“No,” I whispered as my heart twisted in mychest.
A muscle in Kobal’s jaw jumped. His handsclenched before he shook his head. “We cannot stop to look forthem.”
My teeth scraped back and forth as I gloweredat him. He was right, I knew it. The lives of five people werenothing compared to millions, but I wouldn’t leave here withouttrying to find them first.
“They are two of our best fighters,” Ipointed out, knowing reason instead of emotion was the best way togo with this. “They always keep their head in a bad situation, andthey areleaders.Many herearen’t.”
I bit back the words that they were also myfriends, the only friends I’d made since coming here. That pointwouldn’t sway him. He understood loyalty and friendship. He woulddie for Corson and Bale, but I knew he would also leave them behindif one of them had been taken. They would expect him to in order tocomplete what had to be done. Maybe Erin and Hawk would expect thesame thing, but I couldn’t do it.
Vargas moved closer to us. I could sense hisdisapproval of the decision by the set of his shoulders and thelines around his mouth and eyes, but his lips remained clampedshut. He would do whatever was deemed best. He was a solider; Iwasn’t.
“Vargas is still here. He is a leader,” Kobalsaid. “And we have others. Corson—”
“Humans,” I inserted. “We need morehumanswho can lead. CaptainTresden is as petrified as the rest of them.”
“Vargas,” he replied.
Thrusting back my shoulders, I staredrelentlessly at him. “I’m not leaving without at least trying tofind them. We’ll be here until the morning anyway. We have totry.”
“It is too dangerous to be out there atnight. Every soldier knew this possibility could happen to them.They were prepared for the fact they would be left behind if it wasbest for the mission.”
“You’re forgetting that I never signed up tobe a soldier. Fate brought me here, and maybe the lives of fivehumans means little compared to the bigger picture, but I’m notgiving up on them. They wouldn’t give up on me.”
“Youarethemission. Of course they wouldn’t give up on you.”
I gawked at him, feeling as if he’d slappedme in the face.
“Fuck you!” the words burst from my mouthbefore I’d realized I intended to say them.
Apparently, Kobal’s tactful diplomacy hadrubbed off on me somewhere along the way as I forgot all abouttrying to keep emotion out of this in favor of reason. Reasonwasn’t working and that statement hadpissedme off. The demons and Vargas all took a step back fromus. The humans who had been seeking protection by gathering closer,moved further away.
Kobal’s nostrils flared, and his eyesnarrowed on me. “Fuck me?”
“Yes,fuckyou!”Shut up you idiot.This will get you nowhere with him.“And fuck the mission too!” So much for shutting up.
The cool, collected way he maintained himselfunnerved me more than if he’d been shouting swears at me too. “Andfuck your brothers too, I suppose?”
My breath rushed out of me like someonepunched me in the stomach. I would do anything for Gage and Bailey,but as much as I loved them, I would forever hate myself forwalking away from my friends right now.
“That’s low,” I told him.
“That’s the truth,” he replied. “I am notrisking you by going after them.”
He rocked back on his heels as he surveyed mealmost casually, but I knew he was coiled tighter than arattlesnake ready to strike. He’d throw me over his shoulder andforcefully carry me from here, I was certain of it. And I may justblast him with a ball of life if he tried.
“No, the truth is, we are not turning ourback on those in need. We can’t. I won’t leave them to whateverfate lies in store for them, and given what little I know aboutincubi and succubae, it will behorrible.”
The heads of those around us bounced betweenus so rapidly it may have almost been comical, if I didn’t feel asif I’d already lost this battle. I was unraveling and only a thinthread was keeping me tethered to control.
“You’re getting in that truck,” he said.
“No, I’m not.”
He came at me, swooping down to lift meagainst his side.
“Stop it!” I cried, unwilling to kick andscream at him like I wanted to. I was going to try to retain whatlittle dignity I still had and go about this in an entirelydifferent way. “Kobal, put me down.”
Ignoring me, he pulled the truck door open.Without a word, he thrust me inside. I went to leap back out, buthe lowered his face so it was mere inches in front of mine. Hiseyes became molten gold; the ruthless expression on his face robbedme of my breath.
