He turned to see Susan in the arms of another Daimon. Dammit! How had he gotten behind him?
But then he knew. He could sense a Daimon's presence, but he couldn't really pinpoint it. They must have opened a bolt-hole somewhere in the house.
Now there was no telling how many of them might be here.
Paul laughed smugly. "Meet my brother-in-law. He sometimes travels with my sons to keep them out of harm's way. "
Ravyn glared at the Daimon but knew if he moved to take Susan away from him, the Daimon could rip her throat out. "Let her go."
Smirking, the Daimon shook his head.
"Why should we?" Paul asked, drawing Ravyn's attention back to the chief. "We're holding all the cards now."
Ravyn locked gazes with Susan, whose face was stricken by her panic, and he hated that she was endangered.
She tried to flip the Daimon over her body or break his hold, but she couldn't. He held her so tightly that the only way to get her free would be to kill him and since she was covering the Daimon's heart...
They were screwed.
Smiling, Paul made his way over to the curtains and pulled one panel back ever so slightly. "Oh look. Daybreak. What great timing." He turned to level a sinister smirk at Ravyn. "Why don't you come see this for yourself, Dark-Hunter?"
"You know I can't."
"True. But I really think you're going to."
"Like hell."
"Fine then." He looked past Ravyn to the Daimon. "Terrence? Kill the bitch and take her soul."
"No!" Ravyn shouted. "Don't you dare touch her."
"If you don't like this scenario, how about this one? You die painfully so that I can enjoy your suffering. I let Susan go in exchange for her writing a piece about how you killed all the students that my wife and sons have fed on. You're dead, my wife is avenged, my sons are protected, and Susan lives, as long as she swears to forget all about me and everything she's seen. "
Ravyn snorted at the very idea. "That would require me to trust you. I have no guarantee that if I die, she lives."
"You have no choice but to trust me, Dark-Hunter."
Ravyn cursed, hating the fact that Paul was right. "And how exactly would this work?"
"Simple. Both of you go to the window. She opens it up, you fry, and then she can crawl through it and leave. Obviously neither Terrance nor Ben can follow after her. "
Ravyn turned it over in his mind, then shook his head. "Empty your gun so I know you won't shoot her in the back as she runs across the lawn. You're the chief of police. It's not like anyone would question it. "
By his face it was obvious Paul didn't like the idea, but agreed.
"You can't do this," Susan said, her tone a mix of anger and fear. "I won't help you to die."
"Yes, you will, Susan," Ravyn said calmly. "Law of the jungle. You do what you have to to survive. And your survival hinges on my death. "
"You're not trying to survive. Shouldn't you be fighting this?"
"No. I'm allowing my mate to survive. It's our way."
Susan clenched her teeth as pain and sorrow tore her apart. It wasn't her way. She didn't want to have to kill him in order to live. That wasn't right.
Ravyn looked at the chief. "Give her your bullets."
No! her mind cried as she tried to fight Terrence. Damn the bastard and his Bondo grip. She had to get free of him. She had to. She couldn't let Ravyn die.