Guardians of Eternity 03 - Darkness Everlasting

by Alexandra Ivy

  A most undemon-like trait.

  Turning his head, he stabbed his friend with a piercing gaze. "You do not find it the least suspicious that an experienced clan chief would be stupid enough to charge into town, create enough chaos to lure us into tracking him, and then, rather than leave town or confront us directly, blatantly corner himself in a suitably remote farmhouse with no seeming backup?"

  Viper reluctantly considered Styx's words. "A little too easy?"

  "Would you be so foolish?"

  His companion gave a low growl. "Damn, do you have to be so logical?"

  "Yes."

  "Shit." Giving a shake of his head, Viper studied the silent house. "What do you want to do?"

  "I think it would be wise to call for some backup before we go any further."

  With a nod. Viper pulled his cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open. "Damn."

  Styx frowned. "What is it?"

  "The battery is dead."

  "It was charged when you left Chicago?"

  "Yes." Viper returned the worthless phone to his pocket. "But it's not that unusual for modern technology to be affected by a vampire's powers."

  That was true enough. The previous Anasso had put out entire grids of electricity when he lost his temper, and Styx could rarely be in the same room with a television without it flickering from channel to channel. There would be nothing odd in a vampire who drained the power from batteries.

  Still, the knowledge that they were effectively cut off from assistance made Styx's instincts prickle with unease.

  "I don't like this," he muttered.

  "Now what?" Viper demanded.

  That was the question, of course.

  Logic would demand that they return to Chicago and consider the strange situation more fully. It would be beyond foolish to rush into a trap simply because they were impatient.

  On the other hand, could they risk allowing Desmond the opportunity to slip away and cause even more havoc? What if he turned his killing spree to vampires? Styx would have no choice but to call for a clan war.

  And he would be caught in the middle.

  Damn it all.

  With grim determination he considered his options. Not that there were many.

  He wasn't about to walk into the house without knowing what was within.

  The only choice was driving Desmond and his companions out.

  "Now we try to spring the trap without getting caught," he at last said.

  Viper studied his fierce expression. "Do you have a plan?"

  "Actually I intend to use Darcy's plan."

  "Is that supposed to make sense?"

  "She proved the best way to distract a vampire is to set the house on fire."

  "Ah." Viper grimaced. "A fire will certainly catch their attention, but it's hardly the best way to win friends and influence vampires."

  "I have no interest in making friends." Styx's tone was downright frigid. "I'm here to ensure that my laws are obeyed."

  "Spoken like a true Anasso," Viper said, with a faint smile.

  Styx sent his friend a dark glance. "If you think back, Viper, you will recall that you were the one who forced me into this position."

  "Only because I didn't want to take the chance that I might be stuck with the job."

  "Thanks a lot."

  "Anytime." Viper returned his attention to the nearby house, a somber expression settling on his face. "I don't suppose you happen to have a lighter or a book of matches on you?"

  "That won't be necessary. All I need is to find where the electricity comes into the house."

  "That should be simple enough." Viper didn't hesitate as he flowed to his feet and angled toward the back of the house. "This way."

  Styx was close on the vampire's heels as they moved with absolute silence through the cold night air. Only fairies and possibly imps could move with such stealth.

  They didn't so much as stir a flake of snow as they cover the short distance to the backyard.

  Luck for once was on Styx's side, and he easily located the circuit-breaker box that was near the small porch.

  He didn't bother to open the box but, instead, put a hand on either side before allowing his power to begin flowing through the metal to the hidden circuit breakers.

  "Stand back," he warned as he felt the metal heating beneath his touch.

  Viper was wise enough not to question as he backed away from the smoking box. Styx could not actually create fire, but he could heat the wires until they melted.

  He didn't want Viper hurt if his power flared out of control.

  Concentrating on the box beneath his hands, Styx paid little attention to his surroundings. At least not until he felt Viper turn sharply.

  "Styx ..." he warned in a soft tone.

  With reluctance Styx dropped his hands and turned to hear the sound of an approaching vehicle. Grasping Viper's arm, he tugged him behind a nearby bush even as the van pulled into view and over a half dozen vampires spilled from it.

  "Damn," he muttered, realizing that the clan chief must have commanded his servants to remain far enough from the house that they could not be sensed. At least not until Styx and Viper had stepped into the trap. And it was a trap, he grimly acknowledged. There could be no doubt. "I will stay and hold them off. I want you to go for assistance."

  Viper gave a low hiss. "You can't hold them off on your own."

  "There are too many for the two of us," Styx pointed out, already sensing the clan chief and his two companions moving through the house. Soon enough they would be surrounded. "Our only hope is for you to escape and return with your clan. It is not far to your lair."

  "Then go and I'll remain," Viper stubbornly insisted.

  Knowing his friend would argue until they were both caught and staked, Styx assumed his most commanding expression.

  "I did not give you a request, Viper; I gave you an order."

  There was a moment as Viper struggled with his overwhelming pride. "Dammit. I hate when you pull rank on me."

  Styx gave his arm a squeeze. "Go."

  "If you allow yourself to get killed I will be seriously pissed."

  "So you have said before," Styx said dryly.

  Waiting until Viper had melted into the shadows, Styx slowly rose to his feet and stepped from behind the bush. He didn't want some enterprising vampire circling around the house and discovering Viper before he could escape.

  He needn't have worried.

  As he stepped forward the vampires' attention never wavered from his large form as they lifted their crossbows and pointed them directly at his heart.

  Lovely.

  He had never expected to be beloved as the Anasso of the vampires. They weren't the type of race to fawn over or pamper their leaders. It was more a dog-eat-dog kind of mentality.

  Still, it wasn't often that a vampire dared to threaten his very existence.

  There would be hell to pay for this little stunt, he acknowledged with a flare of anger.

  Drawing himself to his full height, he deliberately pulled off his cape to reveal the massive sword strapped to his back.

  It was a sword that was feared throughout the world.

  "I am Styx, your Anasso," he said in a tone that carried throughout the yard. "Lay down your weapons or you will be judged."

  Just for a moment the vampires wavered, their anxious gazes revealing they weren't entirely indifferent to the knowledge that they were committing an offense that could have them all strung up and left for the dawn.

  Before their nerve could completely break, however, the back door opened and the three vampires who had remained in the house appeared.

  "Hold steady, you cowardly bastards. If he escapes I will personally see each of you dead." The obvious leader moved down the steps to stand directly before Styx. Although several inches shorter than Styx and barely half his weight, there was a mocking expression on his gaunt face as he performed a deep bow. "Ah, the great Anasso."

  Waiting until the vampire
straightened, Styx studied the pale green eyes and the narrow face surrounded by limp blond hair.

  He wasn't fooled for a moment by the man's near delicate build. He possessed enough power to make Styx's skin prickle.

  "Desmond, I presume," he stated with a deliberate arrogance.

  The mocking smile never wavered. "You have that honor."

  "Honor is not the word I would use."

  "No? Well, perhaps that is because you know nothing of honor."

  Styx didn't hesitate as he reached out to grasp the vampire by his neck and dangled him off his feet.

  There was a rustle of agitation as the gathered vampires prepared for battle, but Styx calmly ignored them. He would not tolerate disrespect. Not from one of his brothers.

  "You tread on dangerous ground," he said in a lethal tone.

  "And you are more stupid than I suspected if you think my clan won't kill you where you stand," Desmond warned. "Release me."

  "Never question my honor."

  With a disdainful flick of his hand, Styx dropped the treacherous vampire, pleased when he awkwardly stumbled before managing to catch his balance and straighten.

  Petty, but what the hell.

  Pausing to smooth his hands over his jade silk shirt, Desmond at last managed to regain his smile.

  "You misunderstand, my lord. I'm not complaining at your lack of morals. I've always thought that chivalry was long overrated. What place does honor or loyalty or tradition have among bloodthirsty demons? We are above such weak human notions."

  Styx wasn't shocked by the man's confession. It was a sentiment shared by many vampires.

  "Obviously you believe you are above vampire laws as well," he said with frigid disdain.

  "Actually, you broke the laws first when you took in two of my clansmen."

  "They petitioned for protection. It is within my rights to offer them sanctuary."

  The man gave a lift of his brows. "Your rights?"

  "I am the Anasso."

  The green eyes darkened as the vampire's power swirled through the air. "So you claim."

  "Claim?" Styx clenched his hands at his sides. It was that or wrapping his fingers around the throat of this puffed-up idiot. "There is no doubt that I am the leader of the vampires."

  "And yet, how did you take such an illustrious position?" The man pretended to consider for a long moment before giving a snap of his fingers. "Ah yes, now I recall. You murdered the previous Anasso. Quite enterprising of you, I must say."

  Styx stiffened at the accusation. In truth, it had been Viper who had landed the killing blow upon the previous Anasso, but Styx had never denied his own culpability. He took full blame for the death of the vampire he had admired and protected for centuries.

  A vampire who had gone mad from his own twisted addictions.

  "Are you here to have the return of your clansmen or to debate my rights of leadership?"

  The vampire smiled. "The truth?"

  "If you can speak it."

  "I am here to take your so-called rights away from you."

  Styx frowned. Damn. He had come here believing that this vampire was merely flexing his muscles in an attempt to retrieve his clansmen. Now he realized that it was a far more dangerous situation.

  Dangerous and potentially lethal, he acknowledged as he covertly glanced toward the circling vampires, who continued to point their weapons directly at his heart.

  "Is this some sort of jest?" he growled.

  With an aggravating smirk, Desmond glanced toward the towering vampire at his side. "Jacob, am I jesting?"

  The large vampire with lank black hair and dull brown eyes gave a slow shake of his head. Styx didn't have to look closely to realize that this was a vampire who had been broken of all will.

  At one time it had been accepted that the stronger vampires would brutalize and enslave the weak. A chief would rule by terror, and those beneath him obeyed or paid a ghastly price.

  Over the past centuries Styx had slowly, and at times painfully, tried to change such practices.

  Unfortunately, it appeared that Desmond held on to the old ways, and his entire clan suffered for his arrogance.

  "No, my lord," the servant intoned.

  "There, you see?" Desmond taunted. "No jesting."

  Styx regarded the vampire with a cold disdain. He could think of nothing he would enjoy more than ripping out the throat of the filthy braggart. Unfortunately, the half dozen crossbows currently pointed at him severely limited his options.

  "What is your plan?" he demanded. "That you kill me and then step into my shoes?"

  "Something like that. It is what you did, after all. I always learn from a master."

  "You truly believe that the vampires will follow you simply because you claim yourself the Anasso?"

  "Why not?" Desmond pretended to study his manicured nails. "They follow you, don't they?"

  Styx gave a short, humorless laugh. "When it suits them to do so."

  "Nonsense, my lord. You are far too modest. Your reputation has spread far and wide. All vampires know-that to cross your will is to dig their own grave. Indeed, your name is used to make foundlings shiver in their shoes." He lifted his gaze to reveal a hectic glitter in the green eyes. A glitter that Styx was beginning to suspect was due more to sheer madness than simple ambition. "Which means that the vampire who manages to slay you will prove to all that he is even more dangerous, even more brutal. The perfect leader."

  Okay, he truly had plummeted over the edge.

  Styx took a moment to consider his options. There weren't many. He could no doubt cloud the mind of a handful of the vampires, or stun them with his power, but not all at once. There were simply too many enemies to battle his way free. And not even he was fast enough to outrun a crossbow.

  His only hope seemed to be convincing the rabid vampire he would never pull off such a daring scheme.

  Perfect.

  "You are pathetic," he at last said with a sneer of his own.

  "I am pathetic?" Fury rippled over the gaunt face even as Desmond struggled to appear indifferent to the insult. "Strange, I am not the one currently being held hostage, am I?"

  Styx shrugged. "You can kill me if you wish, but the vampires will never follow you."

  "Why not? One Anasso is as good as another to most of your brothers. What does the name matter as long as he upholds the laws for all?"

  "If that is true what is to keep another chief from coming along and taking the position by the same treacherous means as you?"

  "I am wise enough not to lock myself away in damp caves and play the aloof, mysterious monk." He flicked a dismissive glance over Styx's large form. "The humans have proven that you do not need to be a kind, or an intelligent, or even a competent ruler. How many buffoons and idiots have sat on a throne? You only have to win the goodwill of your people and they will follow."

  Styx gave a sharp laugh. By the gods, this vampire had allowed his ability to terrorize his small clan to go to his head.

  "You really think you can play human politics among demons?'"

  "Well, there will be a few tweaks here and there." A cruel smile touched the thin lips. "And, of course, I shall ensure I have enough enforcers to convince those who might have issues with my leadership style."

  He thought a handful of bullies would ensure his position as Anasso?

  "I was wrong. You are not pathetic; you are a fool." Styx deliberately leaned downward, emphasizing his own size as he spoke directly into the man's ear. "You would be dead within a month. If not from a clan loyal to me, then by my Ravens. They would never rest until each and every one of you is dead."

  Desmond took a hasty step backward before he could halt the revealing movement. His face tightened with annoyance as his hands smoothed over his shirt in an effort to pretend the embarrassing incident had never occurred.

  "Yes, I must admit the Ravens have troubled me. They are a formidable enemy," he conceded in a sharp tone. "Not only are they well trained, and loyal
beyond reason, but they would never be stupid enough to attack in a fury of revenge. Oh no, they are the sort to hide in the shadows and pick off my clan one by one."

  Styx smiled coldly. "They would hound you for all eternity."

  "As I said, a problem. Unless..."

  Styx didn't like the smug glint that smoldered in the green eyes. It warned that the surprises were not over for the night.

  A pity.

  He was way past his limited tolerance for surprises already.

  Any more and he was bound to become extremely violent.

  "Unless what?"

  "Unless you were kind enough to proclaim me as your heir," Desmond said, with a mocking smile. "In writing, of course, since you sadly will not be here to make the pronouncement yourself. The Ravens will then have no choice but to accept my position. Perhaps I will even make them my own personal bodyguards."

  Styx gave a slow shake of his head. This went way beyond mere crazy. The vampire was downright delusional.

  "You intend to kill me, but before I die you expect me to name you my heir?" he demanded, unable to halt his sharp laugh. "And people call me arrogant."

  The green eyes narrowed. "I did not claim you would be pleased to obey my command, but you will do it."

  Styx flashed his fangs in warning. He had sacrificed everything he held dear to save the vampires from a psychotic madman. He wasn't about to hand them over to another.

  Not even if it meant his own death.

  "Never."

  "A vampire should know never to say never." Desmond gave a snap of his fingers. "Jacob, fetch paper and a pen."

  "At once, my lord." The large vampire gave an awkward bow before lumbering up the stairs and disappearing into the house.

  Styx took a step forward, smiling with cold amusement as Desmond stumbled back.

  "You are wasting your time," he hissed.

  Desmond glared with annoyance before regaining his brittle smile. "I think not. After all, I may not possess your strength, but I happen to be very, very clever. I never openly battle an opponent unless I have absolute insurance that I will win." His smile widened. "In this case I have the insurance of a pretty little blond who seems to have caught your fancy."

  Styx stiffened as a numbing shock raced through him.

  "Darcy?" he breathed.