“Grab some air, Bis!” I shouted, lunging out of the circle to roll and rise to a stand. Bis was in the rafters, and hands in fists, I jabbed a side kick into Vivian, even as she held up her hands in surrender. I had no pity for her. She was here—she was going to get smacked.

Vivian fell, stumbling back into the narrow stairwell. She only went a couple of feet down the deathly narrow spiral staircase, but it’d keep her busy for a few minutes.

I turned to Al, then spun back around as the hair on the back of my neck prickled. “Rhombus!” I shouted, cowering as an iridescent ball of ever-after hit it, thrown from Vivian. She hadn’t gone as far as I had expected and was crawling up the stairs.

“You’re pretty good,” I said, then did a low front kick, smacking Vivian’s chin and sending her head snapping back. Eyes rolling up, she collapsed on the stair.

Brooke’s ugly cry turned me around. “No!” I shouted, lunging past the broken table only to skid to a horrified stop. Al had her on the floor; he was sitting on her hips and pinning her wrists to the dirty wood. She was helpless. Even without the witch/demon discrepancy, she didn’t have a chance. I stared at her wide eyes as she panted in fear, only now realizing what she’d done.

“Al, please,” I asked. Behind me, I heard a scuff of feet, and I held a hand back in warning. “I’m trying to help her!” I shouted, and Vivian halted. Thank God.

Al wasn’t amused. “Tell me you’re joking,” he said, standing and dragging Brooke up by the neck. “That little understanding we have doesn’t cover people who summon me.” Grinning to show his flat teeth, he lightly thunked Brooke’s head into the wall. “Let me jump you,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of time to waste today.”

“Go … to hell,” she said, trying to spit on him only to have it drip down her own chin.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he intoned. “Be a good girl. It won’t hurt if you don’t resist. You’re already sold, love. You should leave demon summoning to the professionals.”

A chill went through me as I remembered him calling me love. My hand out to Vivian in warning to stay put, I edged closer to Al, feeling like a human trying to take a lion’s kill. “Al, I need your help. That’s why I’m here, not because of Brooke. I need your help right now. I don’t have time for you to mess around with some lame-ass witch.”