Page 24 of Fallen Star

"She doesn't have to tell me, I can see what she sees," Levi says, sending a chill down my spine.

Tears stream down Alex's face, and I fight against Levi's restraints trying to reach her. The harder I fight, the weaker I become. After a few more moments, Alex collapses to the ground, and I can't tell if she's conscious or not. Levi smiles, the gloat clear on his half-deformed face. He looks to Sandra, who is frozen in place, her face an emotionless mask. "Your daughter's gifts have grown beyond what you told me. It's incredible. We will take her with us. She will be very useful."

He looks at me. "You, not so much. I have no further need of you, once I have the third shard."

At that, he looks to the mahogany wood floors and touches the Star shards, concentrating his powers until a beam of white light emanates from his hands and begins to burn a hole through the floor all the way to the basement. "Get it," he tells Sandra, once the hole is complete.

Without a word, she jumps into the hole, landing in a crouch on the basement floor. It doesn't take her long to find Alex's shard and return with it, handing it meekly over to Levi.

Alex still isn't moving or waking up. I can sense her pulse, but it's faint.

Once Levi has all three, he grins wickedly. "This is our final farewell, brother."

His hand glows, and he's about to aim it at me when lightning crashes through the windows and a giant silver manticore blasts into the living room. Atop the beast is a woman I recognize, but am stunned to see here.

Alex stirs, opening her eyes and sitting up. She smiles when she sees the woman on the manticore. "You came."

"Of course. Sorry I'm late. Who are we beating up today?" Iris, formerly First Hunter and now the youngest Watcher on the Council of Hunters, says as she faces Levi. "You, I'm guessing, based on the hideous face and lackluster attempt at sinister costuming. Theo, you know what to do!"

Theo blasts my brother with lightning bolts from his eyes, hitting Levi in the chest. That should have been the end of him, but Levi screams and uses the power of the Star to protect himself and counterattack. The house around us shifts. The walls, ceiling and floor splinter as lightning and magic shoot everywhere, destroying the mansion while we're still in it.

"Come on kids, we've gotta get out of here," Iris says.

I help Alex up and onto Theo, mounting after her, and the manticore flies out of the living room window and into the night sky.

As we climb higher, Levi continues his attacks on us, singeing Theo's fur with blasts of magic.

"We need a door!" Iris says.

"What?" Alex asks, screaming to be heard.

"A door. Some kind of door."

We all look down, and I point to a row of houses. "Will one of those work?"

Iris nods and guides Theo down in a descent so fast I have to grip Alex to keep her from falling off.

We land with a heavy thud, and in an instant Theo shrinks to the size of a kitten and hops onto Iris' shoulder. She pulls an ancient key from a chain around her neck and sticks it into the front door keyhole of a stranger's house.

"Isn't this breaking and entering?" Alex asks, still wobbly on her feet from Levi's power over her.

"Just wait," Iris says with a wink.

When the door opens, we aren't in the expected stranger's house but rather we are in a familiar place to me.

"Oh my," Sly Devil says, seeing us appear in his study. "What kind of trouble have you brought me today, my dear niece?"

Iris shrugs. "This is my friend, the one I was telling you about," she says, gesturing to Alex, who is taking it all in. "And you know Dean, of course."

Sly winks. "Of course I know the Prince of Lust. I just didn't realize you three all knew each other."

Alex turns looking at us both. "I didn't either. How do you two know each other?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," I say. "How do you know Iris? I know her because she's on the Hunter's Council and is engaged to my nephew."

Alex's eyes widen and Iris smiles and holds out her hand to show off the ring. Alex screeches. "You're engaged! Why didn't you tell me?"

Iris shrugs. "We've both been so busy. I posted it on Facebook."