Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 04] Read online

  Killer’s response was to curl up on the seat, lift his left leg in the air, and lick his balls.

  “Damn, cats are lucky. Let’s go north.” And so he headed for the outer limits of Jacob’s Cove. “This will be great, pal. Just you and me, out there, starting over. Jacob’s Cove wasn’t that great for us anyway. You gonna miss anyone? I know I won’t.” Looking over at the cat, Danny saw that he was now washing his legs. “You have got the easy life, pal.”

  Cranking the stereo up, he slapped his hands on the steering wheel as he drove. The hard thumping base from the heavy metal song on the CD that had come with the car was perfect traveling music. He sang along to the lyrics even though he had never heard the song before in his life. He just made up his own words.

  He was finally feeling upbeat.

  When he glanced over at Killer, the cat was curled in a ball, sleeping soundly despite the thumping beat of the music. Laughing, Danny ruffled his fur, annoying Killer. He looked up and saw the gray blur a second before it rammed him head on.

  Brakes squealed, metal crunched, class shattered. He hit his face on the steering wheel as the vehicle’s connected, then fell back and to the side when his car bounced upon impact from the other car. The pain stabbed into him with blinding force. He heard Killer screeching as the car came to an abrupt halt.

  The alarm system in his car was wailing over the blasting heavy metal music. Above it, his head was screaming. Danny blinked several times, fighting off the black fog of delirium threatening to take him under. Then he felt Killer climb onto his lap, and up his chest. When his tiny tongue scraped across Danny’s cheek, he winced.

  Then he looked down and saw the blood on Killers fur. Lifting his hand, Danny felt the cool liquid on his cheek.

  “You looking to get turned, my friend?” He kissed Killer’s head then looked out his spider’s web laced front window and saw the gray vehicle in the ditch. “Shit! Wait here, Killer.” Setting the cat on the seat, Danny pushed at his mangled door. After a few hardy boots with his feet, the door finally opened with a hard screech of metal.

  He stepped out of the car, felt the pavement beneath him waver, then realized the rest of the world was tilting and braced himself on the car. Once everything settled down, he took a step towards the other wreck and noticed it wasn’t in as bad a shape as his own car. Maybe because it was a SUV.

  “Fuck!” He’d been plowed down by a monster truck. No wonder he felt like shit.

  Well, his car was toast. There’d be no driving it now and what a pisser that was. It had been a kick ass car.

  He heard the mew and, turning, saw Killer following behind him. “I thought I told you to wait in the car.” Killer’s response was another mew. “Fine, but stick close.” He walked to the SUV and pulled the driver’s side door open. Behind the airbag was a tumble of dark red curls and a shapely body that told him it was female. “Hey, can you hear me?” When she didn’t respond, he pushed her hair back and felt for a pulse. “She’s alive,” he told Killer when he pawed up at the car.

  Danny pulled the pocket knife from his jacket pocket and stabbed it into the airbag. With a hiss of air and white dust it deflated, and with it, the woman slumped forward. “Come on, wake up.”

  She groaned, making Killer meow.

  “Shit!” He couldn’t just leave her here. She’d be an open target for the bloodthirsty, and if they didn’t get her, the animals would. So now what?

  Killer meowed again.

  “Yeah yeah, I know. Damn it!” He supposed his deserting town was going to have to be put on hold. Since her car looked the best out of the two, he decided it was smarter to use hers. Grabbing his belongings and the cooler, he shoved them into the back of the SUV then moved her to the passenger’s side seat and slid in behind the wheel. When he turned the engine over, it started with a whining screech and he hoped it would carry them far enough into the city and to a house where he could leave her in. “Come on, Killer.”

  The cat jumped up onto his lap, then hopped onto the woman’s.

  “Traitor,” he chastised Killer as he slammed the door and shoved the car into gear, hoping for the best. It rattled, it clunked, and it jerked as he sent them rolling. Beside him, the woman moaned and his cat curled up on her lap. “Good to see you’re not injured.”

  Reminded of it, Danny wiped the blood from his eyes as he drove. He’d heal fast enough.

  Since they weren’t far from the house he’d been staying in for the past few months, he took them there, figuring it was the safest place.

  He pulled into the driveway, engine smoking up a storm and shut the car off. “Home sweet home, Killer.” The cat stretched, then jumped on the dashboard as if to see for himself.

  The instant Danny opened his door, Killer jumped out and ran for the front door. “I told you to pee before we left.” He opened the door and the cat darted inside. Letting Killer do his thing, Danny grabbed the woman from the car. Good thing she wasn’t heavy. Not that he was a weakling, he had a lean body, but if she’d been heavier he would have had to carry her over his shoulder instead of in his arms. Giving his head a flick to get the stray hairs that had fallen in front of his face, he made his way to the house. He kicked the door shut, then laid her on the sofa. She sure was a looker. And damn she had a hot body. She had an abundance of curves in all the right places and a set of awesome tits. He imagined what it would feel like to cup each one in his hand.

  But it was something else that called to him.

  The scent of her blood was stirring his most primal needs. The wound on her head didn’t look bad but it was bleeding up a storm. He hadn’t had warm human blood in months.

  He ran his tongue over his aching teeth and contemplated having a snack before leaving.

  She stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. Then they slammed open wide in shock and fear.

  Chapter 2

  She bolted up and Danny had a moment to think damn before his body locked up. It was the best way to describe why he had no ability to move any of his limbs. “What the hell?” As hard as he tried to move he just couldn’t.

  And he had no idea why.

  “You’re a vampire?” She backed away from him, her brown eyes wide as she glared at him.

  “Well…yeah. What the hell is wrong with me? Why can’t I move?” It was like his brain had lost communication with the rest of his body. Yet he could feel everything. Weird.

  “I froze you. You were going to bite me.”

  “Once again, yeah. Vampire here and what do you mean you froze me?” He was straining so hard to move that if he wasn’t careful he was going to drop a load in his pants.

  “I’m a witch.”

  “A what?”

  “A witch.”

  At least he could use his face and, frowning at her, said, “You’re a witch?”

  She folded her arms over her chest and cocked her hip to the side. He corrected his earlier thought. She wasn’t just hot. She was damn hot! “Yeah, what’s wrong with being a witch?”

  “Nothing wrong with it. You just don’t look like a witch.”

  “Why, because I don’t have a green face and a pointy nose?” She rolled her eyes.

  “No, because…well, you’re hot!” There was no denying it, the woman had curves in all the right places and that tight black v-neck t-shirt she wore teased of ample breasts. Never mind the blue jean that looked painted on. “Only children think witches look like that. I’m not that stupid.”

  She planted her fists on her hips and gave him an indignant look. “I don’t like your attitude.”

  “No problem. Unfreeze me or whatever you need to do to give me back the power of my body and I can be on my merry way. Killer, hurry your ass in there already!” Where was that cat anyway?

  “Killer? There are more of you in here?” She spun around, facing towards the
entryway to the kitchen.

  Oh, this was too perfect. “Oh yeah, there’s a whole bunch of us here and we are all going to take turns sucking the life right out of you.”

  She narrowed her eyes as she turned to face him. Maybe he should have used less sarcasm. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Suit yourself. Come on out, guys!” This was too much fun. Her face went white as snow.

  Then Killer walked in, meowed, and wound his body around Danny’s legs. How was he supposed to pretend to be mean when the cat was cuddling up to him?

  “There’s no one else here, is there?”

  “Sure there are.” He was losing her rapidly.

  “I don’t think so.” Daringly, she inched towards the doorway, peering around the corner.

  Danny just couldn’t resist. “Get her!”

  She jumped, spun around in some sort of karate kick, her fists raised and ready.

  It was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.

  “I knew it! There is no one else here.” She spun back towards Danny. “You lied.”

  “Can’t blame a guy for trying. All right already, Killer, go lay down on the sofa or something.” The cat was annoying him only because he was tickling Danny’s shins and there was nothing he could do to stop it, being frozen and all.

  “Killer? That’s Killer?” she chuckled as she made her way to the cat, scooping him up into her arms. “You don’t look so fierce. Come here, pretty girl.”

  “He’s a guy.” The nerve of her assuming Killer was a girl.

  “Aren’t you a sweetie pie?” She nuzzled her face into the cat’s fur. “Yes, you are.”

  Killer was loving every minute of it.

  “You wanna unfreeze me now?”

  “Right, because I look stupid.”

  “Well—”

  “Don’t.”

  “You walked into it, toots.”

  She narrowed those big, brown eyes at him. “Don’t call me that. If I let you go the first thing you’ll do is jump me and bite my neck.”

  “Doesn’t have to be the neck and I’d probably do more than just bite you.”

  Her eyes narrowed a little more. “What does that mean?”

  “Just forget it. If I promise I won’t bite you, will you let me go?”

  “Sure. NOT!!” She laughed at him then took a seat on the sofa with the cat. “What’s a pretty kitty like you doing with a big bad vampire?” Her head jerked up and her eyes went wide making them look even bigger than they already were. “Oh my Goddess! Please tell me you don’t drink from him, do you?”

  That was just the most appalling thing he’d ever heard. “What? No way. Killer and I are tight. We’re pals.”

  “You’re pals?”

  “Yeah, I saved him from a bunch of hungry dogs a few weeks ago and we’ve been roomies ever since.”

  “You’re roomies?” Her lips twitch with a grin.

  He wasn’t impressed. And this was why he preferred the cat’s company to humans. Killer didn’t mock him. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing. It’s sweet. You have a kitty as a pet.” Snuggling the cat to her face, she flashed a huge smile at him.

  “Wanna release me now?” He didn’t like the way she was looking at him or being called sweet. He was anything but.

  She leaned back and Killer made himself right at home on her lap. “Not yet. So why were you leaving—I don’t even know your name.”

  “Danny.”

  “Cool. I’m Starla Raine. So why were you leaving?”

  “Starla Raine? What kind of name is that?”

  “It’s a perfectly fine name. Starla was my grandmother’s name.”

  “So Raine is your last name?” He’d thought it was one long name rather than two.

  “Yes. Why were you leaving?” she repeated, gently stroking the cat’s head.

  Maybe if he played nice and gave her what she wanted she’d release him and then he and Killer could go on their merry way. “I’m tired of this town.”

  “I would think someone like you would love living here where there’s no sun to burn you up.”

  “The sun doesn’t kill us. That’s just a myth. But it does give us a nasty third degree burn. I’ve spent twenty years learning to live with the sun, doing so now won’t be any different.”

  “Twenty years?” She frowned. “How old are you?”

  “Thirty-three.”

  “Get out? Wow, how old were you when you were taken?”

  “Thirteen. I answered your questions, so you wanna let me go now.” His body was starting to cramp up and it was not a good feeling, especially since he couldn’t rub the tightening muscles.

  “The response you gave to my question was lame. Now tell me the real reason you and Killer,” she smiled down at the cat on her lap, “were leaving.”

  “Why does it matter to you?” She was pissing him off now.

  “Just curious. What’s the real reason?”

  She just wasn’t giving up. “If I tell you the truth, will you please release me?”

  “You bet.” She kicked her legs up onto the couch and Killer stretched out, placing his paws and his face on her knees.

  “You are just loving this,” he growled at Killer. “Okay, I’m kind of an outcast here. I used to be part of the group of vamps that started this whole darkness crap, but I disobeyed the leader and so he kicked me out. Now no one wants to hang out with me even though Chaos has been taken hostage and is hidden somewhere. So why stay where I’m not wanted?”

  “Chaos was the leader?”

  “Yep. Now that you know the truth you can let me go.”

  She stood up holding the cat in her arms. “I don’t think so.”

  “What? You said you would?” This was bullshit! She couldn’t just keep him like this. Who did she think she was?

  “Yes I did, but that was before I knew you were connected to the darkness.” She walked right up to him, her face a breath away. So close he could smell the soap on her skin. “I came to Jacob’s Cove to find out everything I can about the ritual that cast the city in darkness. I’m thinking you might come in handy.”

  She walked off toward the kitchen, cat in her arms.

  “What? No fucking way! Get back here. Did you hear me, Starla? Get your ass back here now!” If he had the ability to chase after her she would so be on her face right now. “Damn it, Starla. Let me go!”

  ***

  Waiting. There was nothing worse than that. Okay, maybe the constant peeing she’d been doing every frickin’ minute of the day was worse. As her pregnancy progressed, her bladder became less resilient. But she knew in a few weeks her rapid fire bladder would be back to normal.

  Trinity sat in her computer chair, her hand resting on her very round belly as she scanned emails. Thanks to Jonah’s ingenuity with electronics and computers they not only had power but internet as well. He’d gone into the power station and though she wasn’t entirely sure how he’d done it, he’d rerouted all the town’s controls to his computer. Well, the power, water, telephone, and internet at least.

  The guy was a computer genius and he loved breaking into computers. He was handy to have around.

  It was a good thing her clients understood her absence the previous months though it had surprised her how many had heard about the darkness that surrounded Jacob’s Cove now and were fascinated by it. She so hadn’t expected people to believe her, let alone be excited about it. Weird.

  They should try living with it.

  Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week of complete darkness was not as fun as it sounded. Even her body was feeling the effects of the lack of sun, and she rarely went out in it. For obvious reasons. She was a vampire after all. But the lack of sunlight to her body was of great conce
rn to her given the fact that she was carrying a child. But with Cooper and Raven keeping a close watch on her pregnancy and making sure she took all the right vitamins, her pregnancy was coming along perfectly.

  Everything was nearly ready for their child’s arrival and they’d picked names for both a boy and a girl. Neither she nor Basil wanted to know the sex until after it was born. They both wanted the surprise.

  But the waiting was killing her.

  Always waiting.

  Waiting for her baby to be born, and waiting for the darkness to end.

  In the months since the darkness had begun, they had all done everything in their power to find Chaos. He was the only one preventing the ritual that blotted out the sun from being broken. It really didn’t bother Trinity much that the Dark Mystics needed Chaos’ blood in order to end the darkness. It was no secret that she hated Chaos. Not only had he played a pivotal part in creating the darkness, but he’d used five innocent lives to bring the king of all vampires back to life once more as well. And he’d turned her best friend into a vampire. Though Jonah was learning to live with his new self, she could not forgive Chaos for turning him into her kind. And she couldn’t forgive Chaos for playing a part in killing Jonah’s wife and unborn baby. Sure, Chaos hadn’t been behind the wheel of the car that had run Dante, Gypsy, Ariel, and Jonah off the road. But he had ordered it. That was just as bad.

  Chaos would pay for everything he’d done to her and her friends.

  If only she knew where he was.

  For several months now, Chaos had been off the scene and, according to the word on the street, he was being held by one of his men, Fritz. Since no one had seen Chaos in the months after he’d gone missing, they all deduced that the word was true.

  Only problem was, Fritz wasn’t talking.

  So in the meantime, Basil, Dante, and Gypsy were doing a full out search underground and in any hidden area of the city for Chaos. And it wasn’t easy to do, especially since word had gotten out that they wanted the darkness broken. In the past few months, every creature from every breed had taken up residence in Jacob’s Cove. And they wanted it left dark.