by Jaci Burton
He was still going to worry about her. The Sons of Darkness were unpredictable, and there were a thousand ways things go could wrong. No matter what the objective was, Angie was coming out of there alive. That was his primary objective.
“Everyone ready?” Michael asked.
When Michael received all the affirmatives, they moved out from the cover of trees and to the front of the building.
“Ten bucks says the front door is unlocked,” Punk said.
“You’re on,” Trace shot back.
They crowded around the door and Punk turned the knob. He cast a smug smile over his shoulder and, with his palm, pushed the door open into pure darkness.
“Shit,” Trace whispered.
The hunters surrounded Angelique. They moved as a tight group into the entryway. The musty smell from lack of use permeated the air around them, so thick in their nostrils you could almost see it.
It smelled like death in here. But was it old death-or new? Ryder moved closer to Angie.
“I’m okay,” she whispered, though he knew she had to be worried.
They moved as a unit, their only objective to find the door that led to the lower floor. The main level was deserted, not a sound heard other than their booted footsteps on the dusty stone floor. There weren’t even footprints marring the thick layer of dirt and dust on the floor. It seemed untouched and completely unoccupied, which meant that no demons had even been up here.
“This way,” Michael said. “I see a door.”
He opened the door, then turned to them and nodded. “Stairs leading down. Be ready.”
They walked, single file, down the broken cement stairs. Angie held Ryder’s hand as he negotiated the hazardous steps in front of her. As soon as they reached the bottom, she squeezed his hand. He stopped and turned to her.
“What’s wrong?”
She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I feel Isabelle. She’s really close.”
“Can you tell anything about her state of mind?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s. . clouded now, like she’s aware I’ve made some kind of connection with her and she’s trying to block me out.”
“That’s strange.” And not good. If what he suspected was going on, this wasn’t going to end well. He needed to get with Lou and Michael before all this went down.
“That way,” Angie said, pointing down a narrow hallway.
“Ryder, you lead with Angelique’s direction,” Michael instructed. “We’re right behind you.”
Ryder stepped to the front and pulled Angie behind him. “Okay, Angie. Where to?”
“Straight. The hallway will narrow. Then I see dirt and darkness and a large room.”
Ryder moved them slowly down the pitch black hallway. It was so narrow his shoulders brushed the sides. How could a hulking hybrid demon get through here?
They couldn’t. That’s why they didn’t find any upstairs. But the lean purebreds could have been up there.
Then again, maybe all the demons were protecting Isabelle and the black diamond, so it was unnecessary to occupy the house. Either way, he could already sense the danger, could smell the putrid, rotting odor of hybrids.
“You smell that?” he commed.
“Yeah,” Punk growled. “Hybrids.”
At least they knew one form of enemy they’d have to face.
The hallway was short, and as Angie said, it led to a small room that was nothing but thick rock walls from floor to ceiling. The room was rectangular and reeked of death.
“Looks man-made,” Ryder said as they stepped fully into the room.
“My guess is that this was some form of execution room,” Michael said. “There are gouges and holes in the walls, possibly where there used to be something holding chains or a way to bind prisoners.”
Ryder grimaced and moved closer to Angie. Just in brushing his shoulder against hers he realized she was chilled.
“You okay?”
She gave him a quick nod. “Let’s find Izzy and get her out of this hellhole.”
Just then, Ryder heard a growl, caught the putrid odor of hybrids; in this small room, with only the narrow hallway as escape, the hunters were in deep shit.
“They’re coming,” he warned.
“We’re ready for them.” Punk raised his weapon.
“There are no doors,” Angelique whispered, grimacing at the smell. “Where are they coming from?”
Ryder didn’t need to answer her, because a door just. . appeared in the previously solid wall, and through it walked demons.
Lots of them. Hybrids. Thick, hideous creatures with wide foreheads, vacant eyes, fangs, and claws. The stuff of every kid’s nightmares. A creature with no mercy. . no soul. No matter how many times they faced the hybrids, Ryder hated it. He wished they could obliterate all of them. They had been bred to cause fear. The Sons of Darkness had succeeded.
This was what he fought for-to make sure these fuckers could never hurt humans.
Ryder raised his laser and started firing at the first group that ambled through the doorway. But they’d no sooner hit one group, who started to gelatinize, then another group would come through.
Instinctively, the hunters set up in a straight line and barraged the demons with round after round of laser fire, never once letting the hybrids advance close enough to take them on. Soon the room was filled with smoke and the fetid odor of melting flesh. They were making headway, and Ryder and the others began to advance.
Even mindless hybrids apparently had a need for selfpreservation, because they hesitated, retreating from the constant stream of laser fire.
“Move!” Derek hollered. “Before that doorway disappears.”
The hybrids backed away, and the hunters rushed in their direction, getting through the doorway and pushing the demons back with the force of their weaponry. Ryder heard a whooshing sound behind him, figuring that was the wall closing, but couldn’t worry about it. All the hunters were inside, and they were beating back the hybrids with the lasers. Which was the only thing that mattered.
He sidled a quick glance toward Angie, saw her concentrated expression as she repeatedly took aim and fired on one hybrid after another, never once stopping when one fell before she set her sights on another and blasted it.
That’s my girl. She was a quick learner.
The smoke from the laser fire and melting demons grew so thick it was getting hard to see. It was still dark wherever they were, so that made it even more difficult.
But finally, it became apparent that demons had stopped coming at them.
“Cease fire,” Ryder commanded.
They waited, weapons still at the ready, until the smoke cleared enough to survey the situation. Demon carcasses lay all around them, but Ryder couldn’t see any live ones.
“Hybrids seem to have disappeared,” Punk said with a satisfied nod. “We kicked their asses.”
“Great. Now where the fuck are we?” Trace asked.
“Good question,” Ryder replied. “Because we aren’t inside anymore.” He smelled dirt, and trees, and even beyond the smoke, the freshness of air. Outside air.
“Another of the Sons of Darkness’ magic tricks?” Mandy asked. “Like what they did with the caves in Australia?”
“Hell if I know,” Ryder asked, turning to Angie.
But she was already moving through the smoke, disappearing into the thick mist.
And if it was mist, not smoke, then Ryder needed to stop her, before she walked into the midst of materializing demons. They didn’t even know where they were yet.
“Angie.”
She didn’t stop.
He grabbed her arm. “Slow down, darlin’. Where are you going?”
It took her a few seconds to drag her gaze away from the thick smoke ahead. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked at him, then back at the mist.
“Angie, what’s wrong?”
“Isabelle is on the other side. So is the black diamond. It’s calling to me. I. . I need to go, rig
ht now.”
She turned to walk away, but Ryder kept firm hold of her arm.
“Wait. You said the black diamond is calling to you?”
She frowned. “No. I said I feel Isabelle. She’s reaching out to me in some way. I need to go to her.”
That was not what she’d said. She tried to pull away, but he held firm.
“Hang on. Let’s stop, plan this out.”
She looked down where he had a grip on her upper arm, then back up at him. “No. We’ve planned enough. It’s time to go, Ryder. No more waiting.”
Tension rocketed up her arm, her muscles stiffening when he refused to yield.
“Ryder. Let me go.”
“I’m sorry, darlin’. I can’t do that.” He intended to hold her, to figure out what she’d just said, what was going on with her. Something wasn’t right.
That is, until she turned on him, her eyes gone bloodred. With triple her usual strength, she jerked her arm from his hold, and in a voice that could only be described as deep and demonic, she grasped his forearm in a crushing grip. “No. It’s time for you to let me go.”
Ah, shit. He knew the bad stuff was coming, but he hadn’t expected this.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Something had swirled its way inside Angelique, consuming her with evil from the inside out.
She knew the demon within her had been pressing hard to break free. Desperate to get to Isabelle, she’d allowed the sensations to envelop her, hoping they would give her some insight into what was going on with her sister. But she’d hurt Ryder in the process, and that was unacceptable. That had stopped her cold, frightened her. The capacity for what she could do. .
Dear God help her.
Fighting the sweet malevolence-it was so strong, so easy to let it run wild-she tamped it down, forcing it back to the recesses, like shutting a prison cell door. It was still there-she could see it-but for now, it was contained.
Relief filled her. She could master this evil inside her. At least for now.
“I’m sorry.” She let go of his arm, hating that she could already see the dark imprint of her hand there. He was strong-muscular. It took a lot for her to mark him. “Ryder, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s okay.” He cupped her cheek, his tenderness more than she deserved. He seemed more worried than angry. “You’re upset and you need to see Isabelle. I’d fight anyone who got in the way of someone I loved.”
She nodded, grateful for his forgiveness when she couldn’t forgive herself. Her stomach twisted in pain. How could she hurt him? Did Ryder see his father in her, in what she’d just done? She’d been so cold, had known what she was doing, what she’d said to him, what she’d done to him. . and yet she hadn’t stopped.
No. She had stopped. That was the difference. She had stopped it, right?
“Don’t,” Ryder warned, his gaze narrowing as if he knew her train of thought. “I love you. You’re desperate to get to your sister. And I’m a tough guy. I can take what you dish out.”
“Is everything okay?” Michael hustled up beside them.
Ryder nodded. “Fine. We’re just strategizing the approach to going through that smoke and had a disagreement about the best way to handle it. Angie wanted to barge through it and I convinced her we needed to think this out first. But it’s her sister-you know how it is.”
He wasn’t going to tell Michael about what she’d just done. She so didn’t deserve Ryder’s faith in her.
“I understand. But Ryder’s right. You needed to wait for the rest of us so we can push in together. You don’t know what’s on the other side.”
Yes, she did know what was on the other side. Isabelle, surrounded by demons. Demons that would protect her sister.
Stress. Extreme duress seemed to bring out the demon in her. She made a mental note to be stronger next time, to be aware of what was happening before she lost control. She had to get a handle on this demon thing or it would consume her.
She was never going to hurt Ryder again.
Nevertheless, she nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve been waiting so long to get her back and I’m worried.”
“Don’t be. We’re almost there,” Michael said.
Ryder slid his hand around her waist, pulling her against him. “We’ll be fine.”
“I know.” She loved that it was “we,” not just “she.”
“You got control now?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t going to let that demon out again. Not at the risk of hurting Ryder or the others.
“Don’t be afraid to play with the demon,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ve got your back, and you may need to use that strong blood inside you.”
She tilted her head back. “Are you sure? I don’t know if I can control it yet.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”
Her eyes drifted closed for a second. “I love you, Ryder.”
Angelique took a deep breath and prayed that she’d find something left of the Isabelle she knew and loved when they stepped through the mist.
Michael led the way. It was obvious that the smoke wasn’t made by their weapon fire alone. It had to have been manufactured by the Sons of Darkness.
They were outside, definitely. Angelique inhaled the odor of wet grass, of dirt; she felt the chill of night. She was stuck in the middle of all the hunters, so she followed blindly, not knowing what she’d see on the other side.
She had always loved the dark, never minded working alone in a cave by herself or on any dig all alone. Now the dark unnerved her. Demons hid in the darkness.
The glasses she wore were very cool, though. Kind of like being able to visualize clearly in a blue light way. Though nothing showed up in color, everything she saw was very sharp.
The smoke began to clear. She still didn’t know where they were. No landmarks, just thick woods. Trees, bushes, no distinct path.
She swiveled around, struck by something so compelling it caused a sharp pain in her stomach.
There, down the path, stood Isabelle.
She looked the same and yet different. She was dressed all in black, a long gown covering her completely. It flowed around her as if it were alive. And her eyes appeared darker, more. . menacing.
Angelique shivered, hoping she was just imagining some transformation in her sister that didn’t exist. She scanned the area around Izzy. At her sister’s feet, the black diamond-glowing with a pulsing light, stronger than it ever had been before.
She had to see her, touch her. She had to know.
“Izzy.”
“Angelique, wait.”
She heard Ryder’s voice behind her, but she didn’t heed it. The pull toward her sister, toward the black diamond, was too strong.
Isabelle held her arms out and smiled, and Angelique ran, her boots digging in the hard dirt in time to the rapid pounding of her heartbeat. She had to hurry, because she knew the hunters were right on her heels.
She flew into Izzy’s arms, pulling her close. Isabelle wrapped her arms around her and held tight. Angelique hugged her sister close, burying her face in her hair.
“Are you all right?”
Isabelle didn’t answer. It was then that Angelique paused long enough to realize how cold Isabelle’s skin was. Even through her clothes, her sister felt like ice.
Like death.
Angelique pulled back, and gasped.
There was no life in Isabelle’s eyes. Red, glowing, only malice reflected in her sister’s once beautiful, lightfilled eyes.
“Oh, Izzy. What have they done to you?”
Isabelle lips curled, her teeth showing the beginnings of fangs. “They’ve done nothing to me, Angie, other than make me perfect. They’ll do the same for you if you come with me.”
Angelique heard the hunters stop behind her, knew they had weapons raised, knew they saw what she did.
Isabelle seethed with evil, as if snakes crawled over her sister’s skin. Angelique could swear she heard hi
ssing. Her own skin crawled and she shuddered, her stomach turning.
Her sister was a demon. Fully and wholly demon.
No! She refused to believe it. She wouldn’t let Izzy go that easily.
“Isabelle, please. I know you’re still in there, that there’s warmth and humanity inside you. Come back with me.”