Lance cowered on the floor, eyes burning with hatred as sparks of white light surrounded him. He jolted forward when he saw Azrael, his hand touching the electric web of power, and screamed. She ran to him. He must have seen the intent in her eyes, the panicked look of determination, because he yelled, “No! Stay away!”
“I can’t leave you in there,” she argued, looking around the room for anything to break the trapping spell.
“Just get out of here! Go!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t recommend that,” Garrin said as he strolled into the room, hands shoved into his pockets. “That’s not the only trap I set today. Plus, I dare say I’ve been dying to meet the infamous Lance Jenkins. We wouldn’t want her to miss what I have in store for you.”
“Let him go, Garrin. He’s done nothing to you. I asked him to get the stone for me.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth. “Is that so? Well, by all means then, I’ll set him free.”
Garrin tugged what looked like a silver keychain out of his pocket and pointed it at Lance. One click later, the web of light surrounding him disappeared. Lance stood slowly, his eyes locked on Garrin, and moved to stand between him and Azrael.
“You don’t have to do that,” Garrin said, giving him a cocky grin. “I have no intention of hurting her.”
Azrael licked her lips. “Look, Garrin. Can we please sit down and talk? I’ll explain everything. We only needed the crystal because my life is in danger. We meant no harm to you.”
“I know why you came. I know a lot more than either of you could possibly imagine.”
“How do you know who I am? Are you working for Blais?” Lance asked, his eyes narrowed.
Flicking a piece of lint off his shirt, Garrin chuckled. Azrael cut her eyes to Lance. His face mirrored hers. If Garrin was working for Blais, they were in trouble. That meant Blais might be on his way, might be here right now. Lance mouthed the word, “Run.”
Azrael turned, preparing to do just that, when Garrin looked back up, his face contorted into a menacing sneer. “No. Unlike you, I don’t work for murderers.”
Lance became stiff. “I’ve never hurt anyone.”
“Oh, is that so?” Garrin waltzed across the floor, closing the distance between them. “Is that what you tell yourself at night? What you say when you visit Sarah’s grave?”
A clock chimed somewhere in the house. Azrael watched as the two men stood eye to eye, Garrin with his fists clenched to his sides. Lance, face pale, eyes furious with pain. She didn’t see it coming, but Garrin must have because when Lance charged at him, he sidestepped the attack. Lance stumbled forward, and Garrin moved with a swiftness she’d never imagined he had. Grabbing Lance by the collar with one hand, he rammed a fist into his back. The only thing louder than the thud of the impact was the whooshing sound Lance made as the air was knocked out of him.
Azrael rushed over to the two men, her heart galloping, mind racing. She had no plan, only knew she needed to stop Garrin, who had rolled Lance over, fists raised. She threw herself on his back, yanking with all her might, trying to pull him away. He was too strong. His fist slammed into Lance’s face. Once. Twice. A third time. She began to scream.
Lance moaned. His eyes became slits, his mouth hung slack, and red welts dotted his cheeks and forehead. Garrin raised his fists again. She did the only thing she could think to do. Leaning in, she placed her mouth on his shoulder and bit him hard. He yelped and jumped up. She tightened her arms and wrapped her legs around him. Azrael bit down harder and tasted blood.
She didn’t see his plan until it was too late. He lunged into the wall backward, pinning her against the hard stone, causing her to break her hold and cry out. Garrin flung her to the floor.
Hurt and breathless, she crawled toward Lance, hoping to get between the two. Lance was laying on the floor, barely conscious. Sweat rolled down her forehead and stung her eyes. She was prepared to fight if needed, but Garrin seemed to have lost interest in the two of them. Instead, he was pacing around the stone, shaking his head, jaws clenched.
“Wake up. Please wake up.” Azrael shook Lance, and he moaned. If someone had told her Garrin was tough enough to take out Lance, she wouldn’t have believed him. Garrin, at least the Garrin she knew, no longer existed. This man was a monster. “Lance, you have to wake up. He’s crazy, and he’ll kill us both.”
Lanced moaned again, but this time his eyes opened a bit. “Azrael?”
“Yes. Please. We have to hurry,” she whispered, slipping her arms around him to try to get him to sit. Garrin was still pacing and shaking his head.
“You have to get up. We have to get out of here before he attacks again.”
Her words seemed to sink in because Lance pulled himself to a sitting position, wincing with every movement.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” he asked.
“I’m okay. Let’s just go.” Her eyes darted toward Garrin. Lance followed her gaze.
Garrin stopped pacing and lifted a finger, pointing it at a blank wall. “Not a chance in hell. I won’t do this. That was not a part of the plan.”
“He’s nuts,” Azrael whispered.
Garrin continued, seemingly oblivious to their existence. “I wasn’t going to kill him. I was just having a little fun. Bastard deserved it.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Lance whispered, rising to his feet.
She wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. They backed away to the door. Azrael hoped they could escape before he regained his sanity, if there was any left.
With his eyes locked on the wall, Garrin didn’t seem to notice their impending departure. “Blais will die. I don’t need their help. I have the clarity stone, and I have a plan. I told you that. I don’t care what those two are capable of, Sarah.”
“Sarah,” Lance said, his jaw dropping open.
Uh-oh.
That seemed to get Garrin’s attention. He turned around, eyes locking on Lance. “Yes, Sarah. The woman your brother killed. Sarah here is insisting we work together to find and kill Blais. Personally, you’re the last person in the world I want to team up with.”
“You’re a soul-speaker,” Lance whispered.
“Yes.”
Lance crumpled to the floor, pulling Azrael down with him.