Raphael snatched the screaming child from Alex’s arms. Her little arms and legs flailed wildly, and my heart ached with pity for her even as I finally recognized what Raphael was doing.
“Calm down, Tommy!” Big Cheese snapped. “We have better things to do with that hostage.”
From across the room, Raphael met my eyes briefly, flicking his glance toward the other little girl, who cowered under her blanket. Lugh and I both got the message loud and clear.
Lugh surged to his feet, launching himself across the room until he was between the girl and the room full of demons. At this point, it was finally dawning on Big Cheese and company that all was not as they’d first assumed. But it was too late.
Keeping his body between the child he held and the other two demons, Raphael lashed out with his right fist, catching the gaping Alex right under the chin. The punch landed with a sickening crunching sound, and Alex immediately went limp, probably dead.
Lugh reached under my sweatshirt and ripped the Taser off my belly. He would fight as if he were no more than human unless forced by necessity to use his demon strength. It wouldn’t do to have any of these demons return to the Demon Realm with news that I was possessed. Too many people would guess that meant I was still hosting Lugh.
He used his body to keep the child pressed up against the wall, out of harm’s way, while he fired the Taser at Crony. His aim was good, and Crony went down with a shriek.
I wasn’t sure what we were going to do about Big Cheese. It would be hard for Raphael to attack him while still protecting the child, and I doubted Lugh’d have had the time to reload the Taser even if I happened to have another cartridge on me, which I didn’t.
But before I had time to put too much thought into it, the deafening blast of a gunshot echoed against the basement’s stone walls. Blood exploded from Big Cheese’s chest, and the life had left his eyes before he hit the floor.
I turned to see Claudia, standing with her back against the wall by the staircase, both arms held out in front of her as she braced one hand with another, the barrel of her gun following Big Cheese’s body as it slumped to the floor. Her eyes were wide and ringed with white, but her hands were steady, her jaw set with fury and determination.
Even with Lugh controlling my body, my ears rang from the sound of the gunshot. But even through the ringing, I could hear Tommy’s voice as he turned to Claudia while still holding the struggling, screaming child.
“Nice shot,” he said with a sardonic lift of his brow. “But you can put the gun down now.”
Claudia visibly swallowed hard and stayed in her shooter’s stance. “Put my daughter down first!”
“Believe me, Claudia,” he said as he followed her orders, “I wouldn’t have given you my gun if I had any intention of hurting your children.” He stood up slowly, hands away from his sides.
So, the whole screaming argument had been an act, on both their parts. I wasn’t surprised that Raphael could be so convincing, seeing as he seemed to spend half his life lying and deceiving people, but Claudia’s performance had been pretty impressive.
The little girl ran to her as soon as her feet hit the ground, throwing her arms around her mother’s leg and bawling against her thigh. Claudia lowered the gun with a sigh of relief, her free hand stroking her daughter’s hair.
Behind me, the other girl finally gave up hiding under her blanket, wriggling free and running to join her sister in Claudia’s embrace. Still moving slowly and carefully, Raphael approached the tearful trio.
“May I have my gun back?” he asked. “That way you can use both arms to hug them.”
Claudia gave him a look that said she trusted him about as much as I did. But hugging two little girls while holding a gun was a bit awkward, so after a moment of hesitation, she handed it over.
Thank you, Morgan, Lugh whispered in my head.
For what?
For not panicking. For letting me take control. For letting me stay in control. For trusting me.
Strangely moved by his words, I didn’t immediately answer. And by the time I did, I was back in control.
“You’re welcome,” I said, so softly no one but Lugh could hear me.
CHAPTER 28
That had been the longest Lugh had ever been in control while I was conscious and aware, and it felt kind of strange to move my own limbs. My chest ached where Big Cheese had kicked me. I’m pretty sure he’d broken the rib, though Lugh had at least partially healed it. Nausea roiled in my stomach, most likely from stress overload. My legs were none too steady as I crossed the room to Raphael. Actually, I felt kind of like I’d just gotten back to land after six months at sea, and I swayed on my feet when I came to a stop.
“What’s the story?” I asked Raphael out of the corner of my mouth. Claudia was still busy hugging and comforting the children, and she paid no attention to us.
“I told her I was a friend of yours,” Raphael answered. “You exorcized Tommy and had me transfer from my usual host to him for this rescue. All highly illegal, of course, but I doubt she’s going to complain when our actions saved the kids.”
“And what about Tommy?”
His voice lowered to a near whisper. “I told her I’d transfer back into my original host and send Tommy back to her, though I warned her his psyche was not in good shape.”
I still had plenty more questions—like what was Raphael really going to do—but the Tasered Crony was starting to regain control of his limbs. Raphael gave me a little push toward Claudia.
“Why don’t you all go upstairs,” he suggested. “Get the children out of here.” He indicated the bloody battlefield with a sweep of his arm. “They’re in for enough nightmares already.”
“Yes, of course,” Claudia agreed. She scooped up the three-year-old, and took the other girl’s hand to lead her up the stairs. But it turned out both girls wanted to be carried, and neither Claudia nor I had the heart to deny them.
So I ended up carrying a still-sniffling, clinging five-year-old girl up the stairs, leaving Raphael alone in the basement. My conscience wasn’t entirely happy about it. I knew Raphael was going to kill Crony. The demon deserved it, but it wasn’t the demon who would die, it was his host. That really sucked for his host, who might have been totally unwilling to participate in this plot. But we couldn’t let him live, couldn’t have him testifying to his version of what had happened down in that basement. Hell, I wasn’t sure what the legal ramifications of this night’s work were going to be. I didn’t think I’d like them.
“Where’s your husband?” I asked Claudia when we emerged from the basement. Yes, it took me that long to wonder why Devon Brewster III hadn’t come running at the sounds of the argument or at the gunshot.
“He went to bed,” she answered. I must have made some kind of face, because she hurried to clarify. “He hasn’t slept in two days.” A faint, exhausted smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Neither have I. But I talked him into taking a sleeping pill tonight, so I expect it would take more than a little shouting and the sound of a gunshot in the basement to wake him.”
“You should take one, too,” I said as I followed her through the living room and up another flight of stairs. The children’s sniffles were calming, though both still clung with arms and legs.
“I will,” she assured me. “After I’ve put the girls to bed.”
I followed Claudia into what was perhaps the girliest bedroom I’d ever seen. Everything was pink, and it looked like a lace factory had exploded inside. I suppose to a three- and a five-year-old girl, the place looked like the absolute height of femininity and romance. Myself, I felt immediately like a barbarian invading the royal palace.
I was very happy to have played the hero and saved the children, but I was now more than ready to go home. Claudia set her charge down on a ruffly, cloudpink bed, then pried the other girl out of my arms.