The Darkening (17 page)

"So you decided to come check it out. See if you noticed any familiar faces in the crowd?"

Ricco nodded. "Yeah. Something like that."

"You had to know that as soon as you arrived, you'd be recognized and they'd send out a welcoming party-like they did."

"I'd reached the point where I didn't care. I wanted answers. Now I'm thinking the problem is bigger than just one gang stealing members from a rival gang."

"It might be," Darius said.

Ricco gave him a sharp look. "You sound like maybe you know something about all this."

Darius shrugged. "It may be nothing."

"Then again, it might be something."

Darius thought it was probably a bad idea to tell a death-magic creature that the King Demon of death magic was trying to take over the world. Still, something in him decided to take a chance-and so he told Ricco as much as he knew about it. When he finished, he waited for the vampire's reaction.

"That would explain a few things," Ricco said, surprising Darius. 'As it happens, I know that the Vlads have a new leader," he continued. "The old leader, O'Rourke, is still around, but apparently taking orders from someone else. I'd wondered about that whole situation. Normally, the only way a new leader comes into power is by killing the current one. A demon intent on taking over the world would want to keep the local leaders in place and work through them."

Darius watched him closely. "So how come this demon didn't approach you?"

"Who says he didn't?" At Darius's surprised look, Ricco nodded. "Yeah, the guy came to see me, but I wasn't thrilled with the idea of working for a demon, no matter what he promised in return. He said I could keep running the show, but under his direction. In return, I'd have more wealth and power than I could ask for. Said he was going to try to convert all of New York City into vampires. I thought he was joking. I told him that not everyone wanted to become a vampire, and even if they did, how was he planning to feed them all? He told me not to worry about it-but it's my job to worry about things like that. I told him no deal, and to be honest, I was relieved when he walked away and left me alone."

"How long ago was that?"

"Just over four months ago."

'And that's when your members started disappearing," Darius concluded.

"That's right."

"Did this demon ever give you his name?" Darius asked.

"Sure. Called himself Amadja."

Amadja.
It was a name from out of the past. Son of Apep, the serpent god; Darius had faced him as recently as five hundred years ago, when Amadja had dared to attack Sekhmet. Their battle had been fierce and bitter, but in the end, Darius had vanquished him. Unfortunately, Amadja hadn't died; he'd simply disappeared.

They'd reached the end of the block, and Ricco gestured to the right.

"I don't suppose you ever saw a tall, redheaded male with Amadja, did you?" Darius asked.

Ricco didn't even have to think about it. "No. He always came alone. At the time, I thought it was bailsy of him to show up at my club, making demands like he was without backup. After what you've told me, I guess he didn't need backup."

Darius agreed. "You're lucky there was another gang in town for him to turn to. He probably figured that once the other gang grew in power, yours would eventually go away-or be destroyed."

"Yeah. That's a cheery thought. So-do you have a place to stay tonight?"

Darius had considered going to Lexi's, but there was a good chance she wouldn't let him in. "No."

"You're welcome to crash at my club if you want. We're almost there."

Darius thought about his other options, realized he had none, and nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

O'Rourke was in a foul mood, standing in the waiting room of the local police station waiting for the leprechaun to be set free. Errands like this were beneath him. As leader of the Vlads, he shouldn't be running errands at all. As leader of the Vlads ...

His thoughts trailed off. Since the appearance of

Amadja almost four months ago, O'Rourke had done very little leading and much too much following. The instant that demon had swept into his place with his followers, they had taken over both his club and his gang.

Of course, he'd tried to order them out, but Amadja had been very ... persuasive ... when he'd gotten O'Rourke alone.

The door leading into the waiting room opened, snapping O'Rourke out of his musings. He looked over to see the small form of Paddy Darby walking out. He looked tired and worn, and there was a fresh cut above his eye.

"About time you got here," Paddy snarled as soon as he saw O'Rourke standing there.

"Mind your tongue if you don't want to go back," O'Rourke warned him sullenly. If it had been up to him, he would have left the little shit in there, but for some reason, Amadja wanted him out. "Come on," he ordered him, leading the way out of the station. "Amadja wants to see you."

He was gratified to see Darby nearly stumble at that announcement.

Why.

"How the fuck should I know?" O'Rourke growled. It was the essence of his problem: Amadja didn't tell him what was going on. He told that redheaded freak everything, but he couldn't be bothered to keep O'Rourke, First Fang of the Vlads, informed.

"Maybe he just wants to know if everything's ready for the initiation," Darby suggested hopefully.

"Or maybe he wants to know why every time he turns around, you're back in jail?" O'Rourke countered. "And by the way, the cost of bailing you out again-is coming out of your commission They'd reached the sidewalk, and O'Rourke raised his hand to hail a cab. The sooner they were back at the club, the better he'd feel.

"No more, my pet," Amadja cooed in the sultry voice of his female persona, Aja. Tain, his arms braced against the wall, his magnificent body raw and bleeding where strips of flesh had been peeled off, stood before her, shaking from pain and anticipation.

Aja tossed the knife aside, and it disappeared into thin air. She ran the palms of her hands down the sides of her nude body, relishing the attributes of her current form: the fullness of her breasts, the inward curve of her waist and the gentle flare of her hips.

She moved, close enough to Tain that his body heat warmed her, and she gently brushed aside the tendrils of red hair that had matted against his head. She brought her lips close to his ear and whispered, "No one loves you more than I do, Tain." Then she placed a light kiss against his cheek.

Still he did not speak; did not beg for mercy or for release. He stood there obediently, waiting for her to decide his fate-whether it be further torture or redemption.

Already his body was healing in the rapid way of the Immortals, though centuries of this ritual had left his skin rippled with scar tissue. For Aja, the sight of it quickened her pulse and made her burn with need. Living beneath the vampire club, constantly feeding off the sexual energies from above, left her hungry all the time.

"Turn around, Tain," she whispered, smiling at the way he hesitated. "Turn around, so that I might pleasure you-just as I caused you pain earlier."

Slowly he turned, his wounds making movement painful. As soon as he faced her, Aja's attention was drawn to his engorged member, jutting outward. Even after all these years, she found him impressive.

Lowering herself before him, she wrapped her lips around him and took him deep into her mouth. Though he tried not to, his groan welled up from deep down inside him and escaped. From the corner of her eye, she saw his hands clench into fists, but otherwise he held perfectly still while she caressed the long length of him with her tongue.

A fine trembling began in his legs as she brought him closer and closer to his release. When he was almost there, she stopped and, holding perfectly still, watched as his ardor faded. She didn't want him coming too soon.

Once his trembling stopped, she began again, forming a moist, warm sheath around him with her tongue and sliding her mouth up and down his length in an ever-increasing rhythm.

The trembling in his legs started anew, this time racking his entire body. When he'd had enough, Tain uttered a primal roar and, lifting Aja into the air, turned so her back was braced against the wall. Then, in a single lunge, he buried himself in her and took control of their lovemaking.

Over and over, he drove himself into her with a fierce intensity. She rode him relentlessly, milking him for everything he could give until he could give no more. And then, together, they climaxed.

For several long moments, they leaned against the wall, wrapped in each other's arms, too spent to move.

Aja had never once in seven hundred years found their lovemaking anything less than spectacular, and it sometimes left the demon wondering who was in control of whom in their relationship.

Finally, she felt the prickle of others coming down the hallway.

"We have company, love," she whispered to Tain, rousing him. He released her legs and let them slide to the floor. She laid her hand against his cheek in a gentle caress and gave him a smile.

Then she walked away, crossing the room to her desk. As she did, she waved her hand and changed back into her male persona, clothing them both at the same time. By the time the knock on the door sounded seconds later, Amadja and Tain were ready.

"Come in," Tain said, opening the door and standing aside so the leprechaun and O'Rourke could enter. They both glanced at the Immortal, the leprechaun with feigned nonchalance and the vampire with barely concealed hostility.

"Won't you have a seat," Amadja said to Paddy Darby, gesturing to the chair in front of the large desk where he now sat. He was glad to see that O'Rourke didn't seem to expect to be asked to sit down but went to stand off to the side, where he was available if needed.

"How are you tonight, Paddy?" Amadja asked politely.

"Very good, thank you," Paddy answered.

"So." Amadja let the pause lengthen. "I understand that you've been in jail again. After I expressly asked you to take measures to ensure you avoid catching the attention of the authorities."

"I-I'm sorry, Your Eminence," Paddy stammered. "I forgot my court date, and they sent a bounty hunter after me."

Amadja rolled his eyes. "Are you telling me you

couldn't escape a bounty hunter? Paddy, I thought I was paying you to avoid such entanglements."

"Of course I could have escaped the bounty hunter," Paddy defended himself. "But she wasn't alone."

Tain gave a snort of disdain. "Even
you
should have been able to outrun two humans."

Paddy glanced at Tain before giving Amadja a worried look. "But that's just it, you see. It wasn't two humans. The woman was a werewolf, and the man..." he paused; "I don't know what he was. He was covered in tattoos, and when he touched them, they came to life. There was one in partic "

"Darius," Tain muttered, looking at Amadja.

"Let's make sure." Amadja turned to O'Rourke. "I want to see the security tapes from two nights ago. You know the one I mean?" The vampire nodded. "Fine. We'll be up in a minute to look at it."

O'Rourke hurried out of the room, and Amadja turned his attention back to the little man watching him so intently. "We'll get back to that shortly. In the meantime, I trust everything is ready for the initiation?"

Paddy nodded but said nothing.

"What is it? You seem worried."

"I wonder if, maybe, we should"-he glanced uncertainly at Tain, as if seeking support-"slow down

"And why would we do that?" Amadja asked patiently, though he was in fact losing his temper.

"I don't know how many more converts I can provide. There just aren't that many people who want

to ... become a vampire," Paddy said.

"I thought we discussed this. It's not a matter of taking those who ask; it's a matter of taking those who won't be missed."

"But the authorities-"

"Are not your concern." Why couldn't these creatures just do as they were told and let him worry about the consequences? "The only thing you need worry about," Amadja continued, "is providing me with what I've asked for. In return, I will provide you with a new pot of gold, as I promised. Isn't that what you wanted? A pot of gold to replace the one you lost? I know you can't return home to see your family until you have it-so I would think the sooner, the better. Right?"

Paddy nodded miserably, though Amadja couldn't care less whether or not the little man was happy. He wasn't the one who'd given the man a drinking problem that resulted in his losing everything he had in the world.

A buzzer sounded on Amadja's desk. "They are ready for us upstairs," he announced, getting up from his desk. "Paddy, I'd like you to take a look at a video and tell me if the man who helped capture you is in it."

Paddy scooted off his chair and walked through the door that Tain held open for them. It didn't take long to walk through the underground passages to the doorway that took the trio into the club.

It was well after midnight, but the club was still filled with patrons. No one noticed them, however, as they made their way across the room, through the crowd and over to a door that had mysteriously appeared where a red panel of drapes had been.

Amadja, Tain and Paddy walked through the door and into the main office. O'Rourke was sitting at a control panel with six small screens and one larger one. At that moment, all six screens were showing scenes of couples having sex. Amadja ignored them, however, and focused his attention on the large screen where the frozen image of a tattooed man was displayed.

He gestured for Paddy to take a look, and wasn't surprised when the leprechaun's eyes lit up in recognition. "That's him. He's the one who took me in."

Amadja turned to exchange looks with Tain. Darius was interfering with their plans, whether he knew it or not.