Bound By Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, so am I.” The nymph struggled to hide her misery behind a determined smile. “Oh, I’m Valla, by the way.”

  A part of Jaelyn told her to turn away and ignore the chatty demon. She had a very specific agenda that didn’t include becoming BFFs with her fellow inmates. But her training warned that she couldn’t ignore such a potential source of information.

  “I’m Jaelyn.”

  “That’s pretty.” Valla tilted her head to the side, her glorious mane of hair tumbling over her shoulder. “Did you get to choose your own name?”

  “No.” Jaelyn absently rubbed the raw skin of her wrists. She would need to feed before she could fully heal. “It was given to me by my maker.”

  The nymph moved closer to the bars. “Are you injured?”

  Jaelyn instantly dropped her hands. A Hunter never revealed weakness.

  “I’ll recover.”

  “If you need a drink I’ll share.” The female held her arm through the bars. “I’m not on drugs or anything.”

  Jaelyn frowned, once again searching for some sign of deceit. Why would this female be so kind? For God’s sake, she was offering her vein to a complete stranger.

  Surely there had to be an ulterior motive?

  But no matter how deep Jaelyn searched she could find nothing but purity in the nymph’s soul.

  Oddly disturbed, Jaelyn abruptly paced back toward the door of the cell to peer at the distant door.

  “Are they all trolls?”

  “Who?”

  “The guards.”

  “No.” The sharp scent of Valla’s fear filled the air. “There’s at least two imps and a pack of hellhounds who guard the exits. There’s no way out if that’s what you’re thinking. And if you try ... they’ll hurt you.”

  “There’s always a way out.”

  The nymph was momentarily speechless at Jaelyn’s cold confidence; then she gave a forced laugh.

  “Yes well, I suppose a woman like you would think that way.”

  Jaelyn turned to meet the faintly envious blue gaze. “A woman like me?”

  Valla shrugged. “A warrior.”

  “All women are warriors.”

  Valla’s lips twisted. “Nice to think so.”

  Jaelyn swallowed the urge to point out that the mere fact Valla had managed to survive two weeks in the dungeons of a slaver proved she was as tough as any soldier.

  Focus, Jaelyn, focus.

  “Who runs the place?”

  “There’s a half-breed troll who is in charge of the auctions.”

  “And?” Jaelyn prompted.

  “There’s something ...” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Else.”

  Something else?

  That covered a lot of territory.

  “What?”

  Valla lowered her voice until it was barely a whisper. “A monster.”

  Jaelyn moved closer to her new friend, sensing that she was coming close to discovering precisely what was making vampires disappear.

  “A demon?” she pressed.

  “I don’t know exactly what it is, but whenever they bring in a vampire it comes out of the cellars and drags them down there.”

  Jaelyn followed the direction of Valla’s pointed finger, noticing the faint outline of a hidden door on the back wall of the cell.

  “You don’t know what species it is?”

  The nymph shrugged. “It’s something I’ve never seen before... .” Her eyes abruptly widened as the stench of old leather suddenly filled the air. “Oh no. That’s it.”

  “Sssh.”

  Motioning for the nymph to return to her narrow cot on the far side of her cell, Jaelyn moved to overturn the table, allowing the goblet and its nasty contents to drain into the dirt floor. Then, lowering herself to the floor, she stretched out as if she’d been struck unconscious, careful to make sure she could see the hidden door.

  She had barely arranged herself to her satisfaction when the door slowly swung inward and a large form squeezed through the opening to step into the cell.

  Peeping beneath her lowered lashes, Jaelyn barely repressed a shudder of disgust.

  A vicious cross between a gargoyle and an ogre, the creature had dark, armor-like skin and a ridge of spines that ran from the base of its large, misshapen head down between its leathery wings to the tip of his long tail. Its short arms ended with clawed hands, as did his powerful legs, and when it turned toward Jaelyn she shuddered as she caught sight of its face.

  Even by demon standards the thing was butt-ugly.

  It had the grotesque features of gargoyles with beady crimson eyes and a snout with flaps over its nostrils. It also had a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth it proudly displayed.

  But Jaelyn wasn’t fooled by the loutish cruelty etched into the face. There was an unmistakable intelligence shimmering in his eyes that was more dangerous than all his brute strength.

  Remaining motionless, Jaelyn watched as the mongrel sniffed the air before it cautiously began to shuffle in her direction.

  She didn’t so much as twitch a muscle as it halted near her feet, reaching out to poke her calf with a claw that was at least three inches long. She would bet good money that the creature was like most ogres, who preferred their meals to be alive and struggling.

  The thing no doubt intended to drag her down to its private lair and wait for her to wake before it tried to eat her.

  There was another poke; then the mongrel grabbed her around the ankle and began to drag her toward the back of the cell.

  Knowing she’d only have one shot at catching the creature off guard, she remained limp until his head turned to glance toward the opening. His brief distraction was all she needed and, jerking her ankle free of his claws, she used the motion to rise to her feet and slammed her hand into his snout as he turned in shock.

  She felt bone and cartilage shatter beneath her blow, but while the creature bellowed in pain, he remained upright and seriously pissed off.

  Moving with surprising speed considering his heavy bulk, the thing grasped Jaelyn around the neck, ignoring the spikes of her dog collar, which bit into his thick hide, and lifting her to meet his glowing crimson gaze.

  “Bitch,” he hissed, the word barely distinguishable between the sharp teeth.

  Jaelyn smiled with cold anticipation, already knowing exactly where she would strike the killing blow.

  “You’ve been a very naughty boy,” she mocked, hanging loosely in his grasp. “You should have known the vampires would come searching for you. We don’t like being prey.”

  The thing wheezed out what she assumed was a laugh. “Tasty leeches. Yum, yum.”

  He leaned forward to lick a rough tongue over her cheek.

  A revolting mistake that Jaelyn made him pay for ... with interest.

  While he was occupied with his pre-dinner snack, Jaelyn was swinging her leg forward, landing a perfect blow to his manly bits, which were swollen with arousal.

  As expected, the brute lost his grip on her as he doubled over in pain, but Jaelyn didn’t take time to appreciate her handiwork. Instead she used his contorted position to her advantage as she wrenched off her shoe and with one smooth motion had the three-inch heel stuck in the bastard’s eye.

  With another bellow, the creature reeled backward, struggling to remove the shoe as the blood poured down his naked chest. Jaelyn smiled as she deliberately removed her other shoe and stalked forward. The heels were made from a combination of lead and silver since they hadn’t known exactly what sort of creature she’d be facing.

  As luck would have it, a perfect blend to destroy the mongrel.

  Hurray for her.

  Sensing her approach, the demon lifted his head, swinging a clawed hand at her head. Jaelyn easily ducked the clumsy blow, and without the least amount of regret, she lifted the shoe and punched it into his other eye.

  Screaming in pain the creature flailed forward, his arms swinging and his wings flapping as the metal in the hee
ls allowed him to swiftly bleed to death.

  Jaelyn stepped back and waited for nature to take its course, deeply relieved she didn’t have to actually drain the nasty thing to kill it.

  On the downside, it seemed to take forever for the beast to collapse to the floor as the last of his life drained into the dirt.

  “Jaelyn, the guards are coming,” the voice of Valla warned.

  “Shit.”

  Too well trained to leave a mark before she was certain it was dead, Jaelyn bent over the mongrel and allowed her senses to search some sign of his life force. Only when she was convinced that the beast was dead did she tug off the dog collar and remove the key that was enchanted to fit in any lock.

  A handy little item.

  Careful not to touch the silver bars, Jaelyn swiftly unlocked the cell door and allowed it to swing open. She had just stepped into the pathway when Valla reached out of her cell to brush her fingers over Jaelyn’s shoulder.

  “Help me.”

  Jaelyn stiffened, desperately refusing to glance at the vulnerable young female.

  She was here on a mission. Which meant she didn’t have the luxury of caring what happened to the nymph. After all, if she dared to help Valla escape then the Addonexus would only hunt her down and kill her. Just to teach Jaelyn a lesson.

  “I can’t.”

  “Please,” the female begged. “Please, don’t leave me.”

  “I ...” Jaelyn struggled against her screaming instinct to unlock the damned cell and release the pleading female. For all she knew this was another test of her training. “I don’t have a choice.”

  “Of course you do. Just open the door.” Valla’s choked sob stabbed Jaelyn directly in the heart. “I swear, I won’t slow you down.”

  “You’re not part of the job.”

  “Job? What job?”

  “I have to go.” Jaelyn took off for the door, desperately trying to shut out the female’s scent of absolute terror.

  “Wait,” the nymph cried out. “At least put me out of my misery.”

  “ No.”

  “Jaelyn, I beg of you.”

  The screams followed her as she escaped from the dungeons and then the auction house.

  They followed her back to her lair with the Addonexus, haunting her... .

  Always haunting her.

  Jaelyn woke with a low curse, rising to her feet to glance around the abandoned church.

  She told herself the dream was a result of her near-death experience.

  After all, if she hadn’t been a Hunter with the ability to shroud herself in shadows so thick she could bear the sunlight for short periods of time she would even now be a tiny pile of ash in the nearby caves.

  As it was, she’d barely managed to climb out of the cave and dart to this church before she’d passed out from exhaustion.

  Was it any wonder that in her weakened state she would be plagued with a nightmare she’d struggled so hard to banish?

  Yeah, a convenient excuse.

  A pity she didn’t believe it for a minute.

  Not when she knew the sensations of guilt and nearly overwhelming regret that she had felt walking away from Valla that night had been stirred by Ariyal.

  She had never forgiven herself for leaving the nymph behind, no matter what punishment the Addonexus would have doled out.

  How could she survive if she abandoned the man destined to be her mate?

  With a shiver she stepped over the rubble that littered the floor of the nave and made her way to the nearest window, which boasted a few tenacious shards from the once magnificent stained-glass window.

  Now was not the time to brood on her complicated relationship with Ariyal.

  Not until she was certain he’d escaped from the caves unharmed.

  And oh yeah, stopped the end of the world.

  Ignoring her lingering weakness and growing hunger, Jaelyn cautiously made her way out of the church and crossed the graveyard. Halfway through the moss-covered headstones she came to an abrupt halt, her senses on full alert.

  Ariyal.

  Or at least it had been Ariyal. Along with the granite scent of Levet and ...

  Sergei?

  Shaking her head in confusion, Jaelyn bent down, running her fingers of the faintly singed grass. A portal had briefly opened and then closed here.

  Dammit. Had Ariyal been captured by the mage and forced to use his powers to leave this place? And if so, where the hell had they gone?

  She lingered in the spot long after she was forced to accept that Ariyal wasn’t coming back. As if his fading scent could give her some sort of clue to where the mage had forced him to go.

  Or perhaps she desperately needed to cling to the tangible assurance that he was still alive.

  At last she forced herself to straighten and consider her options. Although her sense of duty had been beaten into her with brutal force, she knew what she had to do.

  What Ariyal would want her to do.

  And if that meant she was punished by the Addonexus and the Oracles ... so be it.

  A smile curved her lips as she abruptly stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders. Hell, before she was done this small transgression would be the least of her concerns.

  Wrapping herself in shadows, Jaelyn headed directly toward the glowing lights of Chicago.

  She didn’t slow as she hit the suburban outskirts, knowing that her destination would be in the seedier part of the city. Not that there wasn’t plenty of evil lurking behind the perfectly manicured homes. But she needed to find a specific place.

  It took nearly an hour of searching, but at last she managed to track down the Viper Pit. Predictably, the most exclusive club in the entire city of Chicago was also the most difficult to find.

  Not only was the entire building hidden behind a magical glamour, but there hadn’t been a single demon willing to reveal the location.

  If she hadn’t been a Hunter she wasn’t sure she’d ever have stumbled across the hidden entrance.

  Once inside, she hurried past the marble pillars and glittering fountains. She had no interest in the demons who were busy indulging in the various vices on offer, from gambling to orgies to cage fighting that made the MMA look like a fun game of slap and tickle.

  If she was running the joint, she’d have an office on the second floor where she could keep an eye on the entire club.

  Reaching a back hallway, she had just caught sight of a narrow staircase when her path was abruptly blocked by an Andrax demon.

  At least a foot taller than her, the demon had taken the shape of a human with a brutish face and bulging muscles that were covered with scarlet tattoos. His head was shaved and his ears were lined with gold studs, but it was the teeny-tiny loincloth that attracted her attention.

  A loincloth? Really?

  Oblivious to her flare of amusement, the demon flexed his muscles before pulling back to lips to reveal his massive fangs.

  Andrax demons didn’t drink blood, but they did eat raw flesh. Usually while it was still attached to the person.

  “Going somewhere, beautiful?” he demanded.

  She rolled her eyes. Did males always have to be so predictable?

  “Step aside.”

  “Hmmm ...” He skimmed a hungry gaze down her body. “A mouthy one. I could change that.” He stepped close enough to nearly overwhelm her with the stench of his sour sweat. “All you need is a little training.”

  She bared her fangs in warning. “All I need is for you to move your ugly ass before I forget how much I hate Andrax blood.”

  “Bitch.”

  “I’m not telling you again. Move.”

  “Yum.” He licked his lips. “I’m going to enjoy teaching you a lesson. By the end of the night you’ll be begging for it.”

  She snorted. “Begging for what?”

  He grabbed the bulge beneath the loincloth. “Some of this, baby.”

  “Ah.” She tapped her tongue against the end of her fang. “That nasty piece of shru
nken flesh that I’m going to bite off and shove down your throat?”

  “Big talk for such a tiny thing ...”

  His taunting words ended in a scream that would have made a banshee proud as Jaelyn leaped over the Andrax’s head and then, pressing herself against his back, wrapped her arms around his body, her hands grabbing the tender bits of manhood he’d been so proud to point out to her.

  It made it so much easier to know where to hurt him.

  “Now tell me again what you’re going to do, demon,” she murmured, her claws digging through the loincloth as her other hand wrapped around his beefy neck, threatening to crush his windpipe. “Nothing to say?”

  “I’m ...”

  “Yes?

  “Sorry.”

  Her claws dug a bit deeper. “Try it again.”

  “I’m sorry,” he moaned.

  “Sorry that you tried to rape me? Or sorry that I’m about to castrate you so you can’t force yourself on some other woman?”

  “No. Please, no ...”

  The Andrax stiffened at the sound of approaching footsteps. Always cautious, Jaelyn kept her grip on the demon as she shifted to watch the two males making their way down the staircase.

  No, not men.

  Vampires.

  Those too-perfect features and elegantly muscular bodies could never belong to humans.

  She briefly ran her gaze over the nearest, a vampire with dark, spiky hair and crystal-clear green eyes who was dressed like a badass in black leather with a large dagger casually held in one hand. Dangerous. But it was his companion who sent a chill of alarm through Jaelyn.

  This one was taller with lean muscles beneath the ruffled white shirt that was worn beneath a gold velvet jacket and black satin pants. He should have appeared ridiculous, but with his long hair the pale silver of moonlight and his eyes the startling darkness of midnight he was hauntingly beautiful.

  A fallen angel.

  Already suspecting the identity of the powerful vampire, the Andrax took away all doubt as he held out a pleading hand.

  “Thank god, Viper. You have to help me.”

  Ignoring the whining demon, Viper regarded Jaelyn with a piercing intelligence.