Shades of Darkness Read online

  Cautiously he released his powers, allowing the darkness to drain away. They were standing in the middle of an empty field shrouded in the thankful darkness of night. Behind them was a forest of pine trees and ahead was a city that sprawled through a narrow valley.

  It was a lovely bucolic sight, but even Basq knew that it wasn’t real.

  “We’re in a bulla,” he said.

  Chaaya regarded him with a puzzled frown. “A what?”

  He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t know about bullas. They weren’t like the space where she’d been trapped for all those centuries. That had been a permanent foyer between two worlds. This wasn’t natural. It was created by a powerful magic.

  “They’re small pockets between dimensions,” he told her, his gaze continuing to probe for any hidden dangers.

  Stepping away from him, Chaaya shoved her spear into the holster at her side. The moonlight danced over her delicate features and silhouetted her slender body encased in the leather jacket and matching pants. She appeared terrifyingly fragile. At least until one caught sight of the ancient power that smoldered in her dark eyes.

  “Have you been here before?”

  Basq shook his head. “Not this particular one, but I’ve visited several others over the centuries.”

  “Well, well. You’re just a never-ending bundle of surprises.”

  He ignored her sarcasm. It was only when she wasn’t being a smart-ass that he had to worry.

  “What happened to the portal?”

  She grimaced, reaching up to touch a small scorch mark on her cheek. “There was some sort of glitch.”

  “Glitch?”

  She shrugged, turning in a slow circle as she tried to adjust to their new surroundings.

  “I’m guessing Levet released some sort of magic that made it collapse. It dumped us here.”

  Basq hissed. Levet was like a plague. He would appear at Chiron’s without warning, cause utter devastation, and then disappear.

  “That creature is a menace.”

  “I assume he was trying to help.” She sent him a narrow-eyed glare. “Like some other interfering pain in the ass I know.”

  He shrugged. Did she honestly think he was going to let her chase after the Were without him? Not a chance in hell.

  “Brigette was here.” He pointed toward the far side of the field. “I caught her scent when we first arrived.”

  Easily distracted, Chaaya whirled to study the low hedge that lined the cobblestone street.

  “Can you track her?”

  “No, it’s already dissipating.”

  “So quickly?”

  “Places like this are created to dampen a demon’s presence.”

  She turned back, her expression suspicious. “Why would anyone create a place to dampen a demon’s presence?”

  “Because most come here to hide from their enemies or simply disappear for a while.”

  She continued to study him with a searching gaze, but at last accepting that she had no choice but to accept that he was telling her the truth, she heaved a harsh sigh.

  “Well, that sucks,” she muttered. “How am I going to find her?”

  “You can’t,” Basq bluntly informed her. “We need to return to the mer-folk castle.”

  She snorted, heading for the road. “Not until I have Brigette in my hands. Dead or alive.”

  Basq’s fangs throbbed with frustration. He’d spent endless centuries moving from one place to another, always keeping others at a distance. And even when he’d traveled to Vegas to join Chiron, he’d maintained a sense of isolation. He didn’t let anyone ruffle his composure.

  And then Chaaya had arrived at Dreamscape, and she’d busted through his carefully constructed barriers. Or maybe she’d used her mysterious abilities to ghost through them.

  Either way, she had a unique talent for rousing the emotions he didn’t even know he possessed.

  Basq stood still as Chaaya crossed the field. His gaze lowered to take in her fine ass that filled out the leather pants with slender perfection before returning to the shoulders that were set to a stubborn angle. He’d known all along that she was destined to drive him crazy. That’s why he’d tried to convince Chiron to find someone else to act as her babysitter.

  Now he was stuck with her. At least until he could get her back to Vegas.

  With long strides, he was walking at her side. “Brigette could be anywhere by now.”

  “You just said you could smell her.”

  “She was dumped here, like us. But she more than likely has already found another portal,” he insisted.

  She jumped over the hedge and started down the cobblestone road. “No. She’s here.”

  In a blur of motion he was once again walking next to her. “How do you know?”

  “Just a feeling.”

  “A feeling?”

  “Yeah, feeling.” She sent him a mocking smile. “Some of us have more than ice flowing through our veins, leech. We have emotions and intuitions and feelings and…”

  Without warning, Basq reached out to grasp her arm. A strange sensation churned through him. Not anger—or at least, not precisely—but a potent combination of need and frustration and something he couldn’t name. Coming to a halt, he turned her to meet his fierce gaze.

  “Keep it up,” he growled.

  She met his glare without fear. “And?”

  The air between them suddenly erupted with a fierce desire. It sizzled and snapped with a tangible force, as if the awareness they both kept tightly leashed had suddenly been ignited by their proximity.

  “Neither of us wants to find out,” he warned in a soft tone.

  Her mouth parted as if she intended to make a smart-ass comment, but then their eyes clashed and she abruptly snapped her lips shut, jerking her arm free.

  “She’s in this dimension,” she insisted, stomping down the road. “I don’t know how I know. My powers are like me. Weird, unpredictable, and usually worthless. But I know.”

  Basq resisted the urge to try and stop her. He’d already discovered what happened when he touched her. Combustible desire. Besides, neither of them had the ability to open a portal. They were going to have to find someone in the city to help.

  “You are many things, Chaaya,” he muttered, walking into the valley. “But you’re not worthless.”

  * * * *

  Inga clutched the mighty Tryshu in her hand as she watched Troy saunter into the throne room. He had changed into white leather pants that molded to his long legs and a bright blue Hawaiian shirt he left open to reveal his impressive six-pack.

  “Well?” she demanded.

  Troy halted next to her, his long crimson hair shimmering like fire in the light of the chandeliers.

  “They’re still searching,” he told her.

  Inga made a sound of frustration. It’d been Troy who had insisted that she remain in the castle while he sent out several mer-folk to search for Brigette.

  “How hard can it be to find a three-foot gargoyle?”

  Troy wrinkled his nose. He had an ongoing competition with Levet. Inga didn’t entirely understand it. Some male ego thing that would never make sense to her.

  “Unfortunately not hard enough,” he drawled. “My point is that Levet is like a bad penny. He always returns. Usually when you least want him around.”

  Inga narrowed her eyes. She didn’t care what anyone thought about the tiny gargoyle. He was precious to her. And even if he never returned her feelings, she would sacrifice everything to rescue him.

  “I’m going to search for them,” she announced in grim tones.

  “Where?” Troy pressed, his sardonic expression easing as he regarded her with a hint of sympathy. “They could be anywhere in the world. Or even another dimension.”

  “I…” Inga heaved a sigh.
The imp was right, of course. Once the portal closed, there was no way to follow it.

  Troy reached to grab her free hand. “We need you here, my dear.”

  “Why?” She shook her head in disgust. “I’ve already proved I’m completely incapable at this stupid queen gig. I can’t even keep a prisoner locked in my dungeons.”

  Troy squeezed her fingers. “Because you were betrayed.”

  “What?”

  Releasing his grip on her fingers, Troy stepped back to regard her with a somber expression.

  “It’s the only explanation. Think, Inga,” he insisted. “The dungeons are void of magic. No visitors are allowed without your personal approval. The only way for Brigette to escape was for one of the mer-folk to release her.”

  Inga flinched. His words hit her like a physical punch to the gut. Betrayed by one of her own people? No. It was bad enough they could barely glance her direction without shuddering in disgust. But outright treason…

  “The beast could have opened her cell.” She desperately tried to find some other explanation.

  “If the beast could touch this world enough to open a cell, why not create a portal in the dungeon? Why bring her to the throne room before creating her escape route?”

  His reasonable questions rasped against her raw nerves.

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “A trap.” He deliberately paused. “For you.”

  Inga’s jaw clenched until her teeth threatened to crack. “All the more reason I need to track them down.”

  “That’s impossible.” Troy held up a slender hand to halt her mutinous refusal to accept defeat. “Unless you discover Brigette’s accomplice. Whoever opened her cell must know where she was going.” His smile was a grim challenge. “Find your traitor and you’ll find that damned gargoyle.”

  Inga forced herself to consider his words. As much as the thought that she’d been betrayed might hurt, Troy was right. She couldn’t follow Levet through the portal. The only way to find him was to discover how Brigette had gotten out of her cell, and where she was headed.

  “We’ll start in the dungeon,” she abruptly announced.

  Troy bowed his head. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”

  Chapter 6

  Chaaya entered the dingy bar on the fringe of the city. Instantly the familiar atmosphere settled around her.

  She felt at home in the dark, rancid space. The open timbered ceiling was low enough to brush against the heads of the gathered demons. The air was smoky from the open fireplace and thick with the stench of unwashed bodies and sour ale. Best of all, there was a thunderous noise from the drunken demons.

  Chaaya’s swagger returned as she elbowed her way through the crowd. She couldn’t deny she’d been feeling wonky. Being blasted out of the bizarre portal to land in a bubble between dimensions tended to do that to a girl. And then Basq had grabbed her arm and all hell had broken loose.

  Heat. Hunger. Lust.

  Lots and lots of gut-clenching, knee-buckling lust.

  Chaaya angrily shut down the memory of his touch. It had to have something to do with this weird-ass place. As long as Basq kept his paws to himself, then everything should be fine.

  Right. Right?

  Glancing around the room, her jaws clenched in disappointment. There were plenty of orcs, goblins, a few vampires, and a smattering of fey creatures. No Weres. And no gargoyles, stunted or otherwise.

  Still, there was always the chance that someone had seen Brigette. It only made sense to order a grog and mingle. They needed to investigate, and after the day she’d had, she deserved a drink. Another one of those win-win situations.

  “Where are you going?” Basq growled, flowing behind her as she forced her way toward the back of the room.

  “To talk to the bartender.”

  “Why?”

  “We need information. Bartenders have information.”

  “Just don’t…”

  She glanced over his shoulders as his words trailed away. “Don’t what?”

  “Cause trouble.” A fierce frown touched his dangerously handsome face. “The last thing we want is to draw attention to ourselves.”

  “Me cause trouble? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She batted her lashes. She couldn’t help herself. It was like a knee-jerk reaction. She told herself it was because she enjoyed pricking his icy composure.

  Now… Well, she didn’t want to consider why she was so eager to stir his emotions.

  His eyes narrowed, the white in the center shimmering in the dull firelight. “Chaaya.”

  “Relax, Basq.”

  “Not a chance in hell,” he growled.

  Chaaya snorted before turning back to shove aside a tall, dark-haired Sylvermyst so she could press against the wooden bar. Then she slammed her hand on the counter.

  “Who the hell is running this joint?” she called out.

  A blocky male with a bald head that was covered with intricate tattoos and wearing long linen shirt and loose pants stomped to stand in front of her. His crimson eyes and pointed teeth revealed he had ogre in his gene pool, but he was too small to be full-blooded.

  “What do you want?” he snapped.

  “Grog for me.” She nodded toward Basq, who had moved to stand next to her. “Blood for my partner.”

  The bartender nodded toward a group of nymphs who stood in a miserable huddle across the room.

  “Fresh?”

  Basq curled his lip in disgust. “No.”

  “Suit yourself.” The bartender turned to grab a large stein and filled it with a grog that burned with blue flames. Next he reached beneath the bar to fill a crystal glass with ruby red blood. He set the drinks in front of them. “Cash or trade?”

  Chaaya puckered her lips. “How about on the house?”

  The male leaned forward, his foul breath nearly sending Chaaya to her knees.

  “How about I—” He brows snapped together, his broad nose flaring as if he was testing the air. “Hey. What are you?”

  Chaaya grabbed her grog and took a deep gulp. It burned down her throat before hitting her stomach with an explosion of fire. She placed the empty stein on the counter.

  “A mongrel.” She shrugged. “Like most of your customers.”

  He stubbornly shook his head. “No. I’ve been around thousands and thousands of mongrels. You’re unique.”

  “That’s true.”

  “So what are you?”

  Chaaya motioned the bartender closer. “If I tell you, you can’t let anyone else know.”

  The man leaned in. “I swear.”

  Chaaya lowered her voice until the clamor echoing through the bar nearly drowned out her words.

  “I’m a unicorn.”

  The male’s jaw dropped in shock. “Unicorns are real?”

  Chaaya waggled her brows. “Wanna see my horn?”

  There was a momentary confusion, then the bartender’s eyes flashed a brilliant crimson and his lips pulled back in a snarl.

  “Pay up and get out.”

  “Here.” Without warning, Basq slapped a gold coin on the counter. But even as the bartender reached out, Basq covered it with his hand. “We need information.”

  The bartender scowled. “What sort of information?”

  “Where can we buy a portal?”

  “Hey.” Chaaya glared at her companion. Dammit. She should have known he’d only agreed to search for Brigette in the city so he could try and force her back to Vegas.

  He held her gaze with a cool composure. “I never stay anywhere without an exit plan.”

  “Oh.” She nodded. “That’s legit.”

  The bartender pointed toward a table near the back door. “The imp sitting against the wall will take you anywhere you want to go. For a price.”

  Chaaya studied th
e golden-haired male with a narrow face and pale green eyes. He was twirling a long dagger between his fingers and eyeing the crowd with a cynical expression.

  “Can he be trusted?” she demanded.

  The bartender snorted. “No one in this place can be trusted, but I doubt he’d want to piss off a vampire.” He glanced toward Chaaya with a sneer. “Or a unicorn.”

  Chaaya shrugged. “Now my turn for information.”

  The bartender folded his arms over his impressive chest. “It’s going to cost another coin.”

  Basq hesitated, then with a grudging reluctance he added another gold coin to the counter.

  Chaaya leaned forward. She wanted the crowd noise to keep anyone from overhearing her question. She had no idea if this had been Brigette’s final destination or if she’d been tossed out of the portal by the explosion. But she didn’t want the bitch to know they were in the city looking for her.

  “Have you seen a female Were pass by?”

  The bartender looked genuinely surprised by the question. “I haven’t seen a Were in this place for decades. There’s no animals to hunt and not much room to run.”

  “What about a miniature gargoyle?” she pressed.

  His eyes burned with crimson fire. Shoving the coins in his pocket, the bartender pointed his beefy finger in Chaaya’s face.

  “I’ve had enough of your smart mouth.”

  “Slow your roll, baldy. It was a genuine question. Levet’s about three feet tall with big fairy wings and—”

  “Argh.” The bartended tilted his tattooed head back and released a savage growl.

  The entire building shook with his outrage, and more than a few demons turned to study them with bloodthirsty curiosity. The entire room was obviously ripe for a fight.

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Chaaya muttered, quickly turning to make her way back through the crowd.

  There was a teeny tiny chance she’d outstayed her welcome.

  “I told you not to cause trouble,” Basq chided, his expression tight with disapproval.

  “It wasn’t my fault.”

  The words had just left her mouth when a large orc moved to stand directly in her path.

  He was an ugly creature with small beady eyes and a football-shaped head that was covered with small tuft of fur. He wore shabby bits of clothes that looked like they were rotting off his massive body. It was his smell, however, that made Chaaya wrinkle her nose in disgust.