Jaci Burton - The Darkest Touch

The cave she’d run from had gone deathly quiet. Even while she’d been running, she’d heard the sounds of the battle echoing down the cavern. Now it was completely silent.

Unnerving. What had happened back there? Was Ryder all right? What about the others? She strained to hear the sounds of rushing footsteps. He said they’d meet her outside after they took care of the demons, but she didn’t hear them coming.

She needed to get out of here. What she was contemplating was a bad idea, something her sister would do.

Don’t do it, Angelique. This isn’t brave, it’s stupid.

She was going to do it, anyway. She had to know, had to check on Ryder. He could be hurt and she might be the only one who could help him, or go for help if he and the others needed it.

She turned and headed back, first walking, then running again. But this time, she was running toward the cave, unable to stop herself. When she got to the cave entrance, she stopped, certain she was going to see the hunters’ bodies sprawled everywhere, dead; massacred by those hideous creatures.

And then what are you going to do, Angelique? Fight demons on your own?

Why was she doing this?

Because Ryder would do the same for her. He wouldn’t leave her behind.

Just a peek, then she’d run again. She was strong, fast. She could do it. She edged around the corner.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room and made a quick scan, fully expecting those hideous creatures to turn on her next.

Stunned, she blinked, then frowned.

The room was completely empty.

Where had they all gone? The way she came was the only tunnel, the only exit.

She moved into the room and looked around, wondering if she’d somehow missed another passageway.

No, she’d been right. There was no other way out.

Where were they?

She moved toward the altar where Bart had conducted the ceremony. The hunters were gone, the demons nowhere to be seen. Everyone and everything was gone.

But the black diamond remained.

Why would they have left the black diamond here? It was vitally important to both the Realm of Light and the Sons of Darkness. The Sons of Darkness claimed it had the ability to empower the demons. The Realm of Light vowed to stop them from engaging the gem’s power source.

Yet they had all disappeared and left the black diamond behind.

For how long, though?

She sucked in a breath, remembering how she had felt when Bart had grabbed her wrist and placed her hand over the diamond. The hum, the energy-such raw power emanated from the gem. And then all that beautiful power had simply gone cold and dark.

Because she wasn’t the right person to bring its power to fruition.

The black diamond wasn’t from this world; she knew that much about it. Other than that, it remained a mystery. A giant, beautiful, incredibly frightening mystery.

And they’d just abandoned it? Something was very wrong about that.

Indecision plagued her. What should she do? Leave it here? What if the demons came back?

No. That wasn’t an option.

Before she changed her mind, she scanned the room and saw one of the hunter’s bags, hurried over and grabbed it, then lifted her arms around the diamond. It had to weigh about ten pounds, and was the size of a bowling ball. It no longer glowed with brilliant blue light as it had when Nic had placed his hand on it. But then again, Nic was half human and half demon, so he’d had the power to bring forth the magic within it. But maybe not enough power? Was that why they thought they’d needed her?

So many questions. No answers.

She had to take it before the Sons of Darkness came back and took possession of it. Before something really bad happened.

Like her twin sister Isabelle showing up and finding the diamond. She’d suspected Isabelle was around here somewhere. She was always lurking near Angelique’s digs, so it wouldn’t surprise her at all. Izzy had no scruples. It would be just like her sister to try to wrangle the diamond out from under her, then sell it to the highest bidder.

And that could be disaster.

She slid the diamond into the bag, then hightailed it out of the cave as fast as she could, still expecting demons to be hot on her tail. When she reached the exit, she sucked in a huge breath of air, not caring how hot it was outside. She was free of the cave, and she had the black diamond.

She leaned against the cave wall, waiting for what seemed like hours.

Surely Ryder and the others would come.

They didn’t. And the longer she waited, the more certain she was they weren’t coming.

Time for Plan B. Ryder might have wanted her to hang out and wait for him, but it was obvious that wasn’t going to happen, so she had to make some decisions of her own.

Regret pounded at her. Ryder was going to hate her for taking it. If he was still alive.

And what if he wasn’t? Her stomach twisted.

No emotion. Think logically. If he wasn’t alive, she was on her own. With the black diamond. It was her responsibility now, and she couldn’t let the Sons of Darkness have it.

She had to get away from this area, out of the country, away from the demons, too. She had to hide the black diamond, gather her bearings, then figure out what she was going to do about all this. She couldn’t stop to think right now. She couldn’t think. There was too much information to process. She needed time.

She’d find a way to get in touch with Ryder and the Realm of Light, to get the black diamond back to them. She just couldn’t chance the Sons of Darkness grabbing it.

God, she wished she knew more, but she was still in the dark about so many things.

Like being “the one.” Bart had been convinced it was her, as if he’d known all along she had some kind of power over the diamond.

But she didn’t. And if she didn’t wield the power, it was a logical leap as to who could.

Angelique shivered as a cold chill skittered down her spine.

Isabelle.

The one.

No matter how many times she tried to push it out of her mind, it kept coming back.

Isabelle.

Knowing Isabelle, it made sense.

Bart had chosen the wrong sister.

And if the Sons of Darkness wanted Isabelle and the black diamond, the Realm of Light would want her, too.

She couldn’t let that happen. She and Izzy might have spent their lives at odds with each other, but she’d promised their mother she would protect Isabelle.

Her heart clenched at what she had to do. It felt like a betrayal. Ryder had asked her to wait for him, and she wasn’t going to.

She was taking the black diamond with her, but she didn’t see any other way. She had to go, had to hide the diamond, keep it away from the Sons of Darkness.

Dear God, even from the Realm of Light.

And from her sister.

She was in this alone. Ryder couldn’t help her. For all she knew he could be dead. They could all be dead in there, and the Sons of Darkness could, at this very moment, be looking for the black diamond.

She felt a sharp stab of pain in her middle at the thought of Ryder lying in a pool of blood on the floor of that cold, dark cave, then shoved it aside, refusing to face it.

Quit thinking. Move!

She glanced over her shoulder at the yawning cave entrance. “I’m sorry, Ryder,” she whispered, fighting back tears.

She pushed away from the wall of the cave and started running.

Ryder 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.

It was like being back in the military again-Special Forces-the best of the best and in charge of his own destiny. He’d loved the life back then, and he’d done it for ten years before deciding all the killing was just a little too enjoyable. That’s when his loner status had ended. He’d gotten out, gone back home a hero, and then shortly thereafter been recruited for the so-called reality show that had made him a demon hunter.