Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 04]

by Charming the Darkness (epub)

***

  To admit to herself that Danny did frighten her a little was fine, but there was no way in hell she was telling him that. But despite his darker side, she found herself drawn to him. She wasn’t foolish enough to lie to herself and say it wasn’t that dark side that aroused her, but it was more than just that. She could see something more lying beneath the surface. A side of him she saw briefly when he’d speak in a soft tone, or in the way he sometimes looked, or when he’d laid on her breast and spoke of his life before becoming a vampire. He hadn’t attempted to make a move on her but had simply lain there content as a baby in its mamma’s arms. There was a boy inside that man who longed for love.

  Maybe she could be the one to give it to him.

  “How far is this place?” Starla asked, curious when they’d been driving for nearly half an hour.

  “We passed it a few blocks back.”

  She curled her brow in confusion. “Then why didn’t we stop?”

  “Because we’re being tailed.”

  She spun in her seat to have a look. Sure enough, there was a car behind them. “How do you know it’s tailing us and not just driving around like we are?”

  “Because it’s been with us since we left the house. Oh hell!” He slammed on the breaks sending her careening forward.

  “What?” Bracing her hands on the dashboard, Starla was more than baffled. And when Danny raced out of the truck, her confusion escalated. Throwing her door open, she ran after him. “What is going on, Danny?”

  “You following me now, bro?”

  Now she understood. The guy who was following them was Danny’s brother. “Just calm down, Danny, and let him explain.”

  “I saw you pull out of the driveway and thought I’d see where you were heading. Starla, right?” Dante asked, holding out his hand.

  “Yes, but I’m sorry to say I’ve forgotten your name.”

  “Dante.” He smiled and she saw the same charm in his smile as in Danny’s.

  “Why the hell are you following me?” Danny asked

  “Calm down, Danny,” Starla tried to sooth him with the calmness of her voice.

  “Okay, look, here it is,” Dante began. “I was driving around, scoping out the city, checking for any trouble when I saw you come out of a house. To be honest, I wanted to talk to you.” Dante’s eyes shifted to Starla.

  “Me? Why?”

  “She’s mine,” Danny piped in sternly.

  “Oh, put your macho away.” She laid a hand on Danny’s chest, keeping him back.

  “After our last conversation I was curious if you’d found anything out about where Chaos is being held.”

  She relaxed her hand. “We were just about to go see if I could find him. I plan on doing a locater spell.”

  “Yeah? Think I could tag along?”

  “No!” Danny blurted out, stepping in front of Starla.

  “Why are you still trying to defend him, Danny?” Dante began. “After what Chaos did I would think you would want nothing to do with him.”

  “What I decide to do about Chaos is my business,” Danny growled back.

  “And protecting the human race means nothing to you?” Dante blurted out, his face reddening with his rage.

  Starla could see where this was heading and decided to break it up before it got ugly. “I’ll tell you what, Dante,” she stepped between the two angry men, “why don’t you give me your phone number or address where I can reach you and when we figure out where Chaos is, I’ll contact you. After Danny has a chance to deal with him. Okay?” She turned first to Danny, who simply shrugged his shoulders, then to Dante who nodded.

  “That’ll work.” He handed her a card.

  Taking it, Starla slipped it in her pocket. “Promise me you won’t follow us?”

  Danny snorted.

  “I won’t follow you,” Dante promised.

  “Oh yeah, that was convincing,” Danny snarled.

  Starla let out a long breath, then decided the best solution was to prevent Dante from following them. “Dia Badora.”

  There was a loud pop, then a sizzle as the tires on Dante’s car began to deflate.

  “What the hell?”

  She took Danny by the arm and led him to their truck, leaving Dante to scramble towards his now useless car. “That work for you?”

  Danny kissed her right on the lips. “Sweetheart, you’re the best.”

  Chapter 19

  Danny was impressed at the lengths Starla went to in order to prevent Dante from following them. He’d been worried she’d believed Dante when he’d proclaimed his promise not to follow them, but he knew better. Dante had never been good at lying and even now in his adulthood, his left eyebrow twitched when he lied. Some things never changed.

  He parked several blocks away from the entry way to the sewer tunnels for obvious reasons. If Dante got his pals to come get him and go in search of Danny’s truck, he didn’t want them finding them. Despite the fact that he didn’t like walking around this particular part of town with Starla at his side, it was better than being tailed by his brother and his gang.

  “You seem tense,” Starla spoke up, startling him.

  “Just keeping watch for my brother.” And other creatures that would have a field day with her.

  “I doubt he was able to follow us. No, something else has you all tensed up. What is it?”

  The simple gesture of her hand stroking over his hair was enough to make him melt. “I’m worried we’ll be spotted by some freak looking for some fun with you.”

  “Oh…”

  He wasn’t the least bit surprised when she reached out for his hand. “I’ll protect you.” And just as he said it a wolf jumped out from behind a bush to snarl at them. She screamed, making him jump.

  He pulled her behind him and hoped to God he didn’t wet himself. “It’s a werewolf.”

  “For real?” She peered over his shoulder.

  “In living color. The question is, how are we going to get away from him?” With their lives.

  “Like this. Calda Estara.”

  Before his eyes, the wolf fell down onto the ground, eyes closed and docile. “Did you kill it?”

  She came up to his side, then slowly walked to the wolf, before kneeling down to the animal. “No! I put him to sleep. Oh wow, his fur is so soft.”

  He pulled her to her feet, not feeling a bit safe even if it was asleep. “Yeah, pretty puppy who wanted to rip your throat open and have you as a midnight snack.”

  She hurried along with him, looking behind her. “Is it really midnight?”

  “How the hell should I know? It was a figure of speech. We’re here. Be prepared to get a little dirty.” He popped the manhole lid then held his hand out to her. “Ladies first.”

  “You expect me to go down there, alone?”

  “I’ll be right behind you,” he promised.

  “Why don’t you go first and I can follow you?”

  “Because I need to make sure no one sees us going down here. Now hurry your butt.”

  With a mutter under her breath and a deep frown, Starla inched into the hole.

  “Just take the stairs one at a time and you’ll be fine.”

  “It’s too dark.”

  Damn, he forgot she couldn’t see in the dark like him. He should have thought to bring a flashlight. “You’re doing fine. I’m right behind you.” He started down the steps, closing the lid as he inched down the hole.

  “There are going to be rats down here aren’t there?”

  He heard her take the last step down and followed. Jumping down in front of her and startling her—okay, he rather liked that he’d scared her. “And snakes,” he added and watched her head flip around, searching the darkness she couldn’t see through.

  He
could and, so far, there were no rats or snakes nearby. He took her hand in his and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll protect you.”

  “You had better or I’ll turn your sorry ass into a rat or snake.”

  That had him pausing. “You can do that?”

  “Wanna find out? Don’t piss me off.”

  “Check, no pissing the witch off.” Smiling, he led her along the sewer tunnel towards the connection to the underground lair where Chaos had been staying. He knew it like the back of his hand, given the fact that he’d chosen the spot for Chaos. Truth was, in his younger days, he’d found the place while escaping some of the bullies in Chaos’ gang who’d been trying to see how long Danny could stay underwater before he begged to be let up. If he hadn’t bit the brute who’d held him down, he might have been down there for days. After he’d gotten away, he’d come down here and had stayed for nearly two weeks.

  No one had even missed him.

  Including Chaos.

  Why did he care about what happened to Chaos?

  Answers. He needed them.

  “You should have told me it would be pitch black. I would have brought a flashlight.”

  “Sorry. Hey, why don’t whip up some light source with those witchy powers of yours. Rat, to your left.” She screamed, jumped up and into his arms. His laughter bounced off the walls surrounding them.

  “That was not funny.” She slugged his chest good and hard.

  He squinted in defense when a bright light appeared ahead of them. “What the hell is that?”

  She jumped out of his arms. “A light. Oh wow, maybe it would be better not to have the light.”

  He would agree with that since having the path illuminated showed just how filthy the sewer was, not to mention lighting up the little slimy creatures and the four and eight legged creepers making the place its home. “I could carry you if you like?”

  “I can manage, thank you. It’s so hideous down here.”

  “Well, yeah, hello, we are in the sewer. Here we are.” He stopped them by the metal door and gave it a shove, opening it. “This section isn’t as bad.” He led her through the maze of tunnels that led to the secret hide out where Chaos had stayed.

  “How much further?”

  “Getting tired? I can still carry you,” he teased.

  “I’m not getting tired, just curious.”

  “We’re here.” He stopped her by the door that was slightly ajar. As he pushed it open, he saw the cot still in its place where it had been the last time he’d seen Chaos here.

  “This is where he stayed?”

  “It’s not the Plaza but he was safe while he was here and if he’d taken me back into the fold he might not be locked away somewhere.”

  She stopped and turned to him with a curious look on her face. “You sound bitter. Is it with Chaos or with the guy who has him locked up?”

  Danny gave that a moment’s thought. “Both, I guess.”

  “It’s obvious why you’re bitter about the guy who has him locked up, but I’m curious to know why you’re bitter about Chaos.”

  Danny sat on the cot, remembered how antsy Chaos had been while staying here and how he hated it. But he also remembered the closed off look in Chaos’ eyes when he’d told Danny he no longer wanted him in his life. “How could he just shove me out of his life like that? Just tell me I wasn’t welcome anymore after twenty years in his service. Twenty years!” he emphasized and got up to pace. “I mean, all I did was see my brother. Okay, it was against his orders but others had disobeyed him before and were still welcomed back into his fold. And sure, I was captured and held by Basil and Trinity and my brother but still…”

  He didn’t know why he was spilling his guts but damn it felt good. “I knew he could be cold but I thought it would be different with me. I’ve been thinking back, since he rejected me, and I’ve seen things I didn’t see at the time. Like why the hell did he pursue me so vehemently, then lock me up for months and only visit me once? Why did he tell me my family was glad to be rid of me when they weren’t? Why did he try so hard to keep me in his fold, then push me out over something as silly as seeing my brother and being captured? I just don’t get it.”

  “Perhaps the reason he told you that about your family was to make sure you wouldn’t go back to them. Think about it, you were thirteen, young, impressionable, but still a baby. Of course he would have to keep you locked up for months. He couldn’t risk the cops or your family finding you or you going back to them. It’s just like an abductor that convinces their victim that their family doesn’t want them and brainwashes them, essentially, to believe he or she is better off with the abductor. It’s mind control, and now that you’ve been away from him, you have all these questions and you’re able to think clearly because he isn’t controlling you. Do you know what I mean?”

  He did and that was another thing that had him thinking. “He told me that if my family found out I was a vampire they would kill me without a thought. That they would never accept me back into their life because I was an animal.” He turned towards her. “And I believed him.”

  “And that’s why you never contacted them.”

  He nodded. “It just added to what I already felt. Like I didn’t belong, that I was different.”

  “That’s classic of an abductor. They play on your weaknesses.” She walked to him, taking his chin in her hand. “You were a victim, Danny, and I think you’re just now starting to see that.”

  It wasn’t just now, but she was right. He was seeing more clearly. “Is there anything here you can use to find him?”

  She released his chin but stayed close by. “Let’s give it a try.” She scoped out the room, walking about, touching the bed, the walls, then spotting a piece of clothing on the floor, stopped.

  Danny watched as she closed her eyes, as she drew the shirt to her face and breathed it in.

  “Is he a rather big man?”

  “Yeah. He’s over six feet and broad in the shoulders and chest.”

  “I can see him. He’s sleeping…or…unconscious. I can’t read him so I’m leaning more to the unconscious part.”

  “You can do that? Read a person?” Had she been reading him all along?”

  Her eyes opened and still she clutched the shirt to her face. “It’s a technique, like a spell but harder. I have to really focus, close my mind to everything around me and draw energy from the item I’m holding in order to pick anything up from the person. Like this shirt.”

  “You ever…um…do that with me?”

  Her lips curved up in a sly smile. “I don’t read minds. It’s different and, no, I have never done it to you. It’s more like picking up a person’s energy. When you sleep, you still have energy coursing through your body, your brain is active, but when a person is unconscious the brain is dulled and shuts down. It’s that way with Chaos. I detect him, I can even get a mental picture of him, but I can’t read his energy.”

  “Will you still be able to locate him?”

  She held the shirt out, looking at it. “This should help, but I need some things to help me along. I left most of my spells and charms and incantations in my truck.” She sighed heavily. “All I really need is some candles. White. And I should be able to do the spell.”

  “Perfect. Let’s go shopping.”

  Chapter 20

  Who would have thought Jacob’s Cove had a mystical shop? Danny certainly had never known about it, or seen it for that matter. Then again, he rarely did any real shopping, and if he’d driven past it at any time in his life it hadn’t caught his attention. But with a quick glance in the phonebook, Starla had it picked out in seconds.

  She wasn’t as fast, however, in the shop. Danny had been amused when he’d first entered the shop, with its glittering stones and bright colored candles and such. But t
en minutes into it he was bored shitless.

  Starla had examined everything, cooed over some things and sighed over others. And Danny had wished she would just get what she needed and be done with it. An hour later, they finally left the store.

  “I need to cleanse my aura tonight and ask the Goddess for forgiveness.”

  “Forgiveness for what?” Danny inquired as he drove them back to the house they were staying at.

  “For taking so much and not giving back.”

  “They’re just a few candles and doodads.”

  “These crystals are not just doodads. They have powerful energies and help with a great many spells. And it’s not the fact that I only took six candles and four crystals, it’s the fact that I took. Period!”

  “I don’t get it.” He swung into the driveway and saw Killer sitting in the windowsill obviously waiting for their return. He should have picked him up a cat toy or something while he was out.

  “It is the Wicca belief that whatever you do will come back to you threefold. We also have a Rede stating, ‘An in harm none, do what ye will’.”

  “Huh?” She’d just managed to scramble his brain.

  “Which part are you confused with?”

  He exited the truck, grabbing her bags from the back seat. “All of it.”

  “Okay. We, as Wicca, believe strongly that whatever we do must be done for the greater good and must never harm another being or thing. So if I were to cast a spell that brings me truck loads of money, without giving back for my gift, bad things can happen to me, such as I may be robbed, I could be taxed out the wazoo and end up with nothing, that sort of thing. Now, if I gave half to charity and did good with the money, I would be blessed with good fortune, providing I didn’t attain the riches by illegal means.”

  “Okay.” He held the front door for her, and the instant it was opened Killer ran to greet them.

  “We take a vow not to harm anyone for our own gain. Hi, Killer.” She scooped the cat up in her arms and nuzzled her face into his fur.

  “Yet you kept me frozen for days. Hm…” He gave her a wry glance before setting her bags on the coffee table.