Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 02] Read online

  “Keep up the insults and you’ll find out just how stupid I can be,” he warned, showing her the fist of his free hand.

  “Don’t you even go there with me, buster. I will so take you down.”

  “Try it.”

  “Okay, let’s just calm down here and take a step back.” Jonah tried to reason with them. “Let’s just chalk this up as a lesson learned and move on from it.”

  “I’ve finished,” Cooper announced as he put a fresh bandage over Dante’s wound. “Try not to open it again, sir.”

  Everyone was just being so fucking helpful. Dante pulled on a fresh shirt, careful of his tender arm, and wondered how Basil was doing with Gypsy. “I’m going down to see how she’s doing.”

  “Basil has it under control. No more of this macho shit, Dante. I can’t use you if you’re dead.”

  He glared at Trinity as he buttoned up the shirt. Saying nothing in response, he headed down to the cellar. He knew there were still castles in the world, and some of them even still had dungeons, but he would have never thought there was one in his home town. And did they have to make the corridor leading to the dungeon so dark and gloomy? It gave a person the chills.

  “How is she?” he asked Basil as he entered the cell area. Gypsy was asleep on a cot, covered in a blanket.

  “Still out like a light. How much you give her?”

  “Two shots. But she doesn’t have much meat on her bones so…” He held his hands out. “What about Mr. Fang there? He give you any info yet?”

  Basil rattled the vampire’s cage. “Not yet, but he and I have been getting acquainted. Haven’t we, Tyson old boy.”

  “He gave you his name?” That surprised him a great deal. The last few vamps they’d snatched up still hadn’t given up their names, or Chaos’ whereabouts.

  “Tyson’s weak and as soon as we break out of here he’ll pay.”

  Dante turned to the vamp who’d spoken. The guy was as tall as he was thin and as ugly as sin. “And what makes you think you’ll be breaking out of here any time soon?”

  “I don’t think. I know.”

  “Yeah,” Basil drawled as he walked to the vamps cage. “Gonna be pretty hard to break into this fortress when I have the place wired.”

  “My master can do anything.”

  “Shut the hell up, you dumbass,” the other vampire chimed in.

  “Your master wouldn’t dare step foot on my property because he knows it would be his death. But you keep dreaming.”

  “Every day our legion grows. And before long, we’ll be stronger than you.”

  “Yeah,” Basil vanished only to reappear inside the vampire’s cage, his hand clutching the vamp’s throat. “I’m betting we’ll handle ourselves just fine. Now sit down there and be a good boy.”

  Dante heard Gypsy stirring and walked to her cage. “She’s waking up. Can you let me inside?’

  “Oh sure. You looking for a matching wound on the other side of your neck,” Basil said as he appeared beside Dante.

  “She won’t attack me, again. And besides, you’re here if she does, all you’d have to do is blink and you’re in the cell with me.”

  “Or…” Basil smiled slyly, “I could let her eat you.”

  “Funny. Let me in.” He’d thought the guy had gotten over his jealousy. It wasn’t like he was after Trinity anymore. “She knows me. She might open up to me.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Basil unlocked the cell door and stepped aside to let Dante through. “Be on guard.”

  He saluted Basil as he stepped into the cell. As he walked towards the cot, Gypsy sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Hey.”

  She tilted her head then smiled. “Oh, hey.” Then her brow furrowed. “Where am I?”

  And then he saw the panic click in. “Just relax.” He went to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe. We had to put you in here because you attacked me.”

  Her eyes shot wide open. “I what?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  Her head bobbed side to side. “No. I went to sleep, and I just woke up…here. How did I attack you?”

  She had no idea. “Give me a second, okay? I just need to talk to my friend over there.” When she nodded, he got up and walked to Basil. “How is it she doesn’t remember biting me?” he whispered.

  Basil leaned on the bars casually and lit a cigarette. “Do you know when she was taken?”

  Dante shook his head. “She never got around to telling me what happened to her.”

  “Let me guess, you saw a scantily clad woman running to you so you thought you would take her back to your place for a quickie?”

  Dante narrowed dark eyes. “Don’t be a dick.”

  Basil shrugged, blowing smoke through his teeth. “Then why didn’t you get her info?”

  “She was tired and scared. I didn’t want to push it. I figured a few hours of sleep would do her well and then we could get to it.”

  “Well, you found out the hard way what a stupid plan that was. Go ask her when she was taken and by who.”

  He saluted Basil again, only this time with his middle finger. Walking back to Gypsy he sat down beside her again and began. “I need to know what happened to you, Gypsy.”

  “Her name is Gypsy?”

  He ignored Basil and kept going. “It’s important we know who took you and when and what they did to you. Please, trust me.”

  She pulled her legs up to her chest and let out a long breath. “I don’t know what day it is.”

  “Wednesday.”

  Her brow curled. “Tuesday. It’s so hard to tell what day is what with the sun being gone and all. Kinda weird, to have no sun, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, it is.” He waited for her to continue.

  “These two guys came out of nowhere and attacked me. They just scooped me up and the big guy held me while the other guy put tape over my mouth. Then he blindfolded me. The next thing I know, I’m in a car and being held down by the big guy and we’re moving. I’m kinda thirsty. Do you think your friend would get me a drink?”

  Dante turned to Basil who nodded before leaving. “Then what happened?”

  “We drove for a while, not too long, then we stopped. They dragged me out. I kicked up a storm but it didn’t seem to make a difference to the guy. He kept carrying me. We walked for a while, felt like we were going up and down and when he finally stopped, he set me down and pinned me against a really cold wall. They took my blindfold off and the tape then chained me to some pipes. I screamed until my lungs hurt. I tugged at the chains, I kicked and I screamed. No damn way they were going to tie me up and have their way with me. Next thing I know I feel this prick in my back and when I turn, I see the big guy holding a needle. It all went blurry after that.”

  “I have her drink here,” Basil announced through the bars.

  Dante got up and took the glass of water and handed it to Gypsy. He waited while she gulped it down before asking her to continue. “Then what happened?”

  She held the glass out to him then instead of pulling her legs back up to her chest, she got up to pace. He could see Basil watching her closely. “I felt really weird when I woke up. But it was like I was awake and I wasn’t. It was pretty foggy, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I wake up and I’m…okay, this is the weird part.” She turned back to Dante. “I was sucking on this guy’s neck and…drinking his blood, but it was a dream. It had to be a dream. When I woke up, I was laying on a bed in a dark room. I got up, tried the door and when I didn’t see anyone in the hallway, I bolted.”

  “Where were you? Where did they take you?”

  She twirled the hair on the top of her head around her finger. “A house. Well, it might have been a house at one time. It was run down, and big. They had me in the basement. They saw me sneaking o
ut the back way and I ran. You know the rest.”

  Dante nodded, rubbing his chin. “How far was it from where I found you?”

  “A few blocks, four at most. Can I get out of here now?”

  Dante stood, and walked to her. “Do you have anywhere else to go at the moment?”

  She pouted and he thought just how young she looked when doing so. “No—Hey, what about your place?’

  “I’ll have to talk to my friend.”

  “Why? Why can’t you just let me go? I didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who was abducted.”

  “Just relax. That dream you thought you had…well, it wasn’t a dream. That guy you said you drank from was a vampire.” When she burst into laughter, Dante turned to Basil. “Wanna help me out here.”

  Basil exhaled, disappeared and reappeared beside them in the cell, then calmly showed his fangs. “How’s this?”

  “Gee, thanks.” And now he had a screaming woman to contend with. “Gypsy.” He took hold of her shoulders to steady her. “Its okay, Gypsy. He won’t hurt you.”

  “He’s…a…they’re real. Oh my God, they’re everywhere.”

  When Dante glanced to where her eyes were focused he saw all of the other caged animals had their fangs out. Great, now he had a hysterical female to deal with. “Let me deal with her,” he said to Basil and wrapped Gypsy in his arms. “It’s okay. I’ll explain everything to you. Can I take her somewhere else? Somewhere less…scary.”

  “You’re playing on touchy ground here, human.”

  “She doesn’t even know what she is. I highly doubt she’s going to attack me again.”

  “I won’t do anything, I promise. Just get me out of here,” she pleaded against Dante’s chest, her face plastered into his pecs.

  He shot Basil the eye, then was relieved when he opened the cage.

  “Can we go somewhere else, too? We’re scared.” One of the vampires laughed.

  They ignored them and headed out of the dungeon.

  “Take her to your room upstairs,” Basil instructed.

  “You live here? I thought you lived in that other place?”

  She clung to him like he was her lifeline. He supposed he was. “I have both places. This one is kinda my full-time place for a while now. I can handle her from here.” He gave Basil a wide-eyed look before opening his bedroom door.

  “Leave the door open, and I’m waiting in the hall.”

  “No,” Dante said plainly.

  “Either that or I come inside with you. Choose.”

  He didn’t like either option but chose the former. “Fine.” Leaving the door open, he led Gypsy to his bed and sat down beside her. “We need to get you some clothes.” But in the meantime, he pulled the knitted blanket from the foot of his bed and wrapped it around her body. “Much better.”

  “Well, you don’t have to say it like that/” With an annoyed look on her face, she moved a little further away from Dante.

  “I didn’t mean it like that. You look good—what I mean is—Damn. It’s easier on me if you’re covered up. Okay.”

  She smiled and her face lit up like a candle. “You like my body?”

  “Let’s stick to what’s important right now. What you saw in the cellar, what my friend is and what you are is what we need to deal with.”

  “I’m not a…vampire.” The last word was said with a bit of a chuckle.

  “Open your mouth.”

  “What?”

  “Open your mouth,” he repeated.

  “This is crazy.” But she did as he asked.

  “Now run your tongue along your top teeth.”

  She rolled her eyes and slid her tongue out and over her teeth. And then her eyes went wide. “Oh my God! They’re pointy.”

  “And I’m betting beneath those contacts you have yellow eyes.”

  “My eyes are hazel.”

  “They might have been before you were turned. Do you wear them for show or do you need them?”

  “For show. I want to take them out. I want to look in a mirror—wait. Do I have a reflection? Can I see myself in a mirror? Can I be photographed? Will I show up on a video camera?”

  “Slow down there. Um…I really don’t have a clue.”

  “You’re not a…vampire?”

  “No. Full blooded human here. Um, scratch the full blooded part.”

  Her lips pursed. “You think I would attack you?”

  “You did once. I want to think no, but… Hey, why don’t we ask Basil about these vampire questions you have.”

  “Who?”

  “Me. And yes.” Basil swaggered into the room. “You still have a reflection, you can be photographed, and you will show up on video. You’re not dead. You are still relatively alive but the vampire gene has now taken over your body. You’re still you, just different.”

  “Then how am I different than I was before?”

  Dante wanted to know, too. He knew some of what a vampire was, but not everything.

  “You’re stronger now than before. Your body won’t catch diseases like colds, flu, venereal diseases, cancer, heart disease. Any ailment that afflicts a human won’t affect you,” Basil explained.

  “Can I…do that vanishing thing like you did when you popped into the cell with me?”

  “No, only I can do that.”

  “And Trinity,” Dante piped in.

  “Yes, let’s not forget me.” Trinity sauntered into the room. It didn’t matter that she was taken, Dante still thought she was as sexy as hell and he loved her blood red hair the most.

  “Who is that?” Gypsy whispered it to Dante.

  “That is Trinity, queen of all vampires. She and Basil have special powers. Basil is the only descendant of the first two vampires and Trinity was granted a new life and new powers by the original queen a few days ago to help bring back the sun. They can transport themselves anywhere and they can change into any non-human creature. Trinity has other powers, like the ability to stop a person dead in their tracks with a simple look. Literally. Had it happen to me, not a good feeling.”

  “You’re scaring the shit out of her, Dante. I’m Trinity,” she said, turning to Gypsy. “How long have you been a vampire?”

  “One day. Should I bow in your presence?”

  “Only if you want me to smack you around. Do you know who sired you? Who made you a vampire?”

  Gypsy shook her head. “Not personally at least. And I never saw his face.”

  “Okay. Has Dante filled you in on what to expect now?”

  “I hadn’t gotten to that yet,” he expressed.

  “Then I’ll fill her in. You’ll want to feed often this next week because your body is going through a tremendous change. And it’s going to make you feel a little strange. Lightheaded at times and achy. If you don’t feed often enough, you could end up losing your mind and becoming a blood thirsty zombie type person. So, feeding often is good.”

  “You mean…blood?” Gypsy asked with her nose scrunched up.

  “Yeah. We can mix it with something to start you off with, but believe me, you’ll think you’re drinking water instead of blood. Being freaked out by it is only in your mind. I think it would be best if you stayed here with us until you can acclimate yourself to your new life.”

  “Works for me. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “You don’t have family?”

  She shook her head again. “I’ve been on my own since I was fourteen. Foster homes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

  “Okay. We’ll set up a room for you and get you some clothes and such.”

  “Can’t I stay here?” She turned to Dante. “With you?”

  Now wasn’t that an interesting question. “I’ll be here most of the time, but I think
it would be best if you had your own room. Don’t worry. We’re all friendly here.”

  She let out a long sigh. “Okay. I guess so.”

  “Great. Let me show you to your room.”

  Dante nodded when she hesitated, letting her know it was okay to go with Trinity. When she finally got up and followed her, he could tell she was extremely leery.

  “She might be attracted to you because she fed off of you.”

  “Huh?” Dante shook his thoughts clear.

  “Male and females of my species bond through blood, and the more blood they take from their mate, the stronger they bond.”

  “But wouldn’t she be feeling that from the guy who sired her?”

  Basil shrugged his shoulders. “Usually, but since she was only sired yesterday, could be your blood is what’s fueling her and not his. Just a word of caution. She could become attached to you.”

  “Got it.” And wasn’t that weird to think about. Guess he was going to have to keep his eyes open around her from now on.

  Chapter Four

  Three days ago she’d been sitting in a jail cell wondering how she could have been so stupid as to have gotten caught by the police. Now she was sitting in a luxurious, hotel-like room with satins and silks on the bed and what looked like antique tables.

  And she was a vampire.

  Standing in a bathroom that was big enough to be considered its own suite, Gypsy stepped up to the mirror. She looked like hell. Which, she supposed, was understandable. Considering what she’d been through the past few days.

  Leaning over the sink, she touched a finger to her eye and pulled out the contact, then did the same to the other one. Lifting her head, she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were yellow. No, not just any yellow but a vibrant, sunlight yellow. She rather liked the look. She’d never thought of wearing yellow contacts before. Now seeing herself with yellow eyes, she wished she had. The yellow went well with her green hair.

  Stripping from her bra and panties, Gypsy stepped into the shower, which could easily hold four people, and started the water. After getting it just right, she stepped under the spray. The water felt like heaven. The last time she’d showered had been in the jail when they’d hosed her down. She was going to take her time in this shower.