Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 05] Read online

  “I haven’t gotten enough fighting time in lately. Count me in.”

  “Then come with me.” He turned without another word and marched down the street. What he needed was a car. He could send himself anywhere he wanted but the fang brothers couldn’t. He wasn’t so stupid as to go into a house full of animals alone.

  “Where are we going?” Danny asked, in his hurry to catch up.

  “Chaos’ compound.” Seeing a car parked on the side of the road looking a little worse for wear, Basil decided it would do. Yanking open the driver’s door, he climbed behind the wheel and pressed his hand to the ignition, sending enough electrical charge into it to start it running.

  “Shit, why couldn’t I have that ability? Would come in handy,” Danny remarked.

  “You’re on the good side of the law now, remember?” Dante reminded him and climbed into the passenger’s side while Danny took the back seat. “What are you planning?”

  Basil set them rolling, squealing the tires as he sped off. “To tear the compound apart until I find Chaos.”

  “Okay…” Dante shifted in his seat, gripping the dashboard to hold himself in place as Basil raced through the city. “Might I point out—at the risk of losing my life—that there are probably near to a hundred creatures of various races at the compound, and only three of us.”

  “Three kick-ass vampires, one of which has phenomenal powers,” Danny pointed out, leaning forward between the two front seats.

  “I’m just saying,” Dante began after giving his brother a sideways glance, “the last time we went in half cocked…I…uh…ended up with my guts on the floor.”

  Basil remembered it quite well. But Dante had been human when they had gone to the police station in search of Chaos. It had been the turning point to Dante becoming one of them. “I’ll get us out of there before anything bad can happen. Look, I was distracted then with Trinity being close to delivery. When she called me, well, I let my guard down. That won’t happen this time.”

  “Okay, so tell me the plan.”

  Basil took the corner in a sharp, tire screeching turn and headed out of the city, towards the compound. “I’m going to use mind control to make them believe there’s more than just three of us.”

  “You can do that?” Danny inquired.

  Basil nodded. “If you want out, now is the time to voice your opinion.”

  “Like I said. I care enough for Trinity to make sure you’re okay. I’m in,” Dante said.

  “Me too,” Danny piped up, giving the seats a pounding with his fists. “I am so psyched.”

  “Just keep your head,” Basil warned him as much as he warned himself. He pulled into the compound, coming to an abrupt stop several feet away from the building. He angled in his seat as he spoke. “I need the both of you to believe there are more of us. I need you to concentrate your minds. Think gang, think crowds, just don’t think about being only three of us. Got it?”

  Both Danny and Dante nodded.

  “Good. Let’s go.” He rushed from the car, his head held high and his mind clear. The instant he saw the door to the compound open, he began to control the minds within. “We’ve come for Chaos,” he chanted in a strong, deep voice.

  “Look, we don’t want any trouble from you, Basil. So just take your gang and head back the way you came.”

  Good, it was working. “All we want is Chaos. Give him to us and no one will be harmed.”

  The vamp leaned against the doorjamb as he spoke. “Chaos isn’t here and, no, I don’t know where he is.”

  Basil stepped closer, scanning the vamp’s mind to find he was telling the truth. “Then tell Fritz I wish to speak with him.”

  “He’s not here either. He left a few days ago, right before Chaos came back. I don’t know where either of them are. Look, we don’t want trouble. All we want is to be left alone to do as we please. If you have a beef with Chaos or Fritz, take it up with them.” He stepped back through the door and shut it.

  Danny rubbed his hands together. “I guess we break in and have a look see for ourselves.”

  Basil turned, walking past Dante and Danny. “No.”

  “What?” Danny ran up beside him. “I thought we came here for a fight?”

  “They’re not here. There’s no point to the fight.” Basil thrust the car door open, then decided he wasn’t in the mood for company. “Take the car.” He vanished before either twin could speak.

  ***

  Cooper waited in the living room with Raven while Jonah went up to talk to Trinity. He hoped Jonah could give her some comfort, or at least talk her into coming out of her room for a while. Cooper could understand her grief, but he also knew locking herself away did no one any good.

  “They’re very close.”

  Cooper glanced over at Raven who sat opposite him in the Colonial chair beside the fireplace. “That was my reason for asking him to speak with her.”

  “He’ll be able to help her. Jonah has a way of making a person feel comfortable. He’s easy to talk to.”

  Cooper was counting on that. He dusted his pants with a brush of his hand, feeling a tad bit awkward just sitting here with nothing to say.

  “We all thought you were a doctor.”

  Raven’s sudden blurted declaration startled him. They’d been silent for several minutes. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Jonah and I, as well as Dante and Gypsy. We all thought you were a doctor.”

  “I’m in the medical field.” Or at least he had been some time ago.

  “True, but a medical examiner is a little different than a physician.”

  “Only in the fact that I dealt more in the investigation aspect of death. I still hold a medical license.” Or had at one time in his life.

  “Okay, let me put it this way. We all thought you were one of those…you know, county doctors with a private practice.”

  “I did work for the county but not privately.”

  Raven leaned forward, obviously interested. “Yeah? How long ago?”

  “It was in the early nineteen forties. I should go up, see how Jonah is making out.”

  “He’s fine. You must have been very young?”

  “My father began training me as a physician when I was fifteen. I was a gifted child and he saw to it that my mind was not wasted.” It had been years since he’d thought about his father, or any member of his family for that matter.

  “Sounds like you had a wonderful father. Did you work with him then?”

  “For a time, until…” He broke off and stood, giving his jacket a tug. “I should prepare some soup for Trinity. She may feel up to eating after Jonah is through with her.”

  “Until what?” Raven prodded.

  Cooper let out a long breath and decided there was no harm in telling her. “Until I was turned and taken into Avadur’s control. I’ll brew some tea as well. Call me when Jonah comes down.” He hurried to the kitchen, relieved to be on his own again. It was so hard to keep up the pretense of being an ordinary vampire when he was questioned. It was the sole reason he’d wanted to be back in the castle, away from the confines of the Digital Domain. He just wasn’t comfortable being around people.

  They asked too many questions.

  He busied himself making soup he was sure no one would eat, but the tea wouldn’t go to waste. He loved his afternoon tea.

  “She won’t talk to me.”

  He turned to see Jonah and Raven standing in the doorway. “What do you mean, she won’t talk to you?”

  “She clammed up. I tried, God knows I tried, but she just stayed quiet. Has she been like this since…Felicity was taken?”

  “Yes. I was sure she would open up to you.” Cooper was dumfounded.

  “Well, she didn’t. It pisses me off to see her like this. If I had a way of fi
nding that woman, I would ring her neck for what she did to Trin and Basil.” Raven laid a hand on his shoulder and leaned her head against his.

  There was so much love there and such a delight to see, especially now with so much grief filling the house.

  It only made him long for his own love.

  “We all wish we could get our hands on Rajana. Would the two of you care for some soup or tea?”

  “No thank you, Cooper.” Raven smiled warmly.

  “I have some work to do. Listen, if she doesn’t change in a few days, call me, okay? I’ll keep nagging at her until she breaks.”

  With a nod, Cooper watched as Jonah linked his hand with Raven’s and left the room.

  He missed that connection.

  Chapter Four

  With tray in hand, Cooper stopped in front of Trinity’s bedroom door. He knew it was probably useless to attempt to get her to eat something, but he had to try. Settling the tray on one hip, he rapped on the door. When there was no response, he entered.

  She was stretched out on her bed, lying on her side, facing the window.

  He could feel her pain as if it were his own.

  “I’ve brought you some soup and tea.” He set it on the foot of the huge four-poster bed, then decided to tidy the room a bit while he was there. She remained as she was and when he moved around the bed, he saw that her eyes were open. She had a blank stare that worried him. “It’s French onion. I know how much you care for it.” When she still didn’t respond, he sighed and continued to busy himself.

  After several minutes, he just couldn’t contain himself any longer.

  He sat down beside her on the bed, staring straight ahead in the same manner she was. “What has happened to you and Basil is tragic; there is no other word for it.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it, Cooper.”

  “So you would much rather lie on your bed and stare at the darkened window. What will that accomplish?”

  “Leave me alone, Cooper.”

  He could feel her temper starting to rise. “I remember when Basil first came to me to tell me he had found his perfect mate. He was filled with excitement and could barely contain himself.” He laughed with the memory. “I cautioned him to not jump into anything too hastily, but he was determined he knew what he was doing. He was so happy and, because of that, I was happy for him.”

  He angled his head to look at her and caressed her long, red hair, brushing it along the stark white pillow. She was such a beauty, was it any wonder his Basil loved her? “I was concerned when he told me he was going to talk to you about being a vampire, about wanting to turn you. He’d never done such a thing before. Oh, he had sired his share of vampires in his earlier years, but this was different. He wanted to make you his.”

  When she still didn’t respond, Cooper continued to stroke her hair and talk. “He spent hours, preparing this room for you, for your surrender. Everything had to be perfect, right down to the rose petals on the bed. If there was one that had even the smallest amount of wilting to it, he discarded it immediately. The candles had to be set out perfectly.”

  “Why are you telling me this, Cooper? I was there. I know how perfect it was.”

  He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. He thought of Basil as his son, and Trinity as his daughter. His heart ached for the both of them. “You’ve both have been through a horrible ordeal and lost something precious to you. You have the strongest love I have ever known. Don’t let Rajana take that from you as well.”

  Her eyes met his, gleaming with tears.

  He stroked his fingers softly along her face. She looked so young, so torn up.

  “It’s my fault,” she said in a voice that mirrored a mouse. “I’m the reason my daughter is gone.”

  He could see and feel her attempt to fight off the tears. “You are not to blame for what happened to you.”

  “Yes, I am, Cooper. I signed my daughter away. I deserve this pain now. I don’t deserve to be happy or feel love. Don’t you see? How can I even look Basil in the eyes when we both know I’m the reason our daughter was taken.”

  “You didn’t know what you were signing.”

  Both Cooper and Trinity turned to the doorway where Basil stood. Cooper rose off the bed, knowing it was his time to exit. He walked to Basil and laid a hand on his shoulder before leaving. They needed this time alone.

  It was the perfect time for him to sneak off to see his love.

  ***

  Trinity sat up, her back against the headboard, and wiped the tears from her face. She hated Cooper for prying that out of her. “Basil—”

  “Don’t shut down on me now.” He walked to her, his steps as firm as his face. “And don’t get huffy on me for overhearing your conversation. I was merely coming up to our bedroom to check on you. Damn it, Trinity. You are not to blame.”

  She tugged her hand away when he sat beside her on the bed and reached out for her. “Yes, I am and we both know it. If I hadn’t signed that paper, we would still have our daughter.”

  “My mother tricked you. She knew how vulnerable you were, how much you wanted to find Jonah. If there is blame to be cast, it is to be on her.” He cupped her face in his palm, held tight when she tried to pull away. “What she did was underhanded. She used you to get what she wanted. She knew you were pregnant when you came to her and she saw the perfect way to take what she wanted. Rajana used you. She is the one to blame. Not you.”

  “But—”

  He sealed her lips tight with a hard kiss. “There are no buts. I knew she would pull something but I had no idea she would go to such lengths. A part of me wonders if she wasn’t planning this even when you were killed by Avadur.”

  Trinity sniffled back her tears. “What do you mean?”

  “I often wondered what her motive was in giving you these powers. Sure, she may have wanted you to have the upper hand against Chaos and Avadur, but I always felt like there was something more.”

  “How could she have known?”

  “She knew how deep our love was. She knew that by losing you, I would be devastated, as she knew giving you back to me would make me eternally happy. I also believe she knew that the instant you returned to me, I would—we would engage in several days of intercourse. Sex is the greatest form of endearment, the truest way to show your mate just how deeply you feel for them. We didn’t use protection. It was bound to happen. When it did, she was going to be right there to find a way to take our child.”

  “But I get the birth control injections.”

  “You did, yes, before you died.” He stroked the tears from her face and she felt the love he felt for her wash over her. “You were recreated, essentially, reborn when Rajana gave you back your life. She had to have known the consequences would result in a pregnancy.”

  She sat a little straighter, the tears replaced with anger now. “She planned it all?”

  “I believe so, yes.”

  She took a deep breath, though it did little to calm her. “That bitch.”

  Basil smiled, stroking his hand along her face. “Welcome back, my love.”

  “I’m going to kill her.” Her eyes met Basil. “I’m sorry if that hurts you—”

  “You’ll need to stand in line,” he advised her sternly.

  Trinity took another long breath, then closed her eyes. “I thought you blamed me, so I figured it was best to pull away rather than have you push me away.” She opened her eyes to see the love that filled his.

  “Oh, Trinity.” He closed his mouth over hers, lingering for several seconds before pulling back. “I would never push you away. You are my soul mate. I’m lost without you.”

  That was all she needed to let the dam open up and flow freely. “I am so sorry. I love you so much, Basil. I don’t want to lose you too.”

 
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. “You will never lose me, my love. Never.”

  ***

  Cooper stood outside the bedroom door and felt the love pouring out from the room. It warmed his heart to know the two people he thought of as his family were finally getting back to where they were meant to be.

  It made him long for what he had lost so long ago.

  Making sure no one was around to see him, he sent himself away, setting down just outside the secured door to his wife’s room. “You may take a break,” he instructed the guard. Keying in the code, he entered the room. When the door closed, he walked to the glass case that held his love.

  She looked as pure and beautiful as she had the day he had sent her to sleep. The day he promised her he would not wake her until a cure was found. Twenty years had passed and he was no closer to a cure today than he had been on that fateful day he said goodbye to his one true love.

  Yet he longed for her as much now as he did then.

  “I’ve lived without you for so long. I cannot bear another moment. I miss your gentle touch. I miss your sweet voice. I miss the conversations we would have. I miss you, my love. I need you. I cannot live without you any longer.”

  His eyes flicked to the control panel that kept her in her stasis. All it would take would be to key in the code—which he alone had—and press one button to wake his sleeping beauty. He paused, his mind working feverishly.

  Should he wake her?

  What then? Spend a few months with her, at best. Watch her wither away as the cancer robbed her body of life? He couldn’t do that to her, to himself. But he needed her so desperately. He was tired of being alone.

  The love between Basil and Trinity reminded him of his own desires and love. Once, he’d had what they have now. Like Basil, his love was human. Though Basil made Trinity his by siring her, Cooper had promised Gabriella he never would.

  Yet…

  What kind of life was this? She was frozen, asleep, and wasn’t truly living anyway. Sure, he could see her any time he liked, but it wasn’t the same as having her. He missed having her.

  And what if something was to happen to him? There had been some close calls over the past twenty years, especially these last few months Jacob’s Cove had been engulfed in darkness. What would happen to Gabriella then? Who would take care of her? How would she feel if she woke up to find that he was no longer with this world? He didn’t want her to have to feel the pain he had felt for the past twenty years.