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“He told you that? My, aren’t we getting cozy.”

She sighed. “Caleb won’t stay out of it. Not now.”

“You could make him.”

Regan frowned. “Not that I couldn’t take you on my own, but why would I do that?”

“Because I’m telling you this forhisgood—he’s my son, and whatever he thinks, I love him, but you bring him anywhere near my ally, and you sign his death warrant.”

“Are you sure you aren’t just a little bit afraid of your son?”

“Maybe, but I won’t be facing him alone. And there’s no way Caleb can take on this thing and survive. Are you willing to risk that?”

Was she? At the thought of anything happening to Caleb, her gut clenched in protest. She wished she had more information. She wished that thoughts of Sardi didn’t keep clouding her mind. Sardi, who it had taken the combined powers of Regan and her mother to bring down.

“Who will be with you?” she asked.

“Why don’t you come and find out?”

Her hand tightened around the phone. “You’ll tell me where you are?”

“If you promise to leave Caleb out of this, then yes, I’ll tell you.”

She sat for a minute thinking it through. She could sense the truth in his words. He really believed that Caleb would die.

This ally of Ethan’s wanted her for something, and she guessed that something was to do with her ability to open the portals between the worlds. That suggested the underworld, which suggested demons, which brought her back to Sardi.

God, it all came back to Sardi. She closed her eyes and pictured him, lying beside her, whispering words of love.

She forced the memory away and concentrated on the present. Caleb would never forgive her for doing this, but that had to be better than dead. Besides, despite his readiness to go up against his father, she suspected he might balk in the face of actually killing him. And Ethan was going to die. She would make sure of that.

“Are you still there?” Ethan’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

“Yes, I’m here. I’ll make sure Caleb can’t follow. Now, where are you?”

She put the phone down a few minutes later and sat staring at the bloodstain on the carpet. She should move, she wanted to be away but there was something she needed to do first.

Ethan thought her arrogant, and she’d played up to that. But she wasn’t a fool and knew when she needed help. She picked up the phone again.

Time to call in the cavalry!