Cold. Everything in here was icy cold. She pulled the blanket around her for warmth, afraid to leave the relative safety of the ledge, not knowing what was out there in the darkness.
Damn. She hated this. Where was Angelique? Dalton? Anyone.
What had happened to her back at the church?
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a faint outline of a table in front of her. She squinted, wishing for light so she could see better.
As if someone had heard her wish, faint light began to appear, illuminating the room. But there were no overhead lights, not even any fixtures, so she had no idea where it was coming from.
There was a long gray stone table, crude and ancient as if hand-carved. At the end of the table nearest her was a misshapen rock about the size of a small boulder.
The room itself was large, with rough rock walls and nothing else in it but the ledge she sat on and the table. The floor was made out of the same rock, though it was smoother than the jagged walls, so if she walked on it she wouldn’t cut her bare feet.
She glanced to the side of the ledge and found her shoes, slipped them on, scanned the room again, and looked for a door. There was one at the far end of the room. She pushed off the ledge and made her way to the door.
No doorknob. Just a smooth slab. She pushed on it but it wouldn’t budge. She pushed it again, digging her feet into the ground, using every ounce of strength she had, but she knew her efforts were fruitless.
Her stomach knotted and she laid her forehead against the cool stone door, tears welling in her eyes.
“Please, someone let me out of here.”
The door began to vibrate and Isabelle jumped, backing against the wall as the door pulled away.
Frustration was replaced with abject fear as men filled the doorway. Large men clad in all black.
She backed into the room as they stepped in, their faces devoid of expression, their eyes dark and cold as they focused on her.
They were huge, extreme power vibrating off them as they filled the room, surrounding the table. Isabelle moved back to the ledge, every nerve ending in her body shaking with fear.
Who were they?
One in particular, his long, black hair pulled back in a queue, his eyes dark with menace, smiled at her as he stood at the opposite end of the table. He made a slight bow of his head toward her.
She felt heat in the room, barely contained, but it was coming from that one man.
“Isabelle.”
Oh, shit. He knew her name. She could barely breathe, couldn’t move. She’d never been more scared in her entire life.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, his voice deep, yet not at all menacing. “We’re not going to hurt you. My name is Tase.”
She swallowed, her throat so dry it hurt. Her fingers clutched the blanket in a tight grip.
“I am the leader of the Lords of the Sons of Darkness. These are my brothers, and we welcome you.”
Oh God, oh God, oh God. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real. She was dreaming. And yet she knew it was true. She felt the power in the room. Suffocating. Overwhelming. Dark. Her throat was dry. She felt sick.
“I know what you must be thinking, but rest assured no one in this room will harm you. On the contrary, we wish only for you to join with us. You have the opportunity to be our queen, to have power that most can only imagine.”
Isabelle swallowed again, unable to speak. What would she say if she could? She wanted no part of this. This was evil. It was hell. It was the nightmares of childhood dreams. The bogeyman coming to get her. She pulled the blanket up to her chest, as if it could somehow shield her from this evil.
Tase tilted his head to the side, studied her, and nodded.
“I understand your fear. This is all too much for you. We will leave shortly, so relax, child. We only need you to lay your hand upon the black diamond, and we will make our departure.”
He inclined his head toward the dark rock at her end of the table.
That was the black diamond? The one Dalton had told her about? The thing they were supposed to test, to see if she had any reaction with it. How did the Sons of Darkness get it?
“Where’s my sister?” she croaked.
“She is safe.”
Oh, no. They had Angie. “Please don’t hurt her.”
“Anything you wish for can be yours to command. All you have to do is merge with the black diamond.”
Merge. She didn’t like that word at all. It sounded like some kind of ceremony. She pulled her knees up to her chest and shook her head.
Tase inhaled sharply. She felt a whiplash of anger, then his shoulders relaxed and he once again gave her a benevolent smile. But that smile didn’t reach his eyes. “No hurry. There’s plenty of time. We’ll leave it with you, and you will change your mind. Soon enough, you won’t be able to resist its lure.”
“I don’t want anything to do with that thing.”
His lips curled. “Isabelle. You have your father’s blood in you. He was a magnificent demon-a Lord with all the power of darkness at his command. One of our brothers. You and I-all of us-we are family.”
“No. I have a family. And it’s not you.” She wouldn’t play his game, refused to let them brainwash her.
“You are meant to be with us.”
“What about my sister?”
“She doesn’t have the strength you do. She is of no use to us. You. . you are the one with the power. We need you at our side. It is you who will rule with us, Isabelle.”
Tase motioned to the other men and they began to file out. After they had gone, Tase stared at her, his eyes glowing a dark red, seeming to shoot straight into her mind.
He really was a demon. His eyes. His face, changing shape right before her.
She felt heat, singeing her, burning her from the inside out. It was both frightening and seductive as she saw what could be hers. Power, money, fame. Everything she’d ever wanted. All she had to do was think about what she wanted, and it would materialize.
“Yes, Isabelle. It could all be yours. Just touch the diamond and let it empower you. You have a legacy to fulfill. It is only a matter of time.”
Tase turned and walked out, the stone door closing in place behind him.
Shaken, Isabelle was frozen to the ledge, unable to move. They were playing with her mind. They knew her weaknesses, tortured her with talk of her father.
Was her father really one of the Sons of Darkness? Did she have a legacy? Was it preordained that she would become one of them? Was it true that she and Angelique were different?
Didn’t she already know the answer to that? Hadn’t she always known?
She stared at the black diamond. It was just a hunk of rock. How could it be so powerful? What secrets did it hold? Did she dare touch it? Did she have the power that Tase mentioned, or was that all mindwash bullshit?