Now isnt the time, remember? The doorway was open, offering a straight shot into the hallway. Either she or Micah could run, but not both. One of them had to deal with the demon.
Hopefully Micah would understand what she wanted him to do.
Not smart, coming in here on your own, she said to taunt the Lord into an emotional response. What shed learned about him during their time together? He was always quick to anger, and that anger made him easily distractible. You ready to die?
For once, he didnt react. His gaze darted from her to Micah, Micah to her. He radiated a mix of rage, concern and disbelief.
Micah didnt move.
Why wasnt Micah moving? Damn it. If he would move, she could attack. Defeat would have to fight her. Micah was simply too weak to see to the battle himself.
She opened her mouth to challenge Defeat but closed it with a snap. Shed challenged him a few times during their trek. Bet you cant catch me if you let me go. Hed let her go. And hed caught her, pissed beyond imagination. Bet you cant just stand there while I stab you. Hed let her stab him. And rather than pass out from blood loss, as shed hoped, he had then returned the favor. Hed stabbed her thigh to keep her from bolting while he healed.
Hed then stitched her up, shocking her. Still. His determination to win every challenge gave him strength, more so than usual, and she couldnt have him stronger than usual right now. Not while she battled the fog. So, as they stood there facing each other, both deliberating how to handle the coming fightand there would be a fightshe was very careful not to issue another challenge. Not even a challenge to lose the fight.
Shed made that mistake only once.
Bet you cant lose a fistfight to a girl.
He had allowed her to punch him, and he hadnt fought back. Therefore in his mind, he had just lost a fistfight with a girl. Shed run off while hed struggled to breathecause yeah, shed gone for his tracheaand hed had to track her down. When he finally caught her, hed trussed her up like a Thanksgiving turkey, gagged her and started drugging her.
And if she had tried to speak past her gag, he would have removed her voice box. No question.
What the hell did you do to him? Defeat repeated, dark, deadly.
What did I do to him? She assumed attack position: legs apart, knees slightly bent and ready for her leap. The cold, already so much a part of her, seeped out, sheened her skin. With every exhalation, mist created a cloud in front of her face. All the while, she mourned the loss of Micahs heat.
She still didnt know why she froze like this. Still didnt know how. All she knew was that the ability manifested with her emotions, sometimes strengthening her, something weakening her. Today, she felt empowered.
Me? she went on. What the fuck did you do to him?
If you hurt him A muscle ticked below his dark blue eyes, and he finally kicked into motion. If she hurt him? What a joke! This is gonna be fun. Ive been craving a go at you. One step, two, she moved toward him, determined to meet him in the middle.
No!
In a sudden blur of motion, Micah sprang from the bed and flew past her, tackling the demon-possessed warrior and sending both men toppling to the floor. Grunts and groans soon echoed. Slashing arms and vicious kicks ensued. They rolled, they struggled, they assaulted each other ferociously.
Shed never seen Micah fight so dirty. He went for the eyes, the throat and the groin, biting and ripping flesh, fists hammering. Defeat, though, merely deflected each of her mans blows. He never tried to cause harm. Why? Something else shed never seena Lord of the Underworld backing down. And this one, Defeat Something was wrong. Had to be.
Haidee stood there, numb, watching the bloodbath, sick to her stomach and unsure what to do. Apparently, hes not too weak after all. Like him, she didnt run from the room. God help her, she wasnt leaving without him.
What should she do? If she threw herself into the fray, she might cut Micah instead of the Lord. They were moving so quicklytwisting and turning, flying apart, springing back together. And if she accidentally delivered Micahs death-blow
Damn it. What the hell should she do? she wondered again, no closer to an answer.
What the fuck is going on? Defeat demanded between punches. Stop. Amun, you have to stop.
Amun?
Shed heard the name before, knew it belonged to one of the Lords, but she couldnt connect the name with a face. And because she had memorized all the names and faces of her enemy, she knew that could only mean one thing.
There was one immortal warrior the Hunters had never been able to photograph or even sketch throughout the years. Not that they hadnt tried. Theyd snapped pictures, but those pictures had never turned out, had always been blurry. And when theyd drawn what theyd thought was his face, theyd later realized theyd done nothing but scribble on the page.
Amun was also the Lord most people forgot the moment they walked away from him. He was the immortal the Hunters knew the least about. Maybe because Amun was possessed by the demon of Secrets.
All the Hunters really knew about him? He had dark hair and dark eyes, and he was tall and muscled. That little bit of information had been acquired through centuries of observation.
Had this Amun died, his demon given to Micah? Did Micah now carry Secrets inside him? Was that why the Lords had chosen Micah? And he was demon-possessed. She no longer had any doubts about that. Those red eyespeering down at herhungrycravingraging She shuddered, then scowled.
This was another sin to heap on an already mountainous pile. Another crime to hate the Lords for.
Had they wanted someone with the same physical characteristics as their friend Amun? Probably. How amused they must have been, using a Hunter to house one of their disgusting demons.
Dont think about that, either. Get yourself in the game, woman.
Haidee shook her head, clearing her mind, thankfully thinning the fog. The two men were on their feet now, throwing punches, falling backward into the walls, causing dust and plaster to waft through the air, then reconnecting and tossing each other into furniture. They were a blur of motion, brutal, like wild animals fighting over the only snack in the jungle. Wood chips were scattered across the floor, some even swimming in little pools of blood.
Blood, a river between her mother and her father. Both helplessdead.
Again she had to shake her head, dislodging the memory.
Amun, Defeat snarled. For gods sake! Im your goddamn friend. What the hell are you doing?
In the next instant, Micahs thoughts hit her. Must kill. Must safeguard.
The words were sluggish, lower in volume than the ones that had come before them, and she realized he was weakening. His wounds were opening, seeping, dripping all over the room.
Shes a Hunter, the demon continued in that outraged tone, and shes my prisoner.
Mine! blasted through her head. Not yours. Never yours. Mine to safeguard.
Could Defeat hear him? Probably not. Otherwise, he would have been backing out of the bedroom and running for his life. There had been barbwire in Micahs tone, the tips laced with poison.
But then, Micahs thoughts switched direction. I have to stop this. Why am I doing this? I love this man. Confusing, wrong, but again, those thoughts switched direction. Must kill. Must safeguard.
Micah snarled low in his throat, the sound rumbling through her mind as he punted Defeat into the already crushed vanity. More wood chips scattered. Red sparked in Defeats eyes, a gnarled mask of bone and scales falling over his features.
He was turning, she thought with dread. From immortal to demon.
Win, he growled now, and there was another voice fused to his. One that was guttural, raw. Determined.
Shit. She knew that determination. No longer would he pull his punches or deflect Micahs. Now he would fight to win.
He closed the distance and threw his meaty clubs around, a jackhammer of lethal purpose. Not once did he miss. Micah weakened further, wobbling on his feet, his eyes beginning to swell shut as his head whipped left then right, alternating as Defeat switched fists.
The fact that Micah had lasted this long was astonishing, proof of his own determination, but he wouldnt last much longer. He couldnt. Not at the rate Defeat was delivering blows, and not with the already ravaged condition of his body.
She had to risk hurting Micah, she decided. There was no other way. Which meant she had to put herself in front of him, probably take a few blows before she was able to strike. No problem there.
Better she die than him, even though he was now tainted. He was tainted, yes, but he wasnt evil. That kissno, he wasnt evil. And if she was killed this day, she would come back; she would remember him. Not the kiss, that had been too good, and all her favorite things were always wiped, but this fight. She would recall the blood, her fearher despair. But if Micah died, he would be gone forever.
Haidee stiffened, preparing to jump, waiting for the perfect moment. A thought suddenly hit her and she hesitated. If Micah turned his sights on her or even struck her accidentally Oh, God. If she died, she wouldnt remember why hed done so when she awakened, only that he hadand she would come back to kill him just as she planned to come back and kill the others. If he survived this, they would be enemies.
Defeat landed a particularly vicious blow to Micahs side, causing him to wheeze.
Worth the risk, she decided in the next instant. He was teeteringfalling
At last Haidee jumped forward, hooked her arm around Micahs waist and threw him with all her might. Im sorry, baby. As he stumbled to his kneesaway from the actionshe used her momentum to spin and duck, swinging her right fist at Defeats groin. Contact. He doubled over, oxygen bursting from his bleeding lips. She used her other hand, the one clutching the fragment of glass, to slice across his stomach. No mercy.
As she straightened, she landed a hard right to his chin. His head jerked backward, and he grunted, blood and teeth spewing. She aimed the glass at his throat, but only managed to slash his shoulder as he pivoted.
His narrowed gaze landed on her. He could have hit her just then. He didnt.
Firm hands suddenly gripped her waist from behind and tossed her. Through the air she soared, flailing for an anchor, wondering what the hell had just happened. The makeshift weapon flew from her clasp, then she was bouncing on the bed, realization setting in. Micah was aware enough to know who she was, aware enough to want her out of harms way. Sweet of him, but that wasnt going to stop her. Hed done his part. Now she would do hers.
Before the bouncing stopped, she was throwing her legs over the side of the bed and straightening, once again intending to knock Micah out of way. Only, she saw that he had somehow tackled Defeat and now straddled the warriors prone body, punchingpunching
Between whaling fists, Defeat groaned and babbled. Lostlostno, gods, nolost
For several moments, she could only blink, watch. Micah had done it. Despite his injuries, hed won. Against an immortal. Thats my man.
Seriously? Youre going to victory lap now? Haidee forced herself into motion and rushed to Micah. She latched onto his surging elbow. He could have shrugged her away, batted her off, could have swung at her with his other arm, but he didnt. He faced her. What she could see of his glowing red eyes locked on her, tormented, agonized.
Didnt want to hurt himcouldnt stopcouldnt let him hurt you. Why couldnt I let him hurt you?
The words echoed in her mind. Didnt want to hurt him. Why couldnt I let him hurt you? Courtesy of the demon? Was the demon trying to convince him that he liked the Lords? Didnt matter, she supposed. Theyd deal with it. Later. Along with everything else.
Come on. We dont want to free his demon right now. She tugged him to his feet, and God, he was heavy. We have to leave before the others come. Theyd be pissed when they saw what had been done to their friend. She didnt want Micah punished for that. And they would punish him. She had no doubt. Even though he was currently part of their group.
She ushered him to the doorway but had to pause there to wind her arm around his waist. He was stumbling, barely able to remain standing on his own.
You can do this, baby. Come on.
Where arewegoing?
If were lucky, no one will be around and well find a way outside. Dragging him through the doorway left her shaking and ice-sweating. He was bleeding all over her, giving her more and more of his massive weight. How she maintained her grip, she didnt know. What she did know after taking two steps to the right?
They werent lucky.
Her eyes widened as she stumbled to a halt, Micah moaning, nearly falling. She held tight. They were surroundedbut not by the demons shed expected. Robed warriors filled the entire enclosure, wings of white and gold outstretched. Scowls lined every single one of their faces, but even still those faces were glorious, radiant. So beautifulso majesticdazzling her. She couldnt look away. No matter how hard she tried, she couldnt look away. Exquisite
Angels. These men were angels.
Maybe she and Micah were lucky. Maybe Galen had sent reinforcements to rescue them.
Help us, she beseeched. The demons captured us, and were trying to escape.
A lovely dark-haired male stepped forward, hard gaze pinning her in place more forcefully than any of the others. We were told to wait out here. His voice was just as thrilling as his face. A sensual breeze, an exotic caress. We did so. We were told not to interfere with what happened inside the room. We did not. But now you have come to us. Now we interfere.
Realization cut like a knife. The angels hadnt been sent by Galen. They were helping the demons. Horror barely registered before Micah was ripped from her grip. Shed never seen the angels move, had been too riveted by the one in front of her, but losing her man snapped her from that lost, dreamy haze.