Darkness Clashes

by Susan Illene

  The master vampire and Kariann, one of his lieutenants, were waiting outside for us when we drove up the circular drive. A porch light illuminated them, but everything else was in shadows. Most of the windows were permanently shuttered to reduce the risk of sun exposure to the vamps. During the day it would be easier to see the large, two-story house with blue siding that stood behind them, but at the moment it looked a little creepy.

  The two vampires rushed up as soon as Yvonne’s daughter opened the Jeep door for me. Nik looked me over, frowning at my wounds.

  “Help get Melena inside,” he ordered. “I’ll get the kitchen table cleared for her.”

  He zoomed off to the house.

  Kariann helped me climb out. “Hurts to be the one to get shot, doesn’t it?”

  Kerbasi walked alongside us as we made our way to the house. “It was good for her to be on the receiving end of those blasting devices for once.”

  “Cori, can you shoot him for me?”

  She didn’t hesitate to pull her gun from under her pant leg.

  He held his hands up. “I shall endeavor to keep my thoughts to myself until the sensor has recovered from her wounds. There is no need for rash behavior.”

  “If only you could do that all the time,” I said, nodding at Cori to lower the gun.

  Kariann got a tighter grip on my uninjured arm and led me into the house. Once we stepped into the foyer, she guided us toward the kitchen. Nik stood waiting.

  He helped me get onto the table while Kariann went and grabbed a knife from the drawer. When she came walking toward me, I braced myself. Now that I wasn’t mortal and didn’t have to worry about infection, bullet removal was done the primitive way. I made a mental note to avoid getting shot in the future.

  “Do you want me to call Lucas?” Nik asked.

  “Don’t you dare. He might go over and kill all the DHS agents if he finds out.”

  He might have shown restraint at the werewolf bar, but he hated humans with an intensity I’d yet to understand. No way was I risking him finding out about this.

  “You should have called someone to help.” The master vampire gave me a stern look.

  “There wasn’t any time.”

  “Did you consider following them instead of fighting?”

  “The thought crossed my mind.” I looked up at him. “But they might have gone to a place with tighter security. These guys had dark magic potions on them that are strong enough to work on most supernaturals. Who knows what they’ve got at their base of operations.”

  Nik ran a hand through his hair. “That is a point. I haven’t heard of such a government group before, but it appears the supernatural world hasn’t hidden itself well enough. I’m surprised the angels haven’t caught onto this.”

  I gave a small shrug. “You’d have to talk to them.”

  “I’d rather not.” He nodded at Kariann. “Go ahead.”

  She leaned over me, holding the knife with a determined look in her face.

  “What? No alcohol first?” I lifted my head. Nik had the good stuff that could work even on immortals.

  He gave me a considering look. “I’ll get it for you, but she’s pulling the bullet in your stomach out now. You’re bleeding all over my table.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, because that’s never happened in a house full of vampires before.”

  He grunted and walked off.

  Kariann cut my sweater away and examined the wound. I caught the darkening of her eyes just before her blond hair swept over her face. It was a good thing sensor blood was bad for vamps or she might have been tempted to take a drink. There was certainly enough of it leaking from me to feed her.

  I gripped the table and stared up at the ceiling. Be brave, Melena. Can’t let them see you be weak over a little gut wound.

  It took all my willpower not to scream when the blade started digging around. To Kariann’s credit she found the bullet and took it out quickly, setting it off to the side. I looked at her in astonishment.

  “I’ve done this a few times.” She grinned.

  She cut the rest of my sweater and t-shirt off before continuing her examination. I rolled to my side when she nudged me.

  “The one in your shoulder went clean through, but I’ve got to dig this other one out.” She brushed her fingers near the shot that had lodged close to my spine.

  I took a deep breath. “Get it over with.”

  The knife dug in and sawed back and forth as she worked to get the tip under the bullet. I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms. Kariann muttered under her breath for a few seconds before making an “aha” sound.

  “You want this?” she asked, holding the slug up for my inspection.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Okay.” She grabbed the other one and tossed them both into the nearby trash.

  I flipped back over and sat up. “The rest of the wounds should be fine.”

  “Even if they are, we still need to clean them.”

  Kariann helped me pull off my jeans and checked over my other wounds. Thankfully, the rest were free of bullets and already healing. We’d just put the last bandage on when Nik arrived with the alcohol. He handed it over and I took several gulps right away.

  “What the hell took so long?” I asked.

  “Josslyn needed something.”

  Of course she did.

  Nik eyed me up and down. I had my bra and underwear on, but there was still plenty to see. He never missed an opportunity to look even though he knew I was off-limits and he had his own woman.

  “Ready to give me the full story?” he asked.

  I looked at Kariann. “Can you loan me some clothes?”

  Her gaze shifted between me and Nik. “Sure. Explanations can wait a few more minutes.”

  Nik sighed.

  I took the bottle of alcohol with me and followed her to the wing of the house opposite Nik’s quarters. The hallway looked the same as the other one except there were more doors. A few vamps were behind them, but I didn’t sense any other sups around. Kariann took me to her room and dug a black t-shirt and sweatpants out of her dresser.

  “Here.” She held them up. “You can keep those. I don’t want any sensor blood on my stuff.”

  I grabbed the clothes and put them on. She had a bigger frame than me so they fit loosely.

  “Thanks.” I gave her a grateful smile.

  Kariann and I made our way back toward the foyer, hearing Nik’s voice grow louder as we got closer. He was speaking to Cori, Yvonne and the others in the living room. We stepped through the large entryway to find them seated on the leather couches near the fireplace. Heavy burgundy drapes covered the windows and oil paintings depicting medieval scenes covered the walls. The master vampire changed up the décor every so often, but always kept a masculine sense of style.

  I winced as I took a seat next to Diane. She gave me a sympathetic look until I took a big gulp from the bottle of alcohol still in my hand. Getting shot really sucked. It was no wonder Kerbasi had backed down when Cori aimed her gun at him a short while ago. If he experienced even half as much pain as I was feeling, he’d want to avoid it.

  Speaking of which, the guardian had already left. My senses told me he’d headed back to his shed behind my house. Emily and Hunter were coming toward Nik’s, though. They must have figured out something had gone wrong since I hadn’t returned with their dinner.

  I looked at Cori. “Is there any chance you can go pick up some pizza? You can take my Jeep.”

  She stood up, pulling the keys from her jeans pocket. It was just as well I hadn’t asked for them back yet.

  “Yeah, sure.” She glanced over at the others, who’d stopped talking to look at us. “I already gave Nik my version of what happened so you can have fun giving him yours.”

  “Pizza?” The master vampire asked, glancing down at my stomach. “Are you sure you’re up for that?”

  “I’m not, but the kids are. I was going to get them dinner when I dro
ve past Yvonne’s and saw she was in trouble.”

  “Kids? As in plural?” Kariann looked at me incredulously. “Did you adopt more?”

  Geez. It wasn’t like I took in every stray teenager I found. Cori shook her head and left.

  “Just temporarily.” I gave them a brief recounting of what had happened with Derrick.

  Nik bared his teeth. “Your werewolf has gone too far.”

  “He’s not my werewolf,” I gritted out. “And he’s got his reasons—even if I don’t agree with his methods for handling them.”

  Plus, I was still thinking over the accusations Derrick had made against Nik. I’d have to confront the master vampire about it, but couldn’t do it now. We had other issues to focus on and bringing that up would only divide us more.

  The front door slammed open and everyone’s gazes swung in that direction. It was just Emily and Hunter, but Kariann should have been guarding the entrance, considering it was her duty on weeknights. We’d inadvertently distracted her from it. Nik mumbled something under his breath and left the room. The teenagers brushed past him on their way through the foyer.

  Emily looked me up and down as soon as she reached me, focusing on the bandage covering my neck. It was the only visible wound other than a healing cut on my arm.

  “What happened?” she asked. “Kerbasi came by and said you were all shot up.”

  She might be in a rebellion stage right now, but I could see the deep concern in her blue eyes.

  “I was.” I patted the empty seat next to me. “Sit down. We were just about to discuss what happened and you guys need to hear it, too.”

  After Nik returned with a vampire to guard the front door, we went over the story from the beginning. I included the part about O’Connell showing up at the herb shop and questioning me. Nik already knew about it since I’d called and told him, but some of the others didn’t.

  Once I’d finished, Yvonne told us her version of what happened. There wasn’t much to tell other than men in black bursting into her home and splashing a potion at her and her daughter while they sat watching television. They caught Patrick as he was coming out of the shower. Things went fuzzy after that for her until I brought her out of the spell. I hoped the DHS agents had the same side effects.

  Nik paced the living room for several minutes before directing his attention to me.

  “You said there were eight of them? And you left them all alive?”

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “Some are wounded, but nothing fatal.”

  “Is there any chance there are more agents here in Fairbanks?”

  I nodded. “If their radio communications are anything to go by, I’d say yes.”

  “And they could call in more from out of state.” He rubbed his face. “It’s clear they know about supernaturals and they are targeting us. We’re going to have to be extra cautious from now on.”

  “And warn people,” Kariann added.

  A resigned look came over his face. “I believe you’re right. Get Aniya and tell her what happened. The two of you need to start calling our people. Tell them they need to keep a low profile and avoid anyone who isn’t an established local.”

  She hopped up. “I’m on it, boss.”

  “As for you three,” he addressed Yvonne and her family. “It’s best you stay here for now.”

  None of them argued. In fact, I could sense their relief.

  “Melena.” Nik looked at me. “Are you sure they don’t know it’s you and Cori who attacked them?”

  “Our faces were covered and we avoided talking within earshot of them. We should be fine, but if not…there are always ways to make them forget.”

  “Considering we don’t know what kind of resources they have, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. If this O’Connell agent you know returns to the shop, see if you can’t find out anything else without drawing his suspicion. We need to figure out what they’re up to.”

  “That was my thinking,” I agreed.

  The front door opened. With the living room directly across from the foyer, I could see the replacement guard letting Cori inside. I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized we’d been talking for almost two hours. There’d been a lot to discuss.

  Cori came bearing two pizzas. The scent of pepperoni permeated the air as soon as she entered the room. I’d been hungry when I went out, but now my stomach couldn’t handle the thought of food. At least the teens would have plenty to eat.

  Emily nabbed the boxes from Cori and set them on a nearby table usually used to play chess. Hunter joined her. They asked Patrick if he wanted any, but he passed saying he’d already eaten. That was all they needed to know before digging in.

  It was almost cute watching them together. Emily got some sauce on her chin and Hunter gently cleaned it off with a napkin. They smiled at each other and chatted as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

  I hadn’t experienced love at their age. Between my adoptive parents dying when I was fifteen and my sensor mentor, Wanda, keeping a close eye on me after that there wasn’t a chance. Then Lucas murdered her and I was too afraid to get too close to anyone. It wasn’t until recently I found out he’d done it to protect me. She’d planned to sell me off soon to a group of supernaturals.

  Our love was forged on a battlefield of lies, chaos, and death. There was nothing cute or sweet about it. Even now we had to work past our personal prejudices and dark pasts to make our relationship work. I doubted we’d ever look at each other with the same naive hopefulness Hunter and Emily did, but what we had was strong and it had the potential to be timeless.

  Assuming the situation with Micah didn’t tear us apart.

  “Leave a few slices for Kerbasi,” I said, pushing my dark thoughts away. “I don’t want to hear him complaining of starvation later.”

  They made mumbles of agreement.

  Cori took the seat next to me where Emily had been. “So what did I miss?”

  I gave her a quick recap.

  “You know…” She shook her head slowly. “I’ve been wondering if something like this might happen. You gotta think with technology these days the government was going to figure things out sooner or later no matter how much you all tried to cover it up.”

  “The thought’s occurred to me before, too.” I leaned back and rested my head against the couch.

  I felt drained to the point I wanted to pass out and sleep for days.

  She gave me a concerned look. “Is there something I can do to help?”

  “Not yet, but you might want to stay at my place until we know if any of this is going to blow back on us. I can give you a ride to work, too, since your car’s broken down.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll need you to run me by my place to pick up some things, but other than that I’m all set for sticking with you. I have a feeling tonight was only the beginning and this is going to get worse before it gets better.” Her tone sounded ominous.

  Unfortunately I couldn’t disagree.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next day Felisha let me off work early. It might have had something to do with my passing out over a box of herbs I was supposed to be unpacking. I’d refused to leave at first, but Cori stopped over from her neighboring tattoo shop and backed her up. She’d assured me she’d get a ride from Felisha to my place later. There was no arguing with them after that.

  Clutching the mail I’d picked up from the post office along the way, I got out of the Jeep. Kerbasi walked alongside me as if he planned to come into the house as well. I looked over at him.

  “I think it’s time you worked on another essay.”

  He tensed. “These essays are pointless. I do not understand why you insist on them.”

  “This one will be shorter than the others.” I patted his shoulder. “All you have to do is write two pages about why friends help each other when they’re in danger.”

  “I do not have friends,” he said, keeping his face diverted. “How would I know the answer to such a thing?”
<
br />   I gave him a patient look. “Last night Cori jumped into the middle of a fight to help me while you sat and watched. Think about that for a second. Why would she risk herself like that? And what would it take for you to do something similar for another person?”

  “She was a fool and she was lucky she did not get herself killed.” He shook his head. “I cannot imagine any reason I would do such a thing unless it was my duty.”

  “Don’t you wish someone cared enough that they’d risk their life for yours?”

  He worked his jaw before answering. “I don’t need anyone.”

  “Really? I’ll remember that the next time you want pizza or new shoes. Now go write your report.”

  Walking stiffly, he headed around the house toward the back.

  If it was the last thing I did, I was going to force humanity on that guardian. I didn’t know what they taught his kind after they came into existence, but Kerbasi must have missed the most important lessons. Did the lack of interaction with humans make him more detached or was he simply born with less empathy and compassion?

  I made my way into the house, locking the door behind me. The kids wouldn’t be home from school until around four. I’d have total peace and quiet for the rest of the morning and afternoon.

  I flipped through the bills. All of them had been paid in advance—and not by me. No matter how many times I told Lucas to stop doing that, he didn’t listen. For him it wasn’t about taking over my debts as much as pushing his opinion on my career choice.

  He wanted me to quit my job and find something more distinguished. Removing my money problems was his way of freeing me from that obstacle. But I liked my flexible hours and working near Emily’s school where I could keep an eye on her. He didn’t get that, leaving us at a stalemate.

  Sable trotted up to me from the living room in her lynx form and meowed, rubbing against my leg. I tossed the envelopes on the dining room table and picked her up. She purred contentedly as I rubbed her head and scratched her ears. Carrying her upstairs to my room, I set her down on my bed.