“What is it?” Abby scooted to the edge of the bed. “Is she dangerous?”
“I don’t know, and that’s what is driving me crazy.” He gave a sharp shake of his head. “We must leave here now.”
“Where are we going?”
“To see if I can pick up the trail of the Shalott. When they were in this world, they were assassins. If we can trace her back to her employer, we might discover what she was doing here.”
There was an edge in his voice. A sharp thrill for the chase.
“Assassin?” she demanded.
“Very effective assassins. If either of us was her target, we wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.”
“Crap.” Was there any end to the creepy crawlies that roamed the night? “Dante.”
“Yes?”
She bit her bottom lip. If this assassin was so deadly, she had no desire to go chasing after it. “Does it matter why she was here? She can’t have a connection to the witches.”
“There is some connection.”
“How do you know?”
“There is a spell upon her.”
“You can smell that?”
“I can smell fear. And a Shalott demon fears nothing but magic.”
Damn. He was good. “It could be that horrid wizard.”
“We would be dead if it was.”
There was a dark silence as Abby forced herself to swallow. Dante was right. The psychopathic wizard would have her roasting over a fire or in her grave.
“I suppose.”
Dante moved forward to press her clothes into her reluctant hands. “It’s the only lead we have at the moment, lover. I think we should follow it.”
“Okay.”
She knew she sounded petulant, but she couldn’t help it as she pulled on her clothes and smoothed back her hair. Her idea of excitement was renting a movie and eating a bowl of popcorn. Not a gladiator session with a pack of demons.
Waiting in silence for her to recover from her bout of self-pity, Dante stepped forward to hand her the sheathed dagger.
“Don’t forget this.”
“Damn.” She heaved a faint sigh. “I should have used it earlier. Some savior of the world I’m proving to be.”
Suddenly she was in Dante’s arms, and his cheek was rubbing against her own.
“Don’t, Abby. There’s not another mortal who would still be alive after what you’ve gone through.”
It wasn’t true, of course. But it made her feel better anyway.
She laid her head against his chest. “I don’t understand how this happened to me. I’m not some chosen slayer or demon hunter. Hell, I didn’t even know there were demons.” Her lips twisted. “Unless you count my dad.”
“Perhaps it was fate,” he murmured.
“Then fate sucks.”
A chuckle was wrenched from his throat as he pulled back to regard her with a searching gaze.
“Are you ready?”
“No.”
He gave a tug on her hair. “Let’s go.”
Dante had even less desire than Abby to leave the peace of his lair.
What more could a vampire desire?
The woman he had chosen as his mate. A large comfortable bed. No phone, no neighbors, no relatives.
Satellite radio so he would never miss a Cubs game.
Paradise.
Unfortunately there were still hordes of demons, wizards, and zombies just waiting for the opportunity to corner them.
Taking her hand, he led her to the door, pausing as he touched the lock and spoke a low word.
Silently the door slid open, and he took a step forward. At once he realized that something was wrong.
“Wait,” he breathed softly.
Abby instinctively froze. “Is there something out there?”
He slowly tasted the air. There were humans near. At least four. And one of them was very familiar.
“The wizard is here. Upstairs.”
“Crap.” He heard her suck in a deep breath. “Do we wait here?”
He didn’t hesitate. “No. The wizard has managed to tap into the power of the dark lord. Given time, he will be capable of discovering this lair.”
Her face paled. If she didn’t carry the Phoenix within her, he could remove her horrid memories of the wizard and his pack of zombies. For now it was just another burden she would have to shoulder.
“The door—”
“We can’t allow ourselves to be trapped.”
“Then we try to make a run for it?”
“I believe stealth will serve us better at this point.”
Her eyes widened. She was thinking that he had lost his mind.
And she might be right.
“You intend to sneak past them?”
“Yes.”
“Great.”
“Trust me.”
She gave a growl low in her throat. “One of these days.”
“This way.” He tightened his grip on her fingers and led her from the room. In silence they moved toward the very back of the basement. Reaching the wall, Dante bent down to remove the grate that hid his secret passageway.
No vampire worth his salt was without a secret passageway.
Beside him Abby gave a faint gasp. “A tunnel?”
“It will lead you beyond the gates,” he explained, holding her gaze. “Go two blocks north and wait on the corner behind the large oak. Can you remember that?”
It took a moment for his words to sink in. “No, Dante. I will not leave you.”
“If I don’t lay a false trail, then they will be upon us before we can reach safety. Besides, I must know which direction the Shalott took when she left the grounds.”
She reached out to grip his arm. Dante flinched as he felt the heat from her fingers brand through his shirt.
The Phoenix would react to her emotions until she learned to control her powers.
“You can’t—”
Gently he removed her hand, lifting the fingers to his lips. “Don’t fear, lover. I’m far too swift for them to harm me.”
He didn’t feel the need to explain that he intended to confront the aggravating wizard and put an end to his interference. Full disclosure was for lawyers, not vampires.
Not that most people seemed to think there was much difference between the two.
One bloodsucker was much like the other.
“What if they have some magical trap?”
He cocked a brow. “I’m not completely helpless. This was once my home. I have a few traps of my own.”
“Dante.”
He pressed a kiss to her palm and stepped back. “There will be no argument.”
She frowned at his stern tone. “You’re far too fond of giving commands, vampire.”
“And you’re far too fond of ignoring them, Chalice.” He held her gaze a long moment. “You must do this for me.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Yeah, I got that.” He bent beside the entrance to the tunnel and watched as she grudgingly crouched and stepped into the darkness. He pressed the cell phone he pulled from his pocket into her hand. “Don’t leave the tunnel if you sense someone is near. Speed-dial Viper and he will come.”
Her eyes glittered with frustration. “Don’t you dare let anything happen to you or—”
“You’ll stake me someplace unpleasant?” he finished for her.
“Yes.”
He brushed her lips in a lingering kiss. “I will take the greatest care.”
Chapter 18
Rafael chanted a simple spell as he moved through the shattered house. It was frustrating to depend upon magic that the rankest amateur could perform. Magic he hadn’t used since he was a fledgling acolyte. But after the disaster of losing the Chalice when she was within his grasp, he was not foolish enough to dare calling upon the dark lord’s powers.
He hadn’t lived so many years by being stupid.
The Prince possessed a nasty habit of punishing those who disappointed him. There was no need to draw attention to h
imself.
Reaching the upstairs hallway, he paused and spread his hands. Giving a command, he studied the swirls of color that briefly appeared in the darkness.
“They have been here,” he said in satisfaction to the three disciples who stood behind him in respectful silence. Or perhaps it was terrified silence. Since the death of Amil, a tense wariness had gripped the faithful. Which suited Rafael to perfection. He far preferred to be feared than respected. Fear only fed his power. He watched as the colors began to fade. “A vampire, a human and . . . ah, the witches’ whelp.”
“The witches have the Chalice?” a thin voice demanded from behind him.
A cold smile curved his lips as he turned toward his waiting servants. “No. She is still near. I can feel her power. Search the house. And remember, I wish the Chalice alive.”
The oldest of the disciples stepped forward. “What of the vampire?”
“Kill him.”
The three melted into the darkness even as a dark, terrifying laugh echoed through the hallway.
“Easy to say; much less easy to accomplish.”
Rafael stiffened before he forced himself to pretend a nonchalance he was far from feeling. He could not afford to allow the vampire to realize he was without his powers. Not if he was to survive.
“Well, well,” he drawled, placing his back against the wall. The animal wouldn’t be allowed to sneak up from behind. “If it isn’t the faithful hound. Have your mistresses grown so arrogant that they believe one pitiful vampire can defeat me? Or are they simply that desperate?”
“Neither,” the disembodied voice floated through the air. “I merely have grown weary of your tedious pursuit.”
“Then fortunately for you it’s about to come to an end. It’s time to be done with you once and for all, vampire.”
Dante was prepared as the wizard thrust out his hand and sent a bolt of fire in his direction. With his inhuman speed, such parlor tricks were a wasted effort.
Something the wizard was bound to know.
Dante remained wary as he glided closer. He was not about to be lured into some unseen trap.
“Tell me, how is Amil?” he baited, reaching out with his senses to search for hidden dangers.
A smile touched the thin lips. “He found the duties of being a servant rather too much to handle. He decided becoming a sacrifice for the Prince was more to his taste.”
“How very noble of him.”
A sneer touched the pasty features. “He was a sniffling, spineless worm who should have been strangled at birth. Still, he served his purpose.”
There was another bolt of energy that slammed into the wall and charred the wood. Annoyingly Dante could sense nothing more to warn him of the wizard’s intention.
He would not commit himself until he was certain there were no nasty surprises.
“The Prince always did demand his share of bloody fodder to keep him satisfied. Still, it must be difficult to find willing victims in this day and age.”
The wizard shrugged. “The Prince has never demanded a sacrifice be willing.”
“A charming deity.”
“A powerful deity.”
Dante laughed with mocking amusement. He wanted the wizard distracted and off guard. Perfectly ripe to make a mistake.
His last mistake.
“So powerful he has been condemned to banishment by a handful of human witches.”
The man growled deep in his throat. “He was failed by his worshippers, who had been lured to complacency. I will ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Dante was drifting ever closer. Once Dante had his fangs sunk deep in his throat, the wizard would be helpless. He would need his vocal cords to mumble his spells.
“And you believe he will reward you richly?”
A near-fanatical pride tightened the narrow face. “I shall rule at his side.”
This time Dante’s laughter was genuine. “You’re even more a fool than Amil. The Prince rules alone, and those who worship him are no more than bugs beneath his notice.”
“How would you know, vampire? You worship nothing. Believe in nothing.”
“I’m at least wise enough not to barter my soul to a being who is certain to offer no more than betrayal.”
The wizard reached into his pocket to pull out a small crystal. Dante hesitated. Why would he use a magical toy when he possessed the medallion of the dark lord?
A blue flame shot in his direction. It slammed into the floor, and the mansion groaned as if a breath from tumbling to the ground.
Dante easily shifted out of danger, his mind racing.
Although he couldn’t detect magic, he could still feel the power that swirled about the wizard. There was a pulsing energy that could destroy the entire block, and yet he refused to reach for it.
Why?
It took a long moment before Dante at last realized the truth. Of course. With a low chuckle, he dismissed the shadows he had wrapped about himself.
The wizard didn’t call upon the dark lord because he was terrified his god might be waiting to serve up a bit of revenge for having disappointed him.
It was perfect.
He stepped forward, his arms folded negligently over his chest. Watching his approach, the wizard licked his thin lips.
“I suppose you’re attempting to keep me occupied so the woman can escape?” he blustered. “A worthless effort. My servants will soon have her in their grasp.”
Dante merely smiled. “Having some acquaintance with your servants, I can’t say that I’m overly concerned.”
Without warning, he launched himself at the gaunt form. He wanted to be done with this. Abby was alone, and while he was fully confident in her ability to deal with her human enemies, there were still demons capable of detecting the presence of the Phoenix.
Sinking his nails deep into the arms of the man, he allowed his fangs to lengthen. Before he had been chained to the Chalice, he would have drained the man. Now he would have to settle for ripping out his throat.
A pity.
His head lowered. Unfortunately the wizard was not about to be sacrificed without a fight. With cold determination, the wizard battled back, his low chants filling the darkness even as he reached into his pocket to remove a smooth ebony stake.
A burst of light suddenly filled the hall, blinding Dante and forcing him to dodge backward. A stake was a stake, and he wasn’t about to allow overconfidence to lead to his demise.
He carefully circled the man. Waiting for an opening.
The wizard glanced down at his bleeding arms. “You do know there is no need for us to be enemies? I could release you from your bondage. You give me the Chalice and I shall ensure you are set free.”
Dante smoothly reached out to slash the man’s face. “You think I would trust you?”
The wizard flinched but his composure never wavered. “Why not? There’s no gain for me to kill you. For the moment, you stand in my way, but if you were to step aside, we could prove to be valuable allies.”
“Tempting, but I don’t think so.”
“The witches have you that cowed?” he taunted, the stake held casually in his fingers as if he forgot he even held it. Dante was not stupid. The wizard hoped to rile his anger and give him the opportunity to strike. “Pathetic.”
Dante shrugged. “It has nothing to do with the witches.”
“Then . . .” The wizard gave a sudden laugh. “Ah, of course. You have come to care for the girl. You are worse than cowed; you’re completely neutered.”
“Actually, you have missed the most obvious reason I refuse to join forces with you.”
The cold eyes narrowed. “And what would that be?”
“I don’t like you.”
At last realizing that Dante was not going to be bullied or coerced, the wizard grasped the medallion about his neck. He would have to risk the anger of his master if he were not to die in this hallway.
Dante crouched, preparing himself for the coming attack.
/> Despite the muggy night air, Abby was shivering.
It was more than the creepy trip through the spider-infested tunnel. Or the realization that by standing on the corner by herself she might as well be wearing a sign that said “Come Eat Me” to every demon in Chicago.
It was more the sense of Dante that coiled through the back of her mind.
She might not be able to read his thoughts, but his emotions were blatantly clear. He was not laying a false trail. Or even searching for the scent of the strange demon.
He was confronting the wizard.
She could feel his lethal intent as if it were her own.
Damn him to hell.
She was going to . . .
Her imagination failed her, but it was going to be really, really bad.
Stewing on potential repercussions, Abby froze as she heard the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps.
“I’m tired of this shit. I’m not a freaking bloodhound,” a male voice muttered. “We’ve lost her.”
“Shut up and keep searching. Unless you want to return to the master and confess you have failed him?” an icy voice demanded.
Silently Abby pressed herself into the bush beside the tree. Her pursuers seemed to be human, but she wasn’t overly relieved.
Not after she had seen what the wizard did to the coven.
Ick.
“She could be anywhere by now.”
“Listen to me, you moron.” Peering through the leaves, Abby watched a short, squat man grab a pimply faced boy by the throat. “When I found Amil, he was splattered over the altar like a slaughtered pig. I have no intention of joining him in hell. At least not yet.”
Another man who was built like a linebacker and possessed the expression of savage stupidity curled his hands into fists.
“Perhaps the vampire will do us all a favor and kill the bastard,” he growled.
The short man whirled to face him. “Are you willing to risk your life on an impotent vampire?” He waited for either man to speak. They were obviously not as stupid as they looked since both dropped their heads to study their toes. “Fine. Fan out and search the block.”
There was a brief, tense moment as if the two goons were debating sticking a knife in the head goon. No honor among thieves and all that. Then, seemingly coming to their senses, they turned and grudgingly trudged down the street.
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