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that person was—me. I’d managed to temporarily remove Lavie’s demonic seeds while inside the shadow monsters’ patch.
    “Let’s not talk about what the blood can and cannot do,” Lavie said, continuing her line of thought.
    A loud boom reverberated around the room, shaking the floor and rattling the windows.
    “What the hell was that?” I asked, standing up. That didn’t sound like thunder.
    A second boom followed, and then another. The storm was right above us but this sounded like explosions.
    “Uh-oh,” Lavie called when she reached the window. “It looks like we’ve got company.”
    When the next thump clanged, there was no denying more than one explosion was going off all around us. The beeps and sounds coming from the life-support machines stopped suddenly, leaving us in temporary silence.
    “Papan…” I leaned over him and squeezed his hand, wishing for an instant recovery. The heart monitor went blank and the respirator was no longer breathing for him. The overhead lights flickered before leaving us in almost darkness. If it wasn’t for the lightning and the flames outside, there would be no light.
    I placed his hand back on the bed and pushed the chair out of my way. “What is going on?” I rushed to Lavie’s side and looked out the window. Several houses were engulfed by fire, giving the werewolf estate an eerie orange glow.
    “Don’t worry, the backup generators will kick in,” Saul called loud enough for us to hear.
    Just as he spoke, three phantasms plummeted from the night sky like comets turning into fireballs. They impacted with the barn, causing the worst explosion yet. Debris rose into the air, some of it struck the outer walls of the clinic.
    “Was that the barn?” Saul asked.
    “Sure was,” Lavie answered.
    “Then we’ll switch back to the grid—”
    “No, if that happens he’ll have total access!” But even as the words slid between my lips, the fluorescent lights flickered on. The machines ticked back into working order, beeping and puffing.
    The sound of the next explosion made my heart leap inside my chest and forced my limbs into action. I tackled Lavie to the floor just as the window we’d been looking through shattered.
    My ears buzzed as I rolled off her to make sure she was all right. Since she always dressed in long sleeves and garments that covered her legs, the glass hadn’t struck her skin. There was some stuck in her red curls, which she shook off.
    “Wow, that was fast,” she said. “Thanks.”
    “Don’t mention it.” I got to my feet and offered her a hand. She took it and together we headed back to the window. Most of the grounds were on fire, and phantasms of different colors whirled around the area. I’d been stupid to assume Mace couldn’t reach me here. He was making a mess outside, hurting people who had nothing to do with our personal conflict.
    “Phantasms,” Lavie whispered.
    The thunderstorm helped them get here. There hadn’t been anything normal about the approaching storm, and now I knew why. These bastards had somehow used their electrical charge to travel via lightning to reach this place. It had to take a tremendous amount of strength, but Mace’s demonic influence would be enough of a push.
    Screams and chaos echoed around the formerly peaceful compound. If I didn’t go outside to help catch the phantasms, everyone would be killed.
    “I have to go out there.”
    “No, Sierra, you’re bleeding!” Lavie grabbed my hand and pointed at my face.
    Funny, I hadn’t felt any pain, but she was right. When I ran my hand over my right cheek I withdrew bloody fingers. “It doesn’t matter—”
    “Hold on, let me at least get the shard of glass out.” She snatched it between her fingers and I felt a slight tug on my skin before she showed me the small, sharp slither.
    I wiped my cheek with my sleeve and turned to check on Papan. He lay motionless on the bed under a shower of glass. He was also simultaneously standing where