Bennett limped her way back into the house with Napoleon flopped over her shoulder, and as she hobbled up the corridor, the great hall came into view. There were piles of dust everywhere, and the corpses of Napoleon’s coven were scattered about. The floor was nothing more than a river of blood and in the puddles of red was a collection of swords, arms, heads, and legs.

Bennett released her grip on Napoleon, letting him fall to the floor with a thud, and her face softened when she saw Polly standing over Angelique across the way. A split-second later, Bennett’s lungs emptied. They were the only two women in the room.

“Oh, Christ, no,” Bennett said, her eyes welling with tears. “Oh…Christ…no.”

“Relax, we’re up here,” Lisa said, looking over the second-floor railing. “Your friends searched the house before they left, but Ruby and I thought we’d do another sweep just in case.”

“Bloody hell, you scared the crap out of me,” Bennett said, putting her hand to her heart. “I thought you were—”

“You seriously need to stop trying to kill me off,” Lisa said, giggling as she and Ruby trotted down the stairs. Coming to a stop within inches of Bennett, Lisa gazed at the woman she’d die for in a heartbeat. “You’re stuck with me for a very, very, very long time.”

“And I’m looking forward to every brilliant minute of it.” Bennett became lost in Lisa’s eyes, seconds ticking by until Ruby’s voice broke Bennett out of her trance.

“I have to say, I’m a little surprised you didn’t kill him,” Ruby said, motioning toward her brother’s body. “Saving him for me?”

“Sorry, no,” Bennett said, turning to Ruby. “Napoleon’s all mine. I have plans for him.”

Until that moment, Bennett hadn’t noticed the state of anyone’s clothing. She took a step back and eyed the women standing in front of her.

Both looked as if they’d just stepped out of the last scene from Carrie. Their clothes were in tatters, the leather sliced open by blades that had come too close, and Lisa’s blond hair was now more red than flaxen. Ruby’s had darkened to mahogany, and while the hue of her outfit hid the stains of most of her blood loss, Lisa’s did not. Brick red splotches now covered the once caramel-colored material.

“Jesus, you’re hurt,” Bennett said to Lisa. “You need to feed.”

“We’re all hurt, including you,” Lisa said, noticing the wound on Bennett’s thigh. “Your friends were kind enough to lend us some veins before they left, though. It was enough to take the edge off, but Angelique needs more than they could give. So, we have to get her out of here, Bennett. The rest of us can wait.”