* * *ANYA
“Azazel, you have to hide.” I shoved his chest and he grabbed my wrists and hauled me against him.
I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. “You can’t be here when they come in.”
“I can and I will.” He gripped my jaw and forced me to look up at him. “They can’t hurt me, Anya. But I can hurt them. I’ll clear a path and you need to run.”
I wanted to protest, to argue, but he was right. It was the only logical plan. I adjusted an unconscious Illyrian on my shoulder.
“Don’t try to fight,” Royce said. “There is no way out. Nowhere to run. The building is surrounded.”
The metal on the main door began to trundle up. My muscles bunched, ready to flee, and Helgi fell into a defensive stance, ready to protect my ass. Fuck, I loved the crazy bitch.
The door opened and armored Draco toting tech weapons spilled into the room.
“Now!” Azazel cried.
I ran toward the door and the air around me shifted as Azazel sprang into action. I caught sight of him to my left as he lunged at a Vorn, but the guard didn’t drop. Azazel attacked again. Nothing.
Shit, something was wrong.
“Don’t fire!” Royce called out.
Helgi stabbed and punched but I was useless with Illyrian on my back. Azazel settled for smashing the guards into the walls. One, two, three, four. Helgi knocked down the other two and then the floor was littered with unconscious guards and the doorway was clear.
Azazel swayed on his feet, staring at his hands as they began to mist.
“Azazel?”
He reached for me, his eyes wide with horror, and then he was gone.
“What happened?” Helgi cried. “Where is he?”
“I don’t…I don’t know…” Fear sat like rocks in my belly. Focus. I had to focus. No time to worry about Azazel. He was fine. He couldn’t die. He was fine. But if I didn’t get out of here, I wouldn’t be.
“We need to go. Now.”
Helgi went out the door first. “Motherfucker.”
I joined her and bit back a curse of my own. Royce hadn’t been lying about us being surrounded. Armored guards blocked us off, guns pointed at us, and two vans were parked, headlights pointed at the door. I raised a hand to protect my eyes from the glare.
A figure stepped forward, tall, haughty, and familiar.
Commander Royce.
“I knew you’d come for him. Your kind have honor and bravery in abundance.” He sounded almost impressed.
“Is that a compliment?” I glared at him. “Because you can shove it.”
“You can have him,” Royce said. “You can have your father. I’ll let your friend go. I’ll even give her a van to take, if she can drive it. All I want is you.” He held up both hands. “It’s a fair trade. Deny me and your friend and your father die.”
What was he playing at? Why give me a choice? He was holding all the cards. It made no sense.
“What’s wrong with him? What did you do to him?”
“A sedative. It will wear off in a few days. I swear to you he’ll be fine.”
I looked to Helgi, who shook her head. “Fuck this.” But there was no heat in her tone because she knew the odds were stacked against us. “Together till the end?” Her smile was wry.
God I wished that could be true. That we could go out in a fucking blaze of glory fighting the bastard Vorn. But I’d come here to save Illyrian. I had to get him away from here.
“Anya?” Helgi searched my face. “Together till the end.” She said it firmly, waiting for me to repeat it. Our mantra, our vow.
“Not this time, Helgi. This time you got to leave me behind.”
“Anya—”
“Take him.” I shifted Illyrian’s weight to Helgi. “Go. Now.”
Her face twisted in anguish and I knew she was processing it. Knew that she understood how much this meant to me, how badly I needed her to do it. She knew this was the only way.
“I can’t.” The words were a whisper.
“Helgi, I need you to do this. You get him out and then you find a way to get me out.” I gave her a cocky smile, masking the tremble of my lips. “It’s what we do, right?”
Her eyes brimmed and her mouth worked. “I love you, Anya. I’ll be back for you. I swear it.”
I nodded, my throat too thick with emotion to speak.
She backed away, clutching Illyrian to her, then turned and ran toward the van parked around the side of the building.
I stood in silence, my attention on Royce as the engine flared to life. I didn’t speak until the sound was a distant hum, and then I drew Jezebel from her holster.
Royce sighed. “Don’t do this, Anya. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“But I want to hurt you.”
I attacked.
“Don’t shoot!” Royce bellowed, and then my blade was clanging against Draco armor.
They were dressed in Obrilian steel. Symbols etched into the metal winked at me. I needed to go for the heads, for the necks. I adjusted my grip and took off a head.
“Anya, stop!” Royce cried.
And then I was hit by lightning that took me off my feet and burned through me, slamming my head back and clenching every muscle in my body. My bones shuddered and then I was free. I hit the ground, unable to move for a moment.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Royce said again. “Dammit, Anya. Stop fighting me.”
I rolled onto my side and held up my hand. Blue lightning danced over my knuckles and then vanished.
They’d used the electric blast tech on me. The bastards. I pulled myself up, hand still curled around Jezebel.
“Fuck you, Royce. If you want me, you’ll have to fucking kill me.”
I charged him but never made it as another blast hit me square in the chest, throwing me back. My heart stuttered and darkness stole my vision.
“Stop!” Royce shouted.
Was he talking to me? To them? I couldn’t move. Sensation
