I glanced around at the shadows of the cars before turning and climbing back down the stairs into the well lit alcove. When I passed under the jog in the tunnel ceiling, I had to use my phone for lighting. The warmth of the apartment penetrated the dark and by the time I got back upstairs into the heart of the house, the chill biting my skin in the garage had all but vanished.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The bang of the garage door brought me out of my sleepy stupor. I shifted to a sitting position on the couch and rubbed my eyes before turning my attention to the homeowners.
“I’m heading to bed,” Valerie said and disappeared down the hall without so much as a glance at the noise emanating from the television. I reached for the remote and turned the tuner off, silencing the idiotic monologue of late night tv.
Ted just gave me a tired nod and headed the same direction Valerie went.
Michael took a seat on the couch next to me and yawned.
“Where’s Damian?” he asked once his yawn and stretch ceased.
“He opened the tunnel to the garage.”
His eyes popped open and he sat stalk straight, turning his irritated gaze in my direction.
“I think he’s taking stock of what he’ll need to fix up the cars,” I added. When Michael’s glare continued, I added, “What?”
“I’m not sure the garage is safe,” he said.
“Oh bullshit.” I stood and started toward the basement door. “It’s probably safer than this place.”
“Nothing is safer than this place,” he snapped.
“Damian’s fine.”
“When was the last time you checked on him?”
Michael’s condescending tone was beginning to irritate me and I glanced at the clock. “I’ve only been up here for an hour and a half.”
Michael shot to his feet and stalked off toward the basement.
Anger burned through my reason and I stormed after him. “We aren’t children, you know,” I said when I caught up to him.
“You most certainly are.”
I should have expected his response, but still, it had the same effect as pouring gasoline on a fire. I huffed and stomped forward in the dark, muttering under my breath until his hand clasped my upper arm and stopped me.
“What?” I snapped and he covered my mouth.
“Shush,” he whispered and I stopped my struggles and listened.
The sound of rattling chains set my heart into hyper-drive and my body followed. I yanked out of Michael’s grasp and bolted into the dark. The scene in the warehouse five years before kept flashing in front of my eyes, propelling me forward faster than I thought possible.
Michael’s footfalls echoed behind me, but I didn’t stop, instead I barreled up the stairs and skidded to a stop in the middle of the floor. It took a second for my mind to catch up and when it did, I pressed my lips together.
Damian glanced around the body of the car; the crease between his eyes conveyed his confusion.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he wiped his hands on a cloth.
Michael stepped beside me scanning the array of vehicles in the dimly lit garage. Each one elevated on jacks or hanging from chains. Not one of the bunch had tires and a line of batteries lay flush against the wall. The room stunk like oil and grease and Damian’s jeans sported oil splatter.
“You did all this in an hour and a half?” I waved my hand around the room.
Damian gave me a shrug. “It’s not like I did a tune up on each, I just stripped tires, batteries and drained the oil.”
“Yeah, but you’ve got, like, a dozen cars here.”
A smirk appeared on his lips and he glanced at his watch.
“Do you think having any light in here is wise?” Michael asked.
Damian looked at the high windows almost covered with platinum-steel plates and then back down at us. “I wouldn’t worry too much. No one can get in.”
“But they will notice the light. This place has been dark for ages and this gives an indication of activity. That’s going to spark some interest from a host of beings.”
Damian reached over and flipped the flashlight balanced on the hood off. “Better?” he asked but did nothing to disguise the snark in his voice as we were drenched in darkness.
Michael huffed and headed toward the stairs where a fan of light bled from the tunnel, creating long shadows on the steel. “You need to tread lightly for a while, boy,” he said. He climbed down the stairs and a moment later, the pure black of a moonless night encompassed the garage.
“He is such a dick,” Damian muttered.
I stood still, blinking and trying to get my bearings. I didn’t know how many paces away from the hole I was and I couldn’t make out a thing. Normally I would give Damian grief for his slight, but the total absence of light left me blind and uneasy.
The distinct tick of a ratchet wrench filled the thick air.
“Um, Damian, you think you can give me a hand so I don’t fall down the stairs and break my neck?”
“Oh, sorry.” The clink of metal on metal informed me he put down the wrench. He was almost soundless as he approached and I jumped when his hand clasped around my upper arm.
“I keep forgetting you don’t have the benefit of vampire vision anymore.” He led me down the stairs and through the dirt entry to the concrete pipes. “Do you have your phone with you?”
“Yes,” I sad and his hand released my arm. I dug in my pocket and pulled the phone out, engaging it and illuminating the small space. “Thank you,” I added and stood on my tiptoes to give him a peck on his cheek.
He stepped back in a flinch before my lips even touched his flesh and his eyes flashed in a wince. I lowered my heels, stunned at both his conditioned response and the pain that flared in my chest. The reality of our situation hit home yet again, leaving me hollow.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Exhaustion took control of my muscles and I made it to the bedroom upstairs, stripping down to my underwear before climbing into bed. It was already half past three and my eyelids wouldn’t stay open. For the first time since we met, we didn’t spend the night together.
Brightness and warmth woke me from a sound sleep and I gasped, my heart thundering in my chest as I pressed my back against the headboard. Sunshine painted the end of the bed and it took me a few breaths to remember the sun wouldn’t turn me to dust.
When that realization settled into my skin and my heartbeat returned to normal, I actually chuckled. I don’t remember dreaming, but the covers were crumpled and twisted like I had been fighting with the fabric.
I glanced at the clock and my eyebrows rose. It was a little after one in the afternoon and the house was very quiet. A bout of melancholy hit and I ran my fingers over the pillow next to me. The one that Damian should have occupied if it weren’t for the damn sun.
My stomach growled, interrupting my little pity party and I swung my feet over the side of the bed. Instead of addressing my stomach, I decided to clean up first. The prior evening left me feeling like my skin had a hefty layer of dirt and sweat. The hot water in the shower felt like heaven and I scrubbed my body clean and donned a pair of sweats and a torn t-shirt that Damian was partial to and headed to the kitchen to find something to quell the stomach pangs.
Once my appetite was satiated, I headed down to Damian’s lair, finding it dark and empty and a moment of icy panic bit at my skin before I took a deep breath, calming my nerves. I headed down the tunnel and the sounds of hammering calmed any remnants of worry.
Light filtered from where he was working making the need for the cell phone light obsolete and I followed the path easily. I stopped and leaned against the concrete and watched the sweat trickle down Damian’s back as he hammered nails into a fancy trellis designed to keep the pathway from collapsing. The muscles in his back rippled and I smiled.
The hammer stopped halfway from hitting the nail and Damian shot a glance back at me. Dimples lining his cheek gave away his lighthearted mood and I’m sure m
y carnal thoughts fueled his playful grin.
“It’s about time you got your lazy ass out of bed.”
“Give me a break, I’m just getting used to being human again.”
“Well, if being human means sleeping for days at a time, then I’ll pass,” he mumbled and returned to the task he started. As soon as he set the nail, he stepped back next to me and scanned his work. With a satisfied nod, he said, “That ought to do it.”
He gathered up the scraps on the floor and dumped them into a wheelbarrow. The hammer, nails and spotlights followed. With a light leading the way, he strolled toward the underground apartment.
“How far did you get with the cars?”
Without missing a step, he reached into his back pocket and handed me a folded piece of paper. “I need a couple of batteries before I can do any further assessment of the cars. They’ll all need one eventually, along with tires, but if you could have someone pick up the things on the list for starters, I should have at least a couple of vehicles working by the end of the night.”
“Really?”
“I put the batteries in the basement so you could trade them up for new ones. If you go to Napa, they’ll give you a credit on the purchase for these.”
The fact that Damian even thought about discounts made me want to laugh, especially with his accumulation of wealth. His job provided what he called petty cash, but most people would consider his six figure income a damn good living.
“What?” he asked as I mulled over this contradiction.
“Nothing. I’ll give Ted the list once he gets home. I think he’s at work.”
“I need a shower,” Damian said as we rolled the barrow through the living area. He parked it at the entrance and glanced at me. “Do you mind parking this by the hatch and I’ll get it up to the garage after sunset?”
“Sure,” I said and started out the door.
“Can you grab my bag too?” he called as he headed back toward the hallway.
“Sure,” I called and deposited the wheelbarrow where he asked before heading upstairs to retrieve his duffel bag. I left the list on the kitchen table before trotting back downstairs.
When I stepped into the bedroom downstairs, I wondered why they bothered building the bedroom upstairs. The only distinct difference between the two rooms was the room upstairs actually had windows that allowed the sun to light the room. Down here, the decor was similar to upstairs but the mural on the back wall was as breathtaking as the beach scene in the living room. Here it showcased a large picture window that looked out over a spring meadow with the bright sunshine painting the array of colorful wildflowers. The rest of the walls were a mix of white and brown and black with green speckled in and after a couple of blinks I realized it was a forest of birch trees. The ceiling was a canopy of leaves with a bright blue sky filtering through.
Valerie and Michael had amazing painting skills. I dropped Damian’s duffel bag on the small ottoman and headed toward the bathroom, curious to what type of decor that held. A tropical underwater world met me when I pushed open the door and my gaze landed on Damian wrapping a towel around his waist. His gaze scanned the walls and landed on me.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” he asked and ran his hand through his wet hair, hand combing it into less of a disheveled mess.
“Yes.” I know he meant the artwork, but his sculpted form always left me speechless.
“The walls,” he answered my less than subtle inspection.
“I know what you were referring to. This should be in highlighted in Architectural Digest.”
“Have you looked at the details? This must have taken years to do.” He ran his fingers over the school of rainbow fish, and their scales shimmered against the trail of light.
“The bedroom is just as incredible.”
“If I had taken the time to look at this last night, I never would have made it to the garage,” he said and passed by me.
I took a few minutes to inspect the artwork and I couldn’t find a flaw in anything, from the coral reef to the seahorses to the array of fish. Even the sinks and shower were in the aquamarine motifs. Valerie must have missed her calling. Interior design came naturally to her based on the designs throughout the house.
“Valerie has quite a bit of talent,” I said when I stepped into the bedroom.
Damian laughed. “Valerie didn’t do this.” He waved at the room. “It might have been her idea, but her talent ends with drawing stick figures.”
“Then her uncle?”
His eyebrows rose and he shook his head.
“No way,” I whispered and scanned the art. “I just assumed...”
“I know. It may have been her idea, but Michael painted these scenes just for us.” Damian’s smile faded and he sighed. “As amazing as it is, it just makes me miss the sunshine even more.” He finished buttoning his shirt and walked to the light switches near the door. “Want to see something cool?”
I nodded.
He flipped the main switch off, dropping the room into darkness. Little by little my eyes adjusted and then I realized light was filtering in the window like it would right after sunrise. It brightened to that of mid-day and then faded like a sunset and I turned to him. The longing in his face forced a lump into my throat.
When his gaze dropped from the window just before the last of the light faded, I saw the mist of unshed tears shimmering over his bright blue eyes. I never knew just how much he ached for the sun and my feet shuffled across the floor, finding the fabric of his shirt after a few paces. I wrapped my arms around his waist and tucked my head against the breast of his shirt, careful to not to connect with his skin in any way.
His arms wrapped around me and we stood still, embracing in the dark.
Chapter Twenty-Seven - Damian
I squeezed her tighter blinking the god damn tears from my eyes. When I flipped the lights off earlier and the wall did its passing daylight trick, a rock formed in my throat that the shower did little to erase. It’s not like I haven’t seen some beautiful scenes on the web, but having the light surrounding me like the living room and the bedroom left me wanting the sunshine as much as I wanted Naomi.
I pushed her away and flipped the overhead lights on. Her dark gaze met mine and I tried on a smile to appease the worry lines creasing her forehead. They smoothed and she sent a smile back.
“So the crew is out?”
“It appears that way. I wish I could just go out. Michael asked me to lay low for a while too, just to make sure Lucifer’s henchmen weren’t in the vicinity.
“As annoying as it is, he’s right.” I couldn’t see any way around it. If we suddenly appeared here, and Lucifer got wind of it, he’d send his entire army to gather us. And even though the property was monster-proofed, that wouldn’t preclude them from grabbing Ted and Valerie as bargaining chips. We had to lay low and until we were sure Lucifer had bought the bait.
“Have you heard anything from him?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I haven’t checked my emails today. I have a few things to do for work, but I figured none of it was critical yet. So I fixed up the tunnel.” I headed into the living room and crossed to the desk, flipping open the new computer to see what it offered. My backpack sat to the side of the desk just in case this one didn’t have everything I needed.
The internet connection was already set up, so I ventured into my email, pushing the sense of dread away as the screen loaded. My jaw clenched at the sight of another email from the same source and I raised my gaze to Naomi.
“You know he’s going to kill me if he gets a hold of us,” I said. “But I’m going to make damn sure I get a few licks in before he does.”
Her face paled and her lips pressed together in the telltale sign of apprehension. I know she hated when I talked like this, but she had to know, his tracking us down was inevitable. It might take years, but the time would come when we’d both have to face the music.
“You can’t think like that, Damian,” she said and I l
aughed.
“He’s on the hunt, baby. And Lilith was right, when you choose to dance with the devil, the song eventually ends.”
She rolled her eyes at my analogy. “We can beat him.”
I loved her with my entire being, but even after everything we’ve encountered, her naivety still amused me.
“The tiger could beat him, but that’s lost to us now.” I said, finally admitting something I’ve kept inside for five years. If we had another five or ten minutes in that warehouse before the sun rose, she would have ripped him to shreds.
“You can beat him,” she said with all the confidence I lacked.
“No, I can’t. I couldn’t even take down Michael.”
“You weren’t in shadow form,” she countered and her hands found her waist. I hated her argumentative stance. It completely undermined my train of thought because when she stood like that, her perky breasts strained against the fabric of her shirt and the dare in her eyes always fanned a heat deep inside me.
It was completely unfair how this woman could derail me. From the moment we met, she could melt and infuriate me at the same time. I was sure if I had a thousand years with her, it would be the same. Naomi made me feel alive and significant. Not just some beast trained to be a watch dog.
Before I opened the email or said anything derogatory to Naomi, I decided to staunch my hunger. I stalked across the room and opened the refrigerator, taking the blood bag. Instead of opening the top and pouring it into a glass, I opted to tear the corner with my teeth and gulp it down like it was a severed arterial spray instead of a civilized drink.
The need to hunt ate at my bones and I closed my eyes, letting the cold human blood quench my nerves and cool the burning pit in my stomach. When the bag was empty, I tucked it into the garbage under the sink and turned back to Naomi and the computer beyond her.
Tigress (Night Hawk Series) Page 11
