Dante was drifting ever closer. Once Dante had his fangs sunk deep in his throat, the wizard would be helpless. He would need his vocal cords to mumble his spells.
“And you believe he will reward you richly?”
A near-fanatical pride tightened the narrow face. “I shall rule at his side.”
This time Dante’s laughter was genuine. “You’re even more a fool than Amil. The Prince rules alone, and those who worship him are no more than bugs beneath his notice.”
“How would you know, vampire? You worship nothing. Believe in nothing.”
“I’m at least wise enough not to barter my soul to a being who is certain to offer no more than betrayal.”
The wizard reached into his pocket to pull out a small crystal. Dante hesitated. Why would he use a magical toy when he possessed the medallion of the dark lord?
A blue flame shot in his direction. It slammed into the floor, and the mansion groaned as if a breath from tumbling to the ground.
Dante easily shifted out of danger, his mind racing.
Although he couldn’t detect magic, he could still feel the power that swirled about the wizard. There was a pulsing energy that could destroy the entire block, and yet he refused to reach for it.
Why?
It took a long moment before Dante at last realized the truth. Of course. With a low chuckle, he dismissed the shadows he had wrapped about himself.
The wizard didn’t call upon the dark lord because he was terrified his god might be waiting to serve up a bit of revenge for having disappointed him.
It was perfect.
He stepped forward, his arms folded negligently over his chest. Watching his approach, the wizard licked his thin lips.
“I suppose you’re attempting to keep me occupied so the woman can escape?” he blustered. “A worthless effort. My servants will soon have her in their grasp.”
Dante merely smiled. “Having some acquaintance with your servants, I can’t say that I’m overly concerned.”
Without warning, he launched himself at the gaunt form. He wanted to be done with this. Abby was alone, and while he was fully confident in her ability to deal with her human enemies, there were still demons capable of detecting the presence of the Phoenix.
Sinking his nails deep into the arms of the man, he allowed his fangs to lengthen. Before he had been chained to the Chalice, he would have drained the man. Now he would have to settle for ripping out his throat.
A pity.
His head lowered. Unfortunately the wizard was not about to be sacrificed without a fight. With cold determination, the wizard battled back, his low chants filling the darkness even as he reached into his pocket to remove a smooth ebony stake.
A burst of light suddenly filled the hall, blinding Dante and forcing him to dodge backward. A stake was a stake, and he wasn’t about to allow overconfidence to lead to his demise.
He carefully circled the man. Waiting for an opening.
The wizard glanced down at his bleeding arms. “You do know there is no need for us to be enemies? I could release you from your bondage. You give me the Chalice and I shall ensure you are set free.”
Dante smoothly reached out to slash the man’s face. “You think I would trust you?”
The wizard flinched but his composure never wavered. “Why not? There’s no gain for me to kill you. For the moment, you stand in my way, but if you were to step aside, we could prove to be valuable allies.”
“Tempting, but I don’t think so.”
“The witches have you that cowed?” he taunted, the stake held casually in his fingers as if he forgot he even held it. Dante was not stupid. The wizard hoped to rile his anger and give him the opportunity to strike. “Pathetic.”
Dante shrugged. “It has nothing to do with the witches.”
“Then . . .” The wizard gave a sudden laugh. “Ah, of course. You have come to care for the girl. You are worse than cowed; you’re completely neutered.”
“Actually, you have missed the most obvious reason I refuse to join forces with you.”
The cold eyes narrowed. “And what would that be?”
“I don’t like you.”
At last realizing that Dante was not going to be bullied or coerced, the wizard grasped the medallion about his neck. He would have to risk the anger of his master if he were not to die in this hallway.
Dante crouched, preparing himself for the coming attack.
Despite the muggy night air, Abby was shivering.
It was more than the creepy trip through the spider-infested tunnel. Or the realization that by standing on the corner by herself she might as well be wearing a sign that said “Come Eat Me” to every demon in Chicago.
It was more the sense of Dante that coiled through the back of her mind.
She might not be able to read his thoughts, but his emotions were blatantly clear. He was not laying a false trail. Or even searching for the scent of the strange demon.
He was confronting the wizard.
She could feel his lethal intent as if it were her own.
Damn him to hell.
She was going to . . .
Her imagination failed her, but it was going to be really, really bad.
Stewing on potential repercussions, Abby froze as she heard the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps.
“I’m tired of this shit. I’m not a freaking bloodhound,” a male voice muttered. “We’ve lost her.”
“Shut up and keep searching. Unless you want to return to the master and confess you have failed him?” an icy voice demanded.
Silently Abby pressed herself into the bush beside the tree. Her pursuers seemed to be human, but she wasn’t overly relieved.
Not after she had seen what the wizard did to the coven.
Ick.
“She could be anywhere by now.”
“Listen to me, you moron.” Peering through the leaves, Abby watched a short, squat man grab a pimply faced boy by the throat. “When I found Amil, he was splattered over the altar like a slaughtered pig. I have no intention of joining him in hell. At least not yet.”
Another man who was built like a linebacker and possessed the expression of savage stupidity curled his hands into fists.
“Perhaps the vampire will do us all a favor and kill the bastard,” he growled.
The short man whirled to face him. “Are you willing to risk your life on an impotent vampire?” He waited for either man to speak. They were obviously not as stupid as they looked since both dropped their heads to study their toes. “Fine. Fan out and search the block.”
There was a brief, tense moment as if the two goons were debating sticking a knife in the head goon. No honor among thieves and all that. Then, seemingly coming to their senses, they turned and grudgingly trudged down the street.
Abby forced herself to remain utterly still as she waited for the remaining merry man to be on his way. There were all sorts of hidey-holes to be searched.
Most of them far more intelligent spots for hideand-seek than her own sad, scraggly bush.
He didn’t scurry away. He didn’t even meander away. He remained as rooted to the spot as the ancient oak. It seemed her streak of piss-poor luck was remaining firmly intact.
With a grand gesture that would have made Abby laugh under normal circumstances, the annoying twit reached into the pocket of his heavy robe and pulled out a strange rock that was hanging upon a chain. Holding it upward, he began to chant beneath his breath.
Abby didn’t know what the rock did, but she was certain it couldn’t be good.
Not good at all, she acknowledged as the rock glowed with a purple hue and a smirk touched the round face.
“You are near, Chalice. I can sense you.” He moved to search the nearby parked cars. He peered into the branches of the tree. And inevitably he spread the leaves of the bush. “Hello. What do we have here?”
Abby should have been terrified. Or at the very least slightly fearful.
Instead s
he was really and truly pissed off.
Dammit. She wasn’t out looking for trouble. All she wanted was to find the witches and be done with the whole ridiculous business.
Why the hell couldn’t they just leave her alone?
As her temper mounted, so did the tingle of heat that was filling her blood. The Phoenix within her was preparing to take measures to protect itself.
And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.
Pressing herself into the prickly branches, she held out her hand. “Stay back.”
“Or what? You’ll scream?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
There was a beat before he gave an ugly laugh. “You hurt me?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t got the skill or the nerve. That’s the trouble with you Goody Two-shoes.” He glanced deliberately downward. “No balls.”
The fire burned even hotter. Freaking hell. Why wouldn’t the idiot shut up and walk away? She had warned him, hadn’t she?
Of course he possessed testosterone. A woman offering him a warning was as good as waving a red flag in front of his face.
“I’m telling you that you’re the one who won’t have any balls if you don’t leave me alone.”
“You think your vampire is going to come rushing to your rescue? I can promise you he’s already back in his grave where he belongs.”
Abby shook her head. She didn’t know much, but she did know that Dante wasn’t in any grave. Not until she got her hands upon him.
“No, he’s very much alive.”
The man shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll soon be dead or turned to our side. The master has a special talent for recruiting.” The round face hardened. “Even those who never wanted to worship the dark lord.”
“It’s not too late,” she urged. “You can walk away.”
“Walk away? No one walks away. Not unless they have a death wish,” he snarled. “You’ve wasted enough of my time. Let’s go.”
“No.”
“Shit.” He lifted a threatening fist. “Do you think I won’t hurt you? The master said you were to be alive, but he didn’t say anything about roughing you up.”
Abby didn’t doubt his willingness to hurt her for a moment. She sensed that he took a great deal of pleasure in slapping around those weaker than him.
Just like her father.
But he was no demon or zombie or even powerful wizard.
She knew deep in her heart she could kill him with horrible ease.
“Fine, I’ll come, but you have to step back first,” she retorted, hoping to gain some distance.
“Do you really think I’m that stupid?” The beady eyes narrowed as he reached out to grab a handful of her hair. “I’ve had enough, come on.”
Abby’s eyes watered as he gave a savage yank on her hair. She found herself tumbling forward, and out of sheer instinct, she reached up to grasp the man’s arm. She had only intended to keep from planting her face in the ground, but the moment her hands touched his wrist, a burst of heat flared from her palms.
The man gave a keening cry as he snatched his hand free and cradled it to his chest.
“You . . . bitch. You stupid bitch,” he gritted, a malevolent hatred glittering in his eyes. “You’ll pay for that.”
A sickness tightened Abby’s stomach. She recognized that expression. She should. She had seen it often enough.
With a flashback of horror, she watched as the man curled his fist and raised it to strike.
No.
She rose to her feet.
Not again. Not ever again.
Preparing to launch a vicious right hook, the man was too blinded by fury to consider he might actually be outgunned by a woman four inches shorter and a hundred pounds lighter.
Not until she dived forward and planted her hands in the center of his chest.
Smoke began to rise as he howled in pain, but Abby didn’t waver. The wizard wannabe would kill her given the chance. She didn’t intend to give him the chance.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Abby became aware of Dante swiftly approaching. Oddly he halted beside the tree rather than tossing himself into the fray.
Whether out of fear she might toast him in confusion or because he was alarmed he might distract her, she couldn’t say. And at the moment she was a little too occupied to care.
Clutching at her arms, the man struggled to pull her closer.
“You’ll pay for this,” he panted.
Abby gritted her teeth as she pressed harder. A horrible stench began to fill the air. The smell of burning fabric. And what she suspected was searing flesh.
Then, just as she thought she could bear no more, her assailant gave a strangled cry and with a desperate wrench he was stumbling away from her.
Just for a moment she considered following after him. She didn’t doubt he was an evil man who was capable of harming any number of innocent people. But, while she was prepared to protect herself, she knew she could not deliberately chase down a fleeing man and put an end to him.
That zoomed way beyond her comfort zone.
Instead she sank to her knees and sucked in a deep breath.
“You can come out now, Dante. I know you’re here.”
Chapter 19
Dante stepped from behind the tree with a faint smile. He recognized that peevish tone. It meant that Abby was well aware of his extracurricular activity with the dark wizard and was not a bit pleased with him.
“You did well, lover. That fool will think twice about coming after you again.”
She stepped toward him, planting her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t you help me?”
“Did you want my help?”
That made her briefly falter. Her independent nature made it nearly impossible for her to admit she might need assistance. From anyone.
At last she shrugged. “It’s not like you to stand back and watch me duke it out.”
Dante cocked a brow at the unfamiliar phrase. “Duke it out?”
“Fight off the bad guys.”
He reached out to grasp her arms and tug her close. He breathed deeply of her warm scent. A scent that now held his own blood. That knowledge made a purely male pleasure race through him.
“You seemed to be holding your own.”
She leaned back to stab him with a narrowed gaze. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“I could feel you behind the tree, and I know damn well you were itching to charge out and kill that man. What stopped you?”
He smoothed back a stray curl. “I needed to know that you wouldn’t hesitate to fight.”
She made a strangled sound. “God almighty, I’ve been in a full-scale war for days. Why would I hesitate now?”
“You’ve been fighting demons and zombies, not humans. In your mind there’s a difference,” he pointed out. “I needed to know you could overcome your fear of harming another.”
A flush touched her cheeks. “Oh.”
His finger brushed her lips. “Are you all right?”
Her lips twisted in a grim smile. “As all right as I can be right now.”
“No regrets?” he pressed.
She took a moment as she glanced down the now-empty street. “Actually . . . no. This may be horrible of me, but it’s nice to know that I didn’t panic when the chips were down.”
He tugged her closer. It was a lesson she needed to learn for herself. But it had been hell standing back and allowing her to discover her strength.
He would rather be staked than go through that again.
“A powerful woman. I like it.” His lips skated over her temple. “Sexy.”
“Is there anything you don’t find sexy?”
“What can I say? Vampires are insatiable.”
His hands were lowering to the flare of her hips when she was suddenly pushing against his chest.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“You’re not going to distract
me.”
His teeth nipped at the lobe of her ear. “It could be fun.”
She gave a faint shiver before she was sternly stepping back and folding her arms over her chest.
“No. You lied to me.”
Dante ruefully conceded that Abby wasn’t going to be deflected. She was smoldering with the need to rake him over the coals. A pity. With the immediate threat gone, he could think of better means of passing the time.
“That’s rather harsh,” he mildly protested.
“You told me you were going to lay a false trail and pick up the scent of that demon.” She poked her finger at his chest. “You didn’t say anything about flexing your testosterone with that damn wizard.”
“He’s going to be a pain in the ass until we can get rid of him. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder.”
“Did you . . . ?”
“No.” Dante gave a disgusted shake of his head. He had been preparing for battle. He hadn’t considered the notion the bastard would use his powers to elude him. “The coward scurried away rather than fight like a man.”
More chest poking. “There was more than just him running away. I could feel you, and I know that there was some sort of fight.”
“Hardly a fight. Or even a skirmish.” He held out his arms. “Look at me, not a scratch.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’ve had your blood; I know there was some sort of fight.”
His lips twitched. “More a minor disagreement.”
“Dante . . .”
He cupped her chin in his hand. “Abby, I found the wizard, we exchanged a handful of threats, I had him in my grasp, and like a fool I allowed him to disappear. Nothing more.”
“You’re lucky he did disappear. I have warned you what will happen if you get yourself hurt.”
Dante smiled as his gaze dropped to her mouth. Surely he had allowed her enough chiding? It was definitely time to move on to more interesting activities.
Debating whether he dared to pull her back in his arms and kiss away her temper, he was abruptly whirling, his fangs extended and his hands curled into claws. A vampire was near, and he wasn’t about to take chances.
On cue, Viper stepped from the shadows and folded his arms over his chest. Even to Dante’s eye he appeared a lethal threat with his large body attired in black and his pale hair pulled back with a heavy silver clasp. An ancient predator who wouldn’t hesitate to kill.
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