“Mostly.”

Mostly? What the hell did that mean?

Later. She’d ask Falden… No. She wouldn’t ask Falden anything. He’d lied to her. Kept secrets from her. Told her they could never be together, not for real. If this thing between them was just sex, well then fine. It was just sex. Still, anger warred with pain at the thought of losing him.

“Spider, how many other bad guys are inside?”

“Fuck. We keep standing here, we're going to get shot,” one of the Caldorians standing behind her grumbled, but she ignored him.

Spider looked past her to the Caldorian guard with a sneer. “You’re already dead, Caldo. Already fucking dead.”

“Spider. Tell me how many others are inside and whether or not they are armed.”

The guard laughed, actually laughed. “I don’t know. I don’t count. And yes.”

Shit. “Do you know where the boy, Matthew, is being held?”

Spider just looked at her.

“Spider, tell me where Matthew is being held.” She pushed her voice harder, saw the shimmering energy in the air between them and watched, fascinated, as the energy waves seemed to be absorbed by the man she spoke to.

“He’s one floor up, left side, third door on the left. Drugged up real good, too. Ain’t going nowhere.”

They’d drugged Matthew?

Isabella caught her breath, sweat beading her brow. Spikes in her temples. No, not just spikes, iced spikes with barbs. No. Screws. Iced screws twisting slowly. Slowly. Boring into her head through her skull.

“Miss, your ear is bleeding.” The Caldorian behind her sounded concerned, but Isabella didn’t have time for that, not now. Not with Matthew in there overdosing or dying. God.

“Spider, you are going to open this door and take us to Matthew. And you are going to kill anyone who gets in our way. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Spider turned and slid a key card over a lock she hadn’t seen before. The strange pop of a magnetic seal or air lock opening sounded, and she glanced to Bhaosz.

“Bhaosz, you will help Spider take us to Matthew. Kill anything and anyone who tries to stop me or hurt me. Do not hurt me, Matthew or the Caldorians. Do you understand?”

Bhaosz’s face shifted, and she caught a glimpse of the gaping maw, the rows of teeth below eerily human eyes. How did he do that? Change his form only halfway? Gross. Somehow he managed to form words. “I will devour your enemies. I am hungry.”

“Fine.” She didn’t care if he ate bad aliens. “Just kill them all first, eat after.”

He shook his head. “Eat on the way.”

Shit. Looked like that was the best she was going to get, and the Caldorian guard was right. A warm trickle of blood made its way from her ear canal down past her earlobe on down to her neck. Bhaosz sniffed at her.

“No. Not me, asshole. Save it for the bad guys.”

“Smell good, human.”

“No, I don’t.” Her nose scrunched up in disgust.

Bhaosz’s maw opened wider, and he leaned forward. Immediately the muzzle of a Caldorian weapon was shoved up under his jaw. Hard.

“Back off, Darkoor.”

Bhaosz lifted his hands in a sign of surrender and followed Spider inside the building. She looked back at the two unlucky guards she’d brought along. “You two stay here. I have a feeling more of you guys will be here in a few minutes. Wait for them. I don’t want you two getting killed.”

“Miss, it’s too dangerous for you to go in there alone. We can…”

“Stay. That’s an order.” Warm, salty liquid ran from her nose to her lips, and she tasted blood, wiped it away. She was too close to stop now. And if she could get Matthew out without risking anyone else’s life, especially Falden’s—