Darkness Taunts

by Susan Illene

  Damn. They really didn’t want me getting near that circle. I needed to get closer to get a better sense of the magic powering it. Unlike the one at the mall, this one felt stronger—even from this distance. It had to have been in use recently, but I couldn’t be sure.

  I lifted my brows. “Isn’t this the best chance to train me now when you could use the extra help? I’ve picked up a few tricks over the years and a little danger doesn’t bother me.”

  “That ain’t the only problem, darling,” Jerome said, scratching his beard. “We don’t know you. For all we know you’re in bed with the sups and acting as their spy. It wouldn’t be the first time it’d happened. Until we check you out, I ain’t letting you near my group of guys.”

  That hit a little too close to home. I gave him an annoyed look. “You can’t really think I’d work with them?”

  He shrugged. “That’s something we’ll have to check out for ourselves.”

  “How do you plan to do that?” I asked.

  Even more worrying—what would happen if they discovered that I was working with Lucas? I’d have to be on my guard constantly now. I needed to learn more about this group, but I couldn’t risk them finding out the truth.

  “Well, darling,” Jerome said with a toothy grin. “If I told you how, you might be able to cover your tracks and we can’t be having that. I’ll be expecting your call the day after tomorrow. We should have more time to get to know each other better then.”

  Elden gave me an apologetic look. It hurt that my own kind didn’t trust me, but it was even worse that they had good reason not to, whether they knew it or not. I had to see this through, though. If it turned out they weren’t as bad as Lucas made them out to be, it might be worth seeing if they could help me get away from the sups. I’d almost given up on doing it on my own.

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll give you a call and we’ll go from there.”

  “Good girl. Now you should get out of here. It’s getting dark and it ain’t safe to be out once the sun goes down.”

  I nodded at both men and headed back to the car. My senses told me they didn’t move until I’d left the parking lot.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  I stopped off at a popular bar and grill once I got past the other sensors’ radar. They’d be busy in the park for a while longer and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The meal didn’t come cheap but it was good and it gave me the chance to stay out a little longer. Not that I was avoiding anyone in particular.

  Darkness had long since descended by the time I got back to the cabin. Loud music flowed from the house. I went inside to find Micah rocking away with an electric guitar in the living room. All he had on was a pair of tight black jeans. I couldn’t help but think how much he reminded me of Lucas, except his muscles weren’t quite as heavy and he had all that long hair covering his face.

  My feet came to a sudden halt. He wasn’t just playing, he was singing and sounding really good while he did it. Seeing a nephilim who’d walked the earth for over two millennia working a guitar and belting out the lyrics to “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi left me speechless. Who was this guy and how could he possibly share the same DNA as Lucas?

  He glanced my way, but continued to sing without missing a beat. I moved over to my favorite chair by the window to sit down and watch. His fingers moved across the guitar as if he’d been playing for a long time, but I knew he’d been in “The Sleep” when this song came out. He’d said taking a break from the world rejuvenated immortals so they could pick up new things faster, but this blew me away.

  When he finished, he set the guitar down and grabbed a bottle of water sitting on the coffee table. His throat worked as he gulped the liquid down. I looked away, feeling guilty that I was superimposing Lucas over him and fantasizing what he’d look like doing the same thing. Maybe after this was all over I’d find a good therapist. I seriously needed my head checked.

  “When did you learn to play?” I asked when he finished.

  He took a seat on the couch. “I’ve always been into music. You have to remember I was around for the rise of rock n’ roll. Now I’m just trying to catch up.”

  “So you chose Bon Jovi as one of the first things to practice on?”

  “Lucas recommended the band as a good place to start,” he said, shrugging.

  “Does he play too?”

  Micah chuckled and leaned back to put his arm on top of the couch. “He does with me, but he’s too much of a stick in the mud to let anyone else see him doing it.”

  My mouth went dry. The fact I’d give my right arm to see him play said a lot for my mental state. I needed to remember my anger at the nephilim. Think of the bite, Melena. Think of the bite. Don’t let his brother change the way you see him.

  “So you’re not just into being a healer, you play music too. Why is it Lucas can’t pick a hobby that don’t involve ripping people’s body parts off?”

  “He’s always been a fighter, Melena. It’s just who he is. The more our father pushed us to live in peace with humans the more he rebelled against it. I chose to perfect my healing abilities because it allowed us to stay together whenever he went off to whatever battlefield caught his attention.”

  “You didn’t get his thirst for blood?” I asked.

  “Oh, I have it. I simply choose to pick my battles with more care. He lives and breathes for the fight.”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen that first hand,” I said, yanking off my boots to get comfortable. “He definitely shows no mercy for his enemies.”

  “He wouldn’t be so bad if you gave him a chance.”

  “Easy for you to say. You haven’t seen the way he’s been around me over the years.”

  “Whatever passed between the two of you before,” he said, focusing on the spot where his brother’s bite mark was currently covered up by my sweater, “he’s clearly changed the way he feels about you. If you stopped fighting him so much, you’d figure that out.”

  I curled my legs into my chest. “It’s going to take a lot more than some mystical bite mark to prove he’s changed.”

  “Have you tried talking to him about it?” he asked.

  “Uh, no. That’s the last thing I want to do.” It rated up there with shoving my hand into a meat grinder.

  “I’m not going to tell you I’m a fan of you two ‘hooking up’.” Micah used finger quotes to emphasize his point. “It’s dangerous in more ways than you can imagine, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that some things are inevitable. You’re making yourselves miserable the longer you resist your attraction to each other.”

  “The only thing Lucas and I will ever have together is a desire to kill one another. There is nothing to resist.”

  The left side of his lips quirked up. “You keep telling yourself that and maybe one day you’ll believe it. Personally, I think if the two of you would just fuck already it would save us all some grief.”

  “Vulgar much?” I asked.

  “Only when it’s necessary.”

  I stiffened and looked at the door.

  Micah gave me a knowing grin. “Is the subject of your fantasies heading this way?”

  Damn, the knowing look in his eyes said he knew exactly what I’d been imagining earlier. “If you mean the subject of my murderous fantasies, then yes, he is. Aeson’s with him too.”

  “Oh, good.” He got up. “Time to make myself a drink. Things are about to get interesting around here.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  I considered fleeing, but knew it would do no good. Lucas would only follow me to the bedroom so he could grill me about the meeting with the sensors. I had no idea how much he could pick up through whatever ability he used to spy on me, but I didn’t want to be left alone in any room with him if I could help it. Standing my ground in a common area with other people nearby was the best option.

  He and the cambion walked through the door a couple of
minutes later. I had to admit the two of them standing together would be enough to put a weaker woman at her knees. The force of their presence alone, adding Micah into the mix, was enough to suck the air out of the room. I was so out of my depth.

  The two men kicked snow off their boots and hung their coats on a nearby rack hanging from the wall. I doubted either of them got cold, but they had to keep up appearances for the humans who might see them. Both men’s faces looked grave and their moods were dark. Something must have happened.

  Lucas set a garment bag on the table and headed straight for me. “Get out of my chair, sensor.”

  What the hell was wrong with him? I gripped the arms of the piece of furniture in question. If he wanted to be upset about something, he sure as heck wasn’t going to take it out on me. “What do you mean your chair? I never heard you make any claims to it.”

  He hovered above me, looking rather menacing. “If you remained in the living room more often when I’m here, you would have noticed this is where I always sit.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. He was picking a fight on purpose. Fine, I could use the chance to let off a little steam myself. “If you tried to be more pleasant, then maybe I would stick around.”

  “Get out of the chair, sensor.”

  It was a matter of pride that I refused to move. Micah had poured Aeson a drink and now they stood watching us with amused expressions on their faces.

  I bated my eyelashes at Lucas. “Ask me nicely.”

  “Get the hell out of my chair before I move you out.” He had a way of speaking so that his voice didn’t raise one octave, but you felt like he’d just roared at you. Some part of me must have come to believe he wouldn’t do anything drastic because I ignored the threat.

  “Is that your solution to everything?” I asked. “Violence? The big, bad nephilim can’t handle one mortal woman without using his superior strength. Why am I not surprised?”

  “Nothing about you is weak.” He gave me a feral grin. “You wouldn’t be here if I thought you were.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, so I tried a different tactic. “Where did this chair—which really doesn’t suit you, by the way—and the cabin come from? Did you kill some elderly couple to get this place?”

  “I didn’t kill anyone to get it,” he gritted out. “The woman who lived here before lost her husband and wanted to relocate. She was happy to sell it, and the furniture, to me for a reasonable price. I haven’t had the time to remodel anything except the bathrooms, but if you’re offering your design expertise I’d be happy to hand the project over to you once the demon problem is taken care of.”

  I shifted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. “I’m sure you can pick out furniture and curtains without my help,” I said.

  “You’re the one who wants out of Fairbanks to the point you’d put yourself in danger to escape. I could move you and Emily here if you’d prefer. You can remodel the cabin however you wish. Contrary to your flawed beliefs, Melena, I can be a reasonable man.”

  He wouldn’t know what reasonable meant even if it came right up and kissed him on his nose.

  “I’m not that desperate,” I said.

  “Then get out of my chair.”

  “You know damn well this isn’t about the chair.” I glared at him. “This is about you trying to prove your superiority over me.”

  “Very well,” he said, “if you’re not going to cooperate.”

  In the blink of an eye he had me scooped up and settled in his lap with both of us in the chair. I struggled in his arms, but he had them wrapped around me like steel bands.

  “Let me go.” Already the tingles were starting.

  No way could I take prolonged exposure to him, especially with my ass settled over a suspiciously hard protrusion in his pants. I could only resist him if he didn’t touch me. He’d figured that out the other day at the club and now he was using it as a weapon.

  “You’ll stay right here,” he said, locking my kicking legs between his, “and tell me about the meeting with the sensors.”

  “I’m not telling you shit with you holding me hostage like this,” I said.

  I grabbed hold of his fingers where they gripped the side of my torso and pulled back. He yanked them away before they reached the breaking point. I thought about poking his eyes out, but I liked them too much to hurt him there. My awkward position didn’t give me a whole lot of other ways to fight. Not to mention he was pulling me in closer to his warmth. I could feel my resistance to him draining with every second that passed.

  “The night is just getting started, Melena,” he whispered. I shivered at the feel of his lips grazing against my ear. “We can stay together like this as long as it takes for you to cooperate.”

  “You promised this wouldn’t happen again.” My cheek rubbed against his shirt.

  “Is she melting for him?” I heard Micah say from far away.

  “I do believe she is,” Aeson replied.

  “I didn’t think he could calm her down that fast.”

  “You should hear the story about what happened with them at The Asylum. This is tame in comparison.”

  Their conversation penetrated the haze I’d started to sink into and helped me to renew my struggle to get free. The arms around me wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t see Lucas’ face, but when the other men suddenly found their drinks very interesting it told me he must have given them a warning look.

  “I promised you it wouldn’t happen again before you started baiting me every chance you got,” he said, pulling me over to the crook in his arm so that he could gaze down at my face. “Even I’m only so strong.”

  “I hate you, Lucas.” I sounded like a broken record telling him that, but it was the first thing that always came to mind.

  “I know you think you do.” He kissed my forehead. “Now tell me what happened.”

  Feeling his lips graze my skin was a lot like a tiger coming up and nuzzling my face.

  “You said you’d be watching. Do I really have to repeat it?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say getting around two other sensors’ abilities was more difficult than expected. I could see you talking to them, but could not listen.”

  I turned my attention to his power level and realized it had dropped a few degrees from where it had been earlier in the day. He must have minimized his usage to keep from losing too much. Keeping to the gist of what happened, I told him how the sensors refused to let me examine the circle but said they’d be happy to meet with me another time.

  His arms tightened around my waist. “You’re not meeting with them again. We’ll work around them if we have to.”

  I shifted as much as I could in his lap. “I don’t see what the problem is. They didn’t seem that bad to me.”

  Aeson stepped forward. “That’s because you don’t know the history behind this group. They are ruthless and don’t care who they have to hurt to take down the supernatural population. You’d do well to steer clear of them.”

  “How about you give some specific examples so I can decide for myself?” I suggested.

  Maybe then I could get to the bottom of what had them so freaked out. All of the men’s faces appeared guarded as soon as I’d started talking about the sensors.

  Aeson and Lucas exchanged looks loaded with meaning I couldn’t interpret. “Suffice it to say,” the cambion said, not meeting my eyes, “there are some things you’re better off not knowing.”

  “In other words, you all think I can’t handle the truth?” Good grief, this was starting to sound reminiscent of the movie A Few Good Men. I sat up a little straighter and ignored the still present bulge that now pressed into my thigh. “This isn’t the old days when women were made of glass and had to be protected. I don’t need coddling.”

  “Good,” Lucas said. “Then you won’t mind the plans we have for you tomorrow night.”

  “What plans?” I asked.

  He pulled us up to a standing position
and guided me over to the dining room table. “This is the dress you’ll be wearing for an event tomorrow evening. We need you to try it on so we can check the fit.”

  My hand hovered over the zipper. Part of me was curious to see what the dress looked like and part of me was angry he’d picked something out without my permission. “What event would this be?”

  “The local witch coven is opening a new restaurant,” he said, brushing my hand aside to draw the zipper down. “They’ve been planning it for months and have poured a great deal of time and effort into having it ready in time.”

  Lucas pulled out a strapless, gun-metal gray dress from the bag and held it out to me. I took it from him and rubbed my fingers against the luminous taffeta fabric. It was something I’d expect to see on a movie star at an awards ceremony. “What does a restaurant opening have to do with anything?” I asked.

  “Security. Less than two hours ago half of a dozen demon hosts attacked Aeson’s home. They didn’t get past the gates, but we didn’t capture any alive either. At the same time, they went after Bryan again with the larger part of their forces. They caught him on his way home. He and his entire family are dead.”

  My chest tightened. A dead werewolf couple didn’t bother me much, but I’d gotten a chance to meet their kids after the attack on their home. They were human and innocent—the reason I was willing to get involved with this problem in the first place.

  I gave Aeson a sympathetic look. They were his people to protect and he must have felt bad about it. I could feel the sadness and regret emanating from him. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  The cambion nodded at me. “Unfortunately, we think this is only the beginning.”

  I put the dress back in the garment bag. “They were testing your defenses in advance of something bigger.”

  Lucas’ hand squeezed my shoulder. “The announcements they sent out for this event were kept low key, but all the most powerful leaders in the area will be there. The demons could have their own spies watching. We have to assume they may launch a full-scale attack while we are gathered.”