Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 02] Read online

  “Hm…” Basil rubbed a hand across his face.

  “Hm, what?”

  “Typically, a vampire’s sire’s blood is only capable of doing that.”

  “I’m lost.”

  “Think of birth. When a vampire takes a victim for their own, they are giving birth to a new being, and drinking their blood is the equivalent of a mother nursing a newborn. The more the new one drinks from their sire, the closer they are connected. And if the two remain close, and they feed from each other during sex, it can be an extraordinary high. Like an aphrodisiac.”

  “But I wasn’t the one that sired her.”

  “Thus the conundrum. How much did she drink from you that first day?”

  “Enough that I felt weak and lightheaded but not enough to make me black out.”

  “Hm…”

  “Again with the hm. What?”

  “And that was the only time she drank from you?”

  “Yes. You’re worrying me now, Basil.” The look on his face was enough to bother him.

  “She shouldn’t be reacting to your blood that way. I’m as confused as you are.”

  “Great.” He was as clueless now as he had been before.

  “Has she tried to bite you since?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “And she say’s she never will because I saved her.”

  “But it worries you that she might?”

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t keep me awake at night, but it’s on my mind when we’re together.”

  “And that’s the turn on.” Basil laid a hand on his shoulder, grinning. “You’re not the first human who enjoyed the dangers of vampire sex.”

  Dante stood there as Basil went back into the study. Yeah, it was a turn on. Did that make him a sick man?

  ***

  With delicate precision, Gypsy aligned each item of clothing in order of color, blouses first, then dresses. And when she was finished, she stepped back for one more look. She’d had twice this many clothes before she’d been evicted from her apartment. Damn landlord. Okay, so she’d been three months behind in her rent, but the least he could have done was let her get her stuff out before changing the locks. All she’d had on her was the clothes she’d been wearing. Who could live with only the clothes on their back? Of course she’d had to break into a store to get more to wear. Damn store for having a security system fully equipped with lockdown bars.

  She’d been a trapped rat.

  Gypsy hated being trapped. It reminded her of her youth when she’d been locked in her room for disobedience. She liked her freedom, like to come and go as she pleased, do as she pleased. Funny thing was, she didn’t feel trapped right now. She rather liked this monstrosity of a home, liked being waited on, liked that she could lounge in bed all day if she wanted to and not worry about being booted out for not having money.

  And that’s exactly what she was doing now.

  She knew everyone was downstairs working on some sort of security system to keep the bad vamps out. But she was just fine where she was. Stretched out on her bed, wearing nothing but a t-shirt dress, Gypsy watched TV. Basil’s satellite kicked ass. He had all the best channels, even porn. She liked watching other people have sex, imagining herself right there with them.

  She liked sex. Especially now. Since she’d become a vampire, everything felt a hundred times better. It was like every pore on her skin was open, alive. Her erogenous zones were more sensitive and the orgasms…well, those were beyond phenomenal. Especially the ones she’d had the night before. It had definitely been the blood. Dante’s blood.

  She picked up her glass of blood, examining it for a moment. When Dante’s blood had touched her tongue, she’d felt something tingle inside of her. And when he’d been inside of her, and she’d sucked on his wounded lip, her body had been electric. She felt high from it. And when she’d orgasmed her body had felt like a rose bud, opening in the sun as it began to bloom. Then it had crashed over her in wave upon wave of hot, glorious delight.

  And just thinking about it now was stirring her up.

  She took a gulp of the blood in her cup and frowned. It tasted bitter. Not sweet like Dante’s had. Setting it aside, she slipped off the bed and decided to see if Dante was up for another round of good, hot sex.

  Shutting the TV off, she left the room and headed down the hall to his door. She knocked, twice and when he didn’t answer, she stepped inside. His lights were out and he wasn’t in his bed. Pursing her lips, she pulled her t-shirt dress over her head then crawled under the covers.

  She’d just lay here and wait for him to come back.

  ***

  There had been a time when he’d been free to come and go as he pleased. Now, he was resorting to sneaking away without letting anyone know where he was going. Thank God Trinity, Jonah, and Basil were still busy trying to get the alarm system up and running. When he’d left an hour ago, Jonah was filling them in on how the system would work. It was all above his head so he’d bowed out.

  What they didn’t know was that he hadn’t gone to take the shower he’d said he was heading to. And if he had his way, they wouldn’t even know he was gone.

  He drove into Jacob’s Cove, and like all the times before now, he was struck by the deathly silence of the city. It wasn’t a large city, only consisting of fifty seven thousand people, give or take. But entering it since the sun had been blocked was like entering a ghost town. It always gave him the creeps.

  He drove along the darkened streets only lit by street lamps, and even some of those weren’t working. His eyes, always on alert, scanned the area for any activity. That, too, was non existent. Maybe they’d dwindled down Chaos’s legion and there weren’t enough of his vamps to send out to cause trouble.

  It was a nice thought, but he wasn’t going to hold to it. He had a feeling Chaos had more than enough men under his power.

  Including his brother.

  He still didn’t want to believe that but since he was pretty damn sure it had been Chaos that had sired Danny, it stood to reason that he was under Chaos’ control.

  Pulling into the parking lot at Vega Investigations, he did one more scan before slipping out of the car. So far his shop had held up. It helped having the alarm system, and another factor in his favor was the lack of money or valuables in his shop.

  He disengaged the alarm and was about to open the back door when he heard a noise. Always on alert, his hand slipped to his belt and the taser that sat ready.

  Then he saw him step out of the shadows.

  “Danny?”

  “You called?”

  He couldn’t help but stare. His brief encounter days before hadn’t awarded him enough time to actually look at his long lost brother. Though, by rights they were both thirty-three years old, Danny looked no older than seventeen. His hair was dark and long coming past his shoulders and tied back from his face. His eyes were the yellow of his kind, and his body was thin and lean.

  And all Dante wanted to do was take him in his arms and give him a huge bear hug.

  “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

  “In the flesh, bro.” Danny slipped his hands in the pockets of his jeans and gave Dante the once over. “So that’s what I’ll look like in sixteen some years. Huh. Could be worse.” He grinned.

  “I’m…man, I’m just at a loss for words yet I have so many. We should do this inside.” His brain was a whirlwind of thoughts. He yanked the door open and stepped inside, Danny right behind him. He clicked on the hall light then headed to his office. He sat behind his desk and clicked on the lamp beside him. He watched his brother take his chair and still he couldn’t stop staring.

  “So….”

  He blinked, shook his thoughts away, and cleared his throat. “Sorry. I just can’t get over the fact that I’m sitting here, with you. That
you’re really alive. I hoped, yet…well…”

  “You never expected me to be a vampire. I get that, and that’s why I never contacted you. Well, for the first few months I really had no choice. I was kinda locked away until I surrendered myself.”

  Dante sat forward now. “Chaos locked you up? Jesus, Danny.”

  “It’s not as bad as you think. I panicked when I came to. I thought, shit, Mom and Dad are going to kill me. So I…uh…went a little crazy. They had to subdue me. They kept me like that for…shit…I think it was a few months.”

  “I can’t believe this.” Dante got up and sat on the front edge of the desk. “He locked you up and you still stuck with him?”

  Danny shrugged a thin shoulder. “Chaos is my master. He saved me.”

  “Saved you? He’s the one that made you the way you are today. He’s a monster.”

  “You only say that because your friends are filling your mind with lies. Chaos is a true leader, more so than the ones you cling to.”

  “My God, Danny. You can’t believe what Chaos wanted to do, what he is still trying to do is right?”

  “Of course I do. And if you had what I have inside of you, then you’d feel the same way. I am more alive now than I ever was when I was human.”

  “How can you say that?”

  Danny stood and now they were nearly face to face. “I have not been sick one day in twenty years. I have more energy inside of me now than I ever did before. And strength…you would not believe the strength I have. I always felt like my skin was too small for me. I felt like I didn’t belong, like there was something else for me but I never knew what it was. Until I was turned. I finally feel like I belong.”

  Dante’s chest burnt and the hurt from that statement clogged his throat. “Why didn’t you ever tell me how you felt?”

  Danny wandered the room, looking down and kicking the files piled up on the floor lightly. “You wouldn’t have understood. You were comfortable with yourself. You knew who you were and you knew what you wanted.” He turned back to Dante and shoved his hands his pockets. “And you became exactly what you set out to be. You always said you wanted to help people, and you have. First as a cop, now as a P.I.”

  Why hadn’t he seen it? He should have, with his brother’s rebellious behavior, always running with the wrong crowd, never being satisfied with anything. Yet he’d thought they had been so close.

  Now, looking back, he saw it differently.

  “I wish you’d have talk to me.”

  He shrugged again, still moving about the room. “We’re both happy and things worked out for us both. I don’t see a need to dwell on the past.”

  The past was all he’d had for so long. “I’ve heard, from sources, that you have become Chaos’ right hand man. Is that true?”

  “Sources,” Danny said, looking over at him. “Don’t you mean prisoners? And yes, I’m Chaos’ next in command. I guess that puts us on opposing sides.”

  Yes, it did. “I wish you would come join our side.”

  Danny’s lips curved up as he shook his head. “Weren’t you listening when I said I was happy? I like where I am. Why would I leave?”

  “Because we plan to take Chaos out and I don’t want you caught in the crossfire.”

  “Well, bro, I would have to say good luck trying. We out number you and our legion grows daily. What do you have but a few stragglers who cling to a hope for something that can never be?”

  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I don’t want to fight you, Danny.”

  Now his mouth lifted in a wide smile. “Then I suggest you leave town. Great seeing you again, bro.” Stepping over a pile of files, Danny headed out of the room.

  Dante sat on the edge of his desk, feeling absolutely disillusioned. He’d spent the better part of twenty years looking for his brother, trying to find out who had taken him, ready to avenge him. He’d clung to memories of a young boy who he apparently hadn’t really known. He’d been lost when Danny had been taken, had felt like a part of him had been taken as well.

  Now, all he had was a hole in his heart.

  ***

  Gypsy watched as Jonah typed away on his laptop and imagined what those fingers would feel like playing over her body. He was such a cutie, and those big brown eyes of his really could melt a girl’s heart. She wondered what he would say if she asked him to participate in a threesome with her and Dante. She wasn’t interested in his wife, had never been interested in women. Maybe they could do it sometime when Ariel was asleep. She was asleep now.

  It seemed that was all she did.

  Sleep was an afterthought for Gypsy now. She could do without it, and managed to go with only a few hours sleep a week. It had surprised her that she’d fallen asleep in Dante’s bed. And disappointed to wake up without him beside her. So she’d gone in search of him.

  She’d stumbled upon Jonah, Basil, and Trinity working to get the alarm system running.

  “Okay, explain this to me again.”

  “Gee, for someone who’s been around as long as you, I’m surprised you’re so dense.”

  “Jonah,” Trinity warned him, stepping in front of Basil before he could pummel Jonah. “I think we’re all on edge from lack of sleep and being together all the time,” she explained, planting a palm on Basil’s chest.

  “I know I’m tired. I’ve been at this for nearly twenty hours now. Okay, listen up because I’m not explaining it again. Every sensor that is connected to the house is attached to this baby here.” He patted his laptop then continued. “When someone enters the property, it’s alerted and the computer sends out a blip indicating a presence. It automatically engages the security function on all entryways. Each one of us will have a keypad, much like a car remote, and all we have to do is punch in the code as we enter the property and it alerts the system of our presence. Anyone else enters will be in for a shock. Anyone who touches the door knob or door will be given a nice 50,000 watt jolt that will immobilize them long enough for one of us to get to them. Same goes for the windows.”

  “What if someone kicks in a door or window open?” Gypsy inquired, getting in right beside Jonah. She liked the fact that he always smelled like soap. No cologne, just soap.

  “The alarm system lets out an ear splitting siren that will not only scare the living shit out of us, but alert the intruder that we are armed and ready. If they so much as put one hand on the glass or door frame, they will be jolted,” he explained to everyone. “Your boys did a wonderful job installing the devices, by the way. Who knew that vamps could be handy with tools?”

  “Yeah, they left a hell of a mess. Cooper’s not impressed,” Basil supplied.

  “When his life is saved because of the alarm system, he’ll be happy. So, do you get how it works now?”

  “Pretty much. But how do we know it works?” Just as Basil finished his sentence, the computer made a blipping noise.

  “That’s how.” He tapped the keyboard and brought up a view from the front entrance. “You need better lighting out there for me to make out who’s approaching.”

  “I’ll get someone on that right away. He’s approaching the front door.”

  “It’s Dante,” Gypsy said without having to look at the computer.

  “Dante’s in his room,” Trinity supplied, leaning into the screen to get a closer look. “It is too dark.”

  “He’s not in his room. I just came from there.”

  “Then you must have just missed him,” Trinity advised.

  “He’s not in the house. I’m telling you, that’s Dante. I can sense him.” She headed to the front door and was halted by Basil.

  “Until we can be sure it is, we don’t open that door.”

  “So you’re just going to let him get zapped? That’s insane. I’m telling you, it’s him. Let go of me,” s
he growled, showing her fangs at Basil when he grabbed hold of her arm. She heard another ping from the computer, then a gurgled scream and then a thud. “You fried him.” Breaking Basil’s grip, she tossed him across the room and ran for the door. “Disengage it,” she screamed as she reached for the door knob. She yanked the door open and saw Dante slumped on the ground, twitching.

  Chapter Ten

  “He’s dying.” She ran to him, falling down beside him and took his head in her hands. His body shook as she stroked his face, wiping the drool from his mouth. “Call an ambulance. Get a doctor. Help him, someone help him.” She couldn’t lose him. She just couldn’t lose him.

  “He’s not dying, Gypsy,” Trinity supplied, coming up beside her as Jonah and Basil followed. “He’s not going to be feeling too swell when this wears off, but he’ll be alive. Take him inside.”

  “I have him.” She pushed both Jonah and Basil aside and lifted Dante in her arms. She carried him not just inside, but up the stairs to his room. She knew they followed her though she wished they’d leave them both alone. “What did that do to him?” she asked, laying him on the bed, watching his body slowly calm down.

  “You ever been shocked by a light switch or outlet?” Jonah asked.

  “Yes.” She continued to stroke the hair from Dante’s face. His eyes were open yet she felt like he wasn’t looking at her.

  “Imagine that tiny jolt 50,000 times worse. It’s the same voltage that’s in a taser gun. Rarely lethal but damn potent in bringing a perp down. Dante will be feeling weak and sore when he wakes up, but nothing that warrants a hospital stay.”

  “Cooper can help him with whatever aid he needs,” Basil supplied.

  “Get some damn lights out there so no one else gets hurt. Leave us alone now,” she snapped, laying down beside Dante, resting her head on his chest. She took comfort in hearing his heart beating, even if it was a little erratic.

  “He’ll be fine, Gypsy. Trust me.”

  Gypsy didn’t reply to Trinity and hoped by ignoring her she’d get the hint and leave. She wanted them all to leave. And when they finally did, she let out a long breath. “I’m sorry that happened to you, baby.”