Darkness Taunts

by Susan Illene

  He glanced at his brother. “One moment.” He turned and grabbed my shoulders and directed me toward a hallway with a clearly labeled sign for the restrooms. “You can go on your own or I can escort you. I promise if I take you I will finish what we started earlier.”

  Damn him. He was already threatening to break his promise.

  “Fine.” I stepped away from him. “There is an awful scent I really need to go get washed off anyway.” All the werewolves turned toward me, flaring their nostrils more than normal. I had no doubt they could smell everything.

  Lucas’ eyes flashed. Yeah, I knew I’d just insulted him in front of a room of people, but he’d asked for it.

  “Go, now,” he growled out.

  I took my time in the bathroom. My previous trip had been too quick to give myself a thorough washing. It took almost a half of a roll of paper towels, but I scrubbed every inch of my body using soap and water in an effort to get rid of Lucas’ scent.

  One look at my dress and I knew I couldn’t put it back on. It had his smell all over it and would always be a reminder of what we’d done. The only way to keep my resolve against him was to get rid of it. I grabbed the dress and held it over the trash can. My fingers clenched into the fabric. It had cost me a lot and looked good. Someday it might not hold memories of Lucas.

  No. I shook my head. It had to go. I dropped it inside and dumped all the used paper towels over it. Time to get my shit together and act like the strong, independent woman I knew myself to be. No sup would dictate how I ran my life.

  After putting my overcoat back on and cinching it tight, I returned to the main room. Everyone still stood around talking, but they didn’t any attention to me this time. I walked up to the main group and cleared my throat. Time to assert my own dominance into this testosterone filled place.

  “How about someone explains to me what happened,” I said loudly.

  Every pair of eyes darted from me to Lucas. I held my hand up. “No, this is not medieval times. We aren’t playing this game from the old days where women are seen but not heard. I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself and don’t need anyone’s permission.”

  I eyed the alpha male who’d moved from the bar to join the group. “You, tell me what happened,” I ordered.

  The look on his face turned indignant. “Who are you to tell me…”

  “Do as she says, Bryan,” Lucas interrupted.

  I held back a sigh. Just once I wanted to do something without him having to step in. Lucas must have enjoyed throwing his power around.

  The alpha rolled his shoulders. He gave me a stare that would make most people drop their gaze. That crap didn’t work on me. After a long minute he sighed. “What do you want to know?”

  “Why don’t you start at the beginning?” I suggested.

  He glanced at Lucas again before speaking. “Two men and a woman came into the bar together. At first we figured them for humans. They seemed fine for about half an hour, but then one of the men tried to grab Jake’s woman.”

  The female werewolves were gathered on the other side of the group, but Jake’s woman must have been among them. “Okay, so what happened next?”

  He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at me doubtfully. “Well, a fight broke out, of course. All three of them’s eyes got red and they started to reek like something we ain’t smelt before. It still stinks of them in here.”

  I lifted my brows. “Where are these three now?”

  His face hardened. “One of the men is dead. The woman and other man got away. I called Master Aeson as soon as it started cuz he’d asked me to if the demons came. That guy there,” he jutted his chin out at Micah, “showed up not a minute later. The demons took one look at him and ran. He caught the slowest guy, but the others managed to run off while he was busy killing that one.”

  “Could you recognize them if you saw them?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Already gave my description to Master Aeson.”

  “Good. For now I’d recommend you lay salt at all your entrances and windows. If someone can’t cross it, you’ll know they’re a human hosting a demon and you should call it in right away.” I could have told him to burn the sage as an extra precaution, but weres were sensitive to strong scents and probably wouldn’t tolerate it.

  His eyes narrowed. “How do you know to do that?”

  “I’m a demonologist. It’s my job to know.” No point in telling him I became one very recently and didn’t carry any kind of degree to go with the title.

  He studied me closely before nodding. “I appreciate the advice. Don’t like none of my customers gettin’ hurt. This is supposed to be a safe place where they can be themselves and have a good time.”

  Well, at least this guy cared about his patrons more than the last one.

  I nodded. “Hopefully you won’t have any more problems. We’re going to do our best to find out how they’re getting here and put a stop to them. In the meantime, be careful and keep your eyes open for anything strange.”

  “I will.” He started to put his hand out to shake mine, but eyed Lucas and dropped it. “Nice meetin’ ya ma’am. Thanks again and good luck.”

  Bryan moved off, leaving me alone with Lucas. The nephilim looked like he wanted to say something, but I didn’t want to hear it. I stepped away and wandered around the bar. No traces of unusual magic I could detect were here. There were a couple of protection spells that had been up for a while, but nothing new. I sighed, realizing this place didn’t tell me anything new about the demons except that the sight of Micah scared them for some reason.

  Did they fear nephilim? Angels and demons originally came from the same place. Maybe demons could tell when a hybrid was close. Based on the one I’d met in the basement, they didn’t stand a chance against a nephilim. Maybe if they could get here in their own form they could win in a fight, but not while possessing a weaker human.

  Lucas came up next to me. “I have some things to take care of,” he said in a cold voice. “Micah will take you back to the cabin.”

  I didn’t look at him. Didn’t want to see if the expression on his face reflected the same lack of feeling his voice did. “Fine.”

  He started to walk away, but turned back. I could feel the intensity of his eyes on me. “Stay close to my brother until I return and don’t do anything stupid.”

  Did he think he could order me around now? I rubbed at the bite mark on my neck and caught a brief look of possessiveness come over him. He’d put it there for a reason, whatever that might be. Time to bite back. “I’ve done enough stupid things for one night.” I said in a frigid voice. “Don’t worry…my quota is filled.”

  In the blink of an eye I found myself backed up against the wall behind me. I tried to wriggle away from him but he caught my shoulders in a firm grip. One of these days I’d learn not to bait him so much. This wasn’t the first time he’d pinned me up like this after shooting my mouth off.

  “Do not pretend,” he breathed against my ear, “that you didn’t enjoy every minute of it. If you ever imply otherwise again, especially in public, I swear I’ll confine you to my bed and spend the next three days making you beg for it. Is that understood?”

  By the time he finished talking, I could hardly get enough air in my lungs. I swallowed what little saliva remained in my mouth. “Yes.”

  He let me go with a grunt and walked away. I shut my eyes and tried to get my heart rate back to normal. From now on I had to be cool, calm, and professional. No more letting my emotions—or hormones—dictate what I did. He’d meant every word he said and I had no doubt he could make me do it.

  Micah walked up a few minutes later. The look in his eyes told me he’d seen everything. The overall mood in the room told me everyone else had as well. I’d hurt Lucas’ pride and he’d made sure to return the favor.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I brushed my hair from my face and pushed off the wall. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  We walked out to the same ca
r I’d arrived in. Lucas must have handed the keys over to his brother. Neither one of us said a word as we headed toward the cabin. I tried to focus on what to do next with the demon problem, but nothing came to mind. A growing ache at the juncture of my shoulder and neck kept distracting me. I rubbed at it for the dozenth time and felt the raised marks that had closed but not quite healed.

  “Dammit,” I muttered. Lucas must have left them that way on purpose. They should have been gone long by now.

  Micah glanced over at me. “What?”

  “He marked me permanently didn’t he?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  I gritted my teeth. “He wasn’t supposed to mark me literally. We were just doing it for show.”

  “The marks don’t take hold like that unless you let them. Whatever is going on between you two, it’s mutual.” Not a drop of sympathy in his voice. If anything, I sensed annoyance from him.

  Mutual dislike, perhaps. I didn’t see how that would allow the marks to stay.

  “He…never mind.” I wasn’t going to get into the intricacies of what happened with Lucas’ brother. “What do the marks mean?”

  Surprise flashed in his eyes when he looked over at me. “You don’t know?”

  “Lucas wasn’t all that forthcoming when I asked. He just said everyone else would get it and that’s all that mattered.”

  Micah let out a full-throated laugh. At least a minute passed before he calmed down. Apparently he found my answer funny. I didn’t.

  “Oh, my brother is even more diabolical than I thought.”

  I could feel my blood pressure rising. “Want to enlighten me or are you going to be as big of an ass as he is?”

  He shook his head. “It means he claimed you for himself and made sure anyone who comes near you recognizes it. All supernaturals will know those marks are there. Hiding them won’t make a difference.”

  My hands clenched. “Why would he do that? He’s never even acted as if he liked me before tonight.”

  Micah kept his attention on the road. “That’s the part I’m still having trouble with. He refused to explain when I asked. All I can tell you is no supernatural will ever touch you unless they are more powerful than my brother, and probably not even then. There’s a certain honor code among us when it comes to that.”

  “He’s lucky I can’t kill him,” I ground out.

  Micah said nothing to that. We’d left Juneau behind several miles before and were nearing the cabin. Nothing but darkness and mountains surrounded us. When we pulled up I went straight to my room and grabbed my things to take a shower. The paper towel bath hadn’t been enough. Only after scrubbing myself clean three times did I feel calm enough to get out.

  Dammit, I only thought I’d hated him before. This time he’d really gone too far and abused the fragile trust I’d given him. How could he have marked me like that? I didn’t give a crap about not being able to have a relationship with other sups. That had never been something I wanted anyway. It was the idea that everyone would think I let him mark me.

  We hadn’t even had sex and he still managed to screw me. I couldn’t sense the mark like sups could. For me, it was just a healing wound. Did that mean other sensors wouldn’t pick it up either? What could possibly give off a sign like that without using magic? How did it work?

  I lay in bed for hours trying to will myself to sleep, but the questions wouldn’t let me rest. The digital clock on the nightstand told me Lucas flashed back into the cabin a little after three in the morning. He’d gone straight to his room on the second floor. I could hear his footsteps above me as he moved around. Water rushed through the pipes when he turned on the shower. Too bad all the hot water I’d used up earlier would have come back by now.

  Where had he been? The things my imagination came up with only made me angrier. I shouldn’t care what he did—even if he had gone to another woman. That’s exactly what he should do. Maybe it would keep him in check if he took care of his needs somewhere else.

  It wasn’t until I felt a wave of lust and pleasure come from him that I realized I was wrong. He was up there taking care of himself. I buried my head in the pillow and failed miserably at trying not to imagine what it must look like to see him with his hand working himself. Heat pooled between my legs and the urge to go up there and help him finish almost overtook me. Then I made myself touch the mark he’d left and remember how he’d put it there without my permission. The reminder cooled me off enough to survive the next few minutes until he got out of the shower.

  I waited a while longer until I felt sure he’d gone to bed. There would be no sleep for me tonight. My mind wouldn’t shut off long enough for it to happen. I crawled out from under the covers and went to the living room. The window in there had a perfect view of the mountains. I sat in the chair next to it and watched the northern lights. Varying shades of red bounced across the landscape.

  It enthralled me. So much so that I didn’t notice I was being watched. My shoulders stiffened when I turned to find Lucas watching me from the second floor balcony. His face looked harsh in the darkness.

  “You should sleep,” he said.

  I turned back to the window. “Leave me alone, Lucas.”

  “As you wish, sensor.” He went back to his room. I shivered at the coldness he left behind.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Some people were born with a knack for cooking. I wasn’t one of them, but it never stopped me from trying. Food kept the body alive and it usually tasted good. I arrived the next morning to an empty kitchen. A mental check of the cabin revealed both brothers still asleep in their rooms.

  That left me to figure out a way to stop the hunger pains in my stomach. I took stock of the food in the kitchen. The refrigerator had eggs, bacon and other assorted goods, but nothing that didn’t require cooking. I found pancake mix in the cabinets. Cereal would have been a safer choice, but Lucas hadn’t thought to pick any up. I started pulling out everything that might be worth trying. Odds worked in my favor that at least one thing would turn out edible.

  Half an hour later Micah snuck up behind me while I was too occupied to notice his arrival. “Melena, what are you doing?”

  I jumped and knocked my arm against a pan filled with hot grease. It splattered all over my left hand. “Ow, fuck.” I dashed over to the faucet and ran cold water over it. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m cooking.”

  He crossed his arms. “Since when does cooking require destroying a kitchen?”

  Okay, so maybe I should have kept it simple, but in my defense I’d been trying to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t think too hard on other things. Through his eyes, it probably did look like a mess with flower and eggs spilled all over the counter, mixing bowls piled in the sink, and burnt toast stacked on a plate. The blender still sat out dripping pancake mix. I’d meant to rinse it off but the potatoes frying in the pan started to burn and I had to take care of them first.

  I sucked on my hand. It had already turned red and begun to swell. “Um, well. I never said I was good at it.”

  He shook his head and took my hand from me. “This is going to hurt for a few days. It might even leave a mark. If you were anything but what you are, I’d heal it.”

  “You can heal?” I asked. “Lucas totally sucks at it.”

  “We took different paths.” He turned my hand over to inspect the rest of it. His blond hair fell over his face so I couldn’t see his expression. “I chose to improve my healing abilities and he preferred to develop his fighting skills. We don’t get to be good at everything.”

  “Huh, I never would have guessed he’d have a healer for a brother. Why is it he can use magic on me and you can’t? You both register with the same signature to my senses.”

  Micah’s lips thinned. “Lucas is…special.” He let go of my hand and went to the freezer. He dug out some ice and wrapped it with a kitchen towel before handing it to me. “Put this on the burn. It will help.”

  I took it and pressed my hand to it.
“Why are you two so different?”

  He shut off the burners on the stove and dumped my burned eggs in the trash. “Lucas hasn’t had the easiest life. There are things that have scarred him in ways you can’t imagine. It’s a miracle he hasn’t gone insane.”

  “Whatever has happened to him, it’s no excuse for him to be an asshole.”

  Micah spun around and backed me into the refrigerator. It must have been a family trait to intimidate people that way. I wondered if he could block a knife thrust as easily as Lucas.

  “You know nothing about my brother,” he growled out. “He may not be the easiest man to get along with, but there’s no one more loyal than him. Lucas would walk through fire to protect those he cares about—that includes you, since you clearly haven’t figured that out yet.”

  Micah had to be delusional to think his brother gave a crap about me. Lucas had an agenda. I just hadn’t figured it out yet.

  “It’s still not an excuse. He’s not the only one who’s had a rough life.” I shoved at his chest. “By the way, your brother is awake and coming this way.”

  Micah jumped back, putting several feet between us.

  “Go sit at the counter,” he ordered, “and put that ice back on your hand. I’ll take care of this.” He swept his arm around at the mess.

  I gritted my teeth. Bossiness must run in the family too. I moved over to one of the bar stools and took a seat. If he was going to save me the trouble, I wasn’t going to argue. Micah moved at what may have been faster than vamp speed while getting the kitchen back in order. It was like he didn’t even want his brother seeing what I’d done. I hadn’t been entirely honest about Lucas, though. He’d gotten up, but he hadn’t left his room yet. Micah had finished cleaning and started a new breakfast before he arrived.

  As soon as he came into view I gained an intense fascination with the eggs cooking in the frying pan. Micah was making them into what would be a tasty omelet full of chopped veggies, cheese, and ham. Why didn’t they look like that for me?