Salvation in Darkness

by Nicole Edwards

  “Only if you want.” Eclipse’s lips brushed her cheek. “I won’t force you to do anything, Orianna.”

  “I know.” Her eyes met his and she smiled. “I don’t want to leave, either.”

  His relief was written across his face as he exhaled heavily. It warmed her to know he’d hoped she would stay.

  She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I’ll stay, but that doesn’t mean we can spend all our time in bed.”

  “A majority of it?”

  Orianna chuckled, then moaned when his hand snuck beneath the blankets and curled around her breast.

  “We’re meeting with Barin,” she reminded him.

  “The male can wait.”

  “For?”

  Eclipse slid down the bed, his head and the rest of him disappearing beneath the blankets.

  “Oh, God,” she groaned as his mouth settled between her thighs.

  Yeah. He could wait.

  Hell, everything could wait.

  By the time Eclipse made it down to the war room, the nightly patrol had already left. He probably would’ve joined them, but he wanted to be there when Orianna met with Barin. The male had agreed—under duress, mind you—to come have a sit-down with Eclipse’s amsouelot. It wasn’t standard protocol for guardian angels to meet with those they’d sworn to watch over, but in this case, Eclipse figured Orianna deserved to hear it for herself.

  “What time’s Barin showing up?” Miklós asked, getting to his feet and tucking his laptop under his arm.

  “He didn’t tell me. Why?”

  Miklós met his eyes. “I’ve got a lead on one of the sister’s previous residences.”

  Eclipse raised one eyebrow, urging him to continue.

  “I thought maybe you’d want to take a field trip.”

  “She won’t let me go without her,” he informed his lieterra. And the thought of her out there while those traitorous vampires still walked the streets did not sit well with him.

  “I’ll come with you,” Miklós offered.

  “Where?”

  “About a forty-five-minute drive from here. I dug up some information on an apartment her father had leased. He abandoned the place and they’ve yet to clean it out. Word is there had been a young female staying there with him. Description matches Amber.”

  “Have you told Orianna?”

  “Not yet.”

  Eclipse considered it. If he didn’t relay this information to his amsouelot, he feared she would hate him for it. And since he had no reason not to, aside from the fact he feared for her safety, Eclipse knew he couldn’t hold back.

  “Fine. I’ll let her know, but I want Magnar along for the ride.”

  Miklós nodded. “I’ll gas up the Range Rover, meet you in the garage. Say half an hour.”

  He offered his lieterra a quick nod, then vanished, reforming just outside the third-floor conference room, where he knew Orianna was still working on finding her sister. When he strolled in, her eyes lifted, and a smile formed.

  “Hey. I thought you’d be out tonight.”

  “I was going to, but something came up.”

  Orianna leaned back in her chair and regarded him. “Something that involves me?”

  The heat he saw in her eyes was tempting, but Eclipse managed to refrain. Sexing her up right now was the best idea he’d ever had, but as was always the case, they were battling daylight, which meant they had to get out there and back before they risked being trapped by the sun’s deadly rays.

  “Miklós found a lead on one of Amber’s last known addresses. Thought we’d head up there, check it out.”

  She shot to her feet. “We?”

  “You, me, Miklós, and Magnar.”

  As she approached, Eclipse realized there were tears in her eyes. Instinct had him reaching for her, cupping her cheek.

  “What’s wrong, sezari?”

  “Nothing. It’s just … it’s been a long time since I’ve had a legitimate lead.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up just yet. We’re just going to check it out.”

  She nodded. “When do we leave?”

  “Now.”

  As he led her to their private quarters so he could weapon up and get her into something warmer, Eclipse relayed the information as he’d heard it from Miklós.

  “What about Barin?” she asked, referring to the guardian angel.

  “He didn’t give me a time frame, but I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave until you’ve had a chance to talk to him.”

  She smiled. “You’re gonna hold a guardian angel hostage?”

  “If that’s what it takes, yeah.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were pulling out of the garage, Miklós behind the wheel, Magnar riding shotgun, and Eclipse and Orianna in the back seat. The conversation shifted from the mission to the weather, with Miklós easily carrying on with Orianna as though they were best friends.

  Eclipse watched his lieterra, noticing the way Miklós continuously peered back at her in the rearview as he spoke. For some reason, that made him smile. Knowing the most important male in Eclipse’s life had become close to Orianna made him relax a bit. He knew Miklós would ensure she was protected in the event something happened. He knew the same was the case with Magnar, but the ladeare was tasked with watching Eclipse’s back at all times, which meant Orianna wouldn’t be his main priority, no matter what Eclipse instructed.

  “When we get there, Magnar and I will go in to check it out. Once I give the signal, you can bring her in,” Eclipse told Miklós.

  “Of course.”

  “If you sense anyone approaching, I want her back here, immediately.” It wasn’t his first preference, but the Range Rover was moveable as well as bulletproof, therefore, it was their best option.

  Miklós met his eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded.

  The sound of a magazine being ejected and reinserted was the only sound as they pulled into the parking lot. Magnar always gave his weapon a once-over even though he’d probably done the same back in the garage.

  “Apartment two-A,” Miklós instructed as he pulled into a parking space.

  Eclipse leaned over and pressed his lips to Orianna’s. “You stay with him at all times. Understand?”

  “Yes.”

  Without looking back, he climbed out of the SUV at the same time Magnar did, then the two of them blended into the night, slipping around the building toward the rust-colored stairs he’d noted when they pulled in. The place wasn’t so much a complex as it was a couple of ratty buildings dissected into four units in each. The stench of garbage from the Dumpster wafted over as they headed up the stairs, Magnar watching his six, while Eclipse kept his hand on his Glock, keeping it lowered so as not to draw attention.

  A curtain pulled back on the window of the first apartment they came to. A set of eyes peered out but then disappeared, scanning right through them as Eclipse shielded them from view.

  When they were both on the second-floor landing, Eclipse nodded to Magnar.

  The door lock was a joke, the thing slipping free with minimal effort of the mind. Once inside, Magnar went toward the single bedroom at the back while Eclipse detoured through the kitchen. A quick scan of all hiding spots resulted in nothing, which was exactly what they’d hoped for.

  Clear, he told Miklós.

  “Keep the lights off,” Eclipse instructed Magnar when the male joined him in the living room.

  “Copy that.”

  Two minutes later, Miklós followed Orianna into the space, the male holding his weapon at his side as he locked the door behind them.

  Eclipse removed his shades, his eyes providing plenty of light to see by.

  “They haven’t cleaned out the place,” Orianna noted.

  “No. From what I can tell, he abandoned it not too long ago,” Miklós explained. “Whatever’s here, he left behind.”

  “A month ago? Was Amber with him then?”

  Miklós shook his head. “No. But she had stayed here at one point, left, came back.
Word is he left for a while, too, but came back, rented the place again, but only stayed for a couple of weeks that time.”

  Orianna nodded, heading for a pile of mail sitting on the scarred laminate counter. She skimmed briefly, tossed it aside, and moved into the kitchen. Eclipse watched her, hating the disappointment that replaced her hope. There was nothing here that would tell them anything about Amber’s most recent whereabouts or what she’d been up to on her journey, but he got the feeling it was the closest she’d been to her sister in a while.

  By the time Orianna finished checking every nook and cranny, half an hour had passed. While that wasn’t a long time, in Eclipse’s book it was an eternity. They had no idea where those vampires were or their motivations. It was very likely they’d been keeping an eye on the outskirts of Darkness, waiting for them to emerge. To hope they’d given up was too much to ask considering the demons were intent on eliminating the amsouelots and the bounty was probably high. A traitorous vampire would likely have plenty of patience.

  “We ready to head out?” Miklós asked Orianna.

  She nodded, her eyes scanning the floor as though hoping something would be there.

  “You two clear the way,” Eclipse instructed the two males. “I’ll bring her down when you give the all clear.”

  Miklós nodded, then led the way out the door. The lock engaged upon their exit.

  “I’m sorry there’s not more here,” he told Orianna, pulling her into his arms, wishing like hell he could eliminate the pain she was feeling.

  “I didn’t think there would be,” she said softly. “But hope’s all I’ve had for so long. Never any luck, though.”

  “We’ll find her, I promise.”

  “If we can’t? At what point do I give up?”

  Eclipse hugged her to his body. The question was rhetorical, he knew. Orianna wasn’t the sort to give up. Closure was what she needed. Something to confirm the search for Amber was no longer necessary. He understood that need. Through the centuries, Eclipse had moved forward with only one purpose. He knew he would one day find the love who would complete him. Never had he questioned how long the mission would take because it didn’t matter. The only thing that did was getting to that moment when his amsouelot would be with him. When Michael had revealed the danger that had come to the females slated as theirs, that mission had changed altogether. Even now that Orianna was with him, he knew she wasn’t completely safe. Wouldn’t be until he made the ultimate sacrifice.

  But until the time came when he could wrap his head around that, Eclipse vowed to protect her and to make her happy, regardless of the mission. She was his end goal, always had been, always would be.

  All clear, Miklós’s voice sounded in his head.

  “Let’s get back to the mansion so we can meet with Barin. Maybe he’ll have some better news.”

  Orianna wiped her eyes as she pulled away.

  “We won’t give up,” he promised her.

  This was only the beginning of their journey together. He had no intentions of letting her down. Not now, not ever.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  There was no denying Orianna was disappointed.

  Unfortunately, it was a feeling she was all too familiar with.

  However, it helped that she wasn’t the only one feeling the letdown. Though they kept their expressions blank, she could tell Miklós and Eclipse had both hoped they would find something. She hadn’t had that before. No one to go with her to even look, so that was one positive to come out of this. Meeting Eclipse had changed everything. Since their paths had crossed, Orianna had stopped being alone.

  Granted, at the moment, she sort of wished she was. Not completely alone, but some privacy with Eclipse would work. As they rode in the back seat of the Range Rover, her body was warming, and it had nothing to do with the heat from the vents blowing back on them. Nope, this was a sensual heat that stirred in her womb and radiated outward. It wasn’t unfamiliar because she’d felt it numerous times since she met Eclipse, but from time to time it would creep up on her. Even now, at the most inopportune time.

  As though she’d summoned him with her thoughts, Eclipse’s head turned toward her. Those dark glasses shielded his eyes, but she knew he was peering into her mind.

  A soft groan was his response as his hand rested on her thigh, squeezing gently. It was his reassurance that he was feeling the same thing she was.

  Twenty minutes.

  She smiled as his voice sounded in her head. Twenty minutes seemed like an eternity. Every rotation of the tires had heat blooming hotter, deeper. She kept her gaze trained out the window, watching the night pass by in a blur. It did little to stave off the building desire, even as she tried to understand why now. Why here? They weren’t alone, and she’d just wandered through an apartment that had once belonged to her father and possibly her sister. Nothing about this situation should’ve had her wanting Eclipse, yet there was no denying it.

  By the time the world disappeared into an endless blackness, Orianna was gritting her teeth and trying not to rub her thighs together. Another few minutes and they were pulling into the garage. She was trying to figure out how she was going to make it up to Eclipse’s room when he barked out a clipped command for Miklós and Magnar to leave them.

  No sooner had the front doors shut than Eclipse had her in his arms. He pulled her across the seat, positioning her so that she was straddling his thighs in the cramped back seat. Orianna crushed her mouth to his as his big hands snaked beneath her sweater, palming her breasts roughly. She whimpered and moaned, grinding her hips down to increase the friction where she needed it.

  “Not enough room,” she complained.

  He released one of her breasts, the door opened, and then he was lifting her out, his hand palming her ass as he held her to him. Orianna clung to him as he headed for the elevator. The thought of those torturous few minutes it would take to get upstairs had her whimpering again.

  “Here,” she insisted.

  Eclipse growled softly, a sexy sound that had her core clenching, the emptiness inside her desperate for him.

  Her backside met the hard surface of one of the work benches, but it didn’t last long. Some twisting and maneuvering ensued as Eclipse yanked her leggings down. Trapped in her own clothing, Orianna laughed, then proceeded to free one of her legs even as she tugged at Eclipse’s shirt with the other, not allowing him to get too far away. When their bodies came together the next time, heat exploded within her. During the melee, he’d freed his erection and wasted no time pushing inside her.

  She grunted as the penetration stole her breath, a scorching heat following close behind as she orgasmed from the exquisite contact.

  “Fuck,” Eclipse groaned before crushing his mouth to hers.

  The kiss was punishing, but the way he filled her was perfection. Orianna clung to him as he took her right there in the garage. There was no finesse as she raced headlong into another orgasm. Each one dragged a ragged, desperate groan from Eclipse, had him thrusting harder, deeper, faster, as though her release was his only objective. One after another, her climaxes ignited the flames between them until they were consumed by the obliterating inevitability.

  “Eclipse!” Orianna’s head fell back as a mind-numbing release slammed into her, an explosion unlike anything she’d ever felt rocked her to her core, decimating her atomic makeup and pulling her back together at the same time.

  The sound that escaped Eclipse could’ve been her name or a series of curse words. Not that it mattered, because his hips drove forward one final time, his fingers digging into her flesh as he jerked her toward him. That sensation of him spilling deep inside her triggered another quake, leaving her trembling in his arms, attempting to catch her breath.

  Thankfully, he took over from there.

  “Bed, now,” he mumbled against her ear.

  “You won’t hear me complaining,” she slurred, resting her head on his shoulder as the elevator door sealed them into the small space. />
  Two hours later, after he and Orianna had made their way back down to the kitchen and indulged in ham and provolone sandwiches, his amsouelot had hinted that she wanted to take a nap. Figuring the emotional drain was taking its toll, Eclipse had sent her back up to their room and went in search of Obsidian. He found his brother in the war room, along with Miklós, Søren, and Zadok, who was still at the mansion while Taayin filled in for him covering Cimmerian’s ass.

  “Looks like trouble,” Eclipse teased when he joined the males. “What’s going on here?”

  “We just got word Perfidious is out and about.”

  Well, didn’t that just put a damper on his good mood.

  The demon had gone to ground for weeks, so it was surprising, not to mention disappointing, to hear he was making an appearance. Of course, Eclipse had to wonder about the timing considering they’d slipped Orianna out of the mansion only a few hours ago and this was the first sighting in quite some time. Coincidence?

  “Where’s he at?”

  “That’s the bad—”

  “Remember the female at the club?” Kaj asked, his voice coming from behind him.

  The interruption had Eclipse turning in time to see the vampire approaching, eyes hard.

  “I remember.”

  “She’s been working with Sirius.”

  A burning anger ripped through Eclipse’s veins at the news. “So you do have traitors in your ranks?”

  “Trust me,” Kaj said, his voice a low growl, “my ranks are secure. It’s the civilians who are working with the demons.”

  Eclipse wasn’t so sure that was the case, but he held his tongue.

  “What’s being done about it?” Obsidian asked, getting to his feet and coming to join them.

  “Darko’s got quite the collection,” the vampire said. “They’re being kept in the dungeon.”

  “At a club where you bring humans?” Eclipse snapped. His anger needed an outlet, and this male was the three-prong equivalent that would get the brunt of it.

  Kaj shook his head. “Beneath the club. An actual dungeon.”

  “And you’re telling me you didn’t know they were there?” Eclipse found that difficult to believe.