Dark Cravings

by Pryce, Madeline

  Coffee spewed from Micah’s mouth. He doubled over in hysterics and slapped his thigh, made a huge production of wiping his eyes. When Micah finally sobered, he looked at his brother and the laughter started all over again.

  Eli’s pink cheeks grew a darker shade each time Micah looked at him. For Eli’s sake, I suppressed my smile by biting my lip and glaring at Hannah, who was looking around the room with a “what did I say?” expression on her face.

  “You promised,” Eli all but growled.

  “Oops.” The wide, beaming smile she flashed could have gotten her off for murder.

  His eyes locked with hers. Hannah drew her lower lip between her teeth. Eli didn’t stand a chance. His lids lowered and his smoldering gaze dropped to her mouth.

  As if realizing she was just standing there staring at Eli, Hannah shook her head and cast her gaze to the floor. The moment she saw the bloodstain in the middle of the room, she stiffened. Like a light switch, she just shut off. Her skin paled. The glow in her eyes dulled. She started to sway.

  “Oh Hannah. I’m sorry.”

  I rushed across the room and pulled Hannah’s stiff body against mine. I was a bitch to have been so careless. I’d known to cover the blood, but I’d let myself get distracted.

  Eli crossed the room and whipped the blanket from the bed. He smoothed the material over the stain. It wouldn’t help with the smell, but at least the sight of it was gone.

  We were all silent. All lost in the shadows of our personal demons.

  “Why is there so much blood? It’s not yours, is it?” Hannah asked against my neck.

  I shook my head, told Micah and Eli with my death glare that if they mentioned my tangle with the demon the night before, I’d hurt them.

  “Micah broke Richard’s nose.”

  Hannah looked up, lips trembling.

  “That kind of injury bleeds a lot,” I added. She didn’t need to know Micah had been planning to beat him to death.

  “It’s about time someone hit him,” Eli muttered.

  Hannah’s lips wavered into a halfhearted smile. On her face, still pale and tinged green, the grin looked out of place. “Eli told me what happened, I just didn’t expect there to be so much…” She shook her head as if clearing the haunting memories. “I brought some of your stuff. There wasn’t a whole lot to choose from. Black pants. Black shirts.” Her voice grew stronger with every word. “You seriously need to add some color to your wardrobe. You’re too pale for black and with your eyes, it just makes you look scary. Micah said you were going to a swanky club so I packed accordingly from my wardrobe.”

  I opened my mouth but she cut me off. “Don’t even think about bitching about it. You’ll look hot in what I picked out, so just trust me. Oh, I also threw some makeup in there. Eyeliner won’t kill you.”

  “Thanks,” I said dryly.

  “Don’t mention it.” She wiped her nose and found Eli’s gaze. “Do you mind if we go? This place really smells and I’ve got a date tonight. The last thing I need is to have the quarterback tell the entire football team that I smell like cat pee.”

  Eli’s smile dimmed. Something dark and alluring shadowed his eyes. “The quarterback?”

  Hannah crossed the distance between them. She shrugged and tugged almost absently at the bottom of Eli’s black-and-gray flannel shirt. I wondered if she even realized what she was doing or how they seemed to gravitate closer. She looked up and met his gaze. “He isn’t very bright, which makes me not look very bright. It’s better this way. He does have really nice hair and he smells good, so that’s something, right? It’s really not a big deal.”

  Eli pushed a strand of hair behind Hannah’s ear before stroking a single finger down her cheek. She curved into the caress. He used the same finger under her chin to lift her head. “You shouldn’t have to play dumb for anyone, Hannah. Smart is sexy. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. One day, when you’re a little bit older, you’ll understand what I mean.”

  He pulled away and left Hannah standing there with her mouth hanging open. I’d known in some cursory way that Eli was attractive, but I’d never really thought he was hot until that moment.

  “You were right,” Eli said to Micah, “Dad didn’t waste any time in letting me know what happened between you two. He told me you attacked him in a blind rage and that you’d been infected. I’ve been ordered to stay away from you. He demanded I come back to the Agency with him.”

  Micah crossed his arms over his chest and did some manly head nod thing. “What did you say?”

  Eli’s slow grin spread into a mischievous smile that showed off his dimples. “I told him my place was with you, no matter what ran through your veins. I guess I’m fired too.”

  Smart is totally sexy.

  Chapter Ten

  “Aren’t you ready yet? You’ve been in there for over an hour.”

  Micah beat his fist against the locked bathroom door. The wood was so cheap, I expected to see the plywood split at any moment.

  “I’ll come out when you give me back my jeans.”

  This time the thudding sounded like his forehead. “Come on, babe.”

  “Come on, nothing! You’re not the one who has to go out in public in your underwear!” I yelled back.

  I tugged at the hem of the black leather miniskirt that barely covered my ass and wished it were a few, say five, inches longer. What had Hannah been thinking? My gaze rose to the mirror and I cringed at the woman reflected back at me.

  This was the old me. The eighteen-year-old Ella before I’d been turned. The one who wore makeup and dressed up to complement the man I’d loved without reason. Now I was dressed up to complement me.

  The black corset-style top hugged my hips and showed off my navel. Throughout the lace, sapphire ribbons the exact same shade as my eyes were woven into the front and gave it a gothic appearance. The same blue silk laced up the back. This left my shoulders and my crimson mating mark exposed. Either the top was too small or my tits had gone from a B cup to a C. Jesus, if I bent, my nipples might pop out.

  The only reason I wasn’t on the phone bitching out my sister was the kick-ass knee-high boots I’d found packed in my bag. She also got extra points for remembering my birth control pills.

  I’d gone smoky with eyes in shades of gray and brown. My dark hair was curled and pinned up to keep it off my neck. The purple imprint of Micah’s teeth on my throat was unmistakable. I remembered getting the bite, recalled the feel of his cock thrusting deep and my body went liquid with desire.

  “You have five more minutes,” Micah shouted. “If you aren’t out, I’m coming in after you.”

  I didn’t dignify him with a response. Instead I pulled out the pins. Hair tumbled over my shoulders and covered the bite. Better.

  I drew in a deep breath and opened the door. Micah turned at the sound and my mouth went dry at the sight of him. His dark hair was styled with gel making the strands perfectly messy. The long-sleeved dark-blue V-neck sweater he wore fit tightly over his chest and arms. For some reason, all I could think about was peeling the clothes off him.

  “Holy fuck.” Micah’s voice was a sexy rasp I felt directly between my legs.

  At the desire in his voice, I stopped ogling him and took in the darkening of his eyes, the way he flicked his tongue over his lower lip. He drank me in with his heated gaze and I fought not to squeeze my thighs together. My nipples tightened and rubbed against the lace corset with every breath.

  Ignoring him, I walked over to the bed and rummaged around in my bag until I found the Silverstone blade Hannah brought me. Another reason I loved my sister. I glanced over at Micah, put my booted foot on the bed and felt the leather of my skirt inch up my thigh.

  Micah made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and I was fairly sure he could see my thong and the curve of my ass.

  “You better have a damn good reason for making me go out in public like this.” I strapped on a leather holster as high as I could on my thigh and slipped
the blade into place. Hopefully it wouldn’t show.

  Silence. I looked over to Micah, who was adjusting his cock in his pants. He looked at me like a man starving and I was his last meal.

  “Earth to Micah. You haven’t exactly explained where we’re going or who we’re going to meet.”

  “Put your hair up,” he ordered.

  I stopped smoothing my skirt back into place. “Excuse me?”

  Micah crossed the distance between us and grabbed my hair. He wrapped the strands around his hand and tugged, forcing my head back to look up at him. Pain prickled my scalp and sped my heart. The heat from his breath feathered across my neck as he drew his nose up my throat.

  He spoke against my ear and I’m ashamed to admit I had a mini orgasm at his words. “Hair. Up. Where we’re going, I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

  I licked my lips. “Tell me where.”

  “To a club. Now let’s go before I turn you over the bed and fuck you. I’ll let you leave on the boots.”

  Staying in sounded good. “We aren’t doing that, remember?”

  He looked me over once more, stepped back and shook his head. “I remember.”

  On the way out the front door he grabbed his jacket and a set of keys. Not once did he look over his shoulder to see if I was behind him. Ass. I rifled through my bag, pulled out a hair tie and, damn him, followed.

  Micah’s black ’67 Mustang GTO skid precariously through the dimly lit streets of the district. Out of the window, I caught glimpses of movement weaving in and out of the shadows. Demons. My skin crawled with sensation. Much like the neighborhood Micah lived in, five years ago this area had thrived. Now it was discarded by civilization and overrun with demons.

  The heavy electric guitar riffs of Slayer blared from the speakers and I squirmed in my seat. I had a bad feeling about this “club” Micah was taking me to.

  Wind ripped through the interior of the cab and some of the curls I’d pinned up in to a messy bun came loose. I pushed them away with an angry shove and tried to re-cross my legs without exposing myself in my barely there skirt. Through the darkness outside, I stared numbly out the window and tried to ignore Micah.

  Since I’d slid into my seat and clicked on the safety restraint, he hadn’t stopped looking at me. Even now, he was alternately drooling at the ample amount of breast I was showing or he was staring at my legs.

  “Stop pouting,” Micah said.

  “What did you say?” I shouted, overly dramatic. “I can’t hear you over this crap you call music.” I tugged down the hem of my skirt, which was where his gaze was glued.

  Micah punched the button on the radio and the noise in the car cut to an abrupt halt.

  “What crawled up your ass?”

  “You, apparently.”

  His lips twitched.

  “Laugh and I’ll castrate you.”

  “Chill out, you look hot as hell. We need information, more than the meager scraps Roy has been able to dig up.” His gaze flicked from the road to my cleavage. I looked down, wrinkled my nose. I hadn’t even known my breasts could do what they were doing in this contraption.

  “Is this person we’re going to see an associate? A snitch? A friend from boarding school? Give me something.”

  “Eli and I were homeschooled by the nanny. The person we’re meeting is someone who has his finger on the pulse of the city. If something happens, he knows about it.” Micah rubbed his lower lip with his thumb, back and forth, as if he was contemplating something. Whatever he was pondering wasn’t important enough to share with me because the rest of the drive was silent.

  By the time we pulled up to the single-story brick building, I was ready to rip someone’s, or something’s, head off.

  “What the hell is this place?” I eyed the black and gray spray paint covering every inch of the cracked and crumbling structure.

  I struggled out of the car and pulled the lapels of the leather jacket I’d borrowed from Micah around my body. The creeping, crawling feeling of bugs moving over my skin worsened the closer I got to the warehouse. “I thought we were going to a club? I don’t hear any music.”

  “This is the portal to get into the club,” he said.

  I stopped walking. “Portal? As in demon portal? You’re taking me to a demon club? Are you fucking insane?”

  Micah grabbed my upper arm and drew me around to the back of the building. The heavy shuffle of our boots was a far cry from stealth. Micah glanced at the silver watch on his wrist and stopped in front of a dented red door. Deep grooves etched the metal. A drop of moisture landed on my nose and I looked up to watch the first sprinkles of rainfall. I pulled my coat a little tighter to ward off the cold. A squeak drew my attention to a cluster of rats. They scampered brazenly over the sidewalk and began twining around my feet. What the hell? I had to resist the urge to kick the fury little critters. If one of those rodents started to crawl up my boot, all bets were off.

  “Does the Shadow Agency know about this place?”

  “There is no ‘place’. The portal changes location every night.”

  I gently nudged an overeager rat with my toe. “How do you know where the portal is going to be?”

  “I’ve got connections. I need you to trust me. No matter what you see, keep your mouth shut and stay by my side at all times.”

  “No way.” I crossed my arms over my chest in a way that I hoped conveyed how serious I was.

  Micah uncrossed my arms. “I’ve never brought anyone here before. Not even Eli. My bringing you here shows I trust you. How about you return the favor and show some trust in me?”

  I stared at him and thought about his request. Trust him. Could I?

  “Fine.”

  He patted my head and smiled. “That’s a good girl.”

  I slapped his hand away. “Jerk.”

  “One more thing you need to know. This place is a neutral zone. No fighting, no weapons.” His gaze dipped down to my thigh, where he’d watched me strap on a knife with naked hunger in his eyes.

  Hell no. My trust only went so far.

  “I’m not giving up my blade.”

  Micah stepped close. The air shimmered between and around us. The brave little rodent whose whiskers had been touching my boots scampered away. Micah grasped the back of my neck, squeezed. He brought me to him in a jerk, lifting me off my feet. He pressed his mouth to mine in a quick, hard kiss.

  My head spun a little when he set me back on my feet. He laced our fingers together. His watch beeped and he pulled me through the red door, the door into hell. Okay, not hell, but it was the world just above it.

  I’d never actually been inside a portal. When I came out on the other side, nausea twisted my stomach. Micah never missed a step. He pulled me reluctantly behind him and we walked down a silent stone corridor. Two identical seven-foot demons dressed in black-hooded robes appeared before us.

  With only a portion of their blue-skinned faces revealed, I couldn’t tell if they were male or female. I knew they weren’t human. My skin itched. My pulse raced. We stopped in front of them and I watched the red, incandescent eyes of Thing One sweep over Micah in a slow pass. I’m not sure why I was surprised to see Thing Two grin from ear to ear, literally. I had a very nice view of the demon’s sharp, pointed teeth.

  “Boss has been waiting for you, pretty boy.” Thing One’s voice was raspy and smoky, the kind of feminine voice I’d always been jealous of.

  The welcoming smile she gave Micah vanished when Thing One focused her neon eyes on me. One corner of the demon’s mouth curled up in a snarl. “Castro didn’t say you would be bringing…her.”

  So my reputation preceded me.

  Micah threw an arm around my waist, pulled me to his side. Didn’t we look cozy? When I opened my mouth, he tugged on the single lacing of my corset. It was a silent warning. Talk and he’d pull.

  “She’s with me,” Micah stated.

  “I can smell her all over you,” Thing Two said. This voice was male, the tone
sexual. “The scent is intoxicating, powerful. So the rumors are true, then?”

  Gross.

  “Depends on the rumor.” Micah stepped back, tore off my jacket and tossed it to Thing Two. The demon stared at the crimson lines on my shoulder and chest. Without looking, he caught the jacket and brought it to his nose, inhaled, smiled.

  With his hands on my bare shoulders, Micah spun me around in a circle like I was a fucking prize mare. “She isn’t armed. Does she look like she’s here to fight? No place for a weapon.”

  Thing Two leaned into me until he was an inch from my face. I was prepared to test the sharpness of his teeth with my knuckles. I inhaled…and about fell over. What the hell was this thing eating, putrefied fish?

  “There are other places to hide,” his gaze slid down my body and I held my breath, “dangerous things. Take off the boots.”

  I opened my mouth, but Micah spoke over me.

  “Come on.” He flashed his most charming grin and shifted me, subtly, away from Thing Two. He winked at Thing One. “Leone, when have I ever let you down? She’s solid. You have my oath. We need to talk to Castro and then we’ll leave.”

  Thing One and Two looked at each other. At last, they nodded and stepped away from the pitch-black entrance. Micah said nothing, just grabbed my hand and pulled me along. As I passed Thing One, I couldn’t help but give her a reciprocating curl of my lip.

  Micah didn’t say I couldn’t growl.

  Even though I could see the glimmering sheen of magic covering the door, I wasn’t prepared for the sensation of walking through the energy. The barrier was dark, powerful and it felt like I was struggling through a tangle of spiderwebs. Whatever I’d been expecting about this club was obliterated the moment I set foot onto the stone floor beyond.

  Sights. Sounds. Smells. I couldn’t be sure, but it appeared we were in a network of subterranean vaults. Overhead, a kaleidoscope of lights was recessed into the stone ceiling. They pulsed. The dim, smoky atmosphere flashed with color and gave me a glimpse of the main room and the few dozen tunnels leading to what I assumed were other caverns. Sweat gathered at the back of my neck as wave after wave of heat radiated off both the floor and ceiling.