Dark Secrets

by P. L. Midnight

  Chapter Twelve

  We shared a few more kisses after sealing our arrangement. We held hands until the tightness of the cave passageway forced us to go single file. When it widened once more we walked hand in hand again as Julian and I had done.

  I had forgotten how mesmerizing Raven’s lavender eyes were as he looked at me. We talked mentally for a while to ensure that we could hear any abnormal noises in the cave.

  I asked about his injury and got even less information than I’d gotten from Alexander. I still hadn’t shown the letter to Sebastian or Alexander yet. Perhaps I could do it when we got back. We all needed to be on the same page. I hoped they’d take it as well as the others. I had worried for nothing, they were both fine with it. Actually, Alexander was elated. I think all that angel ever thought of was fighting and sex with his new protected honey—me.

  They all seemed to like their more formal names that I’d taken to calling them, too. Everyone seemed to be relieved that Raven was to be the leader of our group, which meant I’d be following his instructions, too. He was one man I didn’t want to argue with about anything. When he set his mind to something he expected it to happen.

  I took a shower while the guys were discussing logistics. I changed into a soft gray sweater, which I knew had been chosen by Raven. Gray was, after all, his favorite color. I wondered if he turned gray and rocklike when he became a gargoyle. I’d have to ask him someday.

  Everything gets gray and rock-hard when he changes…a voice popped into my head that sounded strangely like a laughing Alexander. I was going to have to watch my barriers and keep my thoughts to myself with all the testosterone around me, but a woman got curious about things, their things. It could prove to be quite a challenge, since I seemed to get a little lax about keeping up the walls in my mind when I became tired or was around my guys. I was both right now.

  When I came back into the room wearing my skinny jeans and the gray sweater, my guys had admiration in their eyes. I couldn’t believe these amazingly beautiful, powerful males found me attractive without any makeup and with damp hair. It was nice to get to be myself around them. It was even nicer to know that it was enough.

  The smell of food filled the air as I walked into the room. Someone must have been cooking. Julian smiled at me and I remembered how sweet he’d been. I’d had my first dance today. It wasn’t as I’d always thought it would be. I liked it even better, because he’d made it so wonderfully romantic for me. I smiled back as he motioned to the seat on the couch beside him.

  I wondered how long we’d be in the basement of Victor’s home. It was an enormous room, but with just five of the large guys and me in it, it was almost crowded. I wondered what was going on when Alexander came back into the room. Victor came in behind him carrying a gorgeous heart-shaped birthday cake with red frosting. I guess I knew what his favorite color was and grinned.

  It was a lovely birthday cake. Suddenly a small silver package appeared on the table. The guys were giving me a birthday party in spite of all the things happening with Dark Hearts. I couldn’t believe their thoughtfulness.

  “It’s lovely, Victor. Did you make it?”

  “Yes, I did. Vincent told me your favorite flavor was strawberry so that’s what I made for you. I trust you’ll like it.”

  “I like it already and I haven’t even tasted it.”

  “We must keep the noise down even though the rooms down here are sound proof, but I think we can sing a short, soft version of ’Happy Birthday’ for you.”

  They sang to me and all of them watched me. I blushed at being the center of attention. As soon as the song was over, Julian began cutting the cake and passing out pieces that were much larger than normal. I realized then just how much Julian still liked his sweets.

  We ate cake and talked, enjoying the relaxing time, although I knew they were all still on alert. Raven and Victor seemed fixated on the door. I wondered if Dark Hearts could actually access these rooms. I hoped not, but tried not to think about it. It was my birthday celebration and I was going to enjoy it. They’d gone to all this trouble for me; I wanted them to see that I appreciated their efforts.

  When we finished eating the great-tasting cake, Vincent handed me a large card. It had been signed by all the guys. I’d treasure the sweet, funny birthday card forever with the silly cat on the front. Raven brought me the small silver package and watched as I began to undo the wrapping paper.

  “We didn’t have time to do much shopping, but we picked this out for you. We wanted something to remind you of each of us,” Raven said.

  I finished opening it and to my delight, inside on a velvet pillow laid the most beautiful charm bracelet I’d ever seen. As I looked at it, I realized that all of the charms looked custom-made and represented each of the guys. There was a tiny glass bubble with a diamond shaped like an ice shard inside it, from Vincent. A small set of gold wings. On the back of the wings was an engraved sun with a glowing topaz from Alexander. Miles’ gift was a tiny black onyx panther with Montana Sapphire eyes that almost matched his ever-changing hazel ones.

  A miniature platinum pentagram with a small colored stone at the end of each of the five points, representing the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit was from Sebastian, ever my warlock. Julian’s charm was an orange sapphire atop a miniscule candle on a silly little brightly painted heart-shaped birthday cake to remind me of this special day. I think I’d always remember how much he loved sweets, when I looked at that funny charm and recall the amount of birthday cake he’d eaten.

  Victor’s contribution to my bracelet was a large blood ruby shaped like a teardrop, which was an appropriate contribution from my vampire. Raven’s charm was a uniquely shaped black charm that looked exactly like a tiny raven with diamond eyes holding a petite red rose in its mouth. The red rose being a symbol of love from my gargoyle that might yet prove to be romantic.

  Raven helped me put it on and snapped it in place with two locks. I had tears in my eyes when he finished, thinking of how thoughtful they’d been. I loved the little bracelet and never wanted to take it off.

  “I don’t know what to say. I love it, as I’ve come,” I stumbled over the words and couldn’t say I loved them, even though I knew in my heart that I already did. It had all happened so fast, “…to thank the fates for bringing you to me.”

  I looked forward to getting to know each of the handsome men before me. Each one came forward to give me a quick birthday kiss or hug, in shy Vincent’s case. Actually, Julian gave me only a hug, too, being so innocent about his feelings for me. He was the youngest of the group, even though he was probably much older than I was. I gaged him to be about sixteen maybe seventeen by the way he acted. I didn’t think he’d ever kissed a girl before me.

  Sebastian spoke up next, “We all love you, Emma. We know this is new to all of us and is especially difficult for you. We have discussed it. We want you to know that we’ll give you all the time you need to get to know us. Leallan, we won’t rush anything with you. If any of us moves too fast for you, tell us. Now, I have one more surprise for your birthday.”

  “This is too much. When did you even find time to do this? You’ve been so busy looking for me and now dodging Dark Hearts. I’ll never forget this day or your thoughtfulness.”

  Sebastian went in the other room to get something and that’s when the shouting started. The cameras must have picked up something bad. The next thing I knew was that Alexander had me in his arms racing down the back path out of the castle. It sounded like a skirmish as he sprinted down the rocky corridor of the caves. This time we went the opposite direction from the lake and upwards. The path didn’t seem quite as narrow here, but I tucked my arms and legs into Alexander as much as possible.

  He wasn’t slowing down for any reason as the sounds of battle faded the further away we got. How had Dark Hearts gotten into Victor’s haven? It had more booby traps than anything I’d ever seen in a James Bond movie.

  Alexander slowed down as th
e path began to get steeper and harder to navigate. He finally stopped. “Honey, this is where you’re going to have to walk. I’ll help you. Don’t look like that. It’ll be fine. I can see in the dark.”

  I wondered if it was going to get darker. I hoped not.

  To prove his point, he kissed me full on the lips. It wasn’t a bad kiss, but I remembered a few of the things he’d said and I wasn’t having any of it. I know he’d saved my life, but this wasn’t the time for romance when we were all in danger.

  “That was nice, now can we go, please.”

  “Sure, honey.” I could heard the smirk in his voice, “I just wanted to insure you that I can see everything in the dark.”

  The way he said it made me glad I had clothes on.

  I was not only scared, but worried sick about my guys. I had no idea if they were ok or not. Were they actually immortal now? Could immortals be killed? I had more questions than answers. I just wanted to get out of there so maybe we could get some information from the Order about Raven and the others.

  Chapter Thirteen

  We half walked and half climbed up the steepening incline. It was as if we were climbing out of the earth now. It seemed to take forever. Alexander was behind me and had caught me more times than I cared to admit. My hands were getting cut up from the sharp rocks as his probably were, too. There was no easy way to get out of the damn caves it seemed.

  I couldn’t actually see my cuts, but I could feel them. There was very little light now as it had gradually grown darker the further up we crawled. I was sure the knees in my jeans were torn, as I could feel pain there, too. I didn’t complain. It was no easier for Alexander and he helped me as much as he could.

  It was just hard going and there seemed to be no end in sight. I felt the sweat dripping down my back as I trudged forward, but I knew it was getting colder as I could almost see my breath now in the semi-darkness. I hoped we both didn’t catch pneumonia after this climb.

  I wasn’t sure how much farther I could go. When I thought I’d have to stop my hand struck what felt like a step. I crawled up it and then another.

  “We’re almost out now. Are you ok?” Alexander whispered.

  I whispered, too, not wanting to take any chances of someone overhearing us. “I’ll be fine when we get out of here.”

  “We should be able to stand soon. Victor told us this leads out near a large crypt. We’ll be fine, honey, just hang in there a little while longer. We can rest soon.”

  Did he say crypt? Oh, hell no, but what choice did I have. I wasn’t going back into that cave for any reason. At least, I hadn’t lost my bracelet. I prayed I hadn’t lost any of my shields either. For all that Alexander aggravated me, I was glad he was with me. He was not only brave, but also an excellent cave guide. He’d gotten us out, I thought as I finally stood up to ease my cramped legs.

  He stood and grabbed my hand. The stairs were old and in ill repair, but wide enough that we could walk together. They were also steep and I wondered if they would ever end, but I climbed without comment as Alexander slowly climbed, allowing me to keep up with him…

  He cautioned me to remain silent as we finally reached the top. We were inside an old mausoleum. I was glad that it was better-lit than the passageway. Well, I was until I looked around. Besides being musty and damp smelling, it was full of cobwebs, spider webs and a variety of creepy beasties.

  It looked like a family mausoleum with several old crypts inside. It was neglected and looked as if it hadn’t seen a visitor in many years. Alexander made me wait near the top of the steps while he checked the place out. It looked like the sun was just starting to set from the light shining through the stained glass windows.

  After he was certain the place was safe, he brushed off a place on one of the crypts for me to sit down. He lifted me up, giving me no chance to argue about sitting atop the skeletal remains that were probably housed inside.

  “I’m going to check around outside. Just sit quietly for a few minutes. I’ll be right back,” he said softly.

  I nodded, as if I wanted to move around in that freaky place anyway. We couldn’t leave here soon enough, but I wasn’t going to complain. At least we were safe for the moment. I still didn’t know the fate of the others.

  Alexander came back inside a short time later. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to stay here awhile. There are no tracks outside, but it looks like a storm is blowing up. There’s no sign of any of the others. We’d better stay put for a while and see how bad the snowstorm is going to be. If I remember correctly this cemetery is out in the middle of nowhere.”

  We have to stay here that long, I thought.

  I’m sorry, honey, we don’t have a choice.

  I know. I didn’t mean to complain, but this place is really creepy.

  I forgot we could communicate like this now. I think I’ll like being inside you…r mind. Then he chuckled before he continued. Let me have a look around, maybe I can make us more comfortable. Victor said the place was a decent hideout. I can’t believe this is what he meant when he told us about this place. I want to look around a bit before it gets too dark for you in here.

  I couldn’t imagine spending much time in this creepy place. Since it was safe, I decided to go out and get a little fresh air while he was looking around inside. I didn’t stay outside long. Even the creepy old mausoleum was better than the bitter cold of the strong wind. It was definitely going to storm. We seldom had blizzards in Ohio. Normally by the next day, the storm was over and the roads cleared. We could be on our way, as early as tomorrow, if I survived the night. I was so glad that Alexander was with me. I didn’t think I could’ve faced the place alone at night.

  I brushed away my tracks as I came back inside, just as Alexander had done. I knew the wind would do it shortly, but I wasn’t taking any chances either. If Dark Hearts had been able to get inside that basement fortress of Victor’s, they were a dangerous and formidable lot.

  A few minutes later, I heard, “Hey, can you give me a hand with this.” We decided to continue to remain as quiet as possible just in case someone was hiding around the area. The way the wind had picked up in the last few minutes, I didn’t think anyone would hear us even if we screamed.

  You want to open up a crypt. I almost panicked at that thought. He surely didn’t want us to hide in the damn thing with a rotting corpse or worse.

  I did as he asked, even though I wasn’t wild about the idea. We gave the lid a push and the heavy thing moved. Inside was a skeleton, which gave me knots in my stomach. I jumped back, but it didn’t seem to bother Alexander. He started feeling around near the darn thing. I looked away, my stomach churning. Was he going to dislodge the thing so we could hide in there from the wind? I hoped not. No matter how much wind was slipping through the cracks in the stone walls of the mausoleum I had no wish to get in that damn crypt.

  I was grateful for the wind block the old building provided, even if it wasn’t the best. It was still better than outside, the wind reminded me as it howled loudly against the west wall.

  Finally I couldn’t take it anymore and sent Alexander a message, what are you doing?

  Just give me a minute and I’ll explain… There we go.

  I let out a little yelp as the bottom of the coffin, skeleton and all, disappeared. A hidden panel opened, revealing steps that led deep inside the crypt. Oh please don’t let us have to go down there, I thought. My tired legs didn’t want to walk anymore, especially underneath an old crypt that looked like it could cave in on us.

  Follow me. It'll be ok. I’ll walk slowly.

  Do we have to go down there?

  I promise it will be more comfortable.

  Where did the skeleton go? That was probably one of Victor’s relatives.

  I doubt it. It was a fake, plastic one. Come on, honey. We have to get down there before we freeze to death in here. That wind isn’t letting up. I’ll go first. Victor told us about this place. It’ll be safer than staying up here and warmer, to
o. Will you trust me?

  Yes, I guess. Besides, I don’t want to stay up here alone.

  A wise choice, here we go. Just take it easy. I’ll close the door when we get inside.

  I followed Alexander down the dimly lit steps. He pressed a button on the wall and the panel above slipped back into place, sealing us underneath the damn crypt. Was this Victor’s idea of a joke? It wasn’t funny, I thought, but at the same moment the panel locked into place, the lights became brighter, illuminating the concrete stairs. It was already less drafty than upstairs, which I was grateful about.

  We walked down several more steps and came to a small well-lit chamber. It was definitely an improvement over the upstairs. It was warmer and cleaner. The grey sweater I wore certainly wasn’t very warm. I’d started shivering upstairs, but I tried to ignore it. I knew we had enough to worry about in this place. I figured that Alexander was cold, too.

  The small concrete room had a twin bed in one corner and some large candles scattered about on the table near it. A small couch took up most of the rest of the room. It wasn’t warm, but I could no longer feel the bitter cold of the wind whistling through the cracks and the dusting of snow collecting around the edge of the stained glass window. The place was solid and seemed to be in much better repair than the mausoleum, too. It was hard to believe we were several feet below that creepy old place.

  “Let me see your knees.” Alexander said breaking the silence as we sat on the small couch, resting after our ordeal. He pulled my legs on top of his lap. “Honey, those look sore. Why didn’t you say something sooner?

  “I didn’t see any point in it. What could you have done? I’m sure your knees are sore, too. Looks like your arms got scratched as well.”

  “I’ll heal in no time. Let me see what’s behind the door over there, maybe there’s a first aid kit and some water. I know you’re thirsty and so am I. That was a damn long walk. Just stay here and rest a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”