The Darkest Touch

She grinned. “Yeah, and you’re Angie. Or is it Angelique?”

“Either will do just fine.”

“Ryder,” Mandy said as he walked by.

“Mandy. Everything secure?”

“Tight.”

“Who’s here?”

Trace stepped up next to Mandy. “Just us. Lou sent us. The rest of them are on a hunt. Damn demons are making strange appearances all over the country, so we’ve been split up. Oh, and a Keeper.”

Ryder arched a brow. “Not Lou?”

“No. Local guy. Michael. He just got here, too. Come on in and I’ll introduce you.”

They moved into the large entryway and a man dressed all in black walked out of the great room.

Wow. One of the things Angelique had remarked about in Australia was that all the demon hunters were gorgeous. She hadn’t expected a Keeper to be the same way. She thought they were. . older. This one wasn’t.

“This is Michael,” Mandy said. “He’s one of the Keepers of the Realm of Light.”

He didn’t look old-world at all. Extremely tall, powerfully built, with wavy black hair and stormy gray eyes. Full lips and an aristocratic nose. He was damn gorgeous.

He walked toward her and held out his hand to shake hers. “Bonjour, Angelique.”

“Bonjour, Michael,” she said.

“Comment allez-vous?” he asked.

“Merci, bien. Et tu?” She was surprised when he began conversing with her in French. They carried on a casual conversation about their trip and the weather for a few moments, until Ryder cleared his throat.

“Sorry,” Michael said, turning to him. “You must be Ryder.” They shook hands, and Ryder looked annoyed.

Angelique couldn’t hold back her smile. Maybe Ryder was a little jealous. She liked that.

“Lou has brought me up to speed on what’s been going on. I’m hoping I can be of some help. He’s sorry he can’t be here, but the demons are keeping them busy throughout the country. He’s working with your people and mine.”

“The demons are hunting for the black diamond,” Angelique said.

“Probably,” Michael said. “Or for the diamond and Isabelle. And you.”

“They don’t appear to have had any problems finding me,” she replied.

Trace frowned at Ryder. “You’ve had skirmishes?”

“Yeah. With some new forms of demons. They appear out of a mist and can’t be killed with our traditional weaponry.”

“Sounds like we need a debriefing,” Mandy said. “I’m cooking in the kitchen. Figured you’d be hungry. Let’s talk and eat.”

Angelique’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. “You’re saving my life,” she said to Mandy.

“Yeah,” Trace said from behind Angelique. “She cooks and kills demons. I might have to marry her.”

“In your dreams,” Mandy quipped.

They ate, and Ryder and Angelique filled them in on what had transpired with the demons they’d battled.

“Lou told me about the new breed of demons. We’re working on designing new weaponry for you to use,” Michael said.

“I think you’re kind of young for a Keeper,” Mandy said, stating what many of them probably thought, too.

Michael smiled. “My father was a Keeper-one of the few who defied the Sons of Darkness when they began slaughtering the wives and children of Keepers in order to dwindle our numbers. Because the female demons were sterile and could not reproduce, they thought in order to keep the war between us balanced, they would make sure our side couldn’t reproduce, either. But my father refused to let the Sons of Darkness win. When his first wife and child were killed, he remarried. After I was born, he hid me away, teaching me and training me in the ways of the Keepers.”

“And you survived,” Angelique said.

Michael nodded. “I survived. There are more of us around than the Sons of Darkness know. And we’re stronger now than ever before.”

“So the Keepers are. . magical?” Angelique asked.

“We each have certain gifts that are passed down from generation to generation.”

“Cool,” Trace said. “Lou seems to know where demons are. He senses them.”

“All Keepers can,” Michael said. “It’s useful.”