Devoured By Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  “We can discuss it never,” he growled, heading for the door. Obviously the Anasso had lost his damned mind. “Now I’m going to join my mate before you suggest I become a translator for the hellhounds.”

  Styx chuckled. “I’ll have dinner sent to your room at dusk.”

  Tane glanced over his shoulder. “Make sure there’s German chocolate cake. Laylah loves cake.”

  “I did not become the most powerful mage in the world to tromp through damp woods,” Sergei whined, looking decidedly worse for the wear with his hair hanging loosely around his thin face and his expensive clothing stained beyond repair. “My shoes are completely ruined.”

  Marika was no happier when Sergei’s spell finally picked up Laylah’s trail only to discover it led her straight back to the lair of the Anasso.

  The one place certain Marika couldn’t follow.

  Aggravating little bitch.

  But whatever her annoyance, she was too wise to reveal any lack of confidence in her ultimate glory in front of the Sylvermyst that she’d commanded to surround and keep watch on the Chicago estate.

  It was bad enough that their leader, Ariyal, had disappeared during their battle with the wood sprites. The ridiculous fey had been convinced that it was a bad omen. She wasn’t going to have Sergei’s petulant behavior further undermine their belief in her leadership.

  A pity she still had need of the idiot.

  She would take great pleasure in offering him as a public sacrifice.

  “Shut up, you moron,” she hissed, standing near the edge of the tree line, trusting that Sergei’s cloak of concealment would keep them hidden from the Anasso’s Ravens. “You have done nothing but complain since leaving London.”

  His lips thinned with childish resentment. “I possess a fragile constitution.”

  “You are an embarrassment to mages everywhere,” Marika mocked. “Even the fey consider you a spineless fool.”

  “Ah yes, your precious Sylvermyst.” He glanced toward the slender warriors who were nearly impossible to see among the dark shadows of the trees. “Tell me, Marika, just where is Ariyal?”

  Her expression revealed none of her fury at Ariyal’s vanishing act.

  Or the suspicion he wasn’t as dedicated to the cause as he pretended to be.

  “He was obviously captured or killed.”

  “Or he switched sides.”

  Her tongue toyed with the tip of her fang. A reminder that for all of Sergei’s magical abilities, she could kill him with one strike.

  “Jealous, Sergei?”

  “Jealous of a fey who spent endless centuries playing whore to Morgana le Fey?” His disdainful tone didn’t entirely hide his edge of envy. Ariyal hadn’t bothered to conceal his amusement at the mage’s superior attitude. The fey was a natural leader of his people who had no need of magical tricks to gain respect. “Not hardly.”

  Marika laughed with cruel enjoyment. “He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.”

  “He’s a demon whose loyalty is for sale to the highest bidder,” the mage snapped. “Be careful, my dear. He might be using your own army to betray you.”

  The fact that the fear had crossed her mind more than once infuriated Marika.

  She regarded him with a cold glare. “The only traitor in my employ is you, mage.”

  Sergei was an arrogant ass, but he wasn’t suicidal. Dropping the subject he instead glanced toward the house that was guarded by a dozen vampires.

  “How long do you intend to wait here?”

  “As long as Laylah and the babe remain.”

  “They could stay in the Anasso’s lair for the rest of eternity.”

  “Then we wait.”

  Biting back his angry words, Sergei turned to pace through the thick undergrowth, his hands clenched at his side.

  Marika left him to his pouting, returning her attention to the Anasso’s lair. If Laylah had any sense she would remain in the protection of the King of Vampires, but she’d already proven she was willing to take ridiculous risks when it came to protecting the child.

  Eventually she would find some need to leave.

  And when she did, Marika would be prepared.

  She wouldn’t escape again.

  It was nearing midnight when Sergei abruptly fell to his knees, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. “Bloody hell,” he gritted.

  Marika whirled to study him with displeasure. “What is it now?”

  “Someone just entered the cave in Siberia.” “What cave?”

  Slowly he lifted his head. “The one where I found the child.”

  Marika watched the mage climb to his feet, unease stirring in her heart.

  “How do you know?”

  “I set alarms in case there was any unwanted interest.”

  “It could be an animal or an overly curious human.”

  He shook his head. “No, the spell was cast to ignore the mundane intruders, even if they could penetrate the natural barriers.”

  “So it’s a demon?”

  She paced across the uneven ground, the sense of foreboding knotting her stomach.

  There was no reason for a demon to be roaming in such a frozen, desolate cave. Even those who preferred the cold avoided the area that was riddled with active volcanoes and a barren lack of prey.

  “Or a magic user,” Sergei added.

  She halted, a dark suspicion spreading through her like poison.

  “Laylah,” she breathed.

  Sergei frowned. “I have no way of knowing for sure.” Marika had no doubts.

  The worthless bit of baggage was just like her mother.

  Stubborn, rebellious, and refusing to concede gracefully to her inevitable fate.

  Thankfully, Marika would soon have the mongrel in her hands. Then she would teach the child how to obey her betters. No matter how much pain it took.

  A smile of anticipation curled her lips.

  She liked teaching people to obey her.

  “It’s her,” she said with absolute confidence.

  “It makes no sense.” Sergei waved his hands in confusion. “Why would she travel to an empty cave in the frozen mountains of Siberia?”

  “She must have discovered some information of the child,” Marika reasoned, glaring toward the mansion. It was infuriating that Laylah could use her powers to sneak away. “What if the bitch seeks to call the Dark Lord herself?” Turning her back on Sergei, she headed toward the nearest Sylvermyst. “We must go.”

  The mage stumbled to catch up to her long strides. “Marika, wait.”

  “We have no time to lose.”

  “Have you considered the possibility this is a trap.”

  Marika came to an abrupt halt, stabbing Sergei with a suspicious glare.

  “Trap?”

  “How better to get you off the trail than to send you half a world away?” he said, clearly desperate to avoid an uncomfortable journey to northern Siberia.

  She tapped her tongue on the point of one fang, considering his logic. She hadn’t lived so long by being impulsive.

  Or stupid.

  At last she continued her path to the copper-haired Sylvermyst she’d taken as her most recent lover. He was second to Ariyal, but far more … malleable.

  Her steps faltered at the stinging memory of Ariyal’s rejection of her advances. He hadn’t even pretended that he found her anything but a means to an end.

  Angrily she squashed the image.

  The bastard was no doubt in his grave.

  A pity considering he was by far the most powerful of the Sylvermyst and their undoubted leader, but hardly a disaster.

  Marika was a master at turning any situation to her advantage.

  “No, they couldn’t possibly have known that you had cast a spell to alert you to trespassers,” she said, her firm tone revealing she wasn’t going to argue the point.

  Sergei swore, hurrying to catch up. “Then what if it’s a random demon who strayed into the cave?” he demanded. “By the time we realize o
ur mistake the Jinn could leave this lair and be long gone.”

  “Not with our newfound friends.” She halted directly before Tearloch, her fingers stroking down the smooth skin the color of rich cream. “We can search the cavern and return before Laylah could possibly escape.”

  “We’re going to regret this,” Sergei muttered.

  “Remain here if you wish, coward.” With a firm grip Marika led the impassive Tearloch deeper into the woods, away from any prying eyes. She didn’t intend to give Laylah the opportunity to realize that she was about to have surprise visitors. “I won’t allow anyone to steal the glory that should be mine.”

  Leading her companion toward the small clearing, Marika ignored Sergei as he trailed behind them, tripping over the underbrush as he struggled through the dark.

  “Marika, wait,” he urged as she linked her hand with the Sylvermyst and prepared to travel through his portal. “I thought I saw that idiotic gargoyle …”

  At the end of her patience, Marika turned to grab him by the hair, yanking him close as a shimmering hole formed in front of them.

  “Another word and I’ll rip out your tongue.”

  Chapter 20

  Tane didn’t have memories of his life before waking up as a vampire.

  His body, however, had retained an instinctive love for the warm beaches and tropical scents of the South Pacific. Who wouldn’t prefer to swim in a moon-drenched ocean than huddle by a fire in a damp lair?

  Which made the arrival at the frozen cavern in the Kamchatka Peninsula all the more unpleasant.

  Gods. He thought nothing could be worse than traveling through the strange mists between worlds. Until Laylah had tugged his hand, and they’d landed on the narrow ledge of a mountain that overlooked …

  A frozen wasteland.

  That smelled of sulfur.

  His nose wrinkled at the pungent aroma of distant geysers that warned of volcanic activity. It would be just his luck one of the damned things would blow while they were there.

  At least he was impervious to the cold.

  Unlike Laylah who had wrapped herself in a dark cloak that provided cover for the baby she held in her arms. She’d also pulled on fur-lined boots that protected her feet from the ice-covered ground.

  Tane’s only concession was a T-shirt that was tight enough not to impede his movements and khaki pants that covered the daggers he had holstered at both ankles, one at his side, and another at his lower back. He’d also strapped the Sylvermyst sword to his back and had a handgun tucked in his pocket.

  He hated to be underdressed when he came to a fight.

  Of course, there was always the tiny hope that he could convince Laylah to return to Styx’s lair before they were attacked yet again.

  His lips twisted.

  Naw.

  His luck wasn’t that good.

  A blast of frigid air slammed into them, whipping at Laylah’s cloak and nearly tumbling her over the edge of the sharp cliff.

  Cursing the godforsaken mountain, the cold, and the stubbornness of Jinn mongrels, he grabbed her shoulders and hauled her backward, careful not to disturb the bundle in her arms.

  “Are you sure you didn’t take us into a hell dimension,” he accused directly into her ear.

  Pulling free of his grasp, she turned with a wry smile. “It’s bleak, but there’s a harsh beauty if you look for it.”

  Much like him. She didn’t have to say the words out loud.

  “And you’re an expert at finding beauty in the most unlikely places, are you not, my sweet?”

  She flashed a smug smile. “I know a good thing when I see it.”

  “Only after I held you captive and forced you to accept that I was destined to be yours.”

  Her magnificent eyes sparkled with a teasing glow. “How do you know I wasn’t playing hard to get?”

  A poignant warmth tugged at his heart. When he’d first encountered Laylah she’d been filled with a bitter resentment and a fear that was grinding her into a mere shell of herself.

  A portion of the fear remained, of course. It wouldn’t go away until the child was safe.

  But the bitterness had faded, replaced with a contentment that made Tane preen with a smug pleasure.

  He was willing to take full credit for her budding happiness.

  “Because what I admire most about you is your refusal to be anything or anyone but who you are. Your honesty is…” He shuddered at the endless years of lies and deceptions that had marked his relationship with Sung Li. “A blessing.”

  “Really?” Her expression was wicked. “I have other blessings to offer.”

  He growled low in his throat. “Haven’t you learned that it’s dangerous to tease a vampire?”

  “But it’s so much fun.”

  He captured her lips in a fierce, painfully brief kiss before pulling back and glancing toward the narrow opening of the cave.

  Beyond the entrance, he could sense several tunnels that zigzagged down into the depths of the mountain.

  “We have to do this?”

  “Yes.”

  “There’s nothing for miles not even a frost fairy.” With a grimace she headed toward the cave, slipping through the entrance. “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

  Staying close to her side, Tane pulled his sword free, prepared for the inevitable attack. “I don’t like it.”

  “I can’t say I’m crazy to be back here either, but I have to find the truth of Maluhia.” “And then what?”

  She headed straight for the nearest tunnel, leading him down the roughly carved steps.

  “If it’s safe I intend to find someone to release him from the stasis spell.”

  Tane stumbled to a halt as they entered another small cavern. This one just as bleak and frigidly unwelcoming as the one above.

  “Hell,” he muttered.

  Laylah turned to regard him with concern. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just realized I’m going to be a …” His tongue faltered over the unfamiliar word. “Dad.” He scowled as her laughter broke the ominous atmosphere that shrouded the long forgotten caves. “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m trying to imagine you coaching the T-ball team.”

  He smiled, tugging open Laylah’s cloak to reveal the child she held in her arms.

  Vampires could procreate in their own way. Some even felt a parent/child bond with the “offspring” they created, but Tane had never considered creating a foundling.

  Hell, he hadn’t wanted a mate.

  He’d already royally screwed up one relationship; he didn’t feel the need for a repeat performance.

  Until Laylah.

  And now Maluhia.

  They were a family.

  His family.

  And he would die to protect them.

  “Perhaps not T-ball,” he grudgingly admitted. What was T-ball? “But, I can teach him to hide his presence when he’s stalking his prey and how to kill with his bare hands and …”

  “Enough,” she laughingly protested, shaking her head.

  “What?”

  She glanced down at the child. “We might have to seek assistance in our parenting skills.”

  He moved to gently press his lips to her forehead. “So long as we love and protect the child, what else matters?”

  Laylah lifted her head, her eyes shimmering with the warm affection that he could feel flowing between them.

  “Nothing at all,” she said softly. Then, visibly squaring her shoulders, she headed toward the small antechamber at the back of the cavern. “Let’s do this.”

  She’d taken only a few steps when she came to an abrupt halt. “What happened?”

  She shivered. “I felt …”

  “What?”

  “I think we tripped a spell.”

  “Damn.” Holding his sword ready, Tane turned in a slow circle, scanning the cavern. When nothing happened he muttered a curse. He’d rather battle a rabid Were during a full moon than walk into a magical trap. How do you k
ill something you can’t see? “Why isn’t something happening?”

  “It doesn’t necessarily have to be an offensive spell.” She grimaced. “It could be an alarm.” “Sergei,” he growled.

  “Probably,” she admitted. “He always was a paranoid ass.”

  “If he knows we’re here then it won’t be long before he makes an unwanted appearance with your aunt.” He glanced in her direction. “We must leave.”

  “He can’t know who or what tripped his spell. Besides it will take them hours, if not days, to travel here.”

  “Not with the Sylvermyst.”

  “Oh.” She made a sour face. “Portals.”

  “Exactly. We can’t risk remaining here.”

  She bit her lower lip, her expression troubled. “I’m sorry, Tane. I don’t know why, but we have to stay. The baby needs to be here.”

  “Laylah.” He clenched his teeth as she headed directly into the antechamber, and then squeezed through a narrow crack in the wall. “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Perfect.” Squeezing through the rocks, Tane was forced to sacrifice skin off several parts of his body, and a chunk of his hair. “This wasn’t exactly the honeymoon I was hoping for.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, her wicked smile making him forget his stinging wounds and overall aggravation.

  Hell, a smile like that could make him forget a nuclear attack.

  “Once we’ve made certain Maluhia is safe and freed of the stasis spell I intend to give you a honeymoon you’ll never forget.”

  He groaned at her throaty voice. “Christ, woman. You’re killing me.”

  They squeezed through another curve in the passageway before it spilled into a wide opening. Laylah gave a sudden gasp, hurrying across the stone floor to stand before a visible rift in the air.

  “Here,” she breathed.

  Tane stood before the shimmering mist, his flesh crawling at the sight. Very few things scared an ancient vampire.

  This was one.

  “You found the child here?”

  “Yes. He was hidden within the mists.”

  Tane stiffened as the air pressure in the cavern changed. It was the only warning before a portal was about to open.

  “Shit.”