He got a reply less than thirty seconds later. After he read it, he turned to me.
“I need you to promise to stay here when this goes down. Seamus, Niall, and I will handle it.”
I started to protest, and he cut me off.
“Some of these guys are a lot stronger than normal Incubi. You’re an amazing fighter, but you don’t have the strength to fight the stronger ones. It’s safer for you to stay here until we know what we’re up against.”
He was right. The only reason Mason and I had been able to kill the Incubus on the boat was because we’d had the element of surprise on our side. If I’d faced off against him alone, it would have been a different story.
“Okay. I promise.”
“Thank you.”
I looked at the sedan again. “What will you do?”
“Niall and Seamus are out back. Seamus is going inside to find Paige. Once he does, Niall and I will check out the car.”
He reached across me and opened the glove compartment to retrieve a small leather bundle, which he handed to me.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a Taser. I picked it up today.”
I removed the Taser from its case and stared at it, not quite sure how to react to the fact he wanted me to use a human weapon. “You want me to use a Taser? I already have weapons.”
He gave me a half smile. “I know, but I don’t want to take any chances. If a human girl can get away from an Incubus with a Taser, then I want you to have one, too. At least for this job.”
When I didn’t respond, he said the one thing guaranteed to get me to agree to his request.
“It’ll give me some peace of mind knowing you have it.”
I huffed. “Fine.”
Chris’s phone buzzed. He read the text and swore.
“What is it?”
“Seamus can’t find Paige. He’s checking upstairs now.”
“She has to be in there. One of us would have seen her –”
I stared at Chris. We could have had an earthquake, and I wouldn’t have noticed it during that kiss. What if Paige had left the house – or worse, been taken – while Chris and I were too caught up in each other to see it?
The front door of the sorority house opened, and I watched anxiously as two couples came out. Their staggering steps said they’d all had too much to drink. At the bottom of the steps, they waved goodbye, and one couple headed toward the house across the street. Without them blocking my view, I was able to see the faces of the other couple.
“Paige,” I said in relief.
Chris was out of the SUV in a heartbeat and reaching under his seat for a pair of long knives. With a last glance at me, he ran toward the couple that was almost abreast of the sedan.
The car doors opened, and two people jumped out. If I had any doubt about who they were, it disappeared the second they went straight for Chris at inhuman speed.
The two Incubi came at Chris at the same time, and I saw the glint of metal in their hands. It was two on one, and they were armed.
Chris met them, the three moving so fast I couldn’t see who struck first. It was several heart-pounding seconds before they separated, and I saw one of the Incubi stagger a little. Chris looked unhurt, but it was impossible to say for sure.
The uninjured Incubus lunged at Chris, and they circled each other. Behind them, another Incubus was putting Paige in the back of the car.
My hands gripped the Taser so hard it creaked as I frantically searched for Niall. Where was he?
I looked at Chris, who was once again locked in combat with the two Incubi. God, they were so fast. I couldn’t see what was happening, and it terrified me.
Chris stumbled. The Incubi closed in.
“Chris,” I cried and reached for the door handle.
Movement by the sorority house caught my eye, and I watched as someone sped toward the fight. My breath caught when I recognized Niall’s red hair. He didn’t move as quickly as Chris, but he was still a match for the Incubi.
Metal flashed. One of the Incubi went down and didn’t get up.
The car lights came on, illuminating Chris and Niall fighting the second Incubus. Chris shouted something, and Niall ran to the car, which had started to back up.
My heart leaped into my throat. Paige.
A small scream erupted from me when the door beside me flew open. I caught the glint of silver in the dark eyes as the Incubus grabbed my wrist in a vise-like grip and hauled me from the SUV.
He dragged me toward the back of the SUV, away from the others. I knew immediately why Chris had made me promise to stay in the vehicle. My strength was puny compared to the demon that wrapped one arm around my middle as the other hand clamped over my mouth to silence me.
I experienced a moment of terrifying helplessness, and I knew this must be how Paige had felt when she was attacked. But she’d escaped, and she wasn’t nearly as strong as I was.
It took me several precious seconds to twist enough to hit him in the ribs with the Taser. He grunted, but his hold didn’t loosen.
I hit him again.
His steps faltered, and the hand covering my mouth slipped.
I sucked in my breath and let out a yell as I struck a third time.
His hand came down and slammed into my wrist. Pain shot up my arm as the Taser flew from my numb fingers.
The Incubus released me. I was free. I spun to face him.
His fist was the last thing I saw before stars exploded in front of my eyes.
Then there was blackness.
Chapter 19
Chris
I heard Beth shout as my blade sank into the Incubus’s chest. I spun toward the SUV, and fear gripped me when I saw the cab light on and the open passenger door. And no sign of Beth.
Blood roared in my ears when I reached the SUV and saw the Incubus’s fist slam into Beth’s face. Blinding rage consumed me, and I was barely aware I was moving as I caught her before she hit the pavement. I didn’t remember the next minute, but when I came to my senses, I was sitting on the ground, holding Beth on my lap, and the Incubus was a bloody lump a few feet away.
Someone spoke to me in a deep, calm voice, and it took a moment for the Irish brogue to penetrate my mind. I looked up at Seamus, who stood at a safe distance with his hands up.
“I know you’re still a bit out of it, but we have to see to the lass,” he said without coming closer. “Is she okay?”
I lowered my gaze to Beth, who lay silently in my arms. Her eyes were closed, and her face looked pale in the streetlight. A trickle of blood ran down from a cut on her temple.
Her chest rose and fell steadily under my hand, and I closed my eyes as relief made my world spin. A hard blow to the head might have temporarily stunned me, but Beth was a young warrior, and I’d seen how strong these Incubi were.
“Beth,” I called to her.
I tried to force myself to sound calm, but my Mori was nowhere near that state. My voice came out harsher than I’d intended.
I tapped her cheek gently. “Dove, you need to wake up for me.”
Her eyelids didn’t flicker once, telling me she was fully unconscious. I needed to get her to the healer.
I stood with her in my arms and turned to Seamus. He spoke before I could tell him what I needed.
“I’m going to get these bodies out of sight, and then I’ll drive you back to the house. Niall will see to the other lass.”
“Thank you.”
I settled myself in the passenger seat of the SUV with Beth cradled on my lap. A few minutes later, Seamus got behind the wheel.
“Another team is coming to help Niall handle things here,” he said as he started the vehicle. “And I called Nikolas. Margot is waiting for us.”
It seemed to take forever to reach the house, and Beth didn’t stir once during the drive. When we drove around to the garage, we found Nikolas, Sara, and Margot waiting for us in the backyard.
Nikolas opened the door for me, and I got out, holding Beth. Sara gave Beth a worried look before she hurried ahead of us to the guesthouse and opened the door.
I carried Beth to her room and laid her on the bed. It took most of my willpower to step back so Margot could examine her.
When Margot took a syringe from her medical bag, I put a hand on her arm.
“What’s that for?”