Embrace the Darkness (14 page)

“Your word?”

“My word.”

He gave a growl low in his throat. He didn't doubt her pledge, but he couldn't shake the certainty that she was planning something ridiculously dangerous.

Unfortunately, any lecture he might have given her on foolish bravado was forced from his mind at the sound of cracking timbers and shattering earth.

The demon had lost patience and was forcing his huge bulk through the tunnels.

Devil's balls.

Without hesitation Viper bent his head and pressed a brief, hungry kiss to her lips. “Go, Shay,” he whispered softly, and then giving her a gentle push toward the nearby ladder, he headed for the door.

Once again he braced himself for some protest, but with a smooth motion Shay had turned and was sprinting across the room. Viper hurried to leave the chamber and shut the door behind him. He could feel the heavy pressure of dawn already filling the sky. He had no desire to greet it up close and personal.

Back in the tunnel he moved to stand beside an obviously nervous Levet.

“Did she go?” the gargoyle muttered.

“Yes.”

“She did?” Levet gave a startled blink. “You didn't hurt her, did you?”

“For once it was not necessary.” Viper pulled his sword from its sheath as he prepared for the demon crashing through the tunnel. “She went quite eagerly.”

“
Sacrebleu
. It can only mean she is plotting something stupid.”

“No doubt,” Viper agreed with a grimace. “For the moment, however, she is out of danger. We can only hope to disable the demon before she decides to return.”

“Disable the demon, he says,” Levet muttered beneath his breath, holding his dagger with an awkward hand. “More likely we are about to become an early morning snack.”

Viper smiled with grim anticipation. “Not without a fight, my friend. The demon will discover that vampire meat is not so easy to come by.”

The gargoyle gave an aggravated twitch of his tail, but thankfully he held his tongue as a glow began to fill the air and the looming demon thrust into view.

Viper clenched his teeth at the sight of the narrow, scaled head with its long snout and mouthful of razor teeth. Many would confuse the demon with a small dragon, but Viper knew the difference. It was the long-forgotten Lu. A creature feared throughout the demon world. One that was nearly impossible to defeat without magic. And he was fresh out of magic.

“Shit,” he breathed.

“Shit, indeed,” Levet said at his side. “Now what?”

“Do you possess any spells?”

Levet gave a disgusted snort. “Do you think if I possessed any spells I would still be here? I am not nearly so fond of you, vampire, as to gladly die at your side.”

“I thought all gargoyles could use some magic,” Viper muttered as he edged to the side and prepared for an attack.

“Oh sure, mock me as I'm about to die,” Levet groused.

“You are not about to die, Levet. We are both immortals.”

“Fah. We both know that even immortals can die. Usually in horrible ways.”

Well, Viper could hardly argue. It was true enough.

“If you prefer, I could simply toss you to the demon and hope he would make your death a swift affair.”

Whatever French curses hovered on Levet's lips were drowned out by the hissing rumble of the Lu.

Although the body of the demon was too large to slide through the tunnel without an effort, the serpentine neck allowed the black-scaled head to swing disturbingly close.

“I smell the Shalott.” A forked tongue tasted the air. “Where have you hidden her?”

Viper's expression remained impassive as he concealed his relief that the Lu hadn't yet realized his quarry had escaped. There was nothing like centuries of practice to perfect the poker face.

“She is near enough, but I fear she is not overly anxious to meet with you,” he drawled. “It seems that the charms of the elusive Lu are highly overrated.”

The crimson eyes flashed with fury. Lu's had never been known for their sense of humor.

“You mock me at your peril, vampire.”

Viper shifted closer to the wall. The faint, iridescent glow from the demon's scales would become blinding during a battle. He wanted to be in a position to be able to watch that deadly mouth when worst came to worst.

“I doubt my peril has anything to do with whether I mock you or not.” He firmly kept the demon's attention on himself and away from the cowering Levet. “You're not here for my sparkling personality.”

“True enough.” At least the demon didn't try to deny his murderous intent. “Still I am not unreasonable. Hand her over and there is no need for you to die, vampire.”

Viper smiled with cold disdain. “Oh, I have no intention of dying. Not by your hands. Or rather, by your teeth.”

The angry hiss made the entire tunnel shiver in warning. “Brave words, but unless you have more than a stunted gargoyle to lend you assistance you are no match for me.”

There was an angry buzz of wings as Levet took swift exception to the insult.

“Stunted?” the gargoyle huffed. “Why you overgrown worm, I'll—”

“What is your interest in my slave?” Viper forced the Lu's attention back to himself. Shay would never forgive him if he allowed the tiny pest to end up in the belly of a demon.

The leviathan head turned back to stab him with a smoldering glare. “That is a matter between my master and the Shalott.”

“Your master? Since when have the mighty Lu allowed themselves to call another master?”

“You would be surprised, vampire. Surprised, indeed.”

The soft, mocking laughter chilled Viper's already cold skin. He didn't like the idea the demon was hiding something from him. Something that was causing the Lu a great deal of pleasure.

“Why speak in riddles? Is your master so cowardly that he must hide in shadows?”

“Ah no, if you desire answers then you must first defeat me.”

Viper held out his sword. “That can be arranged.”

The crimson eyes narrowed in a dangerous threat. “Foolish, vampire, I will have the Shalott. No piece of steel is going to halt me.”

To prove his point, the long snout lashed forward with mind-numbing speed. His teeth bit through Viper's arm before he could leap out of the way. Clenching his teeth Viper stabbed the sword into the exposed throat of the demon. There was a hiss of pain from the Lu before he drew back, leaving deep gouges in Viper's flesh that bled with sluggish pain.

Slammed against the wall it took a moment for Viper to clear his fogged mind. Dammit all. There was more than one means to battle the much larger demon.

“Perhaps steel will not stop you, but there are some forces not even a Lu can battle.”

Pointing the sword toward the ground Viper ignored the blood trickling down his numb arm and concentrated his will upon the rich earth beneath their feet. He possessed no magic. No vampire was able to wield spells. Or even to sense them. But they did control ancient powers. Powers that came from the elements themselves.

His fierce will spread from the sword to the ground, churning deep below. The tunnel shook sending a spray of dirt falling from the low ceiling.

“Halt,” the demon commanded, his tongue flicking between the sharp teeth. “I will have none of your vampire tricks.”

“Unlike you I am my own master and take commands from no demon,” Viper gritted.

“Fool.”

The Lu struck again but on this occasion Viper managed to slip enough to the side that it was a glancing blow. The teeth raked his shoulder, but he firmly kept the sword pointed toward the now crumbling dirt below the demon's feet.

The earth was moving, but not fast enough, he angrily acknowledged. The power he called on was used by vampires to sink their victims into the soil after a deep feeding. It was never good manners to leave behind corpses to draw attention to a local clan.

Unfortunately, in this day and age most vampires preferred synthetic blood to the dangers of hunting live prey and his skills were rarely called upon anymore. Not to mention the fact that he had never before attempted to bury a creature as large as the Lu.

Still unaware of the ground that was now covering his clawed feet and inching up the thick scales of his legs the Lu gave a hissing growl and struck at Viper's head. It was a killing blow, but jerking back Viper managed to avoid the snapping teeth. His head banged painfully against the wall, a small price to pay for having it still attached.

Grimly clearing his foggy mind he reached down to snatch one of the daggers from his boot. He needed to distract the demon if he wasn't to be shredded into nasty bits.

Never allowing his call upon the earth to waver he drew back his arm and threw the dagger with deadly force. There was a sickening thud and a roar of pain as the dagger sank deep into the Lu's oblong eye.

“You will die for that, vampire,” the demon roared, his desperate writhing digging him ever deeper into the ground.

“There is no need for either of us to die,” Viper called out, keeping the demon concentrated on him even as he motioned the silent gargoyle back against the wall. If he could manage to trap the Lu, they might survive this relatively intact. He grimaced as he felt the blood soaking through his clothing. Relatively was all he could hope for at this point. “Tell me what you want with the Shalott, and we might make a deal.”

“I said you must defeat me if you wish answers, vampire, and I am far from defeated.” The serpentine face was a ghastly mask of blood and fury as the Lu glared at Viper with the dagger still stuck in his eye. He made an attempt to lunge forward, only to scream in frustration when he discovered that the ground held him firmly trapped. “Noooo.”

“Tell me why you want the Shalott,” Viper demanded.

“For this you will die,” the Lu snarled.

Lifting his sword Viper prepared to plunge it into the remaining eye when the narrow head jerked upward and slammed into the ceiling. A shower of earth rained downward and Levet gave a squeak of alarm.

“
Mon dieu,
has he gone mad?” the gargoyle squeaked.

It did seem a distinct possibility, Viper conceded, as the demon lowered his head and once again reared up to thrust his head into the dirt above. The Lu demons were always unstable. Inbreeding was never a good thing.

He was in the process of deciding whether the Lu was trapped enough to risk a strategic retreat or to use the opportunity to land a few more blows when the realization hit him. The Lu hadn't gone mad. He was doing precisely what he had warned he was going to do.

Kill him.

The tunnel gave a mighty shake and the earth began to tumble with alarming speed from above. Soon the demon would bring the entire ceiling down upon them. They would be buried beneath the rubble.

But not buried deep enough, he realized as he lifted his eyes upward in alarm. The soil was beginning to split open and when it did it would bring with it the tide of the early morning dawn.

Devil's balls.

“Levet,” he called out in warning. The gargoyle would not be harmed by the sunlight but he would return to his statue form. He would be helpless if the Lu decided to carry him off.

Strangely, however, the small demon paid him no heed. Instead he knelt on the heaving earth and muttered beneath his breath.

Viper opened his mouth to offer another warning when Levet threw his arms upward and cried out.

“I call the night.”

The words could barely be heard over the sound of the ceiling collapsing. There was no mistaking, however, the thick cloud of inky black that abruptly shrouded about them.

Viper froze in astonishment, his hands clutching the sword as if uncertain whether the foul cloud was a blessing or a curse.

Not far from him he heard Levet give a startled gasp and then a shout of triumph.

“It worked.” His wings stirred the dark air with a flutter of excitement. “By my father's stone balls, it worked.”

Shay had driven a car before. Not often and not well. But she knew the basic method of moving from one place to another.

She had never, however, had her hands on anything like the sleek Porsche. The barest touch on the accelerator and she was hurtling through the cresting dawn at a horrifying speed.

It was little wonder that she had managed to gather a few dents and one busted headlight by the time she arrived at the auction house and gathered her small store of magical potions she had left behind.

A demon was not intended to travel over a hundred miles an hour without some cost, she assured herself as she returned to the decidedly worse-for-wear car and sped back to Viper's estate. Besides which, the silver-haired vampire was bound to be so furious at her return he wouldn't even notice that she had managed to ruin the expensive automobile.

Adding several more dents, a broken window, and a flat tire as she cut through fields and back roads she squealed to a halt inside the garage.

The trip had been made as swiftly as humanly, or demonly, possible. Still, she couldn't deny a sickening dread that clenched her stomach.

A dread that nearly drove her to her knees as she slipped through the trapdoor and into the chamber below. Across the room she could see the door buckled and torn from its hinges by some unknown force. But that was not what made her blood run cold.

Even from a distance she could see that the tunnel had collapsed and morning sunlight was pouring in.

She was hurtling forward before she could even question why her breath was lodged in her throat and her heart was twisting with pain.

It couldn't be the fact she feared Viper would be dead.

That would just be…insane. Wouldn't it?

Refusing to ponder the panic bubbling through her blood Shay carefully cradled the bag to her body and forced her way through the small opening.

She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't the thick cloud of darkness that was nearly tangible in the air.

“Levet?” she called softly. “Viper?”

There was a soft scrape and then the darkness was suddenly pierced by a soft glow. At first she thought someone had managed to light a candle, but as she turned her head she realized the light wasn't a candle.

Not even remotely a candle.

Frozen in horror her gaze ran over the enormous demon with its glowing scales and scarlet eyes. She had never seen anything like it. And never wanted to again.

As she watched, the bloody snout twitched with what she very much feared was a smile of triumph.

Oh…shit, shit, shit.

“The Shalott,” the beast hissed.

Mesmerized by the fiery gaze it took Shay a long moment to hear the cold, furious voice from deeper in the shadows.

“Goddammit, Shay, I told you to leave. Get the hell out of here.”

She grimaced as she came back to herself with a sudden thud. Were all vampires such ungrateful asses, or was Viper a special breed?

The demon standing before her gave a rumbling laugh that echoed through the tunnel. Disturbing. Very, very disturbing.

“There is nowhere you can run that I will not find you, Shalott, but come to me and I will spare the lives of these two,” he promised in a rasping voice. Shay sucked in a deep breath as she covertly reached into the bag and closed her fingers around one of the ceramic jugs. “Come to me now,” the demon roared.

“I'm coming, I'm coming,” she muttered.

“Shay.” There was an edge of something that might have been panic in Viper's smooth voice. “The Lu is trapped for the moment, but I can't hold him for long. Get out of here.”

“Do what he says, Shay,” Levet echoed. “You can't defeat this beast.”

The beast in question gave a low hiss toward the gargoyle before attempting to look harmless. A hopeless task, of course.

“I am not your enemy, my dear. I have only come to collect you for my master.” The glow rippled eerily over the demon's scales, as if he were in the grip of some fierce emotion. “A master who does not like to be disappointed.”

She took a step closer. Not that she wanted to be in biting distance of those sharp teeth. But she had to be near enough to use what weapons she possessed.

“Who is this mysterious master?” she demanded, more to keep him distracted than to discover the truth.

Priorities, priorities.

Get out of this alive, and then worry about who wanted her so desperately.

“A powerful friend, or deadly enemy. The choice is yours.”

“You still have yet to give me a name.”

“His name is forbidden to speak, but I assure you that I mean you no harm.”

Shay rolled her eyes at the typical demon mumbo jumbo. “Somehow I find that hard to believe.”

“You have my pledge that I will take you without harm to my master. Does that satisfy you?”

“That all depends on what's going to happen after we arrive.” She inched closer. “What does your master want with me?”

“That is a question that he will have to answer.”

“You are not exactly inspiring my confidence.”

The red eyes flashed with dangerous fire. Or at least one red eye did. The other was currently sporting a heavy dagger. Ick.

“I have no need. Either you go with me willingly, or I take you by force. There are no other options.”

Shay sensed Viper slowly edging around the back of the demon, but she dared not take her eyes from the dangerous mouth that hovered all too near. She had no idea if her impetuous plan would work, and it seemed wise to be prepared to duck.

She was rather fond of her head precisely where it was.

“Actually…” she murmured, pulling out the ceramic pot. “I have another option.”

“Shay, no.”

Viper's words came too late as she hastily launched the pot. It busted against the long snout and the demon roared with unmistakable pain.

For a moment Shay was blinded by the sharp glow that rippled over the scales. She hadn't been expecting the flare of light, and her brief vulnerability cost her as the demon lunged forward and used his head to smash her against the wall.

It hadn't been intended to be a killing blow, but that didn't keep it from hurting. With a shake of her head, she painfully forced herself to her feet and watched in horror as Viper threw himself between her and the razor-sharp teeth.

The Lu instantly charged and Shay's heart halted as the vampire raised his long sword to slash at the striking mouth. The ring of steel meeting something much harder than mere metal echoed through the tunnel.

Shay scrambled to retrieve her fallen bag and pulled out another pot. She had to do something before the demon managed to reach Viper.

As she came to her feet, however, she heard a sharp hiss and her eyes widened as Viper's sword slowly began to sink into the thick scales.

“What's happening?” she demanded.

Viper's muscles rippled as he forced the deadly sword ever deeper. “The potion you threw on him has weakened his armor.”

The Lu roared in anger and cocking back her arm Shay lofted the pot of nasty witch's brew directly into the bloody wound.

This time she was prepared for the shock of searing light and holding her arm over her eyes she attempted to ignore the high scream of pain.

Shalotts might be renowned warriors, but she had enough human in her to feel compassion for the dying demon. The Lu would no doubt kill all of them without an ounce of remorse, but she couldn't bear to prolong the obvious agony.

Bending down she grasped the last of the potions and prepared to launch it.

“Hold, pet,” Viper abruptly commanded as he yanked free the sword that had sunk deep into the demon's skull. With a hiss, the Lu flopped to the ground.

“You cannot mean to leave him like this?” she demanded as she watched the beast twitch in a pool of his own blood.

“He made a bargain with me, did you not mighty Lu?”

The crimson eye slit open. “I do not bargain with vampires,” he hissed.

Viper moved forward to place the tip of his sword on top of the demon's head. The scales had already begun to turn to a ghastly liquid.

“You said that if I could defeat you that you would answer my questions.” Viper seemed to grow even bigger in the dimming glow of the scales. “You are defeated. Now honor your pledge.”

For a moment the air shimmered with the frustrated fury of the dying demon. Then, astonishingly the Lu offered a rasping sigh.

“Ask.”

“Why does your master want the Shalott?”

“For her blood.”

Shay cringed. Damn her blood. It had a great deal to answer for. It seemed every demon in the world wanted a taste of it for one reason or another.

“Who is he?”

“I told you, I am forbidden from speaking his name.”

“Then where can I find him?”

“He was in Chicago, but I feel him traveling farther away. I do not know where he is headed.”

Viper gave a low growl, his hands tightening upon the hilt of the sword. “You have no answers for me.”

The Lu gave a low, disturbing laugh. “Because you do not ask the right questions, vampire.”

“What are the right questions?”

“Ah no, I will not make it that easy.”

Shay stepped hastily forward. It didn't take a genius to realize that Viper had taken a giant leap over the edge of his patience. The Lu wouldn't be able to answer any questions once that sword slid through his brain.

“You said the master wanted me for my blood,” she directly confronted the demon. “Does he intend to sell it or use it for himself?”

The crimson eye turned in her direction. Shay shivered at the unnerving intelligence that smoldered deep in the glittering depths. She abruptly realized he was far more than a lumbering, deadly beast. Or at least she assumed it was a he. She wasn't about to ask the thing to roll over and check.

“My master has no use for your blood himself,” he hissed.

“So he intends to sell me?”

“You are…more a means to an end.”

Her own temper flared. No wonder he agreed to answer questions. He wasn't revealing a damn thing.

“Does he have Evor?”

Perhaps sensing her annoyance a smile of taunting satisfaction curved his lips.

“The troll is alive and well. For the moment.”

Shay blinked in bewilderment. “What do you mean?”

“If you desire an answer to your questions, look to your curse.” A horrid, bumbling sound came from the demon's throat and he gave a sudden shudder. “I have fulfilled my pledge, you damnable vampire, now end it.”

Viper turned to send her a questioning glance. “Shay?”

There were no doubt a dozen other questions she should ask. Some the demon might even answer. But she couldn't do it. Her stomach simply wasn't strong enough to watch any creature suffer.

“Yes.”

The urge to turn away was nearly overwhelming, but Shay forced herself to witness the killing blow. The demon had been after her, and her alone. It was entirely her fault that Viper and Levet had been attacked at all. The least she could do was stand at his side while he vanquished her enemy.

Raising the sword Viper swung it with a fierce stroke that severed the long head with a clean blow. Like her he seemed intent on putting an end to the demon's suffering.

There was no sound to indicate the Lu was dead, but with a slow pulse the glow of the scales began to fade. Shay sent up a silent prayer. She wasn't sure what deity the Lu prayed to, but her words could surely not go astray.

A heavy silence descended as the darkness became complete. The demon was dead but Shay felt no sense of relief.

There was still something out there that wanted her blood.

The only question was what he would send after her next.

Lost in her brooding thoughts Shay gave a startled shriek as she felt a small hand abruptly tug on the hem of her robe. “Levet?”

“Ah, so you do remember the poor gargoyle forced to battle hellhounds, and demons, and to hold this magnificent spell of darkness even as he is enduring a terrible cramp in his side,” Levet muttered in obvious disgust.

A portion of her tension eased at her friend's familiar grumbling. “It is a magnificent spell, Levet, but in case you haven't noticed, I've been rather busy.”

“Oui, oui,”
he snapped with an obvious lack of awe. “Ding dong the demon's dead, now can we admire our delightful handiwork someplace where the ceiling is not about to cave in and your oh-so-handsome vampire is not about to become a dust bunny?”

Good point.

 

Attired in nothing more than a pair of black silk boxers, Viper shifted to a more comfortable position on the bed that consumed a large portion of his hidden lair. Beside him Shay was sprawled in a restless slumber, her beautiful curls spread across the black satin pillowcases.