The Darkest Touch dh-3 Read online

  Angelique was behind the demon, both hands wrapped around its throat. Her fingernails were embedded in its neck, blood pouring from where she had wounded it.

  The demon wasn’t struggling. Instead, it stared at Ryder, wide-eyed with shock. Then it turned to mist, vanishing within an iridescent cloud.

  Now all he could see was Angelique, her hands still held in the same position they’d been when she’d attacked the demon, her fingers covered with its blood. Her long nails-no, they looked like claws-reformed into her normal short ones.

  Holy Christ. What the hell had just happened here?

  He took a step forward. “Angie.”

  She wore no expression on her face, as if she were looking straight through him. It was like her mind was somewhere else.

  “Angelique.” He reached for her arms, drew them down to her sides. “It’s over now. The demon is gone.”

  She blinked. Looked up at him. Her arms began to shake, then the rest of her, and he knew what was going to happen. He slid an arm around her waist just as she crumpled. Her eyes swept closed, her head drooping against his shoulder as he eased them both to the floor.

  Thirty seconds ago she’d been a warrior.

  Now she was out cold.

  And he had a million questions about what he’d just seen. Because no way could a normal human woman kill a demon with her bare hands. No matter how strong her fingernails were.

  Besides, Angie had short, stubby fingernails. The ones she’d embedded in the demon were like two-inch claws. And after she’d pulled them out, they disappeared.

  He picked up her hand. So small and delicate, yet covered in blood.

  He rubbed his fingers across her skin, wondering how such a small woman could have kicked that demon’s ass.

  Did Angie have demon blood in her? Or did something else happen to her in that cave in Australia? Wasn’t that part of what he’d been sent to find out? She’d just exhibited some kind of superpower, definitely. Evil. . not that he’d noticed. She’d killed a demon, then passed out. She hadn’t taken that long-clawed fury out on him, she’d taken it out on the demon. That was a good sign.

  And the new demons. . interesting breed. He had to report to Lou about them. Strong, seemed to be able to survive the silver-tipped daggers, though he was able to make one disintegrate if he could get the dagger in deep enough.

  Trial and error. Fun stuff. If he didn’t get killed in the process. He’d like it a lot better if he could just shove his fingers in their throats like Angelique had done. He wondered what that would feel like.

  Just the thought of killing them that way gave him an adrenaline rush. He hated to admit it, but he envied Angie’s ability to destroy the demon. He had to rely on weapons.

  Angelique stirred. He looked down at her and she raised her lids, her inky lashes lifting to reveal confused eyes.

  “You passed out,” he informed her.

  She sat, reaching for her head, but stilled when she saw her bloodied hands. “Oh, God. What did I do?”

  “Don’t you remember?”

  She nodded. “Wait. Yes. I. . killed that thing. I did kill it, didn’t I?”

  “Hell if I know. But it disappeared after you stuck your nails in its throat.”

  She looked pale. “Mon Dieu.” She pushed away and started to stand. Ryder got up first, then helped her. She was still a little unsteady on her feet.

  “I’m all right. I need to wash my hands.”

  She wasn’t all right as she weaved her way to the bathroom and turned on the water. Really hot water. She washed, taking a brush to scrub the blood from her hands until they were clean. Through it all, she remained silent. He did, too, knowing she had to go through the process. Some didn’t handle a kill well. He waited to see how Angelique was going to deal with it.

  He’d bet Angie didn’t know any more about what she’d done than he did. She seemed to be as surprised about it as he was.

  After she dried her hands, he helped her to the sofa, though she seemed to be strengthening more and more with each passing minute. He went to the fridge and got them both something cold to drink. She took several gulps of juice before placing the bottle on the table.

  “Thank you. I was dry.”

  “You’re welcome.” He studied her, looking for any other changes in her. Nothing. She looked and acted just like the normal Angelique. Normal facial features, no fangs, fingernails still normal. Her eyes were clear, though confused.

  “I have no idea where that came from, Ryder. The demon went after you and this. . feeling just came over me.”

  “What kind of feeling?”

  “Anger. I saw that thing grab you by the throat and I was furious. I stood right in front of it, weapons in hand, and instead of coming at me, it skirted around me as if I didn’t exist and headed straight for you.”

  Ryder resisted the urge to smile. “It pissed you off that the demon didn’t come for you?”

  “Hell, yes, it did. It went after you with a vengeance, as if you were the only threat. What am I? Week-old moldy lasagna? I’m not without skills, you know.”

  He snickered at her taking offense at not being attacked by the demon. “Darlin’, I appreciate your thought process, really. And thanks for coming to my defense. That bastard had me by the throat and my arms pinned. I couldn’t get at my weapons or slash at him.” She’d saved his life.

  She shrugged. “I have no idea what I did. It was as if something took me over. Almost like flipping a switch inside me. I felt this burst of anger, then an incredible surge of immense power. I was on autopilot after that. Is it dead?”

  “I think so. At the least, it’s gone.”

  “Good enough.” She looked down at her hands. “So now I suppose I’ve added to your problems.”

  “In what way?”

  “You have to figure out what happened to me to make me like. . that. Do you suppose touching the black diamond in Australia did something to me?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know the answer to that.”

  “Neither do I. It’s scary. But exciting, too. I liked that power.” She lifted her head and he read the truth in her eyes. “It’s both exhilarating and terrifying and I’d like to know the answer myself.”

  She was right about that. He would have to figure out what had happened to her. But one thing had happened.

  She’d surprised him. She could have run like hell when he’d been engaged with the demons. Instead, she’d stayed and fought. She’d even had his back, killing a demon in order to save his life.

  “You killed your first demon.”

  She grinned. “I have to admit, it feels good to know that, even if the method was bizarre. If we did, in fact, kill them.”

  He shrugged. “Who knows. Either way, they’re gone. And so are we.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They found us again. I don’t know how, but they obviously know where we are.” He stood and gathered up the weapons he’d used to fight the demons. Angelique bent down to help him.

  “So where are we going?”

  He took the daggers to the kitchen to clean them off. “The one place we’re not going is where the black diamond is hidden.”

  “Because the Sons of Darkness will be able to find it then.”

  “Yes. They’ve tracked you to every location where you’ve hidden.”

  “Based on what happened with me, do you think I’m connected to them somehow?”

  He turned and studied her. She asked the question matter-of-factly, as if she really didn’t know the answer. He didn’t think she was trying to hide anything. It seemed as if she was as much in the dark about her newly demonstrated power as he was.

  “I don’t know. It’s possible that you have some kind of connection to the Sons of Darkness. Either way, I’m not going to risk the black diamond by letting you lead me to it. Not right now, anyway.”

  He turned off the water and grabbed a towel, pivoting around to lean against the sink so he could face her.

&n
bsp; “Where are we going?” she asked again.

  He knew the question she wasn’t asking. She wanted to know if he was going to take her to her sister. Now more than ever he was convinced that was a colossally bad idea.

  “I’m not sure. But we’ve gotta keep moving, and hope we can stay a step ahead of the Sons of Darkness until I can figure out what the hell is going on.”

  “Okay.”

  “Better get packing. I want to leave now.”

  She nodded and headed into the bedroom. Ryder jammed his few things into his bag, pausing when he was finished to stare down the hall into her room.

  Okay, she amazed him. Infuriated and frustrated him. But she was an exceptionally strong woman. She didn’t scare easily, she was a fighter, and she didn’t run. A lot of women, and men, would have buckled under what had just happened. Angie accepted it, played the possible scenarios over in her mind, and came up with possible outcomes.

  She’d make a good hunter. And an ally. And a partner.

  It was going to really suck if she turned out to be a demon, because he was starting to care what happened to her.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Angelique was so tired she couldn’t see straight.

  Ryder had kept them moving, driving all night and well into the next day. She was tired of sitting in the car going nowhere, nodding off only to jerk upright and wonder where they were, how long she’d been asleep and how far they’d traveled. The island wasn’t that big. For all she knew they could be driving in circles. She wanted a shower and a bed.

  “Ryder, please. I’m hungry. I’m exhausted and my back hurts. Just stop at a hotel so we can get a few hours’ rest.”

  He glanced her way, and she must have looked pitiful enough, because he nodded. Within a half hour he had pulled into a coast-side motel and gotten them a room. They grabbed a quick bite at a small restaurant a short walk down the road. Her stomach full, the next objective was a shower and clean clothes.

  Ryder unlocked the door, stopping her and making her wait outside while he inspected the room as if he expected to find demons lurking inside. Ha. He should have let her go in first. At this point she was a demon’s worst enemy. She’d have fought fiercely to the death for the rights to the shower and bed in that room. For some reason she found that visual amusing, no doubt due to her lack of sleep. Ryder motioned her inside. A tiny room, with a small double bed, crisp white sheets, and airconditioning. She breathed a sigh of relief. To her, it was a palace. She tossed her bag on the bed and went straight for the bathroom to turn on the shower, desperate to wash off the grit.

  The steamy water felt magnificent. She could stay in there forever, but didn’t want to hog the shower, so she cleaned up and got out, grabbed a towel, and tucked it around her. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Ryder stood at the window, peeking outside through a slit in the closed curtains.

  “Any demons in the parking lot?” she teased.

  He turned, glanced at her, then frowned. “You should get dressed.”

  She didn’t, irritated and cranky and tired of taking orders from him. She sat on the bed. “I’m exhausted, Ryder. Why don’t you go take a shower?”

  He turned back toward the window. “I’m fine.”

  She stood and approached him, lifting on her toes to peer over his shoulder. “It’s almost dark again. You haven’t slept in almost twenty-four hours.”

  “I can handle it.”

  She placed her hand on his shoulder, refusing to pull back when he flinched. “I can feel the tension in your body. You need to unwind a little. We’ll be okay.”

  He didn’t answer.

  “You’ve got to let go. If demons come, we’ll deal with it, but you have to rest sometime. If you don’t, you won’t do either of us any good. Now go take a shower, let the water relax your body.”

  “That’s not what I need.”

  “Then what do you need?”

  “I need you to back away from me.”

  “Why?”

  It took him a few seconds to answer. “Because you smell good.”

  She snorted. “That bothers you?”

  “Yes.”

  Ah. Now she understood. Suddenly the room seemed smaller, and her body grew warmer. She should step away and give him some space, but something stopped her. Instead, she squeezed his shoulder, felt the muscles there coil up.

  “I’m warning you, Angie. Back off.”

  He was exhausted and on the edge. So was she. And she sensed he really didn’t want her to back off, even though the warning tone in his voice said so. But was he trying to push her away, or was he trying to tell her he’d reached the edge of his endurance?

  Was that such a bad thing? Maybe this was what they both needed. They’d been dancing around it for a long time-ever since Australia-and she was tired of it. There was something between them and she wanted to explore it, even if he didn’t think it was a good idea.

  So instead of taking that step back, she inched forward, pressing fully against him. She was aware she wore only a towel, that her breasts spilled over the top, pillowing against his back. She laid her head against his shoulder.

  “Angie.”

  The word came out in a harsh rush of breath, as if it pained him to say it. He finally made a movement, and she held her breath.

  He turned, and she tilted her head back. The first thing she saw was the heat in his eyes, the tight set of his jaw as if he were at war with himself and had just lost some internal battle. She knew all about that skirmish.

  “Throw the white flag, Ryder,” she whispered.

  He hooked his finger beneath the knotted towel and crushed the material in his fist. Could he feel her heart pounding against his knuckles?

  His gaze was riveted on her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off the harsh lines around his eyes. Years of worry, or pain. She wanted to reach out and smooth those lines away, but she was frozen to the spot, not wanting to do anything to break the spell.

  His hand relaxed, and he lifted the knot from the towel, the material drifting to the floor and discarding the one barrier she had. Not that she cared. The cool airconditioning in the room didn’t do a damn thing to relieve the soaring heat coursing through her body. Her skin ached. Everywhere his eyes grazed her body, a bonfire started.

  “You don’t even have the body type I go for. I like big tits and full hips. You’re thin.”

  “I know.” She smiled at his attempts to deliberately insult her. Did he think that would drive her away? She knew what he was doing. He was trying to protect him self. Or maybe protect her. He was trying to get her to run.

  It wasn’t going to work. She was in this and she wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, he didn’t mean it. He’d been attracted to her since the first moment he set eyes on her in Australia. Instead, she breached those few microinches of distance he refused to take, and slid her hands over his shoulders, then down his chest.

  Solid. Muscular. His heart beat wildly, just as hers did.

  This was madness. And she had to have it.

  “Ryder.” She inhaled, breathing in the man scent of him that drove her crazy.

  He pulled her against him, her breasts crushing his chest.

  “I lied,” he said as he locked his hands around her back.

  “About what?”

  “I think you’re so goddamn beautiful I can’t breathe when I’m around you.”

  Oh, God. Her belly did flip-flops, but that’s all she had time for, because then his mouth was on hers, and where there had previously been heat, now there was an inferno. She was consumed by it as he devoured her lips with a hunger that curled her toes.

  She’d been desired by men before, pursued by them, but not like this, not with this raging, animalistic wanting. Ryder growled against her mouth. It ratcheted up her own need, driving a fury inside her that made her blood boil. She fumbled at the hem of his shirt, tearing it out of his pants, desperate to feel his skin. And when she palmed the flat plane of his stomach, she burned hot-fier
y hot.

  She was drawn to that flame, wanting to be inside it, to melt until there was nothing left of her. She wanted to touch him everywhere.

  She tore her lips away to mumble that he had way too many clothes on and she wanted them out of the way. She pushed away from him, taking a step back while he jerked the shirt over his head, then toed off his boots and popped the button on his pants, shrugging out of them.

  He stood proudly naked before her and she sucked in a breath of pure female delight. He was so beautiful, all muscular angles and planes. She wanted to admire his body as she had when she’d caught a glimpse of him in the shower a few days ago. But that would have to wait for later. Now she needed contact. She climbed back into his arms and he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist and search for his mouth again. His tongue twined with hers and licked with devilish intent, mastering her with each velvety stroke until she went liquid. He carried her to the bed and laid her down, not once breaking contact as he climbed on top of her.