"Rafe?" It was Jeff whispering in a panicked tone.

"Yeah?"

"There's a group of Daimons here at the marina."

"It's too early for them to be out."

"Tell them that!"

"Calm down and tell me what's going on."

"It's spooky as hell. There's some kind of party going on at the houseboat next door that started at sundown and I just saw six of them heading for it."

"All right. Lie low and I'll be there in a few minutes."

Celena frowned at the concern in Rafael's voice. "Is there a problem?"

"Major Daimon alert."

Before she could ask anything else, he was gone, but his words rang in her ears. Major Daimon alert. . .

This could be bad.

You're a Squire. Her place was at home, especially after dark. And then she saw Eamon's face in her mind. His smiling face as he teased her about not eating peas.

"Did ya do yer homework, lass?"

God, how she'd loved that man. He was like an older brother, a best friend, and a father all rolled into one. And in one heartbeat, the Daimons had killed him.

Let's face it, with the exception of Ephani, you've had a bad run with Dark-Hunters. The more she cared for them, the more horrible their deaths.

And she loved Rafael. She'd loved him since the first moment she'd met him after she moved to West Point, Mississippi. He was intelligent, smart, and he had a wicked sense of humor.

Now he was going to fight the Daimons. Alone.

A thousand scenarios went through her head, with all of them coming to one single conclusion.

Rafael dead. Panic set her heart to beating furiously as she looked about his home. She couldn't pack up another Dark-Hunter's home. She couldn't hold another vigil service to pay respect to someone she loved.