Dark Side of the Moon (Dark-Hunter 9)

Paul seemed to get control of himself as he adopted Ravyn's calm tone and stance. "Hmm... interesting. So what do we do now? Slug it out?"

Ravyn shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"I don't like that plan," Paul said, exchanging a smug look with his son.

Well, at least she and Paul saw eye to eye on something. She didn't like the idea, either.

"No?" Ravyn asked as he put his hand to his chin introspectively. "Then what do you propose?"

"That we kill you."

That plan she liked even less.

Luckily, Ravyn agreed. "I have to say that I don't like your plan. Too much..."-he hesitated as if searching for the right word while he waved his hand around his face in a circular motion-"dying on my part, I think." His face turned deadly earnest as he crossed his arms again. "I'd much rather kill you."

The threat didn't appear to concern Paul at all. "You can't do that."

"Why not?"

He took a step toward them. "If I die, the two of you will never be absolved of the murders. You'll be hunted by the police forever."

Ravyn laughed. "Forever. There's a concept you can't even begin to fathom." He sobered. "Trust me, human. That takes on a whole new meaning in my world. But that's beside the point. I think you seriously overestimate your people and their attention spans. More than that, you definitely overestimate my giving a shit about them. I'm a Were-Hunter, moron. I've spent six hundred years being hunted by things a lot scarier and smarter than you."

"I think you're wrong. I think you seriously underestimate my kind."

Ravyn paused as he felt something odd run down his spine. It was like there were multiple Daimons in the house, but he knew better than that. He hadn't felt any when they'd first entered and Ben was in front of him...

"Really?"

"Ravyn!"

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.

Not like this.

Paul pulled the gun out of the holster at the small of his back and unloaded it into his hand. Then he handed the bullets to Susan.

Ravyn narrowed his gaze on Paul. "Fire the gun at the wall so that I know it's empty. "

His features disgusted, Paul did as he said. The gun merely clicked, proving that he was abiding by the agreement. "You satisfied?"

"That your gun is empty, yes. With this solution, not hardly." He turned to look at Susan.

She stopped struggling. Her heart froze at the sad resolve she saw mirrored in his black eyes. The grim determination that marked his handsome features. "Don't do this, Ravyn. We can find another way out."