“Not just a run-of-the-mill demon, then,” Dalton said.
“No. From her description of the hunters’ destruction of the demon, and his name, it was a Lord.”
“So, he was out trolling for a human host for demon baby-making?” Ryder asked.
“Seems that way. And succeeded, too.”
“Do you know the names of all of the Sons of Darkness?” Ryder asked. “Is there like. .a flowchart or something?”
Michael snorted. “We do know who they all are and actually, yeah, there is a flowchart. The Realm has had contact with all of them and we’ve catalogued them through the centuries. We know who lives. . and who has died.”
“Like Ben and Bart.” Ryder knew those two for certain since he’d been present at both their deaths. Other than those two, he was in the dark.
“Are there always twelve?” Ryder asked, remembering that when Lou told them about the Sons of Darkness, he mentioned twelve Lords.
“Yes. There are always twelve. When one dies, another is-promoted, I’d guess you could put it-as a Lord to take his place. They are the master rulers of the demons.”
“And are we part of all this?” Angelique asked.
Angelique and Isabelle stood in the doorway. So similar, and yet different in so many ways. He could easily tell them apart, even though their faces were mirror images. Yes, hair color and style were different, but he knew Angie, could pick her from Isabelle even if their hair had been exactly the same. Maybe it was because he knew Angelique better; her body language was different from her sister’s.
There was just something different about her. . something in her eyes as she looked at him. At least for a brief second before whipping her gaze away to put her attention on Michael.
“You are indeed part of all this,” Michael said. “Come on in and join us. I’ll try to answer as many of your questions as I can.”
Angelique took her sister’s hand and led her into the room.
Ryder noticed that Angelique took a seat next to Mandy, as far away from him as possible-like across the room.
Yeah, she was definitely mad at him. And she wouldn’t make eye contact with him.
“We’ve been studying your mother’s diary,” Michael said.
“May I?” Angelique asked.
“Of course.” Michael handed the journal to her. “The demon who fathered you was a Lord of the Sons of Darkness.”
Angelique’s head shot up, her eyes wide. “A Lord?”
“Yes.”
“That’s bad,” she whispered, staring down again at the diary.
“It is?” Isabelle asked.
“Yes.” Angelique looked at Michael. “Tell her about the Queen of Darkness.”
“Who’s the Queen of Darkness?” Isabelle turned to look at Angelique, then at Michael.
“We don’t know. Bart mentioned it in Australia when he was performing the ceremony with the black diamond. Something about Nic having to join hands with the Queen of Darkness to empower the black diamond.”
Angelique and Isabelle exchanged worried glances. Did they really think either of them could be the socalled Queen of Darkness?
“Bart said I wasn’t ‘the one,’ ” Angelique said.
“Yes. He did. Which doesn’t mean he was referring to the queen.”
“What else could he have been referring to? Please don’t treat me like I’m stupid. I can connect the dots just fine.”
She was anything but stupid, that much Ryder already knew. Her mind processed things at a rapid pace. What he’d said to her in her room had been true-she really would make a great demon hunter. She could think on her feet and she wasn’t easily afraid. Add her demon blood into the mix and the woman could kick ass.
Ryder didn’t admire many people, thought very few his equal, mainly because of his skills. He’d worked his ass off to gain the knowledge and abilities he had, and he felt that put him a step above a lot of people. He admired and respected his fellow hunters, but he was as good as most of them.
Most people didn’t have the proficiency. Angelique? Yeah, she could slip into line with them in a heartbeat. He’d love to have her fighting next to him.
“I would never imply you’re stupid, Angelique. I just don’t happen to believe that either you or your sister is the socalled Queen of Darkness that Bart mentioned.”
“Then why would he have dragged me into the ceremony with Nic? Why was he so angry when the light within the black diamond died as soon as I touched it?”
“Because even the Sons of Darkness can guess wrong,” Michael said with a twitch of his lips.
“You mean even they don’t know who the Queen of Darkness is?” Ryder asked.
