"We'll leave for Etlis in a day or two. You're not ready to travel." Dax leaned against the doorframe. His stormy gaze slipped over Halen, studying her as if searching for the lies she was hiding.

How much did he see? Panic rushed through Halen. Had he witnessed the shift in her eyes as they blurred over with Asair's stare? Could he see her demon passenger now?

"Are you sure you can handle a shower on your own?" He crossed his arms, the silver band of his Guardian bracelet hidden against his heart. "Tage is just in the other suite. She wouldn't mind helping."

"No!" Her voice rose a little too loudly for the cramped hotel bathroom. The last thing she needed was an empath digging through her emotions. If she had screwed up and hadn't killed Asair, but instead swallowed his soul, then no one could find out. After all her friends sacrificed, they would never forgive her. "I don't need Tage." She worked a smile onto her face.

"Okay, but all you have to do is ask." His unwavering gaze never left hers. He was suspicious, or maybe just worried; she couldn't quite tell, but his energy flashed like streaks of lightning in a summer sky.

"I'm just taking a shower." She snatched a bar of miniature soap from the counter and inhaled the citrus scent. Act normal. She peered up at Dax. "I'm sure I can handle this." Her smile broadened, though her pulse raced with fear at the thought of being alone with Asair. He was a master of manipulation and she wouldn't soon forget how within seconds of passing through his dimension, Asair had shredded her confidence with a simple smile, spinning her into his captured prey. 

She should tell Dax. But then again, what if she was wrong? If Asair were alive, guilt wouldn't be tearing her up inside. The image of his corpse pressed her memories; she rubbed the crook of her arm, still able to feel the weight of his death. Asair was dead. She shivered.

"What's wrong?" Dax stepped forward, closing the space between them. 

"I still feel him—Asair." She wrapped her arms around herself. "He showed me so much; his home, his Guardian's death." She hugged herself tighter, thinking of the three ladies with their necks bent, hanging from the trees. 

"Hey, the Etlins will strip Asair's emotions and any of his memories from you. We'll figure all this out. Bit by bit."

"You honestly believe that's why I feel so crummy?" Though it sounded unbelievable to have stepped into Asair's memories and shared his emotions, so did having another soul lurking inside her. She preferred Dax's option to hers. 

"I know so." He tucked her long swoop of bangs behind her ear. 

Maybe she was confused, lost, even. She hadn't eaten in days or even had time to get her bearings. "What if I'm never rid of Asair? If his memories are tangled with mine, how will the Etlins ever unwind this mess?"

"They will." When he tilted his head, a lock of blond hair fell across his eyes. He swiped it aside. "The Etlins will do anything for you now that the portal is open. You have no idea how grateful they'll be."

Grateful. She sighed. If Asair is really dead. She ran her hands along her white pajamas, stopping to inspect the embroidered W on the chest pocket. The same W logo also adorned the towels and toiletries. "Do I have any other clothes to change into?" She shifted the subject.

His mouth spread with a mischievous grin. "You're going to love the T-shirt I bought in the gift shop. It screams demon slayer." He stepped away, returning a moment later with a large shopping bag. His eyes held a glint of amusement.

"Where did you get money for all this—clothes, a hotel suite? How did you even check in without ID? Do you have a credit card?" She knew Dax had spent time on Earth, but she didn't know exactly how much time; he seemed at ease in her realm.

"We have Tari connections in every city bordering the oceans and seas. It's easy to get what we need. Money, cell phones, a warm place to stay..." He nodded toward the bag. "Or a memorable souvenir."

"What exactly did you get me?" She peered inside. Not too bad: a black sports tank, matching shorts, and yoga pants—nothing to warrant that teasing grin.

She pushed aside the white tissue paper, finding a neon pink shirt; screen-printed across the front was a trolley car inside a big white heart. Printed in cursive, the words I left my, curved over the top of the heart, and beneath the pointed tip, in San Francisco. She eyed his perfectly plain gray shirt, dark wash jeans, and designer belt. "How did your wardrobe get out unscathed?"

His cheeks flushed. "I borrowed a few items from the hotel's lost and found. You wouldn't believe what people leave behind."

Thief, Asair's voice hissed through her thoughts.

She clutched the shirt to her chest as sparks tripped along her fingers. Spinning to face the mirror, she expected to find the demon but found only her troubled expression. As she set the bag on the counter, her hand trembled.

"What's wrong?" Dax touched her wrist, and she snapped back as if pricked by a flame.

"Nothing." Her voice held an edge she hadn't expected.

His gaze narrowed. "You can't hold anything back from us. We all want to help." He cocked his head to the side. "But you need to share your feelings. For some reason, I'm unable to connect with you."

She swallowed the lump creeping up her throat. "What do you mean?"

"Whenever I try to connect with your seam, I'm met with darkness."

She squeezed the counter, her knuckles matching the white marble. The seam stitched along her soul wove together the light and dark parts of her. Dax could guide her to the light when darkness called, but not if he couldn't see.

Inhaling slowly and exhaling, she tried to steady her rapid breathing. Again, she considered telling Dax the truth, but what would she say? Oh, by the way, maybe there's a demon inside me; he's eavesdropping on our every word. There wasn't a scenario where this wouldn't end badly. "There are things I need to deal with on my own. Even if the Etlins strip out Asair's memories, I can't erase mine. I took a life."

"I would never blame you for his death. You can let me inside."

Denial was the other possibility for her fractured thoughts. You acted in self-defense, she reminded herself.

Still, a boy had died. She traced the edge of a floor tile with the tip of her toe. "You may think Asair deserved it. Maybe he did. But I have to live with my actions."

Dax nudged her hip. This time, his touch ignited the familiar tingly sparks which fluttered her heart. She wanted to fold into him, collide with his energy, and forget this madness.

"You did what you had to do."

"I did what you all sent me in to do." She leaned against his shoulder, stealing his warmth.

"One life was sacrificed so the realms could thrive."

"One life," she whispered. One life was too many. Her stomach grumbled and she hugged herself tighter.

"I'll order the food." Dax stepped away. "You still want a milkshake?"

"And fries." Anything she ate would probably come right back up, but if eating brought her one step closer to leaving for Etlis, then she would try.

He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "You're so brave."

Their eyes met, and for a second, she thought she might blurt out the whole thing—confess how terrified she was, and how she wasn't brave at all, but a coward for hiding her secret. 

His jaw tightened and the muscles along his collar strained. Had he read her last thoughts? As her Guardian, did he have access not only to her soul but also her mind? Asair warned her of the feelings tied to the Guardian bond; whether or not she wanted to, she would give her heart to Dax. As she got lost in his sky blue stare, she wondered what could be so wrong with that. "So, are we, like, inseparable now?"

"Would that be so bad?"

Her sparks warmed with his lingering touch. Not real, she reminded her anxious heart.

Tage shouting from the adjoining suite saved her from answering.

Dax craned his neck, peering into the bedroom. 

"What are Tage and Ezra up to?" she asked.

"I have no idea."

"Maybe you should go check. Tage sounds pretty ticked off."

When he glanced back, with a glint of hesitation in his eyes, she touched his arm. "Really, I'm good." 

Her confidence faded as Tage shoved past Dax and wedged between them, her skin flushed red from her neck to the tips of her heavily pierced ears. Her dark hair was newly shaven on one side; the other half lay long and silken along her chest. Her wide caramel gaze simmered. "What the hell are you two not telling me?"

"What's your problem? Give Halen some space." He yanked Tage's sleeve, but she tugged her arm back.

"Can't you feel him?" Tage aimed her hot glare Dax's way.

Empath! The word wailed through her mind like a hurricane warning. At once, sparks ignited in every cell of her body, ready to strike. Tage was her friend; she'd fought alongside her against the mermaids. Tage wouldn't harm her. But she had wanted Asair dead most of all. Stay calm. Shaking her tingly hands by her sides, Halen inhaled a deep breath.

Tage inched closer and Halen squirmed farther away until the backs of her knees hit the cold porcelain toilet.

"Feel who?" Dax asked, though his stance widened, blocking the doorway.

As Tage towered over her, the bathroom walls seemed to close in around them. She could shatter the mirror, throw them off guard, but the use of magick would leave her even more drained. The elixir of coral and Dax's bone marrow hadn't worked since Asair's dimension. If she used magick, she wouldn't get far afterward. Stupid. She never should have left the dimension until she knew one hundred percent Asair was dead.

"What kind of Guardian are you? You don't feel him at all?" Tage balled her fists.

"Who?" Dax asked.

"Asair!" As his name left Tage's lips, a thunderous roar rumbled around them. The floor vibrated, the lights flickered, and the little bottles of hotel toiletries toppled, rolling.

Tage flew against Halen's chest and Dax clutched the doorframe to keep from falling. 

"Earthquake!" Tage shouted. 

But Halen's gut screamed—Asair.

Another tremor shook the bathroom.

"Let's get out of here!" Tage grabbed Halen's arm. 

They stumbled into the bedroom and Ezra ran from the adjoining room, waving a remote control in the air. "You have to see the news! It's here!"

A reporter's rushed voice echoed from the television. As Halen stepped toward Ezra, another boom clapped, swaying the hotel and tossing them to the floor.

Crimson and golden beams shot through the windows as if the sun was falling from the sky and gunning straight for their room. Halen ducked her head to the carpet.

"What's happening?" she screamed.

"I don't know. Keep your head down!" Dax shouted.

She trembled, her sparks rippling with the aftershock of the tremors, her ears ringing from the thunder. Asair! She screamed through her thoughts, but he didn't answer. She didn't know how long she lay with her head pressed to the carpet, praying, but the shock waves felt never ending—as if doom were drilling a way inside her and settling in to stay.  

"It's over." Dax touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Halen blinked away the dark spots dancing before her eyes, her sight adjusting to the fading light. "I'm not hurt." 

"Guys, get in here!" Ezra shouted.

They rose to their feet, guided by the sounds still blaring from the television. Ezra hopped onto the safety of the couch and crossed his legs. His red mop of hair was a wild mess, his dark eyes narrowed. "It's already on the news. It's just like Beijing."

Tage slumped in the chair beside him. Halen perched on the armrest. Dax slid in behind her. They all stared in awe at the bizarre reporter on the screen. 

A heavy reflective coat drowned her slight frame. Strands of dark hair trailed her face, where the wind ripped them loose from her ponytail. Thick black goggles covered her eyes and cheekbones. She stood at the end of a pier. Behind her, the orange arch of the Golden Gate Bridge spanned the smoldering sky; the water below glowed with flames.

"Can you flip the switch, Gail? The feed is not coming through," an off-screen voice said.

"One minute." The reporter fiddled with the side of the goggles, then finally gave them a good thump with her palm.

"That's got it. The images are coming into the studio now, Gail," the voice said. "We can confirm they are the same as witnessed in Beijing and Cape Town."

"Richard, it's even more unbelievable on the ground. You really need to—" The wails of police sirens drowned Gail's voice.

The camera cut to a news anchor sitting stiffly behind a desk, his manicured hands folded in front of him. "We'll get back to Gail in a moment, but for now, let's have a look at what Gail recorded when the fire ring emerged in the sky."

He turned his attention to the left where her video feed replayed on a screen. As the tremendous boom that shook their hotel suite only moments before blasted through the television speakers, the screen flashed with concrete and Gail stumbled to the ground. The sidewalk cracked beneath her while a brilliant glow blazed all around her. As she tilted her head toward the light, a ring of fire ignited, bleeding out the blue sky. From the center, a metallic sheen flashed repeatedly, slicing long slash-marks through the red.

A collective gasp filled the room.

Halen's skin prickled with sparks. "What is that?"

"Wings." Ezra turned up the volume.

"What do you mean?" Halen hugged herself. No one answered as Gail flashed back onto the screen and her broadcast resumed.

"Sorry, Richard, we lost sound. Can you hear me now?" Two big, sooty, black rings rimmed her eyes when she yanked the goggles up over her head.

"We can hear you fine." 

The camera angle widened, revealing the entire Bay alight with flames. "The fires are spreading across the Bay at a rapid rate. Firefighters are attempting to extinguish the flames. There may be a burst fuel pipe. As a precaution, nearby residences and shops are being evacuated." 

Laughter rolled through Halen's mind, blurring the reporter's next words. Asair's chilling voice echoed in her thoughts. They're coming for you, darling. Everyone will know your secret now. Surrender to me.