Darkness Hunts (DA 4) (11 page)

“And yet here you are, wanting my help.”

“Just because I hate what you do doesn’t mean I won’t use you if I need to.”

White teeth flashed in what I presumed was a grin, though it was an oddly unsettling one. “If you had answered any other way—if you had been less than honest—I would have walked out the door.”

“Then thank god for honesty.” I contemplated her over the rim of the champagne glass. “So, back to my original question—did Lucian fill you in on why we wanted to speak to you?”

“Yes.” The amusement died from her lips. “I know of the reapers—one such as I cannot help but be aware of them. However, I did not know there were beings called Aedh who once manned the gates to heaven and hell. Or that some fool wants the gates of hell opened permanently.”

That raised my eyebrows. “Don’t you trade with hellkind?”

“Of course, but that doesn’t mean I want all hell to break loose here on earth. If demons were as common as ants, it would destroy my business.”

I snorted softly. Consorting with demons was a business, was it? “Then you also know why I need your help.”

She nodded. “However, we are talking about a device created by beings who
aren’t
of this world. I will need to get the feel of it before I can say whether I could help you or not.”

“That’s going to be a bit hard, given that it’s woven into the fabric of my heart.”

Lauren gave me a cool smile. “I did not mean that in the literal sense.”

“Then how did you mean it?”

“I simply need to touch you. Stand up.”

I took a large gulp of champagne, then did so. She pressed her hand under my left breast, the coolness of her long fingers sending goose bumps skittering across my skin. There was nothing sexual in her touch, nothing dark or uneasy, and yet all of those things slid through me.

Lauren closed her eyes. For several minutes, she neither moved nor breathed, although she obviously
was
breathing, since otherwise she’d have passed out.

Then she retracted her touch and opened her eyes, a frown creasing her smooth features. “The device is very powerful. I’m not entirely sure if it could be stopped from functioning for any length of time.”

“Damn.” I sat back on my chair and met Lucian’s gaze. “It was worth a shot, I guess.”

“Young woman, you weren’t listening.” Her soft voice held more than a hint of rebuke. “I
said
I couldn’t stop it for any length of time. Meaning, it might just be possible to stop it for brief minutes.”

“A few minutes is better than nothing.” I hesitated. “But whether we could use it would depend on just what it takes to achieve that.”

Her gaze slid down my length. Horror swamped me. Not
that
, I thought. Anything but that. Or blood.

But when her gaze met mine again, there was little in the way of desire. Just cool calculation. And if I hadn’t been aware of it before, then that look alone was enough to tell me she was
very
dangerous.

“Lucian has already informed me of your aversion to blood magic—”

“I thought you said she didn’t do blood magic,” I cut in, glancing at Lucian.

He shrugged. “If I had said anything else, would you have come here?”

“Probably not.”

“Then that explains the lie. You need to explore
all
options, Risa. It is foolish to do otherwise.”

“Blood magic is
not
an option.”

“Which is a shame, as it’s the most powerful form of magic available here on earth,” Lauren commented.

I met her gaze again. “It also taints the user in the extreme.”

“That is a debate I will not get into. It does, however, lessen our options.”

“At least there
are
options.” Hopefully, there were some that were a little less unhealthy than blood magic. Although Ilianna was going to hit the roof either way.

“Perhaps.” She glanced at Lucian, then rose and finished her drink. “I will be in contact if I uncover any possibilities.”

She gave me another of those cool, thoughtful looks, then walked out. But as I watched her leave, foreboding shivered through me. She
would
find a way to mute the Raziq’s device—I had no doubt of that.

Just as I had no doubt that the price would be one I’d be reluctant to pay.

I rubbed my arms against the sudden chill in my flesh, and couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief when the door closed behind her.

“I’m glad she isn’t staying for dinner.”

“So am I.” Lucian topped up my glass. “As much as I like the occasional threesome, I have this odd feeling you would not have been your usual unrestrained self.”

I gave him a wry smile. “That is, of course, presuming I’ll have anything to be unrestrained about.”

He gave me an innocent smile. “Of course.”

I crossed my legs. “So how come you know about this place and I don’t?”

“A client told me about it and offered an introduction.”

His gaze was on my legs and his hunger stirred the air. It echoed through me, warm and delicious. “An introduction? You have to be introduced and approved to be a member here?”

He nodded. “Franklin’s caters to the rich. This place caters to the überrich, as well as those who derive pleasure from watching.”

“You can watch in any of the wolf clubs. And Franklin’s has private viewing rooms.”

“Yes, but we are not talking about common sex here.”

“BDSM?” I had no problem with that in and of itself, but beyond the odd handcuff fantasy, I really wasn’t into that sort of sexual play.

He nodded. “And blood play, fetishes, fantasies—but not all at once. Every night has a different ‘theme.’”

“And the theme tonight?”

“Bondage.” His gaze pinned mine, the intensity making my heart hammer. He didn’t care where we were; he just wanted—intended—to make love to me tonight. And while I hungered for his touch, somewhere in the dark recesses unease stirred anew. Because while I was part wolf, and did have an above-average sex drive, this was definitely more than that. But no matter how uneasy I was feeling right now, it wasn’t enough to make me walk away. Not yet. He added, “But we do not have to stay. We can walk to my place, and I shall personally cook dinner for you.”

And then we shall love until you can take no more and beg for me to stop
.

The thought whispered through my brain, distant and tantalizing. I wasn’t entirely sure that the thought was mine, although I wasn’t telepathic, and certainly hadn’t been able to catch his thoughts before now. But then, did I need to? The hunger in his eyes made it very evident where his thoughts were headed.

“Isn’t your place a little too far away?” I had no problem about actually walking there, but not in these heels.

A smile teased his lips. “As it so happens, I recently purchased a nearby building for investment purposes, but I’m keeping the top floor for myself. The entire place is being renovated, but I have a kitchen and bathroom in working order.”

I was betting the bedroom was in working order, too. “Why arrange to meet here, then? Why not just meet in your apartment in the first place?”

He caught my hands and raised them, palms toward him, to his lips. “Because Lauren wanted someplace public, but absolutely secure. Maxwell’s is certainly that.”

Lie, lie, lie
. But the thought died abruptly as he began to place gentle kisses on each of my fingertips, then drew one into his mouth and sucked on it lightly. My breathing hitched, then became more erratic. I might have doubts about him, but there was no denying my attraction, enhanced or not.

“So,” he added eventually, “what is it to be?”

From the minute I’d walked into this room, there was only ever going to be one outcome, and we both knew it. The
where
was a secondary consideration. I raised an eyebrow, and a victorious grin lit his features.

“I thought as much, which is why I already have a lamb roast in the oven.”

“And everyone knows a good lamb roast is a guaranteed way of getting into any werewolf’s bed.”

“Well, that and dessert. Which is a triple-layer chocolate mousse cake.”

I laughed, then leaned over the counter and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. It left mine tingly with anticipation. “I might just forgive you if the food’s as good as it sounds.”

“Excellent. Shall we make a retreat?”

I downed the rest of the champagne, and felt its effervescence all the way down to my toes. “Let’s.”

He came around the counter and offered me his arm. I slipped mine through his, and he escorted me out of the building and across the road to his apartment. It was one of those grand old Victorians that Collins Street was famous for, and only five stories high, which meant his floor was at treetop level. The old lift rattled and shook as it swept us upward, then opened to reveal a vast room that was filled with building debris and smelled of paint and dust.

“Welcome to my palace.” He grinned as he caught my hand and guided me through the mess of dustcovers and workmen’s tools.

We walked through the remains of a wall into the kitchen area. It was very rudimentary. There was an oven, a fridge, and the bare bones of two small counters—one of which held the sink—but just about everything else had been gutted. Plates were stacked on the non-sink counter and a drawer that held cutlery sat on the floor near it. But the mouthwatering scent of roasting meat filled the air. I breathed deep, then sighed in contentment.

“God, I don’t think there’s a better scent in this world.” I crossed my arms and leaned against the free bench.

Lucian’s smile was wicked. “Oh, I can think of one or two. What would you like to drink? I have wine or champagne in the fridge.”

“Champers again, thanks.” I watched him pour the drinks, then asked, “So how did you actually find Lauren?”

He walked over to the oven and opened the door. Steam billowed, and the smell of roasting meat intensified. My belly rumbled happily. “I asked around, as I said. She was the only one willing to meet me. Us.”

I took a sip of champagne, enjoying the tease of bubbles on my nose. “So you’ve never met her before today?”

“No.” He hesitated, and looked over his shoulder. “Why?”

I shrugged. “It just seemed a little odd that you’d be in a place like that with someone you didn’t know for over an hour.”

“Well, I did have to explain the whole damn situation.” He paused, then said, “As an aside, did you leave your demon sword behind, as requested?”

I blinked at both the sudden change of direction and the fact that he couldn’t sense her. “You can’t tell?”

“I’m not sensitive to her magic, so no.”

I frowned. “I would have thought
all
Aedh would be sensitive to anything demon-related, given their traditional role of gate guardians.”

For a moment the darkness in his eyes was so intense it almost verged on insanity. It was gone just as quickly, but its mark remained, leaving me cold inside. It made me wonder why the hell I was spending so much time with him—what was the draw, beyond great sex? Why oh why did he have this incredible pull on me? Was it just a matter of Aedh calling Aedh? Or was there something else at work? Something deeper. Darker.

I really didn’t know, but I was beginning to suspect it might pay to find out.

“As I’ve mentioned before,” he said, “many things were ripped from me when they stole my wings and forever contained me in flesh.”

I forced a hand up and lightly caressed his cheek. “That doesn’t make you any less an Aedh in my eyes.”

He grinned, and the final remnants of darkness fled. “That’s because I’m still potent where it counts. Now stop avoiding the question.”

I hesitated. He couldn’t sense Amaya and—given that she was shadow-wreathed and little more than invisible particles right now—he certainly wouldn’t feel her, so I saw no reason not to lie. Especially since I still had that niggling, deep-down chill and more than a small suspicion that he wasn’t being honest with me. “Well, there was much protest from Azriel, but I did do as you requested.”

“I’m glad. And thank you for trusting me.”

A statement that only made me feel bad for
not
trusting him.

He closed the oven door and walked around to where I stood. His lips brushed the back of my neck, and then he said softly, “Dinner will be another hour, at least. What do you suggest we do?”

His breath teased my earlobes, and a delighted shiver ran through me. “How about we talk?”

“About what?” The sound of my shift’s zipper being slid down seemed to echo through the vast space around us.

“How about why it took an hour to update the dark sorcerer, for a start. We both know that’s a lie, Lucian.”

“Perhaps.” His fingers brushed my spine, and desire coursed through me. “These scars are new.”

“They’re a present from the Rakshasa I killed.” My voice held a slightly husky edge. I swallowed some more champers, but it didn’t do a lot to curb the rise of desire. And whether the fierceness of that desire was natural or not didn’t really seem to matter at this point in time. “Explain what you mean by ‘perhaps.’”

He slid his hands around my waist, linking them just under my breasts. My nipples went tight. Ached with expectation.

“When you said you wanted to talk, I didn’t actually think you meant it.”

“I just want an honest answer, Lucian. That’s all.”

“There’s nothing sinister going on, if that’s what you’re implying. The simple fact is, no dark sorcerer does anything for nothing. She wanted payment, in blood.”

Horror twisted through me. I turned in his arms. “You didn’t give it to her, did you?”

“Why wouldn’t I? This is just a form I’m forced to use, Risa. I do not cherish it the way you all do.”

“But giving a dark sorcerer your blood? That’s like giving a thief free access to your credit card. It’s stupid—and dangerous.”

“She can’t do anything worse than what has already been done to me.” His voice was both grim and dark, and again it had me wondering just what lengths he’d go to for the sake of revenge. More than I could ever guess, I suspected. “I do not fear her, Risa, and neither should you.”