Darkness Undone (6 page)

“It’s been a long day, I’m sorry about tonight, David…yes, Wednesday… Bye.” She ended her call. “Sorry about that. And thank you for my cell. I didn’t realize I’d lost it—oh, that means I have yours.” She dug through her purse, found his iPhone, and handed it to him.

He slipped the cell into his pocket. “That painting of you?”

“What about it?” A defensive note entered her voice.

“You’re dating the artist?” It surprised him he hadn’t snarled the question, considering his territorial thoughts.

“What?” She blinked those darkly lashed forest green eyes at him. “No. Why?”

At her answer, perverse pleasure surged through him. The artist wanted her. It all but screamed from each brush stroke. Too bad for the human, Eve was going to be under his protection while they searched for the artifact. But it didn’t stop him from wanting to rip off the male’s head for daring to imagine her so—like she’d been made love to.

“I’ll give you a ride to your home. We can talk on the way.”

She hesitated, probably picking up on his anger. “It’s not necessary. We can talk here.”

Hell, he needed to lighten up before she bailed. Deliberately he glanced at her feet. “It’ll take a while, and you can save your friends a trip. Or you could put on those torture devices, go back inside, and tell them to wait.”

Her pained expression at the thought of wearing her shoes again told him he’d knocked down the first obstacle.

“Let me call—”

“No need. The cavalry’s here.” Reynner nodded toward the gallery entrance as her friends hurried out. Cold amusement seeped through that they would protect Eve from him. He’d allow no harm to come to her, ever.

“I won’t be long.” Barefoot, she ran over to them, the short hem of her bright aquamarine dress fluttering around her golden brown thighs. Reynner forced his gaze away and tamped down the sudden image of what they’d look like wrapped around his waist. Thanks to his heightened senses, he easily picked up on most of their conversation.

The redheaded grabbed her arm. “Eve, did you go find him yesterday?” she hissed. “That’s asking for trouble.”

Find
him?

“No, Kat, I didn’t. He helped me out last night at the club. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't think I’d ever see him again… Jeez, no, nothing happened! I accidently crashed into him, and our phones sort of ended up with each other. He came to give it back. That’s all.”

“And now?”

“And now…he offered me a ride home. I’ll be fine.”

Her friend snorted. “You’re hoping to get rid of the dreaded V with the badass, right?”

“Christ, Kat, hush! He’ll hear you…” She leaned in closer, and he missed some of her words. “…nothing. I feel nothing at all with him,” she said. “You don’t know how wonderful that is. For the first time, I don’t have to worry about anything.”

The redhead sighed. “Okay. But be careful. Have fun, and we want deets. I’ll call you.”

She felt nothing for him?
Reynner frowned. She wanted him, he knew that, so why—

Urias
, what was he doing?
It was better this way, less complication. He had a job to do, no matter what his dick wanted.

Eve stifled an embarrassed laugh and hugged her friends. Her fingers fisted as she did so.

Was her wound worse than he thought? The sculpture had made a small cut, but his saliva should have healed it. And what the hell was this dreaded V?

Reynner stiffened, his nostrils flared. A trace of sulfur drifted to him.

Demoniis
.

Since his escape from Hell, his one true enjoyment had been destroying the bastards. He glanced around and hoped none crossed his path right now. He should have let Eve go with her friends, instead of giving into temptation and offering her a ride. Hell, he could have had this conversation with her later, but her haunting scent and the painting in the gallery with her incredible sensuality splashed all over it messed with his rational mind.

No, he didn’t like that the artist had captured the very essence of her, or the fact that she’d posed for the damn thing.

Pulling his cell from his coat pocket, Reynner frowned at the two cards he drew out with it. Tossing the scented one into a nearby dumpster and using the other, he made his call.

***

Eve watched her friends walk away and wondered if she’d lost her mind leaving with a complete stranger.

She didn’t know Reynner, she only understood that from the moment she saw him, he drew her like a magnetic field. That haunted expression she’d glimpsed earlier. It made her want to ease him, to soothe the hurt in him.

She walked back to the man who scrambled her good sense. Only he wasn’t watching her, but the street. At her approach, he turned the full force of that stunning face on her. She had to clench her fingers not to reach out and touch him.

He ushered her into a dark gray Porsche parked at the curb. Eve sank into the luxurious seat, inhaling the smell of expensive leather and a faint hint of wild forest. She dropped her stilettoes on the floorboard, leaned back, and exhaled in gratitude as she stretched out her aching feet.

Reynner circled the hood, opened the door, and slid in beside her. Then the soft purr of the engine filled the interior.

“Where to?” he asked, voice clipped. Eve cut him a sharp look, unable to pinpoint what had set her inner alarm cranking its rusty bells. Okay, the man had that dangerous persona thing going for him, but something was seriously off.

“East Village.” She reeled off her address. “What’s wrong?”

“Fasten your seatbelt.”

Her tummy dipped at his flat tone. Hastily, she strapped herself in. He stepped on the gas and sent the car flying down the empty street.

And the past came flashing back—her parents’ car swerving and colliding into another, the ripping of metal, the shattering of glass. Flames leaping—flesh burning—

“Slow down!”
she yelled, her heart crashing against her ribs. He glanced at her, his jaw tight. But he eased up on the gas and detoured through a quiet thoroughfare.

By the time Eve snapped out of her panic attack, Reynner had pulled into a deserted alley in a really rundown part of town and switched off the engine. Night enfolded them. There were no streetlights, just the looming buildings, and slashes of moonlight. Her uneasiness grew. “Why—”

“Stay in the car,” he cut her short. “Don’t leave, no matter what you see.” He opened the door. The interior light came on to reveal his profile hewn in granite. She grabbed his sleeve. “Wait—wait. You can’t go out there. This place is dangerous.”

Reynner turned. His face, his sensual lips mere inches from hers. But the utter coldness of his expression worried her.

“Stay here,” he repeated. The door slammed shut and he headed into the alley. Several figures emerged from the shadows and circled him. Fear took hold, anxiety clawing her stomach. Was this some kind of gang fight?

Then Reynner moved, unbelievably fast, right into a sea of black figures. She could barely keep track of him, glimpsing just flashes of his pale hair. A flare of fiery-red light zapping out from one of the thugs startled her.

Oh, God. They had weapons—laser guns? Reynner was unarmed, alone.

She scrambled for her phone in her bag to call 911.

A thunder-like roar resonated throughout the alley. Her mouth dropped open, her call forgotten, her gaze pinned to the dark figures crashing to the ground like falling dominoes.

Reynner grabbed one of the fallen by the hair. Steel gleamed. He slit the pale, exposed throat. Blood sprayed. Then he plunged his dagger into the man’s chest.

Oh, God—oh, God!
He…he… Reynner killed a man!

Run. Get out of here!
But Eve’s legs refused to obey.

Terror turned to dread when she saw clear in the moonlight that it wasn’t blood that flowed from the man’s neck, but something like…thick, black goo?

Reynner dropped the man—thing, whatever it was—to the ground. He catapulted into the air and tackled another racing for the car. They crashed on the Porsche’s hood like a boulder dropped from the sky. Eve clutched her seat, fingers digging into the leather.

The man-thing pushed up, his eerie red eyes glowing like neon moons in the dark. Reynner seized him by the hair, ruthlessly ran the blade through his heart, and tossed him aside. The fallen man convulsed on the pitted asphalt. Within seconds, he deflated like a balloon and disappeared from sight.

A sickening realization dawned. No, they couldn’t be. Things like this only happened in horror movies.

Jesus, what did she walk into?

Another red streak of light hissed through the air, slamming into Reynner and sending him staggering back. The remaining monsters attacked.

Oh, no! They were going to kill him! Eve grabbed her pepper spray from her bag, opened the car door, and stepped out, her heart clocking like a racehorse.

Breathe, Eve, breathe. You can do this.

“Eve, get inside the godsdamn car!” Reynner’s roar reverberated through the alley.

She swallowed but didn’t back down. She didn’t think he’d been keeping an eye on her. One of those things turned, grinned, and in the next instant appeared in front of her.

Her heart pounding, adrenaline spiking, she sprayed him good in the face. The fiend yelled and cursed in a terrifying, raucous voice, rubbing his eyes. Reynner suddenly appeared like some avenging angel in front of her. A faint glow appeared in his hand and a six-foot-long sword took shape.

Where the hell did that come from?

Then she forgot her question as he swung that sword. Her jaw dropped.

She’d known Reynner was dangerous. His stone-cold features and tough body told her so. Kat had called him a badass, but Eve had never seen anyone cause so much carnage like he did. His sword arched, a deadly gleam of silver decapitating heads. The bodies fell to the ground and disintegrated, not even the clothes remained.

Now she was alone with this ruthless man who wielded an enormous blade like it was an extension of his arm. His eyes glowed a fiery blue in the night. Strands of his pale hair escaped their tie and streamed to his shoulders. Beautiful, menacing, he strode to her.

“What the hell were you thinking? I told you to stay in the damn car!”

Clutching her can of pepper spray like a protective shield, Eve stood face-to-face with a man who’d single-handedly taken down a small army of those creatures. They didn’t scare her as much as he did right then, with the cold fury emitting off him.

Slowly, she backed away.

“
Now
you’re afraid of me?” Like a whiplash, his voice stung her.

She stiffened her spine. “No, I wanted to help. It seemed unfair so many were attacking you—”

He growled, his glare morphing into disbelief. Then in a move that made her head spin, he hauled her to him just as a blinding red flash came hurtling toward them. The blast sent him forward, and he fell against her. Her breath exploded out of her lungs. Eve struggled to hold onto him, his powerful body a sensual blow to her senses. She fought to keep him on his feet and not topple them both to the ground.

With a snarl, he pushed off her, his enormous sword still in his hand. Eyes blazing, he scanned the alley. She hurried to him. “Reynner—”

Cursing, he grabbed her wrist and hurried her toward the car. “I have to get you out of here.”

“What were those men—things?”

“Hell on Earth—dammit!” He stumbled and let her go, bracing a hand against the grimy, graffitied wall.

“Let me help you.” She tried to prop him up.

“No.” He flung out a hand, stopping her. Then dug into his coat pocket, his movements jerky as he searched.

“But you’re hurt.”

“No.”

What the hell was the matter with him? She wanted to help, not cop a feel. Teeth snapping together, Eve waited for Mr. He-Man’s orders.

Leaning against the filthy wall, Reynner brought out his cell phone and attempted to make a call. The device fell from his unsteady hand and landed on the ground with a dull thud. Curses in English, mixed with some strange language she’d never heard before flooded her ears.

Eve picked up the fallen phone and held it out. His fingers clenched. She waited, didn’t say a word. His pained, furious gaze pinned hers, almost like he hated asking for help.

“Star one. Michael. Call him.” The words were wrenched from him as he slid to the dirt-encrusted asphalt. Worried now, Eve pushed aside her hurt feelings and pressed star one. A man answered. His voice was low. Compelling. “Reynner?”

And scary.

She cleared her throat. The chilling air from the man had her speaking quickly. “Reynner’s hurt. He asked me to call you, I’m not sure where we are…” she glanced around the creepy place with its dingy buildings.

“I’ll find you.” He rang off.

Reynner rested his head against the wall, eyes closed, his hand still gripping his sword. The reek of decaying garbage from Dumpsters nearby blindsided her. Breathing through her mouth, Eve crouched beside him and pushed his cell phone into his pocket.

She hoped this Michael would come quickly. Her skin itched, she rubbed her arm. Something wet and sticky clung to her fingers. A coppery smell wafted to her.
Blood?

Eve remembered that red bolt hitting him. Quickly, she pushed her hand behind his back, but he was too heavy to move. When he didn’t protest, her anxiety grew. She tried again, harder this time. Her knuckles scraped against the walls. Ignoring the burn, she ran her fingers over his body. There. Across the solid width of his back, she found the gashes in his coat and the wetness surrounding them. She pulled her hand away and stared at the bloody mess on her fingers.

“You’re hurt.”

“I know...”

Her heart slamming against her sternum, she jerked to her feet.

“No, don’t…leave…”

“I’m not.” Eve sprinted to the car and snatched the cell she’d dropped to the floorboard then hurried back to him. About to call 911 again, she saw a dark figure striding up the alley.

Please…please don’t let it be one of those things.
Her can of pepper spray wouldn’t help them because there was no way she could haul Reynner to safety. Eve pushed her cell into the seam pocket of her dress, rushed to his side and picked up his sword now lying on the ground, and grunted.

Crap! The darn thing was too heavy. Heaving it, she stepped protectively in front of Reynner and struggled to appear calm—and hopefully dangerous—wielding his weapon.

The man closed in on them. The moonlight revealed dark hair falling in careless layers over wide shoulders. Shades covered his eyes, despite it being night.

Eve pointed the blade at him, her hands shaking like a leaf in a squall. She prayed she didn’t drop the weapon. Heat seeped into her palm, connecting with the metal she held.
No, no dammit! Not now.

“Stop right there.”

He did. His gaze dropped to the sword she clutched and then came back to her face.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“Michael.”

She recognized the dark cadence of his voice from their brief conversation on the phone minutes ago, and relief flowed through her. He must have been close by to get here this quickly.

“You have to let me tend to him, before he worsens.”

“Yes-yes, of course.” Eve stepped back and gratefully lowered the heavy weapon. The enormous man hunkered beside Reynner, pulled him forward, and examined his back. “Helluva place you chose to nap.”

“Ritz…not available.”

Michael snorted, then he glanced at her. “I have to take him with me.”

“She comes, too.”

“Why?” A cool note entered the man’s voice.

“Fuck—” A pained groan left Reynner. “Gonna keep me in this roach-infested dump ’til I answer your damn questions?”

“You know the rules, Empyrean—free will.”

Empyrean? Free will? What the heck were they going on about?
Reynner needed help.

“Eve…” Reynner’s voice slurred. His dark gaze lifted to hers. “Come…with…me?”

“Of course, I’ll go with you,” she reassured him. He’d saved her, taking the hit that surely would have killed her.

“There, Michael…happy?” Reynner’s indistinct words held a mocking edge.

“I’d kick your sorry ass if you weren’t already down, but we need to get out of here.”

At his statement, Eve’s fear increased. “You can’t move him—he’s hurt. I’m calling 911.”

“Your doctors can’t heal him. We have to go now. Come here.”

Warily, she eyed him. “What do you mean
my
doctors?”

“Explanations later. Do you want his death on your conscience?”

When he put it like that—darn it. Eve hurried over and prayed this Michael knew what he was doing. “What do you want me to do?”

“Hold on and don’t let go.”

She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

The big man shook his head. He picked up Reynner’s sword then touched him on the shoulder. “You will soon enough.”

He held out his hand. Eve eyed it as if it contained a nest full of vipers. “I can’t...”

He studied her for a second. Then like a rattler, he struck and hauled her to him.

“Hey! I’m willing to
hhhhhelp
—” Her last word ended in a yelp. The alley disappeared as they were sucked into a mist of swirling darkness.

***

Sebrasius, leader of the Darkreans’ militia, stared out through the window at the dark silhouettes of the trees and shrubs in the distance, highlighted by the full moon. The incredible views here were the only thing from the mortal realm that appealed to him.

It didn’t compare to the deadly beauty of Dregarus. The ice-bound seventh dominion of Empyrea where his kind dwelled. A place he called home, a place where monstrous ice bluffs reigned.

He cared little for this elegant mansion overlooking the Hudson River they’d procured in upstate New York as a base. But the lush forest surrounding the estate had a soft spot, making opening portals into their realm easy and private.

Sebris’s gaze settled on his reflection in the windowpane. Nickel bronze hair fell past his shoulders. His eyes appeared almost black, his mouth a slash in his tight features. He was pushing it, remaining in this place when he should have left days ago to equate and recharge his waning powers. But the job came first.

Pushing his balled hands into the pockets of his trousers, Sebris turned as two of his warriors walked in, their expressions detached. Their dark gazes empty.

“Anything of import I should know about?”

Xever, his second-in-command squatted near the empty fireplace beside a huge white wolf, his hand burrowing through the beast’s long fur as if seeking succor. “No… No trace of the artifact or the female.”

Taegér shook his head. He prowled the enormous room as if measuring it for new carpets, his tight jaw revealing his discomfort.

Damn, not what he wanted to hear.

“It’s been months, Seb.” Xever rose, and a forlorn whine left the wolf. Xever’s narrow face wore a granite edge. Strains of black had taken over his gray irises. It was one of the main reasons they were known as Darkreans. “We’ve remained here for far too long. We grow weaker. We must go back to Dregarus and equate.”

That
was a bit of a bother. As Darkreans, they needed to equate by connecting with their realm’s magic so they could function once again. Away from their realm for any length of time and they had to bury their emotions. An overload of feelings and pain became constant, eating away at their powers.

But nothing would keep Sebris trapped in Dregarus when their quest for freedom was all that mattered. They would take back what was rightfully theirs.

“We fought far too long to slow down now,” he stated. “The moment we have the missing
Stone of Light, all will be as it should.”

“Yes…” Taegér stopped pacing. Anger flickered in his gaze. “Wipe out what’s left of the ruling family, and Empyrea is ours.”

“We didn’t come this far to screw up now.” Sebris cut him a cold look. “We still have the six high lords to contend with. Our chances at success lie in finding the foretold mortal first, then the lost artifact.”

Shuffling footsteps sounded, and Paxyn stumbled into the study. The warrior had taken far too long to return from canvasing the city. His ebony wings dragged on the floor, unable to use his depleting powers to conceal them.

He could no longer remain on this realm with those extremities in view.

“Anything on the artifact?” Sebris demanded.