Page 26 of The Alpha’s Rejected Arranged Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #3)

Finn caught Elin as she screamed, writhing. Christine vaulted over the back seat, but what could she do? Finn’s heart pounded in his ears as the wolf howled. He wanted to rush out there and tear Dukiel apart but couldn’t leave Elin. Her screaming stopped abruptly as she curled against his chest, sobbing and panting.

“It’s okay,” Christine said, her eyes wide. “It’s okay, you’re okay.”

Dukiel still stood there, smiling, waiting. Every nerve in Finn’s body was on fire, as though it was him and not Elin going through this torture. His jaw clenched so hard it hurt. The red light around Elin blazed, hot, and bold. Not quite enough to indicate possession. But close. Despite all their protections, Dukiel was still able to reach through and hurt her and their baby.

“Well?” the archdemon demanded. “What are you doing to do, my boy?”

Finn hated him. He hated that he kept claiming him as his son. I’m not your son, he wanted to shout, but that wouldn’t do any good. It would just give Dukiel another thing to argue with him about. Elin’s hands curled into Finn’s shirt as she clung to him, as though he could protect her.

Blood rushed in his ears. There was only one way he could protect her.

“My bag,” Elin whimpered. “Christine, give me my bag.”

Christine had Elin’s wrist in one hand, counting her pulse. Elin shook her off. “My bag.”

Finn pulled her closer to his chest. His gaze flickered to Derek in the front seat. Derek watched him, hands tight on the steering wheel, waiting for an order. A silent conversation passed between them. Finn would accept the offer. He would give himself up as Dukiel’s host. But as soon as Elin was established, he would kill Finn’s body.

What about exorcism? Derek asked silently.

Finn shook his head minutely. It was too risky. They didn’t have the supplies they needed to perform one right away. Out of everything he’d prepared, Finn hadn’t brought that with them. It was a stupid move, one that would cost him. But he wasn’t going to let it cost Elin. They didn’t have time to perform an exorcism on Dukiel’s current host, and it would be too late once he was in Finn. Besides being able to withstand the physical breakdown of a demon soul, what made Finn’s body perfectly suited as a host?

He was made to be this. He doubted that a simple ritual would be enough to oust Dukiel out of him once Dukiel had the hold he wanted.

Dukiel knew that they knew about exorcisms. The demons at Bluebell Valley had started to learn how to resist them. And in this situation? They wouldn’t know if it was successful or if Dukiel was just playing the long con. No. They would need to kill this body and perform the ritual to trap Dukiel, as he was vulnerable without a body.

It was the only way to make sure that he wouldn’t hurt Elin or their baby. Let him think he won. It would be worth it in the end. Just like Beth was certain, her sacrifice was worth it, too.

Pain flashed over Derek’s face. He wanted to argue, Finn could see that plainly. But what could he argue against?

They both knew this was the only way. Derek nodded slightly. It was the best way; they couldn’t risk letting Dukiel cause more damage to the world than he’d already done.

“Fuck that!”

Finn jumped, shocked out of his silent conversation. He twisted to see Christine’s blazing gaze had landed on him. Her lip curled back as she shoved Elin’s bag closer to them.

“Fuck what?” Derek demanded.

Christine turned her glare on him. It was strong enough to make him shy back from her.

“You two idiots forget that I grew up with you, too,” she snapped. “You’re not going to commit suicide, Finn. You’re going to fucking stay in here and just shoot the fucking bastard if you’re going to kill the host anyway.”

“The point is to make him leave Elin alone,” Finn hissed.

Elin lifted her head. Tears and sweat-stained her face. “You think he’s telling the truth?”

Her question was soft, but it hit Finn like a blow. Of course. No! No, he wasn’t telling the truth! If Finn gave himself up, he’d just kill them all. Especially the baby. How many demons had the special ops team gone up against who, once they realized Finn could see them, had targeted him specifically? A person who could see demons was a liability.

A chill washed over Finn, making his scalp prickle. All this time, he assumed he was free from demonic influence. But if Dukiel could reach through these protections to force the baby to grow… Finn reached with a shaking hand and turned the rearview mirror toward himself. A bright red glow surrounded him. Dukiel was influencing him, whispering in the recesses of his mind.

Christine filled a syringe with something. Elin reached out and caught her arm. “No. Don’t give me anything.”

“The pain,” Christine started.

“It won’t touch the pain,” Elin hissed. “I need my head clear.”

Finn’s mind raced. Could Dukiel hear his thoughts? He glanced through the windshield at the demon again. He stood there, his smile gone. There was no indication he could read Finn’s thoughts, but then he’d hide it if he could.

“I’m growing impatient,” the demon called, lifting his hands again. “What will it be?”

“Help me out of the van,” Elin whispered.

Finn’s arms tightened around her. “We can’t. The protections—”

“Aren’t doing much good,” Elin interrupted. She clutched her bag to her chest as she stared into Finn’s eyes. “Help me out. Please.”

What was her plan? Finn studied her but couldn’t catch a glimpse of what was happening in those clear brown eyes. The demonic influence had faded somewhat around her, but why that was, he couldn’t tell. A sudden thought occurred to him: If Dukiel could influence him after all this time, why hadn’t he done it before?

There was no time to dwell on it. Elin’s gaze was so steadfast that he nodded slowly and slid open the van door. His heart beat shallowly. Though he couldn’t imagine how this was going to help, he trusted her. Derek and Christine both protested, but they ignored them.

“Ah, you’re both coming to face me?” Dukiel mocked as Finn helped Elin from the van. “Are you going to try to bargain? To beg? I want my host. You will give me my host. But it’s your choice which of you survives.”

Elin dropped her bag at her feet. “Go back to hell, you bastard.”

She rocked forward, both her hands coming up. The silver glint of a gun caught the light, and then the rapid fire of gunshots rang through the air. Finn’s arms were still around her, and he felt the reverberation of each shot as she squeezed the trigger again and again, emptying the clip into Dukiel’s chest.

Christine and Derek both stared with jaws open.

Once the gun clicked empty, however, Dukiel glanced down at himself. His suit was riddled with bullet wounds that started to seep a thick red sludge. Like old blood. And suddenly, Finn understood. The host wasn’t just failing—that body was already dead. Dukiel was on borrowed time. That’s why the influence was spiking now! Dukiel was putting all his strength into manipulating Finn’s mind and the baby’s body, hoping to force the situation and get a new host.

“If you’re quite done,” Dukiel said, brushing off his suit. “My boy, it’s time to make this deal. Be my host, or I’ll keep you alive long enough to see me cut your mate open and take my new host from her body.”

Finn scowled at him. What could they do? Buy time? Elin was right. Dukiel wouldn’t let them live. But maybe it would give Derek the time to get her out of here. And once Dukiel had his host, maybe he wouldn’t expend the energy to keep attacking the baby.

“Five,” Dukiel called. “Four.”

“Stop,” Finn ground out. “I—”

He was about to accept, to say he’d do it, but Elin grabbed his hand. The touch startled Finn. He felt the pain through her touch as though they were linked in one body. He grunted, curving inward. His arms went around her, fighting to keep the pain at bay, to take it from her.

His blue eyes met her wild brown ones. They were so wide he saw white all around her irises. She trembled against him, pulling him close again. Her foot nudged the bag she’d dropped as her grip tightened to the point of pain.

“I’ll never forgive you if you give up now,” she breathed. “You can’t let him win. We give not an inch. He takes nothing from us.”

At that moment, it was as though time stopped and the world faded away. Dukiel faded away. Christine and Derek disappeared. There was nothing. No sky, no forest, just them. Elin’s body pressed against him, her eyes on his. Whether it was some sort of magic or simply his stressed mind going numb, he didn’t know. He didn’t care.

“He took too much already,” Elin continued. “He took your family. He took your mother. He killed her, I’m sure of it.”

It was only through your mother’s sacrifice that I wasn’t able to take possession of your body while you were still growing inside of her. Was that what happened? Beth did something to protect him while he was still a fetus? His fingers brushed over the protective markings he’d drawn on Elin’s skin. In Beth’s journal, she talked about glimpses of fire and brimstone in her dreams.

She must have found something like these protections. She put it in her body to stop Dukiel from being able to take Finn’s body before he was born. So he’d made him grow the same way this baby did. He killed Beth by making her pregnancy go too fast.

And after he was born?

After he was born, he was no longer vulnerable. Dukiel couldn’t take him. He had to wait until Finn could give his consent and give up his body. And somehow, he’d lost that connection, so he couldn’t find where Finn had been hidden.

This meant as soon as their son was born, Dukiel couldn’t touch him.

All this happened in a flash of just him and Elin. Her eyes were wild. But determined. The gun wasn’t the only plan she had.

They could get through this. All he had to do was put his trust in her.

“I love you,” he breathed desperately.

Elin’s grip on him tightened. “I love you, too.”