Theo walked down the hallway. “Did you have a good session with Claire?”

She sought Grosset’s leash and nodded. “She taught me how to ricochet my magick to get around daaeman shields and how to deflect their blasts.”

Theo watched her walk toward Grosset with the leash in hand. “I already took him out.”

“Oh, great. Thanks.” She put the leash back.

“Mira has been hearing some disturbing whispers. It appears that the air witch the Duskoff captured has been killed.”

Sarafina jerked. “Really? That’s horrible.”

“That’s the Duskoff. If they can’t bend you, medicate you, or if you’re of no further use to them, they kill you.”

“But wait.” She turned to him. “Why wouldn’t they keep her alive? I mean, they need witches of all four elements to cast a demon circle, don’t they? Why wouldn’t they use her in one of those?” She chewed her lip, thinking. “They didn’t use her to bring Bai through, or she would have been dead long before now, since the witches in the circle are sacrificed to pull a daaeman to Earth. But they could have used her to pull a second daaeman through, right?”

Theo bared his teeth in something Sarafina assumed was supposed to be a smile. “Very perceptive. Thomas thinks it’s one of two reasons. Either the witch didn’t have enough strength to bring an adequately powerful daaeman through, or they don’t need to cast a demon circle. Considering Bai is here and no one knows how he arrived, Thomas is leaning toward the second thing.”

“You mean, the Duskoff didn’t keep her alive to toss her into a demon circle because they already have their demon.”

“Yeah.”

“We just don’t know how he got over here.”

“Yeah.”

“Sounds ominous.”

“It’s never anything less.” He moved the coffee table to the side of the room as if it weighed nothing. “Because of recent developments, I want you to show me what you know.”

“What? Is this a pop quiz?”

He stood in the center of the room and faced her. “Yeah. I’m going to attack you and I want you to throw me off. I want you to prove to me you can do it.”

She glanced around at the furniture. “Shouldn’t we do this down on the mats?”

“Do you really think your attacker will wait until you’re somewhere convenient?”

“Good point.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“You haven’t attacked me yet.”

He rushed her. Having a man twice her weight careening across the room at her was just about enough to stop her heart for a moment. Then instincts took over, driven by his training over the last two weeks. She didn’t really think, she just reacted.