Without missing a beat, Kelly dumped the glass in the trash. "Same shit, different rooms. We're fine. They're only getting more adventurous now that the sun has set."
"Tell that to the demon I demolished less than hour ago in my bedroom."
"What?" The broom handle clattered to the floor. "Are you hurt?"
The house shook. A boom came from below. The lights in the house flickered. They looked at each other when everything plunged into darkness. "Get the night gear out and have everyone hunker down. Ruman and I will head to the basement and see if we can get the power online."
"Caly-"
"We can see almost perfectly in the dark. We're the logical ones to go."
"I'll go."
"Brie?" Caly turned and faced her double. "No. Stay with the others. You'll be of more help here." She stared at the woman she'd spent half her life hating and loving like a sister. "Be careful."
"You, too."
Brie led Kelly away, and Ruman slipped his hand into hers.
"Come." Ruman tugged her hand. "We need to secure the house before he arrives."
"You think it's him out there?"
He looked at her over his shoulder. "Don't you?"
"Why attack us on our own ground? Wouldn't he try to lure us out of the house instead of keeping the battle on our territory?"
As if in answer, an astringent smell snaked through the closed basement door. She jerked Ruman to a halt. "Don't open the door."
Caly reached out and laid a hand against the wood, then quickly yanked it back. "Fire."
Ruman blanched.
She hurried to the middle of the house and bellowed, "Fire. Everyone downstairs." Footsteps thundered on the wooden floor. In a matter of seconds, the troops stood waiting.
"We have two choices. We can stay and battle the fire. No demon would willingly be in the same location as an active flame. Or we can run and step right into the trap."
"The unexpected might cause them to make a mistake." David rubbed his jaw but said nothing more.
"I vote we save the house. At least inside we stand a chance." More than half of the group nodded at Kelly's suggestion.
"Grab the garden hose and hook it up to the faucet. There are two fire extinguishers in the kitchen. Take two teams and worked to douse the fire." Ten men scrambled to do as she ordered.
"Kelly and David, take three men and head toward the back of the house." Caly hefted a leather pouch that rested near the study door that contained the bombs. "Take these. When you are ready to use them, bend the plastic tube to snap the vials. Make sure you have it out of your hands in less than a minute or the plastic inside could become imbedded in your palms."
They nodded and took the package gingerly. "Holler if you run into trouble."
"You four," Caly pointed at the men by the stairwell. "Same rules. I want you upstairs, two in the back, two in the front." She nodded to them. "Keep up your guard."
In minutes only she, Ruman, Brie and Jarred remained. "What did you do with Henry?"
"I'm here." Henry stood in the hallway, smiling grimly, clinging to the wall to stay upright. "You didn't think I would let you have all the glory, did you?"
Caly smiled. "Of course not."
"Although I wouldn't mind having one of those bomb things if you have any of them handy."
Jarred stepped forward, Brie at his side. "You and Ruman worry about getting that bastard. The three of us will take the kitchen."
As they hurried away, Ruman turned toward Caly and sighed. "From the look of mischief in your eyes, you have a plan. I'm not going to like it, am I?"
Caly laughed. It felt good to have him stand by her without question. Bending, she fished out the medallion. Between her fingers, the gold metal twirled and shimmered in the darkness. "It's time to bait a trap of our own."
Chapter Thirty-three
"I'm not so sure this was such a good idea." Now that it was time, the plan didn't sound so brilliant. Doubts crowded in on her from all sides, the knowledge that one mistake could cost her everything was a slow, torturous death.
"We need to know the numbers waiting for us." Ruman seemed so confident; she just hoped he didn't do anything stupid and try to act all heroic by confronting the Fallen by himself.
"I want you in and out. No lollygagging. No taking care of this by yourself." When he didn't immediately agree, she narrowed her eyes. "Don't make me come out after you."
Brows lowered, Ruman leaned forward until they were nose to nose. "Don't you dare. Try something like that, and I'll put you over my knee."
Caly smiled, unable to resist tweaking him. "Maybe later." On her toes, she kissed the harsh expression off his face. "Get before I lose my nerve and refuse to let you leave."
Shadows wrapped their dark wings around him. His image wavered and dissolved in a cloud of fog. When it cleared, Ruman was gone.
Demons did it all the time but to see Ruman do it unnerved her more than a little. Not because he was a demon but because she hate having him out of her sight.
She rushed to the front window, but saw nothing. Air grew thin at the thought of Ruman out there, injured and determined to do whatever it took to protect her.
With the medallion.
Caly took a deep breath and did something she thought she'd never do. She dropped the veil that imprisoned the darkest part of her soul.
The demon within flared to life in a blazing glory as if afraid she'd change her mind. Agony filled her body, setting her blood on fire. Her fingers curled into fists as she wrestled with the urge to scratch off her own skin.
Every inch of her body tingled, oversensitive to the world around her, the pain crippling in its intensity. She clenched her jaw to prevent herself from crying out, fearful one wrong move would send her over the edge.
Time slowed, the world shifted. The pain subsided slowly, reluctant to release its hold, leaving behind heightened senses and the strength to fight next to Ruman and kill this bastard once and for all. She smiled, relishing the prospect.
Seconds tripped by and stretched out forever as she tried to listen for any disturbances. "Where are you?" Caly waited for any sign that he needed her.
"Were you searching for me, little one?"
Caly whirled and came face to face with shadows. As much as the voice sounded like Ruman, her blood screamed otherwise. She hunkered down and tensed. Doubts stayed her hand. She didn't know whether she could trust her instincts despite Ruman's confidence in her. Not if it meant his life.
"Ruman?" She hated the slight quiver in her voice. When he didn't answer, she moved from her position, tightening her hold on the dagger. Ruman wouldn't have left her vulnerable by refusing to answer.
A shape formed by the staircase, only a faint mist. Tracking the dark fog, she pulled out a stiletto knife nestled at the small of her back and sent the metal whirling through the air.
A hiss of fury filled the hallway, but the expected splash of dust never arrived.
Fear climbed up in her throat. Only one thing reacted like that.
The Fallen had arrived.
She had him in her grasp and allowed him to escape. Angry at herself, she marched toward where the stiletto quivered in the wood and wrenched it out of the wall with a grunt.
"Caly?"
Spinning on her heel, she had the tip of the blade at his throat, the knife against his flesh when she realized her mistake.
"Ruman?" Her voice wavered, and she jerked away as if she could erase her action.
Her stomach heaved, and she backed away, shaking so bad she could barely hold the blade. "He was you. He was pretending to be you." Her throat closed at the dark blotch that marred his throat.
A mark she put there.
"I almost killed you."
"But you didn't. You stopped." Ruman swallowed carefully, the small patch of burned flesh smarted, but the blade hadn't penetrated his skin.
"I'm fine. I've had hangnails worse than this." He approached her carefully, afraid she would scamper away like a skittish kitten if he moved to fast. He wrapped his arms around her, stricken at the way she trembled. After a few minutes, she snuggled against him, and he rested his chin on the top of her head.
"What did you find?" Her voice emerged muffled from his chest.
"A few demons, nothing more." He rubbed his hand up and down her back then tipped her face up and kissed her lightly. It took all his willpower to release her. "Let's go kick some demon ass."
From his pocket, he removed the medallion and hooked the chain back to it. He slipped the medallion over her head, careful to place the disk under her shirt, hiding the links beneath the collar. Everything had to go perfectly.
A grunt and a scream came from upstairs. Ruman caught Caly's arm when she turned toward the source of the fight. "Trust your men. You trained them well. They know what they're doing."