The Darkening (Immortals)

by Robin T. Popp

  Darius glanced at them both, his expression dark and fierce.

  “Stay out of this—both of you. It is insightful of Martin to realize that he doesn’t have what it takes to face his new life. His wife will understand. If the roles were reversed, he’d expect her to do the honorable thing and kill herself, rather than learn to control her bloodlust and return to a different, but still satisfying, life.”

  Lexi watched the man’s expression change from defeat to hope. “No,” Martin said, taking a breath and straightening. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  Darius withdrew his arm, but didn’t put his knife away until after he’d stepped outside the cell.

  Martin walked up to the bars, his expression grim. “I want to know who did this to me,” he told Lexi. “I want to know who murdered me.”

  “You weren’t the only victim of this initiation scam,” the detective said, eyeing Darius warily, but holstering his weapon since Darius had put his dagger away. “Several of our recent missing persons were found tonight. Unfortunately, many of them, like you, had already been converted. We’re looking into it, and when we find the ones who did it, they’ll pay—provided they haven’t paid already,” he added with a side scowl at Darius.

  Lexi looked pointedly at the bars of the cell between them before giving Martin her attention again. “I’m sorry I had to put you behind bars.”

  He shook his head. “It’s probably just as well,” he told her. “I’m going to need time to sort things out. Learn to control my appetite.” He hesitated. “Would you mind calling my wife and telling her what happened? Tell her that I’ll understand if she never wants to see me again, but that I’m sorry, and—I love her.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I’d call her myself, but I’ m not sure I can handle hearing her rejection.”

  “I’ll call her and tell her what’s going on,” Lexi promised, though it wasn’t a conversation she was looking forward to.

  “What now?” she asked Darius as they left the vampire holding area.

  “I’ve been thinking about those conversion papers. You said they’re legitimate?”

  She’d given the stack of ACFs back to the detective, but at Darius’s question, she led him to the detective’s desk so they could look at the papers again.

  They’d only flipped through a couple of forms before Lexi noticed something she hadn’t before. “Does it seem odd to you that the same physician signed all of these?”

  She flipped through several more forms, but the name on them was the same. Dr. D. Patrick. Suddenly she knew why it seemed so familiar.

  “Mai went to see a Dr. Patrick this morning,” she said. “It has to be the same physician.” She looked at Darius to see if he agreed, but he seemed lost in thought. “Darius?” He blinked, and then his gaze focused on her. “Yes, I agree. It makes sense that it’s the same physician.

  “Right. So we find the physician and get some answers.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Find the physician and get some answers. That was exactly what Darius intended to do.

  He was fairly certain that Lexi hadn’t made the connection yet between Dr. D. Patrick and Paddy Darby. Only someone familiar with leprechaun culture and traditions would know that the “little people” followed a quirky naming convention. Their birth name was the one they used for formal occasions—but with friends and other acquaintances, they switched the order of their names, so their surname became their first name.

  He left the police station with Lexi and stood with her while she hailed a cab. When it arrived, he held the door open for her, but instead of climbing in after her, he remained standing outside.

  She looked up at him, confused. “Are you coming? I want to run by Mai’s place and make sure she’s okay, but then I thought we could go back to my place. We could order a pizza, watch TV—or whatever.”

  He wanted to smile. After last night, he never thought she’d invite him home with her. There was nothing like mortal combat to bring people together, he thought sarcastically. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “There’s someone I need to talk to.”

  “Oh.” She set her jaw. “Fine.” Her expression became closed and unreadable, though he had a pretty good idea what thoughts were going through her head. She thought that he preferred other company to hers.

  He heaved a sigh. The last thing he wanted was to get into lengthy conversations in front of the cab driver about why he would or would not have sex with her. “It’s not what you think,” he told her.

  She leaned over and placed her hand on the door handle. “It never is. See you around.” With that, she pulled the door closed and the cab driver took off.

  Darius knew he was going to have to explain everything to her soon, before they reached a point of no return. Unfortunately, time was of the essence. The other night, when he’d been at Ricco’s club, the vampire had introduced him to a friend of his—a young female leprechaun by the name of Alise Merriweather.

  Hailing a cab, he instructed the driver to take him to the Blood Club. With any luck, Alise would be there tonight and he could ask her if she knew Paddy Darby. Then, if it wasn’t too late, Darius intended to pay the leprechaun a little visit.

  After stopping at her place to change clothes, Lexi was once again in the back of the cab feeling sullen and depressed. Was she crazy? Darius clearly wasn’t interested in her—at least not sexually. How many times had he already made that quite clear? So why had she even hinted that they could have sex? Oh, yeah—because of the full moon, that’s why. She was feeling as randy as a dog in heat. Oh, wait, she actually was in heat.

  Several minutes later, she was standing at Mai’s apartment door. She didn’t knock right away, suddenly wondering if she was doing the right thing. After all, Mai was probably more exhausted than she was. Despite Mai’s claim that she would be up the rest of the night working, she had probably fallen asleep.

  Lexi knocked on the door anyway and waited. A few minutes later, she heard the sound of the chain being slid back and the deadbolt being thrown open.

  “Is something wrong?” Mai asked as she opened the door, worry in her voice. Her hair looked mussed from sleeping, and her garnet silk nightshirt made the healing puncture marks and darkening bruises on her neck that much more noticeable.

  “I’m sorry I woke you,” Lexi said. “After everything that happened tonight, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  Mai waved away her concern as she stood back to let Lexi in. “I’m fine.” She led the way through her living room to her kitchen. “You want something to drink? Maybe some coffee?”

  Lexi thought about it, but shook her head. “No, thanks. I really just wanted to make sure you weren’t suffering any side effects.”

  They sat down at the table, and Mai started rubbing the injured side of her neck. “Mostly, I’m fine,” she began. “But there is one thing. It started about an hour ago and has me worried.”

  “What’s that?” Lexi sat forward in her seat.

  Mai’s brow furrowed. “You’re going to think it’s sick,” she warned. “But I have this craving for an extremely undercooked steak—bloodred in the center. The bloodier, the better.”

  “You’re craving blood?” Lexi stared at her friend, hundreds of thoughts and concerns suddenly racing through her head. Had she gotten there too late when the vampire had attacked Mai? Had he somehow infused her with vampire-like tendencies without actually killing her?

  Lexi was so deep in thought that at first she didn’t recognize the small sound coming from Mai. When she did, she realized that Mai was giggling. Lexi rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. “That’s not funny.”

  Mai continued to smile. “Yes, it is. I’m perfectly fine. But, hey, why aren’t you with Darius? I certainly wouldn’t be hanging out with you if I had a guy like that. I’d have him in bed, screwing him six ways to Sunday.”

  “Nice,” Lexi said. “But for your information, he’s not my guy.”

  “Really?
” She raised an eyebrow. “Then you won’t mind if I give him a try?”

  “Knock yourself out,” Lexi grumbled, because the truth was that she did care. Standing up, she went around to where Mai was sitting and gave her a hug. “Good night, Mai.”

  Mai returned her hug and then walked her to the door. “Just remember, if you need anything, I’m here.”

  Lexi smiled. “I should be telling you that.”

  It wasn’t until some time later, in the back seat of another cab, that Lexi remembered she’d forgotten to ask about Dr. Patrick. Well, she’d do that tomorrow.

  She stared out the window and found that she wanted to put her fist through it. Every time she thought about Darius turning her down and Mai wanting to make Darius her next sexual conquest, Lexi got angrier and angrier.

  She was never going to get any sleep being wound as tight as she was. Leaning forward, she tapped the driver’s shoulder. “I’ve changed my mind,” she told him. “Can you take me to the Blood Club?”

  She needed to siphon off some of the excess magic that was making her so edgy, and there was one proven way to do that—spend some quality time with Ricco.

  After the cab dropped her off, Lexi walked through the crowded room, unaware of her surroundings. Her sole focus was on getting to the back rooms and finding Ricco. She was almost there when a hand snaked out and pulled her to a stop. Already fuming, she whirled around to confront the person who dared to lay a hand on her.

  “Easy, pet.” Ricco’s velvety voice washed over her as he held his hands up to show he meant no offense.

  Lexi looked up into the blue eyes twinkling down at her. Before she’d met Darius, she’d thought Ricco was the most attractive man she’d ever been with. Now, for the first time, she found herself thinking that he wasn’t all that tall, and while he was definitely in good shape, his body lacked a certain muscular definition and his complexion was maybe too pale.

  She stopped, horrified to realize she was comparing him to Darius. Feeling a bit off balance, she forced herself to relax and gave him a smile. “Hi, I was looking for you.”

  He smiled. “Everyone else in the club will be relieved to hear that,” he teased, gesturing to her clothes. “Not that I mind if you come dressed in your kick-ass leathers and don’t-fuck-with-me attitude.” He smiled at her. “I lust for danger.”

  “The nice thing about you, Ricco, is that you lust—period.”

  “Only for you, pet. No other compares.” She thought she saw him glance around before draping an arm around her shoulders and steering her toward the back rooms. “Now, please allow me to demonstrate just how well I lust.”

  She supposed it was a talent of his—to make every woman he was with feel special. At least Ricco wouldn’t run away from her just when things were getting interesting.

  They reached the back of the bar, and Ricco stopped at the hostess’s desk to place an order for drinks. Then he continued to guide her to his private room.

  When she walked in, she saw that the bed was made and the room was clean. Either she was his first tonight or the staff had been in to pick up the place and change the sheets after a previous session. She was inclined to believe the latter.

  He closed the door and gestured to the bed. “Do you want to get right to my demonstration? Or would you like to tell me what has got you so worked up?”

  She’d always liked his easy manner and the way he seemed to know just what she needed.

  “There is something bothering me,” she admitted. Suddenly feeling very vulnerable, she pressed on because she had to know the truth. “Am I boring to be with? I mean, sexually. When we’re in the middle of—it—are you thinking of other women?”

  Ricco stared at her in surprise. Then he placed a finger beneath her chin and tipped her head so he could look deep into her eyes. “You are many things in bed, but boring is not one of them.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He smiled. “When I’m with a woman, I don’t like to talk about how many women I’ve been with, but surely you have some inkling. Please believe me when I tell you that sex with you is some of the best I’ve had.” He continued to hold her chin and leaned forward to kiss her. There was a time when it would have sent a bolt of desire rocketing through her, but not anymore.

  As if he understood, he let the kiss end. “And I’m going to miss it.”

  “I’m sorry, Ricco. It’s not you.”

  A sad look came to his face. “That’s the problem. It’s not me.” He reached for her hand so he could lead her to the bed, to sit beside him. “Do you want to tell me who it is?” He paused. “It’s the man from last night, isn’t it? He’s the one who has you tied in knots.”

  She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. He’s not interested.”

  Ricco gave a kind of laugh. “Oh, I bet that’s not true.”

  Lexi felt herself getting angry again, thinking about Darius. “Then he has a funny way of showing it—running after other women every time he has a chance to be with me.” She shook her head. “No, he’s not interested.”

  She stood up, suddenly not comfortable with their topic of conversation. “I’m sorry. I came here because I needed your help. The full moon is so close, and I haven’t expended nearly enough of the energy this week. I’d hoped to do it tonight, but I’ m not sure I’ m in the mood anymore.”

  He nodded. “I understand.”

  Walking arm in arm, they left the back room.

  “Do you want to dance before you go?” Ricco asked her as they skirted the dance floor.

  “No,” she said, leaning close to him so he could hear her over the noise in the room. “I think I just want to go home.”

  He nodded and, looking about the room, seemed in a quandary as to the best way to get through the crowd. She, on the other hand, had no compunction about pushing her way through.

  She hadn’t gone far before a couple stepped into their path. Lexi was about to automatically steer around them when she heard Ricco swear under his breath. It was drowned out by the sound of an all too familiar voice.

  “Lexi.”

  She looked up, straight into Darius’s face. A movement beside him caught her attention, and she saw a very attractive, very petite redhead tucked under his arm.

  “I thought you were going home,” he said.

  She felt an unaccountable pain shoot through her at the sight of him with another woman and gave him an icy stare. “I changed my mind.”

  Darius gave Ricco a nearly lethal glare. “Is that right?” His voice was razor sharp.

  Ricco pulled himself a little straighter, clearly not intimidated. “Yeah, it is. Have you got a problem with that?” His gaze pointedly touched on the redhead before going back to Darius, who gritted his teeth. There was a tense silence as the two men glared at each other.

  The redhead stirred uncomfortably at the silence. “Maybe I should go,” she suggested hesitantly, glancing once more at Ricco and Lexi before turning a questioning look on Darius.

  As if he’d forgotten she was there, he peered down at her and opened his mouth to say something. Then, without uttering a word, he snapped it shut again.

  Lexi got the impression that he didn’t want the redhead to leave, but was, for some reason, reluctant to say so in front of her. Well, she would make it easy on him.

  “No, that won’t be necessary. We’re leaving.”

  “If you’ll excuse us,” Ricco said, taking Lexi by the hand. He then pushed past them into the crowd, pulling Lexi after him.

  Fortunately, Darius didn’t try to stop them.

  Once they were outside, he gestured to the doorman to hail a cab for her, then stood beside her while they waited in companionable silence. When the cab arrived, Ricco kissed Lexi good-bye. It wasn’t the heated kiss of two lovers but an affectionate kiss between two old friends. Then she climbed into the back seat of the cab while Ricco leaned in and gave the driver directions and money to cover her fare.

  “Remember,” he said. “Any time you n
eed me, you know where to find me.”

  “Thanks, Ricco.” She didn’t know what else to say. There was so much emotion, and no words to adequately convey it. Ricco, however, seemed to understand. With a final smile, he slammed the cab door shut and Lexi felt as if he’d just shut the door on a phase of her life; a comfortable, safe phase that she wasn’t sure she wanted to end.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Darius cursed under his breath as he watched Lexi storm off.

  “Your girlfriend looked pretty upset,” Alise said kindly. “I hope you’re not in too much trouble.”

  Me, too, Darius thought. But at least rescuing Alise from that thug had given him the information he’d been hoping for. “Don’t worry. I’ll explain things to her later. Right now, let’s get you out of here safely.” He cleared a path for her through the crowd, slowly fighting his way toward the back exit.

  “I appreciate this,” she said. “My ex can be a real jerk at times, and I just know he’s standing by the front entrance waiting for me to leave.”

  “Maybe I should have a talk with him,” Darius suggested, not for the first time.

  “That would just make him mad. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. He’s not a bad guy, just misdirected. He won’t hurt me, but I don’t feel like getting into another fight with him tonight.”

  By now they’d reached the back door. Darius pushed it open and went outside with the young woman. After he saw Alise safely into a cab, he was going back into the club to beat the crap out of Ricco. The image of the vampire standing with his arm around Lexi after they’d obviously come from the back rooms still burned in his mind.

  “Ouch.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Darius loosened his hold on Alise’s hand as they walked along the street. The minute he saw a cab, he hurried to hail it and, moments later, watched Alise being driven away.

  She’d told him as much as she could about Paddy Darby—that the leprechaun was a physician who’d accidentally maimed a child because he’d been drinking prior to performing surgery. He’d used his pot of gold to pay off the child’s family so they wouldn’t take him to court, thus retaining his medical license but losing face with the medical community. Without his pot of gold, he was considered an outcast among leprechauns and had lost contact with all his friends and family, including his wife and children. She’d also heard he’d recently fallen in with one of the local vampire gangs. Darius hadn’t needed her to tell him which one.