Looking back, he saw the others behind them. None of it made sense. He pulled his phone out, intending to call Ian, when the limo drew to a sudden stop. The headlights cut off. “Driver, what’s going on?” Shayne called out.
There was no answer. Within seconds, Shayne heard the driver's door slam shut.
“Shayne?” Anna sleepily murmured. “Are we back at your house?”
He gently set her to the side. “Rest, baby,” he responded, in a low voice. He didn't want to worry her, until there was actually something to be worried about. “I’ll be right back.” He grabbed his daggers and jumped out of the car to see what the problem was.
The others had pulled to a stop behind them. They met Shayne halfway between their vehicles. They were all in alert mode, their eyes searching out the darkness. The others were fully loaded with weapons. All of them sensed the danger around them. Shayne suspected it was a set up.
“What in the hell is going on, Ian?” Shayne growled. He kept one eye on the limo, expecting an attack at any moment.
The very air seemed to have stopped moving, becoming thick and oppressive. It was too quiet to be natural. Even the insects were silent. Everything and everyone there was waiting for something to happen. His instincts were screaming at him, warning him to be prepared.
“Cut the lights,” he ordered, bluntly. Nate rushed back, and within seconds, the desert was completely dark. Their night vision was excellent. However, turning off the lights would make their actions harder for others to see, if they were lucky.
They quickly formed a circle, back to back. With their weapons drawn, they were prepared for the trouble making its way to them. Standing as they were, it made it impossible for anything to attack, without the endurers seeing it first.
“At first, we simply thought you were going somewhere else,” Ian responded quietly, to his original question. “It wasn’t until your driver took off running that we realized something was wrong.”
“We need to get Anna back to consecrated ground,” Shayne muttered. “Is there any place closer than my house?” They shook their heads.
“All right then,” he continued quietly, as he gave his orders. “Ian, you’re with me in the limo. I'll drive. Nate and Luke, you follow behind us. Be extremely cautious and alert. I think we all realize this is a trap.”
They quickly split up, all of them eager to get out of the area. Nate and Luke ran back while Ian and Shayne headed to the limo. Shayne yanked the driver's door open, nearly tearing it off in his haste.
Reaching for the ignition, he realized the keys were gone. “Shit,” he exclaimed in frustration, as he hit the steering wheel. “That bastard took the keys with him,” he informed Ian. They would just have to leave in one vehicle, although it made them more vulnerable and easier to attack. Shayne didn’t like it, but they had no choice.
Shayne ran to get Anna, but time wasn't on his side. His hand was on the door handle when the attack came. Something hard and fast collided with Shayne from the side, knocking him thirty feet across the road.
Shayne landed hard, the ground scraping his face and tearing through his clothing. The demons had been waiting for them to separate before attacking.
He jumped to his feet, pushing the pain aside. Nothing mattered but getting back to Anna. Before he could move, the Hell being landed in front of him, shoving him backwards. It stood eight feet tall, with thick black wings and deadly horns. Shayne groaned inside. Demons like the one in front of him existed only for battle, which meant they were big and bad and tough to kill.
Ian was assisting Anna out of the car, when another one landed behind him. Shayne got a glimpse of her scared face before Ian pushed her back in. Ian turned and engaged the demon, willing to protect Anna with his life, if necessary. Any of them would have. It was what they lived for.
Hell was sending out its best warriors, determined to get Anna in their possession. But Shayne wasn't about to let that happen. It would be over his dead body before he let his woman become a breeder for Lucifer.
Jerking his daggers free, Shayne faced the creature in front of him. “You boys must not be very bright,” he said, sarcastically. “You obviously haven’t learned to not fuck with me.” He crouched down, ready to take the demon out as quickly as possible.
In the distance, he could see Luke and Nate battling other demons. There wouldn’t be any help from that direction. The demon by the limo fought Ian, as it slowly maneuvered its way between Ian and Anna, while she waited inside. Its grotesque wings were loose and flapping and fully prepared for flight. In moments, it would have access to Anna, if Shayne couldn’t get free from the one in front of him and assist the other endurer in destroying it.
“Ian, get him away from the car,” Shayne yelled as he was attacked. He kicked the demon back, while trying to watch Ian at the same time. He felt an impending sense of doom.
Ian fought bravely, but the evening before had taken its toll on his strength. The demon laughed as he punched him squarely in the chest. Ian flipped in the air before landing straight on his head. He didn’t get back up.
“You bastard,” Shayne yelled, slicing wildly at the being in front of him. It punched him hard, hitting him in the ribs. Shayne heard a snap but pushed the pain to the side. Every attempt to
