Page 21 of Helsing: Demon Slayer
And then her gaze snagged on passengers flooding through the security checkpoint and rushing down the gangplank, their expressions rabid and fixated on them.
Actually, it felt like they’d fixed onher.
She said something in her panic, to which Olivia responded again using that implacable tone of command that Dianne had never heard from her older sister before. It focused Dianne like nothing else could.
“Go with Helsing.”
Dianne found herself saying “copy that” as if she’d become a soldier. And then she let her hand slip into Ryan’s.
They sprinted toward the end of the pier, rushing through thick groups of unwary cruise passengers and local citizens offering walking tours of Split’s historic city center. Distantly, Dianne heard complaints that turned into shocked babble. People began to scatter.
Ryan’s gaze had trained ahead of them. Dianne heard him say, “Roger wilco.”
She scarcely had time to wonder how he communicated with Olivia. She’d glanced back toward the ship when she caught sight of Germaine, surrounded by three large men.
“Germaine!” she yelled without thinking, coming to a halt.
Ryan said something, but Dianne couldn’t understand anything. Her best friend stood, terror twisting her features, as rough hands tugged on her arms, her clothing, her hair.
“Help her!” screamed Dianne, trying to tug her hand from Ryan’s iron grip and move toward Germaine. “They’re going to tear her apart!”
An instant later, The Beast emerged. He pulled her on the other side of a black van waiting for a group of tourists.
“Don’t move,” ordered The Beast, glaring at her long enough to catch her gaze.
Dianne nodded, struck dumb now by the surreal tableau under the clear morning sky.
Then he pivoted and ran back toward the group, which had collected more stark-raving-mad passengers like moths drawn to a flame.
Dianne’s jaw fell as Ryan plowed into the tallest male, who’d gripped the neck of Germaine’s blouse and ripped it open to her waist. The male exploded away from Germaine as if hit by a massive shockwave. He landed on his back, motionless.
The second male didn’t go as easily.
Snarling, he turned and grabbed Ryan by the neck while the third male began dragging Germaine by the hair as she flailed, trying to hit and kick him. Dianne’s hand flew to her throat and her breath whooshed out of her lungs, but then she sucked in a lungful of air before taking a step toward the mob.
“Stay put,” said Olivia.
Dianne looked down. Her phone was still in her hand, the line to Olivia still open.
When Dianne brought her gaze back to the unreal melee, it had only gone from terrifying to hopeless. Ryan now battled two frothing lunatics, one hanging from Ryan’s back where he appeared to be gnawing on Ryan’s neck, while the second grappled with Olivia’s chief of security in a fury of arms and clawed fingers. More lunatics swarmed toward him.
He’d be overwhelmed at any moment.
Germaine had managed to trip the large male dragging her, sending him to his knees. As Germaine kicked at his head, trying to dislodge his hold on her, he pivoted toward Dianne, who’d ignored Olivia’s last command to run toward her friend. At the same time, the man clinching Ryan in a bear hug halted, raised his head, and fixed his doleful gaze on her.
Then he howled and headbutted Ryan, who staggered backwards under the weight of the male clinging to his back. An instant later, the head-butter and Germaine’s attacker together broke into a run toward Dianne.
Seven
PainexplodedinRyan’shead as thedaemoniac’s skull crashed into his, sending him reeling. The creature on his back had sunk talonlike fingers into his shoulders and gnawed on his neck with the singular focus of a wild animal. Even though the weakened harmonic chainmail prevented his attacker from piercing Ryan’s skin, it still hurt like hell.
For an instant, he lost awareness of everything except the sheer need to survive as he went down on one knee, his hand on the pavement catching him out of simple instinct.
Dianne’s bloodcurdling scream cleared Ryan’s mind.
His gaze came up, the scene around him crystal clear and its action slowed to a fraction of its normal human speed. He didn’t question this uncanny focus.
He simply recognized Dianne’s imminent bodily harm. And his duty to stop it, without regard for himself.
