Devoured By Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  Tane sent her a puzzled frown. “Mistress?”

  She smiled. Not a particularly comforting sight with a set of pearly whites that a shark would envy.

  “I have evolved beyond the weaknesses of the flesh, but that does not mean I have forgotten the temptation.” The smile disappeared as fast as it had arrived. “Still, you have interfered in Commission business and that cannot be tolerated. Are you acquainted with Cezar?”

  Tane grimaced. The vampire had been condemned to becoming a slave to the Commission for two centuries for bedding a potential Oracle.

  “Not personally.”

  “You should make a point to meet him,” the demon informed him. “He can tell you what happens to vampires who taste of forbidden fruit.”

  Tane bent his head. “I will accept whatever punishment you feel appropriate, but Laylah is innocent.”

  “She is an abomination.”

  His fury flared through the room, knocking out the electricity and shattering a lamp on the mantel.

  “Through no fault of her own,” he gritted.

  She faced him without flinching despite the fact she was half his height and outweighed by two hundred pounds.

  Of course, she could probably toss his ass against the wall with a flick of her finger.

  “It is not the fault of an Urlenal demon that he drains the life of humans by simply being near them, but we keep them isolated.”

  “Laylah is not dangerous.”

  “She is unstable, like all Jinn mongrels.”

  His lips parted to argue only to snap shut as he remembered the Oracle could see into his mind. She would already know that Laylah had accidentally killed the cur in Hannibal. It might have been self-defense, but it still proved she couldn’t control her powers.

  Without thought he sank to his knees.

  Screw pride.

  He had to do something to keep Laylah from being exterminated. “Please,” he whispered.

  There was the rustle of the satin robe as Siljar stepped forward. “You would plead for the female?”

  “Yes.”

  “You are not mated.” She peered into Tane’s eyes that were nearly level with hers. “Not yet.”

  Not yet?

  Okay. Tane quickly filed away that potential time bomb with things not to think about.

  He bent his head, doing his best to look humble. Not one of his finer talents.

  “I only ask that she not be destroyed without being offered an opportunity to prove she means no harm.”

  The dark eyes narrowed. “She makes you vulnerable and yet you would protect her. Fascinating.”

  More like suicidal, but he couldn’t seem to stop the insanity.

  “May I ask what you intend to do with her?” he demanded, proving his point. “What we intended to do from the beginning.” “But…” “Silence.”

  His forehead hit the carpet as pain drilled into his brain. Holy … shit. It felt like someone had lit a blowtorch inside his skull.

  “Yes, mistress,” he managed to rasp.

  The pain abruptly disappeared and Tane groaned in bone deep gratitude. He might have suffered worse, but he couldn’t remember when. Not that he was given an opportunity to appreciate the shocking relief.

  Siljar’s small hand grabbed his mohawk and yanked his head up to meet her creepily pleasant smile.

  “Do you truly believe the Commission was not aware of the Jinn mongrel from the moment she was conceived?”

  He faltered. What the hell? Was she toying with him?

  Or was this a more dangerous game? “The law states they are to be destroyed.” Her gray brows lifted. “You seek to lecture me on the laws I proclaimed?”

  Careful, Tane.

  He wouldn’t be any use to Laylah dead. “No, only to understand.”

  She hesitated, as if debating whether to continue with the mind-splitting pain or simply rip open his throat. At last she released her grip on his hair and stepped back, neatly folding her hands in front of her.

  “It was determined that she is a principium.”

  He frowned as he met her fathomless gaze. “A what?”

  “A rare soul who is destined to play a pivotal role in the future of the world.”

  The floor seemed to shift beneath his knees.

  Damn.

  His strange sense of… premonition when he was with Laylah hadn’t been a delusion that he’d invented for an excuse to keep her near.

  He should be leaping for freaking joy.

  The Oracles had decided that Laylah was fated to be of use to them. Which meant that they had no intention of killing her. At least not until she’d fulfilled her mysterious destiny.

  Instead a cold ball of dread was lodged in the pit of his stomach.

  In his long life he’d learned that being important to the future of the world was never, ever a good thing.

  Martyrdom sucked for the actual martyr.

  “What does this pivotal role entail?” he rasped.

  “Do not take that tone with me.”

  He flinched at the trickle of power that stabbed through his brain, but he couldn’t back down.

  “Forgive me. I just …” He struggled and failed to find the words. “Need to know.”

  The pain faded until it was only a vague warning that he was treading near the edge of the Oracle’s goodwill.

  “Only a true prophet can read the future,” she said in that low, hypnotic voice. “But the importance of her birth was written in the stars.”

  “So you don’t intend to destroy her?”

  “Of course not. She is vital to our future.”

  His muscles twitched with the need to return to Laylah. “Then may I ask why you wished to meet with me?”

  “My reasons are twofold.”

  “Damn,” he muttered.

  She thankfully ignored his impatient outburst. “The first reason is to remind the vampires that the Commission is not to be trifled with. It was your duty to inform us of the mongrel, but instead you attempted to keep her hidden. You willfully ignored our laws and endangered others for your own pleasure. Obviously you need a reminder of the dangers of flaunting our authority.”

  “And the second?” he asked, trying not to consider his looming punishment.

  “To make sure you do not intend to interfere in Laylah’s destiny.”

  He was on his feet before he even realized he was moving. “Interfere?” “Precisely.”

  “I’ve done nothing but try to keep her pretty head attached to her neck,” he argued. “A job that should come with a sainthood, believe me.”

  Siljar wasn’t impressed. “You have imposed your will upon her, have you not?”

  He frowned, oddly offended by the accusation. “You don’t have to make me sound like Kim Jong-il.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Never mind.” Tane hunched a defensive shoulder. “I was only trying to protect her.”

  “She must be allowed to make her choices freely.”

  “Even if they put her in an early grave?”

  “If that is to be her fate.” The female held up a warning hand as Tane’s growl trickled through the room. “Do not be rash, vampire. The female is necessary to the world. You, however, are disposable.”

  His jaw clenched. He might be disposable, but he’d be damned if he was going to let Laylah be some sacrificial pawn.

  “You want me to abandon her to her fate?”

  Siljar tilted her head to the side. Like an inquisitive bird. Only with pointed teeth and enough power to destroy the world.

  “If I say yes?” she murmured.

  “Then I will admit that you’ll have to chain me to the wall or kill me to keep me away.”

  The demon heaved a sigh that sounded remarkably like the one all females heaved when confronted by a determined male.

  Or as they would say—a pigheaded, unreasonable, obstinate male. “Vampires.”

  “I can offer a compromise.”

  “You aren’t in a posi
tion to negotiate.”

  “Then I would ask a favor.”

  She stilled, as if intrigued by his words. “And you would be in my debt?”

  He should have hesitated. To be in the debt of this female was bound to come back and bite him in the ass.

  But, he nodded his head without missing a beat. “Yes.”

  “An intriguing thought.” She tapped a finger against the tip of her chin. “Of course, I could always command you to do whatever I want.” “You could.”

  There was a nerve-wracking silence before she gave a dip of her head. “I will hear your request.”

  “Allow me to remain with Laylah and I will swear not to … interfere.”

  Siljar made a sound of disbelief. “You cannot halt your obsessive need to protect her.”

  Okay. Valid point.

  There wasn’t a power in this world, or the next, that could force him to stand aside and watch Laylah being harmed.

  “Perhaps not, but you said that I was not to impose my will on her,” he plunged onward. “Not that I couldn’t keep her safe.”

  Her lower lip jutted as she considered his words. Then she gave a decisive shake of her head.

  “True, but it is doubtful you could recall the distinction. Should the female choose a path of danger you would feel compelled to halt her.”

  Desperate, Tane dropped to his knees once again. Dammit. He would beg until he lost his voice.

  “Mistress, I give my word.”

  “Yes.”

  Without warning, Siljar popped out of sight and reappeared a mere inch from his face. Tane jerked in surprise.

  “What the …?” Before he could react, the Oracle reached out to lay her tiny hand against his upper chest. An agonizing heat seared through his flesh, seeming to scorch to his very bones. Then a strange sensation of… well, there was no way to explain it but to say that something had shifted and locked into place. When at last she pulled back Tane glanced down to find his skin marred by a shimmering black tattoo that looked remarkably like a bolt of lightning. “Shit,” he breathed in shock. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing more than strengthen the ties that already bind you to Laylah.” She stepped back to study him with a hint of surprise. “Really, vampire, you should know better than to make a wish with a Jinn.”

  With a hiss he pressed a hand to the mark on his chest. It was one thing to have a tenuous connection to Laylah and another to be at her mercy.

  “You’ve enslaved me?”

  She flashed her terrifying teeth. “No, Tane. You did that all by yourself.”

  He so didn’t want to consider that disturbing tidbit.

  “Can the bond be broken?”

  “That is for Laylah to decide.”

  With a low growl, he rose to his feet. He hated to be jerked around. And he was beginning to suspect he’d just been played by an expert.

  “Are we finished?”

  Siljar’s smile widened as she calmly headed toward the door. “For now.” “What of my punishment?”

  The female never slowed. “I suspect the Jinn will offer a greater torture than I could ever devise.” Well, wasn’t that the god-awful truth? “Amen,” he muttered.

  “Of course if you do intend to stand as her protector I would suggest that you hurry.” “Hurry?”

  “She and her tiny companion left the estate just after we began our conversation.”

  “Shit.” Tane charged toward the door, yanking his dagger from the leather sheath at his lower back. “I’m going to kill that damned gargoyle.”

  Chapter 14

  “I’m going to kill that damned vampire,” Laylah muttered, jogging along the dirt path that was leading her away from Chicago.

  And Tane.

  The rat bastard.

  Gods. She had believed him. He’d assured her that she wasn’t in danger and like a gullible idiot she’d accepted his word.

  If it hadn’t been for Levet she would still be sitting in Styx’s office, meekly waiting to be handed over to the Oracle.

  Half an hour ago the tiny gargoyle had rushed into the room, his wings flapping and his tail twitching. A sure sign he was in a mood.

  But even prepared for some new disaster, Laylah was shaken when he’d started babbling about an Oracle and danger and shoving her disguise amulet into her hand as he told her to run.

  Laylah hadn’t hesitated. A good thing considering the moment she’d left Styx’s highly protected office she’d been nearly squashed by the thick power pulsing through the air. The Oracle was indeed there and no doubt waiting for her to be turned over.

  Putting her trust in Levet, she’d allowed the gargoyle to lead her out a hidden tunnel that had opened into the open fields behind the froufrou neighborhood. And since then she’d set a blistering pace, unable to do anything more than run and hope she could escape.

  Levet struggled to keep pace at her side. “Not that I do not fully share the need to exterminate the vampire race with extreme … what is the word?”

  “Prejudice?”

  “Oui, prejudice, but I thought you were fond of the cold-hearted leech?”

  Her gaze skimmed over the passing fields and distant farm homes that slumbered beneath the moonlight. It wasn’t yet midnight but the locals were already safely tucked in their beds.

  They were hardworking humans who believed in the theory that the “early bird” got the worm.

  “I suppose he’s proved himself useful on occasion,” she muttered.

  “Useful?” Levet waggled his thick brow. “Ooh la la, I wish I had such a useful companion.”

  Heat stained her cheeks at the vivid image of Tane poised above her as he thrust deep inside her. It had been ooh la la and then some.

  “Yeah, it’s all fun and games until they betray you,” she said, not bothering to hide her bitterness.

  Levet sent her a startled glance. “You believe he sent for the Oracle?”

  “I don’t know if he did it personally, but someone in the vampire lair must have contacted the Commission.” She tried and failed to smother the sharp jab of disappointment. “How else would they know I was here?”

  “I doubt a mere amulet would hide you from the Commission, ma petite,” Levet said, seeming oblivious to Laylah’s shock. “Their powers are formidable.”

  Laylah stumbled to an abrupt halt, her hand lifting to the small medallion hung about her neck. She’d been waltzing around with the assumption that the disguise amulet was keeping her hidden from all the nasties that prowled through the dark.

  Now Levet was revealing she wasn’t nearly as protected as she had assumed.

  “Are you saying that I’m out here hanging in the breeze?” she demanded, watching as Levet came to a reluctant halt and turned to meet her worried gaze.

  “It would depend upon the magical abilities of the one casting the spell,” he hedged. “Some are more powerful than others.”

  She shook her head. She would have to worry about the amulet later. For now she wanted to be pissed off at Tane.

  “Even if he didn’t call for the Oracle he should have done something to warn me I was in danger.”

  There was a rustle from a nearby tree and then a black shadow dropped into the center of the path. Laylah instinctively jerked backward, her power gathering as she prepared to strike out at the unexpected threat.

  Before she could launch her attack, however, the shadows dropped to reveal her personal pain-in-the-ass.

  “I clearly remember being told that I was an unnecessary interference in your life and that you were quite capable of taking care of yourself,” Tane drawled, twirling a large dagger in his hands.

  “Sacrebleu. I nearly turned you into a newt,” Levet snapped, waving a clenched fist in Tane’s direction. “A neutered newt.”

  Muttering a number of inventive names for vampires who rudely dropped into private conversations, Laylah’s powers dissipated as abruptly as they had arrived, leaving her with nothing more dangerous than a petulant scowl.
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br />   “Laylah?” he prompted, looking decidedly edible in nothing more than his khaki shorts with a massive sword strapped across his back.

  She forced herself to meet the honey gaze, not bothering to ask how he managed to be waiting for her. She might be fast, but she was no match for vampire speed. And with his ability to wrap himself in shadows, she had no warning he was lurking like a damned vulture.

  “You could have at least given me a heads up that one of the Board of Directors from hell was in the house.”

  He shrugged. “There is no way to outrun the Commission, my sweet.”

  Fury raced through her. Didn’t he even have the decency to pretend regret?

  “I’ve been doing a pretty damned good job of it until you came along,” she gritted. “Over two hundred years and not one Oracle sighting.”

  “Only because they allowed you to believe you had escaped their notice.”

  Her anger faltered. “What are you saying?”

  He slowly moved toward her, the dagger held loosely in his hand and bare feet barely stirring the dirt of the path.

  “They’ve known of you from the moment of your conception.”

  “But…” She cleared the sudden lump from her throat. “That’s impossible.”

  “Nothing is impossible for the Commission.” He held her gaze, willing her to believe his soft words. “They possess powers that make a sane demon shudder in horror.”

  The world tilted on its axis.

  She’d lived in fear of the Oracles since the day she was born.

  They were the boogiemen who gave her nightmares and ruined any hope of a “normal” life.

  To think that they hadn’t been after her at all…

  Trying to wrap her mind around the enormous implications, Laylah was distracted as he stepped into a pool of moonlight and a strange mark shimmered on his chest.

  “Shit.” She reached out to touch the tattoo that pulsed with obvious magic. “What did they do to you?”

  “It’s a…” He grimaced. “Reminder.”

  “A reminder of what?”

  “That I can’t control everything.”

  She slowly shook her head, a wrenching pain twisting her heart.

  “No. You were punished.” Her gaze lifted to meet the honey gaze that was shielded by his thick tangle of lashes. In that moment she hated the Commission more than she ever had. “You were punished because you helped me.”