Embrace the Darkness (4 page)

“Take off the shackles.”

“I have your word that you will not attempt to fight me?”

Shay blinked in surprise. “You trust my word?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I can read your soul.” He held her gaze with ease. “Your word?”

Well…crap.

She didn't want him to know that once she gave her word she would never go back on it. It gave him yet another hold over her.

For a moment she refused to make the pledge. How could she live with herself if she didn't at least try to put a stake through his heart? She did have her pride, after all. But as he continued to stare at her with that unnerving stillness only a vampire could pull off, she heaved a grudging sigh. He was prepared to remain in that precise position for an eternity if necessary.

“For tonight I will not attempt to fight you,” she said through gritted teeth.

He smiled at her grudging promise. “As good as I'm going to get, I suppose.”

“Damn straight.”

 

Viper found a smile tugging at his lips as he escorted the Shalott from the auction house to his waiting car.

He wasn't at all sure why he was pleased.

He had come to the auction because he couldn't get the beautiful demon out of his mind. He didn't have a clue what he intended to do with her. He had only known he couldn't allow anyone else to own her.

His plans, however, hadn't included a battle with some minor dark wizard, or pissing off a powerful enemy that would no doubt want revenge, or being treated like some bloodsucking monster by his very own slave.

So why the devil was he smiling?

His gaze lowered to watch the angry twitch of Shay's hips as she walked in front of him. Ah, yes. Now he remembered.

A lick of pure desire curled through his stomach.

The scent of her potent blood was enough to make any vampire hard and aching. She perfumed the very air with lust. But that was not what captured and held his attention.

It was her exotic beauty, the manner in which she moved with that liquid grace, the fierce determination that shimmered in the golden eyes, and the danger that swirled about her like a cloud of enticement.

She would never be just an easy lay. Her lover would never know when he kissed her whether she would wrap her legs around him or rip his heart out.

It added a delicious dash of excitement that he hadn't felt in far too long.

With his eyes still transfixed by the gentle sway of her hips Viper was forced to step to the side as Shay came to a sharp halt in front of the gleaming black limo.

“Is this yours?” she demanded.

“For my sins.”

She forced a smile to her lips, but Viper could feel her wariness. She seemed more disturbed than impressed by his blatant display of wealth.

“Nice.”

“I like to live well.” With a smooth motion Viper pulled the door open and motioned with his hand. “After you.”

There was a tense beat, and then with a tilt of her chin, Shay was climbing into the dimly lit depths.

“Holy crap,” she muttered beneath her breath.

He smiled as he settled in the seat across from her. The car was a work of art. Plush white seats, polished satinwood, moonroof, built-in wine cabinet, and plasma TV.

What more could a discerning vampire desire?

Waiting until the car smoothly purred from the curb, Viper pulled out two crystal glasses and poured them a generous measure of his favorite vintage.

“Wine? It is a particularly exquisite burgundy.”

She took the glass only to sniff at it as if she feared it might be poison. “I wouldn't know the difference if you had brewed it in your bathtub.”

Viper hid his smile by taking an appreciative sip of the wine. “I see I shall have to introduce you to the delights of fine living.”

The golden eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you bother? It can't matter to you if I appreciate expensive wine or mile-long limos.”

He gave a small shrug. “I prefer a companion who possesses a bit of sophistication.”

“Companion?” Shay gave a short, humorless laugh. “Me?”

“I did pay a great deal of money for you. Did you believe that I intended to hide you away in some damp cell?”

“Why not? You can drain me as easily in a damp cell as anywhere.”

Viper sprawled with elegant ease in his seat, wincing slightly as his injuries protested at the pressure against them. They would be healed within a few hours, but until then they would be a painful reminder of his most recent battle.

“It is true that I could make a fortune off your blood,” he murmured, regarding her tight expression over the rim of his glass. “Vampires would pay any price for a taste of your potent elixir. However, I have no desperate need for more wealth, and for the moment I prefer to keep you to myself.”

“Your own private stock?” she rasped, folding her arms over her stomach.

“Perhaps,” he murmured in distracted tones as he reached into a small compartment beneath his seat and removed a small ceramic pot. “Hold out your arms.”

She predictably stiffened, her breath catching in horror. She had made it clear that she considered sharing her blood with a vampire a fate worse than death.

“What?”

“I said, hold out your arms.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

Her jaw worked as she glared at him with fury. Viper held out a slender hand, calmly waiting.

Long moments passed before she muttered a low curse and thrust out her arm.

“Here.”

Grasping her forearm in one hand he used his other hand to scoop out the pale green cream from the ceramic pot and carefully began to smear it on the red and blistered skin of her wrists. The wounds from the iron shackles would scar unless proper care was taken.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“There is no need for you to suffer. I have no liking for witches, but not even I can deny they know how to brew a hell of an ointment.”

A frown touched her brow as he reached to tend to her other wrist.

“Why are you doing this?”

“You're injured.”

“Yes, but…why do you care?”

Viper met her gaze steadily. “You belong to me now. I take care of my own.”

Her lips thinned, not entirely happy with his explanation, but her muscles relaxed beneath his gentle touch and she didn't try to pull away. Not until he lifted her wrist so he could press his lips to her raw skin.

“No, please,” she whispered, “I…”

Without warning her eyes widened, and with a powerful movement that caught him off guard, she had pulled free of his hold and had her hand pressed to the window.

Viper tensed at the sudden danger in the air. “What is it?”

“The darkness from the auction house,” she whispered. “It's following us.”

“Get down,” he commanded, once again reaching beneath the seat. On this occasion he pulled out a sleek handgun.

There was a sudden thump as the limo was hit from behind and Viper muttered a low curse. He wasn't concerned they would wreck. The car had been built to withstand a small nuclear bomb. And, of course, his driver was a vampire. Pierre's reflexes were the best he had ever seen. Not to mention the fact he was immortal.

The perfect chauffeur.

But he would have the heart of anyone stupid enough to so blatantly attack him.

Leaning sideways Viper slowly lowered the smoke-tinted window. A gust of air whipped through the interior, stealing the comforting warmth. Fall had descended without mercy, leaving a chilled edge to the night.

Behind them a large jeep was continuing to accelerate in a futile effort to run them off the road. Even at a distance he could tell that there were two passengers, and that they were both human.

“Give me one.”

Startled by Shay's soft demand Viper turned to regard her with a narrowed gaze.

“You know how to use a gun?”

“Yes.”

Keeping his gaze locked on her wide eyes he reached beneath the seat to offer her a handgun similar to his own. With startling efficiency she measured the balance of the gun in her hand, before smoothly flicking off the safety.

He would wager his finest ruby it was not the first occasion she held a gun.

Not precisely reassuring.

At least she wasn't about to accidentally shoot off her foot, or worse his own, he wryly acknowledged as he rolled down the opposite window.

“Aim at the tires,” he commanded, leaning out the window and steadying his hip against the door. He paused, sighted, pulled the trigger, and took out the front tire with one shot. On the other side of the car Shay sprayed a line of bullets, at last puncturing the other tire. The pursuing car pulled hard to the right and Viper managed a shot through the side window, hitting the driver although it was impossible to tell if it was a kill-ing blow.

The car plunged off the road and Viper sent his thoughts to Pierre who was already slowing the limo. He wanted those men. He wanted them in his clutches to drain them of every last thread of information they might possess.

And then he intended to just drain them.

Whoever, or whatever, wanted his Shalott was proving to be more than merely a pest.

He needed to know precisely what he was up against.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the skidding car rammed into a light pole. He muttered a curse, and then another as the car promptly exploded into a ball of flames.

Well, devil's balls.

Didn't that only happen in the movies?

Folding himself back into the car he gave a rap on the divider. On cue the limo sped easily into the darkness.

Viper watched as Shay lowered herself back in her seat. Closing the windows he held out his hand for the gun. There was only the faintest hesitation before she placed it in his hand and Viper bent down to place both guns in the hidden cabinet.

Settling more comfortably against the leather he flashed her a faint smile. “Not bad.”

“It pulls right.”

His smile widened. “Yes, I know.”

Her eyes slowly narrowed. “You thought I might turn it on you?”

“Was it not a temptation?” he demanded.

“A gun can't kill you.”

“The bullets are silver and would have at least caused me damage.”

Her eyes glittered with the unspoken warning that she wanted to do far more than cause mere damage.

“You said that you trusted me.”

“I have not survived so many centuries without realizing that I can occasionally be wrong. I fully embrace the motto ‘better safe than sorry.'”

She tossed herself into the corner of her seat, yanking at the long raven braid that was draped over her shoulder. She had been angry when he had demanded her pledge not to offer him harm, annoyed that he had easily read her noble spirit. Now she was angry that he remained cautious.

Part demon or not, she was as contrary as any woman.

“If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't need a gun,” she muttered in low tones.

Shay wasn't entirely stupid.

She knew that baiting a vampire under any circumstances was dangerous. Like playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded pistol. Especially when she was completely and utterly at his mercy.

But while every sense might warn her to keep her mouth shut and disappear into the butter soft leather seat, her raw pride simply refused to listen.

Beyond being a vampire Viper was everything she disliked.

He was too beautiful, too obscenely rich, and worst of all, too brashly confident of his own worth.

That grated worst of all.

Deep within her she envied that cool, stately arrogance. Even if she lived a millennium she would never attain such a sure belief in her own worth.

She was a mongrel. Half demon and half human. She didn't belong in either world. And never would.

The vampire settled back in his seat and regarded her with a steady gaze.

“A fascinating discussion, pet, and one we will no doubt explore in depth at some point. But for the moment I prefer to concentrate on who, or what, is so desperate to get their hands on you.”

“I don't know,” Shay retorted with complete honesty. She didn't have a clue who was after her. She had spent her life in the shadows, never drawing attention to herself. It had been her only means of survival.

“No bitter past owner?” he demanded.

“Besides Evor who holds my curse, Edra was my one and only owner.” Her lips thinned with annoyance. “Until you.”

“No past lover who might hold a grudge?”

Stupidly she felt her face warm with embarrassment. “No.”

“No past lover?” His lips twitched with ill-concealed amusement. “Or none who would hold a grudge?”

“None of your damn business.”

“It becomes my business when someone tries to kill me.”

Shay gave her braid a furious tug as she glared into his perfect face. “Then take me back to Evor.”

“Never.” Without warning the vampire was flowing forward and Shay found herself trapped in the corner with his hands planted on the seat on either side of her head. “You are mine.”

His face was so close that she could see the flecks of gold in the midnight eyes. Her heart threatened to halt.

Partially out of fear. And partially…well, hell, she might as well be honest. Partially out of sheer lust.

She didn't have to like him to want to rip off his clothes and pull that magnificent male body on top of her. He was a sexual invitation from the tip of his silver hair to the toes of his handcrafted leather boots.

She would have to be dead not to want to wrap herself in his potent beauty and sate the aching need she had endured for more years than she cared to admit.

Easily sensing her flare of desire Viper stilled above her, his fangs lengthening as his own body reacted.

Her eyes widened. “Don't.”

With a slow, relentless motion his head began to lower. “You fear me drinking your blood?”

“I don't like being a meal on wheels for anyone.”

His cool lips skimmed her mouth before brushing her cheek. “There are many reasons for a vampire to share blood. Trust, friendship, love…lust.”

Her heart crashed against her chest as a dark heat spread through her body. He was touching her with nothing more than his lips, but already a heady flutter of excitement was rushing through her lower stomach and her nipples hardening to tight peaks.

God, it had been so long.

The satin of his hair tickled her nose as his mouth stroked down the curve of her neck. He smelled of expensive cologne and something far more primitive. Something starkly male.

His mouth lingered on the frantic beat of her pulse before his tongue traced the large vein in a wet path back up her throat.

A stab of panic raced through her and her hands lifted to press against his chest.

“Viper.”

“At this moment I don't want your blood, pet.” His lips brushed her skin sending a jolt of pleasure down her spine.

“Then what do you want?”

“Everything else.”

Shifting his head he captured her lips in a kiss that shook her to her very toes.

Oh, Shay, don't think about the taste of those male lips. Or the promise of his hovering body. Or the heat already swirling through the air.

A ridiculous, not to mention an impossible task, she admitted as the kiss deepened.

His mouth was not harsh, but there was a hungry demand that had her own lips parting in helpless response.

A soft moan escaped her throat as his slender fingers cupped her face. Damn and damn. Her entire body was stirring to life beneath his silken expertise.

With gentle insistence his tongue parted her lips to slip within. Her eyes slid shut and she tentatively allowed her tongue to tangle with his. Even worse, the hands she had lifted to ward him off now clutched at the heavy cloak, unthinkingly pulling his long frame to cover her own.

Since the moment she had encountered this vampire weeks ago he had invaded her dreams and made her remember sensations better left forgotten. Now she was paying for her weakness in not having banished those treacherous desires.

His hands softly skimmed from her face down her neck. His touch was as light as a butterfly's wing. So light that she barely even noticed when his fingers trailed low enough to slip beneath the tiny harem top to cup her breasts.

Not until his thumbs rubbed over the sensitive nipples. A small cry was torn from her lips.

“Viper?”

He swept his mouth over her cheek, his fangs scraping her skin but never drawing blood.

“Shhh…I won't hurt you.”

“Are you going to bite me?”

“I had something else in mind at the moment,” he huffed.

She shivered in response. Growling low in his throat Viper allowed his body to press her own into the soft seat, his knee nudging her legs apart to allow him to settle against her with shocking intimacy.

It was the hungry joy at the feel of his erection pressing against her that at last jolted her out of the daze of sensual pleasure.

By the flames of hell, what was she doing?

She had barely been Viper's slave for an hour and here she was battling the urge to rip off his clothes and guide him into her.

She might be in this man's power, but that didn't mean she had to be a willing victim.

Did she have no pride at all?

Sucking in a deep breath she attempted to gather her lost senses.

“No,” she at last rasped.

It was a mere thread of sound, but it was enough to make Viper stiffen above her.

“What did you say?” he demanded against her lips.

Her body shuddered in disappointment as she forced herself to press her hands against his chest in silent denial.

“I said no.”

She was prepared for him to laugh at her weak protest. Or at the very least ignore it.

She was his slave and he was in a position to do whatever he wanted with her body.

Besides which, she had never met a man yet who didn't think that a
no
was just a
yes
waiting to happen.

Astonishingly, however, the elegant form was lifting off her with fluid ease. Shay blinked as she watched him settle back in his own seat with cool composure. There wasn't even the faintest tremor of his slender fingers as he picked up his wineglass and lifted it to his lips to reveal he had been at all affected by the last few moments.

“You…” Straightening Shay impatiently brushed away the handful of curls that had strayed from her braid. “Why did you stop?”

He regarded her over the rim of his glass. “You said no. I assumed that meant no, did it not?”

“It did, but…”

“I'm a vampire, not a monster.”

“You say potato, I say potato…” she muttered.

“What?”

“Does it matter what I want? I'm your slave.”

He abruptly set aside his glass. “But not my whore. Not ever.”

Her eyes narrowed. He sounded sincere. But then, he was a vampire. Deception was perhaps their greatest skill.

If they couldn't enthrall you with their eyes, they would enthrall you with their gilded tongues.

“So all I have to do is say no?”

“That's all you have to do.”

“I don't believe you.”

The dark eyes flashed at her blunt accusation, but the ivory features remained unruffled.

“That is your choice, of course.”

Her hand reached for her braid as she regarded him with wary distrust.

It was a trap. It had to be.

“If you don't intend to force yourself on me then why did you buy me?”

His lips twisted with sardonic humor. “Ah…the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question.” Shay frowned but before she could probe him further, the car came to a silent halt. Viper held out his hand as the door to the limo was pulled open. “We have arrived. Shall we?”

 

Viper hid his amusement as Shay warily inspected the kitchen with its gleaming appliances and plain wood floor. Her gaze lingered on the gingham curtains and handwoven rugs before shifting to the copper pots that hung above the heavy butcher table.

The two-story cottage was beautiful, with what the real estate agent had claimed was a cozy warmth, but it could hardly compare to most of his residences.

When he had purchased the place his only interest had been in finding an estate that was secluded and easily defensible. After a handful of centuries every vampire needed a home where he could get away from it all and let down his hair.

Or more importantly his fangs.

Slowly turning to face him Shay frowned with obvious disbelief. “This is your home?”

Viper tossed aside the heavy cloak and followed it with the tailored jacket. He was left standing in a sheer linen shirt and leather pants.

He smothered another smile as Shay grudgingly allowed her gaze to stray over his body. Their time in the limo had revealed that she was not indifferent to his touch. And that she was as warm and passionate as any man could desire.

Soon he intended to have her warm and passionate beneath him.

And on top of him, to the side of him…

“One of them.”

“How many do you have?”

He shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“I suppose not.”

With slow measured steps he began to walk toward her, not at all surprised when she began backing away. She might be attracted to him but she would never allow an easy seduction.

It would be a tantalizing dance perfectly suited to entertain a jaded vampire.

“You were hoping for something a bit more grand?”

She grimaced at the thought. “God, no.”

He continued to back her down until she came up against the refrigerator. “I have any number of mansions that I use to entertain, but this is my private retreat. I prefer to be alone upon occasion.”

“We're alone?”

His gaze deliberately swept over her tense features before lowering to the barely there outfit. When he had first seen Shay attired like a harem slave he had wanted to rip out Evor's heart.

In the privacy of his own home, however, he could not deny it held a certain appeal.

“There are guards upon the grounds and I have a human housekeeper that comes during the day, but for the most part we shall have the house to ourselves.” His attention turned to the full curve of her mouth. “A delicious thought, is it not?”

“Delicious is not the word I would use.”

He shifted until his body was fully pressed to hers. “You would rather be surrounded by hungry vampires? That could be arranged.”

Her breath caught and the pulse in her neck thundered. “Stop.”

He touched her cheek. “You'll have to move, pet.”

“What?”

“You're leaning against the fridge. I can't get to my blood.”

“Oh.”

With flustered haste she dodged around him, a faint flush touching her cheeks.

Viper pulled out a container of blood and swiftly emptied it. Then he reached for the numerous bags that had been left by his housekeeper. He set them on the counter and began to open them.

“I didn't know what you preferred so I had my housekeeper order out. There's a bit of everything. Chinese, Italian, Mexican, and the more mundane fried chicken. Take what you want.”

“You already had this ordered?” Her eyes widened as she glanced over the bounty spread across the counter. “How could you possibly know you would be able to outbid everyone at the auction?”