Sylvia stared at me, her dark eyes hard, while a cruel smile cupped her mouth. "The dark unknown hated you running around everywhere, so this will do nicely to keep you in one place while he gets things done, don't you think? Plus, you'll get to watch the holy water sizzle everything up past your beloveds' eyeballs."

"Yeah, I'm not doing that," I growled, or tried to anyway. The pain in my back from the witch's ladder and the stake through my hand wobbled my voice.

Her smile ...