“Who are you?” the woman whispered.
Dante lifted his hands. The fire was burning so brightly now. Spinning. Flaming. “I’m death.”
Cain gave a rough laugh. “Am I supposed to be impressed by that shit? I can conjure, too.” In an instant, he had fire flaring in his own hands.
Dante smiled. He hadn’t expected much of a challenge from this one. He’d been wrong. “What have you had? Maybe fifty risings? And probably all during your captivity at Genesis.”
Cain’s dark eyes narrowed—his eyes look like mine—as he glared at Dante. “Did Cassie tell you about me?”
“I can smell the risings. Hell leaves its own stamp on us.”
“That why I can smell brimstone on you?”
“I’ve risen more times than you can imagine.” Maybe that was why he had to fight so hard to cling to his sanity. “And I will be the one who rises again. You will be the one to stay in hell this time.”
“No!” The woman yelled from behind Cain. She tried to lunge forward, but he pushed her back. The fire didn’t burn her. Of course, it didn’t. One sniff, and Dante knew that the woman had dragon shifter blood in her body—there was no mistaking that scent. Fire wouldn’t harm her.
There were still plenty of other ways for her to die.
“She doesn’t belong in this battle,” Dante said softly.
“Send her away. Face me on your own.”
“Why the hell are you doing this?” the woman yelled. Eve. Cassie had called her Eve.
Cassie . . .
Help!
Was she still crying for help?
“It’s what we do.” The answer came from Cain. His voice was grim. “Our kind—we kill. I told you that before.”
“We’re here to help Trace!” Eve shouted. “This isn’t supposed to be about killing!”
She almost reminded Dante of Cassie.
“Step back,” he warned her.
“Swear that she will stay unharmed,” Cain demanded.
Dante inclined his head. “When I kill you, I will let her live.”
“No!” Eve’s voice was nearly a shriek.
Cain laughed again. The flames died above his hands. “No, dumbass. I meant don’t hurt her during our battle. While I’m killing you.” He reached under his jacket, yanking out a gun.
He lifted the gun and fired at Dante.
The closet door swung open. Because Cassie was aiming again with her mop, she tumbled forward, and the mop clipped Charles on the side of his head.
“Ow!” He frowned at her. “See if I rush to your rescue again.” He hurriedly stepped back, adjusting his lab coat. “You don’t attack your rescuer, Cass. You know that, right? It’s bad form.”
She shoved him out of her way and rushed toward the security screens. “He’s got a gun.” Of course Cain would have come armed. The man wasn’t the type to take chances. That gun was aimed at Dante.
Hands slick with sweat and body tight with fear, Cassie whirled away from the monitors and ran for the door.
“You’re welcome!” Charles called out behind her.
“Thank you!” she yelled and flew for the elevator. She had to get up to the ground level. If Cain shot Dante, she didn’t even want to think about what would happen next.
Fire.
Rising.
Death.
Not Dante’s. She didn’t actually think anything was strong enough to kill him permanently, not after all she’d seen during his years of captivity at Genesis.
She didn’t want Cain to die. He’d been a captive at Genesis, too. Tortured, hurt. The man had just found happiness with Eve. Neither one of them deserved to have that happiness snatched away.
Cassie jumped into the elevator. “Hurry, hurry,” she whispered under her breath. She realized that she was still clutching the mop. As weapons went, it wasn’t exactly a major threat.
Not that she had a whole lot of options.
She sucked in a deep breath and hoped that when those elevator doors opened, fire didn’t greet her.
Charles watched Cassie vanish. He wasn’t sure how the woman had wound up in the closet. When she stopped running, he’d be sure to get that story from her.
He glanced over at the monitors. Oh, hell, that looked like a situation he didn’t want to—
The door crashed open behind him. Charles spun around, his hand automatically rising to his chest.
He’s out. Fuck, f**k. He’s out!
The werewolf stood before him. If possible, the man’s features had become more twisted in the form of a beast. He was bigger than before. Charles was sure of that. And the werewolf ’s claws were much sharper now, too.
Bad. So very bad.
As Charles stared at him in horror, the beast dropped down onto all fours and let out a deep, rumbling growl. When those glowing eyes locked on him, Charles was pretty sure that he saw his own death reflected in that gaze.
“No,” Charles whispered. “Please, I tried to help you. Don’t you remember that?”
The beast snarled.
Charles ran forward and dove into the closet. He yanked the door shut behind him just as claws drove through the wood, coming through about two inches away from his head.
So damn bad.
The bullet exploded from the gun, rushing right at Dante. He couldn’t help it. He smiled as he pushed his flames hotter. Higher.
The bullet melted before it could ever touch him.
Above the crackle of the flames, he heard the woman’s shocked gasp.
“When you’re as old as I am, the power is so much greater,” Dante murmured. He let his flames flicker away so that he could meet Cain’s stare once more. “Want to try again? Feel free to shoot every bullet in your gun.”
Cain’s hold tightened on the weapon.
“But you should know, they won’t hurt me.” Dante tilted his head. “Though they will piss me off.”
Eve’s hands fisted in the material of Cain’s shirt. “Cain . . .” Fear threaded his name.
Dante heard the grind of a motor. The elevator. Lifting up once more.
He couldn’t have an enemy at his back and one at his front. He leaped to the side, not sure who he would see when the doors slid open. Cassie was safe in the closet—
The doors parted to reveal Cassie’s worried face.
“Cassie!” Dante roared. He tried to leap toward her.
Too late. His roar had revealed far too much.
Cain had rushed toward her, too. Cain reached her first. Cain wrapped his arms around Cassie and pulled her close against him.