A FEW WEEKS LATER …

Vacation, at last! Daniel thought when the rays of sunlight streaming through his bedroom window woke him. They only had Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving, but it was better than nothing.

Daniel stretched out his tired limbs and buried his head in his pillow. No hurry, you can sleep in, he told himself as the events of the last few weeks played themselves over in his head. Daniel still couldn’t quite get a grip on the idea that he was supposedly a half demon. He had tried to practice his demonic powers; unfortunately, he hadn’t had much success. There had been far too many distractions. His classes required all his attention, since he had no desire to repeat another year. However, his attitude toward school had changed a little — he didn’t hate it quite so much. Kuwalski still had it in for him, but a number of his classmates had rallied around him. They admired his courage for entering Edna’s haunted house on Halloween.

Daniel was happier than he had been for a long time. He had Vanessa, and the demons had been leaving him alone. Only Marla dropped in once in a while to pay him a “sisterly” visit, as she put it.

Yawning, he looked over at his alarm clock. So late already? Suddenly, he was wide awake, and he tossed his blankets aside. He had a date with Vanessa — or rather, she was supposed to be tutoring him in history this morning. He had almost forgotten!

Daniel walked across his room and pulled up the blinds covering the window over his desk, allowing sunlight to flood the room unrestrained. Eyes squinting, he felt around for his sunglasses; he could no longer leave the house without them. He peered through the window at the Barkleys’ house. A big pink heart with “D + V” scribbled inside was stuck to Vanessa’s window. They had been together for three weeks, and Daniel’s pulse quickened whenever he thought about her.

He hurried into the bathroom to quickly shower and wash his hair. Then he pulled on his favorite clothes — black jeans and a hoodie — before running down to the kitchen. His mom had already left for work, since she had an early shift at the hospital today, but breakfast was waiting for him on the kitchen table, as always. Ever since his mother had repainted the house in light colors and cleared out a bunch of useless things — above all mementos of his adoptive father Peter — Daniel felt more at ease in his home. However, the previous day he had had a massive fight with her because she simply refused to tell him how he could get in contact with his real father. Daniel wanted to finally meet this James Carpenter — he had a right to know his father! Even Marla seemed interested in James. Daniel couldn’t blame her for that; after all, he had been part of their mother’s life. The mother they had in common — Kitana.

His mom had said, “All in good time, Danny.” But how much time did he have left?

He felt instinctively that the demons posed some kind of imminent threat. He knew he could rely on this intuition, since he was still linked to their collective consciousness, even when they shut him out of their minds. Daniel was getting better at shutting out the underworlders as well. He could manage it when he focused on creating a kind of invisible force field, like the ones in his computer games. When the demons tried to get into his mind, he heard a soft popping sound and felt a dull throbbing in his skull.

Half an hour later, he rang the Barkley’s doorbell. Vanessa opened the door before he could even take his finger off the button. “Hi, Danny!” After looking over her shoulder, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Daniel sunk his fingers into her long hair and returned her affections. If it doesn’t happen soon, I’ll go mad! he thought as his hands roamed over her slender body. For days now, he could scarcely think of anything other than sleeping with Vanessa. But how could he tell her that? Talking about such things wasn’t really his strong suit.

She pulled him boldly into the foyer. The Barkleys’ house was laid out exactly like his mother’s; only the furnishings were different. Little had changed here over the past seventeen years. Dark furniture, wall-to-wall carpeting. Vanessa’s parents were very conservative, but Daniel liked them nonetheless.

“Hello Brenda, hello Richard!” Daniel waved at Nessa’s parents as they walked past the little kitchen. Her father was drinking a cup of coffee while her mother cleared the table. Daniel had known them both his entire life. He was surprised that they hadn’t fitted their daughter with a chastity belt, since they refused to let her go on the pill. The Barkleys’ views were a little medieval, he thought: no sex before marriage.

Both adults nodded at him. Mr. Barkley, peering through his glasses over the edge of his coffee mug, muttered “Be good,” as Vanessa pulled him up the staircase to her room, leaving the door open.

“Danny’s here to study!” she called back to her father, her ears turning red.

As soon as they entered her room, Daniel closed the door behind them. He had other things in mind than being quizzed on history.

“What are you doing?” Vanessa asked, her mouth hanging open in amazement.

That sweet mouth must be kissed. Daniel pulled Nessa into his arms.

“Danny!” she cried indignantly, but his caresses were emphatically returned. “We’re supposed to be doing schoolwork.”

“Napoleon can wait; this can’t.” His lips found Vanessa’s mouth, and he placed his hands on her back to pull her body closer to his. He wanted to melt into her. She smelled heavenly, and her body was perfect.

“What if someone comes up here?” she mumbled, running the tip of her tongue along the contours of his lips. It tickled, and Daniel had to laugh.

“That’s why I’m locking the door.” Without interrupting the kiss, he sent a mental command across the room, and the key turned in the lock.

Vanessa took a step back. “Knock it off!” She gave him a playful slap on the arm. “It’s spooky when you do that.”

Daniel pulled her closer again and buried his nose in her soft hair. “I can’t think about dead Frenchmen when I only have eyes for you.” He grinned and slipped a hand under her shirt.

“Napoleon came from Corsica.” Vanessa sighed as she kissed him. This harmless act shot through Daniel’s body with such power that he could scarcely control himself. This was constantly happening when he was around Nessa. Was it normal? What was normal, anyway? Hey, he was half demon!

Vanessa tried to pull away again, but Daniel didn’t let her go. “See,” she said, “you really do need some tutoring.”

“I’m also flunking anatomy; perhaps we could begin with that.” His fingers had found her bra clasp and deftly unfastened it. When he cupped her breast with his hand, Vanessa pulled away. “Danny, I can’t. My parents are here! If they come up here and see the locked door, they’ll know right away what we’re up to.”

Usually, they hid out in the treehouse they had built as children. Vanessa had cleaned it up and turned it into a cozy little love nest, but that wasn’t really a suitable setting for the first time.

Daniel reluctantly pulled his hands out from under her shirt. He went over to the window, leaned over the desk, and looked outside. “Your mom has just started weeding, like every Saturday morning, which means that your dad is probably sitting on the porch, smoking his pipe and reading the newspaper.”

Vanessa joined him by the window and looked out, but said nothing. As Daniel pulled her shirt over her head, she offered no resistance.

“You’re incorrigible,” she complained, pulling him onto her bed. They sat down side by side, legs dangling over the edge.

I’d like to explore every millimeter of your body. Daniel leaned over her. His lips wandered over the soft skin of her shoulder. Danny knew that Nessa was ashamed of being so thin, but it didn’t matter to him. He thought she was beautiful just the way she was.

When his hair tickled her neck, Vanessa giggled and let herself fall backward onto the bed. She stretched out across the bed and laughed even harder as Daniel swept his hair across her armpits. It had taken an eternity before she would let him see her naked — three whole weeks! — and Daniel thought it was time to go further. He had used up half a pack of condoms practicing before he got the hang of it; he didn’t want to make a fool of himself when the time came, after all. Now he carried one in his jeans pocket at all times. Be prepared, you never know! Daniel’s heart was beating violently against his ribs. Should I ask her?

Ever since he and Vanessa had become a couple, he couldn’t think of anything but sex. How could he concentrate on studying? Vanessa was like a drug for him, addictive and seductive; he always wanted more. She smelled so good, and her kisses were delicious. Just a little while ago, he hadn’t understood why other boys were often so obsessed with girls. Now he got it.

“We better stop.” She protested half-heartedly as he pulled down the zipper on her jeans and pulled them down. Her long legs appeared, and Daniel ran his hand over them gently, up and down.

Vanessa trembled in pleasure, and Daniel hoped that her concerns would melt away like a sugar cube in hot tea. “You like it when I do this, right?” He brazenly sank his tongue into her navel and observed her reaction.

Vanessa’s body shook. “Of course, but in the treehouse, I don’t have to worry about getting caught.”

“They know that we’re dating.” Daniel’s mother had been particularly pleased that the two were finally a pair — she had evidently been hoping it would happen for some time.

Vanessa sank her fingers into Daniel’s hair as he softly blew his breath on one of her breasts. “I just find it uncomfortable, Danny; you know how they are.”

Is this uncomfortable for her? he wondered. Do I make her uncomfortable? Daniel felt slightly offended. The memories of his outsider status were still fresh, even though Nessa had always stood by him. The argument with his mother was also plaguing him, and maybe he wasn’t in the best mood today. The fact that he couldn’t quite get a handle on his demonic abilities was an ongoing, additional blow.

His thoughts turned back to the present. Vanessa seemed to be sincerely enjoying his attentions today. Perhaps she was just as hungry for it as he was; he should take advantage of that. He quickly pulled off his sweatshirt and his jeans and lay down atop Vanessa, his arms propping him up on either side of her head. As the bare skin of their bodies touched, Daniel knew there was no better sensation in the world. He enjoyed her warmth and the tingling feeling of skin rubbing against skin. He felt their pulses racing in unison and sank his lips onto her slightly open mouth. Their tongues entwined, performing a tender dance before beginning to move more wildly.

You’re so beautiful, he thought, concentrating on sending Vanessa his feelings. When Vanessa smiled, he knew that she had heard him.

Wow, he like these powers. Maybe he should send her more thoughts, and Vanessa would melt under him. I love the mole next to your breast … Daniel slid down, kissed her stomach, and then ran his lips across her skin, lower and lower. I’d like to rip your panties off with my teeth!

Vanessa giggled and said, “Let’s go a little slower.” She rolled out from under him and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Crap, what had happened?

Daniel took a deep breath. “I’ll be eighteen soon, and I’ve never slept with a girl.” Why didn’t she feel the same way he did?

Vanessa sat up in bed, clutching the blanket to her chest, and took his hand in hers. “It’s not about how old you are, but when you feel ready. And I’m just not there yet, Danny.”

Daniel scooted closer to her and gave her his best puppy-dog eyes. “I want so much more.”

“Look, we’ve been together for less than a month — we have all the time in the world. Anyways, we’ve done quite a lot already.” She added quietly, “With Mike, it took three weeks before I even kissed him.”

“What?!” Daniel froze. Just hearing Blondie’s name was enough to turn his stomach, but this confirmation of his suspicions felt like Nessa had just ripped out his guts. “You went out with Mike? You never told me that!”

“You never asked.” Vanessa crossed her arms. “Anyways, it’s not worth talking about, since all we did was kiss.”

“I don’t want you to ever see him again!” Daniel leapt up. There was a drumbeat pounding in his skull, and his fingertips were prickling dangerously. If he didn’t get control of himself fast, there was the danger that something unpredictable might happen — like the earthquake in his history class. The very thought of it made him even more angry. Daniel hated the fact that he hadn’t properly mastered his abilities.

Vanessa moved up to the edge of the bed. “But we’re dancing partners, what should I do? There’s really no reason for you to be jealous. We’re just friends.”

“Yeah, right!” Deeply hurt, Daniel pulled up his jeans. His heart was beating so loudly that his eardrums were vibrating.

“Mike and I aren’t suited for each other at all. We found that out very quickly, and that was the end of it!” Vanessa had also jumped off the bed to get dressed. “What I felt for him wasn’t anything like the way I feel about you. I was with him mostly out of curiosity — I just wanted to know what it was like to have a boyfriend.”

“You’re not going to meet up with him tonight!” Daniel knew that they had a dance class that evening.

Vanessa’s eyes flashed. “You can’t forbid me to go, Daniel!”

“Oh, just do what you want, then!” His rage was so great that Danny felt he might burst. He shifted his gaze to the vase on Vanessa’s windowsill. With a deafening bang, it shattered into a thousand pieces.

They were both frozen in place.

“Why did you do that?” whispered Nessa. Tears were slowly filling her eyes.

Daniel’s heart contracted. He wanted to tell her that he hadn’t done it on purpose, but instead he felt like he had to just get out of there. Damn it all, I could have hurt Nessa! Suddenly, he felt like the biggest loser in the world. He just couldn’t do anything right. Without saying a word, he turned his back on her and stormed out of the house.

Marla understood nothing about securities and the stock market — for her, just listening to Mike’s pleasant voice was enough. She sat on the edge of Mike’s desk and watched with fascination as he held a meeting with an older man. She visited him at the bank almost every day — invisible, naturally — because she just couldn’t get him out of her head. She had been on the verge of making herself visible to him so many times. Would she still be able to resist him?

Marla knew that such a move would just make everything more complicated. She had fervently hoped that her crush would fade away by itself, but … damn it, she was already in love with him.

In that suit, he looks good enough to eat! She dreamily thought back to how he had come out of the shower half-naked, the water still dripping from his blond hair. Since that day, Marla had avoided visiting him at his apartment. The risk of becoming hopelessly dependent on him was just too great. Does he even remember me? she asked herself often. Maybe he has a girlfriend. She never saw him with any girl other than Vanessa at their dance class, which assuaged Marla’s fears. Marla had even gotten to like Vanessa a little, despite the fact that she was so boring and normal. Even the nerd’s clothing was too goody-goody. Marla had no idea what her brother saw in Nessa.

But Vanessa hadn’t ever tried to hurt her, and she didn’t spout idiotic clichés, so Marla had almost become fond of her.

Her latest mission was to get to Silvan through his girlfriend. A member of the High Council — no less than her father Obron himself — had entrusted her with this duty, and he wouldn’t stand for any failure on her part. Otherwise, Metistakles would have a free hand to punish her, and Marla knew what that meant. She shuddered.

Even if Silvan didn’t want to accept his claim to the throne, he could be very useful to the demons. Through him, they could finally get at James Carpenter. Obron in particular badly wanted to get his hands on the man. Marla didn’t know exactly why. She just wanted to avoid angering her father.

Probably Obron wanted to take revenge on Carpenter for stealing his wife. Marla found that to be acceptable. Carpenter should suffer, just as she had!

As Mike ran a hand through his hair, her thoughts turned back to him. The client had left, and Marla should have been on her way as well, but something about the way Mike was acting made her stay. He threw a fleeting glance over his shoulder and then began typing something into a search engine on his computer. “Marla Little Peak California.” Her pulse quickened. He hadn’t forgotten her! He was actually looking for her. Man, don’t make this hard on me! She looked on, mesmerized, as he tried other word combinations in an attempt to find her on various social networks. Of course, he was unsuccessful; demons can’t be found on the Internet. Sighing, he typed something new into the search field, erasing it immediately afterwards: “Marla, I miss you!!!”

Her heart almost stopped. Damn it, he’s so cute, and he wants me! No, she wasn’t allowed to even think about it — he was a human! She had sworn an oath to hate all humans with all her heart! But perhaps she could just chat with him once more, like they had at the party. That would be okay, right? She’d have to look more human. Her outfit might scare him off — as always, she was wearing her heavy leather boots, the torn fishnet stockings, and a black leather jacket. Maybe she could persuade Vanessa to go shopping with her; if her father found out, she could make it seem like this was part of her new mission.

A smile spread across Marla’s face. What a great idea! She slid off the desk and went over to the wall behind Mike. Using her hand, she drew a circle. A portal rimmed in shimmering blue fire opened immediately, and had Mike turned around, he would have seen Vanessa’s room through the opening. But he was so lost in his computer that he didn’t notice a thing.

One last time, Marla took in his wide shoulders and his blond hair, then stifled a sigh as she stepped through the portal.

“Well, I’ve got to get going,” Vanessa said, checking her wristwatch. She had just spent an astonishingly pleasant afternoon with Marla, taking advantage of the excursion to distract herself from her worries.

Daniel’s reaction was still eating away at her painfully, and so the demon’s request to go shopping with her had actually been welcome. Although Vanessa found talking to Marla to be a little awkward, and she was still afraid of her, she went along out of sheer frustration and to get to know her “enemy” a little better. It was also a unique opportunity to pump her for information about Daniel — whether he was really turning into a full demon, and whether he wanted to become Overlord. Unfortunately, Vanessa hadn’t learned anything from Marla. However, she had quickly discovered that Marla really wasn’t all that bad. Beneath her cool façade, there was a curious young woman who was surprisingly nice for a demon.

Marla was wearing tight jeans and a dark sweater with a wide turtleneck, both of which suited her enormously. She had also been to the hair salon to tame her wild black hair. Now it fell straight down to her shoulders, and Marla looked like a completely normal young woman. Vanessa’s pocket money had all been spent, but Marla had promised to pay her back. Vanessa didn’t want to think about how the demon might obtain the money.

“Could I come with you to your dance class?” she asked.

The fact that Marla was suddenly taking such an interest in human things surprised Vanessa, but she had nothing against the idea. She liked this friendly demon better than the despicable woman who kept trying to drive a wedge between her and Daniel.

“Are you going to remain visible for everyone?” Vanessa grinned. “Otherwise, people will think I’ve got a screw loose when I talk with you.”

Marla laughed. “No, I’ll make myself invisible; you’ll be the only one who’ll be able to see me.”

“Okay, good to know, because Mike’s standing out front. I would have tried to introduce you.” Vanessa waved to the young man who was waiting for her outside of the building. Marla’s reaction when she saw Mike didn’t escape Nessa’s notice: She stared at him fixedly, biting her fingernails. What did that mean?

Mike waved back, and when Nessa walked up to him, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re late; I was starting to get worried.”

“I was out shopping,” Vanessa said in her defense, holding up the bags full of Marla’s old clothing. Vanessa was usually punctual to a fault, but today hadn’t been a typical day at all. Her timing was all out of whack.

“Ever since you started going out with Taylor, I scarcely recognize you.” Mike smirked mischievously.

Vanessa froze. Can he tell that my life has been taken over by obsessive thoughts about Daniel? She felt like she had some sort of disease, because she thought about him all day long: his dark-green eyes; his coal-black hair that slid so silkily through her fingers; his tall, athletic figure; his inscrutable smile; and his kisses that made her all but swoon. For her, that was enough, but for Danny, it seemed like everything revolved around sex. That can’t be the only thing in a relationship, can it? she asked herself, even though she had to admit that she enjoyed messing around with Daniel and wanted to spend every second of every day with him. Right now, she was missing him dreadfully. She fingered the silver ring that he had given her the previous week. Hopefully he’ll be back to himself soon; I hate it when we fight. It was nice to be with him, but because they were always holed up in their treehouse, she hadn’t seen her other friends for ages. This made her enjoy the dance class even more. And Danny wanted to take that away from her. There was nothing going on between her and Mike, why couldn’t he understand that? And why had he freaked out in my room? She had actually been a little bit afraid of him. After all, when his demonic side came out, who knew how he might change? No, he’d never hurt me, she thought, hoping that she wasn’t wrong in thinking that.

As always, Mike led her masterfully across the dance floor — but Vanessa wasn’t at her best today. This was mostly Marla’s fault, who had evidently forgotten that Vanessa could see her. The demon ran after them, trying to follow the complicated steps, but even her clumsiness couldn’t cheer Vanessa up. For one thing, she kept seeing Daniel’s enraged face in her mind’s eye.

“What’s up with you?” Mike asked as they were packing up their things and making their way to the exit after the class.

“It’s nothing.” She didn’t want to talk to him about Daniel, especially since Mike still suspected that her boyfriend had broken into his apartment.

“Are you sure?” He stopped before the door and took her by the shoulders. “Is it something about Taylor?”

Of course, Mike knew nothing about Danny’s demonic side, so Vanessa had to be careful about what she said. “Well …”

“Did he do something to you? Pressure you into doing something?” Mike frowned. “Just say the word, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, we just had a fight is all,” she replied quietly, but she couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

“Hey, come here.” Mike hugged her, and Vanessa leaned into his chest. “That happens even in the best of marriages.”

Vanessa sniffled. “Smart-ass.”

Mike stroked her back soothingly. “You’ll work it out, I’m sure.”

Daniel was sitting on a park bench near the dance studio, keeping his eyes fixed on the entrance. Vanessa would be coming out soon, so for the hundredth time he went over what he wanted to say to her. He had overreacted, and now his guilty conscience was plaguing him. He had just been so jealous! Vanessa was more experienced at kissing than he was, and then this Casanova just had to be her ex-boyfriend. This morning, Daniel had actually played with the idea of dropping out of school and getting a job so that he’d be able to offer Vanessa something more.

I’ll invite her to Lorenzo’s for a snack, he decided; Vanessa would surely be hungry after dancing, and her parents must have already eaten dinner. He discarded the idea when he saw Mike coming out of the studio, his arm around Nessa. I knew it! But what he saw next stopped him short before his anger could surge again. What was Marla doing with them? Daniel was amazed to see how his half-sister was dressed. She looked super! Super normal.

Now he was curious. He stood up to walk over to the trio. Vanessa noticed him first, even though his dark figure was nearly swallowed up by the encroaching twilight. She immediately pulled away from Mike and ran over to him.

She stopped a few steps away from him. “Hello! What are you doing here?” She seemed surprised.

His voice was unusually cold as he replied, “Well, I wanted to invite you to Lorenzo’s, but I can see that you’re otherwise engaged.”

“What?” Nessa frowned.

By this point, Marla and Mike had caught up with Nessa. “Hey, Taylor,” Blondie said.

Daniel ignored him. He glanced over at Marla inconspicuously, but she seemed to sense that the air was thick with tension and strolled on a little farther.

“I just saw you two,” Daniel growled at Vanessa. “He had his arm around you.” He would have liked to ask Marla about it, but he couldn’t as long as Blondie was here. Daniel could have tried communicating with her mentally, but he didn’t want to take the risk. He hadn’t quite mastered the trick of letting only Marla into his head while shutting out the other demons. There really was nothing else for them to find in his consciousness, but Daniel could feel them incessantly trying to tap into his mind. Maybe Marla’s taken Nessa’s side in this, he considered, then said to Mike, “You two seem to be awfully close friends.”

“Yes, we’re friends, what of it?” Mike crossed his arms and planted his feet firmly apart. They were about the same height, so they had no trouble glaring directly at each other.

“It looks like something more than that!” Daniel hissed.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Taylor!”

“It’s less ridiculous than your suspicions. I was never in your apartment!” Daniel knew from Vanessa that Mike still thought he had been the intruder who had left the note on the desk.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw Marla studiously examining something on the sidewalk. What was up with her? Why was she behaving so strangely? Did she feel bad because she had been the one to leave Mike the message about where to find Joe Adams’ corpse? Nonsense, she was a demon! They didn’t have guilty consciences. Sometimes Daniel wished that he didn’t have one, either, or any feelings. He felt like the whole world was conspiring against him. Daniel had to take care not to send anything flying through the air this time. He balled his hands into fists, his palms tingling dangerously, and moved so close to Mike that their noses almost touched.

“Hey!” Vanessa inserted herself between them, facing Daniel. Tears were shining in her eyes. “Why don’t you two just stop it? I don’t want to be caught in the middle.”

“All you have to do is pick one of us!” Daniel snapped at her.

He immediately regretted his words. Damnit, he was making a mess of this! She was hurt enough. All he wanted was to take her in his arms and forget the world around them. Vanessa was the one person who he felt understood him and accepted him for who he was. He hadn’t even confided in his mother about his demon nature. Who else could he talk about these things with, if not Vanessa?

“Just calm down, Taylor. You’re confusing the hell out of her.” Mike put his arm around Nessa again and led her to his car, a red Pontiac that was parked in front of the dance studio.

“Marla!” Daniel hissed helplessly, but his sister simply shrugged her shoulders and ran after Mike and Vanessa.

This can’t be happening! Daniel couldn’t understand why they had all turned against him. Things had been going so well!

Frustrated, Daniel watched as the three of them got into Mike’s car and drove off. Then he set off toward home. He was so angry that he could barely think straight. A gaping hole had opened up in his heart. He made an effort to get his feelings under control, but he only succeeded after he had sent a trash can flying through the air with his telepathic powers. Once back in his room, he let it all out. He turned up the stereo full blast and made the model truck that stood on the shelf above his bed explode into countless pieces. He began to feel a little better.

The music suddenly stopped, and Daniel spun around. His mother was standing there staring at him, her mouth hanging open, finger still lingering on the power button of the stereo. She was still wearing her jacket; she must have just come home from the hospital. “Danny, have you lost your mind?”

No, just my girlfriend, he thought, frustrated. “Sorry, Mom, I didn’t know that you were home.”

“What happened here?” His mother frowned as she saw the pieces of plastic littering his bed. She looked exhausted. There were circles under her eyes, which were red and swollen. Daniel almost felt bad for her, but he was still angry at his mother as well.

“When will you finally tell me where I can find my dad?”

“Soon. You just have to have a little patience.” She left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

“Patience,” he muttered, pacing across the room. “Understanding, time … I can’t take it anymore!”

He leaned back up against his desk and bowed his head. They were all against him. Then there must be something wrong with me; I’m just not normal.

“Of course not!” He slammed his hand against the desk in frustration.

What would it have been like if he had decided to stay in the underworld? They would have given me the proper respect I deserve. I could have ruled them all … But then he couldn’t have been with Vanessa. Nessa … He missed her. Over the last few weeks, they had spent almost every day together, from morning to night. They went swimming and to the movies, rode their bikes, took long walks in the park, made out, talked, laughed, and made out some more … Maybe I overreacted. I should apologize to her. Right away. Mike’s probably brought her home by now. He looked out the window, but there was no light on in Vanessa’s room. The whole house was dark, even the ground floor. Daniel knew that the Barkleys were out bowling tonight. But where was Vanessa? He gradually began to get worried.

Suddenly, the demonic part of him sensed that he was no longer alone. He spun around and saw Marla lying facedown on his bed, her head buried in his pillow.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel sat down on the bed next to her. In a way, he was happy that she was there.

“Do you really want to know what’s wrong?” The face she raised from the pillow looked so angry and upset that Daniel thought her eyes might start to glow.

“That’s what’s wrong!” With her hand, she drew a small circle, causing a portal to materialize. The porthole opened, allowing Daniel to see through the wall. Naturally, he didn’t see the little forest that stretched out behind his house. Instead, Daniel was looking directly into what he assumed was Mike’s living room, where his blond rival and Vanessa were sitting on a black leather couch, arm in arm.

Daniel flipped out. “Why should that bother you? I’m the one who’s dating Nessa!” … Used to date, he corrected himself, jumping up. Every nerve in his body was vibrating dangerously. As Marla closed the portal, Daniel felt a pain he had never felt before in his chest. I never would have thought she’d cheat on me.

“Damn women,” he growled, earning an evil glare from his sister.

To make matters worse, Sirina appeared, as if on cue. She emerged through a portal over his bed, leapt agilely over Marla, and landed gracefully in front of Daniel.

“Silvan, lover, I sensed that you’re not feeling so well, so I came right over to cheer you up. What’s happened?” she asked, saccharine-sweet, rubbing up against him like a cat. The fabric of her green dress rustled quietly.

Daniel could sense a buzz in the air as Sirina and Marla exchanged thoughts. When Sirina suddenly grinned from ear to ear, he knew that she had been informed of the latest events.

“I told you right off that your human strumpet wouldn’t make you happy, lover.” She took him by the shoulders and pushed him back until his knees hit the bed. Daniel was paralyzed. He couldn’t take his eyes away from Sirina’s, which were rapidly changing color. One second, they were bright blue, the next a poisonous green.

“Let him go, Sirina!” Marla jumped up from the bed. Sirina took advantage of this to shove Daniel back onto the space she vacated on the mattress.

Why am I not fighting back? The thought drifted slowly through his head. I can’t stand Sirina! He suddenly felt strangely tired, as though he had been drugged.

Sirina lay down on top of him, her breasts pressing against his chest. There’s so much potential sleeping within Silvan. Daniel could faintly hear her voice. But he doesn’t know how to focus his powers — I have to exploit that!

Daniel realized that Sirina was communicating telepathically with Marla when he heard his sister’s voice in his head as well: Stop manipulating him. You definitely won’t win him over that way.

“We’ll see,” Sirina said, leaning over Daniel’s face. Her lower body was pressing hard against his, and Daniel couldn’t help but feeling aroused by the contact.

“What are you trying to do, witch?” His voice came out like a croak. He could still barely move, but he desperately tried to fight her spell. Damn it, how do I use my powers? He knew that he should be able to send Sirina flying, to slam her against the wall!

“Come with me into the underworld, and I’ll teach you how to use your powers.” She nibbled on his neck, coming dangerously close to Daniel’s mouth …

Vanessa felt secure in Mike’s arms, but it wasn’t the same as with Daniel. That was okay — right now, she just needed a friend who would listen to her and let her cry on his shoulder. “Are all guys always after just one thing?” she asked hesitantly, her face reddening. Embarrassed, she turned the silver ring that Danny had given her around and around on her finger.

“Well,” Mike said, pulling her closer to him, “most guys, I guess. After all, it’s a nice feeling to have the woman you love so close to you.”

Vanessa sighed. “Daniel thinks he’s missing out on something.”

“Both of you are!” Mike grinned as Vanessa gave him a light punch in the stomach.

“Be serious.”

Mike’s smile became thoughtful. “No, you’re right, of course. You need the right partner, and both people have to feel ready for it; otherwise, it’s no fun.” He heaved a deep sigh, arousing Vanessa’s curiosity.

“What’s up with you?” she asked. She wasn’t the only one who had changed since she had begun dating Daniel; she had noticed that Mike had been much quieter lately. “Don’t tell me that you’re lovesick, too.”

Mike cleared his throat. “No, not lovesick. I barely know the girl.”

That pricked up her ears. “Who is she? Do I know her?” She shifted away from Mike so that she could see him better; he was clearly uncomfortable talking about the subject, because he ducked his head and wouldn’t look her in the eye.

“Maybe. She was at Rebecca’s Halloween party. Her name is Marla.”

“Marla?!” Vanessa sat up ramrod straight on the couch. Her pulse accelerated dramatically.

“You know her, then?” Mike’s blue eyes lit up with hope.

“Uh, not very well.” That was a bit of a fib. Mike was her friend, and she didn’t want to lie to him, but she just couldn’t tell him that she saw Marla all the time. He would have wanted to learn more about her, and what could Vanessa tell him? That Marla was a demon who might ravish him for breakfast and then tear his still-beating heart from his chest? Vanessa knew from Danny that demons had no capacity for romantic feelings. Was that why Daniel was only after sex? Was he merely looking to satisfy his urges?

No — there was more. Vanessa could tell from the way he looked at her. His green eyes could be so full of warmth. But in an instant his expression could turn cold, demonic, sly. Or flaming with rage. I’m just imagining that because we had a fight.

“Does she come from around here?” Mike was staring at her, transfixed. He was obviously dying for more information.

“No, I don’t think so. As far as I know, she comes from another … country,” Vanessa replied with a shrug. “You’ll probably never see her again.”

“Another country? She mentioned something like that, and she has such an unusual accent.”

Vanessa had to watch what she said. “I … uh … yes, another country, but I really don’t know that much about her or where she comes from exactly.” That was the truth. She had tried to ask Marla questions, but the demon had avoided answering.

Mike smiled. “Well, at least I’m not the only one confused by her.” Sighing, he leaned back into the sofa, his eyes half closed. “It’s too bad you can’t tell me anything more about her. I got along with her so well.” He scratched his eyebrow and looked up at Vanessa. “It sounds ridiculous but … it was like we had known each other forever, like there was an invisible bond between us. I’ve only met her once, and I feel totally crazy about her.”

“It’s not ridiculous, Mike. I know what you mean.” Vanessa took a deep breath and then exhaled. She could see that Mike was in love with Marla. You’d be better off staying away from demons, she thought. You’ll just get burned. It’s hard enough loving a half-demon.

She quickly got up before she could blurt anything out. “It’s getting late; I have to go.” She couldn’t get Daniel off her mind. Even though it was late, she had to talk to him — otherwise, she would never fall asleep.

“I’ll take you home,” Mike said, getting up from the couch.

Vanessa stood in front of the Taylors’ house, undecided. There was still a light on in the kitchen, so she bravely pressed the doorbell. Anne probably just got home from her shift, she guessed.

It didn’t take long for Daniel’s mother to open the door. She looked surprised. “Nessa? It’s pretty late.”

“Yes, I know. Could I speak with Danny for a minute? It’s important.” She tried to hide her anxiety. If Anne noticed, she’d get curious and start asking questions.

“Sure, come in.” Anne shut the door behind her and gestured toward the stairs. “I understand — I was once young and in love,” she said with a smile. “Daniel’s upstairs.”

As Vanessa climbed the stairs, her heart was pounding violently. She came to a halt in front of his door. There was no sound from inside. Is he already asleep? she asked herself, but then she saw the light shining under the door, so she entered the room.

As always, the first things she saw were Daniel’s desk at the window and the shelf holding his stereo on the right side of the room. When Nessa shut the door behind herself, she gasped. Daniel was lying stretched out on the bed, his shirt pulled up so that she could see his flat stomach. His breathing was rapid, and he made no sign of noticing her. At first, Vanessa thought that he was having another attack, but then she was horrified to see a young woman suddenly materialize on top of him, her fiery hair hanging like a curtain over Daniel’s face.

“Sirina …” Vanessa knew at once who the demon was, despite never having seen her before in person. Daniel’s future wife. It looked like she had found the right way to win him over.

Sirina raised her head, tossed her hair back, and smiled insincerely at Vanessa. “Get lost, human, he belongs to me now!” As if to prove it, she leaned over Daniel’s face and kissed him on the mouth. Vanessa thought she might faint, but then a fury rose within her.

Daniel briefly seemed to return the kiss, but Vanessa thought he looked strange, almost detached. No wonder, she thought, he’s been blown away! Sirina knows what she’s doing.

Suddenly he pushed the demon away and sat up. “Nessa!”

“Daniel … I …” Vanessa stammered in confusion. “Why?”

He hastily pulled his shirt down. “It’s not what you think!”

“Oh, yeah? Like between me and Mike, but you wouldn’t believe me. In any case, he didn’t kiss me!”

Daniel scowled. “Liar! I saw you — you have feelings for each other!”

“What?” Vanessa didn’t understand what he meant. She was so furious and hurt that she tore off the silver ring and threw it at his feet. She turned around and left without saying a word. Vanessa could hear him calling after her, “So, that’s it, then. That leaves you free for Blondie!”

She would have liked to say so many things, but no words escaped her lips. Tears streamed down her cheeks instead. Just because I’m not ready, he hops into bed with Sirina?

Blinded by rage and pain, she stumbled down the narrow stairs.

“That was fast!” called Anne from the kitchen as Vanessa ran past. She fled from the house without responding.

“Danny, what was up with Vanessa?” His mom was standing at his door. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

“We broke up, I think,” he said as calmly as possible, turning the delicate ring between his thumb and index finger before sticking it into his jeans pocket.

“What?” Anne looked at him aghast. “Why?”

Daniel shrugged. What should he tell his mother? That his life had been absolute chaos ever since he found out he was half demon? Maybe he should finally explain everything to her, but he wanted to talk to his father first. With his real father, James Carpenter.

Of course, Daniel had asked his mother all about the adoption, but when it came to James and his origins and why he had decided to give Daniel up … She hadn’t wanted to talk much about that.

“Did you pressure Vanessa somehow?” his mother asked.

The carefully suppressed rage boiled up again within Daniel. “Why is it always my fault when something happens?” He just wanted to be left alone — he didn’t feel up to a cross-examination. He already blamed himself for doing everything wrong with Vanessa that a boyfriend could do wrong. Daniel didn’t want to accept the fact that Nessa had just ended their relationship.

Sirina was standing off to one side, grinning. His mother couldn’t see the demon, and Marla had disappeared when Sirina pushed him onto the bed. This bitch ruined everything for me! he thought resentfully. But then he remembered her words: “Come with me into the underworld, and I’ll teach you how to use your powers.”

What was keeping him up here, anyway? His mother couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him about his real father, and thus he couldn’t learn anything about himself. Now she had taken Vanessa’s side as well. Nessa … would she go right back to Mike? Danny pushed the thought away. It was time for him to take control of his life. Maybe he really didn’t belong in this world.

Daniel’s mother just shook her head and left the room. Then he turned to Sirina. “Okay, I’ll come with you.”

I just have to picture it? Is that all? Those were Daniel’s first thoughts as his training began in the great black marble hall. He had always imagined that he would have to learn special hand gestures or spells. He thought back to the history class a few weeks ago when he had choked the air out of Toby the brownnoser using only his mind. The powers were hidden within him; he just had to find a way to use them in a controlled fashion.

It was dark in the hall, and the smoke from the burning torches made his throat scratch. Why was there no electricity down here? Daniel pondered the question. How deep beneath the earth’s surface were they? How could they produce energy down here? Geothermal power, or maybe natural gas? It was warm enough, anyway. Daniel was sweating buckets.

Tzock! A mental blow coursed through his consciousness, and Daniel doubled over in pain.

Metistakles tapped a finger on his shaven head. “Don’t trouble yourself with things that don’t concern you.”

In Daniel’s opinion, the subject certainly did concern him, especially if he was supposed to lead the masses of underworlders one day. But he was trying to pay attention to his demonic lessons — they were a far cry from Kuwalski’s history class. Daniel attempted to create an energy sphere in his hand. His fingertips tingled, and tiny sparks flashed across his palm, but he couldn’t manage to form a ball, no matter how hard he tried.

Metistakles was standing next to him, smirking as he looked down at him. “It’s not so easy, is it? It requires a certain control and profound concentration to focus your powers. The more you practice, the better you’ll be able to use these abilities, Silvan.”

Silvan! Would he ever get used to his demon name?

Metistakles penetrated his mind and showed him how to produce an energy sphere in the palm of his hand. Unfortunately, this reminded Daniel of how his mom had behaved when he was learning to ride a bicycle. Metistakles’ technique was similar. Just not caring — more humiliating, really. Once again, Daniel received a mental jolt. This one felt like a sword thrusting into his brain.

“You have to start controlling these human emotions!” Metistakles’ enraged voice echoed through the dome. He raised a coal-black eyebrow. “They only distract you and make you weak!”

Daniel nodded. He was sweating and every muscle in his body was trembling as he concentrated on blocking out his memories. This time, he actually managed to create an energy sphere the size of a marble on his palm. He had done it! Grinning, he held his hand under his teacher’s nose.

Metistakles nodded, a faint smile on his face. “Good. I knew you could do it. The darker your thoughts, the easier the magic will be for you, and the more powerful you will become.”

Obron entered the hall. With their shaved heads and grey robes, the demonic high lords all looked alike. But after Daniel had been in the underworld for a few days, he had begun to be able to tell them apart. A scar ran through Metistakles’ right eyebrow, Antheus was the tallest of the three, and Obron had the longest nose.

Obron was Marla’s father and had been Kitana’s husband. On the day he became a high lord, the Oracle of Memnost had told him that Kitana’s child was destined to be the next Overlord. Metistakles had told him that much, but Daniel had no idea what this Oracle was or where to find it. The others kept many things hidden from him and had forbidden him to ask questions. Everything would become clear in time, they said.

Obron nodded at them and positioned himself next to the Overlord. Xandros — the Star Wars Emperor look-alike — had been ruling for almost a thousand years, and demons were not allowed to reign for longer than that. This was demonic law, since at a certain “age,” demons could no longer utilize their full abilities — and only a strong Overlord was a powerful Overlord.

Xandros sat stock still on his throne and observed Daniel’s progress without uttering a word. Daniel sensed that Xandros manipulated his underlings like marionettes, compelling them to carry out his orders.

Cool — when he mastered that skill, the first victim would be Kuwalski … No, those days were gone. He lived down here now. In eternal darkness.

He felt a tightening in his chest. Daniel knew the feeling: homesickness …

Stop! Don’t think about Mom, he reprimanded himself. Metistakles’ mental blows hurt like hell, and Daniel had no desire to receive yet another. This was his new home. They accepted him here. They made him feel important, like part of a community — even though he didn’t trust the high lords one bit. Too much negative energy emanated from them. When he became one of them, he would probably stop noticing it so much. And as Metistakles had said: The darker his thoughts, the stronger he would become. He liked being able to perform magical acts using only the power of his thoughts. At last, he had become something like the heroes in his computer games.

He wanted to learn more about himself, about his real mother and his demonic roots — but above all, about how the High Council intended to transform him into a pure-blooded demon, since only then would he finally be allowed to become Overlord.

“One thing at a time,” Obron retorted sharply. He had been snooping in Daniel’s mind again.

Daniel thought that the explanations should come first, but okay — evidently the rules here were different than at school: first practice, then theory.

Daniel had tried to talk to Obron when he caught certain vibrations in the mental network — downright tirades of hate directed at him because he was a “halfling” and therefore unworthy of ascending to the throne. He’d show them all how worthy he really was of the title of Overlord.

He concentrated again, this time putting all his hatred and negative feelings to work, trying to focus his magical energy in the palm of his hand. A blazing blue ball of electricity materialized, sparking and reeking of ozone. The sphere wavered, swelled up and then shrank a little, but it didn’t fizzle out like his previous attempt.

He had done it!

“Now, hurl it at this human,” said Metistakles with a devious grin, pointing at a young woman who had just stepped out of a dark corner of the hall. She stared anxiously at the group of robed men.

“Vanessa!” Daniel cried out.

His sphere instantly dissolved. He was about to run to her, but thanks to his supernatural vision, he realized that it wasn’t really her. Vanessa had a tiny mole on her cheek. Even though this girl did not have the mole, she could otherwise have been Nessa’s twin.

Metistakles laughed quietly. “Your reactions betray your true feelings. You’re not really one of us.”

Anger rose within Daniel. He wanted so badly to finally be a part of “something,” to belong somewhere. Metistakles’ words wounded him deeply. But he couldn’t kill a human being!

The girl suddenly flickered.

Wait — that wasn’t a human being, it was just an illusion!

I’ll show them what I’m capable of, Daniel thought, producing a new sphere in no time. He took a deep breath, and then threw the deadly weapon at the girl …

There was only one reason Marla didn’t return to the human world: She had to watch out for Silvan. After all, he was her brother, and she actually did feel close to him somehow. Unbelievable, but true. She blamed it on the blood bond between them. Marla had no allies in the underworld — not even Sirina. She was just a hag who ordered Marla around.

Marla felt less alone since Silvan had entered her life. They really were quite similar. In the upper world, Silvan had been just as alone as she was down here. Marla sat on her bed and shook her head at the thought. Why was she suddenly so sentimental? What was wrong with her? Ever since she met Mike, everything in her head had become a muddled mess. Although she hadn’t seen the young man for an eternity — at least, it seemed that way to her; time functioned differently down here — she still couldn’t get him out of her head. Actually, Mike was reason number two why she would rather stay in her dark hole in the underworld. She would just get more dependent on him otherwise. Even Metistakles had noticed that something was wrong with her. Lucky for her, he was focused on other things and hadn’t been paying her much attention, because she couldn’t get Mike off her mind. However, she had locked away her memories of him in her fairy-tale room, where not even Metistakles could penetrate.

She didn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to watch Silvan’s training. Fine, she was forbidden to enter the great hall, but she so rarely had a chance to see him. The high lords seemed to be purposefully keeping her away from him. That wasn’t right — she was the one who had tracked Silvan down, after all. The High Council was probably afraid that Marla might learn something.

Marla felt the stone ceilings of the underworld closing in on her. Maybe she should go up one more time?

Vanessa was pedaling so hard that her thighs were cramping up. She biked home as quickly as she could, but not because it was drizzling. She scarcely noticed the raindrops; she was lost in her thoughts — thoughts of Daniel. Vanessa had been at Colleen’s house, but she couldn’t bear being with her friend for very long. That morning, Anne had told her that Danny wasn’t in his bed when she looked in on him before her shift. She had called Peter to ask him whether Daniel was at his house. He had told her that she should talk things over with James Carpenter.

Talk things over … Vanessa had been mulling over Anne’s words ever since. She wanted to go straight to her to find out whether there had been any news. Daniel may have been missing since yesterday, when Vanessa had … Don’t think about it. Vanessa’s stomach tightened as she rode into her garage, put her bike away, and shut the garage door from the inside. She had to know where things stood with Danny!

Her parents’ car wasn’t there; they were out visiting friends. Vanessa wouldn’t have been able to discuss Danny’s “nature” with them anyway. She felt alone. Hopefully Anne would be at home, but not even Anne knew the truth about her son … If only Vanessa had someone to talk to. Even Marla would do, but she hadn’t made an appearance today.

Daniel and Sirina — the image was seared into her brain, and remembering it made her feel even worse. Why did she have to go and fall in love with a demon? Vanessa could hardly believe all the things that had happened to her recently. Her worldview had been completely upended. Maybe it’s all just a crazy dream …

Vanessa’s eyes had gotten used to the darkness of the garage. It was cloudy outside, so almost no light was shining through the little window. The overhead light was broken, and Vanessa had to take care not to trip over anything as she slowly made her way toward the door leading into the house. She hadn’t been afraid of the dark before, but now that she had come face-to-face with Joe Adams and the demons, it made her a little uncomfortable.

A faint scratching behind her set her on high alert. She suddenly had the feeling that she wasn’t alone anymore. Was it a stray cat? Please, please, let it just be a cat!

She stood completely motionless in the middle of the garage as though she were rooted to the spot. Her heart was racing.

“Danny?” she whispered, still not daring to turn around.

“No.”

Oh, God! Vanessa wanted to scream, but the sound was stuck in her throat. That wasn’t Danny’s voice. It was far too deep and raw.

Vanessa could hear the drumming of raindrops on the roof and a faint rustling noise. Preparing herself to see something unspeakably horrible, she spun around on her heel, ready to run away.

In the furthest corner of the garage stood a tall figure. Vanessa could only make out the outlines of his form. Oh, no! Had a demon come to take her into the underworld?

“Wh-what do you want?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Who are you?”

The figure took a step toward her. “Please don’t be afraid. I’m Daniel’s father.”

What? Vanessa had been ready for anything, just not … “J-James Carpenter?”

The tall man nodded and took another step toward her. Now the dim light from the window fell directly on him. Vanessa could make out his face: high cheekbones, a strong chin, and brown hair streaked with grey at the temples. The resemblance to Daniel was striking.

She relaxed immediately. “I thought you were a demon!” she cried out in relief, then bit her lip. The man would think she wasn’t playing with a full deck.

“A demon?” James’ eyes widened. “What do you know about demons?”

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for in my parents’ garage instead!” The whole situation seemed a little fishy. She slowly backed toward the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she searched for something she might be able to use to protect herself. There were garden tools hanging on the wall — a shovel, rakes, and spades.

“I can’t allow the demons to find me, and I wanted to speak with you alone,” Carpenter said. “Listen, Vanessa …”

She gave a start when Daniel’s father said her name, but he just went on talking, as though he were afraid she might run away. “I know that you’re Daniel’s girlfriend. Anne told me that over the telephone — and also that he’s disappeared. Can you tell me anything about it? What do you know about the demons?”

“N-not much,” she stammered.

“Do you know where Daniel is right now?”

Vanessa could hear the concern in his voice. The whole situation was absurd. Daniel’s father knew about the demons. Her normal world had been shattered to pieces.

Wait a moment — of course he knew about the demons! Daniel was a half-demon! Vanessa tried to pull herself together. Might Danny be in trouble — or even in real danger? Maybe she should share what she did know with Daniel’s biological father.

“There was a red-haired demon named Sirina. She wanted to take Daniel with her into the underworld.” Tears blurred her vision, and her voice started failing her. “She said she was supposed to become his wife. I think Daniel went with her.”

“Damn!” Carpenter ran a frantic hand through his hair. “I should have known.”

Should have known? Vanessa gasped. That sounded like Danny’s father knew more than her. Based on his reaction, Daniel must really be in a tight spot.

A demon’s life isn’t as bad as I thought. Daniel lay back against his soft pillow, relaxed and comfortable. He was lying on a wide bed fitted with black sheets; it was all his, just like the ornate chamber around it. As the future Overlord, he enjoyed special privileges, but he was most pleased with the progress he was making in mastering his demonic abilities. How long had he been in the underworld? He had lost all sense of time. Sometimes he thought it might be days, other times weeks.

In the meantime, he had not only learned how to create energy spheres with his hands, but also how to make portals, although he still found it difficult to make them lead to the right place.

His reflexes had become incredibly fast — he could flit past other people like a shadow. He felt powerful, invincible, and finally like a real part of a community.

Sirina lay next to him, caressing his chest through his shirt and feeding him grapes. As Daniel — no, Silvan, that was his name now! — had found out, when he became a real demon, he would no longer require human food. Eating would become merely a pleasure, not a necessity. But that meant that he would have to learn to extract energy from negative feelings or even feed on souls. He wasn’t quite ready for that yet.

“Is there any other wish I can fulfill, my lord?” Sirina purred, licking the juice of the grapes from his lips. Silvan submitted to her attentions; he had to get used to it, if he’d be living with this fury for the rest of his days. His stomach tightened.

He felt like a king, but he wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea of leading the masses of hellspawn one day. That would basically mean waging a war on Mom and Vanessa. He was still in his “probationary period.” He had to prove himself worthy to be the future Overlord; to this end, the Council would assign him a task. Daniel had no idea what this might entail, but he wasn’t quite ready yet. He had to hone his skills first.

Daniel thought of Antheus. The powerful demon begrudged Silvan his claim to the throne. Antheus was next in line and was already preparing himself for his future reign when the high lords tracked Daniel down, with Marla’s help.

He saw Marla only rarely; the high lords scarcely gave him time to catch his breath. Daniel would have liked to talk to her. Marla had become uncharacteristically quiet in recent days. Daniel recalled her reaction when she saw Vanessa in Mike’s arms. Did Marla have feelings for him? Was his demonic sister actually capable of romantic emotions? For Blondie?

Nessa … He thought of her often, and every time he did, he could feel a dull ache in his chest. That was the downside to being only half demon: He couldn’t turn off his human emotions. Sirina, the calculating minx, tried everything to distract him; naturally, she snooped through his mind when he was too tired to maintain his mental barriers. She knew what he was obsessing about. Unfortunately, there was no way around it; he had to let her into his mind so that she could show him how to use his powers. But Daniel couldn’t simply forget Vanessa. He wasn’t happy with the way they had parted. I miss her.

Sirina, who was lying halfway astride him, suddenly ran her hand under his shirt. He was still wearing his normal clothes, although that would soon change. High-level demons had to wear strange garments that looked almost like dresses. Grey robes, as if they were monks. Perhaps he could get at least one black one, like the one Xandros had.

“Lover,” Sirina whispered.

His eyes shut tight, Daniel tried to imagine that it was Nessa’s hands that were sliding across his stomach, but the demon’s long fingernails made this difficult.

“Hmmm, you like that, Silvan, isn’t that right?”

Unfortunately, her caresses didn’t leave him cold. Damn it, I’m only a man! he thought desperately as she reached into his trousers. Vanessa had touched him there, but admittedly much more awkwardly than Sirina. The demon knew exactly what to do. Nevertheless, he liked it better with Nessa. Because I love her, not Sirina.

Sirina sat back on top of him and pulled his shirt over his head. Daniel let it happen. For real demons, sex was just one of many pleasures that could sweeten the day when they weren’t out corrupting innocent souls. He had to resign himself to that. There were no romantic feelings at play here; sex was only for gratification. Sirina only wanted to win his favor, to attain power at his side, as his wife, and she’d do anything to insure that future.

But damn it, that just wasn’t right!

A knock at the door saved him from seeing anything more than Sirina’s voluptuous bosom, which she had just released from her corset.

“Curses!” She pushed her breasts down and straightened her dress. Daniel quickly pulled his shirt back on. If someone was looking for him in his private chamber, it could only be one of the high lords. This time, Daniel was more than happy for the interruption. He’d have to come up with a way to keep Sirina away from him in the future. When he was Overlord, he’d decide for himself whether he wanted her for a wife …

“Come in!” Daniel called out when they were both fully clothed.

Marla was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the large fountain in Governor Plaza, staring at the bank in which Mike worked. She had decided to get a little fresh air; she had felt like she was suffocating down in the underworld. At the moment, no one had time for her or anything for her to do. So she had created a portal without visualizing any specific location, and where had she ended up? Near Mike, of course. And if she were already there, she could risk stealing a look at the man who had befuddled her senses, couldn’t she? She told herself that she’d feel better when she discovered that he wasn’t as great as he was in her fantasies.

Yes, but why had she changed into the normal human clothes she had picked out with Vanessa? She had even carefully combed her hair. It fell to her shoulders, long and straight.

Above all, Marla was fascinated by her shoes, as she was used to walking around in heavy boots. Now, she was wearing light sneakers instead. She looked down at her feet, amused, and was shocked to see a polished pair of leather loafers appear next to them. She heard Mike’s surprised voice: “Marla?”

Damn it all, had she actually forgotten to make herself invisible? Marla jumped to her feet and faced Mike. She could smell his aftershave as well as his own irresistible scent, and she could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

Her knees wanted to give way. “Uh … Mike, hello!” Why did she croak like a witch whenever she opened her mouth?

Mike looked just as stunned as she felt.

A few infinitely long seconds later, he closed his mouth, which had been gaping in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”

Yeah, good question. How should she answer him? “I thought I’d take in the sights of Little Peak, as long as I’m here visiting a friend.”

“Of course,” Mike replied, beaming. “You were waiting for me, weren’t you?”

Her face abruptly grew warmer, a strange sensation for her. Her body seemed to have developed an entirely new volition.

“I thought I’d say a brief hello. And now I’ve done that, so …”

“Would you like to have dinner with me?” Mike hastily asked. It was clear that he wasn’t going to let her escape that easily. “Two streets over, there’s a diner that makes excellent hamburgers.”

“Hamburgers?” She hadn’t eaten one of those in ages.

“They serve other things, too.” Mike reddened, reading her tone as disparaging toward that typical American food.

Oh, he was so cute! “Burgers are okay.” Damn it, that was practically a yes! Marla bit her tongue. She’d just go there, eat a hamburger, and immediately take off.

“Cool,” said Mike, grinning broadly. That brought out the dimples in his cheeks, which unfortunately made him even more attractive.

I’m lost, Marla thought as Mike linked arms with her and led her away.

Antheus had come to take him back to the hall for his next training session. The unusually tall demon, otherwise identical to the other high lords, down to the last hair — well, no, he had no hair, like the rest of the High Council — projected a mental iciness to Daniel that made him shiver.

Obron and Metistakles were already waiting for him. They were standing next to the throne of the Overlord Xandros, his “Grandpa,” as Daniel … Silvan reminded himself with a certain amount of uneasiness. Daniel had tried to find a family resemblance, but he hadn’t yet seen Xandros’ face. Had Marla ever seen him with his hood down? She was his grandchild as well.

Xandros, whose bony fingers were gripping the armrests of his throne, was just barely visible under his spacious hood. Daniel imagined that his eyes were glowing a deep crimson. He could almost feel the heat on his skin. He wanted badly to see what he looked like, but as soon as Daniel raised his eyes to take a closer look, a stabbing pain shot through his mind, so he immediately bowed his head.

Daniel would even have been happy if Sirina were here, just so he wouldn’t have to endure being alone with these eerie underworlders. When he became Overlord, would he have to wear those horrible grey robes — and shave his head? Daniel loved his black hair and didn’t want to lose it.

But there were some advantages to being a demon: As soon as one reached a certain physical and magical “maturity” — usually between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one — the body’s biological processes entered a time loop. Demons aged unbelievably slowly and were practically immortal, although this was only the case when they changed their “diet” and fed exclusively on souls and negative energy. But Daniel could continue to eat normal food when he wanted, he had been told. A life without noodle casserole, hot dogs, and cheesecake wasn’t worth living.

Immortal … and all that power.

That was nothing to sneeze at.

Daniel knew one thing for certain: As soon as he was in charge, many things would change.

As she had every afternoon over the past few days, Vanessa sat with James and Danny’s mother at the Taylors’ kitchen table. Anne’s face was buried in a handkerchief. She continued to blame herself for failing, not only as a wife but also as a mother. James had put his arm around her and was trying to calm her down. “Anne, it’s not your fault that he ran away.”

Ran away … that was what Anne believed.

James had asked Vanessa not to tell Anne the truth for now, both to avoid upsetting her unnecessarily and, more importantly, to avoid putting her in danger. “If Daniel’s in the underworld, and I think that’s likely, then we can’t do anything about it,” James had told her in a rare unguarded moment. “I can’t get him out of there.” Vanessa also suspected he was there, as she hadn’t seen Marla since the day of his disappearance. James and Vanessa hoped that he’d come back soon. But as the days went by, this became less probable.

The school vacation was over, and Anne had called in sick for Daniel. She didn’t go to work, either. Vanessa had told Mike that she didn’t want to talk about Daniel just then, that they weren’t going to see each other for a while so that they could work out their feelings. But when she thought of Daniel, she couldn’t help but cry.

Vanessa couldn’t describe how much it hurt her that Daniel had gone away without even saying goodbye. At night when she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, she saw Sirina lying on top of Danny, kissing him. He’s probably having fun down there! she thought angrily. But she tried to keep her emotions in check. Anne had it worse than her. After all, she was abandoned twice — first by her husband, then by her child. Nevertheless, Vanessa felt like someone had torn her heart out of her chest. She missed Danny, she blamed herself for their fight, and she was afraid for him. Over the past few days, she had done plenty of research on the Internet, had questioned James closely, and had absorbed all the information she could about demons and the underworld. Most of it was terrifying. Vanessa kept dreaming about Danny and waking up crying. They weren’t pleasant dreams. Danny had looked horrible, with a distorted face and glowing eyes and horns growing out of his head. She didn’t want him to transform into an evil soul-sucking creature.

She missed him dreadfully …

Anne blew her nose into her handkerchief, then said to James, “He wanted so badly to meet you, and I kept putting him off. Why couldn’t I just tell him that he’d see you soon?” She looked at him penetratingly. “I don’t want to hear any more excuses!”

James ran a hand through his hair. He had been doing this all evening, and it was becoming increasingly disheveled. He was really quite an attractive man, and the resemblance to Daniel was so strong that the tightness beneath Vanessa’s sternum became almost unbearable when she looked at him for too long. Danny had inherited his father’s tall, slim figure and his green eyes. The coal-black hair must have come from his demonic mother.

When James didn’t answer, Anne stood up and went over to the telephone that hung on the wall next to the refrigerator. “I want to talk to Officer Thompson. We have to do something, James! I can’t sit around uselessly any longer — and you’ve been no help at all.”

Vanessa knew that Rhea Thompson was an acquaintance of James; like him, she worked for the same underground organization. Not twenty-four hours after Daniel’s disappearance, she had presented herself at Anne’s house as a police officer who had supposedly been notified by James.

Anne picked up the phone and was about to dial the number when James came up behind her and took the receiver out of her hand.

“Anne, the police can’t help us.”

“But why not?” Anne’s gaze shifted between James and Vanessa. “I can tell that you’re hiding something from me!” she cried. “What is it? Is it Danny? Did they find him? Is he dead?” She broke down sobbing in front of James, who was just able to catch her. He lifted her in his arms and carried her into the living room, where he laid her on the couch.

Vanessa followed them, noticing only then that she, too, was crying. She was so afraid for Danny! Maybe the demons had done something to him, and he really was dead!

No — she mustn’t think that way.

“He’s not dead, Anne, don’t even think that.” James covered her with a checkered blanket and sat down beside her. He stroked her blond hair, but then pulled his hand back quickly. “It’s … complicated, and I don’t know how exactly to explain everything to you. But it’s time you found out.”

“So he is dead?” she whispered, looking at James through her tears.

“No!” James propped his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. “I don’t know how to start … From the very beginning, I guess.” He looked over at Anne, sighing. “Many thousands of years ago, there was a group of druids were capable of magic. They were powerful sorcerers with superhuman abilities. Some of them used their powers for good, but others succumbed to the temptations of evil and abused their might to corrupt the rest of humanity. Those magicians grew ever more wicked and ruthless, and so a war broke out. In order to continue to corrupt humans and rob them of their vital energy, they created their own kingdom deep underground. From then on, the two groups were locked in battle with each other: demons and watchers. Demons are basically a race of humans that long ago split off from the family tree.”

Anne was staring at him as though he wasn’t quite right in the head. “Why are you telling me this, James? I don’t want to hear a fairy tale — I want to know where my child is!”

“I’m coming to that,” James murmured, his eyes lowered. He turned toward Anne but didn’t meet her eyes. “I lied to you back then, when I said that Daniel’s mother had disappeared and I couldn’t take care of Daniel because I traveled so much for work.”

Anne raised her eyebrows. “And?”

“Well, Daniel’s mother … she was … murdered.”

Anne’s eyes widened. “James! That’s terrible!” She sat up and moved closer to him, taking his hand. “Did the police catch the killer?”

“No, I … the police would have thought I was crazy if I had told them the truth; you won’t believe me, either.”

Vanessa had perched herself in an armchair and was raptly listening to James’ story; many of the details were new to her.

“Well, tell me, already!” Anne was fidgeting impatiently.

“Daniel’s mother — Kitana was her name — well, she was …” He took a deep breath. “… a demon.”

Anne burst out laughing. “Yeah, right!” She scowled. “That’s enough! I’m calling Officer Thompson!”

Vanessa felt compelled to say something. She jumped to her feet and grabbed Anne’s arm before she could even stand up. “James is right. Danny’s half demon, I can confirm it!”

Anne slumped back down on the couch. “You’re pulling my leg, the both of you.”

“No, unfortunately, we’re not.” James gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “Just hear me out. Do you remember that I went to a different school than you and Peter?”

“Of course,” Anne whispered. “You went to boarding school.”

“Yes, but it wasn’t just any boarding school. I was trained as a watcher.”

“A watcher?”

“I’m not an ordinary human, Anne. Neither is your son. Look.” James stretched out his hand, and a staff of bright light formed within it.

Vanessa gasped. Anne blinked rapidly, her mouth hanging open, until James made a fist and the rod of light vanished.

“Wow, that was a great trick!” Anne smiled, and James shook his head despairingly.

“Something else, then,” he murmured, standing up. “Give me your hand.”

“Another trick?” Anne got up and reached a hand out to James while Vanessa looked on, spellbound. No sooner had their fingers intertwined than they both disappeared with a quiet “pop.”

“What?!” Vanessa shot up from her chair. “Where are you?” She groped at the empty air around her, but no one was there.

A few seconds later, she heard another “pop.”

Vanessa spun around. Anne and James were standing behind her, arms wrapped around each other.

Vanessa ran over to them. “What happened?”

“W-we were … standing in the middle of a desert!” Anne let James lead her over to the couch. Anne shut her eyes and leaned back. “Am I dreaming?”

James pulled her into his arms, and her head sank onto his shoulder. “You’re not dreaming. We were just in the Mojave Desert. I can translocate — it’s something like beaming on Star Trek. Because I’m a watcher.”

Beaming? “Wow!” Vanessa exclaimed.

James turned to her. “Could you get me something to eat? Translocation requires an awful lot of energy.”

In fact, James looked exhausted. The circles under his eyes were much darker than before.

Vanessa hurried into the kitchen to make him a grilled cheese sandwich, but kept an ear out for what James was saying to Anne: “You can’t imagine how much I wanted to tell you the truth when we were kids. But I couldn’t. I swore an oath.”

Vanessa peered briefly into the living room. There was a faint smile on Anne’s lips. “You were always the unattainable fairy-tale prince for me.”

James was also smiling. “Not the spoiled rich kid?”

“That, too.” Anne’s cheeks reddened as she looked at James.

Vanessa would have liked to leave the two alone. It was obvious that they felt drawn to each other. She rushed to make the sandwich, not wanting to miss any details of the story. She placed it on a plate, grabbed a can of beer, and hurried back into the room.

James gratefully took the sandwich and devoured it in a few bites.

Anne sighed. “I’ve never seen Daniel do any magic.”

“His powers have only just emerged,” James said, placing the empty plate on the coffee table and opening the can of beer. “That’s why I made sure to give you that cellphone number. I had to know if anything unusual happened.”

“He had been so quiet recently,” Anne whispered, closing her eyes. “I thought it was because of Peter and me.”

“He didn’t want to upset you,” Vanessa interjected. “After all that you’ve been through.”

Anne cleared her throat and turned back to James. “What have you been living off of all these years? Have you been working?” The questions just poured out of her. “And where exactly have you been? I tried to get an address for you, but you were nowhere to be found. Not even your parents could tell me where you were. When there was an emergency, when Danny was sick, you were right there. Were you living in hiding at your parents’ — no, you beamed here, isn’t that right?”

James nodded. “Yes. I also translocated here to secretly visit my parents. They had to swear not to reveal my whereabouts to you. Most of the time, my parents didn’t even know themselves. I’ve been on the run this whole time — from the demons, but also from the Guild.”

“Why from the Guild?” Vanessa asked.

“I can’t trust anyone.” James lowered his eyes. He finished his beer and went on. “I’ve lived here and there. Europe, Australia, even Africa. I earn my living by doing translations. During my watcher training, I learned a number of ancient languages. It’s been very useful. I offer my services on the Internet under a pseudonym, mostly to museums, and the pay is good.”

“What were you doing when you were in Cairo?” Anne asked. “Or were you not really there at all?”

“No, I was there.” James nodded thoughtfully. “I was in the last year of my studies. I was working in a little group led by one of my professors, excavating a pyramid. We were looking for magical artifacts. For one in particular …” He hesitated for a moment, as though he didn’t want to tell them the rest of the story. “We were searching for a scepter.”

Anne scooted closer to him. “Why?”

“It was supposed to be a very powerful artifact. With it, you could rule the world.” He sighed. “I found it.”

Vanessa froze. Anne sat up straight and looked at James. “Then what happened?”

“I was young and stupid, and I activated it on my own. This alerted the demons that the scepter had been found. A demon appeared before me, a lovely young woman with a baby in her arms. She warned me of the danger. We fled together and hid the scepter somewhere else. That was nineteen years ago. The Watchers’ Guild cast me out, but I didn’t care. I was so in love with Kitana that I scarcely had eyes for anything else around me.”

Vanessa noticed that Anne had tensed up. “Kitana. Daniel’s mother?”

James nodded. He stroked Anne’s arm gently. “I could tell you much more; it would take hours to fill you in on everything. For example, there’s a certain prophesy made by a demonic oracle. Kitana said that one day the scepter would save her child, and that’s why she hadn’t destroyed it. And I haven’t, either.”

Anne sat up ramrod straight. “This scepter will save Daniel?”

James nodded. “I think so. Kitana learned this from the oracle shortly before she fled from the other demons. She had just given birth to a daughter. Her husband wanted to kill the baby, because he didn’t want her to ascend to the throne one day. Her name was Marla.”

“Marla?” Vanessa gasped. “I know her!”

James’ mouth fell open. His face went as white as a sheet. “What?”

Vanessa’s heart raced. “It’s true!”

“Marla … She’s alive?!” he choked out.

“Yes.” Vanessa nodded.

“Are you sure?”

“Completely sure. We’re … well, we were … not exactly friends, but I know her. If I had only known this all before … She was the one who tracked Danny down to bring him back to the underworld. Why didn’t I tell you this sooner? Danny told me that she was his half-sister!” Vanessa had been so fixated on Daniel that she had forgotten everything else.

James jumped up. “Marla’s alive!” He paced through the room like a caged animal, running a hand through his hair. “I always thought they would have long ago …” He gave a deep sigh. “I just assumed that Marla was …” James’ voice broke and his eyes swam with tears as he looked at Vanessa. “I’m so happy she’s alive. Do you know where she is?”

Vanessa frowned. “No, unfortunately. Since Danny’s been gone, she’s disappeared.”

There was a brief silence until Anne finally cleared her throat. She looked at James, and he continued his story. Kitana’s demonic husband Obron had wanted a boy who could be heir to the throne, and therefore Marla had to go.

“Her own father wanted Marla dead?” Vanessa interrupted. “Why is she still alive, then?” Something about this story didn’t add up.

“That wasn’t the real reason. It actually had to do with the scepter and Kitana’s past.”

Instead of explaining about the artifact, James pulled a silver chain he wore around his neck out from beneath his shirt and showed Anne and Vanessa the little oval-shaped amulet on it. There was a red stone in the middle that looked like an eye. “If I ever take this off,” James told them, “I’ll become visible to the demons. It’s the only reason I am able to be here with you at all right now. As long as I wear the eye of Horus, I see the creatures differently. They emit a kind of red aura. When I visited Daniel in the hospital for the blood transfusion, his aura was a light orange. He isn’t fully transformed …” James turned to Anne. “You weren’t allowed to tell Daniel that I wanted to see him because all the underworlders are mentally linked to one another. They would have been able to find me despite the amulet, and then they’d torture me to discover the scepter’s hiding place. The artifact must never fall into their hands.”

“Torture?” Anne whispered, squeezing James’ hand.

Vanessa would have liked to learn more about the magic amulet and the scepter — what made it so important for the demons, for instance — but James was moving on.

“After we had once moved on, Kitana created a portal to get the computer I had left in the hotel room we had been previously been in. At least, that’s what she claimed, but it was really just an excuse; that became clear to me later, when I found my laptop at the bottom of my suitcase. Kitana gave the amulet to me and Danny, who she left with me, so that the demons wouldn’t discover our new hiding place. She had other reasons for leaving …

“But Marla, who was supposed to remain with us, ran after her — the little girl always clung to her mother. I hadn’t yet mastered the art of translocation, and I blamed myself for what happened next.” James lowered his head. “Just when Kitana was about to get back — she had already created the portal — several demons in long, grey robes were suddenly standing behind her and Marla. They must have detected her activities. One of them grabbed Marla from the portal. And then … then I saw one of the demons walk up to Kitana and set her alight with a blue fire. The portal instantly closed. I had always assumed that Marla had perished as well.”

Anne was staring at James. It was evident that she couldn’t quite come to terms with what she had just been told.

James was looking at the floor. His hands balled into fists, he sat down next to Anne and cleared his throat. He looked very sad. Anne stroked his hand for a long time, then stood up, trembling. “I think I need a drink.”

After Anne had disappeared into the kitchen, Vanessa leaned over to James and whispered, “What do you think the demons want from Danny?”

James said quietly, “According to the laws of succession, he’ll be the next Overlord.”

“Yes, he told me that, but he said that he refused.”

“I don’t really think they ever would have accepted him as the Overlord, so I have to presume that they want something else from him.”

“The scepter.” Her heart was beating wildly.

James nodded. “At first, I thought that they would kill Daniel because his blood is impure, but after you informed me that he had returned from the underworld unscathed … Kitana once told me that the scepter must never fall into their hands. Into anyone’s hands, not even the watchers. The temptation is too great for anyone, even for those who are pure of heart. The scepter radiates a dark magic that can corrupt anyone. It grants the bearer unimaginable power, multiplying his or her own powers many times over.”

Many things had become clearer for Vanessa, and her fear for Daniel grew.

They suddenly heard a clattering noise, as though a glass had fallen.

“I’ll see how Anne’s doing,” James said quickly, standing up.

Vanessa decided to leave the two of them alone for a while. She had so much to think about.

When James entered the kitchen, he saw Anne standing at the window, her back to him. She was leaning on the wooden counter; next to her, on the floor, was the fallen glass. A piece of the rim had broken off. James carefully picked up both pieces and threw them in the trash can. Then he came up behind Anne and put his arms around her.

Anne leaned back against him, shaking. “I … I can scarcely believe it all,” she said softly.

James tightened his embrace and kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted to involve you in this, but there was no choice. You were the only person I could think of when I was looking for a safe place for Daniel.”

Anne turned around to face him. “Why me, James?”

“You were my best friend outside the Guild,” he whispered, gazing steadily into her eyes. “You had nothing to do with anything supernatural. My son would be safe with you. I never could have given him a proper home. I was constantly on the run.”

Anne opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but then shut it again. Perhaps it was time for James to explain to her how much their friendship had meant to him. “If I hadn’t been a watcher …” Although he was afraid how she might react, he continued bluntly, “… I would have asked you to marry me.”

Anne didn’t reply.

James hoped that he hadn’t been foolishly hasty in revealing his feelings to her. She looked at him, trembling, her blue eyes filling with tears. James didn’t know what to do. He wanted badly to kiss her. His pulse was thundering in his temples, making his head ache. He hadn’t been so close to a woman since Kitana, and he wasn’t used to it anymore. But he missed this intimacy. He missed Kitana, love, and everything that went along with it. He had been alone for far too long.

After an eternity, she asked quietly, “What do you mean?”

James cleared his throat. “Your letters meant so much to me, but they were a constant reminder of what I couldn’t have. I was so jealous of Peter. The whole time I was in Cairo, all I wanted was to take the next plane back here to steal you away. I missed you so much.”

A smile flitted across Anne’s lips. “Oh, James, you can’t imagine how much I was in love with you.”

His heart skipped a beat. “Really?” he whispered, pulling her closer to him. It felt so wonderful to be with her. He still loved her. Was it possible to love two women? He had given his heart to Kitana, but a part of it had always remained with Anne.

“Really,” she whispered back. Her mouth was so close to his …

“I wanted so badly to tell you everything back then, but I couldn’t. I’m no longer in the Guild, but I’m a member of an underground watcher organization.”

Her mouth came closer. Even though James wanted nothing more than to kiss Anne that instant, he knew he had to clarify matters between them. “There’s more that you should know,” he said, his voice raw. How much could she bear? “I don’t know if you can stand to hear it.”

“Tell me everything, James. I don’t want there to be any more secrets between us.”

He sighed, relived. He didn’t want that, either.

“You’re going to hate me.”

She gently stroked his cheek. “I could never hate you. You gave me the greatest gift I’ve ever received: a child.”

“I …” He took a deep breath and mustered all his courage. “I’m so sorry that I ruined your marriage.”

Anne’s forehead creased as she frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Peter knew everything.” The truth was finally out. It felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He wouldn’t have to lie to Anne anymore. Never again.

Anne stiffened. “Peter knew about Daniel? That he’s part demon?”

James nodded. He hoped that she wouldn’t throw him out of the house. “Peter had to swear an oath. He and Dr. Graham are the only ones in on it. Otherwise, it never would have worked: Daniel’s illness, the adoption … Our organization has a great deal of power, money, and influence. We have to protect ourselves. Peter did everything we asked of him, but the secret was a great burden for him. Dr. Graham, who’s a watcher, thought it would be better to inform him — in case Daniel had a relapse and needed my blood again.” James didn’t know whether he should tell Anne what Peter had confided to him — that he and Anne had never really been a good match. Now that Anne knew the truth, perhaps she should talk things over with Peter.

Tears were shimmering in her eyes. Anne looked tremendously hurt, but said nothing.

James loosened his hold on her and shut his eyes. “I could give you a thousand reasons why I couldn’t say anything to you, but I know that it wouldn’t help you right now.” He sighed quietly and let her go, but she continued holding on to him. “If you want, I’ll go. But I’m going to bring Daniel back from Hell — I won’t allow you to be left all alone. I’ll do anything, even at the cost of my own life. I just wanted you to know the whole truth.”

Anne’s fingers were clutching the collar of his shirt. Her hands were shaking, and so was her voice. “We’re not going to give up on Daniel. He’s our child.”

When she said the word “our,” something deep within James sparked to life.

“We’ll get through this together, and then we can talk about us.”

“Okay,” James replied. He was relieved by Anne’s reaction, and even more relieved when she snuggled up to him and kissed him. “Please, hold me,” she said softly. “Just hold me tight.”

James did as she asked. He never wanted to let her go.

They were sitting across from each other in the restaurant, two steaming hamburgers on the plates before them, when Mike asked her, “Who are you visiting here in Little Peak?”

“Um, just a friend,” Marla said quickly, focusing her attention on the food. “This looks great!” It really did. Generally speaking, demons hungered after the souls from which they drew their energy — but Marla was different; she had to eat. From the very start, the Council had forbidden her to feed on souls. It would have made her stronger, and the high lords didn’t want that to happen. That was her punishment — enforced by Obron — for her mother’s treachery.

It wasn’t fair!

This just increased her hatred for James Carpenter. He alone was responsible for her misery. When he was out of the picture, she would be free; she would finally be able to live like a real demon. She’d hunt for souls until she had corrupted the last human on earth, so that no mortal would ever again interfere with her world.

The little bit of energy she needed to live was given to her in secret by the Oracle. Metistakles sucked Marla’s energy reserve completely dry when he had his way with her. Otherwise, she found herself something to eat in the upper world — another secret no one could be allowed to discover. Demonic magic like the creation of a portal required a great deal of energy, so Marla was justifiably hungry.

She shuddered. She didn’t want to think about Metistakles right now. That would only attract his attention to her — and also to Mike. Luckily, Metistakles rarely focused on anything except his own interests.

Mike looked at her expectantly. “The double cheeseburger is the best. Try it before it gets cold, or don’t you like hamburgers?”

“Of course I do,” she said, holding her breath. Mike had taken a big bite, and there was a bit of sauce on the corner of his mouth that Marla would have liked to lick off.

“I almost didn’t recognize you at the fountain earlier.” Mike took a sip of his diet soda. “You looked so different as a punk, but just as cute.” Mike’s blue eyes sparkled, and Marla melted. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Damn humans, damn my weakness!

When his knee touched hers under the table, Marla almost jumped up; it felt like an electric shock has passed through her. She quickly grabbed her burger and bit into it. She had selected a veggie burger — not because of its contents, but because the name sounded funny to her. Her teeth cut through the soft bun, then reached the patty made from grain, mushrooms, and nuts that lay between a slice of cheese and a piece of lettuce. The lettuce crunched in her teeth, and juice flowed out of the plump bite of veggie patty in her mouth. Marla shut her eyes in pleasure and sighed, then hastily chewed and swallowed. She had never tasted anything so delicious.

She heard Mike laugh. “I wasn’t exaggerating, was I?”

“Delicious,” she murmured, taking another bite.

“You eat that like you haven’t had a bite to eat in ages.”

How right he was … However, Marla was afraid he might start asking her questions, and wondered what normal humans would be talking about in this kind of situation.

“Do your parents live in Little Peak, too?” she asked. Marla really was interested in Mike’s life. She knew about his taste in music and how he had furnished his apartment, but he hadn’t yet said anything about his family. Marla didn’t remember seeing any photos of them in his apartment.

“No, my parents don’t live here,” Mike answered her, “and I’m happy that there’s several hundred miles between us.”

Marla looked up. “Don’t you get along with them?”

He shrugged his shoulders and muttered, “I never met their expectations; I could never do anything right in their eyes.” But his eyes started to shine when he talked about his job. “It’s so great to have a fulfilling job. I really like working in the bank.” He looked at Marla, grinning. “If the subject doesn’t bore you, I’ll tell you all about loans, stocks, and savings accounts.”

Marla nodded eagerly. As long as Mike was talking, she couldn’t say anything wrong. She also liked listening to his voice. “Okay, but only if you pay for my dinner,” she said with a laugh. She hadn’t felt this good in a long time.

After a leisurely stroll, during which Mike actually showed her the few sights that Little Peak had to offer — the monument to the city’s founders, the historical Carnegie library, and the mining museum — they turned into a street that Marla recognized. The sign said “Willow Street.” Of course …

“This is where I live, by the way,” Mike said, coming to a halt in front of the entrance to number four.

I know … Marla almost blurted out. She quickly said, “Okay, well … I guess I’ll be going.”

He had put his jacket around her earlier, wrapping her in his warmth and that irresistible scent. Demons weren’t sensitive to the cold, but she still appreciated the gesture. Marla gave a quiet sigh as she took off the jacket to hand it back to him. She would have liked to keep it as a souvenir.

“Do you really think I’d let you go home alone in the dark?” Mike’s gaze was so intense that Marla felt a little dizzy.

If you only knew … Where I come from, there’s eternal darkness. She smirked. “I’m a big girl; I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can,” Mike said softly, tossing his jacket over his shoulder and moving closer to her.

Marla automatically took a step back, but she couldn’t escape; she had her back to a wall and could feel Mike’s chest pressing lightly against her.

Marla shut her eyes. She knew exactly what Mike wanted, and she wanted it, too. How she wanted it!

But it was wrong, so wrong … He was a human! Marla didn’t want to make the same mistake her mother had. Why did she have such strong feelings for Mike?

“Marla,” he whispered, his lips grazing her cheek. His hands were gripping her arms, and his warm body was right up against hers.

Mike’s breathing quickened, as did Marla’s. She wanted to push him away with demonic magic, but her mental powers failed her. His proximity, his warmth, and his scent were sufficient to render her defenseless.

“Don’t,” she whispered into his cheek, eyes still shut. His stubble tickled her lips, and Marla recalled how gloriously it had shone in the evening sun … like gold.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to,” he promised, and these words were enough to break down her resistance. She turned her head a little and found herself kissing Mike on the lips.

Marla’s heart stopped for a moment, then beat twice as fast as before. She had never experienced such feelings before — how soft his lips were, and how tenderly he was kissing her! She thought she might melt from pure happiness.

For demons, sex was normally a way to pass the time — unbridled lust without any romantic meaning. But had Marla ever really been “normal,” for a demon? If so, how could a kiss knock her off her feet like this?

She had probably been exposed to humans and their emotions too much as a child; it must have rubbed off on her. Like Obron always said, Kitana had ruined her.

Marla had to be emotionless; she was a demon, damn it all!

She instinctively felt that this had something to do with Kitana. There had always been something not quite right about her. Marla had dreams about her mother that were so real, like she was inhabiting her mother’s body. In her dreams, she experienced these same emotions — not only for Mike, but also for James, the man Marla abhorred.

Marla didn’t want to think about Carpenter or the underworlders, nor about the mission she had to complete. Right then, she only wanted to find peace in Mike’s arms.

He pulled her to him, and Marla could feel the contours of his muscular body. Usually, physical closeness was difficult for her, but with Mike, she didn’t feel afraid. For one thing, she knew that she was stronger than him, thanks to her powers; and for another, she sensed that he would never hurt her.

Finally, she took the initiative and stuck a hand under Mike’s shirt to caress the smooth, warm skin of his back. It felt good to be so close to someone who she … liked.

Her body tingled, and her heart raced so fast that she began to feel dizzy.

“Do you want to come up?” Mike asked. “Just so we don’t get cited for public indecency.”

She managed a nod, although the ramifications of the decision made her long to open a portal to escape. Mike pulled her to the main door and up the steps to the first floor. His hands were shaking so much that he could scarcely unlock his door, and Marla was tempted to help him by magical means.

Finally he succeeded, and they quickly landed on his big, circular bed, not even bothering to turn on the light.

Marla could see perfectly well in the dark, so she knew that little had changed in Mike’s bedroom since she had been there the last time: The walls were still painted bright red — at least, Marla assumed they were from their shade of grey, since she couldn’t recognize colors in the dark — but now the sheets were white satin instead of black.

White … white stood for innocence.

Marla was anything but innocent with regard to sexual experience.

She was a demon, after all! Corrupted, evil to the core … but had she ever truly felt that way?

Mike had completely shattered her worldview, broken it into tiny pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. Marla would never be able to put it back together, she knew that already. Was Mike an angel freeing her from Hell? Had James been an angel who had saved her mother? Was there any such thing as salvation for a demon?

These thoughts were banished as Mike gripped her sweater to pull it off. She hesitantly did the same to him. It was easier than she thought to take off another person’s clothes — another thing that was new for her.

So many new and confusing things, all at once … Mike, what are you doing to me?

He gently pushed her onto the bed and kissed her throat. Her lace bra suddenly seemed to constrict her chest, and she was glad when Mike unfastened it. How dexterously he did so … He was clearly a man with some experience. And so gentle … Marla felt safe with him.

Her hands ran over his perfect torso, over his slightly pronounced pectoral muscles and his flat stomach. Marla stroked his narrow hips and then slid her hands across his back. His skin was crazily soft — as silky as the satin sheets she was lying on.

After Mike had stripped off her bra — chosen with Vanessa’s help — he lay down on top of her. Marla thought she might swoon from the sensation of skin against skin. The pressure of his body and his passionate kisses almost made her lose her mind.

Their tongues did a wild dance as their bodies rubbed and pressed against each other. Was it always this way between a man and a woman, a human and a demon?

Now Marla understood why her mother had left the underworld. There was no question, she would give up her old life for these feelings … if she weren’t Metistakles’ slave. She was bound to the high lord by her father’s oath. Only he — or the death of Metistakles — could annul it. Marla would never be free to be with Mike unless she killed James.

Damn it, what kind of thoughts were these? But she suddenly had an overwhelming desire to belong to Mike, body and corrupted soul. She knew she’d kill for it, even though she had never killed another living creature. “What are you doing to me?” she whispered.

“Seducing you.” Mike laughed, and his breath on her cheek sent a wave of goose bumps over Marla’s entire body.

Why did he have to be so damn sexy?

He abruptly pulled away, and Marla felt oddly abandoned. “What’s wrong?” she asked woozily. She saw that Mike was fumbling around on the nightstand.

“I want to see you,” he replied, reaching for the switch on his bedside lamp.

No! He couldn’t see her naked!

She rolled over him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back; in her fit of panic, she used a little magic. Mike was deftly flipped back onto the bed.

“What …” He gasped. “Wow, I didn’t think you were that strong!”

Marla sat astride his torso (so that he didn’t get any more bright ideas about the light) and caressed his chest. She liked having him under her, defenseless, arms bent behind his head.

Moaning, Mike closed his eyes and pressed his hips into hers.

“Why can’t I turn on the light?” he asked between kisses.

“I’m just shy,” Marla answered as she bent to unzip Mike’s trousers.

He laughed. “I can see that!”

Mike helped her slide off his trousers, but left his boxers on — and then it was Marla’s turn. He had a little trouble unbuttoning her jeans in the dark, which amused her, but she soon relented and helped him; she could scarcely wait to feel his skin against hers again.

Marla lay on her back in only her panties, watching with fascination as Mike slipped out of his tight boxers. He had the body of a god — if a demon was allowed to say that.

She gasped as he lay down on top of her, fully naked. The sensation of being so intensely close was indescribable. As they caressed each other, Mike kissed her throat, her breasts, and her stomach before sliding his hand into her panties.

Marla suddenly froze in place.

Mike immediately removed his hand. “Is this going too fast for you?”

“A little,” she whispered, breathless. “But what you were doing with your hand …” She blushed. “… that’s okay.”

Mike carefully retraced his steps, this time more slowly, and when he found her most sensitive spot, Marla’s body arched against his.

A heavenly sensation spread out from the site. The tingling between her legs became a tightening and a throbbing — Marla couldn’t exactly describe the feeling. She just knew that it was … overwhelming.

As Mike continued stroking her, something gigantic raced toward her. “Mike … I … help me!” Moaning, she shut her eyes tight and clung to his shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” He stopped abruptly.

“Don’t stop!” she ordered, and he understood.

A million stars exploded before her eyes, and every cell in her body seemed to burst. All her pent-up emotions were released in one fell swoop, such that she barely noticed Mike rubbing against her thigh and also finding fulfillment. For a fraction of a second, she saw his face, twisted in ecstasy, bathed in a bright glare as the light bulb in his bedside lamp lit up and burst.

Mike flinched. “What the …!”

Marla quickly took hold of his cheeks to kiss them. Suddenly she tasted … salt?

“Why are you crying?” Mike sounded shocked.

She was crying? Incredulous, she ran a hand over her face.

It was in fact wet. When was the last time she had cried in front of another person? It must have been the day they killed her mother before her eyes. Otherwise, she only shed tears when she awoke from the strange nightmares that she sometimes had.

“Did I do something wrong?” Mike stroked her hair, bewildered. “Marla?”

“No, no,” she said hastily. “It’s just because it was so beautiful.” And she meant it. Mike had been so tender and considerate, and then her first orgasm — that had driven her over the edge. Sirina had often raved about this feeling, but Marla had never enjoyed it herself.

She heard Mike exhale in relief. Then he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them both. Marla nestled herself happily against his warm chest and shut her eyes, exhausted.

Happy … yes, that’s what she was. Happy and satisfied.

She felt Mike put his arm around her — and then she fell asleep.

No, not again, Marla thought in her sleep. In her dream, she had turned into her mother, as she so often did. Why did she always have the same dream? Now she was … Kitana.

Kitana couldn’t bear it any longer. She had used up all her mental powers, and she was sick of this hide-and-seek. Sooner or later, the day would come when the High Council found her and took Silvan away. That would mean certain death for her, her daughter Marla, and James.

Sighing, she looked over at Silvan, who was fast asleep in James’ arms. Even though the baby was only a few days old, Kitana knew that he would grow up to be just as attractive as his father. James was standing with the baby in front of the fireplace, looking with obvious pride at the bundle in his arms.

Kitana sighed again. Her lover had no idea what she was about to do — it was better that way, since he would never have allowed it.

Her heart was heavy as she gazed upon her family, who were all gathered around the fire in the wooden cabin. When she walked over to the window and touched the spiderwebs of icy frost on the glass, she could feel the cold invade her fingertips. She wistfully watched the snowflakes drifting lazily down from the heavens. This patch of land in the Rocky Mountains that was serving as their current hideaway was lovely, but not secure enough to be used for very long.

“Mama, take me with you!” Her two-year-old daughter Marla pulled at Kitana’s trouser leg. Her big eyes had such a pitiful expression that Kitana’s decisiveness wavered for a brief moment.

She pushed a black strand of hair behind the girl’s ear and took her in her arms. “No, dearest. You stay here with James and Silvan. I’ll be right back.” It hurt her to lie to the people she loved most, but she had no other choice. Kitana couldn’t protect them any longer. She hadn’t fed on the souls the Oracle of Memnost supplied to her for two years now, and her demonic powers were steadily waning. Human meals couldn’t replenish her magical reserves.

The Oracle had prophesied the end to her the last time she had refilled her energy reserves. The demons who asked the Oracle for advice had to offer a portion of their stolen soul energy in return, as “payment”. Kitana had learned from Ilaria, High Priestess of the Oracle, how she could use this energy for her needs. There was too much good in her to rob men of their souls — thanks to her ancestry. Now she felt almost on the verge of feeding on James’ soul, so great was her hunger. That must not be allowed to happen!

She had long since severed the mental link to the other demons in order to keep them off her trail. But that required a great deal of energy. Soon she would no longer be able to maintain the blocking magic, and the underworlders would find them right away.

Kitana could see only one way out: She had to leave her family. Silvan and Marla were still too young for the others to be able to create a mental connection and discover their location, and James was protected by the silver amulet with the gleaming red stone in its center: the eye of Horus. As long as he wore it, he would be invisible to demons. It had helped protect Kitana herself from being found as well.

“Mama, please,” Marla pled, flinging her arms around Kitana’s neck.

Don’t make this so hard for me, little one, she told Marla telepathically.

“Marla’s right.” James walked over to them. “Stay here, it’s too dangerous. I can buy myself another laptop.”

“All your work is saved on it, and I feel bad that I forgot to pack it,” she said. Of course she had packed James’ computer; it was tucked away in the bottom of his suitcase. James would find it. He needed it — they lived from the money he earned as a translator. “I know how much it means to you. I’ll make a portal directly to the hotel room, grab your laptop, and come right back.”

Kitana wanted to cry, but she had to stay strong. Her children’s future depended on it!

James cursed softly. “If I had worked a little harder during my watcher training or finished it, I’d be better at translocation.” Frowning, he looked at Kitana. “Sorry, it’s not your fault. I’m just mad at myself.”

“I know,” Kitana whispered. She set Marla on her hip so that she could put her hand on the amulet around James’ neck. She enjoyed feeling the weight and the warmth of the child clinging to her. Then Kitana kissed James, who passionately returned her attentions. How she loved the man!

Kitana knew that this would be their last kiss. The other demons were about to track them down. Without the amulet and the blocking spell, she functioned like a homing beacon. She had to hurry!

She reluctantly pulled away from James and set Marla down on the floor at her feet. Then she stroked her son’s hair. Silvan groggily opened his jade-green eyes and looked at Kitana. The future of the underworld was lying in James’ arms, and he could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

A log on the fire made a cracking sound, sending up sparks, and Kitana flinched. She had never felt such fear. All her senses were on alert and her heart was beating frantically, but she didn’t let it show. She gave her son a soft kiss on his upturned nose and breathed in his scent, trying to hold back her tears. Her chest tightened as she took a few steps back to look at the three people she loved most in the world one last time.

With her hand, she drew a large circle on the wall of the wooden hut. A portal immediately materialized. Through the hole, Kitana could see the hotel room in France that they had left the day before.

Kitana signaled to James that he should put the amulet under his shirt; the protection only had its full effect when it was in direct contact with skin.

James and Silvan immediately disappeared from sight, and even Marla was invisible, as the protective circle extended out a meter from James. It was good that she could no longer see her family; it made parting from them easier. She quickly stepped through the portal, and when she turned around, she saw only the fire burning in the fireplace of an apparently abandoned cabin. But suddenly, before she could close the portal, she saw Marla run up to it and jump through. The portal disappeared, and Marla was standing with Kitana in Provence, five thousand miles away from James and Silvan.

“Marla!” Kitana felt a wave of nausea. She sensed that the others were close by, and she didn’t have enough strength to create another portal. She had used the last of her magical reserves for this moment. All she had wanted was the knowledge that her family was safe.

“Oh, no, Marla!” She swept her daughter into her arms and buried her nose in the girl’s black tresses. “If only you had stayed with James …”

“Where is your son?” The familiar voice echoed through the room. “The Oracle told us of his birth.”

Kitana spun around, clutching Marla even tighter. “Obron!” It was terrifying to see him again after such a long time. The tall demon in the long, grey robe loomed threateningly before her. Behind him, two others of his kind stepped out of a portal. The High Council …

“That’s right, Kitana!” Obron’s poisonous glare bored into her, and he used his mental powers to force her to her knees. “You’re pathetic. Mating with a human!”

Obron’s attention turned to Marla, who was clinging to Kitana, trembling. “Where is the child?” he asked again sharply.

Kitana’s voice wavered; she could barely breathe. “You’ll never get him!”

“It is his destiny, Kitana! He is our future Overlord — even though he’s half human scum, that is the law!”

The demons would never tolerate a half-blood on the throne. Obron only wanted Silvan so that he could manipulate him and exploit him for his own purposes. Kitana had known Obron long enough to recognize his true intentions.

At his nod, the other two demons moved toward her, tearing Marla out of her arms. The child instantly began to cry. “Mama!” Marla reached out her arms toward her mother.

Kitana’s blood pounded in her ears, and her throat tightened as she saw Marla try in vain to free herself from the two high lords, who clawed their fingers into her hair and pulled her back.

“Mama?” Obron spit on the floor. “You’ve ruined our daughter with your human ways! It’s a good thing I’ll be overseeing her education from now on.”

“Please, don’t take her away from me!” Kitana threw herself at Obron’s feet in desperation.

He snorted contemptuously and kicked her in the stomach. “You’ve become weak, wife. You’re a disgrace to us all! I should have foreseen it.”

As Kitana doubled up in pain, clutching Obron’s leg, she drew as much energy from him as she could. She was lost, but she had to get her daughter away from here.

“Where is the eye of Horus?” Obron asked. “I know that you have it!”

“I’ll tell you if you let Marla go,” Kitana whispered, taking care not to let Obron or the others into her mind. She had previous relied on the eye of Horus to protect her from mental attacks. Obron must have just read her thoughts to discover its uses. No one had ever discovered who Kitana really was, and no one could be allowed to discover the location of the scepter. It was Kitana’s duty to protect it. It was her ancestral responsibility.

“How can I believe you, traitor?” Obron cried angrily. “You gave it to the human, didn’t you?”

“At least let me say goodbye to Marla, my lord,” she said submissively. Her whole body was shaking, her heart raced, sweat ran from every pore, and black spots danced before her eyes. She was so afraid!

Obron hissed like a snake. “Why should I do you this favor, traitor?”

“Please, she’s my daughter! I only want to say a last goodbye.”

Unexpectedly, Obron gestured to the others, who let the screaming child go. Marla immediately ran to her mother and threw herself into her arms.

As soon as you see the portal, you run through it, Kitana told her child in her thoughts. Do you understand?!

Marla looked at her, wide-eyed, as if to say, I’ll never leave you, Mama! Marla could receive thought messages, but couldn’t yet send them; her mind was not yet mature enough.

Kitana sensed the love her daughter felt for her. The last two years with James had been the best years of her life. For the first time, Kitana had known what it meant to love and to be loved. Nothing could take that away from her — not even death.

I’ll be right behind you, I promise! she lied to her daughter. Kitana had to keep Marla from falling into Obron’s hands, at any price. Her father would turn her into an ice-cold shell of a creature, a puppet subject to his will.

With the last of her strength, Kitana drew a circle on the wall just big enough for a small child, muttering a spell to ensure that no one could enlarge the hole — keeping the demons from reaching James and Silvan. The portal opened, giving off sparks and the smell of ozone. Kitana looked through the hole into the room she had just left. Although she couldn’t see them, she sensed that James and Silvan were still standing there in front of the fire. She could feel James’ longing for her to return …

Marla hated these dreams. Soon she would witness her mother’s death, so every time the dream reached this point, she tried to wake herself up. But today was different. She heard a voice whispering to her, “Don’t be afraid, I’m right here. It’s just a dream …”

Mike — it was Mike’s voice! He must have realized that she was having a nightmare. Marla was still caught up in the dream scene. She could see the image frozen in time; at the same time, she felt the warmth of Mike’s body and his hand stroking her hair. Mike was there with her, his body pressed to hers.

Suddenly, she was no longer afraid. For the first time, she was ready to face the events that followed. Maybe she would finally find peace. Something was pulling at her, so she allowed herself to slip back into the dream …

Go through the portal! Kitana ordered her, pushing Marla toward the narrow hole, but it was already too late. Two grey figures had hurled ice-blue energy spheres in her daughter’s path, making her turn back in fear.

“You’re so predictable.” Obron grinned devilishly at her and pressed his foot against her shoulder so that Kitana rolled onto her back. She didn’t even have the strength to stand up.

“Should we kill the child?” the demon Kitana knew to be Metistakles asked. His fingers dug into Marla’s hair.

“No!” Obron raised a hand. “Perhaps we still need her. She can tell us where the boy is.”

Kitana was deathly afraid but was too exhausted to move. “Promise me you won’t kill Marla,” she whispered.

Obron crouched down and took her head in his hands. His mind penetrated hers like a knife cutting into her brain.

Promise me, Obron. Let your daughter live.

She needed his promise, and fast. Kitana had no protection without the amulet. Obron would soon discover the truth about her.

Please, Obron, she begged, once more siphoning energy from him. It flowed into her body through his fingers.

His eyes widened. Damn it, where are you? Obron was trying to infiltrate deeper into her mind; the pain was almost unbearable. Before, the amulet had always kept the other demons from finding out her secret.

I’m just like you, she thought. Give me your word! No harm will come to Marla.

Obron let out a growl. Yes, yes, I promise, now be still so I can …

His promise, she had it! Now Kitana laid a charm on Obron so that he could never break his oath. As she inwardly spoke the ancient words of the spell, she knew that Obron had discovered who she was.

Watcher blood flows through your veins! Obron didn’t say this out loud — he didn’t want the others to know. My wife isn’t a pure-blood demon?

Kitana shut her eyes. It’s true, my great-grandmother was a watcher.

Anastissa? Obron delved deeper. Then she must be the one who made the Scepter of Power!

Yes, Obron.

Now he had yet another reason not to kill Marla. In her mind, Kitana heard him laughing. That’s why the Oracle told me that a marriage to you would be a powerful union, and our children something very special! Marla should be able to access the full power of the artifact — her blood is connected to the scepter! Did you know that’s the only reason I wanted you as a wife, Priestess? Again, the evil laugh. You were beautiful; that made it easier for me. I always knew that you were weak and somehow different. But the last hundred years by your side were worth the trouble. What a valuable gift you’ve given me!

You’re wrong, she sent back to him. The Oracle told me that a boy would seal the fate of the scepter — the same boy who carries an even stronger force within him. Silvan! That’s why he was chosen to be the next Overlord. Thanks to his demonic genes and the watcher traits from James, her son would be able to use the full power of the scepter, an idea that frightened Kitana. If Silvan ever held the scepter in his hands … Kitana didn’t want to imagine what he might be capable of. Silvan’s demonic side must never prevail!

Obron read her thoughts and stifled a curse. But then he smiled. I’ll find your boy, count on it, and then I’ll turn him into my minion!

Kitana knew that he only wanted to cause her pain, but his words left her cold. The only thing that really frightened her was the knowledge that he had Marla, and that James and Silvan were no longer under her protection.

You know where the scepter is, he thought. I can almost see it …

I’ll make sure that you never find it, Obron! With her last ounce of strength and an iron will, Kitana enveloped her entire body in electricity. Her skin lit up and sparked as flashes of blue lightning swept over her.

Obron hastily stepped back. “Damn it, what happened?”

Rather than releasing the energy, Kitana directed it within her. She screamed as the fire ate through her skin, nerves, and muscles, mustering only the strength to send her daughter one last message before her own energy burned her up from the inside: Be strong, my child. I’ll always be with you, I promise …

Marla opened her eyes. She was panting for breath. It took her a moment to orient herself in the dark. When she found herself in Mike’s arms, she relaxed. But her heart kept racing, and tears flooded from her eyes. Kitana, her mother, was part watcher? Could it be? She had lived with the demons all those years! She had been a priestess of the Oracle!

The eye of Horus had concealed her identity …

She had sacrificed herself, killed herself to protect an artifact!

So much had become clear to Marla now. The scepter must be incredibly powerful, and Oberon wanted Silvan in order to obtain this power!

Marla snorted. The high lords had yet again used her as a means to an end.

Suddenly she understood why she was capable of feeling. All these years she had thought herself to be a pure-blood demon, and now she realized that she and her brother were more similar than she had thought.

Silvan … should she warn him?

Xandros scowled as he watched Oberon lead Silvan out of the great hall.

“Were you able to find out anything about the scepter’s location, lord?” Metistakles asked submissively, kneeling at Xandros’ feet.

Xandros growled. “Silvan has no idea where his father is or how to find the magical artifact. We’ll have to go about this another way. Silvan must make contact with Carpenter.”

“Does that mean he’ll have to return to the surface?”

“Exactly.” Xandros tapped his fingertips together, enjoying the feeling of powerful energy pulsating though his nerves. He was still strong.

“Marla will be able to convince her brother, lord. I can make her; I have the little one under control.”

“Yes, I’m sure you do, Metistakles. Don’t disappoint me!” Xandros called out. His voice echoed through the hall, bouncing off of the black marble walls. He watched Metistakles crawl away from him, the maggot. But he could be useful. They were all useful — even his son Antheus, who intended to deceive him. They all sought to deceive him — even his own wife had betrayed him, compelling Xandros to kill her. He had murdered the watcher-infected wench when their daughter Kitana gave birth to a girl. But his time wasn’t yet at an end. When he possessed the scepter, thanks to its power, he would rule forever!

Xandros would not set aside his claim to the throne so easily, and certainly not for a half-blood. A prophecy could be mistaken or misinterpreted. Or he could simply insure that it would never be fulfilled! The artifact would be his alone!

The trusted voice of the DJ Phil Newman woke Mike up — it must be eight-thirty, time to get ready for work. Today Mike was scheduled to work from ten to two.

He had just been with Marla. They had spent a fantastic evening together and then ended up in bed. What a great dream!

His eyes still shut, Mike groped for his clock radio. Something sharp stabbed into his finger.

“Ow!” He was immediately wide awake. He blinked in confusion at the splinters of glass that were strewn across his nightstand and on top of the radio. They glinted in the morning sunlight that infiltrated the room between the slats of the blinds.

Mike suddenly remembered the previous night and turned over. There she was: Marla. Naked and lovely, like Sleeping Beauty. Her long hair curled down her neck and across her breasts. In sitting up, he had pushed the blanket down to her hips, and for the first time he saw her long, slender figure and her colorful tattoos — as well as the bruises that covered her entire body, as though someone had brutally beaten her. Mike was deeply shocked. Oh God, what had happened last night?

He quickly pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. Was he to blame? No, no, he hadn’t done anything to Marla; he had been completely sober. He could never inflict harm on Marla!

He had also seen scars all over her body. They were so small and faded that he hadn’t felt them the previous night.

Mike’s pulse beat loudly in his ears, drowning out Phil’s weather report. With a fingernail, Mike carefully pushed the shards of glass off of the clock radio and turned it off. He wondered how the light bulb could possibly have exploded, since the lamp hadn’t even been turned on. A surge in the power grid, he guessed, but these thoughts were overridden by a queasy feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Marla must have been in an accident, or she had been abused, or she had done this to herself. Mike had heard of people who cut or burned themselves, either to punish themselves for something or because they had a troubled relationship with their own body. It was a type of borderline personality disorder.

Marla shifted in her sleep, and Mike held his breath. How should he react?

She turned onto one side, and the blanket slipped away from her body again. Now he could see one of her breasts and a mark that looked like someone had bitten her.

Mike felt a pang in his chest. That wasn’t me, that’s for sure! He rubbed his temples. Did Marla have a boyfriend? Someone who treated her harshly? Did she like that kind of thing? He felt sick.

Her eyelids fluttered and finally opened.

“Good morning,” Mike said as casually as possible, trying to hide his uncertainty.

Marla looked just as confused as he probably did.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I haven’t slept so well in a long time.” She sat up, stretching and yawning, and the blanket slipped further.

She hastily pulled it back up over her breasts and stared at Mike, wide-eyed.

“I already saw,” he said quietly. Marla looked down at her white-knuckled fingers clutching the blanket.

“Who did that to you?” he asked, but Marla remained silent. She didn’t look at him.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Mike’s heart raced. He didn’t want to lose this strange girl he had fallen head over heels in love with.

She shook her head.

“Then who hurt you like that?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. Without hesitation, Mike pulled her into his arms. “Okay, we don’t have to talk about it right now, but you should know that you can tell me anything.” He stroked her back; he could see now that it was covered in welts, and he swallowed hard. Damn it, who did this to her?

Sighing, Marla clung to him. She was trembling slightly, and he could feel her breath on his chest. He had no desire to go to work, damn it — he just wanted to stay with her and protect her forever. He wanted to find out what was wrong, but he bit his lip. If he were too intrusive, Marla might be frightened off.

She said nothing, and finally he gently shifted away from her. “Well … I have to get ready for work.” Mike felt strangely empty without her touch. But he nevertheless turned and put his feet over the side of the bed. He bent down to pick up his boxers, which were with the rest of their clothes in a messy pile on the floor. He quickly slipped them on, taking care not to step on the splinters of glass, and then went to find his spare key.

When he came back into his bedroom, he saw Marla where he had left her, the blanket pulled up to her neck. She frowned and looked questioningly at the key he held out to her.

Mike smiled timidly. “You’re acting like you’ve never seen a key before.”

“Oh, a key, right!” she said quickly, taking it from him. “You lock doors with them.”

At this point, Mike was beyond surprise. “You have a weird sense of humor.” She was strange, but he was completely in love with her. His mysterious girl …

She raised her eyebrows as though she had only just understood what the key meant. “You trust me with your house key?”

“I just want to see you again.” Mike’s heart jumped. He hadn’t even considered whether she wanted to see him again. But he didn’t want her to go back to whoever it was that had treated her so badly.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she replied in a barely audible voice, looking down again.

Mike gently raised her chin. “Please,” he said quietly. “Stay here.”

His face came closer to hers. He had to kiss her; her sensual mouth was just too inviting.

“Okay,” she breathed, and as their lips met, he knew that he would never want any girl but Marla.

Marla hurried through the torch-lit corridors, no real destination in mind. She had hoped to find her brother, but she had only encountered Sirina, who was lolling lasciviously in Silvan’s bed. She had said that her lover was still training with the high lords. Marla only wanted to speak with Silvan — to ask him whether he knew anything about this scepter and to tell him what she had learned about their mother. Silvan had no idea who his mother really was. The descendant of a watcher, the guardian of the scepter! But should she tell him? Kitana had been afraid that Silvan would fall under the power of the scepter … She’d better keep it to herself. Marla also wanted to talk to him about certain human things — naturally, without letting slip that she had been with Mike. She was suddenly frustrated that Silvan, despite being a half-blood, would soon be able to perform more powerful magic than she could; she had always been kept on such a short leash. This fueled her anger at James Carpenter … although … did she still hate him? That damn dream! If only Marla knew who was telling her the truth. Should she warn Silvan? The more Marla thought about her dream, the less certain she became. She was torn. Should she ask Obron whether her mother had really been a watcher? No, Marla knew that she should never bring up the subject of Kitana with him.

She turned in the direction of her chamber, or rather her “hole,” as she called it. Her little brother was already living like an Overlord, and she was housed with the slaves. Which is what she was. Metistakles’ servant.

Marla had once dared to ask her father whether she could have a bigger room instead of the oppressive hole in which she could scarcely turn around; it was barely large enough to hold her cot and a table. It reminded Marla of a prison cell.

Obron had grabbed her by the collar and opened a portal to the other side of the underworld. He didn’t push her through; he merely wanted to demonstrate to her how good she had it. Horrified, Marla had seen how the other demons lived: packed tightly together in damp, dirty caves, fighting over the best spots in this ghetto. So she had no reason to complain; if she did it again, Obron threatened her, he would send her to live with the lower demons.

Marla had the vague feeling that it wouldn’t be long before the downtrodden underworlders rose up against their lords. Like Marla, they were nothing more than slaves, forced to give the high lords and Xandros a portion of their soul energy …

Before Marla reached her hole, Vanessa popped into her head. Nessa would certainly be able to tell Marla about romantic feelings.

Feelings … If everything she had learned were true, then she had watcher blood in her veins. Damn it!

Without further ado, Marla inscribed a portal on the stone wall and stepped through it into Vanessa’s bedroom.

She was disappointed to find that no one was home. Vanessa’s parents were probably working, and Vanessa herself …

School! Marla realized and drew another portal, but Vanessa wasn’t there, either — campus was deserted. Maybe it was the weekend, or a holiday. Marla knew a little about school; she had frequently visited classes in order to learn how to read. That had been denied to her in the underworld. When Obron found out, he didn’t allow Marla to leave the underworld for months. So she visited Ilaria and read there in secret.

Her footsteps echoed off the walls as she walked through the hallways, peeking into classrooms from time to time. Perhaps, if the high lords hadn’t tracked down Kitana, she would be sitting there and learning all about the human world.

A strange sense of emptiness overcame Marla. There was a place in her heart where something was missing, and she felt the organ expanding as though it were trying to fill the void.

Mike … Marla sighed. Where was Vanessa? Marla really could really use her help right now!

She became increasingly restless; her mind was racing. Never before had she had such a strong urge to talk to someone. She could ask Vanessa what she thought her dream might mean. And Marla wanted to know whether Vanessa’s heart beat just as fast when she thought about Silvan. Whether she missed his smell and his fingers on her skin, his smile, his voice, oh … everything!

She was going crazy! Was she under some kind of love charm, or was what she felt the same thing her mother had felt? Were these new, wonderful sensations the root of the reason that Kitana had turned her back on the underworld? Was James no more guilty than Mike was?

Kitana fled because they wanted to kill us both …

Bah! I’m still alive!

Because my mother cast a protective spell on me.

Damn it, she didn’t know what to do! Had her whole life been a lie?

If just one demon realized that she was no longer loyal to them, far worse things were in her future, and she’d certainly never see Mike again!

In any case, everything would have been different if Kitana were still with James. Would they have lived in a little house, like her brother and Vanessa?

Vanessa — maybe she was with Silvan’s foster mother!

Marla created a new portal that led to Silvan’s former bedroom. It looked exactly like it had the last time she had been there. Her demonic hearing picked up several voices on the ground floor. Marla turned herself invisible, quietly descended the stairs, and entered the Taylors’ living room.

She gasped. Not because she had finally found Vanessa, but because of the fact that Vanessa and Silvan’s foster mother were talking to someone Marla couldn’t see!

Although — when she looked very closely and concentrated hard, she could almost make out a translucent figure in the armchair. This must be the source of the masculine voice she heard.

James Carpenter! The thought shot through Marla’s mind. He must still have the amulet that made him invisible to demons! Could Marla just barely make him out because she had some watcher blood in her? Had her dream been the truth, then? But this thought was cast aside as her heart raced. Finally … After so much time, she had finally found Carpenter!

She would have liked to bring him down then and there, but she was too weak. This enraged her, stoking her fury. Her meager magic might just bounce off the eye of Horus back onto her. Shit!

Marla had to exert real effort to stop herself from exploding something. That would have given her away immediately, and Carpenter would surely get away.

Marla retreated quickly toward the stairs. She had to keep hidden; thanks to the amulet, Carpenter would be able to see her if he looked in her direction.

Marla had only one option: seek out the high lords and inform them that Carpenter had resurfaced! Maybe everything would finally turn out well for her. The high lords would leave Marla alone, and no one would find out that she desired a human! Obron wouldn’t be able to kill her, thanks to his oath to her mother, and he still had his lackeys.

But what would become of Silvan?

“Where were you?” Metistakles growled as Marla entered her chamber.

She jerked back and gasped when she saw the high lord lying on her bed. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed his presence.

Before she could tell him about her discovery, Metistakles leapt up and began sniffing at her like an animal. “You were with another!” He took a deep breath, than spat in disgust. “With a human!”

Marla froze in fright.

Mike! “I only w-wanted to please you, my lord, and obtain information about Carpenter.”

“You’ve always been a lousy liar, and so transparent,” Metistakles said uncharacteristically tenderly, running his fingers across her cheek. His fingernails lengthened into razor-sharp talons. Marla knew what was coming. Unimaginable fear flooded through her. He mustn’t find out about Mike! Perhaps he would spare her if she told him that she had found Carpenter. “I … I have him, I found Carpenter,” she stammered.

The look in Metistakles’ eyes was suddenly so cruel that she automatically retreated to her secret place, as she so often did when she was with him. She found herself in her fairy-tale tower. This time, her mother wasn’t waiting there for her, but Mike was, and he took her in his arms.

Metistakles shook Marla, who was lying limp in his arms, even though he knew that it wouldn’t rouse her from her comatose state.

His rage knew no bounds. Finally, after so long, this useless tramp managed to find something out about Carpenter’s whereabouts, and she goes and passes out again! If Marla knew how aggressive this made him feel, she wouldn’t dare try it again. In the future, he would be sure to cast a waking spell on her before enjoying himself so that she could savor his little games as much as he did.

Carpenter … This knowledge could allow him to gain favor with Xandros! Or even better: He could use the information to his own advantage!

Metistakles angrily threw Marla onto the bed and sat down beside her. Marla was just like her mother Kitana, that bitch who had deceived everyone. Kitana had fooled them all with her false identity. Marla’s face and body were relaxed; she was far too attractive, even for a demon. Except for Sirina, who was destined to be the wife of the future Overlord, no demon was more beautiful than Marla, but Metistakles had done his best over the years to decorate her body with his art. He loved to scratch her skin, to pierce her and make her bleed. Unfortunately, thanks to her demonic genes, she healed quickly — far too quickly for his tastes, but at least he wouldn’t run out of “space” on his canvas. But today he had something else in mind. He ran a clawlike hand through Marla’s hair, cupping the back of her head and driving his fingernails into her scalp.

He laid his other hand on her chest, and his sharp nails glided effortlessly through the fabric of her sweater. Marla was wearing human clothing, and her hair looked different. It was straight and silky between Metistakles’ fingers.

“Pathetic,” he muttered. He shut his eyes in order to penetrate deep into Marla’s consciousness. Metistakles knew that she wouldn’t wake anytime soon, so he would have to find out the information about Carpenter himself. He could make it look like he was the one to discover it, and simply kill Marla … although … she made a nice pastime, and Obron would tear his head off. His daughter might yet prove useful if Silvan didn’t play along.

Metistakles laughed to himself as he thought back to how Obron had tried to keep his secret to himself. But when he was training Silvan earlier and became distracted, Xandros had extracted the information from him, and Metistakles had caught some of it.

Even after a long search, he couldn’t find anything in Marla’s mind about Carpenter’s location. Metistakles had great difficulty orienting himself among the chaos of her emotions. He was astounded at how human she was.

“Yes, she definitely takes after her mother,” he hissed as he reached the deepest level of Marla’s consciousness. There, he stumbled across a dark, smooth ball. Marla’s hideout!

So this is where she shuts herself away. To Metistakles’ chagrin, it seemed that she had taken all the important information into her “safe room” with her. He tried in vain to break open the ball with his mental powers and magical spells, but he couldn’t manage to crack it.

Love … He knew it. He was helpless against the greatest power in the universe, and his fury increased as he realized that he had underestimated Marla. Metistakles had been absolutely certain that he had her under control, but those two years among the humans were evidently enough to wipe out the majority of her demonic characteristics, such as callousness.

A light haze suddenly floated past him. It was one of Marla’s countless memories of the human world. Metistakles saw a large building in the swirling mist of thought. There was a banner reading “Little Peak Prom” above the entrance. The face of a young woman with light-brown hair appeared. It was the same girl that Metistakles had seen in Silvan’s mind. Vanessa … Interesting. What else of use could he ferret out in Marla’s mind?

“Marla? Are you okay?” Silvan sat up in bed when his sister came through the door. “Did something happen?” She hadn’t knocked, and he had been worried that Sirina had come back. He had sent his “betrothed” away with the excuse that he wanted to be alone in order to better concentrate as he honed his mental powers. The truth was that he wanted some peace and quiet. His head was spinning from the mental shocks the high lords inflicted whenever he made a stupid mistake.

“Hmmm? What? Yes … everything’s okay,” Marla answered, hopping up onto the bed. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were torn in places. She wasn’t wearing her punk outfit, but normal clothing. Who had she taken on, then? He’d find out later; right now, he had other questions.

“Were you up there?” Silvan’s pulse accelerated. “Did you see Vanessa?”

She chewed at her fingernails, staring straight ahead. She seemed distracted, confused, and agitated.

“Marla?” he asked again.

She suddenly turned to face him, her eyes wide. “I’m supposed to tell you that we’re going up there. Both of us.”

“What? How come?”

“You’ll find out more later; you should just get ready.”

Other than his training, he had nothing to do. He was ready to go at any time. It was boring down here. He missed his computer and … other things.

What did he need to prepare for? “Up there?” He was secretly looking forward to the chance to see Vanessa again. He was slowly mastering the art of making himself invisible. He could see her close up, watch her …

“A mission, little brother.” Marla was gnawing at her fingernails again. Why was she so rattled? He had the feeling she wanted to tell him something — Silvan could sense it. But instead she just said, “Sorry, I’m not a good storyteller, and I’m just not in the mood.” She stood up and went to the door. “I’ll be back when it’s time.”

Shortly after his sister left, Antheus came by to inform him about the tests he would have to pass before he could become Overlord. “I’m giving you confidential information, so block your mind to anyone not in Xandros’ inner circle, and let me in.”

As though I ever saw anyone other than Marla, Sirina, Xandros, and the High Council, Silvan thought. He found it strange that they were isolating him like this. As the future Overlord, shouldn’t he eventually meet “his people”? Introduce himself around, meet other important members of the demonic hierarchy?

But he merely nodded. Suddenly, he could hardly wait to get to the surface.

Antheus sent him a clear picture of a medallion hanging on a silver chain. It was in the form of an oval; in the middle, there was a luminous red stone that looked like an eye. It rendered James invisible to demon eyes, but Silvan should be able to see him, since Carpenter’s blood flowed through his veins and he was half human.

The amulet was somehow familiar to Silvan. He was to retrieve it so that Carpenter could no longer hide from them. However, it would be even better if Silvan could procure the scepter, even if he had to kill Carpenter in the process. The loss was acceptable to the high lords, as long as they got what they had wanted for so long.

“The scepter?” Silvan asked. “What does that do?”

“Patience,” Antheus hissed.

Patience … that reminded him of his mother. Foster mother. Why did everyone leave things unexplained? “I have no idea where my father might be,” Silvan objected, but Antheus’ response surprised him: “Marla knows.”

“What …” Before Silvan could ask any further questions, Antheus continued. “That’s one task. Now I’ll tell you about the other one, the one that will show whether you’re truly worthy of becoming Xandros’ successor.”

Antheus grinned maliciously as he sent over a series of gruesome mental images describing the second task: Vanessa in a pool of blood. A wide-eyed Vanessa with an expression of terror on her face. Vanessa, tied up. Vanessa after demonic talons had ripped the skin from her body … It seemed to give Antheus great pleasure to torture Silvan in this way. His heart tightened, and he was on the verge of throwing up. He wanted to close his eyes to shut out the terrible pictures, but that would do no good — Antheus was sending the horror directly into his mind.

Antheus was a particularly evil demon. In comparison to Marla and Sirina, he was basically wickedness personified — it was no wonder that he sat on the High Council. He was also Xandros’ son. Silvan was thus related to him: He was Antheus’ nephew. Did such profound wickedness exist within him as well?

“Yes, it does,” Antheus whispered in his mind.

Silvan was wondering yet again whether his decision to become Overlord of the underworld had really been the right one when he suddenly realized that the gruesome images scarcely shocked him anymore. Something deep inside him was dead or indifferent. It was a pleasant feeling, a kind of lethargy. Silvan smiled.

“Will you do that for me?” Antheus asked quietly as he released Silvan’s mind.

Silvan felt his mouth twisting into a broad grin, a grin that was something new. Cold and cruel. Everything had changed. He was finally himself; there was no more conflict raging within him. “Yes, lord,” he replied. “I’d do anything for you.”

Antheus left Silvan’s chamber, a similar smile on his face. He had beset this pitiful little human’s mind with images until he saw a chance to employ his most powerful ability: He had numbed Silvan’s conscience with a mental poison sting. Silvan would be dancing to his tune now! The human girl would no longer hold him back from completing his tasks!

Antheus laughed to himself. This half-blood would never ascend to the throne; he would take care of that. After all, it was he, Antheus, who should have been next in line. If only that stupid prophesy hadn’t gotten in the way! He was Xandros’ son, his second-born child! His mother wasn’t the strumpet that had borne Kitana, but a pure-blooded demon that his father even now sometimes dallied with.

Antheus had devised this little extra task — killing Vanessa — because he knew that the half-blood would fail. But then an even better idea came to him. Silvan’s mind was now coupled to his own. The half-blood would procure the scepter for him!

“Silvan, wait up,” Marla said quietly, looking around the stone corridor. There was no one around. “I can’t accompany you, but take these crystals.” She had received them a few years ago from Ilaria. The priestess had said that Marla would know when she needed to use the stones.

Silvan stood before her, motionless, and it seemed to Marla that he was staring right through her. He looked detached and apathetic. No emotion showed in his face when Marla held the four fist-sized stones out to him. It was no surprise; the high lords had worked him to exhaustion, pulling him ever closer to their side. Could she even trust him anymore? “Maybe you should reconsider whether you really want to be Overlord,” she whispered.

Silvan didn’t react to her suggestion. Was he already lost?

“These are magical stones,” she whispered. “Please, take them.”

Silvan didn’t react, so she simply stuck the crystals into the pockets of his robe. Silvan looked good in the demon garb, eerie and dark. Almost like at the costume party, even though he was still wearing his human clothes underneath. Marla could see his jeans peeking out from under the robe. Silvan would soon be one of them. She could scarcely sense any watcher qualities in him. Had the Council truly extinguished them, or merely suppressed them? She was receiving strange vibrations from Silvan, as though he was trying to bring his good qualities to the surface but something was holding them back.

As he turned silently to the wall and drew a circle on it, Marla hastily explained how he could use the crystals to protect Vanessa’s life. No harm should come to Vanessa — she had nothing to do with any of it!

Oh, everything had gotten out of hand. Marla didn’t know what to do. She felt tired and burned out, and she could barely think clearly.

She watched Silvan step through the portal. As it closed behind him, she could only hope that her words had gotten through to him. She would have liked to accompany him, but she could barely stay on her feet. Marla hurried toward the Oracle of Memnost. She needed energy, and fast, or she’d collapse. Metistakles hadn’t just drained her memories; for him, Marla was a kind of battery, and he delighted in sapping her strength.

Luckily, Marla knew a shortcut that led directly to the Oracle; the usual route was beyond her power at this point. Normally, demons who wanted to ask the Oracle a question had to find their way through a labyrinth. They had to prove themselves worthy, and those who didn’t know the way could spend weeks stumbling through the stone corridors. The labyrinth even changed its layout from time to time; one might never reach the exit and be forced to turn back. Perhaps this happened when the Oracle knew that a question couldn’t be answered …

Ilaria, the last living priestess of the Oracle, had revealed a shortcut to Marla: She could simply step straight through the walls of solid rock. All she had to do was touch a symbol etched into the walls — an arch so tiny that no one would spot it unless they were looking for it. Marla pressed her fingertip on the symbol, and the rock in front of her seemed to liquefy. She held her breath and stepped through the shimmering material into the next corridor over. She repeated the process until, after the thirteenth time, she stood before a large stone archway leading into an enormous cave full of stalactites.

Marla exhaled. Every time she stood here at the entrance to the Oracle’s temple, she felt like she had come home. She stepped into the cave, which was bathed in a soft, light-blue light, and heard the sound of water falling onto stone and the gentle burbling of the stream that snaked along beside her. Eyeless albino fish swam through its clear water. It sprang from the source of the Oracle, which lay hidden under a thick fog in the middle of the domelike cave. The billowing mist that extended several meters in all directions also emitted a blue light.

Marla took a deep breath of the humid air. It had a certain smell — earthy, slightly smoky, but in its own way fresh, with a faint note of lavender. Marla had heard that it smelled different for every demon; some even spoke of a bestial stench. No one was allowed to enter the cave … or even able to. The supplicant demons had to wait at the archway. Luckily, Marla had a kind of “special permit.”

She came to a halt in front of the dome of fog and looked into the light. She could see the outline of a person walking toward her. This was Ilaria, the guardian of the Oracle. She wore a white robe and had long, flowing hair that was as white as her gown. A white cheetah trotted at Ilaria’s side, crouching at her feet when she stopped before Marla. The animal greeted Marla with a nod.

Marla nodded back. “Hello, Fumar.”

“Welcome, my child,” Ilaria said in a voice as soft as a gust of wind. There was not a single wrinkle on her face; her skin was flawless.

Ilaria offered her hand to Marla, who took it.

“Come …” Ilaria’s ice-blue eyes looked straight through Marla. The priestess had been blind since birth, it was said, even though no one knew how old she was. Perhaps she was as old as the Oracle itself. Although Ilaria didn’t see with her eyes, she missed nothing. She possessed another sense, an inner eye.

Marla didn’t know whether Ilaria was even a demon. She sensed a warmth in her heart when she was close to the priestess.

Ilaria’s hand was nevertheless cold, and Ilaria herself seemed cool today. However, Marla didn’t ask what grieved the priestess. She would tell her — or not.

Fumar rubbed up against Marla’s leg, and she scratched the cheetah behind its ears. A quiet purr told her how much Fumar enjoyed the attention.

“Don’t spoil him,” Ilaria said, a smile flitting across her face.

Fumar just purred louder and pressed his velvety head against Marla’s hand. If she weren’t so weak, she would have gladly caressed the animal more. The cheetah seemed to sense her exhaustion, as it pulled away and returned to Ilaria.

They went deeper into the fog, which enveloped and then released Marla. These were scraps of human souls, part of the tribute paid by every demon who came to ask the Oracle about his or her fate.

They came to a halt in front of the source of the stream, where water gushed out of the barren, rocky ground. Not just water and fog emerged from the cleft, but also radiant blue light. It was so bright here that Marla couldn’t look directly at it. The water ran into a natural channel, wending its way out of the fog. Marla didn’t know where the stream led. She had heard that the water flowed through the rocks surrounding the underworld like blood through veins, transporting vital nutrients to sustain living things.

The Oracle was the heart of the underworld and had existed since its beginning. Like any organ, it needed energy to survive. It had to be “fed.”

The consciousnesses of demons that had been annihilated returned here and nourished the Oracle with their wisdom. All knowledge and tales of days gone by were collected at this spot. Those who made their way here could ask this gigantic consciousness a question. The Oracle wasn’t omniscient, but it was pretty close.

Normally, as no demon could approach the heart of the Oracle, Ilaria took their questions at the arched entrance, along with a scrap of soul released through the demon’s open mouth, and gave both to the source. After Ilaria connected to the swirls of knowledge and heard them out, she came back with the answer. Or so Marla had heard. She had never been able to ask the Oracle anything, as she had never sucked out a soul. Without the priestess, Marla would have died long ago. Ilaria had taken care of Marla in those early years, and even now Marla felt a sense of security here. In addition, Ilaria guarded her beloved record collection and other private items.

“You looked so lost. You’d withdrawn within yourself, and you hadn’t eaten. I owed it to Kitana to look after you,” Ilaria said suddenly, as though she had read Marla’s thoughts.

No, seen her thoughts. That was a better way of putting it.

Marla perked up, and her weary heart beat faster. “Why?”

Ilaria laid her cool hand on Marla’s forehead. Marla closed her eyes and saw the priestess and Fumar, who was standing next to her. Suddenly, the cheetah transformed into a person, into a … a young man with black hair! He stood there naked next to Ilaria, who embraced and kissed him. Fumar was a shapeshifter? And Ilaria’s lover?

“A group of high demons had hunted him,” Ilaria explained. “They wanted to sacrifice him to me; they thought the Oracle would predict all of their futures, and they brought him to me half-dead.”

Marla saw images of the demons driving the young man before them. He was wearing simple linen clothing, it was dark, and a wooden cabin nearby was burning. The creatures hacked at the man with their talons, slicing clothing and skin from his body.

The Middle Ages … it had been that long ago. The demons had defiled the Oracle by bringing the body of the man, who was bleeding from numerous wounds, to the temple.

Marla felt Ilaria’s compassion, a deep longing that the priestess could not have explained, and her hatred for the demons.

Ilaria’s hands had been tied. She had to fulfill her duty and ask the Oracle the demons’ questions …

“It was the only way Fumar could get to me. He could only become one with the vortex as a sacrificial offering. He had provoked the demons until they realized what he was. They wanted to bring me his soul to learn their fates. The souls of shapeshifters are particularly valuable, due to their double nature.”

Ilaria stroked Fumar’s fur. The cheetah rubbed up against her leg, purring. “Fumar had foreseen this in his dreams. He is the reincarnation of Memnost. And now he’s home.”

“Memnost?” Marla looked at Fumar, who winked at her. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to, my child. You’ll forget it all soon enough.”

Marla had heard that the spirit of Memnost was the Oracle. The original one, the first demon in the underworld. That would mean that despite her aversion to demons, Ilaria loved the one demon that had created all this. Crazy.

Marla heard Ilaria’s bell-like laugh. “Crazy — you said it.”

And Memnost had returned — as a shapeshifter.

Other images ran through Marla’s mind, showing how Kitana had guarded the secret of Memnost’s return and Ilaria’s love for him.

Kitana had been a priestess of the Oracle!

Further scenes washed over her. She saw herself as a small child, and Obron bringing her to Ilaria. Grieving for her mother, she hadn’t accepted either food or soul energy, and it looked like she would starve. Obron had asked Ilaria for help.

“At first, I did it just for Kitana,” she said, “but soon you became like my own daughter.” Ilaria sighed. “Now you know the answers, but unfortunately I have to take them back. The danger that the High Council will learn of it is too great. If they knew that Memnost had returned …” They would want to abuse the power of the original demon, but Memnost had changed. Ilaria’s love had changed him.

Love … was that the key to happiness and peace?

Marla nodded, despite having understood very little, and gave Ilaria her hand. Marla trusted her implicitly. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Ilaria’s blind eyes shimmered. Marla felt very light, almost weightless as she lost the memories and her body was recharged with the energy of souls. Fog poured into her nose and mouth, penetrating her lungs and delving deeper into her body. Marla felt no guilt in consuming them, as they were already lost. She became dizzy, as though alcohol had gone to her head. She swooned, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in Ilaria’s arms. The closeness felt good — Marla felt good. But something was wrong with Ilaria. The priestess didn’t seem to want to let her go. She stroked Marla’s hair and whispered, “I’ll miss you.”

Fumar weaved between her legs and looked at her sadly.

Marla broke away from Ilaria’s embrace. A sense of foreboding crept over her, and goose bumps spread across her entire body. “What did the Oracle tell you?” Her throat was suddenly dry.

Ilaria looked directly at Marla with her ice-blue eyes, as though she could actually see her. “The Oracle prophesized that you would soon be leaving this life …”

Vanessa held the paper in her trembling fingers, reading it over and over. “Come to the fitness trail, station 5, tonight at nine. Alone. I have to see you. Daniel.”

Danny … he was alive, and he wanted to see her! Excitement, relief, and anticipation made her heart hammer against her ribs. She paced up and down her room restlessly. She wanted to run over to Anne and James to let them know that she had received a sign of life from Daniel. The note had suddenly appeared on her desk. Had Daniel brought it in person? But why couldn’t he visit her here — why in the forest at night, where it would be so dark? What he had written next made Vanessa even more suspicious: “P.S.: Please don’t tell anyone about this.”

Was it a trap? But it was clearly Daniel’s spidery handwriting; Vanessa had recognized it right away.

What should she do? Anne and James were both so terribly worried.

There was only an hour until the appointed time, so she would have to leave soon. Vanessa decided to write Anne a letter telling her that Daniel was apparently okay, and that she was meeting with him. She’d put it in the Taylors’ mailbox when she snuck out of the house and set off toward the lake …

Vanessa’s palms were so damp with excitement that she could scarcely hold on to the handlebars as she rode her bicycle through the forest at the bottom of Peak Hill. She was only a few meters from station 5. She knew the fitness trail well, but now, when she could barely see anything, everything looked different. Alien. Spooky. It was quiet — too quiet. She could only hear the wind rustling through the trees and the crunch of gravel under her tires.

Why had Danny insisted on meeting here? Vanessa didn’t like going out alone at night, and in the forest to boot! No one would be out jogging at this time, as the path wasn’t lit. It was more likely that she’d run across some juvenile delinquents drinking an illicit beer or two.

When she saw the pull-up bars emerge from the darkness, Vanessa dismounted and pushed her bike the rest of the way. Her battery-operated light was of little help. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted. Vanessa shuddered, and goose bumps ran down her back. It was pretty creepy in the forest. Suddenly the image of Joe Adams flashed before her eyes, his face blue and covered with ice crystals.

The tall trees around her swallowed up the moonlight. Vanessa walked bravely on; the thought that she’d see Daniel soon gave her courage.

She leaned her bicycle against the frame of the pull-up bars and looked around her. Suddenly, there was deadly silence in the forest. No cricket chirped, no nightingale sang. Only the wind blowing through the treetops continued its eerie whistling.

Ice-cold sweat ran down her spine. She took a step back, eyes on the gravel path; it was barely visible, just a slightly lighter stripe disappearing into the darkness.

“Daniel, where are you?” she whispered, cursing herself for her idiocy.

A rustling and snapping of twigs behind her made her freeze. She sensed that she wasn’t alone anymore, and her heart skipped a beat. Run! was her only thought, but before she could do anything, an arm grabbed her from behind and a hand pressed against her mouth. Then she was pulled backward into the bushes.

TO BE CONTINUED