Bound in Darkness

by Nicole Edwards

  This time when he came, it was with a snarl, his teeth gritting tightly to hold in the beast who was desperate to mark her for all eternity. He spilled himself inside her and cried out her name when she orgasmed once more, her nails digging into his forearms.

  She was everything he had ever wanted, more than he knew he deserved.

  And one day … one day very soon … he would mark her as his and show her what it meant to be complete for the first time in their lives.

  Now that Perfidious had shed his human husk, he felt powerful. More so than he had in a long time.

  Of course, his demon form was far more advanced than those little minions Eevuhl had brought back with him all those months ago. Aside from the fact his skin was slick and red, and he had two horn-like protrusions on his head, Perfidious had a body indicative of a human. Two arms, two legs, a thick cock. Needless to say, it wasn’t all that difficult to fill out the human husks when necessary, his body fitting perfectly within whatever body he chose.

  However, in this form, sensations were heightened, not muted by the skin of the humans he wore to blend. It had been eons since he’d traipsed around, naked in a sense, but it felt good. It felt right.

  The question was, how would Asmia react to his true form? She’d yet to see him because he’d wanted it to be a surprise. Hence the reason he was currently sitting on his throne in the elaborate cave he’d had dug out of the mountain, the shadow beasts gathering before him down below. He’d purposely kept distance between himself and them, ensuring they understood his rightful position above them.

  “I’m glad you could come,” he addressed the males and females. “I felt it imperative we get right to the reason you are here. Beginning this night, you’ll be answering only to me. As you’ve probably heard, Eevuhl is no longer of this Earth, having been eliminated by the archangel Michael.”

  There was some grumbling going on, but Perfidious ignored it.

  “This night, you will pledge your loyalty unto me. Some of you are likely curious as to why you would do that. Most of you don’t know me. But in time, you will come to. But as a way of proving to you that I am worthy of your obedience, I’d like to introduce you to my queen.”

  He held his arm out, motioning for Asmia to join him. Sirius had brought her forth and kept her contained behind his throne in an effort to ensure the shadow beasts did not see her, as well as ensuring Asmia didn’t see him. As he had mentioned, he wanted it to be a surprise.

  Standing tall, he stepped down from his throne, turning to the side so he could see the Fae’s eyes when she took him in for the first time.

  “Come here, my queen,” he called out as she stepped toward him.

  As had been the case for weeks now, Asmia showed absolutely no emotion when her eyes slid over him. She didn’t appear aware that his appearance had drastically changed, nor did she seem concerned. Perhaps he should consider loosening the reins on the mind control simply so he could get a reaction out of her.

  Not yet, though.

  Right now, he had something else in mind.

  Taking her by the shoulders, he urged her out in front, giving the shadow beasts below a glimpse of the Fae Perfidious had obtained.

  As expected, there was a ruckus that erupted, most of the demons likely eager to get their hands on her.

  Unfortunately for them, she wasn’t theirs for the taking. Asmia belonged only to him.

  Stepping up behind her, he brushed her long blond hair back, then freed the sash that was holding the blood-red robe closed. He then pulled the silk from her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor, revealing her in all her glory to those who would be envious of him.

  “If there’s ever any doubt in your minds who’s the king here on Earth, you should know, I obtained her on my own. Stole her away from those pesky angels without help.” He smiled down at them. “But more importantly, I know of others who are there for the taking. Provided you do right by me, there’s nothing to say you will not have your very own Fae.”

  That incited the masses, a round of hisses and growls sounding from the demonic beasts.

  “Our objective is to eliminate the vampires. That’s your sole purpose here. From what I’ve seen, you’ve made great strides, but we’re not there yet.”

  Perfidious slid his hands around Asmia, cupping her full breasts in his palms.

  “Consider this your motivation,” he announced, pulling Asmia back against him. “And you, my dear, sweet queen, are going to know what it’s like to be claimed once and for all.”

  “It would be my pleasure, my king,” she said, her voice crisp and clear as it rang out, the response of the shadow beasts exactly as he’d expected.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  It had been a long time since Oliver had been on a date.

  Granted, this wasn’t really a date. It was more like a mutual outing for friends.

  Try telling his heart that. That damn organ was doing the jitterbug in his chest, the shimmy and shake so strong they had his stomach churning nervously.

  Even now, as he sat in the leather recliner beside Bijou, some chick flick playing on the screen, he could hardly keep his eyes from straying over to her. The only thing that stopped him was his not wanting to make this awkward. He’d never met a woman…err…female like Bijou. A woman implied she was human and that was not the case. She was vampire, an entirely different species that he hadn’t even known existed until she’d appeared at Angel Central.

  And he’d thought coming to terms with living with angels had been difficult.

  Then again, he’d often heard stories of vampires because they were commonplace for humans in terms of storytelling. So perhaps he hadn’t been quite so shocked that they existed. More like … relieved?

  Strange word to think, but it was an apt description.

  It did not, however, explain why he had this strange fascination with her. Or this irrational idea that one day he could feed from her and her from him. That wasn’t feasible because he was human. Hell, he didn’t even have fangs.

  But that didn’t stop his overactive imagination from attempting to conjure it up.

  “Are you okay?”

  Oliver jerked when a soft hand touched his. His eyes shot to that touch, then over to Bijou. She was watching him curiously.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You … hissed.”

  He frowned. “I did not hiss.”

  Bijou chuckled. “You actually did.”

  Oliver realized she hadn’t pulled her hand away. Nor did she when he flipped his over. His breath slammed into his ribs when she linked their fingers, their palms joining intimately. At that point, the movie disappeared entirely. At least for him. The only thing he was cognizant of was how soft her hand was, how warm her fingers were. As he stared at their joined palms, he felt a warmth deep inside him, as though a glacier had been melted, replaced by … sunlight.

  It was an eerie feeling, he had to admit. Almost as though she had unlocked a part of his soul, cracking him wide open.

  He’d felt a similar feeling when he’d been with her in the sauna. That night when he’d buried his tongue between her thighs and brought her to orgasm in an attempt to ease her from the angels’ freaky mating heat. As much as he’d wanted to take her then, to sink into the heavenly warmth of her body, Oliver had run away from her, locked himself in his room, and banged out his own orgasm with his hand.

  Yet that connection he’d felt with her then returned now. Heat replaced the ice in his veins, and he could’ve sworn something was coming alive inside him.

  Bijou’s eyes shifted to him as though she felt whatever was emerging.

  “Oliver?”

  Her voice was distorted, as though he was hearing it from under water. For a moment he was confused. They were in a theater, not the swimming pool.

  “Oliver!”

  His body jerked hard, sending him back against the chair. Everything went fuzzy.

  “I’ll get help, Oliver! I’m going to get hel
p.”

  He focused on her words, her panic registering, but he had no idea what was going on. His body was trembling … no, make that vibrating. More like a volcanic eruption.

  His mouth opened to tell her he was fine, but no words came out. There was a twisting within his body, as though something was attempting to get out. There was no pain, just a sense of … emergence.

  Oliver was seconds from panicking himself when suddenly his eyesight cut out on him, the room going black. All sound faded and then…

  When he awoke, Oliver was in the infirmary, the bright lights overhead blinding him before he could stop his eyelids from lifting.

  Fuck me.

  He slammed them shut and exhaled heavily.

  “Oliver?”

  “It’s me,” he said, not bothering to open his eyes. “Could you shut off the lights, please?”

  A second later, he noticed the darkness behind his closed eyes, so he made another attempt at cracking his lids. Slow and easy … yep. That worked. The room was dark except for a dim illumination coming from behind his head and the one from the machine standing beside the bed.

  “What happened?” he asked, his eyes searching until he found Bijou standing near the door, her thin arms crossed over her chest, black sweater hitched just above the waistband of her jeans. He should not have been checking out her belly button, yet…

  “You had a seizure,” a male voice said.

  Apollo. Yay. Just what he didn’t want, an angel doctor poking and prodding at him.

  “Have you had them before?” the doctor asked.

  “Nope. Never. Maybe too much popcorn.”

  “Popcorn won’t cause—”

  “It was a joke, Doc.”

  “Ah. Gotcha. But no seizures before?”

  “No.”

  “Can you tell me what happened? Did you notice anything just before you seized?”

  He thought back to sitting in the theater, holding Bijou’s hand. That strange sensation inside him like something was trying to emerge.

  “Nothing happened,” he blurted. “I was just sitting there and … well, you know the rest.”

  “Perhaps it was the screen,” Bijou offered. “Hasn’t that happened before? Certain lights triggering seizures in humans?”

  “I suppose it’s possible,” Apollo agreed.

  Except there hadn’t been any strobes going on. Not unless he counted the ones in his head at the time. But Oliver wasn’t going to offer that up. Let them assume what they would.

  “I’d like to keep you here for observation. At least for another hour.”

  Oliver glanced at Bijou. When she nodded in encouragement, he relented.

  “Will you stay with me?” he asked.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He could tell she was upset, as though she was still trying to wrap her head around what had happened. He knew the feeling.

  “I’ll be back shortly,” the doctor said before slipping out.

  Feeling the need to reassure Bijou that he was fine, Oliver motioned her over, then shifted so there was room for her on the mattress.

  “Come here.”

  Her beautiful green eyes locked on his face, and he thought for a moment she would decline his request, but then she was crawling up with him.

  Oliver shifted once more when she reclined, ensuring her head was resting in the crook of his shoulder. He curled her closer, pressed his lips to her forehead.

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  Her soft laughter was like a balm to his soul. “You shouldn’t be apologizing.”

  Inhaling deeply, he let her scent wash over him. He loved the way she smelled, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Perhaps perfume. Maybe soap or shampoo. Whatever it was, he longed to breathe it in.

  When her hand rested lightly on his stomach, his muscles tightened from the touch. Placing his free hand over hers, he held her close to him, content in a way he’d never been before.

  There was still a strange sensation within him, as though something wasn’t quite right, like two magnetic poles warring with one another, trying to fight to overrule the other.

  Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and prayed whatever it was would pass quickly, because this … being with Bijou … was the only thing he’d wanted since the day he saw her in the dining room.

  The absolute only thing he wanted.

  Obsidian remained in the hallway to the infirmary when Penelope had opted to head back up to the mansion. Apollo had given her the information as he knew it—Oliver having a seizure, being brought down by Reidar at Bijou’s request, looking over the male and finding nothing to indicate what had caused it. The healer’s explanation had eased her mind, and she’d been eager to get back to Ari’el since Oliver was with Bijou.

  That was all good and fine. Obsidian didn’t mind the fact that Apollo had sugarcoated his observations in an effort to keep Penelope calm.

  However…

  Get your ass down here now, Obsidian projected to Michael.

  A second later, there was a flutter of sound, then the male appeared, looking both curious and wary.

  Michael glanced at him, peered around, eyes swinging back. “Based on your tone, I suppose this isn’t an invitation to the morning meal.”

  Obsidian turned to face the archangel. “What’s going on with Oliver?”

  Michael turned, as though looking into the room. “Well, right now he’s holding the female vamp—”

  “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

  The male turned back around and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t really know. I suspect Khari and Oliver are warring at the moment. The vampire’s been repressed and the female is his mate. I suspect he knows this and he’s asserting his dominance.”

  “Is Oliver in danger?”

  Michael shrugged. “I’ve never had this happen before. Khari’s always been a docile passenger in the human vessels he’s occupied. If I had to guess, Bijou’s his trigger. He wants out and he’ll do what’s necessary to make that happen.”

  “So you’re saying Oliver’s prominent? The human is repressing the vampire?”

  “No.” Michael’s face grew serious. “Though he doesn’t understand what he is, Khari’s fully in charge of the human vessel. Those readings the healer’s getting are those of the vessel, nothing more.”

  “He’s in there,” came a voice from behind Michael.

  Apollo appeared.

  Obsidian and Michael turned toward him.

  “The human. I can sense his soul. And Michael’s right. The vampire’s conflicted right now. And he’s short-circuiting the vessel. Hence the seizure.”

  And that was what Obsidian had suspected Apollo was keeping from Penelope.

  “How is it you sense Khari, but I don’t?” Obsidian inquired.

  Apollo’s gaze shifted to Michael, clearly looking for him to answer.

  Obsidian waited, gaze darting between the two males. Someone would answer him or they would fucking stand here all day.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Michael finally said.

  “It does mat—”

  “Look,” Apollo stated firmly. “We can stand out here all day and hash out the why and how of our existence, but it’s not going to solve the problem.”

  “The problem being what, exactly?” Obsidian studied Apollo.

  “The fact that Khari’s growing more irritated being confined,” Apollo stated firmly, his voice lower than before.

  Son of a bitch.

  “Where’s Kaj?” Obsidian asked, though he knew neither of them would have the answer.

  “I’ll get him,” Michael said before vanishing.

  Obsidian turned his attention to Apollo. “I assume someone’s made you aware of what’s going on?”

  The healer’s pale blue eyes leveled on his. “I’ve detected him before. In the other vessels Khari has hitched a ride in. But never has he attempted to free himself. I agree with Michael. Bijou’s his trigger. He’s tryin
g to bond with her, but he’s trapped by the human. I hate to say it, but as long as they’re in each other’s presence”—he motioned toward the door—“as long as their affections are building for one another, there’s the potential for this to get worse. For the human vessel.”

  “How do we stop it?”

  “Short of restricting them from seeing one another, I don’t see how you can. And even then, it’s possible Khari’s made enough of a connection that he’ll get violent. If that happens, he’ll incinerate the vessel. The vampire’s strength, even in his current state, is far more powerful than the human. If Khari believes you’re keeping her from him, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

  “He’s on his way,” Michael said when he flashed into existence.

  Sure enough, the doors at the end of the hall opened and Kaj came strolling through, his eyes narrowed, black eyebrows pitched low.

  “What’s going on?”

  Apollo gave the vampire the high-level details of what had transpired. When he got to the parts about Khari becoming uncivilized because he was attempting to bond, Obsidian thought he would have to stand between Kaj and the healer.

  “Get her out of there,” Kaj demanded.

  “That’s probably the worst thing we can do right now,” Apollo said firmly. “As her father, you have that right. At least, I assume you do. But there is a serious risk of you sending Khari into a frenzy.”

  “So what are you saying?” Kaj’s gaze shot between the three of them.

  “He needs to be moved to his proper vessel,” Michael answered. “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

  “You planned this,” Kaj accused.

  Michael smirked. “No. Actually, I did not. However, if I’d known this would happen, I could’ve helped this situation along a long time ago.”

  Kaj snarled and Obsidian did insert himself between the vampire and the archangel.

  “Do not goad him,” Obsidian warned Michael. “You purposely piss him off, you have to deal with the consequences.” He then turned back and addressed all three males. “I understand this is an impossible situation. However, that human vessel in there … he’s Penelope’s brother.” Obsidian held up a hand to cut off Michael. “Regardless of whether they share the same blood. She sees him as her brother. Under no circumstance can we allow the vampire to extinguish the human. I want both of them to come out the other side intact. Understand?”