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The last thing he wanted was for her to once more retreat behind the walls that had, for so long, isolated her. He wished for her to feel connected to those who would be her friends. He wanted her to be happy. And safe.
    He simply wanted her. In so many ways—her smile, her sunshine, her trust.
    Her heart.
    Perhaps it was better this way, better for her to doubt him, better for her to refuse to accompany him to Gonzaga Castle, for he deeply doubted his ability to keep her safe there.
    But without her magic, they would almost certainly fail to retrieve Escalla.
    And unless they destroyed Escalla, Quinn would never be able to save his world.
    Mio Dio , it was an impossible choice—his world and his friends, or the woman who had slowly, utterly, stolen his heart.

    Q uinn strode through the hallway beneath Neo’s, uncertain where she was going. She needed to think, to find the trust within herself that it would take to accompany Arturo once more into Cristoff Gonzaga’s house of horrors. The thought of going back there had her stomach twisting, her skin flushing damp with perspiration.
    Less than an hour ago, she’d been certain Arturo would never betray her again. But, from the beginning, his betrayals had taken her by surprise. They shouldn’t have—he was a vampire, after all—but despite that, she’d seen honor in him. Unfortunately, back then, his honor had manifested mostly as unwavering loyalty to his vampire master. And while Arturo had never actually hurt her himself, not physically, he’d told her he would never protect her against his master. And he hadn’t.
    Since his soul had fully returned, he’d assured her, over and over, that he would protect her, that he’d never allow Cristoff to hurt her again. But this was the first opportunity she’d had to test it. And she was no longer certain he wouldn’t fail.
    As she turned the corner to the hallway where her own tiny room was located, she nearly ran into Dr. Morris, a petite brunette with long, wavy hair that glowed with the phosphorescence that marked her as an immortal human, or Slava.
    “Amanda.”
    “Quinn.” The doctor frowned, concern in her eyes. “What’s happened?”
    Quinn tried to remember if she’d seen her upstairs. “Carlos…”
    “I know.” Sadness pulled at the doctor’s pretty features even as she continued to study Quinn. Dr. Amanda Morris was far too perceptive. “Are you okay? Is it Zack?”
    Quinn hesitated. Amanda was another women who’d made friendly overtures toward her. Friendship had never come easily to Quinn, but damn if she didn’t need someone to talk to now.
    “Do you have a minute?”
    “Of course.” Amanda nodded toward the opposite hallway with her head. “My examining room is larger than the bedrooms. And private.”
    Quinn followed, her stomach a mass of knots. An hour. The vampires wanted to leave in an hour. Fifteen minutes ago, it had been her pushing to go and Arturo holding back. Now they’d switched places and she felt utterly conflicted.
    Amanda led the way into a sterile, modern-looking doctor’s examination room, and lit one of the lamps. She motioned to the chair in the corner, then took a seat on her stool as Quinn sat down.
    “What’s going on, Quinn?” Amanda had been a family practitioner in the real world until five years ago when she was captured, enslaved, then rescued and brought to Neo’s. Before Neo and Mukdalla could ferry her back to the real world, Amanda met Sam, one of the Slavas helping Neo, a human who could never leave Vamp City. Now the two were married, both trapped here, both working to help the escaped humans, each in his or her own way. Both would die when the magic failed.
    If it failed. If Quinn couldn’t free her magic. If she couldn’t trust…
    “How much faith do you have in Arturo Mazza?” Quinn hadn’t intended to be so blunt, but the question burst from her, unwilling to be contained.
    Amanda’s expression turned wry. “What’s he done this