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This situation was making my head hurt. We needed to get out of here, but I had no idea how. The monster had brought us through, meaning we might be dependent on it to rip open another portal to get home. I hated that, and I disliked the fact that there was nothing we could do for Joseph, beyond offering him a simple pain pill, while we were in such dire straits.Joseph gave a delirious moan as he leaned against Dorian.

”It”s going to be fine,” I told Jessica. ”We”ll need to find the monster first.”

”You aren”t even looking,” Jessica protested. Her eyes were glassy. For the first time, I saw actual emotions aside from her insatiable drive to get information for her show. Concern showed on her face. It was respectable, but she”d worn down my patience. We all had priorities right now, and I needed to consider our best plan of action.

”It”s not as if it”ll come when we whistle,” I said. “Did you sense it when you went out looking?” Something about Jessica having the ability to sense the beast and see portals made me curious. Here we were, trying to figure out this strange place, and she had superpowers. It was just adding to the mystery.

She pressed her mouth shut for a moment. ”I don”t know. I can”t always feel it.”

I threw a tired look at Dorian, who shook his head. There was no way of knowing why Jessica possessed this strange power. I wasn”t going to drive myself mad thinking about it, but it sure would be useful, since Sike”s scanner had decided to fritz out on us in this odd bubble. So far, Jessica was the only one who had ”eyes” on the beast.

”I thought you said it was in the last building,” Cam said. His rodent pal squeaked loudly, as if backing him up in his question.

Jessica gave a weak shrug. ”I looked there. Sometimes it”s good at hiding. I can”t turn this power on and off at will, you know.” She referred to it as a power, too, so she must’ve realized it coming about at some point. I raised an interested brow.

”How long have you known that there is something different about you?” I asked her, making sure my tone was calm without any trace of suspicion. She huffed, apparently miffed that I would even ask.

”It just—” Her words cut off as a familiar wail echoed in the near distance. I whipped around to look deeper into the apartment block and spotted a flash of white flitting through the spaces between the buildings. It was the monster. It was coming back, halfway visible, but without Dan.

Jessica gave a startled cry as the monster reached us and immediately locked onto her. Dorian and Sike dove to the side, pulling Joseph along with them. I wrenched my knife out of my belt as Cam aimed a shot at the beast. Jessica ran behind us, her face a mask of terror. Bryce brought up the rear, protecting our back. The monster tried to fake us out by going left, but Cam aimed and hit its visible claw. It let out a shriek and blinked out of sight. Before it did, I glimpsed the faint scar of a wound on its nose.It had healed quickly.

”Did you see its nose?” I asked Cam. A gust of air whipped around us and out to the edge of the ruins. The beast was circling us, under its cloak of cover. Cam nodded, swallowing.

”Someone cut it,” he muttered. ”Why?”

”Maybe they got in a lucky hit before the creature got them in its mouth,” I said. Clambering footsteps made me turn to see Arlonne and Chandry back at the scene. Chandry glanced from Joseph to Jessica.

”There were more people?” Arlonne asked.

”Just this one,” I replied. ”Be careful, the monster is back.” On cue, a breeze struck us from one side as the creature blew past. It was back to its basic strategy of circling and closing in while invisible, giving it time to recover from our attacks. If it keeps doing that, we won’t be able to really land a good hit on it.

“It really wants Jessica,” Sike yelled.

Arlonne snorted. “Let it have her.” Nonetheless, she and Chandry took up a guard position between the humans and the creature’s path, leaving a few yards between Cam, Bryce, and me. Jessica stayed behind me, clutching her ears.

“My head hurts,” she said faintly. I focused my eyes on our surroundings, hoping to see a flash of white. Maybe using her powers gave her a headache. She’d mentioned having one earlier.

“Stay quiet and stay down,” I commanded. After getting Joseph to a safe position, protected by Sike, Dorian ran over to help. The monster shifted back to its visible white form, but only in splotches—a claw here, an arm there, then a leg over there. Bryce and Cam lined up their shots as Chandry volleyed herself toward the beast.

Like last time, though, the monster had no interest in Chandry. She cursed as it slipped past her. It was smart; it had picked up on her tricks. Arlonne rushed it from the side and managed to clip its tail. The creature flew to the side, rolling into the debris, but quickly sprang back up and headed toward us. I pulled Jessica out of the way. She let out an ear-piercing scream, tears running down her face as she desperately clutched her head.

“We need the creature to open up a portal,” Sike yelled. “It’s the only way out of here.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I huffed as I tucked Jessica behind me. Chandry and Arlonne darted in front of us, keeping watch for the beast. It seemed to have run off, but it would be back. “But first, we need to get this thing cornered. It’s got to feel threatened.”

“We can manage that,” Arlonne said with a clenched fist. “We’ve done it before.”

We had done it before, but it had fled to its lair. I wasn”t sure it would flee its own territory. I grabbed Jessica firmly by the shoulders. “You said it was hiding in the last building. Do you think that’s its home?”

She sniffed. “I don’t know. I just know it was there.” If we made the monster think we were threatening its home, maybe we could force it to open a portal. I yelled my plan to Dorian.

“It’s worth a try,” he said. “Sike and Bryce, take Joseph. We need to run as fast as possible before that thing comes back.”

I hauled Jessica along with me, ignoring her complaints. I had to get her to safety. She would be suffering from more than a headache if that monster got its claws on her.

“Come on,” I told her and added, “We might find Dan there.”

“It might take us to the Immortal Plane or the Mortal Plane,” Chandry said as we ran. “I can hold the portal open for us to get through, but we might be unleashing it on a nearby community.”

Dorian grunted. “It’s a risk we have to take.” We passed through four destroyed buildings. Hopping over rubble, I half dragged Jessica with me.

“It’s coming for us,” she whispered frantically, and then her eyes widened. “Are you going to take me to the place where those supernatural creatures come from?” That was a discussion I didn’t have time for. We’d take her and Dan anywhere we needed to. I said nothing as we ran. A wall abruptly crinkled inward before the monster blasted through it. Cam fired off a warning shot as a flash of white scales greeted us. The creature pulled back, leaving us to dart into the last building.

It had to be the monster’s lair. This building was the most intact of any of them, but its entrance was as wide as a garage, which meant the beast could easily slip in and out. In the corner, a stack of rubble on the first floor resembled a makeshift nest.

“Dan’s not here,” Jessica announced, quickly scanning the room. Suddenly, the wall beside us burst into pieces. I threw myself forward, taking her with me to the ground. The beast roared and lashed out at Arlonne, sending her flying into the other wall. She cursed and rolled to the side.

“We have to distract it,” Dorian shouted.

Chandry glanced at Jessica. “I’m on it.” Without a word, she ripped a piece off Jessica’s left pant leg. Jessica let out a startled protest, but Chandry merely vaulted forward with the fabric.

“You want some of this?” she called to the beast. The monster’s upper half was visible. It sniffed the air audibly and groaned, lurching for Chandry. Apparently, it had a very strong nose, which might explain why someone had attacked it there. Chandry evaded the creature by flipping and running all over the room. Slowly but surely, she inched the beast back into its nest. Dan was nowhere to be found in the rubble, but we couldn’t wait for him. If Joseph had managed to survive here, I would have to take my chances that Dan could, too, if he wasn’t already dead.

Dorian stepped close to the beast to land a blow, but the monster suddenly reared on him. My heart skipped a beat as the creature sent my husband flying into the wall. The weird material caved in on itself, burying Dorian underneath it. Cam and Bryce dove forward to claw at the pile of rubble, but I couldn”t leave Jessica. Arlonne was just pulling herself up from the other destroyed wall. The building around us trembled. It was growing unstable, even in the light gravity.

“We have to get out of here,” I shouted to the others. “Chandry, try pushing it back.” Joseph muttered wildly underneath his breath, something about a leathery white body and red eyes. As he crawled from beneath the debris, Dorian let out a ragged gasp, and my shoulders lifted with relief. He was okay. Injured, but okay. This monster was nastier than I’d thought.

The monster roared as Chandry tumbled too close to it. It snagged her on the side, and she gasped in pain. Blood poured from her side, and she rolled away. The monster was growing tired; its movements were slowing. My pulse staggered as it let out a wheeze. Chandry pulled herself toward us. Jessica tried to get up, but I shoved her back down. She wasn’t going anywhere this time.

Dorian, Cam, and Arlonne moved forward together to corner the beast in its nest. The monster let out its wail, and Jessica hissed, pressing her hands against her head again.

“It’s so loud,” she wept. “Where’s Dan?” For a moment, her breaking voice made my heart soften. All she wanted was to find her boyfriend.

A shudder pulsed through the air. Chandry gasped. The beast jumped forward to an empty space in front of it. It must be making a portal! I pulled Jessica up beside me. Bryce and Sike ran forward with Joseph, who kept mumbling as he passed in and out of delirium. Maybe it was better to be delirious at a time like this. The monster vanished.

“Let’s go,” Dorian yelled. “Move, move!”

I rushed forward. Joseph stumbled in front of me with Bryce and Sike, and I dropped Jessica for a moment to help them grab him before he fell and injured himself more. Chandry pulled on an invisible circle in the air and gritted her teeth.

“Hurry,” she shouted. “This one isn’t as powerful as the last.”

Dorian helped Bryce and Sike push Joseph through. I followed, dragging Jessica with me despite her continued protests. Arlonne and Chandry slipped through just after Cam. We panted as we landed on soft forest ground. Greens blurred around me. I couldn’t focus on where we were.

Suddenly, someone was fighting against me.

Jessica wrenched herself free of my grip.

“No, I can’t leave him,” she cried. “I know I can’t trust you. You left Dan! You said you would help him. Let me go.”

She was terrified to leave Dan, which I couldn’t fault her for, but her own life was in danger. We had to get her to safety and regroup if we wanted to come back and save him. I understood her worries, but she needed to listen to reason. Anger flamed my face as I reminded myself that Jessica was hurting. “We’ll get him later, Jessica. It’s too dangerous. I’m not letting you go.”

“We have to go back and find him,” she cried. “The portal’s still open.” Before I could tighten my grip, she slipped out of my grasp with a surprisingly strong yank and leapt backward through the portal. Arlonne snarled and dove through after her before the rest of us could react.

“I’m tired of your attitude,” Arlonne said, but her voice suddenly faded. I stared in horror at the sight.

“What’s happening?” I asked Dorian desperately. “Can you see them through the portal?”

“It doesn’t work like that,” he said, and shook his head.

“Arlonne,” Bryce cried. Chandry’s face contorted with effort. I saw it on all the vampires’ faces. The portal was closing. Chandry tried to hold it open, but her hands grasped uselessly at the air. It was gone.

Arlonne and Jessica were gone.

“No,” Bryce breathed. “She’s…”

Joseph groaned as he leaned against Sike. Bryce released the injured man and wiped a distraught hand down his face.

I stooped down, holding my head in my hands. This shouldn’t have happened. This Jessica woman had already cost us so much on this mission, with a detour to that odd world after endangering herself by trespassing in the Leftovers. I shook my head in disbelief but forced myself to stand.

Bryce let out a litany of curses from his mouth, and nobody did anything to calm him. He needed this.

We were… somewhere. I stared at the ground and felt the familiar nip of cold air. There was snow and tropical plants. I frowned, glancing at Dorian. His weary eyes met mine. We had to do something.

It looked like some immortal vegetation, but it was even colder here than Black Rock. If we weren’t in Black Rock, where were we? I glanced up at the sky, but the canopy of treetops blocked out most of a dark sky. Wherever this was, it was either late at night or early in the morning.

“It feels like the Leftovers,” Dorian said. “Just not Utah.”

I calmed my spinning brain. This was a major setback. Our mission had failed, and now we were lost in new territory. It had to be another part of the Leftovers in the Mortal Plane. If there was a squad stationed nearby, we could send word to the Bureau.

Sike paused for a long time. “I don’t understand why Jessica went back. She might not survive back there. I hope Arlonne is okay.”

I agreed with Sike wholeheartedly. Jessica didn’t trust us, and she had suspicions about the agencies investigating the Leftovers. I had no idea where her obsessive motivation stemmed from, but clearly, she was not what she had originally seemed. And now, we had no choice but to live with her mistakes. I prayed that Arlonne would stay safe, since she was a strong and capable warrior. Bryce stared at the ground, lost in his own personal grief.

“Let’s get going,” I told my team softly. “We’ve got to get Joseph some medical attention.”