Chapter Fifteen

A ngelique had been cooling her heels at the campsite for twenty-four hours. That was long enough. The clock was ticking, and she’d already lost valuable dig time.

Cell phone service out here was useless, so she couldn’t even try to track down Isabelle unless she drove into town, and that would take too long. Not that her sister would tell her the truth anyway.

Was Isabelle out here somewhere? Was she in some way tied into Ryder and his group? She hoped not, for Izzy’s sake.

She’d gone back to the site last night, and found nothing. Perched on a hill overlooking the caves, she’d peered through her scope until she’d squinted herself into a massive headache, and hadn’t seen anyone or anything. She’d half expected to see Ryder and his team, but hadn’t.

And then she’d been surprised by her own disappointment.

She laughed, knowing it was her curiosity. Though it was better for her project to work alone, she still couldn’t help but be curious about him and his people. He intrigued her on an intellectual level, and that was all.

Who were they, really, and what were they doing out there? If they were, in fact, some kind of secret government organization, what was the big secret?

She rolled her eyes and started packing up her things.

Like she didn’t have enough on her plate already, she’d started to wonder about Ryder. She was busy and she had to worry about Isabelle’s interference. Ryder was an unknown, inconsequential, and it needed to stay that way.

She grabbed her bag and threw it in the Jeep.

It was time to go back to work.

 

Something about the way Nic held a laser in his hand was unnerving to Shay.

She didn’t know if it was because he looked so damned hot, traipsing through the thick brush with a rifle cradled in his arms and ammo strapped across his chest, or if it was the way he was dressed—in camos and boots, sweat dripping off his body, muscles rippling and glistening in the moonlight, and looking dark, dangerous, and ready for action.

She might as well just have a visual orgasm right now.

The man walking next to her now looked completely different from the one who’d stepped out of the ocean only a few days ago. From water god to warrior. Both sexy as hell and devastating to her self-control.

And she knew so much more about him now than she had then. They’d shared so many things together in a few short days—intimate things, both physically and emotionally.

She felt bad about running away from him earlier this morning. They’d made love again, had taken another step in bridging the gap that had stood between them.

A lot stood between them. Things she didn’t want, and he probably didn’t, either. But now wasn’t the time to talk about them.

Now they were on the hunt.

The heat tonight was unbearable, even worse than usual. She was drenched through and through, the humidity so thick it seemed she could reach out and touch it, as if it were visible in the air around them.

“Storm’s coming,” Trace said in answer to her unspoken thoughts. “Big rains are due, and when they hit, they’re going to be bad.”

“Rain sounds good about now.”

“You’d think so, but when they come, they’re like monsoons. And then you have to watch out for flooding. And it rains so damn hard you can’t see; everything’s washed out and the mud is awful. You can’t even drive in it.”

“Lovely. I don’t know which is worse, though right now I think I’d take my chances with rain. At least it might cool things off.”

“Makes the humidity even worse, honey,” he said, winking at her before moving off.

Great. She didn’t think it could get any worse. As it was now she couldn’t breathe. How were they supposed to fight demons?

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She smiled at Nic, hoping he didn’t bear any grudge from her nearly hysterical departure from his bedroom. They hadn’t talked about it yet. She hadn’t been able to get Nic alone tonight. But she owed him an explanation.

“Did you bring water?” he asked.

“Yes. You?”

“Plenty. I have extra if you need it.”

“I’m okay. Thanks.” Though she’d already downed two bottles since they started their trek into the hills. Derek wanted to explore the higher elevation caves tonight. They’d already torn into the ones on the lower hills and found nothing.

“You ready for this?” she asked him.

“For what?”

“Demons.”

“More than ready. I didn’t like being cuffed last night, unable to fight.”

She kept her gaze focused on the path ahead. “You shouldn’t have thrown yourself at that demon. You could have been clawed.”

“You’re welcome.”

Now she did look at him. His lips were curled in that smile that never ceased to make her legs turn to jelly. The night grew even warmer. She turned away and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

“When do I get more training?” Nic asked Derek.

“If we run into demons tonight, you’ll get on-the-job training, like the rest of the hunters got,” Derek shot back.

Nic snorted. “Great.”

Shay laughed. “Welcome to the Realm of Light. Trial by fire.”

“You could help me out when we aren’t in battle.”

Shay slanted Nic a dubious look. “I doubt you need my help. Ask one of the other guys. They’re much better at this than I am. I’m still learning.”

“Actually, that’s a really good idea.” Derek moved alongside Nic.

“What’s a good idea?” she asked.

“You and Nic working together.”

Was Derek out of his mind? “I hardly have the depth of experience to train him.”

Derek slung his arm around her shoulders as they walked. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Shay. You’re an ass kicker. You’re adept and focused and you picked up weapons and physical combat like a pro.”

Okay, so she beamed under Derek’s praise. Ass kicker? Her? Hardly. “Thanks.”

“Hopefully we’ll engage some demons tonight and we’ll see what Nic’s got. That should give you a fair idea of how much work he needs. I’ll leave it up to you, okay?”

Nic’s expression remained impassive, but she caught the glint of amusement in his eyes.

He thought this was funny.

Figured.

Derek moved up ahead of her and Nic.

“Ass kicker, huh?”

“So he says.”

“I believe it. I can’t wait to go one-on-one with you. Again.”

He’d lowered his voice, leaned in so only she could hear him. Somehow she got the idea he wasn’t just talking about training.

So maybe he had forgiven her for running out on him.

After a long, arduous climb that left Shay feeling like she’d just scaled Mount Everest, they reached the top of the hill. Long rows of caves stood side by side, their yawning mouths like bodiless monsters lying in wait to devour them. She shivered and stopped, letting the others move ahead. Goose bumps broke out despite the blistering heat of the night.

“What’s wrong?” Nic asked, staying behind with her.

“Something’s going to happen.”

“Are you getting a vision?”

She shrugged. “I feel it.”

“Do you think it’s time to tell the others?”

She nodded, a swirling of dread in the pit of her stomach. “I suppose now would be as good a time as any.”

They caught up with Derek as they entered the mouth of the first cave. “I think something is going to happen.”

Derek shot a frown in her direction. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling. You probably think I’m crazy, but ever since I was a kid, I’ve had these weird sensations that pop up every now and then. Premonitions of things to come. Now’s one of those times.”

Derek nodded. “Any idea what’s going to happen?”

Just like that, he believed her. No weird looks or laughs or questions. “No clue. Just…something.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

Lou had stayed back at the house to monitor demon activity via the laptop thermal imagery program. So Shay knew he was listening and it was only a matter of time before he replied.

“Shay,” Lou said, “it’s not unusual for those who experience paranormal phenomena to come away changed in different ways. We’ve all been affected.”

“You think so?” Shay hadn’t considered that.

“You may have always been clairvoyant, or had the ability to sense otherworldly things, but you weren’t adept at tapping into your talents until the island. Now you’re more focused and in tune with what’s on the other side.”

“Uh-huh.” Understatement. She’d always been in tune, though she’d tried to block it out after her mother’s disappearance. Since Nic had come into the picture, the visions were coming hot and heavy, and more frequently. She supposed she was going to have to sit down with Lou at some point and discuss it.

Shay’s attention was diverted by a sense of foreboding. “Something’s in here.”

Derek halted and pivoted. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

Derek tapped his comm. “Lou, you picking up anything?”

“I’ve got nothing here,” Lou said. “Either the caves are interfering with the imaging system, or the demons aren’t using portals to make their appearance. We might not be able to get an advance warning system like we usually do. But I trust Shay’s senses. Go with them.”

“You heard the man,” Derek said, releasing the safety on his microwave rifle. “Let’s go find some demons.”

Derek and Dalton led the teams. Shay slanted a quick glance at Nic, wondering if he was at all nervous. He seemed steady as a rock, just like his brother, his expression determined, his back straight, and his weapon cradled, cocked, and ready to fire as they marched into the black cave.

Instant relief from the blistering heat greeted her as they entered. There was even a breeze—a cold one. Shay sighed, ending on a whispered moan that elicited a deep-throated laugh from Nic.

“That good, huh?” he asked.

“That good.” She hoped it would take a while to find the demons so they could linger in the caves. This was heaven.

But it didn’t take long for hell to make an appearance. They zoomed in front of her eyes, so fast she had to blink in rapid succession to focus. Shay knew what that meant—the presence of demons.

“They’re here,” she commed, mainly to Nic. “Pure demons. They’re fast, and just as likely to come up behind you. Be alert and do not let them touch you.”

“Got it. If they sink their claws into you, they secrete a paralyzing toxin. Then they can go in for the kill. I remember what you told me at the house.”

He started to move in front of her, but she grabbed on to his shirt. “I’m going to be too busy to watch out for you.”

“I can take care of myself, babe. But thanks for worrying.”

He leaned in and kissed her, a quick brush of his lips across hers, and then he was gone.

Dammit, she hadn’t expected that. Heat coiled low in her belly. At a time like this she had a physical response to a peck on the lips. Lord, she was hopeless. She pivoted and moved forward, meeting the demons head-on.

There weren’t that many—maybe thirty or so—which surprised her. In fact, she inhaled repeatedly, searching for the scent of hybrids, thinking maybe they’d bring up the rear behind the pure demons, but she caught no telltale odor.

The demons circled the hunters, their cold, pale blue soulless eyes never ceasing to give her the creeps. There was nothing behind those eyes, glowing light in the dark; they were vacant, devoid of any life. As the demons rushed the hunters, Shay began to fire, hitting one with the blue light of her laser. It stopped, tilted its head, then began its mournful cry before it melted to the ground.

Advancing outward, the hunters beat the demons back, firing round after round of laser and microwave fire. Smoke filled the tiny cavern, the scent of charred demon worse than the stench of hybrids, making Shay cough. She searched the room for Nic, found him working alongside Derek to battle back the last two demons. Derek was using hand signals to direct Nic where to go. The two purebreds after them were faster than the UV light—switching positions, staying one step ahead of the rapid-fire lasers.

So these demons had decided they weren’t going to rush Nic and Derek and end up toast like their brethren. They were avoiding laser fire, self-preservation more important than attack at this point. And Derek and Nic had them backed up with nowhere to go.

The zigzagging demons were making Shay dizzy. She didn’t know how Nic and Derek were able to keep up, but they kept firing. It was like watching shooters blasting ducks at one of those midway shooting galleries at the fair. Neither man gave up, backing up a step as the demons approached them while moving sideways, then forward, then sideways, then forward. The demons were trying to disorient them. It didn’t work. Derek stopped, letting the demon draw closer. He fired again, hitting one and stopping it in its tracks. Nic hit the other and they both melted down, the howls rending the air around them.

That was it. Demons done for.

Almost too easy, actually.

“So where are the rest of them?” she asked.

“Way too easy,” Ryder said, grimacing.

“That was easy?” Nic asked, reloading his laser as he came up to her.

“Yeah. Usually there’s a lot more. There weren’t that many this time. We handled them pretty fast.”

“I’ll make a mental note.”

She wanted to say it, needed to say it. “You did good.”

He grinned. “Thanks. It was fun.”

She shook her head. “That’s because it was easy. Wait till you get involved in a real battle.”

“Okay, let’s take a look farther into this cave,” Derek said. “See where they came from and if there’s anything else down here.”

Once again the tunnels went down to a formidable depth. An open room showed the presence of demons, the stench remaining from hybrids. Huge chunks of rock had been torn from the walls, the ground ripped up.

“They’ve been here. It’s like they’re looking for something,” Derek said.

“It has to be the gem.” Shay took her dagger and scraped at the walls, coming away with small, strange-looking rock formations. “I’m no geologist or expert, but these look like diamonds.”

“Let me see those.” Nic took a sample from the palm of her hand and clicked his shoulder light on, flipping his shades up and examining it closely. “They are diamonds.”

“You shitting me?” Ryder leaned over Nic’s shoulder. “Honest-to-God diamonds.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s take those samples back to Lou,” Derek said.

Diamonds. Shay shook her head.

A demon’s best friend?

 

Bart didn’t need to look up from his work to know one of his brothers had arrived.

“Tase.”

“Bart. Have you found Dominic yet?”

“Not yet. But I’m confident he’s close by.”

Tase emanated heat, an extremely unusual characteristic for a Lord. His nearness caused great discomfort, which meant Tase enjoyed getting into Bart’s personal space.

“And how do you know this?”

Actually, Bart had no idea where Nic was. Tase already knew this or he wouldn’t have come. Bart straightened and met Tase’s dark gaze head on. “He’s blocking my efforts at contact.”

“What efforts are those?”

“Obviously I can’t reach him by phone, and I don’t have a psychic link to him. That was Ben’s area, and Ben can’t do that any longer, as you well know. So I have my people searching for him. We’re tracking the scent left by the Realm. It’s only a matter of time.”

Tase circled him. “Time is of the essence, brother.”

“I realize it. I’ll have him here before the ceremony.”

“Let’s hope so.” Tase looked around. “Preparations going well?”

“Yes.”

“And what of the woman?”

“I’m working on that, too. I have it under control.”

“I’m thinking you need my assistance.”

“That’s unnecessary.” And unwanted.

“Nevertheless, the others feel a sense of urgency. I will remain and assist you.”

Bart resisted the urge to argue, knowing the power of his brother was much stronger than his own. When Ben was alive, the two of them together were formidable, their bond unbreakable. Since Ben’s death, Bart had dropped a rung or two in the Sons of Darkness hierarchy. Tase knew this, too, and was using it to his advantage. Sonofabitch!

Bart couldn’t afford to make any more enemies. “I would welcome your assistance.”

Tase smiled, though there was no brotherly connection there. He craved power and nothing more. He wanted Bart’s downfall. If Bart failed at this task, Tase would rise even higher.

Bart would do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen. And as soon as this ceremony was finished, he’d have Nic at his side.

Another ally. One even more powerful than Ben had been. Then he’d be on top again. Where he belonged.

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