Jase pivoted, his gun rising to point at Talen. Oh God. He fought his own hold, but it was absolute. What in the hell? He tried to growl, but nothing came out. His legs trembled with the need to turn away, but they remained in place.
His brain wasn’t controlling his body.
Talen’s eyes widened. “Jase. You can beat this. Dig deep.” Even so, Talen slowly drew a knife from his pocket.
Jase slid the safety into place.
“
The safety clicked off with a flick of Jase’s finger. His shoulders shook as he tried to fight the command to kill.
Talen dropped to the ground and threw the knife. The long blade embedded itself in the demon’s eye. The soldier grabbed the handle, screaming.
The mental hold on Jase disappeared. Roaring, he turned and tackled the demon.
“Wait, Jase,” Talen yelled. “We need him for information.”
A roaring filled Jase’s head. Blood covered his vision. Rage heated him until he couldn’t breathe. Yanking out his knife, he slammed it into the demon’s neck, piercing all the way to the floor. Spitting venom, he twisted right and then left.
The demon’s head rolled away.
Jase lifted up, bellowing. He’d kill them all. Pivoting, he ran toward the door.
Talen stopped him, both hands against his chest.
Jase threw his brother to the side, yanking open the door.
Talen’s tackle came from behind and thunked Jase’s face against the asphalt. A firm hand grabbed his hair, lifted, and slammed his forehead back down.
Stars exploded behind his eyes.
Then, he slid into the safe blackness of unconsciousness.
Chapter 24
Even though the demon was holding back his power, Garrett’s brain hurt like it was swelling against his skull. He swallowed blood from biting his tongue. The steps to the top wavered, and he had to concentrate not to trip.
Gunfire echoed through the night.
He reached the top of the boat, and fresh air slapped him in the face. Cold and pure, it tempted him to breathe deep. Two men grappled near the bow.
The demon shoved him in the ribs. “The raft is over there.”
A second demon shot a Kurjan and knocked him into the water. The demon jogged over. “The boat will detonate in three minutes.”
“Good,” the first demon said. “Let’s get out of here.”
A small splash sounded, and a large hand gripped the railing before a man vaulted over. Water sprayed. He swung at the other demon, knocking the guy to the ground.
Hope filled Garrett. While the guy wore a mask, he obviously wasn’t a demon.
The demon holding him shoved him harder toward the stern. “Move, kid.”
Garrett slid across the wet floor, tightening his knees for balance. “Untie my hands, and I won’t fall.”
“Don’t care if you fall.” The soldier grabbed his arm and yanked.
“Now that’s just not nice.” Garrett pivoted and kneed the guy in the nuts. The demon hissed in pain. Garrett crashed his forehead on the guy’s nose.
Cartilage cracked.
Instant pain ripped into Garrett’s brain. He cried out, going blind. A punch to the face sent him ass-over- teakettle back down the stairs. His face landed first, followed by his legs.
The pain in his nose compounded the agony in his brain, and he rolled over.
With a hard
Long legs came into view as the man dressed in black jumped into the room, slamming the door shut. He was dripping wet, and a mask still covered his face.
The demon lifted his head, and the tall guy slammed a flak boot into his jaw. The demon slumped unconscious.
Using the wall for balance, Garrett stood. Who was this guy? Green eyes stared out of the mask, and sharp fangs dropped low. A vampire? “What the hell?”
The guy grabbed Garrett’s elbow and swung him around. A quick snip, and his hands were free.
He pivoted. “You’re a vampire?”
“Partly.” The guy ripped off the mask to reveal a hard face with dark hair. A scar lined the side of his face.
Gunfire pattered through the night.
The guy turned and eyed the exposed wires in the cell. “Hmmm.” Grabbing the demon by the armpits, the guy threw him with a fierce grunt. The demon hit the wires and kept going.
“Duck.” The vampire tackled Garrett to the carpet.
The world detonated.
Heat flashed a second before smoke filled the cell.
Garrett turned his head to view the gaping hole in the wall. Moonlight glinted off the churning waves outside.
The boat pitched.
The vampire hauled Garrett up by the shirt and tugged him to the opening. “Jump and swim north. I have a raft waiting.”
A body hit the water from the above deck. Garrett’s gut clenched. “Thanks, but I’ll just—”
The guy knocked him into the water.
He went under, swallowing salt. Sputtering and swearing, he shoved to the surface and smacked his head on the bottom of the boat. The guy splashed next to him and yanked him free.
“Listen, kid. If you want to live, you’ll follow me to the fucking raft.” Turning, the guy dove under the surface.
Garrett paused and eyed the ocean. He couldn’t see the shore, and the boat would explode soon. Taking a deep breath, he slipped a knife from the throat of a floating body and then dove to follow his dubious rescuer.
He kept pace, keeping track each time the guy readjusted his course.
The night stilled. A second later, the boat exploded with a ball of fire billowing out. Garrett sucked in air and dove several feet down to avoid being hit by raining debris. The ocean surface lit to a bright orange above him.
He swam under the fire until it no longer glowed. Shooting to the surface, he sucked in oxygen and glanced back at the burning embers. No shouts of pain or gunfire remained.
“This way, kid,” the guy whispered.
Garrett searched again for the shore but could only see darkness. He slipped the knife into his jeans and swam toward the voice. A small raft bobbed in the swelling waves, while his new friend hung on the edge.
A man leaned over the side. “It took you long enough, Zane.”
The guy nodded. “Kayrs? Get the hell on the boat.”
Garrett’s mind spun. “Zane? Janie’s Zane?”
“That’s me.” Zane grabbed the back of Garrett’s shirt and yanked up, while the guy in the raft tugged.
Garrett flopped over and scrambled to sit with his back to the other side. The guy helped Zane up, and the two instantly started rowing away from the remnants of the boat.
