Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 05] Read online

  “You always know what’s best for me. Now, what did you say about cleaning house?”

  “No one’s inside. They must have gotten everyone out after Cooper left.”

  “You saw Cooper?” she asked, surprised.

  “Long story. I’ll tell you later.”

  Jonah disengaged the instrument in his hand. “Maybe you can fill us in at the same time, like telling us why the hell the guy can vanish at will.”

  With a tip of his head, Basil hooked his arm over Trinity’s shoulder. “I can give you a rundown but not here and not at the house.”

  “We’re closest to Vega Investigations. We can discuss it there,” Dante added while eyeballing Jonah’s little device.

  “We’ll meet you there.” Trinity linked her hand with Basil’s and together, they vanished.

  ***

  Cooper stood back as everyone gathered in their cars and drove away. He was disappointed that they hadn’t been able to save anyone, especially the boy.

  He should have done more to save him in the first place.

  Chapter Twelve

  Gabriella had been somewhat skeptical of Trinity when she’d explained about the darkness, but seeing it now, with her own eyes, she was bewildered. How could it be possible to have complete darkness? There weren’t even any stars, or a moon. It was as though a blanket covered the sky. It was sad.

  Then she noticed the trees, flowers and the grass that had all withered and died. It actually made her sick. Such beauty was marred now by one man’s selfishness. It just wasn’t right. She knelt down near the wilted flowers that she and Cooper had once planted together, her throat clogging with tears.

  It wasn’t just due to the death of the blooms either.

  It had been a happy time in her life. A new beginning. Just like the flowers they planted, their love began to root that day and every day after.

  Now, just like the plants lying wilted on the ground, the root of their love was dying.

  She didn’t want to feel this pain. She had hoped their reunion would be a glorious one filled with endless days of love and joy. Yet…now they were apart and she was hurting like she’d never hurt before.

  “I’ve considered starting an artificial garden. I’ve even drawn up plans for a greenhouse.”

  She didn’t move from her spot when Cooper spoke, though he had startled her. Once, she had been able to speak freely to him. Now, she hesitated.

  “It worked well in your room at the facility. The flowers there bloomed hardily and reproduced often. Can’t you even look at me now?” Cooper sighed.

  She stood, dusting the dry dirt from her hands and knees before turning to him. Yet she still said nothing.

  “Your silence is like a dagger to my heart.”

  “Much like your betrayal has done to my heart.”

  “I did the only thing I knew to do to save you.”

  “Without giving me the choice. Once, you asked my approval for everything that pertained to us. Yet at that crucial moment you chose to ignore my rights and do as you pleased.”

  Cooper swallowed hard before replying. “Then you would have rather I left you in your tomb to linger in neither death nor life?”

  “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”

  “You are not dead, Gabriella. You have been infected, yes, but your heart still beats, your blood still flows, and you still breathe. All of those are critical to life. What I did for you was give you life.”

  “I feel as if you stripped me of it,” her voice quivered.

  “I cured you of that retched disease. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “Not in this manner.” Turing to leave, he grabbed her arm to stop her. “Please, release me.”

  “I love you, Gabriella, and I know you love me as well.”

  “I do love you, and that is what hurts the most.” It shocked her when he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her body. In a flash, his lips were on hers and the emotions swirled like a nasty caldron inside of her. She wanted to give in, to let him have her, to give everything she was to him. Instead, she pulled away. “Don’t.”

  “You told me to take you, to have your body, to touch you, and I did. Do you remember my hands on your warm flesh?” He skimmed one hand down her back, making her moan. “Do you remember the feel of my lips on yours, the caress of my fingers?” Leaning in closer, he whispered against her mouth, “Do you remember telling me your body was mine as ever before?”

  “Yes…” she murmured breathlessly.

  “That is just what I did.”

  Realizing she was perilously close to giving into him. Planting her palms on his chest, she gave him a good, hard shove. It shocked her how much strength she had. “I gave you my body, yes, but I did not agree to let you rape me of my humanity. Do not push me again, Cooper.” Spinning on her heels, she left him standing in the garden they had once created, alone.

  ***

  “Okay, let me get this straight,” Jonah began, beside him sat Raven, her fingers linked with his. “Cooper was turned into a vampire by Avadur, which gives him the power of mind control as well as the ability to poof anywhere he wants. And he never told you who really sired him or that he had a wife hidden away for years.”

  “In a nutshell.” Basil slipped a cigarette between his lips, flicking the flame on his lighter to the tip. He’d made a promise to quit smoking for Trinity while she was pregnant and after the baby came. He didn’t see a reason to stop now, given the circumstances.

  “I can see why you’re pissed at him,” Dante added. He sat behind his desk while Gypsy rested on his lap. “I also understand why his wife would be upset with him for turning her into a vampire without her consent.”

  Danny angled in his chair to meet his twin’s eyes. Next to him, his girlfriend, Starla, stroked his arm. “Because I did the same thing to you. I wondered when you would say something.”

  Dante shifted Gypsy to get a better look at his brother. “My circumstance was a little different. I was on death’s door. No, I’m not angry at you for turning me. I rather like my life and I’m glad to still have it. Even if it means I have to suck blood for the rest of it.”

  “What’s she like?” Gypsy inquired.

  “Nice,” Trinity supplied. “Sophisticated. Perfectly suited for Cooper.”

  “Here we thought he might be gay. Explains a lot, now that I think about it.” Everyone looked at Gypsy. “What? We did, you all did…well, maybe not Basil…but I know Raven did and so did Jonah—”

  “I said the guy was queer. Didn’t mean I thought he was gay. Men shouldn’t be neat freaks.” Jonah shook his head, which made Trinity laugh.

  “I just thought he didn’t date because of what Avadur had done to him when he first came to stay with us,” Basil stated rather quietly. He remembered quite sickeningly hearing Cooper scream for help, begging not to be hurt and seeing the women crawling all over him, using their teeth on him in the worst way.

  “That does not sound good.” Jonah shuddered.

  When Trinity put her hand on his shoulder, Basil looked up, realized what he’d said then quickly changed the subject. “Now you have the whole story. We need to focus on the tasks at hand. We need to find Chaos.” Giving Trinity’s hand a squeeze, Basil moved about restlessly.

  Starla lifted her hand. “I tried another locator spell and it took me to the city limits but stopped at the barrier of darkness. I don’t think he’s in the city.”

  Basil smoked as he paced, feeling restless, feeling…hurt on so many levels. His best friend, the man who had saved him from the cruelty of his father had lied to him his entire life. His heart ached for the daughter he’d only briefly seen before his mother so cruelly stole her from Trinity’s arms. And if he didn’t calm himself soon, he was going to cause an unnatural disaster. “Can you set
up outside the barrier and see if you can locate him?”

  “Not alone she won’t be.” Danny put a protective arm around Starla.

  “You can’t come along, Danny. Remember the last time you stepped out of the darkness barrier. You fried yourself to a pulp,” she reminded him.

  “I can wear protective gear. You are not doing it alone,” he demanded, pulling her a little closer to his side.

  “I’m a witch, remember? I can take care of myself.”

  “Danny can go along. Two heads are better than one,” Basil interjected to end the impending argument. “But before you do that, I need a favor from you, Starla.”

  Her big eyes perked up. “Sure, what do you need?”

  “Is there a spell, an incantation, anything that could be used to call my mother to me? I need something that will bring her out of hiding, even if it means ripping her out of her realm. Can you come up with something that could do that?”

  Starla tapped a finger to her lips in thought. “I could contact my mother and High Priestess Essema to see if they know of something. It might take a few hours to a day to come up with something.”

  “Then get on it. Danny can drive while you research.” The loud crash from outside startled them all.

  “Looks like we’ve got trouble,” Trinity said, peering out the front window of Vega Investigations.

  Coming up beside Trinity, Basil snarled as he looked outside. “And then some.”

  Outside, a group of hoodlums were standing before a burning building, their torches lit, ready to cause more damage.

  “Shit.” Dante exclaimed.

  “Yeah. Looks like the rest of us have work to do. Danny and Starla, get going. Let’s roll people.” Basil took Trinity’s hand in his.

  “Just stay behind me, sweetie,” Jonah advised Raven.

  “Can I use your electronet?”

  He kissed her head, smiling. “That’s my girl.”

  “Better yet, why don’t you and Gypsy go get a fire truck?”

  Both women scowled at Basil’s instructions. “Buzzkill,” Gypsy spouted. “Come on, Raven, let’s go get a fire truck.”

  “Let’s roll.” Charging out the door, Basil went straight for the crowd with Trinity at his side.

  “Can I use the electronet?” Dante asked as they ran from Jonah’s office and into the fight.

  “Dream on, D.”

  “Buzzkill,” Dante mimicked Gypsy’s early statement. “To your left,” he called out and Jonah spun, fists ready.

  Now this was just what he needed to rid himself of his fury, Basil decided as he pummeled fists into flesh. When the werewolf came at him, he simply kicked it in the teeth. He changed into a Rottweiler and ran full steam at the whimpering wolf. “Bring it on, pooch.”

  “It’s just weird when he talks in his animal form,” Jonah said while whipping out his electronet. He pressed the button which had the net shooting out, only a mere two inches from where Basil was fighting off the werewolf.

  “Watch it!” Basil sunk his teeth into the wolf’s neck. The beast/man cried out, the blood spurted, and Basil shook him until he quit moving. He returned to his human form as the animal beneath him transformed into a human.

  He was merely a boy.

  Turning, he saw Trinity taking out two vamps at once. His heart swelled with pride. “That’s my girl,” Basil chanted, then went back into the fight.

  “Shit! My net is jammed,” Jonah proclaimed in a very high pitched, panicked voice.

  “I got your back.” Lifting his hand, Dante took out the vamp that was running straight for Jonah.

  He took out one more before Basil noticed they had managed to win the battle. Those that didn’t die ran off like scared girls. He drew in a long breath. “Now that was just what I needed.”

  “Feels good, doesn’t it?” Trinity slid into his arms, kissing him hard on the mouth.

  In the distance they heard the siren and as the truck came to a stop only feet away from them, Gypsy climbed out of the driver’s side.

  “Anyone know how to work this thing?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cooper was absolutely lost without his usual household duties. Sure, Basil was an easy person to take care of, but the house always needed some sort of cleaning. And cooking, he missed cooking for the group. Then there were the errands he’d had to run, shopping to do.

  The research that had taken up most of his waking free time. There wasn’t much use to him researching cures for cancer now, was there? Gabriella was alive and no longer battling the horrid disease. Why couldn’t she just see that what he did to her had been for her own good?

  He hadn’t raped her of her humanity. He’d cured her, made her better.

  Her reaction to him now completely baffled him. He had thought their love was eternal and could weather anything that was thrown at them. They’d clung to each other during her chemo, during all the days she’d begged for the pain and sickness to stop. Well, he had ended it for her, and now she was angry at him for it.

  He also hated being apart from her. He feared above anything else that the longer they were apart, the less likely it would be that she would return to him. Oh, he knew she loved him, but the worry was still there. Sometimes, distance did not make the heart grow fonder, especially when one heart was hurting. What he needed was to be present in her life on a daily basis. The only way to do that was to convince Basil to let him back into his home.

  That was not going to be an easy task, but he had to try.

  Since it had been his home for over eighty years, Cooper felt secure enough to simply enter without knocking. The house was so quiet, much like it had been before the dreaded darkness began. Entering through the back way, Cooper checked the coatroom, noticing it was in need of a cleaning. The floor was soiled and could use a thorough wash. As he walked through the corridor that led to the kitchen and the rest of the property, he noticed various spots here and there that needed wiping. He hoped to be able to get to them after his discussion with Basil.

  He had to make Basil understand what he’d done was for the best for everyone concerned.

  As he entered the kitchen, he found Basil rummaging through the fridge. It reminded him of a time when Basil had been younger, when his father still ruled the house. It had surprised him to find Basil up and about in the middle of the day, considering his father had had the poor lad tied up in the dungeon for two days beating him for not obeying his command to imprison several females for sexual and blood pleasure.

  “I could make you something if you like.”

  Basil pulled himself from the fridge, narrowing his eyes at Cooper. “I don’t believe I invited you inside my home.”

  “It is my home as well.”

  Basil slammed the fridge door hard enough to rattle the contents. “You ended any rights you had to this place, and me for that fact, with your lies.”

  “I never lied. Why is it you cannot see that? Yes, I withheld information from you, but I saw no need to tell you otherwise.”

  “Saw no need?” Basil snorted. “What about the fact that we’re family? Or at least I thought we were. Family doesn’t lie to one another.”

  “You lied to Trinity. You decided to cheat on her rather than tell her the truth that your father was attempting to break free of his seclusion. Is she not your family?”

  “That was a different set of circumstances. I did it for her own safety,” Basil spoke in a low growl.

  “And I refrained from telling you who my true sire was for your benefit. I knew if you found out you would treat me differently, always worrying I might be working for Avadur and misleading you into thinking I was your friend. You wouldn’t be able to trust me and, if that were the case, who would be there to protect you from the torturous abuse your father bestowed upon you?”

&nb
sp; “Well, I guess we’ll never know what I would have done now, will we.”

  “Don’t you see how much better your life is after I rescued you from his clutches? If you had found out I was sired by Avadur, you would not have trusted me and your father would have continued his abuse. Where would you be today if he had continued? Would you be the man you are now if I hadn’t rescued you? If I hadn’t lied to you?”

  Basil pointed a finger at him, narrowing his eyes even more. “Do not turn this on me.”

  Cooper stepped back in shock. “That was not what I meant. I only meant that my lies were necessary in order to save you. I never wanted to be a part of Avadur. Having some of his abilities was a constant reminder that I was.”

  “Then being around me on a daily basis must have been a killer for you, since I’m his son.”

  “No. No, never. Oh, this has all blown so out of proportion. I never wanted to hurt you. I have thought of you as my own son.”

  “Yet you never felt the need to tell me you had a wife.” Basil crooked his head to the side.

  “I wanted to keep her safe.”

  “From me?” Basil choked out.

  “No, from our kind, from your father, from Chaos. I never wanted her to have to fear for her life.”

  “You think that if I had known about her I would have put her in jeopardy? Yeah, not feeling any better here, Cooper.”

  In a restless move so uncharacteristic of Cooper it even shocked him, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He quickly smoothed it back into place and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets instead. “I made a mistake—”

  “Just one,” Basil quipped.

  “I’ve made mistakes, yes, as have you, as have the majority of today’s population—”

  “Lies are a little harder to forgive than a mistake. I’m not ready for you to be here yet, Cooper. So I’m asking you politely to leave. Don’t make me erect a barrier against you,” Basil warned calmly.

  Disappointed, Cooper nodded and, saying nothing, left. He would just have to come up with another way to win Basil back.

  ***