“Open the doors, Debrowski.”
When the man held up a card to the reader, and the machine beeped, Sophie’s eyes darted back and forth, looking for a way to escape.
These men were twice her size. They could easily break her in half in their demonic states. Bile rose in her throat. This was not how she wanted her life to end.
She eyed the men warily when they crowded in. The space inside the cell was suddenly much tighter. Six bodies blocked her way to freedom.
“Campbell, you know I didn’t kill Kent. He was helping me.”
He ignored her and reached inside his jacket.
Sophie’s heart beat painfully in her chest. She’d never been more aware of the life-giving muscle than this moment. It might not be beating for much longer.
“Those of the Light shall be extinguished so our Prince may be freed,” Campbell chanted. He pulled a long, dark object from inside his jacket. At first Sophie thought it was a police baton, but then light glinted off the metal, and fear rose in her throat.
“Hold her down,” Campbell ordered.
Sophie backed up against the wall of the cell.
Debrowski reached out. His fingers closed around her wrists like a vice. He yanked her forward.
Sophie cried out. None of the officers flinched at the fear in her tone as they shoved her to the floor.
They pressed her into the concrete, and the cold bit into her back.
She suffocated, even though they weren’t covering her mouth. They were so big and so close and so hateful her lungs burned.
Debrowski’s arm reached across her face to hold down her other side. She bit him as hard as she could. Blood filled her mouth, and she gagged on the metallic flavor.
He cursed and ripped his arm away. He hit her across the cheek with the back of his hand, and stars loaded her vision.
“Grab her arms and legs.” Campbell knelt beside her.
Sophie bucked against their hands. The back of her head struck the concrete, stilling her for a moment from the sharp pain. She moaned.
Campbell brought the knife up above his head.
She looked into his eyes, praying for mercy. Nothing but hollowness greeted her. “Please, don’t.” Tears formed and fell.
His mouth twisted into a sneer, and he brought the knife down.
Sophie opened her mouth to scream.
The power cut off.
***
Tristan followed Aidan through the doors to the cell block. The night vision glasses cast everything in a greenish glow. He listened to Morgan and Aidan try to interpret the directions the receptionist had given them.
“She said to turn left.” Aidan stopped at the first hallway and peeked down.
“No, idiot, she said the second left and go through the next card reader.” Morgan shot him a glare.
“Oh, right. These night vision glasses make it harder to see.”
“Do they make you stupid, too?”
Tristan was about to tell them both to shut up when a scream echoed down the hallway. His heart stopped.
“That sounds like Sophie!” Morgan froze.
Tristan didn’t look back as he ran past. He gave release to one of the beasts that clawed inside. Black fur sprouted, and his face elongated. Pain racked his body, but he welcomed it. He needed the panther’s senses for the dark.
He met with the card reader and closed door, his muscles bunching and coiling.
Aidan walked cautiously around the growling panther when it threw its head back and roared. “Let me get the door for you.” He placed the card up to the reader and after it beeped, he shoved it open.
Tristan pounced into the hallway, muscles rippling.
***
Sophie threw her body to the side the instant it went dark. The sound of the blade striking concrete echoed in her ears. She swung her arm out, praying for a miracle. It connected with Debrowski’s jaw. The surprise hit knocked him backward into two of the other men.
She took the chance to roll away from them, and her ribs screamed with the movement.
Her foot caught Campbell’s leg.
He was on her in seconds. His fingers went straight for her neck.
Her arms flailed wildly, and the blows bounced off him. She couldn’t see anything but the demonic light in his eyes shining down at her.
Campbell pressed harder into the tender flesh of her throat.
Burning pain crawled upward, and spots filled her vision. Her head snapped back and hit the floor again.
Campbell tightened his hands even farther, making Sophie lose her vision.
But she could feel.
She felt the demons inside the bodies. Their slimy beings coated the police officers. Then she sensed the demons shift, and their uneasy movements intensified. All but Campbell shifted back and faced the cell doors.
Campbell didn’t move off her, but his hands loosened enough for her to suck in air.
Oxygen burned into her lungs, and Sophie coughed violently.
A low growl rolled into the darkness from the doorway. The guttural sound was like thunder in the distance, warning of an impending storm.
For Sophie it was like an electrical tempest. Her heart jumped into overdrive. She wasn’t aware of how empty she’d been until she felt Tristan fill all the caverns in her soul. A sob caught in her throat when she realized her friends had come for her.
Yellow-green eyes peered at her over Campbell’s shoulder. Tristan let out another hostile growl.
Campbell froze when his demon suddenly sensed Tristan.
Sophie got the impression that he might have continued if it had been only Tristan, but Aidan and Morgan reached the cell doorway with Jackson only a hallway behind. Five Guardians against five demons were not odds he wanted to gamble with.
Light engulfed the room, flashing so bright that for an instant, Sophie wondered if somehow Campbell had killed her and she didn’t know it. Then it settled into a small blaze around Aidan when he pulled the flames back toward his body.
The four other demons looked as if they had tried to crawl through the cracks in the walls when they spied the fire.
Morgan disappeared.
One of the men nearest the door doubled over, clutching his groin. His face turned green, and then an invisible blow broke his nose.
Aidan marched toward two others, pushing his heat onto them.
Campbell’s hands tightened again.
This time she’d regained enough hope and strength from her friends’ presence to use her own hands. She gripped his wrists.
His glowing-eyed gaze bored into hers as she twisted. He sneered.
Tristan’s panther screamed its outrage, pouncing on Campbell. The hit knocked him off Sophie and into the cell bunk.
Aidan’s flames lit the way as Sophie scrambled away from Campbell and Tristan’s brawl. She could see Jackson entering the already too-small cell. He crossed straight to her and pulled her up by her arm.
I’m going to get you into the hallway.
Although she felt completely useless at the moment, she knew not to let her pride make her stupid. If she was out of the way, her friends could get rid of the demons quicker.
She nodded and let Jackson guide her through the cell and into hallway. She smiled. She didn’t care if she looked like an idiot; she was free of those confines.
It was darker there since the wall she was leaning against blocked Aidan’s flames.
Hold still for a sec.
Sophie stilled as Jackson slid something onto her face. When she opened her eyes, everything was green. After her eyes adjusted, she turned back toward the cell. Hearing the sounds of the battle inside, she quickly prayed the human occupants would survive.
She felt Jackson’s anguish through the anger coursing through him. He wanted Lilli back. He wanted to be rescuing her now, instead of breaking Sophie out of prison. It hurt to know that, and she tried to put herself in his shoes.
Tag team. Jackson, go finish them. A disheveled Morgan appeare
d beside Jackson. She still managed to look beautiful.
Jackson was gone by the time Sophie turned her attention back to him.
I’m so glad to see you! Morgan wrapped her in a quick hug.
Tears burned Sophie’s throat. I was terrified I wouldn’t see you guys again.
Like Demetri would miss out on a chance to use his gun. Morgan stepped back and straightened her skirt.
Tristan came out of the cell in his human form. Sophie’s eyes traveled over him hungrily. Was he hurt? He was still in the sweatpants and t-shirt he’d worn earlier when they’d fought and made up. There was blood, soot, and rips all over them, but she could recognize and latch on to that happier memory.
He crossed the hallway to stop directly in front of her. Her mouth went dry. Heat surged from him, whether from the Change or Aidan’s fire, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that if he kept eying her with that intensity for much longer, she’d permanently forget how to breathe.
“Did you get her? We only have a few minutes before the officers start waking up.”
Sophie broke eye contact to see a tall blond guy walking up to them. He looked vaguely familiar, and when she saw a flash of roguish grin, she saw the resemblance.
“Hello, sweetheart. I’m Rory, Ruth’s brother. You must be Sophie.” He brushed past Tristan to shake her hand. “She never said you were so beautiful.”
Tristan growled, and Sophie’s face heated. “Um, thanks.” Tristan moved closer. “We should probably go, right?” She reached for Tristan’s hand, and his fingers enclosed hers. The simple contact gave her a measure of strength.
Rory led them back down the hallway, single file. Sophie used the night vision glasses to step over the officers’ bodies strewn across the floor. To her relief, each one breathed evenly.
They were about to cross the lobby when blue lights started flashing outside.
“Crap.” Rory slid to a halt just outside the double doors.
“WE ARE GOING TO PROCEED WITH EXTREME FORCE. IF YOU ARE A HOSTAGE, STAY ON THE GROUND AND BE STILL UNTIL TOLD OTHERWISE.”
Tristan and Jackson cursed at the same time.
“Where are Ruth and Demetri?” Aidan asked.
Shadows played on the doors in front of the flashing blue lights as the teams outside got into position.
Rory sighed. “Getting the van. We were supposed to meet them out there. Now, we’ll have to find another way out.”
“There’s a basement,” Tristan said. “It has stairs to the street, a back alley.”
All movement outside the lobby doors ceased.
Sophie felt the tension thicken. It blanketed the men outside the station as they waited for a signal. “We should go!” she said.
Chapter Twenty-Four
GLASS EXPLODED INWARD and across the lobby floor.
Sophie clapped her palms over her ears as the ringing shrieked at a deafening level. She heard boots crunch the glass as men in black uniforms swarmed into the station.
We’re so dangerous they sent the SWAT team after us!
Rory shoved them into the hallway. “Whatever you do, don’t stop running. They will not hesitate to shoot you.”
Sophie’s heart pounded as they ran. Rory spoke fast into his ear bud as he gave Demetri new directions.
The black-booted men searched through the hallways in silence. While Sophie couldn’t hear them, she could sense their thoughts. Inside their minds was a determination to find them and an order to shoot to kill. They weren’t possessed by demons, which made them all the more dangerous. Any one of the Guardians would hesitate to use their powers on a regular human.
Sophie stifled a hysterical giggle when she saw the irony. Was that Akeldama’s plan all along? She wanted them to die by the people they were trying to save. Who better to do the job than an elite team of snipers?
The hallway felt endless as they ran.
“On the left. A staff only doorway,” Tristan said.
Rory reared back and kicked the door in.
The booted steps sounded much closer.
Jackson and Aidan pushed Sophie and the girls toward the doorway.
Don’t argue, just go! Aidan snapped when Morgan hesitated. I can’t fight them and worry about you, too.
Morgan’s argument subsided when two men rounded the corner. They pointed their guns toward them
“They aren’t really going to shoot us, are they?” Aidan nudged Morgan into the stairwell.
The men’s triumph crowded Sophie when they yelled, “I’ve spotted the suspects.”
Tristan shoved her onto the stairs. Gunfire echoed.
The bullet hit just above Tristan’s head, and Morgan screamed. Sheetrock rained down.
“Move!” Tristan pushed them faster down the stairs.
Within seconds they’d reached the basement door.
Rory jerked on the handle. “Locked.”
“They shot at us,” Morgan whispered. She looked at Aidan, eyes wide.
Footsteps pounded. The men were getting closer.
“Out of the way.” Jackson shouldered Rory aside. With a quick mental push, the door blew open.
“Go.” Rory waved for them to hustle. They rushed into the basement and toward the rickety door to the outside.
Rory led them through the doors. Motion exploded behind them. Jackson, Aidan, and Tristan were on their heels as the SWAT mobilized after them.
“Stop right there!” someone yelled.
They followed Rory into an alley on the side of the station. He stopped at the edge of the street and spoke low and furious through his mouthpiece. He looked over his shoulder at them.
Sophie was sure they looked like a mess, each one heaved to draw in air. How could they be intimidating?
“I need the guys to cover us while we wait on Demetri and Ruth.” Rory nodded at the SWAT team that raced toward them. “They should be here any second.”
Jackson, Tristan, and Aidan formed a line behind Sophie, Morgan, and Lilli and faced the kill squad.
The guys’ eyes hardened, and they each let their powers show. The concrete groaned, then split. Jackson levitated the pieces in front of them. Aidan’s flames danced up and down his arms. Tristan growled low and his eyes shone yellow.
The squad hesitated. A few of the men stumbled back when Tristan growled again.
Sophie understood their fear. The growl had the hair on her neck standing up.
A squeal of rubber shrieked through the night. Demetri brought the van to an abrupt stop in front of them. The side door opened, and Ruth poked her head out. “Get in.”
Rory helped the girls in. “Get your butts in gear, guys!”
The SWAT members shook off their fear. Bullets ricocheted off the side of the van.
Before Rory had the door shut, Demetri peeled out and gunned the gas.
Sophie stumbled to the built-in benches just as Demetri cut a hard right followed almost immediately by a hard left. Through the back windows, she could see the SWAT team run back to the police station.
“We got away!” Morgan shouted.
“Don’t get excited yet, Morgan.” Ruth loaded her gun from the passenger seat. “That was too easy.”
“How was that easy?” Aidan snapped. “They had trained snipers after us.”
Sophie wanted to echo that sentiment, even though she knew Ruth was right. How did they escape a police station full of possessed officers and an elite team of snipers?
“Akeldama must have something else in mind.” Demetri sped through the streets without hesitation, cutting corners and taking alleyways in a zigzag pattern.
“Something much, much worse. Ruth, pass me another magazine.” Rory reached out his hand. Ruth passed him a cartridge over her shoulder. She never took her gaze off the road.
“Where are we going? You only told us the plan for getting Sophie out of jail,” Jackson said.
It was then Sophie noticed the jagged cut on his forearm. “Jackson, you’re bleeding.”
He glanced down,
dismissed it, and repeated his question.
Demetri’s gaze cut briefly into the rearview mirror and then back to the road. “We’re taking you to where Akeldama can’t follow.”
Jackson frowned at his evasive answer.
Sophie wanted to know where the Demoness couldn’t go.
“We’re getting closer. Maybe we can make it before they—”
Something slammed into the van. It rocked to the side on two wheels, still speeding down the pavement.
“—find us,” Ruth finished.
A shriek sliced through the air.
“You opened your mouth too soon, sis.” Rory watched a claw tear through the wall beside his head. He blinked as it ripped back out, taking a piece of the wall with it.
Sophie peeked out the back window to see they’d left the city behind and now drove on a highway through a forest. In this empty area, she felt the oppression in the air. “I hate to say this, but there are hundreds of those things out there.” Unending hunger sharpened in her mind.
Another hit was followed by scratching and a thump overhead. As if the creature had landed on the roof.
Demetri bit out a curse and swung the wheel, sending the van into a turn. Sophie braced her palms on the wall beside her and closed her eyes. Her stomach flipped and then flipped again. She’d always hated carnival rides, and this was beginning to feel like one from hell.
When the van finally stopped, she breathed deeply through her nose and then out her mouth. The others looked the same, except for Aidan, who had a wild light in his eyes.
“You like carnival rides, Aidan?”
He grinned at Sophie. “I’m the first one on them.”
She nodded until the demons’ minds crushed in on her again. It was unrelenting pressure, all focused on one thing.
Ripping them to bite-size pieces.
Tristan noticed her pale face and rubbed a hand down her arm. Their gazes met, and she felt safer. He was there, solid and close, and she knew he wouldn’t let the demons get her if he could help it.
“Hang on.” Demetri gunned the engine again. The van shot forward.
Sophie screamed when the demons hammered at the vehicle.
Morgan locked her fingers in both Aidan’s and Jackson’s, her mouth set. Each time a demon plowed into the van, she flinched.
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