Taken by Sin dh-4

by Jaci Burton

  “We’re working on building you up physically. Now we need to focus on your mental and psychic strength. The stronger you are, the more you’ll be able to push past whatever’s causing you to have these nightmares or episodes.”

  “Okay. How do you suggest we do that?”

  “Intense exercise. Just like we do for your body, we’ll do the same for your mind.”

  “Again. How?”

  “Well, I’m not sure what I have in mind is a good idea right now.”

  She frowned. “Why not?”

  “Because of what’s happening to you, and between us.”

  “Just spell it out, Dalton.”

  He dragged his hand through his hair. “It’s going to require us to get … close.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  FLORIDA

  Mandy stared out the hotel window at the cool blue water and white sand beach, longing to be out there. This was one of those days that she hated her job-they never got vacations, dammit.

  She wasn’t going to get one now, either, no matter how appealing that ocean was. She’d love nothing more than to throw on a bikini and hit that beach, slather on a ton of lotion and bake her body, then play in the waves for a day. A week. A month. Maybe with a hot guy by her side.

  Michael was definitely a hot guy. However, the word vacation probably wasn’t even in his vocabulary.

  She’d checked out of her room and waited for Michael to finish packing up his things. With great reluctance she turned away from the streaming sunlight. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could take a few days to lie around on the beach, soak up the sun, do a little surfing?”

  Michael laughed. “I don’t remember the last time I did anything like that.”

  “You need to lighten up, Mike. Life’s short.”

  “Don’t I know it. Unfortunately, we need to get moving.”

  She scrunched her nose and mentally cursed the man she’d had to follow around like a trained dog for the past few days. Granted, Michael knew his business. As a Keeper, he was damn good at hunting. He wasn’t one to waste time; he knew how to track and kept them moving. And since Mandy loved her job, she always admired those who did it well.

  But Michael wasn’t Lou. And she missed Lou so much her heart ached. Ever since Sicily she’d refused to let herself wallow in grief. Instead, she’d worked out, practiced with her weapons, beat the shit out of a couple of punching bags. Basically done everything she could to keep her mind and body occupied so she wouldn’t have to think, or feel, or break down. Because she was afraid if she did, she’d never get up again.

  And Lou would have been disappointed in her if she let that happen. So she simply never stopped. Fortunately, Michael was a great slave driver, kept them moving every day and almost every night, stopping only when necessary to eat and fall into a dead sleep. She was reaching exhaustion, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and she knew it. Still, she’d push on. It was her job. It kept her occupied. Occupied meant she wouldn’t have to think, to dwell.

  Michael shoved the last of his things in his bag and turned to her. As tall as she was, Mandy normally towered over or stood eye to eye with many of the guys she worked with, other than Linc, an obscenely tall, hulking warrior who was her best friend and fellow hunter. But with Michael, she had to tilt her head back to look at his face. It was unusual and somewhat disconcerting.

  Even more was Michael reaching out to sweep his thumb across her cheek. “You have dark circles under your eyes. You haven’t been sleeping well.”

  She fought the shiver caused by the warmth of his touch, and took a step back, unused to affection from anyone she thought of as a … man. The other hunters were like brothers. Lou had been like a father. Michael was … she didn’t know what he was or how she felt about him. He gave her butterflies in her stomach and he pissed her off at the same time. He made her feel weird and she didn’t know what it all meant, so she decided to keep her radar up and her sarcasm high. “Are you monitoring my sleeping habits now?”

  His lips curled. “No. I’m worried about your effectiveness if you don’t rest.”

  “I’m plenty effective. Wanna try me?”

  “I don’t want to pay the hotel for broken furniture, so no thanks. Not here.”

  “Some other time, then. I’ll be happy to prove to you that, sleep or no sleep, I can still do my job.”

  “It’s okay to grieve, Mandy to mourn Lou’s loss.”

  “That’s not what you said before.”

  “That’s not what I meant before.” He scratched his nose. “You can feel the pain of loss. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. If you bury it, it can affect you to the point where you shut down. The sooner you face it head-on and deal with it, the sooner you can move forward.”

  “I mourned him. I’m done now. Are we ready to leave?” She picked up her bag.

  Instead, he stood firm to the spot. “I know all about refusing to face your emotions.”

  She arched a brow. “You have emotions?” She looked around either side of him. “Where? Show me where they’re hiding.”

  Michael shook his head. “You’re killing me, Mandy.”

  “Well, not yet, but given the right opportunity …”

  He rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag. “Smart-ass. Let’s go.”

  They headed out to the car, tossing their things into the trunk. They were on Dalton’s trail, tracking him from New York all the way south into Florida. Now they had a line on a car rented by a couple who matched Dalton’s and Isabelle’s descriptions. GPS on the vehicle indicated it had headed east into Georgia before being turned in, so that was their next destination.

  “I need to stop at a bank before we head out,” Michael said.

  Mandy buckled up and nodded.

  Michael drove to the city and headed downtown. Traffic was heavy since it was the tail end of morning rush hour. He pulled into the parking lot of a large bank, choosing a space near the back.

  “It shouldn’t take me long,” he said. “You want to come inside?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll wait here.”

  He nodded and got out. Mandy unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, getting out to stretch her back muscles, knowing they were going to be driving for a while today and not wanting to sit any more than necessary. She leaned against the front of the SUV and surveyed the area. Her vantage point gave her a clear view of the sidewalk and street as well as the alley. She watched busy people walk by dressed in business suits, carrying briefcases, cutting across the street and through the alley. Tall buildings surrounded them, so high she couldn’t see the top floors. Everyone was in a hurry, juggling cups of coffee or talking on their cell phones.

  It was a lifestyle completely foreign to her. For as long as she could remember she’d been with the demon hunters, moving from city to city, staying hidden. No place was home, yet every place was home, because the people she was with were family.

  Lou had been her family. The only father she had known, since her own parents had been taken down by demons. She remembered that night so clearly, as if it had happened yesterday instead of ten years ago. The darkness, the shock at seeing the creatures. Her parents-what those monsters had done, killing her father and taking her mother away. The hunters had shown up, but it was too late. Mandy had hidden; otherwise, she was sure, she’d have been either killed or taken, too.

  And in the darkness a hand had reached out for her, a comforting voice telling her she was safe now. She had grabbed on to that hand like a lifeline. That hand had been Lou’s.

  She knew he’d had other options. He could have wiped her memories, left her somewhere-a shelter or orphanage or something. But instead he’d taken her in, cared for her, and eventually made her one of them. He had accepted her, hadn’t turned her away, had patiently answered all her questions honestly, had put up with her tantrums and her anger and her grief over the loss of her parents. He’d held her through the nightmares and had entrusted her with the Realm’s secrets. He’d made her
into what she was now. She’d loved him fiercely, had held on to him like any child would to a parent.

  And then he was gone. Just like her other parents.

  Now she was alone again.

  She was an adult now. It shouldn’t matter.

  That it did annoyed her. Lou had always told her she was a marshmallow. She’d worked hard to prove him wrong.

  The hot sting of tears clouded her vision. Oh, no. Not here, not now. She blinked them back and slid on her sunglasses, surveying the bustling crowds once again, forcing her mind to empty.

  Watch the people. Think about their lives. Where are they going? What are they doing?

  Her gaze wandered, scanning the crowd until it captured a tall, thin man darting into a darkened alleyway. With her special sunglasses on, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness there, outlining him as he paused. What was he doing? Curious, she pushed off the car and moved toward the alley, staying in between the cars in the parking lot so he wouldn’t see her. She paused at the corner of the brick building, peered around, and saw the man. Nice-looking, mid-thirties with thick sandy blond hair and a dark blue business suit. He carried a briefcase. He just stood there, though, looking out toward the other side of the alley, watching people go by.

  The guy darted behind a filthy Dumpster. What the hell did he do that for? Wouldn’t his suit get dirty? Mandy started into the alley, but stopped dead in her tracks when a mist began to form around the man, starting up from his feet.

  Oh, shit. Mandy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. This couldn’t be happening.

  She crouched down behind a couple trash cans and watched.

  The mist lifted up, surrounding the suited man. His eyes began to glow a pale blue. The mist covered him completely and he disappeared.

  Fuck! She ran back to the SUV just as Michael came out of the bank, smiling.

  He frowned when he saw her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just saw a demon.”

  His eyes widened. “What?”

  She motioned with her head. “Back there, in the alley.”

  “What kind of demon?”

  “Guy in a business suit. He crossed over from the street, slipped into the alley. Just stood there for a few, then ducked behind a Dumpster. Mist coated him, then he disappeared.”

  Michael frowned, turned and looked over at the street. “It’s sunny over there.”

  “Yes.”

  “You know demons can’t handle sunlight.”

  “Allegedly yes. But apparently this one could.”

  “Are you sure of what you saw?”

  She folded her arms over each other, irritation beginning to boil inside her. “Do you think I’m delusional?”

  “No, of course not. But it could have been something else. Steam, for example.”

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. “Come on.”

  They moved into the alley, behind the Dumpster. Mandy led Michael to the exact spot where she’d seen the demon disappear. “Right here. See, no steam vent.”

  Michael crouched down and inspected the ground, the wall, the Dumpster, before rising and wiping his hands. “This makes no sense. Demons can’t walk in daylight.”

  “Correction. They couldn’t walk in daylight before. Apparently now some can.”

  He shook his head. “Not possible.”

  “Right. Neither is the existence of demons to nearly all the world’s population. Do you think I’m making this up?”

  “Following this would delay searching for Dalton and Isabelle.”

  “Oh, come on, Michael. Even I can’t put off the inevitable. Besides, I believe in Dalton. The sooner we find them, the sooner we can prove his innocence. There’s a damn good reason he took Isabelle and ran. But right now, we need to figure out what the hell happened here.”

  “We can’t stay here, Mandy.”

  She blew out a hard breath. “You go on ahead, then. I’m not leaving until I figure out what’s going on.”

  He seemed to consider the idea. Fine. He could leave if he wanted to. This mystery was too good to pass up. And they were demon hunters, weren’t they? Their job was to hunt demons. There had been a demon standing right in this spot less than five minutes ago. And where there was one demon, there had to be more. Mandy didn’t like the idea of leaving the area crawling with the Sons of Darkness’ minions.

  “Twenty-four hours,” Michael said. “I’ll give you one day. We’ll check things out. If nothing comes of it, we’re back on the road.”

  She nodded. “Fine with me.”

  “Okay, Mandy You saw the demon, so I’m putting you in charge. Where do we start?”

  She’d never been in charge before. This was new. Lou had always told her that some day she’d get to lead a team. Now was her chance. Of course said team consisted of just her and Michael, but still, it was a start. Excitement drilled through her veins. “This is the downtown business district. My first thought when I saw the demon was, what was he doing down here? What does a demon need with a business environment in a major city?”

  “Good point. And if a demon can pass as a businessman, anything’s possible,” Michael said as they made their way back to the SUV “The Realm has always feared that the Sons of Darkness would someday, somehow make inroads into our world. That they’d figure out a way to have their people live among ours.”

  Mandy opened her car door and slid inside, turning to Michael as she slammed her door shut. “Infiltrating the human realm could have disastrous consequences. Commerce, politics, technology … think of the influence they could have in so many areas, Michael.”

  His grimace said it all. “I’m trying not to. That’s why I’m hoping you’re wrong.”

  For the first time, she hoped she was, too. The possibilities were endless. “Demons running our world … It’s unthinkable.”

  “If the Sons of Darkness have somehow managed to create demons that look human, who can walk among and interact with other humans without detection …”

  “How would we ever be able to identify them …to destroy them?” Mandy asked.

  Mandy didn’t like the worry she saw on his face.

  “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to start figuring that out. If there are demons passing for human out there, we’d better start hunting them. Which means we need to find one so we can figure out what they’re capable of. I pray you’re wrong, that you didn’t really see what you thought you did.”

  “I know what I saw, Michael.”

  Suddenly this mission had become more important than finding Dalton. She wanted to prove to Michael that she had seen a demon, but at the same time she really wished she hadn’t seen it at all.

  It could change everything.

  Isabelle sucked in a breath, ignoring the pounding of her heart. Dalton was right. Getting close to him in order to figure out how to dig into her mind and drag out her demons-literally or figuratively-might spell disaster, given what had been happening to her lately.

  “Any idea how we’re going to do that?”

  He offered up an encouraging smile. “It won’t be painful, I promise. We’ll just talk.”

  “Talk? That’s it?”

  “At first. You have to admit we haven’t done a lot of that.”

  “True enough. But I don’t see how just talking is going to help.”

  “It’s not just the talk, Isabelle. It’s the topics.”

  “Oh.”

  “I need to find out what you can remember, especially about those dreams you’ve been having. And then we need to delve into the … daydreams, or whatever they are.”

  “So you’re going to push me.”

  He nodded.

  “Is that wise?”

  “The more we know, the stronger you’ll be. You can’t fight what you don’t know, what you can’t see. Right now we’re fumbling around in the dark and I don’t like it. I know you don’t like it, either.”

  He was right. She felt like she wasn’t in control, that someone or something
else was pushing her buttons. She’d do whatever it took to change that, even if it meant opening up the Pandora’s box of her mind, her soul, or whatever held her captive.

  “Okay, so when do we start?”

  “How about some dinner first?”

  Of course. It was getting late. She’d been so used to eating very little that the thought of food never occurred to her unless prompted by Dalton. She hadn’t even thought about the time.

  Time, that elusive thing that seemed to slip by her a lot lately.

  “Come on. You need some company besides me. We’ll go eat dinner with Georgie and her family.”

  He was right. She could use the distraction.

  But as they walked up to the house, she tensed. Maybe it was the way Georgie looked at her, as if she knew all her secrets. Which was funny, now that she thought about it, because even Isabelle didn’t know the answers. What made her think Georgie did?

  She had to calm down. It was just dinner.

  So why did she feel like she was on her way to an inquisition? Georgie had seemed nice enough the first time she met her. Hardly imposing. She was a slight thing, and friendly.

  “Would you relax?” Dalton said as he pulled open the screen door and held it for her.

  She walked through, inhaling the sweet scent of something cooking. She followed it into the kitchen in the back of the house. Georgie and a few other women were in there, surrounded by several children.

  “Evenin’,” Georgie said as they walked in. “Grab something to drink and have a seat. Dinner will be on the table shortly.”

  “Can I help?” Isabelle asked.

  Georgie shook her head. “Almost finished here, chère, but thank you.”

  Isabelle went to the counter and filled her glass with iced tea, then made one for Dalton. The tea was already sweetened; she licked her lips and savored the sugared brew. Okay, so far so good. No one had pounced on her or given her funny looks the minute she walked in the door.

  Georgie introduced her to the other two women-Anabelle and Laticia, cousins who also lived on the property. The few children scurrying around belonged to them. Georgie had a daughter named Celine, after her great-grandmother. Three men came through the back door as soon as the women started serving food. Georgie introduced one as her husband, Frank, the other two as Anabelle and Laticia’s husbands, Thomas and Jerome. The men worked the small farm on the property.