The Darkest Touch

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Ryder sat outside, needing a half hour or so after he’d left Michael’s office. Too much going on in his head and he had to sort it through. The whole atmosphere in Michael’s office had been bad. Really bad. Lou had been much more than a leader to all of them. He’d been friend and mentor, even a father figure to some, and he was going to be missed.

And now, in addition to all the grieving, Ryder had more bad news for Angie and he had to figure out how to deliver it.

The truth was always the best way. Angelique was tough. She could handle it, and she deserved honesty.

He found her in the kitchen, staring into a cup of tea. Mandy sat across from her doing the same thing.

“Hey,” he said.

Angelique looked up, smiled. “Hey. Where’ve you been?”

“Outside. Needed a few minutes after the meeting with Michael.”

She nodded. Mandy finally dragged her gaze from the porcelain. She didn’t smile. She hadn’t smiled since they’d returned back from the church.

Mandy had taken Lou’s death really hard. She’d been with Lou since she was a kid. He was, essentially, the only father she’d ever known. And she’d had to take part in killing him. Ryder couldn’t even imagine how much that was messing with her head.

Derek wasn’t handling it well, either. The whole thing was one giant clusterfuck. There were decisions to be made and no one wanted to make them. But they knew it was going to have to be done, and soon. It had to be. War was war, and it went on, even when someone died.

“Hey, kid, you okay?” he asked, squeezing Mandy’s shoulder as he brushed by.

“Just fucking fine,” she mumbled.

Ryder went to the cabinet and grabbed a cup, filled it with what he hoped was damn strong black coffee, and pulled up a chair next to Angelique.

Mandy pushed back and stood. “I’m going into the workout room to beat the shit out of something.”

“Want me to come with you?” Ryder asked.

Mandy leaned against the doorway and shook her head. “No. Thanks, but no. I’m not good company right now and I need to be alone. I might kill something.” She snorted. “Something else. Hell, I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ll catch you all later.”

She pushed off the doorway and left the kitchen.

“She’s really hurting bad,” Angelique said, her gaze trailing after Mandy.

“Yeah. Everyone is. Lou was a good guy.”

“I don’t understand what happened out there, Ryder.”

Ryder shrugged. “None of us do. Michael tried to explain about Keepers knowing their destiny, and how no one lives forever. I guess in his way he was attempting to tell us that Lou had been prepared for this.”

She shivered. “That kind of destiny sucks.”

“Yes, it does.”

Angelique studied Ryder. He’d been quiet, and she understood why. She couldn’t even offer him comfort. What could she say? It was hard for her to comprehend all this, and yet it was now part of her life. “Do you ever get used to it?”

He reached out and smoothed his hand over her hair. “To what?”

“Death.”

“Some parts of it, yes. Losing friends. . no. It always hurts, but it’s part of what we do. Any one of us could die, Angie. It’s the vow we take. We’ll die defending our world against the Sons of Darkness.”

She blinked back tears, not sure what she’d signed on for. And yet, the man she loved was deeply embroiled in this life, and she wanted to be with him.

“If you can’t handle it-”

She reached up, ran her palm over the rough stubble of his unshaven jaw. “I can handle anything as long as I’m with you. If it’s a day, a month, a year, forever. Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it.”

He leaned in, brushed his lips across hers. “You give me strength I didn’t know I had.”

She smiled. “You were always strong.”

“Not that kind of strength. The kind to believe in myself. I’ll always take care of you.”

“I know you will. And I’ll take care of you. Right here.” She moved her palm to his heart.

He touched his forehead to hers, and Angelique had her first few moments of feeling content in what seemed like a very long time.

Then she pulled back. “So when you met with Michael, did he discuss Dalton and Isabelle? Any word on them yet?”

He frowned. “No. And I need to tell you something.”

His tone sounded ominous. “Okay.”

“Dalton was instructed to take Isabelle away from the church and graveyard.”

“Yes.”

“To destroy her.”

Dread filled her. “No.” She’d refused to think that’s why her sister and Dalton had disappeared. Dalton wouldn’t have killed Izzy. Not him.

“They had no choice. Isabelle had become a full demon. They didn’t want to eliminate her in front of you. She was a threat to the Realm, Angie.”

The logical part of her understood that had been an option, but the emotional side that loved her sister no matter what railed against the thought of it.

She hated asking the question, but she had to know. Her voice, thick with unshed tears, wavered. “Is Izzy dead?”

Ryder dragged her onto his lap. “Not that we’re aware of. They can’t find Dalton. They tracked his cell phone to just outside the church grounds. He must have tossed it.”

Of course. Hope leaped inside her like a sparking flame. “He couldn’t do it, could he?”

“My guess is that he wasn’t able to follow through on his orders to kill her. He stopped me from hitting her with laser fire when she was holding you.”

She leaned back. “You would have destroyed Isabelle?”

His gaze never wavered. “If it came to a choice between you and your sister, then there was no choice. I would have killed her to save your life.”

She couldn’t fault Ryder for putting her first above everyone else, even Isabelle. He loved her that much. “Thank you.”

“But Dalton asked me to wait, said he could get through to her. My guess is he still thinks that.”

“But the Realm doesn’t know where he is?”

Ryder shook his head. “Michael doesn’t have a sense of their location. Dalton’s gone underground, and I’m sure he has Isabelle with him.”

“They’re going to hunt for them, aren’t they?”

Ryder nodded. “Yes. They have to. Dalton disobeyed a Realm order. And the Realm still considers Isabelle a danger.”

“And when they locate them?”

He swept her hair away from her face. “I don’t know, darlin’. I guess that depends on what they discover when they find Dalton and Isabelle.”

At least she had hope. Isabelle wasn’t dead. Somehow, she’d know if Izzy was gone. “Maybe I can help.”

Ryder’s brows lifted. “You want to help find her?”

“I have to know, one way or the other.”

“What if it’s bad?”

“I don’t want her living like that. I couldn’t bear it, knowing my sister was one of them. I’d rather see her dead.”

Ryder nodded, pulled her closer. “Are you still linked to her?”

“I don’t know. Right now I feel. . nothing, no vibe from her at all. But maybe that’s just shock from Lou’s death. Perhaps the connection with Isabelle will come back. And we don’t know what state she’s in right now. If she’s not. . conscious or aware, it might affect our link.”

“That’s true. I know the Realm would like you to help.”

“I’m part of the team, aren’t I?”

He squeezed her hip. “You’re part of my team. It’s the only one that counts.”

The feelings she had for him both frightened and elated her. She’d never been so overwhelmed with emotion for one person before. She’d been alone for so long, making all the decisions, carrying the burden.

Now she didn’t have to. She had Ryder by her side.

“I love you, Ryder.”

Light beamed from his eyes. “I love you, too.”

All she needed from him was his love. As long as she had that, anything was possible.