Darker (25 page)

“
Can I help you?”

I could feel a vampire or two nearby, no problem. I was more worried about the demons that I couldn’t sense.

“
Tell her we want to talk. That’s all.”
For now
.

I waited for a reaction, but the woman had none. I could smell the bites on her though I couldn’t see them. Lilah certainly wasn’t the first vampire to keep human cattle, but it was still sickening. For once, I didn’t feel so bad about my ties to The Wicked Kiss, as owner or patron. At least our victims were willing.

“
She will see you in the library.” The frail woman turned and walked away, fully expecting us to follow.

Jez didn’t hesitate. She entered the house without batting an eye at the elaborate decor or the two vampires standing in the shadows beyond the sun’s reach. I approached more cautiously. One of the vamps I recognized right away—because the bastard worked for me.

Shawn was a wannabe tough guy who had tried to scare me into letting him taste my blood the first time we’d met. Upon learning I was Arys’s wolf, he’d backed off so fast he almost burned a hole in the carpet. Since then he’d been an acquaintance and The Wicked Kiss employee, ready and willing to provide muscle where needed.

“
Sorry, Alexa,” he said, lifting one shoulder in a half-assed shrug.

“
No worries,” I replied with a cold smile. “You’re fired.”

The foyer was huge, complete with the largest spiral staircase I’d ever seen. Lilah’s human led us behind it to a set of open double doors that revealed a library so magnificent I couldn’t help but gawk. Still, my survival instinct was stronger than my awe. When a pair of hellhounds appeared in front of us, I threw up an energy barrier that crackled with fire.

“
Stand down, boys.” Lilah’s command was immediately obeyed. The beasts sat down and shut up but never once took their vacant red eyes from us.

Books lined the room from floor to ceiling. Right away, I could tell human eyes had never seen many of the titles. I would have loved the chance to take a peek inside any of them.

The hardwood floors were smooth and shiny. Paintings depicting various historical scenes adorned the walls. I didn’t take any time to study them; I had eyes only for Lilah.

She sat in front of an empty hearth. I did a double take; she barely looked like Lilah. With her flame-colored hair in long, loose waves that framed her face and a flowing black gown that pooled on the floor at her feet, she was almost pretty. A shiny silver crown sat upon her head. The front of it was a cobra’s flared head. The body made up the rest of the crown.

A small harem of vampires and demons fell all over themselves, fawning over her in worship. They kissed her arms, her face, touching her with lusty caresses. She sat in the middle, eating up the attention, smiling in satisfaction.

Her human pet stood awkwardly nearby, awaiting further instruction. A pair of demons flanked Lilah, each standing on either side behind her chair. One of them was Brook. He stood protectively over her, watching with a cold, steely gaze that spoke of nightmares come true.

I was willing to bet there were others, currently unseen. I wondered if Falon was among them. A dozen vampires scattered about the library watched us with intrigue.

“
Look at you.” Lilah’s burnt orange gaze traveled over me appraisingly. She shoved her men away and gave me her full attention. “Sucking up power like a sponge. I bet Willow thought he was doing you a favor by sending you in here like that.”

She thought it was Willow’s power raging through me? Interesting. I saw no reason to enlighten her.

“
I didn’t come for a fight, but I’m ready if you want to give me one.” In a brazen move, I reached out psychically to test her, making sure she was still powerless. Shya’s binding was still in place.

“
Come on now, Alexa. Do you really think I’d resort to getting my hands dirty if I had access to any power?” Lilah asked with a small smirk. “As you can see, I don’t let things like that slow me down. So, you say you want to talk? Let’s talk then, ladies.”

Lilah gestured to the big easy chairs across from her. She was going to play the gracious hostess and milk this thing for all it was worth. I wasn’t in the mood to play games.

“
Did I say talk? I meant threaten.” I let the energy wall drop.

I kept expecting to feel some kind of fear or apprehension. Though I feared what she might do to others, I didn’t fear what she had planned for me. I was ready to take her on.

She pressed the tips of her fingers together and looked at both Jez and me in turn. “That’s more like it. There’s no reason we can’t all be honest with each other. I didn’t think you came here leaking borrowed power just to talk. Go ahead, I’m listening.”

It was weird to see Lilah so dressed up. I’d never seen her in anything but army fatigues and boots. She cleaned up well. Playing the role of demon queen spoke volumes in regards to her determination. She was ready and willing to do whatever it took to reclaim her throne.

“
I know who you’re hiding from,” I said, watching her reaction. “I think it’s time he finds you.”

“
So, you do have Veryl’s information.” Lilah nodded knowingly. “I figured as much. That’s the problem with people like you and Veryl. You think knowledge is power. It isn’t though. Knowledge can get you killed. Or worse. So, this is blackmail then?”

“
Don’t look so surprised,” Jez spat. “You gave us no choice.”

Lilah fixed Jez with a dark glare. “This was never personal, Jez. Why make it so? Besides, I did that hybrid a favor by putting her out of her misery.”

Jez lunged forward, and I stopped her before the hellhounds did. I didn’t blame her one bit for having murderous intentions. Knowing Lilah couldn’t be killed drove me nuts; I wanted to make her beg for mercy.

The demons standing guard near Lilah didn’t move, but I could sense that they held their power ready should one of us give them a reason to use it. I held tight to Jez’s arm, hoping she wouldn’t fight me. The hate-filled energy thrumming through her spilled over me, drawing my attention to the pure Were blood pumping hot through her veins.

“
You didn’t kill Zoey in an act of mercy, Lilah. You think you can force my hand by killing my wolves. It’s a coward’s tactic.” I focused on staying calm when all I wanted to do was set the bitch on fire.

“
Yes, well it worked, didn’t it? Here you are.” Lilah’s wan smile made it clear that blackmail wouldn’t be enough. It might buy me time, but it would never stop her.

“
I won’t give my blood to you. I’m here to tell you face to face that it’s over. You have no shot at breaking the curse. Not with me.” I tried to stifle the spark burning its way quickly through my short fuse. If I lost my precarious hold on the power testing my resistance, this would get ugly fast.

“
So what now then?” Lilah rose, and the demons on each side moved closer. She waved them away with a scowl. “You take over where Veryl left off blackmailing me? We can call a truce, Alexa. I can make it worth your while.”

“
I don’t want anything you can offer.”

“
I can change that.”

“
Save it,” I snapped, and a vase filled with flowers went up in flames. Oops.

Lilah watched the fire die out with pursed lips and a raised brow. “That’s the problem with being a mortal succubus. You can soak up all the power you touch, but that doesn’t make it yours. I can help with that.”

“
You’re used to dealing with power-hungry dirtbags like Shya, I get that,” I said, the condescension heavy in my tone. “I’m not one of them, so instead of wasting time trying to coerce me into a deal, you should be telling me what you’re willing to do to keep me from telling Salem where you are.”

At the mention of his name, Lilah froze. Her demon guards watched me warily, with Brook staring a little more intently than I was comfortable with. The low, steady growl of the hounds was the only sound.

“
Don’t say that name.” Lilah moved with purposeful strides, stopping when I raised a hand to blast her. “You should know better than anyone why I ran. I don’t belong to any man, no matter what fancy fucking claim he thinks he has on me. I won’t be controlled by a bond I have no say in.”

With each word, Lilah’s anger grew until it was palpable. She was suddenly furious, and in a swift motion, she threw the vase I’d scorched. It smashed all over the floor in a mess of scorched flower petals and glass. I’d never seen her anything but calm. Even when we’d fought outside Shya’s house, she hadn’t exhibited such sudden temper. Whoever this guy was, he got under Lilah’s skin in a bad way.

“
You killed Veryl,” she shouted at me, pointing a finger at my face. “Now, you think you can take his place? I’ll kill you before I let you hand me over to Salem, even if it means losing my chance to break the curse with your blood. I’ll find another way.”

I grabbed Jez’s hand and formed a circle with us inside. The desperation in Lilah’s eyes was both satisfying and worrisome. She was terrified of this guy and clearly prepared to escape him at any cost.

“
What’s with the sudden freak out?” Jez taunted. “This guy must be a pretty big deal to get your panties in such a knot.”

“
Oh shut up, Jez. What would you know about being born to exist alongside another, whether or not you want to? There’s a reason twin flames are so rare. They are not a gift but a curse of the worst kind.” Lilah approached my circle and placed her hands on it. She flashed a grim smile at me. “Veryl’s files didn’t say that, did they?”

“
A curse?” I sputtered through the shock and denial. “A twin flame union only happens for a reason. It’s meant to be. There’s something special in that.”

“
Special?” She smirked. “Bound to another against your will. United through forces you cannot control. Unable to escape them no matter how far you go or how many names and faces you wear. To hate that person as much as you love them. Oh, and how you love them. So much you start to hate yourself. And, for what? To be manipulated into fulfilling some horror-filled destiny? Not a damn thing about that sounds special to me. The chosen ones, us, we’re meant to suffer. This is no gift.”

Her words struck a chord deep in me. She described so well things I had felt even when I hadn’t been willing to admit it to myself. She knew. Still, she was wrong. She had to be.

“
Don’t listen to this bitch, Lex. She’s a demon, otherwise known as a deceptive liar. She’s trying to get inside your head.” Jez squeezed my hand. The fierceness in her eyes reminded me why we’d come here.

“
If it wasn’t a curse, why would light and dark be joined to one another? They can never truly become one. One will always devour the other. What kind of sacred purpose would join a demon to an angel? Or, a vampire to a mortal?” Lilah looked at me pointedly, and for just a moment, I saw a flicker of the sadness I’d seen in her once before. “When love is always pain, it ceases to hold any meaning.”

“
I don’t believe that.” I shook my head, unwilling to accept it even as I heard the truth in her claim.

I couldn’t let Lilah put doubts in my head. She wanted to appeal to any weakness I might have. I would not let her find one.

In a bold move that I didn’t take the time to think through, I dropped the circle and hit Lilah square in the chest with a blast that sent her tripping over a hound. She recovered quickly, glowering at the demons who stood by watching.

“
This isn’t blackmail. I have nothing to gain from you. I don’t care who he is to you or what you think of it. Stay away from me. Stay away from those I care about. Otherwise, either he comes for you, or I send you back to the cage where you belong.”

Lilah adjusted the crown on her head and slapped the human girl attempting to smooth her skirt. “Incompetent idiots,” she hissed at the demons. “Grab the wolf. I need her alive.”

“
No.” My shout was accompanied by a surge of energy that struck each demon, only momentarily disabling them. The force was staggering as it left me. “Just you and me, Lilah. No power. If I come out on top, you’re a prisoner. If you do, you get my blood.”

Could a demon be manipulated by a mortal? I thought of Arys as the challenge left my lips. He was so busy trying to protect me from himself, he’d forgotten about the real threat.

The hounds barked, an ear splitting sound that echoed in the vast library. I couldn’t stop the flood of angel power that oozed from me. It was uncontrollable. I was merely a vessel to be used. A blue flame engulfed both hounds and made short work of them.

One of the demon guards backed away muttering something about Shya’s mark on my wrist. The other, Brook, watched Lilah, waiting for her decision. She looked me over, lingering on my silver eyes. I saw her consider it. I think she even believed she could take me, but something held her back. She wasn’t willing to gamble with it, whatever it was.

With her long skirt sweeping out behind her, Lilah spun on a heel and uttered a loud command in Latin. I didn’t have to be fluent to get the gist of it. She returned to her throne-like seat and crossed one leg over the other, watching with red-hot intensity as her vampires and demons advanced on us.

“
Kill them both.”

There was a pause, so small as to be near non-existent. Then, everyone started moving at once. In the melee, several vampires rushed me, separating me from Jez.