The Dark Side

by M. J. Scott

  “Some people like pain.”

  Dan’s tone was matter of fact. I felt like an idiot. I knew what went on in the dark clubs. I knew what BDSM was. And Dan and I had put his handcuffs to nonofficial uses from time to time when he’d been a cop. But the stuff that went on here was way, way beyond. I’d never understand someone wanting to be hurt.

  Pain was bad. And I’d had enough of it to last more than a lifetime.

  So what the hell was I doing here?

  Trying to get things back to normal. Right. Wearing leather and surrounded by freaks. I bit my lip. No point panicking. This should be simple. It was probably an accounting problem—I couldn’t think of anything else Marco would think I could help Esteban with—and I ate accounting problems for breakfast. So easy. Deal with the big bad vamp’s finances, repay my debt to the other big bad vamp in the process and everything would be fine.

  Just fine.

  * * *

  The door to Esteban’s office, like those leading into Maelstrom, was a black mirror. My reflection still looked nervous. The music had faded to a dull roar but that only meant I could pick up other sounds. Groans. Screams. And dull thwacks that had to be the sound of leather hitting flesh. I swallowed, hard.

  “We can still leave. I can handle Marco,” Dan said. His reflection didn’t look any happier than mine.

  Any sorting out Dan did with Marco was likely to get ugly. A werewolf-vampire political blow-up, if not actual violence, was not my idea of returning to normality. “If it’s not this, it could be something worse.” I wasn’t sure what worse might be. But I was sure that I wanted to deal with at least one of my obligations to Marco.

  Just like any other business meeting, I told myself as I pasted on my polite and professional face, lifted my hand, and rapped on the glass.

  The door swung open silently, revealing a woman in the doorway. One I knew. A vampire named Leah who was high up in Esteban’s organization. She’d been at Marco’s when I’d made my deal.

  She hadn’t liked me then and her expression suggested her opinion hadn’t changed. “Ms. Keenan.”

  “Hello, Leah.” I nodded at her, trying to be polite. The long dark green dress snaking around her body made her skin look very pale, and her lips very red. Like she’d just fed.

  She didn’t acknowledge the greeting.Instead she looked past me to Dan. “Who is this?”

  “Daniel Gibson,” I said.

  Her dark eyebrows shot up. “The FBI agent? From the Supernatural Taskforce?” The last words were a sneer.

  “Yes. But he’s not here in an official capacity.”

  “We do not let the FBI come sniffing around.” She put one hand on the doorframe, blocking our way.

  Well, no. Not if half the stuff said about dark clubs was true. But I didn’t want to get into a pissing match with Leah. So I played my trump card. “I said, not in an official capacity. Lord Marco said I could bring him.” Marco was the oldest Old One in the city. Esteban had to do what he said.

  “Let them in, Leah.” The words came in a low golden rumble that brushed up my spine and somehow reminded me how little clothing I was wearing, as though a warm breeze had blown past me.

  I didn’t like my reaction. Leah blocked my view of the speaker, so I couldn’t see who it was but the voice was very much used to being in command. When Leah melted out of our way without protest I knew it could only be one person.

  Esteban.

  Curiosity warred with caution as I walked into the office, Dan on my heels. Marco had been nothing like I’d expected an Old One to be—less of the pain and terror and more of the charm and honor. I wondered whether Esteban would surprise me as well.

  When I saw the man—vampire behind the desk, surprise wasn’t quite the word. A lot of vampires are good-looking. Whether it’s because they like to pick pretty prey or because they can use some of their abilities to make you think they’re attractive, I’ve never been quite sure.

  Lord Marco was gorgeous, in a suave, Italian, charming male model sort of way.

  No one would call this man gorgeous or even handsome, really. No. He was something far more primal than that.

  He wore black. Black shirt, black tie, black suit. Which only made the golden tones of his skin and hair gleam brighter. His eyes were a blaze of blue and his face was chiseled. It should’ve added up to All American boy. But, what it actually added up to was sex. Sensuality rolled off him like a wave.

  My stomach tightened in response then heat flared through me. Dan growled low in his throat. Apparently I wasn’t the only one affected.

  Which meant the sex scenting the air was some sort of vampire power. My throat clamped closed and I had to remind myself to breathe as I tried to see the reality of a nice-looking guy rather than the silky steam and seduction he projected.

  “Ms. Keenan.” He rose from his chair with a nod. Ornate, heavy chased silver rings glinted from each finger breaking up all that gold and black. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

  It wasn’t a suggestion. More like an invitation wrapped around a command. Now that I was close to him, the voice sounded even better. The deep rumbles seemed to promise all sorts of rewards if you just did what it asked. And you wanted to do what it asked. I took a step toward him before I knew it.

  Which made me want to get the hell out of there. I’d had a vampire seduce my mind once and he’d had to thrall me to do it. I wasn’t so sure Esteban would need to go that far.

  Sweat broke out on my back, nerves shrilling at me to run. My mouth dried as I tried to back up a little.

  My logical side told me to stay put.

  Damn. I didn’t need any more complications. I stayed still for a few seconds, debating once again whether I should leave even though I knew I couldn’t. All the time, feeling a pull toward Esteban like a tide.

  Esteban watched me, and the amusement in his eyes told me he knew exactly what I was fighting. Luckily I’d had a fair bit of practice in controlling my instincts and urges the last few months. I stood my ground, just long enough to make it clear I was moving under my own free will, and then took another step.

  Dan’s hand pressed into the small of my back possessively as I moved toward the chairs arrayed in front of the desk. His touch didn’t help me suppress the heat curling through me but he wouldn’t take it well if I shrugged him off. I tried to remind myself that it wasn’t a sexy guy in front of me, it was a vampire.

  One with a nasty reputation.

  Esteban still looked amused.

  The closer we got, the stronger the pull to move closer still. No wonder his clubs were successful. You’d just need Esteban to walk through the room and people would be panting.

  As I neared the chair, another vampire appeared beside me, pulling it back for me. I jumped then did a double take when I got a look at his face. If Marco was all charm and Esteban was pure sex then this guy was sheer beauty.

  The kind to make painters weep and women sigh.

  Like Leah, he was dark. Deep brown hair, skin a deeper olive gold than Esteban’s and eyes darker than the hair. None of which conveyed the utter perfection of his face.

  He smiled while I gaped at him. I sank into the deep leather seat and his gaze sharpened as he turned his attention to Dan. He walked around me, smooth vamp gait making it look like he almost floated, and pulled a chair out for Dan as well.

  “Why don’t you sit?” he asked in a tone close to a purr. The voice was almost as sleek as his gray suit. Dan stared at him, face unreadable.

  “Niko, don’t play with our guests,” Esteban said.

  The vamp slanted a glance at Dan then shrugged a shoulder and backed away. Dan’s shoulders relaxed a little and he sat. Though he stayed perched on the edge of the chair, eyes scanning the room.

  Ready for action.

  I straightened as well, trying to watch where Niko had gone out of the corner of my eye.

  “He will behave.” Esteban’s voice implied ‘or else.’ “Niko, go with your sister.” He gestured
toward the door and Leah.

  Wait a minute, sister? Were they actually related or did Esteban mean related by lineage? I hoped it was the latter. I’d never heard of siblings being turned together before. Though they did look alike and also looked to be close in age—frozen in their early twenties. It was possible but I couldn’t imagine wanting to follow a brother or sister into vampirism unless the relationship was way closer than usual.

  Leah looked like she wanted to object.

  Esteban lifted one golden eyebrow and his hands flattened on the desk, rings clicking flatly against the wood. Just that small movement was enough to make it feel like the temperature in the room had dropped. The fog of arousal vanished like I’d been doused in cold water.

  Thank God.

  From the look on Leah’s face, she felt chilly herself. She headed for the door, waited there for Niko to join her.

  A few seconds later the door closed behind them. Silence filled the room. Esteban watched us while we watched him.

  Finally I decided to break the stalemate. “Lord Marco asked me to come see you.” Couldn’t hurt to remind Esteban I was under Marco’s protection. “He said you might have a job for me?”

  Esteban leaned back in his chair. “For you, not the FBI agent.”

  “Dan’s just here to escort me,” I replied carefully. “He’ll keep his mouth shut.” Or so he’d promised.

  The assessing expression in Esteban’s blue eyes didn’t change. He was very still. “You two are bonded?”

  I glanced at Dan, waiting to see if he would reply. The answer wasn’t entirely straightforward. Werewolves mate for life. And marriage vows are only part of the reason.

  The other part is chemical, a physical change within each partner. Bonded mates started to smell the same. Their pheromones change. But there are also similarities in scent that run in pack lines. Dan had been the one who turned me. I had the same strain of lycanthropy as him. Our scents were similar, I knew that. Whether it was due to a true bond hadn’t yet been decided. Or at least, neither of us had exactly pushed to find out from our Alphas what our real status was. At the moment, the emotional connection we shared seemed shaky. I knew I loved Dan but that didn’t mean we could make it work.

  “To be determined,” I said, trying to sound like I didn’t particularly care while my stomach twisted.

  I didn’t know if it was possible for a werewolf to deny the chemical bond once it occurred. Because of the pheromones, a bonded wolf isn’t attractive to other werewolves. Which makes for good harmony within the pack but also limited possibility of divorce.

  Unless you decided to date people other than werewolves. People who wouldn’t be affected by your altered scent. It wasn’t an appealing option. Humans were at risk of infection and I wasn’t willing to do that to anyone. And vampires were just not dating material in my book.

  Though apparently my hormones weren’t so convinced of that, at least not while under the influence of whatever mojo Esteban had going on. Up until now I hadn’t been sure whether I could still be attracted to other males who weren’t wolves if I was bonded—not that I wanted to be but I had wondered, in the aftermath of one of our fights, what happened to bonded wolves if the relationship crumbled? Were they doomed to celibacy, unable to replace the mate they couldn’t be with? Now I had an answer. Or did I? For all I knew, this could be an exception caused by vamp powers or, maybe, an indication that our bond really was tenuous.

  Esteban pursed his lips. “And yet he wants to protect you from the big bad vampire.”

  Yes. He did. For which I was very grateful. The state of the bond between Dan and me was something I definitely needed to discuss with Ani. A little girl talk with my Alpha who was tiny and red-headed but could also kick my butt six ways from Sunday if she decided I needed it. Oh goody. But bond or no bond, I knew Dan wouldn’t leave me unprotected.

  “Pack protects pack,” I quipped.

  Dan was silent beside me. Too silent. I bit my lip again. Sure, I’d asked him to let me do the talking but this was one subject I’d be happy to hear his opinion on. But his silence— and the tension roiling around him—meant I had no idea whether he was keeping his promise or had nothing to say on the subject. Part of me couldn’t help thinking that maybe it would be easier if we weren’t bonded. Sometimes I got the feeling Dan wished there were other options. Particularly when I did things like make bargains with vampires or risk my life.

  Which seemed to be happening a lot lately.

  Esteban’s eyes darkened. “Loyalty. It isn’t only the werewolves who understand loyalty.”

  “No, of course not.” His sharp tone puzzled me. I hadn’t said anything disparaging about vampire loyalty. There was no reason to. Vampires were generally fanatically loyal to their lineage, obeying the Old Ones of their bloodline and their sires. Though, whether obedience won by the threat of having your head ripped from your body was necessarily loyalty was an interesting philosophical point.

  Wider vamp interactions are more Darwinian. Lineages rise and fall with the strength of the Old Ones. Marco currently ruled Seattle and had done so for over a century. But that didn’t mean that one day a younger, more powerful vamp couldn’t take him down.

  Vamp eats vamp.

  I’d rather be a werewolf. Of course, I’d have preferred being human but Dan had taken that choice away from me when he’d bitten me in an attempt to stop me being turned into a vampire after I’d been given McCallister Tate’s blood. From Dan’s point of view, the gamble had paid off. Lycanthropy had proved more infectious. I was a werewolf now.

  I still had issues with that fact but faced with choosing between a rock and a hard place, I’d choose werewolf over vampire any day. Pack politics have the potential to get messy but they were something I still hadn’t experienced a lot of. And, as far as I knew, nobody got killed.

  “Does loyalty have something to do with me being here?” It was a guess but at the rate we were going, this conversation was going to take hours.

  “The matter is more to do with your area of expertise.”

  I frowned. I’d been expecting an accounting problem. But a general accounting problem. I specialized in forensic accounting but I could do the everyday stuff too. Needing my expertise—if he meant forensics—would mean...holy shit, was someone ripping off Esteban? Talk about having a death wish. “You have a financial issue?” Hopefully that was diplomatic.

  “There have been...discrepancies.” He looked from me to Dan then back as if wondering how much to say.

  I knew that look. I’d sat in countless client meetings where that look had passed between partners or board members or whoever had hired me. Someone was ripping him off. Crap. I schooled my face into my ‘trust me, I’m an accountant’ look. There were two ways this conversation could go. He’d spill the beans or I’d have to gently dig out the facts.

  Esteban didn’t speak. Option two it was then. Great. Getting people to talk about fraud was dicey at the best of times. When the client was a vampire who wasn’t known for his scruples, it would be more like trying to tap-dance through a minefield. “And?” I prompted.

  “I have need of your services, that is all.” He inclined his head slightly toward Dan and then settled back into vampire stillness.

  Whatever the problem was, he clearly wasn’t going to talk in front of Dan. I tried not to let my dismay show. Investigating the finances of vampires was familiar ground for me but my clients weren’t usually as scary as Esteban. I made sure of that. Nor did they dabble in the kind of murky areas he did. I’d been counting on Dan having my back but apparently I was going to have to do this part solo. And frankly, trying to find out who was dumb enough—or, worse, considered themselves invulnerable enough—to try and embezzle from someone like Esteban just wasn’t appealing.

  After all, it was poking into Tate’s finances for Dan that had led to me, my aunt and Dan being kidnapped. Not to mention resulting in me being turned into a werewolf, committing murder—though the police had been
happy to call it self-defense—and Dan almost dying.

  I glanced at Dan. He had his Special Agent face firmly in place but I could smell his unhappiness with the whole situation.

  Which meant he was thinking all the same things I was.

  That this visit, rather than solving a problem, was creating more. Esteban wouldn’t involve a forensic accountant for a small problem. This had to be big.

  Dan had been right. Goodbye frying pan, hello fire.

  “Dan, would you wait outside?” I couldn’t believe I was asking him to leave me alone with Esteban. The sudden flare of fury on Dan’s face told me he couldn’t believe it either. But I didn’t see another option. I had to get Esteban to talk.

  “No,” Dan said flatly.

  I leaned over toward him, put my hand on his leg. Contact always seemed to make things easier. “Please. Just for a few minutes. I’ll be fine.”

  I felt rather than heard the growl rumble through him. “Please,” I said again, trying for conciliatory. “Trust me. I’ve done this before.”

  “Not with someone like him.” His voice was low, tinged with the wolf.

  “I have a lot of vampire clients,” I reminded him. “This is my job. I promise, I’ll yell if I need you.”

  I just wanted to get this conversation over and done with. It was after 2 a.m., my pants were starting to cut off the circulation to sensitive parts of my body, and I had a tension headache that there wasn’t enough ibuprofen in the world to cure. I wanted to go home.

  Which meant I had to find out exactly what Esteban needed.

  “She’ll be perfectly safe,” Esteban said. He smiled at me and, once again, sexual heat seemed to flavor the air.

  “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t find that confidence inspiring,” Dan said. His shoulders were rigid and the smoky tinge of true anger was rising in his scent. “Your ideas of safe are a little different from mine.”

  “Shut up.” I hissed. I didn’t need Esteban to get all insulted. Neither of us would be safe if that happened.