The Darkest Touch dh-3 Page 21

  “Grazie, Padre.” Once inside the cool shade of the church foyer, she said, “These are my friends. Michael, Ryder, Dalton, Mandy, and Trace.”

  “Buona mattina. Any friends of Angelique’s are welcome here. Please, come in to my office. I have coffee.”

  Michael cleared his throat. “Grazie, Padre, for the offer, but I’m afraid we can’t stay.”

  Father Vintaldi’s face fell. “Oh, that’s too bad.” His lips lifted in a genuine smile again. “We don’t often get visitors here.”

  Angelique’s stomach clenched. “I’m sorry. I wish I could stay longer. I just came for the. . rock you’ve been holding on to for me.”

  “Ah. Yes.” He nodded. “It’s been quite safe here.”

  “No one has come inquiring after it?”

  The priest turned questioning eyes toward her. “Of course not. Just you bringing it here and now showing up again to retrieve it. We get very few visitors except for the town’s parishioners. Follow me.”

  Angelique slanted a smug glance at Ryder, who shrugged and followed her.

  Father Vintaldi led them into the church, down the main aisle, and up to the altar. Angelique crossed herself and genuflected as they climbed the cracked marble steps and turned to the left.

  “I hid it in a secret room under the altar,” he said, keeping his voice hushed. “It’s accessible through my office. Un momento, per favore.” He took out a key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside a dark room. Moments later, he returned with the bag Angelique had originally placed the black diamond in. “Here it is.”

  “Thank you, Padre. I will come back and visit soon. Now we must go.”

  He motioned them to a side door. They exited into the bright sunshine and down the walkway.

  Once outside, Michael frowned. “We need to get moving.”

  “What’s wrong?” Ryder asked.

  “We need to get to the car. Now” was all Michael said.

  Picking up on his sense of urgency, Angelique grasped Father Vintaldi’s hands. “Grazie, Padre. Please, go inside the church and stay in there.”

  “Something evil comes?”

  “Si. Please, Padre, go inside. Hurry.”

  “God go with you all.” Father Vintaldi made the sign of the cross with his hand, then hurried up the walk toward the side of the church. Angelique watched him open the door and step inside, then close it behind him. She refused to budge until she heard the click of the lock, wanting to be certain the old priest was safe. He had risked his life hiding the black diamond for her.

  “Move, Angie.” Ryder grabbed her elbow and hurried her along the rocky path of the side road toward the SUV, already pulling his weapon. He tossed a sharp glance from one side to the other, as if he knew what he was looking for, but she didn’t see a thing.

  Michael and Dalton were already at the vehicle, Mandy and Trace standing guard around it, weapons drawn. The doors were open and Angelique and Ryder were only ten feet away.

  That’s when the demons materialized right in front of them, blocking them from the SUV.

  Damn. And she was holding the bag with the black diamond. Why hadn’t she handed it off to Michael? Then it would have been safe.

  Everything happened so fast, she didn’t have time to think. Ryder pushed her behind him and leveled his gun on the demons. She wore the special sunglasses and ear devices Ryder had given her for protection, so the sonic blast toward the demons only made her jump, didn’t hurt her ears. She took two steps back, wanting to give him room to fire.

  That’s when she heard Dalton and Trace shout the warning, but it was too late.

  Everything seemed to happen as if it were slow motion, like in a movie. Ryder turned around and leveled his weapon, seemingly at her. But that couldn’t be right.

  Then she understood, because at the same time cold hands surrounded her. She turned her head and saw the demons, their leering faces appearing on each side of her.

  She didn’t even have time to register shock. They were everywhere, all around her. So was the mist-white, yet so thick she couldn’t see through it, could no longer see Ryder. The demons, or maybe it was the mist, held her; she couldn’t move. The last thing she managed to filter through the thickening mist was more demons surrounding Ryder and the others, but then the mist swallowed her up. Dizziness overcame her and everything went black.

  Isabelle sat in the old chapel, her hands clasped in her lap, nothing to occupy her mind for the past few hours except her own thoughts.

  Which wasn’t a good thing at all, since her thoughts weren’t pleasant. It was bad enough she’d memorized every word of her mother’s diary. She had a very good memory, so the conversation with Michael and the other demon hunters was fresh in her mind, too.

  The Queen of Darkness. One hell of a title, wasn’t it? And one she didn’t care to have attributed to her.

  She’d always wanted to be famous, had craved a big archaeological find-one that would set her up for life. She would grace the cover of magazines. Hollywood would come calling. Maybe they’d even make movies about the great archaeologist and treasure hunter Isabelle Deveraux. And she’d finally make her mother proud of her.

  Yeah, she’d had big dreams. But nowhere in her dreams was she going to be crowned Queen of the Demons.

  The thought of it made her nauseous.

  This whole place seemed ancient. Scary.

  She wished Angelique was here, holding her hand, putting her arm around her. She closed her eyes, trying to find that certain something that connected her to her sister.

  But it was gone. All she felt was. . emptiness.

  I’m sorry, Angie. I never was a very good sister to you.

  Why couldn’t things be different?

  She laid her palm across her stomach, fighting the sickness that had started about a half hour ago. When she’d first come in here the old church had been drafty and cold, completely cut off from light and warmth. There were no windows in the chapel, the only light from torches along the rows of pews and on the altar.

  She’d been chilled to the bone.

  But now it was hot in here, and she’d started to perspire. She’d already put her hair up in a clip; could feel the dampness on the back of her neck, the beads of perspiration gathering between her breasts.

  She didn’t feel well. Something was wrong.

  She stretched out on the hard wood bench and curled her knees against her chest, hoping it would help quell the dizziness and nausea. The cool wood felt good against her face, but it wasn’t enough. Lying down made it worse, so she sat up again, trying to focus on the altar, hoping the colorful artifacts would distract her from her physical ailments.

  Statues of the Virgin Mary, her smiling, forgiving face reaching across the chapel. The crucifix. . so ancient-was the cross actually made of a pale rose marble? It was beautiful. She’d love to get an up close look at it. She rose, holding on to the pew railings for strength as she made her way toward the front of the church.

  She felt weak. The closer she got to the altar, the more her stomach tumbled. Her legs shook, pain and nausea overwhelming her. What was wrong with her?

  She pushed on, forcing her legs to move, but they felt like jelly, threatening to give out from under her. She couldn’t do it, finally dropped to her knees in a cold sweat. The room spun around her and she was certain she was going to pass out.

  Everything closed in. The church seemed to grow smaller, as if the walls were moving inward. Her vision had gone askew and she swiped her hand across her brow to push away the beads of perspiration dripping down her face.

  When she looked up at the altar, she saw demons.

  She blinked, rubbed her eyes, looked again.

  Gruesome, horrible creatures made their way toward her, their arms outstretched, long claws pointed toward her as if they were coming to claim her.

  No. That couldn’t be. They said she was safe here. It had to be an illusion. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.

  Demon
s. Still coming, making slow progress, but advancing with every second.

  Panic soared through her body as they inched their way closer.

  “Help me,” she croaked, but her voice was no more than a whisper. No one would hear her.

  Pushing to her feet, forcing her legs to move, she backed away from the altar. Fear snaked its way into the quickly darkening recesses of her mind.

  Get out. Get out now. Hurry. They’re coming for you.

  She couldn’t breathe. Her throat constricted. She needed air. Sunlight. Away from those. . things. Their claws, fangs. . dear God, they were her worst nightmare come to life. She kept moving, walking backward, afraid to take her eyes off them.

  They weren’t supposed to be in here. She had to get away.

  Her heart pounded so hard she was afraid it was going to burst from her chest. Fighting to stay upright, she forced strength into her body.

  Maybe it had all been a trick. Dalton, Michael, and the others had lured her in here, intending to turn her over to the Sons of Darkness, to be rid of her so they wouldn’t have to deal with her.

  Angie had probably been in on it, too. She wanted a life free of having to deal with her sister. She’d read Mother’s diary, knew what Isabelle was. Angelique was no doubt horrified. Not that Isabelle could blame her. She’d been a burden to her sister her entire life.

  Isabelle was all alone now.

  Her head hurt. She wanted to cry.

  “You can’t have me,” she growled in a low whisper, pointing at the creatures. They seemed to shimmer in the dim light of the church as they advanced ever so slowly toward her, their tall, thick bodies more menacing by the minute.

  Sucking in a breath, she pushed back, step by step, determined not to fall, to make her legs move. If she stopped, they’d be on her.

  She didn’t know where her strength and resolve came from, but she pulled it from deep within and turned around, running like hell for the double doors leading out of the chapel. She pushed at the heavy wood and the doors swung easily open.

  “Hey!”

  The guard held out his hands, his eyes wide. “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Get out of my way.”

  “No. No. You can’t go.”

  She stopped, looked up at him, and realized then that he had turned into a demon, too, his face leering at her with those horrible, dripping fangs. He reached for her with his long claws and she pushed with a power she didn’t know she possessed.

  The demon guard went flying, crashing against the far wall along the hallway. She heard his grunt as the air rushed out of his lungs. He must have hit his head, because he slumped down to the ground, his eyes closed.

  Isabelle shook her head, the visions between reality and whatever was messed up in her head too jumbled. All she knew was that she couldn’t breathe, needed air.

  And she was hot. So damn hot. She had to get out of here.

  She rushed down the hall, toward the doors leading outside. The windows along the hallway showed no sunlight, only a strange, dark mist swirling near the windows and doors.

  A cooling mist. Yes, she needed that relief against her blistering skin.

  Running as if her life depended on it, knowing the demons were right on her heels, she turned the short corner and pushed open the heavy door, sucking in great gulps of moisture-tinged air as soon as she stepped outside.

  She could breathe out here. As the icy mist enveloped her, she could breathe.

  Cold hands touched her, surrounded her, offering relief from the fever.

  “Come with us,” they said. “We’ll take care of you.”

  She looked up, trying to see them, but her eyes wouldn’t focus.

  “I’m so tired,” she said, then closed her eyes, falling into their arms.

  Their blissfully cold arms.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Demons surrounded them. Between the mist and the number of demons coming at them out of nowhere, Ryder was firing so fast he could only hope he didn’t hit his own people.

  He saw Dalton’s face, though, and pivoted, just as demons rose up in a thick cloud and surrounded Angelique.

  Shit! He raised his gun, but they enveloped her and disappeared before he could get a shot off, before he could take a step to get to her. In an instant, they were gone, taking the swirling mist along with them.

  As well as Angelique.

  “Sonofabitch!” He turned again, hitting the lightningquick pure demons with round after round of laser fire, fury fueling him as he stepped over their melted forms to pump more rounds of sonic bullets into a few hulking hybrids who’d popped up as backup to the purebreds.

  Smoke filled the air, taking over where the mist had been. Ryder and the other hunters hit the demons with a barrage of laser and sonic blasts, until the remainder of them disappeared.

  Not that it mattered. There was no victory here.

  The Sons of Darkness had gotten what they came for.

  Angelique, and the black diamond, were gone, swallowed in the mist of those new breed of demons. They hadn’t had a chance to save her.

  Ryder holstered his gun and shouldered his rifle, ignoring the bodies around him.

  He did a quick head count, relieved that at least the rest of the hunters were accounted for and seemed to be unharmed.

  “That was a smokescreen. Literally and figuratively,” Michael said.

  “No shit. Angie’s gone.” Ryder’s gut twisted. He should have held tight to her, even when the demons attacked. He should have taken the bag with the black diamond so the demons would come after him. But he hadn’t. He’d been more concerned with being on the lookout, with acting as a shield just in case. .

  They hadn’t expected the demons to hit them here. Goddamit. This was a church. Hallowed ground. It wasn’t supposed to happen here.

  Stupid mistake. Costly fuckup. Where the hell were his brains?

  “How are we going to get her back?” Ryder asked, already knowing the answer.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Caught with our goddamn dicks in our hands,” Dalton said, grimacing. “They made it look easy.”

  “I didn’t expect this. Not here, not so close to hallowed ground.” Michael brushed his fingers through his hair, blew out a breath. “It hurt those demons to be on this church property. They wouldn’t have survived it anyway.”

  “They survived it long enough to grab Angelique and the black diamond,” Mandy said. “Maybe your notion of them being unable to step foot on sanctified ground is wrong. Maybe they’re able to overcome it somehow.”

  There was a silence as the reality of that sunk in.

  “Isabelle,” Dalton said.

  Ryder saw the look on Dalton’s face, knew what he meant. They jumped in the SUV and Michael tore out of the church grounds, speeding back toward the castle.

  From Dalton’s grim expression, Ryder knew what they’d find when they got there.

  An hour later, his suspicion was confirmed. The guard was unconscious, the chapel doors were wide open, and Isabelle was gone.

  Michael crouched in front of the guard, and roused him. He rubbed his head, started to stand up, but Michael held him by the shoulders.

  “Looks like a concussion,” he said.

  “She was like a crazed animal,” the guard said, sitting up and leaning against the wall. “Came barreling through the doors, drenched in sweat, her face flushed. Her eyes were wide and she looked at me like I was the Devil himself. She threw me against the wall like I was nothing.” He shook his head. “I cracked my head on the stone and went down. Sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. None of us expected this,” Michael said, helping the guard to his feet. A couple medical personnel rushed down the hallway. “Take him to the infirmary. He needs X-rays, maybe a CT scan.”

  After the guard left, Michael turned to them. “I’m not sure what happened to Isabelle, but if I had to guess, it sounds like she was lured outside by the Sons of Darkness.”

  “So
we fucked this one up but good,” Trace said. “We couldn’t protect either of them. Or the black diamond.”

  “Yes. They’ve made us look inept. Obviously they knew exactly where and when to hit us. Which isn’t a good sign. They’ve grown stronger.” Michael shook his head. “I’m going to have to report this to the other Keepers. And the first thing we’re going to have to do is figure out where the Sons of Darkness are holding Isabelle and Angelique.”

  “If we can even find them,” Dalton said.