The Darkening (Immortals)

by Robin T. Popp

  As soon as he could, he reached for the nearest cuff and unlocked it. Before he could move to the other side, though, Tain impatiently grabbed the key from him. “Give me that. I’ll unlock myself. You see to her.”

  Darius pulled Lexi back into his arms, knowing he needed to get her out of the chamber and someplace safe quickly, before she burned up in her own unrequited passion. Even now, the magic was rising off her in nearly opaque sheets. Holding her this close, he felt the tingle of her magic crawling over him.

  She nuzzled the side of his neck and whispered in his ear, “Don’t trust him.”

  “What?” Surprised, Darius angled his head, trying to see her face. She looked up at him and then rolled her eyes toward Tain.

  Darius didn’t understand. He glanced at his brother, who had just managed to get the other cuff unlocked. With a victorious look on his face, he turned to Darius and smiled.

  “Ready?” Darius asked.

  “Yeah, but what about her?” He nodded toward Lexi. “She looks pretty much out of it. Want some help carrying her?” He stepped forward, and Lexi shied away, cowering against Darius. His arm stole around her protectively.

  “No, I’ve got her,” Darius said. “Let’s go.”

  He started pulling Lexi across the room, making sure that Tain was staying up with them. They’d reached the edge of the pool when Lexi pulled to a stop.

  “What is it—” He stopped speaking when he saw what had captured Lexi’s attention. A filament of light hung in the air beside the pool. It hadn’t been there before, but now, with the full moon lighting the center circle of the domed ceiling, it was visible.

  It was a magical portal, a rip in space that connected two or more parallel dimensions. Darius wondered where this portal led. If it were made of living magic, perhaps they could escape through it without Amadja following.

  Darius held his hand before the opening and felt the pleasant warmth of living magic. He decided to try and open it, but his first effort only caused the filament to shimmer. Whoever had created this portal had been powerful, and it would take more magic than Darius alone had to open it.

  Pulling on Lexi’s hand, he started for the door to the chamber. “Let’s go,” he said. They had only taken a couple of steps when he realized Tain wasn’t following. Instead, Tain was staring at something at the front of the room. Even before Darius turned to look, he knew what it was.

  “Amadja.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Darius,” the demon greeted him, stepping out of the shadows from behind his throne.

  Tain rushed forward and grabbed Lexi from Darius’s grip. “Keep her away from the pool,” he shouted at Darius. “Don’t let him get any more magic from her.”

  “Let go of me.” Lexi tried to pull her arm free of Tain’s grip. In that moment, Amadja raised his hand and shot a bolt of black magic across the room. It hit Tain in the chest, and he went flying back, hitting the floor with enough force to knock the air from him.

  Enraged, Darius rushed forward and, dipping his hand in the pool, absorbed enough living magic that he could fire a burst of it from his hand and hit the demon in the chest.

  It forced Amadja back a step. He recovered quickly and shot out another burst of magic. Darius pulled his shield just in time to keep the bolt from hitting him. Neither Tain nor Lexi were able to join the fight, so Darius was on his own.

  He scooped up more magic from the pool, hoping it would restore his lost powers. For several minutes, he and Amadja exchanged blasts, but Darius was tiring quickly. Even if his powers had been at full strength, he didn’t think he could defeat the demon lord. If it were possible, Adrian would have done it already. The best they could hope for now was getting out alive.

  Then Darius saw the focus of Amadja’s attention shift. Tain and Lexi huddled off to the side, defenseless. Darius raced toward them, getting the shield up to protect them just as Amadja blasted them with black magic.

  “We can’t win,” Tain moaned.

  “We don’t have to,” Darius answered quietly. “I’ll keep him distracted long enough for the two of you to escape. Once you’re gone, get to Adrian. Lexi knows how. Tell him everything you can remember. Go.”

  Tain and Lexi both started shaking their heads.

  “No,” Lexi said. “I’m not leaving you—”

  “She’s right,” Tain interrupted. “I won’t leave you to face him alone.”

  Darius felt himself getting mad. “Now’s not the time to argue, Tain. Take Lexi and get the hell out of here.”

  He stood, pulled Re’s lightning bolts, and threw them at Amadja. “Go!” he shouted at the other two, while the demon dodged each fiery star.

  Still sitting on the floor, Tain refused to move. Darius grabbed his arm and jerked him to his feet. “Damn it, Tain. You’re going to get her killed.”

  He hauled Lexi up, noticing how hot her skin felt, and shoved them both in the direction of the door. Neither moved more than a few steps.

  “I won’t leave you,” Tain insisted.

  Darius saw the incoming black bolt of death magic and raised his shield to block it, nearly losing his balance when it hit him. There seemed no limit to Amadja’s power, while Darius’s was seriously diminishing. Still, he pulled another weapon and hurled it, hoping to buy Tain and Lexi a few more seconds.

  “Get her out of here,” he ordered Tain, watching Lexi practically wilt before his eyes. “She needs help.”

  She was in full-blown heat, and her temperature was skyrocketing. She was literally burning up.

  “But you can’t fight him alone. He’ll kill you,” Tain argued.

  “Don’t you see?” Darius shouted back, keeping an eye on Amadja. “She’s more important than anything.” Without her, his life would mean nothing.

  “I want to help,” Lexi said weakly, coming to him. “Tell me what to do.”

  “No,” he said.

  She glanced at him, hunger burning in her eyes. “Darius, I can’t take this much longer.” She paused, and he could see her drawing on her inner strength. “If I’m going to die, at least let me die trying to beat this asshole.”

  It was exactly how he felt, so he couldn’t very well deny her. “All right. You can—”

  “Look out!”

  At Tain’s warning, Darius launched himself at Lexi, tackling her to the floor just as a black bolt of magic shot over her head. Hearing her groan, he shifted his weight, trying to see her face. “Are you hurt?”

  “No,” she said in a raspy voice.“Oh, Goddess, you feel so good.” She ran her hands across his back and hips, emitting a small groan. When she looked up into his face, there was raw lust in the gaze that devoured his.

  “Hang on, baby,” he muttered, rolling off her. He got to his feet and pulled her up. When the next volley of death magic came, he held up his shield, and the magic bounced off. The shield was powered by Darius’s magic, and wouldn’t last long. “We have to end this—now,” he said, turning to Tain.

  “What about the portal?” Tain asked.

  Darius shook his head. “I’m not sure I can get it open. Even if I could, we don’t know where it leads. Who knows where we’d end up?”

  Tain shook his head. “No. Not for us. For him.” He nodded at Amadja, who was slowly walking toward them, a smug expression on his face.

  “Put Amadja in the portal?” Darius gave the idea serious consideration. Once trapped inside a portal of living magic, Amadja wouldn’t be able to escape on his own. They could keep him trapped there until reinforcements arrived. Yes—maybe it would work.

  “But are we strong enough to force him inside?” Darius whispered. “Neither of our powers are what they used to be.”

  A bolt of black magic hit the shield again—a not-so-gentle reminder that Amadja wasn’t giving up.

  Tain was quiet, and Darius watched his gaze shift to Lexi. Yes, he thought. Right now, she was a veritable fount of living magic. Perhaps it would be enough.

  “I’ll draw him over,
” Tain offered, but Darius put a hand on his arm.

  “No. I’ll do it. You help Lexi open the portal.” He turned to Lexi and saw her nod.

  Then he lowered the shield and rushed Amadja. The demon hadn’t expected such a direct attack and it caught him by surprise, giving Darius time to get in the first punch. Amadja fell back several steps from the blow and was slow to recover. It occurred to Darius that Amadja relied too much on his magic in fights and hadn’t really learned the art of hand-to-hand combat.

  Pressing his advantage, he circled around to the other side and hit Amadja again, repeatedly. The demon stumbled back toward Tain and Lexi, who had their hands on the portal and were using their combined magic to open it.

  “That’s for torturing my brother,” Darius said, punching Amadja in the face. He pressed forward as the demon fell back. “That’s for what you did to Lexi,” he said, hitting him again as hard as he could.

  Looking past Amadja’s shoulder, Darius saw the portal opening wider and wider, blinding light spilling forth. He hit the demon several times in rapid succession, driving him back with each blow. Suddenly they were there, in front of the portal.

  Too late, Amadja realized what they were up to and started to fight back. Darius didn’t give him a chance. He hit the demon hard enough that he stumbled through the opening, where the living magic started to zap his strength.

  “You won’t win,” he shouted at Darius.

  “I think I already have,” Darius said. “You can stay in here until we figure out what to do with you.”

  “No!” the demon screamed, struggling as Tain, Lexi and Darius used their combined power to slowly push the portal closed.

  Suddenly, before their eyes, Amadja disappeared and a stunningly beautiful woman with long black hair stood in his place. “Tain,” she pleaded in a pitiful voice. “Don’t do this to me, Tain. I love you. I’m the only one who loves you.”

  Tain stopped pushing on the portal. “Aja?”

  Darius grabbed Tain’s shoulder. “It’s a trick. Don’t believe her.” He turned to Lexi. “Keep pushing.”

  As they continued to work, Tain stared pitifully at the beautiful woman calling to him from the other side.

  “It’s an illusion, Tain,” Darius shouted over the demon’s cries. “Look away. Don’t let him fool you.”

  But Tain wasn’t listening. “I love her,” he said. Then he shot angry eyes at Darius. “Do you even know what love is?”

  Stunned at the vehemence in Tain’s voice, Darius gave a final push on the portal and watched with satisfaction as it started to seal. They had won; the demon was trapped.

  Then, to his horror, just before the portal completely closed, a hand reached out, grabbed Tain by the front of his shirt and jerked him through the small opening.

  The portal sealed with a resounding hiss, leaving Darius and Lexi to stare at it in stunned silence.

  Darius felt a sense of utter defeat. He had caught the demon, but once again had lost his brother.

  For a long moment, Lexi couldn’t move. Her heart was racing from whatever it was that Amadja had given her, the slightest breeze made her want to crawl out of her skin, she felt like she was burning up, and, despite the fact that the man she loved had just lost his brother, she wanted nothing more than to make mad love to him right there in front of the portal.

  She silently chastised herself for her insensitivity and stared at the portal, expecting at any second it would open and both Amadja and Tain would come bursting forth.

  Another minute went by and nothing happened.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to Darius, who had to have been upset. “I’m…” A wave of pain hit her that was so intense her vision temporarily went black. She doubled over and prayed for it to subside.

  Darius immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and held her. His touch was surprisingly gentle, and when the worst of the pain had passed, she tried to straighten, but couldn’t. A ringing had started in her ears, and she knew that the end was near for her. She ran her hands up and down her arms, finding some relief in the tactile sensations, but still, fear and panic welled up inside her. She had to get out of here before it was too late.

  She started for the door, but Darius stopped her. “Where are you going?”

  She’d held herself together for this long but couldn’t do it anymore. “I…I have to…” She waved a hand in the air. “You know.”

  He smiled and pulled her to him. “Yes, I do know.” He dipped his mouth and kissed her with a thoroughness that set her blood to racing. As her skin heated in reaction, a small amount of magic was released into the air like a pearlescent cloud, rising until it hovered at the base of the domed ceiling.

  After a long moment, Darius let the kiss end and pulled back his head to look at her. When she looked into his face, he smiled and dipped his head again. Before he could kiss her, she placed her hand across his mouth.

  “No. I can’t do this—not halfway.” Her system couldn’t handle getting to that level of excitement only to find no release.

  He held her hand over his mouth and gently sucked her palm, sending a rush of heat to pool between her legs. “This time there’s no stopping,” he promised her.

  “Really?” She could hardly believe it. “But what about the jinx? If you make love to me, won’t you lose your memory? You’ll forget everything.”

  The words hung in the air between them, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was: that he wouldn’t remember making love to her. He wouldn’t even remember her.

  That realization hurt more than the pain of the magic burning inside her.

  She started to pull away, but he held her close. “There is nothing in this world that will ever make me forget you. This spell is temporary; it won’t last.”

  She stared up at him, hardly daring to hope.

  He caressed her face with his gaze. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone, Lexi. I love you.”

  Emotions overwhelmed her. He loved her. She was afraid to examine her own feelings too carefully for fear of what she might find. Not love, she declared hastily as memories of her sister’s blind devotion to her husband came rushing back. She’d sworn on Bev’s death that she’d never fall in love. Yet…

  As if sensing her insecurity, Darius pulled her to him and kissed her with an urgency that mirrored her own. He kissed her until she finally lost the control she’d been holding on to so tenuously and kissed him back with a flood of emotions she couldn’t have put into words.

  They came together in a frenzied tangle of arms and legs as each tried to hold the other closer.

  “Lexi,” he breathed her name. “You taste so good. I want to make love to you all night long.”

  She gave a small moan. “Yes. Oh, yes.”

  His chuckle sounded deep in his chest as he swept her up in his arms and started to carry her to the bed behind the dais.

  “No, please,” she protested. “I don’t want our first time to be in their bed.”

  “Love, I don’t care where our first time is, as long as there is a first time.”

  He lowered his arm supporting her legs and let her slide down the length of his body, still holding her close.

  She started trembling, suddenly afraid that the relief she needed was coming too late. “I don’t think I have time to go elsewhere,” she gasped.

  “Here works fine for me,” he said, unbuttoning her blouse with deft fingers. Soon he’d removed all their clothing, and when he pulled her to him, she felt the hard, lean length of him pressed against her, and it drove her wild. She ran her hands up his muscled arms and across his broad shoulders. She buried her fingers in his long dark hair and pulled his head down to her so she could kiss him with fevered abandon.

  Her breasts, heavy and swollen, were crushed against his chest. His erection pressed into her stomach, throbbing in tempo to her own heartbeat.

  They both moved with a desperation born of long denial, and inside, she felt the magic building higher and hi
gher.

  He lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his hips, and then he drove himself into her. Her body stretched to accommodate him, and she was already in such a state of heightened need that her orgasm hit with such force, it ripped a scream from her very soul.

  At that instant, a huge plume of magic rose up from her and floated to the ceiling where it merged with the rest of the magic floating there.

  Before she could ride the wave of emotion, the need in her started building once more. Dismayed, she wondered how Darius would react, but she needn’t have worried. It seemed he was just getting started.

  Darius had waited a lifetime to find someone he cared about as much as he cared for Lexi—so he wasn’t about to rush the experience of being with her.

  He felt himself filling her; felt her feminine warmth wrapped around his length, hugging him close. With half a mind, he scanned the room, looking for a place to lie down, and decided that the floor would have to do.

  Still buried deep inside her, he lowered them both until he lay flat and she was on top, straddling his hips. Once she started moving, he didn’t even notice the cool hardness of the floor—only the heat that existed between them.

  She leaned forward, her hands braced against his chest, her breasts hanging heavy in his face, enticing him. He laved first one dusky pink nipple and then the other with his tongue until both formed tight buds. Unable to resist the temptation, he pulled a nipple into his mouth and suckled.

  He heard her quick intake of breath and felt her feminine muscles squeeze around his shaft. It was almost more than he could take, and he thrust his hips up, needing to be as deep inside her as he could get.

  She was breathing rapidly now, and he knew she was close to another orgasm. He gave a gentle tug on her nipple with his mouth. She gasped, and came again. The quickening of her muscles around him almost sent him over the edge with an orgasm of his own.

  He fought to control it, wanting to make this time together last as long as he possibly could. First, to make sure she released enough magic that her life was no longer in danger, and second, because he was afraid that, despite what he’d told her, Sekhmet’s will would prove stronger than his and he would forget her.