“Come on,” said Theo, dragging Sarafina by the hand down a corridor. “I want you somewhere safe.”

The library was empty but for Micah and Isabelle. Micah sat in one of the chairs near Thomas’s desk. Theo didn’t have to guess what the problem was.

Micah raised his head momentarily to look at him, then dropped it again.

“Can you get it back?” Sarafina asked, going to his side and laying a hand on his upper arm.

Isabelle looked at her and shook her head.

Shit.

“Stay here, okay?” Theo said to Sarafina. She’d be safe in here. If something did happen, Isabelle was ready to defend. “I’m going to find Stefan.”

Theo made his way out of the room and back into the fray beyond the sanctuary. The Ytrayi were making quick work of the Atrika. They were destroying the Coven, but at least they’d probably win in the end.

Now . . . if he was a slimy, cowardly warlock, where would he be?

Theo was betting Stefan was hiding somewhere, if he hadn’t already fled the Coven once Rue and the Ytrayi had shown up to rub his nose in shit.

Hmmm. There were lots of places to hide in the Conservatory.

He made his way there, dodging demon battle as he went. The warlocks all seemed to have fled or were defeated. The Coven witches were trying to help the wounded and were rounding up the warlocks they could to throw into Gribben.

The Conservatory, other than having its water all drawn out by the water witches, was largely untouched. It was a change from the last battle that had occurred in here, which had destroyed about fifty percent of the place.

Sounds came from the back of the Coven—sounds of a fight. Theo ran in that direction, sword still clenched in his hand.

At the back of the Conservatory, Theo found Jack and Stefan in an old-fashioned knock-down, drag-out fight. Kind of fitting, since in an odd way, they were brothers. Their magick had been tapped out and Stefan’s Atrika bodyguards were long gone.

Theo pulled a spell from his badly sapped reserves, making his tats tingle, and threw it at the warlock. It hit Stefan dead-on and the warlock flew backward to land in a bush, where he lay motionless. “That’s for Sarafina, you fucking bastard.”

Jack collapsed to the ground and drew a ragged breath, bowing his head. “Theo, man, I’m so happy to see you.”

Theo offered him his hand and Jack pulled himself to his feet. Together they looked at Stefan, out cold in the bushes.

“What the hell do you want to do with him?” asked Jack.

Theo stalked to him, sword in hand, but killing someone wasn’t his first desire, and never when they were lying defenseless. His hand clenched on the sword handle as Theo tried to control his temper.

Then it hit him.