Embrace the Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  “Not now, Levet, I do not possess the patience to endure your griping at the moment.”

  Levet managed to look shocked. “Griping? Moi? Why—”

  “Out.” Viper pointed at the door. “Get out now.”

  “Non.” Levet bravely, or stupidly, held his ground. “Can you not feel the air?”

  “What?”

  “Hold, Viper.” Dante stepped forward, his head tilted back as he spread his powers outward. “He’s right.”

  In the distance there was the sudden sound of an alarm ringing and Viper felt his entire body clench in dread.

  “Shit. Levet get Shay and bring her here.”

  “No.” Dante halted them both with a commanding tone. “Take her to the escape tunnels in the basement.”

  Levet slid a glance toward Viper who gave a sharp nod. “Go.”

  The gargoyle rushed from the room and Dante moved to stand directly before Viper.

  “You go as well.”

  Viper frowned. “I can’t leave you here—”

  “You must protect Shay.” Dante offered a wry smile. “Besides, as much as I admire your strength and courage I have my own protection.”

  Viper was momentarily puzzled until a prickling heat slowly began to fill the air. Abby had sensed the danger and already her power was crawling through the house.

  “The Chalice,” he said.

  “Exactly. We’ll be fine.” Dante gave him a firm shove. “Now go.”

  Moving toward the door Viper paused to toss his friend a final glance.

  “Thank you, Dante. You’ve done more than I can ever repay.”

  Dante shrugged. “Actually I was in your debt, so now we can say we’re even.”

  “Never.”

  The pale, handsome face became uncommonly somber. “Viper, take care, and if you have need…”

  “You will be the first I call,” Viper promised before slipping through the door and heading for his chambers. There were a few dozen weapons he intended to grab before joining Shay in the basement.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The bathroom connected to Viper’s rooms was straight out of a fantasy.

  A vast expanse of black and gold it boasted a shower large enough to facilitate a small army, a glass cabinet that heated the fluffy towels, and a line of lighted vanities that were of little use to vampires. It was the tub, however, that enchanted Shay. Sunken into the marble floor, it was perfectly curved to soak in its scented waters for hours at a time. A rare luxury for a slave who had more often than not been forced to scrub herself clean with what little water was passed through the bars of her cell.

  She found it the perfect way to begin an evening.

  Well, perhaps not the most perfect way to begin the evening.

  A sudden flush stained her cheeks as she pulled on the jeans and sweatshirt that she had borrowed from Abby.

  Crap.

  She promised herself that when she had crawled from the bed exhausted and content from Viper’s body that she wouldn’t lay in the tub and wallow in the memories of his touch. As pleasurable a pastime as it might be, it was disgustingly mushy. Like she was an acne-plagued adolescent mooning over her latest sweetie.

  It was enough to make a sensible, mature woman gag.

  Brushing out her long hair, she neatly pulled it back in its usual braid and returned to the bedroom. She knew that Abby would be waiting for her in the solarium with a breakfast tray. They would chat and laugh and moan over the numerous faults of vampires. It was a routine that Shay cherished deep in her heart.

  Abby was not only kind and generous, but she offered an unconditional friendship that had slowly started to fill an emptiness that Shay had carried with her for far too long.

  A friend.

  Something so simple, but so precious.

  Slipping on her running shoes Shay moved toward the door. Not usually a dangerous task, but this evening she was barely allowed to touch the knob when she was knocked backward as Levet thrust through the door.

  “Shay,” he panted, his gray skin more pale than usual.

  “Good God, Levet, have you never heard of knocking?” she demanded as she lifted herself upright.

  “Viper sent me to fetch you.”

  “Fetch me?” Her brows drew together in warning. It sounded far too much like calling a dog. “Why didn’t he come himself?”

  “He’s waiting for us. We have to go now.”

  Shay regarded her companion with a growing sense of alarm. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  “What’s happened, Levet?”

  “There are demons approaching. Enough demons to make me squirm.” Levet gave a shudder. “We have to get out of here.”

  She lost any urge to argue as she allowed Levet to lead her from the room and down the hallway.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Dante has tunnels built beneath the estate.”

  Shay recalled fee tunnels that Viper had constructed beneath his own house. It seemed to be a theme.

  “Of course he does.”

  Using his wings to give him speed Levet never turned his head. “Vampires have never been known for being stupid, Shay. Or careless.”

  “No, I suppose not,” she readily agreed.

  Reaching the stairs she hesitated as Levet headed downward. From above she could feel the faint tingle of power being wielded. An oddly familiar power.

  “Mon Dieu. Not that way,” the gargoyle gasped.

  “The demons?”

  Levet grimaced. “Worse… the Phoenix.”

  “Ah.” Shay had a vivid image of being trapped in a cellar with Abby as she had transformed into the Phoenix. She had managed to scorch the evil witch trying to kill them into a tiny bit of cinder. She didn’t really want an encore performance. Especially since the goddess’s powers weren’t always particular about which demon was going to get fried. “That would explain the heat.”

  “Yes. Come on.”

  “I’m coming.” Taking the narrow flight of stairs that led to the lower basement Shay halted on the last step. She was going to hurt herself if she continued to stumble forward. “Damn, it’s dark. Is there a light switch?”

  “We have no need for something so mundane. Not when I possess magic.” Levet halted and began to mutter beneath his breath.

  “Levet, no—”

  Shay’s plea came a moment too late as there was a sudden explosion that sent them both tumbling to the ground.

  “Light, I said light,” Levet muttered as they struggled to their feet and brushed off the ash that had filled the air.

  “I appreciate the effort, Levet, but maybe we should stick with the more traditional methods,” she muttered.

  “Fine.” Levet threw up his hands as he disappeared into the thick shadows. “But when those demons are about to… how do you say… make you lunch, do not come crying to me for some powerful spell to rescue you.”

  Shay couldn’t help but smile despite the disturbing imagery. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  —

  Shay and Levet were awaiting Viper when he reached the lower basement. A flare of relief raced through him. He had expected to have to go in search of Shay. Hell, he had expected to have to carry her down here kicking and screaming. For such an intelligent woman she could be stunningly stubborn. It would be just like her to flat out refuse to flee regardless of the danger.

  Moving directly toward the back wall Viper adjusted the sword strapped to his back and set aside the heavy bag of weapons before he pulled off the vent that concealed the entrance to the tunnel. It was there just as Dante promised and he waved his hand toward the two that hovered in the shadows.

  “This way,” he whispered, motioning for Levet to go first.

  He entered behind the gargoyle and held his hand out toward Shay who hesitated at the opening.

  “Shay?”

  She bit her bottom lip as she regarded him with wide eyes. “I know, I know… we have to go.”

  For a moment his temper
threatened to flare. Damn, they couldn’t afford to linger. Certainly not out of some ridiculous misplaced sense of bravado. Then he peered into her pale features and he realized that her reluctance had nothing to do with bluster or pride. The witches had obviously made a habit of locking her in small, dark places. Not to mention Evor and his dungeons. Who could blame her for being a bit squirrelly at the thought of entering the cramped tunnel?

  “I’m here, Shay, and I’m not going anywhere without you.” He shifted enough to take her hand. Her fingers were as cold as his. “You won’t ever be alone in the dark again.”

  “Maybe that’s what I’m scared of,” she tossed back, although she couldn’t hide the strain in her voice.

  “Trust me.”

  Viper watched in silence as her gaze dropped to their clasped hands and she struggled to swallow.

  He grimly ignored the way his entire body vibrated with the need to sweep her off her feet and haul her to safety. Damn, the very air pulsed with the approaching danger. Still, he knew that this was not the moment to press Shay. He needed her faith in him. He needed it if they were both to survive. And just as importantly he needed it for himself.

  Could she ever truly offer her trust to anyone?

  Could she offer it to a vampire?

  At last her fingers tightened on his and she stepped into the tunnel. Inside a flare of triumph raced through him, but Viper was wise enough to keep his expression carefully neutral as he pulled her down the tunnel. He wouldn’t give her any excuse to balk now.

  Keeping her close at his side Viper reached out with his senses. He could feel the faint prickle that warned there was something other than humans nearby. Unfortunately, he couldn’t determine precisely what that something other was. They were still too far away for him to pick up their scent, and he had never possessed Dante’s keen ability to determine different species just by their power. Still he knew enough to realize they didn’t want to meet up with whatever was chasing them. Not until he could ensure Shay was safe and he had nothing to concentrate on but killing. When he didn’t have distractions he was very, very good at it.

  The tunnel led them well away from the house, but as they reached the end Viper held back his companions as he cautiously stepped into the chilled night breeze. For a moment it seemed they might actually manage to slip away unnoted. A stroke of fortune that seemed too good to be true.

  It was, of course.

  Viper stiffened as the familiar stench of hellhounds reached him.

  Devil’s balls.

  The hounds were more an annoyance than a danger. They couldn’t kill a vampire, or even a Shalott, but they would remain on their scent no matter how far or fast they ran. If they were going to escape, he needed to keep them off his trail.

  “Levet,” he called softly.

  “What?”

  “Come here.” There was a long pause before the gargoyle at last climbed out of the tunnel to stand beside him. Viper put a hand on his shoulder. “There are hellhounds near. We’re going to need a distraction.”

  “A distraction?” Levet looked wary. Smart demon. “What sort of distraction?”

  “You.”

  Levet struggled against Viper’s grip. “Oh no, do not dare think I will battle those horrid beasts. They smell worse than hell itself.”

  “You are the only one of us that can fly.”

  Pulling two amulets out of his bag he placed them about; the gargoyle’s neck. They carried the scent of both him and Shay. Hopefully enough of a scent to distract the hellhounds long enough for them to escape.

  “You listen to me, vampire, I am not some—”

  “Sorry, I don’t have time to argue,” Viper apologized as he gave a heave and launched the gargoyle into the air.

  The tiny demon glared down and offered a finger that wasn’t precisely a compliment.

  “You’ll pay for this, vampire,” he vowed as he turned and flapped off into the night.

  Appearing at his side, Shay regarded him with a dark frown. “What have you done to Levet?”

  Picking up his bag Viper turned and tossed Shay over his shoulder. They only had a few moments before the hellhounds realized that Levet was not only inaccessible, but very much alone. Then they would be on their heels.

  “I don’t have time to argue with you, either,” he muttered as he took off toward the nearby streets.

  “Dammit, put me down.” She smacked the middle of his back with her fists. “I can’t fight like this.”

  She couldn’t fight? Her punch would have been enough to break a rib and puncture a lung if he hadn’t been a vampire.

  “We’re not going to fight, we’re going to run.”

  “Levet…”

  “The hellhounds can’t reach the gargoyle. Besides he is immortal. We can’t be certain you are.”

  His blunt words managed to steal at least a portion of her anger. A rare event and one that Viper was swift to take advantage of as he flowed down the darkened streets. He had managed to put a considerable distance between them and the hellhounds before she heaved a frustrated sigh.

  “Can I at least know where we’re running to?” she demanded.

  “I have several businesses on the south side. If we can reach one of them, my clan will protect us.”

  “Your clan?” She gave a choked noise of disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Not at all.”

  “You intend to surround me with a bunch of hungry vampires? Why don’t you just leave me for the hellhounds and be done with it? At least I have a shot against them.”

  Viper never slowed his pace although his grip on her instinctively tightened. He wouldn’t put it past her to make a sudden bid for freedom despite his assurances. She possessed a prejudice against vampires, that went way beyond logic.

  “You will not be harmed,” he assured her.

  “And how can you be so certain?”

  “Because you are mine. They will obey my commands.”

  He could actually hear her teeth grinding at his offhand arrogance. Of course, that was preferable to the alternative. Having her hanging over his shoulder ensured her feet were dangling perilously close to his more sensitive body parts. Even a vampire could be brought to his knees by a well placed kick.

  “Oh, right. Like I have ever encountered a vampire who obeys anyone,” she muttered. “If they decide to make me a tasty smorgasbord, there’s not a damn thing either of us can do to stop them.”

  Viper angled through the shadows of an empty office building as he considered his response. Vampires rarely revealed the inner workings of their culture. Not even to other demons. The Secret Service had nothing on them. Unfortunately, he would have to give Shay some reassurance or she was bound to fight him the entire way.

  “I’ll agree that vampires can be independent, but I am a clan chief,” he at last said.

  “And?”

  “And to challenge my authority is to challenge me.”

  He wanted that to be the end of the conversation, but of course it wasn’t.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that they must either confront me one on one, in direct combat, or leave the clan,” he grudgingly confessed “There are few who would dare either fate.”

  “They’re that frightened of you?”

  He paused at a corner, carefully surveying their surroundings. It was late enough that most humans were tucked in their beds leaving behind a shadowed landscape of silence. Prime hunting ground for all sorts of demons. Some that might not be interested in a vampire and a Shalott unless they were stupid enough to stumble over them.

  Assured the way was clear he headed swiftly toward the closest alley.

  He felt her fist punch him in the middle of his back. “Answer, the question or put me down “ she commanded.

  His own teeth did a bit of grinding. “Being clan chief has given me… powers beyond most vampires.”

  “What sort of powers?”

  “It is individual for each chief
and never spoken of.”

  She made a rude noise at his response, but for once accepted he would reveal no more.

  “What if one of them wanted to become clan chief themselves?” she instead pressed.

  “They must first enter the Battle of Durotriges. If they survive, they can establish their own clan as I did, or challenge another chief to the death.”

  “Have you ever been challenged?”

  “It has been several centuries.”

  “I take it that you defeated them?”

  “Yes.”

  “So now you’re a major badass that no one wants to challenge?”

  Viper gave a choked laugh. He had been called many things over the years, but he wasn’t sure that badass had ever been among them.

  “I can be a… badass when necessary, but in truth most in the clan are simply content.” He weaved through the narrow alleys, his swift speed taking them into the less savory neighborhoods. “I am not an overly demanding master and unlike many I have no wish to acquire more power. They do not fear being tossed onto the bloody frontlines of a clan war.”

  “A benevolent dictator?” she muttered.

  He resisted the urge to give her backside a smack. He didn’t want to risk a revolt at this point.

  “You sound disapproving. Would you rather I was a tyrant?”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Just saying what?”

  “If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a… shit.”

  Viper didn’t hesitate as he came to a halt and lowered Shay to her feet. He had caught the scent at the same moment as his companion.

  Trolls.

  With fluid motions he pulled the sword from its scabbard and tossed it to Shay. With the same ease he retrieved two long daggers from his bag before dropping it to the ground.

  A troll possessed skin too thick to be pierced by a bullet. Only a magically enhanced blade would have a chance.

  “Aim at the lower stomach,” he commanded in clipped tones. “It’s the only place the blade can pierce and there is an artery there that can be severed.”

  Shay instinctively moved to place her back to his own. The best means for them to fight as one smooth unit.

  “You don’t have to tell me how to kill trolls,” she said in bitter tones. “It was the first thing I learned after Evor forced me to his side.”