I bit back everything and numbed myself. That was when I started actually looking at the bodies, at who they were. “He’s not here. Dylan isn’t here.”

Kellan whirled around. We both looked at Gus. She shook her head. “I don’t know where he is. I’m sorry.”

“He’s still alive?”

“He knew things…chants…” She looked away, still crying.

A sudden realization occurred to me. “He knows what we are.”

She nodded, still turned away.

“Oh my God.”

Kellan didn’t say anything, but then he waved a hand over the bodies. As he started to mutter some words under his breath, Gus gasped, “What are you doing? That will bring them here.”

He stopped and looked at her. “They’re already coming, Gus. At least I can make this right.”

She quieted and turned into a corner. Her back was to us, and she sobbed.

He continued, and something sparked the air. I felt it swirling around us, picking up speed. It was strong. Powerful. Kellan controlled it easily, as if he’d been born to do so. Then I felt it touch me and gasped. It was life—it was theirs. I looked at him with renewed eyes—what couldn’t he do? He was trying to give them their lives back.

What demon did that?

Our sister still cried while he continued to mount the spell. It circled my feet, then my legs, my stomach, and I lifted my arms. With my head bent, I closed myself down and let the messenger out. It answered what was going on, how I had hoped it would, and somehow I knew the words to say along with Kellan. Both of us gave life to the spell, and then suddenly everything exploded between us. Bursts of light sparked and flew into their mouths.

It was done as soon as it had started.

When it was, when I felt their souls return to their bodies, Kellan gasped, “We have to leave. Now. They can’t see us.”

He darted out the door. It was going to happen so fast, and they couldn’t see us. They would know we had something to do with it. I dragged Gus behind me and literally lifted her the entire way. The devastation was real with her. She hadn’t wanted to kill all those people.

As soon as we were in the car, Kellan drove out of there as fast as possible. I didn’t have time to grab a seatbelt, but I was to the point where I didn’t know if one was needed for us. Gus lay in my lap in the backseat. She curled her head in my shoulder and sobbed. As I stroked her hair back, my eyes caught Kellan’s in the rearview mirror. I could tell he was angry, but I wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t sympathetic to Gus—that much I could feel from him. He was furious with her. And a part of him was furious with me, too.

Then his eyes switched, and he watched behind us as he drove forward. His eyes couldn’t look away. My hand shielded Gus’ eyes, and I looked also. I couldn’t not—something pulled at me, and then I saw the light. Dylan’s entire house was illuminated. It looked like it was being raised in the air. Rays of light burst through the windows, doors, anything that would open, and suddenly it was dark again. The house seemed like it fell back to the ground, shattered, and yet with the blink of an eye—everything was normal again.

It was done. They were alive again.

Kellan watched the road again, and no one spoke. Gus still sobbed, interrupting the silence, but her weeping quieted by the time we reached our home. As we went inside, I felt Kellan’s exhaustion. At the same time, his body was fully energized with adrenaline. His fury kept him from falling to the ground.

Vespar stood up from his seat at the table. Gus flew to him, and he caught her, lifting her in his arms. Her legs and arms wrapped around him, and he was the one to stroke her hair this time, comforting. He watched us both, Kellan and me, and nodded in thanks before he turned and took her to his room.

We both knew they’d remain there for the night, if not longer.

Kellan didn’t say a word to me, but went to his room. I followed and sat on his bed while he went to the bathroom. Neither of us spoke, I didn’t think we dared. What could be said? Whatever said was the acknowledgment of what had just happened, what would happen now. Something was coming, and I felt it in my bones. It was going to hurt us.

After he washed and showered, he stood in the bathroom doorway. Then he turned the light off, but didn’t move to me. He stayed and stared at me as I stared back. The moonlight filtered through the half-closed drapes and touched the floor. A shadow from it was cast onto the bed, showing my face. Kellan was completely in the dark.

Then I asked, “What will happen now?”

“I have to kill Dylan,” he answered so quickly.

“Because he knows too much?”

“Because he hurt one of mine.” Kellan jerked away from where he stood and sat beside me. He hung his head forward, and I cradled the back of his neck in my hand. My thumb rubbed at a knot that had formed there. Soothing.

“Is that the only reason why?”

He sighed again deeply. “Messengers are coming. It will take a while for them to find us. Our parents put a blanketing spell over all of us so we can’t be sensed by other beings.”

“What do you mean?”

“Witches, other demons. Messengers. Anyone who does magic or knows about that world.”

“They’ll still figure out it was us.”

“Yes, but it’ll take them some time. We’ll sense them before they know it’s us.”

“And you’ll kill Dylan to keep him from telling them?”