Devoured By Darkness Bundle with When Darkness Comes & Embrace the Darkness

Book 0: Guardians of Eternity

by Alexandra Ivy

Genres: Fantasy Romance; Vampires; Romantic Fantasy

Synopsis

Devoured By Darkness They are the Guardians of Eternity, strong, skilled, seductive vampires chosen to protect--and to destroy. And they will risk anything to fulfill their duty, and satisfy their desires. . . Tane is a Charon, sworn to hunt and kill rogue vampires. His new assignment seems like a waste of his talents--until he catches up with the jinn he's been sent to capture. Half human, half demon, Laylah has a vulnerable streak that strikes right through to Tane's cold heart. He should be furious when she uses her powers to bind them together, preventing him from dragging her before the Commission. Instead he welcomes any reason to stay close enough to touch, to taste, to seduce. . . Laylah doesn't know why she was chosen to protect a child who may be the catalyst in a war between good and evil. But the mysteries of her past pale compared to the dangers approaching. Tane is devastatingly strong, breathtakingly sensual. And Laylah will have to trust in every ounce of that strength, because her enemies are drawing near, eager to destroy them both. . . When Darkness Comes Never Tempt Fate It's been a hell of a day for Abby Barlow. In just a few hours, she's survived an explosion, watched her employer die, had a startling dream, and now she finds herself in a seedy Chicago hotel with the sexy, unearthly Dante, a man she both desires and fears. For 341 years, Dante has stood as guardian to The Chalice, a mortal woman chosen to hold back the darkness. A terrible twist of fate has now made Abby that woman. Three hours ago, Dante would have used all his charms to seduce her. Now she is his to protect. And he will do so until his very death. A terrifying plan has been set in motion, one that will plunge Dante and Abby into an epic battle between good and evil--and a desperate race to save their love. . . Embrace the Darkness Is He Her Mortal Enemy Lady Shay is the last of her kind. Half human, half Shalott, her blood is a precious aphrodisiac to vampires, who consider it more precious than gold. Though Shalotts are renowned assassins, a curse held over Shay lands her on the slave auction block, where her fate is uncertain. . . Or The Man Who Will Risk All. . . Viper, the beguiling chief of a deadly vampire clan, can't explain his longing to possess the beautiful Shalott who once saved his life, but now he is free to do anything he wants with her. Strangely, while he desires both Shay's blood and body, he wants her to surrender willingly. To Save Her Life? A hidden evil has been stalking Shay since she left the slave market with Viper. It is an evil that endangers the very existence of Viper's kind, and there's no reason he should court such danger just to protect a Shalott. But the love he feels for Shay is enough to make him willing to go to hell and back if it means spending an eternity with her in his arms. . .

Release date: December 1, 2010

Publisher: Zebra

Print pages: 1013

Sample

Laylah was tired.

She was tired of the dark, cramped tunnels sprawling beneath the northeast corner of Missouri that she’d been running through for the past two days. She was tired of being chased by an enemy she couldn’t see. She was tired of her stomach cramping with hunger and her limbs screaming in protest at her relentless pace.

Reaching a small cavern, she came to an abrupt halt, shoving her fingers through the short, spiky strands of her brilliant red hair, her black eyes searching the shadows for her pursuer.

Not that she expected to actually catch sight of the frigid pain in her ass.

Vampires not only possessed supernatural speed and strength, but they could shroud themselves in shadows, making them impossible to sense, even to most demons. It was only because she had the power of Jinn blood running through her veins that she could detect the relentless leech following her mad dash through the tunnels.

What she didn’t know was …

Why.

She shivered, her mouth dry. Christ. She’d thought she was being so clever when she’d initially allowed the vamp to catch her scent. She’d hoped to lure him, along with the other intruders, away from Caine’s private lair.

Not that she gave a damn about the cur, but she’d hidden her most precious treasure at his estate, and she couldn’t afford to allow any creature with the superior senses of a vampire, or even a full-blooded Were, near her secret. She’d thought the demons would give chase for a few hours and then grow tired of the game, hopefully returning to Hannibal or even St. Louis.

But her hasty plan had fallen apart right from the start.

The Were had continued on his path to Caine’s lair, and the vampire had refused to give up, no matter how far or how fast she’d run.

Now she was too weak to call upon her shadow walking powers, and too far from Caine to call for his help.

“Oh, screw it,” she muttered, planting her hands on her hips and tilting her chin in unspoken defiance. “I know you’re following me, vampire. Why don’t you just show yourself?”

A warning chill thickened the air, prickling painfully over her skin.

“You think you can give me orders, half-breed?” A dark, sinfully beautiful voice filled the cavern.

Laylah’s heart missed a beat. Even with her demon blood she wasn’t immune to the ruthless sensuality that was as much a part of a vampire as his lethal fangs.

“What I think is that I’m done running,” she gritted. “So either kill me or go chase someone else.”

“Ah. Then you’re confident you’ve managed to lead me far enough away?”

“Away?” Laylah stiffened, licking her suddenly dry lips. He couldn’t know. No one knew. “Away from what?”

“That’s what I’m wondering,” the dark voice drawled. “It must be of great importance.”

Laylah forced herself to suck in a deep breath, refusing to panic. The stupid vamp was simply trying to press her buttons. Everyone knew that they loved to toy with their prey.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Hmmm. Have you ever watched a quail?”

She felt unseen fingers brush her nape, the cold touch ironically sending a bolt of heat straight to the pit of her stomach. She whirled around, not surprised that the predator had disappeared.

“The bird?” she rasped, belatedly wishing she was wearing more than a pair of cutoff jeans and a muscle shirt. Having so much skin exposed was making her feel oddly vulnerable.

Not that clothing would halt a determined vampire.

It wouldn’t matter if she were dipped in cement and wrapped with barbed wire.

“When a predator approaches the nest, the mother quail will feign a broken wing and dash away to lure the danger from her chicks,” her tormentor murmured, his voice seeming to speak directly into her ear.

She instinctively stumbled backward, her mouth dry with a sudden fear.

“The only quail I care about are baked and served on a bed of rice.”

“What are you trying to protect?” There was a deliberate pause. “Or is it who?”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Is it a lover? A sibling? A child?” His soft chuckle grazed her cheek as the sharp leap of her pulse gave her away. “Ah, that’s it. Your child?”

Laylah bunched her hands into fists of frustration. He was getting too close. She had to distract the bastard.

“I thought vampires were known for their courage,” she deliberately taunted, willing to risk a battle she couldn’t win if it would keep her secrets. “Are you such a coward you have to hide in the shadows?”

The chill thickened, the danger a tangible force in the air. Then, the shadows directly before her stirred, and the vampire slowly became visible.

Laylah reeled, feeling as if she’d just been punched in the gut.

All vampires were beautiful. And sexy. Wickedly, indecently sexy. But this one …

Reminding herself to breathe, Laylah allowed her gaze to skim over the elegant features that revealed his Polynesian ancestors, lingering on the slanted eyes that were a brilliant shade of honey and the inky black hair that had been shaved on the sides, leaving the top to form a mohawk that fell past his broad shoulders.

Her gaze lowered, that vicious awareness twisting her gut at the sight of his half naked body barely covered by a pair of khaki shorts.

Damn the annoying leech.

Had he deliberately left his body on full, wondrous display? After all, he had to know it would make her fingers twitch with the desire to investigate the smooth muscles of his chest. Or wait… maybe she would go down the flat plane of his stomach …

Lost in her helpless response to his sensual beauty, she was jerked back to the danger of her situation as the demon stepped far too close, his fingers casually stroking along the curve of her neck.

“Have you never been told the dangers of provoking a vampire?” he murmured.

A chill inched down her spine, but she forced herself to meet his hypnotic gaze.

“Do you intend to drain me?”

His lips twitched. “Tell me about the child.”

“No.”

“It’s yours?” He paused, his fingers drifting to the pulse that hammered at the base of her throat, an intense concentration etched on his beautiful face. “No. Not yours. You are as pure as an angel.”

Genuine fear speared through her heart. Damn the interfering leech.

“Leave me alone,” she breathed.

The honey eyes darkened with a dangerous hunger. Laylah wasn’t sure if it was for blood or sex.

Probably both.

“A beautiful angel,” he husked, his arms wrapping around her to yank her hard against the strength of his body. “And I have waited too long to have a taste.”

Unable to halt her panic any longer, Laylah’s unpredictable powers lashed out, the electrical charge that filled the air enough to make the vampire leap back in wary surprise.

“I said, leave me alone,” she hissed, wrapping her arms around her waist.

A dark brow arched. “Well, well. You like to play rough?”

“I don’t like to play at all,” she snapped. “What do you want from me?”

“My first intent was to capture you so you could be brought before the Commission.”

She jerked at the threat, her powers abruptly faltering. She’d been hiding from the official leaders of the demon world for two centuries. To be taken to the Oracles that made up the Commission was nothing less than a death-sentence.

“I’ve done nothing to earn such a punishment,” she attempted to bluff.

“Your very existence is worthy of punishment.” The vampire smoothly countered. “Half-breed Jinns have been forbidden.”

Laylah squashed the familiar anger at the sheer injustice. Now was not the time to debate whether or not she should be exterminated for the sins of her parents.

“You said that was your first intent,” she said, her voice thick. “Have you changed your mind?”

A dangerous smile curved the vampire’s lips as he reached to trace the plunging neckline of her shirt, his touch searing a path of pure pleasure.

“Let us say I’m willing to postpone our journey with the proper incentive.”

“Incentive?”

“Do you need me to demonstrate?” he murmured, his lips softly brushing over her mouth.

“No …” she choked, attempting to deny the piercing need that lashed through her.

Gods. She had been alone for so long.

So very long.

“Tell me your name,” he whispered against her lips. “Tell me.”

“Laylah.”

“Laylah.” He said her name slowly, as if testing it on his tongue. Pulling back he studied her pale features, his hands skimming down her sides to grasp her hips and boldly press her against the hard evidence of his arousal. “Exquisite.”

Laylah clenched her teeth, ignoring the sizzle of excitement racing through her blood.

“I assume you have a name as well?”

There was a brief pause. Not surprising. A name in the hands of a magic user could give them power over a person. Then he shrugged.

“Tane.”

It suited him. Ruthless. Powerful. Stunningly male.

“Great.” Placing her hands against the steely hardness of his chest, she arched back to meet the honey heat of his gaze. “Let me make this perfectly clear, Tane. I don’t use sex as a bargaining chip. Not. Ever.”

Expecting him to be angered by her blunt rejection, Laylah was unnerved when his lips curled in a smile of pure anticipation. Hauling her tightly against him, he spoke directly into her ear.

“Now let me make this perfectly clear, Laylah,” he whispered. “When we have sex it will only be after you have begged me to take you.”

It was the explosion of awareness that jolted through her lower stomach as much as his arrogance that pissed her off. After all, vamps were flaming narcissists. He would naturally assume she was frantic to jump his bones.

No, it was the fact he was right that made her want to punch him.

“Never going to happen, bloodsucker.”

He smiled with wicked promise. “Want to bet, mongrel?”

She shoved him away, wrapping arms around her waist in a protective motion. “If it isn’t sex, then what do you want from me?”

“The truth.”

Damn. Were they back to that already? He was supposed to be distracted. Well, she could easily correct that. No matter what the sacrifice.

“Could you be a little more vague?” she deliberately taunted.

“Most lesser demons have the sense to show respect when in the presence of a vampire.”

“You’ve already let the cat out of the bag that you intend to haul me to the Commission to be put down like a rabid dog, so what the hell?” She shrugged. “I might as well have a bit of fun before I go out.”

His slender fingers stroked the hilt of his knife. His big-enough-to-slice-off-her-head knife.

“I can promise you that trying to provoke me is not the sort of fun you want.”

She curled her lips in what she hoped was a sneer, but might very well have been a grimace of terror.

“True, the sort of fun I want involves a piece of wood with a very pointy end decorating the center of your chest, but for the moment I’ll take what I can get.”

Braced for his punishment, Laylah swore when he did precisely what she didn’t want.

Instead of striking out in fury, he stilled, his expression intent. Just like a predator about to pounce.

“Intriguing,” he murmured.

“What?”

“Your desperation to keep me from discovering your secret.” He reached to trace a finger down the line of her stubborn jaw. “I should warn you that your games only make me more determined to find out what you’re hiding.”

Laylah spun away from his piercing gaze. What the hell did she have to do to get this vampire off her back?

“There’s nothing.”

There was an icy chill as he moved to stand directly behind her.

“Let’s start at the beginning. Why did you kill Duncan?”

“I …” She licked her lips, her hands pressing to her stomach at the familiar sickness that rolled through her. She didn’t want to remember Caine leading her through the secret tunnel and into the small cabin next to the Mississippi River. They’d expected to find Duncan hidden there. The cur, after all, was intending to save his own hide by selling out Caine to the King of Weres. But neither had expected the less dominant cur to try and attack. Or for Laylah’s powers to strike out with such force. It was yet another regret, in a very long line of regrets, that Laylah would have to live with. “That was an accident.”

“You fried a cur,” Tane pointed out dryly, “which doesn’t make my heart bleed, but those little accidents are exactly why mongrel Jinn have been banned.”

She shuddered. Did he think that she didn’t try and control her powers? That she wouldn’t give anything to stop another senseless death staining her conscience?

“Shut up.”

“What happened?”

She sucked in the cool, damp air that filled the cave. She had been running blindly the past few days, backtracking and taking side tunnels until she had no idea where they were, but there was no missing the unmistakable scent of a nearby river, which meant they still must be near the Mississippi.

“Caine learned where Duncan was to meet with Salvatore. When we startled him the cur went nuts and attacked.” Her jaw clenched. She had done her best to stay out of Caine’s crazy ass scheme to change curs into purebloods. Why not decide to sprout wings and become a dew fairy? But, Caine had been adamant that he’d been given a vision that revealed he was to become an immortal Were. Personally she’d thought the vision was more likely an overdose of the pharmaceuticals he mass-produced. “I merely protected myself. Or are mongrels supposed to let themselves be mauled to death? Would that make everyone happy? The disgusting half-breed ripped to shreds?”

“A touch bitter?” Tane murmured, but his hands were oddly tender as he stroked a path over her shoulders and down her arms.

Tender, but capable of sending a rash of fire over her bare skin.

“Go to hell.”

“I’ve already visited, sweet Laylah, and I have no intention of returning anytime soon.” He leaned down to press his lips to the curve of her neck. “I’ll accept that the death of the cur was an accident.”

If she hadn’t been near the point of collapse she might have gone completely mental and thrown herself on the beautiful brute. Her body felt as if it were on fire.

Damned vamp pheromones.

Instead she forced herself to step away from his destructive touch, turning to glare into his too-handsome face. “Patronizing ass.”

“Why didn’t you return to Caine’s lair instead of taking off on your own?”

She unconsciously rubbed her arms that still tingled from his touch.

“I knew we were being tracked and I assumed that you would follow Caine. I took off to save my own skin.”

“No, you took off to try and lead us away from Caine’s estate.” He deliberately paused. “And the child you are protecting.”

“If you already have it all figured out then why are you pestering me with your questions?” she gritted.

“Because I want to know why you would be willing to sacrifice your life for a child that isn’t yours.”

Tane watched the emotions ripple over the Jinn’s expressive face, annoyed by his unfamiliar fascination. Granted Laylah was a beautiful creature. Stunningly beautiful.

And she stirred his lust to a fever pitch he hadn’t enjoyed for centuries.

But, he had one purpose in following this female.

When he’d first entered the tunnels, he’d been chasing after Salvatore, King of Weres, and the aggravating gargoyle, Levet. They’d gone missing from a cabin in Hannibal and while he would be pleased-as-fucking-punch to let both of them die a miserable death, Styx had been clear he wanted a better relationship between Weres and vampires. And what the Anasso (leader of all vampires) wanted, he got.

So Tane had led Salvatore’s servants in pursuit of Caine and the mysterious demon who had kidnapped them, not surprised when the cur had abandoned his hostages and fled in the futile hope of avoiding his impending death. What had been surprising was the gargoyle’s insistence that the demon he had sensed was a Jinn half-breed.

Suddenly his simple rescue mission had turned into a hunt for the renegade demon. The Commission had a strict policy. Jinn mongrels were to be captured and turned over the moment they were found.

He had been designated to snag and tag the abomination.

Unfortunately, things had gone to hell from the moment he had charged in pursuit.

For two days he’d trailed behind her, ignoring the realization he could put an end to the chase any time he wanted. He told himself it was mere curiosity. Why was the female so determined to lead him away from Caine’s estate? It had to be something worth risking her life for.

But, curiosity couldn’t explain why he had been plagued with fantasies of having the female locked in his lair, sprawled across his bed with her dark eyes glowing with pleasure. Or why even now the thought of hauling her before the mighty Oracles who made up the Commission seemed a sin against nature.

His brooding glance swept over her delicate features. They were frighteningly familiar. As if they’d been seared into his mind.

It made it easy to notice that there was a growing pallor beneath her perfect skin and shadows beneath the midnight beauty of her eyes.

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” she was muttering, as stubborn as ever despite her growing weakness.

“What’s wrong with you?” he abruptly demanded.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” he snapped, swiftly scooping her into his arms when her knees buckled. He choked back a groan as he was slammed by the delectable feminine heat and the scent of spring rain. Dammit. The female was going to be the death of him. “It’s obvious you’re unwell.”

She trembled, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on her brow. “I haven’t eaten in days.”

Barely aware he was moving, he carried her to the back of the cavern, gently settling her on the dirt floor before kneeling at her side.

Just like a regular Mary Poppins, he thought wryly.

Except he was a cold-hearted Charon. A vampire so ruthless he was feared by his own brothers.

“I thought Jinn absorbed their energy from their surroundings?”

Her eyes fluttered shut, her breathing shallow.

“As you’ve monotonously pointed out I’m a mongrel,” she husked. “I need food and rest.”

Against his will, Tane brushed his fingers over the smooth porcelain of her cheek, savoring the feel of her satin skin.

“Tell me about your parents.”

“No.”

“Laylah.”

She huffed a sigh at the edge of warning in his soft tone. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know. My foster mother found me abandoned in the sewers of London.”

“So you don’t know anything about who they were?”

“It’s obvious one of my parents was a Jinn. The other…” With an effort she opened her eyes, pretending that his probing questions didn’t bother her. “I don’t have a clue.”

“Do you have powers beyond those of a Jinn?”

“Yeah right. As if I’d tell you.” Her eyes closed again, her expression fretful. “Please just go away and let me rest in peace.”

He gazed down at her delicate beauty, his brows drawn together in a scowl.

Why was he hesitating?

All he had to do was toss her over his shoulders and head for the caves the Commission had taken over south of Chicago. It would take him less than a few hours to be done with the task.

Best of all, he could stop by Santiago’s club on his way back to his lair and relieve his stress with a willing imp. Or ten.

The more the merrier.

Besides, he’d learned a brutal lesson in protecting a dangerous, unstable female.

A lesson that had led to his entire clan being slaughtered like helpless cattle.

Walking among their mangled bodies, he had sworn he would never again put his emotions ahead of his duty.

His fingers tightened on her cheek, then he muttered a curse and straightened.

“Do you eat human food?” he demanded.

“Yes.”

“Remain here.”

Without allowing himself the opportunity to consider the depths of his stupidity, Tane flowed through the darkness of the tunnels, swiftly finding an opening that led to the countryside above.

A swift glance revealed the recently planted fields and farmhouses that slumbered beneath the silver moonlight. In the distance he could catch a glimpse of the Mississippi River and even farther the pinpricks of street lights that revealed a small town.

The typical, sleepy landscape of the Midwest.

Too sleepy for most vampires, but Tane preferred the peace. A bitter smile twisted his lips. And most vampires preferred him to remain in his self-imposed isolation.

Few were comfortable in the presence of a Charon.

Not that Tane allowed their prejudice to bother him. He’d become an executioner of rogue vampires for a reason. And that reason hadn’t changed.

Would never change.

Almost as if to mock his assurance he was alone in the darkness, Tane stiffened and tested the late spring air. What the hell? There were vamps in the area.

Not that he was afraid. He possessed a greater power than most clan chiefs, although he refused to endure the trials necessary to claim the title. And there were few of his brothers stupid enough to annoy their Anasso. Styx would be severely pissed off to discover one of his precious Charons had been killed.

But he’d left Laylah alone and helpless in the tunnels.

He’d be damned if any other vampire was going to get his fangs, or anything else, in her.

With a blinding speed he was entering the nearest farmhouse, a two-story white home with a wraparound porch and gingham curtains.

He paused long enough to determine there was nothing more terrifying than the humans sleeping upstairs and an aging hound who had knocked over the trash and was happily chewing on a bone, before entering the house and pillaging the refrigerator, tossing a number of leftovers into a bag he found underneath the sink. He added in milk and several bottles of water, before turning and leaving as silently as he had arrived.

Like the Grinch.

Only with fangs.

With equal speed he returned to the tunnels and to the cave where he had left Laylah. Empty. Of course.

Dropping his bag he followed her trail, easily finding her in the adjoining cave. For a minute he watched in disbelief as she crawled toward the entrance to the tunnels on her hands and knees, her entire body drenched in sweat.

“Dammit.” Striding forward, he leaned down and snatched her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he retraced his steps. “What are you doing?”

She managed a glare, but she couldn’t disguise her growing weakness.

“Looking for a portal to Narnia.” She futilely attempted to wriggle from his arms. “Where are they when you need one?”

“Stop it,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing as they rested on the sluggishly healing cut on her forehead. She obviously had smacked it on the ground in her ridiculous bid for freedom. “You hurt yourself.”

“It’s your fault,” she muttered.

“Typical female logic.”

She narrowed her gaze as he gently lowered her back onto the ground and moved to retrieve the bag. Tane drew in the musty air of the cavern, hoping to dilute the potent scent of her fresh blood.

His entire body was clenched with a clawing hunger. As if it had been centuries and not mere days since he’d had sex.

What was it about this female?

Everything about her turned him on. From the ridiculous spiky hair to the tips of her dust-covered toes. And all those tasty spots in between.

“I suppose you think you know all about women?”

He returned to her, crouching at her side with a smile that revealed his extended fangs.

“Enough to make them scream for more.”

“Just kill me,” she muttered, but she could not disguise the rapid flutter of her pulse. He wasn’t alone in the powerful awareness. A damned good thing since he intended to have her naked and beneath him before everything was said and done. “A swift decapitation would be preferable to listening to your gloating.”

His lips twitched. Trapped and weary and obviously terrified she still was spitting like a cornered kitten.

Plucking one of the containers from the bag, he opened it to discover what smelled like chicken and rice and a handful of other human ingredients. “Eat,” he commanded.

She snatched the container from his grasp, using her fingers to scoop the casserole into her mouth. Tane remained silent as he emptied the bag conveniently near her, not wanting to distract her from regaining her strength.

Draining the milk and then the water, she cleaned out two more containers of food before she at last lifted her head to regard him with suspicion.

“Where did it come from?”

He swallowed a growl as she unconsciously licked her fingers clean. “Does it matter?”

Her breath hitched as she easily sensed his savage pang of need. “Stop looking at me like that.”

His fangs throbbed in tempo with the pounding of her heart. “Like what?”

“Like you’re wondering if I’m B positive or A negative.”

“I did go to considerable trouble to bring you dinner,” he husked, his gaze lingering on the vulnerable curve of her neck. “Fair is fair.”

With a sudden shove she was on her feet, danger sparkling in her magnificent eyes.

“If you want my blood you’ll have to fight me for it.”

Tane lifted a brow. She recovered quickly. Already he could detect a color returning to her cheeks and her trembling had ceased.

Still, he knew it would take little effort to knock her flat on her back. A position that he wanted her in with a desperation that was making him hard and aching, but not until she was fully recovered.

“Sit down and finish your food.” He shrugged. “I fed before I left Hannibal.”

She grudgingly sat back down and reached for the chocolate cake.

“I hope they gave you indigestion.”

“Actually she was a tasty morsel.” He leaned forward, allowing the scent of spring rain to wrap around him. “A pity I couldn’t linger. She was eager to offer more than dinner.”

“Feel free to rush back and finish your meal and whatever else you want. Take your time.” She took a large bite of cake, a dab of icing clinging to her lower lip. “In fact, take an eternity.”

Unable to resist temptation, Tane swooped forward, licking the icing off her lip before returning to snare a kiss of pure, unrestrained desire.

He swore as hunger slammed into him with a shocking force. He hadn’t lied when he said he’d fed before entering the cabin in Hannibal, but just having this female near was enough to stir a dangerous craving.

For blood and so much more.

“I could release you, Laylah,” he whispered against her lips.

With enough force to crack a rib she shoved him away, rising to her feet with an expression of panic.

Not that he entirely blamed her.

He wasn’t sure that he shouldn’t be doing his own share of panicking.

He never let his cock rule his head. Not anymore.

But he was beginning to suspect that with the proper incentive this woman could make him sacrifice his own sanity to complete what he just started.

“Great, then I’ll be on my way. Don’t bother to write …”

He flowed to his feet, wrapping his arms around her slender body to prevent her escape.

“And where would you go?”

“Anywhere that’s not here.”

He cupped her chin, forcing her face up to meet his searching gaze. “Caine’s lair is now in the hands of Salvatore.”

She bit her lip, attempting to pretend that she wasn’t shaken by his words.

“You don’t know that for sure.”

He didn’t, of course. But, when he’d left Salvatore in the tunnel with his curs and the aggravating gargoyle, the King of Weres was foaming at the mouth to get his claws into Caine so he could rip out his heart.

And when a furious Were decided to rip out a heart, there were few things that could stop him.

“A cur is no match for a full-blooded Were. Especially when that Were happens to be the King. By now Caine is dead and the rest of the curs are being punished for their treachery.” His hands instinctively skimmed down her back, lingering on the tantalizing curve of her hips. “The moment you try to get near the lair you’ll be captured.”

Distracted by his acute pleasure in having her pressed so tightly against him, Tane was unprepared when she sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes darkening with horror.

Shoving out of his arms, she dropped to her knees, her hands pressed together in the universal sign of pleading.

“Please, I beg of you,” she whispered. “Let me go.”

It wasn’t the first time that Laylah had been on her knees. She had turned begging into an art form during her time in Sergei Krakov’s brutal care.

What the hell did pride matter when the safety of a helpless child was at stake?

“Tane …”

He brought an abrupt end to her plea as he grabbed her arms and jerked her upright, pressing her tight against his body as he whispered directly in her ear.

“Ssh, my sweet. We are no longer alone.”

Laylah stiffened. She’d been so distracted by Tane she’d failed to notice the unmistakable scent that filled the air.

“Vampires.” Her eyes narrowed. “Friends of yours?”

His impossibly beautiful face tightened, a cruel smile curving his lips.

“I don’t have friends.”

“Jeez,” she muttered, pretending that a pang of sympathy didn’t slice through her heart. She was painfully familiar how it felt to go through the world without a soul to care if she was alive or dead. It sucked. “I can’t imagine why not.”

“Stay here.” Releasing her, Tane stepped back to stab her with a warning glare. “And Laylah, when I say stay here I mean stay here. Most of my brethren aren’t interested in your pedigree or turning you over to the Commission.” The honey gaze slid down her slender body exposed by her shorts and tiny, tiny top. “They’ll see you as a beautiful female who can sate more than one of their hungers.”

With fluid grace he had the large dagger in his hand and was gliding silently into the tunnel.

Left alone, Laylah scrubbed her hand through her hair and tried to concentrate.

The food helped her to regain a portion of her strength, but she was still weary. Which meant her powers would be unpredictable.

A very bad thing since they weren’t exactly stable under the best of circumstances.

Did she dare shadow walk?

The talent of moving between dimensions had been a gift from her Jinn ancestors, although she’d discovered the ability quite by accident. She would never forget her terror of suddenly being surrounded in the mists that hovered between worlds. And her even greater terror when she’d managed to free herself from the strange fog to discover she’d traveled halfway around the world.

Over the years she’d trained herself to use her rare skill, but she avoided using it unless absolutely necessary.

Not only was there danger of accidentally slipping into another dimension, many of which were the worse hells imaginable. But she had nightmares of being trapped in the misty corridors.

Still debating, Laylah abruptly darted behind a stalagmite as the scent of vampire filled the air.

“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,” a low voice called.

Laylah shifted to catch a glimpse of the approaching vampire, her nose wrinkling at the sight of his filthy jeans and bare chest. His long blond hair hung in tangled clumps, and his gaunt face was twisted with an expression of malevolent anticipation.

Most vampires used their unearthly beauty to lure their victims. But this one … yow. He’d obviously let himself go downhill.

Really, could an occasional dip in a hot bath be that hard?

She swore as he continued forward, clearly aware she was cowering behind the stalagmite.

She didn’t want to hurt anyone. Hell, she would give anything to find a place where she could hide away with her child in absolute peace.

Yeah, as if such a place actually existed.

Grimly she stepped toward the center of the cavern, her hands held out in warning.

“Stay back or I’ll hurt you.”

The vamp flashed his fangs, his nasty gaze taking an intimate survey of her body. “Do you promise?”

Reluctantly, Laylah began to gather her sorely depleted power, wishing she could instead absorb the energy of her surroundings. As a Jinn she was a creature of nature. She should be able to manipulate the powers of the earth. Unfortunately she’d never been able to tap into anything other than her own inner powers.

Still, it was a potent force.

She shuddered, her blood heating and bubbling as the spiritual essence flowed through her.

Gods. It was so beautiful. Beautiful and terrifying and oh, so seductively addictive.

A pity she never knew what the hell was going to happen when she loosened her restraints.

“I mean it,” she gritted.

Ignoring her warning, the vampire slowly circled her trembling form, his hand cupping his crotch.

“What are you? You smell tasty.”

“I won’t warn you again.”

The vamp leaped forward, his fangs bared. Laylah didn’t hesitate. Lifting her hand she released a burst of power, her eyes narrowing as a blinding jolt of lightning streaked through the air, barely missing the shocked vampire.

“You bitch,” the demon hissed, reaching behind his back to pull a handgun from the waistband of his jeans. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

She prepared to strike again, only to be halted when Tane abruptly returned to the cave, moving with shocking speed to put himself between Laylah and the infuriated vamp.

“Why don’t you play with someone your own size?”

“Charon.” The unknown vamp smiled, forgetting Laylah as he eyed Tane with a weird triumph. Just as if he’d won the lottery.

Could vampires go crazy?

A chilling thought.

“Have we met?” Tane drawled.

“You killed my clan brother.”

An insulting smile touched Tane’s lips. “And you decided to track me down so I can kill you too? How thoughtful.”

The demon growled, his gun pointed at Tane’s head. “I came across your scent when I went out for my evening hunt. It’s been almost a hundred years but I’ll never forget your stench.” He shuddered, his pale eyes shimmering with a fanatical fire. “It’s haunted me.”

“I’m afraid I can’t return the creepy obsession.” With slow steps Tane moved to the side, deliberately leading the vampire away from Laylah. “I don’t know who you are and I don’t give a shit.”

Laylah frowned. Why was Tane risking himself to protect a Jinn mongrel who he intended to see exterminated? And why had the other vampire called him Charon?

“I suppose being a mercenary lapdog for Styx means one kill is just like another for you?” the vamp gritted.

“There are some I anticipate more than others.” Tane wagged his dagger in invitation. “Are we going to fight or do you intend to bore me to death?”

“Oh, we’re going to fight,” the vamp rasped, squeezing the trigger of his gun.

Laylah swallowed a scream as at least one bullet lodged in Tane’s arm before he had crashed into the smaller vamp and wrenched the gun from his grasp. The pistol went sailing toward the back of the cave and Tane’s dagger sliced deep into his opponent’s chest.

Blood flowed freely as the demons used their fangs and claws to cause the maximum damage.

Laylah hovered at the edge of the carnage, mesmerized by the battle between the two lethal predators.

Tane was obviously the superior fighter. Not only did he have the size advantage, but his frigid power spilled through the air with enough force to make her grit her teeth in pain. She could only imagine the agony if he were directing it at her.

But the smaller vamp had an utter lack of sanity in his favor.

With a horrifying disregard for the brutal injuries that Tane was inflicting, the intruder slammed his fangs into Tane, ripping through flesh and muscle like a rabid dog. In return, Tane sliced through the vamp’s back with his dagger, spraying blood throughout the cave.

Instinctively Laylah backed away, pressing a hand to her heaving stomach. It was time to go. Tane was suitably distracted and the food she’d consumed was easing her exhaustion.

At least enough that she could run for a few more hours. She wouldn’t have a better opportunity to escape. So why wasn’t she going?

It couldn’t be because she was reluctant to leave Tane alone to battle the crazy-ass vampire or his band of lunatics that she could sense heading in their direction. Or even the approaching …

She frowned at the musty scent of granite. It was familiar, but why?

“Tane,” she muttered.

With a grunt, Tane ripped his arm from his opponent’s fangs. “Now is not the best time, Laylah.”

“There is someone else in the tunnels.”

With a ferocious motion, Tane wrapped his arms around the vamp and heaved him against the distant wall. The vamp fell limply to the ground, briefly knocked unconscious.

Tane stood in the middle of the cave, covered in blood and looking like some magnificent conqueror. Just for a moment, Laylah had the opportunity to appreciate the fierce elegance of his profile, the chiseled perfection of his muscular body, and the bronzed satin of his skin.

Then, shoving a hand through his mohawk, he turned to reveal his eyes glowing with a honey fire and his fangs extended in fury.

She shivered. Holy shit. She’d met dangerous predators before, but nothing like Tane.

“I sense the other vampires,” he rasped.

“Not vampires.”

He frowned. “What is it?”

Realization hit at the same moment the stunted gargoyle waddled into the cave.

Laylah grimaced, easily recognizing the tiny demon.

Of course. Who could forget a gargoyle who stood barely three foot tall with large gossamer wings in brilliant shades of crimson and blue with veins of gold that were more suitable for a fairy than a fearsome beast? Not that he was entirely a un-gargoylish. He did have the usual grotesque features of his ancestors, as well as the long tail that was lovingly polished and horns atop his head.

He had been a companion of Salvatore when she and Caine had kidnapped the Were, and it had been her duty to carry him back to Caine’s lair.

It hadn’t been her fault that Tane and his gang of curs had been in such quick pursuit and she’d been forced to literally drop the gargoyle on his head and shadow walk to escape.

Or that in her haste she had released a small surge of power.

“Oh,” she breathed, her gaze remaining on the approaching gargoyle even as two new vampires burst into the room and launched themselves at Tane.

“Damn,” Tane muttered, his dagger slicing into the dark-haired vampire who looked like an extra out of a Tim Burton movie. “Like I don’t have enough troubles.”

Laylah frowned. “I thought he was on your side?”

“Can we save the discussion for later?” Tane grunted as the second vampire slammed into him from behind. “I could use some help here.”

She clenched her hands, ignoring the ridiculous urge to wade into the battle.

“Why should I help the man who intends to turn me over to the Oracles? I don’t care if you get killed.” She tilted her chin. She didn’t care. She didn’t. Dammit. “In fact it’ll save me from having to do it myself.”

Slipping past the smack down Tane was delivering, the tiny gargoyle halted next to Laylah, his gray eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Ah, a belle femme after my own heart,” he murmured with a thick French accent, sinking into a small bow. “Allow me to introduce myself. Levet, Defender of Damsels in Distress, Prince Charming, and overall Knight in Shining Armor, at your service.”

Laylah blinked. She’d knocked out the gargoyle with a bolt of lightning during their first encounter. She had no idea he was so … hmmm. Flamboyant?

“Good God,” she breathed.

He waved a dismissive hand. “Non, non. It is a common mistake, but I am not a deity. Well, not unless you consider being a sex god as …” His eyes abruptly narrowed, his head tilted back as he sniffed the air. “Sacrebleu. You are the Jinn.”

Tane swore, pinning one vamp to the ground with his knee while he tried to dislodge the other that was latched onto his back.

“Levet, either make yourself useful or get the hell out of here.”

The gargoyle ignored Tane’s command, turning about to reveal the imprint of her hand that she had scorched onto his ass just before she’d dropped him in the tunnels.

“Look what you have done.”

“It was an accident.”

“An accident?” Levet turned back, his wings twitching. “You have marred perfection. It is like desecrating the Mona Lisa.”

In spite of herself, Laylah found her lips twitching. Levet was unlike any creature she’d ever met before.

“I truly didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said with genuine sincerity. “Please forgive me.”

He pursed his lips. “Well, I suppose I could consider a measure of forgiveness. I am, after all, renowned for the generosity of my heart.” He sent a raspberry toward Tane as the vampire muttered his opinion of worthless gargoyles. “And our introduction was not under the best of circumstances.”

“No.” She cleared her throat. “I suppose that Caine’s been captured and his lair overrun with Weres?”

The tiny demon snorted. “The last I saw of Salvatore he had rescued Harley and they were fleeing from Caine while his mangy minions were in pursuit.”

Laylah sucked in a sharp breath, her heart slamming against her ribs. So Caine was away from his lair and obviously distracted.

She would never have a better opportunity.

“Can we save the reminiscing?” Tane abruptly intruded into their conversation. “Levet, get over here.”

They turned to watch as Tane decapitated one of the vampires just as the one he had knocked out earlier came to his senses and rose to his feet to barrel across the cave.

“Surely the mighty Charon does not need assistance to deal with three scrawny vampires?” Levet demanded.

Tane managed to yank the vampire clinging to his back over his head, stabbing his dagger deep into the attacker’s chest.

“Not if they’re busy draining a mouthy gargoyle,” he muttered.

“As if I would allow such nasty creatures to touch me.” Levet wrinkled his snout. “Mon Dieu, they smell like they just crawled from their graves.”

Tane flashed his fangs at the tiny gargoyle. “Then do something to help put them back in.”

“Well, I do have a magnificent fireball spell,” Levet offered. “Although there was the teeniest trouble the last time I used it.”

“What trouble?”

“There might have been a minor cave-in.” Tane yanked the dagger from the vampire’s chest and pointed it toward Levet. “No fireballs.”

“There is no need to bellow.” Levet sniffed in offense. “Either you want my help or you do not, please make up your mind.”

Laylah forced her attention away from Tane as he cut out the heart of the nearest vamp. Although he was injured from dozens of wounds, it was obvious he would soon be done with his attackers.

“Thank you, Levet.” She patted him between the horns. “I really am sorry for your … injury. Now, I really must run.”

Tane growled low in his throat, grasping the remaining vampire by the throat and lifting him off the ground as he turned his attention to Laylah.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Leaving.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“You intend to abandon me in the middle of a battle?”

She glanced toward the two disintegrating vampires on the ground and the third who was all but dead, again, struggling to escape Tane’s crushing grip.

“Do you think I’m stupid enough to wait around so you can force me to the Commission?”

Something that perilously close to amusement shimmered in the honey eyes.

“I brought you chocolate cake.” His black brows lifted. “It was homemade.”

It had been delicious. German chocolate with fresh coconut and pecans …

She shook her head, moving toward the entrance to the tunnel. “I don’t care if the cake was orgasmic, it’s not worth being exterminated.”

A wicked smile curved his lips. “If it’s orgasmic you want, my sweet …”

“Goodbye, Tane.” She gave him a finger wave, pretending she didn’t notice the sizzle of heat that raced through her blood. Stupid vampire smiles. “I can’t say it’s been a pleasure.”

“Laylah.”

Ignoring Tane’s bellow and Levet’s flurry of French protests, Laylah charged through the darkness, knowing she was wasting her energy unless she came up with a plan for escape.

She had to get out of the tunnel.

And she had to do it before Tane finished off the last of the boneheads who’d been stupid enough to attack him.

Rounding a curve, she skidded to an abrupt halt. What was that? A breeze? Her hand lifted to her cheek. Yes, definitely a breeze. And the air was fresh. Which meant there had to be an opening nearby.

Her heart was pounding so loudly she wouldn’t have been able to hear a train approaching as she scrambled up the side of the wall, using her strength to crack open the small fissures in the ceiling.

It would all be a hell of a lot easier if she could just shadow walk, but it was difficult enough to crack open the stone of the tunnel until she rested, let alone rip a hole through space.

That was something you really wanted to be on top of your game to try.

She choked on the clouds of dust that filled the air, her eyes watering as a shower of rocks pelted her on the top of her head. The mini cave-in, however, had the intended result and, hoping the yummy chocolate cake hadn’t widened her ass, she wriggled through the narrow opening.

For a heart-stopping moment, her jean shorts were caught on a jagged rock, but grasping a nearby clump of grass she pulled herself out of the tunnel.

Panting and covered in dust, Laylah crawled away from the hole she’d created, impatiently brushing away the blood that dripped from a wound on her forehead. She wanted to flop on the damp grass and catch her breath, but she forced herself to her feet and jogged over the rolling field.

For the moment she might have outmaneuvered pain-in-the-ass-Tane, since no vampire, regardless of how arrogant, would dare the sun that threatened to rise at any minute. But he wasn’t stupid, and he already suspected she’d deliberately led him away from Caine’s lair.

He would use the tunnels to return there.

Thankfully she had a straight shot back to Caine’s, while the tunnels twisted and turned, forcing Tane to travel almost twice the distance.

With any luck at all she could retrieve her baby and disappear before anyone could follow.

Her lips thinned to a hard line as she found a dirt road that wound its way through empty countryside and picked up her speed. For the past fifty years her luck had been nothing but shitty.

Why should it change now?

The sun was setting by the time that Laylah arrived at Caine’s lair, but as Levet had promised, Caine was long gone. And so were most of his guards.

Thank the gods.

She wasted no time in silently slipping into the private outbuilding that was wrapped in layers of thick illusion that kept her presence hidden from the world. Or at least it had until Caine had insisted she travel with him to Hannibal.

Inside there were few comforts. A ratty couch and chair that she’d found in an abandoned house along with a television was the sum total of furniture in her living room. While the attached room held a narrow cot and a crib. She didn’t collect possessions.

She’d learned since the death of her foster mother not to become attached. Whether it was to people or places.

Both could be snatched away.

Well… she rarely became attached, she had to qualify as she scooped the sleeping baby from the crib and headed away from the lair.

From the moment she’d caught sight of the golden-haired child that appeared to be no more than a few months of age she’d tumbled head over heels in love. A perfect angel. Not that she knew if he possessed a claim to heaven or not. Actually, she didn’t know anything about the baby.

Nothing beyond the fact she’d taken it from the mists. And that it was held in a stasis spell so he remained locked in a web of protection, impervious to the world around him.

For nearly fifty years, she’d kept him hidden. Not a particularly difficult task since there was no need to offer the usual care that an infant would demand.

The child was … inanimate. Or at least that was the only description that came to her mind. As if he was a beautiful doll awaiting the spark of life to be breathed into him.

And, as far as she knew, she was the only creature in the world who could touch the spell that surrounded him.

Which made it all the more imperative that she keep him safe.

Fleeing from Caine’s lair, Laylah made a brief stop among the local wood sprites. Despite their flighty natures the tribe owed her a favor after she’d saved the life of the queen. The time had come to call in her marker.

Then, with a brief prayer her luck would hold, she headed across the recently planted fields and cow-filled meadows, aimlessly headed in a northwest direction.

She didn’t know where she was going.

Just … away.

Far, far away.

By midday her lurking exhaustion crashed over her with a compulsion that could no longer be denied.

She either found someplace to rest or she collapsed in the middle of a corn field.

Searching out the nearest house, she helped herself to a few of their groceries, then made herself as comfortable as possible in the hayloft of the nearby barn. Hardly the Waldorf Astoria, but it would keep off the drizzling rain that had started to fall. And best of all it was vampire-free.

Biting into an apple, she glared at the barn filled with the usual machinery needed for a small farm as well as a pile of old bikes and forgotten toys that were tossed in a corner. A rusting museum dedicated to the passing years of a typical human family.

She pretended she didn’t notice the treacherous pang of envy in the center of her chest.

She was ecstatic, wasn’t she?

She’d managed to escape certain death.

And if she was alone in a stupid barn with mushy apples instead of decadent chocolate cake and wicked vampire kisses, it was a small price to pay.

Grumbling beneath her breath, Laylah snuggled between the stacks of hay and closed her eyes.

The past few days had been one disaster after another.

Once she was rested she would go out and steal a box of Ding Dongs. A chocolate fix was all she needed to drag herself out of her weird mood.

She barely closed her eyes when she tumbled into a deep sleep that was long overdue. Which no doubt explained why she didn’t pick up the approaching danger until too late.

Far, far too late she realized as she awoke to discover her body already on fire with a sizzling excitement that wrenched a moan from her throat. Her eyes snapped open, not entirely surprised to find Tane stretched out beside her, his slender fingers running a path of destruction along the plunging neckline of her muscle shirt.

He might be a cold-hearted brute, but for reasons that defied explanation, she responded to him like a harpy in heat.

Okay, there were plenty of reasons to become hot and bothered by the vampire.

The soul-stealing beauty of his lean face. The broad chest left bare to reveal the smooth bronzed skin and rippling muscles. The flat stomach and long thrust of his legs half covered by the loose khaki shorts.

And above all the raw, potent sexuality he wielded like a lethal weapon.

For a mindless moment, she became lost in the wicked honey temptation of his eyes, her body instinctively arching toward his teasing touch.

Then, as his lips parted to reveal his fully extended fangs, she was jerked to her senses.

“You son of a bitch.” With a hiss of outrage she slammed her hands against his chest. “Get away from me.”

With infuriating ease, he shrugged off her blow and rolled to pin her to the wooden planks of the hayloft, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.

“You didn’t really think you could outrun me, did you, sweet Laylah?”

She silently cursed the scalding pleasure as he pressed against her, the intimate position revealing he wasn’t indifferent to her proximity.

Gods. Her mouth went dry at the feel of his large and fully aroused cock pressed against her inner thigh. If he became any less indifferent she might faint.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” she muttered.

His head lowered to scrape his fangs along the curve of her neck.

“Why do you think?” he demanded, his tongue brushing the frantic pulse that beat at the base of her throat.

Her eyes flashed with fury even as a violent shudder of awareness wracked her body.

“Dammit, I’ve been polluting the world for the past two hundred years without the sky falling or the gates of hell opening.” Her fingernails bit into his chest as his seeking lips skimmed over her collarbone, her toes curling at the tiny jolts of lust. “Is it really that important to turn me over to the Commission?”

He chuckled, his hands skimming up the curve of her waist, heading ever higher.

“You underestimate your charms if you believe the only reason a man would chase you is to turn you over to someone else.”

“Tane.” She sucked in a sharp breath as his hands cupped the mounds of her breasts. Oh … yum. His thumb brushed the tip of her nipple, teasing it to a pleading peak. She wanted to yank down his head and devour his sexy lips. She wanted to reach between their bodies and take command of that hard length of him and stroke him until he was begging for release. She wanted to guide him into her body and ease the aching need that had plagued her since the damned vampire had cornered her in the cave. Instead she grit her teeth, and reminded herself that this demon was not only a threat to her, but the child she had sworn to protect. “You’d better watch where you put those hands if you want to keep them.”

He lifted his head to regard her with a brooding gaze. “Would you rather I put them here?” His dark voice slid over her skin like cool satin, his fingers lingering on her nipples before gliding down her stomach. “Or here?” he husked, the honey eyes shimmering with sinful intent as he tugged at the button fly of her jean shorts. “Or maybe here?”

Exactly there. Her hips were already lifting in silent invitation when Laylah came to her senses. “Keep that up and I’ll zap you,” she snapped. “Do you promise?”

She reached down to slap his hand from her shorts. If he managed to get her naked there would be no halting the inevitable.

It might embarrass the hell out of her, but Tane managed to stir needs she didn’t even know she possessed.

“Don’t think I won’t fry your ass,” she warned. “You saw what I did to Duncan.”

“You said that was an accident.”

“Accident or not, bad things happen when people piss me off.”

“Which must mean that good things happen when people please you.” He lowered his head to lick her beaded nipple through the thin fabric of her T-shirt. “And I promise I can please you. Over and over and over.”

“Gods.” She squeezed her eyes shut as the sense of an impending lightning strike gathered in the pit of her gut. Her powers had never been stimulated during sex. But then again, she’d never been so aroused. Not even during the actual act. A flare of panic squeezed her heart and grasping his mohawk, she yanked his head up to meet her frantic gaze. “Stop it.”

His eyes smoldered with heat, his fangs shimmering in the faint moonlight that slanted through a hole in the tin roof.

“Spring rain.”

“What?”

“You smell of spring rain.” “Why are you doing this?”

He shifted so his erection pressed directly against her most tender spot. She choked back a groan as she nearly came from the mere contact.

“I’m trying to demonstrate,” he murmured.

“I’m a Jinn mongrel.”

His gaze swept over her half naked body, deliberately allowing his lust to blast through the air. “You’re exquisite.” “Tane.”

He lowered his head to whisper directly in her ear. “You should know better than to run from a predator.”

It was the shiver of longing, as much as his patronizing tone, that made her release a trickle of her pent-up powers, causing Tane to jerk back with satisfying swiftness.

“Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking I’m some sort of helpless prey,” she snapped.

He sprawled on the loose hay, a taunting smile curving his lips as she scrambled to her feet.

“Helpless? Never. But prey …” He ran a slow, thorough appraisal down her tense body, his tongue stroking his massive fang. “Shall I discover if you taste as sweet as you smell?”

She lifted a warning hand. She should just zap his ass as she had promised. Unfortunately when she tried to do more than release the smallest trickle of energy, she never knew if she was going to create a bolt of lightning or a tornado or an earthquake or some other wholesale destruction that could wipe out an entire town.

“No.”

With the liquid grace only a master vampire could claim, Tane was on his feet, prowling toward her. “You’re sure?”

“Back off, He-man,” she warned, her outstretched hand clenching as he continued forward. “I’m not kidding. Come near me and I’ll hurt you.”

He halted, but before she could be stupid enough to think he was frightened by her threat, he folded his arms over his muscular chest.

“Where’s the child?”

She flinched at the abrupt question, a stab of self-disgust slicing through her heart.

Was that the reason for the sexy vampire routine?

Did he suspect the child she was hiding was another Jinn mongrel who he needed to drag from his hiding place and turn over to the Oracles? Or was it just his attempt to satisfy his twisted curiosity before he was at last rid of her?

Whatever the reason, the thought of her ready response to his touch made her want to split open the earth and stuff him in the bowels of hell.

“You have a creepy obsession with this mythical child.” She forced a mocking smile. “Do you eat babies for breakfast or something?”

He tilted back his head, testing the air with his superior senses.

“I can’t believe that you left it behind. Not after your panic to rescue it from Caine’s lair.”

“It? A baby, mythical or not, is not an it.”

He ignored the dangerous edge in her voice. “But, it’s not here. Unless you’ve hidden it with a spell.” Without warning he’d stepped forward and grabbed her upper arms. “Are you a witch?”

She glared into the too-handsome face. “If I were a witch you’d already be turned into a newt and stuck in a jar.”

“Be careful, Laylah. A vampire has no tolerance for magic.”

“And I have no tolerance for interfering vampires.” She jerked away from his hands. “We’re done.”

He allowed her to back away, but that didn’t ease her sudden jitters as he stood in the center of the loft, the moonlight sliding with sinuous beauty over his grim features and broad chest.

He didn’t need the large dagger stuck in the waistband of his khaki shorts or the pearly white fangs to make him dangerous.

It oozed from every pore.

“Are you a witch?”

She instinctively backed away, not halting until she hit a stack of hay bales.

“No.”

He moved until he was crowding her, his eyes narrowed as he sensed her lie.

“You have no magical abilities?”

“The charm of my personality.”

His slender fingers stroked down her throat. A subtle threat.

“Tell me.”

“I …” She halted. Gods, she’d gone as cowardly as a snallus demon. Reclaiming her spine, she shot him a furious glare. “I have a few skills, but I’m not a witch.”

“Explain.”

“Bossy. Arrogant. Ass.” “Laylah.”

Her hands curled into fists. Dammit. The vampire wasn’t going to let this go until he had an answer. Of course, there wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to give him the truth.

He might just decide she was worth more on the black market than he could get from the Commission.

“My foster mother was a witch, but she claimed the magic she could sense in me was dormant,” she bit out. “It didn’t matter how often I tried to conjure spells, I was hopeless.”

“So what is your magic?” he pressed, obviously convinced she was hiding some major magical mojo. If only.

“You’ve seen.” She shrugged. “I can manipulate nature …”

“No, those are the powers of a Jinn,” he ruthlessly overrode her. “What magic do you possess?”

Like a gift from heaven (or more likely hell) the doors to the barn were abruptly shoved open and a tiny gargoyle stepped into view, a frown on his ugly features as he glanced toward the hayloft.

“There you are.” His wings twitched, his tone petulant. “Really, ma cherie, I shall begin to suspect that you are attempting to avoid me.”

Ignoring Tane’s muttered opinion of interfering gargoyles and the pleasure of chopping them into tiny bits of stone, Laylah moved to jump from the hayloft, landing lightly in front of her savior.

“I promise, Levet, you’re not the one I’ve been trying to avoid.” She deliberately glanced toward Tane as he landed beside her, his expression grim.

The gargoyle grimaced. “Ah well, that is perfectly understandable.”

Sublimely indifferent to the insults, Tane circled behind the demon, peering out the door as if expecting to discover Levet had brought along a horde of ravaging zombies.

“Why are you here?” he demanded.

“Your fearless leader is concerned that he has not heard from his pet Charon.”

Seemingly convinced Levet had come alone, Tane turned to study the gargoyle with a disbelieving scowl.

“Styx sent you?”

Levet gave an airy wave of his hand. “In a manner of speaking.”

The honey eyes narrowed. “Did he send you or not?”

Levet took a sudden interest in polishing the end of his tail. “Well, it is difficult to say precisely what he desired considering I was speaking through a portal and our connection was not exactly 3G. There was some yadda yadda about this and some yadda yadda about that …”

“Levet.”

Sensing death in the air, Laylah hurriedly searched for a distraction.

“What the hell is a Charon anyway?”

It was Levet who answered. “A vampire executioner.”

“Nice.” She turned to meet Tane’s guarded gaze, belatedly realizing why the vampires had been so anxious to kill him in the cave. She’d bet he was the least popular guy at the family reunions. “No wonder you’re so eager to hand me over to the lynch squad.”

His dark brows lifted. “Lynch squad?”

“Tell me, is there some sort of Executioner Code of Honor?” she demanded. “Do you share bounties?”

“I do my duty.”

“You deal in death.”

He stiffened, almost as if her harsh words had wounded him. Which was beyond ridiculous.

“Deal in death.” Levet chuckled, blithely unconcerned by the lethal vampire that hovered mere feet away. “Death Dealer … get it?” His gray eyes widened. “Helloooo, did no one watch Underworld?”

Tane shot him a furious glare. “Go away, gargoyle.”

“And leave poor Laylah alone with a cold-hearted Charon? Do not be absurd.”

With a slow deliberate motion, Tane removed the dagger from his waistband. “That wasn’t a request.”

“No.” Laylah stepped between the two bristling males. “I want him to stay.”

Levet peeked around her knee to spray a raspberry at the towering demon.

“What can I say? I am irresistible to women.”

Tane ran a finger along the sharpened blade. “I doubt she would find you so irresistible if she’d heard your earlier opinion of Jinns and their offspring. As I recall you were foaming at the mouth to have Laylah hauled to the Commission.”

“Non, non, ma cherie. Never foaming,” the tiny gargoyle protested, moving to regard her with a pleading gaze. “It was merely that I had a most unpleasant encounter with a Jinn some years ago. Can you believe he mutilated one of my beautiful wings? It took me years to grow it back.”

Laylah shrugged aside the familiar sting of rejection. What did it matter? Levet was merely another to add to the very long list of those who judged her a monster without even knowing anything about her.

Instead she concentrated on his shocking revelation as she fell to her knees and grasped his shoulders.

“A Jinn?” she breathed. “Are you certain?”

“I assure you that it was an encounter that has been barbecued into my mind.”

“Barbecued?” She frowned before giving a dismissive shake of her head. “Never mind. Was the Jinn in this dimension?”

“Just barely.” Levet shuddered.

“Where?”

Another shudder. “London.”

“Gods.” Laylah struggled to breathe, her heart squeezed in a tight fist of disbelief. Since the day she’d been old enough to discover she was a mongrel she’d desperately sought to discover another with Jinn blood. She had finally accepted that she was completely alone in this world. “When?”

Levet blinked in surprise. “Really, ma belle, a gargoyle does not reveal his age.”

“Please, Levet. It’s important.”

“Two hundred years ago.” He shrugged. “Give or take a decade.”

Tane stepped forward, his expression suspicious as he easily sensed her trembling excitement. “Laylah, we need to talk …”

“I don’t think so.” She licked her dry lips. “Levet and I have business to attend to.”

“Ah, now that is the kind of business I am always eager to conduct.” He waggled his heavy brow. “I do hope it involves the removal of clothing and the rubbing of wings.”

“Actually it involves a trip to London.”

“London.” Levet shook his head. “Non, such a damp and gray place. I far prefer Paris. Now that is a city created for lovers.”

She slowly straightened, keeping her hand on Levet’s shoulder. She had never tried to carry someone into the mists, but now seemed like the perfect moment to give it a whirl.

“I need to find the Jinn.”

Levet cleared his throat. “Ummm, Laylah …”

Tane instinctively moved to block the door to the barn, his expression unreadable.

“I can’t let you leave, Laylah.”

Arrogant ass.

Her smile was taunting. “I don’t need your permission, vampire.”

His muscles coiled as he prepared to pounce, belatedly realizing that a Jinn had more than one means of travelling.

“Adios, He-Man.”

Closing her eyes, Laylah called on the faint echoes that were forever whispering in the back of her mind. At the same time she ignored the infuriated Tane as he rushed toward her, his icy power filling the barn, as well as the gargoyle at her side who was frantically tugging at the frayed hem of her denim shorts.

“Laylah, there’s something I need to tell you …”

Did they not realize just how dangerous it was to distract her at this delicate point?

Conjuring the image of a shimmering curtain, she mentally squared her shoulders and stepped forward, dragging a reluctant Levet with her.

She unconsciously grimaced, as always unnerved by the sensation that she was stepping through a nasty shroud of cobwebs. It felt so tangible that it was always a shock when she tried to brush them away and found nothing.

And then there was the pain. Tiny pinpricks that bit into her as if trying to flay the flesh from her bones.

One thing was certain, she acknowledged grimly, shadow walking would never replace airplanes and cruise ships.

Hell, riding a donkey had to be preferable.

The inane thought barely crossed her mind when the pinpricks abruptly became a deluge of agony.

She grabbed Levet close, screaming as they were roughly jerked through the barrier. Gods, she felt as if someone was attempting to jerk her inside out.

After a hellacious journey that ended with a jarring landing that left her splayed across a hard ground hidden by the thick, silvery mist, Laylah took a much needed moment to catch her breath.

WTF?

Not even her first fumbling forage through the barrier that separated dimensions had been so harrowing. Or brutal. A good thing. She’d never have tried it again.

Grimacing as her body struggled to heal her crushed ribs and several internal injuries that she didn’t even want to think about, she battled to push herself into a sitting position, her eyes widening with furious disbelief at the sight of the vampire crouched at her feet.

The bastard.

No wonder she’d nearly been ripped into a thousand pieces.

It was bad enough she’d brought Levet through the barrier, but to add a huge, freaking vampire who had been clinging like a barnacle to her ass …

She shuddered.

Wasn’t that how black holes were created? As if sensing her feral glare, Tane struggled to lift his head, obviously as battered by the trip as she was. Good. He deserved to suffer.

“Damn you,” he rasped, his gaze darting about the silver mists that swirled around them. “What have you done?”

“Me?” Her mouth dropped in sheer disbelief. “You nearly killed me you oversized, troll-brained brute.” She slowly pushed herself to her feet, unwilling to remain in the corridor any longer than necessary. Not only did she fear that the doorways to other dimensions might open and suck her from the mist, but time tended to move oddly. When she emerged it could be a few minutes had passed, or it could be days. Once she’d even come out to discover that it was two days before she’d ever entered. Talk about screwing with the whole space/time continuum. She turned her attention to the tiny gray bundle that was nearly hidden in the fog. Her heart gave a tiny leap of alarm. “Is Levet hurt?”

With a loud hiss, Tane rose to his feet, absently brushing the dried blood from his chest as he moved to stand beside her.

“Just unconscious.”

“Thank God.” She lifted a hand to rub her aching neck as the relief poured through her.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I feel like I was hit by a semi.”

He brushed aside her hand and replaced it with his own, his touch firm, but insanely talented as he worked the knots from her muscles.

Mmmm. Her muscles slowly uncoiled as he moved down her spine, a delectable warmth easing the persistent ache in her joints.

Whatever his faults, and they were numerous, this vampire did have talented hands.

Clever, wicked, powerful hands.

Hands that could send a woman to heaven or condemn her to hell, a voice whispered in the back of her mind.

It was the whole hell part that had her spinning away from his mesmerizing massage before she could melt into a puddle at his feet.

“Don’t touch me.”

His lips twisted, revealing he was all too aware of her rampant awareness.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Don’t try to bully me, He-Man,” she muttered. “This is my domain.”

“Your domain?” He lifted a brow. “And that would make you Skeletor?”

“Ha, ha. Hysterical.”

He stepped closer, his expression hardening with an unmistakable warning. “Tell me where we are.”

“I don’t know if it has a name or not.” She shrugged. “I stumbled into it by accident.”

He glanced around, an odd fire burning in the honey eyes. “It’s another dimension?”

“No, it’s more a corridor that runs between them. I use it when I need to travel in a hurry.” She flicked a deliberate glance down his half naked body. “Or when I’m trying to escape from a demented vampire.”

He turned a complete circle, his hand clutching his dagger as he studied the seemingly solid mist that surrounded them.

“How do we get out?”

Laylah frowned. Tane was acting … peculiar. Which in itself was peculiar.

Vamps were nothing if not predictable.

Arrogant, dangerous, and sickeningly aware of their superiority.

Could it be that the mighty Tane was actually anxious to find himself in the mists?

Swift to take advantage, Laylah headed toward the unconscious gargoyle.

“The same way we got in,” she said.

“Then do it.”

“No.”

“Laylah.”

She scooped Levet into her arms, swallowing a groan. Gods. What did the creature eat? Lead?

“I’m taking the gargoyle to London and you can’t stop me,” she grunted, headed through the mists.

Swearing, Tane followed in her wake. “Why is it so important that you go to London?”

“I have to find the Jinn.”

“Is it a relative of yours?” he snapped.

“That’s what I intend to discover. I never …” she bit off her revealing words.

Naturally he couldn’t let well enough alone.

“What?”

She flashed him an annoyed frown. “I thought I was the only one. Okay?”

He abruptly stiffened, as if bothered by her stark honesty. Then with a curse, he glanced toward the fog, his expression shuttered.

“Get us out of here and I will see that you get to London.”

Did she have stupid tattooed on her forehead?

“Liar.”

“What did you call me?” he snapped.

“I called you a liar.” She turned her head to meet the smoldering honey gaze. “We both know if I was idiotic enough to return us to the barn there’s no way in hell you would let me go to London.”

The eighteenth century terrace house near Green Park in London was considered a fine example of Robert Adam’s architecture. It was, in fact, a great pride of the historical society, although the neighbors weren’t nearly so enthused.

Certainly there was a classical beauty in the aging bricks and simple portico. The windows were tall with carved stone swags set above them. And it was rumored the interior was even more stunning. Carved marble staircases and grand rooms with painted ceilings, Chippendale furniture, and priceless works of art.

But the museum-quality perfection couldn’t erase the chill of evil that shrouded the building or make the beautiful Lady Havassy any less unnerving when she made her rare appearance.

It was said that the exquisitely beautiful woman with long dark curls and flashing black eyes that contrasted so sharply with her pale, pale skin was some sort of Hungarian nobility. The locals didn’t care where she came from, only that there had been a rash of disappearances since her arrival some ten years before.

More amused than concerned by the suspicions of the humans, Marika ran a hand through her glossy curls as she absently descended into the cellars deep beneath the city streets. She was wearing a thin, gauzy gown that emphasized her lush curves, but did nothing to battle the damp chill in the air. Not that it mattered. A vampire was as impervious to the weather as she was to nosy neighbors.

As she reached the cement floor, the torches flared to life and a tall man with silver hair that spilled halfway down his back approached from the shadows.

Most women would consider Sergei Krakov handsome. He had a narrow face with high Slavic cheekbones and icy blue eyes that held a cunning intelligence. His body was lean and muscular and at the moment covered in a fine Gucci suit in a pale shade of gray.

Marika, however, didn’t keep the mage around for his male beauty or for his taste in expensive clothing.

Allowing him to take her hand and lead her across the open room, she glanced through the window at the attached cell. She grimaced at the pretty young blonde who was chained to the wall.

The female’s head was slumped forward, her long curtain of hair covering her face. Her naked body was boneless, straining against the manacles that held her upright.

“Is she to your taste?” Sergei urged.

Marika tapped a crimson nail against the window, not particularly surprised when the woman remained in her comatose state. The bruises blooming on her pale skin revealed that Sergei had already taken his own pleasure.

“Did you break her?”

Sergei chuckled, no hint of apology on his lean face. “She might be a trifle damaged around the edges, but she still has some fight left in her.”

With a sound of disgust, Marika turned away, a hand pressed to her aching forehead.

“Perhaps later.”

Sergei hurried to her side, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.

“You must eat, Marika. You are too important to allow yourself to become weakened.” He made a shallow effort at concern. “Do you prefer a fey? Or maybe you’re in the mood for a harpy? They always scream so sweetly.”

“Enough, Sergei.” With a casual twist of her hand she had Sergei by the neck and was slamming him against the wall. “I’m not a child. If you want to fuss over someone return to your plaything.”

Sergei passively dangled from the fingers wrapped around his throat. He hadn’t survived several centuries as her favorite pet by being stupid.

Waiting until she’d regained control of her swift, gypsy temper and at last released him, Sergei smoothed his black satin tie and summoned an expression of concern that was almost convincing.

“Please, tell me what’s troubling you.”

With a hiss, she paced to the center of the floor, her hand again pressed to her temple.

“It’s her. She’s restless.”

Sergei didn’t need any further explanation.

There was only one her.

His brows snapped together. “Impossible.”

She narrowed her dark eyes. “Be careful how you speak to me. In my current mood I might just manage to forget I have need of you.”

He raised his hands in a gesture of peace. “I only meant that she is wrapped in layers of protective spells. A nuclear explosion couldn’t disturb her.”

“Maybe your spells are losing their …” She deliberately paused, her gaze lowering to his impressive pack age tucked into the Gucci slacks. “Potency. Do they have Viagra for magic? You’re growing old, after all.”

His lips curled with a pure male confidence. “There’s nothing wrong with my potency.”

“Then why is she whispering in my head?”

His cockiness faded as Marika allowed her power to sear into his skin with a brief, icy warning. It was ironic really. Her gift had once been to heal others. Since being turned, that same gift allowed her to torture with exquisite precision.

He nervously cleared his throat. “What is she saying?”

Marika’s pleasure in causing another pain was forgotten as she clenched her hands. She wasn’t sure when the provoking whispers had started. At first they had been so faint that she’d dismissed them. It wasn’t that unusual for her to sense Kata despite the numerous barriers that separated them.

Their connection was too intimate to be completely muted.

But over the past nights the distant buzz had become a desperate chant that refused to leave her in peace.

“Laylah,” she revealed. “Over and over again.”

“Laylah. A name?”

“How would I know?” she snapped.

“The two of you have always been close,” Sergei attempted to soothe. “You’re certain it has no meaning for you?”

She sank onto the divan, the heavy gold bangles that encircled her wrists shimmering in the torchlight.

“The bitch is obviously trying to drive me insane.”

Sergei paced the room, his brow furrowed. “Or offer a warning.”

Marika reached for the goblet of fresh blood that had been left on the lacquer table beside the divan. She preferred her dinner straight from the source, but at the moment she was too distracted to make the effort.

“Bloody twit,” she growled. “In case you’ve forgotten the last few times we roused Kata she tried to curse me. Why the hell would she try to warn me now?”

“I didn’t mean she was trying to warn you on purpose,” Sergei protested, grimacing at the reminder of Kata’s insane fury when they’d attempted to question her. “Obviously something is disturbing her enough that she’s managed to battle through the spells I laid on her. I doubt she’s even aware you’re picking up her thoughts.”

“What the hell could be bothering her? She’s buried beneath six feet of earth, surrounded by rune stones and guarded by the Sylvermyst.” She took another deep drink of the blood, pausing to deliberately lick the thick sweetness from her lips, enjoying the sight of Sergei’s twitch of unease. He should be nervous, she thought with savage pleasure. She was in the mood to hurt someone. Of course, she was always in the mood to hurt someone. “Unless there’s something you need to tell me?” she continued in icy tones. “You surely couldn’t be stupid enough to try and speak with Kata without me, would you?”

His throat convulsed as he struggled to swallow. “I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Are you certain?” she purred. “I could give you a small reminder of what happens to those creatures who attempt to betray me.”

The handsome face paled. As well it should. Although it had been nearly fifty years ago, a man did not forget being slowly skinned alive during the long hours of the night, only to be healed the next morning so the torture could begin again. Especially when the punishment lasted for several years.

A cruel smile twisted her lips. He should have known the minute he’d managed to trick Kata into revealing the location of her half-breed daughter he should have come to her. No, he should have run like a bat out of hell to her to reveal what he’d discovered.

Instead he’d turned traitor and nearly ruined everything.

Stupid bastard.

“I did it for us.”

Her laugh sliced through the cellar. “Oh Sergei, you’re a vain, grasping son of a bitch who would happily put his own mother on the sacrificial altar to gain the power you so desperately crave.”

He flinched, but a mage didn’t remain in the employ of a temperamental vampire without a set of titanium balls. He pasted a smile on his lips as he smoothly moved to kneel in front of her, his hands running an intimate path from her knees to her upper thighs.

“I may have my faults, but you need me.”

She polished off the last of the blood and set asi. . .