“I don’t have to justify anything, Amber. We made you. You belong to us. We have every right to eat you.”

“Yeah? Take a bite.”

“The time for that has passed, as you well know.”

“Then why are you here? The Hounds aren’t chasing you, they’re chasing me. Why aren’t you hiding under a rock somewhere?”

“Because we are Lamonts,” said her father from behind her. An involuntary groan escaped Amber’s lips. “We do not hide for long,” Bill continued, walking up to join them. “We do not cower. We’re always looking for the next opportunity.”

Amber looked at her parents, and she just knew. “You’re working with the Hounds.”

Betty fixed her hair, then traced her fingers over her horns. “The Shining Demon reached out to us. Who were we to say no to Astaroth, Duke of Hell?”

“What’d he offer you? A new deal?”

“The absolution of old debts,” said Bill.

“Providing you hand me over.”

He shrugged. “Naturally.”

Amber’s hands were still sticky with Milo’s blood. If she allowed herself to be taken away, he was a dead man. “How about something more?”

“No bargaining,” said Bill. “You’ve got nothing to offer us that we’d be interested in.”

“How about power? Would you be interested in power?”

Bill’s smile revealed his fangs. “What do you know about power, Amber?”

“The Shining Demon has a brother, did you know that? Naberius. He tried to betray Astaroth, but Astaroth turned the tables, and now Naberius is in chains. Didn’t you even ask why this town makes you shift, or how they’ve constructed the barrier?”

Betty frowned. “The brother’s power is being tapped.”

Amber nodded. “Naberius, yes. I can take you to him.”

“Revert. I can’t tell if you’re lying when you look like this.”

Amber hesitated, then reverted. She moaned as the pain swept in, but resisted the urge to curl into a ball.

“You’ve seen him?” Betty asked. “This Naberius?”

“No,” Amber said, her voice quieter. She hated how meek she was, wearing her ugly old face. “But I know where he is and I know how to get there.”

“Tell us.”

She shook her head. “I’ll show you.”

“Tell us or we’ll kill your little friend,” Betty said.

Amber glanced at Kelly’s unconscious form. “He’s in an underground cell,” she said, “but you need a special key to get in. I have one – I took it from Dacre Shanks.”

“Hand it over.”

“It’s in Milo’s car,” said Amber. “In the impound lot. I’ll take you to it, I’ll give you the key, and you let us go. When you release Naberius, I’m sure he’ll grant you whatever you ask.”