Mastering Darkness

by Kate Wendley

  Repulsion washed through him unlike anything he’d ever felt before. What did she just do to him? Thoughts of Kaia surged through his mind and he was terrified he’d now someday turn into the horrific creature this Spider Woman had been only a few minutes ago. He hadn’t even revealed himself as vampire to Kaia. How could he ever tell her he was now an even more terrible monster?

  He stared at the spot where the little spider disappeared inside him and wondered if he could somehow dig it out, though he knew that was a ridiculous thought since it obviously wasn’t really a spider at all. It was a tiny speck of this woman’s energy.

  He glared at the Vampire Mother with intense anger and hatred in his heart for adding another obstacle to his new relationship with Kaia.

  The Spider Woman scoffed at him. “I haven’t turned you into a monster, my son, but even if I did give you the power to transform yourself, you’d still be beautiful. All my children are beautiful. But don’t worry. What I’ve given you will be a beneficial gift. You’ll see. And if your lover is upset by it, then she’s not the right lover for you.”

  Anthony had the defiant thought that Kaia was the right one for him. He wanted her to be the right one for him, but he tried to calm his anger because he knew he was no match for the Vampire Mother.

  She looked innocently at him while she released her powerful grip. “You won’t notice your gift right away. It’ll grow in time.” She smiled expectantly at him and he just stared at her, too terrified about what was going to happen to him now to do anything else.

  She took a step away and looked around the room, her wild hair and demeanor at complete odds with her sweet expression. “I’ll miss this place, but it’s time for me to go back home now. My curiosity kept me here for so very, very long, but I need to feed soon. The mother will nourish me. No one here can do that.”

  He stared at her in shock, revulsion, and horrific curiosity. He had questions for her, things he’d never understood about being vampire, but he couldn’t force himself to ask a single thing because he didn’t want her focus on him anymore. For once in his life he felt actual fear as he faced someone, and more than anything he just wished she’d leave.

  She gave him an appraising look and said in a more subdued tone, “You learn quickly, even for as stubborn as you are. Let me give you a piece of advice, if I may. You know plenty about being vampire. More knowledge will come in time. For now, it’s better you don’t know much about me, and if asked, it’s wise to never speak of this night.”

  She stepped closer and looked intently into his eyes as she more quietly said, “And if you choose a path that brings you closer to me someday, do not, under any circumstances, go through the door that leads to my homeland. It’s a wild place and I can’t guarantee your protection there, even if I wanted to. You’ll know the meaning of this if you ever happen upon it. It’s closer than you know, but be careful because the King is powerful, much more so than I. Never try to do to him what you tried with me tonight. It would be a shame to lose your life over such a futile attempt at bravery.”

  She stepped away from him and unceremoniously turned into wisps of energy just before his office door opened on its own. To his shock, she turned into a giant bat, flapped her large, leathery wings, and took flight across the club, disintegrating into thin air just as quickly.

  And no one seemed to notice… except him.

  His hands shook while his gaze skimmed over all the faces of the oblivious people here tonight. Zach was socializing with a group by the empty stage and gave him a head bob before quickly making his way over.

  He looked confused the closer he got to Anthony. “Hey dude. How did your date go? Is something wrong?” He stepped closer and very quietly said, “What did Ethan do?”

  What? Oh, right. He’d called Zach and asked for Ethan’s number tonight.

  “Nothing. Will you come here please?” He led Zach back into his office and closed the door. He felt guilty for taking the time to do this when he needed to go check on the rest of the family, but he needed to know.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Do you notice anything different about me?” Zach was jaguar, and the cats were a lot more sensitive to their surroundings than the other animals were.

  “Different how?” A slow grin spread across his face. “Did you and Kaia kiss tonight?”

  He shook his head in frustration. “No. Not that. Concentrate. Please. Use your senses. Do you notice anything about me that seems… off?”

  Zach frowned. “What’s going on dude? Just tell me.”

  Anthony snapped, “Please! Just concentrate. Hurry!”

  Zach’s frown deepened, but Anthony soon felt his power fill the air. His green eyes started gleaming, and the feel of Zach reaching down the link between them grew stronger, to the point of feeling like a personal invasion.

  “Nothing dude. I don’t sense anything different about you. Now what’s up?”

  He looked down at his hand, opened it up wide, then fisted it into a ball. Had he imagined the Vampire Mother being here tonight? He turned around and saw the book she’d haphazardly jammed back into his bookcase. No. He wouldn’t have done that with the book. She’d been here. And if she’d been here, then he needed to keep their encounter to himself because she could still be here, ready to put him in his place for disobeying her.

  “I need to go check on some things. I’ll be back later.”

  “Hey!”

  Anthony had already turned to mist before Zach could argue any more with him. Even when he returned he wouldn’t be able to tell them anything. He couldn’t if he wanted to protect them from the Spider Woman. Zach and Sebastian both were powerful, the most powerful shifters in Atlanta, but Anthony’s strength was still far greater than theirs.

  And the Vampire Mother was even stronger than that.

  He floated through the buildings of his home, opening his senses wide in case the Vampire Mother had wreaked any other havoc tonight and hidden it from him.

  He found nothing. His home felt as it always did, with the usual levels of emotions and energy and body heat that shifters and a few vampires usually gave off. Nothing to indicate that a fight with an incredibly powerful creature had taken place here.

  He materialized in a darkened classroom lit only by moonlight streaming in through the windows. He sat on the edge of the teacher’s desk and let his hand slowly turn into mist. There was no spider creeping along just under his skin, but that didn’t stop him from grasping at the air where his hand should be with his other solid hand.

  He did it again, and again, then turned other parts of his body into mist and tried some more until he was frantically out of his mind. He needed to get this spider out of him. He didn’t want to turn into a monster. Before he didn’t care, but now he’d met Kaia. Now he did care, and he didn’t want to turn into a creature like the woman he’d just met. He’d do anything to not become any more of a monster than he already was when he was with his sweet Kaia.

  Ultimately, he knew it was too late for him, though. He couldn’t change what happened tonight, or who he really was. And supernatural creatures and all the problems and issues they brought along with them would always be in his life, too. The question now was, how long could he keep all that from Kaia?

  Chapter 11

  Kaia raced home from work and kicked her front door shut before she started flinging her clothes off. She stumbled into her bedroom as she undressed, then dashed into her adjoining bathroom in just her bra and panties. Her barely there makeup needed a touch up along with some actual eye shadow before she went to work carefully pinning her hair up.

  Back in her bedroom she inspected three pairs of pantyhose for holes, then carefully slid a pair on before shimmying into her dress. She stepped cautiously into her heels to avoid snagging anything, then grabbed the wraparound she’d decided to wear. She checked herself from every possible angle in her bathroom mirror, then did the same in the mirror in the living room. She wanted to look perfect tonight
even though everything else about her date was making her nervous.

  Anthony seemed like such a decent, drama free, even keeled kind of guy. She desperately didn’t want to scare him away and still worried she might. If things got serious between them would it be wrong to keep her past from him… forever? Would she be living a lie to pretend she was just a normal, well adjusted woman that he could introduce to his family and friends and not be ashamed of?

  Pounding started in her ears from her suddenly racing heart, and her thoughts became chaotic. Her stomach even felt tied up in a knot. She took some deep breaths and reminded herself she didn’t live that old life anymore. And she didn’t need to talk to Anthony about it. She didn’t need to talk to anyone about it. She knew she wasn’t really a worthless little tramp who wouldn’t amount to anything. Just because her uncle drilled it into her brain for years didn’t make it true.

  But it didn’t make it easy to forget, either.

  Her mood was more somber as she finished getting ready, but by the time her door buzzer rang, she was once again excited for her night.

  **

  Kaia felt pretty, even sexy in her new dress and with her hair and makeup all made up for her date. She bought this beautiful dress a few months ago but never found a good enough reason to wear it. Tonight it was all for Anthony.

  She got to the bottom of the hall stairs and there he stood framed by the glass door. He was dressed as nice as usual, this time in a dark burgundy button down shirt and black dress pants. And this time, maybe more so than before, her body was on fire for him. She wanted his hands on her. She wanted to kiss him, and she just wanted him.

  He was such a genuine, decent, sexy guy, standing there waiting for her with a small bundle of flowers. His dark eyes watched her intently as she stepped off the staircase and took the last couple strides towards the door. His long hair flicked just a little from what must be a light breeze outside, and his strong, straight shoulders made wicked thoughts race through her mind of what he’d look like underneath those neatly pressed clothes. Would the rest of his body be as strong and firm as she felt from last night’s innocent touches?

  She opened the door and his tense posture was back.

  He flicked a hard glance at her bare neck, then quickly back into her eyes. “Good evening my sweet. You look absolutely stunning.” From the wooden way he said that, she wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. She pretended she did.

  “Thank you Anthony. You’re as stylish as usual tonight.”

  She reached out and gave him a hug, and his muscles twitched as soon as she touched him. He was as careful as usual when he touched her, maybe even more so, and with the flowers in his hand, he seemed more awkward tonight.

  He immediately released her as soon as she started to pull back, and her gut told her something was wrong. She felt a distance between them again that she’d thought they’d moved past already.

  He held the small bunch of flowers out for her. “For you. I hope you like them. I wasn’t sure what your favorites were, but you seemed to like the more wild looking flowers the best last night.”

  The sudden hopeful look in his eyes, and the fact that he’d been paying such close attention to her again washed away all her doubts. Maybe she was being too emotional. It had, after all, been nine long months since she’d dated anyone. Maybe she was letting her imagination get the better of her with Anthony. Or maybe she was assuming too much too quickly with him. They enjoyed each other’s company, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable with all the physical closeness, even if they were attracted to each other.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you. That’s so sweet of you.”

  He smiled and held his arm out for her, and the world felt right again. His shoulders weren’t quite as tense as before, and he actually seemed proud as he led her to his beautiful midnight blue BMW and helped her inside.

  She smiled at the color, his favorite of course, as she settled into her black leather seat and waited for Anthony to join her. He slid into the driver’s side, then eyed her as he started the car. His eyes settled on the flowers she held in her hand for more than a long moment.

  “Thank you for these. They’re nice. Very pretty.”

  He smiled and she felt good. She also wondered if he had trouble relaxing around women, or just relaxing in general. That would explain some things about him. Like why they seemed to start over with each other every night.

  They left Wild Woods and he almost immediately started clenching his jaw. She reached out and casually touched his arm, and he turned to her with a scowly look of concern.

  “Got a lot on your mind tonight?”

  His scowl disappeared, but he still seemed to be thinking really hard about something. She didn’t want to pry, especially since she’d already told him last night she’d listen to whatever he wanted to talk about, so instead she said, “Do you want to reschedule our dinner?”

  He barked out, “No.” She tensed, then relaxed when he looked like he realized how sharp he’d been with her. He flicked another look at her neck, then more calmly said, “Ethan was correct in that there’s always a lot going on in my life. But tonight is for you and I. I apologize for letting my thoughts wander.”

  She relaxed back into her seat and looked him over. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. You’re here, I’m here. That’s all that matters.”

  Her smile rubbed off on him, and his eyes slowly lit up.

  “I’m glad you’re here. In fact, I’m glad to have you occupying my thoughts now, too.”

  Warmth raced through her. “Really?”

  His smile grew while his eyes narrowed on her. “Yes. Very glad.” His gaze flicked to her neck and back again, in between watching the road. “Tell me about your day. I’d like to hear about you.”

  “My day? There’s nothing exciting about what I do every day. In fact, it’s pretty boring.”

  He chuckled. “Boring would be nice. Please. Tell me everything.”

  His light laughter made butterflies swirl in her belly. What was it about him that was so much more than anyone she’d ever dated?

  “You have this fierce, calm before the storm kind of vibe to you, but underneath it all you’re a softie, aren’t you?”

  A surprised laugh escaped him, and she liked to see him finally looking relaxed.

  “Is that how you see me? I’m not sure how to respond to that.”

  “You don’t have to respond. I’m just trying to get to know you.”

  He locked eyes with her and his dark gaze was suddenly as intense as it was when they first met. “I’d like that. Very much.”

  Her heart picked up its pace and she wondered what was going through his mind. Gone was the man she worried wasn’t comfortable with her innocent touches. This Anthony was dark and seductive and wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

  It made her feel like a deer in headlights.

  He reached for her hand and gave her a light squeeze, but watched the road as he did. His touch was now confident and sure. “Please, tell me about anything you want to talk about.” He turned to her and said, “I like the sound of your voice.”

  Hmm. He was repeating the words she’d said to him just two nights ago. So he was playful after all.

  His suddenly relaxed demeanor made her wonder what was happening between them, and if she’d been reading him wrong all this time. In just these last few moments he’d become an intense mystery to her again, and she wanted more…

  For the time being, she kept the conversation pretty neutral and told him about her boring day as he sexily smirked and kept driving.

  Chapter 12

  Anthony drove them to India Star with a smile on his face. Once he parked, Kaia was amused to keep catching him looking at her bare neck. When she’d put this form fitting dress on tonight she’d imagined he might look at other parts of her, like maybe her cleavage or her bare legs. Her neck was the last place she’d imagined him to focus on, but if that was his thing, then she�
��d bare if for him more often.

  They leisurely made their way to the restaurant, her holding onto him through the crook of his arm again. He was very gentlemanly and proper in that way. Even his speech sometimes slipped into that old world manner of speaking. Every little thing she learned about him painted a picture of him clearly being very different from anyone she’d ever met.

  He held the door to the restaurant open and the smell of food hit her like a wave. “Mmm… Smells great in here.”

  “I hope it tastes as good as it smells.” They flirted as they walked up to the hostess stand, which was at the end of a large, wide open lobby decorated with expensive looking artwork. There were other customers waiting on the benches that lined the walls, and three people were working behind the hostess booth. The man and one of the women took one haughty look at Anthony, then immediately left the station, leaving one woman behind. Kaia was stunned to see the remaining woman give Anthony the same snide look down her nose before picking up the telephone just as they stepped up to the stand.

  Kaia’s temper rose. She turned to Anthony to see if he was as shocked by everyone’s attitudes as she was. He had a small frown on his face as he looked at the hostess, which didn’t tell her a lot since he frequently wore a frown.

  They waited patiently as the witchy woman very unhurriedly spoke to the caller about seemingly everything there was to know about the restaurant and the food they served. When she finally hung up, she busied herself writing something and rearranging things at her stand. After quite a lot of fussing, she finally gave Anthony a very bored, irritated look. “Your name?”

  By this point, Kaia wanted to slap her.