Arawn stepped forward and Darcy prepared to fight a being far stronger than she.
“Not another move, Uncle.”
Darcy fought the urge to whirl around. She knew the voice well and couldn’t say she was surprised to find Jaral ignoring her wishes.
Jaral’s shoulder brushed hers as he stopped beside her. “You were not supposed to interfere,” she said, glancing at him.
“Looks like I follow your orders about as well as you do mine.”
“Nephew,” Arawn greeted. “It has been a long time.”
“Do not threaten Darcy.”
The spirit lord’s eyes flicked between the two of them. “Is she yours?”
Darcy stepped away from Jaral and the dubious safety he offered. “My personal life is none of your business.”
Those eerie reflecting eyes settled on her again. “A human, nephew. What will your father say?”
“Leave my father to me.”
Arawn cocked his head to the side, the small braids decorating his hair falling over his shoulders. “What an intriguing turn of events.”
“Enough,” Kerilyn said. “Tell me what the hell is going on.”
Darcy blinked. “You don’t know?”
“I know I shouldn’t be standing here on any night but Halloween.”
“When Arawn broke the rules to save your life, he created a tear between the human and spirit realms,” Jaral said.
“Spirits are escaping,” Darcy added. “Hopefully you’re still hunter enough to understand what that means.”
“Did you know about this?” Kerilyn demanded, whirling on the spirit lord. “Is that why you dragged us up here in the middle of the night?”
“I had my suspicions.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
An enigmatic smile passed over the handsome face. “I was waiting to see if this would play out to our advantage.”
The brunette’s hands clenched. “You mean the spirits’ advantage.”
“You are a spirit now.” Arawn’s expression was inscrutable.
“Part,” she snapped.
Darcy arched an eyebrow, glancing at Jaral. He shrugged.
“Darcy,” Kerilyn said, turning back to her. “How do you intend to close the tear?”
“We think we can use your blood to reverse the damage, since your bleeding all over the place started this to begin with.”
“And your demon lover wants the rift closed? I find that had to believe, hunter,” Arawn said, his voice bland. “I know my brother better than to think he’d allow that.”
Darcy stiffened. “What?”
“The king wants the worlds closed off so your spirits do not have unfair advantage over my people, Uncle,” Jaral replied.
“Does he, now?” There was no mistaking the mockery in Arawn’s voice.
Darcy looked back to Jaral but found his expression unreadable. “We’re closing the portal, right? That’s what Abaddon ordered you to do.”
He smiled at her. “Of course.”
Despite the easy smile she was coming to know, a chill ran through her. For the first time she felt truly out of her depth standing with three supernatural beings. More than anything she wanted to trust Jaral but only a fool wouldn’t examine every angle of a problem. If the rift was ripped open, what would the demons stand to gain?
“What did my brother promise you, Jaral, in return for your help on the surface?” Arawn asked.
Finally Jaral broke eye contact with her and glanced at the spirit lord. “Power.”
Arawn nodded but his expression gave nothing away. “Power you want?”
“Does anyone ever say no?”
“Abaddon has many sons and you, Jaral, are too strong for your own good. My brother would never give you something you could use against him. He guards his throne too jealously for that.”
“You know nothing about my father.”
“I know I’m a better ally.”
Darcy glanced from one man to the other. What was Arawn offering? Given Kerilyn’s quizzical expression, she doubted the other woman knew any better than she did.
“Close the rift and the spirits will back you should there ever be need.”
“I have no need to side with inferior beings.”
Arawn’s grin was cold. “Don’t be so quick to judge, nephew. I’d be happy to demonstrate our prowess.”
Shaking her head, Darcy grabbed Kerilyn’s arm and pulled her away from the men. “Look,” she said. “Are you a hunter or not? Because I don’t give a damn about anything else right now. Either you help me or I find another way.”
Kerilyn tilted her head. Darcy met her strange gaze without flinching. She knew when she was being sized up. Kerilyn might still think of her as the younger, weaker hunter she’d once been, but those days were long gone.