Dangerous (Courting the Darkness Saga)

by Fuller, Karen

  The leader grabbed her by the arm, twisting it behind her back. “Your spell didn’t work, lady. I don’t see anything I ain’t supposta see. It looks like we’ve captured us a witch, boys.” Their laughter rang out again and her heart turned cold. He twisted her arm higher and shoved her toward a car just under the street lamp. The engine revved and the lights came on, indicating that there was another person involved in this kidnapping.

  “Ow! Watch it asshole, that hurts.”

  He shoved her into the backseat. “Get used to it sweet cheeks, we’re just getting started.”

  Sherry slammed into the back of the front seat, jarring her shoulder, and found herself face to face with the driver, Justin Hargrove. He gave her a toothy grin. “Miss me, witch?”

  If Sherry had anything left in her stomach she would have thrown up on the spot as the bile left the taste of fear in the back of her throat. “You’re a dead man,” she managed to croak.

  He threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t feel too dead. Actually I feel quite fine, very healthy in fact. Do I look dead to you boys?”

  “Naw, Justin, you look like you always do. Alive and kickin’.”

  “What do you want with me?”

  “We already told you, sweet cheeks. We’re using you as bait to draw out the whelp. Our buddy, Justin here, well, he’ll take over from there.”

  Sherry swallowed hard. “How did you even know about the boy?”

  Their leader leered at her. “We had help from the inside, lady. It appears that not everyone is in love with their new queen.”

  ***

  Drake and Mica stood around a large table studying a map. Drake pointed to a desolate road. “Santana’s clan should be coming in from this direction.”

  Mica shook his head. “No, that would be an obvious route. I don’t think Santana is that stupid. He would assume that you would expect him to come from that direction. I think he’ll come from here.” Mica’s finger traced a main road.

  Desiree sat on a stool at the end of the table. “When are you expecting them to attack?”

  Drake sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “It could be anytime. The signs are right.”

  Desiree looked up from the map. “Signs?”

  Drake nodded. “You know of the three sisters?”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Are you referring to the Fates?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t know you believed in that kind of stuff.”

  Mica looked between them. “What are you two talking about?”

  Desiree leaned over the table on her elbows and clasped her hands in front of her. “The Fates, Mica, they’re reputed to be three powerful witches, prophets really. Some say they’re immortal. We’ve all grown up hearing the fables, but I’ve never seen anything to prove to me that they’re actually real.”

  Drake crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at her. “They’re real.”

  Desiree laughed. “What are you telling me, Drake? Are you saying that you’ve actually seen them?”

  Drake nodded and the smile fell from Desiree’s face. “They were responsible for my conversion, Mica’s too for that matter.”

  Mica did a double take. “What?”

  “They laid their hands on me and calmed my cravings. They told me to convert you, Mica, and build an army. It wasn’t by accident that we won the vampire wars in England three hundred years ago.”

  Desiree threw up her hands to halt Drake’s speech. “Okay, Drake, let’s say that I believe you for argument’s sake. That was three hundred years ago. What does all this have to do with the here and now?”

  “The vampire wars were some of the bloodiest battles that I’ve ever seen.” Mica nodded in agreement as Drake spoke. “We overthrew our opposition, practically annihilating them from the face of the planet.”

  Mica nodded again. “Yes, that’s right. I remember.”

  “As my reward the sisters told me to set sail for America and to take Mica with me. They said to build an army. They told me that when I found my soul mate a new vampire war would begin. I was told to keep my loved ones close, and that there would be betrayal by someone close to me, to trust no one. If I were to win this war, I would rein for eternity as king.” Desiree and Mica shared a glance as Drake continued. “When I heard about Santana vying for my kingdom I knew that I would soon find my soul mate and the war would begin again.”

  Desiree swallowed hard. “Drake, have you told any of this to Sherry?”

  “Yes, all of it.”

  Desiree slapped her palm down on the table. “Dammit, Drake! If we lose this war then I lose my best friend, because if something happens to you then she dies too.”

  “We will not lose.”

  Mica looked up at Drake. “Their army is three times the size of ours.”

  “We. Will. Not. Lose.” Drake shouted.

  Desiree frowned at Mica. “You’re right, Drake, we will not lose. Whether I like it or not you are the key to Sherry’s survival. There is no walking away for either of us now. I guess the Fates really do exist. They have woven both Sherry and I so tightly into your world it is either fight or die with you.” She slapped her palm on the table again with conviction. “Sherry and I will use our magic to fight beside you to help you win this war. Our combined magic will help even the odds a bit.”

  Caleb entered the room. “I’m in.”

  Mica glared at his friend. “Where have you been?”

  Caleb shrugged. “I had to buy the boy some clothes.”

  Desiree slapped Caleb on the shoulder in irritation. “He’s not ‘the boy,’ Caleb, he’s your son.”

  “I know, I know, Dez. I’m still trying to get used to ‘the dad’ thing. He seems to be a pretty good kid.”

  “Yeah, because he wasn’t raised around you…don’t ruin him.”

  “Hey….”

  Desiree narrowed her eyes to glower at the shifter. “I mean it, Caleb. He’s a good kid. If I catch him acting like you then I’ll be looking at you to blame.”

  “Admit it, Dez, you know you love me.”

  Desiree sighed heavily. “Mica, a little help here before I decide to throw another fireball at him.”

  “Caleb, we’ve been through this.”

  “Okay, Mica, I get it. You got the girl. I’ll back off.”

  Drake shook his head. He never understood the friendship between Mica and Caleb, but as bad as he hated to admit it, he needed Caleb’s help now. “I’m glad you’re here, Caleb. We can use the help.”

  Caleb blinked, eyes wide. “I never thought I’d live to hear you say you were happy to see me, Drake.” He patted his hands on his own chest. “Wait, I’m still alive aren’t I?” He burst out laughing.

  Drake frowned. “Don’t get cocky about it.”

  Mica glared at Caleb. “Caleb! This is no time for horsing around. Things will be getting ugly very soon and we need everyone focused.”

  “I’m just trying to lighten the mood a bit.”

  Desiree rolled her eyes. “We make a very strange family.”

  Drake tilted his head. “Your meaning?”

  She shrugged. “Three species that don’t generally get along: witches, vampires and shape shifters. Brought together by fate, we are combining our forces for a common goal—to survive.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Drake nodded at Desiree. “I agree. We are all stronger fighting together.”

  Desiree sat back on the stool. “Wow, I’m feeling a bit like Caleb now. You’re actually agreeing with me.”

  Drake’s gaze leveled with hers. “I’ll go one better.” Desiree sat up, listening intently. “Help me win this war and I will grant you your freedom.”

  Desiree reached for Mica’s hand without taking her eyes from Drake’s. “Swear it. Swear it to me now in front of these witnesses.”

  “I am a man of my word.”

  “When it suits you.”

  Drake’s eyes flashed red as his jaw clenched in anger.

 
; “Desiree!” Mica shook his head at her in warning.

  She closed her eyes, and her shoulders sagged. “Fine, I’m sorry, Drake.” She opened her eyes and leveled her gaze with Drake’s. “That remark was uncalled for. It’s just…you really upset me when you wouldn’t release me.”

  Drake took a few calming breaths. “I know, but when I took you to begin with, I didn’t know how powerful you really were. With the power in the amulets you convinced me that you might be the key to winning this coming war. I needed you as an ally, fighting on my side. I had no idea that I would find my soul mate through you. I guess the Fates have a twisted sense of humor.”

  “If I felt the cause was right, I would have still fought by your side, without the bondage.”

  Mica nodded. “Same here.”

  In that moment Drake realized that his firstborn and his firstborn’s mate were his true friends, not just subjects to order to do his bidding. He knew what he had to do. “I release you, Desiree Dupuis, from bondage. You are free. And you, Mica, you have always been my friend, even when I didn’t deserve it. If the Fates hadn’t intervened I don’t know that I would have turned you, but you have been a powerful friend and ally these last three hundred years. I should have released you long ago. You were always an alpha like me and meant to have your own clan. I release….”

  Drake froze, staring straight ahead. His hands gripped the sides of the table, the wood splintering beneath the pressure.

  Caleb leaned forward and waved his hand in front of Drake’s face, getting no response. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Desiree snapped her fingers in front of Drake’s face a couple of times with the same results. “I’m not sure, but I believe that he’s having a vision.” She turned to her mate. “Mica, do vampires have visions?”

  “Only when we’re in tune with our mates.”

  “But Sherry’s supposed to be in their chambers resting. Why would she be sending him a vision?”

  Caleb smirked. “Maybe it’s her way of summoning him to her bed.”

  Mica slapped Caleb on the backside of his head. “Get your mind out of the gutter. Our visions don’t work like that fu—you almost had me calling you ‘fur ball’ with cracks like that.”

  Caleb smiled. “Ah, you just reminded me of Denise, I’m gonna have to look her up. I kinda miss her callin’ me that.”

  Desiree frowned. “Caleb, focus.” She turned to her mate. “Mica, how do your visions work?”

  “When needed we can see through our mate’s eyes. And from the look of that grip Drake has on the edge of the table, I’m assuming he’s not too happy with what he’s seeing.”

  Desiree hopped off the barstool. “Excuse me.”

  Mica sat back. “Where are you going?”

  “To check on Sherry.”

  “The odds of her being in their chamber are nil. Somehow, someone has gotten to her.”

  “You better be wrong, because if you’re not, we’re all in trouble. Sherry is more powerful than even she knows. She just believes that she is a common witch. She doesn’t know that she was born with natural powers. With the right training, she alone would be an unstoppable force. That is one of the reasons that I have kept such close tabs on her throughout the years. That, and I never told her, but she is my great-great-granddaughter.”

  Caleb slapped his forehead. “Wow, Dez, you never told us you had a kid.”

  “It was safer for all those concerned not to know. The witch hunters were always after me, and if they knew about my offspring they would be in danger too. Shortly after I cast that spell and realized that I no longer aged, my husband died in an accident. Caroline was only fifteen at the time. I arranged a marriage for her and told her that I had to disappear for a while to keep her safe. I was lucky because she happened to be in love with the boy to begin with. She agreed to keep my secret. I watched her from afar as she had children and grew old. When she was an old woman I came back. She introduced me to her children, my grandchildren, as a friend and a coven leader. I’ve stayed in touch with them all in that capacity ever since.”

  Mica took her hand in his and kissed it. “Now I understand why you were so protective of the girl.”

  “Since her mother died, she is the last of my line.”

  “We will get her back, love.”

  “We better get her back. I not only love her, but that kind of power in the wrong hands can be deadly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that if Sherry and I combine our powers together we are strong enough to stop this war before it ever begins.”

  Mica lifted an eyebrow. “That’s impossible, love…the enemy is over three thousand strong.”

  She nodded. “It’s a drop in the bucket for what we’d be capable of together.”

  Caleb let out a long low whistle. “I’ve seen what you can do alone….”

  Desiree gave Drake a worried look in his frozen state. “We better pray that they don’t discover what they have.”

  Drake blinked a couple of times and began to shake in a deep rage as he came out of the trance. The color of his eyes change to blood red, his upper fangs elongated over his bottom lip, the tendons in his neck bulged under the pressure, and then the edge of the table beneath his fingers suddenly shattered. He stood, then raised his fist in the air and slammed it on the tabletop, causing it to shatter in pieces on the floor. “I will rip the head off that snake with my teeth and feed it to the alligators in the bayou. Then I will eat his heart,” he roared.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Desiree’s face paled. “Who has my baby, Drake?”

  In Drake’s state of mind he was feral, seeing the entire room in an angry shade of red. He had heard Desiree’s explanation in his frozen state, but had been unable to respond to it until now. He backed against the wall in an effort to control his rage. “Our baby has been kidnapped by more than one.” His voice was horse and strained. “Justin Hargrove seems to be the one in control.”

  Desiree brought her hands up over her mouth in horror. “He’ll kill her. She doesn’t even know she has the power within her to defeat him.”

  “There are others.” He turned and cast his gaze on Caleb. “There is one who looks remarkably like you.” He pointed a clawed finger in Caleb’s direction. “He wants the boy.”

  “He can’t have him.” Caleb shook his fists in anger. His eyes shifted to panther and his voice changed to the scream of a large cat as his body rippled and black fur covered his hands. “I will destroy them!”

  A glass shattered as it hit the ground. Little Mica stood in the doorway. His eyes bugged in shock as he glanced frantically around the room. “Where’s Aunt Sher?”

  Tears spilled from Desiree’s eyes as she shook her head at the boy, unable to speak.

  “NO,” he screamed. His head whipped back in forth in denial. “No, no, no, no! They have taken everything from me. They can’t have her too!” Before their eyes the boy’s new cloths ripped as he morphed into a white tiger twice the size and muscle mass of his father. He let out a fierce scream that had them all cover their ears.

  Mica slapped Caleb on the back. “He’s an alpha.”

  Caleb, still in mid-change, smiled. His long fangs protruded below his chin. “Yes, it appears so.”

  Desiree stepped around Mica to approach the boy. She reached out and stroked his fur. “This is why they wanted him. He is magnificent. They somehow knew what he would become. They either want to destroy him or train him to be their leader.”

  Caleb narrowed his glowing green eyes. “With their hatred of me, I am assuming that they were looking to destroy him.”

  The boy ran his rough tongue up the side of Desiree’s face. She smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. “You will help to save her.”

  Caleb charged forward. “NO.”

  “It is the only way.” She looked to Drake. “They won’t know what hit them.”

  ***

  Justin Hargrove put the car in gear, then
looked into the rearview mirror. “Cedric, you and your boys need to tie her up tight. Don’t want to give her a chance to cast a spell.”

  Cedric laughed. “She’s already tried that on me, Justin. She failed miserably.”

  Justin looked up sharply into the rearview mirror. “What exactly did she say?”

  He shrugged. “Something about multiplying and seeing. I didn’t see nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “You’re a fool! She didn’t mean for you to see, stupid.”

  Cedric growled low and drew a claw down the side of Justin’s neck, leaving a welt of blood in its wake. “Care to repeat yourself human?”

  Justin swallowed hard. “No. I’ve dealt with witches before. If she says something that sounds strange it usually means something, that’s all.”

  “I think you’re wrong, witchy man.”

  “Fine, believe what you want.”

  “Just drive, witchy man and leave the witch to me.” Cedric sat back and leisurely ran his claw down the side of Sherry’s breast, slicing the fabric, exposing a little of her pale skin.

  Her fingers pulled at her bindings behind her back as she tried to jerk away from his touch. “Keep your filthy paws off me.”

  He grabbed her breast, wrenching it painfully, bringing tears to her eyes. “You don’t give me orders, witch.” He then grabbed her hair by the nape of her neck, pulling her head back as he shoved his other hand painfully between her legs. “I will touch any part of you I wish to touch, and there ain’t a damn thing you can do about it.”

  She squealed in protest and fought with everything she had. “I will enjoy watching Drake rip your fucking heart out!”

  His eyes blazed with an unnatural glow as he reared his fist and punched her in the stomach. “Shut up, bitch!” He brought his fist up again.

  Cedric’s friend caught his wrist before he could deliver another blow and tugged him away. “Hey, Ced, she’s right man. That vamp’s a big dude. He’ll kill you if he finds out that you’ve messed with his woman. Besides, he has a thousand vampires at his disposal to hunt us down. She ain’t worth it man. Stay focused on our goal.”

  Sherry coughed and heaved, gasping for breath as the pain consumed her. Her shoulders and arms also burned from the tight position they had her hands tied from behind. She silently wished she hadn’t been sick earlier so she could puke on him now. She squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing back the bile burning her throat.