Darkness Bred (Chimney Rock)

by Stella Cameron

  Sally, who appeared to have lost the ability to move, suddenly shuddered, shaking the contents of her trolley.

  “Will you make Elin as she was?” Leigh persisted.

  “When she returns to me,” Tarhazian said. “I know I am not welcome here, but I’m sure you know I only come because of Elin.”

  Pokey set up a sudden wild chirping and ran up Elin’s coat to sit on her shoulder. If Sean didn’t know better, he’d say the little animal glared at Tarhazian as if daring her to hurt Elin.

  “At least this one seems to like me,” Tarhazian said, her smile showing perfect teeth. “I think you should agree with her assessment, Elin.”

  When Elin didn’t respond, Sean saw how Tarhazian’s nostrils flared. “I regret my temper,” she said. “I was hurt. I am hurt. But I’m sorry for any misunderstandings and I miss my beloved daughter. Forgiveness heals, my child. I’m here to forgive you.”

  Elin leaped up and stood beside Sean. “I am not a fool,” she said. “We are not fools. That is my only answer—except that I am not your daughter.”

  Sighing, Sean caught her hand and jerked until she looked at him. “Be careful.” While he watched, her face registered that she’d heard him.

  “I know you don’t mean that,” Tarhazian said. “You are in love with this one, this Sean. We can come to accommodate that but we need to talk, alone.”

  He heard Leigh expel a hard breath and Sally mutter angrily. Niles was too controlled to allow his feelings to be obvious.

  With Elin close to him, Sean smelled the scent of night jasmine that clung to her skin and his senses reeled. He must concentrate. Her violet eyes mesmerized him, and the soft, white skin of her neck took his breath away.

  He had yet to see her completely naked. When he did, he was certain he wouldn’t be able to hold back. Not that he had much control left after last night. If he didn’t fear where the discussion would lead, he would already have questioned her about that very unusual skill of hers.

  She kept looking at him. “This is a trick. It backs up everything Niles, you, and the Team have said about Tarhazian planning to use me. She never forgives, Sean. Never.”

  “So we will play her game,” Sean said, watching to see if she heard his mindspeak again. She smiled at him and he continued, “Carefully and much more cleverly than she could even imagine. But we’ll have to be prepared for whatever comes our way. Messing with your body temperature is bad enough.”

  “Whatever you decide, I’ll do,” Elin responded, reveling in their closeness. “Unless I’m convinced it would be dangerous—for you.”

  “Look at the love birds,” Tarhazian said, swaying her long, lace skirts. “How sweet they are.”

  “Sally thinks the Queen’s dominance over me may be fading,” Elin told him. “Even when she was showing me off like a pet monkey, she had to make sure everyone knew I would be nothing without her. It was as if she was jealous of me. It was some sort of competition.”

  Clearing his throat, Niles speared Tarhazian with his blue eyes. “I would not sanction Elin returning to you,” he said. “Any more than Sean would, or any of us. If Elin chooses a meeting with you at a more appropriate time, she will not be coming alone. She won’t be coming at all if she doesn’t want to.”

  Elin’s fingers tightened on Sean’s arm. She looked at Niles with gratitude. Sean needed to explain to her that whenever one of the Team, or someone important to them was threatened, they stood together.

  “But—” Taking a step as if she might strike at someone, Tarhazian forgot she was being reasonable and all but snarled at Elin. “Only you need to be at the meeting. That’s the way it has to be and you know the Queen must be obeyed. If you defy me, I’ll, I’ll…”

  “You’ll do more than strip away her warmth?” Sean said evenly.

  Tarhazian managed to look bland again. Before their eyes, her face became a little rounder, her lips more bowed. She must think she looked more motherly. “We are friends. Friends don’t argue, they accommodate. Come with me, Elin, there’s a good girl. I promise you may return later—after our reunion.”

  Elin gave Sean a warning poke, which he ignored. “Elin has been through a good deal, including your beating,” he said. “She needs a chance to get stronger again before she decides if she wants to discuss all of this with you.”

  “In the meantime,” Elin said, standing straighter, “if you try to do me more harm, I won’t have anything else to do with you. Ever. This meeting should be over now.”

  Sean felt Elin hold her breath as if she expected Tarhazian to call down awful retribution. Instead the woman bowed her head and said, “As you wish. I’ll be waiting and I’m patient.”

  She faded more quickly than she had appeared.

  “She has no patience,” Sally said, her mouth pinched. “I’m sure Saul’s told you about her alliance with the wolves and Colin’s lot. She probably thinks she can bribe them into helping her get more power.”

  “How do you know about these things?” Niles asked baldly, propping his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together. “You’re a puzzle yourself, aren’t you?”

  Sally frowned at him but slowly the furrows smoothed. “Like you, I’ve known evil, and I’ve known what it’s like to want something so badly you’d do anything to get it. I know what you want, but do you know what I want? You’ve made up your mind about me, but are you right? Have I done what I’ve done because I wanted to hold something over you? Will I ask for some awful favor in return for the little help I’ve given?”

  Sean studied Niles. The man commanded attention wherever he went but he wasn’t only a dynamic physical presence. Niles was deeply intelligent and introspective.

  “Perhaps there is a great deal Sean and I should discuss,” Niles said to Sally. “I admit that I’ve waited for the answer to at least one of your questions.”

  Unexpectedly, Sean felt calm settle on them. They gathered as equals, very different one from the other, but each with needs and desires. And by chance their lives had become entwined.

  The fire crackled and spat. Sean breathed in the scent of wood smoke. He felt warmth and peace, but with the lingering threat of upheaval shivering in the wings.

  They were all still, but the appearance of Gabriel, striding toward the entrance, broke the spell. He threw open the door and spoke to someone outside.

  “Did someone knock?” Leigh asked.

  “I think so,” Sally murmured. “So quietly. How did Gabriel know they were there?”

  Gabriel stood back and waved a man in. He wore his platinum hair in a long braid that reached his waist, and he walked with his head held high, looking in all directions, obviously expecting to be stared at. And he was.

  “I don’t believe this,” Sean said. “Is he mad?”

  “This is one of Tarhazian’s tests,” Elin muttered. “She wants to see if we attack him as she expects, as we probably should. Let’s disappoint her.”

  Sean grinned a little and pulled her onto his lap. “I’ll do my best, oh, Oracle.”

  The man halted when he saw them. Tall, leanly muscular and apparently sewn into his black leather vest and pants, he crossed his arms. A white silk shirt, open at the neck, flowed through its full sleeves. High cheekbones cast shadows and he had the mouth of a hungry sensualist.

  Even Sean was fascinated, as much by the reactions he saw in the others as by the black-eyed man himself. They were all transfixed.

  “Gabriel has some unexpected friends,” Elin said.

  Sally, Sean realized, shook from head to toe. She met his eyes and said, “We need to ignore that one. He couldn’t come in here if Gabriel didn’t invite him, but I don’t know why he would.”

  Raising his head, Sean sniffed the air, and locked gazes with Niles, who half rose but sank back into his chair when Sean shook his head. The scent of decay was hard to hide, even under expensive cologne.

  Leigh gave a soft cry as if she was coming out of a trance. She stared at the tall, blond man who h
ad begun to saunter in their direction.

  chapter SIXTEEN

  How can I explain the depth of my self-disgust?” Colin said. He offered Elin his hand but withdrew it quickly. “No, no, of course not. I can’t expect you to look at me with anything but loathing, especially so soon after my transgression. I treated you badly. My only excuse is that an enemy bewitched me and I was not myself. But I will prove how I’ve chastised myself. Now we can become friends.” He smiled around. “All of us.”

  “Over my dead body,” Sean said. He wanted to tear the vampire apart.

  He waited for Niles to react. Colin had once captured Leigh, intending to molest her. He behaved as if he’d forgotten the event.

  “What do you think he really wants?” Niles communicated without looking at Sean.

  “If he does have a master other than Tarhazian, and I’m sure he does, that’s where the answers to all our questions may lie.”

  “Could this…Bear with me, Sean, but could this be a connection to Aldo? I don’t like to mention—”

  “You’re only voicing what I’m thinking.”

  Colin stood there, serene, remote, unfazed by the currents of revulsion flying his way. He sighed, smiled, although Sean noted he showed very little of his teeth and the fangs were suitably withdrawn.

  “Charming ladies,” Colin said, and Sean thought he must be hearing things. “Both of you.” He gazed from Elin to Leigh and his gaze lingered on her. Spittle gathered in the corners of his mouth.

  Sickened, Sean communicated with Niles, “He is lusting after Leigh because she is Deseran. He knows he could drain her blood and she would recover quickly so he could drain her again.”

  “We would kill him if we didn’t need to know why he’s really here and what this is really about,” Niles said. “What’s his connection to Gabriel and why would he show up now of all times?”

  Jazzy had been curled up almost on the hearth again. He stirred, sniffed the air, and slunk to Leigh, who picked him up.

  “Bad karma all around,” Sean said. “I can’t think of a connection between Colin and Gabriel, but you can bet on it that Colin’s tasted whatever The Island has to offer. I feel the strong connection.”

  “I came to talk to Gabriel,” Colin said, his eyelids heavy and half-lowered. “But I intended to look for you as well so this is doubly convenient.” His eyes, which showed no pupils, concentrated on Sean.

  Throughout the exchange, Gabriel had hovered near the bar. Sally hadn’t moved a muscle.

  “Molly’s a good friend of mine, you see,” Colin said. “I hadn’t seen her in weeks when she showed up yesterday afternoon and now I understand Gabriel can’t find her. Such a worry.” He sounded anything but worried. Excited perhaps, but not worried.

  The connection between Gabriel and Colin was made, although Sean would be surprised if they had ever met before.

  “When did you last see Molly?” Elin asked. Sean increased his pressure at her waist but she took no notice. “Did she drive to your place?”

  “Reg was out with his tow truck,” Gabriel broke in, clicking off his cell phone as he came. “So the garage was locked up when you left her there.” He narrowed his eyes at Colin.

  Cliff chose that moment to hurry from the kitchens and throw more logs on the fire. He must have noticed that Gabriel wasn’t paying attention to anything but Molly.

  “Need you, Sally,” Cliff said gruffly. “Anything else you want?” He addressed everyone at the table—except Colin, whom he pointedly ignored.

  “Nothing else, thanks,” Elin said.

  Sally, who had yet to look at Colin since he arrived at the table, kept her face averted and followed Cliff back to the kitchens.

  In a chatty way, as if he were with a bunch of friends, Colin said, “Molly came in her little green Fiat, but when she left, it was making very strange sounds. Well”—he shrugged eloquently—“of course I’m useless with such things. But I followed her to the gas station and left her there. They’re good at that sort of thing, or so I’m told.”

  “Reg is the only one who works there,” Gabriel said, and Sean could tell he was having difficulty holding his temper. “If you’d hung around long enough to make sure she tried the door, you’d have known he wasn’t at the shop. He was out with his tow truck.”

  Colin shook his head sadly, “Darn it. How like a man like that not to be around when you need him.”

  “A man like that?” Sean said, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer. “He’s a hardworking man running a business on his own. You’ll have to excuse him for not living up to your expectations. So you drove off before making sure Molly was all right?”

  “Why did Molly visit you?” Niles’s cool voice cut through the babble. “Did you know this was one of Molly’s friends, Gabriel?”

  “No.” Gabriel looked sick. He’d have to be blind not to know, or at least suspect, Colin was a vampire, especially when he had been around his kind before. “I’m going to call the police to help organize a search party.”

  Sean and Niles’s eyes met. “We can’t stop him,” Niles communicated.

  “I’ll make sure Saul’s warned,” Sean came back. “How do we get rid of this vermin, Colin? We may find we do need him, but he’s been here too long. Nothing useful will come out of this. You do know there’s only one reason Molly would be visiting him?”

  “She’s—was—a vamp whore.” Niles’s mouth turned down. “I’d like to keep that from Gabriel but maybe he already knows. He loved that woman, no matter how she treated him.”

  “She didn’t deserve to die like that,” Sean said. “I think this blood eater knows more than he’s saying. It’s dangerous for him to come here alone when he knows I can take him. He has to be desperate for something. Unless he’s convinced himself that what I did to him was a fluke.”

  “Keep Elin close to you and Leigh—I’ll find a place to contact Saul about the search.”

  “Elin?” He attempted to connect with her.

  “Yes?” Her startled reaction was almost funny.

  “I have to warn Saul about a search for Molly. Stay with Niles, please.”

  Her silence made him expect her to pretend she hadn’t heard this time, but after a while she gave him a slight nod and squeezed his arm.

  “Excuse me, all,” Sean said. “I’m going to bring the bike helmets inside.” No need to get detailed.

  He got up and went out into gusts of rain. At least it had warmed up enough to get rid of the sleet. Cold wasn’t a problem for the hounds but he’d just as soon not have ice spicules peppering his face. Sean walked past the bike and crossed the gravel parking lot. Entering the dense trees that surrounded the place, he kept walking, dodging back and forth between thick trunks until he felt he was far enough away from Gabriel’s.

  Mind communication wasn’t something he wanted with any vampire but at this moment it would be useful. He leaned on a tree and worked his cell phone from a back pocket of his jeans. Now he had to hope for decent reception.

  He flinched at a sudden flapping in front of his face. A woodpecker made a show of flying away.

  Sean called Saul, who gave him his usual monosyllables. Short translation: He wasn’t worried about any search.

  With a dramatic flourish, Colin appeared almost in front of Sean. “I hoped I’d find you easily enough.”

  Sean took his time putting the phone away.

  “You’re the reason I came here at all,” Colin said. “You’re all that interests me.”

  Instantly on alert, Sean said, “Aren’t I lucky?”

  “You’re why I was at that cottage, too. I knew you would come to help the woman. I admit you surprised me with your trick of strength. In fact, you only become more of a curiosity. Could we be partners, do you think? What an alliance we could make.”

  The vampire never ran out of angles, Sean had to give him that. “Get lost,” he said.

  “You’re typical of your kind, not that I’ve been unfortunate enough to meet many of you.
Rude and arrogant. Detestable, in fact. I think it’s time for you to understand your place and climb back into it. I am your superior.”

  Sean laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Are there any more at home like you?” he said. “Or were your parents lucky enough to have only one son with delusions of grandeur? If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be getting back.”

  “You’ll be coming with me,” Colin said. “Much as I’d like to hang around and concoct an opportunity to steal the succulent Leigh, I’ll have to make do with you. Duty demands it.”

  Until he knew what Colin had in mind, Sean didn’t want to alert Niles. He needed him there with the women, not that he’d leave them with no protection.

  “I’m intrigued,” Sean told Colin. “Or I would be if I had the energy.”

  Colin quickly searched the area.

  “Are we expecting company?” Sean asked.

  “You tell me, but if you don’t do as you’re told, quietly, that female of yours will suffer. She obviously means a great deal to you. But you won’t be able to keep her from me, and my kind, for the rest of her life anyway. That may be a short time given what I have in mind, but your disobedience will make sure her stay is even shorter than it might be.”

  “What do you want, blood eater?” Sean shrugged away from the tree and stood with his feet slightly braced. He had to hold himself back from taking this thing by the throat.

  “You and I will leave quietly, now,” Colin said. “We will attend a meeting, a momentous meeting and, for you, probably a very stimulating one. It will certainly be enlightening for me.”

  The other man’s suggestive tone tensed Sean. “I have no business with you, or anyone you know.”

  “You’re wrong,” Colin said. “And you have been singled out for your interference in things that are nothing to do with you.”

  Sean decided to try a direct attack and hope he could shock this one. “Are you tight with Brande and his pack?”