The Darkest Touch

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

A few months ago, Ryder would have resented having Angie along on this hunt. Untrained, she would have been a hindrance to the team.

Now he was glad she walked by his side. He believed in her and her ability to handle anything that came up.

He scanned the area around them, since they were bringing up the rear. All darkness, trees, and bushes as they made their way along the path. Nothing going on-yet. But it was coming soon.

Angelique and Mandy were two steps ahead of him.

Ryder lay back and let Angelique and Mandy walk side by side, talking. Mandy was so damn tall she towered over Angie, yet they laughed together, Mandy pushing into Angie and Angie shoving back like a couple kids out playing. Despite the incongruity in their sizes, their heads were bent together, whispering. Angelique would look back at him, back at Mandy and they’d whisper again, then burst into silent giggles. Like teenagers.

He knew she was talking to Mandy about him, and he didn’t care. He liked seeing her relaxed, even though it could only be for a few moments. Bad shit was about to happen, and she knew it. She was blowing off some steam before the big event, trying to pretend it didn’t exist. That was okay. He’d done the same thing before a skirmish. Sometimes it was necessary to let it go, not get too wound up and let the tension build, otherwise you’d lose focus and be ready to explode when the big bad came.

Smart girl.

Angie’s battle was just about to begin. But she had him at her side, and he wasn’t about to let her go.

She’d win the battle, too. No matter what.

Angie stopped suddenly.

“We’re halting back here,” Ryder commed to Michael up front.

“Okay,” Michael commed back.

Ryder moved up to Angie’s side. “What’s wrong?”

“I can feel my sister.” She looked ahead, then to the left, pointing. “There. See the light?”

Ryder squinted, then spotted the building. “Northeast, Michael. There’s a small light and a structure,” Ryder said into the comm.

“Got it. We’re moving forward.”

“Are you getting any sense of what’s going on in there?” Ryder asked her.

“She’s surrounded by demons,” Angelique said. “But she’s not afraid. They’re protecting her. And the black diamond. Izzy and the black diamond are in the building.”

“Can you give us a demon count?” Michael asked.

Angelique went silent for a few seconds. “I can’t see them all, just the ones near Isabelle. There’s a cluster around her, that’s all I can tell you.”

“Location within the building?”

Again, she went quiet as they continued to walk, as if she were trying to dig deep into what she saw. “The building is two stories with a room underground. She’s in the underground room, I think. It’s very dark down there.”

“Is the black diamond in the same location?”

“Yes. Right with her.”

“That’ll make it easier,” Michael said. “We’ll go in the first floor and head straight to the basement as a team. I want to get Isabelle and the black diamond out of there as fast as we can.”

“What about sweeping the other floors and taking out the demons?” Punk asked.

“At this point, our primary objective is Isabelle and the black diamond. Take out the demons we need to, but other than that we need to protect Isabelle and grab the black diamond. Nothing more.”

Punk growled. Ryder knew the feeling. Killing demons was their objective, but he understood what Michael was saying.

The building loomed before them, so black it nearly blended with the darkness of their surroundings. Two stories, the same architectural style as the old church, yet not as remarkable. It wasn’t very big, which would make it easier if they had to search the entire thing. But what was underground? Demons could come up from under the earth, so who knew how many were down there.

“Get ready,” Michael said as they approached the front door.

“You stay right by my side at all times,” Ryder said to Angie. “Don’t leave me for a second. I need to concentrate on killing demons and getting to your sister. If you get impatient and go running off to rescue Isabelle by yourself, then I’ll have to worry about what you’re doing and I can’t do my job.”

She nodded and rested her hand on his forearm. “I understand. Ryder, I’ll be fine. I promise.”

He was still going to worry about her. The Sons of Darkness were unpredictable, and there were a thousand ways things go could wrong. No matter what the objective was, Angie was coming out of there alive. That was his primary objective.

“Everyone ready?” Michael asked.

When Michael received all the affirmatives, they moved out from the cover of trees and to the front of the building.

“Ten bucks says the front door is unlocked,” Punk said.

“You’re on,” Trace shot back.

They crowded around the door and Punk turned the knob. He cast a smug smile over his shoulder and, with his palm, pushed the door open into pure darkness.

“Shit,” Trace whispered.

The hunters surrounded Angelique. They moved as a tight group into the entryway. The musty smell from lack of use permeated the air around them, so thick in their nostrils you could almost see it.

It smelled like death in here. But was it old death-or new? Ryder moved closer to Angie.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, though he knew she had to be worried.

They moved as a unit, their only objective to find the door that led to the lower floor. The main level was deserted, not a sound heard other than their booted footsteps on the dusty stone floor. There weren’t even footprints marring the thick layer of dirt and dust on the floor. It seemed untouched and completely unoccupied, which meant that no demons had even been up here.

“This way,” Michael said. “I see a door.”

He opened the door, then turned to them and nodded. “Stairs leading down. Be ready.”

They walked, single file, down the broken cement stairs. Angie held Ryder’s hand as he negotiated the hazardous steps in front of her. As soon as they reached the bottom, she squeezed his hand. He stopped and turned to her.

“What’s wrong?”

She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I feel Isabelle. She’s really close.”

“Can you tell anything about her state of mind?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s. . clouded now, like she’s aware I’ve made some kind of connection with her and she’s trying to block me out.”

“That’s strange.” And not good. If what he suspected was going on, this wasn’t going to end well. He needed to get with Lou and Michael before all this went down.

“That way,” Angie said, pointing down a narrow hallway.

“Ryder, you lead with Angelique’s direction,” Michael instructed. “We’re right behind you.”

Ryder stepped to the front and pulled Angie behind him. “Okay, Angie. Where to?”

“Straight. The hallway will narrow. Then I see dirt and darkness and a large room.”

Ryder moved them slowly down the pitch black hallway. It was so narrow his shoulders brushed the sides. How could a hulking hybrid demon get through here?

They couldn’t. That’s why they didn’t find any upstairs. But the lean purebreds could have been up there.

Then again, maybe all the demons were protecting Isabelle and the black diamond, so it was unnecessary to occupy the house. Either way, he could already sense the danger, could smell the putrid, rotting odor of hybrids.

“You smell that?” he commed.

“Yeah,” Punk growled. “Hybrids.”

At least they knew one form of enemy they’d have to face.

The hallway was short, and as Angie said, it led to a small room that was nothing but thick rock walls from floor to ceiling. The room was rectangular and reeked of death.

“Looks man-made,” Ryder said as they stepped fully into the room.

“My guess is that this was some form of execution room,” Michael said. “There are gouges and holes in the walls, possibly where there used to be something holding chains or a way to bind prisoners.”

Ryder grimaced and moved closer to Angie. Just in brushing his shoulder against hers he realized she was chilled.

“You okay?”

She gave him a quick nod. “Let’s find Izzy and get her out of this hellhole.”

Just then, Ryder heard a growl, caught the putrid odor of hybrids; in this small room, with only the narrow hallway as escape, the hunters were in deep shit.

“They’re coming,” he warned.

“We’re ready for them.” Punk raised his weapon.

“There are no doors,” Angelique whispered, grimacing at the smell. “Where are they coming from?”

Ryder didn’t need to answer her, because a door just. . appeared in the previously solid wall, and through it walked demons.

Lots of them. Hybrids. Thick, hideous creatures with wide foreheads, vacant eyes, fangs, and claws. The stuff of every kid’s nightmares. A creature with no mercy. . no soul. No matter how many times they faced the hybrids, Ryder hated it. He wished they could obliterate all of them. They had been bred to cause fear. The Sons of Darkness had succeeded.

This was what he fought for-to make sure these fuckers could never hurt humans.

Ryder raised his laser and started firing at the first group that ambled through the doorway. But they’d no sooner hit one group, who started to gelatinize, then another group would come through.

Instinctively, the hunters set up in a straight line and barraged the demons with round after round of laser fire, never once letting the hybrids advance close enough to take them on. Soon the room was filled with smoke and the fetid odor of melting flesh. They were making headway, and Ryder and the others began to advance.

Even mindless hybrids apparently had a need for selfpreservation, because they hesitated, retreating from the constant stream of laser fire.

“Move!” Derek hollered. “Before that doorway disappears.”

The hybrids backed away, and the hunters rushed in their direction, getting through the doorway and pushing the demons back with the force of their weaponry. Ryder heard a whooshing sound behind him, figuring that was the wall closing, but couldn’t worry about it. All the hunters were inside, and they were beating back the hybrids with the lasers. Which was the only thing that mattered.

He sidled a quick glance toward Angie, saw her concentrated expression as she repeatedly took aim and fired on one hybrid after another, never once stopping when one fell before she set her sights on another and blasted it.

That’s my girl. She was a quick learner.

The smoke from the laser fire and melting demons grew so thick it was getting hard to see. It was still dark wherever they were, so that made it even more difficult.

But finally, it became apparent that demons had stopped coming at them.

“Cease fire,” Ryder commanded.

They waited, weapons still at the ready, until the smoke cleared enough to survey the situation. Demon carcasses lay all around them, but Ryder couldn’t see any live ones.

“Hybrids seem to have disappeared,” Punk said with a satisfied nod. “We kicked their asses.”

“Great. Now where the fuck are we?” Trace asked.

“Good question,” Ryder replied. “Because we aren’t inside anymore.” He smelled dirt, and trees, and even beyond the smoke, the freshness of air. Outside air.

“Another of the Sons of Darkness’ magic tricks?” Mandy asked. “Like what they did with the caves in Australia?”

“Hell if I know,” Ryder asked, turning to Angie.

But she was already moving through the smoke, disappearing into the thick mist.

And if it was mist, not smoke, then Ryder needed to stop her, before she walked into the midst of materializing demons. They didn’t even know where they were yet.

“Angie.”

She didn’t stop.

He grabbed her arm. “Slow down, darlin’. Where are you going?”

It took her a few seconds to drag her gaze away from the thick smoke ahead. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked at him, then back at the mist.

“Angie, what’s wrong?”

“Isabelle is on the other side. So is the black diamond. It’s calling to me. I. . I need to go, right now.”

She turned to walk away, but Ryder kept firm hold of her arm.

“Wait. You said the black diamond is calling to you?”

She frowned. “No. I said I feel Isabelle. She’s reaching out to me in some way. I need to go to her.”

That was not what she’d said. She tried to pull away, but he held firm.

“Hang on. Let’s stop, plan this out.”

She looked down where he had a grip on her upper arm, then back up at him. “No. We’ve planned enough. It’s time to go, Ryder. No more waiting.”

Tension rocketed up her arm, her muscles stiffening when he refused to yield.

“Ryder. Let me go.”

“I’m sorry, darlin’. I can’t do that.” He intended to hold her, to figure out what she’d just said, what was going on with her. Something wasn’t right.

That is, until she turned on him, her eyes gone bloodred. With triple her usual strength, she jerked her arm from his hold, and in a voice that could only be described as deep and demonic, she grasped his forearm in a crushing grip. “No. It’s time for you to let me go.”

Ah, shit. He knew the bad stuff was coming, but he hadn’t expected this.