I stomped off in the direction of her neighborhood, unable to wrap my mind around what she’d convinced her niece to do, and how dangerous it had been. I’d asked Claudia to use a powerful spell to ward our homes because I didn’t know how, and because not much could go wrong. What Carolina did was much more dangerous.

I rounded the corner and felt a prickle of energy between my shoulder blades. I kept walking, picking up my pace. The sensation continued, which meant I was being followed. And whoever they were, they were furious. I could think of at least one demon I made that angry on occasion.

Wrath probably returned from his visit with whomever he’d been trying to impress earlier than expected, and wasn’t happy I’d escaped my pretty cage. Good. Maybe his evening didn’t go as planned, either. I turned and glared into the shadows. I really hated the stupid magical ink that connected us, letting him find me when I didn’t wish to be found. I’d assumed when I broke the spell that bound us together, the tattoo would fade.

Apparently some gifts couldn’t be returned.

“Stop lurking, it’s beneath you. If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“Bold for a witch.” The voice wasn’t familiar, and his accent was hard to place—almost English but not. I peered down the street, pulse racing. A few paces away, a dark figure peeled away from the building. I instinctually stepped back. He followed, his movements smooth and quick. “Your blood smells like spiced wine. Give us a taste?”

“Who are you?” I fumbled for my moon-blessed chalk, forgetting this dress was a gift from Wrath and wasn’t one from home with secret pockets. “What do you want?”

The man stepped into a shaft of moonlight. He wore a long duster that seemed to be cut from the thickest slice of night. Rings glittered on each of his knuckles. They made good weapons.

My gaze slowly traveled up. Ice-blond hair, eyes that looked like they’d been chipped from a glacier, a cruel slash of a mouth twisted up on one side. Human in appearance until he smiled wider, exposing a set of sharp fangs. Vampiro. I stopped moving. Stopped breathing. As a witch, I really needed to stop thinking some creatures were mere myths and legends.

“Y-you’re . . .” I snapped my mouth shut, hating the stammer that gave away my emotions. So much for working on keeping them hidden from my enemies. Wrath would knock himself in the head with the dull end of his dagger if he saw me now.