“Ah. Your brother.” Kellan’s father knelt down, shaking his head as he took in her form. “You’re a mess, aren’t you? What did my pets do?”

Pets? I didn’t want to think about that. I shared a look with Kellan, who frowned and glanced away.

“Son.” His father swung back around. “Your foster sister was kind enough to call me forward. And I have to fulfill part of my end so where’s her brother?”

Kellan still didn’t say anything.

“Did you kill him?” Giuseppa spoke with such vehemence, she spit out the words. She sat up, her entire body still taking gulping breaths. “Did you?”

Kellan shot her a dark look, but he looked more bored with her question than angered.

“Son?”

He transferred the look to his father. “Are you fucking kidding me? Of course, I killed him. They called you here.”

“They have our mom and dad!” Giuseppa exclaimed. She tried to rise, fell, and remained sitting, wrapping her hands around her legs, balled in fists. “Because of you. They took Mom and Dad. Do you care?”

Mom and Dad… My surrogate mother, the one that was human but had her insides carved out from living and loving her demon husband. The ones that I didn’t want to see so I cast a spell so I never saw them. Those parents.

“They were taken captive?”

“Yes.” Gus huffed at me. “We’re the ones who sent the demons after you guys before.” Her nostrils flared. “You’re not the only ones who have some juice. We can do a freaking tracking spell.” She looked to where Matt’s body was, now under a pile of wood and soot. “That’s how they got the jump on us. I didn’t know the exact words to say, but Dylan did. Asshole. We spilled a little blood, he said the magic words, and then I woke up and I was tied to a freaking bed. When I woke up, Dylan said they followed through with the rest of the spell, hoping the two of you would be taken care of and they wouldn’t have to deal with you, but they were going to ‘deal with Vespar and me.’” She glared at Kellan. “I’m sorry, okay! But they took our parents. Apparently, you were cloaked somewhere—”

The magic house.

“—and they needed us to find you, so we did what we had to do.”

“And it didn’t work, huh?”

She sneered at him. “You kicked their asses. We had to try again, so yeah, I did what I had to do just now.”

“You had to kill Matt?” I asked.

“Yes. The spell required a sacrifice. It was him or the owner of this place, but Kellan moved him so…” she trailed off, shrugging again. She regarded Kellan’s father. “You said to deliver your son and Shay. They’re here. Where are my parents?”

“They’re fine. They’re back at your home, packing.”

“What?” She grew wary. “Packing for what?”

“Packing to leave. They can’t stay here anymore. Too many people know what they are, so they’re off again, with little demons to raise all over again.”

“What?”

Giuseppa wasn’t the only one confused. I asked, “What are you saying?”

He swung those dark and hypnotic eyes my way. I gulped, feeling the full force of him again. I felt my soul being sucked out of me as he began to glide toward me. “I gifted them with more children, more demons to raise. I didn’t pull them in to take to hell with me. I pulled them in to give them a job. They work for me now.” He glanced to Giuseppa, speaking to me, “As does your foster sister now.” He lingered on Vespar’s body. “And your foster brother would’ve, but oh well. My son did what he does so well. He killed.” He patted Kellan on the shoulder. “I’m quite proud of you, but don’t take this rebellion too far. You were given a job.”

Kellan’s eyes narrowed. His father pulled back some of his power, freeing Kellan and me even more. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. He was going to do something. I felt his intentions like a timer counting down. In three—Kellan smiled at his father. “I have to thank you.”

“For what?”

In two—“For letting me come find Shay. For letting me fall in love with her.” He paused one second, his eyes sliding to mine. “And for letting her give me a little bit of humanity.”

And one—Kellan pulled out the dagger I recognized from earlier, when he’d been about to use it on the messenger who my father was channeling. I started to fling my hand out. It killed Dylan, but it wouldn’t have killed the messenger. It would’ve only given him power. I worried it could do the same to his father, but instead of thrusting it into his father, he twisted around and threw it toward Damien.

I held my breath.

The invisible barrier was there—the knife sailed right through it, breaking it, and Damien caught it in the air. He paused, staring at Kellan’s father, then a cruel grin spread over his face.

Damien and Aumae were back in the fight.

Kellan’s father started laughing.

The brief joy I experienced shriveled up and burned away. He wasn’t worried, not at all. In fact, he sounded even happier. He pointed at them, turning to Kellan, “You think they’re going to help you? You’re a demon, son. You’re my demon. Those two are hybrids. They would never help you—”

His words choked off into a gurgle.

Damien leapt in the air, plunging the dagger through his back. He backed away after, waiting to see what happened. Everyone did, except Kellan. He didn’t seem shocked, amused, anything. He was watching his father with a hard expression in his eyes, like he knew what was going to happen wouldn’t work.