"yes."

"all right. when you were hurt last time, when the demon actually touched you, what did the priests at the hospital do?"

"they cleaned the wounds with holy water and blessed me. why?"

he swore again. "they didn't do a full exorcism?"

"no. i wasn't possessed. they didn't think it was necessary."

matteo gave out a growl that would do kevin proud in wolf form. "is that what they said?"

"yes."

"so they didn't do an exorcism."

now i let out an exasperated breath and stopped pacing around the room. "didn't i just say that? i think i'd remember an exorcism, matty. they're supposed to be pretty intense."

he swore some more. i was pretty sure a few of the words weren't approved by the order. "all right. i can't be sure without looking for myself, but i'm guessing that what we have here is a breach. working with demons stains the soul. the more you do it, the more of a tie you have with them. eventually they can and do use the summoner himself as a doorway to get into our reality. being injured the way you were marked you-creating a link between you and the demon. killing the first summoner closed one door."

"but-"

"but you've been marked. if there's another summoner, that person can bring him over and he can use the mark to home right in on you."

it was my turn to swear. i wasn't precisely surprised, but i'd hoped for better news. "is there any way to unmark me?"

silence dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. "maybe," he admitted. "if you were human, i'd suggest a full exorcism. but with you being part vampire-"

he didn't have to finish. i knew the answer. "it could kill me."

"yeah."

i didn't even hesitate. better to die clean than risk eternity with a demon. "how long would it take you?"

"let me get in touch with a few people. in the meantime, get to a church-"

i interrupted him. "can't. we're going after the other summoner. is there anything we can do for now? some sort of 'patch'?"

"you need a priest." his voice was hard, unyielding. "you'll be slaughtered without one. and if you die now, with the demon having marked you-"

i shuddered. i couldn't help it. the problem was there weren't any priests on serenity. ren had fetched the one this afternoon from freaking italy. then again, knowing what i did now, that could've been a stalling tactic. but even if there was a local church, they certainly hadn't ever needed one of the militant orders. no monsters. not until now.

"i'll catch the next plane."

i shook my head while everyone in the room stared at me. the sirens' expressions made me think they were eavesdropping through my own mind. creede was probably listening in with magic. "there's not enough time."

"make time, celia. i'm serious. people will die, but that's nothing compared to what will happen to you."

pale and trembling, okalani began tugging at my sleeve. they'd brought her to the infirmary to be checked for shock. she'd come up clean, but she and her mother hadn't left yet.

"hang on, matty." i covered the receiver. "yes, okalani?"

"i can bring him here. i just need to see where he is." she was scared enough that i could see white all around the pupils of her eyes. but she was determined, too, and smart. i hadn't even thought about what she was proposing. good kid.

tell matteo i'm going to be joining his thoughts, adriana ordered. i did, then watched as she began concentrating. on the other end of the line, i heard matty swear yet again. a moment later, okalani gave an abrupt nod and vanished. the call cut off.

it seemed like the longest few minutes of my life, waiting for okalani to reappear. hiwahiwa had come back with my food.

i felt the familiar lurch and okalani and matty were in front of me.

a catholic priest from the order of st. michael, matty is one of god's own warriors. he'd be impressive under any circumstances-the deluca boys aren't small and matty works out hard. he was even more impressive than usual at that moment, having come prepared. he was carrying a black bag that looked like a doctor's bag; a large water cannon filled with what was probably a quart of holy water; a silver tube on a sling that i knew from past experience held communion wafers; and a sawed-off shotgun whose shells were undoubtedly filled with silver shot. even the queen raised her eyebrows before putting one hand to her chest and bowing her head in a gesture of respect.

matty opened the black bag, pulled out a small jar of oil, and stepped in front of me.

"all right. this is a short-term solution only. as soon as this is all over, you and i are going to the nearest church and doing the full exorcism. understood?"

he sounded so much like his uncle sal it was uncanny. absolute authority. wow. little matty had grown up.

"yes, sir."

"all right." he took a deep breath, made the sign of the cross, and began murmuring a prayer in latin. i felt movement in the air; it coalesced into heat. he poured a tiny amount of oil onto his fingers and anointed my head with the sign of the cross.

it burned. i screamed and dropped to my knees, blinded and gasping with pain, my eyes streaming tears. seconds later, i could see again. people began to rush to my side, but matty held out his hand for them to stop. his cross was glowing with a white light so bright it was like a tiny dwarf star.

everyone stood still, but it was obvious they didn't like it. he continued to chant and i screamed as fast as i could draw breath. for long seconds i thought i might die, almost hoped i would, just to end the agony. and then, as abruptly as if a switch had been hit, it was over.

"you okay?" creede was on his knees beside me instantly. he gently smoothed my hair back from my face and looked down at me with worried eyes. i was still too shaken to speak easily, but i nodded and managed to gasp out the word, "peachy."

matty snorted while okalani gave a nervous giggle. but creede just looked at me. after a long moment when he did nothing but clench and unclench one fist, he shook his head and pulled back. "i think this is a bad idea. you should stay here, rest, and recover."

i managed to half sit up. i didn't vomit. yay, progress! "would you, if the situation was reversed?"

"yeah, i would."

"liar." i smiled when i said it, to take the sting from the words. he didn't smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

queen lopaka shifted in her seat. she was still in her ruined clothing but, to my amazement, managed to look regal despite it. if you are going to do this, you will need to go to the staging area.

do you think this is a bad idea?

she paused for a long moment before responding, i think it is foolish but necessary.

i blinked a little. maybe it was the shock, but that didn't make a bit of sense to me. lopaka gave me a gentle smile and explained, eirene must be stopped before she sets loose great evil on the world. the prophets told us there was a tainted child of our line who would destroy all traitors among the sirens and save the world from evil. when you were a child, stefania's prophet must have told her that the savior would be you or your sister.

that's why she cursed us and why she was willing to run a suicide mission to take me out in the conference room.

precisely. so, foolish or not, you must go. this must end. when the time comes, you must not hesitate.

i won't.

she rose from her chair. then she did something that shocked all of us. she hugged me. she let me go very abruptly and turned to her daughter. "i would speak to you for a moment." she drew adriana to the far side of the room. she spoke softly-aloud rather than mind-to-mind. i didn't know why. still, no one without vampire hearing would be able to overhear. i pretended i couldn't, either, gathering up my things as noisily as i could to make it harder for everyone else to hear what they said.

"i really wish you wouldn't do this, adriana. i don't want to risk losing you."

"i'll never rule, mother."

queen lopaka gave a gusty sigh, as if her daughter was being particularly dense. "i'm not worried about losing you as a princess. i'm worried about losing my daughter. i love you. it would kill me to lose you."

adriana smiled. "you won't die, because i'll be careful."

"i could order you to stay."

the daughter and subject acknowledged that with a nod. but then she touched her mother's cheek softly. "please don't. i want to do this. it's important. i need to be . . . to do . . . something important."

i didn't miss the change in wording. neither did lopaka.

creede checked his watch, his voice all business again. "if we're doing this we need to get going." he strode toward the door. okalani was right behind him. i followed her, stopping to hold the door for adriana.

she gave her mother a fierce hug. "i love you, too. try not to worry." she hurried past me and down the hall.

hiwahiwa looked at me for a long moment, her brows furrowed and her face intent as she looked after okalani. take care of the child. i'm no prophet, but i believe she's important. more important than we know.

i'll do my best.

"five minutes. take your positions." the commander's voice cut through the confusion like a razor. king dahlmar rose from his seat at the table where a group of us had settled in to wait, moving to take up a position in the center of the group. creede rose next and reached his hand down to me. normally i wouldn't need the help, but i really did feel like i'd been hit by a truck. whatever matty had done hadn't killed me, yay. but it had done me some damage. what remained to be seen was whether or not it was worth it.

"i'm coming with you," matty said in a tone that brooked no argument. "you need me in case she summons that demon."