Dark Desire (2 page)

Zeke
concentrated on the thread of energy coming from the other end of the phone,
following it as his body shifted, breaking down to subatomic particles. His
molecules vibrated as they merged with the static trail charged by Cody’s cell
phone. The transformation bothered the other Enforcers, but for him he reveled in
the sense of freedom. In an instant he formed beside the newly turned vampire.

Cody O’Bannon
stood well over six feet with the kind of looks women flocked to in droves. The
cocky Cajun could be a pain in the ass with no filter between his brain and
mouth, but Zeke couldn’t fault the man’s loyalty. Close friend and ex-partner
to
Tambra
Ellis, he’d worked for Metro PD for years.
When Marcus Valerian, the leader of the Enforcers, had saved
Tambra
from a
Lycan
attack it
hadn’t taken long for Marcus to make her his consort. Cody threw his support
one hundred percent behind both
Tambra
and the
Enforcers without missing a beat.

When Cody took a
fatal bullet intended for
Tambra
, Christophe, their
vampire lothario took the responsibility to sire him. Zeke hated to admit it,
but Cody had turned into one hell of an Enforcer, and as long as you could
ignore his snarky ass attitude, the guy was pretty all right.

Cody jumped at
Zeke’s sudden appearance. “
Merde
, I hate it when you do that.”

Zeke noted the
pristine foyer, relieved to see it deserted. Italian marble stretched over its
length, the color of bleached bone, a stark contrast to the black chairs and
grey walls. Ignoring Cody he moved to the doors looking out at the City Center
on Las Vegas Boulevard. The lights of the strip illuminated the night, flashing
a multitude of colors, glinting like a precious stones against a black
backdrop.

High priced
stores lined the walkway where Temple’s building stood, along with five star
restaurants and theaters.
A city within the city and one of
the newest gems in the ever changing landscape of Las Vegas.

Zeke never
turned his attention from the view outside as he addressed Cody. “Get over it,
philos.
Now where’s Lucien?”

“What did you call me?” Cody’s tone turned
sharp with sudden temper.

Zeke shook his
head.
“Friend.
I called you friend.”

“Ah, that’s all
right then. That scarred
cochon
will be here anytime now.” Cody
sneered
his distaste for the
Lycan
.

After what
Lucien had done to Kyra, Tegan’s mate, the wolf seemed to be on
all of the Enforcers’
most disliked list at the moment. Not
that Zeke could blame them. If not for Lucien, Kyra would have never been taken
by the
Atlantean
tracker and damn near killed. Nor
would he be facing a loveless political match.

A deal made with
his dear old dad, the king.

Zeke turned from
the door in disgust. Yeah, his life took a dump, and there was nothing he could
do about it but get the
godsdamn
Oman’s Seal and see
it safe in the
Atlantean
vault. The artifact in the
wrong hands could have cataclysmic results. Atlantis sinking just happened to
be one of many “natural” disasters the thing had caused. Some said the seal—no
bigger than a coin—was made by the gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades in an attempt
to overthrow their father, Cronus, the king of the Titans. Combining their
powers they created a powerful weapon capable of untold destruction. With
Oman’s Seal the three gods had overthrown Cronus’s reign, imprisoning him and
the Titans within the darkest pits of Tartarus. Poseidon had given the artifact
to Atlantis for safekeeping, but it had been lost when the city sank beneath
the waves.

He really needed
to acquire it and see it safely ensconced in a place no one would ever touch
the damn thing. The where would have to wait until he had his hands on
it.

“When Lucien
comes in let me deal with him, got it?”

Cody raised his
arms in mock surrender. “Fine, I’ll just stand around with my finger up my ass
all right?”

“Don’t push it,”
Zeke warned darkly.

“Look, I know
things are tough for you, I get it. I may not be able to relate to being a high
prince and forced to marry, but I can sympathize,
mon
ami
.
So, if
you don’t mind, give me some slack. I’m not your enemy.”

Zeke blew out a
heavy sigh. Shit, the guy had a point. He didn’t like it, but Cody was right. He’d
spent the last few days as prickly as a porcupine ready to shoot quills at
anything that looked twice at him.

“Look, I’m sorry
man, I just … I don’t know. Want to just get this over with and get back to
taking care of biz.”

“So after you
marry you coming back?”

Zeke nodded, his
mouth tightening into a grim line. “I’m needed here more than I ever was in
Atlantis. When I marry that won’t change. I will just have to make quick visits
back home to appease the old man until I do my duty and give him an heir.” The
bitterness crept into his voice no matter how hard he tried to mask it.

Cody folded his
arms across his chest. “Well, it looks like it’s time to take care of some of
that biz. Lucien is heading for the door.”

Zeke turned just
in time to meet Lucien’s shocked stare.
“Surprise, asshole.
Thought you got rid of me?”

The
whoosh
of elevator doors opening
accompanied a woman’s husky Jamaican flavored voice.
“Hello,
gentlemen.
Lucien, you are late.”

The dark haired
woman moved with the lithe grace of a predator. Dark honey skin shone in a
bright turquoise sheath hugging the curves of her body and slit high at the
side showing one long shapely leg. Her eyes, a warm brown, tilted up in an
exotic slant. High cheekbones and full lips, just the type Zeke liked. He eyed
her with appreciation.

“This is Leola,
Temple’s woman,” Lucien growled, reminding Zeke of boulders grinding together.

Cody moved up to
Zeke, his green eyes glinting with pure male interest. “When you are ready for
a man, just let me know,
cher
.”

Her brown eyes
narrowed. “And
you
are the man to
show me the error of my ways?”

“I must
apologize for my colleague here. He sometimes forgets his manners.” Zeke’s tone
held a wealth of warning. Cody just grinned back showing a hint of fang.

In a sudden
burst of speed Cody grabbed Leola, pushing her back against the wall and giving
Zeke a clear path to Lucien. He lunged, hitting the
Lycan
in the chest with his shoulder. The satisfying thwack of his body meeting the
unyielding metal of the elevator doors filled Zeke with a small measure of
satisfaction. He swung a fist into Lucien’s jaw and smiled as his head snapped
back at the impact.

“That’s for
Tegan.” He punched out a second time, connecting with his jaw. The sound of
bone crunching joined with the screams of outrage coming from Temple’s latest
bed warmer. “This is for Kyra, you asshole.”

He went low for
the third blow landing a solid punch to Lucien’s gut, and the big man doubled
over as air whooshed out of his lungs. “And this one’s for me. Don’t
ever
make me chase you all over the city
again. Now, give me Oman’s seal.”

Zeke’s demand
was punctuated by the ding of the elevator doors opening again. A curse from
Cody joined the metallic chime drawing his attention the struggling woman. Her
knee jerked up making solid contact with Cody’s groin. Zeke winced as Cody went
down with a loud grunt, curling into a fetal position on the marble floor. Leola
leapt into the air with a fierce growl and kicked out, her foot connecting with
Zeke’s torso sending him crashing back into the wall with a solid thump. Lights
flashed across his vision as his head hit the solid marble, and the world
darkened around him.

Zeke fought to
remain conscious, taking deep breaths to clear his head as he
staggard
forward. Lucien moved past Leola making it to the
elevator doors before either Cody or Zeke could block him. “Tell Marcus better
luck next time.” Lucien
smirked,
steel grey eyes cold,
the scar running from his left eye to the corner of his mouth white against the
bronze of his skin.

“I’m sorry it
had to come to this.” Regret shone in Leola’s eyes.

“You’re a
Were
, aren’t you, Leola?” At her startled look Zeke pressed
on. “There is no future for you with Temple. Is he worth it?” He knew only too
well it wouldn’t end well for her if she held any aspirations of hooking up
with Temple on a permanent basis. Temple had made it abundantly clear when he’d
tried to take
Tambra
as his mate when she changed.
The humiliating beating Temple had taken was still one of the Enforcers’
favorite stories they loved to tell.

“If you ever
need help, don’t hesitate to let us know,” Zeke offered, knowing full well she
would turn it down, yet he could only hope.

Leola’s eyes
warmed with a small hint of gratitude.
So
she isn’t dumb
. “I will keep that in mind.”

Zeke lunged for
Lucien as the doors slid shut. With a roar of rage and frustration he slammed a
fist against the cool metal with all the force he could muster. He barely felt
his knuckles split on impact. Adrenaline and white hot fury mixed with
desperation consumed him, narrowing his vision to only one thing.
Get Oman’s Seal.

The center of
the elevator doors buckled beneath his bloody fists as he punched a hole wide
enough for him to see Lucien’s stunned expression. Zeke reached in, grabbing
him by the throat before he could react.

“Give me the
Seal, or I’ll rip your fucking head off.”

Lucien’s eyes
narrowed as his own anger rose, and a snarl curled his lips off sharp white
teeth. He gripped Zeke’s hand and squeezed so tight his fingers went numb, his
hold loosening just enough for Lucien to step clear. There was no time to dodge
Lucien’s fist as pain exploded in his jaw. He experienced a moment of
weightlessness as his feet left the ground, and he was propelled back into the
wall once again. Zeke landed on the floor fighting the wave of dizziness. His
vision wavered, the elevator seeming to get smaller, the light dimming to only
a pinprick. His last thought before he succumbed to oblivion was regret for his
failure. He cursed with growing frustration. Oman’s Seal was now in the hands
of a power-hungry
Lycan
.

Chapter Two

“And you just
let the bastard go?” Nicolai
Evonavich
growled out,
his Russian accent thick with his anger.

“What would you
have me do, Nicolai? Run the risk of hurting the female to get to the
Lycan
?” Zeke exploded at the old bear shifter, the last
living member of the Tribunal and his best friend’s stepfather. His guilt mixed
with the anger and frustration at the loss of Oman’s Seal. It churned in his
gut. It was
his
duty to retrieve the
artifact. It belonged to
his
people
and he failed. Nicolai had only kept it in safekeeping. “The artifact belongs
in Atlantis where it can be kept safe. I don’t need you or anyone to remind me
of how important it is to reclaim it.” He couldn’t help but point out the
obvious.

“And in the
wrong
hands it could be the end of the
world. Tell me, do you want another Pompeii or Atlantis disaster?” Nicolai’s
face turned red with his anger.

“We are aware of
the potential dangers, Nicolai, and will do everything we can to get it safely
back to Atlantis where it belongs. Zeke, I know you did everything you could,
and no one will fault you for it.” Marcus cut in, his voice calm.
Ever the diplomat.
“We will find another way to retrieve
it.”

“Well, I cannot
delay my departure any longer. You will keep me apprised of your plans to
retrieve Oman’s Seal,” Nicolai demanded, plainly not happy at the results or
lack thereof so far.

“Of
course.
I will see you to the airport.” Marcus kept his voice neutral. “Zeke has as
much at stake on acquiring Oman’s Seal as you do. None of us will stop until we
have it safely in our hands.”

Nicolai pinned
his dark stare on both men before giving a sharp nod. “It seems your assurances
will have to do.”

Zeke blew out a
ragged breath, willing his shoulders to relax. If he were honest with himself,
losing Oman’s Seal was not the real reason for his short temper, but his mind
shied away from delving deeper at the moment. All too soon, he would be forced
to deal with Atlantis, his father and the upcoming wedding to his people’s
enemy, the
Mers
. A barbaric, warrior race,
who
lived for war, while
Atlanteans
preferred a life of honing the mind. Not that his people didn’t know the art of
war, they just tended to try to avoid it.
Lemurians
,
or
Mers
, as they liked to call themselves, were quick
to raise their swords before they asked questions.