Dark Liaison (An Ema Marx Novel Book 2)

by J. D. Brown

  A few lit candles sat in the chandeliers. The glow shimmered off the tiny tiled pieces, shooting a cascade of rainbow colors across the room. The effect cast a magical mood. I could imagine a masquerade taking place here. The enchanting lighting combined with the animals and the happy people depicted on the mural would complete any little girl’s fantasy.

  My attention drew to the wolf and the lynx sitting together in front of a waterfall. They were the center of the artwork, surrounded by the other animals and vampyres. A story definitely took form inside these walls depicting a family that could change into beasts, a family that lived on through the centuries, bearing witness to the ages of the world. Would they ever see me as one of them? Would a gray wolf or a little brown bat ever be glued onto these walls, immortalized forever in this family?

  My senses buzzed as they picked up the soft patter of footsteps. I faced the ballroom entrance as Sara came inside. She carried a tray on which stood a flute of red liquid that doused the air with scents of salt and metal. My hand went to my lips to check for drool. I hadn’t fed or drank since yesterday evening and now I suddenly felt famished.

  “You weren’t in your room,” she said. “My father asked me to deliver your breakfast.”

  I wondered if that was Nikolas’ way of showing kindness. Was he saving me from further embarrassment, or was he sparing his family from having to witness my barbaric behavior a second time? I told myself it was the former reason. “Thanks. I can take it from here.”

  “Would you like some company?” Sara raised her brows in a look of hope as I took the tray out of her hands. I didn’t feel like chatting, especially with the Nephilim cravings currently clawing through my gut, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. There was something so lonely about Sara.

  “Um…how about after breakfast?”

  Her yellow-gold eyes sparkled as she smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

  I half expected her to giggle and curtsy, but she didn’t. Instead, she went back the way she came. I wanted to chug the drink right there, but forced myself to walk it all the way up the tower. The moment I stepped into the guest wing, my nose twitched as a familiar stench filled the air.

  Cat fur.

  Sure enough, not one, but two black cats stood frozen in the middle of the hall like deer caught in headlights. One cat had wide emerald-green eyes. The other had almond-shaped rust-gold eyes.

  Well damn them both.

  I pushed open my bedroom door, entered, and then kicked it shut. I swallowed the blood in one large gulp before my thoughts raced. What were Jesu and Bridget doing in cat form? A kitten version of the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp came to mind. When vampires shifted from animal form, back into vampire form, they always appeared naked. It wasn’t like phasing, where the person’s clothes could be repositioned before solidifying. That piece of trivial information suddenly seemed vital. I slammed the flute against the nightstand. The glass shattered.

  Chapter 16

  Energy reverberated from my core to my fingers and toes. With each pulse came the undeniable desire for carnal delights. Every inch of me writhed as I lay against the bed. My fingernails clawed against the mattress. The sheets tangled like rope around my legs. Fangs tore into the pillows as my head thrashed side to side.

  Jesu’s and Bridget’s voices drove me insane. Every word carried crystal clear, as though they stood in the room with me. In reality, they were next door, yelling at each other in their native tongues; Jesu in Finnish and Bridget in French. Apparently they understood each other well enough. Judging by their tone, they were having a heated argument. Or, it was entirely possible that they were having really great sex and screaming out sweet exotic nothings in a state of ecstasy. Either way, it was loud.

  Hearing them brought back the memory of their embrace in the swimming pool room at the hotel. The image was touching, really. He desired her. That much was obvious. I scowled. Listening to them was pathetic and self-destructive. I pushed off the bed and then tripped, forgetting about the sheets knotted around my ankles. I phased my legs, glad the shock cuffs were only on my wrists, and levitated to the door. I reached for the knob when it suddenly flew open, narrowly missing my face. Sara and I gasped as we faced each other.

  Pink colored her cheeks as she chuckled. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

  My chest relaxed in a sigh. “Your timing is amazing.”

  She hooked her arm around mine and led me down the tower stairs to the foyer. Sara gripped the large handles of the castle entrance and pulled the right side open. My lashes blinked at the surreal darkness. Living in a windowless edifice really made one lose track of the day, as well as one’s ability to see in the dark. It must have been just after sunset since the moon and stars weren’t out yet. I realized then that by human standards, the der Wölfe’s definition of breakfast was actually a late dinner. The air smelled of pine and maple and caused my hair to frizz, hinting at the early summer humidity. Crickets and toads chattered someplace beyond the stone fence.

  “Come,” said Sara as she took my hand. We veered around the castle, the soft soles of our shoes slapping gently against the cobblestone. The area between the castle walls and the stone fence was no more than ten feet wide. The fence itself wasn’t very tall. Maple leaves hung over the top, swaying lazily in the night. I glanced up the side of the castle, but it was impossible to see the roof from ground level. The construction was a hodge-podge of new and old. Mobil-home sized additions made of vinyl siding extended from the original gray stone like a puzzle gone wrong. I wondered how the lower half of the building managed to hold up all that extra weight, and why would they feel the need for an extension in the first place? The ground floor alone had enough rooms to comfortably fit five families.

  I gave up trying to view the roof without levitating and followed Sara to the back of the castle. A thick layer of ivy covered the fence. The tiny green leaves rolled into tight buds, tucked away for the night. Sara approached a narrow exit in the center. Unlike the front gate, this door was nothing more than four planks of wood and a few rusty nails. She unhooked the latch and the ingress swung open.

  The metal bands around my wrists suddenly felt ten pounds heavier. “Am I allowed to leave the vicinity?”

  Sara smiled over her shoulder. An animalistic sheen brightened the yellow of her irises. “We’re not leaving. We’re just going for a stroll.”

  She continued past the gate. I sucked in a breath and followed. I had to admit, being outdoors was nice. The fresh air filled my lungs and lifted my spirit. All my stress and baggage stayed behind with the cold stone walls of the castle as I stepped past the fence and entered the vibrant endless countryside. The ground sloped steeply into a shallow ditch that encircled the castle. A thin foot trail in the grass wove gently downhill. I followed it to a rickety bridge where Sara waited.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  She turned away and pointed. “There.”

  In the distance stood a barn in need of new paint, surrounded by an intricate maze of broken two-by-four planks of wood and rusty nails that might have once been a pigpen. Sara hiked in the direction of the shabby, weed-riddled sty and I followed. She hoisted herself over the wood and trampled through the thick dandelions patching the ground. Not wanting to risk a massive splinter, I hovered over the rubble and floated to her side.

  “What is this place?”

  She pushed on the barn door until the thick wood groaned and gave way. “We used to keep pigs and goats in here.”

  My shoes touched the dirt floor as we walked inside. Dust and cobwebs covered everything. My skin crawled at the overwhelming implication of spiders. I cringed and hugged myself.

  “Come on.” Sara waved for me to join her in the back, where a very tall ladder led to an open loft. She climbed the grimy rails and then disappeared into the garret. I weaved my way around the cobwebs until I reached the base of the ladder. My fingers reached for the rung, but I winced and pulled away. I didn’t want to encour
age the eight-legged inhabitants to scuttle up my arm. The thought sent a shudder along my spine. I levitated to the loft instead.

  The space above was less web-looking, but that didn’t fool me. Spiders could climb very easily. I stood in the center, holding myself as though the pests would leave me alone if I appeared more tubular.

  Most of the far wall up here had fallen away some time ago. All that remained were a few splintered planks jutting out from where the support beams had been nailed to the loft floor. The view from this level took my breath away. Green hills filled the valley nestled inside a mountain range covered in pine forests that stretched beyond the limits of my vampyre vision. A crescent moon floated midway between the horizon and the sky. Starlight filtered dimly though the haze as though still trying to rub sleep from their diamond eyes. They grew shinier by the minute, brightening like Christmas lights. I sighed, relaxing my arms a bit, and then turned my sensitive sight to the dusty insides of the loft.

  Sara went to a grimy chest of drawers that stood as close to the wall as the sloping roof would allow. The knobs were missing from the drawers and Sara pried open the middle shelf with her fingertips. She pulled a fluffy red blanket from the chest and spread it across the floor. She removed her shoes and then sat in the center.

  “Well,” she glanced at me expectantly. “Come sit.”

  I tiptoed to the edge of the blanket, slid my feet out of my sneakers, and then stood next to her.

  She glanced up at me. “What’s wrong?”

  “This place is crawling with spiders,” I said.

  She laughed. “They won’t bother you, promise. Now sit.”

  I winced and then slowly lowered to the floor. Good God, how I would scream bloody murder if anything crawled on me. I crossed my legs and then let out a breath.

  “Really,” Sara scoffed. “Who ever heard of a vampire being afraid of spiders?”

  “They’re so gross,” I said in my defense. Really, who ever heard of a princess that chilled out in a dusty old barn? “Okay, what are we doing here?”

  She shrugged. “I come here to think.”

  “No one minds? Or don’t they know?”

  “They probably know. At least our grounds keepers do. They’ve seen me come and go while they work.” She grinned. “You seemed like you could use some air. Maybe more than air. Maybe a girls’ chat?”

  My brow furrowed. “A girls’ chat?”

  Her smile broadened. “Perhaps I’m being too bold, but… I could tell Bridget’s company bothered you.”

  I shifted my weight and hugged my knees to my chest. “Am I that transparent?”

  Sara shook her head. “I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who noticed.”

  “Great,” I said, but it sounded more like a groan.

  “If it helps… I think she feels threatened by you.”

  I scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t be barking up that tree. Bridget can have him.”

  “Lying won’t help.”

  My brow quirked. “Says the spinster?”

  “Hey.” She nudged her shoulder against mine. “I might look young, but I’m centuries older than you. I have some experience.” She wet her lips and then gazed to the side. Her teasing sobered. “I gave my heart away once… to a man that gave his heart to another.”

  “There are other guys. Plenty of fish in the sea, and all that.” Yet, even as I said it, I didn’t believe it myself. Heartbreak didn’t mend the same as physical wounds. Heartbreak remained open and sensitive forever, prone to infection and gangrene of the soul.

  Sara sighed and shook her head. “Not like him. There will never be another like him.”

  She was right. There would never be another man like Jesu. Somehow, being his friend wasn’t enough. I pushed my elbow against Sara’s side to lighten the mood. “Let’s be spinsters together.”

  She laughed and then frowned as her attention quickly gathered elsewhere. My senses picked up the sound that must have alerted her. Footsteps hit the cobblestone, several of them racing to the front gate.

  “We should see what’s happening.” Sara dashed across the loft and descended the ladder. I flew to keep pace with her, staying close to the ground so that no one who looked at us could tell that I levitated.

  Sara didn’t stop until we reached the castle doors, where we met with a small group of wild animals led by one scary looking jaguar—Tancred. Servants rushed to let the vampyres inside. Sara and I followed. Rudo stood inside the foyer carrying a stack of robes. The animals stood awkwardly on their hind legs and shifted. A chorus of back-breaking snaps crackled through the air until six naked muscular and well-endowed men stood in the foyer. Sara kept her gaze trained on her feet. She was better schooled than me. The men covered themselves with the robes, but the point was moot.

  I got enough eye candy to please my imagination for the rest of the year. I snorted at the thought.

  Nikolas burst through a door over the balcony and descended the stairs just as quickly as Tancred climbed them. The two men met in the middle. Jesu entered behind Nikolas, but his steps faltered as he caught my gaze. I looked away.

  “Where is he?” Nikolas demanded.

  “He wouldn’t cooperate. He phased and eluded us, but we were able to track him back to the Wolf Den downtown.”

  Nikolas froze. His tone sounded genuinely shocked, which was strange coming from a man of his physique and background. “The Wolf Den? Are you sure?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I leaned close to Sara’s ear and whispered. “What’s the Wolf Den?”

  She bit her lip and shook her head. I wasn’t sure if that meant she didn’t know, or she’d tell me later.

  “Did you speak to the receptionist?” Nikolas continued.

  “Yes, sir. She confirmed that Naamah was interested only in speaking with Jesu and the girl.” Tancred nodded in my direction. I met Nikolas’ gaze and then swallowed the dry lump in my throat. I had assumed Naamah and Maria would come back with Tancred. Why would Naamah run?

  Nikolas bellowed over the group. “Well then, you have a decision to make, young lady.”

  I gulped again and tried to find my voice. “I… I don’t understand. What’s a wolf den? What’s going on with Naamah?”

  Impatience dripped from Tancred’s fangs as he crossed his arms. “The Wolf Den is an illegal underground night club in Berlin. It’s used as a hide-out by the Rebel clans.”

  The blood drained from my face as realization took hold. Naamah must still be with Apollyon, but then why would he come to me and Jesu? He wouldn’t lead Apollyon to us like that.

  “Oh,” I said, because everyone seemed to be waiting for a reaction.

  “Oh, indeed.” Nikolas’ gaze narrowed. “What will it be, Miss Ema?”

  I wet my lips and tried to think, but panic clouded my thoughts. “You… you said I had until tomorrow to decide.”

  “I also advised you not to wait that long.”

  I glanced at Jesu for help. Big mistake. His expression broke as he wilted forward, one hand gripping the railing to steady himself, but his gaze… his deep, scorching gaze… could have burned a hole in my skull. I cringed and tore away from his condemning glower. “I… I need time.”

  “Your Highness, this is ludicrous! Apollyon could very well be hiding at the Wolf Den. We have a chance to take him out. We have to—”

  “That’s enough, Tancred,” Nikolas growled. Tancred’s jaw gnashed together and his fists balled at his sides. Nikolas glanced over me one final time and then sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Men,” his voice rose to address the room at large. “Prepare yourselves for a raid. Tancred, return with the troops to the Wolf Den. Kill them all on sight. If you find Apollyon, bring his head to me.”

  “No,” I shrieked. “You can’t kill them all on sight, Naamah and Maria are innocent!”

  Tancred and the soldiers ignored me while filing into a side hall. Nikolas marched up stairs. In a panic, I flew over the balcony and stood before him.<
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  “You can’t do this! You can’t kill innocent bystanders.”

  “No friend of the clan associates with the Wolf Den.”

  “Naamah and Ma—”

  “The Neo-Draugrian Hands have betrayed you. They allied themselves with the enemy.”

  “Not by choice!”

  He bent forward, sticking his face almost nose to nose with mine. I held my ground despite his piercing gaze. “You had your chance to earn a voice in this war. You squandered it.” With that, he pushed me aside and passed.

  “I didn’t say no,” I called after him, but he didn’t waver. I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. Only Jesu and I remained in the foyer. He slowly made his way to my side and then stopped. I closed my eyes and released a deep sigh, bracing myself for whatever lecture or argument he was about to throw at me, but his question was little more than an exhausted breath.

  “What was Nikolas talking about?”

  I glanced away, working my jaw in thought. I had to convince Nikolas to stop the raid. Either that or I needed some way to warn Naamah so he and Maria could get out of there before Tancred and the others arrived.

  “Ema.” Sternness rose in Jesu’s tone. “What decision was Nikolas talking about? What chance did he give you?”

  I faced him, but I already knew that I couldn’t tell Jesu about Nikolas’ proposal. He would freak, and ship us both out of Alpan territory without hesitation, if he had any idea what I was considering with Nikolas. My gaze fell away as I pushed to my feet and mumbled.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Ema—”

  “He took it back, so just let it go.” I dashed into the tower entrance and marched upstairs. I craved motion. Expelling my frustrations on the tower steps helped me think. I needed to formulate a plan and I didn’t have much time or many options.