Tobias felt dread ice through him. She was as fully demon as he’d ever seen her. Would she be able to return to her humanity with her mind intact?
“Get off him, you son of a bitch.” Her slender hands clenched at her sides.
“You just wait your turn, girly. I’ll be right with you.” Natchook turned his attention back to Tobias.
“Get out of here,” Tobias told Nix. “Go.”
“I got your back, remember?” Her breasts rose with her deep breath, then she ran full tilt at Natchook, spreading her arms and diving through the air like a linebacker sacking the quarterback.
With a growl Natchook caught her and tossed her aside as if she were weightless. She slammed into the unforgiving bulk of a large boulder. She grunted with the impact and groaned as she hit the ground.
Natchook bent to Tobias again, drawing on him strongly. Tobias felt himself growing weaker, even as he continued to struggle. Finally Natchook stopped and got to his feet. He stood a moment, looking down at Tobias. “You’re as weak as you ever were,” he said. Incredibly his voice seemed to hold a note of regret. “We could have done great things together if you just had more stones.”
Tobias tried to rise, managed to get himself up on one elbow before the blood loss made everything go black. As he succumbed he heard Nix’s low cry.
Stirring, he wasn’t sure how long he had been out, but felt someone patting his cheek, hard, then heard MacMillan’s voice. “Come on, sleeping beauty, wake up. Damn it, Tobias. Wake up!” Another smack, this one even harder.
Tobias opened his eyes and grabbed MacMillan’s wrist as he prepared to slap him again. “How long have I been out?” he asked as he struggled to sit up.
MacMillan helped him. “Less than a minute, I think.” He glanced around. “I don’t know where he is.” He looked at Tobias, fear darkening his eyes. “He took Nix.”
Tobias braced his hands on the ground and tried to push himself up, cursing when in his weakness he fell back to the ground.
MacMillan muttered a string of cuss words and rolled up his sleeve. He thrust his wrist under Tobias’s nose. “Here.”
Tobias looked up at him.
“You need blood, right? Otherwise…” He shook his head. “We’re all done for.”
Tobias met the detective’s eyes. “You may need to stop me.”
“Right.” MacMillan’s jaw tightened. “Just do it.”
Tobias grasped his wrist in both hands and sank his fangs in deep. Within seconds he felt strength returning, oxygen rushing to his organs, his muscles. He let go of MacMillan. “You all right?”
“Dandy,” he said with a slight grimace. “Find Nix.”
Tobias got to his feet.
“I’m here.” Nix’s voice came from behind him and he whirled around to see her standing several feet away. She looked frail, human, even with the demon peeking out of yellow eyes.
Natchook had one hand wrapped around her waist, the other cupped her chin. Blood smeared her throat, stained the front of her shirt. The same blood that rimmed Natchook’s mouth.
Tobias went cold. Then hot. He took a step forward but stopped when Natchook tsked him. “Be very careful what you do next, Tobias.”
Tobias froze and focused on Nix. She blinked slowly, her head lolling, clearly only upright because of Natchook’s hand on her chin. Tobias could ascertain her heartbeat, but it was faint.
And growing fainter with each passing second.
She might be greatly weakened, but she was still scrappy. “Is this what he was like before? Hiding behind a woman?” She scoffed, the sound faint and dry. “No wonder he botched things up.”
Natchook’s hand moved to her throat, choking off her words. “I really don’t care to hear the prey trash talking the hunter.” His gaze never left Tobias. “You can save the girl or you can chase me. Which is more important—her life or your revenge?” He quirked his brows. “Your choice. Seems you never can protect the ones you’re supposed to.” With a low laugh, Natchook let go of Nix. As she collapsed to the ground like a marionette whose strings had abruptly been cut, he spun on his heel and ran.
There were no choices here. There was only one thing to do. Tobias ran to Nix and dropped to his knees, single-minded attention on the woman he loved. He drew her carefully into his arms and cradled her against his chest. With a trembling hand he brushed sweat-dampened hair away from her soft cheek.
Her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes were once again the chocolate brown he loved, all trace of the demon gone. “You all right?” she whispered.
He gave a choked laugh. She lay dying in his arms and her concern was for him? He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her dry lips. “I’m fine, sweetheart.” He swallowed. “God, I’m sorry. So sorry. I should’ve been watching out for you.”