Stryker looked at the opening, then laughed. " 'Fraid not, sweetie. Mama likes me better at the moment. So you can shove that portal up your very attractive ass. Me and my boys have work to do. Either join us or leave."
For the first time in her life, Kat felt a tremor of fear. "You have to go. Those are the rules. The portal opens and you have to walk through it."
Stryker came forward, his eyes sinister and cold. "No, we don't."
The portal closed.
She gasped as realization dawned. The Destroyer had given him a key, too, and placed him in control.
Stryker stood so close to her that it sent a shiver over her. He cupped her face with his hand. "It's a pity she protects you so. Otherwise I would have had a taste of you centuries ago."
She glared at him in fury. "Get your hand off me or lose it."
To her surprise, he obeyed, but not before he kissed her rudely.
Kat shrieked and slapped him.
He laughed. "Go home, little girl. If you stay here, you might get hurt."
Her body shaking, Kat flashed back into the house. Cassandra was in the center of the living room while Wulf was arming himself from a cabinet against the wall.
"What do you have that I can use?" Kat asked, joining him at the armoire.
Wulf looked at her drolly. "I take it things didn't go well."
"No. In fact, we need to batten down the hatches. Things are about to get really ugly."
Chris came running into the room, his head covered by a football helmet.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kat asked as she caught sight of him.
Wulf looked over and frowned. "Now you wear the helmet?"
"Yes," Chris said as he stuffed a pillow down the front of his sweatpants. "Now I wear the helmet. In case neither of you have been paying attention, our little Daimons are busy on the lawn."
"We know."
"Ah," Chris said as he went to the armoire and pulled out a flak jacket. "So I have one question. I know the shutters can withstand fire and bullets. How are they against a LAWS rocket and dynamite?"
Before Wulf could answer, an explosion rocked the house.
"Careful," Stryker warned his men as they fired another round at the house. "Not that it's likely, but give them a chance to come out before you blow the house apart."
"Why?" Trates asked. "I thought the objective was to kill the heiress."
Urian gave the man an irritated look that said, 'Are you totally stupid?' "Yes, but if we hurt the Abadonna in the process, we're going to find out what it feels like to be turned inside out. Literally. Like most beings, I actually like the fact that my skin is outside my body."
"She's immortal," Trates argued. "What's a bomb to her?"
"Immortal like us, bone-head." Urian snatched the rocket launcher from Trates's hand and handed it to Icarus. "Blow her body apart and she will die. None of you want to know what the Destroyer would do to us if that happens."
Icarus aimed more carefully.
Stryker nodded his approval to his son, then projected his thoughts to the rest of his team. "Watch the exits. I know the Dark-Hunter will have a back way out of this place. When they run, you'd better catch them. Stand ready."
Cassandra frowned as Chris packed another pillow down the front of his sweatpants. "What are you doing?"
"Protecting my assets. After what Kat said about Stryker and that near miss with the pizza knife, I don't want to take a chance with my prized jewels."