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Marius flew back toward the weapon and just as Shayna whipped out of Daniel’s grasp, he watched as she flew sideways, hit the switch, then dove downward into the pit below, catching her levitation at fifteen feet. Marius, I can’t hold my levitation.
I’m coming.
The vibrations started up and his head immediately filled with incredible pain, something he might not have ignored, except that Shayna would die if he didn’t reach her.
By the time he turned in her direction, she was in free fall. Though the piercing sound waves made it almost impossible to focus, he forced himself to shift to altered flight, then shot after her, barely catching her in his arms. He stayed in altered flight because the weapon wouldn’t hurt him there. But what he saw with Shayna in his arms were the remaining vampires screaming and one by one falling to the stone floor below. The humans were still pressed up against the sides of the pit.
Even Daniel writhed, which stunned him. His father appeared to be incapable of switching to altered flight. Quill and Lev hovered over him but there was nothing they could do.
Daniel was caught in the grip of the sound waves.
For a long moment, Marius stared up at the land bridge, wondering if his father would die then and there.
“Marius, fly me back up to the weapon. This is our chance, right now. When I hit the switch, Quill and Lev will be tending to Daniel and we’ll be able to take the weapon away.”
He immediately rose to hover right next to the weapon.
Quill, still in altered flight, turned to glare at him. He couldn’t hurt Marius, not while in altered flight. “You’re killing him, you bastard.”
“I’m not sure I can feel bad about that.”
“Where’s your fucking loyalty? He’s your father.”
“He’s a psychopath butcher who gets off on it, nothing more.”
Lev turned toward Marius as well and each, enraged, suddenly split while in altered flight, so that he was looking at four opponents instead two.
“Your woman dies first.” Quill’s lips drew back and his fangs descended.
Marius knew that he couldn’t defeat both Quill and Lev if they chose to attack. Each was at Ancestral status, and if Daniel died right now they’d take vengeance on him and on Shayna.
He had a decision to make: Save Shayna and take the weapon, or let Daniel die. And how much he wanted his father dead. Daniel lay struggling to heal himself as the vibrations and decibel level from the weapon took its toll. He bled from ears and from his nose.
As though reading his mind, Shayna said, Just let him die, Marius. He’s the real problem.
He stared at Shayna. But we’ll both die in the process, and Quill and Lev will have the weapon.
This isn’t simple.
He felt her debate within her mind, feeling, as he did, that it would be hard to pass up an opportunity to take Daniel out.
In the end, she released a heavy sigh. They’d use the weapon right away, wouldn’t they?
Yes, they would.
All right, Marius, do what you think is best.
He nodded. I’m getting you out of here. To Quill he said, “Leave us in peace and Shayna will shut off the weapon, just long enough for you to take him out of here.” He lowered them both to the side of the weapon with the switch. She held out her hand. “She can move from altered flight to levitation all by herself so don’t think for a moment that I’ll leave this state.”
Blood started flowing from Daniel’s eyes.
Quill glanced down at him. “Agreed.”
The brothers reformed, then drew close to Daniel, ready to haul him away as soon as Shayna shut off the machine. Marius gave her the go-ahead.
He felt her shift to levitation and flip the switch. As soon as the weapon wound down, she slipped back into altered flight.
At almost the same moment Quill and Lev moved out of altered flight, grabbed Daniel, moved back in, and took off. They were gone in a flash.
