Angelique had lost.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Dalton pivoted and fired a silver bullet into the chest of a charging demon, feeling a sense of satisfaction when smoke poured out of the wounds and the demon dematerialized.
He hadn’t yet figured out if those silver bullets killed the new demons, or if they just disappeared to regenerate. That was for the Realm to figure out, not him.
When the smoke cleared, he charged forward, lasering and shooting demons in his wake, until he moved to the front where the line of the Sons of Darkness stood, unmoving, their arms crossed.
In front of the demon Lords was Isabelle, holding Angelique against her chest. Her claws were nearly embedded in Angelique’s throat.
Shit. Not good. Come on, Isabelle. This isn’t you. Fight. It wasn’t too late for her. But did she know that?
She’d better figure it out soon, because he caught Ryder out of the corner of his eyes, barreling toward them. Dalton flung out an arm to stop him.
“Don’t. You’ll kill Angelique.”
Ryder dug his heels in, panting from the exertion of the battle and no doubt panic on Angelique’s behalf. He lifted his head and shot Dalton a venomous glare. In this, Dalton was his enemy and he knew it. “Isabelle is going to kill her.”
“Let me talk to Isabelle. I can reach her.”
Ryder considered it, then said, “You’ve got thirty seconds, then I’m taking her out.” He leveled his laser and took aim at Isabelle’s head. And Ryder was a damn good shot.
Dalton gave a quick nod. “Understood.” He inched toward Isabelle. She stared at him, her eyes cold.
“Isabelle. Let Angelique go.”
Isabelle grinned. When she lifted her upper lip, he saw the fangs. “She’s mine now. Either she becomes one of us or she dies.”
“You’d kill your sister?”
Isabelle shrugged. “My loyalty lies with the Sons of Darkness. They’re my family now.”
Dalton slanted a glance at Tase, who nodded in satisfaction.
Bastard. They’d deal with the Sons of Darkness later.
“I would rather die than join those scum-sucking, lower-than-life, dirt-eating bastards of the devil,” Angelique said, her eyes rimmed in red, her own claws digging into Isabelle’s arm. Blood dripped where Angelique embedded her nails into Isabelle’s flesh. But Isabelle hadn’t yet drawn blood from Angelique’s throat. That was a good sign. She’d hesitated. Dalton didn’t think even Isabelle realized that.
Isabelle didn’t register emotion at Angelique’s venomous tirade. “Are you sure, dear sister? Because they can offer you much more than the human world ever could. They’ve promised me immortality, power, riches. I will live among humans and rule in the darkness. I’ll have everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m going to be their queen.”
“But you’ll lose your soul. I’d rather see you die than let them have you, Izzy. I’m sorry.” Tears ran down Angelique’s cheeks as she struggled, finally breaking free of Isabelle’s tight hold on her throat. Angelique bent her head and bit down on her sister’s forearm.
Isabelle growled in pain, then lashed out, grasping Angelique by the throat with one hand. She raised the other, her claws held high as if preparing to swipe them across Angelique’s exposed throat.
Dalton knew he had only a split second to save Isabelle’s life, because Ryder was going to shoot her.
He slipped in between Ryder’s weapon and Isabelle, latching on to her upraised arm. A risky move given Isabelle’s demon strength, but one that stunned her. She let go of Angelique, who stumbled back and fell to her knees.
“Don’t do that, babe,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Come back to me.”
She frowned, blinked.
“I need you, Isabelle. We need each other.”
She tilted her head, studying him.
“We’ll figure a way out-together. Let me help you. And maybe-” he paused, moved into her, whispered against her so only she could hear. “Just maybe, you can save me, too.”
The only way he could reach her was to be honest.
And he just had been.
He did need her to save himself, even if that was the most selfish act of all. But if it saved Isabelle’s life, her soul, then it was worth it.
Her eyes widened. In an instant, she changed, the demon in her gone. Then he saw it.
Hope. Desperation. Apology. She hadn’t said a word, but Dalton had heard her cry for help.
He knew then that he had her. For a split second, he had her. The real Isabelle. The human one.
He hated doing this, but it was the only way. Grabbing the Taser, he shoved it hard into her side, shocking her. Her eyes widened and she shuddered as the voltage entered her body. She had no time to change back, no time to adapt to the sudden shock and call upon her demon strength. She went limp in his arms. He swept her up and cradled her against his chest.
It worked.
Angelique looked up at him, still fighting for breath.
“Thank you,” she said, the tears still falling down her cheeks. “Thank you for saving her life.”
“No!”
Tase’s booming voice thundered over the noise of battle.
“You are not worthy to touch her,” Tase said. “You are lower than her, one of the beasts of the earth. She will grind you under her feet.”
Dalton ignored Tase. He’d heard it all before. The demon couldn’t hurt him. Like it or not, Isabelle had made her choice.
“Get her the hell out of here before she comes to,” Ryder said, stepping between Tase and Dalton. “We’ll take care of them.”
Dalton nodded and backed away. The hunters rushed forward and formed a line in front of him, but as he turned, Michael and Lou were there.
“You might have temporarily halted what she was about to do, but she’s lost,” Michael said.
Dalton knew better, but said nothing.
“I’m afraid I have to agree with Michael,” Lou said. “Darkness has overtaken her.”
“You know what you have to do,” Michael continued, searching for Angelique. She had lifted a weapon and stood in line next to Ryder.
“Don’t let her sister see it,” Michael said. “Take her away and deal with it. We’ll keep the demons occupied.”
Dalton nodded and turned, running with Isabelle in his arms, his feet pounding the dirt, his clothes tearing as he zoomed by bushes and tree limbs. He held Isabelle close, not wanting her to suffer any harm from his careless run through the thick vegetation.
When he reached the church parking lot, he grabbed the keys to the SUV. He unlocked the vehicle and slid a still unconscious Isabelle inside, buckled her up. He skirted the front end of the vehicle and turned around to take a look back at where he’d come from.
He was too far away now. They couldn’t even see him, though it was possible Lou or Michael could feel. .
No, they were too occupied with the battle. It would be a while before they knew. They’d just assume he really was taking her far enough away to. . get the job done, so that Angelique wouldn’t bear witness to it.