mateo told her, voice rough. “The only ones with true control . . . those are the punishment angels.”

“But my mother was—”

He held up his hand, stopping her. “You’re a half-breed, just like me. Sometimes we get the power, hot enough to burn through the skin, but sometimes, we barely get enough to stir the wind.” His stare bored into her. “When the chips are down, a hellhound won’t hesitate. And if you’re not in total control, the beast can even turn on you. Then you’d be the one it takes to hell.”

An image of those razor-sharp teeth flashed before Sam’s eyes.

“This is all fascinating, but Sierra could be freaking dying,” Tomas spat. “Are we going to stay here, pissing the day away, or are we going to help her?”

Sam glanced at him then back at Seline. “We have to help her,” she said, and the plea in her voice went right past his guard. “She’s a pawn, and Rogziel stopped caring about what happens to pawns long ago.”

Staring at her, Sam knew he could refuse her nothing. So he inclined his head, then focused back on Mateo. “I want the binding spell you gave to Rogziel.”

“Hombre, I told you—”

“My wish,” Sam said with a shrug. “And that’s the deal, right? Whatever I want . . .”

Mateo’s gaze drifted between Seline and Sam. “You’d burn for her?”

Sam knew his grin held a cruel edge. “I’d burn anyone who tried to hurt her.” A much more effective approach. “Rogziel won’t touch her.” He’d make sure of it.

A muscle flexed in Mateo’s jaw as he held his hand out. Sam took the offered hand, and a clap of thunder echoed overhead.