The ceiling finally came into focus, but it was as disorienting as the concussion. It was mirrored, with multicolored bulbs and adisco ball. He stared at his own prone reflection for a few moments. Blood coated one side of his head. Beyond him, he could see the tops of the others’ heads, huddled together a few feet from him.
Good.
He sat up, ignoring the way his stomach threatened to revolt at the sudden movement. He grabbed the table to haul himself to his feet and grabbed a sword and knife.
“Oh God, look out,” Ira warned, and the group scattered.
With a grunt, he turned and hurled the knife at the group, not caring who he hit.
Talon disappeared, but Isaac was ready this time. With the wall at his back and the table on his left, there was only one good place for Talon to reappear and try to take him by surprise. He slashed his sword to his right just as Talonreappeared, and the demon snarled in pain. Black blood seeped from the wound.
“Talon!” Alex cried out.
Isaac tried to rush past him but drew up short when Luke stepped in front of him, holding a sword of his own. He met Isaac’s eyes with a grim expression.
“Don’t make me do this,” Luke said.
“I’m not making you do shit, Morgan,” Isaac said, panting. “You’rethe ones who kidnappedme.”
“Luke, be careful,” a long-haired halfling said, stretching one arm out toward him as though to drag him away from Isaac.
Luke’s face hardened. “How long have you been in Sloan’s ear?”
Isaac frowned. It wasn’t like that. Sloan was the one inhis. That was the way it had always been. Whatever he had where a conscience should be, it sounded like Sloan and Maxwell and Hawley. He did what they said, because he was supposed to.
“Did you tell him about Nate and Ira, too?” Luke asked. “How many people have you put in danger for your own selfish ends, huh?”
Selfish? They thought he was selfish? For following orders?
“It’s not like that.”
Isaac blinked. The words didn’t come from him. He turned his head the barest amount and found Shadrach looking at him.
“Is it, Isaac?”
For a moment, there was only Shadrach. It was like they were back in last night’s dream. His hands on Isaac’s body, his eyes drinking him in.
“Oh, they’ve fucked you up so bad.”
A barely-there shudder rolled down his spine, and Isaac hardened himself against the memory. He wouldn’t fall for these temptations. Turning away from the galaxies in Shadrach’s eyes, he swung at Luke. Someone shouted in alarm, but Luke was ready for him, parrying and swinging.
He and Luke had trained together often, but they’d never fought for real. Isaac gave it everything he had, furious with them for doing this to him and his own body for being too weak to give it his all. He wanted to rip their lungs out, cut them open from stem to stern and coat the walls in their blood. Every clash of their blades in the air rang in his ears, and the flood of adrenaline narrowed his focus.
He twisted away from Luke’s blade—and startled away from a new one, swung by Alex. The demons were hanging back, wary of the holy blades. Isaac nearly lost his footing, and if Luke had wanted, he could’ve run him through from behind. The knowledge burned. They were holding back. Why bother? They all agreed they couldn’t let him go. What happened after he answered their questions, then? The only other option was to kill him, and if he was going to die, he’d rather do it fighting.
“Drop the weapon, Isaac,” Alex said. “You can’t beat both of us.”
Isaac sneered, planting his feet and raising his blade. “Let’s find out.”
He raised his sword overhead and brought it down hard. But Shadrach appeared beside him, catching his wrists. In a fluid motion, he hooked his fingers in Isaac’s palm and wrenched the sword from his grip, yanking so hard it nearly dislocated a finger. For a split second, their eyes met, and Isaac swore there was something likeregretin those liquidblack eyes. Then he spun Isaac around, one arm cinching tight around his throat and the other going snugly around his waist, pinning him against Shadrach’s body.
He clawed viciously at Shadrach’s arm around his throat, spots dancing in his vision. He tried to double over and throw him off, tried to shift his weight and push Shadrach off-balance, but he couldn’t get enough leverage. When Alex stepped closer to help the demon hold him, he jumped, slamming both feet into Alex and sending himself and Shadrach toppling to the training mat. Shadrach grunted at the impact but didn’t let him go.
“God, Isaac, just stop fighting!” Ira shouted.
Isaac aimed an elbow at Shadrach’s ribs, but thepopof bone breaking still wasn’t enough to loosen Shadrach’s hold. Isaac’s struggles weakened, and in his final moments of consciousness, lips brushed his ear.
“Why couldn’t you have just trusted me?” Shadrach whispered.
