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I know who you are. Goddess of the moon, right?”
    Phro, always up for a challenge—hell, anything since most people can’t see her—chuckled. “Keep thinking little guy.”
    The sprite turned back to me. “You can see spirits. You have a goddess with you. What else can you do?”
    “Why do you assume I can do anything?”
    He tilted his head and let his eyes run over my body. Twice. Oh goddess. “You are obviously not human, but some sort of magical creature. What kind?”
    I was getting used to the question, but still hadn’t found an acceptable answer to it. Technically, I’m the daughter of the goddess Ariadne and a human serial killer. My mother gave me the ability to peel dimensional layers, astral project, call bees and outlift Mr. Universe. She gave me long, heavy copper-colored hair with a natural white crown and streaks that reflected the sun like a mirror.
    My father gifted me with a bit of a mean streak. Hopefully that was all, since he was one of the worst serial killers to have ever walked this earth.
    I narrowed my eyes and leaned over the table. “You’re so old and full of wisdom, you tell me what you think I am.”
    With that, he clapped his hands and flew up to float in front of my face. “I think you’re a hot fantasy package wrapped in a layer of icky, prudish haughtiness. And you don’t truly know what you are!”
    “Get out of my face.” I resisted the urge to flick him. “That’s a lot to assume from so short a time.”
    “I’ve had a lot of time to learn to read humans and other creatures.” He landed, took two steps and stopped to spin and place a hand on his hip. Maybe he had fantasies of being an actor. He had the drama-queen act down pat. “You also stink of one of the lesser hell dimensions.”
    My mouth fell open.
    Castor snarled and plucked the vampire up by the back of that ridiculous cape. “Maybe you’re smelling yourself.”
    The thing hissed, turned his head as if to bite my brother, and this time I did flick him. Right out of my brother’s hand and into a wall. A trail of dust swirled around him and I quickly pulled my brother back, motioning Blythe and my sister to follow. This creature was a complete unknown. I’d heard sprite dust can make a person sneeze. Vampire sprite dust was liable to eat right through the sinuses.
    “And I thought the fairies were rude,” he was mumbling as he got to his feet. He smoothed his tiny hands down his cape, spit on his palms and slicked back his hair.
    I bit the corner of my lip. Met my brother’s amused eyes. He had to turn away.
    “What do you mean ‘I stink like the hell dimension’?” I asked.
    “I mean, you smell like the rotting insides of a bull.” He stomped to the edge of the table with tiny clicking feet and stared up at me, crossing his arms over his chest. “You stink of blood and bile and the poison of demons is running in your veins. Your wounds aren’t healing, I can smell them. They tie you to that place.”
    I’d fought demons from that dimension recently. That was why I’d taken so long to heal. Or at least, I’d thought I was healing, albeit slowly. Blythe’s healing magic had taken a hit along with the rest of her magic, so there’d been no help there.  
    The demons excrete a poison from their claws that infects a wound and sends black spiderweb lines over the skin. As for being tied to the place, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Not if it could help me get to Nikolos faster. I was about to launch into what we wanted when the vamp chuckled and flew into the air close to my face.
    “Oh, I know who you are! You are nothing more than the walking dead.”
    “I assure you, I’m very much alive.” Tact. What I needed here was tact. I thought of Nikolos, trapped in some kind of hell, and my heart started pounding. “I need your blood,” I blurted again. Elsa kicked the back of my boot.
    “I know that and I know why. Everyone knows of the Minoan who gave up his life to save all the