“But they’re devils,” Barb continued, and Yuri turned his gaze back to her only to see, to his surprise, she was looking over her shoulder at him. “You protect those who are vulnerable. You don’t use them. And you absolutely do not ever punish them when your plans go awry because you’ve manipulated a human instrument to do your bidding when they’re not equipped to handle it. They sent her to kill a hybrid vampire werewolf knowing full well he could have cottoned on and torn out her throat. Then, when she only half succeeded with their scheme, which was a miracle in itself, they took the mind she had left away.”

She looked back to Sula, as did Yuri.

“Devils,” she whispered, and he was again surprised by Barb. This time it was hearing the sorrow mingle with anger in her tone.

But hearing it, Yuri felt one side of his lips hitch up, knowing fortune favored him, guiding him to allies who might be uneasy (in Barb’s case) or tempting (in Aurora’s) but were true to the cause all the same.

“Brother brother brother brother brother,” Sula droned.

“Okay, bear with me,” Aurora urged, lifting a hand to Sula’s chin.

This made Barb tense and start to move to her daughter.

Which made Yuri shoot forward to hover over her back, making it there in a millisecond.

Aurora glanced up at him, smiled, then whispered, “It’s okay,” and turned back to Sula.

Yuri looked to Sula as well and then went completely still.

Because she was looking up at him, right in his eyes.

“Blue-brown, blue-brown, blue-brown,” she intoned.

“Dear goddess,” Barb breathed from his side.

“Blue-brown, blue-brown, blue-brown,” Sula kept at it.

“What?” Aurora asked Sula. “What does that mean?”

Sula looked to Aurora and regressed. “Brother brother brother brother brother.”

“Sula, honey, look back up to Yuri. He’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you. Look to him,” Aurora urged.

Surprisingly, Sula looked back to him and switched again. “Blue-brown, blue-brown.”

Aurora snapped her fingers low between them and a delicate rise of gold and silver glimmers drifted up before it rained down over Aurora and Sula.

“Give us more,” Aurora coaxed.

Sula’s chant changed but only slightly. “Brown-blue, brown-blue.”

“More, Aurora. Gently,” Barb advised, and Aurora snapped again. The glimmers rose and fell.

Still holding Yuri’s gaze, Sula went back to, “Brother brother brother brother brother.”

“You’re telling us something. We just don’t know what it is,” Aurora whispered.

“Blue-brown, blue-brown, blue-brown…brown-blue, brown-blue, brown-blue.”

“What does that mean?” Aurora asked.

When she did, with a suddenness that had Yuri tensing and fighting back baring his fangs, Sula snapped her mouth shut and focused acutely on Aurora as if she wasn’t mad but as sharp as a blade.