The Darkest Touch dh-3 Page 19

  A sassy, bold, able-to-stand-on-her-own woman.

  One who wasn’t afraid to talk back to a Keeper.

  “Well?” She put her hands on her hips and faced off against Michael, who at nearly a foot taller than she was didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.

  “Well, what?”

  Michael looked irritated. He was always calm and in control, but right now he looked pissed.

  “Well, are you going to let us into your secret inner sanctum, or am I going to have to get my laser and start blowing through the doors?”

  Michael’s gaze narrowed. “Lou warned me about you.”

  “And yet you let me in the door anyway. Your mistake. Come on, Mike. We’re waiting.”

  “It’s Michael.”

  “And I’m Mandy. We’ve already met. You don’t want to make me angry. . Mike.”

  “And you don’t want to make me angry, Mandy. You might get your way with men like Dalton and the others from your Realm team who indulge you like a child because you grew up around them. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’ll do the same thing.”

  Tension filled the room, and something else that Dalton felt and recognized, but wasn’t certain was actually here.

  Power. An otherworldly power that seemed to squeeze the air from the room.

  It wasn’t evil, but it was definitely a warning.

  Dalton’s gaze shifted to Michael, who still had his attention on Mandy.

  Ah. This Keeper had some muscle. Typically no one else could sense a Keeper’s power. But Dalton felt it. Hell, everyone in the room could.

  So did Mandy, because she didn’t even flinch, not even when the strands of her hair started blowing over her shoulder.

  “Impressive,” she said. “Can we go now?”

  But her voice had lowered an octave, no longer laced with as much bravado as before. Still, she got points for not flinching. Dalton wouldn’t want to piss off a Keeper.

  Mandy had no fear.

  “Fine.”

  Mandy nodded and turned on her heel, heading toward the two women. As she passed by Dalton, she winked.

  That was interesting.

  This whole day had been interesting so far. And Dalton got the idea they hadn’t even started yet.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Angelique walked behind Mandy, still shaken by what she’d witnessed in the library.

  Michael had some serious skills. She had underestimated him, and the amount of power he held. She’d felt the heat emanating from him, the force he’d projected at Mandy when she’d irritated him.

  And even then, she guessed he had barely let any of it loose.

  She had a lot to learn about these Realm of Light people.

  Speaking of warmth, she felt Ryder’s presence behind her, knew he was watching her, but couldn’t bring herself to turn around, to speak to him.

  What would she say? Hey, you hurt me. What do you have to say for yourself?

  Yeah. That would be pointless. Best to forget it and move on. There were more important things to worry about.

  Like this whole Queen of Darkness thing. And Isabelle.

  Michael led the way through the foyer and toward the left down a rich, darkly paneled hallway gently lit by wall sconces. This place was like a maze. Turn left, go straight for a while, turn right, more going straight.

  She was going to be utterly lost without a map or a GPS to guide her around the castle. They finally reached a stairwell, and Michael directed them down several flights.

  Now the décor was all old castle, nothing modern as they traversed ancient gray stone steps with no handrails, only the rocky wall on their right to hang on to.

  “Be careful. It’s dark down here,” Michael said.

  A little late for that warning, since they’d long ago been plunged into pitch blackness.

  She felt Ryder’s hand on her hip as he moved beside her and hooked his fingers in her belt loops. He didn’t say anything to her, nor did she to him as they made their way down the twisting stairs. At this point she was grateful for the hand. She couldn’t see anything.

  “I’ve got my shades on that help me see in the dark,” he finally said. “I figured you could use a hand.”

  “Thanks.”

  It felt good to have his body beside her. She hated that he had this effect on her, hated the way her body responded to his touch. Why couldn’t she be immune?

  “We’re reaching the bottom now.” He whispered against her cheek, his breath warm and ruffling her hair.

  She was melting, and despising her lack of resolve even more.

  So when had she gone weak where men were concerned? She’d worked shoulder to shoulder with them for years and they never affected her.

  She already knew the answer: It wasn’t men in general-it was Ryder. Why did the one man who had the power to stir her with a simple touch also have the power to eviscerate her with his words?

  “Where the hell are we going?” Isabelle asked from behind her. “The freakin’ dungeon?”

  Angelique was beginning to wonder that herself. It was cold, dark, and dank down here, but at least they’d reached the bottom of the stairs now.

  “Yes, it’s a long way,” Michael said. “Sorry.”

  There was more light down here, and at least she could see. They stood in front of a thick metal door wider than normal. A flat pad was mounted on a stand to the right of the door. It looked a lot like a computer monitor, but it was surrounded by blinking red lights. Michael laid his right palm on the pad, and it scanned his hand.

  Several loud and heavy clicks later, the door swung to the inside. Light blinded Angelique as they stepped from ancient stone into a sterile-looking lablike atmosphere, all modern and high-tech.

  “So it’s a dungeon and Fort Knox,” Isabelle mumbled over her shoulder.

  “Seems that way.”

  “Trust me. Security is essential,” Michael said, standing by the door and motioning them inside. “This is one of the Realm of Light operations centers. We create weaponry, do research, and generally do what we can to assist the field personnel, the hunters.”

  It was extremely bright in the room from overhead fluorescent lighting. The place was like one huge cave-the size of a football field. And within it, people. A lot of them.

  Desks were interspersed around the room, along with large tables where God only knows what was going on, but it was obviously tech oriented. There was weaponry of all kinds spread across tables and stored in locked cabinets, as well as ammunition, and beakers of bubbling liquid that put a chemistry lab to shame. A section in the back was filled ten feet high with books, almost like a minilibrary, and computers within a U-shaped desk area with over a dozen people tapping furiously at the keys.

  The staff glanced up at all of them as they walked by, smiled and nodded, then resumed working.

  Angelique had no clue what was on those screens, since it looked all sci-fi to her. Everywhere in the room there was something fascinating going on. And things beyond her ability to understand.

  “Who works here?” Isabelle asked.

  “Scientists, weapons experts, former military personnel, religious and other researchers. You name it, they work for the Realm of Light,” Michael explained.

  “How many compounds like this are there?” Ryder asked, his attention focused on the weapons tables.

  “Throughout the world we have about. . twenty right now.”

  “And how do you fund all this?” Angelique couldn’t begin to fathom the cost of maintaining compounds that housed this much staff, as well as the research they did. Especially creating the futuristic weaponry she’d seen in action. Not to mention sending demon hunters all over the world to fight.

  “The Realm is well funded. Always has been. Money is never an issue.”

  Well, that was a vague answer. But she supposed she didn’t need to know where the money came from.

  “Trust me, Angelique, our resources come from legal means,” Michael assured her.


  “I didn’t think otherwise.” Somebody, somewhere, was loaded. That much was certain. Because it took millions, possibly billions, to keep twenty operations like this running.

  “So what kind of safety features do you have here? Are we protected from demon attacks?” Angelique asked, mainly for Isabelle’s benefit.

  “Yes. This is hallowed ground because the castle contains the ruins of an ancient church. The facility down here actually houses religious, consecrated artifacts, though they’re underground and beneath this room in order to offer protection against a demon attack. The demons will not touch foot on sacred ground. In addition, our security here is massive.”

  “I’ve seen demons materialize out of thin air, Michael,” Angelique said. “I don’t think deep underground tunnels or thick walls will keep them out.”

  Michael smiled. “No, that’s true enough. But the sanctity of our grounds will. The damned don’t walk the holy places.”

  Angelique had guessed that much, which was why she was hoping the black diamond remained safe.

  “So in other words, this would be a safe place to test the power of the black diamond in close proximity to Angelique and Isabelle,” Mandy said with an I-told-you-so smirk on her face.

  “You don’t realize the power within the black diamond,” Michael said.

  “Are you saying the Realm can’t handle it?” she challenged.

  “Honestly? I’m not sure.”

  “Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

  “Because I’m trying not to scare our guests who don’t work for the Realm,” Michael replied, his meaning obvious.

  And that silenced Mandy. She didn’t say a word, just turned and walked away, wandering among the tables to talk to the weapons experts.

  “You don’t know what might happen if we’re in contact with the black diamond?” Isabelle asked.

  “No, I don’t. But I’m hoping nothing will happen.”

  “Like with me in Australia,” Angelique said.

  Michael nodded.

  “So there’s a chance the same thing will happen with me. I’ll touch it and. . nothing.”

  The look of hope on Izzy’s face squeezed Angelique’s heart. She wanted that to be the case, for her sister’s sake. She wanted there to be nothing in common between the black diamond and her sister.

  But call it a sixth sense, or a weird case of foreboding, but Angelique felt that wasn’t what was going to happen. To have the black diamond here at the compound, in a controlled environment when Isabelle touched it, would give her some measure of comfort.

  And at least they’d know then.

  “Are we going to get it?” Mandy asked, rocking on the balls of her feet.

  “You should learn patience,” Michael said.

  “I’ve tried. It’s not in me. When are we going?”

  Michael rolled his eyes. “We’ll leave in the morning.” He turned to Angelique. “Where is it?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not giving you the location. I’m going with you.”

  “That’s not a good idea. You’re safer here.”

  “And the person who’s. . taking care of it for me won’t give it up to anyone but me. I guarantee it. You have no choice but to take me along.”

  He nodded. “Fine. We’ll all go.”

  “That includes me,” Isabelle said.

  “No. Absolutely not,” Michael said. “It’s not necessary for you to be there, and most definitely dangerous.”

  “I’m not going to be left behind.”

  “You won’t be alone, Isabelle. There’s nothing to be afraid of. There are hundreds of Realm staff here to protect you.”

  “That’s not the point. I need to be with my sister. I don’t want to be separated from her again, not even for a few hours.”

  Angelique scratched her nose, contemplating this dilemma, when a thought occurred to her. “I have an idea. The location of the black diamond is also sacred ground. Couldn’t we conduct the experiment there? We’d be safe from demons.”

  “Where is the location, Angelique?”

  “A small church near the foot of Mount Etna.”

  “So it’s not far from here,” Dalton said. “That might work.”

  “Why don’t we just leave it there?” Ryder asked. “If it’s safe, why not just let it be?”

  “Because the Sons of Darkness will eventually find it, or use Angelique and Isabelle to find it. They’ll send a nondemon in after it and get their hands on it one way or the other,” Michael said. “We need to have it in our possession. We need to figure out its power, then we need to destroy it. It’s the only way to guarantee the Sons of Darkness can’t use it against the Realm of Light. It’s the only way to protect Isabelle and Angelique.”

  Destruction of the black diamond sounded like a really good idea. Angelique would be glad when it was gone for good. “So I’ll take everyone to it,” she said.

  “Or we could just go get it and bring it back here and try the experiment in a safer environment. I don’t like the idea of taking either Angelique or Isabelle out of this location,” Ryder said.

  Angelique whipped around and faced Ryder. “Why not?”

  “Because I know the Sons of Darkness. They’re out there, just waiting. They want both you and your sister, and the black diamond. It would be easier to fetch the diamond, leave the two of you here, and then you can do your experiments when we get back.”

  Exasperated, she said, “I already told you the caretaker of the diamond won’t release it to anyone but me.”

  “Bet I could convince him.”

  “You can’t use force on this person, Ryder. I have to be there.” She understood he was trying to protect Isabelle and her, but he wasn’t making this any easier. She knew what needed to be done.

  “Ryder’s right. We can’t risk taking Isabelle with us,” Michael said. “It’s bad enough Angelique has to go.”

  He turned to Isabelle. “I’m sorry. I know this has all been traumatic for you, but you need to stay here. It’s not safe taking you with us.”

  Angelique felt awful seeing the look of fear and anguish on her sister’s face, but in this, she agreed with Michael. Her sister had to remain safe. She reached for Isabelle’s hands. “Where we’re going isn’t far. We won’t be gone long, I promise. This will be over soon.”

  Isabelle nodded. “If you think I should stay here, then I will.”

  The group left the research area and went back upstairs to the main part of the house. They had dinner, discussed their trip, then relocated to the library.

  “We’ll leave early in the morning,” Michael said, then excused himself to prepare for the trip.

  Mandy, Dalton, and Trace left, too, claiming they were going to check weaponry for the morning, leaving Angelique with Isabelle and Ryder.

  They sat in silence for a while, no doubt each pondering the situation. Angelique didn’t have to wonder what Ryder was thinking-she already knew.

  “No, I shouldn’t have taken the black diamond from the cave in Australia. We wouldn’t have to go through this if I hadn’t.”

  He looked at her. “Huh?”

  “I know that’s what you were thinking.”

  “Actually, I was thinking I’d pack two lasers tomorrow, and that I hoped the weapons team had the silver weaponry ready just in case we ran up against some of those new demons. I was also thinking that I wish some of the other hunters were here so you could be better protected while we’re out there tomorrow. That’s what I was thinking.”

  “Oh.”

  “What’s done is done, Angie. You can never go back and undo. You can only go forward. Quit beating yourself up over what you did in Australia. I get why you took the black diamond. Given the situation, I might have done the same thing.”

  “Thanks.” She looked down at her hands, feeling guilty for always thinking the worst of him.

  “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.” Isabelle stood.

  “Want me to go up with you?�
�� Angelique asked.

  Izzy shook her head. “No. I need to be alone. But I’ll be up early in the morning so I’ll see you before you leave.”

  “Okay. ’Night, Izzy.”

  Isabelle left the room. Angelique figured she should, too. There was no reason to linger in here with Ryder. She stood.