Darkness Descends: A Skye Faden Novel

by Alisha Ashton

Him kneeling behind her, gripping her hips as his bare chest pressed to her bare back. She could hear the sounds that would come from him as he did so; feel his hot mouth on the back of her neck and his breath against her ear.

  Taran’s hand stilled as her scent changed to... ‘arousal’ would be the understatement of the century. He was used to catching the change in her scent when she was aroused, but this? This was something infinitely stronger. It was so enticing that he considered very seriously the need to back away from her several steps in order to stay in control. The wolf in him was responding to her in ways that he had never before experienced. After four millennia, he had thought for sure he knew it all.

  Forcing himself to focus on the task at hand, he cut away the last of the material that had fallen below her hips and quickly stood upright. He was thankful to put some distance between them as he returned the scissors to his desk. When he started back toward her, he kept his pace leisurely in order to give himself a chance to fight off his body’s desire to answer her silent plea.

  “They’ll be wantin’ to get a look at ya,” he reminded in a strained voice as he cautiously approached.

  Skye nodded, swallowing past the yearning for him that was constricting her throat. So lost in thought, she failed to notice that this time she reached out and took his arm as they began the trek downstairs.

  Taran’s breathing quickened as she absently traced her fingers up his forearm and bicep.

  Perhaps she is simply ready to face her desire, he thought – but it did not seem likely. It was as if she were truly unaware of her own actions; as if the instant her mind became busied, her body took over and sought him out. He eyed her appraisingly, deciding that the list of questions he had regarding this pup was growing far too long.

  Miko looked up at them concernedly as they entered the kitchen. He decided to let Aiyana explain what was going on when she was ready. At least she was too far away to incur the wrath of Skye.

  “Is she back now?” Aiyana asked.

  Skye smiled and walked up behind Miko with Taran still at her side. “I am,” she answered.

  “Aiyana, this is Taran. Taran, this is Aiyana.” Miko said, waiting while they each gave distracted greetings.

  “Miko, move out of the way for a minute. Skye, do I see what I think I see?” She squealed.

  Skye nodded. Releasing her hold of Taran’s arm, she turned her back toward the camera. She smiled over at him warmly as he lifted her hair to show off her flawless skin.

  “That is incredible! Guys, are you seeing this?” Aiyana called, staring in astonishment at flesh that had been so horribly scarred just days prior. Vampires lost scarring as well – as the Ashers had learned from their unwilling test subjects – but it took years for scars to fade completely. They had never seen such a drastic and instantaneous change before.

  “This is remarkable, but it raises so many questions,” one of the scientists commented.

  “Yeah like, ‘which club are me and Skye going to hit first looking for men when I get to Scotland’?” Aiyana snorted. “Oh honey, we’ve got so much shopping to do. You’re going to need a whole new wardrobe to show this off!”

  Skye blushed, now even more eager for Aiyana to arrive. She had so looked forward to sharing this with her. It felt oddly comforting to have someone be so genuinely happy for her.

  Taran laughed and ran his hand over the back of her neck.

  “Ya see, my love? I told ya tha new clothes were in order,” he reminded softly as she smiled up at him.

  “How did I just know you wouldn’t miss a chance to throw in an ‘I told you so’?” Skye teased.

  Aiyana’s eyes widened at Taran’s use of the words, ‘my love’. She smiled knowingly as she watched the interaction between the two.

  “Huh, or maybe we’ll just skip the clubs,” she muttered under her breath.

  Everyone caught it. No one commented on it.

  “Miko, do you have the sample kit they gave you?” Schrader asked.

  “Yeah, all fifty freaking pounds of it.” Miko grumbled. “Thanks for making it so damned portable, Phil.”

  “That is portable,” one of the scientists called back in response. “The unit here in the lab can’t be lifted without a forklift, so quit your bitching. You need to take a few tubes of blood from Skye and load them into the unit.”

  Miko definitely did not miss the change in Taran’s posture at the instruction to ‘take blood from Skye’, nor did he fail to note that the ancient was somehow instantly blocking her from his view with a brow arched challengingly.

  Aiyana grinned at the level of protection that was going on. She mouthed to Skye, ‘we so need to talk’ before looking back at the men.

  Miko tried not to sound too petrified as he spoke. It was difficult to accomplish, though. Taran looked as if he was contemplating whether the fastest way to rip him in half would be vertically or horizontally.

  “Skye?” Miko squeaked. “This is phlebotomy Phil. Phlebotomy Phil? This, my nerdy compadre, is Skye, and in case you hadn’t read it in your reports, you don’t ‘take’ anything from her,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  Skye nodded that it was true.

  Taran did not move an inch. He was not taking his eyes off of Miko, lest the mortal try anything stupid. Until he heard the words come from Skye’s mouth that she was okay with this, he was not budging.

  Miko swallowed hard, still quaking discretely at the promise of injury in Taran’s glare.

  “So, what do you say, Skye? Are you up for playing pin-cushion?” He asked with a nervous laugh.

  Skye looked over at Taran and her heart fluttered at how defensive he was of her.

  “Sure,” she said softly and nearly melted when Taran spun to face her.

  His eyes intensely searched hers for any sign of hesitation. It was hard to breathe when he looked at her like this, as if he could see everything inside of her, as if he could read her like an open book.

  “I suppose I should ask – have you ever drawn blood before?” She asked while desperately trying to tear her gaze from Taran. The way Miko was pulling on latex gloves out of habit told her the answer was ‘yes’ long before he replied.

  “I spent a few years as a medic, so this is nothing. You would have to be bouncing up and down as if we were in the back of an ambulance doing 70 miles per hour down the highway for this to be a challenge,” he said as he prepped the needle and tubing. “Now, tracheotomies? Those are a bitch. I never could get the hang of them. My advice? Don’t ever need one while I’m around.”

  Skye curled a lip in disgust, contemplating how one could screw up a tracheotomy.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said and placed a hand protectively over her throat.

  Miko patted the counter in front of him. Somewhat reluctantly, Skye pulled herself up and offered him her forearm. Surprisingly, the quirky, ADHD prone Miko was fantastic at drawing blood. His hands were steady and she barely felt a thing. It was the first time she had seen him so focused and borderline mature.

  Taran stood at her side and watched Miko work. His hand was resting on the counter behind her so that his arm pressed against her back. Skye realized yet again how very wolf-like Taran truly was. He simply wanted to make his presence known – was offering her comfort with the contact.

  A minute later, after placing a completely unnecessary bandage over the tiny puncture wound, Miko was getting to work loading the samples into the unit. Once his back was turned, Skye peeled away the bandage and watched in awe as the mark from the needle quickly vanished. She smiled warmly when she looked up and found Taran watching as well. He chuckled at the wonderment in her eyes and rubbed her back comfortingly.

  Miko finished loading the blood, following Phil’s instructions so that the excited scientists could get a look at her DNA.

  While they were waiting, Aiyana took her chance. This was likely to be uncomfortable, but at least they already had the sample in case Skye decided to storm out of the ro
om.

  “Okay, Skye honey, I need you to relax. Maybe take a few breaths, think some happy thoughts for me,” Aiyana began.

  Skye eyed her suspiciously. “Why?” She asked, knowing instantly that whatever it was, Miko was aware of it. She could see it in his guilt-ridden posture even with his back to her.

  “Well,” Aiyana started cautiously. “Last night we had a visitor... or rather, a trespasser, since he did sorta break in.”

  Taran shook his head, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. He could already see where this was heading.

  Skye was still staring down at the monitor apprehensively.

  “Uh huh,” she pressed, knowing full well that she would be royally pissed-off here in a minute.

  “He was pretty mad at us at first. At least, until he found out where you were and... well, he wanted to speak to you and Taran before he comes over there,” Aiyana explained before standing and motioning for someone off camera to take her place.

  Skye’s jaw had already been flexing angrily, but when Drostan’s face filled the monitor, she lost her temper.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me!” She shouted as she took a step back. The majority of her wanted to leave in that moment. A little piece, however, was slightly curious to hear what he could possibly have to say for himself.

  “Hello, Skye, my sister,” Drostan began in a thick Scottish accent.

  Taran’s eyes widened hearing his casual use of the title.

  “I apologize tha we were nah given the chance to speak sooner,” Drostan continued until movement behind her drew his attention. He smiled brightly when he saw who it was. “Taran, my brother, it has been too long.”

  “Aye, brother, far too long,” Taran agreed as he stepped up behind Skye and rested a hand on her shoulder.

  The act was subtle, yet it spoke volumes to Drostan.

  It clearly conveyed that Taran expected his bond to Skye to be respected. Whether Drostan was her Maker or not, Taran had seen her through her first change. He had rightful claim over her now, and with the seemingly casual physical contact of a hand laid upon her shoulder, he was demonstrating his intention to maintain that claim.

  So slightly that it was missed by the mortals watching their interaction, Drostan inclined his head in agreement.

  The tension in Taran’s shoulders was instantly alleviated.

  There were only three men to whom Taran would consider relinquishing his claim over Skye, remember? Drostan, unfortunately, was one of the three. Since learning the identity of Skye’s Maker, in the back of his mind Taran had been fretting over the possibility that his brother would call for her return. Now that it was clear that he would not, Taran felt incredibly relieved. An easy smile came to his lips as he rubbed Skye’s back, though this time it was to comfort himself, rather than her.

  “Do I need even mention tha I have a lot of questions for ya?” He asked with a smirk.

  “No,” Drostan laughed. “I figured ya would, and it’s a good thing because I have a great deal tha needs tellin’. I trust ya can explain to Skye tha I’m nah the type to act rashly. There was a great need for what was done. For obvious reasons, I can nah explain fully at the moment.” He looked around the room behind him purposefully. “But my flight leaves in just a few hours. I should be there in the morra to speak with ya both. Young Skye, I so regret tha I was nah able to help ya through your first change,” he offered sincerely.

  She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly, trying to stay angry with him despite his surprisingly endearing personality. He smiled at her for the attempt.

  “But I must say, for a pack of stake-wielders, they did well. Miko took ya to just the right man in my stead. Believe me when I say this – ya are precisely where ya need to be,” he stressed.

  Skye’s brows drew together hearing someone put words to what she kept feeling. The way he nodded solemnly at the change in her expression told her that he somehow already knew that.

  “This one fights with a fury tha I can nah hope to express to ya, my brother,” Drostan breathed as he tore his eyes from hers and focused on Taran. “She must be a fierce faol. ”

  “Aye, she is. I’d nah want to come up against her again, tha’s for sure,” Taran said with a proud smile.

  Skye felt oddly flattered that these two ancients beings were marveling over her.

  “Again? Wait – what the hell happened?” Aiyana demanded, suddenly standing behind Drostan and staring into the camera.

  “Miko drugged me,” Skye announced with a smirk and waited for him to turn around with that predictable look of indignation on his face.

  “He did what?” Aiyana demanded in a shrill tone.

  “Oh come on!” Miko cried. “You were gonna eat Taran!”

  “Stayed in the cage with her for the first change, did ya?” Drostan asked with a laugh.

  “Tried to stay with her is more like it,” Taran breathed as he rolled his eyes. “Miko was right to use the darts when he did. If he’d hesitated in taking tha shot, either myself or Skye would nah be here for this discussion today.”

  Miko beamed at the acknowledgement.

  “See?” He said, holding his hand up to Taran. “Thank you, Tar. At least someone around here appreciates my trigger-happiness.” His moment to gloat was cut short when the machine in front of him started beeping loudly. He held up his hands and backed away from it quickly while insisting, “I didn’t touch anything, I swear!”

  “Relax. It’s just transmitting the results here,” Aiyana laughed as a mad scramble ensued behind her and Drostan.

  “So?” Skye sighed. “Somebody in a white coat start talking. You guys get to look at my blood, I wanna know what it says, too.”

  “This is...” Phil began, but paused as he seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilation.

  Drostan rolled his eyes and gave a bored sigh in response to yet another mortal’s overenthusiastic reaction to his kind. After shaking his head and exchanging a smirk with Taran, he reached over to the camera and turned it toward the swarm of ‘white-coats’.

  “... truly fascinating,” Phil finally breathed in astonishment. “There is... just wow. I mean really, just wow.”

  Schrader growled impatiently before snatching a sheet from the printer and stepping up in front of the camera.

  “Hey, Skye. My name’s Schrader and I promise to make this as short and to the point as possible. Is that cool with you?” The skinny computer hacker with the thick black glasses asked.

  “Ya mean to tell me there’s a man in here, aside from myself, with a lick of sense?” Drostan muttered in surprise.

  “That sounds perfect, Schrader,” Skye laughed. “Go ahead, shoot.”

  “Okay, an average, every day mortal has one strand of DNA. Got that? Uno. But you, chica, have what appears to be one partial and two complete strands in your bloodstream. In case you were wondering, that’s a huge freaking deal. Now, of the complete strands, one is your normal Skye DNA – likely suspended in the moment you were bitten to prevent aging – and the other is the wolf hybrid that is the source of your transformation. The third, the partial, looks to be a developing middle ground between the other two. I’m guessing once it’s complete, you’ll be able to change in stages, you know? Have more control over it then just being the faol or Skye.”

  He looked down at the sheet and thought about it for a minute.

  “After you went through the transformation and returned to human form, you had your natural hair color and all scarring was gone?” He asked and Skye nodded. “Then it’s simple, like cloning for dummies. DNA is just a series of instructions for what makes you who you are. Everything from height to eye and hair color, skin pigmentation, etcetera is all in there. Your transformation is apparently just your body switching what series of code it’s following. When the time comes to transform again your body says, ‘Okay, I want to go back to being Skye now’ and pulls out the instruction manual for how to make Skye. Things like scarring
and hair dye aren’t in the code, so they don’t stick around through the change.”

  Skye stared at the monitor in surprised silence for a long moment.

  “Schrader?” She finally said and waited for him to look up again. “You are a freaking genius. Thank you. It would have taken those other guys a week to explain that.”

  “Eh, it’s all relative to me,” Schrader said as he waved off her praise. “Whether it’s DNA, binary, whatever – I just understand coding,” he offered modestly and went back to reading her DNA strands like a book. “What I’m wondering is why this change is linked to the lunar cycle. I mean, what would make it follow that schedule initially? The why’s of lycanthropy have always been far more intriguing for me than the how’s.” His brows furrowed suddenly. He brought the sheet closer to his face as something caught his attention. “Huh...” he breathed, staring down at the codes in confusion.

  “What do you mean ‘huh’?” Skye asked worriedly. “No ‘huh’s when reading my blood. What is it?”

  “I don’t really know,” he confessed and adjusted his glasses. “I’ll have to look into it further, but there are some really strange anomalies in your DNA... I mean your Skye DNA.” He chewed his nail as he studied the irregularities.

  Taran and Drostan exchanged a meaningful look at the edges of both screens. That damned plane could not get to Scotland fast enough.

  “Let me plug this into my computer and take a look. Something is a strange, but I can’t place it. I’ll let you know as soon as...” Schrader trailed off as he walked away; totally engrossed in the challenge he had just spotted.

  “Poor bastard,” Miko sighed and shook his head. “He’ll stay up for the next three weeks if he has to, just to solve whatever is puzzling him.”

  “Taran, Skye, and trigger-happy Miko,” Drostan called, making it known that he recalled being on the receiving end of said trigger-happiness. He turned the camera back to face himself and Aiyana fully.

  Miko cleared his throat guiltily and pretended to be busy reading the sheets of Skye’s blood analysis.

  “I will see ya all in the morra,” Drostan laughed. “Traffic around these parts is a nightmare. If I do nah get to the airport soon, I will nah catch my flight.”