“Even Selena?”
Dante frowned. “Selena?”
“Maybe they wanted the books and she wasn’t in the mood to hand them over.”
The memory of Selena’s secretive manner flashed through his mind. The woman was certainly arrogant enough to be dabbling in magic the witches would have forbidden. Or even to seek powers that would have given her control of the coven.
But even as he considered the notion of a battle between the witches and Selena, he was giving a shake of his head.
“No. Selena was the Chalice. They would never put the Phoenix in danger. Protecting the spirit is their entire purpose in life.”
Abby grimaced. “Oh. Just a thought.”
“A very clever thought.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you patronizing me?”
“Why would I wish to patronize you?” he demanded in startled curiosity.
“I know I’m not overly bright, but I’m not stupid.”
Dante regarded her in astonishment. Devil spit, but she was the most baffling woman. “Of course you’re not stupid. I always found it astonishing that such an intelligent woman would be content to work as a minion for someone like Selena when you could so obviously do better.”
Her eyes darkened, almost as if she was relieved.
“It paid the bills. Trust me, it wasn’t as bad as some places I’ve worked.”
Taking her hand, he led her down the hall to the back staircase. The trail of the demon was growing ever fainter, and he had no intention of losing it.
At the moment it was their one and only lead to the coven.
“You could do anything with your life. Be anything,” he told her softly.
Struggling to keep up with his long strides, she gave a short, humorless laugh.
“How? My father and brothers abandoned me when I was still a child, and my mother never left the couch until she drank herself into a grave when I was seventeen.” He felt her shudder as she dredged up painful memories of her past. “I dropped out of school and got a job so I wouldn’t be shuffled off to some foster home. I’m lucky I didn’t end up walking the streets.”
With one smooth motion, he reached down to scoop her in his arms and cradled her to his chest. Her fierce, relentless nature made him forget she possessed a human lack of endurance even with the additional power of the Phoenix. And God knew she was too stubborn to confess she might need to rest.
The fact that she didn’t so much as mutter a protest at him taking matters into his own hands told him just how weary she must be.
Taking the stairs in a fluid bound, he studied her too-pale face.
“You would have never walked the streets. You have too much courage and power for such a fate.”
Her features hardened. “It takes more than courage to survive.”
In the blink of an eye, he was out of the house and swiftly moving down a back path.
“You need no longer fear. I will always be here.”
“Not fear? A high school dropout who can’t pay her rent is expected to save the world. How scary is that?”
“The world is in very good hands.”
Her head rested against his chest as she gave a wry laugh. “You’re demented.”
He risked a glance downward as they left the estate, and he slowed to a more cautious pace. Even tired and rumpled as she was, he had never seen a more beautiful woman.
“What would you do if anything was possible?”
There was no hesitation. “Travel.”
“Travel where?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere.”
He paused at the road, sniffing the air until he caught the scent of the demon traveling away from the city.
“Very ambitious.”
She snuggled closer, creating an aching heat that clenched the muscles of his thighs and an assortment of other pleasurable parts of his body.
“When I was little and my dad would come home in a drunken fury, I used to hide under my bed with an old globe that a teacher had given me,” she murmured. “I would close my eyes and point at a spot, and then I’d imagine I was on a boat traveling there. In my mind I have been all over the world.”
A sharp pain raced through him. This woman had been betrayed by those who should have protected and loved her. She had battled monsters in her own home and then been thrown into the world with no one to stand at her side.
But now that was all done.
She belonged to him.
He would devote his life, or even his death if necessary, to making sure she was never hurt or lonely or afraid again.
“Someday you will go,” he swore softly. “I promise.”
Her arms wrapped about his neck, almost as if she sensed his dark determination to do whatever necessary to keep her safe.
“We will go. After all, you owe me a honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon. I like the sound of that.” Without thinking, he reached out with his thoughts to gently stroke her face.
Her eyes widened in shock. “What did you just do?”
His lips twitched as he deliberately shifted his thoughts to cup her firm breast.
“You mean this?”
“I can feel you touch me. How can you do that?”
“You’re my mate.”
“But . . .” She gasped as he teased her nipple to a hard point. “Stop that.”
“You don’t like it?”
“Can I do that to you?”
“Not unless I take your blood.”
Her gaze narrowed. “That’s not fair.”
He chuckled as he bent to press a kiss to her lips.
“Life is never fair, lover.”
“Tell me about it,” she groused, her gaze scanning the darkness about them. “Are we following the trail of the demon?”
“For now.”
She turned her head to regard him with a frown. “You’re worried.”
He sniffed the air. The worrisome smell of blood had been growing stronger. Now the ground seemed to reek of it.
“The Shalott has been injured.”
“Viper?” she demanded.
“He is on the trail of the wizard.”
Her breath caught. “The witches?”
“They may have punished her.”
“Why?”
“You slipped through her clutches.”
He slowly lowered her to her feet. A vague sense of menace was crawling over his skin. He couldn’t yet pinpoint the source of unease, but he wanted to be able to strike swiftly.
Abby shifted close, no doubt feeling his own prickling alert. “You think she was sent to get me?”
“I think it’s a possibility.”
“Then why didn’t she?”
Dante shrugged. At the moment all he could do was speculate.
“If she is in the power of the witches, it’s not by choice. Shalott’s are independent, fierce creatures, and she would struggle against her commands whenever she was able.”
“Like you.”
He smiled wryly. “Yes.”
There was a moment of silence before Abby shifted to stand directly before him.
“We must rescue her.”
“A demon?” he demanded in surprise.
“She could have killed both of us. Or at the very least taken me away while you were unconscious. I think we owe her.”
He allowed his hand to drift over her tumbled curls. “If it is possible, we will release her. First we must find her.”
Viper allowed the man to drop to the ground and licked his fangs clean. He had no real taste for wizard-wannabes, but the guard had to be eliminated, and he hated to waste perfectly good blood.
Not that the man had been much of a guard. A smile twisted Viper’s lips. Despite the small medallion that had proclaimed the man a disciple of the Prince, he had been no match for Viper’s strength. The battle had done nothing more than whet his appetite.
With a flick of his hand, he used his powers to sink the inert body into the ground. The fresh blood t
hat coursed through his body elevated his strength and stirred the dark predator within. He was on the hunt, and he would kill anything in his path.
Sliding through the graveyard, he entered the large crypt and easily found the entrance to the tunnels beneath. He paused to sniff the air.
He could smell humans. And a handful of lesser demons who were willing to serve mortals in exchange for protection. Nothing that could prove a danger to him.
Nothing beyond the wizard.
Melting among the shadows, he slowly traveled down the steps. Although he was always confident, Viper wasn’t stupid. A vampire did not live as many centuries as he had by blundering into danger.
If the wizard was tapping into the power of the dark lord, he would be a formidable enemy. It would take as much cunning as skill to best him.
A perfect means to spend the evening, he acknowledged with a cold smile.
He passed two more guards on his way to the inner sanctuary. On both occasions he killed with silent efficiency and moved forward without missing a step. The few demons he sensed were wise enough to scurry away before he could cross their paths.
With deadly speed he was at the entrance to the lowest chamber. He halted to carefully study the room before him.
It was a large room, but barren with a large brazier set in the center of the stone floor. Before the burning fire, a tall man knelt in obvious worship. The wizard. And in his hand he held a leather whip that he lashed against his own back in a steady rhythm.
Viper curled his lip in disdain.
He had encountered any number of humans who had willingly traded their souls to the dark lord. For power, for immortality, for their love of evil. They became willing servants who would sacrifice anything and anyone to please their vicious master.
Even themselves.
Pathetic creatures.
But dangerous, he reminded himself.
Very dangerous.
Despite the distance, he easily sensed the ancient force that radiated throughout the room. The sorcerer was obviously a favorite of the Prince and allowed to draw deeply upon his power.
It was little wonder he had proven to be such a nuisance to Dante.
Allowing his fangs to run out, Viper flexed his fingers and flowed into the shadows of the chamber.
“Fee Fie Foe Fum, I smell the blood of a . . . not Englishman.” He paused as he sniffed the air and gave a shudder. “Ah, a Saxon. A pity. The last Saxon I devoured made me ill for days. Filthy beast.”
Scrambling to his feet, the wizard clutched the heavy medallion about his neck and scanned the room for the unexpected intruder.
A futile effort. Viper wouldn’t be seen until he wanted to be seen.
“Cooper. Johnson.” The man’s voice held an unmistakable rasp as he called for his guards. Well, at least he was smart enough to be afraid. “Breckett.”
“Dead, dead, and dead, I fear,” Viper purred in cold tones.
The man gave a low growl as he backed close to the flames. “Show yourself, vampire.”
“Later, perhaps. If you are very good.”
“Coward.”
Viper laughed as he drifted through the shadows. “I am intrigued. Why would an all-powerful wizard be hiding in these dark caves beating himself senseless? Are you the sort to delight in self-flagellation?” He paused as he easily read the dark, tangled thoughts that the wizard couldn’t hide. “No, you prefer inflicting pain on others. It must be atonement for the dark lord.”
“I have no business with you. Leave now and I will not try to halt you.”
“But I have business with you.”
“Do you think to challenge me?”
“No, I think to kill you.”
“Fool.” The wizard snarled. “You shall burn upon the Prince’s altar.”
“Actually, you shall be the one to burn. But not until we’ve had a little chat. Have a seat.” Lifting his hand, Viper moved forward, forcing the wizard to his knees with the power of his glamour. He would not be capable of holding the man for any length of time. But he intended to have his questions answered before he took pleasure in the kill. “Now, tell me what you know of the witches.”
Chapter 21
A shiver raced through Abby as she hovered close to Dante.
She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.
Both the shivering and the hovering.
And standing in the dark wondering what the hell had happened to her life.
A week ago she would have already been in her cramped apartment tucked into her cramped bed.
She wouldn’t have known about all the bad things that went bump in the night, or feared that she was about to become a roasted sacrifice for some nasty deity.
Her gaze slid upward to linger upon the tense, perfect profile of the vampire next to her.
Her heart gave a sudden jolt. She might have been safely tucked in her bed, but she would have been alone. And miserable.
Whatever happened, no matter how many beasts and demons and witches crossed her path, she would not regret the events that had led to this moment. Having Dante near her was worth any cost.
Even as the knowledge settled deep inside Abby, Dante stirred with a restless motion, and she sensed a surge of frustration ripple through him.
Her hand reached out to touch his arm.
“What do you sense?”
“The demon is near.”
“How near?”
He flashed a wry smile. “Abby, I’m not a GPS. I can only say that she is close.”
“Then the witches must be close.”
“Yes.”
Abby felt faintly nauseous. A sensation that was triggered each time she thought of the women who she had seen in her dream.
Women who would hold her life, as well as that of Dante, in their hands.
“Do we start searching houses?”
Dante angled his head and sniffed the air. She didn’t know what he could smell, but he gave a sharp shake of his head.
“I don’t want to blunder in blindly. I prefer to have some idea of what we’re going to be facing.”
“I could—”
“No.”
Abby stiffened at his sharp tone. It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to creep through the dark alone. Hell, she’d rather shove a fork in her eye. But she didn’t take commands well. Never had, never would.
“Well, I’m not standing here in the dark all night,” she informed him sharply. “I’m tired, I’m hungry, and my mood is taking a turn toward pissy.”
He cocked a brow. “I’d say the turn has already been made.”
“Dante.”
His arm fell across her shoulders. “There is more than one means of discovering the witches.”
“And they would be?”
He led her from the quiet back street toward the bustling thoroughfare just a block away.
“Trust me.”
She rolled her eyes at the familiar words. “Can’t you at least tell me where we’re going?”
“You will see.”
He turned the corner, and they walked past elegant restaurants with their discreet awnings and closed shops that didn’t put price tags on their items.
The sort of neighborhood where women like her were followed by store security.
She wrinkled her nose as she found herself being relentlessly towed toward a sidewalk coffee shop that was still bustling with preps and corporate executives.
“I’m starting to rethink this whole mate thing.”
“Really, lover, you should have more faith in me.”
“I do, it’s just . . .”
“Just what?”
Abby came to a sudden halt to meet his gaze squarely.
“I’m afraid,” she abruptly admitted.
His arm pulled her close, his lips feathering over the top of her head.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Abby. You have my promise.”
“But what of you?”
“I’m fairly fond of me as
well. I intend to take great care.”
She pulled back with a frown. “We don’t know what the witches will do.”
“They will discover a new Chalice, and you will be free of the Phoenix.”
“And you will be the guardian for a new woman.”
His expression eased. “Ah . . . you’re jealous.”
“Maybe a little.”
His fingers cupped her chin. “You are my mate. Even if I wanted to be with another woman, I couldn’t.”
“But I will be mortal again.”
“Those are worries for later. For now we must concentrate upon ridding you of the Phoenix. Until we do, you will be in danger.” His lips lingered a moment on her forehead before he was once again pulling her down the street, pausing before the large window of the bustling shop. “This should do.”
She glanced over the customers, who were all thinner, richer, and prettier than her.
“What is this place?”
“A coffee shop.”
“I can see that. Why are we here?”
“Because of that.”
He pointed to a spot directly over the window. For a moment Abby could see nothing but the red bricks that made up the building. Then as the clouds shifted, she could make out the strange hieroglyphics that glowed in the moonlight.
“Graffiti?”
“It’s a symbol that the owner is . . . nonhuman.”
His arm lowered to point toward the window where a tall man weaved between the tables. Abby’s eyes widened. Yowza.
She had never seen anything like him. Large and muscular with the build a professional wrestler would have envied, he was attired in a loose, green, sequined shirt and leopard-print pants that appeared to have been spray painted on him. Even more eye-catching was the long, brilliant red hair that flowed down his back like a river of fire.
He was an exotic butterfly who oozed a sensuality that was nearly palpable in the air.
“Let me guess. E. T.?” she husked.
Dante grimaced. “Imp.”
It wouldn’t have been her first guess. Or hundredth.
“Isn’t he kinda big for an imp?” she demanded, frowning as he passed out of sight and then without warning popped into the air directly before her.
“Not just an imp, I am a prince among imps,” he corrected in rich tones, performing an elaborate bow. “Troy, at your service, and, sweet pea, big is most definitely better.” He ran a hand down his stomach and then cupped himself with a seductive smile. “Of course, I don’t expect you to take my word for it. I’m quite willing to display my goods if you want. I have the most darling room upstairs where you can taste my wares in private.”
A Vampire Bundle Page 56