My attention shifted to Nikolai. He was desperately angry. Terrified of losing me. They all were.
The Andersons had placed guards around their large manor house.
Nikolai didn't even hesitate. He hit them hard. I could see the shape of the spells he cast since I was riding along and knew I'd be able to cast them if I ever escaped.
The results were devastatingly fast. The guards never even had a chance to defend themselves, as Nikolai's spell lanced through their shields and sank into their bodies, stopping their hearts.
"Modern shields," I heard him think in disgust.
The resistance inside the house was more organized, and still they fell to Doc and Nikolai's fury. A few of the guards pulled guns.
Doc raced forward, a blur to Nikolai's senses, and the men with guns fell, blood spraying as Doc used his long knife efficiently, no motions wasted. One got off a shot that Doc didn't even bother to dodge.
We all felt the burn as the bullet ripped through him, but also the immediate relief as his body began healing the wound.
They pushed deeper into the house, and I lost track of them as fury invaded my mind.
I cried out again. Ed and Allan held me tight, trying to shelter me from the foreign rage burning through me.
"How dare you!"
The being shrieked. It couldn't direct its rage outward for some reason that wasn't immediately clear to any of us. As soon as it sensed my presence, it turned on me.
If I had been alone, I wouldn't have survived. As it was, the three of us barely stood against the onslaught of foreign energy.
"It's not their fault!" Nikolai joined us, supporting us.
The presence hissed. "Whose fault is it?"
We all sensed Nikolai's guilt, as if he were responsible, and the being turned on him. Before it could retaliate, Nikolai dragged us all into his perception. We watched as Doc sank his blade into the chest of one of the mages.
Another cast a spell at Doc, but Nikolai blocked it. He couldn't do much beyond basic defense while he concentrated on us, but Ash was already out of the fight, and Doc had the others handled.
The woman with the white hair was gone. I could sense from Nikolai's memories she had escaped when they had barged in.
"Theirs."
"There is not room for all of us in here!" The being screamed and shoved at us.
Nikolai held fast. "This is not your body. You can't have it. We want to release you. We just have to figure out how."
"I will release myself." The being tried to do something. The lance of pain that speared all of us forced the guys out of my mind and me into blackness.
Chapter 21
Doc
Nikolai staggered just as Doc gutted the last mage. He spun, watching as Nikolai sagged against the table Sofia lay on.
"Did we lose her?"
"No." The mage muttered something in Russian before shaking his head. "I don't believe so," he finally replied. "But we were too late to prevent the demon from being forced to possess her. We will still lose her, if we can't unbind it. Honestly, I am not sure how she's still there at all. I know something of these things. Usually the host mind is gone by now."
"You don't know how to reverse it do you?"
Nikolai shook his head sadly. "I have always found it is much easier to simply ask for assistance and offer payment. I never saw the point in binding a powerful creature. I have never worked with demons, though." He pointed at the wide golden cuffs now on Sofia's wrists. They were similar to the ones binding Ash.
"We need to get out of here."
"Carry Sofia. We're not out of the fight yet."
Doc cut away her bonds and picked her up. She hung limp in his arms, lifeless except for her labored breathing and erratic heartrate.
He followed Nikolai, trying not to think about losing Sofia, as they left the basement and hurried up the stairs to the main part of the house.
"I will create a distraction," Nikolai said, pausing at the top of the stairs. "Then maybe we can get out without more fighting. It would be safer."
He glanced up and down the hallway and nodded. They were alone, but probably not for long. They had killed a lot of people on the way in, but the Andersons probably still had a few in reserve.
Nikolai held his hands together and muttered in Russian for a moment, before spreading his hands wide. A wisp of energy rose into the air. A long minute later, an explosion ripped in another part of the house.
Both of them winced as the concussion pressed against them.
"Let's go," Nikolai ordered.
Either they hadn't been willing to lose more of their people, or the diversion worked, because they made it outside and back to Doc' truck with no resistance.
Doc put Sofia in the back seat, and Nikolai climbed in with her. He started the truck and headed back to the cabin. He was careful to observe the speed limit, hoping no one would notice them. As good as the explosion was for a diversion, unless the Andersons had some sort of shield up, others would have noticed it and reported in.
It was nearing dawn when they finally reached the cabin. He never did see any signs of emergency vehicles, so maybe the Andersons did have some shielding up.
Doc carried Sofia inside, with Nikolai staring anxiously at her the entire time.
"Put her on the floor."
Allan, Ed, and Victoria were all unconscious. She was on the couch. Ed and Allan lay on the floor as if they had collapsed.
"What happened to them?" Doc could hear them breathing, but the thought of losing them too clenched his heart.
"Probably when the demon tried to escape. I was prepared, had shields. Ed and Allan would not have had any protection."
Nikolai put his hand
