Dark Gift

by Kim Richardson

  Sighing, I turned to Gareth. “Where’s my car?”

  The elf shrugged. “Probably still where you last parked it.”

  Crap. It wasn’t ideal, but I could still get Gareth to drive me out there in his truck. Obviously, I needed to be in better shape than this wobbling mess to go anywhere. And I couldn’t wait for my body to heal. “Can you give me something for the pain?” I had a feeling Gareth had some magic elf dust to numb the pain stashed somewhere.

  A muscle feathered along the elf’s jaw. “Yes.” Anger colored his face. “But only if you’ll eat some of my soup.”

  “Fine.” I was starving. The smell of cooking sent my mouth watering so much I was practically a drooling Saint Bernard.

  “Two bowls.” Concern and anger were heavy on Gareth as he stood and looked down at me.

  I let out an exasperated breath. “Fine. I’ll have two bowls of your damn soup. Okay? Now, can you give me something for the pain?” Before I collapse and make a fool out of myself.

  I looked at the worry on the elf’s face and guilt hit me hard. I just wasn’t used to someone caring for me. Not if you didn’t count Gran and Tyrius.

  Gareth turned on his heel and disappeared through the doorway. I heard his apartment door open and the sounds of his boots thumping down the stairs. He was going into his shop.

  I didn’t have time to think about why his touch had sent my heart into overdrive.

  All that mattered right now was finding Danto before Ethan blasted him with his dark magic.

  And I was running out of time.

  25

  Going after a group of Unmarked blessed with dark magic while my body wasn’t healed wasn’t smart. In fact, it was downright stupid.

  Yup, I’ve done my share of stupid things in my life. Having a one-night-stand with a male witch, whose face I couldn’t remember for the life of me anymore or his name, was one. I’d even thrown myself out of a moving car to take on a pack of gremlins single-handedly. That was another.

  But this one was at the top of my stupid list.

  When Danto didn’t pick up or return any of my twenty-two phone calls, I knew something was up. Thinking the worst, I was a mess. What if he was already dead?

  I shook the morbid thought out of my head. I couldn’t abandon my friend to these monsters, especially since these monsters were a twisted version of my half-siblings.

  After downing two bowls of Gareth’s miracle chicken soup, I felt marginally better. But it wasn’t until he gave me a cup of some purple herbal tea, which tasted like bubble gum, that I felt almost like my old self again. Whatever was in that tea numbed the pain in my body, replenished it, and gave me some of my strength back.

  Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, Gareth drove me back to the South Bronx to my car, which was in the exact same spot I’d parked it. I was so happy to see my car that the sight of the parking ticket stuck to my windshield didn’t even bother me. Hell, it even made me smile.

  With the two cats having joined me in my subbie, I drove south to New York City, to Danto’s vampire club, Gareth following behind me in his truck.

  It was dark by the time we made it to V-Lounge in Greenwich Village, Danto’s vampire club. I pulled my car up on West Houston Street and parked at the curb, Gareth right behind me in his blue truck. My heart pounded with a combination of both excitement and fear. I didn’t want anything to happen to Danto, but I was looking forward to kicking Ethan’s ass.

  Since losing my beloved death blade and now being all out of soul blades, Gareth had surprised me with two daggers and a short sword before we left.

  I checked the sword now, strapped to my weapons belt. It was beautiful. The handle was a carved eagle head, and the blade was silver with elegant, elvish lettering embellishing the blade. It was larger than a soul blade, but nearly as light. The polished blade gleamed in the soft light of the car. It looked like it belonged in a private collection of antique weapons. I hoped I didn’t lose it.

  “Let’s go,” I told the cats. I didn’t bother telling Tyrius and Kora to stay put. I knew they wouldn’t listen. Having two baal demons as backup was more than enough. I hope.

  I opened the door and got out, the two cats landing on the cement sidewalk next to my Subaru. The street was dark and deserted. Traffic hummed a few streets away, but I couldn’t see any humans or half-breeds, which was unusual for a clear night.

  The sound of a car door slamming pulled my attention behind me as Gareth moved forward, looking mysterious and foreboding in his long dark coat and fedora. Not to mention sexy.

  It didn’t help that the elf wasn’t meeting my gaze. He was angry and worried—worried most of all.

  From nowhere the memory of his hand pressed against my waist, the feel of his touch just a few hours ago, layered itself over my thoughts. From what I knew, he was a bachelor, though extremely secretive. I still doubted he wanted to show me his magic even though he’d seemingly agreed to it. And yet, I couldn’t shake that feeling of my heart thudding against my chest at his touch, at his nearness. It had been nice, better than nice.

  Not to mention having seen him in a t-shirt and jeans, barely covering what I knew was a tight body underneath, was somewhat distracting.

  I forced the thoughts out of my head as he came to a halt next to me.

  “You look better,” he said, though the purse of his lips said otherwise.

  “Good enough.” I looked down at the cats. “Tyrius. Kora. You ready?”

  Tyrius lowered his brows. “Ready to party on Ethan’s ass like it’s his birthday,” he said, and I laughed.

  I knelt down and Tyrius leaped to my shoulders, perching around my neck in his usual cat-scarf position. Following my example, Gareth did the same, and Kora sprang onto the elf’s shoulders and settled on his left shoulder, looking like she’d always belonged up there with him. Despite being angry with me, Gareth smiled, clearly pleased to have a baal demon accompanying him.

  Our eyes met, and for a beat, we just stared at each other openly. His eyes widened suddenly and then his expression became hard. He turned his head, leaving me wondering what he’d seen on my face. What the hell was that?

  “Let’s move, people,” said Tyrius, and I pulled my eyes away from the elf. “I’m getting all tingly just thinking of getting my claws into Ethan.”

  “We don’t know he’s there,” said Gareth, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets.

  I exhaled heavily. “I don’t care if he is or isn’t. I just want to make sure Danto’s okay,” I said, my voice surprisingly firm, though my chest felt like it was caving in on itself. Please be okay.

  Together we crossed the street, my boots clanking loudly on the pavement while Gareth’s tread was silent, like he was wearing slippers instead of thick motorcycle like boots. He had the stealth of a faerie.

  We made for the red door, the only one that color along a row of several cramped, unremarkable gray buildings that anyone would have passed without even a glance, though the illuminated sign with the name V-Lounge in red lights would have made anyone stop and look.

  I didn’t know what to expect once inside the club. The last time I’d been at the club was with Jax, and things hadn’t ended well since the idiot had attacked a vampire. We’d barely made it out alive, and that was because I had hauled his stupid ass out. He couldn’t even handle himself with a few vamps. I don’t know what I ever saw in that guy.

  But it also meant we might be facing a mob of angry vampires once inside their club.

  “So, what’s the plan?” came Tyrius’s voice next to my ear, his whiskers tickling my neck.

  I took a breath. “The plan is, they touch us and they get punched.”

  “Good plan.”

  The truth was, I had no plan except to save Danto and to not get killed in the process. I had a feeling it was going to suck, but right now I didn’t have much of a choice.

  I pulled open the door and walked in. A tide of loud music came crashing over me as I held the door open for Gare
th. The club was exactly how I’d remembered it—hot, stinking of cigarette smoke, booze and the familiar stench of sour milk mixed with old blood that all vamps gave off.

  We moved down the hallway where it opened up into a larger room. Red lights flashed and swayed in synchronicity over a small dance floor. The pull of darkness prickled over my skin, but it was weak. My gaze traveling the length of the club, I spotted only a dozen or so vamps, some sprawled on red couches and only a handful sitting at the bar. Their glasses were filled with red liquid, which I highly doubted was wine.

  They looked up as we entered, and their black eyes said they were ready for anything. Their nostrils flared as we neared, taking in the scent of our blood. Yikes.

  My skin tightened. Something was wrong.

  “Where are all the two-legged leaches?” came Tyrius’s voice against my ear. “This club is always packed. Is the local blood bank having an all-you-can-drink special we don’t know about?”

  “I don’t know. This is strange.” Fear shot through me, prickling over my skin like a hundred vampire bites, and I moved faster towards the back of the club.

  I turned to look at Gareth, his face tight in the shadow of his fedora. “Lead the way,” he said, hands in his coat, looking ready to do some elf dust damage.

  We passed the bar and made our way across the dance floor to the door behind the DJ booth where Danto kept his private lounge and office.

  There was a blur, my skin pricked, and then a big black vampire appeared from the shadows. I recognized him immediately. He might have looked like a werewolf, but he smelled like a vamp. It was the same massive vamp Jax had stabbed, but not killed. As thick as two grown men, his ebony skin helped him blend in with the shadows.

  The big vamp stood in my way, crossing his arms the size of tree trunks over his hard chest.

  Stifling down my annoyance, I stepped closer until I got right in his face. “You remember me. Don’t you? I can see it in your eyes.”

  Red light reflected off the bald vamp’s head. “Maybe,” he answered, his voice guttural and sounding like if a bear could speak English.

  “Is Danto here?” I asked speaking fast, hopping from foot to foot like I needed to pee. “Is he here?” I repeated when he didn’t answer, my voice loud over the music.

  The vampire frowned. “Maybe.”

  A flicker of hope went through me. “I need to speak to him.” I propped myself up on my toes, trying to spy the door behind the giant vamp. He’s alive! Danto is alive!

  I could feel the relief flowing out of me in waves. Danto was alive. He was all right.

  “You can’t,” said the large vampire, and my mood soured immediately. “The club’s closed for tonight. Only staff members allowed.”

  “Really? So how did we get in then, you giant tick?” came Tyrius’s voice and the vampire looked at him like he was a bug on my shoulder that he wanted to squish.

  The vampire lowered his gaze on me. “He’s in a private meeting. Come back later.”

  “Later? He might be dead later,” I said, belligerently. I realized that was the wrong thing to say when the vamp uncrossed his arms, looking like he was about to tackle me or bite my head off. Worse was when his eyes went black and sharp talons sprouted from his fingers. Damn. I wanted to kick myself.

  “Danto considers us as family,” said Tyrius loudly, getting the vamp’s attention back on him. “You don’t let us in, and you’ll be out of a job. So, suck it, twilight,” said the cat, and Gareth snickered.

  “That’s not helping, Tyrius,” I said under my breath, though I realized I felt the same. Danto was my family. And I was going to protect him, no matter what. Now, if only I could get past the giant vamp without a fight, we were golden.

  “Like I said,” growled the vampire. “The club’s closed.”

  “We’re wasting time,” mewed Tyrius. “Dust him, Gareth.”

  I felt Gareth move next to me and I shot my arm out. I grabbed his elbow and pulled him back, giving him a “wait” look with my eyes. The elf shrugged, looking like it was no big deal to use his elf magic on the vampire. I just didn’t know what kind of magic it was.

  But I had one more card to play.

  Letting go of Gareth, I turned to the vampire who’d seen our exchange and was looking at Gareth with barely controlled fury. I shifted my weight and said, “What’s your name?”

  “I like where you’re going with this,” whispered Tyrius.

  The vampire narrowed his eyes and said, “Samuel.”

  “Samuel,” I repeated, giving him a tight smile. “Danto’s life is in danger,” I pressed, trying to calm my voice. “Please, Samuel. I wouldn’t come here if it wasn’t important.” I searched the vampire’s face, but it was empty of emotion. “You can come with us if you don’t believe me. I just want to talk to him.” I didn’t want to hurt the vampire, but if he wasn’t going to let us pass in the next five seconds, Gareth was going to dust him.

  Samuel looked from Gareth to me, unknown thoughts making his jaw clench as a dangerous light caught in his black eyes. He said nothing as he turned around and we quickly followed him.

  The big vamp opened the door and we darted inside a lounge-like room I remembered well with red carpets, red sofas with plush black pillows and long, black velvet drapes.

  Heart pounding, I looked around the room for Danto, my eyes darting past blurred out faces lounging on the plush sofas and chairs. Their attention narrowed in on us as we entered, but I barely took notice as my eyes found my friend.

  My breath caught. Danto sat at the edge of a chair next to the fireplace, his head in his hands. His long black hair gleamed like oil, offsetting his pale skin and leaving his face in shadow. I hadn’t seen him in months, but he was still as mesmerizing and beautiful as always, like the Gods of the Netherworld had sculpted him to perfection. And yet he looked... sad?

  And standing next to him, an arm resting on the fireplace mantle was Ethan.

  26

  Danto looked up at the sound of our approach, his gray eyes fixated on me, and I didn’t understand the shock that played behind them.

  “Rowyn?” The vampire shot to his feet, his toes splayed against the marble floors. Everything about the vampire radiated sensual beauty and grace, the lethal kind. But the pain in his face had my chest squeezing.

  Samuel moved to stay next to the door, standing with his arms crossed like a bodyguard. I noticed that he hadn’t closed it.

  My eyes traveled back to the blurred faces that were not so blurry anymore. Hannah, the tall Unmarked was sitting on one of the red couches between her two brothers, Baldy and Lanky, looking stiff and uptight, clearly not happy to be in a vampire lounge. The only Unmarked who seemed to be enjoying herself was the goth one. Wearing a similar leather outfit, she was sprawled in the armchair next to Danto, her legs over one of the armrests, playing with one of her curved daggers. She looked up at me and gave me a huge smile.

  Last, but not least, was the way Ethan was watching me. His face was calm but the hatred was there.

  The bastards were all here.

  “Is that them?” asked Tyrius, his voice barely containing his growl.

  “Yup,” I answered, and I felt the sting of his nails biting into my shoulders. I’d hoped to get to Danto before they showed up. Them being here now was a complication.

  Danto’s face creased in confusion. “They told me you were dead,” he said as he made his way forward. Dressed in his signature black pants, red light illuminated his muscular bare chest and porcelain-like skin. My throat welled as I recognized the pain in his eyes. The loss of Cindy was there all over again. Bastards. They were going to pay for this.

  I knew “they” were the Unmarked. “They lied,” I answered.

  “Lying bastards!” echoed Tyrius, making me smile.

  I gave Ethan my best pageant smile, cocked a hip and said, “Hello, little brother.”

  Ethan pushed off the mantle very slowly, his rage obvious as his drink shook in his right hand.
Red spots marred his otherwise pale face. His steps were slow, one hand was behind his back, and the glint of hatred in his eyes matched the snarl on his face.

  “I see now what you did,” I told Ethan. “Why you hadn’t killed him yet. You made sure Danto thought I was dead because you knew you couldn’t fight off all the vamps in his club. You knew he’d shut it down. So you waited. Waited to get him when he was alone and vulnerable. You coward.”

  Gareth shifted his feet next to me, and I jerked, tense. I heard the soft scrape of boots on granite floors as the other three Unmarked moved to their feet, all except for goth girl who was chewing her gum and looking like we were her paid entertainment. Too bad she was on the wrong side. I kind of liked her.

  The tension started to rise, and my gaze broke from goth girl to Danto. I needed to get to him. My pulse pounded and I held my breath.

  But then Ethan returned my smile, his head cocked in challenge and simply said, “Layla.”

  Goth girl sprang to her feet, moving like a burst of wind, and the next thing I knew she had Danto by the neck, her blade pressed against his skin. Danto froze, his eyes on me, and I could see the raging storm of fury behind them.

  I snarled, heat pumping into my limbs at the sight of a trickle of blood from where Layla pressed her blade into Danto’s neck.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I threatened.

  And then hell came down on V-Lounge.

  “Shotgun on Ethan Hawke!” shouted Tyrius as he sprang from my shoulder, glowing with an internal light. I averted my eyes at the sudden shining blur too bright to look at. And when I looked back, a giant three-hundred-pound black panther stood next to me.

  Half a second later, a roar thundered to my left. I turned around and my mouth dropped. I goggled at the white panther. Kora. Kora’s alter ego was a white panther, her fur silky and snow white. She was smaller than Tyrius, but she was just as scary. Intelligent yellow eyes watched the scene. She was magnificent and terrifying.

  I caught Gareth’s eye and he beamed, looking way too excited. Damn. This was going to be fun.