by Katie Reus
Beyond the Darkness
Darkness Series
Katie Reus
Beyond the Darkness
Copyright © 2015 Katie Reus
ISBN: 9781942447016
Cover Art by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs
Copy editor JRT Editing
Digital Formatting by Author E.M.S.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading enjoyment on your personal computer or device. You do not have the right to resell, distribute, print or transfer this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any format, via methods either currently known or yet to be invented, or upload this book to a file sharing program. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Dedication
For my family, thank you for putting up with my insane schedule and your constant support.
Chapter 1
Keelin strode across Bo Broussard’s establishment, holding an armful of all types of bagged blood as she headed for one of the open bars. She wasn’t sure exactly where the half-demon owner got the blood for his supernatural-only club, but she knew it wasn’t stolen. The male probably had another side business.
“Thank you!” Cynara, the other bartender working this part of the club with Keelin exclaimed, grabbing half the small bags from her as she stepped behind the sleek, wood bar.
Soft music pumped through the speakers and mostly vamps were on the dance floor tonight—or in some of the back rooms behind the red door. A door Keelin had no desire to ever open. She wasn’t into BDSM thank you very much. Or, she didn’t think she was. Although she might make an exception for one annoyingly sexy dragon shifter she hadn’t been able to get off her mind for the past month straight. Ugh, why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?
“Hey, sweet cheeks. Can I get a fucking drink?” A surly looking vampire with spiky blond hair at one end of the bar growled, his eyes flashing amber. He watched her with annoyance. Gritting her teeth, Keelin let her beast flare in her eyes, a warning to the male who quickly straightened and cleared his throat. “My apologies. When you get a chance, I’d like a drink.”
She nearly snorted at his abrupt change of manners, but nodded politely. He wouldn’t know what type of shifter she was but vamps tended to have a healthy respect for shifters in general, especially one as young as this male appeared to be. He couldn’t have been turned for more than a few years by her guess. At almost fifteen hundred years old, she was good at estimating age. “What type of blood?”
After he told her, she quickly poured his drink and then six others for patrons who were patiently waiting. It was Friday so it was typically busy, but with Bo doing a vamp-special night there were more of the species here than usual. Not that she minded. Bo’s bar was neutral ground, even in the deadly wolf shifter, Alpha Finn Stavros’s, territory. Finn let the demon operate here as long as he remained neutral—and the half-demon tended to pass along any intel he received to the Alpha that might be useful. At least that’s what Keelin had heard. She’d only been living with the Stavros pack for the last month. She wasn’t a wolf but the pack had given her shelter since their healer was now mated to Keelin’s brother and living up in Montana.
Three hours later, it was almost eleven and time for Keelin’s shift to be over. It wasn’t as if she needed the money, but she liked working here. It was the first time in…ever, that she’d had such independence. Still, she couldn’t wait to get off work because she had plans tonight. Another bonus to her new freedom. She could go out with whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
“Hey, why don’t you get out of here a few minutes early,” Cynara said, pushing a few locks of her shockingly purple hair behind her shoulder—hair Keelin was certain wasn’t dyed.
“You sure?” she asked, stacking clean martini glasses in a pyramid on one of the shelves. Their bar was mostly cleared now, with patrons either dancing, in one of the private booths or in one of the private rooms. They’d get another rush in the next half hour when the new shift came in. Cynara was working a double though so she’d be staying.
“Yeah, I know you’ve got plans with your girls. Just keep Nyx out of trouble,” she murmured. “Bo will freak if anything happens to her.”
Keelin glanced over her shoulder, automatically looking for Nyx. They’d started working at the club at the same time and she wasn’t exactly sure what type of supernatural being the other female was. She was sweet to be sure, incredibly graceful looking—and a huge klutz. Keelin started to respond when a sharp awareness filled her chest, the warmth spreading out in a burst of sensations, slamming into her nerve endings without warning.
She sucked in a breath as understanding of what was happening set in. Blood rushed in her ears and her hands started to tremble. It took Cynara’s hand on her forearm to bring her back to reality. Blinking, Keelin looked at her friend and tried to get her erratic breathing under control.
“You okay?” Cynara frowned, her purple eyes bright with concern.
Swallowing hard, Keelin nodded. “Yeah. I’m good.” But she wasn’t good. Not at all. Her parents, two of the most powerful dragons on the planet, had just come out of their Protective Hibernation. All members of a dragon clan were connected to an extent and when one was born or came out of a Hibernation, they all felt it.
She loved her parents, but they’d guilted her into Hibernating with them hundreds of years ago—because of their fear of losing her—and she’d foolishly given in. She’d lost hundreds of years of her life only to emerge a year ago into a new, modern world she loved. She refused to go back to that sheltered existence living on her clan’s land up in Montana. Something akin to fear slid through her veins at their awakening, even though she knew it was stupid. She controlled her life now, not them.
When she realized Cynara was still watching her curiously she pasted on a smile. “I’m going to go talk to Bo then head out with Nyx.” Their other friend Ophelia should be there soon too. She was meeting them before they headed to the underground supernatural fights. Which weren’t actually underground at all, but it was what everyone called them.
As she stepped out from the bar, she watched as Nyx collided with another server weaving her way through the black high-top tables, sending empty glasses flying in all directions. They crashed to the ground, glass shattering everywhere. Keelin cringed and immediately went to help them clean up when Bo appeared as if out of nowhere.
Damn that male was stealthy. Tonight his eyes were gold and his hair an amber-ish color. He was always changing his hair and eye color, with magic she guessed. And pretty much anything he chose looked great against his café au lait skin. The man looked like a work of art he was so beautiful. With a wave of his hand, the glass pieces molded back together. Some vamps around them gasped at the display but Keelin had seen him do it before. Nyx smiled gratefully as she helped the other server put the glasses back on her tray. It was too crowded to hear much but Keelin was pretty sure the other female mumbled a thank you to him. Her cheeks flamed crimson as she looked away.
Bo just watched the female as if he wanted to devour her.
Keelin was so getting Nyx to talk about him tonight because those two needed to hook up. When Bo started to head to the front door, probably to talk to one of his security guys, she
waved him down. “Hey, you got a sec?”
He nodded toward a white door on the other side of the club. “My office?”
“Sure.”
Once the door closed behind them the noise from outside dimmed dramatically. The walk down the hallway to his office was quick and quiet. In his office, she couldn’t hear anything from the club. Considering her supernatural hearing, that was saying something about his insulation. Or maybe he had some sort of spell in place.
“What’s up?” he asked, heading to his desk and rifling through a set of papers, a frown on his face.
She hovered near one of the chairs in front of it, deciding not to sit. “Nothing much. I…” She wasn’t really sure how to say what she was feeling and suddenly felt stupid for asking to talk to him. It wasn’t as if her parents could swoop in here and demand Bo fire her or something. But that fear had spiked inside her moments ago, that with this sudden reemergence they’d try to rip her away from her new life. She didn’t even know if they’d woken up yet or if this was just the beginning stages. Sometimes it could take weeks or even longer for a dragon shifter to wake up fully.
When she didn’t continue, he looked up, still standing behind his desk. “Everything okay? Anyone give you a problem tonight?” His eyes flashed angrily.
She loved that he took his employees safety so seriously. “Oh, no. Nothing like that. I just, I wanted to say I really like this job, that’s all.”
His expression softened and he sat, motioning for her to do the same. “You don’t make small talk, so what’s going on?”
Sighing, she collapsed onto one of the seats. “It’s nothing, really. I could be wrong, but I’m fairly certain my parents have woken from their Hibernation.” Unlike the majority of supernatural beings she came in contact with, Bo actually knew what she was—he’d seen her brother burn a hole into his ceiling and through the front of his club not too long ago. Kinda hard to hide what she was after that awesome display.
Bo’s eyebrows raised a fraction. “Okay.”
“They will not be pleased that I’ve left our land or that I’m working in a demon-owned bar.”
“Half-demon,” he murmured, almost absently, before continuing. “So what are you worried about?”
“Nothing. I think I just had a panic attack, thinking they’d storm down here and, I don’t know, try to force me to quit or something.” She felt weak and pathetic even saying the words aloud. For too long she’d let her mother’s fear suffocate her, living only a half-life.
Bo seemed to understand though. “I know who you are and that you don’t need to work. As long as you want a job, you have one here. No one has ever told me how to run my business or who to hire or fire. I doubt your parents would try to use any persuasion on me, but if they do, don’t worry.” There was a bite to his words, reminding her that he was a powerful being.
“Thank you.” His words soothed her but she still felt a tiny bit pathetic. She needed to get over this crap with her parents. Standing, she headed to the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she half-turned. “Nyx is going with Ophelia and me to the fights tonight.”
Bo went preternaturally still at her words in that way that only supernatural beings could. “Nyx is going?” Each word came out clipped, as if it pained him to speak.
Keelin nodded. “Yep. Thought you’d want to know.” Without another word, she left, making her way to the end of the hallway. Apparently Bo had once used the rooms behind the red door frequently but ever since Nyx started working for him, he hadn’t slept with or looked at another female in a sexual way. Keelin had no idea if the former was true, but she knew the latter was. He had eyes only for Nyx.
Stepping out into the club, Keelin was immediately inundated with all the sensory details; flashing lights, music, the scent of sweat, sex and perfumes. She loved it. Being in this new world was fascinating. She moved around the outer edge of the dance floor, making her way to the front. Ophelia and Nyx were already waiting, both females practically jumping up and down with excitement.
Good, because she was too. She’d been in Biloxi a month and this was her first time going to the fights. Well, technically she’d been once before, but that was when she and Conall had been looking for their brother Drake. That hadn’t been for pleasure.
She planned to make this a night she’d remember. Because she was tired of thinking and reacting like her former self. New Keelin had taken charge of her life and she wasn’t going back to her prior, boring existence.
* * *
“Thanks for having someone pick me up from the airport,” Bran Devlin said as he shook Finn Stavros’s hand. The other Alpha nodded once and turned back to the punching bag that must have had some extra reinforcement for the way he was slamming his fists into it.
Bran had been picked up at the private airport he’d flown into—he’d decided to use normal transportation instead of flying in his dragon form—and escorted directly to the Stavros pack’s mansion in historic Biloxi. Then he’d been led down to a lower level floor and to a state-of-the-art gym.
Finn was the only one in the room, the tension and aggression rolling off the other male and filling the room with a bitter scent. Bran didn’t think it was because of his presence, but he needed to be certain. Having two Alphas under the same roof wasn’t a long-term option, even when they were different species. Not that Bran planned to stay long. “If you’d prefer I stay elsewhere it won’t be an issue.”
At that, Finn stopped and faced him. The Alpha’s jaw clenched tight, his breathing and heart rate slightly increased as he watched Bran. “No, I’m honored to house another Alpha, especially from your clan. I want to discuss an alliance with you—that I hope will eventually extend to multiple dragon clans. We’ve already formed one with the Petronilla clan, as I’m sure you know.”
For centuries dragons had lived in secret, even among other supernatural beings. By necessity more than anything. Dragons had been hunted for millennia for a multitude of reasons. They still didn’t flourish the way other shifters did, but that had a lot to do with the way they mated—when one mate died, so did the other. As far as he knew, they were the only shifters on the planet like that. He figured it was Mother Nature’s way of controlling their population as they were inherently powerful. “That’s something I’d like to discuss with you also.” Even if it wasn’t the reason he was here.
“So, why are you in my territory?” The question was blunt, but with no rudeness.
Bran had been vague and unfortunately he couldn’t be completely truthful. Not yet. Not until he’d done some recon. “Two reasons, one being a female.” Something he never thought he’d say, but his fucking dragon hadn’t left him alone for a month straight. It’d been clawing and raging under the surface, determined to get to Biloxi, just to see the female who filled his fantasies. He’d been edgy and surly to everyone in his clan. They were glad to be rid of him for a while, he was sure.
Finn raised a dark eyebrow, but something about his expression told him he wasn’t exactly surprised. “What’s the other?”
“I’m investigating something.”
“Something?”
“It’s paranormal in nature. Other than that, I cannot discuss any more details—yet. I ask for your patience while I see if it’s worth even discussing with you.” Truthfully, what he was doing in Biloxi was classified. Not that he wouldn’t bend the rules for another Alpha, but until he knew more about his off-the-books ‘assignment’ from his former boss in black ops, he didn’t want to say anything. He’d been headed to Biloxi when his old boss had called, the timing likely not coincidental. His former handler had probably known he was headed here and decided to ask him for a favor.
Finn was silent for a while, contemplative, his ice blue eyes assessing. “Is this related to your clan or your job before a year ago?”
Bran stilled. “What do you know of my previous job?”
A corner of the Alpha’s mouth lifted a fraction. “Nothing, which is why I’m asking. I kno
w you didn’t become Alpha of your clan until your parents passed a year ago so I looked into you. And I found absolutely nothing. Your reaction tells me enough—for now. Drake and Victoria trust you, and so does Rhea so I’m extending that trust.”
But it was on a short leash, something the male didn’t have to say. Relief slid through him as he nodded. “Thank you. If anything in my investigation will affect your territory, I’ll inform you immediately.”
Finn nodded and started to respond when a new scent filled the air. Female, like winter and moonlight. He turned toward the entrance to see a tall, lean teenage girl who was clearly Finn’s daughter strolling in. Just like that, the tension in the room eased, disappearing as if it had never been. So that had been the source of the Alpha’s distress.
“You’re back,” Finn said, his voice soft.
“Well, you did give me a curfew, even though I just turned seventeen.” She snorted, flipping her inky black hair over her shoulder. The girl might be young, but there was an aura of power surging around her that surprised Bran.
“You’re lucky I let you go out with that human at all,” the male growled.
“I almost wish you hadn’t,” she muttered. “It was awful.”
And that was Bran’s cue to leave. He cleared his throat and nodded toward the exit. “I’m going to head out but I’ll be back later. Thank you again for the hospitality.”
Finn nodded. “She’s at the fights.”
He blinked. “Who, and what?”
“Keelin. She just got off work about half an hour ago and is on her way to the underground supernatural fights.”
Bran’s dragon rippled beneath the surface, his talons scraping against his insides. He knew about the fights. Keelin’s brother, Drake, had been visiting Bran’s clan the last couple weeks and had told him about them. How brutal they were. He didn’t care that Keelin was a dragon and could naturally take care of herself.
