by Jaci Burton
So why couldn’t they continue what they’d started?
Besides him being her boss-and that was a serious enough conflict right there.
Attraction could be deterred. He’d channel her energies in different directions. She had a natural talent for demon hunting, a zeal for adventure.
She also needed a life outside demon hunting, a chance to develop relationships with men, to explore her sexuality …
But the thought of that burned him inside with a rage that shocked him. He’d just had his hands all over Mandy last night. He’d been inside her.
He’d had her first.
The thought of anyone else touching her was out of the question.
And none of his business, considering the conversation he planned to have with her.
“Do you need a nap? Should we plan this surprise on Dalton without you?”
Mandy’s not-so-subtle elbow in his side nudged him out of his thoughts.
“Sorry. My mind was elsewhere.” He sidled a glance in Mandy’s direction. She quickly looked away but not before he caught the tinge of pink darkening her cheeks. He turned to the others, dragging a hand through his hair. “I drove all night so I didn’t sleep. I’m a little fuzzy.”
“You need to catch a little shut-eye before we confront Dalton,” Ryder said. “We all need to be sharp for this. I’ll drive your vehicle when we take off.”
Michael nodded. Based on the map they’d laid out, they had about four hours before they’d arrive at Dalton’s hideout. He could use a little sleep.
“I call shotgun,” Mandy said.
Michael smiled. “You can have it. I’ll stretch out in the back. I’m dead tired.”
More so than he thought. He was out cold before Ryder backed the SUV out of the truck stop parking lot, and didn’t wake until they pulled into a gas station about twenty minutes from their destination. He went inside to grab a soda, needing the caffeine to clear his head. Derek met him in there.
“What bug crawled up Mandy’s ass?” Derek asked. “She was grumpy and quiet the whole way.”
Michael took a long swallow of the soda. “That’s different for Mandy?”
Derek laughed. “Okay, so she’s normally moody. But there’s something off about her.”
“She froze when she tried to kill the demon in Florida. Couldn’t pull the trigger. It really messed her up. She had some kind of meltdown over it.”
Derek’s brows lifted. “That’s weird. She’s usually right on the front line and eager to be the first on a kill.”
“Yeah, I know. I read her file. But something’s going on with her, Derek. She went out after that and hunted down another, made a kill, but it screwed with her head. She came back a wreck.”
“Physically?”
Michael shook his head. “Physically and emotionally. My guess is she’s still pretty messed up over Lou’s death and the part she was forced to play in it.”
“You talk to her about that?”
No. He got her naked and made love to her. “I’ve tried.”
“Do you want me to talk to her?”
“I’ll handle it. I’m her Keeper and in charge of her. She needs a cooling-off period right now.”
Derek nodded. “Your call. If you need me, let me know. In the meantime, I’ll make sure we all have her back. She’s family.”
To them she was family. To him she was …something entirely different.
“Okay. Thanks. Look, I know I’m not Lou and I’ll never try to be, but I have all your best interests in mind with this. My job is to protect you. If you can’t do your jobs, I’ll pull you. Any of you. That’s what I told Mandy”
Derek’s lips lifted. “I’ll bet she hated that. And you for doing it.”
Michael leaned against the counter and waited for the store clerk to make change, grinning back at Derek. “Uh, yeah, you could say she was a little unhappy with me.”
Derek looked Michael over from head to foot.
“What are you doing?” Michael asked.
“Searching for wounds. Frankly, I’m surprised you’re still walking.”
Michael laughed. At that moment, Mandy walked in and they both stared at her. She stopped, looked at both of them, then glared.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Derek said.
Her gaze narrowed. She had to know they’d been discussing her. She cast a look at Michael, then moved on to the back of the store.
“Yeah, she’s pissed,” Derek said.
“I’ll handle her. But first we need to get through this situation with Dalton and Isabelle. One crisis at a time.”
“Do you think there’ll be a problem when we get there?”
Michael took the change from the clerk and they walked outside. He shrugged. “No idea. You know Dalton better than I do.”
“Yeah, I do. But what he did wasn’t like him. He’s always been pretty much by the book. So I have no idea what we’ll find.”
Great. Michael hated surprises. Then again, in their line of work, every damn day was a surprise.
“I do know one thing, though,” Derek added.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Dalton’s a good guy. We need to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Michael shrugged. “Why? Just because he’s a ‘good guy’ doesn’t mean he gets a pass. But I’m not going to go up to him and shoot him, either. I’ll listen to what he has to say.” And then decide what to do.
The last thing he wanted was more bloodshed, more death. Especially of one of their own. Michael would do anything to avoid that.
Frankly, he didn’t think Mandy could handle it if it came to having to take drastic measures against Dalton. Not that Mandy’s feelings were his concern, or his primary consideration when tackling an issue.
Or at least they shouldn’t be. But part of his decision-making in this situation did take her feelings into account. Mandy was on the edge, teetering on the cliff. One gentle push and she’d go over. It wasn’t his personal feelings for Mandy-or that’s what he told himself-he just didn’t want to lose another team member.
Yeah, he’d be handling Dalton with care.
At least until he found out what the hell was going on.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
By late afternoon the puddles had mostly cleared and the sun was out, doing its best to dry the rain-soaked area. Frankly all the sun was doing was making it even more hellishly humid. It was damned near unbearable outside, but Dalton couldn’t stand being cooped up in the house. The sense of expectation had become intolerable.
Isabelle seemed to feel it, too. She’d been quiet since he told her about the Realm coming. He could only wonder about what she was thinking and having to deal with: everything he’d told her about himself, plus her realistic dreams about the Sons of Darkness-now she also had to worry about what would happen when the Realm showed up.
He’d protect her. Nothing bad would happen. He wouldn’t let it. They’d come too far to fail now.
He was out back when he heard the sounds of car engines approaching along the main road. It would take the hunters a bit to maneuver their way to the main house, then figure out where Isabelle and he were. Abandoning his work, he grabbed a towel to wipe the mud off his hands and headed inside to clean up. Isabelle was standing at the front window, her arms crossed. A light breeze blew the curtains inward.
“I heard cars,” she said, not turning to look at him.
“Yeah. It’s probably the hunters.”
She nodded. Even without touching her, he felt her tension.
“It’s going to be okay.”
She turned to him. “Is it? How do you know?”
“You’re right. I don’t know. But I’ll make it okay. We haven’t come this far for me to let them strike you down. And I know the Realm, Isabelle. They don’t operate that way.”
She tilted her head back, her hair picking up sunlight and shining like golden fire. “They ordered you to kill me once, and you defied them. They may
just decide to kill me now and then talk to you. Or kill us both.”
He shook his head. “It’s not going to happen that way.” He swept his knuckles across her cheek. “Please, just trust that I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”
She nodded. “You always have, haven’t you?”
“Yes. And I don’t intend to stop.”
She inhaled and let it out on an audible sigh. “I’ll be fine.”
He wanted to go to her, hold her, tell her to relax. But he knew it wouldn’t help. She wasn’t going to be calm. Not until this was over.
He washed up, threw on jeans and a sleeveless shirt, and came back out. Isabelle was still standing at the window. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“My sister is with them,” she said. “I’ve felt my connection to her growing lately.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess so. But I can’t help but wonder: If Angie broke through long enough to help the Realm locate me, maybe the Sons of Darkness can find me, too.”
“Isabelle, it was only a matter of time before the Realm picked up our trail. Angelique may have had nothing to do with it.”
“Maybe. But I feel her. I know she feels me, too.”
“Isn’t it possible you let her in? That you can distinguish between light and darkness?”
“True enough. I do need her.”
“It’ll be good for you to see your sister again.”
She laid her head back against his chest. “I liked being alone with you.”
He liked it, too; he wasn’t ready for the intrusion of reality. But there was nothing either of them could do about it. It was time. “We’ll get through it.” He took her hand in his. “Come on, let’s go outside and greet them.”
She looked up at him in disbelief. “Couldn’t we hide in the closet instead?”
He laughed. “Nice try. But some things have to be faced. And it’s better if they see us waiting for them than if they have to come hunt for us.”
He watched the hunters come down the path from the main house and toward the cabin. A bunch of them, making Dalton wish he had a weapon by his side. But holding a weapon in front of him and Isabelle behind him wouldn’t be a show of good faith, no matter how exposed he felt.
He spotted Derek in the lead, and relaxed a little. He wasn’t sure who would be there, but he knew he had at least one friend. If only Lou were here …
Derek walked with Gina on one side, Michael on the other.
Dalton frowned. What was Michael doing here? Dalton held tight to Isabelle’s hand.
Michael, Mandy, Derek and Gina, Ryder and Angelique-they were all there.
“Hey,” Dalton said, offering up a casual smile. They all smiled back. That was a good sign.
“Hell of a time for you to take a vacation,” Derek said, stepping forward for a quick embrace and a clap on the back.
Gina hugged him, Ryder shook his hand. Angelique flew forward to embrace her sister. Dalton let go of Isabelle’s hand-reluctantly, but she needed this time.
Dalton looked to Michael. “Why are you here?”
Michael frowned. “We need to talk. Dalton, if we could go someplace private.”
Dalton shook his head. “I’d rather keep this public if you don’t mind. Besides, I don’t want any secrets. Isabelle needs to hear it all.”
“Isabelle doesn’t need to be privy to Realm business.”
Dalton crossed his arms. “I’ve already told her a lot. More than you all know, probably.”
“What does that mean?” Angelique asked, searching Isabelle’s face.
Isabelle shook her head. “That’s for Dalton to say, not me.”
Michael shook his head. “If that’s the way you want it.”
Georgie had showed up and stood next to Dalton. Michael turned to her. “Do you mind if we use your house?”
“Of course not.” She led them all to the main house. They went in the back way and toward Georgie’s sitting room. It was dark and cool in there.
“I’ll leave you all to your talk.”
“Georgie, stay,” Dalton said. “You’re going to be in this shortly anyway.”
She paused, then sat, smoothing her voluminous skirt down as she did. “All right.”
At Michael’s frown, Dalton said, “Georgie knows all about the Realm. About the Sons of Darkness and demons.”
Michael shook his head again. “So much for confidentiality.”
Dalton chose one of the two-person chaises, smiling when Isabelle sat next to him and grasped his hand.
“I guess you need to start by explaining why you’re here, Dalton,” Michael said.
At least Michael was giving him the opportunity to explain. He should be grateful for that. But something about Michael’s tone irked him.
“Why are you here, Michael?” It made no sense for a Keeper in charge of one of the European factions to be all the way over in Louisiana.
“Derek said he told you about Lou.”
Dalton gave a short nod.
“I’m sorry. I know how devastating it must have been for you to hear that. But the Realm has put me in charge of your group. I’m your-their-Keeper now.”
Dalton sucked in a breath, feeling raw inside. “This just sucks. I’ve been thinking about Lou the whole time I’ve been here, wishing I could talk to him about all this. If only I’d been there. If I’d stayed …”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Mandy said, her voice tinged with equal parts pain and anger. “You would have been forced to do what we did. It’s better you left. At least you’re spared this guilt we all feel.”
Derek smoothed his hand over Mandy’s hair. “You have nothing to feel guilty over. You did what was asked of you.”
“We could have walked away.”
“And what? Let the demon consume him? Let the Sons of Darkness take him over? Trust me, Lou wouldn’t have wanted to live like that. He’d have taken his own life before he allowed that to happen.”
“That’s true,” Derek said. “We saved him.”
Mandy snorted. “Some saving.”
Isabelle squeezed Dalton’s hand with a fierce grip and refused to let go. He appreciated her strength, the fact that she stayed by his side, more than he could tell her right now.
He couldn’t imagine what they’d all been through, but what he saw on their faces gave him a pretty good idea.
“I’m sorry I wan’t there.” He felt like he’d missed out on so much.
“You made that choice when you took Isabelle and left.”
Michael’s tone told him everything he needed to know. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. Neither was Isabelle.
“I know. But I had a reason for it.”
“You were given instructions.”
“To kill her. She knows.”
Angelique gasped and grasped Isabelle’s other hand. “You can all be so coldhearted sometimes. This is a human being we’re talking about here. My sister.”
“At the time she was neither,” Michael reminded them. “She was a full demon and about to become one of the Sons of Darkness. She almost killed you. What would you have had us do with her?”
“I don’t know. But to give that order without thinking it through …”
“In this business we don’t have the luxury of time to think. Lou and I made that decision based on the evidence given at the moment. Isabelle exhibited no humanity in the cemetery in Sicily. She had to be destroyed.” Michael look to Dalton. “Obviously Dalton thought differently.”
“I did. Because I saw humanity in her that night. And I felt she could be saved. As you can see looking at her now, there’s nothing demonic about her.”
“And since Sicily?”
Dalton shook his head. “Nothing.”
“That’s not true,” Isabelle said, interrupting him. “I’ve had dreams where Tase comes for me and takes me with him. And even during the day I’ve felt his presence,
heard his voice. He manipulates me on a subconscious level.” She looked to Dalton. “I tried to kill Dalton with a laser.”
Michael stood. So did Angelique, and Ryder moved in front of both of them.
“Is this true?” Michael asked, looking at Dalton.
“Not the way she explains it.”
“It is, too.”
“You’re not helping, Isabelle,” Dalton said.
“I’m trying to be honest. You only want to see the good in me.”
“And you only want to see the bad.”
“There’s both in Isabelle.” Georgie, who’d sat behind them all, finally stood and came to the front of the room. “And that’s why Dalton came here. This is his home. There’s magic here. Magic that can help Isabelle.” She turned to Michael. “Maybe at the time you saw her you saw only the darkness within her. Dalton has the capability to see much more than that. That’s why she still lives, because he feels she can be saved.”
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, ma’am,” Michael said, “but are you some kind of expert?”
Georgie lifted her lips. “I’m an expert in no things. But I do know some things. And this child has humanity and light within her. Enough to attempt to save her. You would do well to listen to Dalton. He knows what he’s talking about.”
Isabelle smiled at Georgie. “Thank you.”
Georgie nodded and stepped back.
Michael blew out a breath and turned his attention back to Dalton. “I assume you have a plan?”
“Yes.”
“Then why don’t you fill us in?”
Dalton knew better than to assume all was forgiven. For now, maybe they had a reprieve. And that would have to be good enough. He inhaled, exhaled, knowing the time had come for him to come clean. About everything.
“Back at the graveyard in Sicily, when Isabelle and Angelique had their altercation, there was a moment when Isabelle became human again. A fraction of a second when I saw the desperate, pleading human side of her, crying out for help. I knew then that I couldn’t destroy her, no matter what my orders were.”
“Why didn’t you say something to me or to Lou?” Michael asked.