Embrace the Darkness Read online

  She was a mongrel. Half demon and half human. She didn’t belong in either world. And never would.

  The vampire settled back in his seat and regarded her with a steady gaze.

  “A fascinating discussion, pet, and one we will no doubt explore in depth at some point. But for the moment I prefer to concentrate on who, or what, is so desperate to get their hands on you.”

  “I don’t know,” Shay retorted with complete honesty. She didn’t have a clue who was after her. She had spent her life in the shadows, never drawing attention to herself. It had been her only means of survival.

  “No bitter past owner?” he demanded.

  “Besides Evor who holds my curse, Edra was my one and only owner.” Her lips thinned with annoyance. “Until you.”

  “No past lover who might hold a grudge?”

  Stupidly she felt her face warm with embarrassment. “No.”

  “No past lover?” His lips twitched with ill-concealed amusement. “Or none who would hold a grudge?”

  “None of your damn business.”

  “It becomes my business when someone tries to kill me.”

  Shay gave her braid a furious tug as she glared into his perfect face. “Then take me back to Evor.”

  “Never.” Without warning the vampire was flowing forward and Shay found herself trapped in the corner with his hands planted on the seat on either side of her head. “You are mine.”

  His face was so close that she could see the flecks of gold in the midnight eyes. Her heart threatened to halt.

  Partially out of fear. And partially… well, hell, she might as well be honest. Partially out of sheer lust.

  She didn’t have to like him to want to rip off his clothes and pull that magnificent male body on top of her. He was a sexual invitation from the tip of his silver hair to the toes of his handcrafted leather boots.

  She would have to be dead not to want to wrap herself in his potent beauty and sate the aching need she had endured for more years than she cared to admit.

  Easily sensing her flare of desire Viper stilled above her, his fangs lengthening as his own body reacted.

  Her eyes widened. “Don’t.”

  With a slow, relentless motion his head began to lower. “You fear me drinking your blood?”

  “I don’t like being a meal on wheels for anyone.”

  His cool lips skimmed her mouth before brushing her cheek.

  “There are many reasons for a vampire to share blood. Trust, friendship, love… lust.”

  Her heart crashed against her chest as a dark heat spread through her body. He was touching her with nothing more than his lips, but already a heady flutter of excitement was rushing through her lower stomach and her nipples hardening to tight peaks.

  God, it had been so long.

  The satin of his hair tickled her nose as his mouth stroked down the curve of her neck. He smelled of expensive cologne and something far more primitive. Something starkly male.

  His mouth lingered on the frantic beat of her pulse before his tongue traced the large vein in a wet path back up her throat.

  A stab of panic raced through her and her hands lifted to press against his chest.

  “Viper.”

  “At this moment I don’t want your blood, pet.” His lips brushed her skin sending a jolt of pleasure down her spine.

  “Then what do you want?”

  “Everything else.”

  Shifting his head he captured her lips in a kiss that shook her to her very toes.

  Oh, Shay, don’t think about the taste of those male lips. Or the promise of his hovering body. Or the heat already swirling through the air.

  A ridiculous, not to mention an impossible task, she admitted as the kiss deepened.

  His mouth was not harsh, but there was a hungry demand that had her own lips parting in helpless response.

  A soft moan escaped her throat as his slender fingers cupped her face. Damn and damn. Her entire body was stirring to life beneath his silken expertise.

  With gentle insistence his tongue parted her lips to slip within. Her eyes slid shut and she tentatively allowed her tongue to tangle with his. Even worse, the hands she had lifted to ward him off now clutched at the heavy cloak, unthinkingly pulling his long frame to cover her own.

  Since the moment she had encountered this vampire weeks ago he had invaded her dreams and made her remember sensations better left forgotten. Now she was paying for her weakness in not having banished those treacherous desires.

  His hands softly skimmed from her face down her neck. His touch was as light as a butterfly’s wing. So light that she barely even noticed when his fingers trailed low enough to slip beneath the tiny harem top to cup her breasts.

  Not until his thumbs rubbed over the sensitive nipples. A small cry was torn from her lips.

  “Viper?”

  He swept his mouth over her cheek, his fangs scraping her skin but never drawing blood.

  “Shhh… I won’t hurt you.”

  “Are you going to bite me?”

  “I had something else in mind at the moment,” he huffed.

  She shivered in response. Growling low in his throat Viper allowed his body to press her own into the soft seat, his knee nudging her legs apart to allow him to settle against her with shocking intimacy.

  It was the hungry joy at the feel of his erection pressing against her that at last jolted her out of the daze of sensual pleasure.

  By the flames of hell, what was she doing?

  She had barely been Viper’s slave for an hour and here she was battling the urge to rip off his clothes and guide him into her.

  She might be in this man’s power, but that didn’t mean she had to be a willing victim.

  Did she have no pride at all?

  Sucking in a deep breath she attempted to gather her lost senses.

  “No,” she at last rasped.

  It was a mere thread of sound, but it was enough to make Viper stiffen above her.

  “What did you say?” he demanded against her lips.

  Her body shuddered in disappointment as she forced herself to press her hands against his chest in silent denial.

  “I said no.”

  She was prepared for him to laugh at her weak protest. Or at the very least ignore it.

  She was his slave and he was in a position to do whatever he wanted with her body.

  Besides which, she had never met a man yet who didn’t think that a no was just a yes waiting to happen.

  Astonishingly, however, the elegant form was lifting off her with fluid ease. Shay blinked as she watched him settle back in his own seat with cool composure. There wasn’t even the faintest tremor of his slender fingers as he picked up his wineglass and lifted it to his lips to reveal he had been at all affected by the last few moments.

  “You…” Straightening Shay impatiently brushed away the handful of curls that had strayed from her braid. “Why did you stop?”

  He regarded her over the rim of his glass. “You said no. I assumed that meant no, did it not?”

  “It did, but…”

  “I’m a vampire, not a monster.”

  “You say potato, I say potato…” she muttered.

  “What?”

  “Does it matter what I want? I’m your slave.”

  He abruptly set aside his glass. “But not my whore. Not ever.”

  Her eyes narrowed. He sounded sincere. But then, he was a vampire. Deception was perhaps their greatest skill.

  If they couldn’t enthrall you with their eyes, they would enthrall you with their gilded tongues.

  “So all I have to do is say no?”

  “That’s all you have to do.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  The dark eyes flashed at her blunt accusation, but the ivory features remained unruffled.

  “That is your choice, of course.”

  Her hand reached for her braid as she regarded him with wary distrust.

  It was a trap. It had to be.


  “If you don’t intend to force yourself on me then why did you buy me?”

  His lips twisted with sardonic humor. “Ah… the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question.” Shay frowned but before she could probe him further, the car came to a silent halt. Viper held out his hand as the door to the limo was pulled open. “We have arrived. Shall we?”

  —

  Viper hid his amusement as Shay warily inspected the kitchen with its gleaming appliances and plain wood floor. Her gaze lingered on the gingham curtains and handwoven rugs before shifting to the copper pots that hung above the heavy butcher table.

  The two-story cottage was beautiful, with what the real estate agent had claimed was a cozy warmth, but it could hardly compare to most of his residences.

  When he had purchased the place his only interest had been in finding an estate that was secluded and easily defensible. After a handful of centuries every vampire needed a home where he could get away from it all and let down his hair.

  Or more importantly his fangs.

  Slowly turning to face him Shay frowned with obvious disbelief. “This is your home?”

  Viper tossed aside the heavy cloak and followed it with the tailored jacket. He was left standing in a sheer linen shirt and leather pants.

  He smothered another smile as Shay grudgingly allowed her gaze to stray over his body. Their time in the limo had revealed that she was not indifferent to his touch. And that she was as warm and passionate as any man could desire.

  Soon he intended to have her warm and passionate beneath him.

  And on top of him, to the side of him…

  “One of them.”

  “How many do you have?”

  He shrugged. “Does it matter?”

  “I suppose not.”

  With slow measured steps he began to walk toward her, not at all surprised when she began backing away. She might be attracted to him but she would never allow an easy seduction.

  It would be a tantalizing dance perfectly suited to entertain a jaded vampire.

  “You were hoping for something a bit more grand?”

  She grimaced at the thought. “God, no.”

  He continued to back her down until she came up against the refrigerator. “I have any number of mansions that I use to entertain, but this is my private retreat I prefer to be alone upon occasion.”

  “We’re alone?”

  His gaze deliberately swept over her tense features before lowering to the barely there outfit. When he had first seen Shay attired like a harem slave he had wanted to rip out Evor’s heart.

  In the privacy of his own home, however, he could not deny it held a certain appeal.

  “There are guards upon the grounds and I have a human housekeeper that comes during the day, but for the most part we shall have the house to ourselves.” His attention turned to the full curve of her mouth. “A delicious thought, is it not?”

  “Delicious is not the word I would use.”

  He shifted until his body was fully pressed to hers. “You would rather be surrounded by hungry vampires? That could be arranged.”

  Her breath caught and the pulse in her neck thundered. “Stop.”

  He touched her cheek. “You’ll have to move, pet.”

  “What?”

  “You’re leaning against the fridge. I can’t get to my blood.”

  “Oh.”

  With flustered haste she dodged around him, a faint flush touching her cheeks.

  Viper pulled out a container of blood and swiftly emptied it. Then he reached for the numerous bags that had been left by his housekeeper. He set them on the counter and began to open them.

  “I didn’t know what you preferred so I had my housekeeper order out. There’s a bit of everything. Chinese, Italian, Mexican, and the more mundane fried chicken. Take what you want.”

  “You already had this ordered?” Her eyes widened as she glanced over the bounty spread across the counter. “How could you possibly know you would be able to outbid everyone at the auction?”

  Viper glanced down her slender body, a tantalizing heat pooling in his lower body. “I always get what I want. Sooner or later.”

  The golden eyes flashed with fire. “Spoken like a true vampire.”

  His bloodlust sated, if not his physical lust, Viper leaned against the cabinets.

  “That’s quite a chip you have on your shoulder, pet.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Why do you hate vampires?”

  She reached to pluck an egg roll from a nearby carton. “Beyond the fact they have tried to drain me since the day I was born?”

  “Vampires aren’t the only demons who crave your blood. Your dislike seems a bit more personal.”

  Silence descended as she ate the egg roll and then a wonton. Viper remained silent, simply waiting for her to confess the truth.

  Another egg roll disappeared before she at last heaved a sigh and regarded him with a hostile frown.

  “Vampires killed my father.”

  Bones of the saints. That certainly explained her aggressive dislike. And placed another hurdle directly in his path to seduction.

  “I am sorry.”

  She gave a restless shrug. “It was a long time ago.”

  “You were raised by your mother?”

  “Yes.”

  “A human?”

  “Yes.”

  She was deliberately keeping her emotions hidden, but Viper had been reading the body language of his prey for centuries. It was what predators did best.

  “She kept you hidden from the demon world?”

  “As much as she was able.”

  “Did you pass as a human?”

  It didn’t take skill to read the anger that rippled over her beautiful features.

  “You asked me why I hated vampires and I told you. Now, can we change the subject?”

  Viper smiled as he straightened from the counter. He had an eternity to explore Shay’s secrets.

  It was just one of many explorations he intended to conduct.

  “Eat your dinner. I have a few phone calls to make before dawn.”

  Pausing only long enough to trail a finger over her soft cheek Viper moved toward the back of the house and the small study. He had not forgotten that there was something out there intent on stealing his Shalott.

  That was unacceptable.

  He intended to do whatever was necessary to track down the mysterious enemy and put a swift, end to the danger.

  Chapter Four

  The house built on the bluffs of the mighty Mississippi was pleasant enough.

  Like most farmhouses in the Midwest it was a plain, two-story structure, with a wraparound porch and sharply angled roof, to, places the white paint was peeling and the gutters drooping, but; some might claim it only added to the rustic charm.

  Surrounding the house, the gently rolling yard held a handful of outbuildings. And, of course, the land was well populated with a number of ancient ash and oak and dogwood trees.

  At a glance it offered the simple warmth of most houses in the area. The sense that a stranger passing by would be welcomed with a smile and a warm meal.

  But only at a glance.

  Any strangers unfortunate enough to pass close to the farm would find no smiles awaiting them, and the only warm meal would be themselves.

  Thankfully, it was isolated enough to prevent most stray sightseers, and the locals had long ago learned to cut a wide path around the place. It was rare the heavy silence was disturbed by more than birds.

  The location of the house was no accident. Beneath the rolling hills were hidden a series of caves that stretched for miles. There were a hundred local legends connected to the caves. Some claimed that they had been used by the Under-Ground Railroad. Some said that they had been the hideout of Jesse James. And others still that they had been used by smugglers who preferred the river to transport their ill-gotten goods.

  None of the stories were true, of course. The caves had been home to demons since long bef
ore the first settlers had ever arrived.

  In the deepest of the caves a slender imp with a cascade of golden curls peered into the scrying pool.

  He appeared out of place among the bleak rock. With his satin green robe the color of spring moss that matched his eyes, and the delicate gold leaves that he had weaved through his curls he shimmered with an unearthly beauty.

  An imp meant to rule a summer glade not the dark bowels of the earth.

  Still, for the moment the darkness served him well enough.

  He waved a slender hand over the pool to bring an end to the visions it revealed. Above him the shadow filled the cave with a fierce, choking anger.

  “Your wizard has failed,” the shadow rasped the obvious.

  “So it would seem, my lord.” Rising to his feet Damocles carefully brushed the dirt from his robe. “I did warn you that Joseph was not at all reliable.”

  “He was a fool and a lickspittle, but the fault was not entirely his own, was it?” The shadow seemed to thicken. “If I were a suspicious man I would wonder why you did not send my envoy with sufficient funds to bid on the Shalott.”

  A faint smile touched the imp’s handsome features. It was not that he was indifferent to the pulsing danger in the air. Only a fool would believe that the shadow could not reach out and strike him dead. Or worse. But he had spent nearly a century becoming indispensable to his current master. For the moment he was secure enough.

  “You wound me, sir,” he protested, his fingers toying with the delicate chain that hung about his neck. “I could hardly have known that the vampire would make such an outrageous bid. Besides, would you truly have me hand over half a million dollars in cash to any servant? For all of Josephs pledge of loyalty I do not believe even he could have withstood the temptation to… what do they say… take the money and run?”

  The angry hiss scraped against Damocles delicate ears.

  “He knew that if he ran I would have killed him.”

  “Of course, but greed is rarely logical.”

  “So now we do not have the Shalott and worse she is in the hands of a vampire.”

  The imp gave an innocent lift of his brows. “Surely that is good news? You have considerable power among the clans. Can you not simply demand that this Viper hand the demon over to you?”

  “Not” An unseen hand struck Damocles across the face. “I cannot reveal my interest in this. It would only cause the sort of speculation and questions I have sought to avoid. There must be no hint I am connected to the Shalott until I am healed. If my enemies knew how weakened I have become…”