Shades of Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  He was a well-honed weapon who was used to fighting without mercy.

  Until Viper.

  The clan chief of Chicago had found Javad after he’d escaped from the brutal vampire who’d sired Javad and taken him into his clan. Eventually, he’d sent him to Vegas to manage this demon club.

  He owed the male…everything.

  Moving through the lobby that was scattered with a few leather sofas, Javad’s bare feet barely made a sound against the cool marble floor. He glanced toward the center of the room that was dominated by a fountain. He chuckled at the sight of the golden statue of a male holding a massive sword over his head that spouted water. It was supposed to represent Styx, the current Anasso, King of the Vampires. Viper had a twisted sense of humor.

  His amusement disappeared as he was distracted by the vampire who had just entered the club. He’d sensed the powerful male as soon as he forced his way through the illusion. Chiron was one of the few demons in this city who could potentially match him in sheer strength.

  Which meant that the male’s arrival had his full attention.

  “Chiron.” He ran an assessing gaze over the male. Not to admire the expensive suit—he was looking for weapons. When he found nothing, he lifted his gaze to study the intruder’s impatient expression. “This is an unexpected surprise.”

  The male moved forward. “Not now,” he growled.

  Javad smoothly stepped to block the male’s path. The Anasso might have declared that the Rebels were once again apart of the vampire nation, but this was an invitation-only club. And he was in charge.

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist.” His smile revealed his massive fangs. “Professional courtesy, you understand.”

  Ice coated the nearby fountain as Chiron narrowed his gaze. Javad braced for a strike. Clearly, the male wasn’t used to being told no.

  Then, with a visible effort, Chiron leashed his temper. “A female in my care was seen coming into your club.”

  Javad wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Certainly not a social visit. The two vampires had lived in the same city for decades without crossing paths, something that they’d both made efforts to achieve.

  Now he arched his brows. “A female in your care? Does your mate know?”

  Chiron wasn’t amused. “I need to find her.”

  “Tough. My guests pay an enormous fee to protect their privacy. You can do whatever you want to her once she leaves the club. Until then…” Javad shrugged.

  “She’s not a guest. She snuck in.”

  “That’s impossible. I have security in place to make sure no one passes through the illusion without alerting me.”

  “This one can.”

  Okay. That was enough. Javad might not have a chain of fancy-ass resorts spread across the world, but he knew how to protect the one that he managed.

  “I’m trying to be nice,” he growled. The floor trembled beneath his feet. He could create earthquakes that were capable of destroying entire cities. “You won’t like me when I’m pissed off.”

  Chiron took a step forward. “And you’re not going to like me if I have to go through you to get to Chaaya.”

  Javad was distracted by the odd name. “The human?” he demanded in surprise.

  Chiron jerked. Did the male think the strange creature was a secret? Javad didn’t know all the details, but he’d discovered that Ulric had traveled to England to battle against some mysterious beast and that he’d returned with a young woman named Chaaya.

  For a minute it looked like Chiron was going to refuse to answer, then his hands clenched and he forced himself to speak.

  “She was born human, but she was sacrificed centuries ago. We have no idea what she is now. A ghost, maybe a spirit.” Chiron’s voice was edged with frustration, as if the mere thought of Chaaya was enough to make his fangs clench. “She can walk through a solid wall, so she certainly has the ability to get through your magical barriers without tripping any alarms.”

  Javad considered Chiron’s words. The security at the Viper’s Nest was specifically designed. There was an outer illusion to convince humans that this area was nothing more than an abandoned lot, and a separate spell to warn him of any demons entering the club who hadn’t been issued an invitation.

  It wasn’t created to reveal the presence of ghosts.

  “Come with me,” he snapped.

  He was just turning to lead Chiron across the lobby when the sound of a loud crash was followed closely by the howl of a werewolf.

  “Shit.” Chiron’s expression was grim. “We’re too late.”

  Javad parted his lips to demand an explanation, but he was suddenly staring at empty air. Chiron had turned to disappear from the club with blinding speed. At the same time there was more crashing and the sound of primal screams as the demons gave into their most primitive urges.

  Great. The strange female was clearly in the midst of causing some sort of disturbance in the main casino, and Chiron was bailing on him.

  He was going to have a long chat with that vampire.

  Just as soon as he finished cleaning up the mess.

  * * * *

  It was a fine riot. Lots of blood, swearing, and excessive violence. Or at least it was fine until Chaaya was rudely interrupted.

  She was standing on the bar, bashing a drunken sprite on the head with the butt of her spear when she caught the familiar scent.

  Shit.

  Chiron.

  The aggravating leech wasn’t in the casino, but he most certainly was somewhere in the building.

  Leaping off the bar, she crouched low and weaved her way through the tangle of battling demons. She wasn’t headed toward the exit. That was where she would be expected to run. Instead she entered the narrow hallway at the back of the room. There weren’t many creatures in the bar that needed a bathroom, which meant she was alone as she stepped into the cramped cubicle.

  Perfect.

  Chaaya locked the heavy wooden door, then she rubbed her fingers down the hilt of her spear. The Celtic runes etched into the ebony sent a tingle of magic through her skin. It helped her to focus her powers.

  She closed her eyes, allowing the strange sensation of…melting to flow through her body. It was the only way to explain what she experienced when she went into her ghost mode. It wasn’t like she turned to mist, which is what Rainn claimed had happened to her. She didn’t float on the wind.

  And she didn’t just become invisible.

  It was closer to becoming a part of her surroundings so she could move through them. It was an amazing trick she’d discovered since returning to this world. But it did have its drawbacks, including the fact that her sense of smell remained as sharp as ever.

  Which made pressing through the wall of the bathroom a less-than-pleasant experience. Someone needed to speak with Javad about his housekeeping skills.

  Once she could catch the sweet night air, Chaaya returned to her solid form.

  “Gotcha.”

  Chaaya nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled to confront the vampire who was leaning against the wall.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you.”

  “How did you know I was here…” Her words trailed away. She suddenly knew exactly how Chiron how managed to figure out she was at the Viper’s Nest. “Basq.” She breathed the name as if it was a curse. “He followed me, didn’t he? That jerk. Does he know it’s creepy to spy on young, vulnerable women?”

  Chiron’s jaw tightened, as if he was gritting his fangs. “He wasn’t spying. He was following my orders to keep an eye on you.”

  “Spying.”

  “And you are neither young nor helpless.”

  Chaaya considered his words before shrugging. “Fair enough,” she agreed.

  She was probably older than Basq b
y a couple centuries. And anyone who thought she was helpless hadn’t seen her in battle.

  Chiron waved his hand in an impatient motion. “Let’s go.”

  Chaaya frowned. It wasn’t that she wanted to stick around the club. She was already tired of the place. But she wasn’t about to let Chiron order her around. It set a bad precedent.

  She folded her arms over her chest. “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “I am until Ulric returns.”

  “He’s not the boss of me either,” she retorted.

  Chiron narrowed his gaze. “He saved your ass.”

  “So what? I saved his first. We’re even as far as I’m concerned.”

  Chiron looked ready to strangle her, a familiar expression, but before he could say a word, a tall, dark-haired vampire in a long tunic rounded the corner of the building.

  “You.” The male pointed a finger toward Chaaya, the ground trembling beneath her feet. “Don’t move a muscle.”

  She didn’t recognize the leech, but she was betting that he was Javad, the manager of the Viper’s Nest. And that he was about to blame her for the riot she could still hear raging inside.

  “Yeah, maybe it’s time to go,” she muttered, holstering her spear and running down the dark street at top speed.

  “Get back here,” the male roared, but thankfully he made no effort to chase her. She was fairly certain she couldn’t outrun a vampire.

  As if to prove her theory, Chiron easily kept pace beside her as they threaded their way through the sleeping human neighborhoods.

  “Making friends wherever you go,” he taunted.

  She flashed a mocking smile. “It’s my gift.”

  Chiron rolled his eyes, but he remained blissfully silent as they swiftly moved toward the bright lights of the Vegas Strip. Together they approached Dreamscape Resorts from the back and entered through the kitchen door. They’d just reached the hallway that led to the private elevators when a door opened to reveal a large vampire.

  Chaaya came to an abrupt halt, glaring at the male. He was big and strong with muscles that rippled beneath his black cashmere sweater and black slacks. Around his neck was a thin gold chain with a small amulet she’d never seen him without. He was also annoyingly gorgeous, if you liked them with perfectly carved features and the strangest, most fascinating eyes that had ever been created.

  “Oh, great. Just who I didn’t want to see.”

  Basq didn’t bother glancing in her direction. He had an annoying habit of pretending she didn’t exist. At least when he wasn’t spying on her. Jerk.

  “You have a visitor,” he told Chiron.

  Chiron waved a hand toward Chaaya. “Return to your rooms.”

  “He wants to see both of you,” Basq said before Chaaya could tell Chiron to shove his command up his ass.

  Chiron frowned, his expression suddenly wary. “Who is it?”

  With a flutter of large, glittery wings, a three-foot gargoyle stepped through the open door.

  “It is moi.” Levet spread his arms in a grand gesture. “The knight in shining armor who women adore and vampires despair to contain—”

  “Shut up,” Chiron interrupted.

  Levet smirked, batting his lashes. “Did you miss me?”

  “No.”

  Chaaya smiled. Unlike the surly vampires, she thoroughly appreciated the tiny demon. Levet was funny and unpredictable, and best of all, he infuriated other males to the point of insanity. What wasn’t to like? She hadn’t seen him since she’d been kicked out of the mer-folk castle weeks ago.

  “I missed you,” she assured him.

  The lumpy gargoyle face melted with pleasure. “Ah, ma belle. I have missed you as well. The mer-folk castle is a much duller place without you.” There was a soft snort from Basq that Chaaya ignored. Levet ignored him as well. “How are things here?”

  “Same ol’, same ol’.” She abruptly grinned. “I caused an epic riot at the Viper’s Nest.”

  “And I missed it?” Levet pouted. “That’s not fair.”

  “We can—”

  “Enough.” Chiron stepped forward, his features tight with annoyance. “What are you doing here?”

  “No need to twist your panties,” Levet protested.

  Chiron flashed his fangs. Chaaya had to admit they were an impressive sight. Long and sharp and glistening with deadly intent.

  “Start talking.”

  Levet wrinkled his snout. ““Very well. Brigette is evil again.”

  Chiron slowly blinked. “What?”

  “Brigette. Is. Evil. Again.” Levet pronounced each word with a slow emphasis.

  “I heard you, idiot,” Chiron snapped. “I want to know what it means.”

  “She was locked in the mer-folk dungeons looking like any normal Were.” Levet paused, as if considering a sudden thought. “Although, when I happened to see her a couple of weeks ago, she was foaming at the mouth. I think she might have rabies. I should have warned Inga to have her vaccinated.”

  The air dropped to a subarctic temperature. A sure sigh the vamps were in a mood.

  “Levet,” Chaaya warned.

  The gargoyle fluttered his wings in a mocking gesture, but he was smart enough to answer the question. No need to provoke the angry leeches into gargoyle-cide.

  “I was spending the day with Darcy, the mate of Styx.” Levet paused, as if waiting for someone to be impressed with his intimate friendship with the King of Vampires. Then he heaved a resigned sigh. “While I was there, I received a message from Inga, who you know is the Queen of the Mer-folk. We can speak telepathically. It is one of my many talents.” He waited again for the proper appreciation. Nothing.

  “And?” Chiron snapped.

  Levet clicked his tongue, his wings fluttering with annoyance. “And they have word from one of the dungeons guards that Brigette has been overheard speaking to some invisible visitor.”

  They all stared at the gargoyle in confusion.

  “How do they know she has an invisible visitor?” Chiron demanded. “Couldn’t she be talking to herself?”

  Levet shrugged. “The guard also noticed a shadow in the cell with Brigette. Inga feared that Zella might be trying to get in contact with the Were.”

  “Is that possible?” Chiron frowned, glancing toward Chaaya. “The beast is trapped, isn’t it?”

  “Don’t look at me,” Chaaya complained. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “You’re the only one who has any experience with the evil spirit.”

  Chaaya resisted the urge to stomp her foot. Just because she’d been sacrificed to keep the beast out of this world, and then spent centuries trapped in a hellish dimension with the creature, didn’t mean that she knew anything about it. Just the opposite. She’d devoted her afterlife to avoiding the fiery spirit.

  “I’m not the beast whisperer,” she groused, folding her arms over her chest.

  Chiron’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t explode. Instead he waved a hand toward Basq.

  “Give us a minute.”

  The large vampire nodded, reaching out to grab Levet by his horn so he could drag him toward the door.

  “Come with me.”

  “Hey,” Levet protested, flailing his arms as he was hauled out of the hallway and into a storage room. The door was slammed behind them.

  Chaaya warily eyeballed Chiron. “Now what?”

  Chiron hesitated, as if searching for the perfect words. Never a good sign.

  “I know it’s not fair to ask you to return to the mer-folk castle.”

  “You’re right. It’s not fair. I was kicked out, remember?”

  “You’re the only one who can determine if the darkness surrounding Brigette is connected to the beast.”

  She couldn’t argue with his words, so instead she deflected.

&n
bsp; “I warned you that Brigette needed to be destroyed, but did you listen? No. As usual you did what you wanted, and now I’m expected to clean up the mess.”

  Chiron grimaced. “That was Ulric’s decision. He hoped that his cousin could be salvaged. She’s his only family.”

  “Then he should go investigate.”

  “Chaaya.”

  She stuck out her lower lip. She was being petulant, but she didn’t care. She was supposed to be done with Zella the Fire Beast from the Hell Dimension. This was her time to actually enjoy her life. Someone else could be the sacrifice, right?

  But even as she parted her lips to tell the vampire to choose some other sucker to check on Brigette, she swallowed a sigh. Dammit. Who else could sense Zella? No one, that was who.

  “Fine,” she conceded with a resentful scowl. “I’ll go.”

  “And you’ll take Basq with you,” Chiron added smoothly.

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  “He’ll be there to watch your back.”

  She grabbed the hilt of her spear. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “He’s not a babysitter.” Chiron’s expression hardened. “He’s a fierce warrior who is utterly loyal. He’ll protect you with his life.”

  Chaaya believed him. Basq might annoy the hell out of her, but she never doubted he would destroy anything that might try to harm her. Not because he cared whether she lived or died, but because she was his current “duty.”

  “I don’t need protection,” she sulked.

  Chiron leaned forward, eying her with a strange intensity. “Are you so sure?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re the only one who has an intimate knowledge of the beast,” he reminded her. “If it’s trying to seep back into this world, then the first thing it’s going to try to do is get rid of the one creature that might be capable of preventing its return.”

  He forced her to confront the truth she’d been happily trying to ignore. She didn’t want to think about the beast or evil or encroaching darkness. She just wanted to leap from one mindless pleasure to another.

  Was that too much to ask?

  Obviously, it was.

  She heaved a sigh of frustration. “If the darkness comes after me, then your precious Basq is going to be toast. Is that what you want?”