Dangerous (Courting the Darkness Saga) (18 page)

Are you trying to make me feel worse?

The corners of his
mouth turned up in a smile. “Go lie down and get some rest, love.”

She rolled her eyes and
smiled back. “Thank you, sire.”

Chapter Nineteen

She heaved a final time
as her stomach protested to the little that remained. Her knees ached from
kneeling in front of the toilet. She rose and wet a washcloth, running it over
the back of her neck and across her face. If she never had to watch something
like that again it would be too soon.

Closing the lid, she
sat down on the toilet and breathed a sigh of relief. Her stomach had finally
quieted. The cell phone in her back pocket vibrated. She fished it out and
looked at the screen. It was a number she wasn’t familiar with, leaving her to
debate whether or not to even answer it. In the end she gave in and hit the
talk button. “Hello?”

“I was beginning to
wonder if you were going to answer the phone, bitch.”

Sherry frowned and
looked at the number on the LCD screen again. She didn’t recognize the number
or the voice. “I don’t know who you are asshole, but I’m hanging up now.”

“Hang up and the whelp
dies, bitch.”

A cold chill ran up her
spine.
Mica
.
She didn’t see little Mica or Caleb in the throne room. “Who is this?”

“You don’t worry about
who
this is. You just worry about keeping
the whelp alive for a time.”

“You harm a hair on his
head and I’ll—”

“You’re in no position
to threaten us, bitch. In fact, you couldn’t hurt us if you tried. You’ll do as
you’re told.”

“What do you want?”

“For starters we want
you to walk out on the dock behind the building, alone. If you alert the others
he’s a dead cat.”

“You can’t…he’s just a
boy.”

“The clock is ticking,
bitch.”

“They’ll never let me
leave alone.”

“For the whelp’s sake
you better be wrong about that. Tic tock tic tock—”

“No, please.”

“You have five
minutes.” Then the connection cut.

***

Sherry opened the
chamber door and peeked around the corner. The hallway was empty. She could hear
the meeting still going on in the throne room, so for now the coast was clear.
She made a run for it down the hallway toward the rear door into the alleyway.
What she was doing petrified her, but she couldn’t let them hurt little Mica.
That boy was innocent and held a special place in her heart.

She opened the door and
stepped out into the alleyway into the cool night air. The heavy door swung
shut behind her with a resounding click. Out of the shadows five men appeared
and surrounded her. Mica was nowhere to be seen. “What have you done with him?”

The leader stepped
forward. He wore a sinister grin and he looked remarkably like a younger
version of Caleb except for the cold glint in his eyes and the hard lines
around his mouth. He looked to his friends and they all laughed, mocking her.
“What’ve I done with whom?”

Her heart thudded in
her chest. “The boy…where’s Mica?”

“That’s why we want
you, bitch. We want to use you as leverage to get the whelp.”

Fear clutched at her
heart. She looked around at her surroundings in desperation and whispered, “By
the power of three times three, let him see, let him see.” Then she reached
behind her for the doorknob and tried to twist it.
Locked.
“Shit!”

The leader grabbed her
by the arm, twisting it behind her back. “Your spell didn’t work, lady. I don’t
see anything I ain’t supposta see. It looks like we’ve captured us a witch,
boys.” Their laughter rang out again and her heart turned cold. He twisted her
arm higher and shoved her toward a car just under the street lamp. The engine
revved and the lights came on, indicating that there was another person
involved in this kidnapping.

“Ow! Watch it
asshole, that
hurts.”

He shoved her into the
backseat. “Get used to it sweet cheeks, we’re just getting started.”

Sherry slammed into the
back of the front seat, jarring her shoulder, and found herself face to face
with the driver, Justin Hargrove. He gave her a toothy grin. “Miss me, witch?”

If Sherry had anything
left in her stomach she would have thrown up on the spot as the bile left the
taste of fear in the back of her throat. “You’re a dead man,” she managed to
croak.

He threw back his head
and laughed. “I don’t feel too dead. Actually I feel quite fine, very healthy
in fact. Do I look dead to you boys?”

“Naw, Justin, you look
like you always do.
Alive and kickin’.”

“What do you want with
me?”

“We already told you,
sweet cheeks. We’re using you as bait to draw out the whelp. Our buddy, Justin
here, well, he’ll take over from there.”

Sherry swallowed hard.
“How did you even know about the boy?”

Their leader leered at
her. “We had help from the inside, lady. It appears that not everyone is in
love with their new queen.”

***

Drake and Mica stood
around a large table studying a map. Drake pointed to a desolate road.
“Santana’s clan should be coming in from this direction.”

Mica shook his head.
“No, that would be an obvious route. I don’t think Santana is that
stupid.
He would assume that you would expect him to come
from that direction. I think he’ll come from here.” Mica’s finger traced a main
road.

Desiree sat on a stool
at the end of the table. “When are you expecting them to attack?”

Drake sighed and ran
his fingers through his hair. “It could be anytime. The signs are right.”

Desiree looked up from
the map.
“Signs?”

Drake nodded. “You know
of the three sisters?”

Her eyes widened in
surprise. “Are you referring to the Fates?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t know you
believed in that kind of stuff.”

Mica looked between
them. “What are you two talking about?”

Desiree leaned over the
table on her elbows and clasped her hands in front of her. “The Fates, Mica,
they’re reputed to be three powerful witches, prophets really. Some say they’re
immortal. We’ve all grown up hearing the fables, but I’ve never seen anything
to prove to me that they’re actually real.”

Drake crossed his arms
over his chest, glaring at her. “They’re real.”

Desiree laughed. “What
are you telling me, Drake? Are you saying that you’ve actually seen them?”

Drake nodded and the
smile fell from Desiree’s face. “They were responsible for my conversion,
Mica’s too for that matter.”

Mica did a double take.
“What?”

“They laid their hands
on me and calmed my cravings. They told me to convert you, Mica, and build an
army. It wasn’t by accident that we won the vampire wars in England three hundred
years ago.”

Desiree threw up her
hands to halt Drake’s speech. “Okay, Drake, let’s say that I believe you for
argument’s sake. That was three hundred years ago. What does all this have to
do with the here and now?”

“The vampire wars were
some of the bloodiest battles that I’ve ever seen.” Mica nodded in agreement as
Drake spoke. “We overthrew our opposition, practically annihilating them from
the face of the planet.”

Mica nodded again.
“Yes, that’s right. I remember.”

“As my reward the
sisters told me to set sail for America and to take Mica with me. They said to
build an army. They told me that when I found my soul mate a new vampire war
would begin. I was told to keep my loved ones
close,
and that there would be betrayal by someone close to me, to trust no one. If I
were to win this war, I would rein for eternity as king.” Desiree and Mica
shared a glance as Drake continued. “When I heard about Santana vying for my
kingdom I knew that I would soon find my soul mate and the war would begin
again.”

Desiree swallowed hard.
“Drake, have you told any of this to Sherry?”

“Yes,
all of it.”

Desiree slapped her
palm down on the table.
“Dammit, Drake!
If we lose
this war then I lose my best friend, because if something happens to you then
she dies too.”

“We will not lose.”

Mica looked up at
Drake. “Their army is three times the size of ours.”

“We.
Will. Not. Lose.” Drake shouted.

Desiree frowned at
Mica. “You’re right, Drake, we will not lose. Whether I like it or not you are
the key to Sherry’s survival. There is no walking away for either of us now. I
guess the Fates really do exist. They have woven both Sherry and I so tightly
into your world it is either fight or die with you.” She slapped her palm on
the table again with conviction. “Sherry and I will use our magic to fight beside
you to help you win this war. Our combined magic will help even the odds a
bit.”

Caleb entered the room.
“I’m in.”

Mica glared at his
friend. “Where have you been?”

Caleb shrugged. “I had
to buy the boy some clothes.”

Desiree slapped Caleb
on the shoulder in irritation. “He’s not ‘the boy,’ Caleb, he’s your son.”

“I know, I know, Dez.
I’m still trying to get used to ‘the dad’ thing. He seems to be a pretty good
kid.”

“Yeah, because he
wasn’t raised around you…don’t ruin him.”

“Hey….”

Desiree narrowed her
eyes to glower at the shifter. “I mean it, Caleb. He’s a good kid. If I catch
him acting like you then I’ll be looking at you to blame.”

“Admit it, Dez, you
know you love me.”

Desiree sighed heavily.
“Mica, a little
help
here before I decide to throw another
fireball at him.”

“Caleb, we’ve been
through this.”

“Okay, Mica, I get it.
You got the girl. I’ll back off.”

Drake shook his head.
He never understood the friendship between Mica and Caleb, but as bad as he
hated to admit it, he needed Caleb’s help now. “I’m glad you’re here, Caleb. We
can use the help.”

Caleb
blinked,
eyes wide. “I never thought I’d live to hear you
say you were happy to see me, Drake.” He patted his hands on his own chest. “Wait,
I’m still alive aren’t I?” He burst out laughing.

Drake frowned. “Don’t
get cocky about it.”

Mica glared at Caleb.
“Caleb! This is no time for horsing around. Things will be getting ugly very
soon and we need everyone focused.”

“I’m just trying to
lighten the mood a bit.”

Desiree rolled her eyes.
“We make a very strange family.”

Drake tilted his head.
“Your meaning?”

She shrugged. “Three
species that don’t generally get along: witches, vampires and shape shifters.
Brought together by fate, we are combining our forces for a common goal—to survive.”

Chapter Twenty

Drake nodded at
Desiree. “I agree. We are all stronger fighting together.”

Desiree sat back on the
stool. “Wow, I’m feeling a bit like Caleb now. You’re actually agreeing with
me.”

Drake’s gaze leveled
with hers. “I’ll go one better.” Desiree sat up, listening intently. “Help me
win this war and I will grant you your freedom.”

Desiree reached for
Mica’s hand without taking her eyes from Drake’s. “Swear it. Swear it to me now
in front of these witnesses.”

“I am a man of my
word.”

“When
it suits you.”

Drake’s eyes flashed
red as his jaw clenched in anger.

“Desiree!” Mica shook
his head at her in warning.

She closed her eyes,
and her shoulders sagged. “Fine, I’m sorry, Drake.” She opened her eyes and
leveled her gaze with Drake’s. “That remark was uncalled for. It’s just…you
really upset me when you wouldn’t release me.”

Drake took a few
calming breaths. “I know, but when I took you to begin with, I didn’t know how
powerful you really were. With the power in the amulets you convinced me that
you might be the key to winning this coming war. I needed you as an ally,
fighting on my side. I had no idea that I would find my soul mate through you.
I guess the Fates have a twisted sense of humor.”

“If I felt the cause
was right, I would have still fought by your side, without the bondage.”

Mica nodded.
“Same here.”

In that moment Drake
realized that his firstborn and his firstborn’s mate were his true friends, not
just subjects to order to do his bidding. He knew what he had to do. “I release
you, Desiree Dupuis, from bondage. You are free. And you, Mica, you have always
been my friend, even when I didn’t deserve it. If the Fates hadn’t intervened I
don’t know that I would have turned you, but you have been a powerful friend
and ally these last three hundred years. I should have released you long ago.
You were always an alpha like me and meant to have your own clan. I release….”