Embrace the Darkness (27 page)

He couldn't afford any disasters this evening.

Carefully constructing the image of a dark haired vampire in his mind, he projected the thought into the dark water.

Long moments passed before at last he could detect the fuzzy outline of the familiar countenance.

“Dante. Dante can you hear me?” he hissed.

In the depths of the water the vampire seemed to frown and glance about, as if uncertain if he had heard a voice or not.

Stupid vampires.

“Dante, it is Levet,” he growled.

“Levet?” The raven brows snapped together. “Where the hell are you?”

“If you will clear your mind I will show you.”

“What?”

Levet muttered a few choice curses. He kept them low enough so that the vampire couldn't hear. He wasn't completely suicidal, but they made him feel better.

“Just clear your mind, I will do the rest.”

Dante didn't look happy, but he closed his eyes and obviously made an attempt to empty his mind. Levet didn't waste any time as he thrust his memories of the long journey to the farmhouse through the water.

There was a sharp hiss as Dante wrenched open his eyes and gave a shake of his head.

“It is much farther than I thought. Even taking cars it will be hours before we can arrive.”

Levet shrugged. Nothing could be done to make the vampires arrive any sooner.

“I will wait for you near the entrance to the cave,” Levet promised.

“What of Viper and Shay?”

“I don't know.”

Dante grimaced. “We'll be there.”

“Hurry.”

With a wave of his hand, Levet closed the portal. Or at least he attempted to close the portal. Dante's image was gone, but the swirling darkness remained. With a frown he leaned forward only to give a sudden squawk as a beautiful face swam into view. Falling back into the mud he watched in horror as the woman pushed through the portal to stand before him.

Not that he didn't appreciate the sight of a lovely woman.

He might be small, but he was all male and no man could deny that the small, curvaceous woman with her pure white skin, slanted blue eyes, and pale green hair was a sight to behold. Quite, quite a sight to behold.

Oh, and it didn't help that she was butt naked beneath the sheer toga.

“Holy mother of…” Struggling against the thick, grasping mud Levet glared at the woman who stood only a foot taller than him. “Don't do that.”

The woman gave a bat of her lashes, her smile vacant. “Do what?”

At last on his feet he shook the slimy moss from his wings. “Pop up like a…a…thing that annoyingly pops.”

“I didn't pop.”

“You most certainly did. Do you have no manners, whatsoever?” Levet gave a shake of his head. “Of course not, what am I saying. You are a water sprite.”

“And you're a gargoyle, although I've never seen one so tiny. Did you get shrunk by a spell?”

Levet rolled his eyes as he turned and began stomping away from the river. Water sprites might be visions of loveliness, but they rarely possessed enough brains to fill a thimble.

“No, I did not get shrunk by a spell. This is the size I have always been.”

She fluttered at his side, skimming over the rocks and bushes with annoying ease.

“It's not very impressive.”

“Shut up and go away you ridiculous pest.”

“I'm not a pest, and I can't leave.”

“Of course you can.” Levet gave a flick of his hand, careful to keep his eyes trained on the ground before him. As a demon he couldn't be bespelled by the sprite, but he wasn't completely immune to temptation. Now was not the time for such a delicious distraction. “Swim away with the nasty fishes.”

“You summoned me, little gargoyle,” she purred.

“I most certainly did not.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Did not.”

“Did so.”

“Did…” Coming to a halt Levet threw his hands in the air. “
Sacrebleu,
this is absurd. Why will you not go away?”

She gave a toss of her long curls. “I told you, you summoned me. I am bound to you until the spell is broken.”

“Fine, I break it. You are unsummoned. Go away.”

A pout touched her full lips. “You don't know much for a gargoyle.”

His wings gave an angry buzz. Beautiful or not the woman was a pain in the ass.

“Fine, tell me what I must do to make you disappear.”

The pout became a downright sulk. “You do not think me lovely?”

“I think giraffes are lovely but that doesn't mean I want one trailing behind me. Especially one that can't seem to keep its mouth shut.”

“You are not a very nice gargoyle.” Her skin slowly began to shimmer in the faint moonlight. It was a shimmer that had lured sailors to their doom for centuries. “You should tell me I'm beautiful and long to be with me.”

“The only thing I long for is some peace,” Levet growled. “I wish you to be quiet.”

The blue eyes widened and her lips parted but astonishingly there was nothing but blissful silence.

Levet frowned. Did she actually obey his command? No, it hadn't been a command. It had been a wish.

A sly smile touched his lips. “Ah ha. That is it. You give me three wishes and then you must return to the waters.”

Her arms folded over her ample bosom as she glared at him in frustration. Obviously she had hoped to keep him too befuddled and bewitched to reason the manner of being rid of her. As long as she owed him wishes she was free of her watery prison.

And best of all he was a demon. Which meant that when she returned to the waters she couldn't force him to join her.

Tapping a thick claw on his chin Levet carefully considered what was to be done with his sudden stroke of fortune.

He had used one wish on her silence.

A wish well used, if he did say so himself.

But he had two left.

He must decide precisely just how they should be used.

 

Dante swayed and reached out a hand to grasp the edge of a nearby table as the contact with the gargoyle was abruptly brought to an end.

Damn the stunted demon. It was disconcerting to have someone wrench themselves from his mind with such haste.

“Dante, what is it? What's happening?”

Giving a shake of his head Dante turned to regard the dark, muscular vampire who had entered the room. Santiago appeared distinctly out of place in the opulent splendor of Viper's private club. Like Dante he preferred a plain black shirt and leather pants.

Of course they were both warriors. It was Viper who possessed the elegant sophistication to feel comfortable among such grandeur.

“The gargoyle,” he said in abrupt tones.

Santiago gave a swift glance about the empty lobby. “He's returned?”

“No, he managed to contact me through a portal.”

“A portal? I didn't realize gargoyles possessed such powers.”

Dante smiled with grim humor. In spite of himself he couldn't help but like the annoying gargoyle.

“The little one seems full of surprises.”

“Has he found the master?”

“Yes. They have traveled across the state. We must leave at once.”

The vampire touched the heavy sword that was sheathed at his hip. “The clan awaits your command.”

Taking a step toward the nearby stairs Dante came to a sudden halt. Shit. He had almost forgotten the most important thing.

“Santiago, I need someone to return to my estate and tell Abby what is happening. I can't have her fretting over my absence.”

The vampire took a sharp step back, his eyes widening with horror.

“Are you mad?”

Dante frowned. “What?”

“You want someone to confront the goddess and tell her that her mate is charging off to risk his life against dangerous enemies?” Santiago regarded him with an expression of martyrdom. “I may be young by your standard, Dante, but I'm not stupid.”

“Abby would never harm you.”

“She might not intend to harm me, but I have no intention of being around a woman who has a history of setting things on fire when she loses her temper.”

Dante's lips twitched. His mate was a beautiful, intelligent, extraordinarily kind woman, but there had been moments when her control of the Phoenix was not completely perfect.

Over the past months she had managed to singe a demon or two in public, which had unfortunately lingered in the minds of many.

“She almost never sets things on fire anymore,” he protested.

“Almost, is not never, my friend.” The dark eyes narrowed. “And when she discovers that you have slipped out of town without her…well, you must understand my concern. Have the gargoyle use the portal to contact her. I don't think that gargoyles are flammable.”

Dante gave a snort. “Coward.”

Santiago shuddered. “Oh yes.”

“Fine.” Reaching for the cloak he had thrown over a delicate satinwood chair Dante swept it around his shoulders. “Take the clan to the edge of Rockford and I will meet you there.”

Santiago gave a choked cough. “You intend to tell the Phoenix yourself?”

“I intend to pick her up and take her with us,” he said dryly. “Not even I am stupid enough to tell her that she must stay behind.”

Santiago gave a sudden laugh. “Age really does bring wisdom.”

“Pathetic,” Dante muttered as he marched from the room.

Shay struggled to crawl her way out of the clinging darkness. Not a pleasant task as she realized there was a crick in her neck and every muscle was cramped from sleeping on the hard, damp floor.

Of course it wasn't all bad, she had to concede. Nothing could be truly terrible when her head was resting on Viper's shoulder and his strong arms were wrapped about her.

Allowing herself a moment to simply drink in the scent of his skin and the feel of his body next to her own, Shay at last forced open her eyes.

“What time is it?” she demanded in a husky voice.

“A half hour past dark.”

The cobwebs were wrenched from her mind as she abruptly sat upright. Below her Viper remained stretched on the hard rock, his beautiful ivory face and long silver hair the only thing visible in the darkness.

“Why didn't you wake me?”

“I did try on several occasions, but you refused to obey,” he murmured. “In fact you called me a number of quite disturbing names and threatened to stake me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I don't believe you.”

His lips twitched. “Very well, if you want the truth I was enjoying watching you sleep.”

“Ew. Don't do that.”

He gave a lift of his brows. “Do what?”

“Watch me sleep. It creeps me out.”

“Why?”

“Because I know I must be drooling.”

“Only a little and it was very cute.”

A reluctant smile touched her mouth. “Stop that.”

Viper slowly lifted to sit beside her. He reached to cup her face in his hands.

“Shay, it wouldn't matter what you do in your sleep. Having you in my arms, feeling your warmth, is a joy that I treasure. Surely by now you know that I would sacrifice everything for you?”

Her breath caught and the mere chore of breathing became difficult. “Viper?”

The dark, mesmerizing gaze flared over her face, his expression impossible to read.

“Am I frightening you?” he asked.

Her mouth was dry and her heart lodged somewhere in her throat. But frightened?

Naw.

“If you haven't noticed, I'm not that easily frightened,” she forced herself to say.

His fingers tightened. “I've noticed that you are annoyingly eager to risk your life, but you are much more cautious when it comes to your heart.”

Her gaze lowered to the full, sensual curve of his mouth. “The wounds of the heart are far more difficult to heal than wounds of the body.”

He pressed his forehead to hers. “I would never hurt you, Shay.”

His lips whispered over her skin sending a tingle of magic down her spine. She wanted to kiss him and show him precisely what burned in her heart. To softly run her hands over his hard, muscular body. To offer herself without reservation.

That was a simple thing.

It was getting the words past her lips that was proving to be the problem.

She just felt so…sappy.

“What do you want of me?” she at last demanded.

“Your trust, your love, your very soul. I want all of you.”

Her laugh came out as a breathy whisper. “You don't ask for much.”

“It is what all vampires demand of their mates.”

She pulled back, her eyes wide. “Mate?”

He studied her deer-in-the-headlights expression with a faint smile.

“Yes. You are my mate, Shay. You are the woman destined to be at my side for all eternity.”

“But…” She floundered to discover a reasonable thought floating around her brain. “We don't even know if I have an eternity.”

“None of us can say precisely how long we have. Fate is fickle even to immortals,” he said softly. “But for whatever days and nights we have I want you to share them with me.”

She lowered her eyes as a surge of emotion threatened to make her bawl like a baby.

“This is hardly the time or place for such a discussion.”

“Perhaps not, but I need to hear the words from you, pet.” He smoothed a stray curl behind her ear. “I need you to tell me that you care for me.”

She squirmed with unease. It was stupid. Beyond stupid. But she would rather face the Lu before admitting the truth etched across her heart.

“You know that I do.”

“The words, pet,” he urged. “Can you not say them?”

“It's not easy for me.”

There was a long, painful pause before he heaved a sigh and pulled back. “No, it's not easy. Come, we should not linger.”

As if to prove just how stupid she truly was, a flare of panic raced through her. This was the most important moment in her entire life and she was blowing it. Blowing it with glorious, stunning success.

And all because she was a flat-out coward.

Tough to admit, but there it was.

Reaching out she grasped the shredded fabric of his shirt. “Viper?”

Stilling beneath her touch he regarded her with a guarded expression. “What is it?”

“I…”

“Shay?”

You can do this, Shay. And if you can't, then you damn well don't deserve this man.

End of story.

She moved until she was pressed tight against him, her expression grim with determination.

“I love you.”

There was a shocked silence as he absorbed her abrupt words. They hadn't been elegant, or particularly original, but they were sincere.

That had to count for something.

At last a smile curved his lips. A slow, beautiful smile that sent a warm rush of pleasure through her entire body.

“As I love you, pet.” Lowering his head he kissed her with a fierce, hungry possession before pulling back to study her with glittering eyes. “I thought by buying you from Evor and bringing you into my home I would rid myself of my obsession with you. I was not nearly so clever as I thought.”

“Not nearly,” she whispered.

He touched her cheek softly, as if he were touching the most delicate object.

“Of course there are a few compensations,” he murmured.

“I'm afraid to ask.”

He assumed his most arrogant expression. “I will never again be plagued with those pesky women who are desperate to have me in their bed. Or enter nightclubs through the back door for fear of causing a riot. Or have blood junkies trailing behind me pleading for a bite.”

Shay rolled her eyes. “It's a pity that no one is willing to pay for bullshit. I would be rich.”

His soft chuckle brushed over her skin. Her lower body clenched in delicious response.

Yummy.

“Ah, but you are rich,” he breathed into her ear.

She pulled back with a grimace. “Don't remind me. For the moment that's something I would rather not consider.”

The dark eyes flashed with amusement. Not surprising. What woman would ever complain of too much wealth?

It was like being too thin. Or too beautiful. There just wasn't any such thing.

“You would rather live in a squalid ruin and struggle to survive?”

“It's what I've done all my life,” she retorted with a hint of defiance.

“No longer.” His own tone was firm. “I intend to shower you with luxury.”

Shay gave a tug on her braid. A sure sign of her discomfort. “That's what scares me.”

Viper shook his head. “You are the strangest creature.”

Strange? Her?

Ha. That was certainly the pot calling the kettle black. Or something like that.

She narrowed her gaze. “We aren't mated yet, vampire.”

His expression abruptly softened with a tenderness that brought a small ache to the center of her chest.

“Not yet, but soon. Very, very soon.” He swooped forward to steal a heart-wrenching kiss before pulling back with a rueful reluctance. “Now we truly must be on our way.”

Being on her way was the last thing Shay wanted. Not with her lips tingling from his touch, and her heart thundering against his chest.

Thankfully, she wasn't entirely lost to reason and when Viper rose to his feet and held out his hand, she readily allowed him to tug her upright.

“Yow.” She sucked in a sharp breath as her entire body clenched in protest at the sudden motion. “I must have been more tired than I realized.”

Concern touched his expression. “You were weakened and in sore need of rest. How do you feel?”

She rubbed her aching neck. “Like I've been sleeping on a bunch of rocks.”

He slipped a finger beneath her chin. “Besides that?”

“I'm fine.”

“You're certain?”

She knew he was still worried about the amount of blood he had taken from her, and she took his hand to gently kiss his fingers.

“Yes, I'm certain.”

He squeezed her fingers. “Then let's get out of here.”

She allowed him to take the lead since she had only a fuzzy memory of being carried into the narrow cave. A testament to how weak she had actually been.

They moved in silence, both sharply aware that with the fall of night the vampires would be out of their coffins and swiftly in search of their missing captive. No matter how vast the catacombs it wouldn't take them that long to track them down.

As it turned out, Shay was so intent on trying to move with the same quiet grace of Viper that she nearly missed the narrow tunnel where she had first caught the scent of humans.

Giving a tug on his hand she forced him to a halt. “Wait, Viper, we must go this way.”

“No. It goes too close to the occupied caves.”

“That's where I smelled the troll.”

His features tightened. He wanted to haul her from the caves. He wanted to hide her in some deep hole where no bad monsters could get their hands on her. She could read it in every stiff line of his body.

Thankfully, he was wise enough to realize they could no longer simply run and hide.

“Do you still smell him?” he grudgingly demanded.

She sucked in a deep breath. “It's faint, but yes, it's there.”

“I can detect nothing.”

Sensing his smoldering frustration Shay moved down the tunnel. The scent of troll was definitely stronger. She wasn't imagining it.

“There must be a glamour disguising his presence.”

Viper followed close on her heels. “Styx would never allow witches in these caves. They would be a danger to the Anasso.”

“There are demons capable of performing rudimentary magic.”

“True enough,” he conceded, although she could still feel the tension that hummed about his large body. “But why would they be in these caves and why would they hide the scent of the troll?”

They were questions Shay had no answer for so she simply kept moving forward.

Not a bad strategy until they rounded a corner and there was nothing ahead but rocks.

“Not that I doubt your tracking skills, pet, but this looks very much like a dead end,” he murmured at her shoulder.

Shay studied the smooth rock blocking the path with a frown. “A troll has come through here and not that long ago.”

“Styx did use trolls to lure us from the protection of the Phoenix. It doesn't necessarily mean that Evor is here.”

“No, but we have to check.” She battled back a sudden flare of fear. The tunnel was cramped and thick with darkness. A choking darkness that threatened to hold her for an eternity. Instinctively, she reached back to grasp Viper's hand. The moment she touched his cool flesh the flutters of panic vanished. She couldn't waver. Not now. “We can't leave him behind if they have captured him.”

“Damn.” He gave her fingers a tight, near painful squeeze before accepting the inevitable. “Can you find a way through?”

“I can try.” Moving forward she smoothed her hands over the rock. It took only a few passes to at last discover the tingling sensation that warned of a spell. Pressing her hand forward it appeared to sink through the stone wall. “Here. A glamour. It's very faint and not very well done.”

Viper made a small sound in his throat. Vampires possessed a great distrust of magic. Any magic.

“But effective,” he muttered.

She turned with a faint smile. “Only against vampires, or humans who can't sense magic.”

“The question remains who and why.”

“There's only one way to find out.”

His eyes briefly closed as he gave a shake of his head. “I don't like this.”

“Neither do I, but to be honest I hope Evor is down there. I want this to be over with.” She reached out to lightly touch his arm. Beneath her fingers his muscles were coiled as hard as steel. “I'm tired of being scared, Viper. I'm tired of running.”