Isaac didn’t know, and spots danced in front of his vision, tempting his eyes to close.
Shadrach answered. “There was a gunman up on the ridge there. A human. That’s why none of us could sense him. He had that.”
Isaac turned his head, realizing the gun lay in the sand beside them. Shadrach must have dropped it when he appeared. Nathan picked it up, pulling the slide back and ejecting the bullet. It was almost as long as hishand.
“Anti-tank rounds,” Shadrach said. “She wasn’t fucking around.”
“Clever,” Storm said begrudgingly.
“Not clever enough,” Isaac rasped, and Talon met his eyes. For the first time since they’d met, Isaac felt like there was an understanding taking place between them. She’d tried to kill them both and failed.
Alex raised a tearful gaze toward Shadrach, cradling Talon in his arms the same way Shadrach was cradling Isaac.There was significantly more blood on Talon and Alex, though. “Is Talon going to be okay?”
“Yeah, he’ll be fine once he heals. We’re lucky she couldn’t get her hands on any holy water. If the rest of us hadn’t been here, she might’ve won this. Those shots were enough to put him down for a while. Long enough for her to end him herself, if that was her plan.”
Talon’s eyes rolled with stubborn attitude, but he didn’t try to speak.
Shadrach huffed out a laugh. “Obviously she didn’t account for the rest of us. Wounds that big will take a while to heal. Time and rest will be key. Maybe a little of your blood to take the edge off,” he added to Alex.
“Anything,” Alex swore. “Anything you need, okay?” he added, softer, to Talon.
One round appeared to have gone through his lower ribs, while the other hit him almost directly in the center of his chest. Without holy inscriptions or holy oil on the rounds—which, thankfully, Lilith didn’t have access to—Talon would live to see another day, no matter how mangled his body was right now.
“What took you guys so long?” Shadrach asked the others.
“Halflings intercepted us,” Nathan said. “We’re all okay. She obviously expected a trap.”
“She’s dead now, so who cares?” Shadrach said. “Killer, you okay?”
Isaac nodded, peeling his blood-soaked shirt up. “It’s healing.”
“Thank fuck for that,” Shadrach purred, kissing his cheek. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Isaac huffed out a laugh, realizing he wasalsorelieved.Not because he was fine, no, but because Shadrach was. It could just as easily have been Shadrach who’d appeared to take on Lilith. How would he have felt to see Shadrach on the ground and bleeding like Talon?
His gut twisted at the thought, and he turned to seal his mouth against Shadrach’s, desperate for contact. Shadrach hummed, bringing his hands up to frame Isaac’s face. The reverent touch had claws, sinking deep within Isaac and taking root. He never wanted it to stop.
“She was going to kill them,” Isaac said, letting his eyes drift closed. “If anybody’s gonna kill Talon, it’ll be me.”
It was a stupid joke. He didn’t expect a reaction from anyone, but a groaning laugh barked out of Talon, and Isaac opened his eyes to see mirth twinkling in the demon’s dark eyes. Maybe they could find some common ground, after all.
“F’king bitch,” Talon groaned, glaring at the dusty black clothes that remained where Lilith had once been.
“Good riddance,” Wolf said. “Although the demon world will be in an uproar for a while until new leadership steps up.”
Talon waved a dismissive hand.
“Well, now what?” Nathan asked, glancing at Lilith’s remains with an expression of distaste.
Shadrach sighed. “I’ll take Talon and Alex back to their place. They can’t be seen like this.”
“One of us can drive Alex’s truck back to the Rink,” Ira offered. “Best to get it away from here, especially if there’s a dead body up there on the ridge somewhere.”
“There definitely is,” Shadrach said glibly. “That way.” He pointed at the cliff behind them. Someone would find it eventually. It wouldn’t be traced back to any of them, so it didn’t matter.
“Are you okay to wait here for a few seconds while I carry Talon and Alex home?” Shadrach asked.
Isaac nodded. “The wound is closed. Now I’m just tired.”
