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Sick bitch.

I tiptoed up behind her, raised the gun.

Lana, impersonating me, merely stared at Aecora with slitted eyes, giving nothing away.

A stick cracked under my heel.

Aecora whipped around, and I fired. The bullet lodged itself right between her eyes. The demon remained standing for a second longer, then her body tipped forward, comatose for the moment.

Crouching to catch my breath, I shot Lana out of the bubble. The glass splintered and rained down around her feet.

Lana took a step forward, then went down on a knee, her body—my body—swaying with fatigue.

I went to her then, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and hoisting her back up.

“Where are your clothes?”

She nodded weakly to the bushes.

“Can you put them on yourself?”

Her lower lip quivered as she took in her comrade; she looked to be about to cry, which was pretty fucking unsettling to see on my face.

Lana ripped her gaze away to give me a small nod.

I left her at the pile of her clothes, turning my back while she changed.

“You got us out of a pinch, there,” I said over my shoulder. “You did well.”

She stepped out from behind the bushes, clothed. She smoothed down her hair, her body shaking.

Still feverish.

Her gaze returned to Aecora’s fallen body, the smoking hole between her eyes.

“I lied,” she whispered. “I lied to protect you... and I betrayed her.”

“She was going to kill you. Seems like a smart move to me.”

“But Ilied.” She cradled her head in her hands and peeked out in horror through her fingers. “An Infernarusneverlies.”

My eyes flicked to Aecora. To me, this was no moral quandary.

“Lana, listen to me.” I stalked over to her and lifted her chin with my finger. “You said nine words. You said, ‘I give up, Cora. I’m unarmed, I’m no threat.’ Everything you said was true. If she thought it was me talking, then that’s her problem. But you didn’t lie.”

Hope flashed in her eyes. She searched my face, as if pleading for it to be true.

“You’re still an Infernarus,” I said. “You’ve been nothing but honorable.”

I saw her body relax with my words.

“Now,” I said, turning my attention to Aecora, “let’s grab some gasoline so we can burn this bitch and get out of here.”

I wanted to finish the demon while she was prone. She would be up and lethal within the hour.

“No,” Lana put her arms on her hips, “we’re going to leave her so she can heal.”

I frowned. “Lana, she just tried to kill us, she just tried to killyou. She tried to drown you in a glass bubble.”