Tane wasn’t satisfied. “Have you contacted the Oracles?”
Styx narrowed his gaze, ready and willing for a pissing match.
“Don’t press your luck, Charon.”
“Oh, for goodness sake, come with me Laylah.” Muttering under her breath at the stunning lack of intelligence among the male gender, Darcy hooked her arm through Laylah’s and tugged her toward the nearest door. “We’ll let the men huff and puff in privacy.”
Laylah allowed herself to be led away. Any distance between her and the King of Vampires was welcome. But as soon as they stepped out of the hangar, she gently tried to pull free.
“I can’t go with you.” She absently glanced around the isolated field that had been carved out of a thick tangle of oak trees. It was a perfect spring night with a sky filled with stars, but Laylah was more interested in the stretch limo waiting near the road and three combat-ready vampires that stood guard. Hell, she knew there were ridiculous rumors that she was dangerous. But seriously? She returned her attention to Darcy. “I have …” She stopped to consider her words. “Someone is waiting for me.”
Darcy smiled even as she hauled Laylah steadily toward the waiting car.
“At least join us for dinner,” she urged. “I’m afraid it will be vegetarian, but I have a fabulous cook who makes a veggie lasagna to die for.”
Before she could mouth a protest, Laylah found herself seated in the back of the elegant limo that could easily have hauled the Green Bay Packers.
“And to think I was afraid the Anasso would be ruthless,” she muttered in resignation.
The Anasso’s private study wasn’t what Tane had been expecting.
Not that he’d been thinking the room would be lined with the heads of his enemies and decorated with medieval torture devises. But the polished mahogany furniture and delicate Persian carpet seemed way too civilized for the most powerful vampire in the world.
On the plus side, the vast estate on the outskirts of Chicago was wrapped in a dozen spells and hexes with an entire horde of vampires patrolling the grounds.
Nothing and nobody was coming in or out without Styx’s say so.
For the moment Laylah was safe.
So why the hell was he pacing the pansy-ass carpet while battling the crazy impulse to tear through the monstrous house in search of the female?
Dammit. He’d encouraged Darcy to cart the reluctant Laylah off to enjoy a hot bath and dinner. He had business to discuss with Styx that was best done in private.
But now that they were alone in the study that was lead-lined and heavily shrouded in a cloaking spell, Tane couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the fact he couldn’t sense Laylah.
Even with her amulet on he’d been able to feel their strange connection. As if a part of her had burrowed someplace deep inside him.
He instantly jerked away from the unnerving thought. Nope. Not going there.
“Damn Tane, I feel like I’m standing in the middle of an electrical storm,” Styx growled, breaking into his dangerous thoughts.
With a grimace Tane turned to watch the large vampire scrub a hand over the back of his neck. Christ. He hadn’t realized his powers had been leaking.
“Sorry.”
Styx leaned against the reinforced desk, folding his arms over his chest.
“It wouldn’t be so disturbing if it didn’t border on pleasure,” he complained. “Even if I wasn’t mated, you’re not my type.”
“Right back at you, chief.”
Styx snorted, his fixed stare making Tane twitch. “I can hazard a guess at what your type is,” he at last said. “Don’t go there.”
“Pretty.”
Tane’s brows snapped together. “Gorgeous.”
“Spunky.”
“A pain-in-the-ass.”
There was a deliberate pause. “Forbidden.”
A cold dread settled in Tane’s gut. “Is the Commission aware of her presence?”
Styx’s expression tightened with concern. “Not from me, but that’s not to say they haven’t heard rumors of a half-breed. They won’t be pleased to discover a vampire has helped to keep her hidden from them.”
“I understand the risk.” “I doubt that.”
Tane narrowed his gaze. “Just what are you implying?”
“Your mind is clouded.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Trust me, Tane, I recognize a vampire whose judgment is being compromised by his obsession for a certain female.”
Tane had long ago learned to leash his hot temper. Nothing good happened when he let his anger control him. But, having his companion laying bare his uncharacteristic weakness was setting his teeth on edge.
“My judgment is not open for discussion.”
Styx straightened from the desk, moving with blinding speed to pin Tane against the towering bookcase.
“I decide what’s open for discussion, Charon,” he growled. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Intent on their private power play, neither vampire noticed the door being opened. Not until a strange sizzle filled the air. With synchronized curses, both males whirled toward the door. The sizzle was the same sensation that warned of a lightning strike.
And vampires and lightning didn’t mix.
Indifferent to the danger, Laylah stormed forward, her power making the lights flicker.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, facing the King of Vampires without fear.
Tane growled in appreciation, his gaze lingering on the soft flush that stained her ivory skin and the fire burning in her dark eyes.
She’d never been so beautiful.
A fiery warrior who charged to the rescue.
His rescue.
Astonishing.
He was feared, hated, and occasionally desired. But never, ever protected.
Not surprisingly Styx shot him a disbelieving glance before the scent of burnt wiring had him crossing to his desk.
“Damn, that computer was brand new.” He scowled at Tane, not hesitating to hold him responsible. “Her power isn’t nearly so fun as yours.”
Laylah blushed, but she refused to back down.
Typical.
“Why were you hurting Tane?”
Styx tossed the computer in the trash, his expression unreadable as he studied the bristling female.
“I need answers, Jinn,” he said slowly. “If I can’t get them from you then I’ll get them from Tane. Whether he’s willing or not.”
Tane waited for Laylah to tell the Anasso to go to hell.
What did she care if he got a bully-beat down?
She’d threatened to do it herself on more than one occasion.
Instead she folded her arms over her chest and glowered at Styx.
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Tell me what you know of your past.”
Tane clenched his hands. With Laylah in the room he could once again feel the connection between them. A double-edged sword as it turned out. While his fierce impulse to make sure she was unharmed had eased, he was acutely aware of her pain at Styx’s demand.
Still he kept his trap shut. As much as he might want to protect Laylah, he understood that the only means to keep her safe was to discover the truth of the child she sheltered.
“The first memories I have are of living on a farm in Australia with my foster mother,” she grudgingly revealed.
“A demon?”
“Witch.”
Styx narrowed his gaze at her clipped tone. “She was unkind to you?”
Tane edged closer as he sensed the sadness settle in Laylah’s heart.
“No, she loved me as if I truly was her daughter,” she said, her voice so soft it could barely be heard. “But if what I learned in London is true, then everything she said to me was a lie.”
Styx perched on the edge of the desk. “The most dangerous creature in the world is a mother protecting her cub. She will lie, cheat, kill, and even die if necessary. Wouldn’t you do the same?”
She frowned, as if considering Styx’s blunt words. At last she gave a nod, a portion of her betrayal seeming to ease.
“I suppose.”
“What happened to her?”
“One day I was collecting the herbs that Sadira used in her spells of illusion when I heard her scream.” Her very lack of emotion revealed the depth of her wounds. Any healing was a long way off. “I rushed back to our house but I was too late. She was …” She was forced to halt and clear her throat. “She was lying on the porch with her throat sliced open.”
“Dead?”
Laylah shuddered. “I’ve always assumed she was, there was so much blood, but I was captured by the mage before I could reach her.”
Styx shot Tane a warning glare as he instinctively stepped toward Laylah.
Reluctantly Tane came to a halt. They were at the mercy of the Anasso. For whatever reason, he was willing to at least listen to Laylah, but Tane didn’t fool himself. The moment Styx decided that she posed a danger to his vampires she would be sacrificed to the Oracles. No fuss. No muss.
“Victor said the wizard goes by the name Sergei,” Styx said.
Anger replaced her painful memories. “He never told me his name.” “What did he do to you?” “Styx,” Tane growled.
A sharp pain lashed through Tane as Styx punished him for his interference.
Just a tiny taste of what could be.
“The truth is all that will save her, Tane,” the king warned. Then, he snapped his attention back to Laylah.
“Well?”
Laylah stiffened, but she stubbornly refused to cower beneath the chilling gaze.
“I don’t know exactly how the mage knocked me out, but when I woke up I was locked in a cell in northern Siberia.”
“Siberia?” Tane echoed in surprise. “That’s a little remote, isn’t it?”
“Actually, it confirms what Victor has discovered about the mage,” Styx answered.
“Victor already has intel on the bastard?” Tane was impressed. “That was quick.”
“Victor is nothing if not efficient.”
Efficient?
Yeah. He was also a brutal, ruthless, stone-cold killer. It was no wonder the info superhighway had a direct route to his desk.
“What did he learn?”
“Sergei Krakov made his first appearance as a mystic in the royal court of Peter the Great.” Styx’s voice held the contempt all vampires held toward magic-users. “He provided himself with a life of luxury by producing a few minor ‘miracles’ and acting as a spiritual advisor, but from what Victor could uncover his true interest was in the ancient prophecies. His library is said to rival Jagr’s.”
“That’s saying something,” Tane murmured. It was rumored the ancient Goth’s library had over twenty thousand books and scrolls.
“The mage is convinced he’s destined to lead the world into a new era,” Styx continued with a grimace. “Whatever the hell that means.”
Tane rolled his eyes. Every half baked tyrant claimed to possess the ability to lead the world into a new era.
Laylah, however, pressed a hand to her chest, the scent of her fear spiking the air.
“The baby,” she breathed. “He and my bat-shit crazy aunt think they can use the child to reincarnate the Dark Lord.”
Styx nodded, clearly having been given a blow by blow account of Laylah’s encounter with Marika from Victor.
“Where did the child come from?”
“I’m not entirely certain.” She lifted a hand as Styx’s eyes flashed with frustration. “Chill.”
Styx arched a brow. “Chill?”
“You have that look that says you’re planning to lecture me on keeping secrets … yadda, yadda, yadda.”
“I never lecture,” Styx tried to deny, only to backtrack at Tane’s sharp burst of laughter. “I may encourage others to see things from my point of view.”
“Well don’t bother with your encouragements,” Laylah said. “I spent my time with the mage either locked in a cell or so tightly wrapped in spells I could barely sense my surroundings.”
“There must be something you remember,” Styx prompted.
“I remember the mage entering the cell one morning and then the world went black.” She rubbed her hands over her bare arms, as if she were suddenly cold. “When I woke up I was in a dark, frozen cave.”
“A cave?” Styx frowned. “Where?”
Laylah lifted a shoulder. “I think it was north of where we were staying, but I can’t say how far. I could probably find it if I shadow walked.”
Styx and Tane exchanged silent glances. No one would leave a child that was rumored to possess a part of the Dark Lord lying around a cave.
No matter how remote.
“Were there any markings in the cave?” Styx asked.
She shook her head. “No, nothing but the mist.”
Tane absently stroked the hilt of his dagger. “The same mist you used to take us to London?”
“In a way. When I enter the mists I sense a …” She halted, wrinkling her brow as she struggled for the right word. “Corridor. Like a highway at the edge of different worlds. This was more a bubble.”
“As if it was self-contained?” Styx demanded.
“Exactly,” Laylah agreed, clearly surprised by Styx’s accurate description.
Tane didn’t blame her.
Styx was so good at flexing his brawn that it was easy to forget he had a brain. He did it on purpose, of course. He liked for others to underestimate him. Tane turned toward Styx. “Do you know where it is?” “No, but I suspect I know what it is.” “Are you going to share?”
Styx shrugged. “I’ve only heard rumors, but it’s said that full-blooded Jinn are capable of creating small fissures between worlds to hide their treasures.”
Chapter 11
Laylah pressed a hand to her churning stomach. She didn’t want to discuss the child. Especially not with a vampire who had yet to prove he wasn’t preparing to hand her over to the Oracles.
Still, she had to admit that she needed information if she were going to protect the baby.
“It would explain why they needed a Jinn mongrel,” Tane said, crossing his arms over his bare chest.
Styx nodded, his gaze never wavering from Laylah. Did the Anasso suspect she would disappear the moment she had the strength to shadow walk?
If he didn’t he was an idiot.
“Was there anything but the child in the mist?”
She forced herself to think back to her time in the cave. She remembered the cold. The sort of cold that made her lungs ache. And the sense of barren emptiness, as if they were a great distance from the nearest town.
Then the mage had shoved her forward and she had tumbled into the swirling mist.
At the time she’d been terrified. She’d only shadow walked a handful of times and she’d briefly thought he had shoved her through the corridor and into another world.
“No.” She shuddered, knowing that it probably would have been best if she’d left the baby where it had been hidden.
But how could she?
Even now she was convinced the child had reached out to touch her heart. Either that or she was a raving lunatic. A distinct possibility.
“Pity,” Styx murmured, his brow furrowed. “It would have been nice if we had a clue to who stashed the child in the fissure.”
“Surely it was a Jinn?” Tane challenged.
“Not necessarily.” Styx held Laylah’s gaze. “The Dark Lord …”
“The child is not evil,” she interrupted, her hands clenched at her side. “How can you be so certain?” “I just know.”
Styx didn’t roll his eyes, but then again, he looked far from convinced. Big shocker there. “I just know “ wasn’t exactly a foolproof guarantee.
Thankfully he didn’t press.
“So you took the babe from the mists.” He picked up the previous thread of conversation. “Then what happened?”
“Sergei
returned us to his home and locked me back in my cell with the child.”
Styx pushed from the desk, not seeming to notice how he towered over her.
At least she assumed the looming was unintentional. Who knew with vampires?
“After going to such an effort to get his hands on the babe why would he leave it with you?” he rasped.
Laylah hesitated before grudgingly revealing the truth. “Because he’s afraid of the stasis spell that’s wrapped around the baby. As far as I know I’m the only one who can touch it.”
Tane moved to stand next to Styx. Laylah’s breath tangled in her throat.
Talk about an overabundance of riches.
Even furious with the vampires for their interfering, she was female enough to appreciate the sight of two of the finest beefcakes to ever walk the earth.
The tall Aztec with his forbidding beauty and unnerving power. And the bronzed, honey-eyed hunk who made a woman think of hot, tropical nights and exotic sex.
Lots and lots and lots of sex.
Tane shot her a knowing glance, but he was smart enough to keep any smartass comments to himself. “It could have been a trigger,” he said instead. “Yes,” Styx agreed.
Laylah shook off her strange fascination. “What’s a trigger?”
“The most powerful demons can twist a spell to either recognize a specific person or a specific occurrence,” Tane explained. “It could be that the spell was woven to bind the child to the first person to enter the mists.”
Laylah had never heard of such a power, but then again, her foster mother had kept a lot of things hidden.
She thrust aside the memory of Sadira’s pretense as she attempted to teach Laylah magic. All along she knew that her powers were that of a gypsy, not a witch.
Later she would sort through her tangled emotions.
“Whatever the cause, it made the mage nuts,” she said. “I could hear his tantrum through the solid iron walls.”
A cold smile touched Styx’s mouth. “Is that when he let you go?”
“Are you kidding me?” Laylah scoffed. “The bastard never let me go. A few weeks after I found the baby Sergei suddenly got spooked.” She abruptly held up her hand as his lips parted with the predictable questions. “Don’t ask me why. We weren’t best buds who spent our nights braiding each others’ hair and sharing our intimate secrets. One night he came into the cell and knocked me out.” She shrugged. “I woke up in Rome.”
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