Devoured By Darkness (16 page)

The female never slowed. “I suspect the Jinn will offer a greater torture than I could ever devise.” Well, wasn’t that the god-awful truth? “Amen,” he muttered.

“Of course if you do intend to stand as her protector I would suggest that you hurry.” “Hurry?”

“She and her tiny companion left the estate just after we began our conversation.”

“Shit.” Tane charged toward the door, yanking his dagger from the leather sheath at his lower back. “I’m going to kill that damned gargoyle.”

“I’m going to kill that damned vampire,” Laylah muttered, jogging along the dirt path that was leading her away from Chicago.

And Tane.

The rat bastard.

Gods. She had believed him. He’d assured her that she wasn’t in danger and like a gullible idiot she’d accepted his word.

If it hadn’t been for Levet she would still be sitting in Styx’s office, meekly waiting to be handed over to the Oracle.

Half an hour ago the tiny gargoyle had rushed into the room, his wings flapping and his tail twitching. A sure sign he was in a mood.

But even prepared for some new disaster, Laylah was shaken when he’d started babbling about an Oracle and danger and shoving her disguise amulet into her hand as he told her to run.

Laylah hadn’t hesitated. A good thing considering the moment she’d left Styx’s highly protected office she’d been nearly squashed by the thick power pulsing through the air. The Oracle was indeed there and no doubt waiting for her to be turned over.

Putting her trust in Levet, she’d allowed the gargoyle to lead her out a hidden tunnel that had opened into the open fields behind the froufrou neighborhood. And since then she’d set a blistering pace, unable to do anything more than run and hope she could escape.

Levet struggled to keep pace at her side. “Not that I do not fully share the need to exterminate the vampire race with extreme … what is the word?”

“Prejudice?”

“Oui,
prejudice, but I thought you were fond of the cold-hearted leech?”

Her gaze skimmed over the passing fields and distant farm homes that slumbered beneath the moonlight. It wasn’t yet midnight but the locals were already safely tucked in their beds.

They were hardworking humans who believed in the theory that the “early bird” got the worm.

“I suppose he’s proved himself useful on occasion,” she muttered.

“Useful?” Levet waggled his thick brow.
“Ooh la la,
I wish I had such a useful companion.”

Heat stained her cheeks at the vivid image of Tane poised above her as he thrust deep inside her. It had been
ooh la la
and then some.

“Yeah, it’s all fun and games until they betray you,” she said, not bothering to hide her bitterness.

Levet sent her a startled glance. “You believe he sent for the Oracle?”

“I don’t know if he did it personally, but someone in the vampire lair must have contacted the Commission.” She tried and failed to smother the sharp jab of disappointment. “How else would they know I was here?”

“I doubt a mere amulet would hide you from the Commission,
ma petite,”
Levet said, seeming oblivious to Laylah’s shock. “Their powers are
formidable.”

Laylah stumbled to an abrupt halt, her hand lifting to the small medallion hung about her neck. She’d been waltzing around with the assumption that the disguise amulet was keeping her hidden from all the nasties that prowled through the dark.

Now Levet was revealing she wasn’t nearly as protected as she had assumed.

“Are you saying that I’m out here hanging in the breeze?” she demanded, watching as Levet came to a reluctant halt and turned to meet her worried gaze.

“It would depend upon the magical abilities of the one casting the spell,” he hedged. “Some are more powerful than others.”

She shook her head. She would have to worry about the amulet later. For now she wanted to be pissed off at Tane.

“Even if he didn’t call for the Oracle he should have done something to warn me I was in danger.”

There was a rustle from a nearby tree and then a black shadow dropped into the center of the path. Laylah instinctively jerked backward, her power gathering as she prepared to strike out at the unexpected threat.

Before she could launch her attack, however, the shadows dropped to reveal her personal pain-in-the-ass.

“I clearly remember being told that I was an unnecessary interference in your life and that you were quite capable of taking care of yourself,” Tane drawled, twirling a large dagger in his hands.

“Sacrebleu.
I nearly turned you into a newt,” Levet snapped, waving a clenched fist in Tane’s direction. “A neutered newt.”

Muttering a number of inventive names for vampires who rudely dropped into private conversations, Laylah’s powers dissipated as abruptly as they had arrived, leaving her with nothing more dangerous than a petulant scowl.

“Laylah?” he prompted, looking decidedly edible in nothing more than his khaki shorts with a massive sword strapped across his back.

She forced herself to meet the honey gaze, not bothering to ask how he managed to be waiting for her. She might be fast, but she was no match for vampire speed. And with his ability to wrap himself in shadows, she had no warning he was lurking like a damned vulture.

“You could have at least given me a heads up that one of the Board of Directors from hell was in the house.”

He shrugged. “There is no way to outrun the Commission, my sweet.”

Fury raced through her. Didn’t he even have the decency to
pretend
regret?

“I’ve been doing a pretty damned good job of it until you came along,” she gritted. “Over two hundred years and not one Oracle sighting.”

“Only because they allowed you to believe you had escaped their notice.”

Her anger faltered. “What are you saying?”

He slowly moved toward her, the dagger held loosely in his hand and bare feet barely stirring the dirt of the path.

“They’ve known of you from the moment of your conception.”

“But…” She cleared the sudden lump from her throat. “That’s impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible for the Commission.” He held her gaze, willing her to believe his soft words. “They possess powers that make a sane demon shudder in horror.”

The world tilted on its axis.

She’d lived in fear of the Oracles since the day she was born.

They were the boogiemen who gave her nightmares and ruined any hope of a “normal” life.

To think that they hadn’t been after her at all…

Trying to wrap her mind around the enormous implications, Laylah was distracted as he stepped into a pool of moonlight and a strange mark shimmered on his chest.

“Shit.” She reached out to touch the tattoo that pulsed with obvious magic. “What did they do to you?”

“It’s a…” He grimaced. “Reminder.”

“A reminder of what?”

“That I can’t control everything.”

She slowly shook her head, a wrenching pain twisting her heart.

“No. You were punished.” Her gaze lifted to meet the honey gaze that was shielded by his thick tangle of lashes. In that moment she hated the Commission more than she ever had. “You were punished because you helped me.”

His hand pressed her fingers against the tattoo, his beautiful features impossible to read.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“If the Oracles knew of my existence then why did they hurt you?”

In answer he lifted her hand, brushing her palm with his lips before stepping back with an expression that warned he didn’t intend to reveal what had happened between him and the Oracle.

Stubborn, infuriating vampire.

“Where were you going, Laylah?”

She sniffed. Fine. He didn’t want her to feel bad he was tortured because of her, then she wouldn’t.

“I was trying to escape.” She shrugged. “I didn’t have the time or inclination to make out a full itinerary.”

“Don’t try it.” His lips twisted. “For better or worse you’ve bound us together. Lying is a waste of breath.”

Bound them together? Ha. He’d just acted like she had some control over him to lure her into a false sense of security.

“I don’t trust you.”

“Yes, you do.” Holding her gaze, his hand skimmed down her cheek before circling her upper arm in a possessive grasp. “You’re just not ready to admit it.”

She snorted. “Arrogant.”

He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “You’re going to the child, aren’t you, my sweet?”

“No one invited you along, vampire,” Levet muttered.

The golden gaze never shifted from her face. “Your assistance is no longer required, gargoyle.”

The shocking desire to close the small distance and press her lips to his had Laylah stepping backward.

Gods. He was making her crazy.

“I will decide whose assistance I want,” she snapped. “Levet is coming with me.”

“Merci, ma petite.”
Levet’s wings fluttered as he flashed Tane a smug smile. “There are some who lack the taste to appreciate my exquisite charm.”

Tane’s eyes narrowed. “I also lack the taste to appreciate chewing on glass, being skinned alive, and reruns of the Rosanne Barr show. Call me crazy.”

Laylah heaved a resigned sigh.

Obviously there was no getting rid of the damned vamp.

Why not give into the inevitable and take advantage of his presence?

He was, after all, a powerful warrior who could protect her from most demons.

Even her crazy-ass aunt.

“Can we just go?” she demanded.

Smart enough not to press for a precise destination, Tane glanced toward a nearby farmhouse.

“We’ll need transportation.” He headed toward the surrounding field. “This way.”

They moved in silence, bypassing the barn painted a bright red with a tin roof, and the attached corral that held the pungent odor of pigs.

Laylah was swift to grab Levet’s wing, ignoring his squeal of protest. A gargoyle was like a teenage boy … always hungry and willing to eat whatever crossed his path. Even if it was still rutting in the mud.

She maintained her grip as they passed the henhouse and dog kennel, not releasing him until they entered a long shed that housed the tractors, combines, bulldozer, and shiny new Ford Expedition.

Tane yanked open the driver’s door, but before Laylah could protest his typical male assumption that he would be driving, he laid his hand on the steering column. Instantly the engine fired to life. Laylah lifted her brows. Nice trick.

“Shotgun,” Levet called, scrambling into the passenger’s seat.

His butt never hit the leather seat as Tane grabbed him by the horn and tossed him in the back. “Don’t even think about it.”

There was a flurry of French curses and Laylah was forced to hide her smile as she climbed into the seat Levet had nearly claimed and shut the door. The tiny gargoyle could always be counted on to lighten the mood.

Not nearly so amused, Tane gunned the engine and pulled out of the garage at a speed that made Laylah happy she had the blood of an immortal running through her veins. He slowed as they reached the road.

“Which way?”

She hesitated. For years she’d sacrificed everything to keep the child hidden. It wasn’t easy to risk revealing his location to anyone.

“South,” she at last forced herself to say, instinctively tugging on the seat belt as Tane stomped on the gas.

Laylah clenched her teeth to keep them from banging together as they hurtled down the rough road. The three of them off to save the world.

Or at least one helpless baby.

Not quite the Justice League, she wryly accepted. A brooding vampire, a stunted gargoyle, and a Jinn mongrel with trust issues.

Still, they had to be better than nothing.

Casting covert glances at Tane’s elegant profile that was caught in the glow of the dashboard, Laylah was relieved when Levet suddenly stuck his head between the seats.

She didn’t want time to consider whether or not she’d just made the greatest mistake of her life.

“You know, Laylah, if you intend to keep the child then you should really consider giving it a name,” the gargoyle gently chastised her.

Tane flashed Levet an annoyed glare. “What does it matter?”

Levet sniffed. “Because a mother who cares about her child gives him a name.”

If Laylah hadn’t been looking directly at the gargoyle she would have missed the pain that flared through the gray eyes.

Her heart wrenched.

Oh, dear God. Levet was intimately familiar with a mother who didn’t bother to name him. Perhaps she had even abandoned him.

Demons could be even more brutal than humans when it came to dealing with deformities.

“Yes,” she breathed, reaching to run a comforting hand down his wing. “You’re right.”

A wistful smile touched his ugly face. “Then why have you hesitated?”

“Because I’ve always known there was the possibility that the child belonged to someone else. And that one day they would come for him,” she tried to explain. “It wouldn’t be fair if I had already named him.”

“And less painful for you to give him away?” Levet asked softly.

She grimaced, knowing she must sound like an idiot. “That was the thought.” “And now?” Levet prompted.

“Now I’ll kill anyone who tries to take him from me.” Tane sent her a knowing smile. “Spoken like a true mother.”

Marika prowled along the wrought iron fence that framed the elegant estate.

Out of necessity she’d swapped her Valentino gown for black silk pants and matching top that snuggly outlined her perfect figure and allowed her to blend into the shadows. She’d also tugged her hair into a simple knot at her nape to keep it from being caught on the nasty trees and bushes that cluttered the godforsaken country.

Her lips pinched.

At least Sergei had managed to cast a Spell of Finding on Laylah before Victor and his henchmen had forced her from her lair. The interfering bastards. It meant that it was only a matter of time before she had her hands on her niece and they could return to civilization.

And in the meantime she intended to keep a very detailed tally on every indignity she was forced to suffer. She was going to take payment out of Laylah’s flesh.

Tapping a manicured nail against her chin, she considered the distant house, her impatience to track down her niece briefly overshadowed by the waves of power that filled the air.

“You are certain she is no longer inside?” she demanded.

Sergei nodded. Like her, he had changed from his designer clothing into a pair of casual chinos and a loose black silk shirt. His hair was pulled into a tail at his nape.

“I can sense her heading south.”