Tempted By Darkness (Eternally Mated Book 6)

by Valerie Twombly

  A mocking laugh came up beside him. “What’s to be our prey? Tell me it’s some tasty morsel.”

  “A vampire that needs to have his neck broken and his heart ripped from his chest. Not in that particular order.” Tegan watched the hound’s eyes swirl red for a moment before returning to onyx.

  “Can I have what’s left over?”

  Hellhounds were notorious eaters, and in this case, Tegan could care less. “Take your fill. This is where I lost his scent. Can you find him? I don’t want to waste any more time.”

  Wraith gave another throaty laugh. “Hunter, if its heart beats, I can locate it.” He lifted his massive head, nose in the air. “This way.” Wraith took off in a trot down the sidewalk and Tegan followed.

  They moved in stealth mode down dark alleys, between buildings, and a few times back into the main part of the city where the nightlife was beginning to wake up. After an hour, Wraith halted and began to salivate.

  “I take it we must be close?” Why else would the beast be licking his chops?

  “He’s inside and he is not alone.” Wraith indicated the steps that led down to a door.

  Tegan opened up his senses. “I detect four mortals and at least a dozen vampires. The scent of blood is high.”

  “You have at least three dead,” Wraith replied.

  “Bastard. I’m guessing they are feeding. We go in and you corner any vampires who try to escape. The mortals and any dead are off limits to you.”

  “Very well.”

  “Oh, and Wraith?”

  “Yes, hunter?”

  “If any of the vampires so much as twitch, you have permission to attack. What you do to them afterwards is at your discretion.” Tegan had just given the hound a free meal, or several.

  “Lead the way,” Wraith stated, falling in behind Tegan.

  Tegan took the stairs and stopped at the door, listening before he shot out his power and broke the lock. Twisting the knob, he pushed open the black, paneled door and stepped inside, still cloaked. He found they were in a narrow hall with no light, not that either he or Wraith needed it. Both of them moved in stealth mode through the dark corridor, the stench of decay getting stronger as they went. When they finally came to an open room, they did a quick search. The only thing they found was a couch covered with cigarette burns, a coffee table littered with empty beer bottles, and a half eaten pizza.

  Vampires eat food? Wraith asked.

  I’m guessing it’s for the humans. I never noticed Mark Copper eat when he was at the party Rhea and I threw.

  They moved on, catching noise further back, and that was when Tegan finally caught Mark’s scent. You check the rest of the place. I’m heading for my prey.

  Roger that. He hurt Ashley’s mother so save me his heart. I prefer to eat it while it’s still beating in his chest.

  Tegan gave a nod then headed further down the hall until he came to a closed door. Mark was behind it, and the sounds of grunting and heavy breathing came from the other side. Tegan didn’t bother with opening the door; he simply used his power to allow him to pass through the barrier. Once inside, he saw Mark on top of a female, his fangs in her neck and his body covering hers. He grew sick with the thought that she might not be a willing participant.

  “Well, well. Does your wife know you’re fucking another woman?”

  Mark shot off the bed and into a fighting stance. “What the hell?”

  Tegan wasted no time in throwing a burst of power that shoved the vampire across the room and pinned him to the wall. “That was too fucking easy.” He moved to the bed and covered the female with a sheet before he placed his palm on her forehead. She was weak but would recover. Her memories, however, were of a violent abduction and rape. She had fallen unconscious only moments ago. Tegan’s temper flared so hot his body shook with rage. Luckily, he was an ancient and his power included healing. Keeping the bastard across the room and pinned in place, Tegan summoned everything inside him that belonged to the Maker. All her goodness and love for the world funneled into the girl on the bed. He pushed her trauma into a corner so far in her memory, it would never find its way back. Once that was complete, he sent healing power to her injuries.

  Ashley, I have a female here in need of you.

  On my way.

  Seconds later his daughter, the Angel of Death, flashed into the room. When she took in the scene, the anger that rolled off her was as heated as his own. She moved to the woman. “You helped her?”

  “Her memories of everything this fucker did to her are gone, and I’ve begun her healing. Take her out of here.”

  Ashley gently took the woman’s hand in her own. “Make him suffer, Father.” Then she faded, taking the girl with her.

  Tegan was now able to place his focus back on Mark. “You should thank me for not letting my daughter have you. I hear having your soul ripped from your body is most painful.” He was unable to stop the tug that pulled his mouth into the smile of a predator about to devour its prey. “Though, she may have you yet.” He stormed across the room until he was inches from the vampire. “Here’s how this is going to play out. Answer my questions truthfully, and I will go easy on you. Lie and I will unleash hell on you like you never imagined.”

  Mark jerked his chin up, defiance a glint in his eyes. “Your female tastes divine.” He snickered. “Divine, get it?”

  “Oh. I. Get. It.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Rhea quickly assessed the dark-haired man in front of her. Definitely vampire though there was no hint of fang when he smiled at her. His power was stronger than Mark Copper and that alone made her curious.

  “My name is Rhea and this is Eli. I apologize for the door, he got a bit carried away.”

  “That’s an understatement,” came a smooth reply. “Please, have a seat.” He indicated to the leather chairs off to the side as he walked out from behind his desk. “May I offer you something to drink?”

  “Nothing for me.” Rhea sent a questioning glance at Eli.

  “I’m good. I’ll stand by the door if you don’t mind.” He assumed a wide stance, arms over his chest.

  “Suit yourself.” The vampire took up the chair opposite of Rhea. “My name is Ryder. Ryder Mattis.”

  “Thank you for seeing us, Ryder. Now, how did you become a vampire?”

  His brow jacked up as he tilted his head in obvious surprise at her bluntness. “I was helping out a beautiful woman.”

  “Arsenia. You are one of hers then.” She looked back at Eli. “That explains the power difference between Ryder and Mark Copper.”

  “Mark Copper?”

  She swung back to face the man across from her, who had now leaned back in the chair. His crisp, white shirt spread enough to see a hint of tan skin beneath. “You know Mr. Copper?”

  He snorted. “Yeah. When I discovered what he was doing in my club, I tossed him out with a threat if I ever laid eyes on him again, I would rip his heart out and eat it for dinner.”

  “What was he doing?”

  Ryder leaned forward. “He uses women against their will. He forced several to serve as his blood whores and even converted a couple without consent. I don’t abide by that. I have strict rules here and I enforce them.”

  Rhea heard the truth in his words. “Where are these women now? The ones he converted?”

  “All of his victims are under my care. The ones he turned are being sponsored by me now.”

  “Sponsored?”

  “I see to their needs and help them acclimate so they don’t become bloodthirsty killers. The conversion can be a bit...challenging.”

  There were so many questions and Ryder seemed willing to accommodate them, so Rhea settled back in her seat for a long conversation. “I need to know everything. How conversion happens, anything you can tell us about your new species.”

  An hour later, Rhea and Eli had learned more than they could hope for. Ryder was on the up and up and forthcoming with information. Arsenia had been so full of blood lust when she ha
d woken. She had taken a few lives before she realized, once on the verge of death, her victims turned into vampires when given her blood. These individuals created by her blood were more powerful than those created by others. It made sense since she was created by Lucifer. From there, it weakened down the line. Ryder referred to himself as a primordial. Those he had turned were only slightly less powerful than him.

  “It didn’t take long for myself and others like me to realize that a chain reaction occurred the further down the line you went.” Ryder rose from his chair and went to the bar pouring himself another drink.

  “What do you mean?” Eli asked from his station at the door.

  “There are different classes of vampires. Those of a primordial turn are called secondaries. If they turn a human, those become underlings and beneath them are minions. It seems the vampire traits become weaker and more unstable once you reach underlings. Minions are much like children and need constant attention.” Ryder headed back to his chair. “Once myself and other primordials realized this, we started our society and began enforcing rules.”

  “Such as?” Rhea asked.

  “There are three others like me that I know of. We started a society and came to the conclusion that underlings would be forbidden to convert anyone. As you can imagine, that created another mess. We have men who were turned but their wives were not. Right now families are in limbo. None of us know what our full powers are or how long will we live. Perhaps you can provide answers?”

  Rhea wished she had the answers. “I don’t have any information right now, but I can tell you that an epidemic will be sweeping the world. Humans will die by the millions and vampires are susceptible to the plague, but we have a solution if you are willing to work with us.”

  He leaned forward in his chair. “Tell me what you need.”

  “Where’s Lucifer?” Tegan struggled to keep from killing Mark before he had answers.

  “I don’t know. He took off as soon as the gate was open. I haven’t heard from him since.”

  Damnit. Well, no matter. Hopefully Logan would now be able to deal with his father. When he opened his mouth to ask the next question, Rhea spoke in his mind.

  Tegan, we have learned a lot about the vampires and have one who is willing to work with us. Oh, and he doesn’t hold Mark Copper in high regards.

  Good. I’ll meet up with you and the others soon. Seemed there was no reason to keep this vampire alive any longer. “I guess you get to die quicker than originally planned.”

  Mark struggled. “You only asked one question.”

  Tegan lifted both shoulders then relaxed. “You had no answer.” He slammed his fist into the vampire’s chest and wrapped his fingers around a rapid, beating heart. Leaning closer. “You should be thankful I’ve decided your death will be quick. You should never have touched my mate.”

  He ripped the organ from the chest, held it in his palm, and turned it to ash. Releasing Mark’s body, the bloody corpse slumped to the floor. Wasting no time, he opened a portal to Palmyra Atoll Island.

  Wraith, I’m outa here. This place is yours.

  Thanks, hunter. I have reinforcements on the way.

  Satisfied things were under control, Tegan stepped into his portal and found Kelana patrolling the beach. She stopped when he approached.

  “The others are further inland.”

  “How many females do they have?”

  She laughed. “Your son in-law created a big stir, and several thousand woman showed up in Central Park. There are angels there now processing them.” Her mouth turned down. “I feel for those who have to pick and choose who gets to live.”

  Yeah, that job sucked, but they couldn’t hope to save everyone. This had been the plan all along from a much higher power. “Let me know if you run into trouble.”

  Kelana gave a salute. “Been quiet so far. Of course the humans are curious as to why we took over this island, but it has been kept confidential.”

  He acknowledged then headed toward the trees, weaving between them until he came to a clearing, where he discovered several large tents set up and a bustle of angels as well as some confused-looking females. A quick scan of the situation said there were several human females on the island. He moved closer until he spotted Ashley.

  “Father, Rhea is already here with a vampire leader. They are in the tent at the end.”

  “How are things going here?”

  Her forehead wrinkled with worry. “As well as can be expected. I hate not being truthful, but I understand we can't tell them what's happening, not yet anyway. Eva is processing prospective women back in New York. Abby and several others are spreading the word that we are looking for any females bearing the mark.”

  “You are doing all you can for now. We all are. I’d best go see Rhea.” He continued until he reached the last tent then stepped inside where he found his mate sitting at a table with a man who was no doubt a vampire. Rhea jumped to her feet.

  “Tegan, this is Ryder. Wait until you hear what he has to share.”

  Ryder rose and extended his hand. “Your mate tells me you can help us survive the upcoming plague. I am grateful as will be the others.”

  He shook Ryder’s hand, assessing the vampire’s power, which was superior to the now dead Mark Copper. “I am quite interested in everything you have to tell us about your species.” He glanced at Rhea. “Mark Copper is dead, by the way.”

  “I hope you made him suffer.” Ryder’s eyes held the satisfied glint of a fellow hunter.

  “Unfortunately, it was faster than I had wanted, but sometimes we must sacrifice our own desires.” Tegan took a seat at the table. This tent was smaller than the others, consisting of a few tables and chairs, two desks with laptops, and a couple of filing cabinets. It appeared this was one of the offices setup for the Tribunal to use.

  “Your mate has explained recent events.” Ryder shook his head. “So much has changed so fast.”

  “Yes it has. Do you know where Arsenia is?”

  “I’m afraid not. I do know that she is fearful for her life and is on the run.” The vampire took his seat again and propped his elbows on his thighs. “She is not a bad person. Confused and frightened by the changes, but once she realized how to feed and not kill, that became her goal.”

  Tegan understood she was another of Lucifer’s victims like so many others. Arsenia, once a princess of the long dead Inca tribe in Peru, had taken ill. Her father, the king, had made a bargain with the devil to save his daughter. Tegan really did hope Logan killed his father. “I’m sure Logan will locate her before his father does. He appears to be powerful in his own right. Now, fill me in on the vampires.”

  Rhea decided to leave the two men to talk and headed outside. She opened her senses and closed her eyes, allowing the power of her creator to flow through her. Her wings spread, catching the ocean breeze and she lifted into the air.

  Tegan, I will be back. I have something I must do.

  Are you sure it is safe for you to leave? Should I send Eli with you?

  No. I will be fine. I’m heading back to Peru to see if any outbreaks have occurred yet.

  Fine. Keep in touch though.

  I will.

  A portal opened and Rhea flew through. On the other side, she looked down and recognized the landscape. It was where she had been bound, the gate near the pole where she had been cuffed. She landed in the dirt and glanced around. The place was quiet. Eerily so and her heart ached. Death hung in the air.

  She took back to the air and followed the road to the closest town of Juli. There was no way to be sure which direction Morbus would have headed, but if any sickness had started it would likely show up here. Landing near the hospital, she remained cloaked and headed inside. It didn’t take long to overhear heated conversations between the doctors and nurses. The sickness had already started and the fourth floor had been placed under quarantine. Wrapping her wings around herself, she vanished and reappeared at the nurse’s station four floors up. Glancing around
, she followed a doctor down the corridor until they reached a room that held a dozen patients. She slipped inside, overheard an American doctor speaking about the plague... The Angelic Plague. Did the mortals know how it had started? Heated whispers spoke of blaming the angels for the death toll. The plague reared its nastiness shortly after angels were spotted in Peru.

  Who could blame them?

  Rhea would come to the same conclusion if she were in their position.

  Tegan, the outbreak has started in Peru. They blame the angels, with good reason.

  Of course they blame us. Technically, they are not wrong.

  He was right. She was the one who had started it. Opened the gate to Hell. I’m going to try and learn more.

  This was not your fault. Lucifer is to blame as is his father.

  You’re right, of course. She broke her link and moved throughout the ward. Many patients had green puss oozing from open sores. She approached one elderly man and touched his forehead, searched his memories. The sickness had started six days ago with cold-like symptoms then had quickly developed into the sores that now ravaged his body. His fever had spiked as well, and his daughter had brought him to the hospital. The man was on the verge of death and had already made his peace. Rhea scanned his body looking for the illness. His heart was larger than it should be and she tried to eradicate the sickness. Dug to his very DNA and was horrified at what she witnessed.

  The plague was trying to change him, rewriting his DNA code, but his body fought back. It was why his fever spiked. When she dug further, unraveling the virus itself, her own heart pounded furiously.

  “This can’t be,” she whispered as she tried to force his body to heal. Pushing all the power she held into him, nothing worked. The stranger opened his eyes and looked at her. Smiling at her right before his heart exploded.

  Rhea jumped back, hand over her mouth as helplessness nearly drown her. She forced the tears back. She had to find the files on the others and gather all she could about this illness. Morbus had to be found before the entire planet was gripped in his death. She didn’t care what her father had said, they had to try and save the human race.