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Her head resting against Ashburn’s shoulder, Lucienne caught sight of Seraphen standing beneath the elevator, her crimson scarf in his hand. When he saw her watching him, he brought the scarf to his nose and sniffed it, and then crumpled it with such force that Lucienne felt a chill and repulsion coursing through her. The freak would strike again, until he erased her from the face of earth, as he promised. Lucienne matched his steely stare with cold determination—she’d terminate him before he got the chance.

As the pillar opened, Ashburn stepped out with Lucienne in his arms. The door immediately sealed behind them.

Ghost House was lit like daylight, drowning pale moonlight seeping through the high windows. An army of Lucienne’s soldiers surrounded the pillar, all guns aimed at Ashburn. Every warrior looked like he wanted to riddle the Fury boy with bullet holes.

Lucienne darted her eyes from her men to the mess on the ground. The soldiers must have used every means possible to cut open the pillar, nearly tearing apart the arena in the process.

“The Siren’s hurt!” Orlando roared.

Lucienne was suddenly conscious of her broken-doll appearance, blood dried at the corner of her mouth, the ends of her hair, and all over her coat. She was a mess.

In two strides, Orlando reached Lucienne. “If this boy hurt you,” he said, “I’ll feed him to my fish!”

“Don’t hurt him,” Lucienne said with effort. “He . . . saved me.”

“Give her to me,” Orlando ordered Ashburn, about to take Lucienne.

Ashburn refused. “It’s better not to change hands. Her internal bleeding has stopped, but she’s still weak, and she has a broken rib.”

“Get the stretcher!” Orlando yelled toward the men, who raced away as if running for their lives to fetch the gurney. Orlando turned back to Lucienne. “Who did this to you?” Wrath and pain still twisted his face.

“The giant. Not our giant,” Dr. Wren said. “It’s my fault. I should have stopped her from going in, but she was too fast.” The doctor shoved two soldiers away and came to Lucienne’s side. “Put her down. Let me check her first.” As the doctor examined Lucienne, he called, “We must return to Sphinxes now. She needs surgery and a blood transfusion.”

Vladimir’s curses in Czech boomed through the arena. He had arrived, racing toward her on his motorcycle. He must have taken the last aircraft, Snow Eagle, and brought his bike.

“Who told him?” Lucienne looked at Duncan with reproach. “You all know he can’t hold his temper.”

“I did,” Dr. Wren said. “I called everyone. Even Kian McQuillen’s on his way from Chicago.”

“Dr. Wren,” Lucienne said, “I told you last time, when a situation isn’t critical—”

“The situation looked very critical to me. We lost visual on you for two hours,” the doctor said. “And now you’ve returned like this. I promised to take care of you. If I had lost you, I would never go to my grave in peace.”

Before Lucienne could chide the doctor for his dramatics, Vladimir reached her like a furnace blast. He handed his bike to a soldier, strode to Lucienne’s side, and shoved Ashburn away, so that he could crouch beside Lucienne.

Ashburn stumbled but didn’t fall. He rose to his feet quickly. The two boys glared at each other, enemies at first sight, the tension thick as Lucienne’s whip in action. Before she could even call out to Vladimir to diffuse the pressure, he snapped his attention back to her. “Who did this to her?” he roared. “I’ll eat his heart!”

“The one who fought me . . . has no heart,” Lucienne said.

Vladimir stared at her, his expression telling her that he didn’t find her joke funny.

Ziyi’s weeping broke through on Orlando’s radio, “Oh, Lucia, are you all right? Tell me she’s all right. Someone! Tell me she’s all right.”

“People!” Lucienne couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m not dead. Orlando, order a retreat. Every solider will leave Nirvana immediately and return to Sphinxes. I will not lose any of you to this place. Radio Kian and have him turn around. Do not land here. This is a code red area.”

“I’ll stay with you while your people arrange for evacuation,” Ashburn said.

“Stay away!” Vladimir said.

“No, Vlad, we need him,” Lucienne said. “If we want to get out of here in one piece.” She struggled against her pain to command him.”You will support my decision, Vladimir Blazek!”

Vladimir walked away. Resentment rolled off him wild wind. He came back to her before darkness took over her, and the world slid out from under her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

When BL7 touched down on Sphinxes, and in her semi-consciousness, Lucienne vaguely registered Vladimir and Orlando carrying her on a gurney. Kian shouted, “Other than me, you know her better than anyone, Orlando Sutherland. You should never have left her side. Any of you!”

“It’s entirely my fault. I’ll accept any sentence and punishment.” Orlando said. “But you’re also suggesting I should have disobeyed the Siren’s direct order.”