The Jewel of Darkness

by J. Annas Walker

  “In the underworld, everyone is young. The magic rejuvenates. On this side, you see me as I am, old and frail, but I’m immortal. The aging does not kill me. I leave the hood up as to not frighten my passengers. Theirs is a hard adjustment without my scaring them,” he replied. He pulled out a crystalline orb from his robe pocket. “For when you want to talk. Trace your finger around the top three times and say my name into a mirror or any other reflective surface.”

  “Thank you,” Sabrina said, taking the gift.

  The three of them stood on the dock and watched him return to the underworld.

  “Well, that was sweet,” Thane’s voice said echoing in the cavern around them. He took form on the rocky river bank. “I see you found my scythe. May I have it back, please?”

  “What’s the trick?” Sabrina asked. Suspicion oozed from her.

  “There isn’t one, sweetheart. I wanted my toy back, and you were a sure bet,” he said with a scoff.

  “You’re not trying to take me with you, are you?”

  “Oh, you do think a lot of yourself. You’re interesting, but women are a lot of work. I like my bachelor lifestyle. Unlike Charon, I’m not tied to a river. I go where I want, when I want. I just can’t go over there,” he said pointing to the far shore. “Now, how about giving me back my scythe?”

  Sabrina thought about how she called it to her from under the bed. It obeyed her then. She clutched Brandon’s hand tight. “Take Delilah’s,” she told him.

  Closing her eyes, she thought of her living room, the feel of her own bed, and the scent of fresh blood being warmed in the kitchen. Gripping the scythe tight, she thought about the way a scythe is used in the fields to harvest grains. Making the same sweeping motion, she ripped open a hole in space and time. Walking through with Brandon and Delilah hand in hand, she stepped back into her apartment. The rip sealed itself behind them. Luckily, it was night, since the French doors were standing open.

  Thane appeared out of nowhere. “That was quite clever, if unnecessary.” He held out his hand.

  Sabrina handed him the scythe. “It’s been a real pleasure, but I’m tired of being your tool. Please, leave.”

  “Not without that necklace, sweetheart. I have to get something for my trouble,” Thane said with a sarcastic grin.

  Delilah laughed out loud. “Oh this should be good. Well? What are you waiting for?”

  He reached out for the stone. A blinding light flashed, coiling itself around his hand. He screamed and pulled away, cradling his burned hand to his chest. “What in the name of Hell was that?”

  “You know. There’s a lot of power in a name, which is why you don’t want people referring to you as Thanatos. Pluto named the necklace a treasure and appointed Sabrina its guardian,” Brandon said, seeming to relish delivering the bad news.

  “Damn him. Fine. I don’t like tacky jewelry anyway,” he said, swiping the scythe through the air. He vanished.

  “Don’t worry,” Delilah said, “I can ward against unwanted underworld guests, too. For a fee, of course.”

  Hadrian came out of the kitchen, wiping his bloody hands on a dish towel. “Hi, kids. Nice to see you made it back.”

  Sabrina hurried to her father, “I’m glad you’re here. You won’t believe where we’ve been.”

  “Mea Dulcis, when it comes to you, I would believe even the most outlandish stories,” he teased. He gave her a quick hug and then held her at arm’s length. “I have something for you and Brandon.”

  “I love presents! What did you bring us?”

  “Brandon, my boy, I think we need to rethink how we conduct business. I don’t want any more mixing of personal and business matters,” Hadrian said, gesturing to the patio beyond the French doors.

  “We can talk about that later. I would really like to spend the night alone with Sabrina,” Brandon requested.

  “First, I have some people I would like you to meet,” Hadrian said, stepping through the doors.

  Tied to the patio chairs and gagged were two men. One wore a police chief’s uniform with his hat askew. The other wore a badly rumpled, brown, generic business suit. His bald head glared in the lights attached to the railing.

  “Sabrina, I would like for you to meet Mr. John Owens and Police Chief Maddox McGuire. They are the gentlemen who sent the unwanted guests. Mr. Owens here requested your presence in county lock-up. Chief McGuire was to ensure your stay remained unpleasant and short.” Hadrian circled around the pair. Owens whimpered when Hadrian patted his head.

  “These two have been kind enough to confess to the media almost all their corrupt wrongdoings, save our little arrangement. They are both going to be indicted on criminal charges. The question is if they will make it to trial. Brandon, my boy, since they were so rude as to send a taskforce into your home, I’m going to let you decide,” Hadrian said.

  “I am hungry. It’s been a hard day, but I’m not into rotten food. I say we give them to someone who can appreciate their sins and knows just how to treat an oath breaker. Delilah, would you care to take these two home with you?” Brandon gestured to the two men.

  They both began making noises when she stepped into view wearing her dominatrix outfit. McGuire’s face became ashen at the sight of the demoness. Owens fainted when she gave them a wide, sharp-toothed grin.

  “Delighted. Consider your bill paid in full. I must get home to my new familiar and her pet. Come on boys. We’ll have a real good time. Hope you like the cold,” she teased. She strolled around behind the pair, placed her hands on each of them, and disappeared in a whooshing ring of flames. Her laugh lingered for a moment after she vanished.

  Hadrian opened his arms for Sabrina, hugging her when she curled into him. “Mea Dulcis, you have been busy, so I’ve heard. Tell me all about it.” He glanced over at Brandon. “It can wait until sunset. Go enjoy your evening,” he said with a smile.

  Brandon quipped a quick thanks and scooped her off her feet. “Mrs. Thorpe, have I ever told you how I’d follow you anywhere?”

  “I think you might have mentioned it. Though, I would prefer you not get yourself killed.”

  “You’re too late. I’d die for you a thousand times. You may be the keeper of the Jewel of Darkness, but you’ll always be the most precious thing in any world or realm to me,” he whispered.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered back and kissed him.

  Epilogue

  Sabrina rolled over on the rickety old bed. The springs groaned in complaint. The well-worn, cotton sheets wrapped around her naked hips as she moved. Propping up on her elbows, she looked out of the window, just as she had countless times as a child.

  The full moon bathed the entire meadow in a pale, silvery light. The trees and distant mountains never seemed to change. They lay flat and dark against the starry sky. The moonlight made the crystalline orb on her nightstand seem to glow.

  Brandon pushed himself up to kiss her shoulder and rub the length of her arm. His bare chest brushed her back. “This was the best idea. You were right. It’s so peaceful here.”

  “It’s not much, but it was always home. I used to look out this window and wonder what the rest of the world was like. There are some things I wish were still a mystery,” she admitted.

  Slipping his arm around her, he cupped her breast, worrying her nipple between two fingers. “Do you wish I was a mystery?”

  “You will always be an enigma to me,” she teased.

  “Well, let’s work on unraveling some of those secrets,” he said, allowing his hand to drift down below her belly.

  Slipping along the wet folds, he found her clit and teased it with his fingers. His cock became rock hard. His fangs scraped her shoulder.

  The primal power woke the lioness inside her. She wanted him to fall down upon her altar and worship her body. Magic flashed over her skin.

  Sabrina visualized a box and neatly shoved the power back inside. She wanted Brandon on her own terms. Learning to control the jealous goddess within took a great deal
of effort, but she was determined not to let it rule her life the way it did Proserpina. As she pushed aside the power, the pendant dimmed. The dark rainbows and shadows confined themselves to the stone’s facets.

  She used her speed and strength to flip him over onto his back. Pinning him to the bed, she rubbed her pussy along his stiff cock. Positioning herself over him, she took the length of his shaft deep into her body.

  A soft moan escaped him. He held her hips as she rocked. “That’s it, honey, nice and easy.”

  She relished the feel of him inside her pussy, the feel of his body against her clit as she moved. Rising up on her knees, she slipped up and down on his thick rod. Her slippery juices covered him, making little noises with each stroke.

  Her hair fell around her body. She lifted it above her head, allowing him to see her breasts bounce as she rode him. Watching the pleasure on his face spurred her to quicken her pace.

  “Night above, you are beautiful,” he said with another soft moan.

  Dropping her hair, she busied one hand with teasing her nipples. The other slinked its way down to play with her clit. Ripples of delight waved through her as her pussy clenched his cock.

  Up and down. Up and down. She rode him with a steady rhythm. She rolled her clit under her fingers in time with the pace. Her pussy quivered and then broke into involuntary spasms as she came.

  A moment later, his cock throbbed and pulsed. He cried out, his fangs bright in the streaming moonlight. Fingers gripped her hips a little too tight as he filled her pussy with his cream.

  She collapsed on top of him. Rolling to one side, she took him with her, his cock still inside. Brushing her mass of blue-black curls out of the way, she kissed him gently on the lips.

  They lay quietly until his cock slipped from her pussy. Staring into each other’s eyes, they enjoyed the silence and solitude being away from home brought.

  “I wish we could stay like this forever,” she whispered, not wanting to disturb the tranquility any more than necessary.

  “Me, too,” he whispered, echoing her sentiment. “I think it’s time I take a sabbatical from work. Hadrian can hold down the fort for a while.”

  “You would do that for me?” Tears threatened to flow.

  “Do you want to go back and pack, or should we just buy new things here?” Brandon asked.

  “Here. Let’s just stay here,” she said, snuggling into his muscular arms.

  “Anything for Midnight’s Jewel, Keeper of The Jewel of Darkness,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

  THE END

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I started my love affair with vampires as a kid by reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was the only vampire book our little local library branch had back then. Then, I discovered mail-order books and fell in love with the tortured characters in Interview with the Vampire. In the mid 80s, the most amazing thing happened! My family bought a VCR, and I was finally able to see movies! All the vampire flicks I could beg for flickered across the screen, making the love affair into a passionate, lifelong relationship. Today, I write fantasy and paranormal romance and never pass up a chance to pair up vampires with the less-than-usual characters. Witches and elves currently top my list. I love weaving vampires into legends and myths where none exist. It’s my private world of the erotic, weird, and wonderful, and I invite every reader to go along for the ride.

  For all titles by J. Annas Walker, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/j-annas-walker

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com