The Demon’s Touch

on sale summer 2008

Chapter One

Two months later
Sicily, Italy

R yder was hunting again, and damn, it felt good. To be on his own, with no one to tell him what to do and when or how to do it. He liked the other demon hunters just fine, but he was used to this isolation, to a one-man operation, and this is what he preferred—stalking his prey one on one.

His lips curled as he thought about that prey—Angelique. Lou had known how much he’d wanted this assignment. Maybe a little too much. It was hard to fool the old man, but Lou had let him have it. Ryder knew more about Angelique than any of the others anyway, could complete this assignment better than they could. He’d spent more time with her than they had, touched her, gotten inside her head.

He knew her lies.

It had taken months of searching by the Realm of Light, but they’d located her in Italy. And Lou and his ragtag group of demon hunters, Ryder included, had come to Italy and spread out, looking for her as well as her sister, Isabelle. But Ryder was better at tracking than anyone else, and once they had her location pinpointed to Sicily, he’d convinced Lou to let him go in on his own. Surprisingly, Lou had agreed.

And now that he’d found her, had her cornered, it was just a matter of sneaking up on her and grabbing her, and the black diamond.

If she had it on her, which would be really stupid.

Angelique might be a lot of things, but Ryder didn’t think for one second that she was stupid. So she probably didn’t have it at the tiny house she’d rented.

It was isolated, but in an open area. He had good camouflage, since there was an abandoned, thickly covered vineyard behind the house, with lots of dense trees and bushes where he’d set up. The house was located in the midst of all this foliage. If not for the narrow road and driveway leading the way, the average person might never locate this place. Perfect spot for someone who didn’t want to be found.

Ryder was good at finding people who didn’t want to be found. His former job in military special ops had come in handy in locating Angelique, with a little help from all the resources of the Realm of Light. He’d researched her, dug deep, now had details on her background from birth to the present. He knew where her skeletons were buried. He’d vowed to unearth every bit of dirt on her if he had to work twenty-four hours a day to do it. She’d screwed him, and not in the fun way. She’d used him to get her hands on the diamond, and then she’d run.

But not nearly far enough, because he’d found her. And now that he had, he wasn’t going to let her go again.

He’d hidden out, waiting to see how populated this area was.

It wasn’t. At all. Hardly any traffic traveled this road, so he’d waited until nightfall, then hid his car within a dense area of bushes behind the property.

He’d followed a seldom used footpath leading up toward the house. Thick with bushes along each side, it kept him shielded from the back of the house, though he kept watch to make sure Angelique didn’t show up at one of the windows to check out the view. No windows lit the back of the house, so he hoped she was asleep.

The path snaked around parallel to the curved drive, easy enough to keep watch for cars, though judging from the lack of traffic he didn’t expect anyone to come this way. He finally found a spot where the house came into view and settled there. It was on higher ground, giving him a great vantage point to see everything. He could see into the back door of the house, and keep his eye on the drive in case Angelique left.

He leaned against a thick tree, figuring he’d just watch awhile, see what she did, get a handle on her routine for a day or so. He’d been single-minded in purpose since Lou had given him the assignment. Single-minded with a vengeance, in fact.

And angry. Damned angry.

It was time to back off, gather a little distance from his subject, and make sure he remained detached from what he was doing.

Just a job, Ryder. She’s just a job.

Yeah, right. Betrayal, anger. They seethed inside him. He recognized them for what they were. Emotions. That was bad shit. He liked it better when emotion didn’t enter the equation at all, when he could go about his business and not think about anything or anyone but his job. He wasn’t his father, imagining slights and insults that weren’t there. He’d long ago vowed to never be like his old man. He preferred being grounded in reality. And reality meant a laser in his hand, a demon he could see, and a kill he could verify. His reality was demon body count—not some mental bullshit that screwed with a warrior’s reality. He could overcome the weird shit. He wasn’t at all like his father. Hadn’t he spent his entire adult life proving that?

As long as he remained aloof, with his focus on killing demons, he’d be okay. There was no emotion involved in demon hunting, which suited him just fine.

He’d screwed up with Angelique. He’d let her get close. He’d talked to her. He’d kissed her.

Angelique made him think, made him feel. She’d brought out emotion in him.

That made her dangerous.

He’d convinced Lou he could handle this, find her, figure out where the black diamond was and bring her, and it, back to the Realm of Light.

Ryder had never failed on a mission. He didn’t intend to now. All he had to do was wait it out a bit. Angelique would lead him to the black diamond.

One way or the other.

He hadn’t seen her yet, other than arriving in her car this afternoon and going straight inside. The shades were drawn and he’d seen her silhouette moving about in one of the rooms downstairs. He had blueprints of the house, so he knew the layout. Downstairs, kitchen and living room. Upstairs, one bedroom and bath. Small, cozy—room for one or two people, max. His audio equipment picked up everything going on inside. There wasn’t anyone else in there with her, and she hadn’t used the phone, because he was tracking her cellular calls, too. She didn’t even talk to herself.

He heard the sounds of cooking, the shower running, and then all the lights went out about eleven P.M. She’d obviously gone to bed.

He glanced down at his watch. Almost midnight. Good thing it was warm outside. He slid down the tree and parked himself on a thick slab of rock, figuring his equipment would alert him if anything happened. He had to get at least a little sleep or he’d be useless. Though he could go a day or two without any sleep, he preferred to maintain mental alertness, since he had no idea what to expect. As far as the Realm of Light knew, Angelique had already made contact with her sister, Isabelle, and the two of them had planned to do something with the black diamond. And since none of them had managed to find Isabelle yet, they were hoping Angelique would lead them to her. Though the hunters were out searching for Isabelle, too.

It was a waiting game now. Ryder hoped he didn’t have to wait too long.

He jerked awake at a sound, immediately glancing down at his watch. It was three in the morning. Shit. Blinking away the fog of sleep, he listened intently, wondering if Angelique was up. No lights. So what had he heard?

Something crashed inside, like a lamp. He shot up to a standing position, saw a flicker of light, then darkness again. His senses on full alert now, he wondered if maybe she’d just gotten up and knocked the lamp over. Maybe she had a bad dream.

He knew all about nightmares. He’d lived through a few of them. The shit going down around him the past six months seemed like a living nightmare. Sometimes he didn’t even want to close his eyes.

He didn’t hear anything now. Not wanting to reveal his hand and go running in there, he paused, but grabbed his weapon and readied himself, just in case.

He wished he’d had time to install surveillance cameras inside, but that was going to have to wait until the next time she left the house. Then he’d be able to see as well as hear. Still, his skin prickled with unease, and whenever that happened it meant something bad was going on.

He didn’t like this. Something wasn’t right. He stood and moved through the bushes, into the vineyards and toward the house, making no sound. Approaching the back door first, he made a slight turn on the knob. It was locked. That was a good thing. He moved to the window, peering in through the sheer drapes, using his night-vision shades to help him discern objects in the pitch-blackness.

No activity. Angelique wasn’t downstairs. His ear comm was connected to his audio equipment, and he could hear her breathing now.

But it wasn’t normal, restful breathing like she was sleeping.

It was deep, ragged breathing.

The gasps and whimpers of terror. She wasn’t speaking, as if her mouth was covered. He didn’t know how the hell he knew this, he just did. She was being restrained, and she was petrified.

Goddamit. He had to get in the house now.

So much for surveillance.

Though he wanted to kick the damn door down and rush upstairs, he couldn’t do that. Not without assessing the situation first. Which meant he had to take the time to pick the lock.

Precious seconds ticked by as he grabbed his pick and worked the simple lock. Thankfully she didn’t have major armor installed on the door. Bad move on her part, really good for him. In a few seconds, the lock clicked. He winced at the sound and pushed the door open, hoping it wouldn’t creak.

It didn’t. He left the door open and moved inside, taking each step with care. He headed toward the stairs, wanting to bound up there, but resisting.

Slow. Measured steps. Make sure not to alert whoever was up there.

Patience—something that was in short supply right now. Weapon trained, he reached the top of the stairs and heard the whispers.

“Tell me where the black diamond is. This is the last time I’m going to ask you. Tell me or I will cut out your heart and eat it. And you’ll still be alive to watch me.”

Fuck. A dark shadow loomed over Angelique. She was lying in bed, her body pressed to the mattress, the man’s hands wrapped around her throat.

But who held her? Was it a demon? It definitely wasn’t a hybrid. They smelled so bad he’d have known one was in the house as soon as he walked in. And those foul-smelling, hulking bastards didn’t speak.

Angelique didn’t utter a single word, her eyes wide as she stared at her attacker, whose face was only inches from hers.

But why hadn’t Ryder’s equipment picked up the attacker’s voice? If he was asking her again about the black diamond, that meant he’d posed the question at least once already, but Ryder hadn’t heard the guy talk on his comm.

Shit. That wasn’t a good thing, because it meant otherworldly. And either way, the bastard was going to die. First thing he had to do was get its attention. He pulled a knife out of the sheath at his belt, took careful aim, and let it sail through the air. It caught the guy in the upper back, right between the shoulder blades.

Instead of jumping up or falling in pain, the creature calmly stood and turned to Ryder.

Well, hell. Its eyes glowed a pale blue. Pure demon, maybe? Ryder didn’t remember seeing their eyes glow in the dark like that.

The creature advanced on him.

“Angelique, get ready to run,” Ryder said, unable to determine if she was in shock, hurt, or whether she could even hear him. All his concentration was on the thing headed his way.

“She’s not going to do anything you say. She’s mine now,” the dark thing said, inching closer to Ryder.

Without hesitation, Ryder raised his laser and fired a stream of ultraviolet light. Human or demon, it didn’t matter. Either one would die.

The light struck the creature and it paused, looking down at the blue fluid spreading over its chest and midsection. Its arms raised out to its side as it frowned at Ryder, then let out a pained growl.

“That hurts.”

And then it kept coming. Okay, that was interesting. UV lasers killed demons. And they sure as hell would toast a human. So what was this thing? Ryder braced and fired again, but obviously his laser wasn’t going to work. He shouldered it and went for the microwave gun, blasting the creature and hoping to melt it from the inside out.

Again, nothing. The creature seemed irritated, that was about it.

Fuck. Ryder backed up, wanting to draw the thing away from Angelique. He moved down the hallway toward the stairs. The thing kept pace with him, not rushing him, as if it was just toying with Ryder.

Fine with Ryder. As long as he could get the creature away from Angelique, he was willing to play. He backed down the stairs, one slow step at a time, hoping it would follow.

It did.

Ryder continued backward, pulling his silver knife as he did. The high tech weapons weren’t working, so maybe something more basic would.

“Come on,” he said to the creature, widening his stance and holding the knife out.

The thing looked at the knife, then back at Ryder. “You can’t kill me.”

“Everything dies,” Ryder returned as the creature maintained its distance. It didn’t seem to be in any hurry to attack Ryder. Maybe it was waiting for him to make the first move, or maybe it was just confident that it was going to win.

Overconfidence was a bad thing. At least, Ryder hoped so. He was ready for anything.

“You are human,” it said. “I can smell it on you, just as I smell it on her.”

“Your point?” They were circling each other now, like wrestlers in the ring before the attack.

“I was human. Once.”

What the hell did that mean? “You’re not human now.”

Its lips curled, revealing sharp teeth. Ryder made a mental note to avoid those. “No, I’m not. I’m stronger. I have power. They promised me great things, and immortality.” It sucked in a breath, its chest expanding. “I’m tired of this game, waiting for you to move, human. I have things to do.”

“Then let’s dance.”

“The Sons of Darkness have come for what is theirs.” The creature lunged and Ryder sidestepped just before it reached him, then he pivoted and shoved his knife in the left side of the creature’s back, hoping to hit a vital organ. It tilted its head back and roared an unholy sound. Ryder pulled the knife just as the thing turned around and reached for him.

Ryder glanced at his knife. Blood. Good. If it could bleed, it could die.

The thing came after him again, and this time Ryder met it. It grabbed Ryder by the shoulders and pushed. Ryder went flying, but he held onto the creature, jamming his blade into its heart, using leverage to push the demon up and over him, even as Ryder was sliding backward clear across the room. The thing hit the wall with a loud crash and Ryder slammed into a table. He winced at the pain, but shrugged it off and leaped to his feet.

The creature stood, limping, blood pouring from the wound in its chest. It was weakening and looked up at Ryder, surprise clearly showing on its face.

“What is in…the knife?”

“Silver.”

The creature shook its head. “They told me I would live forever.” It looked down at its bloody hands, let out a roar of frustration, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

What the hell? Ryder stalked to the area where the thing had just stood. Nothing. Just a pool of blood.

He’d never seen any of the demons do shit like that before. He walked outside, looked in both directions, saw nothing, then shut the door behind him and hurried upstairs to Angelique. She was lying in bed, exactly as he had found her. She hadn’t moved and her eyes were still wide open. She had a vacant look, almost as if she was under some kind of spell. He dropped his weapons, sat on the edge of the bed, and grabbed her shoulders.

“Angelique.” He purposely kept his voice low. “Angie, it’s Ryder.”

She didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge his presence. This time, he shook her. “Hey, wake up. It’s over.”

Still no response. He finally lifted her, laid her head in the crook of his arms. “Angie, wake up.” He tapped her cheek, then slapped it lightly. “Come on. Snap out of this, goddamit.”

When he still didn’t get a response, he gave her one hard slap.

She gasped, then screamed, her hands coming up to palm his chest and push, hard. He didn’t let go.

“Come on baby, it’s Ryder. It’s okay, it’s over. That thing is gone.”

Still she fought him, kicking her legs and feet underneath the covers, her eyes filled with terror. He held tight to her, bringing her up against him, wrapping his arms around her body. Her skin was ice cold. She was shaking and he couldn’t imagine what she had gone through, having that creature put some kind of mind hold on her and then terrorize her like that.

Finally, she stopped fighting him, but she was still shivering. She pushed away, searching his face, her breath coming in harsh gasps. “Ryder.”

He nodded, realizing that with his night-vision shades on he could see her, but she couldn’t see him. “Yeah, it’s me. Stay here.” She was reluctant to let go of him. “I promise. I’m just going to get us some light.” She finally released her death grip on him. He found the switch, pulled off his glasses, and bathed the room in soft light.

Holy Christ. Her hair was a tangled dark mess around her face and shoulders, her eyes wide green pools of fear. The sheet had fallen to her waist, revealing small breasts, pink nipples, and golden skin. His gaze shot back up to her stricken face and he hurried over to her side of the bed again. She was still shaking. He grabbed his jacket out of the bag at his feet and lifted her arms, sliding her into it, though he wasn’t sure if it was to warm her or cover her body from his gaping gaze.

“What…what was that?” she asked. “A demon?”

“I don’t know. Never seen one like that.”

“Me either.” She was still breathing hard. He slid his fingers over her pulse. Too damn fast. He rubbed his thumb over her wrist. God, her hand was cold.

“He…it wanted the black diamond.”

“I figured.” He should have been pissed. He had a million questions to ask her, should tell her she got what she deserved after taking off with the black diamond. He was here for the same thing—to get it back. But looking at her shaking like this, he couldn’t do it. He had to get Angie out of this house, away from that thing and whatever else the Sons of Darkness were going to send her way. He had to contact the Realm of Light, report what he’d seen, gather some intelligence.

He had to protect Angie, before another of those creatures showed up. Or something worse.

He’d been assigned to find and retrieve the black diamond. Find Angie and Isabelle.

He’d found Angie, so one step accomplished. But damn, he’d just stepped into a whole hell of a lot more.

Pandora’s Box had just opened, and he had a feeling he and Angie had just climbed right inside of it.

And despite his anger, his determination to keep his emotional distance, here he sat, with his arms wrapped around her.

And dammit, it felt right.

Not good. Not good at all.

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