While they ate lunch, Ginny called ahead to make sure Markus was home. He met them outside, sitting on the front porch steps with Tom in his lap. When Ginny parked the Yukon at the curb, Markus set the cat down and walked quickly out to meet them. He didn’t even give them time to get out of the SUV.

Alton rolled the window down. “Hey, Markus. What’s up?”

Markus looked over his shoulder. Then he quickly glanced at the house. “Probably not a good idea for you guys to come in.”

“Why not?” Ginny leaned across Alton to talk to her cousin. “Is something wrong?”

Markus let loose a dramatic sigh. “Everything’s wrong. Aunt Betty’s convinced you brought the devil to Sedona. She’s blaming you guys for all Tom’s weird shit, and whenever one of the twins acts up, now she says they’ve got the devil in them.” He made his voice all high and squeaky and said, “All this bad shit’s because of your cousin Ginny and her weird friend.”

“What?”

“Shush.” Alton bit back a laugh, but Ginny’s shriek made his ears ring. He held her hand and listened to her grumble before asking Markus, “Are the twins okay? They’re not acting possessed, are they?” When Markus shook his head no, Alton asked, “Why would she blame us? I don’t get it.”

“There’s all kinds of crazy shit going on. Pets attacking their owners, some guy in a bar going berserk and talking in a weird voice, a lady in town said she was attacked by rats that stalked her like they knew what they were doing. It all started the day Ginny arrived.”

He shrugged and gave Ginny an apologetic smile. “Mom knows you were adopted and she never could figure out how your folks could take in a baby when they didn’t know anything about her background. She always said they were asking for trouble taking in a stray kid, and now she says you’re probably a demon child.”

“Aunt Betty said that?” Ginny sat back in her seat. Alton turned around and caught the look of utter devastation on her face. His first reaction was to punch Markus in the nose, but he controlled himself and concentrated on Ginny.

“Your aunt doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Alton leaned close and kissed her. “She’s an idiot.”

“For what it’s worth, I agree.” Markus leaned on the open window. “I tried to tell her she was talking crazy, but she won’t listen to anything. That’s why I haven’t called you. I didn’t think it was a good idea for you to come here, at least until whatever’s going on stops. In fact, I’m glad I caught you just now, before you actually knocked on the door and freaked Mom out entirely. We’re all okay, Tom’s just Tom, and the twins are their usual spoiled-rotten selves.” He smiled apologetically at Ginny. “If they get extra rows of teeth or their eyes start to glow, I promise to call.”

Alton glared at him. “You do that, Markus.”

Markus slapped the roof of the Yukon and backed away. “Yeah. Ginny? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Mom’s, well…she’s just Mom. I probably got my big mouth from her.”

“Yeah.” Ginny’s audible sigh broke Alton’s heart. “We’ll see you around. Be careful. Call if something comes up.”

“Will do.” He stepped back up on the curb.

Ginny drove away from the house. She’d wiped all the expression from her face, but Alton could feel the sadness flowing off of her in heavy waves of pain. Her voice sounded totally flat when she asked him, “Where to now?”

He stared at her a moment, wondering how he could make things better. Nothing came to mind. “Let’s make a quick drive through town,” he said. “Then we can check the Boynton Canyon vortex again. Maybe go by the one at the airport. I want to make sure all the portals we’ve sealed are holding.”

“Okay. The airport first. It’s closest.”

Her voice had totally lost its spark. Alton wanted to strangle Markus, but the kid hadn’t realized what he was saying.

“That explains so much.”

Alton leaned back in his seat and watched Ginny. “What explains what?”

“What Markus said. My mom and his mom were never very close even though they were sisters. I always thought it was their age difference, but it could have been over things Betty said to my mother about me.”

Alton nodded. “Markus should have kept his big mouth shut.”

Ginny laughed. “‘Discretion’ and ‘Markus’ are never used in the same sentence. He says what he thinks, generally before he actually thinks it. He’s always been that way.”

She clammed up, turned at the light, and drove down the highway that led to the airport. After a minute she patted his leg. “Alton, I have no doubt that my mother and father loved me. I was their only child. They chose to adopt me and they were such good parents. Even though they were older, they loved me and did the best they could for me. Look at it this way—Markus has had to live with my Aunt Betty all his life. I was the lucky one, don’t you think?”

Alton leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “No, sweet one. Your parents were the lucky ones.”

“Thank you.”

The rest of the trip to the airport was made in silence. Alton wondered about Ginny’s thoughts, but he decided not to intrude. In some ways he couldn’t help but feel jealous. Ginny had loved her parents and they’d loved her. She was proud of them and she missed them, but she’d always have such good memories.

He wished he could say the same. He loved his mother, but it was hard to respect a woman who’d stay with a man like his father. She’d chosen to remain his mate all these years, no matter how Artigos had treated her or their only son.

Had she known about the other stuff? What in the nine hells had his father done? What was the man thinking when he forced an entire civilization to give up a home it had finally grown comfortable in, after their traumatic move from the original continent of Lemuria?

And what was his plan now? With demonkind attacking and the future of all life balanced on a razor’s edge, what could his father possibly have in mind, that he was willing to sacrifice so many worlds, so many lives?

Alton hated to think of Ginny hurting over her cousin’s thoughtless words, but even more, he hated wondering what his father might be planning. What the man had in mind. A showdown was coming, and as much as Alton loathed the idea, he was afraid it was going to be more personal than he’d ever imagined.

He was going to have to face his father. Not as the man’s son, but as the one who would somehow remove Artigos from his position as the head of the Council of Nine.

Artigos was powerful. He was canny—a smart man without morals or ethics to impede his actions. But why? What would make an intelligent man turn on his own people, his own family—his own son? He couldn’t do more to help demonkind if he’d tried.

A chill raced along his spine. Could that be it? Was Artigos literally in league with the devil? Had his father somehow, during his long life, become the tool of demonkind?

It would explain so much. Alton had to find out. Then he had to face the man who had been his father.

They walked back to the Yukon after checking out the vortex near the airport. Ginny reached for Alton’s hand and wrapped her fingers around his. He’d seemed distracted most of the morning. At first she’d thought it was because Dax and Eddy were gone, but now she was almost certain it was over the information they’d gotten from HellFire this morning.

It was bad enough that Alton’s father had disowned him, but it might be so much worse. She’d been in Alton’s thoughts, following his convoluted mental process as he’d worked his way through his father’s transgressions. Could Alton be right? Was Artigos somehow in league with the creatures of darkness? She glanced at Alton and figured she’d be distracted, too, if she’d suspected such devastating information about one of her parents.

“Are you still up to checking out the vortex at Boynton Canyon?”

Alton nodded. “It shouldn’t take us long. There was no sign of demonkind here, and I’m hoping that one will be just as clear. Then we need to rest a bit before we meet Taron. He’s due around sunset.”

Ginny unlocked the Yukon and opened the door. She glanced up at Alton, standing beside the SUV, staring off into the distance. When he didn’t answer her, she said, “I think you need to learn to drive.”

He turned and stared at her. “What?”

She smiled. At least this was taking his mind off his father. “You need to learn to drive the Yukon. If anything were to happen and I couldn’t drive, I’d want to know you could get us away safely. There’re plenty of roads out here without much traffic. Do you want to give it a try?”

He grinned and held out his hand. She dropped the keys into his palm and they traded sides of the car. She crawled into the passenger seat and made a big show of buckling herself in safely and pretending to put on a crash helmet.

Alton did the same. She watched while he inserted the key, checked to make sure the gears were in Park, and started the engine. Then he shifted to Reverse and slowly backed out of the parking space. With a flourish, he shifted to Drive and headed for the main road.

“You act like you’ve been driving for years. How?”

He flashed her a bright grin. “I’ve been paying attention. Taron always tells me I don’t pay attention like I should, so I’ve made a point of watching you.”

He braked at the stoplight and smiled at her again. “I’ve discovered it’s very easy to pay attention when you’re the subject I’m supposed to be watching.”

She blinked, aware of a warm glow that seemed to heat her from the inside out. She was still thinking of his words when the light changed. Alton signaled and turned right, back onto the main road. He drove down the highway as if he’d been driving for years. Within minutes he’d turned again, onto the road that would take them back to the Boynton Canyon vortex, and then to their little casita at the resort.

After a few minutes, Ginny realized she’d totally relaxed. “You’re really a good driver. You even remember to signal. I’m impressed.”

He flashed her a bright grin. “Thank you. You should be.” Then he turned his full attention back to the road, frowning with intense concentration as he drove along the two-lane highway.

He slowed as they passed by the green field where the fighting bulls were pastured. It was a large herd, but they grazed peacefully on the lush grass. Their horns shimmered in the bright sunlight. One huge bull raised his head and watched the Yukon as they slowly passed by. After a moment, he lowered his big head and returned to munching on the grass.

“I think we’ve just been dismissed by the lord of the pasture.” Alton chuckled. “Those things fascinate me. They’re huge and they look like nothing but muscle.” He accelerated and they continued on past the herd. “With attitude,” he added. “They’ve definitely got attitude.”

Ginny laughed, and with her laughter tension flowed out of her. What a morning they’d had. She slanted Alton another quick glance and sighed. Talk about attitude! Alton had it in spades, but his was well deserved. He looked so good sitting beside her, all broad-shouldered and long-limbed and so damned male. How a guy who was as flat-out pretty as Alton, with all that gorgeous long, blond hair and perfect bone structure could epitomize everything masculine made absolutely no sense at all.

But somehow, Alton had it nailed.

Even now, wearing a black T-shirt that stretched over his muscular chest and tucked into his tight-fitting jeans, he only needed the horse to pass for a cowboy, or a motorcycle to look like he belonged on a Harley. He’d braided his hair this morning into a single long braid that hung down the middle of his back. With his baseball cap on, he looked like a regular guy—a regular drop-dead gorgeous guy.

His green eyes sparkled and with the hair pulled away from his face, his sharp cheekbones, the line of his jaw, and his long, straight nose looked like something a sculptor might create. She thought of him the way he’d been this morning, lying beneath her when she’d straddled him, made love to him. How he’d flipped her over so effortlessly and taken her even higher.

She sighed again.

Then she thought of the demon king and the danger facing them, and all the tension came flooding back.

“Don’t.”

She turned to him, blinking. “Don’t what?”

Alton shook his head. “Don’t worry. Enjoy a few minutes without worrying about what’s coming next. You look so gorgeous sitting beside me with stars in your eyes. Much prettier than when you’ve got your eyebrows all tied in knots.”

“Stars in my eyes? Me? Ha!” She sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. “I never have stars in my eyes. That’s for dreamers.”

Alton merely grinned as he pulled off the highway and turned down the road leading to the Boynton Canyon vortex. He parked the Yukon in the lot, turned off the ignition, and stuck the keys in his pocket. Then he turned in his seat and rested his arm against the back. “You had stars in your eyes this morning when we were making love. I looked up as you straddled me, when you took me deep inside you, and I saw them. Brilliant stars in those tiger’s eyes of yours. Don’t ever lose them.”

His soft words left her speechless. He leaned over and kissed her and her eyes filled with tears. Damn him. She kissed him back, but she’d never been so afraid in her life. She’d gone and fallen in love and they still had a war to fight. She’d never had so much to lose before, never wanted anyone as much as she wanted Alton.

Immortal they might be, but what kind of future awaited them? She kissed him again, almost desperately, but she knew he understood. His eyes hinted at the same desperation she felt as they slowly broke the kiss.

Together they got out of the SUV and hiked up the canyon to the vortex. One more to check. Then they had to hope they’d found all of them.

But how many demons were left? How many had already made it through from Abyss to Earth? There were other vortexes around the country. Did they contain portals between Earth and Abyss? As the two of them hiked the trail to the energy vortex, Ginny kept glancing at the sky. The last time they were here, they’d been attacked by possessed birds, but no birds circled them now.

Who knew what the afternoon would bring.

Hopefully it would bring Taron with some good news for a change. But what about Alton’s father? There were just too many things that could go wrong, too many variables out of their control.

Alton reached for her hand and wrapped her fingers in his. “C’mon. Let’s check this place out so we can get back to the casita.”

She was going to ask him what for, but then she glanced up and caught the glint in his sparkling green eyes and knew exactly what was on Alton’s mind. Warmth flowed through her at the promise she saw. She didn’t hesitate when he tugged her toward the portal.

This time, the air inside the cavern was free of demon stench, musty and dry as caverns should be. There was no lingering scent of sulfur and the melted stone where the portal had once led to Abyss hadn’t been tampered with.

Alton ran his fingers over the glassy rock. “No sign of demons here. Unless there are other vortexes we’re not aware of, I think we’ve got them stopped, at least for now.”

“So it’s a matter of finding the ones that are already here?” Ginny ran her fingers over the melted portal. “Where do demons go in the daytime? I wonder how many are left?”

“I wish I knew. The demon king knows where we are, though. I have a feeling he’s going to come to us. I imagine he’ll bring his army with him.”

Ginny folded the last of the laundry she’d done while they waited to meet Taron. She poured a couple of glasses of iced tea and took one to Alton.

“Thank you.” He took a long swallow and then set it aside to go back to his project.

“What are you doing?” Ginny curled her legs and sat on the floor beside him.

Both HellFire and DarkFire lay side by side on the couch. Alton sat on the floor and leaned against the couch with Ginny’s scabbard in his lap. “Oiling the leather. It keeps it supple, so it won’t crack.”

“Where do you get leather in Lemuria if you don’t have animals? In fact, where do you get your food without farms to raise stuff?”

“Everything we need is brought in from other dimensions. Lemurian tradesmen handle the commerce.”

“But what do you trade? What kind of product can you offer?” Ginny ran her hand over the supple leather and wondered what kind of animal it had once covered.

Alton laughed. “Remember those diamonds? We have an endless supply of precious gems and metals. We spend them carefully so the markets aren’t flooded in any one world, but that’s the basis of our economy. They’re so prevalent in our world that they’re worthless to us, but valuable in every other dimension.”

“But who does all the work? I was there such a brief time, but all I saw were security guards in blue robes and the rest of the people wearing white and sort of hanging around. Who cleans and cooks and teaches school?” She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I guess I want to know where the people like me are.”

Alton leaned close and kissed her. “Ginny—there’s no one like you anywhere. You’re unique.”

“That’s no answer. I have this image of dark little drones working in the bowels of the earth. Do you have a working class?”

Alton shrugged. “Yes and no. Our technology is so advanced that there’s very little we have to do to make things work. We learn by absorbing information while we sleep and then we test our knowledge in discourse and debate. We pick up our meals at food centers, and those who are interested in the economy and other worlds take positions where they deal with those things.”

“What about you, Alton?” She cupped the side of his face in her palm. “What have you prepared for?”

He turned away and shook his head. “I’ve been groomed to take my father’s place, but when one is the son of an immortal ruler, there’s not much hope for job advancement.”

“How’d your father get his title?”

Alton raised his head and frowned. “I don’t know. He’s been the head of the Council of Nine as long as I can remember, and his father before him. I honestly have no idea what became of my grandfather or how my father took over the position.”

Ginny nodded. Then she gazed directly into those beautiful emerald-green eyes of his and made a suggestion she hoped she wouldn’t regret.

“Maybe you need to find out.”

Alton drove out to Bell Rock just before sunset. Ginny’d just handed over the keys as if she expected him to take the wheel, and he sure wasn’t going to disagree. Lemuria was such a small world and there were so few citizens that there was no need for mechanized travel.

That was definitely a huge mark against his home. Driving was wonderful. No wonder Ginny had hesitated over letting him handle the Yukon.

The parking lot was empty. Dark clouds billowed high in the western sky and hid the last rays of the setting sun. A cold wind raised dust devils across the asphalt lot. Ginny zipped her hoodie sweatshirt and tucked her hands in the pockets. Alton zipped up his windbreaker and wrapped an arm around Ginny’s shoulders.

The weather here could change from hot to cold in a heartbeat. With the sun already gone behind the red rocks, it was definitely chilly ahead of what appeared to be an incoming storm.

“Do you think Taron will be there?” Ginny slipped out of Alton’s embrace and headed up the trail.

“If he’s not already there, I expect him within the hour. Our time seems to coincide with Lemuria’s, though sunset in a world without sunlight is a fairly abstract concept.”

Ginny flashed him a big grin. “So how do you tell time?”

He stopped and frowned at her. “We have clocks.” Then he laughed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound insulted. Our light works on a twenty-four-hour clock, just as it does in Earth’s dimension. It’s a carryover from when we were part of this world. We have our sunlight during day and darkness at night. The artificial light illuminating our world covers the full spectrum of the sun so that we get the necessary nutrients our bodies need. It’s all very scientific.”

Ginny waved her hand across the wide horizon. “What about storms and clouds? Do you have rainbows and seasons? How can you stand it, not having the surprises that nature gives us on a daily basis?”

“We don’t have earthquakes or tornadoes. Our people don’t live in fear of hurricanes or typhoons, of freezing to death or dying from the heat. I think it works both ways.”

Ginny stopped and turned around. She stood above him on a smooth red slab of sandstone with the towering form of Bell Rock behind her, and when she planted her hands on her hips she practically screamed her exasperation. “But when are you tested, Alton? How do you know if you can meet a challenge if you’re never faced with one? When life is perfect, there’s no need to be brave, no reason to stand up for anything. What keeps you sharp and alert? I think I’d go nuts.”

He reached out and grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed her fingers. “You’re right. And I was going nuts, which is why I chose to leave it all and join Dax and Eddy in their fight against demons. Our perfect world isn’t enough. It’s not healthy for people to live without challenges. We need to be tested if we’re to survive. The demon threat is testing us now. I hope I can take that message back to my people. I’m going to have to if Taron doesn’t bring us good news. Somehow we need to convince them that they’re going to have to fight if they want to continue. We can only hope they pass the test.”

Ginny nodded. She wrapped her fingers around his and tugged him up on the rock with her. They hiked the rest of the trail in silence.

Alton spotted the portal first and pressed his hand against the smooth rock. When it passed through, he tightened his grip on Ginny and the two of them walked through the portal into the vortex. Taron waited just inside.

“Taron. It’s good to see you, my friend.”

Taron reached for Alton and the two of them embraced. He nodded in greeting to Ginny, but his expression was somber.

Too somber for good news. Alton sighed. “I guess there’s no need for me to ask if you’ve been successful.”

Taron shook his head. “There’s no arguing with fools, but even more discouraging is the news I’m hearing from Roland and other members of the Guard.”

“They have their swords. What does the council want to—”

“The members of the Council of Nine, led by your father, wanted to take the crystal swords away from Roland and his men.”

Ginny’s eyes flashed. “They can’t do that!”

Taron chuckled. “They figured that one out very quickly, when the soldiers refused to give up their swords and the entire guard backed the men. The people are standing behind the soldiers, and the men of Lemuria are digging their own crystal swords out of storage and carrying them proudly.”

Alton clapped Taron on the back. “This is a good thing. Maybe the members of the council will get their heads out of their butts and—”

Taron interrupted. “Don’t count on it. Alton, there is more going on here than merely your father’s stubbornness. Rumors are flying ever since the Crone made her appearance. Rumors of the women warriors who fought during the DemonWars, and what happened to those women.”

Alton glanced at Ginny, and then again at his friend. “What are you hearing?”

“That they were purged from Lemurian society. Enslaved and sent to work below in the mines. Rumor has it their daughters toil there still, guilty of nothing more than their birthright, as the children of good and loyal warriors.”

It felt as if a shaft of ice had replaced his spine. Alton couldn’t even look at Ginny when he asked the question he knew must be burning in her mind as well. “Who was responsible for that purge? For such horrible treatment of brave citizens.”

Taron’s sigh and the shift of his always steady gaze to a point beyond Alton’s shoulder was all the answer he needed. “My father?”

Taron nodded. “It appears so.”

Ginny interrupted. “Does the Lemurian Guard know of these women warriors?”

“It seems they do, now.” Taron shrugged. “Roland said he’s heard rumors for years, but had no way of following up on anything without going through proper channels. His paperwork never went anywhere. He finally made a search for himself, breaching the lower levels in order to see where the prisoners were kept, how they fared.”

Alton folded his arms across his chest, as much to still the sudden trembling in his limbs as to give himself a moment to calm his racing heart. “And what did he find?”

“Women. Young women working the mines as slaves. Their mothers, those brave women warriors, are all gone, but their daughters live on.”

“Alton?” Ginny’s fingers tightened around his forearm. “We have to do something. We can’t leave them like that.”

He nodded, covering her fingers with his. “The Lemurian Guard is sworn to protect the citizens of Lemuria, and that includes the Council of Nine. The only way we can successfully bring about change in a peaceful manner is with a coup at the top.”

Taron coughed and cleared his throat. “That’s not going to be easy with your father in command.”

Alton nodded. “I agree. Easy or not, my father has to be stopped and a vote taken to choose a new council—one that includes women. Taron? This fight I’m in now consumes me. What does the council say about joining our war against demonkind?”

Taron shook his head. “They want no part of it. They’ve lifted the charges against you and Ginny, much to your father’s dismay, but as far as helping with this fight? Their decision is to bury their heads beneath their blankets and hope the demon threat goes away.”

“That’s probably because all their warriors are working as slaves.” Ginny glared at Alton. “You want soldiers? I imagine the women you’re talking about are the ones you need, which means you’re going to have to deal with your father first.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I didn’t like him from the moment I saw him.”

Alton wrapped his arm around Ginny’s waist and laughed. Taron looked at him as if he was absolutely nuts. Maybe he was, but only a nut would consider organizing a rebellion of women slaves on one world in order to fight demonkind on another.

And wasn’t that exactly what he was planning? “Well, Taron if you have a plan, I need to hear it now. We have work to do.” He glanced at Ginny and caught her smiling, but she was still in his mind and knew exactly what he was thinking. “That includes you, Ginny. Where do we start?”