Determination broke through her apprehension. She wanted to get this over with. “Let’s go then.”
“Wait.” Ronan put his hand up. “We’ll go individually and look around.”
“No.” Lachlan’s objection shot out without hesitation. “I won’t let her do this alone.”
Ronan looked around the cemetery with its hilly areas and tall stands of pines. When he turned back to them, his eyes flashed with a golden fire. “It will take too long to cover ground if we go in a group.”
“There won’t be many tombs in a small town cemetery like this,” Erin said. “But it’s hard to say which one he’d pick. We’ll have to examine them all.”
Lachlan turned her toward him. “You’re not going to walk around this graveyard alone. I refuse to let you do it.”
Irritation found its way through her. “Lachlan Tavish, since when do you order me around?”
Lachlan’s eyes sparked, a sliver of red in that golden glow. Now she knew what he looked like when he was blazing mad in darkness. “Since I fell in love with you. I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”
Ronan stepped closer to them, and she could barely see the frown on his face. “He is probably right. You are the weakest one physically. If the vampire came upon you first…” He shrugged.
She might be eager, but she wasn’t stupid. “All right, all right.”
She heaved a breath and decided she would conquer her fear before her nerves broke. With bravery formed of a desire to get it over with, she stepped forward.
Lachlan reached for her arm and held her back. “I might be able to break that lock, but I doubt it.”
He nodded to Ronan. Without a word the vampire grabbed the padlock, and with a flick of his wrist, the metal broke with a squealing protest of twisted metal.
“Wow,” she said softly.
Lachlan smiled. “Yeah.”
Dasoria.
The whisper tickled in her mind. Automatically she turned to Lachlan. “What did you say?”
He shook his head. “Nothing, lass.”
“I heard something.”
“The wind,” Ronan said.
As Ronan swung the gate open, Lachlan and Erin followed. She felt the metal of the gun tucked in her waistband and hoped she didn’t have to use it. Yet she knew she would. What choice did they have? They could run. But they couldn’t hide from the monster that stalked the night.
Uncertainty made her stomach pitch and roll. Nausea filled her and burned her throat. She stopped.
Dasoria. You are my light and my love. All is gone without you. Come to me.
Lachlan put his arm around her shoulders and brought her close again. Damn it, she looks so pale and frightened. “What’s wrong? Headache?”
Her silvery eyes reflected back at him. “He’s speaking to me in my head again. He’s calling me that strange name. Dasoria.”
“What does that mean?” Lachlan asked Ronan.
Ronan shook his head. “It’s an ancient name.”
“Why would he call her that?” Doubts slammed through Lachlan, his fear for her well-being making him falter. “He’s near, Ronan. She feels his evil.”
Ronan also stopped and came back to them. “I sense him, too. You can detect the ancient one with physical symptoms, Erin? His evil is a tickle in my mind, but to a mortal it probably hurts like a bitch.”
She laughed weakly. “That’s about the size of it.” She winced and turned paler. “It’s getting worse. What can I do to stop it?”
Lachlan felt her starting to shake in his arms from cold or fear.
Ronan flashed Lachlan a wary look. “She may not be strong enough.”
Erin stiffened in Lachlan’s arms, and he soothed her by running his hand up and down her back. “If you don’t want to go on—”
“No.” She pulled back from Lachlan’s embrace. “You know we have to. I’m surprised you could back down so quickly—”
“No.” Anger made him reach for her arms and he drew her closer. “No. I won’t lose you.”
“I’m strong.” She moved out of Lachlan’s embrace again.
The tilt of her small chin, and the pissed-off glint in her eyes, made his heart thump with a mix of admiration and fear. He loved her bravery at the same time he feared she’d be hurt or worse.
Her defiance gave Lachlan a surge of hope. “If we don’t take her with us, the ancient one is sure to make a last bid to take her from me. I can’t let that happen.”
Ronan’s stoic expression gave away nothing. “Then we go on.”
Lachlan saw the momentary panic on her face, a chink in her bravery lapsing. Like a child, she feared he’d leave her. He couldn’t stand it any more.
He kissed her forehead, drew her closer, and absorbed the comfort he found as her arms encircled his waist. He took her familiar womanly scent deep into his lungs and closed his eyes. When he looked at her again, he saw the paleness in her face deepen and her eyelids flicker. Lachlan resigned to fighting the dread he felt in the pit of his stomach, knowing he would be strong for her or die trying. Nothing—nothing, he swore, would happen to the woman he loved.
“Lachlan,” she whispered weakly. “Oh, crap.”
“Shit,” he growled as she slipped into a faint. “Don’t do this to me.”
As her body went limp, Lachlan held her up while Ronan placed his fingers to her temples. Several moments went by and nothing happened.
“Damn it,” Ronan said.
Alarm bucked through Lachlan, and he tightened his arms around her. “What’s wrong? Why isn’t she waking up?”
“I don’t know. Usually this will work in a few seconds.”
“Bloody hell.”
“Exactly, my friend. She’s in a weakened state. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to bring her here—”
“And who did you think I would trust to keep her safe?”
Ronan’s smile lacked mirth as he kept his fingers on her temples. “No one but you. I can see that. But she was attacked recently by the ancient one. Even though he didn’t get the chance to drain her blood, she’s weak.”
A spike of misery made Lachlan growl, “Then make her strong. Give her as much of your strength as you dare.”
Ronan did as told, and Lachlan felt relief stir inside his soul as Erin’s hands warmed and her eyelids flickered.
“That’s it, lass. Open your eyes and speak to us,” Lachlan said gently.
Within seconds her eyelids popped open.
“What?” she asked softly, her voice frail.
Lachlan held her tight in case her knees buckled. “You fainted. How’s your head?”
“Better. Much better.” She smiled weakly at them both. “What did you guys do?”
Lachlan kissed her nose. “Ronan is a powerful bastard. Gave you some of his strength.”
She smiled. “That means I’m ready to kick some serious ass.”
He gazed into the sky with boldness written in his voice. “Stick that in your hole, you ancient fucking bastard vampire.”
Ronan’s smiled sarcastically at his human friends. “Sure, and it’s a good thing I’m such a nice bastard. I think the ancient one isn’t going to appreciate the vehemence. Erin, my power should sustain you for awhile. If you start to feel ill again, let us know.”
Erin couldn’t see Lachlan’s expression very well, but she felt the desperation in his touch. Disoriented and feeling feeble, she realized she couldn’t quite focus. At least her head didn’t hurt and her stomach didn’t feel as if it might lose its contents.
She moved out of Lachlan’s arms and tried the strength of her legs. “You’ll be with me the whole time. I’ll be all right.”
“We’ll all go together. There is strength in three,” Ronan said as he changed his mind.
As they walked, Erin felt a new confidence. With a powerful vampire and a man who loved her by her side, she couldn’t fail. Though the back of her mind screamed with terror at the idea of battling the evil vampire, adrenaline pumped through
her veins and kept her feet moving.
They searched the small graveyard, and from time to time Erin felt the slightest twinge of trepidation. Trees creaked, their needles whispering, the wind causing strange sounds in the forest. All around her she felt eyes watching.
Ghosts, lass. They’re speaking to you?
Yes.
Ignore them.
As they worked their way through each row of headstones, they tried the seals on the vaults and found them secured.
At last she saw a huge crypt at one end of the graveyard. A wind, subtle as it stirred against her skin, warned them not to come closer. Evil penetrated the very ground here, and a few steps more would bring all three of them into unimaginable danger.
“There,” Ronan said as he started up the hill.
Dasoria, come to me. Leave these cretins and join me as my beloved.
As the ancient ones voice grew in power, she recognized it as the voice that had taunted her so many times. This voice had tried to deceive her on many occasions into thinking it belonged to Lachlan. I’m not your beloved!
You are! You are the reincarnation of my love, the beautiful vampire Dasoria.
Erin felt a trembling sickness attack her stomach. “He thinks I’m the reincarnation of a woman named Dasoria. A vampire woman he loved.”
Ronan and Lachlan both stopped.
“He’s deranged,” Lachlan said with shock in his voice.
“Fecking right,” Ronan said with a snort. “Vampires don’t reincarnate. Once they are finished…they are finished.”
“You can’t hear what he’s saying?” Lachlan said to Ronan.
“Wish I could.”
Despite the fear that added to her illness, she knew down in her soul the vampire used this to make her helpless. Easily done when the spirits of the dead and past deeds soaked the ground. Though Lachlan and Ronan could detect the presence of the vampire, Lachlan would be preoccupied with Erin if she fell ill.
It might get him killed.
Unthinkable.
She wouldn’t allow it.
Whatever she did, she couldn’t let Lachlan know she hurt from the inside out. She would fight the illness with her last fiber. As she tucked her hand into Lachlan’s, they marched behind Ronan, she made a vow.
I won’t fail you, Lachlan.
You couldn’t fail me.
As she looked at him, his gentle smile obliterated all fear in one moment. She saw a deep love in those eyes she knew would never waver. In the darkness, under the pall of terror that surrounded them, she saw the vague shimmer of tears mixing with strength in his glowing eyes. It was the evidence of the one thing that made it possible to break through the pain.
Lachlan Tavish’s eternal love.
“Let’s get to that crypt. Vampire or no fecking vampire,” she said, borrowing Ronan’s term.
Ronan laughed and Lachlan squeezed her hand.
Ronan’s walk looked confident, as if he could care less that a thousand year old vampire waited for them at the top of the hill. As they came closer her head started to throb again. She dismissed the pain by putting one foot in front of the other.
The stone crypt loomed, coming closer, closer. Gnarled trees stood sentinel, awaiting their first attempt to disturb the unholy master of the crypt. A light wind, whispering against their bodies, came to an abrupt halt.
She swallowed hard, her mouth dry, heart pounding, wits stretched to the highest degree.
Steady, lass. Breathe deep.
Yes.
Lachlan pressed her hand gently once again.
Erin could barely make out the intricate carvings on the stonework, and she ignored the name and date caved into one side.
Ronan came to a stop and reached out for the seal. “It’s broken.”
That’s it, Dasoria. Come to me.
Pain spiked her head. “Oh, God.”
She grabbed her head in both hands, the pain almost sending her to her knees. Weakness made her waver, her arms trembling as she gasped in misery.
Lachlan reached for her, slipping his arms around her once again. “Damn it all to hell.” As his arms tightened around her, Lachlan roared into the darkness, “Fuck you, you stinking vampire! Pick on someone your own size, you filthy, rotting corpse!
After his outburst, a strange silence came over the area. No wind. No rustling of trees. As if the heart of the forest stopped beating, or the world held its breath.
Ronan stood stock still, not even attempting to help. “That should get his attention.”
Thank the heavens for Ronan’s calm. Erin felt the rage eating away at the man she loved, and she grabbed at his shoulders for support. “Don’t give into the anger, Lachlan. That’s what he wants. Don’t you see? That’s what the ancient one wants.”
Lachlan’s muscles coiled, hard and ready to fight. “I don’t care. I’d kill him a thousand times over for you, Erin. I love you.”
He loves me.
Though she’d heard him say so before, his last assertion buoyed her stubbornness and gave her the smidgen of strength she needed to persist.
“I’d die for you,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion.
Ronan reached for the seal again. “She’s right. He’ll use her against you, Lachlan. Shield your emotions. Use them to defeat him.”
Erin shifted in Lachlan’s arms, turning so she could reach under her sweater and grip the weapon.
Erin—
No, Lachlan. Let me go. When he hesitated, she tried again. Trust me.
Obedient, he allowed his arms to slip from her, and she confronted the burial chamber. She kept the heavy handgun at her side, ready to use it at a moment’s notice. Tears ran down her face as the pain in her head ebbed, then spiked. Then ebbed.
Ronan’s hands made contact with the crypt door, and with a mighty shove, he pushed and the stone cracked. With an agonized groaning the rest of the crypt door fell inward. As it crashed down the crypt steps with an ear-crushing noise, they waited. After an agonizing silence, Erin couldn’t take it anymore. Her insides might be rattling with fear and her body not as strong as she wished, but she wouldn’t wait for the ancient one to take anything from her again.
Okay, you foul creep. I’m here now. Come out, come out wherever you are.
The vampire’s voice whispered in her mind. Dasoria.
Yes.
My love.
No! I love only one man. LachlanTavish. And I’ll love him forever.
Not for long.
She gritted her teeth, wanting to rush headlong into the crypt and confront the darkness.
Ronan took the decision away from her, stepping into the black interior as casually as a man entering a party.
Lachlan took her arm and that small touch gave her a measure of comfort. She would conquer whatever lay inside the putrid, hateful night and emerge on the other side a new person. A better human.
Ronan grunted. “Fecking smells in here.”
Lachlan snorted a note of disgust. “What did you expect?”
Erin hesitated as Lachlan walked forward and they took the first step down. “I can’t see anything. How many steps are there?”
Lachlan stood to her left, and she sank into his grip with sudden appreciation.
“Only three. There’s a bit more room in here than looks from the outside,” Ronan said as he turned toward her. Again his eyes flashed, and she shivered at the uncanny sight. “Look out for the hole—”
Suddenly the ground shot away from her, and Lachlan lost his grip on her arm as she plunged. A scream tore from her throat, start fear ripping her system for the little time she had to think.
“Erin!” Lachlan’s voice cried out.
The ground came up and slapped her hard as she landed on her right side, the impact cutting off her scream. Stunned, she lay unmoving for several seconds. She blinked and looked up at the hole above her. Lachlan and Ronan’s eyes shone down on her from several feet up.
“Lass!” Lachlan’s harsh cry pierced the silenc
e. “Erin, are you all right?”
“Erin!” Ronan’s call added to the pain in her body. “Speak to us!”
“I’m—I’m fine.” Her voice cracked, and she shifted slowly to make sure nothing was broken. Other than a dull ache in her body, she felt unharmed.
Lachlan’s hand went out to her, even thought it was obvious he couldn’t reach her. “Don’t move, sweetheart! We’ll find a way to get to you.”
Stubbornness and a fervor to get the hell out of there made her stand up. She injected lightheartedness into her voice, but the dry rasp in her tone made it seem impossible. “I hope you guys have a rope or something, because I can’t jump high enough to get out of here. What I wouldn’t give for vampire powers right about now.”
“Don’t even say think that,” Lachlan said with unusual harshness.
She turned around to try and see in the pitch-black, half-perturbed at Lachlan’s bossiness, but understanding his concern. She couldn’t see anything and renewed apprehension started climbing her spine. “I don’t know where I am. What is this place?”
“Perhaps a cave under the crypt, or a tunnel,” Ronan said. “Maybe even a sink hole. It’s very important you don’t step in any direction. You don’t know what drop offs you’ve got down there.”
Fear shot up her back as she stopped moving all together, her muscles tightening with cold and trepidation. “You can’t see what’s around me?”
“Very little,” Lachlan called back. “I don’t see any drop offs in the immediate area, but there could be some beyond the circle of the hole that we can’t see. Don’t move.”
Seconds later Erin felt it, the creeping discomfort of someone watching her not from above, but from the interior of her prison.
Chapter 27
Erin’s voice quavered as she spoke. “Um…guys…there’s someone down here with me.”
Her legs felt like gelatin, rendered weak by nagging fright.
Before the men above could speak, a deep laugh echoed in the darkness around her. “Dasoria.”
She twitched and tried to sense how close the ancient one stood to her. “No.”
“Oh, yes,” the ancient one’s voice sounded in the area again, apparently tired of speaking in her head. “And you are mine.”
Deep is the Night: Dark Fire Page 29