“I’ve already figured out there’s nowhere I can run,” she retorted. “At least not anywhere that some demon or other won’t track me down, but for right now I just want some time to think.”
With unsteady steps she walked toward the car she had stolen, half expecting Salvatore to reach out and halt her as she passed his slender body.
Thankfully his ability to sense her every mood halted any arrogant attempt to threaten or bully her.
Smart wolf.
She was on edge enough that she might very well bolt as far and as fast as she could go if he so much as looked at her wrong.
After slipping into the car, she started the engine and prepared to drive away.
Without warning, her door was opened and Salva tore tossed a large bag into her lap.
“Don’t forget your lunch,” he said before she could protest. “And realize, cara, that while I am willing to be patient for now, there will come a time when you must fulfill your destiny.”
“And you must remember, Salvatore, that my destiny is precisely that. Mine. And it will be fulfilled how I decide to fulfill it.”
Her salvo delivered, she snapped the door shut and backed out of the park with a squeal of her tires.
Well, actually they weren’t her tires, she acknowledged with a short, hysterical laugh.
She did, after all, steal the car.
She could only hope the cops weren’t on her trail.
Her trail was quite filled enough, thank you.
Chapter Fifteen
It was nothing short of a sin to claim the crumbling pile of bricks and sagging roof was a rooming house. Although there had been a few pathetic attempts to slap paint on the walls and cover the threadbare carpets with throw rugs, the only thing that could improve the place was a bulldozer.
But, despite the fact that the squalid room could boast nothing more than a narrow bed and a broken TV, it was marginally warmer than sleeping on the street, and for the moment, it was demon free.
Huddled next to the radiator, which spit out a grudging warmth, Darcy nibbled on the salad she had discovered in the bag that Salvatore had tossed into her lap and attempted to put her scattered thoughts in order.
Yeah right. How did you straighten out thoughts that were a muddy, tumbled, confused mess?
All she had wanted was to discover the truth of her past.
Simple and straightforward.
Ha.
If Salvatore was to be trusted, which was a stretch she wasn’t yet willing to take, then the truth of her past was that her mother was a werewolf with a number of lovers, and she had given birth to a litter of four babies. Babies who had promptly been stolen and sold on the black market.
It was a plot that only Hollywood could inspire.
Jeez. After the past few hours, she was terrified to even consider the thought of who (or what) her father might be.
Or, how she had been supposedly sold on the black market only to end up in an endless series of foster homes.
It was enough to make any poor woman’s head ache.
And throb.
And… buzz?
Darcy dropped her salad, then pressed her hands to her forehead, battling the sudden sense that a black hole was forming in the middle of her brain.
“Darcy.” Darcy gave a small shriek as the insistent voice echoed through her head. “Sacre bleu, I know you can hear me,” the voice growled.
“Levet?” she breathed.
‘Oui.’
“Cripes, I’m losing my mind,” she said, her voice un naturally loud in the empty room.
“Non, your mind is not lost,” the gargoyle assured her. “I am speaking to you with a portal.”
Ridiculous, of course. She gave a shake of her head. The tiny demon wasn’t actually inside her skull.
Or at least she hoped not.
At this point she was willing to believe anything.
“A what?”
“A portal,” he said, a hint of impatience in his voice. “And while my magic is quite formidable, and the fear of demons far and wide, there have been a tiny few occasions when it hasn’t gone exactly as planned, most no tably when I opened a portal and managed to release the most annoying sprite. Of course, she was beautiful, and attired in the most revealing… never mind. My point is that we need to do this quickly.”
“So this is…” She struggled to think what this actually was. “Magic?”
“Of course.” There was a brief pause. “Where are you, ma cherie? “
Despite the shock of having a real (at least she hoped it was real) voice speaking in her head, Darcy wasn’t feeling particularly stupid.
“Oh no. I don’t want Styx tracking me down,” she said. “Not yet.”
“Styx is still safely tucked in his coffin. It is Shay who asked me to contact you.”
His words caught her off guard. “Why?”
“She is concerned.”
“She is also the mate of Viper,” Darcy pointed out dryly.
“Mate, oui, but she possesses a mind of her own and she is very worried about you.”
Darcy felt her heart warm. She wasn’t used to having anyone worry over her.
Still, she would never want to cause a rift between Shay and her mate.
“Tell her thanks, but there is no need. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
“Bah. You haven’t been up against a pack of werewolves and determined vampires. You need somewhere safe to stay.” There was a short pause. “And Shay wishes to remind you that nothing would please her more than annoying the oh-so-arrogant Styx.”
Darcy couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Shay enjoyed taking occasional jabs at the master vampire.
And in truth, it might help to talk with someone else.
At the moment she wasn’t certain she would ever be able to sort through her tangled thoughts on her own.
She needed a friend. A heater that actually worked. And a large dose of chocolate.
In that order.
“Okay. Tell me where to meet you.”
—
Styx was pacing the floor well before sunset and on the hunt for Darcy before it was barely dark enough to travel in safety. He might even have gone sooner if Viper hadn’t remained at the estate to rest during the day and threatened to have him shackled to the wall if he tried anything stupid.
The silver-haired vampire had proven to be a valuable friend over the past few days, but there were times when his determination to be logical was wearing on Styx’s nerves.
After commanding his Ravens to remain at the estate in case Darcy returned, Styx and Viper returned to the warehouse and followed the faint trail through Chicago to a small, secluded park, where they halted to inspect the trampled snow.
“She was here,” Viper announced the obvious. “And not alone.”
“No.” Styx clenched his hands as the sweet scent of Darcy wrapped about him. It might have been hours since she had stood in the park, but the very essence of her remained. Along with a far less delightful odor. “Salvatore and a damn cur were here as well.”
There doesn’t seem to be any sign of a struggle and no scent of blood,” Viper soothed. The encounter was obviously peaceful, and just as obviously they left in separate directions.”
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t together now,” Styx growled, pacing over the snow as he studied the tracks. Salvatore had stood close to Darcy. Close enough to touch her. Damn the dog. “What the hell does he want with her?”
“A good question.” Viper moved to his side. “Unfortunately, for the first time in centuries, I’m at a loss for an answer. Amazing, is it not?”
“Amazing,” Styx agreed dryly.
“For now, I think we should concentrate on tracking down Darcy.”
Viper was right, dammit all.
Just as he had been right about Darcy’s reaction to his attempt to alter her memories.
His arrogance had led directly to this current disa
ster.
“By the gods, this is my fault. If I hadn’t…” Styx shook his head in self-disgust. “I have driven her out here. Now she is alone and at the mercy of Salvatore and his Weres.”
Viper clapped him on the shoulder. “I doubt she is completely helpless, old companion. You said yourself that you suspected she was more than human, and she did manage to kick at least one werewolf’s furry ass.”
“The Were was a mere cur and barely old enough to be let off the leash.” His gaze shifted to the darkness that cloaked about them. He could feel the pulse and energy1 of the night swirl around him. It was a power, and a danger, that Darcy had yet to comprehend. “Darcy would be no match for a pureblood.”
“Take it easy, Styx.” The hand on Styx’s shoulder became more a vise than a source of comfort, as if Viper sensed Styx’s barely restrained need to rush into the night and tear the city apart in his search for his angel. “So far it seems that Salvatore has no intention of harming the young woman. In fact, I would say that he is as anxious to protect her as you are yourself.”
“Ah yes, and I have done such a brilliant job of protecting her,” Styx said in a biting tone. “I might as well have tossed her into Salvatore’s waiting arms.”
“Very dramatic, but hardly accurate. You simply did what you thought was best.”
“The best for me.”
“And what you thought best for all vampires?” Viper demanded.
Styx gave an impatient wave of his hand. “Yes, of course.”
“ Then what do you have to feel guilty over?”
“Damn you, Viper—” Styx began, only to come to a halt as he caught the unmistakable scent of vampire. “Someone is near.”
Viper sniffed the air before a smile touched his face. “Ah, Santiago.”
“What is he doing here?”
“He happens to be the finest tracker I have ever known,” Viper explained, with a sudden smile. “Santiago can find Darcy, no matter how far or fast she has run.”
—
The neighborhood on the outskirts of Chicago couldn’t have been more different from the narrow, dingy streets Darcy had just left behind.
It was amazing what a few miles and several million dollars could do.
Here the streets were wide and decorously hushed with vast homes hidden behind high gates and ancient trees.
There wasn’t even a stray leaf to mar the perfection.
Yow.
Still, Darcy was on guard as she parked the sports car on the corner and made her way to the large tree where Levet had directed her to await Shay.
Despite the horror flicks, she had discovered that any number of demons preferred luxurious surroundings rather than dark, narrow alleys.
She wasn’t going to be caught off guard.
Reaching the tree, she wrapped her arms about herself as the cold seemed to seep into her very bones.
Dang.
She would trade her soul for a hot bath.
“Darcy?”
The voice came from directly beside the tree, and Darcy moved into the shadows to discover Shay waiting for her.
“I’m here.”
“Thank god.” Astonishingly the half demon reached out to pull Darcy into a tight hug. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
Feeling strangely awkward at the open display of af fection, Darcy glanced down at her rumpled clothes with a faint grimace.
“Despite appearances, I’m fine.”
“We can easily enough take care of that,” Shay assured her.
“Why are we here?”
Shay tilted her head toward the sprawling mansion down the street.
“We’re actually going there.”
“Wow.” Darcy gave a shaky laugh. “It looks like a palace. Who lives there?”
“It belongs to…” Shay broke off before she heaved a heavy sigh. “Well, hell, I might as well be honest. It belongs to Dante and Abby.”
Darcy rolled her eyes. Did demons invest in every neighborhood in Chicago?
“Let me guess, vampires?”
“Dante is,” Shay confessed. “Abby, on the other hand, is a goddess.”
Darcy sputtered at the ridiculous claim. A goddess living in the suburbs? A soccer goddess?
“Now you’re just yanking my chain.”
“Yanking…?” Shay gave a sudden laugh. “No, I’m afraid not, but I do promise you that Abby doesn’t act like an all-powerful deity. In fact, I predict that you’re going to love her.”
“You’re serious. A goddess?”
“More precisely she carries the spirit of the Phoenix, which is worshipped by many. She is known as the Chalice.”
“Can this possibly get any weirder?” Darcy muttered.
Shay reached out to press a finger to her lips. “The one thing I’ve learned over the past few months is to never, ever say that. It’s like waving a red flag in the face of fate.”
Darcy couldn’t argue with that. “No crap,” she said on a sigh.
With an encouraging smile, Shay took her hand and tugged her deeper into the shadows.
“This way,” she whispered.
“Why are we sneaking around?”
“There are always vampires keeping watch on the estate. They claim that they merely want to protect Dante and his wife, but the truth of the matter is that all demons want to keep track of Abby and the spirit she carries inside her.”
“Why?” Darcy demanded in confusion. “Do they worship her?”
Shay gave a small snort. “Hardly. She’s capable of burning them to a tiny pile of dust with a mere touch. It makes them anxious to know precisely where she might be at any given moment.”
Good choice. That was a heck of a trick.
“And she’s married to a vampire? Is he suicidal?”
“Dante is many things, including the usual traits of a vampire.” Shay ticked off the traits on her fingers. “Arrogant, controlling, possessive, and annoying as hell, but not suicidal. Abby is usually capable of controlling her powers, although there has been a singeing or two.”
Darcy couldn’t help but envy the goddess. She would give a great deal to be able to singe a vampire or two as well.
That was a talent every woman needed.
Glancing toward the seemingly silent estate, Darcy futilely searched for some glimpse of the lurking vampires.
“If the place is being watched by vampires, then how do you expect to slip past them? God knows they can smell us a mile away.”
“I’ve arranged for a small distraction.” Shay smiled with a rather smug anticipation. “Just wait.”
Darcy was about to point out the spectacular stupidity of hanging around waiting for the vampires to track them down when the silent night was abruptly shattered by a deep boom that rattled the windows and sent Darcy tumbling onto her frozen backside.
“Ouch,” she muttered, forcing herself back to her feet. “What was that?”
“Levet.”
“Did he set off a bomb?”
“No, that’s what usually happens when he tries any sort of magic.”
Darcy couldn’t help but laugh. Somehow it didn’t surprise her at all that the tiny gargoyle was prone to magical disasters.
“Something to remember.”
“Exactly.” Shay shifted around one of the towering oaks and then surprisingly reached down to pull a grate off what Darcy could only suspect was a tunnel. “Let’s go.”
“Through there?”
“Trust me,” Shay murmured as she disappeared into the darkness. “And try to keep up. I’m not very fond of dark spaces, and I’d rather get this over with as quickly as possible.”
Darcy followed behind, holding out her hands as the inky black swiftly consumed her. Blast. She didn’t have a problem with tunnels, but she wasn’t particularly fond of running headlong through the thick darkness at breakneck speed. With her luck, she was bound to run into a wall and knock herself senseless.
They traveled in near silence, Shay more silent than Darcy
, until at last they left the tunnel and entered a large basement.
Darcy sighed in relief as toasty air wrapped about her. At the moment she didn’t care if they were in the basement of hell itself as long as it was warm.
The thought had barely passed through her mind when the overhead lights were flipped on and a pretty, dark-haired woman with a stunning pair of light blue eyes moved forward.
“Abby.” Shay moved forward to embrace the slender woman before waving a hand in Darcy’s direction. “This is Darcy Smith.”
“Darcy.” With a charming smile, the woman moved forward to take Darcy’s hand. “You are most welcome to my home.”
Darcy felt a small tingle run through her at the woman’s touch. A sense of power that was unmistakable.
She would remember not to piss the woman off.
“Thank you,” she murmured, resisting the urge to shiver as Abby dropped her hand and turned toward Shay. “Dante’s out searching for Darcy, so we might as well go upstairs, where we’ll be more comfortable.”
Shay gave a small grimace. “Actually, I need to go check on Levet. I hope to God he didn’t manage to singe his wings again. I had to listen to his moans for a week the last time he did that.”
Abby chuckled. “Bring him back here. I’ll order from his favorite Greek restaurant. If anything will divert him from his complaining it is a seven-course meal.”
“Good thinking,” Shay murmured as she headed for the nearby stairs. “Have that food ready.”
The half demon rushed from the room and, feeling oddly strange to be left alone with a genuine goddess, Darcy awkwardly tried to brush the dust from her jeans.
“I’m assuming all vampire lairs have these tunnels?” she asked.
Abby gave a chuckle. “They’re a little obsessive about having dark places to hide in. I suppose I can’t blame them. They are rather flammable in sunlight.”
A portion of her unease faded at Abby’s casual manner. She seemed almost… normal.
Whatever the heck that meant.
“This way.” Abby led the way to the stairs, and together they climbed toward the upper floors. Once in the wide hallway that could have held her entire apartment,
Darcy came to a sharp halt. With a sense of disbelief, she allowed her gaze to travel over the crystal chandelier, which cast a soft glow of light over the priceless paintings and ceramic-tiled floor.
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