Not that it mattered. There was no victory here.
The Sons of Darkness had gotten what they came for.
Angelique, and the black diamond, were gone, swallowed in the mist of those new breed of demons. They hadn’t had a chance to save her.
Ryder holstered his gun and shouldered his rifle, ignoring the bodies around him.
He did a quick head count, relieved that at least the rest of the hunters were accounted for and seemed to be unharmed.
“That was a smokescreen. Literally and figuratively,” Michael said.
“No shit. Angie’s gone.” Ryder’s gut twisted. He should have held tight to her, even when the demons attacked. He should have taken the bag with the black diamond so the demons would come after him. But he hadn’t. He’d been more concerned with being on the lookout, with acting as a shield just in case. .
They hadn’t expected the demons to hit them here. Goddamit. This was a church. Hallowed ground. It wasn’t supposed to happen here.
Stupid mistake. Costly fuckup. Where the hell were his brains?
“How are we going to get her back?” Ryder asked, already knowing the answer.
“I don’t know.”
“Caught with our goddamn dicks in our hands,” Dalton said, grimacing. “They made it look easy.”
“I didn’t expect this. Not here, not so close to hallowed ground.” Michael brushed his fingers through his hair, blew out a breath. “It hurt those demons to be on this church property. They wouldn’t have survived it anyway.”
“They survived it long enough to grab Angelique and the black diamond,” Mandy said. “Maybe your notion of them being unable to step foot on sanctified ground is wrong. Maybe they’re able to overcome it somehow.”
There was a silence as the reality of that sunk in.
“Isabelle,” Dalton said.
Ryder saw the look on Dalton’s face, knew what he meant. They jumped in the SUV and Michael tore out of the church grounds, speeding back toward the castle.
From Dalton’s grim expression, Ryder knew what they’d find when they got there.
An hour later, his suspicion was confirmed. The guard was unconscious, the chapel doors were wide open, and Isabelle was gone.
Michael crouched in front of the guard, and roused him. He rubbed his head, started to stand up, but Michael held him by the shoulders.
“Looks like a concussion,” he said.
“She was like a crazed animal,” the guard said, sitting up and leaning against the wall. “Came barreling through the doors, drenched in sweat, her face flushed. Her eyes were wide and she looked at me like I was the Devil himself. She threw me against the wall like I was nothing.” He shook his head. “I cracked my head on the stone and went down. Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. None of us expected this,” Michael said, helping the guard to his feet. A couple medical personnel rushed down the hallway. “Take him to the infirmary. He needs X-rays, maybe a CT scan.”
After the guard left, Michael turned to them. “I’m not sure what happened to Isabelle, but if I had to guess, it sounds like she was lured outside by the Sons of Darkness.”
“So we fucked this one up but good,” Trace said. “We couldn’t protect either of them. Or the black diamond.”
“Yes. They’ve made us look inept. Obviously they knew exactly where and when to hit us. Which isn’t a good sign. They’ve grown stronger.” Michael shook his head. “I’m going to have to report this to the other Keepers. And the first thing we’re going to have to do is figure out where the Sons of Darkness are holding Isabelle and Angelique.”
“If we can even find them,” Dalton said.
“We’ll find them.”
“How?” Ryder asked. “Are you going to gaze into a crystal ball and zoom into their whereabouts? Do you have some kind of sixth sense that links you to them? Tell me, Michael-how exactly do you plan to find them? Are you going to form a committee to discuss options?”
Ryder knew he was this close to losing it. Patience wasn’t his strength. He didn’t want to stand around and analyze this. He didn’t want to discuss it with the other Keepers. He wanted to get out there and find Angelique and her sister.
Frankly, the Sons of Darkness could keep the fucking black diamond.
He just wanted Angie back.
“Ryder, we’ll find them,” Michael said, his voice lowered. But Ryder knew counseling tactics when he heard them.
“I’m not going psycho on you, Michael, so you can quit using that tone with me. But I’m not going to sit here and wait. Come up with something or I’ll start digging holes in the earth and go down there and get her myself.”
“Ryder.” Michael approached, stopped in front of him. “We have people who can find them. Our Keepers and others in the Realm have certain. . talents.”
Ryder didn’t care if they were circus clowns, as long as they could locate Angelique. “Good. Find them.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll get right on that,” Michael said, his expression flat.
Ryder knew he was being insubordinate. He didn’t care. He felt responsible for Angie being taken. He’d take whatever punishment the Realm wanted to dish out for his defiance, as long as they located her-fast.
Dalton threw his arm around Ryder’s shoulder. “How about I take you upstairs for a drink?”
Ryder let out a sigh. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Michael said. “You both could stand to unwind. As soon as I know something, I’ll let you know. One drink only, though. We might have to move at any minute.”
“Gotcha,” Dalton said, spinning around with Ryder and leading him down the hall. “How about the rest of you?” he asked.
Mandy shook her head. “I’m going with Michael. I’ll let you all know what the Realm has in mind to find them.”
“I’d like to know that, too,” Ryder said, veering toward Mandy.
Dalton held firm to his shoulder. “You need to unwind a little. Mandy will keep us informed.”
Ryder hesitated, then nodded. “You’re probably right. I’d just be in the way right now.”
Trace shrugged. “I’m heading into the lab to see about weapons.”
“Guess it’s just you and me and that drink, then,” Dalton said.
Ryder felt the tension coiled inside him, ready to strike. He knew he was a danger to everyone around him right now, and Dalton was protecting the team by doing whatever it took to distract him.
Fine. Tequila. Whatever. He’d give Michael a few hours at most, then he was going hunting for Angelique on his own, and no one would stop him.
They headed upstairs to the library, where the wet bar was located.
“Shots?” Dalton asked.
“Hell, yeah.”
Dalton grabbed the bottle and two good-sized shot glasses from the wet bar, and poured to the top.