Dalton raised his weapon, said nothing and fired.
Isabelle smothered a gasp as a blue light emitted from the gun. The man on the left began to melt where he stood, but the other seemed to disappear with lightning quickness.
She had no more than blinked and the other man had moved in front of Dalton, jerking the weapon out of his hand. Dalton shoved Isabelle out of the way and she landed on her butt on the ground.
This couldn’t be happening. The two men struggled, fighting in hand-to-hand-combat style. But the other man was changing. His fingernails were elongating into claws and his face had turned into a gruesome shape. As he raised his top lip, she could see fangs.
Recoiling in horror, she pushed off the ground with her heels, trying to get away.
It was a demon. Good God, Dalton hadn’t been lying to her. Could he kill it? Where was his gun? She tore her gaze away from the two of them to scan the alley. His gun was only a few feet from her.
Dalton was strong. But was the demon stronger?
What if the demon killed Dalton? She couldn’t allow that to happen. She had to do something. Scrambling onto her hands and knees, she hurried over to the gun and picked it up, hoping like hell she wouldn’t somehow manage to shoot herself in the process. She launched herself onto her feet and positioned the gun. It was similar to any other type of gun. It had a trigger. If she just aimed and fired. .
No, too close. She might hit Dalton. Oh, God, what was she going to do?
Just then, Dalton and the demon pivoted, and Dalton caught sight of her. He nodded, pushing the demon toward her position.
What was he doing?
Oh, she understood now. She backed against the wall, ready for his signal.
Dalton was amazingly strong, his muscles bulging with effort as he held tight to the demon, keeping hold of its wrists to prevent the demon from embedding its claws in Dalton’s skin. He grimaced, then took a deep breath, pushing at the demon. It released, then Dalton slammed it against the opposite wall.
“Now!” he yelled.
Isabelle tossed the gun at him. Dalton pivoted and fired, and the demon began to melt into a hideous, gelatinous mass.
Dalton bent forward, panting heavily. Isabelle moved to his side. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. He didn’t claw or bite me. They secrete lethal, paralyzing toxins, so I was lucky.”
She shuddered, her stomach doing flip-flops as she fought back nausea.
He straightened and looked at her. “You did good. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. It was self-preservation. I didn’t want you to die and I’d be left alone with that thing.”
He grinned. “Whatever the reason, you saved my life and I appreciate it.”
Her legs were shaking as she continued to stare at the blob on the ground. “So that was really a demon.”
“Yes.”
She had no choice but to believe him now. But what did that make her? Not one of those things.
He stood and came over to her, resting his palm against her cheek. She searched his face, waiting for him to turn the weapon on her.
“I know what you’re thinking. You’re not like that. Come on, let’s get out of here before more of them show up.”
“How did they find me?”
“I don’t know. But I need to get you someplace safe.”
This time, she wasn’t going to argue with him. Dalton retrieved their bags and grabbed his phone, made a quick call, and they headed out of the alley. Fortunately, there were very few passersby and she and Dalton and the demons had been deep in the dark alley, so no one had seen what happened in there. How would they explain it anyway?
Within moments a black SUV with darkened windows arrived and Dalton opened the back door for her. She slid in, feeling safer already.
“These are our people,” he said, nodding to the driver as he climbed in after her and closed the door.
“Where are we going?”
“Up north of town a bit. To a secure location. Your sister is already there.”
“Angelique?” She’d heard her sister’s voice in that alley. The demon had faked it? What would have happened to her if she’d gone with that thing? Isabelle shivered, pinpricks of goose bumps breaking out over her flesh.
She was both elated and nervous about seeing Angie. She looked over at Dalton, who had her bag in his hand. The bag holding her mother’s diary.
Angie would see it. She would find out what was in there. She would know what Isabelle was.
Recalling what she’d just seen in the alley, the knots in Isabelle’s stomach tightened.
That’s not what she was. It couldn’t be.
She turned her head away from Dalton and looked out the window, hating the tears that pooled almost as much as she hated her mother right now.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Your sister and Dalton are on their way here.”
Angelique’s heart tumbled at Michael’s statement. She looked at the group of people sitting around the kitchen table with her. Ryder, Mandy, Trace, all staring at her.
She focused on Michael instead. “Really? When will they be here?”
“Any time now.”
“Thank you.”
Her body trembled and she clasped her hands together under the table to still the shaking.
“Are you okay?” Ryder asked.
“Yes. I’m just anxious to see Isabelle, to find out what’s going on, and to see my mother’s journal.” The one she’d known nothing about.
Ryder smoothed his hand down her hair, cupping the back of her neck to massage the tension. She couldn’t help but notice the curious stares from Mandy and Trace, but she didn’t care. She enjoyed his touch.
Since their arrival several hours ago, they had explored the castle. The stone walls inside had been retained, and Angelique could still feel the ancient history there. Other than that, everything inside had been modernized, from the floors to the kitchens to every single room. She had no idea what was going on within this castle, but it certainly wasn’t historic. Computer gadgetry was everywhere, in every room, at least the ones she’d been to so far, since there were places she hadn’t yet been taken. She’d been shown to a lovely bedroom that retained a quaint, medieval quality with tapestry wall hangings and a feather mattress, but had a modern bathroom with a large shower and spacious whirlpool tub. It was the strangest mix of old and new she’d ever encountered. She liked it, actually.
They had just reconnected with everyone in the kitchen when Michael announced the imminent arrival of her sister, so she hadn’t yet had a chance to ask questions about the castle. She supposed that would have to wait, because she heard the front door and voices, instantly recognizing her sister’s voice. She stood and hurried down the hall to the entryway.
As soon as Izzy spotted her, Angelique opened her arms and Isabelle ran into them. She hugged her sister, letting the tears fall.
No matter their differences or what had happened between them, they would always be family.