“No, she didn’t, Drina honey,” Mabel said now, obviously trying to help calm her. “She maybe saved you getting a more serious wound, but immortals can survive a beheading if the head is replaced quickly enough. You know that. So just take your blood and leave finding her to the men. You need to—”

“Not always. Sometimes it doesn’t work,” Drina muttered, and then, voice rising to a shout, she told them, “It wouldn’t have worked on me!” and then almost in a whimper, “I need to find her, Harper. She saved my life.”

Magnus reached the doorway as she said that, and stared at Drina with shock. The woman was seated on the side of the bed, hunched over, holding her head and rocking slightly. If he hadn’t recognized her voice, he wouldn’t know who she was by looking at her. Drina was covered with blood from the gaping wound on her head, almost to her waist, and the deep red stain was spreading even as he watched.

“I’ll go look for her. But you have to let them give you more blood, Drina,” Harper said pleadingly. When she shook her head and tried to stand, he grasped her shoulders and held her down, but finally lost it and barked, “Jesus, woman! There’s a gaping wound in your head. Stop being so bloody stubborn and let them give you blood.”

Drina raised her head, her eyes a mix of silver and bloodred. He suspected she was about to argue again, but then she spotted him and, instead, moaned, “Magnus.”

The room went silent as all eyes turned to him, and Magnus asked with concern, “What the hell happened?”

“The mailman took her. I’m sorry,” Drina moaned. “I told her to go in the kitchen. But she saved my life and he took her.”

“Took who?” Magnus asked, fear creeping up his back as he glanced around at the pitying looks he was getting from the people in the room. “Where’s Allison?”

“The mailman took Allie,” Elvi said quietly, moving to his side. “I’m sorry. We tried to stop him, but he slid the machete through the handles of the double front doors and we couldn’t get out that way. By the time we ran out the back door and around, they were gone.”

“What?” he asked with confusion and disbelief. “Why would the mailman take her?”

“Actually, it wasn’t the mailman,” Tybo explained. “He’s dead in a van down the street. We think it was Abaddon or one of his men wearing the dead mailman’s uniform. He came to the door with the mailbag and box. He looked like a mailman. Drina went to sign for the package and . . .” His gaze slid to Drina. “It sounds like he was going to cut off her head, but Allie shouted a warning and Drina ducked.”