Dark Side of the Moon (Dark-Hunter 9)

Ravyn offered her a comforting smile, but what he really wanted to do was touch her one last time. To feel the softness of her skin. "It's okay. I've had a really long life."

Susan felt the tears prick the back of her eyes. She couldn't believe he'd be willing to do this for her. That he'd damn himself to being a Shade simply to save her life.

And in that moment, she realized that she really did love him.

More than that, she didn't want to live if he died.

The Daimon led her to the window.

"Open the latch, Susan," Paul said snidely. "Then Ravyn can join you at the window to help you out."

She parted the curtains only enough to let her hand reach the latch. But as she did that, a thought struck her. She knew how to get out of this.

How to save Ravyn.

"It's unlocked," she said.

Nodding, Terrence stepped away from the window to a safe corner of the room near Ben.

"Good," Paul said with a laugh. "Now go check out the daylight, Dark-Hunter."

Her heart pounding, Susan felt Ravyn at her back as he approached her. She closed her eyes and savored the strength of him. The heat of his body warmed hers.

And her conviction grew.

"I know I just met you, Susan," Ravyn whispered against her ear. "But I think I love you."

She froze her hand on the latch as a wave of anger went through her. Instead of warming her, those words went over her like ice. Looking at him over her shoulder, she glared at him. "You think? You think you love me? You don't know?'"

His face baffled, he scowled at her. "Why are you so angry? I'm trying to die here... for you. Nobly."

"Then you should have just dropped dead and not opened your mouth to piss me off. You think? Think? What is that? Obviously it's only wishful thinking on your part, because if you had thought for a single second, you'd have known it would upset me. Ugh!" Wanting to really kill him, she grabbed the heavy drape and before anyone realized what she was doing, she jerked with all her strength.

The curtain rod was torn free from the wall. Still angry at the beast behind her, she stepped back so that the curtain would fall over Ravyn to protect him as the room was flooded with daylight.

The two Daimons screamed out in pain as the light struck them and set them both on fire. Susan shielded her face from the horror of their deaths. If only she could protect her nose. The stench of burning flesh was revolting.

And in less than a minute, both of them were dead. Black, smoldering piles of ash on the green Persian rug.

"Ben!" Paul shouted in an agonized cry. "No!" He turned on her with his fury blazing. "You fucking bitch! I'll kill you for this."

He rushed at her, only to have Ravyn, now in leopard form, launch himself at him. The two of them hit the floor hard. Ravyn caught him a vicious swipe on the shoulder.

Rolling over, Paul pushed himself to his feet and held his injured arm to his side, then ran pell-mell to the interior of the house, toward the staircase, with Ravyn bounding up the stairs after him.

Susan followed them, then pulled up short as a hugely tall man stepped out of the shadows at the top of the landing. He was dressed in a pair of jeans with a black turtleneck and motorcycle jacket. Ravyn stopped halfway up the stairs as Paul continued on to the man's side.

"Stryker," he breathed, turning to point down at them. "Kill them!"

Susan's jaw went slack at the mention of the Daimon's name. So this was their infamous leader Nick had mentioned. Tall and lean, with short jet-black hair and wearing a pair of black wraparound sunglasses, he didn't look like the other Daimons, who were all blond.

But even so he did make an awe-inspiring sight. An aura of brutal, cold power bled from him. He had a demeanor that said he relished cruelty and that he was here for blood.

Their blood.

Ravyn flashed to human form and summoned clothes as he faced the Daimon with grim features.

"Why would I kill them?" Stryker asked Paul in a bored tone.

Paul's anger melted into a look of confusion. "He's a Dark-Hunter. Death to all Dark-Hunters... right?" There was no mistaking the fear in his voice now.

Stryker nodded. "That is my motto. But today it seems my agenda is a little different." He grabbed Paul by the throat and slung him against the wall, where he held him so high that the shorter man's feet didn't reach the floor.

Paul grabbed Stryker's hand in both of his as his face turned bright red while he struggled to get free.

Stryker's entire face was one of hell wrath. "You lying bastard. You betrayed my trust and you stabbed me in the back. "

"I did no such thing," Paul choked out in sharp sobs. "I-I-I didn't touch you."

"Yes, you did." Stryker pulled him away from the wall, then slammed him back into it again. "When you stabbed Trates, my right hand, my second in command, you in essence stabbed me. Me. And no one stabs at me. Do you understand, you pathetic fool? If I were to let you live after what you've done, I would become weak, ineffectual in the eyes of my men, and that I cannot allow. "

Ravyn took a step up the stairs.

"Halt!" Stryker snapped at him. "This doesn't concern you, Dark-Hunter. You and your woman are free to go."

Ravyn shook his head. "I can't and you know it. Even if he's a lying sack of shit, he's still human, and I took an oath to save the humans from Daimons."

Stryker let out a tired sigh before his face hardened. "Spathis!"

Before they could move, twenty Daimons flashed into the room. Three were by Susan while the rest were on the stairs between Stryker and Ravyn.