Darkness Comes (34 page)

“Please.”

“I need some time to sort through everything,” she said softly. “To find my bearings.”

“Don’t do this.”

“I would appreciate it if you kept Toby with you for a few days.” She laughed coldly, as a tear burned a path down her frozen cheek. “It’s not like it will be that difficult; you’ve lo-jacked him after all.”

“Malorie.”

“Just a few days though; I want him back,” she clarified, just in case. Pressing her fingers into her temple, she gave him that horrible laugh again, “I don’t think I would be very good for my son right now but I will be okay in a few days. I’ll be able to pretend that you love me and….”

“I do love you.”

“And I’ll wear your mark,” she continued, ignoring the sound of his heart battered voice. “And when the baby comes,” she swallowed, pressing her hand against her stomach, knowing that if it weren’t for the baby, she would have continued to live in insufferable ignorance. “When the baby comes, I’ll continue to be your pet until you tire of me. Then I think I might try my hand at opening a nursery because I refuse to be passed on to another Aradian.”

“I’d never….” His eyes glowed with fury but she no longer cared. Unable to help herself, she looked over at him and choked back an anguished sob. He looked so powerful, standing in the middle of the room wearing nothing but a blanket, his chest so strong and his shoulders so broad. Rage and despair made the lines of his face even harsher, made the fire in his eyes burn even brighter. His chest was rising and falling with each rapid breath he took and it hurt too much to see him in pain.

It hurt too much to look at him.

Closing her eyes, she whispered, “Please go.”

She turned the knob and started to open the door but it slammed shut and Feryn was standing right behind her, taking up all of the oxygen in the room. His breath blistered her ear as he hissed, “I’ll give you the time you think you need; you’re still very young and very scared. But use it to explore my memories; you’ll see how much I love you; how much I love you, Malorie.”

A sob broke free and she turned around to face him but he was already gone. She leaned against the door and pressed her hand against her chest to still her racing heart. A tear spilled down her cheek and it felt as if everything inside was shattering. If he loved her so much, why did he let her go in the first place?

Her reflection caught her eye and she gasped as she saw the bit of the shimmering Aradian design peak out from beneath her thigh-length robe. Her discordant thoughts were temporarily subverted as she tore off her robe and rushed over to the mirror. He hadn’t just marked her; he had laid claim to her entire body, heart and soul. The intricate pattern wrapped around her upper thigh, twining its way to the core of her sex, dipping inside, and flowing upwards over her belly…. Turning around, she looked over her shoulder at the reflection and saw the continuation of the brand dancing across her lower back, a few tendrils reaching upwards along her spine.

Her eyes flew lower, at the iridescent marks lovingly kissing her butt cheeks, her thigh, down to the back of her knee. Radiant colors swirled and shifted within the design, changing when she moved or when the light altered. She covered her mouth with her fingertips as a slightly mad giggle escaped.

He had marked her with his soul.

He had bound himself to her and she hadn’t believed him and she had sent him away.

No, this was good; she needed time to sort everything out that was swimming around in her head. Her father had disappeared and she didn’t know if he was even looking for her. It was difficult to believe that he would willingly leave her and Toby behind but how else could she explain his lack of communication?

Since he escaped, he had to know that the Aradians’ domain was just out of synch with the rest of the human world; how….

Her eyes widened as she stared at her reflection, reminding herself that she was still stark naked. Absently, she grabbed the robe off the floor and slipped it on, still ruminating on what she had learned from Feryn.

It was an Aradian that had helped her father, who had escaped with her father. A female Aradian. Was he a pet or was he something more? She tried to focus on the memories but they weren’t very clear; Feryn and the rest of the Aradians were as in the dark as she was as to why the female did what she did.

Perhaps she had fallen in love with Gus; they were of similar age. She had to bite her tongue to prevent the hysterical laughter from returning as the slightly demented thoughts rolled through her. If it were like Feryn said, when an Aradian loved it was all; there was no nothing.

What the hell did her grandfather do to change their genetics?

Her thoughts returned to Toby and she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry for what she had done to him. She had made her choice but it wasn’t fair to her son; he had to be given the opportunity to make his own destiny. It would the one thing, the only thing, she asked of Feryn; he had to do this for her or she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

Toby was her son.

She would talk to Feryn when he returned, which she had no doubt would be soon. She was going to take the next few days to get her head screwed on straight, without Feryn around to distract her or muddy up her thoughts. She’d explore his memories and try to learn more about the incredible man she loved, to discover the veracity of his words, his devotion to her.

Chapter 16

“
I’m sorry, Taella,” Feryn’s voice was compassionate but firm as he stood before the other Aradian as she lounged on the chaise beneath the sun. She looked up at him with her familiar blue eyes and something in them made him blink; perhaps there was some validity to Malorie’s concerns. “But you’re going to have to take your vampires and go.”

She smiled at him and there was something off about that, too. “May I ask why?”

“
I’ve placed Malorie in the village and she is uncomfortable with vampires.”

“
Ah, yes,” Taella smiled smugly, sipping her drink. “The little Blade Soldier. I take it the move is temporary until the little pet is relocated?”

Feryn looked away, “She will be staying there until she is ready to move on.”

“
Is she having difficulty letting go?” Taella pushed out her lower lip in empathy as she shook her head. “Poor dear.”

It was on the tip of Feryn’s tongue to explain that Malorie wasn’t going anywhere; she just needed time to acclimate, but something, some instinct, had him holding his tongue. Malorie’s distrust of the Aradian was rubbing off on him and he wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or not. “She’ll be fine.”

“
I’m sure,” Taella agreed, sliding her long legs off the chaise and standing up before him. “She is such a fascinating girl.”

“
Yes, but she’s just a girl.” The lie felt like dust on his tongue.

Releasing a sigh, she laid her palm flat against his chest and he had to hold his body still and not flinch. “Perhaps when she is gone we may return?”

“
Of course.” He pushed his mouth up in a conspiring smile that went no further than his lips. “It shouldn’t be more than a few weeks.”

“
A few weeks.” Taella pulled at her lower lip and for a moment she was worlds away. But then she smiled brilliantly and Feryn saw the edges of darkness swirling in the blue depths. “Why, that’s hardly any time at all; with so much to do and so little time I must hurry.”

She gathered up her paraphernalia, giving him a jaunty wave as she started to walk away. Despite the misgivings, she had been a friend and mentor to his son and she was still an Aradian. Clearing his throat, he offered a final thought, “Take care, Taella.”

“
Don’t worry,” she grinned. “I will.”

The sound of tires squealing, of metal crunching against metal, of screaming, jolted Malorie from Feryn’s recent memories; he had dismissed Taella and her vampires because he believed her fears! She almost smiled before she realized that something had woken her up, something bad. Turning her head, she could see the bright moon through the bedroom window; it was a good night to go hunting.

Another scream from outside and she swore softly to herself. Without a second thought, she quietly flew out of bed, needing to see what was happening, why it felt like it always did before a battle. The breeze coming through the window was heavy with the stench of blood and carnage and she was instantly transported back to the days when she was a soldier, and they were gearing up for a fight.

Carefully keeping to the shadows in her room, she moved to the window and felt the floor drop out from beneath her; vamps were crawling all over the place, like ants whose home had recently been smashed. The car she had heard was flipped on its roof, smoke coming from the hood; bodies lying next to it. Even from the distance she was standing, she knew they were dead. And they weren’t the only ones; several more bodies were lying out in the front yards of her neighbors’ houses.

Coldness strummed through her veins as she watched a vampire grab one of the hapless humans and pierce his neck, draining him of his blood before tossing the used body to the ground. The vamp smiled exultantly, its eyes scanning the area for more victims as it wiped its bloody mouth with the sleeve of its shirt. It was an ambush and the human pets were completely defenseless.

But why would the vampires attack humans protected by the Aradians? The answer was painfully, laughably obvious: Taella; she was retaliating for being evicted. Feryn should have never allowed her to keep her vamps so close by; he should have made the Aradian compound a vamp-free zone, to hell with the Aradians who created vamps but hadn’t succumbed to vamp madness. Unfortunately, hind sight was always twenty-twenty and Feryn was too damn arrogant for his own good.

Flattening her back against the bedroom wall, Malorie contemplated her options. She didn’t have her weapons; she didn’t even know where her weapons were. It had never occurred to her to ask Feryn where they were, if she could have them back. Even though she may not have her traditional swords and stakes she had some knives downstairs, and whatever else she could find. She could fight.

Unfortunately, she doubted any of the humans in the Aradian zoo would be Blade Soldiers, who had at least a small measure of immunity towards a vamp influence. Blade Soldiers at least understood the true nature of vampires, that they were monsters to be destroyed, not embraced. The humans here were at an even greater disadvantage; they had never had to deal with a hostile vamp. And now they were facing dozens of them; perhaps hundreds.

She could only hope that Feryn would take care of her child once she was gone. He had been right when he told her she was scared; she had known it at the time. Everyone she had ever loved had abandoned her and when he gave her his heart, she panicked like the pathetic child he had called her. With time running out, she regretted how they had parted and now she was never going to see him again.

She never told him that she loved him.

Taking a deep breath, she took a few moments to calm herself, to find her center and put all of her doubts and worries and regrets away. As she entered her battle zone, she systematically prepared herself; pulling on a pair of cargo pants, a t-shirt, a pair of sturdy boots. With each breath she took, she slipped back into her warrior mindset. By the time she reached her dining room, she was ready, grateful that Toby was safely away.

With her hands on her hips, she glanced around to see what else she could use as a weapon, smiling when she saw the chairs. It didn’t take much effort before she had a half dozen stakes; perfect for the upcoming battle.

She pressed her hand against her stomach and almost lost her resolve; her breath caught in her throat and she bit back a cry. Damn it, she couldn’t afford any weakness, not now. The vamps were nearly upon her.

Their voices were right outside, the laughter hard and cruel as they terrorized and slayed the humans. The coldness that swept over her was worse than anything she had felt before. All of the other times she had prepared for battle she had other soldiers with her; she had never gone in alone. She hadn’t realized how much the idle chatter of her fellow soldiers had calmed her nerves, how the rituals were more about overcoming doubts and fear than anything meaningful. She missed them, both the silly rituals and the other soldiers. But that wasn’t what was killing her.

Before, she didn’t have anything to lose; now she had so much. Would Toby remember her? Would Feryn?

Waiting in the darkened hall off the front entryway, she closed her eyes and ignored the tears that fell, knowing it was pointless to cry. She always knew she was going to die as a Blade Soldier; she had just expected it six years before. Instead of lamenting over what she was losing, she should be grateful for the time she had, for her beautiful son, for Feryn. She knew Feryn would protect Toby, not because he was a Breeder and valuable to the Aradians but because he was her son.

The door crashed open and the moonlight flooded the foyer, stopping just short of where Malorie stood. Three vamps stood in the doorway, pausing and inhaling deeply. “I can smell her; she’s here. Taella has something special planned for this human bitch.”