Date: 2012-04-10 00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Vampires; Paranormal; Romance
Description: Mira, the heroine of Jocelynn Drake's New York Times bestselling Dark Days series, has been a nightwalker for centuries, traveling the globe as an enforcer for a secretive, powerful organization. In Bound to Me , for the first time, we travel back into Mira's distant past to see the great love affair that shaped her.
Publisher: HarperVoyager

BOUND TO ME

An Original Dark Days Story

JOCELYNN DRAKE

CONTENTS

Author's Note

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

An Excerpt from Angel’s Ink

Chapter One

Chapter Two

About the Author

Also by Jocelynn Drake

Copyright

About the Publisher

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Dear Readers,

The Dark Days series has allowed me to take you on an intense journey through a very specific and important period of Mira’s life. Through the pages, there have been tears, bloodshed, and tense laughter as characters learn whom they can and cannot trust. It’s been an amazing roller-coaster ride and I’m glad that you’ve been on it with me.

However, the one request that has come up from readers on a consistent basis is a desire to see more of Mira’s past, particularly her long years with Valerio. What kind of affair could she have had with this man that results in her still wearing his ring after centuries of separation? With this short story, I will endeavor to give you a sneak peek into some of Mira’s distant past. The pre-Danaus years.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful support over the years. Mira, Danaus, and I are honored to have spent this time with you.

Jocelynn Drake

CHAPTER ONE

He was going to be such an easy target. I had felt the young lord’s eyes on me all evening, though he had yet to approach me. Among a field of limpid pastels and pale, wilting misses, I stood out in my dark sapphire ball gown, with its tempting glimpse at the swell of my breasts. My red hair was pulled back from my face, but spilled over my shoulders like liquid fire, catching more than a few eyes as I slowly wandered through the ballroom, nodding to one person or another with a somewhat bored smile on my lips. I was waiting for him to finally get up the nerve to close the distance between us. It was only a matter of time.

Call him to you so we can be on to other sport for the evening, a familiar voice curled through my head.

I smiled as I headed toward the open balcony doors that led down into the extensive gardens behind the Chilton house. I’ll not rush this hunt just to satisfy your impatience. And yet, I purposely walked past the lord on my way to the open doorway. I smiled at him, my eyes traveling his length as I passed by, leaving no question as to the invitation that I was dropping at his feet.

Standing on the dark balcony, staring up at the clear field of stars above me, I counted the seconds until I heard someone with a deep voice clear his throat. I bit my lower lip, fighting to keep my expression bland as I turned to find that same gentleman standing just a couple of feet behind me. He was an enticing specimen in his black tails with crisp white neck cloth and shirt. His dark brown hair was unfashionably long, tied back with a bit of black ribbon, marking him as somewhat of a rebel among his class. But then again, he was still in his early twenties. So young.

“Forgive me for bothering you,” he said, bowing his head to me.

I gave an absent wave of my hand while one corner of my mouth crooked a notch higher. “It’s no bother.”

“I saw you earlier this evening and I realized that we’ve never been properly introduced. I am Bradley Stanwick, Lord of Duncaster.”

“I know who you are, your lordship,” I said softly. He took my extended hand and stiffly bowed over it while I dipped into a modest curtsy. Of course I knew who the one and only son of the Earl of Hastings, the heir to the Duncaster fortune and lands was. He had been out and about for a few seasons in London, enjoying the parties, but there was no doubt that he was still many years away from bothering to find a bride.

“Then I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage,” he admitted as he straightened. My gloved fingers slid from his hand, falling back to my side. “I am embarrassed to admit that I’ve questioned several people about you, but no one has been able to tell me your name.”

“It may be because I don’t give it out to just anyone,” I replied with a slight purr. “But since you’ve asked so nicely, I am simply called Mira.”

“But, my lady, surely you don’t mean for me, a total stranger, to call you by your given name?”

I shrugged, turning slightly away from him to look out on the garden again. “I don’t expect you to call me anything. If you wish to speak to me, you may call me Mira, but otherwise you may return to the party.”

“No, I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just that none of the other young ladies . . .”

Looking over my shoulder at him, I smiled. “As you will find, I am not like the mousy little misses that populate the balls and soirees you will be attending this season. I am quite different.”

“I’ve already begun to learn that.”

“Does that bother you?”

Bradley stepped forward and gently took my left hand in his, raising it to his lips. “Not in the least.”

“Very good. Then you can accompany me for a walk through the gardens so that we can get to know one another, without being watched by every gossipmonger in London.”

“I would enjoy that. Would you like for me to wait here for you while you summon your chaperone?”

I wanted to laugh. He was so well bred and mannered. It was almost a shame. Almost.

“Are you saying that I need a chaperone with you? The paths are well lit and others are walking through the garden unmolested.”

Bradley bowed to me, a smirk twisting his lips. “Of course you do not. I will be on my best behavior where you are concerned, Lady Mira. Your honor and reputation are safe in my hands.”

Matching his smirk, I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm when he straightened and allowed him to guide me into the garden, where other couples were wandering among the rose bushes and sculpted shrubs as they leaned close in whispered conversations. Torches were set at regular intervals, sending shadows dancing as the wind caused the flames to waver. Beneath my slippers, the small gravel crunched as we progressed toward a darker center of the garden. I purposefully kept the conversation light, leaving a laugh on Bradley’s lips at all times as I very carefully directed him toward a hidden niche within the garden that was blocked from the view of any passersby.

“Lady Mira, we should be careful,” he cautioned as he looked around at his darkened surroundings.

I turned and came to stand directly in front of him. Sliding my right hand up his chest, I captured his chin with my thumb and forefinger and angled his head down toward me. “Worried about your reputation?”

“A bit,” he chuckled, leaning in a little closer so that I could feel his breath dance across my lips.

“If you want, I can take you back to the party now,” I whispered, my lips grazing his.

“Nothing could drag me away from your side at this moment.”

“Be careful, I bite,” I purred.

“I’ll take my chances.” He smiled one last time before leaning in that final bit to press his warm lips against mine. I kissed him back, wrapping both of my arms around his neck as he pulled my lithe body close. I kissed him, gaining a slight moan of surprise as my tongue dipped briefly into his mouth. As his grip on me grew firmer, my lips drifted to the corner of his mouth down to his jaw, tracing a long wet line that had him tilting his head back in pleasure.

Reaching his neck, I ran my tongue over the pulse I found there while placing my hand between his warm flesh and the stiff white collar. My fangs sank deep, causing his body to stiffen for only a second in surprise and pain, before his grip tightened on me even harder. I drank deeply, while he pressed me against the entire length of his body. I could feel his erection through the material of both his pants and my dress, while a deep moan escaped him. If I was going to take his blood for my own survival, the least I could do was give him a little pleasure too.

When I withdrew my fangs from his throat and quickly healed the wound so that not a drop of blood would be found on his pristine white collar, I supported all of Bradley’s weight as he had passed out from blood loss.

“You can come out now,” I said with a bit of a sigh, as I tried to straighten with Bradley slumping over my shoulder.

“You really are old enough now to handle your own messes.” Valerio stood at the narrow entrance to the niche I was hiding in with my unconscious companion. He was a stunning sight, with the moonlight glinting off his blondish-brown hair and Mediterranean blue eyes. He wore a suit similar to Bradley’s, but where the young lord looked stiff, Valerio looked dangerous.

“You could be a gentleman, and help a lady out,” I suggested, winning me only an arched brow. “You were the one in a hurry to be on to the next sport.”

Valerio grabbed the young unconscious lord under the arms and carefully dragged him over to another dark section of the garden where a slim young lady lay unconscious, draped over a two-seated bench. As Valerio positioned Bradley so that his back was in one corner, allowing him to sit up, I wandered over to the young woman. She had a plain round face framed by a wealth of brown hair. I suspected that it had been at one time neatly pinned up, but Valerio had made it look as if she had been through quite a tumble in the bushes. I knew better.

I turned toward my companion to ask him about the young woman when I was suddenly swept up in his arms. His tongue plunged into my mouth, taking away the last sweet tastes of Bradley’s blood. His hands roamed my body as I dug my own fingers deep into his hair, kissing him with the same urgency.

“Did you enjoy your evening folly?” Valerio demanded in a rough voice. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he bent me so that he could press kisses to the tops of my breasts, leaving me struggling to think.

“Enjoyable enough, but it was only a taste. You’re still the main course, my dearest.” I pressed my body against his hardened body and smiled. Feeding had lit his fire as well as mine. We needed to be on to the next game: sex or violence or both.

“Then it’s time to be on our way because I have need of you,” he growled in a low voice as he dragged his fangs over one swell of my breast, nearly puncturing the tender flesh. Allowing me to straighten, he pressed one last kiss to my lips and then turned around to our sleeping companions.

“Are you sure about your choice?”

“Am I sure?” I scoffed. “Do you know who this is?” I waved one hand at Bradley in irritation.

“Obviously not,” he replied blandly, as he placed the young woman in a sitting position in Bradley’s lap while wrapping her limp arms around the unconscious man’s neck.

“If you had bothered to go to the opera with me last night, you would have gotten caught up on all the latest London gossip. He’s the only son of the Earl of Hastings; quite wealthy and expected to be attached to an equally titled family in the next few years. Who is this?”

“No one.”

“Valerio,” I chided.

He paused in placing the lord’s hand on the young woman’s thigh to look over his shoulder at me. “Emily Catchenfeld. Daughter of a wealthy shipping merchant. Doesn’t have a single title in her entire family.”

“Forgive me. You are right. She is no one,” I said, bowing my head to him while smiling. Miss Catchenfeld’s family had managed to buy their invitation to the Chilton ball purely by their wealth and wouldn’t have been lucky enough to receive an introduction to someone like Bradley. Too much of a difference in class.

Valerio stepped back to admire his handiwork. He had carefully arranged them like a pair of oversized dolls on the bench so that she was sitting in his lap with her head resting on his chest while her arms were wrapped lightly around his neck. Meanwhile, Bradley had one hand on her lower back and the other on her upper thigh.

“What do you think?”

“Almost.” I stepped forward and gently untied Bradley’s neck cloth and unbuttoned the top couple buttons of his shirt. With her hair loose and in disarray, and his clothes slightly disheveled, there was no question as to what conclusions would be drawn.

Valerio took my hand and kissed the top as I stepped back beside him. “Artful touch, cara mia. I believe it’s time for us to be gone, though. There are other things we need to be about.”

“Gone?” I gasped, tightening my grip on his hand. “You mean to leave now before the penultimate moment? Before discovery? This shall be such a delicious scandal. One of our best. Two lives crushed in such an instant and you want to miss their expressions when they finally realize what has happened? Why?”

“Come, my bloodthirsty angel,” Valerio said, hugging me close. “The hour is growing late and I have more entertaining things for us to do tonight. The outcome will either be a duel at dawn with the young lady’s older brother or a hasty marriage by special license. I promise that my valet will gather all the editions of the Times for you tomorrow so you will know the outcome of tonight’s entertainment.”

With my palms resting on his thick chest, I stared into his eyes, frowning skeptically. “You have something more entertaining in mind?”

“We shall return to our town house to get you in some men’s attire and then I shall take you to some of the best gaming hells London has to offer. There, we shall endeavor to steal a family fortune or two.”

“Mmmm . . . the town house sounds good,” I purred, leaning in and nibbling on his lower lip before kissing him

“And the gaming hells?”

“Fun as well,” I said with a shrug, my mind more on getting Valerio back to the town house and undressed. “As you wish, we’ll be off.”

Valerio chuckled softly as he pressed a kiss to my nose, undoubtedly reading the thoughts I made no effort to obscure. He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and started to walk toward the back of the garden when he paused.

“Cara, the torches. This loving scene needs a little illumination.”

With a slight wave of my hand, the torches I had extinguished earlier in the evening came to life again with a slow flickering glow before reaching full brilliance again. Controlling fire had been a gift of mine since my human teenage years and I had retained the gift when I had been reborn a nightwalker. While I was despised by most of my kind as the Fire Starter, I was happy to see that Valerio seemed to take my abilities in stride as we traveled Europe in search of entertainment between assignments from the coven.

We had barely gotten away from the scene when I paused in the middle of the path and stared back at the Chilton house. My loving mentor Jabari had taught me to continuously scan the region I was in for potential threats, whether it be from other nightwalkers or from other powerful creatures that hunted my kind. A ripple of power caught my attention. It was warm and pulsing as if the power itself were alive and seeking me out.

“What’s wrong?” Valerio demanded when I stiffened.

“I sense . . . something,” I said, unable to identify what was in the region. It was as if it was calling to me, drawing me in. Lycanthropes had a similar warmth to their energy, but none had ever affected me in such a way. This was no shape-shifter. Beside me, I could feel Valerio’s cool energy sweep out past me and into the surrounding area.

“I sense nothing,” he replied quickly. “We’re alone in the immediate area. I think you just need to get back to the town house for a bit of a rest before our next escapade.”

I continued to stare toward the house. The energy I sensed had faded a bit as if the creature was moving in the opposite direction as me, but still lingered in the area. It was disturbing that Valerio couldn’t sense it, but for now there was nothing I could do about it. There were other, more entertaining things to see and do in London that night. If I encountered the energy the next night, I might pursue it, but for now it was nothing to me.

Pushing a smile back on my lips, I resumed walking toward the alley exit at the back of the garden. From there, we would walk around the house and catch our carriage at the front step. Just as we reached the garden gate, I heard a woman’s scream tear at the night. It was close enough to sound as if it had come from the center of the garden where we had left our two innocent souls in a lovers’ embrace. Oh, it was going to be so interesting to see how London reacted to this tawdry bit of gossip, and it was only the start of the season. There were just so many lives that we could still ruin in so many interesting ways over the next couple of months.

Valerio smiled broadly as he held the gate open for me, his narrowed eyes glinting in the moonlight. “You are magnificent. There isn’t another nightwalker lurking in the shadows that compares to your shining brilliance.”

I touched his face as I passed through the gate, listening to the growing clamor behind us. “And there is no nightwalker that compares to your wonderfully black soul and artful sense of humor. We are a perfect pair.”

CHAPTER TWO

The hall clock had just finished chiming the two o’clock hour when we stumbled, laughing like fools, into the town house Valerio was renting. We didn’t bother lighting candles as we moved through the pitch black residence; our eyesight was keen enough to easily make out the sparsely decorated hallway with its wide staircase to the upper floors.

Grabbing a handful of my skirts, I placed my other hand on the railing leading up the stairs. “I’ll quickly change into some trousers and then we can head to the gaming hells,” I said as I started up the stairs.

Before I could climb more than a couple of stairs, I was jerked to a sudden halt as the sharp sound of ripping fabric tore through the silence. Twisting around, I found Valerio standing at the bottom of the stairs with a wicked grin on his lips. In his hand was the torn hem of my dress.

“I think you could use some assistance in getting changed, cara,” he murmured, his eyes traveling over the length of my sapphire gown.

Releasing the handrail, I grabbed another handful of my gown, pulling the hem free of his grasp. “Don’t even think about it, bloodsucker,” I growled. “I like this gown.”

“Then run, cara. Run like a little rabbit if you wish to protect that precious gown of yours.”

I didn’t hesitate. With my gown grasped tightly in both hands, I hiked it up to my knees and ran up the stairs, my slippered feet silent on the hardwood. As I reached the top stair and turned down the hall toward my room, I heard another, louder rip of fabric, but I didn’t look back to see the kind of damage that Valerio had wrought. Biting my lower lip to hold back the laugh, I ran down the hall and threw open the door to my bedroom, but I knew that Valerio had only been playing with me. He was older than me by centuries, making him stronger and faster. I had always known that he would catch me in the end. Which was, of course, the point.

Valerio wrapped his arms around my waist from behind as we entered the room together and kicked the door shut with his foot. He spun me around, his mouth finding mine in a rough kiss that kept me from screaming in frustration at the sound of fabric tearing. Valerio had slipped his fingers down the bodice of dress and gave it a quick, sharp jerk, shredding the dress down the front.

Placing both of my hands against his chest, I pushed away from him with all of my strength, but I only managed to stumble a couple feet away from him because he had allowed it. Around the room, candles flared to life as I lost control of my temper and my hold on my powers faltered for a second. It only caused Valerio’s smile to widen as he reached for me again.

I smacked his hand away from me, not caring about the fact that I now stood stark naked before him. “I loved that dress.”

“I’ll buy you another dress. Another exactly like that one if you want,” he promised, beginning to stalk me once again. “I need you, Mira.”

I hit the end of the bed. Quickly, I crawled up onto it and continued to back away from him on my hands and knees. “If you need me so badly, then you should allow me to disrobe you in the same barbaric fashion.”

Valerio’s shoulders stiffened and he straightened from where he was leaning over the edge of the bed toward me. His hand ran over the front of his black jacket and crisp white shirt. “Come now, Mira. Let’s be reasonable. You should never discuss a man’s wardrobe in such a manner. It’s just uncivilized.”

“Uncivilized!” I shrieked. “You destroy my dress and I’m not to lay a finger on your clothing because it’s uncivilized?” Reaching behind me, I grabbed a pillow and flung it at his head with all my strength. He deftly deflected the missile, but that didn’t stop me from grabbing a second. “Get in this bed right this minute or I’ll burn the clothes off of you.”

Before I could blink, the nightwalker was on top of me, pinning me down to the thick blankets that covered the bed. He pulled the second pillow from my fingers and tossed it over the side onto the floor. Holding me down by my wrists, he hovered over me while his eyes took in my tousled red hair spread about the bed, a stark contrast to my pale skin.

“It’s too late. I look at you and I am already on fire,” he murmured as if mostly talking to himself as his eyes continued their perusal of my body. “You are beauty and passion combined in a tempting flame that will consume our entire race. Will you burn me too?”

I tilted my head to the side, waiting until his eyes finally met mine again. “All little boys should know the danger of playing with fire.”

“And yet I cannot help myself.” Valerio released my arms and sat back on his heels as he shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it to the floor in a rumpled heap. I didn’t touch him, but simply watched as he hastily unwound his neck cloth and tossed it aside with the same lack of care before moving onto the buttons of his shirt. I was beginning to doubt that we would make it to the gaming hells that night, but then again, we had missed many a night of planned activities in favor of more private entertainment.

Running the tip of my tongue over my lips, I reached up and ran my hands over his smooth chest as he started to pull his shirt free of his trousers. After an evening of rubbing elbows with London’s elite and a little playful hunting, I was ready to get down to some more serious pursuits with my companion. Sitting up, I pressed a kiss against his flat, hard stomach, letting my tongue run along his bellybutton, sending a delicious shiver through his body as his hands descended to his pants. And then he paused. I could feel nearly every muscle in his body tense and harden, while the cold touch of his powers swept past me and through the house.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. Everything inside of me demanded that I resume my quest to kiss every inch of his perfect chest, but something was wrong. If danger was near, I needed to be ready. I had to be Valerio’s comrade in arms, despite the fact that I lay in bed completely naked.

Valerio looked down at me and smiled sweetly. He ran his hand over the back of my head, sweeping away some of my hair from my shoulders. “Nothing so serious, cara. We merely have an unexpected guest.”

Despite his smile and easy words, the tension had yet to completely flow from his body. He was not happy, but Valerio was not one to show many emotions beyond amusement, lust, and the occasional boredom. Yet, after traveling with him for more than a century, I was beginning to pick up on the warning signs of some other, darker emotions that lurked beneath his carefully crafted veneer. Violence was a part of his nature, but it always came with a smile. The only thing I feared was that violence paired with an angry fire in his eyes.

A gentle touch on my cheek jerked me from my dark thoughts, causing me to raise my lavender eyes to meet his all-too-knowing blue ones. “Let’s get a robe for you and then meet our guest. The sooner this meeting is over, the sooner we can return our attention to something more pleasant.”

Turning my head, I kissed the palm of his hand, pushing a smile onto my lips. I had done my own scan and there was a nightwalker standing at the front door, waiting to be welcomed into the town house. We both climbed off the bed at the same time and Valerio waited as I crossed to my wardrobe. Quickly pulling on the silk robe that he had purchased for me in Paris, I headed down the stairs, following just a pace behind him.

There hadn’t been a single knock at the door, but then there had been no need. It had been no hard task to sense the nightwalker when he drew near to the residence despite the constant miasma of magic that seemed to hang in the London air.

“I really wasn’t expecting to be found so quickly,” Valerio said softly as we crossed the hallway.

“I fear that is my fault.”

Valerio paused and turned to face me, one eyebrow raised.

“Jabari always knows where I am,” I said with a slight shrug of my shoulders. “I fear if we are to continue to travel together, that it is something that you will have to tolerate.”

“Ahh . . . yes,” he said with a slight hiss. “Your doting guardian likes to keep a close eye on you, and I’m sure even more so now that you’ve fallen in with the likes of me.”

“Nonsense. There is no one more faithful to our people and the coven than you. I’m sure that Jabari trusts you,” I countered, laying a hand on his chest.

Valerio’s head tipped back with a bark of laughter. “I’m sure Jabari doesn’t think such a thing at all, and if you’re honest with yourself, I’m sure you don’t either.”

I paused a moment and then smiled up at him. “You’re quite right. I don’t. But regardless, I am here with you now and I am here to stay.”

“Good girl,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead before finally turning around to the front door.

Valerio said nothing to the nightwalker when he opened the door. He simply nodded once and motioned for him to enter the hallway that was still as black as night. I spared our guest only a cursory glance before I turned toward the main parlor and padded silently on bare feet across the creaky old hardwood floor. Candlelight flared to life as I walked past each candelabrum until a fire suddenly roared into existence a second before I took a seat in a chair next to the fireplace.

You’re intentionally trying to scare the young thing, Valerio laughed in my head.

I’m just trying to create a more hospitable setting, I replied innocently.

Liar.

I recognize him as a flunky of Macaire. What’s wrong with scaring him?

Not a thing, my dear. Not a thing.

Valerio settled behind my chair, leaning one of his arms along the high back, while crossing one foot in front of the other in a supremely relaxed stance. The nightwalker who had come to call on us was young, barely more than a couple centuries old. But then so was I. The time I had spent with nightwalkers who had passed the millennium mark was more than normal for most nightwalkers. Combine that with the fact that I had killed nightwalkers more than three times my age, and I tended to forget my youth.

“Forgive the unexpected intrusion, Valerio,” the nightwalker opened, quickly bowing to my companion. “I have been sent by the coven on urgent business.”

“It is my sweet companion you should be begging for forgiveness, as it is her pleasure that you have disrupted, Gustav,” Valerio commented blandly.

A frown flitted across the blond nightwalker’s face before he could catch it, as his eyes slid over to where I was sitting. Settling deeper into the cushions of the seat, I reached over and ran one hand over Valerio’s closest leg while I smiled smugly at the flunky.

Blond hair with ice blue eyes, Gustav reminded me of Macaire’s three other flunkies that I had killed during fights before the four members of the coven—fights that had been intended as entertainment. Now Macaire didn’t allow his underlings near me without a very good reason.

“I was trying to do Mira a favor by ignoring the fact that she is here in London with you considering that she has been forbidden to be here,” Gustav said with no small amount of enjoyment.

Uncrossing my legs, I jerked upright in my chair and twisted slightly so that I could look Valerio directly in the eye. “What is he talking about? I haven’t been forbidden to travel to London.”

Valerio gave a half shrug as he met my narrowed gaze. “I’m afraid you have been. The last time we were in Venice, Jabari informed me that I was not to take you to London under any circumstances. You were forbidden from setting foot on the island.”

“Why?”

“He never said.”

Forcing a smile onto my lips for the benefit of Gustav, I struggled to keep my voice from rising in volume. “And when were you going to see fit to tell me of my mentor’s edict?”

“I thought we could slip in and out of town without his notice,” Valerio admitted.

“We planned to spend the entire season here, if not longer. That’s months.”

“Just a few grains of sand in the hourglass.”

Pushing out of my chair, I stalked through the room, my robe flaring out to reveal my long pale legs. “Days, months, years; it doesn’t matter. Jabari always knows where to find me. He probably knew the moment that we settled in London. I’m surprised that it has taken this long to hear from the coven.”

“Calm yourself, cara.”

Spinning on my left heel to face him, I leaned in close, poking him in the chest with one finger. “You were not the one forbidden to be here. You’re not the one that has to face Jabari’s fury. You should have told me and at least given me the chance to choose whether to accompany you here.”

Valerio wrapped his long fingers around the index finger poking him in the chest, holding me in place so that I couldn’t resume my pacing of the room. “And would you have come?”

I stopped trying to pull my finger free of his grasp and met his direct gaze. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “You should have given me the choice.”

“I feared you would make the wrong choice, so I said nothing,” Valerio said, pressing a kiss to my forehead before he finally released his hold on my finger. “I wanted you here with me.”

His words warmed me. I loved Valerio’s company, and even feared that deeper feelings were starting to form for the dangerous nightwalker, but at the same time, I wasn’t willing to risk Jabari’s anger just for Valerio’s pleasure. Jabari had spent more than a century protecting, teaching, and caring for me. He had helped me to escape my creator and had become more than my mentor. He was my most trusted friend and confidante. He was the only nightwalker in the world that I knew I could rely on under any conditions. While we may have been growing apart during the past century, I never wanted to do anything that would jeopardize the relationship and trust I had with the coven Elder.

“While this is all very touching,” Gustav interrupted with a sneer in his voice, “there are more important matters that we must discuss before the sun rises.”

Stepping away from Valerio, I stiffly returned to my seat and stared deeply into the crackling fire, unwilling to look at either man. I had been tricked by Valerio and when I returned to the coven in Venice to see Jabari, I knew that there would be a price to pay. It wouldn’t matter that Valerio never spoke to me of the edict. The only important thing was that I had gone against Jabari’s wishes and I would have to endeavor to find a way to get back into his good graces.

“The night is still young, but Mira and I have more interesting things planned for the evening, so let’s return to the business at hand,” Valerio announced. His hand passed over my hair in a light caress, but I was not yet willing to forgive him for his high-handed actions.

“Both you and Mira have been summoned back to Venice to appear before the coven as soon as possible.”

“Is this in regards to Mira’s appearance in London?” Valerio inquired.

“Not as far as I am aware,” Gustav admitted. “My main concern was to fetch you back to the coven as they have a new assignment for you. However, Jabari was the one that pointed me in your direction through Mira, whom he wishes to appear before the coven as well.”

“Excellent,” I said.

“Do you know the nature of the assignment that I am to be given?”

At Valerio’s question, I finally looked up at Gustav, who was thoughtfully scratching his chin. “Another hunt, I believe. A powerful nightwalker appeared before the coven not more than a fortnight ago and demanded assistance. Several nightwalkers have been slaughtered by an unknown assassin and it is feared that more deaths loom on the horizon.”

My worried gaze drifted up to Valerio, who smiled down at me. Was he to be punished as well for his lack of discretion where I was involved? I had been accompanying him on his assignments for the coven for the past several decades to protect not only our own kind, but also our secret from the human race. We had hunted more careless and dangerous nightwalkers in our time than warlocks, witches, and lycanthropes combined. I didn’t like the idea of Valerio potentially being sent out on a dangerous assignment without me there to watch his back.

“Your concern is touching, but a bit premature, I fear,” Valerio murmured. “You know that I can take care of myself, but let us return to Venezia first before you let your fear run away with you.”

Straightening from where he had been leaning against my chair, Valerio looked over at Gustav again. “Consider your message delivered. We will leave for Venice tomorrow at sunset. I expect that we shall be arriving well ahead of you.”

“Yes, my ship back to Italy does not leave for another two days,” Gustav confirmed.

“Then we wish you strong winds and a ship overflowing with passengers,” Valerio said, dismissing the nightwalker. Gustav said nothing. He simply bowed at Valerio one last time and then silently exited the house.

We both waited, listening to the nearly nonexistent sounds of him moving through the house and finally shutting the front door behind him before either of us bothered to speak. And even then, I was unsure of what to say. I was angry Valerio had not told me about Jabari’s declaration against my travel to London. That anger was quickly superseded by fear for Valerio. What was the coven planning? This could simply be another assignment like so many of the others that he had been on, but would Jabari allow me to accompany him? Or would my punishment be entrapment in Venice for a period of time where I stood at his side and frightened the court that hung on the whims of the coven Elders?

Valerio grabbed my hand from where it was resting on the arm of the chair and pulled me to my feet. Drawing me close, he lay my hand on his bare chest over his still heart while he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Your thoughts have settled into a dark place, cara, and there is no need.”

“Valerio, you have crossed Jabari and no one does such a thing. You know better!”

“It’s you he’s going to punish.”

“I’m quite aware of that, but that doesn’t mean that my punishment might not have some dire consequences for you as well. You risk too much. Jabari has shown me kindness over the years, but that does not make him a patient or a tolerant Elder.”

“Venezia will be fine,” he said confidently.

I shook my head. He was older and more experienced than me, but I had been the one to destroy more than one nightwalker at the request of the coven because an Elder had been crossed in some manner. I was not willing to believe that Jabari was going to look kindly on me going against his edict.

“Why does he not want me in London in the first place?” I demanded, my thoughts seeming to travel in useless circles as I tried to find a way out of this mess.

“I cannot even begin to guess. You shall have to ask him yourself.”

“I have a feeling that it is more of a matter that he does not want me in London with you, rather than simply not wanting me in London.”

Valerio smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist as he pulled me flush against his hard body. “Now that is a distinct possibility.”

With a growl of frustration, I pressed a kiss to his lips but was quick to pull away before he could distract me. “You are a troublesome man.”

“And you would not change me for all the blood in the world.”

“True, but what if Jabari restrains my travels to Venice, putting me on duty with the court?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll return from my assignment for you. He can lock you in a tower so that none could speak to you or look on your beauty without fear of his wrath. And yet every night, I would scale the tower and make love to you until the dawn threatened.”

“You are an evil creature,” I whispered, finally giving into the kiss that my lips had been aching for since he had started speaking.

“And you love me as I am.”

“Will it be my downfall?”

“Possibly, but there is still plenty of time before we need reach such a thing,” Valerio replied, and I knew deep down that he was speaking the truth. His devilish ways and influences would be my downfall if I was not careful.

Valerio released me long enough to bend down and sweep me into his arms. The two halves of the robe parted, exposing the long expanse of my legs while the top gaped, giving him a nice view of my breasts. “For now, let’s return upstairs. I believe we were in the middle of something before we were rudely interrupted. We will worry about the coven when we awaken tomorrow night.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I snuggled my cheek against his and nodded. I was happy to linger one more night in bliss with him before I had to face the reality of my world once again. Valerio had a special way about him that allowed me to forget about the darkness of the coven and my own past. The horrors and the nightmares receded for a time, and there was only Valerio’s strong arms and evil grin. For the first time since I had been put on this earth, I was content with who I was and who I was with. I wasn’t ready to have Jabari steal that away from me. I would think of something that would allow me to remain at Valerio’s side.

CHAPTER THREE

Venice glowed beneath us as Valerio flew into the canal-riddled city. The nightwalker was old enough that he had attained the power to fly where he chose with me clasped close to his chest. It was our preferred way of travel, while our bags and trunks took a more tedious route via ships and carriages. Flying gave us a chance to quickly arrive at a place and still have plenty of time to search for appropriate daytime shelter. Of course, we still traveled on ships and on carriages from time to time for the sheer pleasure of it. Unfortunately, a summons from the coven meant that we were to appear in Italy by the fastest means necessary. It would be expected by the Elders of the coven that Valerio would fly to Venice with me in tow.

With some reluctance, Valerio settled us on the sidewalk across from the Piazzo San Marco. Torch and candlelight flickered all around me, reflecting off the black waters of the canals. It was shortly after midnight and there were few people wandering the sidewalks while the canals were empty of boats except for those tied to poles. Nightwalkers cluttered the immediate area, searching for prey before they headed for the Main Hall and the entertainment scheduled for the evening.

Venice had been the home of the rulers of the nightwalker world for countless centuries. The coven had settled on an island in the middle of the lagoon and ruled without question by any other race. Here we were safe from our enemies, the Naturi. The nature-bound bastards refused to step one toe in the glittering gem of a city for reasons unknown to me. Lycanthropes sent emissaries on occasion into the city, but none ever stayed long. No shape-shifter dared to live within the city. This was nightwalker territory.

“Are you prepared for this?” he asked, carefully setting me on the ground again.

I paced away from him, staring out at the black lagoon toward the island where I knew Jabari was waiting for me. For all the love that I felt for him and that he felt for me, there was no doubt in my mind that he could crush me in a heartbeat if he wished it.

“There aren’t many gathered at the Main Hall,” I said instead of answering him. I reached out with my powers, scanning the region. There were ample nightwalkers in Venice, but not many of them seemed to have settled on the island. Maybe we weren’t to be the main attraction after all.

“We’ll get in and out as quickly as possible,” he assured me, taking my hand.

“At least you will,” I muttered. “Let’s get going.”

The trip to the island took only a couple of minutes, but it allowed me to swallow back some of my fears and focus on the road that I faced. During my relatively short existence, I had been tortured, mentally abused, and beaten down in more ways than I could begin to count. I was done being afraid. The nightwalkers of the coven court despised me with good reason—I was the enforcer. I had trained with the best and I was a ruthless killer. Nothing would stop me if Jabari decided to attack me for traveling to London. I would fight back. I was done being a victim.

Landing before the Main Hall with its massive wood and iron-banded doors, I stepped away from Valerio as soon as we touched the ground. At our appearance, the pair of brutish doormen pulled open both the doors, beckoning us to enter the black hallway that led to the throne room. Frowning, I marched forward with Valerio following on my heels. While he was wearing a suit similar to what he had worn to the Chilton ball the previous evening, I had chosen a pair of trousers made of a coarse material and a somewhat baggy man’s shirt. My pants were tucked into a pair of worn riding boots made of supple leather and hard soles. I had quickly learned that I had to fight my way through the coven’s plans and entertainment. As such, fighting was done much more easily in a pair of men’s pants than a delicate dress. Both outfits were inevitably ruined, but the pants were more easily mended than a dress.

Clenching my teeth, I laid my palms against the doors leading into the throne room and gave them a hard shove, marching through the building toward the Elders. The enormous room was silent except for our footsteps across the lake of shining black marble. On the dais sat four of the five most powerful nightwalkers within the world. The chair that held Our Liege and true ruler of all nightwalkers was empty. However, the four gold-leaf chairs that sat before Our Liege’s chair were occupied.

Elizabeth looked a little less than pleased with my abrupt appearance, while Tabor merely lounged in his chair, watching me with an enigmatic gaze I had yet to understand. He never spoke to me; never directly met my gaze if he could help it. And yet I felt as if I should feel some sort of kinship with the silent Elder. Macaire also relaxed in his chair, looking at me with smug delight. The nightwalker had been seeking my demise since I had been reborn as a nightwalker. In his eyes, any creature with the power to control fire needed to be exterminated as quickly as possible for the good of nightwalkers everywhere. Only Jabari regarded me with thoughtful eyes as he looked from me to Valerio. I couldn’t begin to guess at his thoughts and a part of me didn’t want to know.

Gathered in tight pockets around the room near the walls were members of the court of the coven. This group of flunkies and hangers-on were there as nothing more than entertainment for the coven Elders, as well as to see the entertainment in the form of tortured fledglings and fights among other powerful nightwalkers. Occasionally, a human or two was dragged into the hall and tortured by the nightwalkers, but that form of entertainment had grown stale over the years. Humans were far too frail and too easily broken. Only nightwalkers could take a real beating and still survive the day for more the following night.

Both Valerio and I stopped near the center of the room and bowed to the members of the coven. And then to my surprise, Jabari made a slight motion with his right hand so that he was pointing to a spot beside his chair. I quickly crossed the room and took up my typical spot beside Jabari’s chair, standing on the bottom stair that led up to the raised dais. A part of me hated leaving Valerio alone under the gaze of the coven, but it wasn’t the first time for him and I doubted that it would be the last time. For the moment, I was unsure of whether I should be fearful or grateful that I was back at Jabari’s side. I didn’t want to be separated from my lover and yet I couldn’t risk being on Jabari’s bad side.

“At the coven’s request, I have appeared,” Valerio said as he raised his arms out to his sides. “I understand that you wish for me to undertake a new assignment.”

“All in good time, Valerio,” Macaire said with a wave of his hand. He shifted slightly in his chair so that he could more easily look down the dais toward Jabari. I could feel his eyes on me, but I ignored him. I continued to stare straight ahead with a blank expression, awaiting Jabari’s first command. “It is my understanding that Mira was with you . . . in London. I wanted to give our good Elder Jabari some time to chastise her.”

“That is a private matter,” Jabari calmly said.

Macaire merely smiled at his equal. “But as I recall you commanded that she not travel to London and yet she did with Valerio. Don’t you—”

“The command came from myself to Valerio, not as a member of the coven,” Jabari corrected him. “It is not a coven matter to be handled. I believe we have more important concerns that need to be taken care of.”

Macaire said nothing as he turned in his seat again to face front, where Valerio was patiently watching the power play between the two Elders. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before Macaire and Jabari finally lost their patience and decided they wanted each other’s hearts. I just feared that I would be caught in the middle of that battle.

“There is trouble in Spain,” Elizabeth announced, finally breaking through the growing tension between Jabari and Macaire. “More than a dozen nightwalkers have been killed just outside of Madrid in less than a month. We fear that even more have been destroyed since this news has reached us. Something is hunting our kind and leaving the bodies out for discovery by the humans. Rumors have reached us that humans have seen bodies of dead nightwalkers smoldering in the early morning sunlight in the middle of the city. This killer not only threatens our secret, but it is endangering the lives of many nightwalkers.”

“You’ve been summoned here to take care of this menace,” Tabor concluded.

“Can you give me any kind of useful description of this menace? Is it another nightwalker? A lycanthrope or even the local Madrid pack that is striking out against the nightwalkers?”

Tabor shook his head. “We know nothing regarding this threat beyond the fact that it is not a nightwalker. It has struck both at night and during the daylight hours.”

“Who made the request for assistance?” Valerio inquired, causing my stomach to twist into an anxious knot. I knew why he was asking. There was only one person in Madrid that could drive me beyond sane thought.

“Sadira came to us a few weeks ago,” Macaire replied. “Gustav was sent in search of you and your companion as soon as she left.”

The second her name left his lips, the candles and torches around the room instantly flared brighter so that they crackled on their wicks. Shadows lunged and danced at the increased light, and a murmur of unease moved through the gathered court. Shortly after making my first appearance before the coven as a fledgling, I had been forced to promise that I would never use my power to control fire while on the island. I was being sorely pressed just by hearing the name of my maker.

“It’s Sadira’s responsibility to maintain the safety of her own domain and not come crying to the coven,” I snapped.

“Muzzle your pet, Jabari,” Macaire said. “This is no business of one so young.”

My tenuous grip on my temper snapped, but I couldn’t strike out at Macaire. He was an Ancient, more than a thousand years old, and he could crush me with a thought. There were other ways to strike back at him. My head jerked around to locate the small group of nightwalkers I could hear snickering at Macaire’s comment. Not taking a chance at having Jabari stop me, I quickly walked over to the group mocking me. Grabbing one of Macaire’s devout followers by the throat, I slammed him against the wall again and again until all the bones on one side of his body were broken and nearly crushed to dust within his body. I dropped him on the floor, leaving him whimpering and moaning in pain as I walked back over to Jabari’s side without bothering to look in Macaire’s direction. The Elder said nothing, while Jabari gave my hand a little squeeze as I resumed my place. Considering his deep hatred of Macaire, Jabari had never done anything to rein in my outbursts when it came to destroying Macaire’s followers. In fact, I had no doubt that my mentor welcomed my violent outbursts as they left Macaire with little that he could do. Once, he had attempted to strike out at me directly. Jabari had been there to stop his hand before it touched me. Macaire would not directly face Jabari in a fight so I was left to run wild at times, so long as it pleased Jabari.

“Sadira will receive our assistance,” Tabor announced, raising his voice over the cries of the injured nightwalker. “Valerio will track down and destroy this threat, while Sadira continues to protect those nightwalkers within her domain.”

“I will see that it is done.” Valerio bowed toward the coven, but he didn’t leave.

“Is there something else that you want?” Jabari asked after more than a minute of tense silence.

“Mira.”

That one response managed to wipe away all the thoughts I had been entertaining about setting both Macaire and Sadira on fire. I couldn’t stop the smile that lifted the corners of my mouth as I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He could easily explain that he needed my unique skill to help combat this dark creature that was destroying our people, but deep down I knew that there were other reasons for him wanting me at his side.

“Mira has other business that needs attending to at the moment,” Jabari sharply said.

“I can wait.”

“No, our people can’t—” Macaire started to declare, but Jabari interrupted him.

“As you wish. It may be best if she accompanies you.”

It was a mixed blessing and a curse. I wanted to be with Valerio. I’d follow him anywhere he traveled on this continent and beyond. But we were going to Madrid—Sadira’s territory. I hadn’t seen my maker in more than two centuries and I had no desire to lay eyes on her ever again. I wasn’t sure how I would react, but I had a feeling that there would be flames. Lots and lots of flames.

Jabari rose from his chair and silently crossed the main floor of the throne room, exiting out the doors that we had come in. I followed close behind, remaining silent but vigilant. I trusted no one in the coven beyond Jabari and I would protect him no matter what, even if he didn’t need such weak assistance as mine. I felt more than actually heard Valerio fall into step behind me. He was close, his cool energy bathing my back in a gentle, reassuring caress as we both wondered what more the Elder had to say, yet didn’t want to speak before the rest of the coven.

As we reached the dirt road that led to the Main Hall and the door echoed shut with a resounding bang behind us, Jabari finally moved. Spinning around in the blink of an eye, he hit me with the back of his hand, sending me sprawling in the dirt several feet away from both the Ancient and Valerio.

I looked up when I heard Jabari’s deep voice with its sinuous Egyptian accent. “You were told that she was not to go to London,” Jabari said evenly. “It’s too dangerous.”

“She never left my sight,” Valerio replied in the same even tone as I picked myself up off of the ground.

“That’s not enough. You cannot control her. She is not to return until I have given my approval, is that understood?”

“Yes, Elder. I will not take Mira back to the island with me should I return,” Valerio agreed with a slight shrug as if it didn’t matter to him one way or another.

“Fine, then take her if Madrid is what she wishes,” Jabari said. He turned away from Valerio, putting his back to me as he started to walk down the path. Something in my heart shattered as I watched him. Had he just turned his back on me because I had begun to prefer the company of Valerio? Had I just lost my beloved mentor and protector because I had gone against his wishes unknowingly?

“Jabari?” I whispered, my voice cracking. “If it is your wish for me to stay in Venice at your side should you desire anything at all, I will happily stay.”

The Elder stopped and looked over his shoulders at me through narrowed black eyes. His dark skin blended easily with the night, while his traditional white robes seemed to wrap him in starlight. “If it were my wish, you would stay.”

“Forgive me, Elder,” I murmured, taking a step backward.

“We’re beyond the eyes of the coven and the court, Jabari,” Valerio said boldly. “There is no reason to punish her more. She knew nothing of your command regarding London until last night.”

Jabari shook his head once, but finally turned softened eyes on me. It was all I needed. I closed the distance between us in a blink, throwing myself into his open arms. He held me tightly, laying his cheek against the top of my head while I fought back tears of relief.

“I didn’t know. I swear to you, I didn’t know,” I said, but Jabari quickly shushed me.

“I do not doubt you. If it was Valerio’s whim to take you to the British Isles then that was what he was going to do, regardless of my wishes or the outcome,” Jabari said, hugging me. “I had hoped that he would see the wisdom in not taking you to that place.”

“Why?” I pulled back so that I could look up at my beloved protector without letting go of him. “Why can’t I go to London?”

Jabari cupped one cheek and ran his thumb over my cheekbone in a gentle caress that caused my eyes to close. “It’s more than London. Until I give my permission, I don’t want you setting foot on the British Isles. The magic there is too thick. Gods have lived and died on that ground, soaking the air through with magic. No powerful nightwalker calls it their domain to keep under control and the lycanthropes run wild in the woods. The entire island is a powder keg waiting to explode, revealing our secret to the world. And you, my lovely desert blossom, have little control over your temper. I will not allow you to be the one to light that fire.”

“I would be careful,” I reassured him. Opening my eyes, I saw him shake his head at me, but there was a look of loving patience on his face.

“One day, but not yet. Think of this as not a restriction on you, but a favor to me.”

“I would do anything for you,” I said, squeezing him again in another tight hug.

“I know.”

Relieved that Jabari was still my close mentor and protector, I released him and took a step backward. To my surprise, Valerio stepped up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we stood talking to the Elder. It was an odd move for the nightwalker. While we had never hidden the fact that we were lovers and close companions, the feel of his arm had a possessiveness to it that I was not expecting. Jabari gave no outward display of approval or disapproval to Valerio’s position. Instead, he chose to focus on more important matters.

“Are you sure that you wish to travel to Madrid?” Jabari inquired. “I have no doubt that you will be of great help to Valerio, but I fear there will be no avoiding Sadira once she realizes that you are back within her domain.”

“I will not live in fear of my maker. She knows my feelings for her and if she is wise, she will avoid me. As you said, I have little control over my temper.”

“And I would prefer it if you did not destroy her. She does keep things quiet in Spain and is a good ally to me,” Jabari said in a neutral voice, but I had no doubt that it was more like a command. I was not to kill Sadira no matter how she provoked me. Of course, that didn’t mean I couldn’t hurt her a little as payback.

“We will be fine in Spain,” I said, smiling broadly at Jabari. He didn’t look completely convinced, but he said nothing.

“The night is still young,” Valerio finally broke in. He squeezed my shoulder and winked at me before he continued. “Mira and I will travel to my house in Milano tonight to pick up some clothes and weapons that may be needed for this assignment. We should be in Madrid by tomorrow night to take care of this murderer.”

Jabari nodded once, his face once again becoming a blank slate. I had spent more than a century living in Egypt with him, studying the history of our people, fighting styles, and anything else that he was willing to teach me. When I started with him, I was a hollow, broken shell, full of pain and anger, and lashed out at anything that moved. Countless people and nightwalkers were burned to death because I could not see beyond the horrors of my past. But Jabari had saved me from all of that.

Now I stood before him, whole and strong. I was capable of not only facing my evil, manipulative maker, but I could also rein in my temper enough not to kill her as he had commanded. I was a strong warrior that he could depend upon to protect my fellow nightwalkers and protect the secret from the human race. I had taken my place among my kind, regardless of the fact that most of them feared and loathed me. I would protect them because it was the will of the coven. Jabari had taught me to do so and I would make him proud.

“Is there no further information you can give us regarding the threat?” Valerio asked.

“I fear not. Tread lightly. Pick your daytime resting spots with care. Watch each other’s backs. For this task, I would not have allowed you to travel without Mira. Her gift will come to your aid more than once, I am sure.” And then without another word, Jabari disappeared from sight completely, leaving me alone with Valerio.

I looked over at my companion with a smug smile. “You’re lucky to have me.”

“So Jabari makes it sound. I pray that you will control yourself in regards to Sadira. We won’t need the added distraction, I am sure.”

I pushed away from him, causing his arm to drop from my shoulder. “Sadira will quickly learn to leave me alone if she wishes to continue her life without a sea of pain.”

Valerio smiled as he stepped close once again, grabbing my waist with both of his hands as he roughly pulled me back against him. “Spain shall be an adventure, I see. I believe we should spend a relaxing evening in my villa in Milano, where we will not be disturbed further before we give any additional thought to Spain. It may be a while before I have you fully focused on me once again, and I hate when you are not preoccupied with thoughts of me.”

“Pompous ass,” I murmured as he pressed his lips to mine in a deep kiss that succeeded in taking the first steps toward wiping my mind of any thoughts regarding my maker for at least the rest of the evening. I would deal with Sadira soon enough.

CHAPTER FOUR

I adjusted the pack that hung from my shoulder as Valerio set me down near the middle of the city of Madrid. I had brought with me a small selection of clothing and a variety of knives and swords for our little hunt. Valerio touched the ground beside me and looked around at the relatively quiet street. It was still early in the night by society’s standards. Coaches should have packed the street as people rushed from one party or theater production to another affair. Instead, a dark cloud seemed to hang over the city, chasing the humans indoors and leaving a feeling of anxiety crowding close. This was a dangerous situation for nightwalkers, leaving me grateful that we had been cloaked when we set foot in Madrid. Human eyes had yet to take us in, but that didn’t mean we weren’t being watched.

“Is Sadira close?” I demanded in a hard voice. I might have been cloaked, but I had no doubt that she would be able to sense me as soon as I came close to her domain. I had a feeling that much like Jabari, she always knew where I was, but I was more concerned she would try to take advantage of the situation now that I was so close.

Valerio looked over at me questioningly as he repositioned his own bag on his shoulder. “There are a couple nightwalkers within the city, but none as powerful as her,” he said, giving me a reassuring smile. “I don’t expect her to come out of her castle until after we’ve taken care of the threat, and by then we should be on our way again.”

“Is that why you’ve come?” A soft voice drifted out of the shadows behind us. We both twisted around to find a nightwalker stepping forward into the nearby lamplight. She was beautiful, with her wealth of black hair hanging down her back, framing a heart-shaped face and large, dark eyes. She stared only at Valerio, who smiled invitingly at her. “You’ve come to get rid of the killer?”

Valerio unshouldered his bag and roughly handed it off to me as he took one step forward and offered the nightwalker his hand. She took it, her smile widening as he bowed gallantly over it. I clenched my teeth and remained silent as I watched the show.

“I am Valerio and this is my companion, Mira. We have been sent by the coven to remove the threat from Madrid.”

“I am Eva,” she practically purred. “Welcome to Madrid, though it is not the happy place that it usually is. Nightwalkers have been killed every night for more than a month and humans have started to discover the remains in the daylight. We can’t risk recovering their bodies without being killed ourselves.”

“What is this creature that stalks our people?” Valerio asked, holding her hand in both of his. “Have the lycanthropes turned on us?”

“No, it’s a warlock. He hunts us at night and by day when we can be found. He calls himself Armand and usually has an apprentice with him at all times, though I don’t know the name of the apprentice.” She daintily wiped a tear away from the corner of her left eye while Valerio stepped closer, wrapping a reassuring arm around her slim shoulders.

I had seen Valerio touching other females before, but for the most part, it had always been human women. Then, I found his solicitous attitude amusing as he was only drawing them close for their blood. He had never touched another female nightwalker while in my company. I didn’t think that I was a jealous creature, but as Eva leaned into his embrace I felt my hands aching from where I was gripping our bags so tightly. She stood in the night wearing an elegant gown as if she were preparing to attend a party, looking like a shining gem, while I stood in my coarse men’s trousers and crudely mended shirt in anticipation of a fight. My hair was undoubtedly a wind-blown mess from our travels, leaving me looking like some pathetic street urchin next to her alluring beauty.

“If you’re so concerned about the warlock killing nightwalkers that dare to set foot within Madrid, what are you doing wandering the streets? Isn’t that a little dangerous?” I demanded snidely as I dropped Valerio’s bag on the ground with a heavy thud.

“I had no choice,” Eva said in a choked voice, looking at me for the first time with glistening eyes. “Our supplies are running low. I was sent out to fetch more humans to bring back to the safety of the castle. The warlock has kept his distance from the castle.”

“The castle?” I repeated, my temper flaring to life with a new reason. “You belong to Sadira.”

“Yes, she’s my mistress,” she replied with a nod. “All of her remaining children have hidden themselves within the castle and have been carefully feeding off the humans that she keeps there, but there aren’t enough to support us all for such a length of time. I was sent out to fetch her more strong and healthy humans.”

“We should not keep you then,” Valerio said, drawing her gaze back to him. “We need to find a place to stay during the daylight hours and begin our hunt of the warlock.”

Eva reached up and cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb along his chin. Her long thumbnail tugged at his full lower lip, parting them slightly before she leaned in for a slow kiss. “I’m sure that my mistress would welcome you both into her castle considering your mission,” she murmured, her lips brushing against his, begging for another kiss.

“I have no doubt that she would be pleased to have me back in her grasp, but we’re not going.” I spit out. Eva finally looked at me again, though her body remained pressed against Valerio. I knew then that I had to kill her. My only dilemma was deciding how.

“Mira?” she repeated before her eyes went wide. “You’re the Fire Starter, child of our mistress! She will be pleased to hear of your return.”

“I’m sure she would be.” I bent down and picked up Valerio’s bag once again before throwing it at him. He moved just quickly enough, releasing Eva and catching the bag so that she wasn’t hit with the heavy item. “We have to go.”

Valerio stepped away from Eva with a blank expression, bowing his head to her slightly as he returned to my side. “She is right.”

“You’re not coming back to the castle with me?”

A bitter laugh escaped me before I could bite it back. “Nothing could drag me back to her. But then, you’re not going back either.” She managed to look at me with confusion for just a brief moment before she exploded in flames. Her screams bounced off the faces of the buildings that surrounded us as she raced around the empty street. Flames jumped and crackled off of her body, consuming her in a matter of seconds, leaving her a blackened lump in the middle of the street. By morning, she would be unrecognizable ash, but I garnered no pleasure from the fact that I had killed one of Sadira’s children and stopped them from acquiring more sustenance. I could only see her lips on Valerio.

“We need to go,” Valerio said, laying a hand on my shoulder.

I violently shrugged it off and marched down the street, leaving him to catch up. After a couple blocks, I chose a large house that was dimly lit. A quick scan revealed that only a handful of people were in the residence, with most of them likely being servants. It would serve as a place to store our things while we were either sleeping or hunting down this warlock.

As soon as the butler opened the door, I seized his mind, wiping away all thought as he led us into the marble entryway. Valerio was right behind me, dipping easily into the minds of the other residents with a practiced ease. Within a few minutes, everyone within the house believed that we were old friends of the owners of the house and would be staying for a few nights while we visited. We had done this on more than one occasion when we were sent to a specific location to deal with a problem that had been brought to the coven’s attention. Taking over a house and using mind control over a handful of humans was easier than trying to scout out a secure, abandoned location. At least this way, we were still afforded all the comforts that we were accustomed to, as well as had easily accessible meals close at hand should we stay in.

“Have a bath brought up to my room,” I commanded the butler as my feet hit the wide staircase.

“Yes, mistress,” the butler replied crisply before his footsteps echoed across the hall.

“Mira,” Valerio started, following me up the stairs.

“Keep your distance, Valerio,” I warned. I threw open one bedroom door after another until I came to a large, elegant room that I was willing to guess belonged to the true mistress of the house. She wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it for a night or two. “I’m in no mood.” I tried closing the door in his face, but he caught it and followed me into the room. I had guessed that it wouldn’t be so easy.

“You thought it was necessary to kill Eva?” he inquired, placing his bag on an empty chair near the fireplace.

“Are you serious?” I choked out with a little laugh. “Do you think I was going to miss out on the chance to kill one of Sadira’s fledglings, as well as deny them more blood if I was given the chance? Of course I had to kill her.” I dropped my bag to the hardwood floor with a clang as my weapons knocked against one another.

“And killing her had nothing to do with you being jealous?”

“Jealous!” I snarled at him while a fire burst into existence behind him in the fireplace. To his credit, he didn’t flinch. If anything, his smile seemed to grow a little wider. “I was not jealous of that sleazy tart.”

Valerio laughed deeply as he took a step toward me. “I know your mind, Mira. You can’t hide from me. You’re eaten through and through with jealousy. Did you think that I belong exclusively to you?”

“I know you don’t belong to me the same way that I don’t belong to you. We’re both free to go our own way and seek amusement with whomever we choose,” I said quickly, but the words were like acid burning away at my throat. Valerio was right. I was jealous beyond rational thought. I didn’t want another nightwalker touching him while I was around. If I had my way, I would burn through every nightwalker that dared to lay eyes on him without my permission, but I knew we couldn’t continue with our current laissez-faire relationship if I was going to be jealous of every female that panted after him.

Valerio closed the distance between us. Raising his right hand, he wrapped it around my throat, pressing his thumb into my cheek. “Say it. Look at me and say it,” he commanded in a low voice that was nearly a growl rumbling in his hard chest.

“I am jealous,” I bit out, glaring at him.

“Again!”

“I’m jealous,” I said louder, my temper burning inside of me.

“What else?” he pressed, his eyes falling shut.

“I hated her touching you. I hated watching you kiss her. I wanted to pull her hair out, make her scream in pain before finally causing her to beg for death.”

Valerio opened his eyes and they were glowing when he looked at me. He roughly grabbed my hand with his free left hand, bringing it to the front of his pants. I could feel his body growing harder with each word that I uttered. My own anger disappeared in an instant as I mindlessly started caressing him through the fabric. My jealousy, my insane need to possess him, had turned him on instead of shoving him away.

“More,” he commanded in a rough voice.

“I’m going to continue to kill them, Valerio.” My hand slid up the front of his pants and undid the buttons holding them closed. “I’m going to kill every woman that dares touch you. They’re all going to burn.” Sliding my hand inside of his pants as they hung loosely on his hips, I wrapped my fingers firmly around his hardened member and stroked him, pulling a long moan from his lips. “None of them will ever want you like I do.”

“I know,” he murmured before he pulled me close and captured my mouth in a rough, possessive kiss that wiped away all memories of Eva. There were only his full lips as they caressed my lips, parting them as his tongue darted into my mouth. He tasted me, memorized me, seared me with the growing heat between us.

His mouth left mine only to travel down my neck as he gripped the front of my shirt and ripped it apart. He tore my thin white chemise underneath it in two, baring my breasts. While one hand kneaded my left breast, his mouth devoured my right. My knees threatened to buckle as the tip of his tongue circled my nipple before he sucked hard on it, wringing a moan of pleasure from me. At the same time, I continued to pump him while my other hand struggled to pull his shirt apart so that I could get to his bare chest.

“Too many clothes,” I complained as I fought for a single clear thought. I needed him closer. I needed to touch and kiss and suck on all of him without the hindrance of all this useless fabric.

Taking my lips in a last harsh kiss, the nightwalker took one step away from me, pulling free of my grasp. In a couple quick motions, he pulled off the remains of my shirt and chemise before shucking his own jacket and shirt. We individually fought with our pants and shoes before he tackled me onto the bed, pressing his cool skin along my entire length.

Where Valerio was usually gentle and teasing, he was now rough and hurried as if his precious control had finally snapped. His hands and mouth were everywhere at once, driving me insane, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to feel him inside of me.

With his legs still hanging off the edge of the bed, I shoved him onto his back and quickly straddled him, sliding his hardened member deep inside of me. Our moans of relief and pleasure echoed each other. I rose up and slowly sat again, taking him in my body in long, deep strokes. I rode him slowly, taking pleasure in every inch of him as he filled and stretched me.

But it wasn’t enough for him. Valerio wrapped his arms around my waist as he sat up and pushed to his feet while I remained impaled on him. He slammed my back into the nearest wall while I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. Back in control, he sped up the pace, pounding deep and hard inside of me. My back arched away from the wall as I pressed closer to him.

“Valerio,” I moaned, as the wave threatened to break over me. My body tingled with a thousand wonderful sensations while tension coiled tighter at my core.

“Let it come,” he panted. “I want to feel it.” His pace picked up until I finally shattered on a scream. My nails dug into his back while my body tightly clenched his, nearly halting him within me, but still he steadily moved, dragging out my orgasm.

When I was finally lying limp in his arms, Valerio took me over to the bed and gently laid me down. He unwound my legs from around his waist and let them slide down his body so that my feet dangled just above the floor. He had stopped moving inside of me, even though he remained buried to the hilt. With his right hand, he reached and slid his finger between the folds of my lips and gently caressed my clit, sending me nearly off the bed as a fresh shockwave grabbed my body.

“You didn’t think I was done with you, did you?”

“Of course not. You’re too hard to be done,” I murmured through the fog of pleasure. I thought my body had been sated by the first orgasm, leaving me awash in warm, liquid joy, but he was stirring up new feelings. “Tell me what you want. How can I please you? Hard, fast, slow; tell me.”

To my surprise, he slowly pulled out of me, bringing a whimper to my lips. “Roll over onto your stomach,” he said in a deep, husky voice. I immediately complied. At the same time, Valerio pulled me slightly off the bed so that my feet touched the ground. With his hand tightly holding my hips, he slid back inside of me, only deeper this time. He stretched me even more as he grew even harder. He moved slowly in and out of me, leaving me tightly clutching the bedclothes in my fists while I buried my face in the bed.

“Touch yourself, Mira,” he commanded, as he rubbed one hand along my rear end. “I want to feel it.”

I didn’t question him. My mind was too shattered for rational thought. He felt so good inside of me, wiping the rest of the world away. I forced the fingers on my right hand to loosen from the blanket and placed them between my legs, massaging my clit as he had done just a minute earlier. The second I did, Valerio moaned deeply and started moving a little harder and faster.

The same tension I had felt when he had me pinned to the wall returned with force, clenching every muscle until I thought I would explode. “Valerio . . . I . . . can’t . . .” I panted incoherently, fighting the wave but it was impossible with my fingers working over my body while Valerio hammered inside of me.

“Don’t stop!” he gruffly said, his hands clenching my hips. “You’re perfect for me. You’re so wonderfully tight and wet. God, I could be inside of you all night.”

“I . . . can’t . . . stop,” I cried one last time, desperately trying to hold onto the moment so that I could make him orgasm.

“Yes,” he hissed as my body tightened even more around his penis, milking him as a scream was ripped from my chest and my second orgasm obliterated all thought. Valerio moaned my name one last time before I felt him finally loose his grip on control and come deep inside of me. He collapsed on top of me, his cool chest pressed against my back, while his body remained buried deep inside of me. A shudder ran through the length of his strong frame before he lifted his head and pressed a gentle kiss to my shoulder.

Moving slowly, he withdrew from me and helped me lay down in the bed before he stretched out beside me. I looked up to find him gazing about the room, his brow furrowed slightly. I lay my head back on his chest and closed my eyes.

“Should I ask what is troubling you? You seemed to enjoy yourself,” I murmured against his chest.

“I was expecting to see some of the room on fire,” he admitted.

I lifted my head again and looked him in the eye. “Truly?”

“Yes. I thought I had pleasured you enough to make you lose control.”

A little laugh escaped me. “Anger, my darling. Anger tends to makes things explode into flames. Not pleasure.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “Disappointed?”

“Maybe a little, but it’s hard while feeling so deeply sated.”

“I’ll try to set something on fire for you next time,” I said with a chuckle.

“Thank you, cara. Making love to you always feels like I’m taking my life in my own hands. I have always wondered if I would burst into flames in a moment of heightened passion with you.”

Keeping my eyes closed, I reached up and pinched his side. He quickly captured the hand and pressed a kiss to the knuckles. “Well, I appreciate your bravery, but you’re at least safe on that front. Let another woman touch you and I can’t make the same promise.”

“No one will ever be able to please me the way you do. There won’t truly be anyone else, even after we decide to go our separate ways.”

I snuggled a little closer to his body and willed some of the tension to flow out of my frame despite his words. I always knew that one day we would eventually separate. It was inevitable. Everyone had these pretty ideas of forever, but eternity was a long time. The few nightwalkers I had heard of that had turned a mate in the name of eternal love ended up killing each other just a couple centuries later. Nothing lasted forever, except maybe hatred.

CHAPTER FIVE

It was after midnight when Valerio and I hit the streets of Madrid again. This time I was wearing one of his shirts, since he had ruined my last one by ripping all the buttons off. Valerio left the center of the city in search of a safe place to spend the daylight hours as dawn approached, while I was to start scanning for the energy signature of the warlock. Wrapping a cloak around my shoulders, I kept my hidden hands near my blades as I wandered through the city alone. My companion warned me not to directly engage the warlock without him, and in truth I had no desire to.

Warlocks and witches were a tricky bunch to deal with. For as long as I could remember, the warlocks and nightwalkers had always had a “to each his own” kind of attitude, allowing everyone to go their own way without much trouble. Magic users and nightwalkers had long existed in the same cities, but we just adopted a way of avoiding each other whenever possible. Unfortunately, there were times when one side becomes somewhat territorial, pushing the other out, resulting in a fight. And I was sad to say that most of the time, the warlock won the battle for dominance if he was powerful enough. Most nightwalkers didn’t know how to defend themselves against a warlock and his mix of spells.

Unfortunately, I was one of them. I knew how to use a variety of weapons and had a mix of fighting styles dancing in my brain, but how did one defeat someone that used magic as a weapon? Certainly my sword wasn’t going to stop a spell slung in my direction. I knew the only reason that Valerio had left me alone to search out the warlock was due to my ability to manipulate fire. I had little doubt that he was hoping I would burn the bastard before he had to lift a finger. I wasn’t counting on it being that easy. It never was.

My wandering took me over to a park near the edge of the city. It had been a couple of centuries since I had last been in Madrid, but I had a feeling this green space served a similar purpose as Hyde Park in London—it was a place to see and be seen by society. For now, my attention was on a tall, slender figure leaning against a tree. A quick scan revealed there were some other humans about—most likely cutthroats and thieves—but they were not my concern. I was more interested in the steady pulse of energy coming from the lone stranger. He was definitely a warlock, but he couldn’t be the one we were searching for as he wasn’t very strong.

I paused roughly a block away. There was no question he could see me if he turned his head. I wasn’t trying to hide or even cloak myself. I would have felt more at ease if the warlock stepped forward and openly attacked me. This, however, felt like someone was dangling bait in front of my eyes in an all too obvious trap.

Valerio, how far away are you? I inquired silently as I reached out to my companion.

A few minutes. In trouble already?

Not yet, but soon I am sure.

With a frown, I continued down the street to the edge of the park where the figure was still standing alone against a tree. As I drew near, I could make out his chocolate brown hair as it hung down to his shoulder and curled up at his neck. He was taller than me and very lean, reminding me of a half-starved wolf in a frozen wood. His face was sharp and angular, matching his giant frame. As my footsteps finally crunched on the street as I crossed to the park, he turned his head to look at me. There was a shock of white hair that ran through the dark brown, framing his face, sending a chill down my spine. Such badges were earned through moments of extreme pain and duress, but if you survived the reward was usually greater than the pain suffered.

Yet, the most startling feature was his eyes. Or rather, eye. His left eye was puffy, bruised, and swollen completely shut. His right eye glittered like a gold coin. In the darkness, I couldn’t make out any other bruises, but I had a feeling they were there. Regardless, I had never seen eyes of such a remarkable color before.

“You’re the apprentice,” I announced as I closed the distance between us to a few feet.

“I am,” he admitted, not bothering to question what I was talking about. He continued to lean against the tree, but his body had stiffened as if he were preparing for an attack on my part. Weak warlock or not, he was undoubtedly aware that I was a nightwalker as I was not without my own power signature that hung heavy in the air. He narrowed his one good eye at me, trying to get a look at my face. Between the shadows of the night and the hood of the cloak I was wearing, I was confident that my appearance remained hidden from his view.

“You realize this is a poorly constructed trap,” I continued when silence settled between us again.

“Poorly constructed or not, if this is a trap, you have just stepped into it.”

“Sometimes you have to spring a trap to get at your true target,” I said with a shrug.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t a trap. This is simply me leaning against a tree.”

“And where is the warlock?”

“At the moment, I neither know nor care.”

His answer surprised me. “Are you hiding?”

“If I am, I’m not doing a very good job of it since you managed to find me.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that lifted the corners of my mouth as I watched him. My hands fell from where they rested on the hilts of my knives and I folded my arms under my breasts. “And in truth, you’re not exactly what I’m looking for.”

A smirk quirked one half of his mouth briefly, “I didn’t think I was your type.”

“You’re a bit young,” I said, lowering the hood of my cloak in an effort to open up my peripheral vision. I was growing less confident that this was a trap as his master failed to appear, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t be more aware of my surroundings. The humans that I had sensed earlier were still a distance off and were not moving closer to us, but I wanted to be ready nonetheless.

I continued to scan the young man, once again checking the level of energy naturally radiating off of him, as well as his age. He was in his early twenties at most and rather powerful for that young age, but was still a baby among most of the power-hungry creatures that hid from humanity.

“You don’t appear to be much older than me,” he replied, his one good eye sweeping over me from head to toe.

“As a nightwalker, looks can be deceiving. I’ve seen the passage of plagues and the fall of many kings.”

“Being young has its advantages.”

“Not in my world,” I murmured with a slight sigh. With age came strength, experience, wisdom, and new abilities. Youth only made you a bigger target. “Where’s your master?” I demanded again, unease settling back into my bones.

“As I said before, I don’t know. However, I’m sure if you remain near me you will be in luck eventually.”

“He’s the reason for your injuries, not nightwalkers,” I declared, wondering how much he was willing to open up to me.

“Don’t you have to face the consequences of your mistakes? Learning to be a powerful warlock is no easy thing.” His eyes dropped away from me as he spoke and he anxiously shifted from one foot to the other. For the first time, a hint of bitterness had entered his tone.

“And sneaking away from your master’s sanctuary to speak with a nightwalker will earn you more consequences.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Then leave him. Go somewhere safe.”

“Only so he can track me down at a later date?” he asked, his half-smile returned as he looked up at me. “Besides, there is a price for all knowledge gained and for now I am willing to pay.”

A cool breeze swept through the park, rustling the leaves on the trees. The night, otherwise, remained silent as it watched us, holding its breath for the inevitable fight that seemed to be looming in the air. I had expected the master warlock to have appeared by now, but I was beginning to believe the apprentice when he said that this was no trap. Looking at him, I decided to drop my pleas for him to seek a more understanding mentor. As Jabari had reminded me on more than one occasion, you could only save those who wanted to be saved, and this young man had no desire to be saved by me from his current circumstances, despite his current rebellion against his master.

“Why is he killing nightwalkers in Madrid?” I finally demanded, getting to the heart of the matter. I had a feeling my time was beginning to run short.

“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that. Anyway, why would I want to ruin the surprise for you, should you succeed in discovering the truth?”

“You seem to bear no ill will toward nightwalkers?”

“I feel none.”

“And yet your master does?”

“You shall have to ask him yourself.”

“Fear not, I will just before I kill him.”

For the first time, the apprentice looked genuinely amused. “I wish you luck with that.”

“You would not mind me getting rid of your source of valuable knowledge?”

“There are other sources,” he shrugged.

I opened my mouth to say something but quickly swallowed it. I sensed a new surge of power quickly approaching us and it was not Valerio. “You should go. Your master is coming.”

“And what if I said it was my duty to help him destroy you?”

“That would be a shame, because I really have no desire to kill you. Besides, leaving now would work more in your favor if you wish to continue to disobey him.”

He smiled at me wide enough that his one good eye narrowed to a slim golden slit. “You make a good point. Good luck.” He nodded once to me before rolling off the tree and walking across the park in the opposite direction of the approaching warlock.

I think it would be a good time for you to return, I mentally sent to Valerio, wishing he was already there. The ball of energy seemed to surround me and I couldn’t guess as to where the warlock was going to appear.

Do you have unwanted company? Valerio inquired, feeling no closer than when I had spoken to him last.

Yes, I hissed silently as a short figure stepped out of the darkness before me.

All of my muscles clenched, waiting for the first volley. He was shorter than his apprentice, with a thin covering of gray hair spread across the top of his head. He was dressed as if he had just come from the opera, a cape draped loosely over his narrow frame. If I had seen him on the street, I would not have taken any notice of him beyond the wave of power that washed off of him and crashed into me.

“Vampires are not welcome in Madrid,” he said in Spanish, but his accent was all wrong. If I had to guess, this warlock was actually from France, making his invasion of Madrid even more curious. Warlocks did not frequently leave their home territory. Something had not only driven him out of France, but was making him destroy my people as well.

“Madrid does not belong to you,” I replied in French, earning me a surprised look. “You have no rights here.”

“I have taken Madrid,” he proclaimed proudly. As if to punctuate his claim, fire sprouted out of the ground in a circle around me.

Any other nightwalker would have been quaking with fear. They would have screamed and tried to leap free of the flames as terror gripped them. I made a show of yawning while patting my hand over my mouth, causing the warlock’s look of triumph to crumple in confusion.

With a brief wave of my hand, the flames were immediately extinguished, plunging the park back into darkness. “I’m afraid that you haven’t.”

“The Fire Starter,” he gasped. “I thought you were just a silly myth the vampires created.”

“No, I’m afraid that she’s quite real.” The magic user twisted around to find Valerio standing several feet away from him, looking quite at ease with the whole arrangement. And why wouldn’t he? We had the warlock outnumbered and had taken away one of his greatest weapons: fire.

“And she’s been assigned to be your executioner,” I said with a smile. With only a thought, a ring of fire sprouted out of the ground around the warlock, who flinched at the sudden fiery threat.

“I do not think so,” he growled. The warlock instantly disappeared from sight.

“Valerio?” I called, extinguishing the flames. I should have burned the bastard the second I saw him, catching him by surprise. It probably wouldn’t have been that easy, but it would have been smart if I had tried.

“He’s close,” the nightwalker replied in a tense voice. It was one of the rare moments when Valerio wasn’t his usual jovial, easygoing self. But powerful warlocks could be damned tricky to kill.

Without warning, a surge of energy slammed into my chest, throwing me backward into a thick tree trunk. As I hit the ground with a heavy thud, I saw an explosion of flames where I had last seen Valerio standing. Still sprawled on the cold ground, I waved my hand, getting rid of the fire, hoping they had not yet touched my companion. When my eyes had adjusted to the darkness again, I found that both Valerio and the warlock were missing. There was something seriously frustrating about fighting against creatures significantly more powerful than myself.

Pushing to my feet again, I threw back my cloak over my shoulders and palmed a knife in each hand. Eventually, the warlock would have to reappear if he hoped to kill me as well. At least I liked to think it would work that way. I had no powers beyond my ability to control fire. I was counting on my speed and strength to catch this bastard off guard so I could finally gut him.

The warlock appeared a second later, standing in the same spot he had been in only moments ago. I lunged at him, both weapons drawn, but was halted by an invisible barrier, stopping me less than a foot from his chest. He smiled at me for a second before turning his attention to his left. Out of the corner of my eye, I also saw Valerio reappear. The nightwalker didn’t move, but merely watched with his arms folded over his chest.

Jumping backwards, I twisted my wrists, causing the moonlight to dance off the silver blades. “Come out, coward,” I snarled, my lips curling back to reveal my fangs. Adrenaline surged through my veins.

“As you wish,” the warlock murmured with a dark grin. He waved his hand before his body and I could feel the shift in energy. The barrier between us had been dropped.

“Mira! Don’t!” Valerio shouted as I shifted my weight to lunge at the warlock with my knives. I froze, muscles straining against the sudden change in motion.

“Interloper,” the warlock growled. Flinging out one hand, the warlock released a wooden stake he had kept hidden in the folds of his cape. The stake embedded in Valerio’s chest, knocking him onto his back. A scream of panic and rage escaped me. I didn’t know whether the stake had struck Valerio’s heart. It didn’t matter. I was ready to rip the warlock’s head off with my bare hands as rage blinded me to everything else.

I jumped at the warlock, attempting to knock him to the ground while plunging my blades deep within his chest. I wasn’t fast enough. The warlock once again waved his hand at me with a smirk. Energy swelled in the air and pummeled me in the chest. For a second, I flew through the air, pain exploding in my chest at the impact. My body slammed into something incredibly hard and unyielding before I finally hit the ground several feet away. My vision swam as my fingers convulsed and released their hold on the blades. I lifted my head, trying to gather the strength to launch another attack before he turned his attention to Valerio, but it was too late. Blackness crowded my vision while panic washed up over me in an enormous wave. My last thought was of Valerio’s prone body before consciousness slipped from my grasp.

CHAPTER SIX

“Drink, Mira.”

The command permeated the darkness, but the world swam around me as if my brain was floating in rough seas. Even before I opened my eyes, the scent of blood assailed me. Warm flesh brushed against my lips and I didn’t question. I opened my mouth and sank my fangs in. The blood flowed down my throat in a rush, heating my half-frozen body while pushing back a variety of aches and throbbing pains. I drank until the fog around my thoughts cleared and my brain stopped bobbing in the ocean. At the same time, I slowly became aware of a heartbeat that was growing slower and more sluggish. Whoever was supplying me with my warm meal was dying. With a great deal of reluctance, I released the person only to hear a heavy thud when the body hit the floor.

Running my tongue over my teeth, I drew in a slow breath and opened my eyes while trying to recall memories of what had happened to me just before the darkness overtook my thoughts. Delicate gold fabric hung over me in a canopy while my body sank into the softness of the bed. It didn’t make any sense. How did I get into a bed? The last thing I remembered was being in a park on the edge of the city.

And then my eyes finally fell on an older woman who stood at the end of the bed, a beautiful smile gracing her wrinkled face. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen her looking so happy. But then, it had been more than a century since I had last looked on Sadira’s face, and I had prayed then that I would never see her again.

“How are you feeling?” she inquired as I stared mutely at her, trying to sort through a menagerie of jumbled thoughts and emotions.

Pushing into a sitting position, I tried to ignore the fact that the room spun slightly. “Fine. Where am I?” There was a crust of blood in my hair as well as a small lump on my skull from where I had either hit a tree or a rock.

Sadira’s smile widened. “Your home.”

“This isn’t my home.”

She paid me no heed as she walked over to the door and opened it. A young nightwalker with blond hair silently stepped into the room. He bent down and tossed the unconscious woman on the floor over his shoulder. I could still faintly hear her heartbeat. She was holding onto life, no thanks to me, but I was beginning to have my doubts as to whether she would survive much longer. I had just taken a large chunk out of their food stores, not to mention recently stopped Sadira’s group from acquiring more food. It was likely that Sadira would have the woman drained rather than wait on her recovery. It was just easier to get someone new to fill in the woman’s place.

“Oh, Mira, my child, this will always be your home. You were born here,” she said sweetly as she shut the door, closing us away from the rest of the world. At the same time, I threw back the covers and pushed out of the bed. I felt as if I was better prepared to take on whatever she planned to throw at me if I was on my feet. My hands slid down my sides only to discover that both of my blades were missing. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t completely helpless when it came to facing down my maker.

“This was never a home for me. You took me from my true home, held me prisoner.” My words stopped there because I refused to lie to myself about any other things that happened in this castle. I couldn’t blame her for making me into the monster that I was. That had been my choice. I could have chosen death over becoming a nightwalker, but I didn’t.

“You know that I was only trying to do what was best for you. You didn’t belong with those mortals,” she argued, lightly clasping her hands before her stomach.

I shook my head, closing my eyes against a rush of memories from my human years. I didn’t know if it was my own doing or if Sadira was mucking around in my brain, conjuring up these painful thoughts to cloud my judgment. Right now, this was an old and unimportant argument. There were greater things at risk.

“How did I get here?” I demanded, quickly changing the subject.

“I brought you here.” Sadira took a cautious step closer. “I felt your pain and I rushed to your side. I would never allow anything to harm my child.”

A derisive snort escaped me as I clenched my teeth. She wouldn’t allow anything to harm me that didn’t have her explicit approval first. I had suffered through years of mental and physical abuse not only at her hands, but under her direct gaze as others pummeled me in my youth. Sadira’s memory had always been very selective, but then it was how she succeeded in controlling those around her.

“Did you see the warlock?”

“Yes, Artus allowed me to take you, so long as you promise to stay within the confines of the castle.”

“Where is Valerio?” I demanded, but I was already reaching out with my mind for his. I stretched all the way back to the city with its bustle of people, but I could not sense him. A chill gripped my frame and a lump grew in my throat, threatening to choke me. I couldn’t sense him. I remembered seeing him get hit with the wooden stake and fall to the ground, but at that time I could still sense his essence. He had not been killed.

Not being able to sense Valerio now meant that he was either dead or that he had left the immediate area completely. The thought of his possible death shattered my thoughts, but I felt no better if he was alive and had chosen to leave me alone in Sadira’s clutches. I would have been safer in the hands of Artus.

“I believe Artus has him, though I do not know if he lives still.”

“Then I have to go after him,” I declared, taking a step toward the door. Sadira quickly slid between me and the door. She raised her hands to touch me, but I lurched backward, out of her immediate reach. I was taller than she, but I wasn’t willing to bet that I was stronger. She was older than me by centuries, and beneath her old, frail demeanor was a vicious tiger waiting to bare its claws. I had learned to tread cautiously when dealing with my maker.

“You can’t leave here, Mira. It’s not safe.”

“I won’t stay hiding in the castle with you and the rest of your family. I’m going after Valerio.”

“A full day has passed since I found you in the park. It’s likely that he’s dead now and you will only follow in his footsteps if you attempt to take on Artus. He’s extremely powerful.”

“All the more reason to go. Someone must avenge his death,” I said in a rough voice as grief threatened to swamp me. There couldn’t be a world without Valerio in it. Such a thing couldn’t exist. He was the one that taught me to laugh. He was the one that taught me to enjoy my gifts and powers in this dark and violent world. He was my only bright spot in the eternity that stretched out before me.

“Rest, Mira,” Sadira cooed, approaching me in such a way that I was forced back against the bed. “You’ve been through so much. I can feel what Valerio meant to you. He was a wonderful friend to you and I am grateful that he had been by your side these many years. But you have to keep in mind that he was also an old and powerful nightwalker. If he was killed by Artus, what hope do you have?”

Pain and anguish swamped me, pulling me down until I found myself sitting on the edge of the bed again. Tears slipped unchecked down my cheeks as I stared blindly ahead at a tapestry hanging on the wall. Sadira’s cool hands cupped my cheeks as she wiped away my tears. I could feel her in my mind now, weaving her way through my thoughts and memories as if she were a vine choking out the life that was growing there.

“You’re home now and safe. Away from the demands of the coven and back where I can watch over you, protect you,” she murmured in a haunting voice. While the pain of Valerio’s death consumed me, there was a simple comfort in her words. If I stayed in the castle, I would not have to go back out and deal with the coven again. I would no longer be a pawn to be batted about in the war between Jabari and Macaire. Sadira would keep me veiled from the sight of the world.

Tipping my head up, I found myself getting lost in her dark eyes. “With you home again in the castle, Artus will leave Madrid and make trouble elsewhere. We are all safe.”

I blinked a couple times as a thought came nagging back to the forefront of my mind. “That’s not what the coven wanted.”

“It doesn’t matter what the coven wants,” Sadira corrected. “All that matters is that you’re home and that the nightwalkers in this little family are safe again. Isn’t that what’s important?”

Another thought swam forward through the darkness that was crowding my brain. A memory of the coven and Jabari sitting on his chair. Jabari had protected me, taught me, loved me while Sadira had been the one to manipulate and tear me down so that I was easier to control. Jabari had sent Valerio and me to kill this warlock to protect our people. The assignment had originally been given to Valerio, but it now fell to me, following his supposed death. The coven was the true power in my world, not the promises of safety that Sadira was so carefully weaving.

“No. The important thing is killing Artus. That is what the coven ordered and that’s what I’m going to do,” I said, my voice gaining strength as I spoke.

“Is this how you’re going to honor Valerio’s sacrifice? He died trying to protect you and now you’re going to throw your life away by chasing after this warlock?”

I pulled my face out of her grasp and pushed to my feet, forcing her to take a step backward, away from me. “Valerio would respect my choice. The coven ordered that this warlock be hunted down and killed for what he has done to our people. I obey the coven. I obey Jabari’s wishes.”

Turning, I started toward the door, confidence starting to fill me once again. I was pushing Sadira out of my thoughts and I was focused on a single mission: kill Artus. Nothing else mattered.

“He’s using you, Mira,” Sadira said sharply, halting my hand as I reached for the door handle. “Jabari is only using you.”

Narrowing my eyes, I gazed over my shoulder at my maker, waiting for her to continue. Her expression had changed from one of happiness and sweet compassion to a cold, hard look. I had always suspected there was a growing animosity between the two nightwalkers, considering that Jabari had essentially stolen me right out of Sadira’s arms. I knew there was no love between them, but I wondered how far either creature would go to have complete control over me.

“Jabari is merely playing a game with you, testing you,” Sadira continued, now that she was sure that she had my full attention. “He wanted to know if I could steal you back if you were forced to enter my domain again.”

“Jabari sent Artus to Madrid?”

“Yes.”

“Jabari told Artus to kill nightwalkers?”

“Artus has killed at least a dozen nightwalkers and it is all because of Jabari.”

“And Artus has killed Valerio,” I murmured, turning to look at the door again.

“Possibly so.”

“All in the name of a tug-of-war contest between you and Jabari over control of me,” I snarled. “I’ve heard enough. I’m going to kill Artus and then I will deal with you and the Ancient.”

“Mira, you can’t think to take on Jabari,” Sadira argued. “He will destroy you or worse.”

“Worse? Worse than what? Remaining here as your puppet and witless doll? Jabari may have his games, but he doesn’t try to control my actions the way you do. I’ve had enough. Don’t come near me again.”

“Mira!” she cried, her hand falling on my shoulder as I jerked open the door. At her touch, I could feel her attempting to push into my brain again where she could warp my thoughts. I shoved her out of my mind as I shrugged off her touch. The door burst into flames as I slammed it shut behind me. Sadira’s scream of terror could be heard echoing throughout the old castle. I could hear her thoughts clearly as she called for her children to help her. She was unharmed, but flames were starting to creep around the room, scaring her. I wasn’t concerned. There was a window in the room. If she wanted freedom, she had a way out. She was first seeing who would come rushing to her rescue.

A dark smile lifted the corners of my mouth as I stalked past more than a dozen nightwalkers down the long hall. Not one of them reached out to stop me. Not one attempted to knock down the door to free their precious savior. They feared Sadira and the punishment that she would mete out, but they feared the Fire Starter more.

I didn’t know whether to believe everything Sadira had told me about Jabari, and in truth, it didn’t matter. My only concern now was hunting down Artus, killing him, and discovering whether Valerio was truly dead.

CHAPTER SEVEN

I focused all my powers on looking for the energy signature of the warlock and/or his apprentice somewhere within the city. It didn’t take me long to finally stumble upon a large house not far from the park where I could sense both the warlock and his young apprentice. I had a suspicion that neither were actually expecting to see me considering I had fallen back into Sadira’s hands. I was hoping to use that little bit of surprise to my advantage when I had no other edge to cling to when it came to facing down a powerful warlock.

Standing on the street outside the rambling house, I scanned it one last time before walking up the stairs. Inside I felt the faint pulse of power that was unique to nightwalkers. Artus was holding a nightwalker hostage in the cellar. The nightwalker was extremely weak, but still alive. Hope bloomed in my chest for the first time since leaving Sadira’s castle. Valerio might still be alive. He had been the only other nightwalker within the city and it made sense that he might be the one that Artus could be holding.

Wrapping that hope up in my clenched fist, I mounted the stairs and kicked in the front doors. Candles flickered around the empty hallway while oil lamps burned steadily. I was sorely tempted to force the lamps to explode in flames, coating the rugs and walls with oily fire, but I held my temper. I would need a safe route out of the house if I was going to save Valerio. Besides, I needed to save my energy for the warlock.

“You should never have come here,” echoed an empty voice as I stepped farther into the hallway. Behind me, the double doors slammed shut and locked.

“I am here for Valerio,” I said as I marched through the seemingly empty house, following the nightwalker energy signature that I could sense. After jerking open several doors at the back of the house, I finally located one that hid a set of stairs leading beneath the first floor. Darkness swallowed up the stairs, looking as if I was plunging down into the bowels of Hell itself. I didn’t hesitate. I was finally getting close to Valerio. He needed me.

The cellar was largely empty. A single oil lamp burned on a table in the far corner, revealing a clutter of items that had been shoved into jars for safekeeping until they were needed for spells. Stone columns ran down the center of the large room, holding up the old house. Near the back of the room, I found Valerio tied to a chair. He was slumped forward with his lovely hair obscuring his face. Blood soaked into his shirt as the wooden stake still protruded from his chest, just below where his heart rested. He had hung on through the day and was barely clinging to life now as blood leaked from his chest. Valerio desperately needed to feed if he was to survive the night.

Artus stepped out from behind Valerio’s chair, frowning at me, while his apprentice leaned against the wall near the oil lamp with his arms folded over his chest. His expression was blank, giving me no indication as to what he felt about the events that were about to unfold before him. There was obviously no love between him and his master, but I doubted that there was enough animosity to benefit me.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Artus said in a low voice.

“You have something that belongs to me,” I replied, pushing the words out through clenched teeth.

“Leave here. Return to Sadira and I will release this one as he is.”

“It’s too late for that. Sadira has lost her hold on me. Jabari and the coven have ordered your death for what you have done to my people and I will follow through on their command.”

“Then I guess both of you will die,” he said smoothly. As he took a step toward me, Artus gave Valerio’s chair a hard shove, knocking it off balance so that he was falling forward. I surged forward in a flash, grabbing Valerio by the shoulders before he could crash to the floor, driving the stake further into his chest. At the same time, Artus plunged a knife in my back as I knelt on the ground with my hands full. I screamed in pain and in rage as I set Valerio’s chair on all fours again.

Twisting around, I found Artus standing where I had been just moments ago, clutching a bloody dagger in his left hand. I hadn’t retrieved any of my missing knives from Sadira; I didn’t need them to destroy the warlock. Pushing to my feet, I concentrated on the warlock, creating a circle of fire around him to keep him locked into one location. I conjured up a ball of flames in my right hand. Throwing the fire ball at him with all my strength, I prayed it would burn the bastard to a blackened crisp. The fire ball slammed into a blue-tinted barrier between him and me and quickly dissipated. The warlock waved his hand and the flames around him also disappeared. My ability to set him on fire had been effectively nullified. I would need another form of attack.

With a smile thinning my lips, I walked over to the warlock and attempted to simply punch him, but I couldn’t physically get through the barrier either. Unfortunately, he could. His dagger slashed at me with lightning speed, forcing me to quickly jerk out of his reach before the silver blade could catch me across the throat.

Standing back out of his arm’s reach, I clenched and unclenched my fists as I struggled to think of some way to strike at him. I had no other magical abilities at my disposal and my physical attacks had been easily blocked by his magical barrier. He could strike at me all he wanted, but I couldn’t touch a hair on the top of his balding head. It was frustrating enough for me to nearly set the room on fire and try to burn us all rather than allow him to walk away from this battle.

A metallic clatter jerked my gaze around toward the apprentice, who was still leaning against the wall. I looked down to find that a silver and gold dagger had been dropped on the stone floor at his feet. With his right foot, he gave the dagger a kick, sliding it across the floor toward me.

“Traitor!” Artus screamed, pointing toward his young apprentice.

“You betrayed us all with this agreement. Why should I support you?” the apprentice said nonchalantly.

“I’ll kill you for this!”

“Not if she kills you first.”

Bending down, I picked up the dagger, testing its weight in my hand. It wasn’t a particularly well-made blade, but it didn’t matter. I could feel the magic embedded in the metal so that it practically hummed with a life of its own. Turning to Artus, I sliced through the air near him. The warlock jumped backward so that he slammed into the wall behind him. With an evil grin, I noticed that the blade easily made it through the blue-tinged barrier that surrounded him. The fight had been put back on even ground.

Taking another step closer, I slashed at him, aiming to open up a series of cuts on him so that he would slowly bleed to death like Valerio. The warlock barely managed to block my swings as sweat beaded on his brow in panic. A second later, he disappeared completely. I spun around, waiting for him to attack my back, but he didn’t appear where I thought he would.

I sensed his energy a second before he appeared across the room in front of his apprentice. Artus didn’t take the time to put the protective barrier back in place as I was sure that he was expecting to be in the spot for only a second. He raised his hand with the dagger and brought it down in a slashing motion toward his apprentice, who was staring over his master’s shoulder at me. I caught the hand from behind just before it plunged the knife into the apprentice’s chest.

“Never turn your back on a nightwalker,” I hissed as I shoved the dagger I was holding deep into the warlock’s back. Artus had been so consumed with anger that he thought he could strike down his apprentice and then disappear before I could reach him. He underestimated me and now he was paying a steep price.

Jerking the blade free, I pressed it to the warlock’s throat while still tightly grasping his hand. I squeezed until his fingers broke in my hand and his dagger clattered to the ground. A low moan escaped Valerio as the scent of blood finally drew a response out of the dying nightwalker.

“Get out of here. When I release him, he won’t try to differentiate between the two of you. You’ll only be a source of blood,” I warned the apprentice. He nodded before slipping around his master and running across the room. I waited until I heard his footsteps echo across the hallway and the front door slam shut before I slashed open Artus’s throat.

The warlock crumpled at my feet when I released him, pressing both hands to his throat to stanch the blood pouring forth. His breathing came in gurgling gasps, but I thought I heard Jabari’s name once among his desperate breaths. A cold chill slipped through my frame as I once again questioned whether Sadira had been telling the truth. Had this all been a game between my maker and my mentor? A game that nearly cost Valerio his life.

Picking up the dagger from the ground, I walked over and cut the ropes that bound Valerio to the chair. The nightwalker swayed to his feet, one hand clutching the stake in his chest. With a roar of pain, he jerked the stake free while his other hand covered the wound to hold in the blood. With glowing eyes, he turned toward the sputtering warlock and leapt on him. It sounded as if Artus attempted to scream, but his slashed throat prevented it.

Valerio drank deeply of the warlock, replenishing some of the blood that he had lost. The warlock would have stronger, more powerful blood than the average human. This would help speed up the healing process, but I knew that Valerio would need to feed several more times tonight before he was well on his way toward recovery.

I stood nearby with daggers in both hands, keeping a close eye on the warlock to make sure that he didn’t attempt one last spell before he died. However, pain flooded his wide eyes, keeping him from being able to cast anything before death finally gripped him. I could feel his soul flutter coldly past me when his heart stopped.

Valerio pushed the dead body away from him in disgust before he moved to sit with his back against the wall. There was a fine tremble in his hands as he pulled open his shirt to reveal a slowly closing hole in his chest. The flow of blood was merely a trickle, but it all needed to be replaced. And it would be.

“You came for me,” he said in a rough voice. Valerio closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall. His hands dropped limply to his sides as he rested.

“Of course I did.”

“I vaguely recall him telling me that you were with Sadira. I had my doubts,” he admitted.

“Sadira has no control over me,” I said brusquely. It angered me that he had so little faith in my loyalty and devotion to him, but I said nothing. I couldn’t because I knew that his fears were founded in truth. Sadira had a special way of getting into a creature’s head and twisting their thoughts. I had spent a century under her control, making me vulnerable to a repeat performance. “She said that you were dead and I was not about to let the warlock escape without retribution.”

A ghost of a smile tweaked the corners of his beautiful mouth as his eyes fluttered open to look at me. “Grazie.”

“Save your strength,” I chuckled. “You still need to feed. I am eager to get back to Venice. Jabari has to answer for this mess.”

“Jabari arranged all of this?”

“As a test or a game, I’m not sure which. I would like to have some words with the Ancient.”

“Be careful, Mira. It’s one thing to defeat a warlock. It’s not wise to try to take on Jabari. You know you’re not strong enough.”

“I just have some questions for him,” I said with a shrug.

“I’m sure that’s all it will be,” Valerio said, his voice edged with sarcasm. With a weary shake of his head, he raised one hand to me. “Help me up. Let’s hunt and then be free of this city. I never was a fan of Madrid.”

“Neither am I,” I murmured, carefully helping him to his feet. Of course, I was eager to put more distance between Sadira and myself. I was beginning to feel the same way about Jabari, but first we would have words. I just hoped that he wouldn’t kill me for my impertinence.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Valerio kept one hand tightly wrapped around my elbow as I attempted to march straight into the Main Hall of the coven. After watching Valerio struggle with feeding for more than an hour and knowing the cause was likely just a game to Jabari, I was ready for a little spilled blood. I also didn’t appreciate being in the middle of a power struggle between Sadira and Jabari. I was not a toy to be fought over.

Dark clouds churned overhead and the trees that lined the narrow path toward the Main Hall swayed as the wind picked up. In the distance, I could hear the lagoon slapping hard against the side of the island, as the wind whipped the water into a frothing frenzy. The night was chilly despite being in the tight grip of spring, but I paid it little heed.

“Get a hold of your temper, cara,” Valerio warned.

“After you were nearly killed? I think not.”

His hand once again tightened on my elbow, forcing me to slow my gait to a leisurely stroll. “I should have been more careful.”

“If this was about me, you shouldn’t have been there at all.”

“Sending me was the only sure way they had to get you to go to Madrid. You would never have willingly gone alone. Everyone knows of your hatred for Sadira. If this was a game of Jabari’s, then they needed me as the bait.”

His words didn’t help to calm my temper. Valerio was not bait. He was my lover, my friend, my companion, my compatriot in arms.

As we rounded the last turn in the path, we found Jabari standing alone outside of the Main Hall, waiting for us. I had no doubt that the Ancient knew my thoughts and was hoping to have this conversation away from the rest of the court and the coven. I knew he was doing me a favor by trying to keep this private. A scene in front of the coven would definitely result in a harsh beating, if not my death. For now, I was a favored pet of the Ancient and apparently he was not ready to be rid of me.

“Welcome back,” Jabari began, throwing out his arms to us. “I trust that the problem in Madrid has been taken care of.”

“Yes, I killed the warlock that you hired to kill our people,” I snarled as I came to a halt several feet away from the nightwalker. Valerio retained his tight hold on me, seeming to fear that I would attack Jabari. I was seething with anger, but I was not yet insane. I knew that Jabari could rip me apart in a heartbeat.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me!” I screamed, finally jerking my elbow free from Valerio’s grasp. My companion took a step backward, putting some space between him and the fight that was brewing. He may have cared for me, but he would not step between us, should I invoke Jabari’s anger.

“Careful, my desert flower.” Jabari’s warning in a low voice, sent a chill across my skin, but I ignored it. He had a price to pay for what both Valerio and I suffered.

“Sadira told me everything,” I snarled, taking a step closer to him. “She told me how this was just a game between the two of you to see who actually possessed control over me. Nightwalkers were killed in the name of a stupid contest of wills. Valerio was nearly killed. You put me back into Sadira’s hands, a place I swore I would never go again. For what?”

“You are a powerful asset, Mira,” Jabari said. “I had to be sure of where your allegiances lie.”

“Allegiance? This wasn’t about allegiance. This was about control. I’m not your puppet to be played with.”

Jabari lunged toward me faster than I could possibly react. His large hand wrapped around my slender throat and he pulled me close so that my breasts brushed against his flowing white robes. His black eyes narrowed on me while I grabbed his hand with both of mine. I didn’t struggle or try to loosen his grip, but simply waited for him to make his first move.

“I’m afraid, my dearest, that you are my puppet,” he whispered in a soft, soothing voice. “But none of this matters. You chose correctly. Now I know that I do not have to worry about Sadira’s hold over you. You belong exclusively to me.”

“Sadira has no hold over me.”

“She has more power over you than you realize, but now is not the time for such things. None of this matters any longer because you won’t remember any of it.”

Panic struck like a fist to my stomach. I tried to struggle against Jabari’s hold on my throat, but he was too strong. Yet in this case, his strength made no difference. I felt his presence in my thoughts a second later and my entire body went completely stiff. I couldn’t move no matter how hard I tried. Plunging deep into my thoughts, I tried to push Jabari out but he was too powerful. I could feel him manipulating my memories about our trip to Madrid. My thoughts about Sadira grew hazy and fragmented.

Blackness crowded around my eyes and I felt my knees buckle beneath me so that I was being held up by Jabari’s hand around my neck. I mentally tried to swim against the darkness, but it continued to swamp me, dragging me down until consciousness slipped from my grasp. The last thing I heard was Jabari telling Valerio to get me away from Venice. And then there was nothing.

The night felt old and weary when I awoke buried under thick covers in a soft bed. I stared up at the ice blue canopy over my head, waiting for the shaking to stop. My last memories were of being held captive by Jabari as he pillaged my memories for his own purposes. But even that memory was starting to grow dim as time passed. I knew that before the sun rose I would not remember the encounter in front of the Main Hall. I wondered if this was the first time Jabari had manipulated my memories, but the sharp twist in my stomach told me that it was not the first and would not be the last.

As the trembling stopped, I threw off the blankets and sat up in bed. Looking around the room, some of the tension eased from my frame. I was in one of the bedrooms in Valerio’s home in Milan, one of the few places that I felt safe. We moved about too often for me to feel as if his place in Milan was a home, but I knew that I was safe for now as we had put some distance between us and the coven.

Looking down, I found that I was dressed in a white nightgown that brushed the floor. The material was so sheer than I might as well have been wearing nothing at all. A gentle breeze slipped through the room, rustling my nightgown before dancing out the open double doors. It was then that I finally sensed Valerio standing on the balcony. Joining him outside, he turned his head toward me and graced me with a sad sort of smile. He knew everything and would remember everything, but he would never be permitted to utter a word to me or it would mean his life. He carried a heavy secret, one of many relating to me, I was sure.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I murmured.

Valerio extended one arm toward me and I walked into his embrace, loving the feel of being pressed against his strong chest. He had changed clothes and all evidence of his injury and trouble in Madrid had been wiped away, but I could feel the tension in his frame.

“I thought you would want somewhere quiet to recover from our trip,” he replied before pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“Why did he do it?” I whispered in a broken voice. “How could Jabari not trust me?”

“What do you mean, cara?”

I lifted my head to look him directly in the eye. “I remember, Valerio, though it is fading fast. It was just a game between Jabari and Sadira for control over me. How many died for their amusement? You nearly died because they needed to strengthen their control over me.”

“I’m sorry, cara mia,” he said. Lifting one hand to my cheek, he swept away a tear that was streaking down my face.

“How many times have they done this?”

Valerio said nothing, but his expression grew grimmer. The knot in my stomach tightened, making me feel sick as I wondered how much more I didn’t remember because of Jabari.

“Am I nothing more than a weapon to them?” I continued.

“You forget who you are, Mira. You are the Fire Starter. You are the ultimate weapon among our kind. The nightwalker that holds your allegiance holds power over all of our people. Jabari cannot afford to lose his control over you to anyone, even Sadira.”

“Is that why you are so eager for my company?”

Valerio smiled at me, his thumb caressing my cheekbone. “Having the Fire Starter at my side does afford me a feeling of security,” he admitted. “However, Jabari is keeping a close watch on our arrangement. He will kill me if he thinks there is a chance of me coming between your loyalties to him.”

“Then you’re taking a risk by being with me.”

“Cara, you are worth the risk. I need your laughter and your warm spirit next to me as the nights drift past.”

“I’m not just another weapon?”

“No, you are my love.”

A lump grew in my throat as I stared up at him. It was the first time either of us had uttered that word in such a way over the past several decades of traveling together. I had never allowed myself to wonder how deep Valerio’s feelings ran for me. I couldn’t allow myself such thoughts for fear of questioning my own feelings for him. We always had a silent agreement that we were not to dwell on the serious, but just enjoy each moment and each amusement as they came to us.

Valerio’s hand dropped from my cheek and dipped into his pocket. The arm wrapped around my back moved and he gently took my left hand in his hand. I looked down as he slid a silver band over my ring finger. Waves were etched into the ring, flowing around the band like the waves of the ocean. Forever and unending.

“You are bound to me,” he said softly. His voice danced around me, wrapping me in a sweet embrace. “Not because I am your maker. Not because I have a power to control you. You are bound to me by love. Time will pass and we will drift apart, as all of our kind finally does, but we will forever have our hearts bound to each other by a deep love and respect. Jabari will never have the power to erase that memory or break that bond.”

Leaning into him, I tightly wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head on his shoulder, snuggling as close as possible. Already my memories of speaking to Sadira were so foggy that I felt myself letting go of them. The last of the tension eased from my body and I closed my eyes. I wasn’t sure what Valerio was talking about with Jabari, as I doubted the Ancient would ever have reason to come between Valerio and me, but it didn’t matter. I knew that Valerio used me at times for his own amusement, but there were deeper emotions now tying us together.

“Let’s go inside,” I murmured against his neck, my lips brushing against his flesh. “I want to show you how much I love you.”

Valerio bent down and scooped me up in his arms. As he carried me back inside to the bed, I looked up and found him smiling at me. And all was right in my world.

If you enjoyed Jocelynn Drake’s Dark Days series,
read on for a sneak peek at her next book,

ANGEL’S INK,
the first in The Asylum Tales series,
coming in October 2012!

CHAPTER ONE

The hammer of a gun clicked as it was cocked back.

That small, distinct sound sent a shiver through me, despite the summer heat shimmering off the sidewalk. My heart skipped. I froze with my right foot on the bottom step leading up to the tattoo parlor—so close to sanctuary, and yet I didn’t have a chance. The front door was locked. I was trapped, hanging helpless in that second, waiting for the gunman behind me to finally speak or send a bullet screaming through the back of my head.

“You fucking lied to me, Gage!” snarled my assailant. The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn’t until I slowly turned around that I realized why my life was hanging by a thread. I had tattooed the man just a couple weeks ago and apparently he wasn’t pleased with the result.

Russell Dalton was a large, beefy man full of muscles and a layer of fat around his waist from too many Big Macs and not enough core exercises. He was loud, obnoxious, and cheap. In my opinion, he had got what he paid for, but then it looked like he wanted to take his anger and frustration out on my hide as he remained in the shadows of the alley beside the parlor.

“I never lied to you,” I replied calmly, holding my hands open and out to my sides to show that I didn’t have any weapons. In this world, you couldn’t be too careful. I resisted the urge to look up at the sky, knowing that it was not long after noon—hours away from when the hulking Bronx would be able to get to the tattoo parlor. Damn trolls and their weakness for sunlight. I was on my own for now, but then it was better that way. Just the two of us and no one watching.

“You promised me good luck,” Russell accused. “Since I got this damn tattoo, I was fired from my job, my car was stolen, and my wife wants a divorce. That ain’t good luck.”

“You paid me fifty bucks for a shamrock tattoo the size of a quarter on the bottom of your foot.” Balling my hands into fists, I let my foot fall from the step and turned around to fully face my attacker. “That was barely enough to cover the cost of the ink and my time and expertise, not to mention the leprechaun hair that I threw into the mix. Do you know how hard it is to get that shit?”

In all honesty, I had a contact at a popular beauty parlor across town and she was kind enough to grab up samples of hair for me at a price. It wasn’t that hard to get my hands on leprechaun hair. The only problem was that it so easily turned bad if you weren’t careful. Obviously, my stockpile had taken an unexpected turn. I made a mental note that if I used it again I needed to cut the spell with water from a spring snow melt or fuzz from a white rabbit to counter the negative energy from the leprechaun hair.

Unfortunately, this cheap-ass dirt bag hadn’t paid enough for me to take those kinds of precautions. Hell, he shouldn’t have gotten the leprechaun hair at that price, but I had been in generous mood. Sometimes I can be a real dumbass when it comes to my clients, but then my motto was that you get what you pay for.

“You have to fix it!” Russell snarled, ignoring my question. “You have to make everything right again!”

“And let me guess, you want this work done for free?” I sneered.

“Damn right it’s free! You’ve ruined my life!”

I took a step forward and to my surprise, Russell slid half a step backward into the alley. That worked for me. I didn’t want this on the street, should someone walk by. “If you want good luck, it comes with a price, and the kind of luck you’re looking for is extremely expensive. You blew through my front door demanding lottery-winning luck while waving fifty bucks in my face. You got what you paid for. Buyer beware, buddy.”

“You fucking asshole! You’re not the only tattoo artist in Low Town! I don’t need you!” he shouted, shaking the gun at me.

I took another step toward Russell, backing him farther into the alley. “Yeah, but I’m the best and that’s why you came to me instead of some broke-down backroom operation with dirty needles and shady ingredients.”

“You’re obviously not any better!”

I had had enough of this shit. Keeping my eyes locked on his, I let the gym bag on my right shoulder slide off and hit the ground with a heavy thud. As I expected, he jerked the gun toward the bag. Taking advantage of his distraction, I edged forward and slammed both of my hands into the hand gripping the gun, knocking the weapon to the ground. Still holding his right hand, I twisted it at an awkward angle while dropping to my knee, putting Russell on his back in the dirty cobblestone alley. Before he could get his wits about him, I slammed my elbow into his face with a smile, feeling his nose fracture beneath my forearm while the back of his head hammered into the brick-covered ground.

“Asshole,” I muttered. Standing, I dusted off my jeans and stepped back. “Don’t show your face around here again or I’ll tell the cops what kind of tattoo you really came in my shop for.”

Sucking in a deep, cleansing breath, I summoned up a smattering of energy that swirled around me, begging for my touch. I raised my left hand toward him and clenched my fist as if I were grabbing his shirt before throwing out my arm. Russell slid violently down the alley until his head clanged into the side of a dumpster.

My breath froze in my chest and I watched the sky for the tell-tale flash of lightning that would streak across seconds before the appearance of a guardian. I wasn’t supposed to be using magic, no matter how minute. And the guardians were itching for an excuse to put my ass in a sling. I didn’t need to push my luck, but Dalton got under my skin. I was an excellent tattoo artist and I didn’t need his kind of bad karma mucking up my business. After a couple seconds and no lightning bolt, I relaxed. For now, I remained under the radar and I intended to stay there.

A large hand appeared from out of nowhere and wrapped around my throat, picking me up and slamming me against the alley wall of the tattoo parlor. A sharp-featured face leaned close so that I could easily make out the silver eyes with a hint of green. Black hair flowed around his face, putting his features in dark shadow despite the bright sunlight.

“Gideon,” I choked out as I held onto his hand, trying to loosen his grip before I suffocated. “It’s been a long time.”

“Not long enough,” he said in a menacing voice as he raised his wand and dug it into my cheek.

My heart pounded in my chest far worse than when I was facing the barrel of Dalton’s gun. I’d always known I could stop a bullet, but I wasn’t prepared to stop any spell that this warlock was itching to throw in my direction. Apparently, someone had been watching. Fuck.

Gideon’s sneer turned into an evil grin. “You’ve been warned more than once that you have been forbidden to perform any of the magical arts. As I recall, you were the one that turned your back on us, saying that you didn’t need us or magic.”

Gritting my teeth, I pressed my hands into the wall behind me and kicked Gideon in the chest with both feet, shoving him violently away from me. I immediately erected a protective barrier as I slammed into the ground. A wicked flash of energy that shot from Gideon’s wand was deflected by the shield, briefly lighting up the alley.

“Before I left, the council agreed that I could use magic in acts of self-defense,” I shouted before Gideon could come up with another spell that would crash through my meager defensive shield. I had always been good at magic, but there was more to it than just being naturally attuned to the energies in the air. Being a powerful warlock took decades of study and I had stopped more than a few years ago. I didn’t stand much of a chance in a magic fight against a warlock like Gideon.

He picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his black pants and shirt. Gideon even took the time to shake out his cloak before turning to me. In this day and age, the cloak looked a little ridiculous, but I was no fool. That thing was woven with enough protective spells that the warlock wouldn’t be caught dead without it.

“I saw the fight,” Gideon said calmly. “The man was already down.”

“But not unconscious. I had to be sure that he wouldn’t follow me into my shop where I would still be alone and defenseless.”

“We all know you’re never defenseless.”

I shrugged, fighting back a smirk. “Relatively speaking.”

“You used magic when you were not permitted when dealing with this human. You broke your agreement. You’re coming with me.”

“Not today.” I shook my head as I dropped my protective shield and leaned against the wall so my shaking knees wouldn’t have to fully support my weight. “Bring me before the council and they will see that it was self-defense. An unarmed man against one with a gun. The council would be forced to find in my favor. Think about it, Gideon. I know you and everyone else in the Ivory Towers are eager to see me dead, but do you really want to waste the council’s time? They won’t look kindly on it.”

My only warning was a low, frustrated growl before he rushed across the alley and slammed my head against the wall. “I will let you go this time, renegade, but we are watching you. We will catch you eventually.”

“Try all you like.”

Gideon gave a little snort as he stepped away from me. “Why you’ve chosen to live among these useless flesh bags is beyond me.”

“That’s why,” I said in clipped tones. I refused to view humans as little more than chattel.

Gideon frowned at me one last time before he disappeared completely, heading back to the Towers, I was sure. Each continent was dotted with gleaming white towers made of white marble and granite that stretched above the clouds. These were the elusive Ivory Towers, their exact locations known only to the witches and warlocks that lived in them. And me. I knew where they were and had managed to escape with that knowledge, not that it was doing much good now.

Sliding down the grimy wall, I took a deep breath as I tried to slow my racing heart and my trembling hands. I had come too close that time. That self-defense argument was starting to run a little thin with the guardians and I had a dark suspicion that Mr. Dalton might have been given a little shove in my direction in hopes of pushing my buttons into using magic. It had worked. I didn’t like being threatened and I didn’t like when my abilities were questioned. Sometimes I had too much ego and not enough common sense.

If Gideon had his way, I would have been whisked away to the council in the Ivory Towers, found guilty, and executed all within an hour.

Pushing back to my feet, I paused for a second as I gazed down the alley and saw Dalton’s chest rise once with a heavy breath. Then I picked up the gun in one hand and my gym bag in the other. This neighborhood was getting more dangerous by the day.

CHAPTER TWO

Stepping inside the air-conditioned arctic of the tattoo parlor, I kicked the door shut while dropping my bag on the floor along with the gun. I twisted around and slid the dead bolt back into place, and glanced around the parlor. The lobby had dark hardwood floors covered in ancient area rugs with worn floral patterns. An old ceramic fireplace stood against one wall with its mouth covered over to hold in the heat during the winter and the cool during the blistering summer months. The far wall was covered in plastic flipboards that held common tattoo designs we had done in the past to give potential clients some suggestions, should they need them. But in most cases, clients didn’t much bother with the flipboards, preferring to rely on the knowledge of the artist. A counter with a clear glass case stood before the doorway to the actual tattoo work space. It held a variety of old books and pictures depicting tattoos from the earliest of days when only sailors were among the clientele. They had been handed down to me by the man I had apprenticed under when I decided to open my own shop.

A faint hint of antiseptic hung in the air from where Bronx had sterilized most of the surface areas in the back before closing up the night before. Underlying that was the smell of stale magic, which always made me smile a little. It was a distinct smell that only the experienced magic user could pick up, and I had more experience than I was willing to admit to anyone.

I leaned down and threw back the largest of the area rugs near the center of the room to reveal a pentagram deeply etched into the wood floor. Stepping into the center of the pentagram, I closed my eyes but still hesitated. I reminded myself that this type of magic fell under the self-defense clause. Besides, it was a rune spell and the guardians couldn’t pick up on that kind of magic very well. Energy flowed around me, beating against my skin while trying to push its way into my brain. I started a low chant while keeping my arms lifted slightly at my sides. Magic energy coursed through me for a few seconds before shifting throughout the front room and flowing to the back room and down into the basement, completing my bidding.

After a second, I dropped my arms back to my sides and narrowed my eyes as I stared at the front door. A slight blue glow that only I could see clung to the opening. The spell was a small one, allowing me to see through anyone’s glamour as they entered my tattoo parlor. You never knew who was going to walk through your door and I wasn’t taking any chances. I had to recast the spell every day before opening the shop, but it was a small price to pay. Besides, security systems didn’t come cheap, and getting one that included magical defenses was even more expensive since it involved finding a warlock or a witch willing to do a little menial labor. Not fucking likely.

The de-glamour spell had proven itself time and time again, and very few could sense it when they walked through the door. Bronx had before I had hired him—I remembered seeing him open the door and pause at the threshold. I had been behind the counter at the time, and I remember seeing the troll narrow his eyes at me before he stepped boldly into the room. I doubted whether he could tell what the spell was exactly, but he knew it was there. I simply smiled and shrugged. The Asylum Tattoo Parlor wasn’t in the greatest neighborhood, and I had every right to protect myself and any colleagues. Bronx never said a word about the spell and I think that was part of the reason why I hired him. That, and he had some of the most impressive shading skills and creative line work I had ever seen. His potion-stirring skills hadn’t been the strongest when he had been hired, but he proved to be a fast learner.

However, the greatest reveal came from Trixie. She had given a little shudder when she stepped into the tattoo parlor, but by her expression, I could tell that she had simply waved it off as a cold chill in the air. The spell had instantly stripped away the glamour spell she had been using, leaving it as little more than a hazy shadow over her tight, lithe form so that I could see that she was truly an elf. I had never told her that I knew exactly what she was and had no intention of mentioning it. She was cloaking her true presence for a reason and I had no desire to go digging into something that wasn’t any of my business.

Besides, Trixie was good for the parlor. Her long slender legs revealed by a pair of short shorts during the summer, and her dainty tank tops filled out with perky breasts—topped off with a gorgeous face—drew in more than a fair share of repeat clients. Her sweet, outgoing personality and her skill with a needle made her an amazing package that I preferred not to lose, so her secrets were her own.

Stepping out of the pentagram, I kicked the rug back and made sure that the corner met up with the bit of masking tape on the floor I used as a guide to ensure that rug hadn’t been moved. No one needed to know about the pentagram. As far as anyone else was concerned, I was just a tattoo artist and we didn’t know shit about real magic.

I grabbed my gym bag and slung it on my shoulder. The front door was locked and the spell was back in place. It was time to get to work.

In the main room of the tattoo parlor, I flicked on the lights and let my eyes travel over the white counter space, the three large chairs, and the rainbow of ink bottles that lined one wall. Everything was neat and tidy, ready for another day. But then, Bronx was very organized and neat when he worked. He had no problem cleaning up the shop before he left at the end of the night. The only one that might have been more organized and clean-conscious was a vampire, but I preferred not to have one on staff. I didn’t need to worry about a staff member taking a nip at someone while in the middle of a job.

I crossed the room and headed down a narrow hallway to a windowless backroom. This was where we completed some tattoos while offering clients a little privacy, should the tattoo be in a place that was more than a little revealing. There were other, darker reasons for using the backroom for tattooing, but then I always figured that was the decision of the tattoo artist to go down that path. I didn’t ask too many questions, particularly since I used this room the most often of us.

Shutting the door behind me, I went over to the floor-to-ceiling wood cabinet that covered one wall and pulled it open. Thousands of bottles, vials, plastic containers, and yellowing envelopes filled the cabinet. This was where we kept the main ingredients to stir the potions needed for the majority of the tattoos people came to get. Sure, some customers just wanted a little ink. But most wanted something a little extra. They wanted the tattoo to do something for them, and whether it was a burst of good luck, a dollop of true love, or even a hex on an ex, we could get it done—for a price.

After scanning the vials for a second, I pulled down the one that held the leprechaun hair and glanced at the date on the side. It wasn’t that old and shouldn’t have gone bad on me already. It had to be the source of the hair that was less than . . . prime. In my limited experience, some leprechauns were just plain evil, running more toward their cousins the imp and the hinky-punk than their more compassionate faerie cousins. I had to be careful stirring with this ingredient or I was going to end up shot. Good luck spells were fairly common, though I generally relied on the leprechaun hair only for the cheap asses.

All the same, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Lana’s number down at Curl Up & Dye. After a few minutes of mindless chatter and harmless flirting with the stylist, I got her to promise to bring me down a new tuft of leprechaun hair, from a different source this time, in the next couple days. For now, I was stuck with what I had and we had to be careful.

Slipping my cell phone back in my pocket, I walked over to the back of the room and pulled up the trapdoor in the floor with only a whisper of a creak. Most of the time, a chair was left on the trapdoor to make it look like it was unused, but I suspected that my co-workers were aware of my occasional disappearances down into the basement.

Despite the overwhelming darkness, I easily grabbed the pull chain on the single bare bulb in the basement and jerked it on before hitting the dirt floor. Along three of the walls were additional wood cabinets holding more volatile and rare items. Some I had been lucky enough to inherit while others were purchased on the black market. All of them were for my exclusive use and they were what made me the most successful tattoo artist in town. When you wanted something done right and had the cash to pay for it, it was all about the ingredients in the ink rather than the design on the skin.

On the one bare stone wall was another pentagram spray-painted in black. This one held the power to attack anyone who came down here. I glanced over the items one time and did a quick check on the spell to see that it was still intact and cast by me. No one had been down here without my knowledge. The same tension that coiled in my stomach every day I walked into the shop finally unwound and I breathed a sigh of relief. There were other spells down here too, cloaking special items from view, protecting both them and me. There were things down here that people would kill for and ones that were an automatic death sentence for possessing without being a witch or warlock.

Overhead, I heard the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut, followed by the heavy pounding of heels across the hardwood floor. I knew that cadence. Trixie was in early.

Hurrying up the stairs, I shut the trapdoor behind me and dropped my bag on it to keep it partially hidden from view. It was time to get to work.

“Is there a reason a gun is lying on the floor?” Trixie asked casually as I met her in the main tattooing area.

Shit. I’d forgotten about the gun. It was now sitting quite obviously on the floor beside the front door where I had left it. Not exactly the best thing to leave lying around a tattoo parlor where any of your more unstable customers could pick it up.

“Rough afternoon,” I muttered, but the words didn’t come out sounding as indifferently as I had hoped, as my eyes fell on Trixie’s outfit for today. Instead of her usual shorts, she wore a pair of jeans with some strategically placed holes and tears. Her top was a black leather bustier that accented the swell of her breasts and left a broad swath of her flat stomach bare. Her long blond locks were pulled back in some twist thing that allowed some thick strands to frame her face. As she turned to drop her bag on the counter, I could easily make out the butterfly-wing tattoo between her shoulder blades. Somehow, they seemed to sparkle in the light as she moved.

Clenching my teeth, I ducked my head down as I walked out into the lobby and picked up the gun. She was going to be the death of my sanity. I positively ached to touch her, to run my hands along skin I knew would be as smooth as satin, and bury my nose in her neck to drink in her sweet scent. I knew better than to mix business with pleasure. It NEVER worked out. Never.

To make matters worse, Trixie had gone out of her way to disguise the fact that she was an elf, when it was well known that some of the best artists in the industry were elves. They had the patience and the natural talent not only to learn to stir a good potion, but also to learn the art. Trixie was hiding and that wasn’t good under any circumstances. It had been on the tip of my tongue to ask her about it on more than one occasion, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to start that conversation without giving away my own abilities and dark past. Among humans, the only ones that could identify a glamour spell were warlocks and witches. My hands were tied.

For now, I kept my mouth shut and my eyes open, content with her working five nights a week.

“What are you doing here so early?” I asked as I came back into the tattooing room with the gun. I kicked open one of the cabinets on the far side of the room with the toe of my worn black boot, removed the magazine from the bottom of the grip, and threw the gun and magazine in with the others that I had collected over the past few years. This was a somewhat dangerous business even under the best of circumstances. Luckily, having a troll on staff helped to keep the scuffles to a minimum.

“You said today was inventory day. I thought I would come in early and help,” she said with a bright smile.

I made some nondescript noise in the back of my throat as I kicked the cabinet door shut again, mentally plucking the wings off the butterflies that took flight in my stomach. After working with her for roughly two years, I would like to think that I could get through a work day without acting like a hormone-filled idiot.

My shift at the Asylum usually ran from the middle of the afternoon and until mid-evening, while Trixie came in a few hours after me. Bronx didn’t show up until a couple hours after the sun set and stayed until a couple hours before dawn. Oddly enough, these were typical hours for tattoo parlors. No one worked mornings. Who the hell wanted a tattoo first thing in the morning with their coffee?

“Are you ever going to do anything about those guns? Or are you just collecting those as mementoes of your past conquests?” Trixie continued.

A smirk lifted one corner of my mouth before I could stop it and I shook my head. “Would you rather I called the cops so I could hand them all over like a good boy?”

“And then try to survive the barrage of questions that would accompany that armory?” she scoffed. “I’d like to stay below the radar of all the local law enforcement.”

“Agreed. I’ve got some contacts. I’ll start asking around to see what I can get. We could use some new equipment,” I said, letting my eyes skim over the work area, while carefully avoiding Trixie. We could always use some fresh ingredients, and some of the tattooing equipment was starting to get worn in such a way that we were making personal modifications just so that it kept working through a tattoo. I had made some nice cash from this business over the past few years, but it was obvious that it was time to start reinvesting.

Walking over to the counter opposite where Trixie was currently perched, I turned on the small television linked to the security camera that looked over the lobby of the parlor. It allowed us to see who came through the door when we were all busy with a chair. It wasn’t completely foolproof—some creatures didn’t show up on camera—but it caught most that wandered through our door.

“So are you going to tell me what happened?” Trixie prodded after a moment of silence had stretched between us.

I shrugged as I turned to face her. “Nothing important.” I finally raised my eyes to look at her again, feeling as if I had better control over myself following the initial shock of her outfit.

“Nothing important but it involved a gun,” she said, crossing her arms over her bosom. “Come on, Gage. Spill it or I’ll get Bronx to sit on you when he comes in and we’ll crush it out of you.”

“Russell Dalton caught me on my way into the parlor this afternoon. Seems he’s a little pissed regarding the results of his tattoo.”

“Dalton? I don’t remember him.”

“Came in a couple weeks ago wanting a good luck charm. He had only fifty bucks on him.”

“Oh, that idiot!” she gasped. She dropped her hands back to her lap and shook her head at me. “I still can’t believe that you took that one.”

I sighed, once again forced to question either my sanity or my decision-making process when it came to clients. “I was feeling generous.”

“So, I’m guessing the tattoo hasn’t worked like he wanted.”

“I put a shamrock on the heel of his left foot. Do you honestly think anything good would come of that?”

“Not really. But then, I wouldn’t expect things to go all that bad for him either.”

“Yeah, well, neither did I but they did. Lost job, car stolen, and wife wants a divorce.”

Trixie let out a low whistle as she leaned back against the set of cabinets above the counter that wrapped around the far wall. “That’s odd.”

“Not really. I put a leprechaun hair in the ink.”

“It go bad?”

“That or it was bad to begin with,” I said with another sigh. This wasn’t how I expected my day to go. “I’ve already called for some fresh, but it’ll be a few days. Just be careful and cut the mixture with something else to counteract it, if you happen to use the hair between now and then. Pass the word along to Bronx if you see him before me.”

“Got it, boss,” she said, hopping down from her perch on the countertop.

“Shall we get started?” I asked, trying to ignore the jiggle of her breasts as she landed lightly on her toes.

“Do you want front room or back room?” she inquired, looking over her shoulder at me as she walked toward the front glass counter and bent down so that I could catch the perfect roundness of her rear in the tight jeans. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was doing it on purpose. But she was just switching on the music like we did every day.

“Back room,” I bit out, turning to look for the pair of clipboards that held the list of supplies that we kept on hand. The front room held the random necessary items such as paper towels, latex gloves, petroleum jelly, needles, and ink. The processing of the items in the front room took less than thirty minutes and an order form was quickly filled out.

The back room possessed all the unique ingredients that we used in our potions. Each container needed to be checked, opened, and assessed as to whether the contents were still good or if we needed more. The back room check could take up to three hours to process and the order form was even trickier because not everything could be purchased at the local ingredients shop. Some had to be acquired through a series of back alley transactions and black market connections.

“If you need any help, just give a shout,” she offered as I turned toward the back room again.

“I’ve got it.”

“Gage . . .”

I stopped and turned half around to see where she was standing with one hand on the glass top of the counter in the lobby. “Thanks for not getting shot.”

“No problem. I hear the job market is killer right now.” I winked at her, a wide, devilish grin crossing my mouth.

“Asshole,” she mumbled under her breath as she turned back toward the stereo she was fiddling with. I didn’t miss the smile that graced her lovely face. Before I could escape into the back room, Beethoven was blasted through the four speakers that were spread around the main tattoo room. I suppressed a laugh when I heard Trixie cursing Bronx’s taste in music. By the time I had shut the door, she had hooked up her own MP3 player to the speakers and Dropkick Murphys was filling the air. Trixie had a thing for both punk bands and bagpipes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The bestselling author of the Dark Days series and a former financial analyst, JOCELYNN DRAKE lives in Kentucky.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

ALSO BY JOCELYNN DRAKE

The DARK DAYS Novels

Nightwalker

Dayhunter

Dawnbreaker

Pray for Dawn

Wait for Dusk

Burn the Night

And Coming Soon

Angel’s Ink

COPYRIGHT

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Excerpt from Angel’s Ink copyright © 2012 by Jocelynn Drake

BOUND TO ME. Copyright © 2012 by Jocelynn Drake. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition APRIL 2012 ISBN: 9780062118219

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062118226

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