I glanced at Bishop to see that he’d slumped down after his injuries and was being held up only by the strength of the grays. Blood dripped from his wounds to stain the hardwood floor.

Carly stayed quietly behind Stephen, who was slowly recovering from what I’d done to him. I didn’t have time to mourn the loss of my friend or deal with the thought that to save her I had to help Natalie escape from Trinity so she could destroy the rest of the world.

I had to play along. I had to make her believe. For me to cut through the barrier—and I wasn’t even sure if I could—I’d need the dagger in my hand. And when it was, I would summon up whatever courage I needed to end this once and for all.

“I—I’ll do it,” I whispered.

“Samantha, no,” Bishop rasped.

Natalie cocked her head. “You mean it?”

“Yes, I mean it. Don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” I held out my hand. “Give me the dagger.”

Her gaze met mine and held it for a long moment, during which I held my breath. “I knew you’d change your mind.”

“I guess you know me.”

“Yes, I think I do.”

For a moment, I thought that I’d done it. I’d convinced her that I was ready to do as she asked.

Unfortunately, my aunt wasn’t stupid.

“Yes,” she said softly. Any warmth fell away from her gaze and her eyes narrowed and glowed red again. “Definitely your mother’s genes. You are such a horrible liar, I don’t even know why you bother.”

“Forget Samantha,” Bishop snarled. “You were thrown into the Hollow for nearly two decades. What horrors did you face in there? Blame me for that. Kill me for that. If I’d been on that team, I would have been happy to shove you in.”

My stomach lurched. “Bishop, no!”

Rage flashed in her eyes. “Don’t mistake me for a fool, angel. It won’t be long before my niece won’t be lying when she says she’ll help me escape. I’ll know when that moment comes. I’ll see it in her eyes.”

She moved as if to thrust the blade into him again. I didn’t think, I just attacked. I grabbed hold of her right arm to keep her from stabbing Bishop. I had no nexus abilities to use against her, nothing except the sheer will to stop her from hurting Bishop.

I might not have been as strong as a full-demon, but I was quick and small and I darted around her, punching and kicking her with one goal in mind—to get her to drop that dagger. Finally, with a well-placed kick to her wrist—which cut my shoe when it edged against the blade—I knocked the dagger out of her grip and it fell heavily to the floor. Natalie grabbed me by the front of my shirt and drew me close to her.

“You’re a bad liar, but you’re ruthless like a demon,” she growled. “Maybe you are like your father after all. He’ll be happy to hear that.”

Then she backhanded me so hard that I think I blacked out for a second. Pain reverberated through my head and I tasted the copper tang of my own blood. I spun back from her with the force of the blow and landed hard on my back. All I could do was stare up at the ceiling and try to breathe. It wasn’t easy.

“No!” Bishop roared. “Samantha, run!”

But I couldn’t run. I could barely move.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Natalie snarled as she loomed over me. “But I will. Now you will do exactly what I say or I will start cutting the angel into pieces right in front of you until you agree. I’ll do the same to your best friend and then to you, as well. With your dying breath, I promise that you will help me escape from this city.”

She placed the sharp stiletto heel of her shoe over my throat and pressed until I was sure she’d puncture a hole right through my larynx. I wheezed in pain and panic ratcheted through me. She wasn’t trying to kill me, just hurt me. She wanted me to see that she wasn’t playing games anymore.

“I’m going to kill you!” Bishop’s voice was filled with rage.

“No, you’re not. You can barely get to your feet, angel. It’s over. I win.”

So much for trying to save his life. I couldn’t even save my own. I was completely at her mercy.

She was right, it was over. She’d force me to do what she wanted. And after the horrible threats she’d made, I knew I would do it to save Bishop. To save Carly. To save myself.

It would be my fault that the world was destroyed.

“Um, excuse me?” Carly said.

Natalie hissed out an annoyed breath and looked at the curvy blonde now standing next to her. “What is it?”

“Nobody gets to hurt my best friend,” she said evenly. “Not even you.”

Carly sank the golden dagger deep into Natalie’s chest.

Chapter 24

Natalie staggered back and stared down at the dagger. She took hold of it, pulled it out with a grunt and dropped it to the ground. As she raised her gaze to meet mine, her brown eyes were wide—so wide—and filled with shock.

She’d thought she’d won.

Bright red blood welled from the wound, staining her dress. “It didn’t have to be like this. You should have wanted to help me. We’re family.”

I hadn’t wanted it to end like this, but now I saw there was no other way it could end. There was still something I needed to know. The carrot she’d dangled in front of me all this time. “How can I find my father, Natalie?”