You saw him?Hawke's voice.

For half a second after he attacked me. He disappeared before I could counter.

Hawke's yell tore through his head.

Hawke?

A groan of pain filled his mind, followed by Hawke's voice, tight with agony and excitement.That thing is incredible!

Dammit, Wings. You're the only one who would find the real goddamn bogeyman fascinating.

Jag, is everyone still with us?Tighe asked.

Kougar?

Here.Kougar's

voice,

though

barely

recognizable.Got

clawed...in...head.

Mind...slowing.

It's the venom,Jag said. To Tighe he said,Everyone's still with us, but Kougar's got venom in the brain. We need to get the hell out of here, Stripes.

For once I completely agree with you. Tell them to pull back. Dammit. I can't get out through the warding in human form. We're going to have to shift again.

Back into your animals, boys and girls,Jag said to the group.We're leaving the way we came in.

Tighe yelled, a cry of fury and pain.Goddamn that hurts!

I can't shift,Hawke said.

I can't...shift, either,Tighe gasped.

Kougar?Jag called.Kougar!

No answer.

Oh, shit. There's a second Daemon outside.Tighe's voice rang with fury and desperation.I can feel Delaney's worry shifting to terror.

A bolt of raw fear tore through Jag. Olivia could possibly fight the Daemon as she had before, but stealing its power at this point could kill everyone out there, and he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't risk it. She'd never endanger the others. Which would put her in grave danger herself.

They're in trouble,Tighe called.Jag, get out there. You're the only one who can reach them!

Hawke yelled with pain.

If he left now, he'd be leaving his brothers in the dark with that thing, with no way to communicate. No way out. Deep in his gut, he knew he was their only chance of survival.

I'm not leaving without you,he told the three.But we've got to find a way out of here.

Fast.

Olivia wasn't going to die on him. She was not going to die.

But another slice of pain ripped down his back, and he wondered if they hadn't all reached the end of their lives.

Olivia's flesh literally rippled as she watched a Daemon approach for the second time in as many days, the experience no less horrifying...no less terrifying...than the first time. Because, although she'd discovered a defense against the Daemon, she couldn't use it without harming her friends.

Did this son of a bitch hurt Jag? Kill him?

The thought stole her breath like a fist in the gut. She didn't want Jag dead.Please, not that.

"Where do you think my shots will do the most good?" Delaney asked calmly beside her. "The head or the heart?"

"Go for the head. I'm not sure he has a heart."

The crack of gunfire shattered the stillness of the day. The humans would almost certainly come running, which would only make matters worse; but they had to stop this thing if they were going to stand any chance of reaching the Ferals.

Delaney fired several more times, hitting her target every time - twice between the eyes, once in the neck, and once in the chest where his heart ought to be, but he never slowed. He didn't seem to feel the bullets.

Pamela Palmer Rapture Untamed

"Well, that sucks," Delaney muttered. She holstered her gun and pulled the hunting knife she now wore strapped to her belt.

Olivia nodded to herself as she watched the woman. Not many humans could remain calm in the face of such a monster. Tighe had chosen well.

The four stood together, shoulder to shoulder, Olivia and Delaney in the middle, Ewan and Niall on either side. The Daemon hesitated, his gaze on Olivia. Did it recognize her? She couldn't be certain, but it looked like the one that had attacked her last night.

Olivia's heart pounded, her skin crawling with sheer terror. She had to try to feed from the thing without hurting the others. Which meant she'd either have to draw it away or draw its attack.

But as she took a step forward, Niall's firm hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Olivia, no."

"Release me, Niall, and stay where you are. All of you. I've faced this thing once and survived." And it was this one, she was almost sure of it.

Niall's hand fell away. But as she moved forward, the Daemon floated back.

Interesting. Did it sense her plan? Did it remember her, too? Maybe it would just keep moving back, away from them all.

Without looking back, she judged she'd put about three meters between herself and her companions. Not nearly as much space as she'd like, but the distance between her and Daemon was now less than that between her and her friends. She might be able to feed from it without endangering them.

The back door to the house opened and a woman walked out, the same woman she'd seen in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. Mystery, they'd called her. Her gaze met Olivia's and held, as if Olivia were the only one of importance, the only reason the sorceress had bothered to step outside.

"Come to me, Therian."

Olivia scoffed. "Why in the hell would I do that?"

"Rear attack!" Niall's call had her whirling in a quick arc. The sight she faced behind her chilled her as much as the one in front. While they'd faced the Daemon, four Mage sentinels had crept up from behind.Dammit, I shouldn't have been taken off guard.

Niall's call had alerted them all, but too late. Even as Olivia ran back the way she'd come, she watched Ewan tackled from behind by two Mage sentinels.

As the other two sentinels took on Niall and Delaney, Olivia raced to keep the first pair from overpowering and enthralling Ewan.

But even as she closed the distance between them, the big Therian went suddenly, totally still. Too late.

Goddess help us all.

Mage on one side, a Daemon on the other.

As she leaped at one of Ewan's attackers, the sentinel jumped to his feet to meet the steel of her blade with his own. All her fury, all her frustration, all her fear for Jag and the others poured into her knife arm and while her center of gravity was far lower than her opponent's, she was quick and strong and coldly driven. Within seconds, she'd cut off his hand, sending blade and appendage flying in a spray of blood.

As the Mage howled in pain, she took advantage of his distress to cut off his other hand. Without hesitation, she grabbed his arm and began stealing his life force through her fingers.

The wind kicked up in displeasure.

Her gaze strafed the battlefield. Niall, a strong, sure fighter, would have his Mage opponent down in a trice, but Delaney wasn't as adept at knife fights and appeared to be barely holding her own. Tighe had never intended her to fight. They all knew it.

He'd meant for Ewan to protect her in case they did have to take on one of the Mage.

But everything had gone to hell in a hurry.

As Olivia sucked her opponent's life force, his pain-filled eyes widened with understanding, an understanding he'd never voice. Before he could fall unconscious and give her away, she stabbed him in the chest and dug out his heart.

Just as her blade popped free of his chest, Ewan launched himself at her.

"Ewan, no!" But his eyes were dull with enthrallment, and nothing she said would make a difference. He'd fallen under the control of the Mage.

She dodged his attempt to tackle her to the ground, knowing well, after so many years, Ewan's every move, every strength and weakness. He was stronger than he was quick. And she, particularly after having taken the Mage's entire life force, was both.

As she fought Ewan, she saw Niall cut through his opponent's wrist, and watched as Ewan's second attacker went after Niall instead. Her old friend was a quick, skilled fighter. He should be okay, even against two Mage. As she watched, he ripped out the heart of his first opponent and turned to the second.

The blowing wind began to swirl.

But as she dodged a swipe of Ewan's blade that missed her hip by millimeters, her heart stopped cold. The Daemon swooped in behind Niall.

Olivia yelled, but to no avail. With one wickedly clawed hand, the Daemon dug deep into Niall's skull. With the other, he raked off a wide strip of bloody flesh from Niall's face.

The cry of pain that erupted from her old friend's throat went through her like a dull, serrated blade. Anguish and fury roared up inside her as she ducked beneath Ewan's stab and kneed him hard enough in the balls to send him falling backward.

She had to reach Niall. But as she turned to do just that, Delaney stepped directly in front of her, the two Mage at Delaney's back. The FBI agent's eyes, too, had turned dull with enchantment.

Behind them, Niall had gone still, no longer fighting, and she knew the venom must have conquered his brain. Even as she watched, the Daemon tore a second strip of flesh from Niall's skull ripping out one eye and drawing a horrible cry of pain from his nearly immobilized throat.

Olivia felt the blood drain from her face, a cold, desperate horror washing down her back. Niall would die unless she stopped the Daemon. Using her superior strength, she knocked Delaney's feet out from under her and rammed her elbow into the base of the woman's skull hard enough to knock her out cold, praying she'd remain safe like that.

The Daemon fed on pain and fear and would, hopefully, ignore an unconscious woman.

As one, Ewan and the two Mage came at her as if to tackle her to the ground. She slipped by two of them, but the third cut her off, and she found herself surrounded, unable to do anything but counter the steel blows with her own blades.

Niall made another horrible cry of pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the Daemon had moved in front of him and slashed his gut wide open. With his clawed hand, the Daemon pulled Niall's intestines out of his body.

Dear goddess. She had to save him, but she was fighting for her own life, desperately trying to save herself.

Did she dare try to feed enough to scare off the Daemon? Could she possibly do so without hurting the others? The risk was terrible, for Niall already clung to life by a thread.

She had no choice. Out of options.

Olivia opened herself and fed at what had become her lowest level.

The Daemon squawked, but didn't move away. It wasn't enough. She increased her feeding strength until finally Ewan's and the Mage's attacks slowed. Ewan stumbled, and Olivia took the opportunity to escape the two remaining blades and vaulted for the Daemon.

If she could reach him, touch him...

Niall had fallen unconscious. Had she killed him when she fed? Had she stolen the last of his strength? Even as the horrible thought tore at her mind, the Daemon reached deep into Niall's chest cavity and ripped out his heart. And she knew whatever she'd done hadn't mattered.

Her friend was dead.

In a haze of grief and fury, Olivia ran at the Daemon, grabbing his wrist with her left hand, intending to suck the life out of him as she stabbed him with her right, but the touch of her hand against his sent a jolt of revulsion through her so strong she forgot what she was doing. His arm felt like living, writhing snakes beneath her palm.

Electricity jolted through her, a cold current that chilled her to the marrow of her bones.

She shook herself out of her shock and opened herself, sucking in his essence.

The Daemon struck so quickly, she didn't see him move until it was too late. With one wicked claw, he sliced cleanly through her wrist, taking off the hand that held him.

Olivia stumbled back, pain exploding as she stared in disbelief at the stump of her wrist, watching her hand fall into the grass as the Daemon rose and flew away.

Shock vaulted through her system, and she didn't hear the men behind her until she collided with the ground. The impact cleared her mind.

Survive. She had to survive. She tried to roll onto her stomach, reaching out only to slam her bloody stump into the ground instead. A scream of pain ripped from her lungs, then cut off abruptly as Ewan landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground with his massive weight.

Ewan's fist slammed into her jaw, knocking her head back into the dirt, nearly sending her into unconsciousness.

She struggled to focus, watching as one of the Mage leaned toward her with a cold, satisfied smile. "You belong to us, now."

His hand reached for her face.

Chapter Sixteen

He had to reach Olivia!

But he couldn't leave his brothers behind. Never in his life could Jag remember feeling such a battle of loyalties.

Stripes, Wings!he yelled mentally.Kougar, if you can hear me, try calling on the power of your animals.

Good idea,Tighe said.We've got to do something! What about Kougar?

He's not answering.

Dammit. Alright, let's get Hawke and me back in our animals. Then I want the two of you out of here helping the Therians and D. I'll try to reach Kougar.

Hawke's shout of pain tore through Jag's head.I got...a stab in...before he clawed me.

His robe isn't...cloth. More like smoke. My knife went right through it.

At least we don't have to cut ourselves,Jag drawled.The goddamned Daemon's done that for us already.

His mind kept going to Olivia. If only he could communicate with her, to know she was all right.

Red? Olivia!

Tighe's voice rang in his head.I'm blooding my fist and raising it, Jag. Tell the others, then lead the chant. This may be the only chance we get. Still no word from Kougar?

No. None.

Then let's do this.

Spirits rise and join,Jag chanted, since he was the only one still in his animal and the only one they could hear.Empower the beast within this hell.

He couldn't hear verbal speech, only telepathy, so couldn't hear the others repeating the words. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that they heard him.

Over and over, he repeated the chant, his body tense and ready, waiting for that moment one or all of them shouted with the joy of the shift and let him know they'd succeeded. Then he'd spring out of this shit hole and race to Olivia's side.