Darkness Taunts (4 page)

“You went back to my place and went through my stuff?” I could feel my anger rising again.

“Yes, I did.” He nudged the bag at me again. “I knew Emily would want to know where you were and you needed something to wear after finishing your shower.”

I didn’t take the bag. “Then why didn’t you wait until after I was done to bring me here? This whole meeting could have been a lot easier.”

“Because then you might have thought you had a choice.”

I crossed my arms over his big silk shirt. “I’m not some minion you can just order around.”

“Melena…” he said with a warning in his voice.

“So you do know my name. I’d begun to wonder after more than eight years of you not using it.”

“Take the bag or I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” I tapped my bare foot.

He looked me up and down slowly. “I’ll take my shirt back and tie you to my bed naked. Maybe then you’ll be more agreeable to listening.”

“You wouldn’t.” The man had made an art out of resisting any attraction he might have felt for me.

He had a devilish glint in his eyes. “This time…I think I would.”

Damn. My senses told me he wasn’t lying. To make matters worse, he knew I’d be aware of that. No way did I want to end up naked in his bed.

“Fine.”

I took my stuff, holding my head high, and went to the nearest bathroom down the hall. It was close enough I could listen in while Lucas and his brother talked—with the door cracked open.

“You’re going to have to be more careful with her, Micah. In case you’ve forgotten, mortals are fragile.”

“You think I don’t know that? It might have been helpful if you’d warned me she was going to be here.”

“Now you know. I don’t want a hair on her head harmed. Do you understand?”

“Of course. She just caught me off guard.”

Lucas was worried about me getting hurt? I didn’t know what to think of that, but there had to be an ulterior motive involved. That man didn’t have a sympathetic bone in his body and especially not for me.

I opened the bag and saw a pair of jeans and a sweater. On top of them were my newest black lace panties and matching bra. The idea of him digging around in my underclothes had me grinding my teeth. I didn’t want to know what he’d been thinking when he did it. At least he’d remembered to include my boots and some warm socks.

“I’m going to need your help for the next few weeks. Are you caught up enough with the times after your little nap?”

“A lot has changed in fifty years. It’s usually not so drastic, but I’ve picked up enough in the last four months to get by.”

They were talking about “The Sleep”. I’d heard about it before. Whenever sups got tired of life they could go to some secret place where trusted guardians would put them in a sort of coma and guard their bodies. That must have been what Micah had done.

“Good. I need some time alone to talk with the sensor, but I’ll get you caught up later tonight.”

“Hope you have better luck dealing with her than I did. Most women don’t attack without provocation like that. She clearly hasn’t warmed up to you.”

“That’s what makes her so interesting.”

I left the bathroom when I sensed Micah flash away. Lucas had moved to the kitchen and started making coffee. I’d never seen him drink it before—or much of anything else for that matter except the occasional glass of wine. He didn’t say anything while I stood there watching him. His movements were quick and efficient, indicating he had some experience with the machine.

When it finished brewing he poured the brew into two cups and mixed sugar and cream into one of them—the exact amount I preferred. When had he figured that out? He handed me my cup and guided me to the couch in the living room. I eased down onto the sofa still trying to figure him out. The coffee tasted better than the stuff I had at home. Did he drink it often or had he picked it up for me? With him, there was no way of knowing.

Lucas sat in a chair across the room and stared out the window, resting his own cup on his knee. Whatever the reason he’d brought me here, he sure was taking his time telling me about it. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought he was stalling as long as he could.

“Alright, Lucas. You've got me in this house with no way to leave. What do you want?”

He took a long sip from his cup before turning his attention to me. “You owe me a favor.”

“Yeah.” I plopped my feet on the coffee table. “What is it you need me to do?”

He glared at my shoes. “Repay the favor.”

“That’s not very specific.” I took another sip of my coffee.

“You’ll do whatever I tell you to do,” he said in a blunt voice.

“Go to hell.”

“What makes you think I haven't been there?”

I sat up straighter. “Have you?”

“Forget it. Back to the favor.”

“Yes, let’s discuss that because at the rate you're going I'm going to be dying of old age before you get around to it. Not all of us have endless life spans.”

His fingers clenched around his coffee mug. I worried he might break it, but he set it down before that could happen.

“There is a demon possession outbreak here.” He said it with no emotion—as if these things happened all the time.

“Is that where we are?” I asked. “In Juneau?”

“Yes, you've heard about it?”

“I’ve heard rumors.” I shrugged. “What does it have to do with me?” And why does everyone think it’s my job to fix it?

“You have the ability to deal with the problem.”

Not that crap again.

I leaned forward. “Wanda didn't teach me anything about how to deal with them…at least not before you killed her.” I held my hand up when he began to speak. “Yes, I know you got rid of her because she was going to hand me over to some supernatural group, but since you've turned around and done the same thing I'm not all that understanding.”

“I didn't hand you over to a supernatural group.”

A laugh escaped me. “Didn't you? Even if you don't count your threats to try and make me to stay in Fairbanks after we got Nik back in power, I can still count the two times you brought me back when I tried to leave. What the hell, Lucas? Do you have some kind of GPS on me or something?”

“It's for your own safety.”

“As if you give a flying fuck about my safety. If I died in a car accident tomorrow I doubt you’d shed a tear.”

A vein stood out on his forehead. “I haven’t cried since I was a small child. It’s a useless act that serves no purpose.”

As usual, he avoided answering my main question. “This conversation is going nowhere.  The answer is no. Demon possessions are not my problem—especially if they aren’t in Fairbanks.”

“You owe me a favor for saving Aniya,” he said through gritted teeth. “This is the favor.”

“This isn't a favor,” I said, raising my voice. “This is a dangerous job that will take time to deal with and put my life at risk. I've got Emily now. No way am I going to take on demons.”

“They are weaker when in human bodies and I would protect you. You would be in no danger.” He believed what he said, but that wasn't good enough.

“You can't guarantee my safety,” I pointed out. “Anything could happen.”

His gaze pierced mine. “I swear it, sensor. I won't let them hurt you.”

“I still have Emily to consider. She can’t stay at home by herself.”

He reclined back in his seat. “I spoke with Felisha. She’s willing to watch her while you’re away.”

“You asked her before you asked me?” He had a lot of nerve, but then again, I already knew that.

“I took the liberty of calling her while I was at your house gathering your things. She and Emily were agreeable to the idea once I explained it all to them.”

Too bad I wasn’t there for that conversation. Emily had been clear she didn’t want me going off into danger. “The answer is still no.”

“The leader for this area is offering one hundred thousand dollars as a reward for the one who stops the demons. That could be yours.”

I stared at my nails. Damn he knew how to hit my weaknesses, but that didn’t mean I had to give in. “I can’t, Lucas.”

He sighed. “I’ll pay all of Emily’s college expenses so you can stop scrimping and saving. We both know you have no hope of getting enough funds together before she finishes high school.”

I only had a thousand set aside so far. He was backing me into a corner. “I want it in writing that you’ll pay her college—and make sure she’s taken care of should I not survive doing this for you.”

“You’ll survive,” he said. “But I have no problem putting the agreement on paper.”

“We’ll both sign it and you can give a copy to Nik. I want him to know what to do should the worst happen.”

“Fine.” He stood up.

I got up as well. It was bad enough he was almost a foot taller than me. I didn’t want to have to look up at him from the couch.

“What’s your stake in all this?” I asked.

“Let’s just say I owe someone a favor as well. We’re going to meet with him now.” Lucas glanced at the dark window. “He’s had plenty of time to wake up.”

“Is he a vampire?” Like I needed another one of those in my life.

“No, he’s a cambion.”

“He’s a what?” I’d never heard of such a thing.

Lucas handed me my leather jacket. Guess I’d missed him bringing that too. I set my coffee mug down to put it on.

“He’s half-human, half-incubus.”

“We’re going to visit a half-demon to discuss getting rid of a bunch of other demons?” That made a whole lot of sense.

“Yes, we are. Try to behave yourself. He’s a good friend of mine.”

“All the more reason not to like him,” I muttered.

Lucas shot me a look. “For reasons I’ll never understand, he’s trying to save the humans in this town. Perhaps you should respect that about him if nothing else.”

I didn’t get a chance to argue more. He pulled me into his arms and flashed us away.

The second trip through the swirling vortex didn’t make me quite as dizzy as the first. It didn’t last as long either, but I still had to hold on to Lucas’ arm for a moment. At least he had the decency not to say anything about it while I worked through the disorientation. As soon as it passed I let go of him.

“How are you able to move me like this?” I asked.

He lifted his brows. “The same way I use other powers on you.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He turned from me and walked up the drive we stood on.

I followed him while looking at our surroundings. He’d flashed us near a house so opulent it didn’t seem real. A wrought iron fence surrounded the place, but I could see through it to the well-manicured grounds. Two massive fountains with statues of naked men sat on opposite ends of the lawn. Water flowed straight out of their…I squinted… genitals. Okay, that wasn’t tacky or anything. I forced my gaze away to look at the house.

Its smooth white walls had strategic lighting aimed at them so I could see the structure even in the dark. Large pillars standing three stories high held up the front awning. Marble steps led to the entrance. It had a Romanesque style to it. It might have blended in well enough in California, but it stood out like a sore thumb in Alaska.

Probably the reason the owner had a spell on it so no humans could see it from the street a short distance back. In fact, if they got too close they’d get the sudden urge to find someplace else to be. My senses picked up a number of protection spells layering the expansive grounds. Lucas had to flash us about a hundred feet from the gate to avoid them. They couldn’t stop me, but I had no intention of leaving my protector’s side while we were here. I sensed a man even older than Lucas inside the house.

The cambion he spoke of before felt to be almost three thousand years old. His power didn’t quite reach the nephilim’s, but I imaged that had more to do with his nature. I’d never sensed an incubus before, but this halfling emanated enough waves of lust—even from here—that I didn’t want to find out what a full sex demon might be like. Their kind didn’t win battles by fighting. They won them through manipulation and coercion of the sensual persuasion. That could be even more difficult to defend against than physical weaponry.

Two dark-haired vampires came out of a guard shack next to the gate. For all the lighting at the main house, none of it had been positioned near the entry. They peered at us through the iron bars with suspicious gazes, reminding me their kind could see just fine at night. My right hand skimmed my waist trying to feel for the weapons I usually carried with me. It took a few seconds to remember none of them were there. Damn Lucas for putting me in a weak position like this.

“What’s your business?” one of the guards asked.

“Tell your master that Lucas of Pistiros is here to see him with a human guest—Melena.”

Pistiros? He’d never given me his full name before. In an uncomfortable way, it made him seem more real and less mythical. Sure, it sounded ancient, but it made me wish I had my cell phone so I could look it up.

The guard whispered into a microphone attached to his collar. I couldn’t hear what he said, but his tone sounded tense. The overall mood of the place didn’t sit well with me. All the guards’ postures were rigid and they jumped at the slightest noise—such as my shoe scraping the ground. Lucas shot me an annoyed glance after I did it a third time.

A dozen other guards roved around the house. Among the ones I could see, they all wore black uniforms and carried both swords and handguns. I didn’t think anything could get past them, but maybe they knew something I didn’t.

Long minutes passed before a witch with long, wavy brown hair came to greet us. I’d known she was nearby, but I’d tried to ignore her signature. It felt familiar. As she drew closer, a cool sense of breezy air floated through my mind, indicating she kept mostly to white magic. The darkness outside obscured her face, but the sense of recognition grew. I’d met her somewhere before, but I couldn’t place it.

What I did know was she had enough power to make me uncomfortable. I’d had nothing but bad experiences with witches recently and didn’t care whether they were on the light or dark side of magic. Either one could kill under the right circumstances. When the gate began to slide open, I took an unconscious step closer to Lucas. His fingers grazed my shoulder before dropping away. Had he just tried to reassure me?