“Subject?” she muttered in confusion.
He straightened, meeting her puzzled gaze. “You are a Chatri, aren’t you?”
A Chatri?
As in fey royalty?
A cold chill inched down her spine at the unexpected question.
It was the box.
It had to be.
“No.” She gave a violent shake of her head. “I’m just a witch.”
He looked instantly contrite. “Forgive me. I understand if you want to keep your identity a secret.”
Okay, this was going from weird to weirder.
If she hadn’t been desperate to help Roke, she’d be fleeing in the opposite direction.
Instead, she forced herself to glance at the vampire who remained unconscious on the ground.
“I just want to help my . . .” Her lips twisted as she said the word she’d been avoiding for the past month. “Mate.”
The imp sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re mated to a vampire?”
“Yes,” she admitted in impatient tones. “Can you help him?”
“May I approach?”
The imp waited for her to give a reluctant nod before gingerly crossing the ground with a grace that would match a vampire. He lowered himself to his knees, his fingers reaching to touch Roke’s ashen cheek.
Sally watched in silence as the imp closed his eyes and appeared to be assessing Roke’s injuries.
“What is it?” She at last broke the silence.
The imp opened his eyes, his expression troubled. “I can’t determine the precise poison, but it must be something specifically designed to harm vampires.”
Sally frowned. How could Roke have been . . . oh. Her hands clenched as she remembered the dart that the demon had shot at Roke.
At the time it’d seemed like nothing more than an irritant. Now it was obvious the demon had used it to administer the poison with the intention of keeping Roke distracted until it could go into effect.
He hadn’t counted on Sally’s spell to ruin his plans.
Bastard.
“Can you help him?”
The imp shook his head. “No.”
“Then who can?”
“Maybe the vampires.” The green eyes held a concern that was at odds with his calm voice. “Does he have a clan nearby?”
She had to remind herself to breathe. “No. Why?”
“He’s a chief. They can draw power from their clan.”
Oh. She didn’t know that. Chewing on her bottom lip she tried to calculate how far they were from Nevada.
“How long does he have?”
The imp grimaced. “Not long. I’d say no more than an hour. Maybe two.”
“Damn.” She tasted blood as her teeth sank into her lip, tears filling her eyes. Even if she drove like a bat out of hell she couldn’t reach his people. “It’s too far.”
A copper brow arched at choked words. “I’m an imp.”
Sally blinked. “Yeah, I got that.”
“I can create a portal to take you anywhere you want to go,” he said slowly, as if realizing she was having difficulty processing anything beyond her savage fear that she was going to fail Roke.
She held the green gaze. “Can you take me to Nevada?”
“Yes,” he agreed. “Although I can only travel to a place I’ve been to before.”
“Las Vegas?” she suggested, recalling Roke saying his clan was within easy distance of Sin City.
He gave a dip of his head. “Of course. Are you ready?”
Sally shut down her brain.
It was the only way to halt the shrill voice in the back of her mind that was screaming she couldn’t trust a strange imp who just happened to show up when she needed him the most. And that even if the fey could be trusted, she was a fool to willingly put herself in the hands of Roke’s clan.
She didn’t have a choice.
If she didn’t do something quick, Roke was going to die.
She knew it in the very depths of her soul.
“Yes.”
The male studied her pale face for a long, silent moment before lifting a hand to weave a pattern in midair. Slowly a shimmer began to appear, growing wider with every pass of his slender hand.
Sally felt an odd sensation bloom deep inside her. Was she reacting to the portal? Or was it the imp magic that was stirring a pulse of power that flowed through her blood?
She shook her head. What did it matter?
Once he was satisfied his portal was stable, the imp held his hand toward Sally, nodding toward Roke.
“Hold on to the vampire.”
Sucking in a deep breath, she placed her hand in the imp’s and then slid her arm under Roke’s neck, leaning down to press her lips to his icy forehead as the imp pulled the portal toward them.
Not sure what to expect, Sally stiffened as the prickles of energy raced over her body, an explosion of colors swirling around her as if she could actually see the magic of the portal.
The imp made a sound of wonderment, his eyes wide as he studied the whirling kaleidoscope.
“Astonishing,” he murmured. “It’s never been like this.”
Sally didn’t know if he was referring to the colors or the sensations of being sucked through space at supersonic speed, and she didn’t have time to ask as they came to a sharp halt. Holding tight to Roke, she watched as the colorful display slowly dissipated, revealing a vast desert shrouded in darkness.
“This is it,” the imp murmured.
Sally nodded, her gaze skimming the distant mountains before turning her attention toward the glowing lights of Vegas that lit the night sky even miles away.
“How far are we from the vampires?”
“Not far enough for my comfort.” The imp shuddered, pointing south. “They’re rapidly approaching.”
She pressed another kiss to Roke’s forehead. “Thank the goddess.”
Careful not to startle her, the imp crouched beside her, his expression troubled.
“You’re certain?”
Nope. Not in the least.
“Roke needs them.” Was her only answer.
“You can leave him here and return through the portal with me,” the imp said. “A Chatri should not be in the hands of vampires.”
“I’m not a . . .” She gave a futile shake of her head. What did it matter? “I’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.” He shot an anxious glance toward the thickening shadows. “They’re almost here.”
“Go,” Sally urged.
The imp hesitated, clearly torn between a desire to stay and offer her protection and a fear of the approaching demons.