Bound By Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  “Let’s go.”

  Or maybe it wasn’t faith, he wryly conceded, struggling to keep up with her impressive speed. Maybe it was the fact she was scared spitless and desperate to get away from the monster in the mist.

  He didn’t blame her.

  His skin felt as if it were being flayed from his body as the Dark Lord’s power spread outward, the air so dense he could barely breathe.

  Jaelyn didn’t hesitate as she continued through the disorienting mists, almost as if she knew exactly where she was going.

  A relief considering he didn’t have a damned clue. The constantly shifting landscape was screwing with his sense of direction.

  He could only hope his ability to open a portal wasn’t similarly affected.

  After running what felt like miles, Jaelyn at last began to slow her relentless pace. Then without warning she came to a complete halt.

  Not that Ariyal was about to celebrate.

  The frown marring her brow warned that she wasn’t stopping because they’d reached their point of entry, and they were about to escape the endless hell of white mist. But because something was troubling her.

  Glancing over her shoulder she rubbed her arms, as if struck by a sudden chill.

  “Is it my imagination or is the fog getting thicker?”

  He studied their surroundings, his heart sinking. “It’s not your imagination.”

  She growled in frustration; then they both stiffened as they caught the faintest scent weave through the air.

  “Do you smell that?” she whispered.

  “Were. Two purebloods.” He drew in a deep breath, trying to capture the elusive scents as they disappeared as swiftly as they appeared. “And they’re vaguely familiar,” he admitted, unable to pinpoint where he would have met with the purebloods, although he suspected it had something to do with his time spent with Tane and Laylah. “As if I crossed their paths before.”

  “This just keeps getting stranger and stranger,” she muttered.

  Ariyal stiffened as the purebloods’ scent was replaced by two others.

  “And stranger,” he said, bending down to whisper directly in her ear.

  He felt her tension as she tilted back her head to meet his warning gaze.

  “The magic-using cur.” Her voice was equally low, her fangs visible in the eerie light.

  Her memories of the cur weren’t warm and fuzzy.

  “And a vampire.”

  “Shit.” Her anger shimmered through him as he confirmed her earlier suspicions. “How the hell did they get in here?”

  “A question to ponder later.”

  “Yeah.”

  Clenching his hand in a grip that would have crushed the bones of a lesser man, Jaelyn resumed their trek through the seemingly eternal whiteness.

  Well, not exactly a trek.

  Her pace had slowed until a snail could give her a run for her money and her path zigzagged like a drunken sailor. He wisely held his tongue. Now didn’t seem like the best time to question her ability to lead.

  At last she came to a halt, giving up any pretense she knew where they were going.

  “The fog is too thick,” she growled. “There’s no way to tell which direction we’re headed. We could spend the rest of eternity stumbling through this damned stuff.”

  He shifted to pull her into his arms, resting his head on top of her head.

  “We’ll wait here. At least for a while. The fog is bound to thin out eventually.”

  She snuggled against him, seeking comfort even as she gave a snort of disbelief.

  “I doubt we’ll last that long.”

  “Well, aren’t you just a bundle of sunshine?” he asked dryly.

  “I’m allergic to sunshine.”

  Despite his grief and the acute fear that they were well and truly trapped, Ariyal managed a faint smile.

  It didn’t matter what was happening so long as he was holding Jaelyn in his arms.

  They stood in silence for several minutes, each drawing comfort from the other. Then the moment was destroyed as the pungent odor of dog intruded into their fragile sense of peace.

  “The cur,” he whispered. “And close.”

  Expecting her to take off through the mist, Ariyal was caught off guard when she instead wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

  “Don’t move.”

  He glanced down in surprise. “I approve of your enthusiasm, poppet, but now is not really the time or place.”

  Ignoring his protest, she pressed even closer and without warning, Ariyal felt her cold power wrap around him.

  What the hell was she doing?

  The cur was only a few feet away. And right behind him was the vampire.

  Moving directly toward them.

  They had only seconds to escape.

  Instead the frigid air continued to wrap around him and, trying to halt his shivering long enough to prepare for battle, he belatedly realized that the mists had grown darker.

  No.

  It wasn’t the mists.

  Jaelyn was wrapping them in her shadows.

  Shadows that could hide them from even the most highly trained hunter.

  Gritting his teeth against the bone-deep cold, Ariyal held on to Jaelyn, amazed as the darkness thickened to the point he could barely see beyond the barrier. Damn. He hoped that Jaelyn’s superior eyesight was better suited to see through the shadows.

  His hearing, however, was as acute as ever, and he had no trouble overhearing the conversation between the cur and the vampire.

  “You have made certain that the prophet can’t escape?” the vampire demanded, his speech oddly formal, as if he hadn’t spent much time mixing in the world.

  Not that unusual.

  There were many vampires who would disappear into their lairs for decades, even centuries at a time. It took a while to stop sounding like someone out of a time capsule.

  Besides, Ariyal was more concerned with what he was saying than how he was saying it.

  The prophet.

  They had captured the pureblood Were who Jaelyn had informed him was a true seer. Along with the information that it had been Cassandra’s timely foreseeing that had warned Tane not to kill Ariyal.

  He owed her one.

  Always assuming he was given the opportunity to repay the debt.

  “She and the Were are being held in stasis until the master has fully regained his powers,” he heard the cur reassure the vampire.

  “A wise choice, no doubt,” the vampire approved. “We do not wish to risk our prisoners escaping.”

  “No.” There was a short, revealing pause. “But still it is a pity to waste the talents of a true seer.”

  Ariyal and Jaelyn exchanged a knowing glance.

  The cur had ambition.

  Something that could be used to their advantage.

  “Knowledge of the future is power,” the vampire retorted, his cold voice edged with warning. “And power is something our master does not share.”

  Either too oblivious or too stupid to heed the admonition, the cur pressed his point.

  “Especially if the future doesn’t please him.” There was a humorless laugh. “As he’s proven in the past. How many prophets did he have killed before he was banished?”

  Ariyal sensed the vampire coming to a halt, as if irritated with his companion.

  “Is there something troubling you, Dolf ?”

  “It was one thing to perform the duties of our beloved prince when we were hidden in the shadows,” the cur complained, “but now that we’ve come out of the closet things are about to become a whole lot more dangerous.”

  “It was inevitable.”

  The cur made a sound, as if he hadn’t actually thought through the fact they would eventually be exposed.

  “But the danger would be considerably lessened if we had an early warning system. Who knows what the seer could tell us?”

  There was a tense pause and Ariyal wondered if the vampire intended to kill the cur.
>
  It wouldn’t be a bad choice considering that the Dark Lord might very well destroy anyone near the cur if he learned of his traitorous thoughts.

  “How long have you served the master?” the vampire at last demanded.

  “What does it matter?”

  “Because the stupid rarely survive more than a few decades,” the vampire explained in smooth tones.

  The cur growled. “Are you calling me stupid?”

  “It is either that or suicidal if you believe you can double-cross the Prince of all Darkness.”

  “Christ, I didn’t say I wanted to double-cross him,” the cur protested, an edge of fear in his voice as he belatedly realized the danger. “I merely wondered why we’re not allowed to use such a powerful weapon when our enemies are quite literally at our doorstep.”

  “And wondering if he is hiding a foretelling that speaks of our ultimate failure?”

  “You said that, not me.”

  The vampire’s humorless laugh sliced through the air. “Perhaps you are not so stupid as I feared.”

  That was still up in the air as far as Ariyal was concerned.

  He understood caution, but the cur was right to question why he wasn’t being allowed to use the services of such a potent weapon.

  Could it be that the Dark Lord was indeed afraid of what the future might show?

  Or did he simply refuse to allow his minions any power that he didn’t give them directly?

  “How long have you served the Dark Lord?” the cur abruptly demanded, perhaps needing reassurance that he hadn’t made a colossal mistake in joining forces with the dark side.

  “Several centuries.”

  There was something in the vampire’s silken tone. Something that echoed the grief that still gripped Ariyal’s heart.

  “A long time to wait for your rewards,” the cur muttered.

  “Ah, but some rewards are worth waiting for.”

  “I suppose.” The cur didn’t sound entirely convinced. “What were you offered? Riches?”

  The vampire made a sound of disgust. “What is money to an immortal?”

  “It’s pretty damned sweet if you ask me.”

  “So young.”

  “If it’s not money then what?” the cur demanded. “Power?”

  “We both know I have no need to barter for power.” There was enough of a bite in the air to reveal the vampire was offended by the question. “I have possessed rare abilities since I was a mere foundling. And I only gained in strength after traveling through the Veil.”

  Ariyal’s brows snapped together.

  The Veil?

  What the hell did that mean?

  And what rare powers did he have?

  Meeting Jaelyn’s wide gaze, he wasn’t reassured. She obviously understood what the vampire was talking about and wasn’t happy.

  Which meant that he wasn’t happy.

  “What’s left after money and power?” the cur mocked.

  “Love.”

  There was an awkward silence before the cur at last managed a sharp laugh.

  “Are you shitting me?”

  “There is nothing more treasured by vampires than their mates,” the vampire informed the cur in frigid tones. “They would give their lives to protect them.”

  “Yeah, but ...” The cur cleared his throat. “You want our master to give you a mate?”

  “Don’t be an idiot,” the vampire snapped. “I want him to return the mate I lost.”

  “Ah.” Another awkward pause. “Just to be clear. When you say ‘lost’ you mean ...”

  “She was killed when our lair was attacked by a rival clan and their pet witch.” The sheer lack of emotion in the vampire’s voice revealed the depth of his grief.

  “Damn, I’m sorry.”

  “As I watched her being burned on a stake our mighty prince came to me. He promised me in that moment that my mate would be returned to me if I pledged my loyalty to him.”

  He felt Jaelyn’s shiver as they shared a glance of compassion.

  Before he’d taken a mate he would never have understood what could drive a man to make a deal with the devil.

  Now it was all too easy to imagine.

  Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to kill the vampire if given the chance.

  “What was her name?” the cur asked.

  “Dara.”

  “Pretty.”

  “Pretty.”

  “She was exquisite,” the vampire corrected. “And she will be again.”

  Ariyal sent Jaelyn a questioning gaze.

  So far as he knew the Dark Lord could give the power to reanimate the dead as a zombie. Or call on spirits like the Sylvermysts.

  But he’d never heard of bringing someone back from the dead and returning her to her former life.

  Jaelyn gave a small shake of her head, revealing that she was equally confused.

  “I don’t mean to be a downer, but are you certain that the master can make good on his promise?” The cur readily voiced their suspicion.

  Ariyal shook his head.

  Right now he wasn’t sure what was puzzling him more.

  How a seemingly rational vampire could believe his mate was going to be returned from the dead. Or how a cur who couldn’t open his mouth without sticking his foot into it managed to survive for so long.

  The vampire hissed. “What are you implying?”

  “Bringing back the dead ... I mean, it seems ... iffy.”

  Ariyal swallowed a sudden shout of alarm as pain lashed over him, tearing at his skin and threatening to crush his bones into powder.

  “Do you doubt my power, or my willingness to fulfill my pledge, Dolf ?” a soft female voice asked.

  Ariyal didn’t need to see the two men falling to their knees with their heads pressed to the ground at the approach of the Dark Lord.

  It’s what he would be doing if he weren’t holding so tightly to Jaelyn.

  “My prince,” the cur breathed, his voice ragged. As if he was bearing the brunt of the Dark Lord’s displeasure.

  “Hmm. Intriguing. It would seem as if I will need a new title.” The tinkling laugh was like shards of glass shooting through Ariyal. He clutched Jaelyn tighter, sensing her own distress. Just being near the Dark Lord was punishment. “What do you think, Dolf ?”

  The cur whimpered. “Yes, my ... master.”

  “We will discuss this later,” the Dark Lord assured the cur. “In private.”

  “Yes, master. Thank you, master.”

  Ariyal had to give the cur kudos for effort. He managed to say the right words. Unfortunately, he couldn’t entirely hide his lack of enthusiasm for his private tête-à-tête with his master.

  Lucky for him the monster of all monsters had other things on her mind.

  “For now, I have a small task for you to perform.”

  It was the vampire who answered. “What would you have us do?”

  “Ah, my faithful Gaius.” There was a hint of mockery in that crushing voice. “So pure of heart.”

  Gaius.

  He met Jaelyn’s gaze to see if she recognized the name.

  She shook her head.

  “I am yours to command,” the vampire readily offered.

  “Yes, you are.” A new wave of pain rippled through the air, nearly bursting his inner organs. Holy hell. If they didn’t get away, the damned Dark Lord was going to kill them without even trying. “You will search for the intruders who killed my precious Rafael.”

  Jaelyn stiffened, but she was a trained Hunter. Thank the gods. The bone-chilling shadows that hid them from detection never wavered.

  “The wizard is dead?” the cur demanded in shock.

  “Yes, and I want those responsible sacrificed on my altar within the hour.” There was a muffled sound of agony from the two servants as the Dark Lord reminded them of the price of failure. “Understood?”

  “At once,” Gaius choked out.

  Jaelyn and Ariyal remained locked in each other’s arms as th
e cur and vampire scurried away, followed more slowly by the Dark Lord.

  Only when the last prickles of pain had faded did Ariyal take a breath and Jaelyn allow the shadows to dissipate.

  “That was way too close,” Jaelyn muttered.

  “No shit.”

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 23

  Styx paced through the cavern that looked as if it had been through World War III.

  Piles of rubble littered the floor, while huge cracks ran through the once-smooth walls and a choking cloud of dust continued to fill the air.

  Not that he bothered to notice his surroundings.

  His attention was firmly locked on the handful of Sylvermysts who knelt beside a slab of stone that was charred from the recent rip between dimensions.

  When the evil fey had first charged out of the caves, Styx had commanded his Ravens to stand aside. As much pleasure as it might give him to drain a few of the rare creatures, he had given his word to Ariyal.

  But astonishingly, the bedraggled fairies hadn’t bolted for safety as he’d been expecting. Instead they had informed Styx that the mage was already in the caves, and that Ariyal and Jaelyn had been determined to rescue Tearloch as well as the babe.

  They’d also insisted on returning to the caverns after the massive explosion had revealed something bad was happening below.

  Styx had grudgingly given in to their demands, only because he was incapable of detecting magic.

  There was every likelihood that he would need their talent.

  And if they hoped to lead him into a trap ... well, there was still the option of draining them.

  His decision turned out to be a sound one as they reached the lower cavern to discover it empty.

  It had been Elwin who’d discovered the markings on the rock and had been able to sense that there had been a temporary opening through the barrier to another dimension.

  He’d also offered the services of his men to try and reach through the barrier to return Ariyal and Jaelyn.

  Not that they’d managed anything more than a shimmer in the air that led to precisely nowhere.

  Pacing the floor, Styx’s mood took a dip toward foul.

  He didn’t like feeling helpless.

  Especially when the entire world was hanging in the balance.