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Darien turned, blocking him with an arm that smacked against his chest, sending Roman back a foot. “Wait out here.”

“You kidding?”Roman snapped, all too aware of how much noise they were making. They might as well be ringing the goddamn dinner bell. “There’s no way we’re splitting up?—”

“Roman—” Darien paused, breathing heavily, his lips tinted blue from the cold. Bit out, “Something’s not right.”

“Yeah, no shit.” At least he was finally noticing that. Delirious—they were both delirious with fatigue. With worry. And this here—this screaming… It could be a trap. A monster luring them into its den.

‘He can’t go in there,’Sayagul whispered. ‘Don’t let him go in?—‘

“Wait here,” Darien said firmly. He turned?—

“Darien, I don’t like this!” Roman hissed. The open door of the house observed their argument as if it were entertained, the inside eerily dark. “What if it’s a Crossroads?”

“It’s not. This street is brand new.”

“We can’t know that for sure! What if Spirit Terra’s doing something shady? What if something bad happens to you while you’re in there?Thenwhat?” he challenged.

“It won’t,” Darien said—again in that firm tone that left no room for argument.

“Say it does,” Roman insisted. “Then I’m supposed to tell your sister that you died because you fell for some stupid trap? I’m supposed to tell Loren that? Who’s going to look after her if you’re gone, Darien?Who?”

“I’ll befine,”Darien gritted out, though Roman’s question—mostly the last one, no doubt—stalled him. “Besides, you’ve got people to look after, too. A little brother to go home to. Which is why I want you to wait out here—wait out here, and keep watch while I make sure that’s not my fucking sister being tortured in there.” He pointed at the house—at the open door waiting for guests. A chill prickled across Roman’s nape. He could sense when he was being watched, and he sensed it now.

Something was watching them.

Roman pushed, heart thundering, “Darien, I heardHelen.My mom.Youheard Ivy.” He jabbed a finger in his face.

A few seconds passed as Darien thought it through. Roman held his breath, begging the gods that Darien wouldn’t insist on finding out who—or what—was responsible for all the screaming. Roman understood why his cousin was so concerned about Ivy; they had no way of knowing where their family was, if they were safe. Alive. For all they knew, Ivy reallywasin there.

But Roman stood by his opinion that those screams didn’t belong to Ivy. He was certain he would’ve fallen for it, too—would’ve reacted the same way as Darien—had the screams sounded like Pax instead of his late mother.

As he waited for Darien’s decision, his heart pounded so hard he swore he might throw up again. The screaming had stopped, the street quiet.Tooquiet.

Then Darien said, “Stand guard.”

Roman cursed, the blood leaching from his face.

Darien added, “And stay out of sight.”

He vanished through the open door of the purple house before Roman could reply.

Roman glanced around, trying to put a finger on exactly where they were. There were no cars on this street, no people—not even bodies. It must be a new subdivision, everything newly built—uninhabitable for a Crossroads creature.

But stranger things had happened.

Roman paced the porch, palms sweating inside his ripped gloves.

He decided he’d give Darien two minutes. Once those two minutes were up, he was following him in there. That was final.

‘I don’t like this,’Sayagul whimpered.

‘Two minutes,’Roman said, his heart still racing, palms slick.‘That’s all he’s getting.’

Roman counted to one and a half before he said screw it and made for the door?—

Only to discover that it was shut and locked, and he knew Darien had done neither of those things.

Roman’s stomach dropped through his feet.