Dark Lover

by J. R. Ward

  "Well, aren't you the fancy one."

  Havers shrank back. The human female in front of him was dressed for sex, a narrow spandex strip covering her breasts, her skirt so high it barely covered her crotch.

  A walking advertisement for penile implantation. His skin crawled.

  "You looking for a date?" she asked, running a hand over her stomach, and then through her greasy short hair.

  "No, thank you." He walked backward, going deeper into the alley. "Thank you very much. No."

  "And a gentleman, too."

  Good lord, she was going to touch him.

  He put his hands up. Kept moving away. The farther he got down the alley, the louder the music became, as if he were getting close to a back door.

  "Please leave me," he said as some god-awful, obscenity-laden song flared.

  Suddenly, the woman paled and took off as if she were running from a crime scene.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" The male voice behind him was a dark, nasty one.

  Havers turned around slowly. His heart started to pound. "Zsadist."

  * * *

  Chapter Forty-seven

  Wrath had no interest in whoever was pounding on the door of his chamber. He had his arm wrapped around his shellan's waist and his head tucked into her neck. He was going nowhere unless someone was half-dead.

  "Damn it." He shot out of bed, grabbed his sunglasses, and stalked naked across the room.

  "Wrath, don't hurt them," Beth said with amusement. "If they're bothering you tonight, they probably have a good reason."

  He took a deep breath before throwing open the door. "You'd better be bleeding—" He frowned. "Tohr."

  "We have a problem, my lord."

  Wrath cursed and nodded, but didn't invite the brother in. Beth was naked in that bed.

  He pointed across the hall. "Wait there."

  Wrath threw on some boxers, kissed Beth, and locked his chamber. Then he went into Darius's room.

  "What's up, brother?" He wasn't happy about the interruption, or that some type of shit had wings and was airborne. But it was good that Tohr had come. Maybe things were thawing between them.

  Tohr leaned back against D's desk. "I went to Screamer's to meet the brothers. I got there late."

  "So you missed Rhage working out some chick in a dark corner? Pity."

  "I saw Havers in an alley."

  Wrath frowned. What was the good doctor doing in that part of town?"

  "Asking Zsadist to kill you."

  Wrath quietly closed the door. "You heard this? Clearly?"

  "I did. There was a lot of money on the table."

  "What was Z's response?"

  "He said he'd do it for free. I left and came here immediately in case he moved on you right away. You know how he works. He's not going to take his time about it."

  "Yeah, he's efficient. It's one of his strengths."

  "And we've only got a half hour until daybreak. Not enough to do anything offensively tonight unless he shows up here in the next ten minutes."

  Wrath looked at the floor, putting his hands on his hips. By vampire law, Z was now under a death sentence for threatening the king's life.

  "He'll have to be put down for this." And if the brotherhood didn't take care of the job, the Scribe Virgin would.

  Man, Phury. The brother was not going to take this well.

  "This is gonna kill Phury," Tohr murmured.

  "I know."

  And then Wrath thought of Marissa. Havers was also dead for all intents and purposes, and the loss of him was going to rip her apart.

  He shook his head, dreading that he was going to have to kill someone she loved so much after everything she'd been through already as his shellan.

  "The brotherhood needs to be told," he said, finally. "I will call them."

  Tohr pushed off the edge of the desk. "Listen, do you want Beth to come stay with me and Wellsie until this is finished? She might be safer at our house."

  Wrath glanced up. "Thanks, Tohr. I would. I'll send her over as soon as the sun sets tonight."

  Tohrment nodded and walked to the door.

  "Tohr?"

  The brother looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

  "Before I mated Beth, I was sorry for what I said to you. About you and Wellsie and how devoted you are to her. Now… I, ah, I understand firsthand. Beth is everything to me. More important even than the brotherhood. Wrath cleared his throat, unable to go on.

  Tohr came forward and put his hand out. "You are forgiven, my lord."

  Wrath grabbed the outstretched palm and yanked his brother into his arms. They clapped each other on the back hard.

  "And Tohr? I want you to know something, but you've got keep it from the brothers for now. After Darius's death is avenged, I'm stepping aside."

  Tohr frowned. "Excuse me?"

  "I'm not fighting anymore."

  "What the hell? Like you're taking up knitting or something?" Tohr pushed a hand through his short hair. "How are we going to—"

  "I want you to lead the brothers."

  Tohr's mouth fell open. "What?"

  "There has to be a total reconfiguration of the brotherhood. I want them centralized and run like a military unit, no more of this fighting-alone crap. And we need to recruit. I want soldiers. I want whole battalions of soldiers and training facilities, the best of everything." Wrath eyed him steadily. "You're the only one who can do the job. You're the most levelheaded and stable of them."

  Tohr shook his head. "I can't… Christ, I can't do that. I'm sorry—"

  "I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. And when I announce it at my first forum, it's law."

  Tohr let out his breath in a low hiss. "My lord?"

  "Yeah, well. I've been a rotten king. Actually, I haven't done the job at all. But that's going to change now. Everything's going to change. We're going to build us a civilization, my brother. Or rather, rebuild one."

  Tohr's eyes glistened, and he looked away, casually rubbing under them with his thumbs. As if there were nothing much going on, just a little irritation. He cleared his throat. "You're ascending to the throne."

  "Yeah."

  Tohr dropped to the floor on one knee. Bowed his head.

  "Thank God," he said hoarsely. "Our race is whole again. You're going to lead us."

  Wrath felt sick. This was exactly what he didn't want. He simply couldn't bear the potential for tragedy inherent in his being responsible for so many. Didn't Tohr know he wasn't good enough? Wasn't strong enough? He'd let his parents die, had acted as a feeble weakling, not a worthy male. What had truly changed?

  Only his body. Not his soul.

  He wanted to walk away from his birth burden, just leave…

  Tohr shuddered. "So long… We have waited so long for you to save us."

  Wrath shut his eyes. The desperate relief in his brother's voice told him how badly a king was needed. How hopeless so many were. And as long as Wrath was alive, by law no one else could fulfill the role.

  Tentatively, he reached out and placed his hand on Tohr's lowered head. The weight of what lay ahead of him, of them all, was too immense to comprehend.

  "We're going to save the race together," he murmured. "All of us."

  Hours later, Beth woke up hungry. Slipping free of Wrath's heavy arm, she put on a T-shirt and drew his robe around herself.

  "Where are you off to, leelan?" Wrath's voice was deep, lazy, relaxed. She heard his shoulder crack, as it did when he stretched.

  Considering the number of times he'd made love to her, she was surprised he could move at all.

  "I'm just going to get something to eat."

  "Call for Fritz."

  "He did quite enough last night and deserves the rest. I'll be right back."

  "Beth"—Wrath's voice was sharp—"it's five in the afternoon. The sun is still out."

  She paused. "You said I might be able to go out during the day, though."

  "It's theoretically possible—"

&n
bsp; "So I might as well find out now."

  She was at the door when Wrath flashed in front of her. His eyes were fierce.

  "You don't need to know at this moment."

  "It's no big deal. I'll just head up—"

  "You're going nowhere," he growled, his massive body throwing off all kinds of aggression. "I forbid you to leave this room."

  Beth closed her mouth slowly.

  Forbid me? He forbids me?

  We're going to have to nip this one right in the bud, she thought, sticking her finger in his face.

  "Back off, Wrath, and wipe that word from your vocabulary when you're speaking with me. We may be married, but I'm not going to be ordered around like a child by you. Are we clear on this?"

  Wrath closed his eyes. Worry bled through the harsh lines of his face.

  "Hey, it's going to be fine," she said, stepping into his body. She hefted up his arms so they were around her shoulders. "I'll just duck my head out into the drawing room. If anything happens, I'll come right back down. Okay?"

  He gripped her, holding her tight. "I hate that I can't be with you."

  "You're not going to be able to protect me from everything."

  The growl came back.

  She kissed the underside of his chin and hit the stairs before he started arguing again. When she got to the top landing, she paused with her hand on the painting.

  Down below, she heard the sound of a cell phone ringing. Wrath stayed in the doorway of the chamber, looking up at her.

  She pushed the painting open a crack. Light pierced the darkness.

  Down below, she heard him curse and shut the door.

  Wrath glared at his cell phone until it went silent. He paced. He sat on the couch. He paced some more. And then the door opened. Beth was smiling. "I'm good to go," she said.

  He rushed over, feeling her skin. It was cool, healthy. "Did it burn at all? Did you feel hot?"

  "No. The brightness hurt my eyes when I went outside—"

  "You went outside?"

  "Yeah. Whoa." Beth grabbed for his arm as his knees went out. "Dear God, you're pale. Here, lie down."

  He did as he was told.

  Holy Christ. She'd gone outside in broad daylight. His Beth had waltzed outside into the sunlight. Where he wouldn't have been able to reach her at all. At least if she'd stuck to the drawing room, he might have had a chance…

  She could have been incinerated.

  Cool hands brushed some hair out of his eye. "Wrath, I'm fine."

  He looked up into her face. "I feel like I'm going to pass out."

  "Which is physiologically improbable. Because you're lying down."

  "Damn, leelan. I love you so much I'm scaring the crap out of myself." When she pressed her lips to his, he put his hand on her neck, holding her in place. "I don't think I can live without you."

  "Hopefully, you won't have to. Now tell me something. What's your word for husband?"

  "Hellren, I suppose. The short version is just hell."

  She laughed softly. "Go figure."

  His cell phone started ringing again. He bared his fangs at the damn thing.

  "Answer it while I hit the kitchen," she said. "Do you want anything?"

  "You."

  "You already have me."

  "And thank God for that."

  He watched Beth leave, catching the sway of her hips and thinking that when she came back down, he wanted to take her again. He just couldn't get enough. Giving that female pleasure was the first addiction he'd ever had.

  He grabbed the cell phone and didn't bother checking caller ID. "What."

  There was a pause.

  And then Zsadist's growl shot into his ear. "Aren't you full of the warm fuzzies. Mating day not going so good?"

  Well, now. This was going to be interesting.

  "You got something on your mind, Z?"

  "I understand you called the brothers early this morning. Every one of them except me. You lost my number? Yeah, that has to be it."

  "I know exactly how to reach you."

  Z let out a frustrated breath. "Man, I get tired of being treated like a dog. I really do."

  "Then don't act like one."

  "Screw you."

  "Yeah, you know what, Z? We've reached the end of the line, you and I."

  "And what's brought this on?" Z laughed harshly. "Actually, save it. I don't care, and hey, we don't have time to shoot the shit anyway, do we? You gotta get back to your female, and I didn't call you to bitch about being out of the loop."

  "So why are you on my phone?"

  "You need to know something."

  "From you?" Wrath drawled.

  "Yeah, from me," Z hissed back. "Marissa's brother wants your head on a stick. And he was willing to pay me a couple million to do it. Later."

  The phone went dead.

  Wrath dropped his cell on the bed and massaged his forehead.

  It would be nice to believe Z had called because he wanted to. Because maybe he'd made a commitment that he didn't want to keep. Because maybe he'd finally found his conscience after a hundred or so years of total immorality.

  Except he'd waited for hours, which meant Phury had probably worn him down. Talked him into fessing up. How else could Z have known that the brothers had been spoken with?

  Wrath grabbed the phone and dialed Phury's number. "Your twin just called here."

  "He did?" Total relief marked the brother's voice.

  "You're not going to be able to save him this time, Phury."

  "I didn't tell him you knew. Wrath, you gotta believe me."

  "What I believe is that you'd do anything to take care of him."

  "Listen to me, man. You gave me a direct order to say nothing, and I obeyed. It was hard as hell for me, but I said nothing. Z came to you on his own."

  "Then why did he know the others had been called?"

  "My phone rang and his didn't. He was guessing."

  Wrath shut his eyes. "I gotta take him out, you know that. The Scribe Virgin will demand nothing less for his treason."

  "He can't help that he was approached. He told you what happened. If anyone deserves to die, it's Havers."

  "And he will. But your twin accepted an offer to kill me. If he can do that once, he can do it again. And maybe next time he won't come forward after you work him over, you feel me?"

  "On my honor, he called you on his own."

  "Phury, man, I'd like to believe you. But you shot your own leg off to save him once. When it comes to your twin, you will do and say anything."

  Phury's voice vibrated. "Don't do it, Wrath. I beg you. Z's been better lately."

  "What about those dead women, brother?"

  "You know it's the only way he'll feed. He has to stay alive somehow. And in spite of the rumors, he's never killed the humans he feeds from before. I don't know what happened with those two prostitutes."

  Wrath cursed.

  "My lord, he doesn't deserve to die for something he hasn't done. This isn't fair."

  Wrath closed his eyes. Finally, he said, "Bring him with you tonight. I'll give him an opportunity to speak in front of the brotherhood."

  "Thank you, my lord."

  "Don't be grateful. Just because he opens his mouth, it doesn't mean he'll be saved."

  Wrath turned the phone off.

  He sure as hell wasn't granting the audience for Zsadist's sake. It was for Phury. They needed him in the brotherhood, and Wrath had a feeling the warrior wouldn't stay unless he felt as if his twin had been dealt with properly. And even then, he might bolt anyway.

  Wrath thought about Zsadist, picturing the male in his mind.

  Havers had picked the right assassin. It was well-known that Z wasn't tied to anyone or anything, so the good doctor was right to assume the warrior wouldn't have a problem betraying the brotherhood. It was also clear to any observer that Z was one of the few males on the planet lethal enough to kill Wrath.

  There was just one thing that was off. Z didn't care
about material possessions. As a slave, he'd never had any. As a warrior, he'd never wanted any. So it was hard to believe that money would motivate him.

  Then again, he was perfectly capable of killing for fun.

  Wrath froze as his nose started to tingle.

  Frowning, he went over to one of the vents that brought fresh air into the chamber. He drew in a great breath.

  A lesser was on the property.

  The same one who'd been in the Hummer at Billy Riddle's house.

  Beth put some leftover filet mignon and a little horseradish sauce between two slices of bread. As she bit down, she was in total heaven. Food just tasted better.

  While she ate, she looked out the kitchen window at a maple tree. Its dark green leaves were totally lifeless. Summer still. There wasn't a breath of wind, as if the air itself had heat exhaustion.

  No, something was moving.

  A man was coming through the hedge, approaching the house from the property next door. Her skin prickled in warning.

  Which was ridiculous. The guy had on a gray Caldwell Gas & Electric uniform and was carrying a clipboard in one hand. He didn't look particularly threatening, what with his pale hair and his relaxed demeanor. He was big, but he moved casually, just another bored meter reader who was wishing he had a desk job because of all the heat.

  The phone on the wall rang and she jumped.

  She reached over and picked up, still keeping her eyes on the man. He stopped as he saw her.

  "Hello?" she said into the receiver. The CG&E guy started walking again, coming up to the back door.

  "Beth, get down here now," Wrath barked.

  At that moment, the meter man looked through the kitchen door's glass panels. Their eyes met. He smiled and lifted his hand.

  Chills went over her flesh.

  He's not alive, she thought. She wasn't sure how she knew it; she just did.

  She dropped the phone and ran.

  There was a crashing noise behind her as the back door splintered, and then she heard popping sounds. Something hit her in the shoulder with a sting. And then she felt another prick of pain.

  Her body began to slow.

  She fell facedown onto the kitchen tile.