Niten, realizing that Dee was distracted, attacked again. Both swords hammered into Dee’s chest. And shattered. Niten blinked in surprise. “You forget who I am,” the Magician snarled. He wrapped a burning fist in Niten’s shirt, lifted him high and flung him across the room. The immortal hit a leather sofa and bounced off.

Sophie saw Dare raise the tomahawk over the fallen Aoife and sent a curl of leather whip at Dee’s cohort. It seared Dare’s flesh as it wrapped around the weapon, jerking it out of her hand.

Virginia snarled in rage, a cry that was cut short as Aoife’s hand shot up and clutched her throat.

And Josh lifted Clarent off the floor and broke the square.

The wash of energy picked the boy up off the ground, jerked him free of Coatlicue’s grip and flung him back against Dee, slamming them both against the wall. It ripped Virginia from Aoife’s grasp, sending the immortal tumbling over and over across the floor. It buffeted Sophie to the ground, stripping away her armor, completely draining her aura in an instant.

With a hiss of triumph, Coatlicue stepped into the world.

“Oh, but I have waited a long time for this. A new world to conquer. Fresh meat. Fresh blood.” The twin snake heads turned, fixed on Sophie. “You first. Your little toy stung me.” All the snakes in her dress raised their tiny heads, and thousands of forked tongues flickered, tasting the air. “A silver aura. It will be an appetizer before I devour the gold.” Coatlicue took a step toward Sophie.

And staggered.

And stopped.

“I don’t think so,” Aoife said very quietly. She had leapt up onto the Archon’s back and wrapped her arms around the two snake heads. Coatlicue struggled, trying to pry Aoife’s fingers free, but the warrior’s grip tightened. All the snakes in the Archon’s dress struck out at Aoife, biting her again and again and the warrior grimaced in pain. “Let’s see who dies first,” she said, mouth opening to reveal her savage teeth. “You created my race. We are from your DNA. So you know how strong the Clan Vampire are.” She jerked the Archon back, away from Sophie, jerked her again, pulling her toward the three swords and the ragged smoking curtain. Then her bright green eyes locked on Sophie’s face. “You saved my life.”

Sophie staggered to her feet. “Aoife?”

“Aoife. One of the Next Generation. It seems I will devour you first. You are weakening.” Coatlicue’s voice was triumphant. More and more of the serpents bit into the warrior, and her skin was wet with their pale venom.

Sophie realized what was happening and lifted the whip, but she didn’t dare crack it toward Coatlicue in case she hit the warrior. “Aoife, let her go, step away from her…”