Darkness Binds

by Brandy L Rivers

  Oriana tried to lock Crom Cruach down, but he flowed through her, reaching for Eamon, even as the magic healed her wounds.

  “She feared the spirits following Oriana, Eamon. Surely you’ve heard the call to Crom Cruach.”

  “Our god,” he shouted. “Oriana is blessed by our god.”

  Oriana’s hold on Crom Cruach slipped as a curse unraveled the spelled she built to stop the entity from taking over.

  “A demon,” Delaney whispered, drawing a blade and diving for Oriana.

  Eamon swung the sword and lopped off his father’s head as the dagger sank into Eamon’s chest.

  Oriana cried out in pain as Crom Cruach twisted through her, breaking the bonds of her magic. Shadows flowed from her, reaching out and winding around Eamon, before sliding into the fresh wound in his chest.

  Eamon’s back arched as Crom attempted to seek refuge in his body. His cerulean eyes deepened to black, the darkness spreading across the whites as fangs grew from his mouth.

  He pulled Oriana into his arms. “Stay with me, Oriana.” Power bled into his voice, making him sound monstrous.

  “It's too late,” she cried.

  “Stay with me,” he commanded.

  Every movement sent a wave of agony through her. Terror roared. She whispered the ancient words to banish the strongest of the spirits as Eamon's grip became a crushing force.

  She screamed the spell as Badb whispered more of the spell through her head. The goddess of war was trying to help seal Crom Cruach away, but it was too late. Eamon was changed into a monster.

  Crom’s voice shook the walls. “With your death I’m reborn.”

  She pushed the last of her magic into Eamon, pushing the spirit out, though the damage was done.

  Eamon’s fangs sliced deep into her throat and he pulled on her blood as he held her with so much force her ribs snapped and pain washed through her.

  She’d failed. “I’m sorry,” she muttered with her last breath.

  Reality slammed back into her as her chest rose and fell. The truth was so much worse than she ever imagined.

  Hundreds of images flickered through her head. Lifetimes in different ages, regions. She had loved Eamon in several, but there was always another man she loved more, and even though he didn’t look like Brent, it was the very same way he made her feel.

  “Oriana, do you remember?” Eamon whispered.

  She blinked, her heart beating faster. She’d made Eamon what he was. She was to blame. And he broke her body and drained her life in the wake of the change.

  The spirits murmured, their voices louder, almost coherent. Colors flowed off Brent. He was going to lose his shit, she knew it, but wasn’t totally sure how.

  “I need to go,” she whispered. “I need to think.”

  Eamon dipped his head, sadness in his eyes, but there was hope too. What scared her most was the intent behind his words. Eamon expected her to choose him.

  She never would. Her heart never truly belonged to him. He only ever borrowed it for a time, before the one who held it finally found her.

  “The memories can be confusing,” Inuala stated. “In time, you’ll see you belong at Eamon’s side.” Magic accompanied the words, but the spell slid past Amelia. She didn’t know enough about magic to have a damned clue what Inuala attempted to do, but Brent might, if he caught it.

  And she would never belong at Eamon’s side. She had her soulmate.

  Amelia turned and took Brent’s hand, leading him from the room, out of the club, and to his car. She slid into the driver seat but only went far enough that they should be out of sight, then parked.

  Her brain didn’t want to function. She couldn’t process all the memories.

  Chapter 11

  Fear and confusion poured off Amelia. Brent couldn’t do a damned thing to comfort her until they found a place none of the vampires could track her. Eamon included.

  As soon as she parked, she looked over. “We need somewhere private, and we need to talk.”

  He nodded and almost started asking questions, but she was right.

  He called Robert, who answered on the first ring. “Any clues?” Robert asked.

  “Not sure, but something weird happened. We need to go someplace no one will overhear what Amelia has to say, and no vampire can find us.”

  “I know a place, but I need to know what’s going on.”

  “Yeah, me too. Please hurry. There are a couple vampires who are going to start looking for us in a moment. I’ll text you with where we’re at.” Brent hung up and sent the message with their location.

  Brent climbed out of the car in time for Robert to appear. “What’s going on?” Robert asked.

  “Somewhere else first. They’ll be here soon.”

  Amelia climbed out of the car and walked over on shaky legs. “We’ve got to go.”

  Robert touched each of them, and they were gone. Brent didn’t recognize where they had landed. It looked like some kind of library.

  “Where in the abyss are we?” Brent asked.

  “Draecyn Montgomery’s home. I believe you arranged for Zoe to stay here some months ago.” Robert prompted.

  Brent nodded. He knew Draecyn well but had never set foot in his archives. They connected several estates throughout the world, and he could travel between by simply walking through the archives, which was something like a portal system, as far as Brent could tell.

  Robert explained, “This is his place in Scotland. We’re far from anywhere they may find you. Now what happened?”

  Amelia made a desperate sound. “I was Oriana. I made Eamon what he is. I tried to stop it, but everything went wrong. I was manipulated. I thought I could protect everyone from Crom Cruach, but it all went wrong.”

  “Wait,” Brent said. “Why would you think you did it?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. There was so much death, so much sacrifice, anger, fury. I was in pain. I couldn’t contain him. He broke free, but instead of him entering the world the way meant to, his essence tainted Eamon, made him a vampire.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what happened after that.”

  Brent caught her face in his hands. “Look at me, Amelia. I’ll help you sort through the memories. We’ll figure it out.”

  “I don’t know if I can do this. He thinks I’m going to remember and want to be with him, but I loved another man more than him. When I realize the truth about Crom Cruach and everything else, I run, but something finds me and kills me every time Eamon comes into my life.”

  Brent’s heart thundered in his chest. “Relax, we’ll figure this out. If you were the one who summoned him, you’re the one who can banish him.”

  “I’m her, but I’m not Oriana. We’re all her, but we’re not all the same.”

  “Each life is different. You’re in there, but you evolve. And I can help you sort out the jumbled memories.”

  “This is not good,” Robert muttered, beginning to pace. “This was a bad idea. I should have never involved you, Amelia”

  She spun toward him. “Yes, you should have. Brent has a point. I may be the only one who can stop Eamon and Crom Cruach. He’s different than he was when I first met him. Fuck, is that right? When I first met him, the first life?”

  Rubbing at her face, she walked away. “I have to do this. I have to figure this out. Someone needs to stop Crom Cruach. I was afraid of him back then. I can’t figure out why he latched onto me. Why he favored Eamon so.”

  Her distress was unnerving, but Brent had helped others sort through past lives. Though he’d never found a hint of his own in his mind. Of course, it took one of a few things to awaken the memories, and there was no one he trusted who had the ability to do the same for him.

  And reincarnations were sticky. They didn’t always match the person in the present. Some people could be pure good in one life and pure evil the next. However, Amelia didn’t strike him as ever having evil in her. She may have been influenced or pushed into things she wouldn’t have chosen. T
hat seemed the most likely possibility.

  And how far had Eamon gone? Did he access her memories? Did the jewelry work?

  Then again, he made no move toward Brent. Which had to mean he didn’t have a clue who he was yet. That would have been a relief as Eamon would likely lose it when he realized Amelia was blood bound to a sorcerer who wanted to banish his god, but Amelia was too terrified for him to find comfort.

  Robert touched Amelia’s arm.

  She flinched.

  Brent hissed, “Don’t touch her. Not right now. She’s caught in memories of other lives. Can you give us some space?”

  Robert ran his hands down his lapels. “I only want to help. You said memories from other lives. I can unlock them properly, in such a way she can explore them without them messing with her head.”

  True. Brent hadn’t considered that.

  “The jewelry?” Amelia asked.

  “Just take your walls down,” Brent said.

  She nodded once and stepped away. “All right. Right now, the memories aren’t all flowing. They’re jagged shards that don’t make much sense.”

  “I do have to touch you to make this work.”

  “Okay.” She stepped in front of Robert and closed her eyes.

  Robert touched her face, and a moment later he stepped back, shaking his head.

  “I’ve never seen anyone with so many lives.” Robert offered a tight smile. “Promise to call me after you make a plan. You shouldn’t wait too long. A dozen more people were taken last night. Possibly more.”

  Amelia nodded. “Give me a night to figure this out.”

  “You got it. Follow me, there’s a room you can use. And I’ll warn Draecyn you’re staying before I leave.”

  “Thank you,” Brent said.

  Amelia took Brent’s hand, clinging to him. She seemed to calm slightly.

  Robert led them through tall shelves, back to a suite that was larger than most apartments. “You can stay here. There will be food. I’m sure Draecyn will be by at some point to ask you what you need.”

  “I can get us back if we choose to go home tonight.”

  Amelia turned to him. “How?”

  “I can open portals to specific places. I can take us back to my home,” Brent answered.

  “You can call if it doesn’t work here. Magic doesn’t always work as expected in this place,” Robert explained.

  “I have your number. Thank you for coming to get us.”

  “You’re welcome. Get some rest and good night.” Robert left the room.

  Amelia closed the door and turned to Brent. “I don’t even know where to begin,” she whispered.

  “What do you feel for Eamon now?”

  “Fear. He’s not the same man he was when Oriana fell in love with him. It wasn’t like he was faithful to her. And she fell in love with another man but couldn’t leave the castle. She was stuck, a prisoner of sorts. If she left, Eamon would have hunted her down.”

  “How do you mean?” Brent asked.

  “Give me a minute to sort it out.”

  * * * *

  Amelia sank onto the bed and dropped her head into her hands. She’d been right. Trenton was Brent. She remembered sneaking into his room one night after Eamon left for another campaign.

  The moon shone bright as she melded into shadow and moved down the hall. She took one more look before opening the door and slipping into Trenton’s room.

  Trenton sat up, shock on his face. “We cannot be caught together.

  “No one saw me. I don’t want to be alone. There’s no one I’d rather spend my time with.”

  He closed the distance and took her face in his hands. “Not even your husband?”

  She shook her head, then took his hand, pressing a kiss to his palm. “Only want you. I want to run away.”

  “Oh, Oriana, if he wouldn’t hunt you down, I would take you far from here. We could go forever, but he would only find you.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “Don’t send me away. I love you.”

  “You love him,” he whispered.

  “I’m not in love with him. My heart belongs to you. He doesn’t understand me. You do. Please, Trenton, make love to me.”

  He caressed her face. “You can’t leave him.”

  She closed her eyes. “Maybe not. I need you, though.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “Then you have me. When he’s not here. No one can know, Oriana. No one.”

  She lifted her hand, sealing the sound into the room, shadows climbing the walls, blocking the windows. “No one will know. Please. Show me you feel the same.”

  “I do. I love you more than life itself. I can’t lose you.”

  “Then show me.” She pushed him toward the bed.

  His mouth collided with hers. They made love for hours, and before dawn, she snuck back to her room to keep the secret. They went on like that for years.

  She gravitated toward the memories of Trenton since Robert cleared whatever blocked them. But that didn’t help. She needed answers about what happened and why.

  “Talk to me, Amelia.”

  She looked into his eyes. “I’m not sure Robert really helped. The memories are all there, but there are so many,” she whispered.

  Brent sat down next to her. “Talk to me. Tell me what I can do to help.”

  She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. “Part of me responds to Eamon, and I still want to run. I wanted to run the first time I saw him, but he was my only hope. Then it all fell apart anyway.” She shook her head. “I need you to help me figure this out.”

  “Anything for you, Amelia. We’ll send Crom Cruach away for good.”

  “I don’t know how. I can’t do what I did then. I’m not a sorceress.”

  “That may not be completely true,” Brent answered.

  “What?”

  “There are a couple possibilities. I’ll see what I can find while you sleep. But if you summoned him in a past life, you’re the best chance at banishing him.”

  A nervous laugh bubbled out. “I never had any magic in this life, Brent. And apparently, I sucked as a sorceress. Oriana, I mean, I took Crom on to prevent my mother from summoning him into anyone else. I was able to lock him away. But then someone turned Eamon’s mother against me. God, it’s such a mess. He thinks he was my everything, but I was in love with another man.”

  “He doesn’t know about the other man?”

  She shook her head. “He’s never believed what his mother told him. Yseult was half right. I was pregnant with another man’s baby, but he wasn’t a demon. His magic was wild and powerful, a hybrid, but he was a good man. He helped me control Crom Cruach when I thought I would break under the pressure.”

  First, knowing Amelia had been with Eamon many times over the years twisted his fear. Then he found out she was in love with another man. One who helped her deal with her predicament. Could this mystery man be their downfall? Or Eamon’s jealousy? Did she truly belong to another man?

  Why was he dreaming about her if she was meant for another?

  Her shoulders shook with a sob.

  Brent lay back and pulled Amelia with him. “You seem so lost right now. I need you here with me. We’ll figure this out.”

  * * * *

  Trembling, she turned to face him. He didn’t get it. Robert unlocked the hazy part of her memory. It was Brent all along. He stole her heart from Eamon in their first life. Everything she’d ever felt for another man paled in comparison to what she felt for Brent.

  “You don’t understand, Brent. I was his wife. I cheated on him for years. I brought Crom Cruach to him. I’m the reason vampires exist.”

  Brent caught her face and stared into her eyes. “Amelia, clear your head and focus on me for now.”

  “Make love to me. Drown out all the confusion and just make love to me.” She didn’t care if she was begging. She needed him, no one else.

  “You sure you want me after what you learned?”

  She
caught his chin and pulled him closer for a kiss. The second his tongue sought hers, she caressed down to open his pants.

  Brent pushed her dress up and tore her panties away. “That mean you choose me?”

  “You’re everything I want, everything I need. What I had with Eamon was never as good as it is with you.” And she meant more than this lifetime. No, she was pretty damned sure he was Trenton and many other men over the centuries.

  “We’ll discuss that later. Right now, we need to connect. We need to meld. I want you in my head. I want you to feel what I feel.”

  It wasn’t an “I love you” but words didn’t mean much.

  He rolled her back and climbed down her body, pushing her dress further as he pressed a kiss to her center.

  She almost argued, but he curled his tongue around her clit before exploring her slick folds. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he teased her, building pleasure.

  He found a spot, flicking over and over until she was panting.

  “Fuck, Brent, right there.”

  He made a pleased sound as he drove her harder, tingling rolling through her as climax approached. Then she exploded. Pleasure hummed through her body as he moved back up her body, nipping here and there. Then he pulled her dress off her body and removed her bra to cup her breasts.

  “You’re beautiful when you come undone.” He pressed a kiss to her collarbone.

  She dragged him up and took his mouth as she pushed him onto his back and blurred her movements to remove his clothes. Slowing down, she trailed fingertips down his torso and straddled his lap. Gripping his length, she slid over him, then dropped down to press her teeth into his throat.

  Brent tasted so damned good she couldn’t think about anything but him and her.

  He gripped the back of her head, holding her there as he thrust into her. She rocked her hips, enjoying the friction, the feel of him inside her. His blood filled her mouth, his essence seeping in.

  His desire filled her mind, her heart. Their connection was instantaneous. So much better than whatever she thought she’d felt for Eamon in the previous incarnations. Brent was everything she’d always craved.