Darkness Taunts (5 page)

“Forgive me for the long wait,” the witch said, squinting at us through the dark. “Today has been more demanding than usual.”

She stood in the space of the open gate and began working her magic. I could feel the twists and pulls of it as she created an opening we could pass through. When it was big enough, she waved at us to come forward.

“Welcome, Lucas of Pistiros and Melena…”

“You don’t need her surname,” Lucas interrupted.

The tension ratcheted up a notch. “Very well. You may call me Kristen. I’ll lead you up to the house where Aeson is waiting.”

I kept my face averted while we walked. The name kept running through my mind and bugging me as much as her supernatural signature. I needed to figure out who she was in case it was important. Think, Melena, think. It had to be someone from a long time ago or I’d have figured it out sooner. What witches could I have come into contact with that far back? Then it hit me.

“Kristen,” I said, drawing her attention as we continued up the drive. “Where are you from?”

We were getting closer to the lights around the house. I could see her better now and knew I had to be right.

Her brows knitted. “Why do you ask?”

“California, maybe?”

She stared at me for a few seconds before her eyes lit up. “Oh my God, Melena—as in Melena Sanders?”

Lucas put up a silencing spell as soon as she said my first name. It would keep our voices from carrying beyond our group. He sure was acting paranoid.

“That’s me,” I said. We embraced in a big hug. Who knew I’d run into the one witch I’d entrusted with all my secrets when I’d first come into my sensor abilities. For over a year—until my adopted parents died when I was fifteen—we’d hung out almost every day. Living next door to each other had made that easy. She’d appreciate that I was the one person she could mess up her spells around and not worry about them affecting me.

Kristen pulled away and smiled. “It’s been almost twelve years, hasn’t it? I’ve thought about you so many times, but didn’t know how to find you.”

“It’s a long story,” I said.

Lucas cleared his throat. “Too long. You can catch up another time. We have more important matters to attend.”

“You’re such a jackass,” I told him. “You’re taking how much of my time for these so called matters, but God forbid I be allowed a minute to reunite with an old friend?”

Lucas took us both by our arms and guided us toward the double doors at the front of the house. “I’m in no mood for overly enthusiastic female reunions. Save it for later.”

“I wish it’d been you I’d hit with the iron poker,” I grumbled.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “Try it, sensor. Push me a little harder and see what happens.”

I shivered. Lucas wasn’t nearly as angry as he outwardly made himself out to be. I rubbed my fingers over the hand gripping my arm. The tingles between us intensified. “Don’t tempt me.”

He let go and put a couple of feet between us. Sometimes, he could be so predictable.

Kristen took the lead and guided us through a large foyer with white marble floors. Other than several life-like statues of wild cats, and a couple of small tables with vases on them, it was empty. We passed a sweeping staircase made of the same marble as the floors and moved on to a well-lit corridor. Another set of double doors stood open on the left. Kristen led us through them and over to the far side of the room where an intimate seating arrangement had been set up.

The furniture appeared fragile and yet lavish—like something out of the 1920s. Gold and red floral drapes covered the windows and crown molding accented the walls and ceiling. She indicated for us to take a seat and left with an apologetic smile for me. We’d find another chance to talk soon.

I picked an antique chair near the corner that had its back to the wall and gave me a full view of the room. Lucas settled onto a settee near the window that he almost engulfed. A good ten feet of space separated us. We focused our attention on anything but each other.

My sup radar let me know when the cambion began heading in our direction. In this monstrosity of a place it took him some time since he stopped a few times along the way. The closer he came, the more a cotton candy taste developed on my tongue. Each supernatural race hit my senses differently, but I’d never had an experience like that before. The lusty vibes he sent out didn’t affect me like they would others, but I suddenly wished I had a glass of water. This guy was going to pack a punch.

Lucas and I stood when he came through the doors. He shut them behind him and moved toward us wearing nothing but a pair of silk pants and an open robe. Fluid movements defined his every step. I tried to swallow what saliva remained in my mouth. One look at this man and all a woman could think about was hot, steamy nights on the Mediterranean coast. Dark hair and eyes, along with flawless olive skin, made me wonder if he’d been born in that part of the world.

A subtle magic filled the air around him; the kind that could reduce almost anyone to a puddle of need. It didn’t affect me, but the pheromones he put out worked well enough on my senses. I didn’t have immunity to the natural stuff.

My knees began to weaken under the sensual assault. I had to grab a chair arm to hold myself up. The cambion smiled to reveal a set of straight, white teeth. God he had sexy lips—and those cheek bones. They were something out of a GQ magazine. Raw need grew inside me and my mind began to fog. All I could think about was how badly I wanted this man to throw me on the floor, rip my clothes off, and have his way with me. I shook my head hard. He was a stranger and a sup. How could I let him take control of me like this?

I moved over to Lucas one agonizing step at a time. The center between my legs ached so badly it made walking difficult. Better to stand by the enemy I knew. He jerked when I bumped into him, but in the next moment he pulled me closer. Blessed relief from the cambion came with his touch. His arms wrapped around my body and locked us together. A hard protrusion coming from his pants let me know he was fighting his own raging lust. The pheromones and magic didn’t differentiate between genders, but together we could fight it. Our odd connection gave us an advantage so long as we stayed close.

I let out a sigh and leaned my head against Lucas’ chest to breathe in his musky scent. It was a luxury I had never allowed myself before, but it helped drown out the other man’s overwhelming odor. Everywhere we touched grew tingly and a new kind of desire rose up. I’d felt this one enough times I could handle it—for the moment.

“Turn it off, Aeson,” Lucas said through gritted teeth.

The cambion’s eyes glittered, but the heavy scent in the air began to dissipate. I couldn’t sense natural bodily functions and had to assume he’d done as Lucas asked. “My apologies. You caught me during my…evening entertainment. If you’d called ahead, my staff would have informed you to come later tonight.”

I didn’t want to consider what he did upon waking or what kind of needs he might have. It just pissed me off that I’d been caught in them. “Did you leave a wake of bodies wriggling on the floor on your way here?”

He cocked his head. “Is that what they were doing? I had to step over quite a few.”

I sensed his amusement, but didn’t share it. “Has anyone ever considered castrating you because I’m tempted to try it.”

Aeson cleared his throat and adjusted the waistband of his pants. I did my best not to focus on that region of him. “One or two made the attempt, but I assure you everything grew back—bigger and better than ever.”

He wasn’t lying. People really had done that to him. Maybe I’d keep the castration jokes to myself so long as he kept his pheromones to himself. They were a part of his nature, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be more considerate about it.

I pulled away from Lucas. The heat coming from him was starting to get uncomfortable. Aeson gave me a knowing look as he watched me let go of the nephilim. I pretended indifference. He could think what he wanted, but that didn’t mean anything.

“How about we get to the reason we’re here,” I said. Better to get this over with as soon as possible.

“Of course.” Aeson nodded. “Why don’t you have a seat? Refreshments will arrive shortly, but there is no reason we cannot get started now.”

Lucas and I settled together on a large sofa. It seemed neither one of us wanted to risk getting caught in the cambion’s sensual web if he started leaking again. We kept a few inches of separation between us, though.

“Why don’t you explain to Melena what is going on with the demons?” Lucas suggested. His aggravated emotions told me he still hadn’t gotten over the cambion’s influence. Under normal conditions the man could be like ice, but he’d had to face the magical part I’d been immune to. I couldn’t imagine what that had been like.

Aeson’s mood and posture turned serious in the blink of an eye. “A spike in violent crime began in the city almost a week ago. We didn’t concern ourselves with it at first, believing it to be a human problem. Some of these crimes appeared to be ritualistic killings, but there was nothing suspicious about them other than a demonic symbol carved into the victims’ flesh. Most supernaturals would never do such a thing due to the attention it would draw. Yet the more deaths that occurred, the more we began to think humans could not be acting alone. The latest incident last night confirmed it.”

I leaned forward. “What happened last night?”

“What appeared to be two human men tried to get into a night club known as
The Asylum
. This is a supernatural club that does not allow humans inside without an escort. In fact, it has spells on it to keep them away. When one of the vampire bouncers attempted to make the humans leave, they assaulted him. By the time the fight ended the club had sustained significant external damage. One of the attackers died, but the other managed to escape. These men must have had demons controlling them.”

“How do you know they were possessed and it wasn’t something else?” I asked.

“A demon can hide their presence within a body so long as they act human. The moment they begin to exert their powers, their eyes turn red and the scent of brimstone releases from their pores. It is faint, but several werewolves who were there smelled it and everyone present noted the change in their eyes.”

“How many people did these demons kill?”

Aeson and Lucas exchanged glances. “A witch, two vampires, and two human guests.”

My fingers curled into my palms. “They killed five people—three of which must have had some extra power to defend themselves. What do you expect me to do about it? I’m not any stronger than the humans and just about as vulnerable.”

“To be fair, those three were young and inexperienced.” He paused to run his fingers through his hair. It was a nervous gesture, but he still managed to look sexy doing it. “The real problem is we cannot identify them until it is too late. Other crimes took place last night around the same time in other parts of the city. We have calculated that there must be at least a dozen or more of them and that number appears to be growing. Something of this scale has not happened since I was very young. It has to be stopped before it is too late.”

“Define ‘young’ because at three thousand years old I imagine it doesn’t have the same meaning to you as it does to me.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “I believe I was about twelve or thirteen.”

“That young? Are you sure?” It amazed me he could remember anything that far back.

“When a cambion is born we are not as pleasant to look upon as you see me now.” Aeson’s eyes turned distant. “We are so hideous, in fact, that most mothers bury us alive within hours of our birth to be rid of us. Mine had a kinder heart, but not everyone appreciated her choice. The villagers where we lived either fled from my presence or harassed me every time I went out. My childhood remains particularly vivid in my mind, I assure you. It is not until we reach full adulthood that our appearance begins to improve and we come into our powers.”

Damn, I was starting to feel sorry for a demon, well, part-demon. I could sense the pain and isolation coming from him as he recalled that part of his life. It made me regret asking him about it, but I had to get my head wrapped around this whole situation. If it meant he had to dredge up some bad memories, so be it.

“So during this time an outbreak like the one here happened where you lived?” I asked.

“It occurred in a city about two days walk from my village. Those who fled the danger passed through telling all manner of stories. No one knew about the demonic side of me, except my mother, but growing paranoia caused our neighbors to suspect my twisted looks might be something evil. After one particularly bad incident, we were forced to flee into the night. Years later I learned sensors rid the afflicted city of the demons.”

I tried to keep my perspective and remember this all happened almost three millennia ago. Aeson could hardly be held responsible for the nature of his birth, and didn’t deserve to be treated cruelly when he was a child, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t telling me his story to soften me up. His kind was known to be manipulative. I needed to focus on the facts related to this latest outbreak.

“How did they get rid of the demons?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea. Even back then sensors guarded their abilities closely. The subject didn’t come up with those I’ve met since.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “You weren’t seducing my ancestors were you?”

Aeson laughed. It came out rich and deep. “No, agapi mou, the circumstances were not appropriate for such things. I will attempt to not overwhelm you again in the future.”

“We’ll see,” I said.
Attempt
was the key word in that sentence. He knew he couldn’t lie to me without me knowing it. I was going to ignore the fact he just called me “my love” in Greek. A friend of mine from back in the army used to call me that all the time, but he never meant anything serious by it.

Aeson laughed. “Yes, we’ll see.”

I jutted my chin at the far side of the room. “By the way, one of your servants is knocking on the door. You might want to check on that.”