Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness Series #3)

by Brown, Stacey Marie

  “What happened to her?”

  “She ran away and got involved with a guy and his gang. She was shot and killed by a cop when she tried to flee a drug bust.” Weiss’ words were sharp and full of venom. “She made the wrong choices and got what she deserved. The law is the law. She broke the rules and had to take the consequences for her actions.”

  Wow...

  Speechless, I took in Weiss’ story. He was a man who thought in black and white, good and bad, pride and honor. Still the pain of losing his daughter had to eat at him. His overzealousness to “get” me was more about his daughter and trying to fix what he hadn’t been able to with her. It was sad. It didn’t endear him to me, but I understood his actions a little more.

  “Shit!” I heard Weiss yell. The police car in front of us, which held Eli, swerved and skidded uncontrollably across the road. Weiss slammed on the brakes, and we slid sideways down the asphalt. Something smashed into us, denting the side of our car, sending it flying through the air.

  A sensation of not knowing which way was up wrapped around me. It felt like I had just climbed into the washing machine and put myself on spin cycle. The seatbelt cut into my stomach and shoulder as it held me in place. Both Weiss and I stayed suspended in the air as the car flipped, but the moment the roof made contact with the ground, it crumpled on us with bone-crunching force. My head slammed into the caving roof. Excruciating pain and noise flooded my senses and overwhelmed me. The sound of metal twisting in agony seemed to come from every direction before it abruptly stopped.

  Several moments passed as I tried to understand what happened. I blinked and swiveled my head. Hazy moonlight lit the interior enough for me to distinguish the battered and unconscious sheriff. His seat belt held him, but the roof had caved so much his body was huddled against it. I hung upside down, blood seeping from my head. My eyes grew weary, and I wanted to sleep. I craved it like a deep hunger.

  Glass shattered and startled me awake, making me retch. A large fist punched through the side window, grabbing the frame of the car door and ripping it off its hinges. I closed my eyes and turned my head unable to block the piercing squeal of metal. I felt hands fumble with my seatbelt. They grabbed me and pulled me from the mangled car. Pain. I felt pain.

  Just close your eyes and go to sleep, Ember. The hurt will go away.

  I tried to force my eyes open when my body was placed on the rough concrete. It was too dark to see my rescuer clearly, but I could sense he was enormous. His outline blocked the moonlight. My arms were released from the tight bonds constraining them. Blood flooded back into them, making them prickle and ache.

  “Is she okay?” A voice came from behind the man who silently helped me. I knew that deep, male voice. I just couldn’t place it with a face.

  “Yes,” the huge, gruff-sounding man responded. “We need to go now.”

  Strong arms curled under my legs and back and picked me up like a baby as I drifted off to a place where I felt no pain.

  The soft motion of fingers curling through my hair caused my lids to flutter open. I knew it must be a dream as there was no other way he would be here. But why was I dreaming about him? Didn’t I have enough boy issues?

  My head lay comfortably in Nic’s lap. His beautiful, Spanish god-like features beamed down on me. His dark brown eyes fixed hungrily on mine. In a dream, Nic still projected pure, uninhibited sex. He was an Incubus and good at his job. Too good.

  I also knew that if I were awake, I would be feeling pain. I felt nothing but a rhythmic vibration making my body rock.

  “My little Dae.” Nic’s lips touched my forehead. Seeing him again was comforting. I had missed them all. But words would not come to my lips no matter how much I tried.

  “Shhh...” He kissed me on the lips. “I’ve got you. Sleep, my sweet Dae.” My heavy lids obliged his request. My dreams pulled me deeper into the darkness.

  My lashes lifted. A chandelier hung above my bed, glittering in the early morning light. I rolled over and snuggled deeper into the soft blankets.

  Shit! I sat up with a start, stunned. It was a déjà vu moment to awake here in my underwear and tank top, but this time I knew exactly where I was.

  “Lars,” I bellowed and flung the covers off as I sprang out of bed. The dresser was still filled with my clothes. Three years later and nothing seemed different. I grabbed a pair of jeans from the drawer. My boots were in my closet. I slipped into them and headed for the door.

  Walking down the stairs felt like another day at Camp Demon. The smells of sizzling bacon and rich, cheesy eggs drifted up the stairs. Marguerite was cooking. A sob came from my chest, and I was running before I realized it.

  “Marguerite,” I wailed like a child as I entered the kitchen.

  “Mi dulce nina.” Her arms wrapped around me, pulling me down to her short height. My heart burst with warmth as she crushed me to her. Marguerite was like the grandma I never had. She was tough, but her love was unconditional and complete. It was hard to keep the tears back. She made me feel like a little girl, protected and loved. “Oh, we have missed you, nina. You must not leave us again.”

  Right then I didn’t want to. With both my mother and Torin at the ranch, things had gotten more complicated and tense. I longed to stay right here, wrapped in Marguerite’s love.

  “I agree,” a voice spoke from behind me. I knew it instantly.

  “Rez.” I turned and embraced her. I hadn’t really realized how much I had missed them. They were my family, too. They were a part of me.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I certainly was fine without her around.” Maya strolled into the kitchen, immediately reaching for Marguerite’s scrumptious coffee cake.

  I smiled. “Good to see you, too, Maya.”

  She grunted back at me with her attention focused on the cake in her hand. Alki and Koke entered behind Maya.

  Koke moved around me. “If you are back, I will go get extra padding on.” She clicked her tongue in annoyance, referring to that time I had blown up the workout room, tossing us yards away, mangled and hurt. Being Fae we had been okay, but they’d never let me live it down. The room was now built of stone... not wood.

  “You don’t look as soft and fat as I thought you would.” Alki circled me and grabbed my arm. I immediately went into a defense pose.

  “To me it’s only been a few weeks since I’ve been here.” One eyebrow hitched up, taunting him to attack.

  “Oh, no-no-no!” Marguerite waved a spatula between us. “No combat in my kitchen.”

  Alki looked like he wanted to see if his teachings were still imbedded in my brain and muscles, but Rez shook her head. “Ember needs to eat and speak with Lars. You guys can beat on each other later.”

  Alki huffed in disappointment. “Okay. But you come out later. You cannot afford to go soft.” He pivoted and headed out the back door, Koke in pursuit.

  I smiled, shaking my head. Yup, I even missed Alki.

  I need therapy.

  “Where’s Nic?” I turned back to Rez. A fuzzy dream from the night before hovered in my thoughts.

  Rez cocked her head. “Asleep. He was out late last night.”

  “Well, it’s good to see things don’t change around here.”

  “Actually, he wasn’t out for himself; he was helping retrieve you. He went with Rimmon, Gorgon, and Lars’ men last night. You didn’t see him?”

  So Nic wasn’t a dream. Without a word I headed for the stairs, for the Spanish god’s bedroom.

  “My little Dae has returned home,” Nic’s voice came through the dark when I entered.

  “I guess I should be thanking you for that.” I stepped farther into the room but kept the door open. Nic was a sexy Incubus and always trouble. Behind closed doors, he was a force I wasn’t ready to deal with. His hand reached out from under the covers and pulled the back of my leg. I fell on the bed next to him.

  “I’ve been waiting for you to fall into my bed.” He tugged me, keeping me from getting up. We had a brief fling whi
le I had been in the house. We both knew it was no more than that, but it had been fun. The fact I didn’t actually have sex with him seemed like a miracle now. Nic was almost impossible not to want. He could still fluster me.

  “I didn’t come here for this.” I pulled away and sat up. He kept his hand on my leg.

  “Why did you come here, then?” He sat, revealing more of his bare chest. His dark eyes penetrated mine. Nic was a sex god, and no matter how committed you were to someone, his power drew you in. I was supposedly immune to his charm. If that were the case, no mortal stood a chance. I could feel myself weakening.

  “Nic, stop.” I got to my feet. “I came here to thank you.”

  He studied me for a moment, his eyes roving over me. “Well, well, well, my sweet Dae is having sex... a lot of it.”

  “What?” My cheeks heated up.

  “Em, sex is the only thing I am really in tune with. It is how I know who is vulnerable and who to approach. I can tell when someone is really satisfied and when someone is not. You, girl, are incredibly content. Those can be fun and a great energy boost, but the humans who are lonely and full of self-loathing are the easiest.” He scooted toward me, putting his feet on the floor.

  “You are disgusting.”

  Nic spread his arms with a wide grin. “It’s who I am.” His eyes bored into me again. “I’m telling you right now I really want to conquer you. You would be a challenge.”

  “You wouldn’t get any energy hits off me.”

  “I’d get another kind of buzz from you. It would be simply for enjoyment purposes. Not work.”

  I looked away, embarrassed.

  “Don’t be ashamed of wanting sex, Em. Fairies and Demons are the biggest sex fiends there are.”

  I didn’t want to tell him I was also part Dark Dweller, who could equal an Incubi’s need for sex. No wonder I could barely stay in my clothes lately.

  “Humans think they need to be ashamed because they want it and like it. You are really enjoying it, aren’t you?” Nic leaned back on his arms with a leer. “I am merely disappointed it’s not me.”

  I laughed. “You’re not upset. You don’t like me that much.”

  He shrugged. “I like you more than most. You’ve become one of us here.” He shifted, only a corner of the sheet covering him. “But you’re the kind of girl who wants her partner to be monogamous. I don’t and won’t ever like anyone enough for fidelity.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, well, I just wanted to thank you for saving me.” I turned to leave.

  “You know I wasn’t the only one who’s missed you. He never stopped searching.”

  My hand stopped on the door knob. “That’s because I broke our contract, which doesn’t come without consequences. Lars wants to make sure I pay.”

  “If that’s what you want to believe, but he didn’t send out his minions to look for you. He went himself.”

  I still continued to face the door. “He needs me right now, but I am just a means to end for him.”

  “When he found you were in the Otherworld, he risked exposing his spies there to help you escape. He even had people keeping your friends and father safe.”

  I whirled. “What? Who?”

  Nic’s gaze was steady on me. “Think about it, Ember. Who is in a position to keep your family protected?”

  Then it hit me. “Castien. Castien works for Lars?”

  Nic nodded. “He is one of several who have risen in ranks under Aneira. Castien is the highest, and the Queen trusts him. He has been a great informant for us, and we don’t want to compromise him. He does enough so he won’t get caught.”

  It suddenly made so much sense why Castien had always looked out for my friends and treated them well. I thought it had been because of Ryan, and maybe now it was, but in the beginning it hadn’t. How many little things did he do every day to keep Aneira from killing them? Why would Lars bother? He certainly didn’t care if any of them survived? I grabbed for the door again.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To talk to Lars.” I gave him a quick smile over my shoulder. “Thank you again for saving me tonight.”

  “How about you owe me one.” He winked.

  I chuckled and left the room.

  Lars’ office was on the other side of the house. I weaved through the enormous English-style home and barged into his office. “Why didn’t you tell me you had someone . . . Castien . . . watching over my family. Don’t you think this would have eased my anxiety?”

  He sat in his chair, nonplussed by my entrance. “I could not have you knowing anything about my men there. Your ties to Torin could have exposed them to the Queen. Whatever he learned from you, Aneira could have picked it from his thoughts. I had to keep you completely ignorant, for my men’s safety and for your family.”

  My anger deflated. He had only been protecting the people I loved... from me.

  “Why did you do it? I know you don’t care what happens to them.”

  Lars sat taller in his chair. “You are right. I do not, but you do. I needed you to have a reason to fight. I knew as long as they were prisoners you would never give up battling for your family and friends. If something happened to them, you could have gone either way. I was not willing to take the chance.”

  Manipulation should be the Fae’s tag line, but in this case I couldn’t get mad. He had kept them as safe as possible.

  “Did you know Ryan can’t leave now?”

  “Yes. It was the only way Castien could save him. Ryan was dying. It was my call.”

  I wiped the cut on my forehead. “Thank you for saving him.”

  He nodded. “Now let us talk about more pressing matters, and why I was trying to contact you tonight.”

  “Was it necessary to flip a cop car, almost killing me in order to nab me? You could have asked nicely. Oh, right, Unseelie Kings don’t do that.”

  “I saved you from being put in jail. You should be thanking me. Again.”

  “You Fae are so screwed up. I love you think propelling a cop car off the road because I didn’t coming running is a perfectly normal thing to do.”

  “You ignored my call. I knew something was wrong.” He waved toward the chair. “Please, sit, Ember.”

  “No. I have to get back. I need to find Eli... oh, God, is he okay? What happened to him?”

  “He is fine. He was able to get away as well.”

  Relief came out in my breath. “I better go. He’ll track me down.” I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet.

  “He will not be able to find you here,” Lars declared.

  My lips curled in a smile. “Oh, really? He did last time.”

  “What?” Lars stopped, his head darting up. “He was able to find you here?”

  “Yes. He couldn’t cross the wards, of course, but he knew where I was. The only place he can’t seem to feel me is when I’m in the Otherworld. He will find me soon enough.”

  Lars’ forehead creased. “I am aware he does not connect to you in the Otherworld. But I never suspected your tie to him was so strong it carried through our spells and wards.” He frowned. “I would have been more diligent had I known he could feel you in our compound.”

  I shrugged. “You could be as careful as you want, it doesn’t stop him. It’s kind of annoying, but it won’t.”

  “I am starting to gather as much.” Lars scowled.

  “Wait. How did you know Eli could not feel me in the Otherworld?” I trailed off; the answer already came to me. “You saw Eli while I was gone. And you knew I was alive the whole time and didn’t tell them?”

  Lars calmly nodded. “He was causing enough disturbances here on Earth. I needed to control the situation and keep you protected. He would have destroyed my efforts if he knew you were alive.”

  I groaned.

  “You should thank me. Elighan would have gotten himself killed. There is little doubt he would have tried to get to the Otherworld for you, drawing the Queen’s attention doing it. He was not subtle or discreet
during your absence.”

  The other stories of what Eli was like during that time only backed his statement. Still he was going to be so pissed when he found out Lars knew the whole time I wasn’t dead.

  “Let’s get to why you brought me here so I can get back.” I crossed my arms.

  Lars stood and walked to the glass doors overlooking his sprawling landscape. “It took me a while to realize what I saw on your back.” His voice was distant, lost in thought.

  “I know the location of the map on your back. I am actually displeased it took me as long as it did to decipher it. I should have known...” Lars cleared his throat, ridding himself of any emotion he might have shown. “It has a great deal of meaning to me.”

  “Really? Where?” I stared at the back of his head.

  “An area near Thessalia.”

  “Like in Greece? Really? I’ve always wanted to go there.”

  “Yes.” He turned to face me. “We are heading to the monasteries of Metéora tonight. You and the Druid are coming with me.” Of course Kennedy would have to be there. A Druid had to break the curse so we could get to the sword.

  “Tonight? What about the Dark Dwellers?”

  Lars shook his head. “We do not need them.”

  A sputtered laugh fell from my lips. “Need them or not, they will be coming.”

  Lars looked out the window and sighed. “I do not want them with us, but I will agree to this only because of your connection to Elighan. He will follow anyway. I suppose they could be an asset in protecting you and locating the sword.” Lars walked toward me, his expression severe, and his eyes stared deeply into mine. “But our deal still holds. The moment the sword is no longer needed to dispatch the Queen, it belongs to me, or he dies.”

  I nodded slowly. “Agreed.”

  “All right, let us go.”

  My face scrunched up. I was worried how Eli and the group would take the news about Lars, especially because I’d been keeping it secret.

  NINETEEN