What Happens in Vegas...After Dark (25 page)

His weight crushed her into the bed, but it was comforting, not suffocating. Devi locked her legs around his waist and lifted her receptive pussy to meet his entering cock.

He surged deep inside her while bending awkwardly to reach her nipples. She helped him by lifting her breasts higher, squeezing them together. As he plunged inside her, his tongue pleasured her nipples simultaneously, pushed together as they were. She whimpered in protest when he lifted his head. “Don’t stop.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said again as he thrust deeply into her. “Let me know if you need to stop.”

“I don’t ever want to stop.” Utter conviction rang in her words, and she meant them on a level deeper than reference to their current encounter. It was all too easy to imagine spending the rest of her life with Mal, in and out of bed.

She wrapped her arms around his back as he embraced her, pulling her tightly against him. He thrust into her, and she tried to meet each one. Heart racing, she stared up at him, once again captivated by his eyes. This time, she knew she wasn’t imagining it when they started to glow. The color was an intense amber instead of the silvery-green from before, and as she watched, the color darkened, taking on a chocolate hue. As the tint changed, she seemed to be falling into a vortex. Her head spun, and Mal’s sounds of passion came from a long distance. She was falling into somewhere, but didn’t know how she had gotten there. She didn’t care. All Devi wanted was to be in his eyes, and she was convinced she would join with him forever if she could find the way.

An orgasm rocked her to the core, and she cried out. Her voice sounded faint, as if coming from that same distant place. The pleasure engulfed her, pul ing her down into an ocean of oblivion, where nothing existed aside from Mal’s eyes and the ecstasy humming through her. As she let herself sink, Mal’s eyes went almost completely black, filling her with a sense of completion, even as a gaping void she couldn’t identify opened inside her.

It was as though someone had ripped open her soul and yanked out a chunk.

As Mal came, he realized Devi had gone limp. It took a moment to force himself to withdraw from her pussy, but as soon as the pleasure faded, his ability to focus returned.

Cursing, he checked her pulse, relieved to find she stil had one. She seemed to be in a coma. He had taken too much of her power-source, too quickly. “Wake up, baby.”

Mal closed his eyes, feeling for the cord that had bound him to Devi from the moment he cast the spell. It was thin and weak now, and he could feel her power inside him. “You have to have some of this back, Devi. I can’t let you die.” Not sure if it would work, Mal imagined the cord was a conductor, withdrawing some of the massive supply of power he held inside and sending it back to her. The cord pulsed with a flash of light, and her eyes opened. He nearly sobbed with relief. “I thought I’d lost you.”

She was clearly confused and barely with him. “What’s going on? I don’t feel like myself.”

“I’m going to fix it.” He kissed her face several times, grateful to have her back with him. “I’m sorry, but I’ll fix it. I can’t do this.”

“Mal?”

With determination, he met her gaze. “I’m a warlock, Devi, and I came here to steal your power-source.”

Her eyes widened, and a hint of fear appeared. “What are you talking about?” she croaked in a raspy voice. “That’s crazy.”

“My father…someone poisoned my father. Eli told me to find the closest latent vampire. Eli’s my brother.” Pent-up energy threatened to explode, and Mal got to his feet, pacing restlessly. “I’m making a mess of this. I know it. I found you. Do you see?” He returned to the bed, grasping her hand. “I found you.” Her skin was clammy when he rubbed the back of her hand against his cheek. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Devi seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. “I need a doctor or something. Help me, Mal.”

“I’m going to.” In a rush, he released her and threw on his clothes. “I have to get you back to Darkness.”

“The club?”

“Yeah. It’s the only place where there’s a high enough concentration of power to reverse the binding spell.” Mal flipped through the clothes in her closet, selecting a light sweater and jeans for her. A quick forage in her dresser yielded panties, and he didn’t bother with trying to find a bra. “I can’t do it here. I might lose control, and there are no perimeters to hold in the power. If I lose it before returning your power-source, it will be gone. I can’t let that happen. I can’t let you die.”

She was able to provide some assistance as he dressed her, but he could tell she wanted to push him away. It hurt him to see the fear in her eyes when she looked at him. What had he done? In one night, he had found someone he could love and had been the catalyst to ensure she would never love him in return. “I’m a damned fool.”

“Yeah.” Her chapped lips started bleeding in spots when she spoke. “Me, too. There’s a good reason to avoid one-night stands with strangers. I wish I’d remembered that.”

“I’m not crazy. You’ll see after I reverse all this.” Mal wrapped her shivering body in the blanket and lifted her into his arms. “I don’t know if you can ever forgive me, but you’ll see I’m not nuts, at least.” He clung to the hope that maybe she could understand why he had done what he’d done as he whisked her to the car. Mal thought of his father as he settled Devi into the car, and a pang of guilt struck him. He was sacrificing his father for his lover if he reversed the spell. If there was even time to find another latent vampire, the only way to take their power-source would be through murdering that person. The thought made his stomach roll, and he had to bite down the bile. It was abhorrent to him to think of killing someone else, but if he didn’t return Devi’s power in order for her to recover, he would be murdering her. After she was safe, he would figure out how to help his father. Right now, he had to focus on Devi.

S he was quiet as he drove her back to the club. Devi had lots of questions, but no energy to voice them. Instead, she conserved her energy and tried to think of a way to escape this madman when he stopped at the club. She needed an emergency department, not some hocus-pocus magic trick. Surely, one of the beefy bouncers would find it suspicious if he carried her in wrapped in a blanket. She would just have to find the strength to struggle out of the covering and get the bouncers’ attention. They would help her. Clinging to that plan helped her maintain consciousness as they pulled into the parking garage closest to the club.

“They need valet parking,” said Mal as he came around the car to open her door. “If you weren’t so weak, I would have used an astral portal, but I don’t know if you could take that right now. It’s daunting having your molecules stripped apart and rearranged.”

“I’m sure.” It was easier to agree with his ramblings than to try to argue. What was the point? It didn’t matter what he believed once she was free of him. She’d never see him again. The thought brought an accompanying pang in her chest, and she chastised herself for her lingering attraction. Mal Nixa was certifiably insane. While she didn’t expect perfection in a partner, since she had so many challenges herself, insanity was just too much to deal with. There was absolutely no future possible with this man, and she had to accept that.

If she didn’t get help soon, she might not have any future. That sobering thought had her struggling against him, trying to free herself from his hold.

“Shush, just calm down, Devi. I’m going to take care of you.”

“I’m certain that eases all her fears,” said a mocking voice from the shadows.

Devi lifted her head in an effort to identify the speaker. Slowly, he coalesced from the shadows, revealing a man strikingly similar in appearance to Mal, though older and somehow…dimmer. Age had touched his temples with strands of gray, and heavy lines underscored his eyes. “Who’re you? Mal, who’s that?”

“My brother, Eli.” Mal seemed displeased to see him.

She was relieved. “Please help me. If he’s really your brother, you have to know he’s insane. Just get me to a hospital. Please.”

Eli stared at her with cold eyes. They were the same shade as Mal’s, but with none of the warmth. When he spoke, his gaze shifted to Mal. “I counted on you failing, and you have done so spectacularly, haven’t you? Muck-up Mal. That’s what I used to call you, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t have time for this, Eli. I have to reverse the binding spell, or she’s going to die.”

Eli didn’t move from their path. “I really don’t care what happens to your little whore.”

Devi winced when Mal laid her on the hard cement. “What’s happening?” He couldn’t just leave her there. She couldn’t possibly make it to a hospital on her own, weak as she was.

Mal ignored her. “I can’t let you have her power, Eli, even to save Father. He wouldn’t approve of killing someone to save himself.”

“I’m sure you’re right. He is a bleeding-heart old fool.” Eli examined an overly long fingernail, as if bored with the conversation. “He’s weak, just like you. It was so easy to slip the poison into his nightly glass of port. Anyone could have done it, as lax as he is about security.” A cold smile split his face into a chilling expression. “I did it myself, though. I knew it would be done properly if I put in the poison. That, and there’s the personal sense of satisfaction I get from knowing I have single-handedly set in motion the events that will lead to my immediate ascension as Magister.”

Devi watched the exchange, growing more confused by the moment. Either Mal and his brother were both delusional, or Mal had been tel ing her the truth al along. How could that be? It was crazy to contemplate the existence of warlocks, covens and magic.

Wasn’t it? And if she accepted that part of Mal’s story, she had to believe it al , right? It was impossible to imagine she was a latent vampire. Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe when the full impact of events hit her. Mal had deliberately chosen her and seduced her in order to gain some kind of power from her, not because of any desire he felt for her. She shook her head, rejecting that. Stil , the realization pounded at her. Whether or not Mal really was a warlock, he thought he was and had taken her to bed because he believed he could drain her magic. He had never really desired her.

The epiphany came to her in an instant, but Mal’s reaction to his brother’s words pulled her back from the thoughts. Visibly shaking in his anger, each word Mal issued came in staccato bursts. “You did it? You poisoned Father? But why? You’re going to become the Magister when he dies. Why couldn’t you wait a few years?”

Eli seemed on the verge of yawning. “Let’s just say, I’m tired of waiting. Certain political alignments are open to our coven that Saul has ignored.”

Mal launched himself at Eli, making Devi gasp at the quickness of the attack. She could see his eyes glowing again, this time a chilling green that sent a frisson of ice up her spine. Finding a reservoir of strength, she sat up, pushing away the blanket. Her intent was to stand, but that proved impossible, and she soon collapsed to the ground again.

Now would have been the time to escape if she’d been able to manage it, but Devi found herself glued to the drama unfolding in front of her.

“I’ve never wanted to kill anyone before, but now I understand the impulse.” Mal knocked Eli to the ground, and they wrestled, each vying for the dominant position.

“You’ve always been a cold, selfish bastard, but I never expected you to stoop this low.”

Grunts and the sound of blows landing filled the air for several seconds before Eli replied. “I have been methodical and calculating, while you have been weak and ruled by emotion.” With a vicious expression, he flipped Mal, pinning him to the cement. “Father indulged your weakness by allowing you to become a musician, living in the human world.

He caters to Sabine’s desire to play artist, but I was groomed to be his replacement from birth. When did I have the choice? Never! I am the future Magister, and I can’t allow Father to pass up a chance to increase our power base.”

Devi gasped when silvery-gray bands of light snaked around Mal, holding him in place.

He struggled against them, but seemed unable to free himself. She feared for his safety, wondering what Eli would do to him. That changed to fear for herself when Eli stood up and walked her way without another look at Mal. She tried once more to stand, but couldn’t muster the energy. A feeble scoot backward was all she managed and soon bumped into the wall of the parking garage. “What do you want from me?” she asked when Eli stopped walking, towering over her. “If you don’t want to cure your father, why do you need me?”

That same chil ing smile curved his lips. “I don’t need you.”

A scream escaped her when he revealed a steel dagger taken from the pocket of his trench coat. The handle’s elaborate carvings were beautiful, but didn’t detract from the deadly sharpness of the silver blade. She brought up her hands to shield herself when he knelt beside her. Eli subdued her struggles easily with one hand. Devi met his gaze, hoping she looked defiant instead of terrified. Though she tried to hold his gaze, the sight of the blade nearing her throat forced her to close her eyes instinctively. Her spine was rigid from pushing herself against the wall, and there was nowhere else to go. The blade sank through her throat with a hot, sharp flash. Once more, she screamed, but had no voice to give life to the sound.

The first pulse of light made her think she was already dead, but the second cleared her thoughts. A spark of hope surged as Mal rose into the air, the bands of power that had confined him gone. Her eyes widened when scarlet light raced from his hands and hit Eli in the back. Her attacker shouted and reeled away, leaving the job of slitting her throat only half-finished.

In a millisecond, Mal was out of the sky and crouched beside her. “Hold on, love.” He gathered her into his arms, and before she could process what was happening, a bubble of silver engulfed them. She had figured out they were in an astral portal just as they appeared in the center of the dance floor.