Into the Darkness

by Delilah Devlin

  When at last it was over, he collapsed onto her, dragging air into his starved lungs. Drugged with sex, his muscles quivered with weakness.

  He nuzzled the corner of her shoulder and kissed her, falling asleep in the next breath.

  Once again, Rene had surrendered to his desire—acquiesced to Natalie’s hunger.

  Chessa watched him settle over, limp from exhaustion and an orgasm that had racked his whole body. His shout at the end still rang in her ears.

  After she’d showered Nicolas’s scent from her skin and changed into dry clothes, she’d come back into the security control room. When Rene’d clipped the cuff around Natalie’s wrist, she’d ordered the grinning guard from the room, unwilling to let anyone else witness their lovemaking.

  She’d watched it all, her own body clenching, her pussy dampening as she stood transfixed by the look of unadulterated need that passed between the couple writhing together on the pale sheets. She hadn’t been able to look away until Rene’s flanks shuddered as he poured himself into Natalie—

  —ripping apart the last of Chessa’s dreams.

  She resigned herself to leaving the next morning—returning to work without her partner. Once upon a time, she’d entertained the thought of taking him as her lover, a complete partner. She’d waited a long time to make sure he was strong enough, right for her. They shared so much in common—more than Rene could ever know.

  They’d both suffered painful losses. They’d both foresworn ever loving so completely again. Yet here he was sinking deep into Natalie’s web, thrusting into the depths of her body.

  “If you love him, you will stay.”

  Inanna’s voice jolted Chessa back to the present. She hadn’t heard the ancient bitch enter the room.

  “While the rest cosset our baby vampire, he will need a friend to guide him or he may not survive.”

  “Who said anything about love? He’s just my partner.”

  “And that’s why you can’t take your eyes off him?”

  “I’m just making sure she doesn’t drain him.”

  “He is beautiful, non?” she said, her melodic voice a deepening caress. “Like a lion—all rippling muscle and roar.”

  “She’s not woman enough for him.”

  “She will not be the same woman once she becomes what she is destined to be.”

  “And I could have gotten that bit of wisdom out of a fortune cookie. At least then, I’d get the egg roll first!”

  “So much anger.” Inanna’s hand caressed her stiff shoulder. “Stay. One more day. If only to make sure in your mind you have lost.”

  Chessa threw a glare over her shoulder. “Cut to the chase, will you? You don’t give a damn about me. You just want me back, so you can play with me—spider to the fly.”

  “I’m not sure what that means, but I see you don’t trust me. You know, I only ever wanted what was best for you.”

  “You think throwing Nic in my path is best?”

  “You think I have anything to do with that? By the way, he’s spectacular, non?”

  “He was convenient.” Guilt hit her at her lie.

  “If that was true, you wouldn’t be so angry.”

  “Leave it, will you? I’m not staying.”

  “One more day. If only to make sure Rene stays safe. Besides, the storm outside only strengthens. You might be stranded on the road.”

  Chessa turned back to the monitor. Rene’s hands cradled Natalie’s body as he slept atop her, his sex still crammed tightly inside her.

  “She will need blood. They will both need release. Perhaps you can tempt one while you feed the other.”

  For a moment, a ray of hope shone through the darkening clouds. Chessa bit her tongue at the woman’s suggestion, rejecting it, not wanting to hold onto an impossible dream. They were bound. She’d lost.

  A crack of thunder nearby rattled the windows, reminding her of the ferocity of the storm she’d already weathered.

  “I’ll stay. But only one more day.”

  Inanna’s soft footsteps retreated.

  No doubt she’d cackle to herself outside now she’d gotten her way. Chessa had once loved her, or at least the memory of what she had been to her a long time ago.

  However, Chessa’d grown up, suffered disappointments, and sought a life outside the enclave. Inanna never stopped trying to draw her back. Her bribes were sometimes ridiculous, her vengeance vicious when she lost.

  Chessa’d stopped trying to figure out what drove her when she realized it really didn’t matter. Inanna never changed, but she had.

  Not that there wasn’t a greater purpose to be served if she stayed. But saving the human world from the demons that populated the shadows wasn’t her thing anymore. That was Nic’s mission. Hers was more prosaic. Serial killers, cop killers—that was her fight now. If every once in a while a case smelled like a creature-feature, she was in the right place to stop it before it reached the light of day and the front page of the Times-Picayune.

  Rene’s breaths had slowed and evened as he rested with Natalie. Soon his cock would wake him, drenched in a fresh wash of carnal cream, and he’d be driven again to fulfill his destiny. Could she bear to watch them make love one more time?

  Perhaps Inanna’s suggestion wasn’t so improbable. The couple might need a little help to dull the edge of desperation. She’d stay one more day.

  CHAPTER 12

  “Damn!”

  Natalie awoke with a jolt. The room was dark except for a sliver of light from the bathroom door, and she wondered whether someone had entered while they slept, still joined, or had somehow remotely turned off the overhead light.

  Not that she needed much light to see into the dark anymore.

  Rene knelt beside her and thrust his hands beneath her head, struggling to untie the knotted gag. It eased and he dragged the cloth away. As she pushed the bunched fabric from her mouth, he stayed beside her. “Sorry ’bout that, baby. I fell asleep.”

  So had she. But despite the cottony mouth and the tightness around her jaws, she wasn’t about to complain. Rene had forgotten himself inside her. He’d fallen asleep with his head pillowed against her breasts. Her arms screamed with agony for having slept in the same position for a couple of hours, but Rene’s arms had cuddled her close.

  He brushed back her hair with his fingers. “I’m going to get you a drink of water, then I’m gonna find someone with a key to take those cuffs off.”

  She nodded, watching as he retreated to the bathroom, her eyes clinging to his tall, sturdy frame. Then she ran her tongue over her teeth and determined she was in desperate need of a toothbrush.

  When he returned, she lifted her head from the pillow as she drank. The water was less than satisfying—unlike the concern in his eyes.

  He drew the covers from the floor over her body, and then went to the door and knocked. It opened a crack and he murmured to the guard outside.

  Now that he’d done everything he could, it appeared he didn’t quite know where to look, which struck her as funny given where he’d rubbed his face just a little while ago.

  Natalie cleared her throat and swallowed to bring moisture to her mouth. “That worked nicely,” she said, giving him a smile.

  Rene’s startled glance landed on her.

  “The gag.”

  A slow sexy smile curled the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, it did.”

  She tried valiantly to keep her gaze glued to his, but however long they remained in each other’s company she didn’t think she’d ever get blasé about being naked with him.

  Her glance swept down his body.

  Everything about him was oversized. From his shoulders to his massive thighs and the heavy cock that even now rose from his groin as he stared back. “You have to stop lookin’ at me like that, chère,” he growled. “You’ll have me worn down to a nub.”

  She blinked, not so much in shock for his coarse comment as for the wicked humor glinting in his eyes.

  The door swung open and Chessa
strode inside, a stack of clothing in her arms. Natalie didn’t know her well, but the crimped corners of her lips and her unnatural pallor said something was wrong. She gave Rene a quick once-over and laid down the clothing at the end of the bed.

  “Tired of lookin’ at my dick?” Rene asked, his tone belligerent.

  Natalie wondered about his edginess.

  Chessa ignored him and circled the bed to unlock Natalie’s cuffs. “You’re both going to have company today. Natalie, you need to get up and get dressed. Someone’ll be coming in a little while to escort you.”

  “What about me?” Rene asked, his arms crossing over his chest.

  “You and I are gonna take a walk.”

  “Am I free to go?”

  “Not quite yet. We’ll talk.”

  Natalie watched the byplay between the two, more curious than jealous. Excited about the possibility of getting out, she rolled up to a sitting position, ignoring the pain shooting through her arms and shoulders and went to the bathroom to shower.

  When she returned Rene was alone, sitting on the bed, his elbows resting on his thighs. “I’m just about goddamn starving.”

  “Me, too. You should have eaten the cheese,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.

  His gaze narrowed. “Well, don’t you be lookin’ at my neck.”

  She flashed her fangs. “Who said I want to bite your neck?”

  “Fuck!” he said and retreated in a hurry to the bathroom.

  Natalie giggled at the horrified look on his face. She liked his sense of humor and liked even better how easily she could get a rise out of him. She must be getting to know him.

  She dressed in a silky, robins-egg blue robe. No underwear. No shoes.

  She wondered if they intentionally wanted her “commando-ready” at all times should she have the urge to jump someone.

  Feeling famished but lighter of spirit than she had in a long while, she finger-combed her hair in the mirror above the dresser. She’d have given her new eyeteeth for a little makeup, but still thought she hadn’t looked so well in a long time. She’d lost more weight, which hollowed her cheeks and gave her hips a sexier flare.

  Was it the sexy workouts or the liquid diet?

  A soft knock preceded the opening of the door. Simon Jameson stood in the entrance.

  “Simon!” she exclaimed, a rush of relief washing over her at seeing someone dear and familiar. “What are you doing here? Did they take you, too?” She rushed to give him a hug, flinging her arms around his neck.

  He squeezed her hard and set her back on her toes. “I came on my own. Wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

  Natalie let his comment and steady gaze sink in for a long moment. “You know?”

  “That you’re a vampire?” His grin was strained, not a bit of humor in it.

  “How long?”

  He shrugged.

  Natalie felt a chill prickle her arms and hugged them to her belly. Was she the last person on the planet to find out?

  Simon cast a glance at the closed bathroom door and the sound of running water. “Your policeman in there?”

  She nodded, a blush heating her cheeks. He probably knew exactly what he was washing off. “Yes.”

  “Is he treating you well?”

  Still feeling a glow from Rene’s tender care, she nodded.

  “Good. Or I’d have to kill him.”

  The thought of Simon killing anyone surprised a laugh from Natalie.

  “Don’t think I could?” he asked, quirking one eyebrow.

  She shook her head. “Nothing would surprise me anymore.”

  “Hold that thought.” Simon crooked his elbow. “Let’s take a turn around the house.”

  “They’re letting me out?”

  “In my care. There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”

  She slowly slipped her hand inside his arm, unsure now about their friendship and his loyalties. Everyone, it seemed had secrets. “You know the people who live here?”

  “Not well. And only the oldest inhabitants. It’s been a while since I was welcomed.” He patted her hand on his arm. “Stop thinking so much. It’ll all work out.”

  She gave him a quizzical glance, but he shrugged. Glad to see the rest of her prison, if only for a quick “turn,” she didn’t press. Maybe she could learn something useful—like how to spring Rene and herself.

  “Her policeman” might think he was going to leave her behind, but she’d be damned if he did. At that moment, she realized she already thought of them as a couple. Bound together. She knew he was far from feeling the same, so why would she entertain such a fanciful thought?

  Maybe because she knew it was true, the same way she knew how to find the right places to bite.

  She gave a glance over her shoulder at the bathroom door, unsure about leaving him alone.

  “He’ll be okay. Chessa will look after him.”

  That was hardly reassuring. She still had the niggling feeling Chessa wanted Rene, but she didn’t really have any rights over him.

  So they’d slept together. She wasn’t sure what constituted a relationship in Rene’s mind.

  However, she followed Simon out the door, feeling as though she was entering Oz as she crossed the threshold. Instead of a yellow brick road, pearl gray carpet cushioned her bare feet.

  She walked toward the end of the hall to a long staircase that curved down to an open foyer tiled in black marble shot through with veins of gold. A massive chandelier suspended above was made of wrought iron twisted into vines, frosted glass globes, and cylindrical crystals.

  She didn’t have time to catalog the rest of her surroundings. Simon pulled her into a parlor with cream-colored walls, velvet-upholstered camelback sofas with lots of plush, colorful pillows in an erotic mix of maroons and golds. Thick velvet drapes covered the floor-to-ceiling windows, but the centerpiece was a black marble fireplace with a portrait above it.

  Curious, she walked closer to study the painting. Splotches of vivid red and gold surrounded the stunning woman at the center of the portrait—blood red lips, black hair, black eyes, a sallow cast to her skin—Middle Eastern or Indian, she thought. Her gown was rendered in gold foil and a gold necklace with a large red stone carved into the likeness of a creature with outstretched wings rested between her breasts.

  “She’s beautiful,” Simon whispered very close to her ear. “But when you meet her, beware.”

  Natalie drew back in surprise, glancing at him over her shoulder. “She lives here?”

  “This is her house.”

  His expression seemed to be schooled, reserved. Far from the open, fun-loving person she had thought him to be. “What’s her name?”

  “She has many,” he murmured. “But here, they call her Inanna. She’s your grandmother many, many times removed. In fact, every one of The Born who lives here is descended from her.”

  “That term, ‘Born’—”

  One side of his mouth quirked up. “Not for me to explain.”

  She didn’t bother to hide her frown of frustration. “All right, can you tell me how many Born are here?”

  “I don’t know. In the past, when I was a regular visitor, they came and went frequently. This was a kind of social center. Now, it seems more a military compound than a residence.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I. And you’re not expected to. You’ve been out of the fold. So have I. I’ll let them explain it to you. I just wanted to give you a little warning.” He leaned close again, his voice dropping. “Don’t trust. Follow your own path.”

  She dropped her hand from his arm and stepped closer to be sure he could see exactly what she thought. “Stop going Yoda on me. I’m twenty-five, not five. And I’m getting pretty sick of everyone knowing what the hell is going on around me!”

  “Natalie.” He reached for her arms and gripped her, giving her a little shake. “Just be careful. Nothing is ever as it seems on the surface.”

  “Perhaps you shoul
d let her see beneath your own surface, Simon,” came a melodic, singsong voice from behind them.

  Natalie turned to find the woman in the portrait—Inanna. She looked as though she had just risen from bed. She was dressed as Natalie was in a long, silky robe, only hers was a deep crimson shot with gold thread that made the gown shimmer as she walked toward them. Her dark hair fanned around her shoulders and she didn’t wear a trace of makeup. Still, she was the most beautiful woman Natalie had ever seen.

  “It’s well past time we met,” Inanna said, holding out her hands, palms up. The tilt of her head relayed a challenge.

  Although she was reluctant to touch her, given Simon’s warning, Natalie reached out and her hands were enfolded in warmth—and surprising strength. Inanna tugged her closer, until Natalie stood close enough to smell the other woman’s minty breath.

  This close, the woman’s eyes weren’t black at all, but a liquid, bottomless brown, her pupils surrounded by a surprising golden aurora. Her skin was a creamy café au lait—and for a woman who was supposedly her grandmother “many times removed,” dewy and youthful.

  Her lush red lips curved as she returned Natalie’s stare, seeming to inspect each feature. “There’s little of your mother in you,” she murmured. “The same blonde hair, the same coloring, but I see more strength. That bull she chose was an excellent choice after all.”

  Her mother? Natalie felt her pulse throb at her temples. Somehow, it didn’t seem the right time to pursue the topic. Not standing this close. She felt almost light headed from the effort of keeping her expression neutral.

  “Natalie, you are breaking free from a chrysalis—you are only half-formed. Soon you will be magnificent—blessed to be among us. Powerful in ways you cannot conceive.”

  Somehow, the words didn’t sound ridiculous. Not in Inanna’s melodic intonations.

  A shiver bit the base of Natalie’s spine.

  Inanna released her hands and turned to walk toward twin sofas that faced each other in front of the fireplace. “Please, have a seat,” she said, settling gracefully onto the cushion. “Lunch is coming. While we wait, we can get acquainted. I’m sure you have a million questions.”