He didn't know how she did it, but she went straight to where Coyote held Ren like she'd lived here for years.
Jess winced as he saw the holding cell where Ren was strapped to a metal rod. Coyote had put him in with Tesla coils that were sending shock after shock to Renegade, who screamed when they hit him.
Yeah, that was the drawback to being immortal. If someone wanted to torture you, you couldn't die to escape it.
Jess opened his mouth to ask Abigail what her plan was, but he never got the chance. His hotheaded woman stormed into Coyote's workspace without preamble and seized the ancient being by the throat. When Coyote moved to fight, she backhanded him so hard, he dented the wall.
Remind me not to make her mad.
Jess rushed to turn the electricity off in Ren's cell and stop the pain of his being electrocuted.
Sasha fell back away from the switchboard and room. "Don't shock me, man." It had really nasty consequences for Were-Hunters.
"Check on Ren."
Sasha snorted. "In the electricity cube? What kind of psycho are you?"
"Sasha..."
He bared his teeth in a purely canine gesture of defiance. "Fine. I get shocked, you better start checking shoes before you put them on." He went to comply.
Jess rushed to watch Abigail mop the floor with Coyote.
"How could you kill my mother? You bastard!" She slammed his head down on the ground repeatedly.
Coyote twisted and sent her flying. "I only wanted her to love me."
"So you killed her when she didn't? That's not love. That's sick."
Coyote kicked her across the chamber. "Don't you dare lecture me. I thought her soul was yours. You. You're the one who betrayed me."
"I have no memory of you, and I'm grateful for that."
The fury in his eyes was scorching. "You can't kill me."
Abigail glanced over to where Sasha was helping Ren. "Torture works for me. Besides, I've already killed one Guardian. What's another?"
He shoved the lab table at her.
Abigail caught it and sent flying back at his head.
Jess widened his eyes at her strength, but wisely stayed out of it.
"You're an animal," she snarled. "You've done nothing but destroy everyone around you."
"Me?" Coyote asked indignantly. "I'm not the animal." He glared at Ren. "He is."
Abigail pulled a knife from her boot. "Yeah, well, from where I call home, we put down rabid animals."
Snake entered the room at the same time Coyote ran.
All Abigail could see was her mother's killer getting away. Without a second thought, she threw her knife at his fleeing back.
One second he was there.
The next, he'd changed places with Snake, just like he'd done with Ren. Her knife buried itself straight into Snake's heart.
No!
Snake blanched as he looked down and saw the knife sticking out of his chest. His breathing labored, he gave her such a sad, pathetic look that it wrung her heart.
"I'm so sorry."
He said something in a language she didn't know, then sank to the floor.
Abigail ran to him with Jess one step behind her. "Don't die, Snake. We can help you." She looked at Jess. "Can't we?"
But it was too late. His eyes turned cloudy and his last breath left him.
Abigail covered her eyes as the horror of it ripped through her. "I thought the Guardians were immortal. How could I have killed another?"
"They don't die of natural causes." Only unnatural ones.
She ground her teeth in frustration.
Sasha brought Ren over to them. Ren collapsed on the floor and leaned against the wall. "It wasn't your fault, Abigail. Trust me. He killed me the same way. Coyote's a trickster. It's what he does."
Jess growled as his own need for vengeance overwhelmed him. "We'll find him."
Ren shook his head "No. You won't. Not for a while. Not until the Reset of the Time Untime. He'll be in hiding now. Plotting for a way to get his Butterfly back."
"I won't let him."
"I know, but it won't stop him from trying." Ren sank his hand in his pocket and pulled out a necklace. He handed it Abigail.
Her heart pounded as she saw the necklace Jess had given her mother on the day she died. "Where did you get this?"
"I ripped it off Coyote's neck while we were fighting. I thought you'd want it back."
She nodded as she clutched it to her chest. "Thank you."
"I would say no problem, but it really was." Ren let out a long breath and closed his eyes.
Jess cursed.
Abigail was almost too afraid to ask. "What?"
"It's dawn," he said in synch with Ren.
Jess sighed. "We missed the deadline for the offering."
Abigail groaned as she heard those dreaded words. "What do we do now?"
To her chagrin, both Jess and Ren started laughing.
Jess pulled her against him. "We do what we've always done. We protect..."
"And we fight," Ren finished. "But only after I have a nap, preferably away from electricity and daylight."
Sasha helped him to his feet. "Come on, Dark-Hunter badass." He looked at Abigail. "I'll take this one if you take yours."