Shades of Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  It hovered somewhere between a five-day-old corpse and swamp water.

  A stench that could be used as a lethal weapon if she could figure out how to bottle it.

  “Pretty girlie,” he stuttered, his tusks making it hard to form words. He reached out as if intending to grab her.

  In one smooth motion Chaaya had her spear pointed at the lower corner of the orc’s stomach. That was its only weak spot.

  “Don’t touch.”

  The hand continued to stretch out. “Me want.”

  “Tough,” she said, prepared to give him a good poke with her spear.

  Instead Basq smoothly moved to stand between them, his fangs fully extended and shimmering with a lethal warning.

  The orc dropped his hand, stomping his oversized foot. “Give me pretty girlie.”

  “Stay away,” Basq commanded.

  Chaaya clicked her tongue. Typical male. Always rushing in where he was least wanted.

  “I got this,” she snapped, pointing her spear toward the group of goblins who were charging in their direction. “You worry about them.”

  With a hiss, Basq whirled to the side, his arms held out as he prepared to halt the crush of demons.

  Chaaya turned and twirled her spear. They needed to get out of the bar before the crowd decided to make them the night’s entertainment. She might survive being ripped limb from limb, but it wouldn’t be much fun.

  “We’re leaving,” she told the orc. “I can go around you, or I can go through you. It doesn’t matter to me which one it is.”

  The orc smiled, revealing his yellowed, chipped teeth. Had he been gnawing on granite? Bones? The gates of hell?

  “Come and play, girlie.”

  “My name is Chaaya.” She stepped forward. “Don’t forget it.”

  “Cha cha,” he mumbled.

  Chaaya made a sound of disgust. “Orcs.”

  The demon looked offended. “Me eat cha cha.”

  Chaaya held her arms wide. “Come and get it.”

  Provoked into a reckless attack, the orc leaped forward. Skimming her fingers down the hilt of the spear, Chaaya ignited the magic in the carved glyphs. Sparks danced over her fingers and down the blade.

  The orc didn’t notice. He’d already dismissed the weapon. Copper didn’t affect most demons, not like silver or iron. But what he didn’t know was that it was imbued with the power of the druids.

  Not even bothering to avoid the weapon in his determination to grab Chaaya, the orc’s eyes widened in shock as the blade sliced through his thick hide. The cut wasn’t deep enough to strike a vital organ, but it was painful. The orc jerked backward, gazing down in bafflement at the blood that flowed down his stomach.

  Not giving him time to be pissed at being wounded, Chaaya lunged forward, stabbing her spear at the orc as he hastily backed away. Behind her the shrill cries of the goblins assured her that Basq was holding his own, but the rest of the customers were starting to crowd around to watch the fight. Or maybe just waiting for an opportunity to jump in.

  Soon they would be surrounded with no way to make their escape.

  Almost as if capable of reading her mind, Basq reached back to grab her hand just as he released his powers to wrap them in his smothering darkness.

  Sounds of bafflement, even fear, echoed through the bar as the demons crashed into one another, all of them making a stampede toward the door. As far as they knew, the blinding darkness was caused by a terrifying magic.

  Chaaya started to follow them only to be yanked tight against Basq’s body as he led them in the opposite direction. They rammed into large bodies, but Basq possessed enough brute strength to forge a path forward. At last they reached the end of the bar, and locating the back door, Basq shoved her into the narrow alley.

  * * * *

  Brigette couldn’t believe when she caught sight of Chaaya and the powerful vampire entering the bar less than a block away from where she was standing.

  She had to be cursed. What else could explain being offered her heart’s desire and then having it snatched away by a lump of granite who was currently strapped to her wrist, and a strange ghostly female who refused to go away?

  And worse, she was now forced to seek a means to move around undetected. Scurrying through the alleys, she at last climbed into the dank, narrow sewer that she hoped would lead her to the center of the city.

  “You said this place was magical,” she groused, glaring down at the gargoyle who was skipping to keep up with her long strides.

  Levet’s wings fluttered and he carefully held his tail out of the nasty water that flowed through the tunnel.

  “It is.”

  “Then why does it smell like shit?”

  “Perhaps because we are walking through the sewers?” Levet suggested, wrinkling his snout. “Which is baffling considering there is a perfectly good road above us that we could be using.”

  She sent her unwanted companion a sour glance. “I’m not prancing through the streets. Not when that bitch is nosing around looking for me.”

  “Chaaya is not a bitch,” Levet protested. “She is a very nice ghostie girl who makes me laugh.”

  “She’s a freak.”

  “Like me.”

  “Exactly like you.”

  There was a long pause as they splashed through the slimy water. Brigette ground her teeth, refusing to admit she might regret her words. The gargoyle was a freak. Plus he was an annoying, ceaselessly yakking pain in her ass. There was no reason to feel guilty that she might have hurt his feelings. No reason at all.

  “I know why you’re so mean.” The gargoyle abruptly broke the silence.

  Brigette snorted, halting as the tunnel came to a V. “Because I’m evil. Ask anyone.”

  “Non. Zella was evil. You were a foolish child who allowed your pride to lead you into the darkness.”

  Brigette clenched her hands, pretending she was trying to decide which way to go. Inside, her stomach was churning with emotions that scalded like lava.

  “You know nothing about me.”

  Levet shrugged. “Perhaps not, but I do know what it feels like to desire to be part of a family and yet never truly belonging.”

  Brigette instinctively shook her arm, as if she could rid herself of the leash that kept her tied to the aggravating creature.

  “I was loved by my pack,” she snapped.

  Levet regarded her with an unnervingly steady gaze. “But it wasn’t enough, was it?”

  She peeled back her lips, intending to expose her elongated canine teeth. Then she flinched as her wolf remained dormant. Each time it refused to answer her call was like another knife through her heart.

  Her harsh sigh echoed through the branches of the sewers. She was tired, and dirty, and she’d never been so conscious of the unbearable weight of her sins. It felt like they were going to crush her.

  “No, it wasn’t enough,” she muttered.

  Levet tilted his head to the side. “What did you want?”

  Against her will, Brigette’s memories seared through her mind. She hadn’t lied when she said she was loved. Her pack had been a small, tightly knit group who lived in isolation. But from the moment she was born, Brigette had been afflicted with a restless sense of dissatisfaction. It was as if there was a hole inside her and she couldn’t find anything to fill it. And worse, her cousin appeared to be born beneath a lucky star, and he didn’t even appreciate what he had.

  “I wanted what Ulric had,” she admitted, the words jerked from her lips. “A powerful father who was admired by his family, and the knowledge that someday I would be given my own pack to lead.”

  Levet blinked in confusion. “Why not leave? Weres are able to join other packs or even create their own, are they not?”

  “Because an easier path was offered to me.”

  Brige
tte didn’t add that she’d been a coward at heart. While she was in her pack, she was a spoiled, pampered princess who never had to worry about doing more than complaining she was being oppressed by her father. The thought of leaving her pack and forging her own path in the cruel, dangerous world had been too daunting.

  Levet wrinkled his snout. “Zella?”

  “Yeah, Zella.”

  “Did you know the cost?”

  Her memories of her lazy, peaceful childhood were jarringly replaced with the screams of her people as she’d hidden deep in the burrow. She jammed her hands over her ears, but still the screams echoed through her.

  They still echoed…

  “I suppose I did,” she muttered.

  “She deceived you?”

  Brigette had clutched onto the belief that she been manipulated by the mystery woman. She’d even told herself that her mind had been clouded with an evil magic. It was easier than accepting the truth.

  But now she was done with the pretense. She’d busted out of the mer-folk dungeons for one purpose. And that didn’t include lying to herself.

  “No.” She squared her shoulders and headed down the tunnel angling to the east. It was as good as any. “But knowing the cost and paying the price are two different things.”

  Levet scurried to catch up. “Oui. That is true.”

  A burst of irritation raced through Brigette. She didn’t want this creature’s sympathy.

  “Damn,” she groused. “I’m never going to be able to wash off the stench of this place.”

  The gargoyle skipped and pranced beside her. “Where are we going?”

  Her jaws locked with frustration. “First I’m going to find a place where we can hide until Chaaya leaves.”

  “And after that?”

  “After that I’m going to get rid of you and finish what I started.”

  Chapter 7

  Inga paced around the empty cell, her back bent to avoid banging her head on the low ceiling. The dungeons had been created for mer-folk, not ogres—something she might consider changing once she was done with the other billion things on her to-do list.

  She tried to concentrate on the stark space that had been dug out of the bedrock. It wasn’t easy. Her mind was consumed with fear for Levet.

  What had Brigette done with him? Had they retreated to the dark dimension? Was the tiny gargoyle being tortured? Or worse?

  A pain ripped through her heart but, grinding her teeth to hold back the roar of fury, she turned to watch Troy complete his inspection. His handsome face was hard with the same frustration that thundered through her as he shook his head.

  “Nothing. I hoped we would find some clue.”

  About to concede defeat, Inga’s gaze landed on the opening to the cell. She sucked in a deep breath as she hurried to survey the heavy metal door.

  “There is one.”

  “What are you talking about?” Troy demanded.

  “Brigette claimed she’d busted down the door with her dark powers,” Inga reminded him.

  Troy’s eyes widened as he hurried to stand beside her, eyeing the door that hung on the hinges without a scratch.

  “You’re right.” The imp studied the thick metal. “This wasn’t forced.”

  “Could the lock have been picked?” she asked.

  Troy pressed a hand to the center of his chest, his eyes wide with a faux innocence. “You ask that as if you believe I have some practice at picking locks, my dear.”

  Inga arched a brow. “Troy, so far you’ve managed to sneak into the wine cellars, the treasure room, and my mother’s private library.”

  His lips twitched. “In my defense, I didn’t know she was your mother when I snuck in.”

  Brigette’s mouth dropped open. Granted, her mother was a beautiful woman who had been alone for centuries, but still… She was her mother.

  “Troy,” she protested.

  Troy shook his head. “It’s not that. The door was open one day and I noticed the cabinet lined with old and very rare artifacts. I wanted to check them out.”

  “They belonged to Riven.” Inga shuddered at the thought of the previous leader of the mer-folk. He’d used one of the nasty weapons to sneak his way onto the throne, not to mention lying and manipulating Inga for centuries. “I wanted to throw them away, but my mother insisted that they be preserved until they’ve been studied.”

  Troy sent her a horrified glance. “She’s right. They need to be protected from falling into the wrong hands.”

  Inga pointed the Tryshu toward the empty cell. “Obviously we’re not very talented at protecting things.” She shook her head in disgust before returning her attention to the door. “Can you tell if the lock was forced open?”

  Troy bent down, inspecting the heavy lock that she’d had made out of pure silver. It wasn’t the strongest metal, but it was toxic to Weres.

  “It wasn’t forced.” Rising to his feet, Troy eyed her with a somber expression. “Someone used a key.”

  Inga’s jaws clenched. There was no way a stranger could have snuck into this castle and then made their way to the dungeons without being noticed. Which meant that Troy had been right.

  One of the mer-folk had betrayed her.

  “We need to talk to the guards who were on duty,” she announced in grim tones. Only a guard would have access to the dungeon keys. “Rimm will know who they were.”

  Troy tapped a slender finger against his chin, his expression distracted. “You go ahead.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  A naughty grin touched his lips. “What I do best. Sneak around and poke my nose in where it doesn’t belong.” He tossed back his long hair. “One way or another, we’re going to get the information we need.”

  She reached out to lay her hand on his shoulder. “Be careful, Troy,” she warned. “We don’t know who’s helping Brigette. If it turns out to be the beast, then the traitor might already be tainted.”

  “Why, Your Majesty, are you worried about me?”

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation.

  Troy had arrived in the castle just days after she’d been thrust into the role as queen. He’d been a strange, oddly exotic creature who had sauntered through the corridors with blatant sensuality and a mocking smile.

  She hadn’t known what to think of him, but he swiftly proved to be her most trusted advisor. And one of her few friends.

  “Never fear.” He winked as he headed down the narrow path between cells. “I fully intend to survive for an eternity.”

  * * * *

  Fury thundered through Basq as he hauled Chaaya through the spiderweb of back alleys. He’d dropped his shield of darkness as soon as they’d left the bar. The power drained him at an alarming rate. He sensed he needed to conserve his strength whenever possible.

  Especially if he was forced to spend time with Chaaya.

  Another wave of fury beat through him. Once upon a time he’d smugly believed that nothing could disturb his ruthless calm. He was the master over his emotions. At all times. That was the only way to survive when he was forced to live in a world ruled by violence.

  Then Chaaya slammed into his life…

  Turning into a narrow lane, Basq ensured that there was no one around before he halted.

  “What part of don’t cause trouble didn’t you understand?”

  “It wasn’t my fault—” Her eyes widened with shock as he pressed her against the gray stone building behind her. “Hey!”

  Basq used his superior weight to keep her in place. Not that she couldn’t easily escape if she wanted. All she had to do was go into her ghost mode. But he was trying to make a point.

  “Chaaya, this isn’t a game.”

  She reached up to plant her palms against his chest, her eyes smoldering with outrage.

  “Back off, leech
.”

  “Not until you hear what I have to say.”

  Her lips flattened, but she stopped struggling. “What?”

  Basq nodded toward the building behind her. Through the rough stones he could hear the sounds of demons shouting and cheering. Indications of a fighting pit.

  “These places aren’t like the cheap clubs you’re used to,” he told her. “The demons who come here are hiding from justice or they’re so violent they’ve been banished from the world. They destroy each other for fun.”

  Chaaya sniffed. “I’m invincible.”

  Basq’s blood turned to ice at the flippant words. This female’s blithe assumption that nothing could destroy her was the reason that Chiron had a guard following her at all times. Well, that and the fact that she wreaked havoc wherever she went.

  “No, you’re not,” he denied between clenched teeth. “You don’t understand your powers or your potential weaknesses. It’s possible something you least expect might kill you.” He paused, then continued in an effort to drive home his point. “Or force you to suffer unending pain.”

  Chaaya blinked, then she tilted back her head to laugh. “Oh, Basq, you were doing so good until the whole unending pain thing.” She clicked her tongue. “That was over the top.”

  Could his head actually explode? Basq was beginning to think it was not only possible, but likely.

  “Chaaya.”

  Without warning, Chaaya flickered out of sight only to reappear in the middle of the lane.

  “I got it.” She told him as he whirled to face her. “And I truly didn’t mean to start the fight. It just happens.”

  “You are….” His hands clenched into impotent fists as her lips twitched with evil amusement. “We need to get out of here and get help,” he snapped.

  She folded her arms over her chest. “Can you find this place again?”

  Basq parted his lips to lie. Not only did they need backup to locate Brigette, but he needed space from this aggravating female. But the knowledge that what little trust she had in him would be forever destroyed forced him to reluctantly shake his head.