Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 02] Read online

  “I’ll stay outside the cell and look hostile while you go in and talk to him.”

  “Got it.” Basil nodded to her then unlocked the cell doors. “Good day, young man. Did you sleep well?”

  The vamp sat up on the cot he was laying on and snarled at Basil. “Get bent.”

  “Aw, now that’s not nice. Especially when I was going to ask if you needed feeding. I have a lovely plasma bar down here with only the finest blood laced wine. But since you’re not being nice, you don’t get to share.” He sat beside the vamp on the cot, only to have him scramble away. “I wasn’t going to bite. No pun intended,” Basil laughed.

  “That was really bad,” Jonah whispered to Trinity.

  “Stop wasting time and just beat the crap out of him, Basil,” Trinity growled as she glared at the vamp through the bars.

  “Now now, dear, let’s not resort to violence. Maybe he’ll tell us what we need to know,” Basil said calmly and Jonah had to bite his tongue so as not to chuckle.

  “Yeah, like he’s going to talk.” She snorted, still glaring. “Ask him if he knows who I am?”

  “I know who you are, Trinity,” the vamp snarled.

  “Now where is your respect, young man? You do not greet Her Majesty that way.”

  The vamp stared at her with narrowed yellow eyes then sucked in a wad of spit before sending it flying towards her. “That’s what I think of Her Majesty.”

  “That’s it. Let me at him.” She jumped at the bars hard enough to make them rattle and not only did the vamp jump, but Jonah nearly shit himself with fright. Damn, she was scary when she wanted to be.

  “Dear, calm down. If I were you, I would tell us what we want to know before she gets really mad. And trust me, you don’t want her really mad. Are you one of Chaos’ men?”

  “I’m not telling you shit.”

  “Okay, that’s it. My turn.”

  Jonah stepped out of the dungeon as Trinity sent herself inside the cell with Basil and the young vamp. He didn’t like to watch when she interrogated the vamps. It sickened him to watch her or Basil smack them around. Sure, he wanted to know where Chaos was so they could take him out and get the sun back. But he wasn’t up for the means they use to get that info.

  He took the stairs up to the second level and down the hall to the suite he and Ariel had been given. Entering the room, he saw she was still asleep. Stripping out of his clothes, he climbed in beside her. She moaned and rolled to face him.

  “Hi. Is it morning?”

  “Not yet.” He took her mouth in a possessive kiss, then took her body on a slow ride to ecstasy.

  ***

  She had the sweetest body he had ever seen. Her breasts were small firm and pert and tasted like heaven in his mouth. Her waist was slender giving way to curvy hips that gyrated as he massaged the silkiness between her legs. She was wet and wild and all his.

  She slid along his body, her mouth hot and her tongue gifted as it lapped him up. She took him into her mouth only to twirl her tongue around his shaft twice before releasing him. Then she crawled up his body, kissing her way to his neck. When she sat up and smiled at him, he thought how truly beautiful she was.

  Then she dove down and clamped her teeth into his neck.

  Dante woke to the feeling of a hot poker jabbing into his neck and someone on his chest. Opening his eyes, he saw Gypsy overtop of him, and she was sucking the life out of him.

  Holy fuck! She was a vampire.

  Chapter Two

  She had him pinned to the sofa and was sucking on his neck like there was no tomorrow. His head was beginning to swim but Dante knew he had to stop Gypsy before it went too far. Planting both hands on her shoulders, he pushed at her with as much force as he could muster. It did nothing to budge her.

  His thoughts were starting to go fuzzy. With one hand, he tried to pry her off of him, and the other, reached out behind him for the lamp. After fumbling around, he finally managed to grab hold of it. Lifting it over his head, he slammed down onto hers. She screamed, which caused her to lose her grip on his neck and gave him enough leverage to shove her to the floor.

  Bolting off the couch, he pulled the gun from his holster and fired at her neck. As the gun went off, he hoped to God he’d chosen the dart gun and not his revolver. He staggered, fell back onto the sofa, and saw through bleary eyes as she began to twitch, then lay still. A red dart protruded from Gypsy’s neck.

  He dropped the gun and put a hand to his neck. Pulling it back, he felt the sticky substance and knew he was bleeding. Damn it! She was a fucking vamp.

  Though he felt weak, he knew he had to contain her somehow. His mind a little foggy he stood and staggered to the hall closet. He needed something to tie her up with. Rope. Maybe not strong enough. Handcuffs. He had those. Grabbing the metal box on the top shelf, he pulled out the two pairs of cuffs he had and, spotting the extension cord hanging on the hook, decided that would work as well.

  The more the better.

  Hurrying back to her, still woozy and unsteady, he picked her up off the floor and felt his shoulder burn. The wound he’d attained when Trinity had accidentally staked him was still pretty damn sore. Ignoring the pain, he carried Gypsy to his bed then dropped her. She bounced but stayed face up.

  Grabbing her wrists, he pulled them over her head and slapped the steel cuff around first one, and attaching it to the metal railing on his headboard, then doing the same to the other one. And to be safe, he wound the cord around both wrists, then attached it to the post, securing it in as tight a knot as he could.

  Feeling dizzy, he sat down on the edge of the bed and breathed through the sickness. He needed help. Picking up the bedside phone, he dialed Trinity and Basil’s. It seemed to ring forever before someone answered.

  “Basil?”

  “It’s Jonah. That you, D?”

  “Yeah. I…uh…need some help. Where are Trinity and Basil?”

  “Busy with the prisoner. What sort of help?”

  Shit. “How fast can you get here?”

  “What’s up, D? You sound funny.”

  “I’m injured. Can you get here ASAP? I’m in my apartment.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “The code is thirty-one, ten, fifteen.”

  “Got it.”

  Dante dropped the phone then slid off the bed to the floor. He put his head between his legs and kept his breath even. When he felt the liquid trickle down his neck, he crawled on all fours to the bathroom and pulled a towel down from the rack. Applying it to his neck, he pressed down on it to stop the bleeding.

  He hoped Jonah didn’t take too long.

  ***

  It seemed like hours before Jonah finally showed up. He crawled out of the washroom when he heard the doorknob rattle and if his head had been thinking straight, he might have worried that it was a vamp who had broke in instead of Jonah.

  “Jesus, D!”

  Jonah crouched down beside him instantly and Dante shook his head. “I’m okay.”

  “The hell you are. You’re bleeding up a storm here. You popped the stitches in your shoulder. Wait…your neck’s bleeding too. What the hell happened?”

  “After we parted ways, a young woman came running towards me, two brutes on her trail. Long story short, I took her here. She fell asleep and so did I and when I woke she was sucking on my neck.” He pulled the towel away. “How bad is it?”

  “Shit. She bit you? It stopped bleeding but it looks red. Jesus, D, what were you thinking?”

  He let Jonah take the towel and hissed when he pressed it to his sore shoulder. “She didn’t want to go to the cops. She seemed scared of them and I thought I could handle a puny female. How the hell was I supposed to know she was a vamp?”

  “Um, the yellow eyes are usually a dead give away.”
<
br />   “Hers are purple. Jesus, that smarts.”

  “Well yeah, you opened the wound. And what do you mean she has purple eyes?”

  “She’s obviously wearing contacts. When you see her you’ll understand.”

  “Where is she?”

  Dante replaced Jonah’s hand on his shoulder then pulled himself up using the wall for stability. “My bedroom. I have her tied up. Last time I checked she was still out of it. I hit her with a dart.”

  “Did you drink from her?” Jonah demanded, stopping him before he could enter the bedroom.

  “What do I look like to you? Of course I didn’t drink.”

  “Good. Okay, let’s take a look.”

  Dante pushed the door open and flicked the light on as they entered.

  “She’s half naked. Jesus, Dante, you didn’t—”

  “Okay, now you’re pissing me off. She was like that when I found her.” And seeing his jacket lying on the floor, he figured she’d tossed it at some point.

  “Sorry. I had to ask. She has green hair.”

  Dante chortled. “Yeah, weird, huh?”

  “She looks like she’s twelve.”

  “I’d say twenty, at best.”

  “And obviously she’s been bit recently,” Jonah stated as he inched closer, leaning over her. “Neck wound still looks fresh. How did you not see these?”

  “Well, for one, it was dark, and two, I gave her my jacket which was pretty big on her and covered her neck. I need to sit.” And since the floor was the closest, he dropped down and put his head between his knees.

  “You need a doctor. Okay, we need to dose her up so she doesn’t wake up while we transport her back to the castle. Where’s your tranq gun?”

  “Living room floor.” He heard Jonah shuffle from the room and seconds later, shuffle back. When he felt him nudge his arm, he lifted his heavy head and looked down the barrel of the gun. “What the fuck are you doing aiming that at me?”

  “Sorry.” Jonah turned it so he held the barrel and the handle was out to Dante.

  “What do you want me to do with that?”

  “Shoot her.”

  Dante’s brow lifted. “My vision’s a little double at the moment. Go ahead.”

  “I can’t shoot her.” Jonah wiggled the gun at Dante.

  “Why not? It’s not hard. Aim for the neck, pull the trigger and you’re good to go.”

  “I hate guns. I’ve never fired one and I don’t intend to start now.”

  “Jesus, Jonah. Get some balls. Aim the fucking thing and fire.”

  “I’m going to hate you for this.”

  “I think I can handle that.” He waved his hand indicating Jonah should take the shot already. One look at Jonah and you could tell he had never handled a weapon. It wasn’t just the pretty boy face or those big, brown eyes with heavy lashes, but the way he held the gun. It was like he held onto a slimy creature or something equally as disgusting. And as he held the gun out, Dante saw him close his eyes. “You need to see where you’re shooting, Jonah.”

  “Damn it.” Opening his eyes, Jonah crunched up his brow, then pulled the trigger. He immediately dropped the gun and backed away. “I am not doing that again. You can not make me do that again. Did I hit her?”

  Shaking his head, Dante pulled himself up, leaning against the wall and looked over at the woman lying on his bed. Jonah’s dart lay pierced into the second pillow beside her. “Not even close, D. Pick up the gun.”

  “I’m not firing it again. I meant what I said. Never, never, and let me emphasize the NEVER, going to fire that thing again.”

  With a heavy sigh, Dante held out his hand. “Just pick it up and give it to me.”

  “Oh, okay.” Leaning down, Jonah grabbed the gun then quickly handed it off to Dante.

  Shaking his head, Dante aimed the gun just as Gypsy stirred. He pulled the trigger and the dart hit right below the other one at the side of her neck.

  “See, you’re a better shot than I am, even when you’re running on half empty. Okay, let’s get her to my car.”

  “Mine’s bigger. But you can drive. I don’t think I’d get us there safely enough.”

  “Sure thing. Jesus, where am I supposed to grab her? She’s half naked.”

  “Just take her feet.” Dante rolled his eyes as he untied the cord around her wrists.

  “I’m a married man, D. The only woman’s tits I grope are my wife’s, which you happened to interrupt when you called.”

  “Sorry. Wait—no I’m not. What the hell were you doing answering the phone then if you were getting it on with your wife?” Though his shoulder was killing him, he managed to untie the cord. He’d done a damn good job of knotting it.

  “I thought someone else would get it first. I let it ring ten times before I answered it, figuring it was important if the person hadn’t hung up yet. I’m glad I did. You look like shit, buddy.”

  And he felt like it, too. “The keys to the cuffs are in the lock box in the hall closet. Can you grab them for me?”

  “Yep.”

  Looking down at her sleeping now, she didn’t seem so bad. Yet he remembered the feel of her teeth stuck in his neck.

  And her half-naked body pressed to his.

  “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.” He took the keys and unlocked the bracelets from the frame only, then secured her wrists together. “Ready?”

  “You bet.” Jonah grabbed her by the ankles and when he slid her down, Dante was able to grab under her arms and hoist her up. He hissed at the burning pain in his shoulder and neck.

  “You’re going to need that restitched, D.”

  “Like I don’t know that.” Gypsy wasn’t extremely heavy but she weighed enough that it did pull on his shoulder. They carried her down to his car, tucking her in the back seat then Dante engaged the alarms on his building before climbing into the back seat bedside her. “We’ll get your car later.”

  “If it’s still here,” Jonah grumbled as he pulled out of the lot. “It’s quiet out there right now.”

  “Yeah, now.” He reached for his cell phone and remembered he’d left it inside. “Hey, I forgot my cell, you got yours on you?”

  “Never leave home without it.” Dante handed it back to Dante.

  He took it, and dialed Trinity. When Basil answered breathlessly, Dante rolled his eyes. “Please don’t tell me I interrupted the two of you in the middle of hot monkey sex?”

  “I rarely change into a monkey,” Basil said with humor in his voice.

  “What the hell is with everyone today and getting it on. I’ve got a female vamp, unconscious. Jonah and I are bringing her in. Please be done when we get there.” He shut the phone down, then dropped his head on the back of the seat behind him. “You damn horny couples.”

  Laughing, Jonah headed out of town.

  ***

  The halls were silent as his men rested for the moment before heading back out. He wasn’t a stupid leader and knew rundown vampires would do him no good. It would only get them killed or captured. And too many of his men were being captured not just by the law, but by Trinity and her merry misfits.

  That pissed him off.

  Chaos stalked the quiet halls, feeling restless and yearning to get out and hunt with his men. But while he was a wanted man, he had to stay underground. And that was exactly where he planned to stay. There were so many tunnels under the city, he could hide out for years without being caught. And thank God for the underground caverns that led from the tunnels. He and his men spent time there resting and feeding and no one bothered them. Not even the cops, and he doubted Trinity and her misfits knew they even existed.

  Which gave Chaos a leg up.

  “Chaos, sir.”

  He turned to the young man racing up b
ehind him and came to a stop. “What is it, Daniel?”

  Coming to a stop in front of Chaos, Daniel took a breath before speaking. “Um…most people call me Danny.”

  “I’m not most people. What’s the problem, Daniel?”

  “One of our new recruits got away.”

  “What? How was this possible?”

  Danny ran a hand through his dark disheveled hair. “My men weren’t paying attention and she broke free of the ropes.”

  Chaos kept his temper in check as he spoke. Daniel was still new at being in command and it would take time for him to learn how to discipline his men properly. “Which one got away?”

  “The female. Gypsy. The one I’d hoped to…well, make my own.”

  “Then you should have been the one to watch her. How long since her transition?” Daniel was still young, barely seventeen and had a lot to learn. But Chaos was hoping that by him being so young, he would be easier to control. Chaos had, after all, been the one to create him.

  “A day.”

  “Did she feed off of only you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then you should be able to track her. Find her, Daniel. We don’t need her giving up any information.”

  “Um…she saw where we took her, well, saw after she left.”

  Chaos’ jaw tensed. “Burn it.”

  “Yes sir. I’ll get right on it.”

  “Make sure you do. And Daniel,” he placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder, and dug his nails in, “do not disappoint me.”

  He watched the young man scurry off and hoped he hadn’t made a mistake by making him his first in command.

  But if the boy didn’t shape up, Chaos was going to have to show him, once again, just who was the boss.

  Chapter Three

  “What the hell were you thinking bringing her to your apartment? Why the hell didn’t you bring her back here as soon as you found her?”

  It was hard to protest the verbal slaps Trinity was dealing out to him while Basil’s all around butler and handy to have around guy, Cooper, was stitching his shoulder back up.

  “You are so fucking lucky she didn’t rip your throat open. I can’t believe how stupid you are.”