She sighed and stared across the water, realizing the fireflies weren’t going to give her any answers. She was tired. But she couldn’t face Dalton.
He didn’t trust her. And now, after all this time, she no longer trusted him, either. He had a secret. A big one. And he refused to tell her what it was.
So where did that leave them? Where did that leave her?
Alone, as usual. Right back where she’d started.
Kill him.
She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to acknowledge that voice. She was stronger than the specter trying to invade her mind.
You shouldn’t trust him. You have to kill him before he kills you.
How long before Tase succeeded in making her do just that? She’d almost killed Dalton today. Maybe next time Dalton wouldn’t be so lucky.
She might not trust him, but she cared about him, would never want to hurt him. He’d saved her life in Italy, and maybe she didn’t know why, but she owed him for that.
She had to get away from here, away from Dalton, where she couldn’t hurt him or anyone else.
She stood and headed down the walkway, careful to keep her gaze on the house. Dalton hadn’t come out, but he might any minute. Once she moved past the house she ran like hell, figuring it was only a matter of time before he’d come looking for her and not be able to find her.
He’d come after her. She didn’t want to be found. It wasn’t safe for Dalton with her there. Not after what she’d done today. Things were out of her control, more so now than ever before. The demon in her was coming out, growing stronger, and it was dangerous.
She headed toward the swamp and the thick trees, hoping they would swallow her up. She pushed hard, running until her chest ached from the effort, until she was forced to slow, lean forward, and rest her hands above her knees to catch her breath.
She had no idea where she was, and didn’t care. It was so dark outside she felt enveloped by it, yet found it strangely comforting; she was no longer frightened or appalled by the smells and sounds of the swamp. Maybe the demon side of her was growing, coming out, and that’s why she didn’t mind being here in the murky woods.
This place seemed suitable for a demon. It was dark, it was depressing, and it smelled bad.
Honestly, she didn’t care, as long as wherever she ended up was away from Dalton.
She kept walking, heading deeper into the swamp. Wetness seeped into her shoes, and walking became more difficult as she stalked through the thick mud. She had no flashlight, no idea where she was going. After a while she realized she’d become hopelessly lost, and she didn’t mind. Not this time. Not anymore. She was sick to her stomach. She found a thick fallen trunk and sat on it, figuring she was far enough into the woods now that maybe Dalton wouldn’t find her. And she’d hear him if he came for her. She could run then. She’d have to.
She’d never hurt Dalton. The human part of her, anyway.
The demon? Now that part of her she didn’t know at all. And it was obviously the demon that had taken over while she held that rifle. That was the side of her that Tase could so easily manipulate. But how could she let that happen? Why couldn’t she tell the difference between what was real and what wasn’t?
How could she make herself stronger so she could fight it?
What would have happened had Dalton not been able to heal so well?
She knew the answer to that. He’d be dead. And the demon would be in control now. The Isabelle she knew-the only part of herself she really understood-would be gone.
Tears filled her eyes and she used her hands to wipe them away. She had no right to feel sorry for herself. This wasn’t about her. This was about what she was capable of doing, if not now, then eventually.
Dalton shouldn’t have saved her back in Italy. He should have destroyed her like he’d been ordered to do. The Realm of Light was smart about those things. They knew.
She wasn’t worth saving. Good God, there were children back there at the main house. What if she’d succeeded in killing Dalton? Would she have marched up there, laser rifle in hand, and done the same to Georgie, to the men, women, and children up there?
Tase would like that. Destroying the innocent. She’d have been damned for sure. That was what frightened her the most. She knew she could do that. Deep down in the most secret, horrible part of herself that she never wanted to face, but knew existed, she knew that she could kill, that she could take someone’s life without hesitation.
And a part of her would enjoy it.
She clutched her head. “That’s sick. So, so sick. What’s wrong with me?” She tilted her head back and stared up at the low hanging cypress limbs, the mosslike tendrils of fingers reaching out to her. She wished they would take her away, drown her in the swamp.
“Dalton, why did you save me? Why would you do this to me?”
“Because I thought you were worth saving.”
She hadn’t even heard him. In this place filled with heavy roots, sticky muck, mud and water, no one should be able to get to her without her hearing them.
But Dalton had. And she wasn’t at all surprised. She sighed, drew her knees up to her chest and laid her forehead on them.
Defeat settled over her like a heavy weight. She’d tried so hard to put distance between them, and even in that she’d failed. She couldn’t even manage successfully to be noble.
“Go away, Dalton. Leave me alone.”
He was behind her, probably about twenty-five feet or so from the sound of his voice. “The last thing you need right now is to be alone. What the hell were you thinking, coming out this far by yourself? Do you even have a flashlight?”
“No. Do you?”
“No. But I know the area.”
“And I don’t care.”
“Let’s go back.”
“No.” She lifted her head, peered ahead to see if she could figure out where she could run.
“Nowhere.”
“What?”
“There’s no place you can go that I couldn’t find you. Don’t even try it.”
He was so smug about it, too. She’d just bet right now he was smiling, certain he’d won this battle. That a little reassurance and she’d be placated and ready to go back with him. Well, he was wrong. This time he wasn’t going to win. She wasn’t going back to endanger him and the rest of the people he held dear. She planted her feet and launched upright, shooting forward at a dead run. She didn’t even bother to look back because she knew Dalton would be right on her heels. She flew across the water, hoping like hell it would continue to be only ankle deep, because she had no idea how to gauge its depth in this midnight dark bayou. She cleared her mind and focused on pushing one foot in front of the other, keeping her gaze on what was in front of her.
Don’t think. Don’t panic. Don’t feel.
She wasn’t prepared to be tackled and flung forward into the mud and water. She’d thought she was outrunning him-until his arms wrapped around her waist and they both went down.
She came up furious, kicking and scratching, tearing at him with all the fury she’d held inside. She was angry. Angry at her fate, because she couldn’t eliminate this blood of evil inside her, angry at Dalton because he hadn’t killed her when he should have. And angry at herself, because despite it all, she still cared enough to want to live, to want everything fixed, to want to throw her arms around Dalton and beg him to make it all right.
Dalton bore the brunt of Isabelle’s attack, knowing she was striking out mainly in fear. He’d seen that fear today when she thought she’d hurt him. He knew it wasn’t the human Isabelle who had fired that laser. She’d been manipulated. The human Isabelle had hesitated. The demon in her could have easily taken Tase’s suggestion and fired. She didn’t. Tase had to alter the game a bit so Isabelle shot him. Which meant she was fighting the demon inside her, and she was winning. Why couldn’t she see that? Why did she run? He didn’t want her to hurt herself, and she couldn’t hurt him. Not like this. Now it was the human Isabelle attacking him, and he knew she had to let off some steam.