Just after the sun set, we climbed into Freddy's car and started heading up to the hotel. Instead of focusing on what we were about to do, I kept going over the conversation I'd had with Luke.

Luke confused me—the way he made me feel when I was around him was something I'd never felt with anyone before. My head kept telling me that this thing between us was all happening too fast, that I couldn't trust the emotions swirling inside me. But did I mean all those things I had said to him? I wasn't sure.

I couldn't see myself fitting into the life of a death dealer. I feared the reaction I'd get from his guild when they found out what I could do. Luke seemed to think they would welcome me with open arms, but I doubted it. I remembered the look on his face when I'd raised the dead and the terror that filled him when he realized the mob at the hospital would connect us to the undead rising. People had feared Luke and his guild before, but now they might be hunted.

If the death dealers became targets, it would be because of me. If the general public started hurting or killing their kind, how could the guild ever forgive me?

I looked over at Luke. He was behind the steering wheel, his full attention focused on the road. I sat in the front seat next to him. He hadn't said anything to me since we got in the car.

I regretted our fight. We didn't know what we were heading off to face, and we didn't know if we would be coming back. What if those words said in anger were the last words, we ever spoke to each other? I reached over and touched his arm. Luke glanced at me; a questioning look on his face. I gave him a smile. He smiled back.

Freddy began telling yet another story from the backseat. Luke had been quiet, and I'd been lost in thought for most the drive, but Freddy had been a nonstop chatterbox.

Apparently, Freddy was the type to talk when he was nervous, so for a solid twenty minutes I heard stories of Darla, Luke, and Freddy growing up together. I now knew why Luke had a small scar on his elbow. At age seven he fell out of a tree and broke his arm. It probably hadn't helped that Freddy dared Luke to climb the tree in the first place, or that after Luke scrambled up, Freddy started throwing rocks at him just for "motivation." I found the stories charming and funny. Knowing where we were going and what we were about to try and do, they were distracting, and that was a good thing. Freddy started another tale, this one about the time he and Luke prank called Darla when she was babysitting. They freaked her out by imitating weird, scary voices over the phone.

Luke interrupted him. "Freddy, enough with the stories."

He pulled the car over onto a dirt road and stopped.

I looked out the window. The headlights shone on dense trees and foliage, but outside of the glare of the headlights, it was pitch black.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"About half a mile from the hotel. This is an old logging road. I figure we can make our way on foot to the edge of the property and hopefully not be seen by anyone." Luke gestured to the left. "If we kept to the main road for another few minutes, we would've hit the main gate. Then, through the gate, it's about a mile up a winding driveway to the front entrance."

"We hike through the woods and scope out the place?" Right now, it was the only plan we had.

"That's the idea. We get as close as we can and do some reconnaissance." Luke looked over at me. "We'll see how well they're guarding the place. Maybe we'll get a glimpse of how many people are there. If we get lucky, we'll stumble across Darla and get her out."

And if we get unlucky, we'll end up dead. I didn't say what I was thinking out loud, but Luke seemed able to read my mood.

In a defensive voice, he said, "If anyone has a better idea, speak up."

When neither Freddy nor I said anything, Luke turned off the headlights and ignition. He opened the car door and got out. "Freddy, hand me one of the flashlights you brought."

Freddy reached into his bag and pulled out a small light.

Luke turned it on, aiming the light toward the ground. "Darla, Freddy, and I hiked up here quite a few times when we were kids. There's a favorite picnic spot with a view of the lake not far from the hotel property. We should be able to make our way through the woods without too much trouble."

And when we get there? I hadn't been able to bind Thomas to me. I had no banshee magic to wield against the bad guys. Freddy brought his bag with the axe and duct tape. How either was helpful was beyond me, but at least we had another body helping out. Three against a dozen? Two dozen? I shook my head and tried to push away all my doubts. We were here now. It made sense to check the place out.

We hiked through the dark woods, me trailing behind Luke. When he suddenly stopped, I stumbled against his back.

He turned the flashlight off. "You see the lights up ahead? We're close."

He moved forward and I followed. Now walking in complete darkness, I stumbled on a rock.

Luke reached out and grabbed me before I fell. "Careful, the ground ahead is uneven."

"How can you see where you're going?" I whispered.

"I've always had good night vision. Put your hand on my shoulder."

I did as he said, and we made our way slowly through the trees and underbrush toward the house.

The hotel was bigger than I imagined. We were facing the rear. Tiki torches lined a back courtyard. There was some kind of event going on. People were gathered in small groups, scattered around the grounds.

Are they having a party? It didn't look like a celebration. There was no food or drink.

I moved closer and observed that the people were all wearing masks. A ritual? A gathering of the clan? This was not what healer clans did when they got together. Healer clan gatherings were under the sun, and food and drink were abundant. They often played games and put on events showing off feats of strength and skill in magic. People wagered over the games, and everyone laughed and talked.

There was no loud laughter or loud speaking going on, but people were talking—I could tell by the way they huddled together, heads almost touching. Whispering.

Masks and near silence.

What are they doing?

So far, we hadn't stumbled across any guards or security. The property had been easy enough to breach. They oddly didn't seem worried about keeping people out. Darting from shrubs to trees, Luke, Freddy, and I slowly made our way closer. When we were on the very edge of the grounds, about ten feet away from the closest group of people, a trumpet sounded. The crowd, which had been quiet until now, broke out into loud shouts and cheers.

What the hell is this about? Everyone turned in unison and started to make their way back to the hotel. There was an arched doorway leading inside. The group closest to us started to follow the herd, but one person lingered. The person stopped, pushing back the cloak and pulling down the golden mask hiding the top half of their face. It was a woman. She was leaning over, moving aside the hem of her cloak to adjust a strap on her fancy footwear.

I looked down at what I was wearing. Black jeans, black boots, and a black jacket. If we wanted to get in, we needed one of those cloaks and a mask. I didn't have a real plan in mind, and I was as surprised as anyone when I started moving forward. Luke reached out as if to stop me, but I sidestepped his grasp.

My whole focus was on the woman. If I can somehow get close enough. I reached down and picked up a fallen tree branch. Just a little closer now and I'd be within reach. One more step.

The woman spun around. Her eyes registered surprise and then outrage, and she sucked in a breath to shout an alarm. I raised the branch, and without even the slightest hesitancy, brought it down on her head.

The woman dropped to the ground.

I stood, almost as stunned as she was. I looked at the branch in my hand and let it fall from my grasp. The woman was lying on the ground with a large gash on the side of her temple. Blood began to seep from the wound.

Oh, Goddess. I killed her. I hit her over the head and killed her.

I began to panic. I couldn't believe what I had just done.

But then, to my surprise, the woman's head began to move back and forth. She moaned softly. My knees almost buckled with relief.

She's not dead. She's alive!

Luke was at my side, grabbing my arm. "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

I raised a trembling hand to my forehead. "We need her cloak to get in there." I was still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact I had just walked up and clubbed some innocent woman.

Not so innocent, a voice whispered in the corner of my mind. She was one of the bad guys, and I had to admit to the rush of adrenaline I'd felt when I brought that branch down on her head. A part of me wanted to see her suffer for hurting my family. It was not like me. I was not a violent person.

But I had changed.

The rituals changed me, and I was morphing into someone else. Someone who seriously scared me.

Freddy was suddenly in front of us. "Whatever the two of you are doing, I suggest we move. We're sitting ducks out here. One person turns our way, and they'll see us."

I leaned down and grabbed the woman's right arm to pull her toward the shrubbery. I looked up at Luke. "I need your help—she's heavy."

He frowned, but without a word reached down and grabbed her other arm. Freddy picked up her feet, and we carried the woman into the bushes.

Once under the cover of the foliage, I squatted down beside the woman. She moaned, but her eyes stayed closed. I didn't know how much longer she'd be unconscious. Whatever I was going to do, I needed to get moving. I opened the front of the cloak and eased it off her, then made a grab for the mask. I put them both on and turned toward the hotel.

Luke blocked my way. He stood arms crossed at his chest, a determined look on his face. "No way you're going in there by yourself."

"This was your plan. You said if an opportunity came up to save Darla, we should take it." I lifted the mask. "This is an opportunity."

His eyes narrowed. "You're not going in there without me."

"Find another way in." I looked over at Freddy. "You guys can scout out the rest of the hotel. This is a gargantuan place, there has to be some side door or servants' entrance you can get through."

"Luke, it's not a bad idea," Freddy said, coming to my side.

Luke's eyes filled with concern. "Colina, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"This was your plan. We have a chance for me to go in and see the layout. Try to find where they're keeping Darla." I could see by his expression that I wasn't changing his mind, so I tried again. "I'm in a cloak and mask surrounded by a couple dozen people dressed the exact same way. No one will recognize me. I can blend in and move around unnoticed."

Luke shook his head. "It's a bad idea."

I pulled the mask down and started forward. "I'm doing it, and I don't need your permission."

Luke put his hand on my arm as if to stop me, but I shook it off and kept moving.

His hand came down hard on my shoulder this time, and he spun me around. "I know we fought earlier. It was a stupid fight."

"I'm sorry about the things I said." I looked over at Freddy, who just stood there watching us. I reached out, grabbed Luke's hand, and pulled it into mine. "I'm not going to do anything stupid."

He squeezed my hand. "Promise me you'll just take a look around. If you see Darla or any of the guys who tried to grab you at the magic shop, you won't do anything. You'll wait for us."

"I promise," I whispered.

He took a step forward and lifted the mask off my face. Before I could say anything, he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. It was a soft, gentle kiss. His fingers came up and brushed against my cheek. "We're all going to get out of this in one piece. We just have to play it smart."

I didn't know what to say to that. A part of me wanted to push myself into his arms—to feel his warm, solid body against mine, but I held myself back. If I hugged him now, I may never let go. I forced myself to release his hand and take a step back. Then I gave a half wave, turned around, and made my way to the hotel.

I knew he was watching me. I desperately wanted to turn around, to see him one last time before I headed off into Goddess only knew what. What dark and creepy things would I run across in there? I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. I could do this. I had to do this.

I quickened my steps and headed toward the unknown.

***