Seizing Darkness (Fur, Fangs, and Fairies)

by Mariana Thorn

  As I put on the clothes I heard him call, “Doing okay in there?”

  I just grunted at him in answer.

  He laughed.

  I was stepping on the hems of the pants, but it would do if I could just get a belt. “Hey giggles, do you have a belt I can use?” I asked, stepping from the shower with my good hand holding the pants up. I could see the amusement in his eyes. At least he was trying to suppress his laughter now. “You know, your mood swings are really getting on my nerves,” I growled.

  “Hey, I’ve had just about as much sleep and stress as you have, so I’m allowed to get a little punchy, don’t you think?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

  Did he have any idea how tempting he looked when he did that? My mouth went dry. I needed to focus on something other than him. “All right. So do you have a belt?” I noticed that he looked quite nice in his jeans and t-shirt. He smelled like soap and fresh male and it was oh so tempting. I tried to stop my mind from going there, but it was so hard with him standing so close.

  “Sure, have this one,” he said as he took off his belt and pulled out a knife.

  I had no time to protest. He leaned down in front of me. I gulped as he took the belt through the loops for me. His nearness made my pulse speed up again. This should not be so arousing, but it was. I kept repeating in my head that he was Val’s son and off limits. It really didn’t work, but I was putting in a good effort. After putting a new hole in it, he cut off the excess length and buckled it. His knuckles brushed up against my lower stomach. I think my heart stopped for a second.

  Then he stepped back and put his hands on his hips, looking me up and down. “I think that will do. Hold on just a sec. I’ll roll up the pant legs for you.” His voice was a bit gruffer than before.

  Maybe I wasn’t the only one affected by this, whatever it was. He leaned back down. He had them rolled up in an instant so I couldn’t trip. I was having difficulty keeping my paws to myself.

  “Now let me see your throat.” He was gentle as his hand cupped my chin, moving my head side to side as he inspected the wounds to my neck. My skin tingled from the contact. “Not too bad. There’s bruising, but the cuts are healing nicely. I’m going to take the plastic and tape off your arm.” He set my chin free and carefully removed the tape.

  “Thanks,” I said, rubbing where my skin was still warm from his touch. Now all I needed was my hair combed and dried and I would be all set.

  “Now come on up to my office. You can lay down while I get some work done,” he said, seeming satisfied with himself.

  It was kind of cute, the look of satisfaction on his face. I followed him through the empty halls in my bare feet. Lying down sounded fantastic. My eyes were drooping just thinking about it. I still had my comb that I’d crammed in a pocket. I figured that I could manage to at least comb my hair out a bit myself.

  His office was warm. I could curl up anywhere and be unconscious in minutes, I thought.

  Radek must have read my mind. “The couch is quite comfortable.”

  I yawned and made my way over to it, getting comfortable. Then I started to comb out my hair with one hand. It wasn’t going well. I heard him sigh and I looked up as he stalked across the room to me.

  “Here, let me help with that, and then you sleep.” He snatched the comb from my hand. I turned so my back was to him. The feel of his hands in my hair was soothing and arousing. My eyes started drooping.

  Chapter Five

  I felt warm and safe. The sounds and smells of the room started to register. Radek was nearby, his scent filling my lungs. My subconscious knew it was safe as long as he was there. He was breathing deeply, probably sleeping. I was reluctant to open my eyes to check. He had placed a blanket over me and the warmth spread through my body, going straight to my heart. Not able to resist any longer, I opened my eyes a crack. His head was near mine. He was sitting on the floor against the couch, asleep. That brought me fully awake. I carefully sat up. The pain had lessened. He was awake the instant that I moved.

  He rubbed a hand down his face. “How are you feeling?” he asked in a sleep-filled voice.

  “I’ve been better,” I said, “but not too bad.”

  He stood up, stretched and looked at his watch. “Good. Dante should be here with everyone any minute now.”

  “Huh?” I asked, confused and still groggy.

  “He’s bringing in Gregory, Madon and Joshua. We need to question them about what happened tonight.”

  “Oh, I guess that makes sense.” I ran my fingers through my hair.

  “You look fine. Come on, you can sit in my chair while we have our little meeting.” He held his hand out.

  I accepted it and he pulled me to my feet, then caught me when I almost fell. I was still not too steady, apparently. I looked up – his face was only inches from mine. I swallowed hard. I kept thinking that it wouldn’t take too much just to reach up and bring his mouth down to mine. I really wanted to find out what it would be like to kiss him. His eyes were every shade of brown imaginable. I got lost in them for a moment. He cleared his throat and pulled away first. He helped me to the chair, then gave me his coat.

  “What’s this for?” I asked, puzzled.

  “It’s to cover your arm. I don’t want anyone but us to know how extensive your injuries are.” He gave me that sexy raised eyebrow look again.

  Did I mention that it should be outlawed? I was either going to have to do something about this attraction I seemed to be forming for him, or get as far away from him as possible.

  “I guess that makes sense.” I let him help me into the jacket and had just gotten settled when there was a knock at the door.

  Radek motioned for me to stay put. I could hear and smell Madon before he entered. Leaning back and putting my bare feet up on Radek’s desk, I tried to look as relaxed and uninterested as possible.

  “I smell your blood. What’s happened, Natalya?” Madon asked. His Irish accent had thickened in his concern. I hadn’t known he actually cared. He tried to come over to me, but Radek blocked his way with his body.

  “Everything will be explained when everyone gets here,” Radek said.

  Madon looked at him. I could see that he was trying to decide if he could take on Radek or not. My money was on Radek. They were standing so close to each other that I was a bit worried that they really were going to fight.

  “Hey you two, knock it off,” I said sternly. “I can’t believe you guys. Madon, I’m fine, as you can see. Just pissed off. Dek, back off. You two are being ludicrous. Do you really think this is the time and place for a pissing match?” I rolled my eyes, but didn’t get up.

  “Thank you for your input, Natalya. Madon, if you would kindly wait over there until everyone else arrives?” Radek said in a calmer voice and motioned to the other end of the room.

  “Who’s coming?” Madon asked. He went to stand by the couch, purposefully not sitting.

  “Joshua, Gregory, and Dante of course.” Radek leaned one hip against the desk, giving me a nice view of his backside. I glared at Madon when he caught me assessing Radek and lifted his eyebrow at me in question.

  “I didn’t know you were back in the area,” Madon said to Radek, a knowing smile spread across his face.

  “My travels aren’t really your business.”

  There was another knock on the door. Their scents hit me as the door opened. It was Gregory and Joshua. I studied them as they came in. Hostility was emanating off of Joshua in thick waves. He was a big man, with wide shoulders, sandy brown hair, a square jaw, and bulky muscles everywhere.

  Gregory was more subdued in his annoyance. He was the complete opposite of Joshua. Tall, regal, and thin. There was an elegant air about him. I knew him to be an old vampire, but I thought that Dante was older. Relief flooded me as Dante walked in behind them. I may have been attracted to Radek, but I was much more comfortable with Dante. I cared for him like a brother.

  “What’s the meaning of this? Did you lose your catnip and ne
ed someone to sniff it out for you?” Joshua demanded as his gaze settled on Radek.

  “All in due time. Why don’t you have a seat?” Dante said evenly from behind the wolf.

  Joshua was an idiot and just looking for a fight. It was best to ignore someone like that sometimes. Radek would be a good poker or chess player, I thought as I studied all the men in the room.

  “I’m not here to do your bidding, bloodsucker,” Joshua spat out.

  “You’re here for informational purposes only. If you would kindly shut your trap and listen for two minutes, we can get on with this,” Dante said in a calm, almost bored voice.

  Now I was really seeing the resemblance between Dante and Radek. They were a lethal pair. Didn’t Joshua have any sense of self-preservation?

  I stayed silent in my chair, gently rocking back and forth, observing. Gregory was staring at me, which was a bit unnerving. I had no real problem with him other than his inclination to call me ‘Kitten’. He was just as pretentious as every other vampire that I had met. With the exception of Dante, that is.

  My attention turned back to the raving wolf in the room. Joshua’s face was turning red in indignation. The guy was all muscle with no brains to speak of. No wonder his pack was struggling to survive. I wondered how he had managed to keep control of his wolves. My head was still pounding and I really needed more sleep in order to heal completely. I tuned out the argument while I tried to stay awake. It was getting harder by the moment. My throat, arm and pretty much the rest of my body hurt. I think even my hair hurt.

  “Fine, get on with it then.” Joshua stood as close to the door as he could.

  Gregory took up a position near Madon. I guess he liked him better than Joshua, as well. That amused me. But I needed to concentrate on what was going on. Like which one of these creatures had tried to kill me tonight.

  Radek came around the desk and leaned against the wall behind me. Dante sat on the edge of the desk Radek had vacated. I was essentially surrounded by them – I knew that was no mistake. Oh how cute, they think they need to protect me, I thought. I tried to ignore the gesture and focus on the task before me.

  The wolf who’d attacked me would have had to travel through the territory of at least one of these men. I didn’t think that Madon would have had anything to do with this. If he’d had a problem with me, he would have come to me himself. Gregory, as a vampire, really didn’t care whether I existed or not, as long as I stayed out of his way. If he’d had a problem with me, he would have taken it up with Val.

  That left Joshua. He’d made no secret of his disdain for my existence. He was the number one suspect in my book. I just didn’t think that he possessed the brains to come up with this on his own.

  Over the last year I’d made a few notable enemies. Okay, I’d made a lot. There was a line of people wanting to sink their fangs into my hide. That happened a lot in my line of work. The room quieted as Dante spoke. “Natalya’s home was burned to the ground. A wolf was at the scene and attacked her as she was escaping the flames. He has been disposed of. Joshua and Madon, we want you to examine him and tell us if you can identify him. Natalya’s home is surrounded by all of your territories. Radek and I will be investigating this matter and you will assist us.”

  There was a tense silence following Dante’s little speech. I watched and studied all the players’ faces. Joshua’s expression struck me as the guiltiest. I was sure it was him. It would have to be proven though. I just didn’t know how I could go about that at the moment. I was beyond logical thinking.

  Madon was the first to respond. “Of course. My pack is at your disposal for any assistance that you are in need of.”

  I knew it was a genuine offer. Madon annoyed me sometimes, but he was a man of honor. I knew that he and Val had a long history. Plus we had struck up a friendship of sorts. I generally liked him.

  “I too will look into it. If one of my people was involved, they will be dealt with immediately,” Gregory declared in his haughty voice. He wasn’t looking at me when he said this, but at Dante. I had always suspected that there was something significant between those two.

  “Thank you, Gregory and Madon.” Dante gave them each a nod.

  Everyone was staring at the red-faced Joshua. Could the guy be any more obvious? “Are you accusing me of attacking her?” he spat out.

  Really, I didn’t know anyone could be so dense. I wanted to slam my head against the desk in frustration. How had he become the alpha at all? The pickings must have been really slim that day.

  “No one is accusing anyone of anything. But if you have a guilty conscience, I would be happy to take care of that for you,” Radek said menacingly.

  The tension level in the room became palpable. Joshua started toward the desk. In an instant, Radek was around the desk and in front of him.

  “Try it, wolf,” Radek said with a low pitched growl.

  I had a nice view of his backside again, which I didn’t mind one bit. There was a calm tension in his body. His shoulders were relaxed, but he was poised to pounce. He would make mincemeat of Joshua, of that I was sure. I smiled at the thought. I doubted, however, that Radek would let it get that far. Joshua, on the other hand, was a moron to even try to take on Radek. From what I’d heard, Radek was almost as tough as his father. No one took on Val and lived to tell about it.

  “Calm down, both of you. No one is accusing anyone of anything, like Radek said. You are just being asked if you can identify the wolf. Now come along. I’ll show you the body before it’s taken to the lab,” Dante said.

  I had a good view of the side of his face, and could see a red glow in his eye. I doubted he would have taken Joshua’s side in the fight. Dante was giving Joshua an out. A way to save face and not lose to Radek. Maybe Joshua was not as stupid as I thought. He followed Dante’s lead to the morgue. Madon and Gregory followed them.

  Radek looked at me then. He’d calmed down and smiled at me. Oh my, what a smile. The dimples in his cheeks, his straight white fangs. My knees became weak; it was a good thing I wasn’t standing. His eyes were full of excitement. I noticed they shifted colors along with his moods. They were currently chocolate brown around the outside, and a golden brown near the center. Like his father’s, yet different.

  Suddenly, a new, irritating thought occurred to me. Radek and Dante weren’t going to let me out of their sight until this was resolved. I was too exhausted to do anything about their attitude right now, however. I really just wanted to sleep and then shift.

  Food sounded good at this point too. Yes, that was the reason I was staring at Radek like he was a giant steak. I was hungry and tired. No other reason.

  “Once everyone is gone, you, Dante and I will head to the safe house,” he said.

  “Why are you so happy?” I was curious.

  “Oh, Josh made a huge mistake and he knows it.”

  I got it then. Somehow he’d won some macho guy thing. “You know that if he knows that you know that he knows that he might just do something stupid.” Once it came out of my mouth, I knew that it didn’t make much sense.

  He laughed. “I think you need some more sleep.”

  “What I need is a shift and some food.”

  “You can do that tomorrow morning. Today we get to sleep.” He smiled at me.

  “Why can’t we shift? I thought you would enjoy a good romp in the woods.” I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.

  “It would be for the best. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  He came around the desk to lean his hip against it near my feet. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He started rolling his head to stretch his neck. Now that was distracting. I really wanted to bury my nose in that spot just behind his ear where his scent would be strongest. It made me hungry, and not for food.

  Radek’s phone rang, startling us both. He looked at the number before answering. With my hearing and his close proximity, I could hear both sides of the conversation.

  “Yes, Father?” Radek massag
ed the bridge of his nose as he spoke. He made even that look sexy. Damn, it was like I was in heat or something.

  “How is everything going? You sound tired, son.” Val’s rich voice came over the line like a caress.

  “Dante is with them looking at the body. I’m dead on my paws.” Radek yawned into the phone.

  “And Natalya?”

  “She’s right here. Would you like to speak to her?” he asked, and grinned at my grimace.

  “That would be nice,” Val said. His voice sounded ominous.

  I reluctantly took the phone from Radek’s hand. “Hi Val,” I said in my most innocent voice.

  “I would like an explanation as to why you did not deem it necessary to inform me that you thought you were being followed.”

  I could tell he was choosing his words carefully. I glared at Radek’s smug look. The snitch. “I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

  “Do not ever do that again,” Val dragged each word out.

  His voice sent shivers down my spine, and not in a pleasant way. I felt like a tiny ant that was about to get squished. “Yes, sir.”

  I kicked Radek’s side because he was laughing at me. That put a stop to his laughing, but he grabbed my feet and shoved them on the floor. I wasn’t able to hide the moan of pain that escaped my lips.

  “What was that?” Val said. I could almost see his chestnut eyes, sharp with suspicion.

  “Nothing, I just bumped my arm,” I said, saving both of us from the lecture that I knew Val was in the mood to give.

  I was sure it didn’t help that he was stuck in Washington, D.C. with a bunch of politicians while this crap was going on out here. That was one of the reasons he had based his agency on the west coast – politicians were annoying. The other reason was that the majority of the nonhuman population lived out here.

  “Are my boys treating you well?” he asked. His voice had lost its dangerous edge.

  I was relieved that we had switched subjects. Knowing him, he knew what was going on, but wasn’t going to comment.

  “Oh they are perfect angels, Val. They haven’t let me out of their sight. Well, except for when I was in the shower. I would have handed them their heads if they had tried to watch me take a shower. Dek is a bit bossy though. Dante smells funny; you already know how I feel about that. But they’ll do. Can Dek take me to the mall tomorrow? I need clothes and shoes.” I had a feeling that he wouldn’t like that chore at all. It gave me some satisfaction seeing the look of disgust cross his face at the suggestion.