Darkness Unveiled

by Emerson Knight

  “Watch her,” Sebastian instructed. Steven and a few other were-animals hurried out behind her. She was the fastest of us. They had their work cut out for them.

  Chris retrieved her pistol, returning it to the waistband of her pants at the small of her back. After the front door had closed, she said, “Let’s talk.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Winter and Marko should be here, I thought, closing the door to Sebastian’s office. Gavin stood glaring, while Steven uncharacteristically fidgeted. Sebastian frowned at Chris as she casually ran a finger along a bookshelf, then smugly admired the imaginary dust that she rubbed from her fingertips.

  “Chris,” he snapped.

  She gave him a polite smile. “You all aren’t the only ones who have been attacked.”

  I straightened, as did Sebastian. Gavin and Steven shared scowls, wondering why we should care, but it mattered. Was our enemy so confident of its power that it had attacked the most powerful vampire Seethe in the region as well?

  Before she continued, Sebastian walked to the door and opened it, revealing a surprised Sky caught in a half crouch. Her eyes widened in anticipation of a rebuke, but he waved her inside. “You might as well join the conversation since you’re going to listen anyway.”

  I gave Gavin a warning look, cutting off his objection. I wasn’t about to let Gavin turn this meeting into a circus, but he wasn’t wrong. As an outsider, Sky didn’t have a role to play in our decisions. If this was a ploy to draw her closer to the pack, I didn’t approve, but Sebastian had the right to include her.

  “Continue,” he instructed Chris.

  She acknowledged Sky’s presence with a small, surprised smile, then turned back to Sebastian. “Let’s just say the attack went about as well for the Seethe as it did for you.”

  “Are the vamps poisoned, too?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Do you know which poison?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Not that Demetrius can’t handle this threat, but it does seem we’re all fighting the same war now. Why not fight together? A temporary arrangement, obviously. Once this situation is resolved, everyone can go back to killing one another, or dreaming about killing one another. Whichever.”

  “Let our enemies kill one another,” Gavin said coldly. “We’ll finish what’s left.”

  Chris ignored him, her attention fixed on Sebastian.

  “Does Demetrius know who we’re up against?” I asked her.

  “No. And now I know you all don’t know, either. Whoever—whatever—is responsible, is powerful. If we go this alone, a lot more lives will be lost.”

  “Vampires aren’t living,” Gavin snapped.

  Steven remained silent, but I could tell by his dark expression that he agreed with Gavin.

  “Figure of speech,” Chris said in feigned politeness. She turned to me. “You’re going to lose more lives as well. Why not work together?”

  “Did Demetrius send you?” Sebastian asked, suspicious.

  “I wouldn’t say ‘sent,’ exactly. This is my idea. ‘You can’t talk sense into a dog without a newspaper,’ were his precise words, but I convinced him.”

  “The vamps will betray us at the first opportunity,” Gavin snapped.

  “You must miss Brooklyn,” Chris said cloyingly. “Tell me, how are the Dodgers doing this year?”

  Gavin’s scowl deepened more than I’d thought was possible. “The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in nineteen fifty-seven.”

  “Still hurts, doesn’t it?” she answered with a sly smile.

  “Enough,” Sebastian snapped, glaring. “Are you negotiating on behalf of Demetrius, with his consent and knowledge?”

  “I am, though it took some convincing. It seems … well, you know. He doesn’t trust you all, either.”

  Sebastian and I exchanged a long look. Such an alliance would be complicated and dangerous, but the pack was hardly in a position to turn down a potential ally. If Chris were telling the truth about a simultaneous attack on the Seethe, Demetrius needed us just as badly as we might need him.

  “Where? And when?” I asked her.

  “Call him. He’s waiting.”

  “Any negotiation about an alliance must be conducted in person,” Sebastian insisted.

  “So we can look into your Master’s eyes and see that he’s lying,” Gavin said.

  I looked to Chris, expecting a violent response, but she demurred, showing a tremendous amount of self-control. But I knew her. She would make her feelings known to him, eventually.

  She rolled her eyes. “We can do that. But then you’ll need your people, so that you feel safe, and Demetrius will need his people to counter yours. And then there’s the haggling over who gets to bring how much testosterone. That’s a lot of hotheads in one room. It only takes one”—she threw a glance at Gavin—“to start a war neither party needs right now. Meanwhile, who knows what our mutual enemy is planning. Do you really have time for all that?” She gestured to the phone on Sebastian’s desk. “He’s waiting, but I’m not sure for how long. Demetrius may be over a hundred years old, but between you and me, at times he has the patience of a twelve-year-old.”

  Another silent exchange between Sebastian and me, but what choice did we have? Reluctantly, he picked up the phone and dialed the number by memory, then turned on the speakerphone. His jaw clenched tighter with each ring until Demetrius eventually answered.

  “So you’ve decided to accept our assistance?” he asked.

  “We will consider a temporary alliance of convenience, once you prove you can be trusted.”

  Demetrius’s voice became shrill as he snapped, “The master needs to prove nothing to his dog!”

  The insults descended from there until Sebastian got the last word by killing the call. He glared at Chris, while Gavin smirked.

  “That went well,” she said, disappointed. She drew her phone from her pocket and dialed. Demetrius answered immediately. “Perhaps we should try a face-to-face negotiation, after all. The home of the Seethe might—”

  “It will take a week to remove the scent of dog from the curtains!” he shouted, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

  She scowled, pulling the phone out from her ear as he carried on. She raised an eyebrow to Sebastian, suggesting the meeting be held in the retreat.

  “Never,” he vowed.

  “Somewhere public, then.” Demetrius uttered an audible, exaggerated sigh, then followed with something unintelligible. “Yes,” she agreed, “it would reduce the chances of wholesale slaughter.”

  The negotiations continued, with the two leaders exchanging and rejecting several locations for a variety of security reasons. They traded insults, as well, obliging Chris to continue her role as peacemaker until they finally settled on a new restaurant that was popular with the vamps. I was familiar with the establishment. It wasn’t on my list to try, but it was centrally located in a popular district, and we would meet at peak hour, making a surprise attack unlikely. Negotiating the parameters of the meeting, along with details of security, was even more exhaustive.

  Once the arrangements were complete, Chris left. I followed Sky out of the office, but lost track of her as I checked my phone; no response from Artemis. Waiting left me with a frustrating sense of helplessness. I found Dr. Baker in the clinic, leaning against the counter with his eyes closed. He was exhausted. Winter, Marko, Joan, and several others remained unconscious, but their wounds were stitched up. The floor was freshly cleaned.

  At my arrival, he jolted awake and muttered an apology.

  “It’s okay,” I assured him.

  “There is some good news,” he sighed, adjusting his glasses. “Those with the lightest wounds seem unaffected by the poison. It seems the body requires a significant quantity of it to take effect.”

  That was great news, but didn’t help Marko, Winter, or Joan.

  “I should get back to work,” Dr. Baker muttered.

  “Jeremy,” I said, getting his attention. “You
did well.”

  He glanced down, shaking his head. “I didn’t do enough.”

  “You’ve done everything asked of you, and more. I’m working to track down the poison, but I need a place to start. Is there anyone, any lab, that might be connected to it—no matter how unlikely?”

  He considered for a moment. “I wish I had something for you. I can ask around, but if I present the wounds as evidence, my inquiry will raise too many questions.”

  I grimaced. “If you think of anything—anything at all—let me know.”

  “Of course.”

  “Get some rest,” I suggested softly, squeezing his shoulder.

  “I can’t,” he insisted. “There are too many wounded to attend to still. I can’t just leave them to Dr. Jimenez and Kelly. They’re exhausted.”

  “Okay. I’ll have someone bring food for the three of you.”

  On my way to find Sky, Sebastian pulled me aside. “I sent her home,” he said, reading my mind. “She’s not a target, and she needed a break before the meeting tonight. I have requested she join us.”

  “There’s no need to put her in danger,” I objected, doing my best to repress my anger.

  “Ethan—”

  “Anything could go wrong at this meeting. This isn’t her risk to take. Her presence gives us no advantage.”

  “Our people are on edge,” he explained. “No doubt the vampires are as well. We will have a difficult time controlling tempers.”

  “All the more reason—”

  “Skylar has an obvious soothing effect on some of our more volatile members. Steven, for example. And you.”

  I scowled. “I assure you, I am in complete control.”

  “Steven isn’t. If there’s trouble, we’ll need him. But we don’t need him triggering the violence.”

  “She has the opposite effect on Gavin,” I reminded Sebastian.

  “Then he will be focused on her, instead of starting a war with Demetrius. She’s coming,” he said, then walked away, leaving me clenching my fists. It was his decision, but I didn’t have to like it.

  I spent the next two hours making preparations for the security of the retreat in our absence. With our most powerful, surviving members attending the parlay, the security of the house would depend primarily on the strength of Josh’s protective field. I gathered a handful of the least injured were-animals and rehearsed a backup plan. If the house was breeched, they would get the wounded into the clinic and activate the Alamo doors, then wait for reinforcements. As an added precaution, Josh would remain behind.

  Once everything was prepared, I changed into a fresh button-down shirt and trousers, then waited, pondering all the ways this meeting could go wrong.

  As the appointed hour approached, I picked up the keys to my Porsche Cabriolet and emerged from my room to find Sebastian in a tailored, pale sky blue shirt and silk-printed tie that contrasted with his dark skin. Was he waiting for me?

  “We’ll meet you at the restaurant,” I said, on my way to the front door.

  “I sent Steven,” Sebastian said, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to meet his steady gaze. “He and Skylar will meet us at the restaurant. It’s time.”

  Gavin, Taylor, and Hannah emerged from the front room to follow him out of the house. I hesitated, a venom building inside me as I wondered why he believed Sky was safer with Steven. When I finally strode outside, the others were waiting in a black SUV. I said nothing as I dropped into my vehicle and drove off faster thannecessary. I took the long route, venting my anger through speed and acid jazz played at full volume. By the time I pulled up to the valet behind Sebastian’s SUV, my anger was at least manageable.

  Steven and Sky were already waiting outside the door to the restaurant. I hesitated at the sight of her, taking in how beautiful she was in her violet single shoulder dress that extended to just above her knees and the slim three-inch heels that enhanced the curves of her legs. Her dark brown hair flowed in gorgeous waves around an olive-toned, oval face. My eyes lingered on her lips as I remembered our first and last kiss. Had it been a year? It had been primal and ravenous. I licked my lips as I imagined a longer, gentler exploration of hers.

  A teenage boy in a valet’s uniform appeared, distracting me. His wide-eyed gaze swept over the Porsche as he held out his hand. “Eight thousand twenty-seven and a quarter,” I said, dangling the keys in front of him. “The number on the odometer.” His excitement melted to respectful fear as he submissively averted his gaze. I gave him the key and joined the others.

  Sky greeted me coolly, perhaps taken aback by my stare. She regarded Hannah cautiously before acknowledging Sebastian, then returned her attention to Steven. It was going to be a long evening.

  The vamps were unsurprisingly late. Leave it to Demetrius to play his games to the last moment. They might not show up at all, but he did at least bother to make the reservation. Whether or not he showed up was the least of my concerns, but the demeanor of the staff put me somewhat at ease. They appeared calm, going about their business without any sense of danger. From the lobby, I kept my gaze on the parking lot. Hannah remained close to me, her demeanor calm, while Sebastian stood in the center of the room like an imposing statue. Steven paced anxiously between Sky and Gavin, who shifted baleful glares between Sky, myself, and the parking lot. As the wait continued, Steven’s agitation grew worse until I thought he might leap to violence at just the sight of a vampire. I was going to escort him from the restaurant when Sky squeezed his hand affectionately, soothing him. He stopped pacing. Their fingers linked together. He gave her a knowing half-grin as he took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

  I frowned as the pair shared a whispered exchange, amusing each other.

  “Sebastian?” a hostess asked, her heart rate and respiration accelerating as he focused on her.

  “Yes.” He offered a forced, but polite smile.

  “Demetrius said I would recognize you,” she said with an apologetic smile. “He and his party will be late. Please allow me to escort you to your dining area.”

  Sebastian mastered his irritation before he acknowledged the hostess with a slight nod. At his lead, we followed her on a winding path through the restaurant, where the wait staff wore designer suits, appearing as pretentious as their customers. Sky seemed entranced by the luxurious decor—marble tiled-floors, contemporary oil paintings on the walls, leather chairs and booths—but the redolence that emerged from the kitchen relied too heavily on alder wood and an earthy spice blend that likely dominated the flavor of every dish.

  The hostess led us to the far end of the restaurant, into a private room saturated with the scents of gardenia, jasmine, rose, and lavender, originating from a large, gaudy bouquet on the table. More gamesmanship. Sebastian frowned at the arrangement. “Please clear the table,” he instructed the hostess, his tone tense. In less than a minute, the bouquet and accompanying wine were cleared and we took seats on one side of the table—except for Gavin, who preferred to stand lurking against the wall behind us. I gestured for Sky to join me next to Sebastian, where I could protect her, but she ignored me, choosing instead to sit as far from me as possible. Steven joined her, of course, then Taylor and Hannah.

  We waited in silence.

  Over the next fifteen minutes, the mood in the room declined toward a preference for violence. Though he restrained his anger, I knew Sebastian was offended—not for the simple embarrassment of being made to wait, but because he placed great stock in decorum. We arrived on time because that was our agreement. He didn’t appreciate the kind of games Demetrius was playing, and even Sebastian had his limits. The longer we waited, the greater the chance that this meeting—if it happened at all—would become violent. I worried for Sky. If trouble broke out, I would get her out first, though I might have to injure Gavin in the process as he hovered in her proximity like a predator stalking prey.

  Just before the end of our patience, Chris arrived with Demetrius directly behind her. She strode gracefully into the room in a s
trapless peach satin dress that accented her toasted almond skin and clung to her curves. A glittering diamond necklace graced her cleavage. Our eyes met and her lips spread into an alluring smile. My attraction to her was automatic, as my body remembered every curve of her. I looked away, trying to break her spell. Chris had always been a distraction, and right then I needed every bit of concentration. As I gathered myself, I found Sky staring at me, offended—hurt, perhaps?—before she looked away.

  My attention was drawn to Demetrius’s hand resting possessively at the small of Chris’s back, an unsubtle declaration of property that drew a reactive growl from me, which I quickly suppressed. He strode into the room in a finely tailored black suit and coral shirt, wearing the smug look of royalty gracing the unwashed. His hair was a wavy mess of black curls, contrasting with his pale skin and the red bands that ringed his onyx pupils.

  Michaela, the Mistress of the Northern Seethe, surprisingly strolled in behind them, beaming on the arm of her pride and joy, Quella Perduta. If she resented playing second to Chris, she didn’t show it, but that was what made Michaela so dangerous. Her legendary cruelty was capricious. She was shorter than Chris, thinner, with long, thick brown hair tied back, putting her cold beauty on display. Quell, I had met previously. Among the vamps he was known as the Lost One, the vampire with the faint heartbeat and peculiar, fluorescent green eyes—both puzzles I had yet to resolve. Whatever he was, he seemed to lack the cruelty that marked the rest of his kind. He didn’t go out of his way to be a nuisance. As long as he stayed out of our way, I didn’t particularly care what Michaela had done to create such an oddity.

  Lastly came Chase and Gabriella, dressed in matching dark blue suits, her ample breasts barely contained within her suit jacket by a strategically placed clasp. The pair changed their style and appearance on a whim, but their infamy was persistent. Gone was the punk look of last year. Now Gabriella sported long blond hair with pink highlights that framed her heart-shaped face. Chase had exchanged his previous spiked hair for a buzz cut, exposing the tattoos that decorated his neck. A single metal ring pierced his left eyebrow. They were a lethal duo, devoted to each other.