Darkness Rising

by Cate Farren

  “Perhaps we should just have kids and make them the ruler,” Darin suggested. “It would make things a lot simpler.”

  Sutton grinned and said, “Maybe we can’t have children, but we can sure as hell enjoy trying.”

  She enticed him over the grassy part of the garden, seducing him in her typical sultry fashion, smirking as Vishanti slipped away to give them privacy. As they made love she couldn’t help but think about her suggestion. It hadn’t been made in jest. She wanted nothing more than to have children. Darin was the first person since her husband she’d ever considered as suitable father material. Yet neither of them were fertile, due to being vampires. They could never have children.

  After they were finished they lay together, watching butterflies spiral and play overhead. Sutton had never been happier, despite everything.

  “What if we could have children?” she said.

  He laughed. “I’d have a dozen with you if it were possible.”

  “I have an idea.”

  Chapter 41

  Dracula sat by his desk, savoring the peace and quiet. He rarely got alone time these days, not with the world on the brink. He used to slip away to his native Romania for some quiet contemplation. These days he didn’t bother as much. It wasn’t his country any more. Too much had changed. It didn’t even smell the same. He liked Whitby. He’d lived here for centuries. It just wasn’t home.

  I wish I had time to go back there one final time before the end.

  He knew his death was coming. He could feel it like a tickle at the back of his throat. It could be tomorrow or the day after. It could be in a year’s time. One day he would die and Jared would take over. He’d accepted it and moved on. He only hoped he could live to see the day when Loki got what was coming to him.

  The laptop on his desk beeped. Someone was contacting him by Skype. It appeared to be coming from the account of the dead Fey King. He flipped up his laptop and found a sour faced Fey glaring at him. It was King Lachlan. Dracula despised King Lachlan.

  “King...whatever your name is. I forget.” Dracula tried not to laugh at the indignant look on the Fey’s face. “What can I do for you?”

  “My name is Lachlan,” the Fey announced. “I am the king of the Fey and...”

  Dracula sighed with impatience and said, “You are a usurper.”

  “Yet I’m still King of the Fey and you will address me as such.”

  He didn’t have time for this. All the various arriving vampires were demanding special blood just for them; some wanted blood from teenage boys, other wanted blood from pedigree horses. It was a nightmare to sort out. Why couldn’t they just be satisfied with normal human blood? It was good enough for him. It had been good enough for the ancients. Vampires were so spoiled these days. It was sickening.

  And I have the Loki mission to worry about!

  “Fine,” Dracula snapped, hoping to get this conversation over and done with. “What do you want?”

  “You are harboring a wanted fugitive of the Fey,” said the king. “We want her back. Now.”

  Someone knocked on his office door. Dracula ignored them.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Dracula told him. “She’s a valuable asset.”

  “She murdered the previous king. She must be executed for treason.”

  “Must she?”

  Lachlan glowered at Dracula over the Skype connection. “I don’t care what you think of me, but the people have to see that justice is done. They want Toren to be executed for her crimes. Even you have to see that a peaceful Fey population will make your life a lot easier.”

  Dracula knew he needed to keep affairs civil between himself and the Fey. Their might could turn the tide of the war. Besides, he didn’t have it in him to hold a grudge, not now. Life was too short.

  The vampire nodded. “You’re right. When the war is over I will personally hand Toren over to you. You have my word.”

  “The word of Dracula is one to be trusted,” said Lachlan, smiling. “I hope you won’t renege on this deal.”

  “The Black Fey may be dormant for the time being, but she’s a loose cannon. I don’t want her to turn up again in the future. For once your needs and mine coincide. I need her help for now, but after...I need her dead.”

  “I look forward to working with you in the future.”

  Dracula closed the connection, hanging up on the Fey king. He meant everything he said. Toren was a potential enemy, but not for him. When Jared took over he didn’t need someone like the Fey princess nipping at his heels. He wanted his grandson’s reign to be trouble free, at least at the beginning.

  He smiled as Zelda opened the door. The sight of his stunning wife made him appreciate what time he had left.

  “We’re almost ready to go,” she said. She sensed something was wrong with him, but she hadn’t prodded him to open up about it yet. He was glad. He didn’t want to tell her the truth. “Do you want to talk to them?”

  “I trust them,” he said. “I trust Clover and Jared.”

  She sighed and came in, closing the door behind her. She sat on the edge of his desk, staring deep into his eyes.

  “You know you’re dying,” she stated.

  Dracula couldn’t help but laugh. His wife was perceptive.

  “I didn’t think you could die permanently,” said Zelda. “What’s different this time?”

  “Vampires like me can die for good,” he answered. “There are several different ways.”

  She leaned over the desk and kissed him on the lips. “You don’t have to wait for this to happen. You can rally against your fate. You don’t have to die.”

  She didn’t understand. She couldn’t understand. She was only in her early fifties, though she looked younger because of her magic.

  “I could lock myself inside a box at the end of time and still fate and the universe would conspire to end me,” he lamented. He stroked her face, happy that he’d found love again, even if their time together had been so short. “My time is almost up. I’ve accepted it.”

  “I won’t accept it,” she said.

  He caressed her face, soaking in every pore, every detail. She was stunning.

  “I’ve loved many before,” he revealed. “Men and women, even those in-between. But I’ve never loved any of them like I love you. You are a rare and beautiful creature.”

  “Before I met you I was a bitter witch who flung curses around and despised the world.” She smiled again, a tear escaping her eye. “I love you so much.”

  Dracula wished he could spend eternity with her, but it wasn’t to be.

  GABLE TRENT LET HIMSELF into Dracula’s office as Zelda left. She’d been crying. It didn’t concern him too much. All he knew about her was that she cursed Lovisa once upon a time. Anyone who did that to such a genuine person wasn’t someone he wanted to know.

  “Can we speak?” Gable asked quietly.

  Dracula nodded. “Certainly.”

  He wasn’t sure how to approach this, or how Dracula would react.

  “The only person I trust in this entire world to keep my daughter safe while I’m away is you,” Trent stated. When Dracula didn’t reply he continued. “I know you’re not a babysitter, but you have to keep her in your sights at all times when I’m gone. No harm is to come to her.”

  Dracula nodded. “I’m honored. I expect you to make sure Sutton and Jared come away unscathed too.”

  They stared at each other for a few moments. When nothing else needed to be said Trent nodded and left.

  CLOVER WEIGHED THE unfamiliar sword in her hands. It wasn’t as comfortable as the one she’d left behind in Chapel Green, but it would do. She wished Takashi was here. He’d be a wonderful ally in battle. She wondered if maybe he’d turn up for the vampire summit. It would be good to see him.

  “Can you teach me to use a sword one day?” Celia asked.

  Clover smiled and said, “When you’re older.”

  Gable’s Trent’s youngest child was sitting on the edge of Cl
over’s bed, watching her get ready for the mission. The girl seemed more nervous than Clover was.

  “Is my daddy going to die?” Celia blurted out.

  Clover turned to her and stated, “I promise he won’t. I’ll look after him.”

  LOVISA COULDN’T SEEM to part with her wig. For the past two days she’d dropped it in and out of the waste basket in her room over and over. It reminded her of the bad times, but it was also an important part of her history. It was proof that she could hold back the despair and charge on with life, no matter what obstacles were thrown her way.

  “I’ll set it on fire for you,” Adrian suggested. He pulled on a black leather jacket. “And then I’ll bury it.”

  “I have plenty more wigs at home,” she confessed.

  She dropped the wig on her bed, deciding to keep it for now. Who knows? Maybe she’d get alopecia one day and might need it again.

  “So you’re intent on coming with us?” Adrian asked.

  She nodded. “I know how to take care of myself, plus Zelda and I have talked. My succubus powers might actually come in handy in taking down Loki.”

  “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

  She grinned and kissed him on the lips. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

  TOREN AND WYNN FOUND Daniel loitering outside their room. She immediately tensed, fearing a betrayal. They’d only just decided to work together! How could he turn on her now?

  “I needed to talk to you,” Daniel confessed.

  Toren glowered at him before saying, “You better not have changed your mind about joining us. I’m not in the mood for this right now.” She considered how cathartic it would be to slice him in two and added, “But for you I can make an exception.”

  “No. I...” He looked at his feet. Toren sighed with impatience. “It’s just that I’ve heard Loki is powerful. I’m just a vampire. What can I do against him?”

  Toren fixed her gaze on him and said, “As much as it would fill with me joy to see Lachlan devastated over your death...” She was going to leave it at that, but the hangdog look on his face changed her mind. “You’ll do fine, okay? Just keep on your guard at all times.”

  JARED SMILED AT DANIEL across the corridor as Toren left him. The Fey princess winked at him as she passed.

  “It’s good to see you again,” said Jared. He really meant it. There was nothing between them now, but he would always keep a special place in his heart for Daniel. “Why do you look so worried? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” said Daniel. He straightened his shoulders, as if preparing for battle. “My life changed today. It’s not something I can shrug off.”

  “What do you think Lachlan is going to do?”

  “He’s going to have me killed.” He laughed bitterly and said, “And you know what? I don’t care if he wants me killed. He didn’t love me or he never would’ve hurt me.”

  Daniel pulled at his collar, trying to hide the small bruise on his neck. Someone would have to hit a vampire with extreme force for it to make a bruise that would last. He’d noticed it when Daniel had first entered Dracula’s lair, which meant the attack had happened before he arrived.

  Is Lachlan abusing him?

  “You can talk to me about anything,” Jared offered.

  Daniel shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now.”

  “I can kill him for you.”

  “You’ve always understood me.” Daniel wiped at his eye. “I don’t know why I let him hurt me. Maybe it felt good to be loved and I didn’t want to lose it, or maybe it’s because I’m an idiot. I know I didn’t deserve it.”

  “Don’t you ever go back to him.”

  “Seeing you makes me realize I never even loved him in the first place.”

  Jared pulled Daniel in for a hug. His ex was stiff at first, not wanting to be touched, but Jared wouldn’t take no for an answer. His creator needed this. He needed someone to know they were on his side, even if Jared couldn’t give him the love he clearly needed.

  “Get a room,” Clover called.

  Jared smiled, Daniel temporarily forgotten, as his proud warrior strolled down the hallway. She had a sword sheathed on her belt and she was dressed in combat gear that Dracula for some reason had lying around the place. She was ready for war.

  “I don’t feel that way for Jared any more,” Daniel insisted.

  Clover grinned. “I trust Jared. He knows what I’ll do to him if he cheats on me.”

  Jared laughed. “I’d deserve it too.” He took in his armored fiancé and said, “Are you ready to go?

  Clover nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s take that fucker down.”

  CLOVER WAS THE FIRST to arrive outside the council chamber. She could almost feel the magic being woven inside. Zelda was a powerful witch. She only hoped that the spell she had for capturing Loki would work.

  “This body armor is making me itch,” someone complained beside her. It was Valeriu Groza, looking quite hot in his combat gear. “But I can see the need to wear it.”

  “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Clover warned him.

  He stared at her uncomfortably for a moment. “My father still thinks you’re too young, too untrained, to lead something like this. He’s wrong. I can sense the power within you. You’re strong and determined.”

  Clover ignored him. He made her skin crawl. The things he and his family did to Sutton were beyond reprehensible. How could she trust them not to do it again if he knew that Clover’s own blood could make vampires fertile? She had to keep this vile creature at arm’s length as much as possible. It wouldn’t be too hard.

  “I know what I’m capable of.” She turned to stare at him. She purposefully made her eyes change color to unnerve him. “And I know what you’re capable of.”

  He looked away, uncomfortable. Clover tried not to laugh.

  They ignored each other as the rest of them arrived. Every one of them, excluding Gable Trent, was wearing black and blue combat gear. They looked like a SWAT team about to go on a drugs bust.

  “Does anyone know why Dracula told us we had to wear this gear?” Sutton asked. “It’s tighter than a drag queen’s tuck.”

  “They’re bullet proof and enchanted to absorb some spells,” Gable Trent explained. “They’re essential for a mission like this.”

  “How do you know so much about it?” Valeriu demanded icily.

  The Prime Demon glared darkly at the vampire prince before saying, “Every supernatural town has been stockpiling them for months now, as well as caches of weapons, magical artefacts, and potions. We’ve been preparing for war.”

  The mood grew somber as Trent’s words sunk in. None of them, Clover included, had thought things would come to this, not really. It all felt real and raw and Clover was suddenly terrified.

  I’m not a soldier! I’m just...

  She realized right there and then that her life had been destined for this. It was inevitable Loki was going to escape one day and continue his quest of genocide. She was going to be drawn into the conflict, no matter what. She might as well embrace it and get it over with. She had a daughter to rescue. She had a son in embryo that needed to be magically unfrozen so he could be born. She had a vampire to marry.

  The doors to the council chambers swept open. A giant, round portal glowed blue in front of the back wall. Zelda stood beside it, waiting impatiently, also wearing combat gear. Dracula greeted them with a nod of his head.

  “Are you ready?” the ancient vampire asked.

  Chapter 42

  Clover took a deep breath and stepped through the portal. The moment her foot met the ground of Loki’s dimension she felt apprehensive. She’d never wanted to come back here. It represented a place where she was vulnerable, a place where she almost surrendered herself to her greatest enemy. Would she have joined Loki? She might never know. She tried to tell herself there was no chance, but the truth was more complicated.

  I’m doing this for Jessica.

  Jared gripped her hand. “Y
ou look nervous.”

  “A lot of things happened here,” she said.

  She looked over at the house, shocked to find it half demolished. She assumed Jessica caused all that damage in her rhino form. The poor girl must have been terrified.

  “We don’t have much time,” Zelda called. She stood by the portal, a pained expression on her face. It flickered closed behind her and she sighed. “We need to find him now.”

  Clover nodded, deciding on an action plan. Loki was in the house. She could feel him. He was like an unseen presence, tapping against the very edges of her mind. It almost felt as if he wanted her to find him.

  “Follow me,” she called, marching forward. “He’s in there.”

  They stopped at the front door. It was half open. She pushed it, peering inside. It was dark, quiet. She could still smell the vile perfume that Romily wore. It permeated the house like the stench of a rotting corpse.

  If there were such a thing as ghosts I’d swear that wicked old witch’s spirit was haunting the place.

  “Why would Loki be here on his own?” she heard Valeriu whisper.

  They entered the house. Clover reached for the light switch. It didn’t work. The generator must have run down.

  “He’s upstairs,” said Clover. “Keep watch for shapeshifters and Saskia.”

  Clover wasn’t sure what she’d do if she saw Saskia again. A part of her wanted to kill her friend for he massive betrayal, but another wanted to make amends. Saskia had been manipulated by Loki too.

  And she’s carrying his baby!

  That might pose another obstacle. Saskia might not want to leave or betray the father of her child. Clover realized she didn’t really know her friend any more. It made her angry more than sad. She should’ve seen what was going on. She should’ve gotten them out of there before Saskia could become so ensnared in Loki’s world she couldn’t leave.