Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Anna Zaires

  “Admit it, Nightborne,” he yelled over the din. “You’re outmatched and outnumbered.”

  Jumping up onto the altar with far more agility than a human of his age should be able to muster, he kicked Baby’s body. It rolled and fell into one of the fire baskets, knocking it over and spewing both the tiny form and flaming coals all over the floor.

  “Your princess is dead.” He yelled. “You’re a failure and I’ve won. You might as well admit it and I’ll make sure your death is an easy one!”

  Catching herself on a pillar, she wound herself around it and pulled her massive body from the shadows into the corporeal realm. Magic hit her, absorbing into her scales as she spread her wings and dropped her head to look at Sellers.

  “The only death here will be yours,” she hissed, icy determination settling into her bones. Letting go of her perch, she fell toward the ground, shifting forms at the last minute to land on her feet. “You wanted to be a Dragos, Sellers...you wanted to play dragon.”

  She walked toward him, holding out her hand and calling a blade direct from the witching. The magic formed the outline first, then filled the blade in until, with a snap, she called it into reality. A real sword, formed from magic, but no less deadly for that. She came to a stop in the flames on the floor, standing directly over Baby’s body.

  Grief wrapped around her heart, she reached out mentally one last time to Duke. Just a brief touch of her mind to his. No words. Just feelings. The love they’d never get to share now, her sorrow that she hadn’t gotten to know him, and her regret that their happily ever after never had a chance.

  Tears flowed down Chase’s cheeks but she paid them no mind. Widening her stance, she spared a glance down. The tiny form of the dragon princess lay between her feet, curled up as though she was asleep.

  She might not have been able to protect her in life, but by Hegra, she would protect Baby in death. And if it took her own death to ensure an evil like Sellers wasn’t realized onto the world, then so be it.

  Looking up, she focused on Sellers and lifted her blade.

  “You wanted to play in my world. So let’s play.”

  ***

  Duke grabbed the pixie before he could get to his feet, hauling him up and slamming him into the wall again for good measure. Shrieks around them told him the civilian population was freaking out, but right now he didn’t give a shit.

  “I’m going to rip your entrails out,” he promised, shoving his face right into Rat’s so the guy could read death in Duke’s eyes. His own painful and bloody death. So what that Sellers had given the pair of them a love potion. The bastard still worked for the warlock and he’d had his hands all over Duke’s mate.

  That was more than enough to seal his fate.

  “No!” Ris erupted out of nowhere, getting between Duke and Rat before he could knock the Pixie’s head off. “He’s one of us.”

  “What the fuck?” Duke snarled, trying to shove the Seer out of the way, but the guy was stronger than his lean frame would suggest and hung on with a tenacity that would have done a dragon proud. “Ris, get your skinny ass out the way so I can teach this guy a lesson about touching what’s not his.”

  Ris shook his head, using his shoulder against the middle of Duke’s chest to shove him out of the way as he turned. All the while he kept himself between Duke and the pixie, who leaned against the wall, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

  “He’s. One. Of. Us,” Ris repeated, a hand on Duke’s chest to stop him when he tried to surge forward. He fought back the urge to part shift and just roast the Seer. As irritating as he normally found those with foresight, Ris was fast on the way to becoming a close friend. He didn’t barbeque his friends. Not without extreme provocation.

  “One of us?” Duke’s eyebrow winged up. “As in he’s vaguely humanoid or did you have something more specific in mind? ‘Cause unless you ain’t telling me something, buddy, you sure as fuck ain’t a pixie. And I know I’m not.”

  “He’s PPA.”

  Duke blinked in surprise. Okay, so of all the things Ris could have said, that was so not what he expected. “Excuse me?”

  “PPA. I’m serious.” Ris managed to back him up a couple of steps. “He’s deep undercover. Like so deep undercover that even the Seer team don’t know about him. I had to bug shit out of Iliona to get her to admit he’s one of ours.”

  Duke looked over the guy’s shoulder to Rat. The pixie leaned against the wall, all nonchalant like. Just his expression, somewhere between not caring and ‘fuck-you’ pissed Duke off, so he surged forward again, the memory of his mate in this man’s arms uppermost in his mind.

  “No!” Ris was there again, holding onto him as Duke managed a couple of steps. “Besides, take a sniff. A good one. Do you really want to get into a pissing contest with a demon prince and start a war with hell?”

  Hell. Duke recoiled a couple of steps, looking from Ris to Rat and back again. Then he did as he was told and took a deep breath, rolling it over his tongue to taste the scent. His eyes snapped wide open.

  “Fuck me. You’re a demon.”

  “Demon prince,” Ris corrected.

  Rat pushed away from the wall with a groan and swept his arms out for a bow. “Raterrenh Di Lakai Telosa to be exact.” He coughed and winced, pressing a hand to his side. “Hell of a throw you got there, dragon.”

  Duke shrugged. “One of a twin. Sibling quarrels get nasty and when your brother can turn into a creature bigger than a city bus, you build some serious muscle.”

  “Huh, yeah. Heard about you two.” Rat rolled his shoulders as if easing out the kinks there and when he stood up straight this time, he didn’t wince. Duke was impressed. Either the guy was a hell of an actor, because he had to have bust a couple of his ribs with that throw, or he healed real quick. “But we don’t have time for chit-chat. I broke cover because this is more important than my mission. Sellers found a way to cheat the Dragos enchantment.”

  He looked directly at Duke. “I’m afraid your mate is walking into a trap.”

  Fear galvanized Duke but he hid it deep down. Chase could take care of herself, at least until the cavalry got there. He nodded, motioning for Rat to lead the way. “Then what are we waiting for? Lead on, man.”

  It took them longer than Duke liked to cross half the city, where Rat lead them into the middle of an abandoned industrial estate. Duke knew the area, he’d flown over it many times. As far as he recalled from the news, the whole block was due for redevelopment soon.

  “Where are we going?” he demanded, as the half-demon led them deeper into the set of crumbling buildings. Rat stopped, yanked up a manhole cover and looked up.

  “To the lair.”

  Duke couldn’t help it, his gaze slid sideways to Ris. “Did Prince Charming here seriously just say ‘to the lair’?”

  Rat extended his middle finger. “Bite me, Scaley. You wanna rescue your girlfriend or not?”

  Talk stopped as they descended the manhole but rather than the drains Duke expected, it was as if they’d stepped into a hotel. Endless corridors with soft carpeting and low lighting. He stepped back and looked up. Yep, the rusty metal ladder led up the same concrete shaft they’d climbed down. It was like falling down the freaking rabbit-hole.

  “Shit.” Rat looked at the corridors with dismay. “This isn’t good. He’s moved faster than I thought. Come on.”

  He broke into a run, forcing them to follow him or get lost. Duke had to admit, the guy could really put on a turn of speed when he wanted. They raced down corridor after corridor until, finally, they reached what appeared to be a lobby area. The huge double doors in front of them were ornate, and closed.

  For all of a couple of seconds before they exploded outward, scattering dead and dying Red Caps all over the cream carpet. One rolled until it stopped by Rat’s foot. He kicked it away with a grimace.

  “Sorry guys, it looked like they started without us. How about we join the party?”

  CHAPTER TWELVE


  Duke took two steps toward the door but didn’t make it any further. A wave of emotion hit him so intense, he staggered backward under the weight of it. Love and loss, unbearable pain and grief hit him out of the blue. Instantly the two others were at his side, concern written over their faces.

  “Shit, man. You okay?” Ris asked, his gaze flicking over Duke, looking for visible wounds.

  “Yeah.” Duke managed a nod as another wave hit him. “Mental connection...to Chase.”

  He’d worked out within a heartbeat what the source of the emotion was. The link to his mate was wide open, and emotion poured right from her soul to his. He closed his eyes, sorting through the overwhelming deluge. One thing was apparent above all else.

  She loved him.

  The emotion was clear and stark, out there loud and proud. The kind of all-consuming pure emotion that most people had no idea how to handle. It was love without selfishness and, as he was quickly coming to realize, that was his mate through and through. Whatever she did, she did one hundred percent. Warmth spread out from his heart, working its way into every cell of his body.

  He loved her too. Not because something somewhere had decided that they were fated to be together, but for her. For the person she was—his brave courageous, stubborn mate. His heart lurched in his chest. His brave, stubborn mate...who was saying goodbye....

  “No!” He bellowed, shaking his two comrades off and running for the door. They were hot on his heels. So hot, in fact, that when he stopped dead in the doorway, both piled into his back. Ignoring their curses, he surveyed the scene in front of him.

  Somehow, Sellers had managed to cram a bloody castle in down here, and right now, there was a battle royal going on. In the middle of the floor, Sellers and Chase did battle. Duke was forced to suck a breath in to see his mate in all her glory.

  Barely ten feet apart, she and Sellers were hurling spells at each other faster than he could blink. At the same time, she maintained a shield behind herself to keep the rest of the Warlock’s minions off her back.

  Ris sucked a breath in. “Shiiiiit.... Remind me never to piss your girlfriend off. She’s one scary lady.”

  He had to agree. During his time with the PPA, he’d seen top notch Battle-Wardens fight but this was something else. The two combatants weren’t even chanting the spells, they were just pulling raw power from the witching to form and hurl at each other.

  It was obvious to see that Chase was the more experienced mage. Her spells were better formed, more complex and elegant. But it was also equally obvious that Sellers was more powerful, and only getting faster by the minute. He managed to get a solid hit in on Chase and she rocked back, the shield behind her shuddering.

  Duke’s breath caught in his throat. If that spell shield collapsed then the Red Caps and orcs would be all over her like a bad rash. She’d never survive that.

  “Move!” Duke yelled and launched himself across the floor. He had to get to her in time, and protect her back. Without needing to maintain that shield she had a better chance against Sellers.

  Taking two steps, he threw himself into the air. The change hit him instantly, his shadow form bursting from his human body. Opening his mouth, he roared in defiance, scattering Sellers’ minions in front of him. A burst of flame caught the stragglers, setting them alight. Turning in the air, he lashed out with his tail, sending them tumbling into the midst of their compatriots like bowling balls. Flaming bowling balls of fiery death.

  He slammed into the nearest pillar and used it to rebound off. His scales chittered, rustling against each other as he changed direction to land behind his mate. Pushing himself free from shadow, he let loose another long stream of flame on the creatures trying to get to Chase.

  Screams rose over the sound of the battle behind him as they died, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Still they came though, running through the green smoke that marked their brothers’ deaths to throw themselves at him. Duke wove an intricate dance in the space behind Chase, using everything at his disposal to cut down the incoming hordes. He lashed out with claws and his tail, adding fire and teeth when necessary to hold them back. He jumped and turned, bouncing from every surface—and the occasional troll that joined the fray—and nothing got past him.

  She cast him a look over her shoulder. What the hell are you doing, Duke? Get out of here!

  Not a chance, sweetness. He paused to snatch up an orc in his teeth. One crunch silenced its screams. He grimaced at the foul taste in his mouth and spat it back out, crushing at least two Red Caps with the body. We’re mates. We live or die together. Never apart, never again. I’ve never belonged anywhere like I belong to you. This life or the next, I’ll be at your side.

  Fucking idiot. Exasperation flooded his mind, direct from hers. But I love you anyway.

  Of course you love me, I’m adorable. He snorted, sucking in air to roast another group of orcs racing at him with axes raised, but even he knew the tide of battle wasn’t going their way. More and more of Sellers’ minions were piling in at the back of the hall and the spells behind him were getting faster. So fast that he knew Chase wasn’t going to be able to stop them all.

  “Rat!” he bellowed.

  Here, fighting for their lives, the guy had dropped all pretense of being just a pixie. His skin glowed red, demon runes scrawled over it under the ink he wore on his arms, and, if Duke caught a glance of him out of the corner of his eye, it seriously looked like the dude was sporting a set of horns and a tail Lucifer would be proud of.

  The demon turned, and nodded, making his way over to them with Ris trailing behind him. Even the Seer had upped his game, slinging spells nearly as fast as the two mages behind Duke. He wasn’t in the same league, that was plain to see, but he was more than lethal enough to take on the hordes of pain-in-the-assness in front of them.

  Knowing their backs were covered, Duke turned and slid in beside his mate as the Dragos threw a lightning bolt. Chase caught it halfway with a blocking spell, but the impact made her grunt. Deftly, Duke added his strength to hers, throwing off Sellers’ attacks.

  Together, remember? Opening himself and his magic, he fed it to her, letting her use everything they both had. She fought like a titan of lore, the spells zipping through her head ones he couldn’t even comprehend, but still it wasn’t enough. Still Sellers was faster, and they were taking more hits than they were giving. Strike after strike until all Chase could do was defend, going down to one knee under the weight of the attack.

  They were going to die.

  Pain in his heart, Duke wrapped his arms around his mate. To his left Ris was already down, eyes wide open as blood poured from more wounds than Duke could count. Rat still fought, shouting curses that exploded Red Caps and orcs alike. But even he couldn’t stop the hordes for long.

  Turning back, Duke looked down at his mate and smiled. At least her face would be the last thing he saw in this life. “I love you, sweetness.”

  Then he waited for the blow that would end their lives.

  A roar split the air in two like an axe falling. The ground beneath their feet rumbled and Duke clutched Chase close to him, looking around wide-eyed. What spell was this? What had Sellers done now? But the warlock looked as confused as he was, balancing on the remains of his stone altar like a surfer on a wave.

  The flames from the destroyed fire-baskets scattered around the dais flared into life. Higher and higher, as though fed by piping hidden in the floor. But no piping or trick could explain it when they fanned out, seeking each other and building to a solid wall of flame. Duke lifted his arm, shielding him and Chase as the fire grew brighter and brighter. They might be dragons, but they were born of shadow and the light was blinding.

  A figure formed in the middle of the inferno. Tall and curvy, feminine in stature. The figure became clearer and stepped from the flames. A young woman with flaming red hair and the golden eyes of a dragon. Ancient eyes that made Duke shiver just to look at them.

  But she wasn’t looki
ng at them. Instead, her attention latched onto Sellers.

  “Dragos!” Her voice wasn’t human. It was deep and terrible. Vengeance given voice and form. “You yield stolen magic not intended for you. You killed to gain power and the witching rejects you.”

  She strode toward the warlock. He backed up, spitting curses and incantations at her but none worked. As they hit, they slid off her skin like water from a duck’s back.

  “You can’t do this! I am Dragos,” he screamed. “I am the most powerful warlock the world has ever seen. I can do things with magic you can only dream o—”

  Sellers’ tirade cut off abruptly when she reached out, gripping empty air with her clenched hand. He clawed at his throat, his face going red, as though she had a physical hold around his throat.

  “You might be Dragos.” She smiled, and in that instant Duke decided that if he never saw a smile like that again in his lifetime, it would be too soon. “But I. Am. Dragon. I am magic and retribution personified. More than that, as it was my magic you stole...I am judge, jury…and your executioner.”

  Sellers moaned, terror stark in his eyes and leaking from his pores. “B...but, who are you?” he managed to choke out as the woman leaned toward him.

  “You can call me Baby,” she whispered, and snapped his neck.

  Silence fell. Duke dropped his head and felt the exhaustion that pulled at his body. Savored the novelty of not being attacked. Shit, that felt good. Now all he needed was a week’s sleep, a bath and a soft bed with his mate in it. Not necessarily in that order. First though...he looked up to find the woman looking at them through those strange eyes.

  Chase struggled from his arms, and tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t support her. Easily he caught her, helped her to her feet so she could approach the woman who had saved them. They didn’t make two steps before she stepped forward to meet them.