Of Love and Darkness

by Lund, Tami

  “You acted on a two-hundred-year-old grudge. That’s the antithesis of rash!”

  Brandon’s neck reddened. “Look, I didn’t realize, okay? All I knew was Gavin the badass Rakshasa. He killed my mother, Sydney!”

  “I know. And I’m sorry for your loss,” Sydney said sympathetically. “But it happened over two hundred years ago. He is in a far different place now. And I know it won’t bring your mother back, but I truly believe he has more than purged his sins.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. I get it, okay? I was stupid. I know he’s changed now. I could see it—in you. You’re the reason he’s in a better place.”

  Sydney barked out a laugh. “Shows what you know.”

  “I can tell by the way he looks at you,” Brandon insisted. “The way he treats you. It’s you, Sydney. You, the Chala. His Chala.”

  She snorted. “Apparently you didn’t get the memo. I’m not his Chala. We’re—we’re an aberration, apparently. We—” Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat as she tried to blink back tears. She’d thought—hoped—they were all dried up by now. Apparently not.

  “He’s still a Rakshasa,” she said miserably. “And I was recently informed that he and I—that . . . that . . .” She couldn’t even say it. Saying it made it real.

  Brandon understood without explanation. Apparently she was the only one who hadn’t gotten the memo. He whistled. “That sucks. Gavin must be pretty broken up.” He didn’t look as if he minded so much that Gavin might be broken up. Apparently, Brandon realized the error of his ways, but that didn’t mean he had to exactly like the man. It may have been two hundred years ago, and Gavin may have changed, but he had still killed Brandon’s mother.

  Sydney cleared her throat again. “How—How are you here? Are you . . .? Have I . . .?”

  “Am I here to capture you and hand you over to the Rakshasa? No. I escaped. I had to get here to warn you.”

  “Warn me?”

  “They’re coming. They know where you are. You have to get back to your pack. They’re right behind—”

  “You!” Sydney screamed. Her eyes widened when a giant fur-covered creature dove out of the undergrowth and leaped at Brandon’s back. “Duck!”

  Brandon instinctively obeyed. The shifter dove right over his head and all four paws slammed into Sydney, knocking her to the ground.

  Brandon immediately realized his mistake and ran at the animal, grabbing fistfuls of fur and forcing him away from Sydney. By the time the shifter turned around, Brandon had shifted as well, and they circled each other, teeth bared, saliva dripping from thick, sharp fangs, eyes glowing brightly in the pouring rain.

  They lunged, and soon were rolling on the ground, jaws snapping, spittle, blood, and fur flying every which way. Sydney scrambled to her feet and backed up against a tree, feeling helpless, as she watched the animals battle.

  The sense of awareness she was fast coming to recognize as a warning sign that a shifter was in her vicinity washed over her, and Sydney knew instantly this was foe, not friend. She stood stock still, waiting to see where the next one would emerge. She almost missed him, because he was a flying mass of fur and fangs, as he leaped into the snarling fight carrying on in front of her.

  “Oh no!”

  With the three of them in animal form, it was impossible to tell how well Brandon was faring. Sydney had no idea what to do. She had a little magic, and she could start flinging it, but what if she accidentally hit Brandon? He’d be rendered utterly helpless, and they wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. So she decided a different tactic.

  “Hey, boys! The prize is over here!” She stepped away from the tree, waving her hands to get their attention.

  Both shifters lifted their noses and sniffed the air, and then turned almost as one to face her.

  Brandon shifted back to human form long enough to say, “Are you fucking crazy, woman? Run!”

  Instead, she threw a dose of magic at each shifter, rendering them both frozen. Then she ran to Brandon. “Come on.” She grabbed his hand, practically dragging him with her.

  “Ow, stop! Fates, Sydney, I can’t run right now. Damn it, one of them bit my ankle near off. Ow!” Brandon complained as he limped along.

  “That spell only lasts for a short time. Uh-oh.”

  Three shifters were standing in a row, facing them, growling malevolently. The spell had worn off.

  “How do they keep multiplying like that?” Sydney wanted to know.

  “There are probably thirty more on the way. Run. I’ll fight them off. Get back to your pack and tell them to prepare for war. It’s coming. Go!”

  “What about you?”

  “Hey, consider it payback,” he said, trying to be flip.

  “No.” Sydney turned and faced the trio of angry shifters, standing at Brandon’s side with her hands balled into fists.

  He gave her a disbelieving look. “No way. Get out of here. I’m not going to have your death hanging on my head.”

  “Then I suggest we ensure neither one of us dies.”

  Easier said than done. Sydney couldn’t shift, so she was forced to fight off three overlarge, vicious dogs with only her fists, feet, and a few doses of almost completely ineffective magic.

  Brandon roared, shifting into an animal at the same time. He slammed into one of the attacking Rakshasa, knocking the dog off its feet. It rolled several times until it hit a tree, and while it hadn’t been rendered unconscious, it took its time climbing to its feet.

  Brandon twisted to the right and caught another one along the side of its belly, his razor sharp claws slicing through fur and skin and muscle, causing the other dog to howl in pain.

  A stab of pain on her leg caused Sydney to turn her attention to the third Rakshasa, who had sliced his long, black claws across her ankle, causing her to cry out and drop to one knee. She focused on her magic and flung it at him, momentarily freezing him.

  But she was already weakened, and the spell wore off within minutes. He came at her again, snapping at her arms and legs as she tried to fend him off. She delivered a solid kick to his snout, but he shook it off and responded by clamping his jaw down on her wrist until she heard bones crack and she screamed in agony.

  Brandon – she assumed it was him – leaped onto the Rakshasa’s back, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and tore off a piece of flesh and fur. Blood spurted, indicating he’d found an artery. The animal writhed and yipped, clearly in pain, and Brandon let it go to focus on the one he’d attacked first, which had recovered enough to go another round.

  In minutes, Brandon and Sydney were exhausted, grievously injured, and barely able to fend off the remaining two Rakshasa. They sat side by side, their backs against a tree, making feeble attempts to defend themselves, as the Rakshasa toyed with them, like a cat would a mouse. Seemingly tired of the game, one shifter rushed at them, lashing out and catching Sydney, its claws slicing across her neck. She screamed and slapped her hand against the wound. Warm blood gushed, soaking her hand and her chest.

  Brandon found a new burst of energy and shifted into animal form again. He managed to overpower one Rakshasa, and for a few minutes, it appeared as though he might win the battle.

  But he wore out far faster than the other remaining animal, and as Sydney lay bleeding on the wet ground, she could hear the sounds of more shifters on the way. They weren’t even trying to be quiet. It sounded like thunder rushing through the woods toward them. She felt a moment of clarity as she realized she was about to die and it was her own damn fault.

  Brandon was thrown to the ground next to her. He shifted into human form, and she saw he was covered in blood and appeared as if he didn’t have an ounce of fight left in him. As the last Rakshasa advanced, Sydney tossed wave after wave of weak magic at it, trying to keep it from coming any closer. The cavalry of the damned was
about to overcome them, but Sydney refused to go down without a fight.

  The shifter stalked as if in slow motion, pushing against her magic, creeping closer, until it finally had a clawed paw wrapped around her ankle.

  “I can’t—”

  Whatever she intended to say was cut off by the sound of a roar, a freight train, charging through the woods, more deafening than a moment before. There was a flash of something—fur?—as the shifter whose paw clutched Sydney’s ankle was jerked away and tossed through the air, slamming into a nearby tree, the action punctuated by the sound of wet wood and crunching bones.

  And then Gavin crouched before her, his face swimming much too closely, his gaze roving over her person, taking in the multitude of injuries and blood.

  “They hurt my mate,” he murmured, and he stroked her face.

  Sydney closed her eyes as the warmth washed over her and his touch began to heal her injuries.

  “Sure wish you could do that for me, too.” Brandon groaned from where he still lay at Sydney’s side.

  Gavin growled and turned as if he meant to attack Brandon.

  Sydney grabbed his arm. “He saved my life, Gavin. Don’t you dare touch him, other than to carry him back to the house.”

  She could see the internal battle on Gavin’s face, but the fact that she was talking to him and not screaming was enough for him to back off—for the moment. But he could only be so nice to the traitor in his pack.

  “I’m carrying you back. He’s going to have to hoof it.”

  “Whatever. Let’s just get the hell out of here. They’re coming.”

  “They’re already here,” Gavin corrected. “Hear it? That’s the sound of our pack kicking the shit out of those bastards. Come on. I’m taking you back to the house and chaining you to the goddamned bed.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Sydney mumbled, just before her head lolled to the side and she passed out.

  Chapter 17

  Sydney woke up feeling comfortable, although with something heavy lying on her stomach. Even that wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, since something attached to the weight kept rubbing her breast, which caused her to think of all sorts of rather comfortable things she could be doing with the owner of that hand.

  She blinked open her eyes to discover she was lying on her back, in the bedroom she shared with Gavin, with Gavin laying on top of her, idly massaging one of her breasts. Her breasts were naked. And she didn’t feel particularly sore or pained. Which left her little doubt as to who took care of her while she was unconscious.

  “Did we make up somewhere along the way?” she asked, her voice rough from disuse.

  Gavin lifted his head off her chest and propped it in one of his hands. “You don’t remember?”

  “Considering the sun’s up, I’m pretty sure I’ve been unconscious for a while.”

  “Yeah, but you woke up at one point, begged me to take you back and swore you would never leave me again. You also swore to honor and obey me for the rest of eternity.”

  “I actually might have believed you if you’d left out the honor and obey crap.”

  “Damn.”

  They both fell silent for a moment, each studying the other with a slight wariness. Gavin moved and lust roared through Sydney’s system. She contemplated reaching up and bringing him down for a kiss, which she knew would lead to other, infinitely satisfying activities. Unfortunately, that would only momentarily block out the realities of the world.

  “Is Prim still here?”

  Gavin shook his head. “William rooked her into helping with the wounded, and just as soon as everyone was put back together, she hopped a plane to wherever it is she’s been hiding for the past several hundred years.”

  “Oh.”

  “William seems to think she feels guilty for what she did.”

  Sydney frowned. “Doubtful. But even so, she’s right, isn’t she? Even if I do get pregnant, it won’t be a Light One or a Chala, will it?”

  Gavin hesitated and then blew out a breath. “Probably not. Not that a Chala and a Rakshasa have ever hooked up before, since we’re normally hardwired to kill you instead of fuck you. But considering the obvious difference between a Rakshasa’s genes and a Light One’s genes, I’d say not.”

  “What would it be?”

  “A Rakshasa, I would imagine.”

  “Cursed?”

  “No idea. Although I wouldn’t wish this curse on anyone, but especially a child. The guilt would kill him.”

  “Lovely.” Sydney pushed him away, and he reluctantly moved so she could climb out of bed. He watched as she walked through the room to the attached bathroom. When she returned, she wore a thin cotton robe with yellow stars embroidered onto it.

  “So if we stay together, we shouldn’t ever have kids, right?”

  “That would be the safest bet,” Gavin agreed.

  “And the Light One population dies out, since it’s very likely I’m the last Chala on earth.”

  “Well, technically, we’re immortal, so long as we avoid killing each other . . .”

  “I don’t want to live without you, Gavin.”

  “That’s certainly nice to hear, since I happen to share that sentiment,” Gavin said slowly, watching her like a hungry predator.

  She had the fanciful thought that if she stepped close enough to the bed, he’d attack. She imagined she’d like his form of attacking. A lot.

  “Actually, I’m not sure I can live without you.”

  “You’re justifying my selfishness. I like it.”

  “I tried to imagine mating with one of the other guys, when I was out there wandering in the woods last night.”

  “Two nights ago. And if you ever do that again, I’ll kill whichever one it is you were imagining.”

  Sydney rolled her eyes and then gasped. “I was unconscious for two days?”

  Gavin nodded. “The injury to your neck was nearly fatal.” She heard the pain in his voice. He couldn’t live without her, either.

  She paced to the door and back, contemplating. “What if we destroyed the Rakshasa population?” she asked. “Wouldn’t that basically eliminate the threat to the Light Ones?”

  “Yes. But there are far more of them and they’re better warriors and—”

  She cut him off with a wave of her hand. He gave her an annoyed look as his mouth worked soundlessly for a moment.

  “Don’t go all Negative Nelly on me right now, Gavin. I need some positive in my life. The only way you and I can stay together is if we figure out a way to keep the Light One population stable without me singlehandedly repopulating the earth. And the only way I can see to do that is to go on the offensive and start attacking them, instead of waiting for them to attack us.”

  “Your mind certainly works furtively when you sleep.”

  “Don’t mock me,” she warned, growing annoyed that he wasn’t immediately buying into her idea.

  In a flash, he was across the room, snagging her around the waist and pulling her back to the bed. Somehow, she found herself lying on her back again, naked, with Gavin’s equally naked body pressing down on her.

  “When you start talking war and politics it gets me hot,” he said as he nuzzled her neck.

  “Everything gets you hot,” Sydney pointed out as she obligingly lifted her chin to give him better access.

  “No. You get me hot.” And then his hands were everywhere, and his lips were on hers, demanding, insistent, telling her without words what she meant to him. And as she crested her climax, she thought, I will never let this go.

  Epilogue

  “They’re in,” Gavin stated.

  “Really? All of them? Even though I won’t mate with any of them?”

  Gavin almost laughed at the narcissistic question. �
�Sydney, they’ve known that since they joined the pack. That hope may have been what drove them here, but the opportunity to fight—to win—is what keeps them here.”

  “Oh.”

  This time, Gavin did laugh. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, burying his nose in her hair and breathing deeply of her utterly intriguing scent. His Chala.

  “I stay here because of you. Is that good enough for you?”

  Sydney gave him an impish smile. “Yes. That’s plenty good enough for me.” She paused and looked over to the clearing, where a group of shifters was being led through a series of strengthening exercises.

  “Thanks for letting Brandon stay,” she said, the playfulness gone from her voice.

  “It’s only because of that thing you did with the ice and the candle the other day.”

  Sydney rolled her eyes. “No, it isn’t. You let him stay because you realized he’d made a mistake and was sorry for it. God knows you’ve made plenty of mistakes in your time.”

  “Hey,” Gavin protested, but weakly. She was right, of course. “He’s going to have a rough time of it,” he predicted. “The pack doesn’t trust him right now. They’re going to haze the shit out of him.”

  Sydney’s brow furrowed. “They won’t carry it too far, will they?”

  “Nah. At least not by their standards.”

  “Gavin!”

  He kissed her nose. “I’ll be sure to step in when I think it’s going too far.”