“I’ll see to it. Other injuries?” Bran asked, though Sasha was already examining a nasty bite on Annika’s shoulder.

“Minor.” Doyle spoke up. “Once we lit those charges, they went down by the hundreds. And after she focused on you, what came at us was more a suicide squad to keep us busy.”

“You kicked her ass.” Sawyer pulled a bandanna out of his pocket, wrapped it around his bleeding forearm. “It was one hell of a show.”

“Don’t get cocky.” Riley gave him a hip bump. “We’d better square everything away here, and get gone. Any sense she’s coming back at us tonight, Sash?”

“She was shocked, and in pain. Enraged, but stunned Bran could not only hold her back, but hurt her. No, I can’t believe she’ll come back tonight. I can’t feel her at all now. She’s closed in, closed off.”

“Licking her wounds.” Riley gave Apollo’s head a rub. “Let’s do that, too. I’m going to give Apollo some water, and a great big treat.”

“I’m getting a beer.” Doyle headed off behind her.

“Still some of your bolts scattered around. I’ll police as much brass as I can in the dark, find the bolts.”

“I’ll give you some light for that,” Bran told Sawyer. “We’ll get this cleaned up after I’ve seen to Riley’s burns. They seem to be the worst of it.”

They turned as one at Doyle’s shout.

It bulleted out of the sky, wings spread, talons curled, straight at Riley. She reached for her gun, pivoting to shield the dog. Before she could clear the holster, Doyle shoved her aside.

Though he drew his sword, the creature buried fang and claw into his chest before he could strike.

It screamed in triumph as he fell, as the hilt slipped from his lifeless hand.

As the others charged forward, Riley yanked the thing away from Doyle with her bare hands, heaved it away. And drawing her gun with a hand sliced and gashed from its wings, emptied her clip into its body.

She dropped down beside Doyle, uselessly pressed her hands on the tearing wounds on his chest.

“No, no, no, no! Get me some towels. We need to put pressure on this, stop the bleeding. Bran, you have to do something.”

“Ah, God.” Like her, Bran knelt by the body. “Ah, God,” he said again. “It’s too late. He’s gone.”

“Then bring him back!”

“That’s beyond my power.” Gently Bran touched her arm, but she yanked away. “I can’t turn death, darling.”

Weeping, Annika sat, cradled Doyle’s head in her lap, stroked his hair. “Can we do nothing? Sawyer, take us back, even a few minutes, before . . .”

“Yes!” Eyes full of tears and rage, Riley jerked up her head. “Do it. Do it now.”

“I can’t.” He crouched, and though she shoved against him, wrapped his arms around Riley. “Death can’t be changed. If I took us back, it would happen again, no matter what we did. I can’t.”