Pain explodes in my skull and stars burst across my vision as a blow connects with my head. I'm pretty sure this one came from Toni, and my confusion doubles.

When Sam screamed and pointed at something behind me, and I'd turned to find Carlos about to take me out with a wrench à la Colonel Mustard in the Ball Room, I'd figured he was possessed. Toni, on the other hand, I'd assumed was immune on account of being an exorcist.

Which means we've been betrayed, or someone has a hellova lot of explaining to do.

I hear another scream, again from Sam, and roll myself to the side as best I can with a busted shoulder and a head that feels like it's on fire.

I avoid the worst of it. Toni's foot connects with the soft tissue of my abdomen with enough force to wind me but not enough to cause serious damage. On the other hand, now I can't move, and if they mean to kill me, there's little I can do to stop them.

There's one thing—one last measure I could take. It's something I'm sworn only to do in the direst of need, but I'm pretty sure mortal peril meets that requirement.

I could shift and reveal myself as a bear. In that form, feelings are different. Pain is still pain, but I don't process it quite the same. I could take out Toni and Carlos easy, broken shoulder or not.

I'm about to do just that, but something holds me back.

Ever since the night that my dad died—when I'd failed to protect... anyone, really—I've felt like I've been living on borrowed time.

I've felt like it should've been me.

It should've been me who fought my psycho uncle and paid whatever price it took to protect the people I love.

If I wasn't such a fucking coward—if I wasn't so goddamned stupid—maybe my dad would still be alive. Maybe...

Maybe I deserve this.

Before I can pursue that line of thought to its morbid conclusion, something soft and heavy lands on top of me. It's Sam, I realize, trying to shield me from further hurt. I feel his body shudder and hear him gasp as whatever blow was meant for me falls on him instead.

And here I am doing it again. Letting other people get hurt instead of standing up and facing shit like a man. Or at least like a bear.

I'm about to Shift, when Sam's weight seems to double, effectively pinning me in place. I blink to clear my vision and look up to see him pushing himself off me, gold-skinned and demonic, blood streaking the side of his face and a wild look in his startlingly red eyes. He looks down at me a moment, and a dangerous smile curls his mouth. Then he leaps to his feet, spinning to face Carlos with an inhuman snarl.

Carlos's expression remains strangely blank. He's still got the wrench, and he raises it to strike, but Sam grabs his wrist with one hand, then grabs at his face with the other, seeming to latch on to something in the air that I can't see.

He yanks hard, his claw-tipped fingers clenched like he's gripping something, and Carlos jerks forward as if pulled by a chain. He makes a strange retching noise, and then a torrent of black, viscous fluid pours from his mouth. He collapses to his knees, coughing and gasping for breath.

Meanwhile, the pool of black vomit smokes in the sun, and its surface writhes like a mass of worms. Then it dissipates, sinking into the earth and vanishing from sight. I struggle to my feet as Sam rounds on Toni next.

She's watching him with a look of mingled horror and awe. In one hand she clutches the little cloth bag she was using earlier, and in the other, she has the ceremonial dagger, pointed at Sam.

"Fucking hell," she swears. "No wonder Karin wants you back."

"You're working for him," Sam states, sharp teeth bared. "Those weren't traps you were laying. They were summoning circles. You brought that thing here, didn't you?"

She nods. "Yes, but it's not what you think."

"What then?" Sam demands, taking a step towards her. Anger and danger radiate from him like a visible aura, and even though he's facing away from me, I feel a thrill of alarm. If I were Toni, I'd have run away already. That she's still standing here, looking reasonably calm and trying to talk him out of tearing her to shreds means that she's either very brave or very stupid.

"I told you the truth—mostly," she says, circling to the side in a crouch-like stance. "My nephew and I are exorcists. He's a natural vessel, like my sister Sonja was, and we use him to draw the demons out and capture them. What isn't true is that I don't know what happened to Sonja. She died—killed by a demon that was too strong for her to control. We've been after it ever since. Problem is, we don't know its name."

She keeps the knife pointed at Sam and clutches the bag in a tight fist. My head is throbbing with sharp pulses of pain and my shoulder feels like it's made of broken glass, but I force myself to keep standing and maintaining my guard over Carlos. He's stopped choking now and seems to be trying to catch his breath.

"And you think I do?" Sam asks, keeping himself between Toni and me. "You realize demons don't all know each other, right? It's not like we all go to the same nightclub or something. Even if we did, my demon side was locked in a hell realm for a hundred years before Karin summoned me. I don't know who the fuck did what in that time."

"A hundred years, huh? What'd you do to deserve that?" Toni asks, her lip drawn back in a sneer.

"Pissed off the wrong guy," Sam answers with a sneer of his own, showing off his short, sharp fangs.

"Huh. Too bad. You might've saved us both a lot of trouble. I didn't expect you to, though. It's Karin I hope will have the information I need."

I see Sam's blood-red eyes widen at that. "Karin? Why?"

"You should know. You're the one who's been helping him collect the power he has now: binding demons to his service, building his library of stolen knowledge, enslaving the Gifted with bribery or threats. I'm guessing if he wants you back bad enough, he'll give me whatever I want in exchange."

Carlos has made no attempt to get to his feet or move against me, but now he finally seems to have his breathing under control and I make sure he sees I've got his wrench. Normally, I'd have the advantage, but I'm pretty sure my collarbone is broken, and if he rushes me I'm not sure he won't take me down. I do my best to seem ready for anything, but it's his words that take me off guard.

"What the fuck, Toni?" he yells, his face contorted with distress. "You promised you wouldn't do that to me again."

"Sorry, Carlos," Toni replies, but she doesn't sound repentant. "I had no choice. You understand."

"I don't," he shakes his head. "You said he was possessed—that we were gonna help him!"

"I didn't lie," she says, casting him a look. "I thought he was possessed. But once I figured out who—what—we have here, I couldn't let the opportunity slip away. I didn't have time to explain it to you."

"I woulda said no if you had," Carlos says, spitting on the ground as though to clear his mouth of a foul taste. "I'm not gonna help you do this, Toni. It's not right."

"He's a demon, Carlos! Who cares!" She waves the knife at Sam. "I mean look at him—half or hybrid or whatever—he's a monster."

"I'm not the one attacking people though," Sam retorts.

"I think Yalaksh would disagree. What did you do to him, anyway? I've never seen a demon exorcise another demon before."

Sam shrugs. "I just grabbed hold of his ugly face and pulled him out. I guess he went back to whatever hell he came from." He grins.

"Shit. He was one of Karin's," Toni says, "He was supposed to help me get you back to him. Oh well," she sighs. "I guess I'll have to make do with Carlos after all."

"I said I wouldn't help you!" Carlos shouts.

"You want to find the demon that killed Sonja as much as I do," Toni replies hotly.

"Not like this." He shakes his head. "Toni, we're better than this. Please."

"Fine. I'll do it myself then. If I've learned one thing from all my years of demon hunting, it's this: always have a back-up plan."

Swiftly, she opens the little cloth bag and hurls it at Sam's head. He catches it, but the contents escape in a puff of gray, ashy dust. As before, it doesn't have any effect on him; but it's so light and fine that it hangs in the air in a hazy cloud, and he accidentally breathes it in and chokes.

"I don't usually include drugs in my mix of consecrated ashes," Toni says, even as Sam stumbles and falls to one knee. "Demons don't have human bodies, after all. At least, they didn't until you came along."

"Sam!" I start towards him, but a wave of dizziness swirls through my head and I almost fall. To my surprise, it's Carlos who catches me, his arm around my side.

"Uh oh," Toni says. She's standing over Sam, who's on his hands and knees, struggling to raise himself once more. "I hope I didn't use too much. Didn't have time to test it, after all."

She gives him a nudge with her foot and he collapses and lies still.

"Sam!" I yell again, and Toni turns towards me.

"As for you—you're not part the deal, I'm afraid," she says, lowering herself into a fighter's stance and readying her knife.

I push Carlos away and draw myself up, trying not to wince at the pain in my shoulder and head, and glare at her.

"Lady, Sam and I come as a set," I say, "and you're in for one fucking big surprise."