“Well done, Alexa.” The flames cast Linden in a macabre light. “I don’t know how you did it, but you certainly are adept at playing the heroine. But you’ve forgotten one thing. You can’t save them all.”
The young boy wailed, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. It was the same kid who had asked me if I was one of the good guys. I didn’t give Linden a chance to follow through with his intent or his bad-guy dialogue. I threw myself at him, taking him and the child down to the ground. Landing between us, the kid was fine, just terribly frightened.
Wrapping my hands around Linden’s throat, I slammed his skull against the hard floor repeatedly until he released his hold on the boy. Shaz appeared and dragged the kid away by the back of his shirt.
The smoke thickened, making it difficult to see. Every breath made my chest ache. My wolf recoiled, instinctively demanding that we flee the burning building. Letting Linden go to save myself would be a favor to nobody. He would only be free to start anew, in a new building with a new batch of victims. Perhaps he was just one of many involved in this sick business. All it took to send a message to the rest was the right hit. I had to hope Linden was it.
“You should never have let me know you exist,” I snarled, slamming his head one more time. Blood stained the floor beneath him.
I set my sights on his heart and reached with my power to destroy it. The flow of energy was smooth and on target, yet it fell flat. Like hitting a psychic wall, my power hit an impenetrable block.
Linden stared up into my confused face and nodded. His voice was strained from my grip on his throat when he croaked, “You’re not the only rare breed walking around out there, you know.”
Before I could draw the dagger, he slammed a heavy fist into the side of my head. It dazed me, allowing him to roll me to his side. He hit me with a smattering of blows that caused a bright light to flash behind my eyes. I kicked out in his general direction, connecting with his knee. A crack followed by a shriek was always good news.
The sound of the Dragon Claw sliding from its sheath sent a surge of panic through me. I rolled away from Linden and pushed to my feet, but not before my own dagger tasted my blood. It pierced my side, a flesh wound, thanks to quick reflexes. Warm, wet blood seeped through my shirt. Ignoring it, I danced back out of reach as Linden swung the dagger again.
The fire had crawled along the walls to the ceiling, which didn’t appear to be made of the sturdiest material. As pieces began to fall and smash against the floor, my need to flee the building grew. Linden had the advantage here; he didn’t need to breathe. I coughed harder as my body rejected the smoky air.
“You had help getting this in here. Based on the mark on your arm, I’m thinking demon.” Linden cut the air in a figure eight with the Dragon Claw. “So where is this demon now? It doesn’t seem that he’s coming to save you.”
“I don’t need a f**king demon to save me.” My lungs burned, and I could barely get the words out.
I glanced at the roof above us. It was still holding for now. Maybe I could do something about that. Focusing the last of Falon’s power on the roof, I willed it to come down in a burning heap on top of Linden. I planned to go for the door as soon as I felt it give. It might not work—I could be digging my own grave—but keeping him inside was the best way to give the others a chance to flee to safety.
“I change my mind,” Linden announced. “I’m going to keep you for myself. It’s become very apparent why Harley wanted you so badly. I am going to love breaking you.” For a species that was good at secret keeping, they were also very adept gossipers. I should just start assuming anyone that knew Arys or Harley knew way too much about me.
Linden rushed me, breaking my concentration. I threw an arm up to block the Dragon Claw. The blade bit into my forearm, and I yelped. Mother f**ker that hurt.
In a desperate move, I swept his legs out from under him with a kick. He lost his balance but recovered quickly. With preternatural speed, he was at my back with the dagger blade pressed to my throat.
“Don’t make me kill you,” he said, the picture of health compared to my choking, injured self. “We could have fun together. I’ll even forget about how many of my men you killed tonight.”
I couldn’t see his face, but that didn’t make him any less threatening. Another series of coughs racked me, and the blade cut into my skin. In response to his offer, I held up a middle finger. The heat was unbearable. Lack of oxygen was making me dizzy. I felt the blade slide across my throat and thought it was all over.