The adrenaline. That had to be what was making her stronger, helping her compartmentalize.
She didn’t stop to think, simply dropped the man on the first floor and went back downstairs where Logan was. She had to go down farther, which allowed her to view more of the demon. She’d been gone only a few seconds, but in that time, the demon had knocked out the bulb over its head and was covering its eyes with one paw while blindly swinging for the next light—the one over Logan.
Hope grabbed Logan’s leather coat and began hauling him up the stairs, too. He was heavier than the last man—much heavier than he should have been, given his lean build. He thudded along, his body jerking with every stair, but she was able to keep only his head from hitting. Nothing else. He’d have to deal with the bruises left behind if they made it out of this alive.
“Leave me,” he whispered. “I’m nearly recovered.”
“Yeah,” she snorted out. “You look like it. Shut up and think light thoughts.”
“It’s coming,” he warned her. “Drop me and run. Save the human.”
Hope spared a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the demon had managed to knock out another light. It oozed forward up the stairs, moving methodically, catching up with them more by the second.
Hope pulled harder, dropping the bat for more leverage. It clattered as it fell, bouncing off the steps until it hit the demon.
The monster swiped at the bat, slicing it in half with its claws. Two large pieces as well as three smaller ones flew out, slamming into the walls so hard they splintered.
Hope did not want to be on the receiving end of that kind of power.
They had only a few steps to go. Then she’d find a way to bar the door and keep that thing below.
Logan’s hands began to move and he started pushing himself up, helping her. They moved faster, but it wasn’t fast enough.
The demon slinked up the steps, catlike in its grace. It opened its jaws wide, showing off tiny, serrated teeth. Primal fear exploded inside her chest, shoving the breath from her lungs.
She reached behind her, one hand feeling for the door handle. She found it and pulled, wrenching her shoulder in the process. Logan reached for the door, shoving it open, trying to help her as much as he could.
Hope had just stepped across the threshold when the monster sprang up at them. It leapt forward, closing the distance. It dug its long claws deep into Logan’s legs. He bellowed in pain.
The demon pulled. Logan’s coat ripped out of her hands and he slid down the stairs, snatched away by the demon.
Hope lunged for him, but the thing was too fast. He was gone—dragged into the blackness the monster had created below.
Jackie knocked on Joseph Rayd’s office door. He was the leader of these people, and if she wanted something, it was best to go straight to him and forgo all the middlemen.
He looked up from whatever he was working on, his hazel eyes meeting hers. His spine straightened, but his shoulders were still bowed as if he carried some great burden.
“Please come in,” he said as he rose from his desk. He was a big man and with every step he took closer to her, she wanted to shrink away.
Jackie held up her hand to stop his advance. “No need to get up. I was hoping I could speak to you for a moment.”
He stepped back, motioning to a chair across from his desk. “Sure. Have a seat.”
It had been a long time since Jackie had been in such a civilized setting, though she was used to being on the other side of the desk. This side seemed odd and alien, putting her in a position of servitude somehow.
She didn’t like it. She wanted her old life back—the one full of boardroom meetings and schedules and making things happen.
Sadly, that life was over. She knew better than to believe otherwise.
Jackie sat perched on the edge of the chair. If he made a sudden move to touch her as so many of the men here had, she could bolt and avoid him. “I want to leave.”
Joseph frowned. “Leave?”
“This place. These people.”
“Leave Dabyr? But you just got here.”
“It’s become apparent that my presence here is causing problems. These men of yours are looking to me as some kind of savior. I can’t handle the pressure. Not so soon after . . .” She couldn’t bring herself to verbalize even one of the things she’d endured.
He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the desk. Silvery strands of hair gleamed at his temples. “I’ll tell them to back off.”
“It’s not that simple and you know it.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Even you look at me with hope in your eyes.”
“I would think that would be a good thing. Not everyone has the power to give people hope.”
“What I offer is false. I’ve seen the unions between your people—what you think I’ll be a part of one day. I’m telling you now that it can never happen.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I’m a grown woman. I know my own limits, and after . . . everything, I know that I’ll never again be able to tolerate the touch of a man. Especially one who isn’t human.”
“What you’ve suffered is horrible. But you’re strong. You may not be able to see how you can come through it, but I know you can.” He stood and moved around the desk. Jackie gritted her teeth and held her ground. “I also know that if you trust us enough to stay and find a compatible Theronai, he could help you through this. Help you heal.”
Joseph was too close. She slid in her chair, pressing up against the far edge so hard she knew it would leave a bruise. “I need to leave. I need to go somewhere where the expectations are not so high. And I need to work. Be useful. Find some reason to get up in the morning.”
Joseph let out a sigh and nodded. “The Synestryn will want you back. I can’t let them have you.”