Embrace the Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  She didn’t know that anyone could actually survive such suffering. It seemed the sort of thing that should put a demon in her grave.

  Or at least wish she was there.

  Managing to force open her heavy lids she swiftly realized that she was no longer in the damp tunnels. In fact she was lying on a priceless Persian carpet that perfectly matched the rest of the gaudy room.

  Arabian nights gone wild.

  The next thing she realized was that Viper was close beside her, his large form kneeling on the carpet as he obviously fought some horrid, unseen attack.

  Her breath lodged in her throat as she struggled to force her weakened body to move. She didn’t have a clue what she could do to help the suffering vampire, but the need to touch him was overwhelming.

  She managed to actually lift her head from the carpet when a sudden shadow fell across her and she stiffened in alarm.

  There was no mistaking the dark evil that simmered in the air, or the prickle of revulsion that crawled over her skin.

  The same evil she had felt in the auction house and again when Styx and his Ravens had hunted them through the streets of Chicago.

  The Anasso.

  It could be no other.

  Slowly turning her head Shay couldn’t halt the sharp gasp of shock at the thin, ravaged face poised just above her. He looked more like an extra from a bad horror flick than the most powerful vampire to walk the earth.

  Looks, however, were far too often deceiving and Shay wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate the demon that had caused her enough pain to wish herself dead.

  Bracing herself for the inevitable attack Shay was caught off guard when he slowly knelt beside her and touched her cheek with a gentle hand.

  “My Shalott.” His voice was low and gravelly, but rich with a force that could no doubt enthrall demons and humans alike. “I knew you would come to me.”

  Shrugging aside the compulsion to fall into that voice Shay sucked in a deep breath.

  “What have you done to Viper?”

  An expression of profound sorrow touched the skeletal face. An expression that in no way matched the hectic glitter in the dark eyes.

  “I had no choice. He refused to understand.”

  “Understand what?”

  “That I must survive. That without me the vampires will return to nothing more than savages.” His fangs glistened in the light of the flames. “I am the Anasso. I must be eternal.”

  “No matter how many of your own you must kill?”

  His fingers tightened on her face making her wince in pain. “I stand above all,”

  A flare of fury raced through Shay. This vampire had already taken her father, and now he threatened the man she loved. And all because of some delusional belief in his own glorious legend.

  “You’re a raving loon,” she hissed.

  He jerked her face sharply forward. So close she could feel his foul breath brushing her skin.

  “So stubborn, just like your father.”

  “You bastard.” Even knowing it was futile, she struggled against his grasp. “You murdered my father.”

  “He fulfilled his purpose in life, my dear. His blood was meant as a gift. A gift of healing for me. And now you shall be allowed to fulfill your own destiny.”

  She clutched at his thin wrist, squeezing with all of her strength.

  “My only destiny is to watch you die.”

  He laughed at her feeble threat. “I fear not.”

  “Actually, the lovely lady is partially right,” a new voice drawled from behind the looming vampire. “You will die, old master, and she will be here. Unfortunately, I’m not certain she will survive long enough to watch her destiny unfold.”

  Shay was released with an abruptness that nearly had her falling on her face. Catching herself with her hands she watched the vampire rise to his feet and turn toward the nearby opening.

  Huddled on the floor Shay resisted the urge to crawl into a ball of fear. Instead she forced herself to regard the newest threat.

  A flare of shock raced through her at the sight of the tall, golden-haired demon that stood in the entrance.

  An imp?

  What the devil would an imp be doing in a cave of vampires? And perhaps more importantly, what was on the end of that chain that disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel behind him?

  Clearly unhappy to have been interrupted during his dinner hour, the Anasso offered a low hiss in way of greeting.

  “Damocles. I did not call for you.”

  “Yes, I know, and I must say I’m extremely wounded.” The imp gave a toss of his golden curls. “How could you possibly have a party and not invite your most beloved servant?”

  “Beloved?” The vampire gave another hiss. “Hardly that.”

  The imp smiled and Shay found herself instinctively inching closer to Viper. There was nothing pleasant in that smile.

  “Tsk, tsk. After all I have done for you, my lord.”

  The Anasso thankfully appeared to forget the woman behind him as he stiffened in anger. Which suited Shay just fine. Especially when she felt Viper painfully lift his arm to wrap it around her waist.

  She glanced toward him in fierce relief, but his stern expression warned her to do nothing that might attract attention.

  Once again, that was fine by her.

  “And what have you done for me, Damocles, beyond luring me to weakness?” The elder vampire was demanding. “I once allowed myself to be blinded by your lies, but no longer. You have brought nothing but ruin and betrayal in your wake.”

  The imp chuckled with delight. “Yes, and I did it so very well.”

  The Anasso seemed as startled as Shay by the blunt confession. “You admit your sins?”

  “Of course. I want you to know just how simple it was to bring you to your knees.” The imp allowed his faux smile to fade, revealing an expression of overwhelming hatred. “You call yourself the Anasso. You claim to be nothing less than a god for your people. But in truth you are a pathetic, cowardly fool who would condemn your entire race to the grave if it would save your worthless hide.”

  The Anasso took an unsteady step forward. “You came here to destroy me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  The imp touched the small medallion that hung about his neck. “I did tell you that you were not the first demon that I served. Once I proudly stood at the side of a truly great vampire.”

  “Who was this vampire?”

  “You are not fit to speak his name. Not after you lied and deceived him so that you could bait him into your treacherous trap.”

  A charged silence descended as the two glared at each other. Shay felt Viper’s arm tighten around her as the thick air swirled with danger. It was no longer a matter of whether there would be violence, only when it would strike.

  The Anasso straightened to an arrogant pose. “I brought the clans together. I ended the tide of bloodshed. I brought peace to those who never had peace, I achieved what no other could. “

  The imp sneered at the proud claims. “No, you devised the one sure method of rallying vampires to your cause so that you could kill those more ancient and worthy than yourself and take control of all. A clever plot, I’ll admit. But never pretend to me that it was anything more than a greedy grasp for power.”

  At her side Viper sucked in a sharp breath at the accusation, but Shay didn’t allow her gaze to stray from the gaunt form of the elder vampire.

  He seemed the sort to take offense at being branded a power-hungry psycho.

  Enough offense to get them all killed.

  “You have no right to judge me, imp,” the Anasso rasped harshly.

  “Ah, but I am not the one to judge you, am I?” The imp waved a dramatic hand toward the unconscious Styx. “It is your own vampires who have at last smelled the stench of your corruption. Who have seen through your pretense of glory to reveal the spineless creature you truly are.”

  With a terrifying growl the Anasso li
fted his clawlike hands and pointed them toward the imp. Viper gave a low curse before pushing Shay behind his kneeling body. The violence was about to explode.

  “Brave words for a lesser demon. I will teach you to attempt to rise above your station,” the vampire promised in an awful voice.

  Astonishingly, the imp merely laughed. “Hardly a lesser demon. I single-handedly managed to bring the glorious Anasso to his knees.”

  “Lies and tricks,” the vampire snarled. “Will you pit your strength against my own?”

  “Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. It will be far more fun just to kill you.”

  The green eyes glittered with an insane amusement as the imp gave a firm tug on the chain. Still shielded behind Viper, Shay clutched at his back. There was a sudden, familiar scent in the air.

  One she knew all too well.

  “Evor,” she breathed even as the troll stumbled into the room and fell to his knees.

  Viper stiffened. “Devil’s balls.”

  Shay silently echoed the sentiment. Even suspecting that the troll was in the caves the sight of him still made her heart squeeze with fear.

  He looked terrible.

  The thin, balding hair was matted to his skull, his face was pale and coated with dirt, and his thousand-dollar suit looked like something from the local garbage dump. Not at all the oily, elegant Evor she knew and hated.

  “You think this pathetic half troll can harm me?” The Anasso demanded in arrogant disbelief.

  Pulling the troll close to his knee like a leashed dog, the imp ran a hand over Evor’s head.

  “This is a very special troll. You see, he carries with him a curse. A curse that is about to kill your precious Shalott.”

  There was a shocked beat as the elder vampire at last realized the true depth of his danger. He had to have Shay’s blood to survive, but no vampire could drink the blood of a corpse. Shay had to be alive to offer him his cure.

  Expecting the furious vampire to launch toward the smirking imp, Shay gave a small scream when he instead turned and flowed directly toward her.

  Clearly he hoped to drain enough blood before Evor could be killed.

  Not a bad idea, except for the fact that he underestimated the vampire kneeling before her.

  With a fluid motion Viper was on his feet, his sword slicing toward the vampire without hesitation. The Anasso was forced to jerk backward or be decapitated.

  “Shay… get the troll,” Viper rasped as he moved forward, the sword a mere blur of silver as he grimly pressed his advantage.

  She wavered as the elder vampire lifted his hands and prepared to strike Viper with that crippling pain. She knew firsthand that such pain was impossible to fight. Viper would be completely at fee mercy of the ruthless vampire.

  As if sensing her hesitation Viper performed another vast swing with the sword that the demon was forced to dodge.

  “Shay, go or you’ll get us both killed,” he gritted, never taking his eyes from the gaunt figure in front of him.

  Well, that was blunt enough.

  And probably not far wrong.

  By lingering her presence was more distracting than beneficial to Viper.

  With a shake of her head she was turning to discover that the imp had lost no time. Already the imp had forced Evor onto the floor and he was lifting a knife over his heart.

  Shit.

  She instinctively leaped forward, but logic warned her that she could never reach him in time.

  Evor was about to die.

  And she was going to die with him.

  —

  Viper sensed when Shay left his side although he didn’t spare a glance in her direction:

  He didn’t dare.

  The Anasso might be weakened, but his power was still greater than Viper’s own. His only hope was keeping the older vampire on defense long enough to land a lucky strike.

  Not the best of battle plans but the only one he possessed at the moment.

  Keeping the sword in constant movement he continued to inch forward. The vampire hissed at him in frustration, desperate to get past him. Once again the thin hand lifted to strike and Viper altered his swing to slice through the thin bones of his wrists.

  A howl of pain ripped through the air as the hand fell to the floor and the Anasso clutched the bloody stump to his chest

  “I am your master,” he rasped. “You cannot allow me to die.”

  Viper ignored the command. He wouldn’t allow his concentration to waver.

  The one smart choice he made all night, as it turned out.

  Cradling his wounded arm the Anasso tilted back his head and called on the forces that he had honed for a millennium. On cue the darkness began to form around him.

  Viper didn’t hesitate. With a fierce battle cry, he lunged forward.

  He wouldn’t survive another attack. His only hope was killing the elder vampire.

  Now.

  Stepping to one side he feigned a blow toward the vampire’s heart. The Anasso easily dodged the strike and even the next blow that was aimed at his maimed arm. The darkness thickened and Viper began to feel the first prickles of pain.

  His sword flashed through the air, swinging low in a well-known movement that would traditionally be followed by an upward slash. As he hoped the elder vampire instinctively arched back to avoid the blow.

  Viper altered his swing in mid-motion to cut across the unprotected legs. It wasn’t a killing blow, but it was enough to make the vampire stagger. The Anasso snarled as the blood flowed from a deep slice in his thigh.

  The darkness briefly faltered and Viper was swift to take advantage. With a sharp turn he circled the frail form, his sword biting deep into the narrow back before his foe could follow his movement.

  This time the Anasso fell to his knees.

  Viper moved in for the kill.

  Sensing his near demise the vampire turned his head to regard Viper with a desperate expression.

  “I am the Anasso. The vampires cannot survive without me,” he pleaded. “You condemn them all to death.”

  Viper paused with his sword held high. Almost surprisingly he felt nothing at ending the life of a once noble commander. Whatever the Anasso had once been he was now no more than a rabid animal.

  “I condemn only you.”

  The sword arced downward with a flash of steel. The Anasso lifted his remaining hand as if to halt the blow but it was too late.

  The years of decay had left him vulnerable and far too mortal.

  With a smooth ease the razor edge slid through his neck and with a gurgling sigh the ancient warrior was dead.

  —

  Levet’s nerves were scraped raw.

  Not so surprising.

  What three-foot gargoyle creeping through a maze of tunnels while trying to dodge a herd of hungry vampires wouldn’t be a bit skittish?

  But perhaps for the first time in his very, very long life he refused to allow his cowardly heart to overrule his fragile courage.

  With every step he could sense himself drawing closer to Shay and he wouldn’t waver. No matter how many damn vampires were lurking in the shadows.

  Of course it did help that while he could detect the scent of over a dozen vampires, he had yet to actually run across one of the beasts.

  Courage was always better when it wasn’t directly tested.

  Sniffing the air with a healthy dose of wariness Levet turned toward the richly decorated tunnels. He sensed they were coming to the lair of the Head Honcho, something that seemed better avoided, but there was no mistaking that Shay had come this way. And recently.

  He inched forward until he at last reached the mouth of a vast cavern. There he stopped and sucked in a deep breath.

  Predictably the woman trailing behind him managed to ram painfully into his wings and stomp on his tail before she realized he was no longer moving.

  With a low hiss, he turned to glare into her petulant face.

  “My wings are not your personal air bag,�
�� he muttered in low tones. “Could you please attempt to remember that?”

  She sniffed, oblivious to his chastisement. “Why did you stop?”

  “Shay is in there.”

  “What is it with this Shay? Is she your lover?”

  “I have told you, she’s my friend.”

  “Pooh.” Bella ran her hands suggestively over her lush curves. “I could be a much better friend if only you would wish for me to be at your side always.”

  At his side always? Levet shuddered at the mere thought. He was male enough to appreciate a beautiful woman, but he would lop off his own head before being condemned to an eternity with the flighty sprite.

  “What do you know of friendship?” he demanded as he turned back toward the opening.

  He felt her fingers lightly trace the edge of his wings. “I could be whatever you want I could satisfy your deepest fantasies.”

  Levet gave a twitch of his wings to dislodge her hand. “I don’t need a friend for that. Just enough money and a local brothel.”

  “I would do whatever you asked. No matter what it was. No matter how… difficult.”

  “That isn’t what a friend does.”

  “Then what is a friend?”

  He turned his head to stab her with an impatient glare.

  “Someone who cares about you, even if you don’t deserve to be cared about.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” she protested.

  His annoyance faded as the memories of Shay rolled through his mind.

  Shay stepping between him and the tormenting trolls. Shay threatening Evor with castration, and worse. Shay returning to the auction house to rescue him.

  “No,” he said softly. “And that’s the beauty of it.”

  She opened her mouth to continue her ruthless badgering, but with a sharp motion of his hand Levet returned his attention to the cavern.

  Shay was definitely close. But there were also three vampires, the imp that Bella had warned lived in the caves, and…Evor.

  “Damn.” This was bad. Really, really bad. Reaching behind his back he grabbed the sprite’s arm and pulled her to his side. “How long will this magic take?”