Darker (37 page)

“
You could have left here alive,” Lilah said, her voice low and uneven. “I won’t let you take this from me. I will not be sent back to him.”

She had reclaimed the fallen dagger. Wielding it with her one good hand, she advanced on me. I braced myself, ready to attack. My lips peeled back in a vicious snarl.

I avoided the first swing. The dagger blade sliced through the air inches from my face. I circled, forcing her to keep turning to face me. I lunged in close, snapping at her before moving back out of reach.

The wolf felt good. I had come to rely so heavily on my metaphysical power that the reminder of who and what I was, was refreshing. My power was not what defined me; I was so much more than that.

Lunging again, I knocked Lilah off her feet. She slid through the blood spill and gave an anguished cry. Before I could attack further, the air rippled and Willow appeared.

He pulled the Dragon Claw from his jacket, holding it uncertainly. I was in no position to take it from him. The only other person who could wield it was Juliet.

“
Alexa, are you-,” Willow’s words died as Lilah plunged her dagger into his back. She pulled it free, and smoke rose from the wound. Silver.

Willow staggered back, trying to put space between them. The Dragon Claw fell from his grasp, hitting the floor. Lilah promptly kicked it away so it skittered across the hard surface. Then, she went after him again.

“
Oh no you don’t. You are not standing between me and my Hound.” Blood ran from Lilah’s shattered forearm where the bone lay exposed. Vampires healed fast. If I didn’t do more damage, she would heal and make me pay for my mistake.

Willow beat her back with a slap of power, but the silver had weakened him. He slumped against the wall, wings spread for balance.

I touched Arys’s thoughts, finding him enjoying the fight. He took on multiple vampires at once, using power and fists to take them out. Every one that burst into dust and ash fueled his fire.

‘
The Dragon Claw is here. Juliet has to get to it. She has to use it on Lilah. You’ve got to help her.’

There were no words, no thought to tell me he’d heard, but he had. I could feel it. I trusted Arys to make this happen. It was the only way.

I didn’t hesitate or wait for the right moment. I attacked Lilah in a craze of snapping jaws. Driving her away from Willow, I threw myself at her, angling to take her down. She fell near the edge of the circle and tumbled inside.

The power holding it broke. So did the spell holding its occupants captive. I jumped in after Lilah, pinning her to the floor in the middle of the sofa circle. Everyone around us rushed to escape, screaming hysterically.

A burst of wind gusted over us as the carefully constructed circle lost all energy. It was useless now.

Lilah had lost.

The sheer insanity glowing in her flaming eyes was disturbing. I snarled down into her face, fighting for a shot at her throat. She fought hard to reach the blade she’d dropped just inches away. In a cheap but determined move, Lilah slashed my face with her sharp fingernails.

My left eye burned, and my vision blurred. The bitch tried to blind me. Infuriated and wild, I got my fangs around her throat, and I bit deep.

Her blood filled my mouth. It tasted like burnt sulfur. I held tight despite the horrid taste and smell. I gave her a rough shake and felt the tissue begin to tear. It didn’t happen fast enough. Lilah got her fingers around the blade and, in a swift motion, buried it deep in my side.

I yelped, instinctively releasing my hold on Lilah. She withdrew the blade and swung hard for another blow. I scrambled out of reach, bounding across the sofa and out of the sunken circle. I didn’t make it far; the pain was too much.

I collapsed near Willow where I involuntarily shifted back to human. Naked and bleeding, I lay there shaking. Willow moved to block me with his wings, sheltering me from further attack.

“
Juliet,” I gasped, my voice barely a croak. “Dragon Claw.”

Willow nodded, searching frantically for my sister in the thinning crowd of flailing limbs. I saw Arys grab Juliet, his lips moving fast as he shoved her toward the fallen Dragon Claw. Then, he came for me, drawn by my suffering.

Arys fell to the floor beside me, his eyes wild with panic. He reached to touch me but hesitated as he took in the extent of my injuries. Blood seeped from my side. Every labored breath forced more from the wound.

Darkness threatened to pull me under into unconsciousness. I strained against it. This was one little stab wound. I’d taken a stake between the ribs; I could take this.

“
This is bad, love.” Arys pulled me gently into his arms, wincing at the pained sound I made. He clasped my hand in his, and the power sparked between us. “I think I can heal it. If there’s not too much damage.”

At his touch, my strength grew. I reached to touch his face, finding such sorrow there. “You know you can’t lose me.”

“
I know you’re not ready to be what I am,” he said, wiping a scarlet smear from near my eye. “And, I don’t think I’m ready for that either.”

A scream rang out followed by Juliet’s angry shout. I dragged my gaze to her, finding her grappling with Lilah. The demoness still had some fight left, though the tears in her throat clearly afflicted her. She grabbed Juliet’s head and slammed it into the edge of the sunken circle.

Juliet’s growl was audible over the din. She gave Lilah a head-butt that would have stunned the toughest opponent. She followed up fast with the Dragon Claw, plunging the massive blade into the vampire’s chest.

The whole room fell silent, waiting. Lilah’s eyes were wide as saucers. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her body convulsed and exploded, raining down atop Juliet in a shower of ash.

Relief filled me. My baby sister saved the day. I couldn’t have been more proud, even if I was bleeding out on the floor.

The remaining few vampires second-guessed their loyalty. They disengaged from combat with Jez and headed for the double doors. The sound of snarls and the snap of fangs came from outside the room, beyond my line of sight.

Just one demon remained. He knelt before Shya with head bowed. Tension eased from me, and I lay in Arys’s arms, ready for whatever came next. Arys, however, did not share that acceptance.

He pushed healing energy into me, targeting the deadly hole in my side. I was dizzy. The room spun, and I struggled to focus. I tried to speak Arys’s name, but nothing coherent came out. Maybe it was too late. Healing through energy manipulation has its limits. Perhaps I was beyond them.

A deep sadness hollowed out my insides. I didn’t want the next time I faced Shaz to be as a vampire. He would cease to be the mate that made my wolf ache; he would only be food.

The light seemed to dim, and my vision swam. I was vaguely aware of the small group that gathered around me. Jez spoke soothing words in low tones to Juliet. They were both ok, and I couldn’t have been happier.

“
She’s not going to make it,” Willow spoke in a low, hushed tone. “It’s a mortal wound.”

“
What about you? Can you do anything?” Arys’s plea dripped with emotion.

“
I’m sorry. I wish I could.” Willow made a small sound of distress and eased away, trying to give Arys a respectful amount of space while I died in his arms.

My eyes closed, and the promise of escape drew near. The sound of my sister’s sobs was especially loud. I slipped further into the approaching black, finding release from the pain there. The voices grew distant.

The last thing I heard distinctly was Shya’s calm, disaffected tone. “There’s something I can do. You might not like it.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

I came awake with a scream. It echoed in the silence of the vast room. Disoriented and shaky, it took a moment for me to figure out where I was.

I was still inside Lilah’s house. In fact, I was inside her circle. Sprawled beside me with eyes open in terror lay a man with his throat slit. One of Lilah’s sacrificial humans, he was dead.

My breath came too hard and fast. I hyperventilated as a series of broken images flashed through my brain. Lena, Raoul, my parents. I had seen them in my dreams as I hovered between life and death. Nothing coherent had lingered.

“
Calm down, Alexa. One breath at a time.” Shya’s voice startled me, and I turned to find him standing at the head of the pentagram.

I reached to touch my battered face and disheveled hair. I was solid, real and alive. No vampire fangs.

“
What happened?” My voice cracked. My throat was sore and dry.

Arys’s t-shirt covered me like a small blanket. I cast a glance about, seeking him. He crouched near the sunken circle, watching me with a fear in his blue gaze that I’d never seen before.

“
What does it look like?” Shya looked especially pleased with himself. “I gave you an extension on that fragile mortal life you so desperately cling to.”

I gaped at the body beside me. The circle, a sacrifice, I quickly pieced it together. The demon had exchanged another life for mine. What an ugly realization.

“
But, why?” I asked no one in particular.

“
Because, sweetheart.” Shya extended a hand as if to help me up. “This world isn’t yet ready for you to walk as a vampire.”

I looked uncertainly to Arys. The room was empty save the three of us. I had so many questions. Where was my sister?

Arys bent to gather the clothing I had shed before the shift. That’s when I saw the big black dragon etched into his back, its wings flared and tail disappearing beneath the hip of his jeans. Shock exploded through me, and I leaped at Shya with a venomous rage.

“
What did you do to him?” I shrieked, slashing his face with clawed fingertips. “What the fuck did you do?”

Shya caught hold of my arm and threw me down at his feet. Standing over me with ebony wings spread wide, an inky swell of demon power oozed from him.

“
I did what I do best. You are useless to me if you die before I find the scroll. Trust me, wolf, you don’t want to be useless.” His eyes flashed brighter red, the snake-like pupils shrunk to the tiniest slits. “Consider this a warning for sneaking around, talking to FPA agents. Be grateful. I let you live.”

“
What?” I shook my head, trying to understand. “I was never sneaking around.”

Shya shoved me away and spun on his heel. “I’ll let the two of you talk. Nice job tonight. You did well, all things considered.” With that, he exited the room with a flap of wings. The faint scent of sulfur lingered in his place.

Arys pulled me into his embrace and just held me until I couldn’t take it anymore. Something had happened while I was unconscious. I needed to know what it was.

“
Tell me,” I whispered against his bare chest.

“
Shya doesn’t trust us, Lex. He wasn’t going to save you. As much as he needs you, he said he could do without. Find another way. I had to make him a promise.”

I drew back to meet his gaze. A sinking sensation swallowed me whole. “Oh, Arys, you didn’t.”

“
In exchange for your life, I had to agree to turn Gabriel. When it’s done, he removes the mark.” There was such anguish in Arys. It radiated from him in powerful waves.

“
He lied, Arys.” I took my clothes from him, passing back his shirt. I felt ill. “He wouldn’t have let me die. I know it. That’s what they do. Goddamn demons. They are deceivers.”

“
I couldn’t take that chance. I was watching you die.” He turned away and rubbed his eyes. The dragon burnt into his flesh mocked me. I didn’t think I could hate anyone more than I hated Shya.

I got dressed, noting the stab wound in my side had healed immensely. It was an ugly pink scar now. Maybe being a vampire would have been better after all.

“
It’s more than that though, isn’t it?” I touched Arys’s arm, making him turn back to me. His eyes were red with blood tears he refused to let fall. “You had a chance to change the future. To change what the witch showed you. But, you didn’t. Because you want it.”

He stared at the floor as if seeing something I couldn’t see. His shoulders shook with pent up emotion. I needed him to tell me I was right. His resistance only made it worse.

“
You have to admit to yourself and to me that you want it,” I demanded, growing angry. “You crave my death for yourself, and that’s why you’re putting us both through such hell.”

Truth shone like a beacon in his eyes when he looked up. He tried to hide it, but I had already seen. After a strained moment he said, “I do. God I hate myself, but I want to be the one.”

I expected to feel anger or maybe even sorrow. I just felt relieved. Kale had told me once that Arys would long for my death, to drain the life from me himself. He said it was the only way Arys would ever fulfill his need to consume me, to claim me in every way. I still didn’t entirely understand; I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

“
You can’t turn Gabriel,” I said. “He’s so young, and he has enough to deal with as it is. What’s Shya thinking?”

“
He needs Gabriel to work the spell he’s been seeking. Making the kid a vampire makes him harder to kill.” Arys sighed. “My concern is for you. I had no choice but to tell Shya what he wanted to hear.”

“
It’s your bloodline,” I whispered, feeling the urge to look over my shoulder. “Shya could have any vampire do it but to insist on you? The vampires in your bloodline are deadly. He’s going to turn Gabriel into a black magic killing machine.”