All of this happened under a minute. Any longer and this fight would have been over before it really had the chance to get fun. The hunters closed in on us, and Chase’s stance went lethal. No longer was he worried about giving me the proper stare down. His eyes brightened in the dark woods like a cat on the prowl. It was hunting time.
Travis growled, standing straight beside me, his burning eyes zeroed in on the hunters. In a blink, Travis was in front of me, shielding me with his demon-rippled body. It was a glorious sight from where I stood, but completely unnecessary.
And foolish.
He wasn’t supposed to be protecting me. Stepping to the side, I withdrew my bow, which was slung over my shoulder. I heard my father’s voice and tried not to cringe. Or shake.
It was time for Angel to shine. I hoped she didn’t choke.
I tried not to think about what we were doing and just act on survival mode.
Chase flickered in and out of my vision as he made his way toward my dad. Travis and I concentrated on keeping the others busy. Letting loose a symphony of f-bombs that would have made Beethoven cringe, I unloaded a butt of arrows at anything that twitched. Arrows thunked into flesh and tree bark as I tried to distract the hunters from Chase and Angel. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Chase had my dad in his clutches, waiting on Angel.
There was so much pandemonium going on around me that I couldn’t focus on what the damn half-demon was doing. But it couldn’t be good.
A chill ran down my back, covering my arms in bumps. I glanced at Chase, lowering my bow. He looked madder than a cat covered in Post-it notes. Everything from that point moved in slow motion, yet I was powerless to stop it. Stick to the plan, I repeated in my head as if Chase could absorb my thoughts. When Chase put his hands around my dad’s neck, I froze, unable to believe what was happening. My body felt as if it was made of lead. Each movement I made was sluggish and clumsy. He wouldn’t dare. We had an agreement, a plan. Every hair on my body stood up, and I watched in utter horror as Angel captured his gaze, holding my dad motionless. I tried to yell his name, but nothing came out. Then Chase did the unthinkable. There was a quick twist of his wrist followed by a gut-churning popping sound. My dad’s body fell to the ground in a heap of awkwardness. Chase had snapped my dad’s neck like a twig.
I screamed like a banshee.
Chapter 16
The emotional pain was unimaginable. It lanced through me like a thousand knives, and I crumpled to my knees. I was delusional, my mind muddled, overwrought with denial. I knew my dad was anything but an upstanding citizen. He had done things. Killed. But he was still my dad. I loved him unconditionally, as a child does.
Pent up tears streamed down my cheeks and soaked the front of his vest. Boiling anger. Retched sadness. Immense disbelief.
Thoughts of my little sister and my mom ran through my rattled brain. Abi would grow up without a father. She would miss out on the daddy-daughter dances. She wouldn’t see his eyes light with pride at all of her dance recitals. Dad wouldn’t be able to give her first date hell and intimidate him.
My mom had lost her partner, her best friend, her lover. How the hell was I going to tell her? What did I tell her? That I betrayed them both. That I had chosen Travis over my family. That I had failed. I had been weak. I let my emotions rule my judgment. I had trusted the enemy and been stabbed in the back.
It was a mistake I would never make again.
Never again would I have the chance to make things better between my dad and me. To tell him that I wasn’t just a recruit, that I was his daughter. To make him understand my feelings, my wants, and my needs. I would never get the chance to tell him that regardless of all the crap, I loved him.
Through my haze of tears, hurt, and disbelief, I felt someone crouch beside me. A hand touched my shoulder, and familiar tingles fluttered down my back. A vile bout of anger rose swiftly inside me, and I was yelling before I even thought about it. “Don’t touch me! Don’t. Ever. Touch. Me. Again.”
I’d never felt more betrayed by anyone or anything in my life as I did in that moment. Travis was supposed to love me, protect me. I had trusted him, trusted them all, and they had spat on my trust, used me.
My eyes shone with giant tears as I watched Travis stagger to the ground. His face contoured in pain and regret, but I didn’t care. Not about him or his feelings.
My chest felt like it was going to cave.
Hatred shimmered in my green eyes with renewed purpose. I pushed unsteadily to my feet knowing that there was nothing I could do for him now. His body lay limp and cold, the fight gone from his eyes.
I don’t remember grabbing the bow or pulling the arrow back. It was just suddenly in my grasp, aimed dead center on Travis’s chest, his heart more specifically. My fingers, hands, and arms shook. There was this monstrous part of me that just didn’t give two shits anymore and wanted to sink my arrow into Travis. I wanted to scream and not stop.
I wanted blood.