She screamed, trying to angle her neck away from the blade.
"Okay, okay," Cael said, trying to stall for time as his powers weakened even more. But what concerned him most was where had Amaranda gone? Obviously, she was the one who'd called him and this idiot had mixed the two of them up. Even so, if anything happened to Kerri, Amaranda would never forgive him.
Nor would he forgive himself.
And then he felt it... that prickling sensation of a Daimon's presence.
Only there were two of them.
The door opened and Cael's entire world shattered. Amaranda was between the two Daimons with her hands tied behind her back. She was pale and shaking as she bled from a wound at her neck.
They'd been feeding from her and by her appearance, they'd almost drained her dry.
"Look who we found trying to warn him, Dad."
"Damn you!" Cael snarled. Without thinking, he rushed at them.
Even though his powers were all but gone, he caught the first one about the waist and they went sprawling into the hallway. The Daimon didn't let go of Amaranda, who landed on top of Cael.
He took a second to make sure she was okay before he cut the rope on her hands then kicked the second Daimon away from them. Growling, Cael reached for the one he'd tackled only to hear a gun firing.
He recoiled as the bullets ripped through his body in rapid succession. The pain of it stole his breath as he bled all over the floor.
The Daimon picked him up and slugged him hard in the jaw. The impact knocked him back into the wall so that the other Daimon could kick him in the stomach.
As the Daimon moved to kick Cael again, he grabbed his leg and shoved him back. The Daimon slipped on Cael's blood and hit the floor with a thud. He kicked the Daimon in the ribs and turned to grab the other one.
"Freeze, asshole, or I give your little playmate here a bullet in her brain. And since she's an Apollite, it'll cut her short life even shorter."
Cael froze instantly.
"Turn around."
He did and saw that the older man had Amaranda in front of him with his gun angled at her head. Cael's heart pounded at the sight of her fear as anger clouded his vision. Damn this bastard for scaring her.
"It'll be okay, baby."
"Not if you don't answer my question." He cocked the snub-nosed .38 against her temple.
Cael heard Amaranda praying in Atlantean under her breath.
If he gave up Ravyn's location, they would kill him. If he didn't, they'd kill Amaranda.
His best friend or his wife. How could he make that call?
"Fine," the man snarled. "Have it your way." He started to squeeze the trigger.
"No!" Cael shouted, taking a step forward. "He's..." He couldn't say it. He just couldn't. Having been betrayed, how could he betray someone else?
"Don't play with me, boy."
Cael took a deep breath and leveled a sincere look of hatred on the bastard. "He's at the Last Supper Club in Pioneer Square."
The man narrowed a doubting gaze on him.
One of the Daimons grabbed Cael by the hair and pulled his head back. "Are you lying to us, Dark-Hunter?"
"No," he lied with conviction. "I wouldn't dare."