Chapter 18 #3
For a moment, recognition flashed in the inky depths of her eyes, and he thought he’d gotten through, but a surge of power, followed by a pained bellow, broke the moment. Her attention flashed to the action behind him, and the traces of Isa were swallowed under by the pitiless Reaper.
“Move. Now.”
The order was followed by a shove of magic, but Locke grabbed her arms, twisted her around, and dragged her toward him.
An agonizing chill wrapped them both. As she struggled against him, he rode the pain, forcing her back against his chest with his arms hooked around her, trapping her against him.
Locke pulled his head back as she tried to smash her head into his face, and he kicked her legs apart, disrupting her balance.
He held tight even as they fell together, the bruising of his shoulder and hip lost under the excruciating cold burn as her power fought back.
At any other time, Locke would have admired Isa’s tenacity as she continued to fight, using her legs, feet, and even teeth, but when his options for stopping her without hurting her were limited, it was just a pain in the ass.
He was trying to use his body weight to pin her to the floor, but her movements grew more frenzied as she was reduced to furious growls.
“Dammit, Isa, come back. Stop this.”
Her magic hit him like a multitailed bullwhip, and he grunted under the impact.
Somehow, he managed to maintain his hold.
Temper sparked, and with a snarl, he got a foot against the floor and started to force her under him.
Realizing she was outweighed, she struggled harder, her embedded magic raking against his.
Then Des was there, adding his magic to the fight, forcing Isa to split her attention, which allowed Locke to roll her body under his.
She bucked a few more times then stilled.
Not fooled by her sudden surrender, he didn’t ease back.
“Let him go, Isa,” Des said roughly. He lowered himself until he was looking into her face, his magic pushing against hers, as Locke tried to catch his breath. “He’s not who you want.”
“Where is he? The one who has to pay?” There was an unusual whine to her voice, one he’d never heard before. “Where is he?”
Des’s gaze flicked to Locke, worry and a warning in his eyes. Locke braced and tightened his hold on her wrists, keeping them pinned to the floor.
Des looked back at Isa. “Angel’s gone.”
“No! No, no, no!” She started to struggle again, bucking against Locke’s hold. “We had a bargain! You promised.”
“The promise will be kept,” Des said, his voice smoothing out. “Angel will pay, but we need Isa to get to him.”
“She promised!” The wail contained nothing of Isa. The power around them flexed and flailed in an eerie echo of the woman struggling underneath him.
That wasn’t the Reaper, and it sure as shit wasn’t Isa.
Understanding hit Locke like a freight train, shaking his composure, as Des tried to soothe the entity inside Isa’s body.
His momentary distraction cost him as Isa bucked hard, ripping her arm free from his grip and clawing out.
She raked at his neck, refocusing his attention.
He caught her wrist in a bruising grip and forced her back down.
His mind spun with questions as Des continued to talk the entity down.
Eventually, Isa’s wails turned to sobs then finally fell quiet, as did the magic saturating the room.
Locke listened to Des softly cajole the entity, the tormented spirit of a murdered girl named Caro, into revealing how Isa had struck a deal with her.
The magical energy eased back with each passing moment, the shadows fading away, the air resettling around them.
Under him, Locke could feel the tension ebbing from Isa’s body as his own aches and pains made themselves known.
He stayed vigilant, not wanting to be taken off guard again, but emotionally, he was struggling.
He wanted to rail at Isa for taking such a risk, even though logic argued she’d had no idea if or when help would arrive.
Ceding control of one’s body to a vengeful spirit was a recipe for disaster, even for a skilled Reaper.
From what he was hearing, it sounded like Isa had deliberately fed Cora power, fueling the entity’s fury before allowing it control. A fucking dangerous decision.
He tried not to worry as Des did his best to convince Cora that Angel would pay and she should let Isa return, but it was taking too long.
Had Cora taken too much, leaving Isa weak?
Or maybe Angel had managed to do something to Isa before the bargain was struck.
That last ugly fear fractured his heart, whispering he might have already lost Isa.
He lowered his head to hers. “Please, reinita, I need you to fight. Come back to me.”
Des fell quiet.
A shudder ran through Isa.
Locke closed his eyes and sent a prayer to whoever was listening. Please bring her back.
Seconds ticked by, marked by the drum of his heart, and then finally…
“I’m here.”