Dangerous (Courting the Darkness Saga) (4 page)

Desiree looked up at
Mica and smiled. “We’ll be back in an hour or so.”

He kissed her forehead
gently. “I’ll be waiting.”

Drake crossed his arms
over his chest. “I’ll be waiting too.”

He’ll be waiting for me
, ran through Sherry’s mind, causing
a warmth
to flutter through her heart. Her steps faltered
with the sudden urge to run back and throw herself into his arms.
Slow down girl, he’s not here waiting for
you, he’s here to see Desiree, remember?
Her mind screamed at her
. Besides, he’s not for you. He’s a vampire.
Witches and vampires don’t mix. Don’t go and do something stupid to embarrass
yourself all over again. Just get the hell out of here and try to salvage
what’s left of your dignity. Put one foot in front of the other and just walk
out that door. Now!
She clutched Desiree's jacket sleeve and tugged. “Come
on—please.”

“Charles is out front
waiting in the limo,” Mica remarked. “He'll drive you both wherever you need to
go.”

Desiree stopped in
mid-step,
then
turned back to Mica in surprise. “You
have a limo?”

Mica smiled and winked
at her. “Yes,
we
do. How were you
intending on getting to the restaurant?”

She shrugged. “I
thought we would go in Sherry’s car.”

Mica shook his head.
“You need a bodyguard.”

“But—”

He let out a slow breath
and continued to shake his head. “After everything that happened last week,
you’re not going anywhere by yourself. I don’t want to go through any of that
again.”

“But—”

“Desiree, this isn’t up
for debate.”

“Fine,” she said
through clenched teeth. “Come on Sherry, let’s go find our babysitter.”

Drake roared with
laughter. “Are you having trouble in paradise already?”

Desiree straightened
her shoulders and marched out of the house with Sherry in tow. She slammed the
door behind her. “Of all the arrogant, egotistical….”

Sherry laughed softly. “Drake
shouldn’t have laughed, but Mica’s right.” She shook her head and climbed into
the backseat of the limo. “You shouldn’t call Mica names like that. You were
almost killed several times last week. He’s just trying to protect you.”

Desiree’s eyebrow shot
up. “I was referring to Drake with my comments,” she huffed.

Sherry's mouth dropped
open.
“Drake?
He didn’t do anything. Mica was the one
bossing you around, not Drake.”

Desiree shot her a
suspicious look. “Hummmm….”

“And that’s supposed to
mean—what?”

Desiree settled into
the seat across from Sherry. “You and I need to have a serious talk,
girlfriend.”

Chapter Five

Sherry pushed her plate
away and leaned back in the booth. “Okay, Desiree, now that my stomach is no
longer touching my backbone, I’d like you to finish your story. I have nothing
against your boyfriend, but I’d like to hear the rest of this story without any
interruptions.”

Desiree gave her a
blank look. “So much has happened that I can’t remember where I left off.”

Sherry rolled her eyes
and grinned. “You were about to tell me what happened after the vampires carted
the others off.”

“Okay, when the other
vampire clan carted the others off, they left me in that dark cave by myself.” The
smile dropped from Desiree’s face, and she shook her head. “I never really knew
that I was afraid of the dark until the trip to that cave.” She shivered.
“Anyway, I swallowed my fear and made my way outside to the van. I knew Mica
had left the cell phone there. My plan was to call Drake and get help.” Sherry
sat up and listened more attentively. “Anyway, I called Drake, and
unfortunately there was no way that any of them could get from New Orleans to
Sevierville before sunup. Drake had suggested that I let Mica get himself out
of his predicament, and that I needed to come back to New Orleans.”

Sherry tilted her head
in confusion. “But—he didn’t want to help? I don’t understand. You were there
because of him.”

“No, I was there
because Jason Hargrove kidnapped me and carted me off to Salem. Drake sent Mica
to rescue me, and—well—it’s not that he didn’t want to help…I think that if we
had been close enough, he would have sent a rescue party.” She shrugged. “I
guess he figured that Mica and Denise weren’t going to make it, and he really
wanted that spell.” She rolled her eyes and shrugged again. “Anyway, I told him
that I wasn’t coming back to New Orleans without Mica. He said that he was
sorry, but there was no time for them to get there, and that I was on my own
for the rescue.”

“So, if Drake didn’t
send you any help, then how did they get away?”

“You see, Mica and I
have bonded as mates. We can feel what each other
feels
.
I discovered through that bond that I can communicate with him as well. He
allowed me to see through his eyes, so that I could see where they were.” She
shrugged. “I cast a couple of spells, one of which was for the keys to the Express
Van. They really weren’t that far away, just a few miles. I parked the van at a
safe distance and snuck up on the vampires.” She bit her lip apprehensively. “I
cast a spell so that the vampire clan would think that they were seeing the
light of day, and that they would feel the burn of the sun’s rays, and the only
way to get away from the burn was to hide in the shadows until my task was
done. They scattered to the caves to hide.”

Sherry laughed. “That
was brilliant!”

Desiree smiled
sheepishly. “I thought so too, but Mica was mad as hell.”

“You saved his butt,
didn’t you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but
that wasn’t the problem. Mica was afraid that by me casting that spell, the
clan of vampires would seek me out to kill me for revenge.”

Sherry swallowed hard. “That
would be bad. I guess that’s why you have the bodyguard now, huh?”

She shook her head. “No—not
really…the clan found us last night at Drake’s headquarters. They wouldn’t
listen to reason and attacked all of us. They’re all dead now.”

“Okay—so—why does Mica
think you need a bodyguard?”

She shrugged. “I think
he might be a little over protective…I couldn’t imagine who else could be after
me. But then again, this time last week I didn’t know all this would happen,
either.”

The waitress brought a
pot of coffee to the table, along with the check. “Would y’all care for more
coffee?”

Desiree held out her
cup. “Yes, please.”

Sherry smiled up at the
waitress. “I would love another cup.”

The waitress filled their
cups, and both women picked up their cups and took a sip.

Sherry placed the mug
on the table, cradling it in her hands. “So, it sounds like you had quite an
adventure.”

“Yeah, I did. Things
were a little scary at times, but I really don’t have many regrets from it.”

Desiree’s tone had Sherry
tilting her head and staring hard at her friend. “You have some regrets? Aren’t
you happy that you’re with Mica?”

Desiree sighed heavily.
“Oh, I’m very happy that I wound up with Mica. The last ninety years have been
very lonely for me, and he makes me feel again.”

Sherry smirked. “I bet
he does.”

Desiree cleared her
throat and smiled. “Yes, well—he does at that, but that’s not what I meant.” She
laughed lightly, then picked up her coffee cup and took another sip. “I meant
emotionally. I now feel a purpose that I haven’t felt in years. Mica’s the best
thing that has ever happened to me.”

“So, if Mica’s the best
thing that has ever happened to you, then what’s the regret?”

Desiree’s gaze leveled
with hers. “I regret the loss of my freedom.”

“I’m sure this thing
with the bodyguard won’t last long, and then Mica should let you do what you
want.”

“It’s not Mica holding
me captive.” Her eyes dropped to the coffee cup. “Drake is my captor, not
Mica.”

Sherry sat back in her
seat,
then
threw out her hand. “How can
Drake
be your captor?”

Desiree looked up,
then
shrugged. “He is the king of this area, and what he
says is law. It took a lot of fast-talking to get Drake to relent and let me
leave his protection to stay with Mica. If I refuse to do what he says, he will
command me to move back into the warehouse, and I will have no choice. Since
Mica and I are mates, he will allow Mica to come with me, but Mica doesn’t like
living with the nest. I couldn’t do that to him. So, I do as I’m told.”

“But—but—that’s just
not fair.”

“Whether it’s fair or
not is irrelevant. Drake is a dangerous man with a hot temper, and is accustomed
to getting
everything
he wants. Those
that oppose him have a very short life span. He doesn’t handle the word ‘
no
’ very well either.” She sighed.
“Since I was able to cast that spell for him, he thinks of me as a valuable
possession. He told us that there’s a vampire war brewing, and a clan about
three times the size of Drakes is vying for his territory. He thinks my magic
can help, and only allows me to leave as long as I remain at his beck and
call.” She brought a trembling hand up to her forehead. “Hey, is it me, or is
it getting warm in here?”

Sherry shifted uneasily
in her seat and pulled on the collar of her sweater. “It is a little warm in
here.”

“It must be my lack of
sleep, but I’m getting overwhelmingly tired.”

“Now that you mention
it, I’m extremely tired too.”

Desiree took a twenty
out of her purse and placed it on the table with the check. “I need to run to
the lady’s room and splash some cold water on my face before we leave. Maybe
it’ll help.”

“I’ll go with you.”
They each grabbed their purses. “Are we going straight back to the mansion?”
They slid out of the booth and made their way to the lady’s room.

“That was the plan.”

“I guess we’ll talk
about the coven stuff when we get back to your house then.”

Desiree sighed heavily.
“I may have to give you a rain check for a couple of hours on that one. I think
I need to lie down.”

“Are you really that
tired?” Sherry asked as she opened the door to the lady’s room.

Desiree brushed past
her and headed straight for the sink. “I’m afraid so.” She ran the cold water
and splashed it on her face, then grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and placed it
on the back of her neck.

“Desiree, you don’t
look so hot. Maybe I need to call Mica.”

Desiree stood up
straight at the mention of calling Mica. “No! I’m just tired—I’ll be okay.” She
swayed a little on her feet and grabbed the edge of the sink. “Just give me a
minute.”

“You look like you’re
going to pass out. Sit down on the floor and put your head between your knees.”

Desiree shook her head.
“No—I’ll be….” Desiree’s eyes rolled in the back of her head,
then
she hit the ceramic tile floor of the bathroom.

Sherry hit her knees on
the floor next to her friend’s unconscious body. She grabbed her shoulders and
shook her. “Desiree…Desiree…
wake
up! Something’s wrong
with you, and we need to get out of here!” She brought a trembling hand to her
own forehead as her head started to swim too. Her heart raced with fear. “Oh
God, I think we’ve been drugged. Please—wake—up….” She fell forward,
unconscious, across Desiree.

***

A lone figure opened
the bathroom stall and stood over the girls’ unconscious bodies. He pushed on
Desiree’s shoulder with the toe of his boot. She didn’t budge. “Let’s see you
get away again, witch,” he growled.

Chapter Six

Drake paced the floor
impatiently. How long could it possibly take to eat breakfast? He looked up at
the clock on the mantel. “What’s taking them so long?”

Mica’s patience with
Drake was sorely tested, and he couldn’t hide the irritation in his voice. “Wearing
a hole in my carpet isn’t going to make them return any faster. Please sit
down.”

“I’ll sit down when I’m
damn good and ready to sit down, and not a minute before.”

Mica really didn’t want
to argue with him, but Drake’s agitation was getting on Mica’s nerves. Desiree
was
his
mate, and he didn’t like her
at Drake’s every beck and call. He sighed heavily. “I can feel Desiree’s moods;
she won’t run, if that’s what you’re worried about. She might not like being
under your royal thumb, but she won’t leave me. Besides, I’ve sent Charles with
them. He’ll keep an eye on her. Desiree should be safe enough.”

Drake stopped in
mid-stride and turned on his friend. “I wasn’t referring to Desiree,” he
snarled impatiently. “She’s your mate. Of course she’ll come back…you are
bonded to each other. Sherry, on the other hand, might not be so compelled to
come back. She might choose to take this opportunity to run, and I won’t stand
for it.
I
want
her
back.”