She sniffed and nodded. “I was alone. It was cold. Shock and stress, I think. I’ll be fine.”
“Do you remember anything?” Michael asked.
She pulled back and realized there were even more hunters standing around besides Dalton and the others-people she remembered from Australia.
How many people had they brought in to search for her?
She shook her head. “Nothing. After they took me from the church, I woke up down there. No one came in and I couldn’t get out.”
“What about Isabelle?”
Cold dread sank like a lead weight in her stomach. “Izzy isn’t here.”
Dalton frowned over Ryder’s shoulder. “How do you know?”
“I felt her. And the black diamond.”
At their quizzical looks, she said, “Something happened while I was in the room. It was like a sudden awareness of both my sister and the black diamond.” She turned her gaze to Michael. “Isabelle isn’t in this place. She’s somewhere else. And the black diamond is with her. She’s touched it and brought it to life.”
“How can you be so sure?” Ryder asked.
She shrugged. “I can’t explain it, but I feel it. It’s like a movie playing in my head, thoughts that are occurring in real time.”
“Do you know where she is?”
She fought the tears, refused to let them fall again. “No. I see bits and pieces, but not location.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Michael said. “Before we get more visitors. We’ve got to get Angelique back to the Realm. Then we’ll see if we can track Isabelle and the black diamond.”
Ryder grabbed Angelique’s arm. “Good idea. I’ll feel a lot better once Angie’s safe.”
“I was never in danger, Ryder. They didn’t want me.” She sat in the library while Ryder paced in front of her. The others were piled in there, too. After they returned, she’d taken a shower and gotten something to eat. Now she was curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea, feeling much warmer than she’d been earlier.
“Don’t you see? I was a decoy. You found me easily, just like the Sons of Darkness wanted you to.”
Ryder scrubbed his hand over his face. “No, I don’t see. And it wasn’t so damn easy.”
“He probably has cactus spines stuck in his. . well, wherever,” Gina said with a smirk. “We had to crawl through a field. They’re all cranky.”
Angelique’s lips quirked. “I see. I’ll work on getting those out later.”
Ryder shot a glare at Gina. “Not funny. And I don’t have cactus spines on any part of me. I’m irritated at Angie.”
“Why?” Angelique asked.
“Because I don’t agree with your assessment of what went down. I think the Sons of Darkness still want to use you.”
She shook her head. “I’m useless to them. That was already proven in Australia. As soon as I laid my hands over the black diamond, the light inside it went dark.”
“Just because you aren’t as powerful as your sister doesn’t mean you don’t have value to the Sons of Darkness,” Lou said. “Remember, you are still the daughter of a Lord, one of the high demons. You are highly revered by them.”
“Lou’s right,” Derek said. “The Sons of Darkness don’t easily let go of their own. I know.”
She didn’t believe that. “That’s not true. Don’t you remember, Lou? Bart cast me aside as if I was nothing to them. And Derek, have they come after you since the incident with Ben?”
Derek shook his head. “No. They haven’t.”
“See? They have no use for me, for Derek, or for Nic, and we all have demon blood. But they do want Isabelle.”
“I have a feeling that some of the Lords might disagree with many of the decisions Bart and Ben had made,” Michael interjected. “The Sons of Darkness have a need for someone of your power. For you and Derek and Nic. I think you’re all vulnerable.”
Frustration ate at her, made her stomach twinge. Why weren’t they out looking for Izzy instead of having this ridiculous discussion? “I have no power. Don’t you think I tried? If I had any useful demon blood in me, why couldn’t I conjure it up to get myself out of that room?”
“Demon power manifests itself in unusual ways, Angelique,” Lou explained. “Both Derek and Nic had to learn that, too. You’re still very young and not in control of your skills yet. None of us knows what you can do, or can’t do, what any of you who are half demon are fully capable of. You may never be able to call it up at will.”
They could argue that for hours and it wouldn’t locate Izzy. “Either way, now we have to find my sister.”
“Yes,” Michael said. “And I know where she is.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “We’re going back to the church where you originally hid the black diamond.”
Angelique frowned. “Why there?”
“They’re underground in that location. Isabelle and the black diamond are there.”
“On sacred ground?” Mandy asked. “I thought that was impossible.”
“Somehow they’ve managed to isolate themselves from the sanctity of the area. I sensed something different about the place, and my suspicions were confirmed when the demons attacked and took Angelique and the black diamond.”
She didn’t ask how he knew that. Maybe he got those insights, those feelings, just like she did. Keepers had mystical abilities of sight. Angelique didn’t care, as long as Michael was correct about Isabelle’s whereabouts.
But now she was worried about Father Vintaldi, who had been so nice to her. “How soon do we leave?”
“We leave immediately,” Michael said. “You will stay here.”
“I have to go with you.”
Michael shook his head. “No. They’ve already taken you once. I’m not going to let it happen again.” Michael looked around the room. “I need someone to volunteer to stay behind and protect Angelique.”
“I’ll do it.”
Angelique couldn’t believe Ryder had been the first to offer. Immediately. Without hesitation. He loved a good demon fight. Why would he give that up to baby-sit her?
“Make sure she stays put,” Michael said. “We can’t risk the Sons of Darkness grabbing her again. If they do, it could compromise our efforts to get Isabelle.”
This was insane. “It’s important I be there. Don’t you see? I know Father Vintaldi. I know the church grounds. I’ve had contact with the black diamond.”
“You’re not going, Angelique. It’s too risky,” Lou said.
Michael stood, turned to the others. “Weapon up.”
Angelique watched, helpless, as the hunters gathered their gear and met at the door.
“We’ll keep you posted,” Michael said.
Ryder nodded, closed the front door after they left, and returned to the library.
Angelique stood and faced Ryder. “Don’t do this.”
Ryder laid his hands on her shoulders, his expression warm and tender. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but Michael’s right. You need to stay here. After what happened to you the last time at the church, it’s too dangerous for you to walk into the lion’s den.”