Seizing Darkness (Fur, Fangs, and Fairies) (8 page)

“Who?” Madon’s voice had that edge in it again.

“We’re not sure on anything. Jenna got a sniff of her attacker. She said he seemed familiar to her.”

“That’s not good.”

 
“No. Here’s the deal. No one knows that she can identify her attacker. We need to keep it that way. That doesn’t mean she’s safe. I’m going to leave it up to you. I also need you to sit on this for a little while. Let us investigate what we can and get Dante back. Then we can deal with your pack.”

“If you think I’m just going to sit back while someone in my pack has betrayed me, you better think again.”

“Calm down, Madon. I’m just as pissed as you, but we have to handle this carefully. This is bigger than your pack. You’ll get your justice, just hang tight for a little while.”

 
“Just don’t take too long, and keep me posted,” Madon said after a few moments. He gathered up Jenna and took her back to his car. Gregory was still standing there.

“Find out what you can here, then call me,” Radek said to him.

Gregory gave him a hard look, but complied when he saw the anger in Radek’s gaze. I guess even Gregory didn’t want to mess with him. I had to almost run to keep up with Radek as he strode silently back to his car. I barely had time to jump in before he started it.

His jaw was clenched. I noticed he wasn’t sitting back against his seat either. We had both received minor injuries. My back felt like it was on fire. I hoped we would soon be back at the house. The ride was deadly silent for a few minutes.

He sent his phone flying in my direction. I caught it. “Call Father; tell him what’s going on,” he said, the barely contained rage evident in his voice.

I dialed Val’s number, trying to keep my own fury in check. It was answered right away.

“Tell me everything and start at the beginning.”

“Dante and the werewolf, Jenna, were attacked. She’s hurt
, but will be fine. Madon came and picked her up.” I took a deep breath. “Dante was taken. They rigged my car and Dante’s to blow up. I’m not sure about the other car there. It most likely belonged to Jenna. They were at headquarters when it happened.” I spoke as quickly as possible.

I could feel the rage coming through the phone. I heard a few words in several languages that I never thought I would hear coming from Val’s mouth. He was always adamant that we not use foul language. What surprised me more was that I understood every single one of them.

“Where’s Radek?” Val said in a low, lethal voice.

“Driving.” I was feeling protective of him. “He’s very irate right now. We both received some minor injuries when the cars blew. I don’t think he’s realized it yet.” I knew that was putting it mildly.

“Put the phone up to his ear. Don’t worry, he won’t bite.”

Yeah, that’s what he says,
I thought, but I complied. Radek didn’t look at me nor did he take the phone from me. His hands were white from clenching the steering wheel and shifter. My finger brushed his cheek, sending a shot of electricity through my arm. His skin was warm and I could feel the stubble that was starting to form.

Val said, “Radek, this was not your fault. You were where you were supposed to be. I don’t want you
feeling guilty. You got that, son? Now, he was taken alive as far as you know. You need to focus on finding out why and how he was taken. I’ll call Madon. I don’t want to believe that he had anything to do with this, but since we know for sure one of his wolves was there, he’s now a suspect. I expect that she was just collateral damage. I want you to move to a different safe house as soon as you are able to. Then go through the lists and see what you can come up with. Check in often. Don’t leave each other for anything. Tell me if you need any other assistance. Just find him, but don’t risk yourselves. Is that clear?”

 
“Yes, Father.”

“Good. Natalya, this applies to you too.”

“Yes, Val,” I said softly.

The rage was building in me as well. Now they had taken something other than possessions from me. They’d messed with family. I thought of Dante as a brother as well as my partner. The body count might end up being rather large on this one. I was going to make a few and I knew that Radek was thinking along the same lines. After all, Dante was his brother, vampire or not. My mood wasn’t improved by the burning in my back. I’m sure Radek’s wasn’t either.

“Stay safe,” Val said, hanging up.

Radek just glared out the windshield as he drove. I dropped the phone into my lap. The only good thing right now was that my arm wasn’t feeling as bad. The fire in my back was edging out the pain of my older injuries.

Chapter Eight

When we got to the house, he went to set up his computer while I made some coffee.

“We’ll leave in the morning. I need to rest for a while and we need to figure out a way to find Dante. We can start with the lists that Father emailed me earlier. I don’t really know how this is going to help
, but it’s worth a shot. We don’t have anything else right now.” Radek ran a hand through his dark brown hair in frustration. Dust and debris fell when he disturbed it.

I followed his hand with my eyes. I liked the sight of his hair messy. A feeling of longing went through me. It made me want to put my hands through his hair and fix it for him.

I shrugged the feeling off. This was Val’s son, I reminded myself again. He was off limits. I explained it away as a letdown of adrenaline from being almost blown to pieces.

Speaking of being blown up, I noticed that he had cuts and bits of metal in his back. The scent of his blood was in the air. We should probably get cleaned up a bit.

“Dek, take off your shirt,” I blurted out.
Well, that was a dumb thing to say,
I thought.

He turned to me, raised an eyebrow and said, “Excuse me?”

I blushed. “You have shrapnel in your back and so do I. Let’s get cleaned up first, then we can get back to this.” I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea – or maybe it was the right idea. I was confused.

He took a moment, then what I’d said registered. I watched as the pain flashed across his face. He rolled his shoulders and grimaced. Seeing that made me think about how my own back felt like it was on fire.

“You know, I think that might be a good idea. Do you want me to work on you first?” he asked, turning his golden eyes on me.

I knew it would make him feel better to work on me first, so I agreed. My hoodie was easy to remove. The shirts took a little work, but soon I had them off.

He had retrieved the emergency kit from the bathroom. I laid on the couch so that he had easy access to the worst of the wounds on my back. His soft touch on my skin distracted me from the pain. The scent of his blood, sweat and just plain maleness was making my heart beat faster. I felt his hand trace the scars I knew were there, but couldn’t remember why. My breathing increased. I licked my suddenly dry lips. I wished he would just hurry so I could get control of myself.

“Where did you get these?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“I don’t remember,” I mumbled into my arm that was cushioning my head. It took all my strength not to turn over and kiss him. There was no way that he could miss what was going on in my mind. I could smell the lust coming off both of us.

“It looks like you were beaten.”

I could feel his breath on my skin. I shivered, and not from the cold. “It happened a long time ago, Dek. Just concentrate on the current wounds, please.” My voice was strained from fighting the urges I was experiencing.

“Sure, sorry,” he said absently.

I was breathing hard by the time he finished. He then put a salve over the wounds. I let out my breath, trying to calm myself.

“It doesn’t look too bad.” His voice had grown husky.

I was wondering if it had affected him as much as me. “Good,” I said.

He helped me to get back up and put my shirts back on. It was his turn now. He took off his shirt an
d laid down in the spot I’d vacated. He cushioned his head with his hands and buried his face in the pillow.

I took a moment to look at the perfect muscles of his back and shoulders. They were well defined, even covered in blood. I was just itching to run my hands along the planes of his back. I got myself under control and tried to focus only on the injuries. There was a rather large cut in his lower right back, just above his hip bone. I decided to start there. I first pulled his pants down, away from the wound. I saw and heard him take a ragged breath. I really didn’t want to think about it. I took deep breaths, trying to keep the beating of my heart under control, knowing he could hear it as I could hear his.

I cleaned the skin around the wound with an alcohol wipe. His muscles twitched as I treated his injuries. I leaned in to look for anything that might be in the wound by opening it with tweezers. His scent was coming off of him and messing with my head. I gritted my teeth and finished treating his wounds. He had a small tattoo on his right shoulder blade. I leaned forward to get a better look. When I brushed it with my fingertips, he flinched.

“When did you get this?” I asked breathlessly. It was a tattoo of a tiger and a dragon in a yin yang symbol. It was beautifully done. I traced it with my finger.

“Dante has one on his left shoulder. We got them together years ago,” he replied in a strained voice.

“Nice.” That was all I got out.

He flipped over and brought me down on top of him. His lips were pressed against mine. Sensations raced through my body. I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped. His warmth was surrounding me. He tasted like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Just as his tongue brushed along my lips, his phone rang.

We froze. I would’ve been across the room if he hadn’t been a holding onto me. I glared at him. With one arm around me keeping me in place, he reached for his phone with the other. My body was molded to his perfectly. I was enjoying being in that position just a bit too much. I could feel every inch of him and man I wanted him without his clothes.

“Yes,” his voice came out deeper than I’d ever heard it.

I felt his chest rumble beneath me as he spoke.

“Am I interrupting something?” It was Gregory. I guess it was back to work time.

“Not at all,” Radek said, giving me that smile.

I rolled my eyes at him.

He asked, “What do you want?”

“We’re done at your headquarters. He was taken alive. Do you want to fill me in on what the hell is going on now?” Gregory said. His words were harsh, but respectful. As long as I’d known him, he had been unflappable.

Radek sighed and sat up.

I was across the couch the instant he let me go. What had I been thinking? The fact was, I hadn’t been. His arms were well defined. I was distracted for a moment by the play of muscles as he moved. I averted my eyes so I could get a grip on my emotions or whatever was going on with me. I was far away, yet close enough to hear both sides of the conversation.

“We don’t have anything concrete. But would you have any theories on why Natalya was attacked last night, and Dante tonight?” Radek asked sarcastically.

“Louis? Again? Damn, when are you going to kill that cat?” Gregory said venomously.

“Of course we have no proof, but he has to be involved. He’s always involved in something, and always manages to come out clean too. I don’t think he’s doing this alone. It has to be someone strong enough to take on Dante. They messed with the wrong vamp though. Whoever
did this is going to die by my hands.” Radek’s voice dropped and the last part came out more like a growl than words.

“I could try and see if I can contact Dante,” Gregory suggested.

I could hear the caution in his voice. I wondered what he was talking about. It had to be some sort of vampire thing. If it could help find Dante though, I was for it, even though I didn’t trust Gregory for the simple fact he was a vampire.

“Do it,” Radek said. He was going to do whatever it took to find Dante. Not that I blamed him. He apparently knew Gregory better than I did anyway.

“I’ll need blood to do it.”

“I’ll give you directions. Don’t bring anyone else. If you do, they’ll be killed on sight,” Radek said.

I looked at him. Why would he be trusting Gregory? What was going on? I knew he couldn’t shift tonight. Why would he take such a risk of informing Gregory of our whereabouts? I didn’t say anything as they finished their call, but I wanted to.

“It’s close to dawn; I’ll need shelter. I won’t be able to return home tonight,” Gregory said.

“I understand. You can sleep here. No harm will come to you if you come alone.” Radek was dead serious. His expression scared me a little.

“It’s settled then,” Gregory said.

Radek gave him the directions and hung up.

“Was that a good idea, telling him where we are?” I asked as I followed him up the stairs to the bedrooms. “How do you know it’s not Gregory?”

He grabbed a clean shirt and put it on. “He won’t cross Dante.” He headed back into the living room and I followed him.

“Why not?” I asked, irritated he wasn’t being more forthcoming with the information. I sat across from him this time so we could both control ourselves, and picked up my coffee. I sipped it, trying to relax so I didn’t agitate Radek further.

“Dante made him. For a vampire, that means they have control over them as long as the vampire master is strong. They go way back as well. I really believe that Gregory and Madon aren’t involved. I’ve known Madon’s father since he was a cub.”

My eyebrows rose at this news. “Oh now there is a story I would love to hear.”

“We found Madon’s father, Cian, as a pup abandoned after his entire pack was annihilated in a pack war. Father raised him. By then Dante and I were travelling around a lot. We had just gone to the Americas. Father placed Cian with a new pack and stayed with him in Ireland for a while before joining us. When Madon was ready for his own pack, Father set him up here.”

I was glad to see him relax a bit. There wasn’t any use getting angry. I knew he was worried about Dante.

He continued, “I have to believe Gregory wants Dante back as much as I do. Like I said, Dante is the one that made him. Either way, he’ll be here soon. He’s also putting his trust in us. If he’s sleeping here, we could kill him as he sleeps, not that I would do that. I’m just saying that it would be possible. If this could bring us closer to finding Dante then I’ll do it. We will move as soon as it gets dark.”

“I don’t like it, but I see where you’re coming from. So what exactly is he going to be doing?” I asked.

“Dante told me once how it could be possible. What I do know is that he’ll have to take my blood. As you know, I have a blood relation to Dante, so it has to be me. Then he’s going to try and connect to Dante’s mind. If it works, we’ll be able to locate him. It’s a lot more difficult for Gregory because he was made by Dante, not the other way around. So there is a chance it may not work at all.”

“Is it dangerous?” I was a little surprised that Radek was willing to do this. He was giving his blood for just a chance of finding Dante. Of course, if they’d asked I would’ve been just as willing to do it. So I really shouldn’t have been too surprised.

“For Gregory it is. I’m not sure what could happen to him, but if he’s willing to risk it, I am too.”

“How much blood will he need from you?” I was concerned for him. It just didn’t sit well with me.

“Not much. It won’t affect me whatsoever. Why? Are you worried about me?” he asked suggestively and smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Yes, that’s it, I’m just falling at your feet. Really though it’s because if anything happens to you I’ll have to deal with Val. I’m sure that wouldn’t be pretty. Also that would leave me by myself to clean up this mess and rescue Dante.” I knew he could smell the lie in my words.

“You have nothing to worry about in that department. I’m harder to get rid of than you think. I’ll find Dante and bring him back. If he’s dead, then I will avenge him.” As he started in on the computer, I could feel his mood change. He was in work mode again.

“Val said it wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t. It would be more my fault than yours anyway. If it hadn’t been for me then none of you would’ve been in this situation.”

He looked at me sharply. “Oh hell no. If I’m not allowed to do that then neither are you. We have five agents dead so this might not even be about you. This might be about Father as well. He has more enemies than any of us, some very powerful ones. Dante and I have pissed off our share of people over the years too. So let’s just concentrate on getting Dante back.”

“Fine, whatever you say. What
do
you think this is all about then?” I sighed, then leaned back and drank my coffee.

“What do you know about the Council and how the PIB was developed?” he asked.

“Not much really.”

“The Council was created about fifty years ago after a fight between some of the vampires. I think the fae were involved too. The war was started over a minor indiscretion. I’m not sure of all the details. I wasn’t here at the time; it was just after the human’s World War II. I was still in the South Pacific.

“Toward the end of the struggle, an outside group of paranormal beings, including my father, got together and decided they were going to need a central body to help prevent future battles. All the main clans, seethes, and packs were asked to nominate someone to be the head of the North American Council. Then the nominees were asked to present themselves and campaign for it. My father was nominated right away. Most of the factions liked my father for it. You have seen he’s a strong leader and compassionate toward all. He’s definitely not biased unless it comes to those he considers family. Louis decided to nominate himself. Louis has always been jealous of my father. And before you ask, I have no clue what it is between them. Father had earned the respect of others, which led to a power that can’t be received any other way. There were a few other contenders, but it was almost unanimous. Father won. Louis was furious.” He paused for a breath. “They appointed representatives for each of the major races to make up the rest of the Council. They make all the decisions in North America. There are a few international equivalents. There are, I believe, eight councils in total in the world and they get together and discuss international matters. Anyway, after the last couple of wars that we’d watched the humans wage, the Councils all got together and decided that we needed to get our acts together. The humans were creating weapons that scared even us. Plus they’d been getting more advanced scientifically. We knew it would be only a matter of time before they realized most of us existed. The debate about revealing our existence had been going on for a long time. Roughly ten years ago, it became clear that we needed to come out. There were a few groups of humans that knew about us. They didn’t like us much, and still don’t to say the least. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about.”