Shadowburn (2)

Chapter 53

Sin strode into the ballroom, glad she'd had the presence of mind to sheathe her blade before entering the mansion. She needed to find Xander--in one minute.

Her eyes danced across the room, but they landed on Eric first. He was dancing with a girl, but she didn't care. She strode across the room, and something in her eyes must have tipped people off because they moved out of her way.

She grabbed Eric's shoulder, pulling him around. "Tell me where Xander is or your Raphael is going to die, along with this entire group of people. Andreas has him," she added the last bit as a hasty explanation, because she needed him to cooperate. Eric's eyes widened and she said, "Please."

"One condition," he said, slowly and thoughtfully. Too slowly. "You don't leave me behind."

Sin nodded. She could deal with whatever he was planning later--she just needed to find Xander. "Deal."

A moment later a familiar dizziness surrounded her and they were standing in front of Xander. She looked at Eric. "Get us outside. The front of the mansion."

He nodded and put a hand on Xander's shoulder, who arched a brow at them--looking slightly amused, as if he'd been expecting this ever since their conversation earlier. Good.

"No time to explain, buddy," Eric said, and then they were all standing outside, about ten feet from Andreas and Raphael.

Andreas was still holding the other man against the mansion wall, his eyes and body burning gold. Sin strode toward him.

"I found him," she said--and would've been proud of herself under better circumstances--and he turned his head to look at her.

Then his eyes found Xander, and he went completely still.

Raphael moved suddenly--but Sin was staring at him, not the boy, and she saw it. Her dagger flew, but she missed the crystal shard by an inch--he'd moved far faster than she had anticipated.

The piece entered Andreas' torso, just above his stomach, and Sin's next dagger embedded itself in the man's wrist. He vanished, and both Sin and Andreas' gazes whipped to him as he stood by the boys, casually pulling Sin's dagger from his wrist.

Eric was between Raphael and Xander, holding the boy close, backing away every time the sorcerer moved closer. Sin thanked the gods for small miracles.

"Eric," Raphael growled, and Sin was torn--Andreas was clutching his wound, blood spilling from it, and the gold in his eyes and around his body was dimming fast even as his stance grew weaker.

"You lied to us," Eric accused, "That does not look like a father who would abandon his son." His voice was hard, and Sin glared at Raphael.

"You bastard. Is that what you told him? He didn't even know!" She said, watching as Eric pushed Xander behind him.

Raphael ignored her, still trying to get to the boys as Eric moved them away. "You don't know who that man is," he said. "Give me the boy."

"Perhaps not. But he's willing to tear the world apart for his son. And that is something I will not ignore."

A second later, Eric and Xander were standing next to Sin and Andreas, and she grinned at him in utter gratitude as he said, "Where to?"

Sin grabbed Andreas' hand and Eric's shoulder, wishing she could enter the boy's mind. "Anywhere far away," she said, not wanting Raphael to know where they were going.

"There," Andreas said suddenly, his voice weak. Sin could tell from the sudden exhaustion in his eyes that he'd used the last of his magic to send a mind-message to Eric.