Everyone in the room fell silent. The only thing to be heard was Tanith's small panicked breaths and the fire that flickered in Valkyrie's palm. Skulduggery thumbed back the hammer on his revolver and Sanguine grinned, keeping himself as hidden behind Tanith as he could. Sanguine re-adjusted his fingers on his razor. Tanith slowed her breathing down, allowing herself to remain calm. She gritted her teeth and flung her head back, slamming it into Sanguine's nose. Tanith grunted and Sanguine let out a little cry. He was up on his feet before the others could move in, grabbing Tanith's hair, yanking her head back. He pressed the razor into her neck, where her throat bulged out. Ghastly stepped forward and Sanguine snarled, pressing the razor harder into her skin. Sanguine held the razor in his other hand, keeping it pressed against Tanith's neck, as he unlocked the straps that held her to the chair. He pulled her up from the chair and he dragged her across the room. Tanith did her best not to cry out in pain as she was forced to put weight on her broken leg. Sanguine pulled her head back again, placing the razor back at her throat. Valkyrie's flame had grown and Skulduggery hadn't holstered his gun. Sanguine gripped her hair tighter as Ghastly took another step forward, and Tanith grabbed his hand as pain shot through her skull. Skulduggery kept his gun in place.
"You shoot me," Sanguine began "And your pretty lil' friend here won't be livin' much longer." Tanith's breaths became quick and panicked again, but Skulduggery didn't lower his gun.
"If you kill her, I swear to god I'll come over there and beat you to death." Ghastly growled. Sanguine laughed but didn't lower the razor from Tanith's neck.
"I don't doubt that you would, Elder. But I am mighty surprised at you. After everythin' this woman has done to you, you're still takin' her back, eh?"
"What're you talking about?" Ghastly replied.
"She played with your ugly heart for so many years, and then when it came down to you both finally gettin' together, she runs off with me. And if I'm not mistaken, she also had a lil' thing going on with your friend the Grand Mage back there. So, what is she worth to you?"
"She's worth a lot more than you'll ever be if that's what you're getting at." Ghastly snarled.
"I knew you'd say somethin' like that. You just can't help yourself can you lil' darlin'?" Sanguine asked, looking down into Tanith's watery eyes. "You can't have em' all." Tanith glanced up at him.
"And what makes you think, I'd even think about picking you?" she replied through her panicked breaths. Sanguine grinned and sliced through a part of her neck. Tanith screamed through the tears of pain and anguish that fell from her eyes. She dropped her head, coughing and spluttering, but Sanguine pulled at her hair again, hauling her back up.
"Because I'll kill you if you don't." Sanguine whispered. Tanith was silent for a moment and she glanced at Ghastly.
"Looks like you'll have to kill me then." She said through gritted teeth. Tanith whirled and tried to prise the razor from Sanguine's hand, but he had the advantage of having two working legs. He spun, cutting open a part of her arm and Tanith clutched it as blood trickled through her fingers. Before the others could intercept, Sanguine had his arm around her chest, the razor back at her throat. Tanith looked over at Skulduggery, who's gun was still out in front of him. Tanith nodded slightly at him, and whispered "Do it." to him. Skulduggery tilted his head and before Sanguine realised what had been chosen, Skulduggery's gun was fired. The bullet plunged through Tanith's chest and into Sanguine, who stumbled backwards and left Tanith to fall to the ground. Skulduggery fired at Sanguine again, who narrowly missed the bullet, clutching his wound and sinking into the ground as it rumbled below him. Skulduggery and Valkyrie were already at him, and Sanguine had no where to escape to. Ghastly dropped beside Tanith who was laying face down on the floor, a pool of her own deep, red blood circling her. Ghastly turned her over, and her hazel eyes gazed up into his, filling with sparkling tears. Her eyes shifted over to Valkyrie and Skulduggery, as Valkyrie threw a kick into Sanguine's gut and a knee to his face as he fell. Tanith managed a smile.
"That's my girl." She whispered, moving a hand up to her gunshot wound. She felt the warm blood between her fingers, and Ghastly pulled her into his arms, pushing her hair away from her face.
"Never thought I'd go out quite so, mortally." She said, trying to laugh but stopping as the pain hit her.
"You're not going anywhere. You've survived worse than this. I promise you, we'll get you through this. We always do." Ghastly whispered and Tanith smiled as she witnessed this man of very little emotion form tears in his beautiful eyes. She raised a bloody hand to his cheek and smiled.
"You always were so optimistic. So caring. I think that's why I lov—" Tanith began to choke as her lungs filled up with her own blood, suffocating her. After Skulduggery shackled Sanguine, Valkyrie ran over. Ghastly almost had tears running down his face, but he couldn't let them fall.
"Skulduggery," Valkyrie said. "I have to do it. I have to become her to save Tanith."
"No Valkyrie." Skulduggery bellowed. "If you let her take over, this time, you won't be coming back."
"But I can't let her die." Valkyrie said quietly, tears streaming down her face. Tanith's gaze found Valkyrie and she smiled.
"I'll be fine. I'm safe now. I love you, Val." Tanith looked back at Ghastly who's eyes broke with tears. "I love you." She whispered, and her eyes never left his.