“I’m going to tackle you!” I yelled to my soulmate in Spanish, knowing no one in Avolire spoke it.

He didn’t speak or look back at me, but he did lower his sword away from Cyrus as I dove head-first with my arms stretched out like Superman. My palms hit his shoulders, throwing him forward. His feet left the ground. Together, we slammed into Cyrus and onto the snow.

“Throw me, Proctor,” Everest whispered. “Now.”

Cyrus thrust both hands straight up and a gust of wind hit Everest in the chest. He flew back in an arc, soaring halfway back to the castle. I flipped over to look but Cyrus gripped my arms and held on. More green vines coiled around my body. My eyes widened. I glanced around for the Wheel of Fortune Card. Perhaps they missed the memo.

“Don’t move, Tower,” Cyrus whispered in my ear.

I gasped and froze just as the air held a pale blue shimmer. And then I saw myself lying in the snow ten feet ahead of us with Cyrus standing over me, the tip of his sword pressed to my throat. I looked down at my body, then back up. There were two of me. Two of Cyrus. My jaw dropped.

“Elias!” Cyrus shouted from behind me.

A blond man with sapphire eyes sent a tidal wave of red mist rolling across the front lawn. “Stop fighting!”

The second the red mist hit someone, they instantly dropped their weapons. Hands gripped my arms and lifted me off the ground. I thrashed. It was a natural reaction. I suspected they weren’t against me, but since I didn’t know what they knew my defenses were up.

“Hiram. Gideon. Put her down—” My body hit the snow. Hands gently rolled me over and I was looking straight into the face of the female version of Royce. She smiled down at me and held her hands over me. “Hi. I’m Hester Redd. Don’t attack. We’re getting you out, but you need to stay quiet so you don’t betray the illusion.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded as she removed my bindings again. My attention shifted back to me lying on the snow at Cyrus’s feet, even while the real Cyrus stood two feet behind the illusion of himself. Selah moved in closer, her hands up and fingers wiggling.

Cyrus jumped into the illusion of his body. “This is not proof you can be trusted, Sweyn. Your punishment remains intact for your crimes.”

“ENOUGH.” Sweyn held her arms out to the side. “You got what you wanted. You got to punish us. One human who will survive for one vampire you killed.”