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there several times a week. He’d tried every trick in the book to figure out what bothered him about the place, other than the fact that both he and Skye almost died that fiery night on the cliffs in November. He’d even performed an exorcism a couple of weeks ago and felt absolutely ridiculous, because of course there was nothing there to be possessed. He’d tested for sulphur, for blood, for anything that would signal to the demonologist that an evil spirit was in the soil itself. All negative.
    “First thing in the morning,” Skye said, putting a hand on his arm. “You haven’t been sleeping well for weeks, you’re exhausted. Between rebuilding the mission and sitting with Rafe at the hospital, you haven’t had time to yourself.”
    “Or for you.” He kissed her. She was his lifeline in these troubled times. She had faith in him, and even when he did things she didn’t understand, she stood by him. “I love you.”
    She smiled and put her hand on the back of his neck. “Lie down,” she whispered and kissed him lightly. “I know how to get rid of that headache.”
    He took her hand into his and kissed it. “I want to go to the house now.”
    She silently stared at him, trying to hide her concern, but he saw the worry in her green eyes, in the way she tried to shield them when he frowned.
    She relented. “All right, we’ll go.”
    “I can do it alone.”
    “No.”
    “Skye—”
    “You’re not going alone. If something is going on, I need to be there.”
    “It may not be a crime in your jurisdiction, Sheriff.” He tried to keep his voice light, but the seriousness of the matter overshadowed his attempt.
    “You’re not going alone,” she repeated. “We’re in this together.”
    As they dressed, Skye asked, “Why tonight?”
    “I heard something.”
    “The ruins are miles away.”
    He didn’t respond. “The earth shook. It woke me.”
    She cocked her head. “Earthquakes are common in California.”
    “I told you you’d think I was foolish.”
    She crossed the room and grabbed his shoulders. “And I said I’ll never think you’re foolish.” She was angry with him. “I don’t understand everything you do; I don’t have your faith or your experience. But I love you , and I have faith in you . That’s all I need. If you heard something, if you felt something, then we’ll go to the ruins and make sure no one is messing around. I don’t want that—that thing back in my town.”
    He touched her face. “Mia amore.”
    “Let’s do this fast so I can bring you back to bed.” She smiled and nipped his ear playfully.
    He returned her kiss, but when she turned to check her gun and holster it, his smile disappeared. He’d like nothing more than to make love to Skye and fall back to sleep until dawn, but he wasn’t wrong about the ruins. There would be no more rest tonight.

FOUR
    Fiona’s temper flared as Raphael Cooper—who shouldn’t even be here, let alone awake!—repelled her energy right back at her.
    She diverted the cosmic electricity into the ground, making the earth shiver. The trapped demons growled as they began to take form. She had to complete the ritual before they regained their strength.
    She’d wanted Cooper dead from the beginning because he represented the only true threat to her plans. However, others in her coven believed he’d gleaned important information from the priests at the mission—knowledge that would be valuable to them in their quest. In addition, Cooper was of St. Michael’s Order and therefore knew many of their secrets. That had been the turning point for Fiona. She wanted to crush the Order for what they’d done to her and her ancestors. So she agreed to allow him to live on the condition that he was kept under the coven’s control in order to extract what he’d learned.
    But they hadn’t pulled out a fraction of the information in his head, and now—somehow—he’d awakened from the coma they’d put him in.
    “You have no idea what