“Layla, stop!” Broni said, remaining calm.
“Layla!” Rhys’s yell from across the room didn’t stop the Drearien that had taken over Layla’s body, the body that was moving toward her.
Broni braced for the attack as Layla ran at her, the hand with the knife raised to strike. When Broni would have blocked her arm, Adam pushed Layla to the side. He raised his gun, pointing it at Layla, but before he could pull the trigger, the clubhouse broke into chaos.
Layla wasn’t the only one to have turned. Rucker was attempting to kill Adam and Rhys was fighting off two of the other bikers. It became pandemonium as they fought each other, trying to figure out who had turned and who was simply fighting for their lives.
When Layla came at her again, Broni’s hand snapped out, knocking the knife from her, but it didn’t stop her. Broni picked up one of the wooden chairs, using it to keep a distance between them. Broni didn’t want to hurt her, yet she had been given no choice.
She maneuvered herself to the counter, throwing the chair at Layla, giving herself the split second she needed. Her hand slid under the base of the bar, sliding her sword out from where she had hidden it the day of the auction.
Her familiar weapon in hand, she lithely regained her feet just as Layla sprung toward her. Broni took a step forward, plunging her sword into her heart, saying a prayer for her soul.
She quickly looked at Rhys, seeing he had his knife in his hand and was fine for now. Adam was not, though; Rucker had a gun to his head. Broni ran forward, her sword going through his side, and he fell to the floor in a pool of blood.
Adam’s shock when he saw who had saved his life was priceless, but Broni wasn’t amused. She was too busy fighting off two other bikers that had turned. Her sword found the heart of one and Adam put a bullet through the other one’s head.
“What do we do?”’ Adam asked.
“Why are you asking me that? You’re the one with military background,” Broni said, perfectly willing to take his lead.
“Yeah, well, ask me to defuse a bomb or deal with a sniper, but I don’t know what the hell is going on with this Voodoo crap.”
“This is not Voodoo!” Broni snapped.
“I really don’t give a fuck what you call it. What do we do?” he asked, staring down at Rucker and the biker with the top of his head blown off.
“He’s not going to get up and come back at us, is he?”
Broni looked down at the men lying on the floor. “I don’t think that is an option.”
“Should I cut their heads off just in case?”
Broni clenched her teeth. “No.”
A loud crash effectively stopped their argument. As she moved to help Rhys, slipping on some blood, one of the Drearien took advantage of the opportunity, jerking her backwards with a hand in her hair. She wasn’t going to make it to Rhys in time. One of the bikers had managed to take his knife from him.
“Adam!” Broni screamed. “Save Rhys.”
Adam raised his gun, pointing it at the Drearien attacking Rhys at the same time Broni felt a stabbing pain in the middle of her back. She stifled her scream of pain, not wanting to change Adam’s focus of saving Rhys’s life.
At that instant, Broni caught a flicker out of the corner of her eye.
The man standing there looked just as Cara had described him; the dark immortal who escorted dark souls to Hades—Grimm. He stood watching the men fighting with a raised brow.
“You and your sisters are keeping me busy.”
Fear filled Broni at Grimm’s words. He would only be called when someone died, therefore for her sisters to have seen him, it boded ill for them.
Broni was forestalled in questioning him as he silently moved across the room, touching two of the men lying dead on the floor that Rhys had shot when they had turned. Shadows rose from their bodies, moving to stand silently beside Grimm.
The fighting was escalating. Broni turned on her knees, plunging her sword in the Drearien who had stabbed her in the back. She managed to get to her feet. Looking around the room, she saw that they were outnumbered.
Not willing to give up, she began to fight using her sword to clear a path toward Rhys. Adam was already by his side, both of them trying to fight off the remaining Drearien.
“I am getting sick of this crap,” Adam grunted, picking up a heavy chair and then bringing it down on one of his brother’s head.
By that point, Broni had maneuvered herself behind Rhys, and when one would have hit him, Broni shoved him out of the way, taking the strike herself, dropping her sword to the floor. Forcing herself to stay on her feet, she placed herself in front of Rhys.
“What are you doing?” Rhys yelled, furious while Broni ignored his anger.
When another came with a knife, Broni was waiting. She threw herself at the man, knocking him to the floor, the knife in her side. Rhys was unable to help since others were moving in now, ignoring him; Broni had become their target.
Rhys realized Broni was giving them what they wanted in the hope they would leave Rhys and Adam alone. If they accomplished their goal of Broni’s capture or death, it might distract them long enough for an escape to be possible. She had sacrificed herself for them.
“You are not getting yourself killed for me.” Rhys’s harsh voice kept her from losing consciousness.
Rhys helped Broni regain her feet, blood dripping from her side and back. Before he could yell at her for her stupid move, the Drearien started attacking again. Broni staggered away before Rhys could react, seeing Adam fighting a particularly large man with the wall at his back. Broni painfully picked up her sword, stabbing the Drearien in the back.
“Adam, run. Save yourself!” Broni yelled.
“Broni!” Rhys’s warning came too late.
Hands gripped her throat, squeezing until her breath caught in her throat. Her hands went to the ones clutching her throat. Struggling, she saw Rhys fighting his way toward her. Her hands dropped to her sides, no longer fighting, accepting what must be done.
Grimm came to stand next to her, remaining silent as the air left her lungs, waiting patiently.
A rush of air filled her starved lungs as Rhys pulled the Drearien off her. Weak, she managed to stay on her feet as several men clasped Rhys, trapping him in a circle.
When she saw a flash of metal, Broni fought wildly against her captor’s hold as Rhys fell to the floor. Grimm left her side to move toward Rhys, but before he could reach his side, a blinding flash of light filled the room. Thor stood taking in the chaos in the room.
Broni fought free from her stunned attackers, running to Rhys’s side as those around him fell to the floor.
“Help me, Thor!” she screamed at her brother, pressing a hand frantically to Rhys’s bleeding chest. Thor lifted a hand, and the rest of the Drearien fell as well.
Grimm began moving across the floor collecting his bounty.
When Thor moved to his sister’s side, she looked up at him with misery on her face. “I am sorry, Broni.”
“You are a God, heal him,” Broni begged.
“You know that is not one of my powers, nor is it what I was sent to accomplish.”
As Grimm bent down to collect Rhys’s soul, Broni threw herself over him, protecting him with her own soul.
In the next second, a blinding light swallowed her, ripping her away from Rhys.
Chapter 12
Broni stood on her balcony staring at the starry sky. She heard her door open and close, then the soothing presence of her mother by her side had her turning into her arms. Fate brushed the tears away that were clinging to her cheeks.
“I’m happy you’re home again, daughter.”
Broni drew back from her mother. “I knew you were watching; I wasn’t afraid.”
“I was,” her mother confirmed. “I wasn’t able to help, though.”
“It didn’t matter. It helped just knowing you were near. I am healed.”
“You are once again, immortal.” Her mother confirmed her s
ilent question.
Fate placed her arm around her shoulders and Broni leaned into her as they both gazed out at the sky.
“What will happen?” Broni asked her mother.
“It will return to normal for a while longer. Mother was able to temporally regain control again. Next time…” Her mother shrugged.
“Who is doing this?”