by Nina Bangs
“Because I want you to be more than you think you can be. And yes, I speak in clichés, because they tend to be true. I want you to feel safe to talk about your work, knowing that everyone around you understands the woo-woo aspects of what you do and respects you for it.”
“Woo-woo aspects?” Cinn sounded outraged.
Damn, she didn’t step back this time. He guessed Sparkle’s comment had cemented her to the floor.
Sparkle shrugged. “Admit it: your family doesn’t appreciate you. I bet you scare the crap out of them with some of your experiments. Don’t you think I know why you accepted a job in Texas? I’ve been around for thousands of years, sister. Not much gets by me.”
Thousands of years? Dacian upgraded the possibility that this Sparkle might turn into a pain in the ass. Someone who’d survived that long must have serious powers.
“Thousands of years?”
Shock drove Cinn back those two final steps he needed. Dacian concentrated his power on the chains attached to the cuffs around his wrists and then yanked. The chains were strong, but there was always a weak link. In all things. And not much could hold him when he focused his energy. Both chains broke. And before either woman could react, he’d bent down and snapped the chains holding his legs.
Between the moment he freed himself and the one in which he prepared to spring at Cinn, two things happened. Cinn turned to stare at him. He had an instant impression of warm brown hair shaded with blonde and big hazel eyes wide with horror. He couldn’t see her mouth, because she’d clapped a hand over it, probably to hold back a scream of terror. She had it right. He was a thing to be feared. And if there was a flash of bitterness in the thought, well, it didn’t matter. Only his freedom mattered.
And Sparkle spoke. “Uh, Mede, I think now would be a good time.” She sounded mildly concerned.
Distracted from his attack for a second, he glanced at Sparkle and then followed her gaze to a shadowed corner of the dungeon where a big black-and-white cat padded into view. It had the same damn eyes as Sparkle, a weird amber color. And that was all he had time to observe before he heard the voice in his head.
“Okay, big guy, time to cool it and listen to what I have to say.” The cat glanced at Sparkle. “The trolls guaranteed those chains would hold any vampire on Earth. They ripped you off. Return the weak-ass suckers and ask for a refund.” Then he turned his attention back to Dacian.
Dacian had to make a decision: attack or listen. There were now two nonhumans in the room, and he had no idea what waited outside that door. Not good odds. If they’d wanted him dead, they could’ve destroyed him while he was helpless. And he was in the castle where Jim had said he’d find Taurin. He paid the guy good money to keep track of his brother, and he had no reason to doubt him.
Jim was a retired CIA agent, so when he’d gotten wind that Taurin was in danger, that Stephan had found his brother’s location and would kill him to punish Dacian for refusing his maker’s call, Dacian didn’t hesitate. Time was important. If he managed to escape, he’d have to flee the building and then figure out how to contact his brother. His decision made, Dacian dropped his clawed hands and backed away from his attack. “So talk.”
Cinn had turned panicked eyes toward the cat, so he must be broadcasting his mental message to everyone. Not an easy thing to do.
“Chat with the vampire after you let me out of here.” Her gaze skittered between the cat and the door. “And I can’t believe I’m talking to a cat.”
The plant lady was making a real effort to keep her voice from shaking, but Dacian’s enhanced hearing picked up the faint vibrations. If he weren’t such a heartless bastard, he might even feel sorry for her.
“So you can run away?” Sparkle didn’t seem upset by the thought.
“Yes.”
Sparkle shrugged. “Okay, go. Although if you give yourself some time to think about this, you’ll realize that working here is best for you. Not only will you be able to work without having to explain yourself to nosy relatives, but you might be able to expand your experiments beyond the plants.”
“How?” Cinn’s expression said she asked the question against her better judgment.
The plant lady’s spark of curiosity might be her undoing. Dacian sensed Sparkle beginning to close her net.
“Well, for one thing, you might be able to help Dacian here. And I might be able to turn you into a sensual woman.” Sparkle frowned. “Forget that last comment. I don’t do that anymore. I keep forgetting.”
Cinn swallowed hard as she shifted her gaze to Dacian. She’d taken her hand from her mouth. God, the woman had a great mouth. It was a testament to how hot those lips were that he could even notice them in this situation. But then, he hadn’t had sex in a long time, so any woman’s lips would look great.
She didn’t say anything, but he figured she thought sticking with her plants would be a safer bet. She’d be right.
Ignoring all the negative vibes ricocheting off the stone walls, Sparkle forged onward. “He’s a vampire. Human medicine can’t help him control whatever spell turns him into a dangerous animal.”
Spell? Cinn would think that just being a vampire made him a dangerous animal. No spells needed.
“But you have power given to you by Airmid. You might be able to find a way to help him. Maybe whip up an herbal cocktail that could stop the episodes before they started.” Sparkle looked hopeful.
Cinn blinked. “I doubt it. Now can I go?”
Heartless bitch. Even as Dacian passed judgment on her, he admitted she was probably right. Stephan was the only one who could stop his episodes.
“I know this is all overwhelming, Cinn. I wanted to ease you into the more…interesting aspects of the castle, but,” Sparkle tried on a regretful expression, “things didn’t turn out the way I’d planned. I’m sure when you get to know everyone, you’ll feel right at home here.”
“No.”
Sparkle ignored her. “And once Dacian takes a shower and puts his fangs away I’m sure you’ll find that he’s a really nice guy.”
“I’m not a nice guy. I’ve never been a nice guy. And if someone doesn’t start explaining what’s going on, I’m going to tear out a few throats.”
“Shut up, bloodsucker.” The cat hissed at him.
“No.” Cinn was standing firm.
“Well, I wasn’t going to mention this, because hey, I didn’t want to scare you…”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Cinn’s muttered comment was meant to be heard.
Sparkle forged on. “But Airmid has gotten wind of what you’ve been doing, and she’s really pissed. In fact, she’s on her way to your home in Oregon right now to put a major hurting on your plant-mutating ass. That’s really why I brought you here now. We can protect you.” She shrugged. “Just letting you know.”
“You’re lying.” But there was a note of uncertainty in Cinn’s voice. “This whole thing is one giant con. I don’t know how you did it or why you did it, but I want out.”
Sparkle glanced at the cat and nodded. The cat stared at the door and it swung slowly open. Without a backward look, Cinn almost ran from the dungeon. Dacian was tempted to follow her out but decided at the last moment to stay. He’d take the chance that they didn’t intend to separate his head from his shoulders. According to Jim, Taurin worked at the castle, so they’d know where he was. Dacian watched the door swing shut and heard the click of the lock.
“Not too smart, cuddle-bunny.” The cat’s gaze returned to Sparkle.
Cuddle-bunny? Dacian almost laughed, but he controlled the urge. It was a matter of survival. You didn’t laugh when you wanted to convince the enemy you were a bigger badass than they were.
“You went to all that trouble to get her here, and now you’re letting her walk away. And she’ll talk.”
“No one will listen.” Sparkle hopped off of the table and walked over to stand in front of Dacian.
The sway of those hips qualified as a lethal weapon. And like a weapon, she us
ed it deliberately. He sort of liked how Cinn moved better. Just as sexy, but not calculated. He let a frisson of anticipation warm him. He’d like to taste Cinn, in all ways. Then he banished the thought. Sex didn’t have a place in his business here.
“But she’s leaving.” The cat couldn’t get past that fact. “I would’ve made her stay.” He twitched his tail, and the gleam in his cat eyes suggested he would’ve enjoyed the whole making-her-stay process.
Sparkle sighed. “She’s not leaving. I had her little greenhouse locked down tight right before I met her at Wicked Fantasy. Cinn won’t go anywhere without her precious plants.”
The cat joined her. “Hmmph. Might work. I like the direct approach better. Threaten her with a slow agonizing death if she doesn’t stay. No, I’ve got something even worse. Lock her in a room with Holgarth. She wouldn’t last a day.”
Sparkle’s laughter was soft and sexy. “I’m doing something almost as delightfully cruel. At the same time I locked down Cinn’s plants, I ordered Asima to stay with her at all times.” Her eyes gleamed. “They’ll both hate it. A double scoop of mean from Sparkle Stardust. It doesn’t get much better.”
The cat coughed. “Umm, sweetie, you asked me to remind you if you were wading into shallow water again.”
Sparkle frowned. “Oh, of course. I’m not supposed to enjoy the misery of others.” She sighed. “I’ll try not to have too much fun watching them poke holes in each other.”
She reached up to brush a strand of hair away from Dacian’s face. He showed fang as a warning.
“Mmm. Aggressive. I like that in a man.” She smiled as she dropped her gaze to the cloth around his hips. “I’m sorry all you have to wear is my itty-bitty scarf. But the black silk matches your eyes. At least you’re color coordinated. Take care of the scarf, because I want it back.”
The cat snorted. “Give it a rest, Sparkle.” He offered Dacian a man-to-cat stare. “She wants me to stop her when she starts acting like the old Sparkle Stardust: a manipulating, fashion- and sex-obsessed, all-around shallow bitch. Personally, I think she was a lot more fun when she was dedicated to eternal shallowness. But that’s just me. I need a cookie.” He glanced longingly at the door.
Enough of this crap. Dacian speared each of them with a hard stare. “Who are you? What are you? And why did you bring me here?” And where the hell is Taurin?
Reaching down, Sparkle picked up the cat and cuddled him between her impressive breasts. The cat’s expression brightened. A lot. He didn’t mention the cookie again.
“I’m Sparkle Stardust and this is Ganymede. We’re cosmic troublemakers, powerful beings in charge of—”
“Everything.” The cat managed to look superior even peering out from between her breasts. “At least I am. I’m the most powerful of the troublemakers.”
“Edge thinks he is,” Sparkle reminded him.
Ganymede’s whiskers twitched. “He’s nothing next to me. For tens of thousands of years I’ve created chaos throughout the universe.”
Dacian narrowed his gaze on the cat. Probably a shifter. “What are you when you’re not being a cat?”
“Anything I want to be, bloodsucker. But I like being a cat. Cats can sneak around and find out things. People aren’t afraid to tell secrets in front of cats.” He wiggled his butt into a more comfortable position. “Usually I’m a black or gray cat, but I decided on black-and-white this time because I’m feeling conflicted about Sparkle’s nutty plan to make herself into someone she’s not.”
Sparkle’s deep sigh made Ganymede’s eyes glaze over for a second. He recovered quickly, though.
“Okay, enough of me. This is about you. Here’s the deal. Your brother’s been looking for you for a lotta years. Since he works for Sparkle, we’ve sort of kept an eye out for info about you.
“A tip came in a few days ago from someone who said he worked for you. He claimed that you’d paid him to keep an eye on Taurin. He swore he was telling me this because it was the right thing to do, that he wanted to reunite you guys. Figured he was playing me, but I decided to check things out anyway. He said you’d holed up in Alaska. Couldn’t give me an address, but I’m an awesome tracker. I found where you’d been, but you weren’t there anymore. Trailed you to Big Bend National Park.” He paused to study Dacian. “Remember anything about what happened there?”
“Nothing.” How had Ganymede tracked him over all those miles between Alaska and Texas? And why had Jim contacted him? Jim hadn’t seemed like a sentimental kind of guy.
“Good, uh, I mean, that’s tough.” His cat eyes gleamed. “You’d dug yourself a nice cozy grave and put up some halfass puny ward. I took my human form and used my amazing power to blow you right out of that grave. You were out of your head crazy, but with my preternatural strength, I slung you over my shoulder and lugged you back to the castle.”
Sparkle did some serious eye-rolling. “Last year I would’ve let that lie scoot right past me, but since I’m trying to build character this year, I have to be honest. My sweetie had to dig you up with a shovel and then fight you every inch of the way back here. He never could get you into the nice new coffin I sent along.”
Ganymede hissed at her. “I liked you a lot better when you had zero character.”
“And you did all this out of the goodness of your hearts?” Call him cynical, but Dacian figured most people had an angle.
“Taurin will owe me. Besides, Sparkle wanted you, and I always give my evil lady what she wants.”
Okay, that was Ganymede’s angle. Now for Sparkle.
“I’m trying to be less shallow, so I guess my quest for personal depth starts with you.” She offered Dacian a smile that should’ve melted the chains right off the wall.
It didn’t. He wondered what Cinn’s smile looked like. His thoughts turned sour. She probably only smiled when she was planting seeds. “Why’d you chain me to the wall?”
Ganymede’s tail whipped back and forth. “You’re kidding, right? No way could we turn a berserk bloodsucker loose in the castle.”
Sparkle added, “The tourist board would take away our five-star rating like that”—she snapped her fingers—“if they found drained guests littering the halls. This was the only place secure enough to hold you. Mede broke a sweat chaining you to the wall. Your clothes—and I use the term loosely—were bloody and torn. Mede had to cut them off you because you were too out of control to unchain. I contributed my scarf to the cause in case of visitors.” She smiled. “What a shame to cover what is definitely your best feature.”
Ganymede hissed.
Sparkle put her finger over her lips. “Oops. Sorry. That was the old me. The new me didn’t even notice your excellent package.”
Dacian had to say something in his own defense. “I feed from animals most of the time.” Except when he needed a power boost. Like now.
Sparkle held up her palms. “See, there you are. An immediate problem. How would we explain all the missing shape-shifters?”
Okay, time to change the subject. “Where’s Taurin?”
“Away. Somewhere in Europe. He’ll be home soon. But we need to know what you’ve been doing for the last couple of hundred years before we let you join our happy family.” Something dangerous moved in the cat’s eyes.
Dacian thought about how much to tell them. Bare bones. That was all they needed to know. “I’ve been trying to avoid my maker.”
“Why?” Sparkle leaned forward, and Ganymede sank deeper. He purred.
Dacian thought Sparkle’s excitement didn’t bode well for him. Just a feeling. “Stephan has a god complex. Nothing short of world domination will make him happy. He’s been trying to call me home to help him. I don’t want to go.”
“Bastard,” Ganymede commiserated.
Sparkle looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but Dacian didn’t give her a chance. “Can I get out of here?”
“Do you know where ‘here’ is?” Ganymede sounded wary.
“The Castle of Dark Dreams. You
r informant was right about me keeping track of Taurin.”
Ganymede just nodded. Dacian could read all of the cat’s unasked questions in his eyes. He had a few of his own. But now wasn’t the time for any more questions or answers. He needed to feed so he could think clearly.
Ganymede glanced at the door and it opened. “I’ve sent for Holgarth. He’ll take you to a room. We’ll send something up for you to drink—from a bottle, not the hotel employee. Can we trust you not to go wacko on us while you’re here?”
“I get some warning. If I feel anything coming on, I’ll let you lock me back up.”
“Good enough for now. We’ll talk again later.” Ganymede glanced up at Sparkle. “You can put me down now, babe.” He sounded sad about that.
As Sparkle set the cat on the floor, a short thin man wearing a blue robe decorated with stars and a matching pointed hat stepped through the doorway. His long pointed beard almost quivered with distaste, and his eyes were frosty with disapproval.
“Oh, goody, the demented undead has a moment of lucidity.” He strode over to hand Dacian what looked like a monk’s robe. “Put this on. When I take you through the great hall everyone will think you’re part of the ongoing fantasy.” He sniffed. “Ah, the sweet scent of Mother Earth. May I suggest you shower as soon as you get to your room?”
Dacian was just wrapping the robe around himself when Sparkle reached out and whipped the scarf from his hips. “Pure silk. I’m still shallow enough to want this back.”
Holgarth huffed his disdain. “Well, at least I can’t criticize your taste in clothing because you have no clothing. And I’ve never seen a vampire with scars like yours. Where…?”
Dacian didn’t give him a chance to finish his question. Pulling the robe tightly around him, he strode from the dungeon, forcing Holgarth to follow him.
Sparkle narrowed her eyes as she watched the vampire leave. “There’s a lot he didn’t tell us.”