He started yelling profanities, and I put the phone away from my ear.

“Hang up,” Teresa said.

“I’m just going to let him calm down for a second,” I whispered to her.

Her gaze narrowed as Matt let another insult fly. “You weren’t kidding. He’s totally a douchebag.”

I smiled, and put the phone back to my ear. “Matt. Stop.” I said the words calmly, and he actually quieted down. “Luciana is up to some bad things. Really evil. I’m going to do my best to stop her, and if you want to show up here and try to get in my way, fine. Good luck trying to get through the wolves, but if you want to try, I can’t stop you. But no matter what you do, you’re not going to change what I’m doing. Not at all.”

He called me a word that I would never repeat, and Teresa snatched the phone from my hand.

She pressed end, and snapped it closed. “And we’re done with that guy. Jeez. I thought I had a bad mouth.”

I laughed. Big, belly-jerking laughs. And boy did I need them. “You do have a bad mouth, but he’s worse.”

“No kidding.” She stood up. “I’m heading to bed. You staying here?”

I nodded. “I can’t leave him. What if he wakes up?” And what if he’s not himself when he wakes up…

“I don’t blame you. When Meredith was sick, I spent a little time in here. I know it’s not the same. She’s not my twin, but it was scary. And I felt responsible for fixing it. Just…” She paused. “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You can’t solve everything.”

“Says the girl who’s always rushing in to save the day.”

She snorted. “As my father says, do as I say, not as I do.” She laughed at her own joke. “Try and get some rest.”

She closed the door behind her, and I shook out the blanket, getting as comfortable as I could get.

When I’d woken up, over twenty-four hours ago, I’d thought the day couldn’t get any worse. Luciana was draining me and I was already exhausted and frustrated.

I’d been so wrong. It could always get worse.

I gripped my brother’s hand, and prayed like I’d never prayed before, letting the words slip from my lips as I waited for the sun to rise, and hoping that the new day would dawn with some measure of answer to my prayers.

Chapter Six

“Claudia.”

Something jerked my shoulder and I sat up, blinking the sleep from my eyes. “Oh, God. I fell asleep.”

“Have you been in here all day?” Teresa said. Her hair was piled in a sloppy bun. She wore a pair of dark skinny jeans and a black T-shirt with a sunburst around the word “orb.” I wondered briefly what that meant before remembering where I was.

The last thing I remembered was laying my head down on Raphael’s bed. I’d been praying, and then nothing. I completely passed out. “What time is it?”