Taken by Sin dh-4

by Jaci Burton

  Michael didn’t bother to state the obvious, that it was mostly the tracking work he and the Realm of Light had done that brought them to New York. Instead, he stayed silent, staring them down. They knew.

  “You’ve lost an entire team before, Michael,” Derek said, barely even moving, his dark gaze boring into him. “How much downtime did you take?”

  Ignoring the pangs of remembered guilt, Michael said, “None. My job isn’t to mourn fallen comrades. My job is to track and kill demons, to find and destroy the Sons of Darkness. I don’t have the luxury of time, and neither do any of you.”

  “Your heartfelt emotions move me to tears.” Mandy’s sarcastic tone almost made him smile. Almost. But he didn’t think that would help the situation.

  He knew he was going to provoke angry responses, but that was his intent. Even anger was better than apathy.

  “Look, I understand your pain. Lou was a Keeper, a valued member of the Realm. His loss is felt deeply among us all and I share your sorrow. But the bottom line is, you are hunters and we need to hunt. We have to find Dalton and Isabelle, and it’s not like the demons or the Sons of Darkness are going to take any downtime just because you’re grieving. Lou wouldn’t want you to stop doing the work he fought so hard for. In fact, knowing Lou, he’d be damn angry to find you all moping instead of getting out there and continuing to fight. Do you want his death to count for nothing?”

  He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing on. “As I see it you have two choices. You either light a fire under your asses and start working again, or I’ll wipe your memories of your time with the Realm and you can leave here, go out and live a normal life, free of all responsibilities as a demon hunter.”

  “You’re certainly a lot different from Lou.”

  That from Olivia, petite, always quiet and soft-spoken. She had been one of Lou’s newer recruits. He’d spoken highly of her keen observation skills, her intelligence, and her amazing physical abilities that belied her size. Of course Lou had always recruited the best.

  “I’m not Lou. Get used to it.”

  “No, you’re definitely nothing like Lou,” Mandy said.

  “So who wants out?” Michael asked, ignoring Mandy’s retort. “This is your chance, because it’s the one and only time I’m going to offer. After this, you take what I dish out-you work for me and you do what you’re told.”

  “Wow, spoken like that, who could resist?”

  He was going to have trouble with Mandy. Then again, he already knew that from their time together in Italy. She was going to challenge him at every turn, didn’t believe he had what it took to lead. Good thing he thrived on challenge. And maybe if he kept her blood boiling, she would get over Lou faster.

  “Anyone?” he asked again, ignoring Mandy.

  No response.

  “Good. Then let’s get to work. Based on information we’ve received from the Realm, there are several possibilities for where Dalton and Isabelle went next. There are no verifiable purchases of airline tickets, so we need to check rental car receipts and automobile sales, possibly train and bus tickets by anyone who might fit their descriptions.”

  “That could be thousands of people,” Trace said.

  “Yes,” Michael said. “So we’re going to have to rely on psychic signatures. Perhaps, Shay, you can help us in that regard.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” Shay said, sliding her hand in Nic’s.

  “We’ll all do what we can,” Nic said.

  “Good. Because this isn’t going to be easy. Dalton isn’t an amateur. He knows what he’s doing and he can hide from us well, if that’s his intent. It’s taken us two weeks to get this far, and he could be anywhere by now.”

  “Do you really think he’s taken up with the Sons of Darkness?” Shay asked.

  Michael shrugged. “I don’t know him as well as the rest of you do, but people change. Or can be changed, even against their will.”

  “You believe Isabelle did something to him.”

  Michael shifted his gaze to Angelique, Isabelle’s sister. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” Angelique lifted her chin.

  “Don’t let this get personal, Angelique. We need you to stay focused, because you can be our biggest help of all. I need you to concentrate on Isabelle, see if you can tune in to her.”

  “Don’t you think I’ve been trying? There’s been nothing. I’ve felt no connection to her since that night in Sicily.”

  Tears glistened in Angelique’s eyes. Michael knew she had been through a lot with Isabelle. Seeing her sister take that step into darkness had been devastating for her. Ryder slung his arm around Angelique’s shoulders. At least she had Ryder to comfort her. To lose someone you loved to evil like that …

  He didn’t even want to think about it. He had no family anymore, made no friends, formed no attachments for this very reason.

  “Keep trying,” Michael said. “Let me know if you pick up anything.”

  Angelique nodded.

  “As far as the rest of you, I have assignments. See me individually and we’ll get started. We don’t have any time to waste. It’s imperative we find Dalton and Isabelle.”

  “What do we do when we find them?”

  Mandy leaned her hip against Michael’s desk. She’d purposely waited until last, until it was just the two of them in the ops room. He didn’t even bother to glance up from his carefully organized paperwork to look at her. So she took her time to scan the oh-so-neat piles on his desk. Everything in its place, not a spec of dust to mar the dark surface.

  A part of her wanted to lean over and sweep everything off his desk, to muss it up a little. To muss him up a little, to mar that air of haughty remoteness he seemed to carry around with him.

  The thought of it shocked her. Why did she even care? Michael was a pain in the ass. Cold, so different from Lou.

  Her stomach twinged, just as it did every time she thought of their former leader. She missed Lou, missed his counsel, his warmth, the way he would brush his hand across her hair, or utter a soft word or two to comfort her whenever things got too rough.

  Now she was alone. Oh, sure, she had the other hunters, people she thought of as her family, but it wasn’t the same. It would never be the same. Lou had been there for her since she was a kid and had been thrust into this world of the Realm of Light, in shock, orphaned and fully aware that demons existed. Lou had had no choice but to sort of … adopt her. And she’d grown to love this life, to love the man who was like a father to her, who had taken her under his wing and taught her everything she knew.

  Until she had to turn her laser on him. Destroying the people you love wasn’t part of the deal. Weren’t they on the side of the good guys?

  Now she was stuck with this man. So cold, so remote, so unfeeling …

  She glared down at Michael, who still hadn’t answered her question, his head down while he scanned his precious paperwork.

  “Michael.”

  He lifted his head. “Oh. Sorry. I was absorbing these charts and I didn’t hear you.”

  Yeah, she’d like him to absorb some charts, all right. Right up the-

  “What was your question, Mandy?”

  “What happens when we find Dalton and Isabelle?”

  He leaned back, frowned. “I can’t answer that question without knowing all the parameters.”

  Parameters. Whatever. “Do you really not know, or has the Realm already decided what to do and you’re just choosing not to tell me?”

  “Why do you think I’m hiding something from you?”

  Because I don’t trust you. She shrugged.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen when we find them. It depends on their state.”

  “You mean it depends on what state Isabelle is in.”

  “Yes.”

  She still didn’t believe him. Dalton had betrayed the Realm. She knew the deal. The Realm had already decided what to do about Dalton and Isabelle.

 
“I won’t kill another member of the Realm, Michael.” Dalton was family, just like Lou had been. She wasn’t going there again. “And don’t think anyone else will, either.”

  “I think you might surprise yourself with your capabilities, given certain situations.”

  She rolled her eyes. He talked like one of the Realm’s freakin’ scientists, all full of himself. “I think you might be surprised by how many of us won’t be willing to do the Realm’s dirty work.”

  He steepled his fingers, studied her. She hated that. It made her feel like a lab rat under a microscope.

  “Do you really believe the Realm wants to kill Dalton?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then maybe you are in the wrong line of work, Mandy Sit down.”

  “I’d prefer to stand.”

  “You’d prefer to be contrary.”

  “Pot, meet kettle.” This was getting them nowhere. “Do you have an assignment for me or not?”

  “Considering your current emotional state, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “For the love of God, Michael, give me a break. I can still do my job.” She needed to work, needed to do something-kill something-demons, preferably. Anything other than sit around and do nothing but think about Lou, revisit the night of his death over and over again in her mind. It was making her crazy. Inactivity never sat well with her. She wasn’t a thinker, preferring to leave that in the hands of the upper echelon of the Realm. She was a doer.

  He studied her with that dark, unfathomable gaze of his that made her feel like she was being assessed, graded-only in secret. She crossed her arms, tapped her foot, quickly losing patience.

  “Mandy”

  “Michael.”

  “Losing your cool with me and throwing off attitude isn’t going to win you points.”

  “I wasn’t aware I was trying to score points with you. I want to be given an assignment, to be treated the same as you treat every other member of this team. For some reason you have a problem doing that.”

  “Maybe it’s because you have a problem acting like a member of my team.”

  Emphasis on my, she noticed. Why did Michael have to be assigned as their new Keeper, anyway? She thought he was based in Italy. Now they were stuck with him and she had issues with that. Big issues.

  “I’ve always been a team player. Ask anyone.” And why was she bothering selling herself to him, anyway?

  “I’m worried about you.”

  She snorted. “Don’t be. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

  “Lou’s been taking care of you.”

  His voice went low, quiet and soothing like Lou used to do when he wanted her to pay attention. “You can’t take his place. Don’t even try.”

  “That’s not my intent. Lou and I manage differently.”

  “So I noticed.”

  “You want to work for me or do you want me to assign you to a different team?”

  He would do that, too. Rip her away from the rest of the team-the rest of her family. Asshole. “I’ll work for you. Never said I wouldn’t. Haven’t I been standing here waiting for an assignment?”

  He continued to gaze up at her for a while, then nodded. “All right. You’ll work directly with me.”

  Oh, great. This was some kind of punishment. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. You’re like a ticking time bomb and I can’t afford to have you explode somewhere. We’re headed south, first thing in the morning. Be ready at dawn.”

  “Yes, master.” She pivoted and left the room before she could wrap her fingers around his throat and strangle that smug smile off his chiseled face.

  The one thing she thought an assignment would gain her was space from Michael. He irritated her, got under her skin. And she wasn’t sure all the reasons for that irritation were bad. The fact of the matter was, she kind of liked the bantering between them. It fed her blood and she looked forward to matching wits with him. He was smart, and not bad looking at all with his dark good looks and that brooding quality that made her toes curl.

  Which made distance between them imperative. Mandy wasn’t all that experienced with the male species. Linc was her best friend, but she’d known him since she was a kid. He was like her older brother. Someone like Michael-he was an unknown factor.

  Not that he liked her or anything. He definitely didn’t like her. Though sometimes, the way he studied her …

  Oh, hell. What did she know? She couldn’t tell the difference between a guy who liked her and one who hated her.

  And he’d just become her partner.

  Things had gone from bad to worse.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Isabelle woke with a start and shot straight up in bed, the nightmare fresh in her mind. She dragged both hands through her hair, searching through the darkened room for a clock. No clock. What the hell time was it? She’d only meant to lie down for a few minutes. It was dark outside now. How long had she slept?

  Too long. Long enough for the nightmares-the demons-to come.

  She blinked, swung her legs over the side of the bed and headed into the bathroom. After a quick shower she felt a lot better, the nightmare just hanging on the fringes of her memory now, like always. Only bits and pieces remained, never enough for her to examine, to put all the parts of the puzzle together. After putting on shorts and a tank top, she opened the bedroom door and went in search of Dalton.

  He wasn’t in any of the rooms, including his bedroom. Had he gone up to the main house to talk with Georgie? She started toward the front door, but a flame and a plume of dark smoke out the back window caught her eye. She turned and went in that direction instead, opened the back door and stepped outside. The smell of something cooking greeted her. For the first time in a long time, her stomach rumbled. She was hungry.

  Dalton stood over a brick grill. He looked up and smiled. “Have a good nap?”

  She slid into a chair and pulled her feet up. “I never sleep well. What are you cooking?”

  “Fish and some vegetables.”

  “Anything you need me to help with?”

  “No. I’ve got it covered. They’re almost done. You can pour us each a glass of wine. It’s uncorked and on the table.”

  He motioned with his head to the picnic table next to her, where he’d spread out their plates and glasses. She grabbed the bottle from the cooler and poured wine into the two glasses. Instead of taking a seat back on the chair, she stayed where she was at the table in the darkened corner. She could watch Dalton this way and he couldn’t see her.

  He kept his attention on the food, flipping, staring, not once turning to see what she was doing. He was definitely focused. She liked the way he wore his hair-a little long, the kind of hair a woman could sink her fingers into and hold on.

  Her stomach tightened, her thoughts drifting to the bedroom, to sliding along cool sheets with a hot man-with this man. Naked, sweaty, Dalton moving inside her. She loved his mouth. His bottom lip was full, and when he’d kissed her that one time his kiss had been filled with deliberate, focused passion and determination. Dalton was a fierce lover. She wanted that again.

  Right now.

  She rose and moved toward him, her breathing stilted, sweat beading between her breasts. Her nipples grew tight, her sex moistening as animal heat consumed her. She lifted her arm, reached for him.

  “I know, you’re probably starving. I’m just scooping it off the fire now. You ready?”

  She blinked, realized she was only inches from Dalton, but had no idea how she’d gotten there. Dumb founded, she lowered her arm and nodded. “Yes.”

  He lifted his lips in a smile. “Great. Let’s sit down.”

  Swallowing past the dry desert in her throat, she followed him to the table and sat, grabbed the glass of wine, and took a long drink. Then another.

  She remembered watching Dalton. Then … nothing. No, that’s not right. There had been something. What was it?

  “You’re not eating.”


  She looked up at Dalton, then down at the plate, not even aware it had been set in front of her. “Oh. I’m sorry. Of course.” She picked up her fork and moved it around the plate.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. This looks wonderful.” She made an attempt to eat. She’d been really hungry earlier. She remembered that much. The fish had smelled so good. What happened to her? Where had she gone in those brief moments that she’d lost time? She lifted the fork to her lips and took a few bites, not even tasting what she ate.

  “Isabelle.”

  She glanced up again. Dalton was staring at her. “What?”

  “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  She didn’t want to. What would she say? But she had to confide in someone, and right now Dalton was all she had. “I lost time just now.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “When you asked me to pour the wine, I did, then I sat here at the table. I was watching you cook, and next thing I remember I was standing behind you over at the barbecue.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at the grill, then back at the wine bottle, then at her. “You don’t remember anything?”

  She shook her head.

  “That was about ten minutes’ worth of time.”

  Damn.

  “Is that the first time this has happened?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s the first I’m aware of.” She reached for her wineglass and emptied it in one long swallow. Dalton refilled it.

  “You need to eat.”

  She nodded, scooped up the tender fish with her fork and forced herself to eat at least half of what was on her plate. Dalton was right. She needed to rebuild her strength. Think. Remember.

  They finished eating, cleared the plates, and did the dishes, all in silence, then returned outside to sit on the back porch. It was still balmy, but at least a breeze had started to kick up. She lifted her hair, letting the air blow over the back of her neck.

  “You want more wine?” Dalton asked.

  She shook her head. She was fuzzy enough without too much alcohol muddling her brain. Why couldn’t she remember? She leaned back in the chair and stared out into the night, into the swamp. “I hate not being in control.”