Devoured By Darkness (15 page)

“That’s my call to make.”

Laylah swallowed her words of protest. He’d decided it was his fault, and for now there was no arguing with him. Typical male.

“Did Styx know your history when he asked you to become a Charon?” she instead demanded.

He hesitated, his gaze narrowing with suspicion at her abrupt change of subject.

“Yes.”

“Bastard.”

He tugged her close, his gaze instinctively flashing toward the closed door.

“Take care, my sweet, Styx has played the gracious host so far, but make no mistake he is a very bad enemy,” he warned.

She leaned against the broad strength of his chest, feeling the usual flare of excitement stirring in the pit of her stomach. Along with far more dangerous sensations.

The sort of sensations a wise woman pretended didn’t exist.

“It seems that he makes a very bad friend as well,” she muttered.

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Laylah.”

“No, he deliberately used your guilt to manipulate you into a position that not only has made you a leper among vampires, but puts your life at constant risk,” she insisted.

He stilled, his gaze sweeping over her face as if seeking an answer to an unspoken question.

“Hardly constant.”

She made a sound of impatience. “Have you forgotten you were attacked by your precious brothers the same day we met?”

His eyes blazed with a sudden heat as his arms wrapped around her.

“I’ve forgotten nothing of the day we met,” he said, his husky tone making her heart slam against her ribs. “Nothing.”

Yeah well … ditto.

Her eyes drifted to the hard curve of his mouth, memories of the sensual devastation of those lips sliding over her skin jolting through her before she was sternly squashing her flare of arousal.

No.

She wouldn’t be distracted.

“He had no right to ask you to sacrifice so much.”

“Styx isn’t a benevolent leader.” He snorted. “Hell, he’s a son of a bitch who wouldn’t hesitate to do what he thought necessary to protect his people. But, he didn’t manipulate or compel me to become a Charon.”

She scowled. Tane’s loyalty to the terrifying Anasso was admirable, but it blinded him.

“Are you so certain?”

His hands lightly skimmed up her back, as if offering her comfort.

“Actually, he’s the only one who truly understands.” She shook her head, far from convinced. “Understands what?”

“He had his own history with guilt and the scars of a twisted relationship.” His jaw muscles knotted. “He knew I needed a tangible means of righting the wrongs of my past.”

Laylah bit back a sigh of frustration.

She wanted to insist that Styx was using Tane’s guilt to manipulate him into being a Charon. That way she might have a chance of convincing the stubborn fool that it wasn’t worth the danger.

But if his position was a personal holy war …

She shook her head. Dammit. She didn’t want to be concerned.

It implied that she cared.

And hadn’t she already decided that was a very bad idea?

There was a click from the direction of the desk, then Styx’s voice once again filled the room.

“Tane, you won’t like what happens if I have to fetch you.”

They both flinched at the icy edge in the voice.

With a low curse, Tane bent down to snatch a searing kiss before striding toward the door.

“We’ll speak later.”

“Tane.”

He shot a glance over his shoulder. “Yes?” “Don’t…” “Don’t what?”

She clenched her teeth. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Over the years Tane had developed a finely honed sense of self-preservation. A vampire assassin learned to stay on guard or he died. That simple.

But, Laylah was proving to be a dangerous distraction. He barely noted the priceless statues that lined the marble halls or the framed masterpieces that would no doubt make a collector wet himself. Which meant he barely noted the shadowed alcove where an enemy might be hidden and the coved ceiling where a trap might have been set.

His thoughts remained on Laylah’s unexpected anger. She didn’t like that he was a Charon. But why?

Because she was worried about him?

Because she … cared?

A dangerous warmth stirred in his heart.

A warmth that was still stirring and even spreading when he was abruptly jerked out of his inane thoughts by a wave of crushing energy that nearly sent him to his knees.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Nothing but an Oracle could throw out voltage power that high.

He hesitated outside the library where he could sense Styx impatiently awaiting his arrival.

The savage urge to rush back to Laylah and carry her away blazed through him. Stupid, of course. He didn’t stand a chance in hell of getting her out of here. Not before they could be stopped by Styx’s Ravens.

Or worse.

Still, it was only the years of self-discipline that gave him the strength to step over the threshold into the vast library rather than rushing off like some newbie vampire with a hero-complex.

He was going to convince the Oracle that Laylah wasn’t a danger.

Or die trying.

Belatedly on full alert, Tane took a cautious glance about the long room with its soaring windows that overlooked the sunken garden bathed in moonlight.

There were the expected shelves with a portion of Styx’s enormous collection of books, and a heavy desk set near a marble fireplace. Across the room there were various leather chairs dotted about the expensive carpet and a glass case that held a variety of ancient scrolls.

His gaze briefly skimmed over Styx who was currently leaning against the desk, a thunderous scowl on his face, before shifting toward the female creature who stood in the center of the room.

Astonishment raced through him. Christ. She was as tiny as a human child with delicate features. At the moment she was simply attired in a white robe with her silvery-gray hair pulled in a long braid that hung down her back.

It would be easy to dismiss her as harmless if one didn’t notice the ancient knowledge that smoldered in the black, oblong eyes. And, oh yeah, the razor sharp teeth that were obviously made for tearing flesh.

And of course, there was the power.

It beat against him with all the subtly of a sledgehammer.

The woman gestured for Tane to approach with a gnarled hand. “This is the Charon.”

Her voice was low, hypnotic.

“Yes, mistress,” Styx answered, although the words hadn’t been a question.

She watched Tane halt directly before her with an unblinking gaze.

“I am Siljar.”

Tane managed a stiff bow. “Tane.” Amusement flared through the dark eyes. “Yes, I know.” Tane swallowed a curse. The Oracle could read his mind. She gave another lift of her hand. This one in dismissal. “We will speak alone.”

“As you wish.” Styx readily headed toward the door, although he paused long enough to send Tane a warning frown.

Right. Like he needed a reminder not to poke the lethal rattlesnake with a stick.

Waiting until Styx had shut the door behind him, Siljar folded her arms over her chest.

“You have been a very naughty vampire.”

“I can’t deny I’ve broken the law.”

“Hmmm. I can guess why.”

Tane sent her a puzzled frown. “Mistress?”

She smiled. Not a particularly comforting sight with a set of pearly whites that a shark would envy.

“I have evolved beyond the weaknesses of the flesh, but that does not mean I have forgotten the temptation.” The smile disappeared as fast as it had arrived. “Still, you have interfered in Commission business and that cannot be tolerated. Are you acquainted with Cezar?”

Tane grimaced. The vampire had been condemned to becoming a slave to the Commission for two centuries for bedding a potential Oracle.

“Not personally.”

“You should make a point to meet him,” the demon informed him. “He can tell you what happens to vampires who taste of forbidden fruit.”

Tane bent his head. “I will accept whatever punishment you feel appropriate, but Laylah is innocent.”

“She is an abomination.”

His fury flared through the room, knocking out the electricity and shattering a lamp on the mantel.

“Through no fault of her own,” he gritted.

She faced him without flinching despite the fact she was half his height and outweighed by two hundred pounds.

Of course, she could probably toss his ass against the wall with a flick of her finger.

“It is not the fault of an Urlenal demon that he drains the life of humans by simply being near them, but we keep them isolated.”

“Laylah is not dangerous.”

“She is unstable, like all Jinn mongrels.”

His lips parted to argue only to snap shut as he remembered the Oracle could see into his mind. She would already know that Laylah had accidentally killed the cur in Hannibal. It might have been self-defense, but it still proved she couldn’t control her powers.

Without thought he sank to his knees.

Screw pride.

He had to do something to keep Laylah from being exterminated. “Please,” he whispered.

There was the rustle of the satin robe as Siljar stepped forward. “You would plead for the female?”

“Yes.”

“You are not mated.” She peered into Tane’s eyes that were nearly level with hers. “Not yet.”

Not yet?

Okay. Tane quickly filed away that potential time bomb with things not to think about.

He bent his head, doing his best to look humble. Not one of his finer talents.

“I only ask that she not be destroyed without being offered an opportunity to prove she means no harm.”

The dark eyes narrowed. “She makes you vulnerable and yet you would protect her. Fascinating.”

More like suicidal, but he couldn’t seem to stop the insanity.

“May I ask what you intend to do with her?” he demanded, proving his point. “What we intended to do from the beginning.” “But…” “Silence.”

His forehead hit the carpet as pain drilled into his brain. Holy … shit. It felt like someone had lit a blowtorch inside his skull.

“Yes, mistress,” he managed to rasp.

The pain abruptly disappeared and Tane groaned in bone deep gratitude. He might have suffered worse, but he couldn’t remember when. Not that he was given an opportunity to appreciate the shocking relief.

Siljar’s small hand grabbed his mohawk and yanked his head up to meet her creepily pleasant smile.

“Do you truly believe the Commission was not aware of the Jinn mongrel from the moment she was conceived?”

He faltered. What the hell? Was she toying with him?

Or was this a more dangerous game? “The law states they are to be destroyed.” Her gray brows lifted. “You seek to lecture me on the laws I proclaimed?”

Careful, Tane.

He wouldn’t be any use to Laylah dead. “No, only to understand.”

She hesitated, as if debating whether to continue with the mind-splitting pain or simply rip open his throat. At last she released her grip on his hair and stepped back, neatly folding her hands in front of her.

“It was determined that she is a
principium.”

He frowned as he met her fathomless gaze. “A what?”

“A rare soul who is destined to play a pivotal role in the future of the world.”

The floor seemed to shift beneath his knees.

Damn.

His strange sense of… premonition when he was with Laylah hadn’t been a delusion that he’d invented for an excuse to keep her near.

He should be leaping for freaking joy.

The Oracles had decided that Laylah was fated to be of use to them. Which meant that they had no intention of killing her. At least not until she’d fulfilled her mysterious destiny.

Instead a cold ball of dread was lodged in the pit of his stomach.

In his long life he’d learned that being important to the future of the world was never, ever a good thing.

Martyrdom sucked for the actual martyr.

“What does this pivotal role entail?” he rasped.

“Do not take that tone with me.”

He flinched at the trickle of power that stabbed through his brain, but he couldn’t back down.

“Forgive me. I just …” He struggled and failed to find the words. “Need to know.”

The pain faded until it was only a vague warning that he was treading near the edge of the Oracle’s goodwill.

“Only a true prophet can read the future,” she said in that low, hypnotic voice. “But the importance of her birth was written in the stars.”

“So you don’t intend to destroy her?”

“Of course not. She is vital to our future.”

His muscles twitched with the need to return to Laylah. “Then may I ask why you wished to meet with me?”

“My reasons are twofold.”

“Damn,” he muttered.

She thankfully ignored his impatient outburst. “The first reason is to remind the vampires that the Commission is not to be trifled with. It was your duty to inform us of the mongrel, but instead you attempted to keep her hidden. You willfully ignored our laws and endangered others for your own pleasure. Obviously you need a reminder of the dangers of flaunting our authority.”

“And the second?” he asked, trying not to consider his looming punishment.

“To make sure you do not intend to interfere in Laylah’s destiny.”

He was on his feet before he even realized he was moving. “Interfere?” “Precisely.”

“I’ve done nothing but try to keep her pretty head attached to her neck,” he argued. “A job that should come with a sainthood, believe me.”

Siljar wasn’t impressed. “You have imposed your will upon her, have you not?”

He frowned, oddly offended by the accusation. “You don’t have to make me sound like Kim Jong-il.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Never mind.” Tane hunched a defensive shoulder. “I was only trying to protect her.”

“She must be allowed to make her choices freely.”

“Even if they put her in an early grave?”

“If that is to be her fate.” The female held up a warning hand as Tane’s growl trickled through the room. “Do not be rash, vampire. The female is necessary to the world. You, however, are disposable.”

His jaw clenched. He might be disposable, but he’d be damned if he was going to let Laylah be some sacrificial pawn.

“You want me to abandon her to her fate?”

Siljar tilted her head to the side. Like an inquisitive bird. Only with pointed teeth and enough power to destroy the world.

“If I say yes?” she murmured.

“Then I will admit that you’ll have to chain me to the wall or kill me to keep me away.”

The demon heaved a sigh that sounded remarkably like the one all females heaved when confronted by a determined male.

Or as they would say—a pigheaded, unreasonable, obstinate male. “Vampires.”

“I can offer a compromise.”

“You aren’t in a position to negotiate.”

“Then I would ask a favor.”

She stilled, as if intrigued by his words. “And you would be in my debt?”

He should have hesitated. To be in the debt of this female was bound to come back and bite him in the ass.

But, he nodded his head without missing a beat. “Yes.”

“An intriguing thought.” She tapped a finger against the tip of her chin. “Of course, I could always command you to do whatever I want.” “You could.”

There was a nerve-wracking silence before she gave a dip of her head. “I will hear your request.”

“Allow me to remain with Laylah and I will swear not to … interfere.”

Siljar made a sound of disbelief. “You cannot halt your obsessive need to protect her.”

Okay. Valid point.

There wasn’t a power in this world, or the next, that could force him to stand aside and watch Laylah being harmed.

“Perhaps not, but you said that I was not to impose my will on her,” he plunged onward. “Not that I couldn’t keep her safe.”

Her lower lip jutted as she considered his words. Then she gave a decisive shake of her head.

“True, but it is doubtful you could recall the distinction. Should the female choose a path of danger you would feel compelled to halt her.”

Desperate, Tane dropped to his knees once again. Dammit. He would beg until he lost his voice.

“Mistress, I give my word.”

“Yes.”

Without warning, Siljar popped out of sight and reappeared a mere inch from his face. Tane jerked in surprise.

“What the …?” Before he could react, the Oracle reached out to lay her tiny hand against his upper chest. An agonizing heat seared through his flesh, seeming to scorch to his very bones. Then a strange sensation of… well, there was no way to explain it but to say that something had shifted and locked into place. When at last she pulled back Tane glanced down to find his skin marred by a shimmering black tattoo that looked remarkably like a bolt of lightning. “Shit,” he breathed in shock. “What did you do?”

“Nothing more than strengthen the ties that already bind you to Laylah.” She stepped back to study him with a hint of surprise. “Really, vampire, you should know better than to make a wish with a Jinn.”

With a hiss he pressed a hand to the mark on his chest. It was one thing to have a tenuous connection to Laylah and another to be at her mercy.

“You’ve enslaved me?”

She flashed her terrifying teeth. “No, Tane. You did that all by yourself.”

He so didn’t want to consider that disturbing tidbit.

“Can the bond be broken?”

“That is for Laylah to decide.”

With a low growl, he rose to his feet. He hated to be jerked around. And he was beginning to suspect he’d just been played by an expert.

“Are we finished?”

Siljar’s smile widened as she calmly headed toward the door. “For now.” “What of my punishment?”