Reese snatched my arm the instant I stepped forward, dragging me back to his side. “This is exactly what he’s counting on, for you to be impulsive—”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“You heard what Daniel said earlier. Sitri’s on his way. You’ll be walking right into his trap,” Reese growled. “That’s why I’m going. You and Mark find a way out of here.”
Before I could object, the P.A. system pitched back on. “Just to make things a bit more expedient, I’m gonna set the buzzer for two minutes. If Kat isn’t here,” Daniel emphasized my name, “you’re gonna need to bury Barbie here in a closed casket. Or better yet, perhaps I might sic her on you after I take a bite out of her neck.”
All our grips loosened around the blades in our hands. Seeing what Daniel had become was hard enough; I couldn’t begin to imagine how painful it must have been for Mark to watch his best friend turn into a monster. Every muscle in my body knotted at the thought of having to witness Carly go through the same thing. This was my fault. I was the one they were after. And I wasn’t about to let my best friend die…or worse. Not for me.
Chapter 30
This Means War
Slow clapping resounded across the gym as Mark, Reese, and I all walked in through the double doors. Fog still engulfed the floor, stirring with every step we took. Daniel wasn’t anywhere in sight.
“Yoo-hoo.” A sharp whistle echoed overhead, and our heads shot up to the overlook. Daniel continued clapping, even with his arms wrapped around Carly’s trembling frame. Those blazing yellow eyes glowed in the limited light, sending a chill up my spine as he leaned down toward Car’s neck. “Just in time,” he laughed, the game buzzer counting down the last ten seconds.
It didn’t escape any of our attentions that the hallways were conveniently Hellhound-free on our trek back here.
“Don’t be shy, Kat.” Daniel beckoned me up to the weightlifting overlook. “Come, join us.”
I didn’t so much as look to the side stairwell as I remained glued in place.
Daniel sighed. “And to think we had a deal.” He kicked a section of the wire mesh railing, and the metal blasted right out of place. We leapt back as the section crashed down on the hardwood floor not five feet ahead of us. Daniel threw Carly forward, whirling her back around to grip her by the throat. He extended his arm, and she was forced off the exposed ledge.
“Don’t!” I begged, watching Carly choke on a gasp as he held her out by nothing but the throat. Her acrylic nails dug into Daniel’s arms well after drawing blood, but he only laughed. She kicked at the empty air beneath her feet, desperately trying to regain her ground.
“Make up your mind, Kat,” hummed Daniel. “Agree to my terms, or Barbie takes your place.”
“Which is it?” I growled. “You gonna bite her, or kill her?”
“Kill her,” he clarified. “Then I’m gonna wait for your betrothed to get here, in which he’ll bring her back. And then I’m gonna bite her.”
Carly’s hands started slipping from Daniel’s arms. She was losing consciousness. He tightened his grip, and her thrashing legs fell limp. Any sense of self-preservation vanished as I bolted across the room to the staircase.
Daniel clicked his tongue, waving his finger at me in disapproval. “Not so fast there, sweetheart. Leave your weapons down there, along with your entourage.”
I looked over my shoulder, seeing McDowell and Blackburn still standing right behind me.
Reese shook his head, the rest of the blood in his face draining as his eyes bore into mine. “Kat...”
I handed Reese’s sword back to him, holding up my empty palms. Daniel nodded, motioning to the stairs. I remembered what Reese had once said. Hellhounds had spectacular hearing, so I didn’t risk saying anything to him as I walked into the doorway. Once I was amerced deep enough in the stairwell that Daniel could no longer see me, I mouthed to Reese and Mark, praying they understood before making my way up the cement steps.
“There she is!” Daniel announced as I stepped out into the workout center with my hands raised over my head.
He pulled Carly back over to the platform, but kept a fist still clamped around her throat. She barely managed to drag in a decent breath as her feet planted on the ground, and the lack of oxygen had tinged her face with a sickly mix of purple and blue. Cold metal snaked down my sleeve as I lowered my hands.
“Let her go.”
“You sure about that?” Daniel thrust his arm out again, forcing Carly right on the brink of the ledge. Her toes curled, barely managing to cling to the lip of the brink.