Isobel screamed.
Chaos erupted.
Bel pushed David and ran toward the gunman. He switched his aim toward her, so David grabbed her from behind. He spun so his back faced the enemy.
She fought, screaming for him to let go.
Sean, Kywyn, and Bowenn charged, and the gun exploded.
A pixie fell to the floor.
Isobel shrieked again, fighting to be free.
“Get her out of here!” Sean yelled.
The din of a brawl broke the silence of the office graveyard.
“Stop fighting me!” David yelled at Isobel.
She dragged her claws down his cheek, then slammed her head into his forehead. His grip loosened. Dazed, his vision clouded as he grasped for her again.
The blurry clash on the other side of the room had devolved into brutal violence, and Isobel was heading straight for it. He darted after her, yanking her back by the wrist. “You can’t fight!”
Her emotional core overloaded with panic, nearly electric against his skin. It caught the attention of two Indies, who crept closer, smiling.
“I can’t leave him.” She scratched at his hand while her green eyes went feral.
“Isobel!” he snapped. “We have to get out of here.”
“No,” the creature purred, hiding in a twentysomething girl. “Don’t leave.”
Giving up on freeing herself, Isobel shot a panicked blast of Luster from her hand. The weak stream of magic evaporated in seconds.
The creature chuckled. It withdrew its own firearm, aiming carelessly their way. “Are you scared,pretty girl?”
David jerked Bel’s arm so hard, it probably hurt. His voice thundered with coercion. “Isobel, go!” He shoved her away, and she tripped backward, falling onto her bottom.
Another gunshot rent the air, and fire ripped through David’s chest. He looked at the new hole decorating his shirt, a blossoming stain of crimson.
And just like that, he was dying.
Fucking perfect.
Sean grabbed the woman who’d shot him. With a violent twist, her neck snapped, ending her life. The creature within, however, could simply find another host. Sean seemed to realize it at the same time as David. He threw Luster into the human’s body, killing the creature before it found someone new to possess.
David gripped his chest, his hand coming away warm and sticky. Breathing transformed to agony. Each heartbeat pumped acid through his chest. He stumbled for the gun as it skittered across the floor.
Images flashed before his eyes, like one of those children’s viewfinder toys.
Click.His father introducing him as a prince of death.
Click.His skull breaking against a granite countertop.
Click.Sean Archer, cutting his arm so David would feel the pain.
Click.His mother, golden and perfect, whispering fear for his safety.
Click.Anna’s tearstained face.Can I ask why?
