Marked (Dark Ties Book 1)

by A. Vers

  The notion that that is all I’ve been doing for years is not lost on me. But when life hands you a boatload of crap ...

  The vamp makes a sweeping left turn, and we hit a small bump before climbing up a long drive. A massive gate of steel and stone stretches through thick trees laden with spring life. The gate whirs and rolls back, leaving enough space for the vampire to pull through on a burst of speed. We screech to a stop.

  My eyes fly wide.

  The damn structure before me is huge; a towering three-building high-rise of glass, wood, and stone. Extravagant fountains and an extensive security detail wait at the front entrance. I gulp.

  “Ummm ... This is a hotel?”

  He opens his door. “Of a sort, yeah.”

  My face flames, but I follow him out. If this is a hotel—and not some elaborate kidnapping attempt, one night in this place will deplete my account. Hefting my bag higher, I try to wipe my expression clear of the dread filling me. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  He inclines his head. The gesture is both regal and condemning. My teeth grind. He just stands there, bouncing his keys. “Are you going to stay out here?”

  I blink.

  “It’s late, dark, and you’re all alone. Out here ...With me.” His dark eyes flash. “Let me walk you inside.” He seems to wait, the bare hint of a smile pulling at his full lips.

  Damn it.

  All supernaturals are monsters, I remind myself. Even gorgeous dark-eyed vamps.

  I square my shoulders. “I can walk myself.”

  He blinks. It’s the only sign of life before he turns on one heavy-booted heel and leaves me where I stand. His long legs eat up the little parking lot, leathers silent. It takes a second as the early morning presses in around me, and I run after him.

  The security guards appear to be embroiled in an argument as we near. One is leaner, with dark hair and almost red eyes. The other is broader through the shoulders with a cap of angelic, golden curls. They snap to attention as he reaches the door. “Captain,” they call.

  Captain?

  I look around behind me, but there is no one else.

  “Ease down, men,” the vamp says.

  A captain?

  Do vampires have captains?

  The one with a halo of blond hair peers past him in grim quiet. Amber eyes lock with mine. “You brought home a stray?” he asks, tone hard.

  My anger ignites.

  Stray?

  The Captain never breaks stride. “Giving her a ride, Horan.” He disappears inside.

  Horan watches me, flecks of gold brightening his strange irises. “Whatever you say, Cap.”

  The other man holds the door open with an extravagant bow. His dark locks fall around his thin face, but the smile he offers is calculated, coy, like he can see into the deepest part of me.

  I shiver and rush inside past them.

  And stop.

  If the outside of the building is opulent, the inside is a dream.

  Polished marble floors stretch in every direction. Heavy fronds, ferns, and palms rest in gorgeous waterfall beds all along the walls and in the center of the cavernous entryway. Leather armchairs in reds, russets, and blacks are sprinkled sporadically in little nooks. I glance up to find an unobscured view of the brightening sky through a vaulted glass dome.

  “Miss?”

  I glance over. An older man waits near the foot of a resplendent staircase, a crisp black suit covering his frame. Complete with tails. My head spins.

  “I am Maximus, my dear.” His aged eyes twinkle as he walks to me. “Would you prefer a garden suite or one closer to the pool?” He slips behind the long counter.

  My eyes widen. “This place has a pool?” I squeak.

  He offers me a smile. It’s kind, polite. Sympathetic. “And a spa, theater, two gyms, a training facility, an interior restaurant, full wait staff, and laundry services.”

  To hell with a night, just breathing the air in this place will drain my account.

  “What’s the price difference between rooms,” I ask, hating how meek my voice is, but also knowing it’s a long walk to another hotel.

  He blinks. “I beg your pardon, Miss?” I fidget, unsure how to broach the subject of my lack of funds. “Did Master Wade not tell you?”

  My bag seems to gain about fifteen pounds. “Tell me what?”

  “Your room is taken care of.”

  My heart stops beating. “Pardon?”

  His expression turns amused. “You are a guest of the coven, Miss, under the Captain’s orders. Anything you need, you have but to ask.” He sweeps a low bow. “Welcome to Eternity Manor, madam. Refuge to wayward supernaturals and humans alike. We hope you will stay as long as you need.”

  I sway a bit and grab the counter to steady myself. Relief and incredulity war through my stomach until tears burn my eyes. “A refuge?”

  Maximus smiles. “We take in all who seek asylum. Safety. The Lock Lake coven are the guardians of Eternity. And you will be safe here.”

  Safe?

  For the first time in years, I am left speechless. My gaze darts around, searching for the vampire. To say ...

  What?

  Thank you seems paltry. I could ask why. No. Demand it, actually. Demand to know why someone as versed in killing would seek to save me. Again.

  But it doesn’t matter what I plan to say. Because his dark head is nowhere to be found.

  9

  Ruin

  I PUSH THROUGH THE massive doors to the protected left wing of the keep and head immediately for the tall bar in the corner. With no windows and the lights over the weapons cases dimmed, the fountain LEDs are fucking beacons in the center of the main room. My sensitive eyes water. It makes navigating all the leather sofas, chairs, chaises, and tables a bitch. But it’s quiet. Empty.

  Thank-fucking-goddess.

  Tanner and Gage are suspiciously missing, and with Caine and Horan on the door, there is no one readily available to snap at.

  Why did I fucking bring Lilah here?

  I snag a bottle of bourbon from the shelf and pour several knuckles full in a clean glass. The alcohol scorches the whole way down. Burning my insides. I refill the glass and knock the next back too.

  She’s safer here than anywhere else. Vic may be in jail, but the blond vamp, Draven, seemed too interested in her with that strange gleam in his eyes. And Lock Lake PD has no idea where he is.

  But with no thug left alive on that road, my message will come through loud and clear. She has a protector. Whether she needs one or not. Whether she wants one or not.

  And now I have time to get the next lead.

  I refill the glass.

  “What fucking happened?”

  Smooth crystal to my lip, my eyes raise to find Markus Alport leaning against the nearest alcove, his face blank.

  The reigning King of Eternity appears relaxed at first glance. His pale hair hangs down his shoulders, framing his square-boned face. The tumbler in his hand holds part blood and part whiskey as he swirls it idly. But it’s the icy chips of his topaz gaze that gives me pause.

  “My lord—”

  “What fucking happened, Ruin?” A trace of the old country’s lilt fills his voice, deepened with his anger.

  “Vlad got away.”

  His eyes flash. “I’m aware. I want to know how.”

  “Carnage was a Haven, my lord—”

  “You let the target get away.” His voice is as empty as his expression. “Who knows how long it will take us to locate Vlad again. The drug is dangerous. We need him to find the supplier. I thought I made that clear?”

  My shoulders tense. “There was a human woman... A girl, really. She worked there. Her uncle was going to sell her out. In lingerie, Markus. I couldn’t leave her. The last girl had her throat ripped out on stage by one of our kind.”

  There is a gasp, and I turn to find Raina, Markus’s Consort. She stares between her husband and myself. “How horrid,” she breathes, one hand clutching the pale flesh of her neck.
“The poor creature, she must be terrified now.”

  Considering how pissed she was in the car, I’m not sure terrified is the right word. Homicidal, maybe.

  Markus pushes away from the stone wall and walks over to his wife. “Raina, dove. You should not hear this. Not now.” His voice is deeper now, almost rasping. The dark marks on his arms seem to pulse the closer he gets to her.

  A sign of their coupling.

  She smiles softly, but lays one small hand over the still flat expanse of her stomach. “I’m pregnant, not invalid.”

  He chuckles and cups the slim line of her face. “So I see.”

  Her almost innocent features watch him in wonder. The expression is so open, so bare, I have to look away.

  I down my glass and pour another.

  Agile fingers lay over my arm, halting my less than sane intake of liquor. I peer down at Raina. She searches my face, her long gold ringlets framing bright blue eyes. The face may be childlike, but her body is all woman.

  “You did the right thing, Ruin,” she says, “helping to get the girl away. Don’t let Markus lie to you, he’s proud too.”

  I glance over her shoulder at the man in question. His lips purse. Though he doesn’t disagree, I have known him long enough that his discontent comes through loud and clear.

  “We can still track Vlad, my lord. The girl ... I may be able to—” I shake my head. “I can get another lead from her.”

  His hawk-like eyes glint in the chandeliers above. “Fine. I want you to question her.” He stalks over the marble floor. “You will get the information any way you need to. And there will be no slip-ups this time.”

  My teeth grind.

  “Do you understand?” he asks, gaze hardening.

  I nod. “Yes, my lord.”

  “Good.”

  He wraps his arm around Raina’s shoulders and ushers her to the staircase at the far side of the dim room. “Now, dove,” he croons to her. “Allow me to put you to sleep for the day.”

  She giggles, the sound fading as they disappear downstairs.

  I take another gulp of bourbon and slam the glass down. It cracks, but I leave it sitting and head to the massive oak door next to the stairwell. The keypad flashes as I punch in the code. Ducking inside the tunnel, twin dark shapes break free from the old stone. Gage and Tanner fall into place at my side.

  “How long have you been waiting?” I ask.

  They exchange a glance. Gage shrugs. “Few minutes.”

  “You hear?”

  “Yep,” T says.

  “I hate you both,” I mutter.

  “That’s why you’re the Cap, boss.” T prowls cheerily next to me, and I consider shoving him into the wall.

  “Girl?” Gage asks.

  I scrub the back of my neck, pulling at the knot of muscle forming. “Here.”

  They both stop walking. I do, too, and turn to look at them.

  “You brought her here?” Gage asks, like he is waiting on me to say ‘kidding’.

  “Squad of eight supes had her cornered when I got there. Chains, knives, bats ...” They stare. “Vic wants her. Bad.”

  “We need his office location,” Tanner mutters.

  I start walking again.

  At the edge of the tunnel, the low lights for the open training area come on, starting with the ones closest to the archway. I shrug out of my jacket and go to work on the harness over my body.

  “What I need is to work some of my anger off before I talk to her. No reason to scare the humans, track?” My fists tighten and every inch of my body thrums with the need to hurt. To kill. Battle rage . When I peer over my shoulder, both males are fixed on my face. “Either of you fine gentlemen want to help?”

  Tanner glances at Gage out of his peripheral. He reaches for the hem of his T-shirt and ripped caramel muscle and tattoos gleam under the lights as he tugs it off. He stalks past me to the weight rack, head already where I need it to be as The Game’s One Blood blares from the speakers.

  Gage pulls out another hand-rolled and lights up. With every inhale, his emerald eyes grow languid, fucking blitzed, as he takes the edge off his power. Every member of the team has burn scars from his power. No reason to add more.

  Stubbing the butt out on the heel of his boot, he claps me on the shoulder and follows T. “Let’s fucking do this.”

  10

  Lilah

  THE SUITE’S ATTACHED garden is warm, almost balmy, and emerald-green in the little walkway lights. Smooth stones and sand create a pathway deep into the small grove of bushes and torches. A travertine pool rests under a few willowy mimosa trees, with an outdoor shower head nestled amidst the branches.

  It’s a damn tropical paradise in southern Louisiana.

  Heavy-bladed ferns perch along thick river-rock ponds. The water is crystal clear and cool looking in the heat. I slip my shoes off and step down into one shallow pool.

  A groan bubbles from my lips. “Oh wow.”

  I sit down on the ledge, swinging my feet back and forth in the lukewarm water. The same incredulity in the front foyer seems to rule my world.

  It’s not a hotel. And Maximus assured me the manor is indeed a refuge when needed. Normally reserved for supernaturals, Eternity Manor is more than capable of taking in a single guest ... or a hundred. Every hall was packed with doors to opulent rooms, statues, and expensive artwork. And the vampire lives here too.

  Captain Wade, I chide myself.

  Captain. A damn vampire Captain.

  Like a cop or a general, maybe some mix of both, Maximus railed about how good the Captain is. How strong ...

  I sigh.

  Every inch of the building is run by a strange mix of humans and supernaturals. Most of the guards appeared to be supes. Shifters and vampire as the norm. Could they be part of the elusive Lock Lake Coven?

  Probably. But I noticed most of the staff is human. Maximus included.

  Though none of them seemed fearful of the Captain or any of the others, it was the exact opposite, actually. More a respect built on years under the same roof.

  So how the hell do they work so well together?

  I shake my head and climb from the water. Grabbing my shoes, I pad back into the cooler room.

  The walls are a thick, scrolled cherry wood. Every inch of the space breathes vitality and darkness. The heavy four-poster bed houses high rails and soft curtains. Thick pillows and an ornate bedspread in gold. Everything is luxurious. Expensive.

  But empty. Quiet. It’s more than being here. It’s Uncle Vic’s betrayal. The cruelty.

  All for the sake of the damn dealer and the money he could bring in.

  The shows at Carnage were bad enough. But selling drugs ... Drugs that can make even supernaturals, with their fast metabolisms, intoxicated ... It’s asking for trouble.

  “At least the vampire did one thing right. The doors to Carnage are closed and they don’t ever have to open again,” I say under my breath. “Not if I can help it.”

  The whole place is worn down. Dry kindling in a derelict package. Years of pain rolls through me, haunting and turning my insides to ice. I shudder. One damn match. That’s all it would take to burn the place to the ground.

  A heavy knock sounds on the door. My head whips over.

  “Lilah?” The Captain’s rasping tone rolls through me like a wave.

  Damn it.

  I walk over and undo the little lock. Of course, if he really wanted in, the single lock wouldn’t stop him.

  He peers down at me from his impressive height. It takes all of one pass with my eyes before I have to groan inwardly.

  Nope. Still as sexy as before.

  His dark hair is damp, like he just showered. Indeed, his spicy fragrance has deepened, filling my nose in a heady cloud.

  I cough to clear my throat and open the door for him to enter. “Captain.”

  “Ruin.”

  I blink up at him. “Huh?”

  “My name is Ruin.”

  I take in the solid
curve of his thighs in their leathers, the thick pair of boots on his feet, and the dark bands around his wrists. I inhale. “I bet.”

  He slips past me, that dark gaze sweeping every corner of the ostentatious space. “Maximus got you settled in, I see.”

  I debate strongly on leaving the door open and then close it softly. “Yeah. Thank you. By the way.”

  His head turns. “For?”

  I gesture around us. “Bringing me here. It was ... nice of you.”

  His lips curve as I hesitate on that one word. “Oh, I didn’t do it for you.” My stomach knots. “No offense, but you’re human.”

  I stiffen. “And you’re a fucking vampire. Are we stating things we already know?”

  That makes him pivot to face me. All the air in the room disappears, pulled in by his towering frame or maybe just his fragrance. “Sure. Let’s try that, shall we?” He stalks closer, those thick, metal studded boots silent on the carpet. “You’re the apparent niece of a criminal mastermind.” He holds up a finger. “Said criminal mastermind owned and operated an illegal Haven under your nose.” Another finger goes up. “You never contacted the authorities, and continued to work for said criminal until tonight.”

  His massive chest is inches from me, pecs pushing at the slightly damp fabric covering him. I try not to inhale his scent, but wind up sucking it into my nostrils like an addict with blow. Heat pools between my thighs as I stare up at him. I clench them and my teeth together.

  “Vic is my guardian on paper only.” I grit the words out.

  His dark eyes go bottomless. Vast. “How old are you?”

  I flush. “What does that—”

  “How old?”

  My teeth grind. “Twenty-one.”

  The weight of that gaze trails from the sway of hair over my forehead—down. “You knew what he was doing. You knew it was illegal ...”

  I push at him, hating the confusion in his voice. It’s not the same emotion in me. No. That’s self-loathing. “What should I have done? Take a page from your fucking book and kill people? Kill him?”

  His teeth bare. “I protect humanity from yourselves,” he hisses. “If a supernatural is out of control, do you think the government calls your kind? No. They call ours.” The inch I managed to budge him disappears. “Your uncle was in the middle of a big deal with a supplier of Brightex. A new strain of Brighterion. One of the only chemicals that can put my kind down for any length of time.”