Darkness Clashes

by Susan Illene

  “I suspected as much. Lucas wouldn’t have chosen a woman who’d do otherwise.”

  My senses spiked and I stiffened. “Yeah, well, I hope you’re prepared to deal with him.”

  Eli frowned. “What do you mean?”

  The nephilim in question came stalking toward us. His clothes were wet and splotches of black were all over him. Where had he come from and how had he found me? He should have lost the ability to locate me after our souls were unbound. Everyone within visual range froze the moment Lucas came inside. He grabbed Eli by his shirt collar and lifted him up.

  “What are you doing here?” His expression was thunderous. “I thought I told you Melena is off-limits.”

  To his credit, Eli showed no fear.

  “I happened to run into her in the café. We were simply talking,” he spoke in a calm voice. Sort of the way you might to an enraged tiger.

  No way was I going to point out he’d lied.

  “How much did you tell her?” Lucas growled out.

  Eli gave him a patient look, which was an impressive feat since he was still being held by his collar. “She won’t think less of you if you tell her. Perhaps she’ll love you even more.”

  “What did you tell her?” Lucas asked again.

  “Nothing, you big bully.” I grabbed his hand and pried it from Eli. “He refused to give up your secrets.”

  Stepping between the two men, my hands reached up to cup his face. At least that much of him had been wiped clean, but he reeked badly of salt water and other things. I kept some space between us so that none of the mess got on me.

  “Lucas, please calm down. Whatever it is you don’t want me to know—I still don’t. I swear it.” The mating bond flowed between us. He stared deeply into my eyes and I let him see the truth of my words.

  Lucas gave me an implacable look. “This is the one thing I need you to let go, Melena. You must cease your attempts to learn about my past. It is not for you to know.”

  It wasn’t for me to know because he refused to trust me completely. I stepped away and glared at him. Why was he so determined to keep his past from me? Did he really think I’d use it against him or think less of him if I knew?

  “Fine.” I threw my hands up. “Keep your damned secrets.”

  I spun on my heels and left. The bastard made demands of me all the time, but couldn’t give me the one thing I asked of him. I wasn’t going to stand there and voice all our problems in front of Eli. Better to walk away before I said something I’d really regret.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  I had to squeeze past two guys in baseball caps and white t-shirts who stood frozen in my way before I could get free of the shop. They didn’t blink. A secondary spell prevented anyone else from coming near the place and no one on the street seemed to notice the frozen bodies inside. I kept going with no destination in mind other than staying within range of Kerbasi. Part of me wanted to find someplace where Lucas wouldn’t bother me. To be alone so I could think and figure out what to do.

  A few minutes later I found myself approaching the St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. Tourists wandered around the park and the streets alongside it. Up ahead was an old man playing alto sax, the soulful jazz washed over me as I approached him on the sidewalk. I dug out a couple dollars and put it in his hat, getting a nod from him.

  Continuing on, I passed the tour guide’s carriages lined up along Decatur Street. One guy had a hose out and was giving his mule a drink. It was getting hot and the poor animal had to be miserable standing there while it waited for enough tourists to fill its carriage. I crossed the street and made my way up a set of cement steps to a landing where families took pictures of each other.

  Beyond that I caught sight of the Mississippi River. Fewer people lingered over there. I crossed a small parking area and kept going until I reached a set of wooden steps. They led straight to the water. I took a seat on them to watch the ships and barges go by, slow and steady. If I’d known the city better I might have looked for some place even less crowded, but being near water worked well enough.

  I checked my radar and found Lucas had returned to the condo. He’d shown up at the café wet and smelling of salt water. More than likely he was in the shower getting himself cleaned up. Angry at him or not, a part of me wished I was there to join him—and find out what he’d been up to. The other part of me wasn’t in the mood to face him.

  For a while I sat there, lost in thought. I worried about Emily in Juneau and how things were going in Fairbanks. Was the peace agreement between Derrick and Nik holding up? What would things be like when I returned?

  Then there was the ball later tonight. A pit of dread had been sitting in my stomach since arriving in New Orleans. I’d met many supernaturals of all races over the last couple of years, but this one would be attended by some of the most powerful. People who could snap me in half if they felt like it. I was expected to mingle with them—and pretend not to recognize Yerik. It was too bad rocket launchers and grenade pouches wouldn’t go with my dress.

  Lucas had left the condo and was working his way toward me. Had it been that long already? I didn’t bother to get up. Instead I stayed seated and kept my eyes on the water. Eventually he came to stand behind me, but he didn’t say anything at first. Just stood there waiting for me to make the next move because by coming he’d made the first.

  Stupid supernatural games.

  “Are you going to tell me where you went this morning or is that on the forbidden list, too?” I asked, still not looking at him.

  “One of the rigs on the Gulf sprung a leak. I had to contain it before too much oil spilled into the water.”

  Little did he know Yerik probably had something to do with that. I glanced over my shoulder. Lucas had cleaned himself up and now wore a pair of green cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. The funny smells were gone, too.

  “Why did you have to be the one to fix it?”

  He stared down at me. “Because I have interest in that well and didn’t want to see it take a huge loss. The humans are too slow to repair the damage.”

  “Did you use magic or just strong-arm it?” I imagined it took special equipment to handle it otherwise.

  “A little of both, actually. I stay current on the inner workings so that I may employ the fastest method possible.”

  Lucas didn’t talk about his business interests much. At least this was some kind of admission from him. I’d have to take what I could get, considering we needed to come to a truce before the ball. No need to give the supernatural ton something to wag their tongues about.

  I stood up. “Is Kerbasi awake yet?”

  “He awoke just before I arrived.” Lucas’ expression was blank. “The guardian was less cordial than usual and balked at my numerous suggestions of food. I do believe the mention of eggs caused the most dramatics.”

  I wished I could have seen that.

  “Well, he’s going to have to snap out of it. I promised to buy him some new shoes while we’re here and Emily needs a few things.” Fairbanks wasn’t exactly the shopping Mecca of the world and I wanted to take advantage of the better selection in New Orleans.

  “Would you like me to come with you?”

  “No. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.” And I was still irritated with him. The idea of putting up with him and a hung-over Kerbasi while shopping was more than I could handle.

  Lucas nodded. We headed back up the stairs and had to quickly dodge out of the way at the top. A woman with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail had her camera out, aiming it toward a man who didn’t look all that excited about his Mississippi River backdrop. She was encouraging him to smile, but instead he slipped on some sunglasses and frowned.

  Lucas and I kept moving on past them, but it got me to thinking.

  “You know, we never take pictures together.”

  He glanced down at me. “What is the point?”

  I took my phone out and caught a shot of him scowling. I set it to a
ppear on the screen whenever he called. He scowled even deeper when he saw what I was doing.

  “Okay, now we need someone to take a shot of us together.” I looked around for a victim and found an older woman watching some kids run around. “Excuse me, ma’am, could you take a picture of us, please?”

  She smiled. “Sure.”

  I handed her my phone and positioned Lucas where we’d have Jackson Square and the cathedral behind us. He looked less happy than the guy with the sunglasses we’d passed a minute before. I leaned into him as the woman raised my cell phone up.

  “Try to look like you love me,” I whispered.

  He gazed down at me. “I do love you, but I don’t like pictures. They are evidence that can prove we aren’t aging.”

  If things went the way Yerik, Ariel, and Micah planned, it wouldn’t be a problem for much longer, but I couldn’t tell him that.

  “Just humor me,” I said, flashing a smile at the woman.

  She was wise enough to take several before telling us we could relax. I thanked her and got the phone back from her. One of them had turned out decent, but the rest had Lucas glaring at the camera.

  We headed down the next set of stairs and crossed Decatur Street, working our way toward his condo. People unconsciously moved out of his way. It made it easier to get past all the tourists, but took some of the fun out of mingling with the crowd.

  “You know it’s cheating to use magic to keep people away.”

  He let out a grunt. “Would you prefer I push them?”

  “No.” I shot him a scolding look. “But I don’t get to use any special tricks and I still get through eventually. You could try acting normal once in a while.”

  “Normal, sensor, has never been a part of my life.”

  Apparently, swimming around in salt water and crude oil made him grouchy. I’d have to let it go for the moment. We walked the rest of the way back in silence.

  ***

  “Those are the shoes you want?” I asked Kerbasi, gazing at the men’s dress boots in horror. “They’re over four hundred dollars!”

  We’d come to The Shops at Canal Place to look around and Kerbasi had insisted on checking out a men’s shoe store as soon as we came across it. Miraculously, his hangover had vanished upon arrival. I should have been more careful to take him to places with lower-end products. Why hadn’t I considered a trip to Walmart first? We would have had to drive to get there, but at least I could have saved a few hundred bucks.

  “These are the shoes,” the guardian insisted. “You must keep your promise and get them for me.”

  Gritting my teeth, I handed over my credit card. “You’re handling the transaction. I can’t bear to watch.”

  He gave me a satisfied smile. “May I get socks as well?”

  “Why not?” I stared up at the ceiling and prayed for divine intervention, which in my case should have come. “Get two pairs, but that’s it.”

  “I may come to like you someday, Melena Sanders.” He strutted off to speak with the salesman.

  Unable to watch, I stepped out into the main corridor. It was just as well I’d already found a few things for Emily before taking him into the store. We could leave soon. I wandered over to the elevators where there was a fountain behind them with tile benches to sit.

  Two guys were already there and cast surreptitious glances at me. I might not have thought much of it, but they looked exactly like the guys who’d stood frozen outside the café earlier. Same t-shirts and baseball caps.

  Considering this was a tourist area it was probably a coincidence, but something niggled in the back of my mind. I kept going past them and pretended to window shop. Farther along I caught the same brunette woman who’d been taking a picture of her boyfriend by the river. The guy in question wasn’t far from her.

  Once again, it probably meant nothing but none of the four familiar people I’d seen so far had a shopping bag in their hands or showed any sign they were actually buying anything.

  When Kerbasi found me I pulled him around a corner and out of sight.

  “I think we’re being followed.”

  His brows drew together. “You’re certain?”

  “Not one hundred percent, but I keep seeing the same people in the same places.” I went on to describe what had happened. He hadn’t been around for the previous sightings.

  “I will go observe them.” A resolute expression came over his face. “If they are following us, perhaps their thoughts will confirm it.”

  He was a mind reader, but he rarely used the skill. According to him, humans were too boring to bother with most of the time.

  “Really?” I gave him a surprised look. “You’ll just volunteer to do that?”

  “You bought me nice shoes and socks. I am in a good mood for the moment, but do not count on it lasting.” He wagged a finger at me.

  “I won’t, but make sure they don’t notice you checking them out. I don’t want them knowing we’re on to them,” I cautioned.

  “They will never know.” He turned himself invisible and went back out.

  While he moved between the potential spies, I headed over to a trendy shop and bought a shirt I’d been considering getting Emily. After dumping her in Juneau I had to hope the gifts would make her feel better about her exile.

  Kerbasi returned twenty minutes later. “Your instincts were right. I heard the woman speaking into her shirt like they do in the movies and the other two men were thinking about O’Connell. They’re supposed to report to him soon. It is likely they are following you.”

  Great. DHS had somehow figured out where I’d gone and followed me. Now I would definitely be having that little chat with the agent come Monday.

  “Let’s go.” I guided him toward the entrance. “We’re going to have to tell Lucas and the others.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “They’re most likely tracking you through your cell phone,” Lucas said, pacing the living room. “That’s how I’ve been doing it.”

  I’d suspected as much, but that didn’t make me any happier about it. If I was going to have to switch to prepaid phones all the time I was going to be annoyed.

  “The sun is about set.” Kariann glanced toward the shuttered window. “As soon as it does I’ll get a new phone for you and see if any of the people you described are lurking about.”

  “Just don’t do anything to make them suspicious,” I warned.

  Sayer’s lips thinned. “Avoid attempting compulsion on them as well. It is possible for humans to condition themselves to resist it. I would not be surprised if the government has done something of that nature with their agents.”

  He had a good point. They’d proved to be rather well-prepared so far.

  “I shall take a shower before the women begin preparing themselves,” Kerbasi said, rising from the couch. “After living with the sensors these past few months, I’ve discovered they can spend an inordinate amount of time in there.”

  “Says the man who has never bathed for less than thirty minutes.” I cocked my head. “What do you do in there for that long, anyway?”

  “Cleanse myself of the filth that comes from being in close proximity to you—and that heathen.” Kerbasi cast an imperious look at Lucas before walking off.

  I rubbed my face. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why the guardian thought he was so much better than everyone else.

  He paused after grabbing his bag. “Oh, and I expect dinner will be waiting when I return.”

  “Of course.” Lucas gave him a malevolent smile. “I ordered the alligator jambalaya for you.”

  Kerbasi blanched and hurried to the stairs.

  Lucas wasn’t joking. He’d called the order in shortly after the guardian and I returned from our shopping trip. We’d thought it appropriate.

  I dug through my purse and grabbed my cell phone. After shutting it off and pulling the battery out, I set it on the dining room table. “I’m leaving this here when we go to the ball. Maybe all of us sho
uld?”

  “It would be for the best,” Lucas agreed. “Theirn has numerous security measures that should keep them out, but there’s no need to draw attention to his home.”

  I went over and slumped into one of the living room chairs. “I can’t believe they followed me here. If they were that suspicious of me you’d think they would have taken me like they did the pixies.”

  “Maybe they’re more afraid of you,” Kariann suggested. “That O’Connell guy knows you’ve got military training and if they’ve studied supernaturals as much as it appears, they might think you’re more difficult to grab.”

  “Or they’ve figured out you’re the one who stopped their team at Yvonne’s house. Didn’t you mention they tried to use their potions on you?” Lucas asked.

  “Yeah. I guess if they figured out I was there they would also know magic doesn’t work on me, but how would they know for sure it was me? I was covered up.”

  Sayer gave me a quizzical look. “Were you injured during the attack?”

  Lucas must not have fully updated him on things.

  “I was shot a few times, why?”

  The vampire rubbed his chin. “Is it possible you left some blood on the scene?”

  “That’s it.” Kariann snapped her fingers. “With the amount of blood on your clothes when I saw you, there must have been some left at the scene.”

  I put the pieces together. “And the military has samples of my DNA. If the agency was able to get hold of it, they could have run a comparison. Assuming it hasn’t changed much since I became immortal.”

  She put her hands up. “That’s not my area of expertise, but it’s probably close enough.”

  “Are you certain you don’t want me to kill them?” Lucas asked.

  He was being only half-serious.

  “You’d have to take out their entire task force and anyone else involved,” I said, just in case he hadn’t considered the full scope. “There’s no way that many deaths won’t look suspicious and draw more attention to us.”

  Kariann glanced at her watch. “Sunset’s here. I’m off to check things out on the street and grab some new phones.”