She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess so. But I can’t help but wonder: If Angie broke through long enough to help the Realm locate me, maybe the Sons of Darkness can find me, too.”
“Isabelle, it was only a matter of time before the Realm picked up our trail. Angelique may have had nothing to do with it.”
“Maybe. But I feel her. I know she feels me, too.”
“Isn’t it possible you let her in? That you can distinguish between light and darkness?”
“True enough. I do need her.”
“It’ll be good for you to see your sister again.”
She laid her head back against his chest. “I liked being alone with you.”
He liked it, too; he wasn’t ready for the intrusion of reality. But there was nothing either of them could do about it. It was time. “We’ll get through it.” He took her hand in his. “Come on, let’s go outside and greet them.”
She looked up at him in disbelief. “Couldn’t we hide in the closet instead?”
He laughed. “Nice try. But some things have to be faced. And it’s better if they see us waiting for them than if they have to come hunt for us.”
He watched the hunters come down the path from the main house and toward the cabin. A bunch of them, making Dalton wish he had a weapon by his side. But holding a weapon in front of him and Isabelle behind him wouldn’t be a show of good faith, no matter how exposed he felt.
He spotted Derek in the lead, and relaxed a little. He wasn’t sure who would be there, but he knew he had at least one friend. If only Lou were here …
Derek walked with Gina on one side, Michael on the other.
Dalton frowned. What was Michael doing here? Dalton held tight to Isabelle’s hand.
Michael, Mandy, Derek and Gina, Ryder and Angelique-they were all there.
“Hey,” Dalton said, offering up a casual smile. They all smiled back. That was a good sign.
“Hell of a time for you to take a vacation,” Derek said, stepping forward for a quick embrace and a clap on the back.
Gina hugged him, Ryder shook his hand. Angelique flew forward to embrace her sister. Dalton let go of Isabelle’s hand-reluctantly, but she needed this time.
Dalton looked to Michael. “Why are you here?”
Michael frowned. “We need to talk. Dalton, if we could go someplace private.”
Dalton shook his head. “I’d rather keep this public if you don’t mind. Besides, I don’t want any secrets. Isabelle needs to hear it all.”
“Isabelle doesn’t need to be privy to Realm business.”
Dalton crossed his arms. “I’ve already told her a lot. More than you all know, probably.”
“What does that mean?” Angelique asked, searching Isabelle’s face.
Isabelle shook her head. “That’s for Dalton to say, not me.”
Michael shook his head. “If that’s the way you want it.”
Georgie had showed up and stood next to Dalton. Michael turned to her. “Do you mind if we use your house?”
“Of course not.” She led them all to the main house. They went in the back way and toward Georgie’s sitting room. It was dark and cool in there.
“I’ll leave you all to your talk.”
“Georgie, stay,” Dalton said. “You’re going to be in this shortly anyway.”
She paused, then sat, smoothing her voluminous skirt down as she did. “All right.”
At Michael’s frown, Dalton said, “Georgie knows all about the Realm. About the Sons of Darkness and demons.”
Michael shook his head again. “So much for confidentiality.”
Dalton chose one of the two-person chaises, smiling when Isabelle sat next to him and grasped his hand.
“I guess you need to start by explaining why you’re here, Dalton,” Michael said.
At least Michael was giving him the opportunity to explain. He should be grateful for that. But something about Michael’s tone irked him.
“Why are
“Derek said he told you about Lou.”
Dalton gave a short nod.
“I’m sorry. I know how devastating it must have been for you to hear that. But the Realm has put me in charge of your group. I’m your-their-Keeper now.”
Dalton sucked in a breath, feeling raw inside. “This just sucks. I’ve been thinking about Lou the whole time I’ve been here, wishing I could talk to him about all this. If only I’d been there. If I’d stayed …”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Mandy said, her voice tinged with equal parts pain and anger. “You would have been forced to do what we did. It’s better you left. At least you’re spared this guilt we all feel.”
Derek smoothed his hand over Mandy’s hair. “You have nothing to feel guilty over. You did what was asked of you.”
“We could have walked away.”
“And what? Let the demon consume him? Let the Sons of Darkness take him over? Trust me, Lou wouldn’t have wanted to live like that. He’d have taken his own life before he allowed that to happen.”
“That’s true,” Derek said. “We saved him.”
Mandy snorted. “Some saving.”
Isabelle squeezed Dalton’s hand with a fierce grip and refused to let go. He appreciated her strength, the fact that she stayed by his side, more than he could tell her right now.
He couldn’t imagine what they’d all been through, but what he saw on their faces gave him a pretty good idea.
“I’m sorry I wan’t there.” He felt like he’d missed out on so much.
“You made that choice when you took Isabelle and left.”
Michael’s tone told him everything he needed to know. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. Neither was Isabelle.
“I know. But I had a reason for it.”
“You were given instructions.”
“To kill her. She knows.”
Angelique gasped and grasped Isabelle’s other hand. “You can all be so coldhearted sometimes. This is a human being we’re talking about here. My sister.”
“At the time she was neither,” Michael reminded them. “She was a full demon and about to become one of the Sons of Darkness. She almost killed you. What would you have had us do with her?”
“I don’t know. But to give that order without thinking it through …”
“In this business we don’t have the luxury of time to think. Lou and I made that decision based on the evidence given at the moment. Isabelle exhibited no humanity in the cemetery in Sicily. She had to be destroyed.” Michael look to Dalton. “Obviously Dalton thought differently.”
“I did. Because I saw humanity in her that night. And I felt she could be saved. As you can see looking at her now, there’s nothing demonic about her.”
“And since Sicily?”
Dalton shook his head. “Nothing.”
“That’s not true,” Isabelle said, interrupting him. “I’ve had dreams where Tase comes for me and takes me with him. And even during the day I’ve felt his presence, heard his voice. He manipulates me on a subconscious level.” She looked to Dalton. “I tried to kill Dalton with a laser.”
Michael stood. So did Angelique, and Ryder moved in front of both of them.
“Is this true?” Michael asked, looking at Dalton.
“Not the way she explains it.”
“It is, too.”
