At least he possessed enough sense to keep the dagger hidden by his leg as Styx stepped forward and regarded Shay with small, almost sad smile.
“Spirited and beautiful,” he said. “It is little wonder you have become so attached to her, old companion.”
“It is rather more than a mere attachment” Viper corrected. “Where are the Ravens?”
Styx halted too far away for Viper to strike without warning. The elder vampire had never been known for reckless stupidity.
His guard would never be fully lowered.
“I have posted guards to ensure that you do not slip out of the caves “ Styx said.
Viper gave a lift of his brows. “You came to take Shay away by yourself? How exquisitely insulting of you.”
Something that might have been regret flashed over the bronzed features even as the warrior smoothly pulled his sword from its sheath.
“I do not wish to fight, Viper.”
“I can’t say that I’m overly eager for battle either, Styx, but I am not one of your Ravens. I do not obey without question.”
Moving to the middle of the tunnel so he would have plenty of space to swing his deadly sword Styx eyed him with an unreadable expression.
“How did you find this tunnel?”
“The glamour is only effective against vampires. You should have thought of that when you were hiding the pathetic humans.”
With blinding speed he dodged forward, plunging his dagger toward Styx’s sword arm. Styx easily countered, but as he blocked the dagger with his sword Viper shifted to plant a solid kick in the stomach of his opponent.
Styx grunted but managed to stay on his feet, his sword slicing through the air to force Viper backward.
“The glamour was effective against me as well, old companion “ he said as he kept careful watch on Viper.
Viper edged to one side. “You claim to have no knowledge of this cesspit?”
“Knowledge, no.” The dark eyes flashed with frustration. “Suspicions? Fears? Yes.”
Viper made another feint, more to keep Styx off guard than a true attempt to harm him. Any thirst for revenge at being tortured was forgotten in the need to protect Shay.
Somehow he had to get them out of here.
With all their body parts still intact.
The odds weren’t good.
“And yet you still pretend that the Anasso can be restored to his former glory.” He gave a sharp motion toward the humans that were sleeping in their drug haze. “He is beyond salvation, Styx. Even if he is healed there is no means to save him from himself. Can you deny it?”
Styx hissed softly. “No. No longer.”
Viper blinked, not at all certain he had heard correctly. “You admit that your cause is hopeless?”
The dark eyes shifted with obvious reluctance toward the humans. “I admit that I have been deceived and manipulated. And that I can no longer hold on to the trust that has sustained me.”
“Speak clearly, Styx,” Viper rasped, the dagger clutched in his hands. “I will not have misunderstandings between us.”
The sword slowly lowered as Styx heaved a weary sigh. “I will not halt you from taking your Shalott and leaving these caves.”
“What of your Ravens?” he demanded.
“I…” Styx stiffened at the thick, swirling foulness that filled the air.
Viper crouched to prepare for an attack. He didn’t need Styx’s frightened expression to tell him that they were under attack. The dark power prickling over his skin was warning enough.
The problem was that he could feel the heavy evil, but he couldn’t see a bloody thing.
He shot a frown toward Styx. “What is it?”
“The Anasso. He has sensed the Shalott.”
“Shit. We must leave here “
Viper turned toward Shay even as the darkness closed around her.
Her eyes widened as her hand reached toward Viper who was already rushing in her direction.
“Viper?” she whispered and then her head bowed backward as a scream was wrenched from her throat.
“No.” He reached her side just as she collapsed into his arms. Scooping her off her feet he studied her pale face with a flare of terrified panic. He could sense the steady beat of her heart, but her skin was pale and clammy, and she refused to awaken. “Shay. Speak to me.”
Styx crossed the narrow space to stand at his shoulder. “She is in the power of the Anasso.”
Cold dread clutched at Viper’s heart. He had known that the elder vampire possessed powers beyond any of them, but he hadn’t realized that he could reach out and physically touch others at a distance.
Viper clutched Shay to his chest, her long braid trailing over his arm.
“How do I save her?”
“We must take her to him,” Styx said softly.
Lifting his head Viper glared at his companion with sharp fury. “Never.”
“Only the Anasso can release her from his power.”
Viper stepped backward, his fangs extended. “You have tricked me.”
Holding up his hands Styx attempted to appear unthreatening. A gesture that was spoiled as the long, deadly blade shimmered in the glow of the torchlight.
Not that he wouldn’t have been just as lethal without the sword.
“No, Viper, this is no trick,” he protested, his eyes shimmering with a fierce, unreadable emotion. “I did not realize that he still possessed such strength.”
“How do I halt him?”
“You cannot.” Styx allowed his gaze to move toward the delicate woman in Viper’s arms. Something that might be regret rippled over his face. “You must take her to the Anasso.”
“I have told you no,” Viper rasped.
“You have no choice. He will kill her.”
Viper narrowed his gaze. “He cannot kill her. He needs her blood to survive.”
“He is not… entirely stable in his thinking.”
The cold dread deepened as it spread throughout his body. “He is going mad?”
Styx paused. He had spent near a century disguising the slow, relentless decay of his master. It had been a thankless duty he had performed with grim loyalty.
Now he battled with the inner demon of uncertainty that tortured him.
“Mad enough,” he grudgingly conceded.
Viper lowered his head until he could bury his face in the sweet silk of Shay’s hair. He cursed the fate that had brought them to this time and place.
“Damn you, Styx. Damn you to hell.”
—
Watching the two vampires carry the unconscious woman from the tunnel Damocles slowly stepped from the shadows. A faint smile touched his lips.
“Well, well I thought I smelled Shalott.”
There was a rattle of chains from the cramped cave behind him. Slowly he turned to regard the disgusting troll who was huddled in a distant corner.
“Shay?” Evor demanded, his eyes flashing red. “She’s here?”
Damocles gave a soft laugh as he traced his way across the cave. “Do you think she has come to rescue you, sweet Evor? I fear she is a little too unconscious to give you much thought. Still, her arrival does alter my schedule.” Moving across the cave he cast a rueful glance down at the rather plain robe he had chosen. “I wish I had worn the gold. This green really is not festive enough.”
Evor licked his lips. He was smart enough to know that whatever was about to happen couldn’t be good.
At least not for him.
“What are you going to do? “
Damocles’s smile widened as a glorious sense of justice washed through him. Soon he would watch his enemy destroyed by his own hands. And even more satisfying his plot would make the entire race of vampires howl in pain.
Events had not unfolded precisely as he had planned, but the end would be the same.
The Anasso would be dead, and he would have the peace that had eluded him for untold centuries.
Reaching up Damocles unlocked the chains fro
m the cave wall. With a tug, he pulled the terrified troll from his corner.
“You, my friend, are about to witness my most triumphant moment. A culmination of brilliant plotting and flawless execution.”
Evor tugged against the shackles that held him, but he was no match for a determined imp. For a moment his round face flushed and his pointed teeth clenched in fury.
Then, like any good coward he dropped to his knees and bowed his head in a silent plea for mercy.
“Good master, I think it better that I remain here. I’m not much in the mood for triumphant moments.”
Damocles’s smile faded as he reached down to lightly stroke the profusely sweating face.
“Ah, but you’re a vital part of my celebration. You can’t possibly remain behind.”
“I would really prefer…”
The words came to a strangled moan as Damocles clutched his fingers around the fat throat and easily jerked the troll off his feet.
Dangling him in the air Damocles watched with cold distaste as the round face turned a strange shade of puce.
“Don’t annoy me, ugly troll, or I’ll cut out your tongue. I wish to savor this victory without listening to your flapping lips.” He gave the troll a small shake. “Do you understand?”
It took several tries before Evor managed to get the words past the crushing hold on his throat.
“I understand.”
Opening his fingers Damocles allowed the troll to fall back to the floor. His smile returned.
“I knew you’d see things my way. Now let’s go have some fun.”
—
Viper would never recall the agonizing trek through the dark tunnels to the lair of the Anasso. Oh, there were vague flashes of progressively more lavish tapestries, and elegant candelabras that offered a flickering light. And overall a pervasive scent of depraved self-indulgence.
His attention, however, was consumed with a simmering panic for the woman in his arms.
He would not allow her to die.
Not if it meant killing every vampire, troll, and human in the caves.
At last following Styx into a cavern that was dominated by a vast bed and a roaring fire, Viper came to a halt to study the frail vampire that was propped among a pile of satin pillows.
Although he was prepared for a change in the once powerful leader, Viper still experienced a flare of shock at the sight of the frail, almost corpselike reality.
By the blood of the saints, he appeared more dead than alive. An unnerving sight even for a vampire.
How the hell could he still possess such powers? It seemed impossible until Viper met the hectic glitter in the sunken eyes.
The Anasso might literally be upon the verge of extinction, but he would battle to the bitter end.
Reading his thoughts with ease, the Anasso offered a smile that sent a flare of fear through Viper’s heart.
“Ah, I knew you would come to me, Viper” the ancient vampire rasped.
Clutching Shay protectively to his chest Viper glared into the gaunt face.
“You made sure I would have no choice.”
“So angry.” The elder vampire heaved a faint sigh. “Do you have no sympathy for your master, my son? Do you possess no loyalty to one who has sacrificed all for the race of vampires?”
“I see a fading shadow of a once great vampire who has been lost to his own weaknesses.”
The frail features tightened, but the Anasso kept his voice soft and persuasive. It was a voice that had once lured hundreds of vampires to battle.
“Yes. I have been weak. And a fool. Once I am healed I can promise you that I shall never again be prey to such failings. I will restore myself and all of my followers to the glory that is our due.”
Viper gave a slow shake of his head. Styx and his Ravens might accept such a pledge. To him it rang with a hollow lack of conviction.
He had seen the humans trapped below.
“You have made such promises before, master.”
This time the vampire didn’t try to hide his anger. “Do not think to judge me, Viper. You cannot know what I have suffered to bring peace to us all,” he said, his voice sending a flare of pain over Viper’s skin.
Viper clenched his teeth. Damn, that hurt. And with nothing more than a thought.
“We all know what you have done for us,” he gritted.
The pain ripped through the air once again. “How could you possibly know? How could you possibly understand the cost?” The Anasso pointed a thin finger in Viper’s direction. “There is not a night that I am not haunted by the faces of friends and loved ones that I was forced to kill because they would not accept change. Not a night that I do not hear the cries of my kin as they died beneath my hands. Can you truly hold me to blame for seeking to escape the ghosts that plague me?”
Viper had to concede that when it came to battle tactics the elder vampire was a master. A combination of subtle manipulation with the hovering threat of further pain. And all with seeming ease.
Viper might have been impressed if he hadn’t been at the receiving end of that clever strategy.
“And what of the ghost of Shay’s father?” he demanded. “Does he haunt you as well?”
“He was a necessary casualty.”
“Just as Shay will be?”
There was not even the faintest flicker of remorse. “Yes.”
Viper’s arms instinctively tightened around Shay as he allowed his own power to begin to fill the air. He might not possess the strength of the elder vampire, but he was not helpless.
“What is to occur when all the Shalott blood is gone?” He deliberately allowed the scorn to fill his voice. “Who will you sacrifice then?”
The gloves were definitely off as the vampire lifted himself from the pillows, his face a stark mask of anger.
“Enough of this. Come to me now, Viper.”
With a pang of regret Viper lowered Shay to the floor. As much as he desired to have her close to him, he couldn’t take the risk that the Anasso might strike without warning.
“I will not surrender the woman I love.” he swore, pulling the dagger from his boot. “Not for any reason.”
“You dare to deny your master?”
“You halted being my master when you chose to poison your body with tainted blood. The penalty for such a sin is death.”
A thick spittle formed on the lips of the Anasso as he struggled to untangle himself from the heavy covers. “Styx,” he called sharply.
Viper shifted to keep a wary gaze upon the silent vampire who stepped forward with a bow.
“Master?”
“Bring me the Shalott.”
Styx slowly straightened, his face a harsh mask. “The woman is to be Viper’s mate. It is against our law to harm her.”
Viper barely managed to disguise his shock at the bald challenge.
A shock that was echoed on the face of the Anasso.
“So I am to be betrayed on all sides.” With a low hiss the elder vampire managed to struggle from the bed. Holding on to a thick bedpost he lifted a threatening hand in Viper’s direction. “I will have her. Bring her to me, Viper, or watch her die on the floor.”
Viper deliberately shifted to stand between Shay and the furious demon.
“She would rather die than be drained by you.”
Power whipped through the air, stirring Viper’s hair and blowing out the candles set about the cavern.
“Do you think I am helpless?” The Anasso moved forward with slow, but steady steps. “Do you believe you can best me, boy?”
Viper was not above a sharp flare of fear.
Not for himself.
He would readily give his life to protect Shay. But if he were to die then there would be no one to rescue her from the Anasso.
That he couldn’t bear.
Drawing in as much of his power as he could hold, Viper grimly prepared for battle.
“I am willing to pit my strength against yours.” he gritted.
“
Even if it means your death?” the advancing vampire demanded, a thick darkness swirling about him.
“Yes.”
“Fool.” With a motion the Anasso sent the darkness hurtling toward Viper.
Viper held out his hands to deflect the coming blow, but even as his muscles tensed there was a blur of movement and Styx was abruptly standing before him.
“Master… no.”
The darkness struck Styx and with a muffled cry the large vampire crumpled at Viper’s feet.
A stunned disbelief filled the air. No one had expected the loyal servant to throw himself in the line of fire. Not after centuries of unquestioning devotion.
Something that might almost have been regret flashed over the gaunt face. Obviously the elder vampire had not gone entirely mad.
Unfortunately, he was mad enough to swiftly push aside his momentary hesitation, and was once again turning his attention to Viper.
Not about to waste the sacrifice Styx had so rashly made, Viper tossed the dagger directly at the chest of the Anasso, and smoothly reached down to retrieve the sword from his fallen friend.
The sword was in his hand even as the dagger struck true. There was a strangled gasp as the Anasso reeled back and glanced down at the blood running down the front of his robe.
Any hope, however, that he had managed to slow the ancient demon was dashed as the vampire reached up to pluck the dagger from his chest and toss it aside. His expression was disdainful as he once again called his power.
“You will howl for death before I am done with you,” the vampire gritted as he lifted his hand and once again sent his power flooding across the room.
Viper did howl.
Nothing could prepare him for such shattering pain. It crawled through him with a ruthless force that had him on his knees before he realized what had occurred.
Clutching the sword in his hand Viper battled to keep the darkness at bay.
He could feel the Anasso moving ever closer.
If he only had one shot at killing the demon he intended to make it a good one.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Shay nearly cried in relief when the agonizing pain was abruptly lifted.
Holy shit. She wasn’t a stranger to torture. She had been beaten, burned, chained, and even blasted with magical spells. But nothing had managed to make her body burn as if she were being roasted over the fires of hell, or clutch her heart until she feared it might be ripped from her chest.
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