Embrace the Darkness (20 page)

“What?”

“Why is there a witch in the library?”

“She's here to make sure there are no nasty spells on the box.”

Shay pressed her hands to his chest, refusing to be distracted as he nuzzled just below her ear.

“Then shouldn't we be in there?”

He gave her ear a sharp nip. “We have plenty of time. You know how witches love to create a sense of melodrama when they are about to cast a spell. It will take her an hour to set her circle and place her candles, and all the other mumbo jumbo they insist upon.”

She shivered. “I still think we should be there. I don't want to miss anything.”

Just for a moment his arms tightened about her as if he intended to wipe away any thought of witches and boxes and curses. Then, with a sigh, he reluctantly loosened his grip and regarded her with an expression of sorrow.

“Oh, pet, you are brutal upon my pride. Do you have no romance in your soul at all?”

Shay stepped back and smoothed her sweatshirt back in place. She wished it were so easy to smooth the embarrassing hormones raging through her body.

“Very little,” she conceded.

“It seems that I shall have to teach you the pleasures of seduction.”

“You can teach me later.” Unable to resist she reached to place a swift kiss on his cheek before moving toward the door. “Right now I want to find out what's in that box.”

 

“Sacrebleu.”
With his stunning lack of anything resembling tact, Levet stomped into the library. “What is that stench?”

The gray-haired witch pointed a gnarled finger in the demon's direction, never lifting her head from her task of lighting the circle of candles.

“Hold your tongue, gargoyle, or I shall stick it to the roof of your mouth,” she warned.

With a hiss, Levet glared at the elderly woman. “Eeek. A hag. Who invited her?”

For a moment Viper leaned against the wall and waited in pleasure for the witch to turn the annoying gargoyle into a newt, or a tomato, or anything that couldn't speak. As much as he disliked witches they occasionally had their uses. But one glance at Shay's worried expression and he was grudgingly moving forward to grasp the creature by his ridiculous tail and tugging him out of the fray. Shay had enough on her mind without concern that her pet gargoyle was about to become a toad.

“I would suggest you either close your mouth or take it somewhere else, Levet,” Viper drawled, once again leaning against the wall, his gaze returning to Shay's delicate profile. “The witch does not seem to have much patience.”

“What is she doing?”

“Attempting to open the box on the table.”

“Open a box?” Levet threw his hands up and started forward. “
Mon dieu
. I can do that.”

“Hold.” Viper grabbed the twitching tail and hauled the gargoyle back. “We are not yet certain if it is warded.”

“Oh.” There was a moment of blessed silence before Levet was shifting impatiently. “What's in the box?”

“Obviously, we don't know yet.”

“Is it going to take long?”

“It will take as long as it takes.”

“Are we having snacks?”

Viper's hands clenched at his sides. It was that or throttling the demon.

“Levet, shut up.”

“Well, if we have to wait around for the entire night they could at least serve snacks.”

“If you're hungry, why don't you go to the kitchen and find something for yourself?”

The gargoyle shuddered. “There's nothing there but blood and some green gunk.”

“Then order out.”

“Pizza? Greek?” The gray eyes lit with excitement. “Oh, oh, I know, how about—”

Bending down Viper grasped Levet by the horns and pulled him until they were nose to nose.

“Get a phone, order the food, gargoyle, and be assured that if you step foot back in this room I will personally rip off those wings.”

Wisely backing toward the door the gargoyle gave a lift of his hands.

“Jeez, there's no need for the attitude. Vampires are always so testy.”

The gargoyle had no idea, Viper acknowledged as he firmly turned back to Shay.

Testy didn't begin to cover his mood.

Watching Shay hovering so anxiously beside the witch made his unbeating heart clench with pain.

However brave and defiant she might pretend to be beneath all the bluster, she was heartbreakingly fragile. The mere thought that she might be further hurt made him long to smash everything in sight.

Dammit. He should have locked them both in the solarium. They could even now be soaring to the heights of pleasure, rather than standing in this damnably hot room watching a witch do her endless hocus-pocus.

Shifting irritably Viper ignored Dante's concerned glance and crossed his arms over his chest.

Oh, yes, they should definitely be in the solarium…

“I am done.” With a dramatic motion the witch waved her hand and the candles were snuffed out. “The box is now safe to open.”

Viper straightened as Shay reached for the delicately carved wooden box. He didn't miss the fine tremor of her hand, or the tightening of her features.

Instinctively he stepped forward, longing to pull her into his arms and add his strength to her own. Only the knowledge that she would detest him revealing that she was anything but utterly confident kept him rooted to his spot.

The very air seemed to still as Shay slowly lifted the lid and pulled out a crumpled envelope.

“It's addressed to me,” she whispered in the thick silence. Lifting her head she glanced around the room, sucking in a deep breath. “If you'll excuse me, I think I should read this in private.”

She turned and headed for the door. Without thought Viper was on her heels. He didn't want her alone. Not when they didn't yet know what was in the letter. It was Dante's hand on his arm that brought him to an abrupt halt.

“Viper, I think you should respect her wishes,” his friend murmured in tones only Viper could hear. “She won't thank you for intruding when she wants to be alone.”

“It's too dangerous for—”

“She is safe enough here. The house is well warded against demons, and there are alarms for the more human intruders.”

Viper gave a low hiss. “I don't like feeling helpless.”

Dante gave a wry chuckle. “Get used to it, old friend. Women have a tendency to do that to a man.”

Viper narrowed his gaze. “You're not helping.”

“Just give her a few moments. Nothing will happen to her while she's in this house.”

“Fine, but only a few.”

Pulling from the vampire's grasp he paced across the vast library. Damn Dante and his annoying logic. He didn't want to be sensible. He didn't want to give Shay the privacy she desired.

Hell, he might as well be honest. He didn't want her out of his sight for even a moment. He gave an unconscious shake of his head. Devil's balls. He was a fool. A stark, raving fool.

Unable to hold still, he continued his pacing as time slowly crawled past. He was distantly aware that Dante had left to take the witch back to her coven, and that Abby had brought a tray of warmed blood and silently placed it on the desk, but they had no ability to intrude into his dark brooding.

Where the devil was Shay?

Why hadn't she returned?

There had to be something wrong. He felt it in the very depths of his soul.

After an hour he had had enough. Bursting from the library in a flurry of power, he swept through the mansion in search of his missing Shalott. In truth he hadn't expected it to be much of a search. The two obvious places were her rooms or the solarium. Where else could she be assured of relative privacy?

It took only moments to discover she was in neither.

Bloody hell.

And another handful of moments to discover that she was nowhere else in the house.

Thoroughly alarmed Viper returned to his own rooms and withdrew the tiny amulet from his pocket. He didn't doubt for a moment Shay would be furious to be called to him like a dog on a leash. He would be furious in her place. But for now Viper was content to deal with her anger. As long as she was near, and he was convinced she was safe, she could rant and rave all she liked.

Closing his fingers about the amulet he felt it grow warm against his skin. Ten minutes later Shay stormed through the door, her expression defiant but her eyes swollen and red from crying.

“Damn you, Viper,” she hissed. “Let me go.”

“No.” Pocketing the amulet Viper moved forward to regard her with open concern. “It's too dangerous for you to be running off.”

She wrapped her arms about herself. “I'm not stupid. I have no intention of running off while there is still someone out there hunting me. I just want to be alone.”

“Talk to me, pet,” he urged. “Tell me what was in the letter.”

There was a long moment when Viper feared she would refuse to answer him. She had been alone for so long. Too long. She no longer knew how to trust others.

“It's from my father.”

Shay had every intention of being furious with Viper. For all his promises not to treat her as a slave he had been swift enough to use the leash that held her to him.

He was no better than the witches, she had told herself.

She had wanted to be alone. She had wanted to battle through her maze of raw emotions before she was forced to face him. He had no right to yank her to his side against her will. And yet the moment she was standing before him she found her anger melting. In fact, she discovered herself longing to lean against that hard body, as if being in his arms would make everything better.

Dammit. The knowledge should be terrifying. Unfortunately she was simply too overwhelmed at the moment to conjure the proper horror. Instead she wrapped her own arms about herself and watched as the inevitable shock rippled over his pale face.

“Your…father?”

“Yes.”

He seemed to carefully consider his response, as if he were dealing with a nut. And maybe he was.

“Surely that should please you?”

She swallowed past the thick lump lodged in her throat. “He had the curse placed upon me.”

He reached up to cup her face, his cool touch ridiculously easing a portion of the pain clutching at her heart.

“You cannot be certain, Shay. This could be a trick.”

“No. It's no trick. The letter says that he did it to protect me.”

His fingers tightened to a near painful level. “What?”

“He knew that he was being stalked, although he didn't know who or what was chasing him. He says that the curse is intended to hide me from his enemies.”

“Hide you?”

“The curse was like a barrier that kept me shielded from most demons.”

He considered for a long moment. “Yes, I suppose it has managed to do that. There hasn't been even the whisper of a Shalott in over a century. Still, it was a rather dangerous and desperate gamble. He left you at the mercy of Evor.”

Shay pulled from his touch. Just having him so near was distraction enough.

“He never intended to leave me at the mercy of anyone,” she said. More to convince herself than Viper. “Once the danger was passed the witch was pledged to break the curse and reveal the truth to me.”

His beautiful features were unreadable. “But she was killed before she could do so?”

“Yes.”

A beat passed. A beat where Shay had no idea what was going through his mind. A vampire was a master at hiding his emotions when he wanted to.

“He was only attempting to protect you, Shay,” he at last said softly.

The stupid tears she had been stemming for the past hour burned hot in her eyes as she abruptly turned to hide her distress.

“I know that, it's just…”

With a speed she could never match, he had moved to stand directly before her.

“What?”

She blew out a heavy sigh, accepting there was no way to hide from him.

“All these years I've blamed my rotten fate on whatever horrible monster had put this curse on me. Now I discover it was my own father.”

“He obviously did it with the best of intentions.”

“That doesn't change the fact that I've spent over eighty years as a slave.” Her teeth clenched as the memories threatened to rise up. Memories she kept locked away so they didn't drown her. “I've been beaten, chained, and sold like an animal.”

“I know it's been difficult—”

“Difficult?” She gave a short, humorless laugh. “There hasn't been a moment when I haven't been at the mercy of some master. Not a moment when I didn't fear what the next hour might bring. Not a moment when I haven't struggled just to survive.”

“Shay.”

The pity on his face had her angrily swiping at the tears. “I'm sorry. I'm not usually a whiner.”

His eyes darkened. “Don't be sorry.” He lightly touched the dampness that lingered on her cheeks. “I only met the witches briefly, but I don't doubt they made your life a living hell.”

“Hell is right,” her voice held a bitter edge. “When Edra was displeased she would lock me in a cellar. More than once she left me down there for years. There was no light, no food except for the bugs and rats I could find crawling around me. There were times when I didn't think I would ever get out. I thought…” Her voice broke and she was forced to clear her throat before she could continue. “I thought I would be stuck in the dark for an eternity.”

His expression was carefully neutral, as if he sensed that she would close down at the first hint of pity.

“That's why you insisted that those demons be loosened at the auction house?”

“Yes. Nothing deserves such torture.” She forced herself to meet his gaze squarely. “But you know Edra wasn't the worst of it.”

“What was?”

“The knowledge that I'll always be in the power of someone. That I can never be strong enough, or fast enough, or smart enough to escape, because there is no escape.”

His features tightened, no doubt sensing that a part of her frustration reached out to include him. With that smooth elegance he turned to pace toward the bed before turning and regarding her from a distance.

“Actually, I know precisely how you feel.”

“You?” She gave a disbelieving snort. “How could you possibly understand?”

He remained shrouded in the shadows, reminding her of the aloof vampire who had first arrived at the auction house to bid on her.

“I was not always a clan chief,” he said, his tone low and oddly rough. “There were many years after I was first turned that I was at the mercy of whatever vampire wished to claim me.”

Shay felt a stab of shock. It was impossible to imagine this arrogant, ruthless man at the mercy of anyone. Certainly not another vampire. He seemed…impervious. Invulnerable.

“You were a slave?”

“A slave and worse.”

“What could be worse?”

“You do not truly want to know, pet.”

She bit her tongue. He was right. However bad the witches had been there could always be worse. Much, much worse.

She gave a slow shake of her head. “I thought that clans protected their own?”

Viper gave a graceful shrug. “Times have thankfully changed and we have grown more civilized.”

“Civilized? You think vampires are civilized?”

“Compared to the past. There was a time when the clans were merely wandering bands of warriors. To become a part of the clan a newly awakened vampire had to…submit to their demands no matter how twisted or depraved they might be.”

Shay frowned. “Then why would you wish to be a part of a clan?”

“To be alone was to die.”

“They would have killed you?”

“The strong survived and the weak were merely prey.”

“And you were prey?”

Her skin prickled as his power flared through the room. “Until I became strong enough to battle back.”

“But you did become strong enough,” she said softly.

There was a moment as he battled his own inner demons, and Shay abruptly understood the reason for the vast armory of weapons that Viper had hidden beneath his house. Whatever power he might now possess there would always be the knowledge that there were monsters lurking in the dark. He had surrounded himself with the sort of beautiful, lethal objects that were not only a collectors dream, but an unconscious sense of security.

With those gliding steps he was once again standing before her, his hand reaching out to trace the curve of her neck.

“I became strong, but like you the memories remain.”

Shay didn't pull away from his cool touch. There was nothing to be read on his beautiful features, but she knew that he had endured horrors that would no doubt give anyone nightmares for centuries. Even more amazing he had managed to maintain a sense of honor and integrity that had kept him from becoming one of the animals that had tortured him. Still, she could not completely dismiss her petty envy. Not as long as she remained bound by her curse.

“You survived and now you are free.”

His lips twisted at her words. “Never free, pet. There are…powers that even I must answer to.”

Her brows lifted in surprise. “You're a clan chief. What powers could you possibly have to answer to?”

“They are forbidden to speak of.”

And that was that.

There was no mistaking his tone of voice. It warned her that she could spend the rest of eternity badgering him for an explanation and he would never yield. Which of course only made her all the more curious.

She grimaced. “Am I supposed to be comforted?”

Without warning a smile curved his lips. That sinful smile that always tugged at something deep within her, and made the hovering darkness a bit less dark.

“We will discover where Evor has been hidden, Shay.” His hand shifted to the back of her neck, his fingers lightly brushing up and down her sensitive nape. “And then we will break the curse once and for all.”

Her mouth went dry and her toes began to curl in her shoes. It was insanity. A few moments before and she had been sunk in despair. A despair that had felt so thick and heavy she wasn't sure she would ever be rid of it. Now her entire body was tingling and her heart nearly leaping from her chest. It didn't seem possible that a mere touch could so utterly alter her emotions.

Licking her suddenly dry lips she gazed into his beautiful face. “Do you truly believe that?”

The disturbing fingers continued a path down her arching spine. “I would not have said it if I did not believe.”

Shay struggled to breathe. “You know, if we do break the curse I will no longer be your slave?”

His smile widened as he shifted to scoop her into his arms. Without missing a beat, he turned and moved toward the bed.

“I do not need an amulet to make a woman my slave,” he assured her.

Shay rolled her eyes. “Your arrogance is nothing short of stunning, vampire. If you were half as good as you think—”

Her brave words were cut short as she found herself being tossed onto the mattress and Viper's hard form covering her with obvious intent.

Taking swift advantage Viper lowered his head to nuzzle at her neck.

“You were saying, pet?” he murmured with a hint of amusement.

She shivered as his tongue ran a path to the hollow of her shoulder.

“You aren't playing fair,” she accused even as her hands lifted to tug the clip from his hair and plunge her fingers into the silver satin.

His chuckle brushed over her skin as he shifted to tug the sweatshirt over her head. Her bra swiftly followed.

“I'm a vampire. I only play to win.”

There was no doubt a perfectly reasonable moral objection to his claim, but as his mouth found the tip of her breast Shay couldn't begin to think that clearly. Instead she moaned and held his head even closer while the pleasure rushed through her in a searing wave.

“What is it you intend to win?” she breathed.

He drew back to stab her with a smoldering gaze. “I have already won precisely what I desired. Now it is a matter of pleasing my prize to the point she never wishes to leave my side.”

Shay swallowed a moan. “I'm not sure if you please me any more that I'll survive.”

His gaze lowered to sweep over her exposed breasts. “I have every faith in your ability to survive, pet. It is one thing we have in common.” His thumb brushed her tightened nipple. “Of course it's not the only thing.”

Her eyes rolled back in her head as he lowered his head to kiss her with a raw yearning that clenched at her stomach. They most certainly had this in common, she acknowledged as she felt his fingers fumble with the snap on her jeans. Whatever it was…lust, passion, or some darker obsession, it had her in its grip.

She wasn't certain she would ever have enough of this vampire.

Tugging impatiently at his shirt, Shay lifted her hips so he could slip the jeans from her legs. With their lips still locked together she ran her hands over his bare chest, reveling in the feel of his silken skin.

It was so smooth, so perfect.

She needed more.

Viper had explored every inch of her. Touched every curve, stroked and tasted her from head to toe.

It was surely her turn?

Not giving herself time to debate the wisdom of necking with a vampire she had locked her leg around Viper's and with a sharp push had him flat on his back. In the same motion she rolled on top of him, straddling his waist as she straightened to regard him with a fierce hunger.

“My turn,” she rasped, as her fingers trailed over his chest to lightly brush his nipples.

Viper's hands clutched at the black sheets beneath him as his body reacted to her touch.