The altar was cold against my knees.
The stone was rough. Uneven. Stained dark in places that made my stomach turn. I could smell it. Copper and something else. Something old. Something wrong.
The Circle circled me. Eleven of them. Their yellow eyes glowed in the firelight. They'd lit torches around the clearing. The flames cast dancing shadows on the red canyon walls.
The man with the scar stood before me. His name was Victor. I'd learned that from Carmen. Victor had been her mentor once. Before she left. Before she betrayed them.
"Lena Calderon," he said. "Daughter of Maria. Granddaughter of Isabel. The bloodline ends tonight."
"My bloodline ends when I say it ends."
Victor smiled. "You have your mother's fire. That's good. It makes the ritual stronger."
The Circle chanted behind
