Authors: Alexandra Ivy
My Lord Vampire (19 page)
Please turn the page for
an exciting sneak peek of
FEAR THE DARKNESS,
the next installment in Alexandra Ivy’s
Guardians of Eternity series,
coming in September 2012!
an exciting sneak peek of
FEAR THE DARKNESS,
the next installment in Alexandra Ivy’s
Guardians of Eternity series,
coming in September 2012!
Prologue
Sylvermyst Prophecy
Flesh of flesh, blood of blood, bound in darkness.
The Alpha and Omega shall be torn asunder
and through the mist reunited.
Pathways that have been hidden will be found
and the veil parted to the faithful.
The Gemini will rise and
chaos shall rule for all eternity.
The Alpha and Omega shall be torn asunder
and through the mist reunited.
Pathways that have been hidden will be found
and the veil parted to the faithful.
The Gemini will rise and
chaos shall rule for all eternity.
Chapter 1
The abandoned silver mine in the Mojave Desert wasn’t the first place one would expect to encounter Styx, the current Anasso.
Not only was he the King of all Vampires, but at six foot five of pure muscle with the stark beauty of his Aztec ancestors he was the one of the most powerful demons in the world.
He could command the most luxurious lair in the area with a dozen servants eager to do his bidding.
But he wanted his trip to Nevada to be as discreet as it was brief, so ignoring the protests of his companion, he’d chosen to spend the day waiting for his meeting with the local clan chief in the forgotten caves.
And, if he were honest with himself, it was a relief not to be stuck with the formal ceremony his position demanded. He was a fierce predator, not a damned politician, and the need to play nice gave him a rash.
Besides it was always a pleasure to yank Viper’s chain.
Styx made a brief survey of the empty desert that surrounded them, absently knocking the dust from his leather pants that were tucked into a pair of heavy boots. A black T-shirt was stretched over his massive chest with a tiny amulet threaded on a leather strip wrapped around his thick neck. That was his only jewelry besides the polished turquoise stones that were threaded through the dark, braided hair that hung to the back of his knees.
His dark eyes glowed with power in the thickening dusk as he at last turned toward his companion, barely hiding his smile.
Unlike him, Viper, the clan chief of Chicago, had no love for ‘roughing it.’
Dressed in a black velvet coat that reached his knees with a frilled white satin shirt and black slacks, he looked like he was on his way to the nearest ballroom. An impression only emphasized by his long hair the pale silver of moonlight that was left free to flow down his back and his eyes the startling darkness of midnight.
Styx was raw, savage power.
Viper was an exquisite fallen angel who was no less lethal.
With a pointed glance toward the Las Vegas skyline that glowed like a distant jewel, Viper met Styx’s gaze with a sour grimace.
“The next time you want me to join you on a road trip, Styx, feel free to lose my number.”
Styx arched a dark brow. “I thought everyone loved Vegas?”
“Which was why I agreed to this little excursion.” Viper tugged at his lace cuffs, managing to look immaculate despite his hours in the dusty cavern. “You failed to mention I was going to be staying in a damned mine instead of the penthouse suite at the Bellagio.”
“We’ve stayed in worse places.”
“Worse?” Viper pointed a slender finger toward the rotting boards that did a half-ass job of covering the entrance to the tunnel. “It was filthy, it smelled of bat shit, and the temperature was a few degrees less than the surface of the sun. I’ve visited hell dimensions that I enjoyed more than that godforsaken inferno.”
Styx snorted. The two vampires had been friends for centuries, a remarkable feat considering they were both alphas. But over the past months their bonds had grown even closer as they’d been forced to confront the increasingly dangerous world.
The Dark Lord (or Dark Prince or Master or a hundred other names he’d been called over the centuries) had been effectively banished from this dimension long ago and kept in his prison by the Phoenix, a powerful spirit who was being protected by the vampires. But he refused to take his imprisonment gracefully.
Over the past months he’d become increasingly relentless in his pursuit of smashing through the veils that separated the worlds, not only allowing his return, but giving a free pass to every creature that inhabited the numerous hells.
Only a few days ago the bastard had nearly succeeded.
Using one of the twin babies he’d created to use as a vessel for his grand resurrection, he’d transformed from a formless mist into a young, human-like female. It had been creepy as hell to see the ultimate of all evil looking like a pretty cheerleader.
And even creepier when he (or temporarily she) nearly crashed through the barrier to destroy them all.
Jaelyn (a fellow vampire) had managed to drain the Dark Lord before he could pass through the veil, but Styx knew it was only a temporary reprieve.
Until the Dark Lord was somehow destroyed, there would be no peace.
Which was why he was standing in the middle of the desert with a pissed-off Viper instead of waking in the arms of his beautiful mate.
“You’re becoming as soft as a dew fairy in your old age,” he mocked.
“I didn’t become clan chief to rut in the dirt like some animal.”
“Pathetic.”
Viper glanced toward the distant glow of lights. “Are you at least going to tell me why we couldn’t stay in one of the hundreds of hotels just a few miles away?”
Styx turned to scan the seemingly empty landscape. Not that it was truly empty. At his feet a lizard crawled over a rock oblivious to the owl hunting in silence overhead, or the snake that was coiled only a few feet away. More distantly a coyote was on the trail of a jackrabbit.
The typical sights and sounds of the desert. His only interest, however, was making sure there were no nasty surprises hidden in the shadows.
“I prefer not to attract unwanted attention to our presence in Nevada,” he explained. “Something that would be impossible with you in a casino.”
“All I want is a warm shower, fresh clothes, and a ticket to the Donnie and Marie show.”
“Do I have stupid tattooed on my forehead?” Styx turned to stab his friend with a knowing gaze. “The last time you were in Vegas you nearly bankrupted the Flamingo and ended up banned from returning to the city by the clan chief.”
A reminiscent smile tugged at Viper’s lips. “Can I help it if I happen to have a streak of luck at the craps table? Or that Roke is a humorless prig?”
The distant hum of a motorcycle sliced through the thick night air.
“Speaking of Roke,” he murmured.
Viper muttered a curse as he moved to stand at Styx’s side. “That’s who we’re meeting with?”
“Yes.” Styx narrowed his gaze. “Do you promise to behave?”
“No, but I promise I won’t kill him unless he ...”
“Viper.”
“Shit.” Viper folded his arms over his chest. “This had better be important.”
“Would I have left Darcy if it weren’t?” he demanded, the mere mention of his mate sending a tiny pang of longing through his heart. Over the past months the beautiful female Were had become his very reason for living.
With a throaty roar of power, Roke brought his Turbine to a halt. Then, sliding off the elegant machine, he crossed to stand in front of them.
Dressed in black jeans, a leather jacket and moccasin boots that reached his knees, he was not as tall as Styx, although they shared the same bronzed skin and dark hair. Roke’s, however, had been cut to brush his broad shoulders. His features were lean with the high cheekbones of his Native American bloodlines and a proud nose. His brow was wide and his lips generously full. But it was his eyes that captured and held attention.
Silver in color they were so pale they appeared almost white, the shocking paleness emphasized by the rim of pure black that circled them.
They were eyes that seemed to pierce through a person to lay bare their very souls.
Not always the most comfortable sensation.
Especially for those who didn’t particularly want their souls laid bare.
Which was ... yeah, pretty much everyone.
“Styx.” Offering a low bow, Roke’s movements were liquid smooth as he slowly straightened and with stunning swiftness was hurling a dagger to stick in the ground not an inch from Viper’s expensive leather shoes. “Viper.”
Viper growled, giving a wave of his hand to dislodge the dirt around Roke’s feet. All vampires could manipulate the soil, a necessary skill to protect them from the sun or to hide the corpses of their prey, but Viper was particularly skilled and in less than a blink of an eye Roke was buried up to his waist.
“Are you two done playing?” Styx demanded, his icy power biting through the air.
The clan chief of Nevada climbed out of the sand pit and dusted off his jeans, his expression as inscrutable as ever.
“For now.”
Viper made a sound of impatience. “Why are we here?”
Styx nodded toward their companion. “Roke has something he believes we should see.”
“His collection of blow-up dolls?”
“Christ. Enough.” Styx bared his massive fangs in warning. He didn’t know what the hell had gone down between the two clan chiefs in the past, but right now he could not care less. He didn’t have time for their bullshit. “Roke, show me.”
“This way.”
In utter silence the three vampires ghosted through the darkness, moving with a speed that made them all but invisible. They were nearing a line of rugged hills when Viper made a sound of impatience.
“As much as I adore running through the barren desert, do we have an eventual destination?” he muttered.
On cue Roke came to a sharp halt, pointing toward the desert floor just in front of them.
“There.”
Viper rolled his eyes. “Man of few words.”
“Preferable to one who doesn’t know when to shut it.”
“Agreed,” Styx said dryly, shifting so he could study the ground where Roke was pointing. It took a long moment to recognize that lines etched into the dry dirt were more than just the graffiti from some human. “Oh ... shit.”
“What the hell?” Viper tilted back his head as he caught the lingering scent. “Were.”
“Cassandra,” Styx said, easily recognizing the scent of his mate’s twin sister who had recently been revealed as a powerful prophet.
“And Caine,” Viper added. “Why would they be in the middle of the Mojave Desert?”
Now that was a hell of a question.
The pair of pureblooded Weres had been missing for weeks, despite Styx’s best efforts to locate them. An unbelievable feat considering he possessed the best trackers in the world. Of course, if the rumors were true then the two Weres were already beyond his reach.
It made any clue as to how Cassandra had been captured, or how to retrieve her from her current prison priceless.
“I’m more concerned with what they left behind,” he admitted, prowling around the edges of the strange symbols.
Viper frowned. “An etching?”
Styx shook his head. “It looks more like a hieroglyph.”
“A prophecy,” Roke said with a quiet confidence.
Styx turned to study the clan chief with a searching gaze. “Can you decipher it?”
“Yes, it’s a warning.”
Viper frowned. “You’re a seer?”
Roke shook his head, his gaze trained on the lines etched into the ground.
“There’s only one prophet. But I was sired by a wise woman who taught me to read the signs left by our forefathers.”
Of course. Styx abruptly understood precisely why he was standing in the middle of a desert.
“So now we know why Cassandra chose to travel to Nevada,” he said wryly.
“Why?” Viper demanded.
He pointed toward Roke. “Because it was the one place to make certain her message would be understood.”
Viper snorted. “She could have sent a text and saved us a trip.”
Styx’s attention never wavered from the silent Roke. It was impossible to judge how the vampire felt about being pulled into the battle against the Dark Lord.
But then, he no doubt realized that it wasn’t a choice.
Styx wasn’t the head of a damned democracy.
He led his people by cunning and brute force when necessary.
“How did you discover this?”
“A cur stumbled across it two nights ago,” Roke promptly answered. “There are no Were packs in the area so he came to me with the information.”
“How many others did he tell?”
Roke instantly understood Styx’s concern. “None, but it’s been here at least two, maybe even three weeks.” He grimaced. “It’s impossible to know how many others have seen it.”
A pity, but there was nothing to be done, Styx silently conceded.
“Could anyone else interpret it?”
Roke paused before giving a shake of his head. “Doubtful.”
Viper crouched down, studying the desert floor with a frown. “What does it say?”
Roke moved forward, careful not to disturb the marks as he pointed toward the strange etching closest to them.
“This is the symbol for the Alpha and the Omega.”
Styx froze at the familiar words.
“The children,” he murmured, speaking of the twin babies that had been found by the half-Jinn mongrel, Laylah. She hadn’t known that they were the babies mentioned in the prophecies. Or that they had been created by the Dark Lord so he could use them as vessels for his eventual resurrection. “What about them?”
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