The Black Dagger Brotherhood Novels 1-4
Page 39
Chapter Fifty-four
Darius looked around himself. The peaceful mist of the Fade had dissolved, revealing a courtyard of white marble. From a fountain in the center, water fell in a twinkling dance, catching the diffused light and sending it back out in flashes. Songbirds called sweetly, as if both welcoming him and announcing his arrival.
So this place actually exists, he thought.
“Good day, Darius, son of Marklon.”
He dropped to his knees without turning around and lowered his head. “Scribe Virgin. You honor me with an audience.”
She laughed softly. As she stepped in front of him, the hem of her black robes came into his view. The glow spilling out from under the silk was as bright as direct sunlight.
“Darius, how could I refuse? It is the first congregation you have ever asked for.” He felt something brush his shoulder, and the hair on the back of his head tingled. “Rise, now. I would see your face.”
He got to his feet, towering over the slight figure. He kept his hands clasped in front of him.
“So the Fade is not to your liking, princeps?” she asked. “And you want me to send you back?”
“I humbly tender such a request, if it would not offend. I have waited the required period. I would see my daughter. Just once. If it would not offend.”
The Scribe Virgin laughed again. “I must say, you make a better presentation than your king. Quite a way with words that warrior has not.”
There was a pause.
He used the time to think of his brothers.
How he missed Wrath. Missed them all.
But the one he wanted to see was Beth.
“She is mated,” the Scribe Virgin said abruptly. “Your daughter, she is taken by a worthy male.”
He closed his eyes, knowing not to question. Dying to hear. Hoping his Elizabeth would be happy with whatever mate she had chosen.
The Scribe Virgin seemed delighted at his silence. “Look at you, ne’er a query in sight. Such control you have. And for your etiquette, I would tell you what you pine to know. It is to Wrath. Who is ascending. Your daughter is queen.”
Darius dropped his head, not wanting to reveal his emotions, not wanting her to see his tears. Perhaps she would think he was weak.
“Oh, princeps,” the Scribe Virgin said softly. “Such joy and sadness in your breast. Tell me, the company of your sons in the Fade is not enough to feed your heart?”
“I feel as if I have left her behind.”
“She is no longer alone.”
“That is good.”
There was a pause. “And still you wish to see her?”
He nodded.
The Scribe Virgin moved away, over to the collection of birds that sat, trilling and happy, on a white tree with white blooms.
“What do you wish for, princeps? Are you seeking a visitation? Something quick? In her dreams?”
“If that would not offend.” He kept his words formal because she deserved the reverence. And because he hoped it would sway her.
The black robes moved and a glowing hand emerged. One of the birds, a chickadee, hopped onto her finger.
“You were killed in a dishonorable fashion,” she said, stroking the tiny bird’s chest. “And after having served the race well for centuries. You were an honorable princeps and a fine warrior.”
“That my deeds pleased you gives me great reward.”
“Indeed.” She whistled to the bird. The bird whistled back, as if answering. “What say you, princeps, if I were to offer more than you have asked for?”
Darius’s heart beat faster. “I would say yes.”
“Without knowing the gift? Or the sacrifice?”
“I trust in you.”
“And why could you not be king?” she asked wryly, putting the bird back. She faced him. “Here is what I offer you. Life anew. An intersection with your daughter. A chance to fight once more.”
“Scribe Virgin…” He went down to the floor again. “I accept, knowing I do not deserve such favors.”
“I will not hold you to that answer. Here is what you will sacrifice. You will have no conscious memory of her. You will not be as you are now. And I require one token of faculty.”
He didn’t know what the last one was, but he wasn’t about to ask.
“I accept.”
“Are you sure? Do you not want time to consider this further?”
“Thank you, Scribe Virgin. But my choice is made.”
“So be it.”
She came over to him and those ghostly hands emerged from the black robe. At the same time, the veil over her face lifted of its own accord. The light was so blinding he could see nothing of her features.
As she took hold of his jaw and the back of his head, he trembled in the face of her strength. She could have crushed him on a whim.
“I give you life anew, Darius, son of Marklon. May you find what you seek in this incarnation.”
She pressed her lips to his, and he felt the same shock he had when he’d died. All his molecules exploding, his body splintering into air, his soul set free and soaring.
Chapter Fifty-five
Mr. X opened his eyes and saw a bunch of hazy, vertical lines. Bars?
No, they were chair legs.
He was lying on a rough pine floor. Sprawled out on his stomach. Under a table.
He lifted his chin and his vision went blurry again. God, my head aches like it was cracked wide open—
Everything came back. Fighting the Blind King. Getting hit by the female with something hard. Falling down.
While the Blind King had struggled with his gunshot wounds, and the female had been focused on her mate, Mr. X had crawled away to the minivan. He’d driven even farther out of town, to the mountains at Caldwell’s very edge. By some miracle, he’d found his cabin in the dark and had barely managed to get himself inside before collapsing.
God only knew how long he’d been out cold.
Small windows in the log walls let in the early dawn glow. Was it the morning after? Somehow, he didn’t think it was. He felt as if he’d lost days.
Moving his arm around carefully, he reached for the back of his head. The injury was raw, but closing.
With concentration and effort, he managed to drag himself upright so he was leaning against the table. He actually felt a little better with his head elevated.
He was lucky. Lessers could be permanently incapacitated from serious blows or gunshots. Not dead, but ruined. Over the decades, he’d found a number of his fellow members flopping around in hidden places, rotting, unable to heal back into fighting shape, too weak to stab themselves into oblivion.
He looked at his hands. They had the dried blood of the Blind King on them and dirt from the barn’s floor.
He had no regrets that he’d run from the scene. Sometimes, the best move a leader could make was to disengage from battle. When casualties were too high, and loss was virtually assured, the intelligent maneuver was to withdraw and fight another day.
Mr. X dropped his arms. He was going to need more time to recover, but he had to get hold of his men. Leadership vacuums in the Society were dangerous. Particularly for the Fore-lesser in charge.
The door to the cabin swung open and he looked up, wondering how he would defend himself before realizing it was too close to daylight for the intruder to be a vampire.
What filled the jambs made his black blood run cold.
The Omega.
“I’ve come to help you recover,” it said with a smile.
As the door shut, Mr. X’s body trembled.
Help from the Omega was more terrifying than any death sentence.
Epilogue
“The Tomb’s mansion. I’m telling you, that’s where we should go,” Tohr said, as he stabbed some roast beef off the silver tray Fritz held out to him. “Thanks, man.”
Beth looked over at Wrath, thinking that in the month since he’d been shot, he’d fully recovered. He was healthy and strong. Formidable as a
lways. Arrogant. Loving. Impossible and irresistible.
As he settled back in his chair at the head of the table, he reached for her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb.
She smiled at him.
They’d been living in her father’s house while he recovered, working on plans for the future. And every night, the brotherhood came for dinner. Fritz was beside himself with glee from all the people coming and going.
“You know, that’s a damn good idea,” V said. “I could really wire that place tight. It’s isolated enough on that mountain. And built of stone, so it’s fireproof. If we throw some retractable metal shutters across all the windows, we could move around during the day. Which was a critical weakness in this house when…” He stopped. “And doesn’t it have extensive underground rooms? We could use them for training.”
Rhage nodded. “The place is also big enough. We could all live there without killing each other.”
“That depends more on your mouth than any floorplan,” Phury said with a grin. The warrior shifted in his chair, making room for Boo on his lap.
“What do you think?” Tohr asked Wrath.
“It’s not my call. As those buildings and facilities were Darius’s holdings, they have now passed to Beth.” Wrath looked at her. “Leelan? Would you consider letting the brothers use one of your houses?”
One of her houses. Her houses. As someone who’d never even owned an apartment, she was having a little trouble coming to terms with everything that was now hers. And it wasn’t only real estate. Art. Land. Cars. Jewelry. And the money she controlled was insane.
Fortunately, V and Phury were sharing their in-depth knowledge about the stock market with her. As well as teaching her about the ins and outs of bonds. T-bills. Gold. Commodities. They were amazingly good with money.
And very, very good to her.
She looked down the table at the men. “Whatever the brotherhood needs, they can have.”
There was a rumble of gratitude, and wineglasses were lifted to her in salute. Zsadist left his on the table, but nodded in her direction.
She glanced at Wrath. “Except don’t you think that we should live there, too?”
“You’d want to do that?” he asked. “Most females would prefer their own place.”
“It is mine, remember? Besides, these are your closest advisers, the people you trust more than any others. Why would you want to be separated from them?”
“Hold up,” Rhage said. “I thought we’d agreed we wouldn’t have to live with him.”
Wrath shot a glare at Hollywood and then looked back at her. “You’re sure about this, leelan?”
“There’s safety in numbers, right?”
He nodded. “But more exposure, too.”
“We’d be in very good company, though. There is nobody I’d rather have protecting us than these wonderful men.”
“’Scuse me,” Rhage interjected. “Is everyone else here in love with her?”
“Hell, yeah,” V said, tipping his Red Sox hat. “Totally.”
Phury nodded. “And if she lives with us, we get to keep the cat.”
Wrath kissed her and looked at Tohr. “Guess we’ve got ourselves a home.”
“And Fritz will come, too,” Beth said, as the butler walked into the room. “Won’t you? Please?”
The butler seemed tickled pink to be included, and he eyed the brothers with happiness. “Anywhere for you and the king, mistress. And the more to care for, the better.”
“Well, we’re going to have to get you some help.”
V spoke up, addressing Wrath. “Listen, about the cop. What do you want to do with him?”
“Are you asking because he’s a friend of yours or a threat to us?”
“Both.”
“Why do I have a feeling you’re going to suggest something?”
“Because I am. He should come with us.”
“Any particular reason?”
“I have dreamed of him.”
The table fell silent.
“Done,” Wrath said. “But dreams or not, he bears watching.”
V nodded. “I will accept that responsibility.”
As the brothers started to make plans, Beth stared at her husband’s hand in hers, feeling an absurd urge to cry.
“Leelan?” Wrath said softly. “You okay?”
She nodded, marveling that he could read her so easily.
“I’m very okay.” She smiled at him. “You know something, right before I met you I was looking for an adventure.”
“Were you?”
“And I got more than that. I got a past and a future. A whole…life. Sometimes I don’t know how to handle the good fortune. I just don’t know what to do with it all.”
“Funny, I feel the same way.” Wrath took her face in his hands and put his lips on hers. “And that’s why I kiss you so often, leelan.”
She put her arms around his wide shoulders and nuzzled his lips with her mouth.
“Oh, man,” Rhage said. “Are we going to have to watch them smooch all the time?”
“You should be so lucky,” V muttered.
“Yeah.” Rhage sighed. “All I want is one good female. But I guess I’ll settle for quantity until I find her. Life just sucks, doesn’t it?”
There was a rolling swell of laughter. Someone pitched a napkin.
Fritz brought in dessert.
“Please, if you would,” the butler said, “no throwing the linens. Peaches, anyone?”
About the Author
J. R. Ward lives in the South with her incredibly supportive husband and her beloved golden retriever. After graduating from law school, she began working in health care in Boston and spent many years as chief of staff of one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. Writing has always been her passion, and her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing but her computer, her dog, and her coffeepot.
Visit her and the Brotherhood at www.jrward.com.
Praise for USA Today bestselling author
J. R. Ward’s dazzling debut
Dark Lover
The first novel in the Black Dagger
Brotherhood series
“A fabulous treat for romance readers!”
—Nicole Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Fantasy
“An awesome, instantly addictive debut novel. It’s a midnight whirlwind of dangerous characters and mesmerizing erotic romance. The Black Dagger Brotherhood owns me now. Dark fantasy lovers, you just got served.”
—Lynn Viehl, USA Today bestselling author of Private Demon
“It’s not easy to find a new twist on the vampire myth, but Ward succeeds beautifully. This dark and compelling world is filled with enticing romance as well as perilous adventure. With myriad possibilities to choose from, the Black Dagger Brotherhood series promises tons of thrills and chills.”
—Romantic Times (4½ stars, Top Pick)
“Even if you are so over vamps, think there is no new way to tell a story, or need a break from the same old thing, pick this one up! If you read only one paranormal this year, make it Dark Lover.”
—All About Romance
“This is the first installment in what promises to be a spectacular new series. Ms. Ward has created an edgy, dangerous, and sexy band of brothers that will rock your world…. If Dark Lover is any indication of what readers have in store, Ms. Ward will have us begging for more. Lovers of the genre will not want to miss this talented new author!”
—The Best Reviews
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,
Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi-110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany,
Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © Jessica Bird, 2006
All rights reserved
SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ISBN: 1-101-12854-2
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.