When Darkness Comes

For 341 years he had stood as guardian to the Phoenix. Not willingly, and not without a simmering fury at his fate, but with absolute dedication. It was not as if he had a choice. Those witches had seen to that.

But now, when the danger was at its greatest, he discovered himself barely capable of concentrating upon the threat very much at hand.

He impatiently shoved back his tangled hair. Bloody hell, there was little wonder he was distracted. In the past few hours, he had endured more shocks than he had in centuries. The death of the immortal Selena. The fierce, intoxicating joy as he felt the chains begin to loosen. And the horror of watching the Phoenix being branded into Abby.

Abby.

Double bloody hell. He glared down at her slender form. The woman had been a plague and pestilence since she arrived at Selena’s estate. With her skin as soft as satin. Her honey curls that haloed her gamine face. Her vulnerable eyes. And the hot passions that smoldered just beneath her screw-the-world attitude. It called to him like the song of a Siren. A tasty morsel that he had had every intention of consuming at his leisure.

But now everything had changed. Now she was no longer a lovely diversion. No longer a bit of sport. She was his to protect. And he would do so until his very death.

“Come,” he commanded in soft tones, summoning his ancient instincts. “Something approaches.”

Struggling to her feet, she eyed him warily. “What?”

He grasped her arm in a firm grip. “Demons.” He reached out with his senses, touching the approaching darkness. “And more than one.”

Her face paled, but with that inner strength he had always admired, she didn’t faint or scream or do all those annoying things that mortals were so prone to do when faced with the mystic.

“But they surely won’t trouble us. We don’t have anything they could want.”

His lips twisted. “You’re wrong, lover. We possess a treasure beyond all dreams.”

“What—”

“I’m afraid the twenty questions will have to wait until later, Abby.”

Pulling her close to his side, he silently crossed toward the nearly hidden door next to the bed. Reaching out, he turned the knob and thrust it open. Wood splintered as the dead bolt was ripped from the frame. Still holding Abby close, he tugged her through the shadows of the adjoining room, barely giving a glance toward the drunk who snored in vodka oblivion upon his bed.

Dante moved directly to the narrow window. Forcing it open, he turned to lean close to Abby’s ear. “Stay close to me and don’t make a sound,” he whispered. “If we are attacked, I want you to stay behind me and don’t run. They will be attempting to frighten you into a trap.”

“But I want to know why—”

“Not now, Abby,” he growled impatiently. “If we’re going to get out of here alive, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

There was a moment of silence. In the gloom, Dante could sense the fragility of her control. She was near shattering, and he could only hope that her impending collapse could be held off long enough to get to safety.

At last she swallowed heavily and gave a grudging nod of her head. “Yes.”

He gazed deep into her eyes, startled by the stir of something that might have been warmth.

“Then let’s go.”

Taking her hand, he helped her climb through the narrow window, waiting until she was standing upon the metal fire escape before following her into the darkness. He paused just a moment, peering down at the littered alley below. His instincts warned that demons lurked nearby. Unfortunately, to remain would mean being trapped and surrounded. They had no choice but to go forward.

Or in this case, down.

Grimly Dante gave a tilt of his head toward the nearby ladder. With reluctant steps, Abby moved across the platform and forced herself to climb down the rungs. He waited until she had reached the bottom before stepping off the edge and landing next to her shivering form.

As she opened her lips to speak, he reached out to press a finger to her mouth, giving a sharp shake of his head. Danger prickled over his skin. Something was near. Very near. Turning toward a large Dumpster, he took a slow step forward.

“Show yourself,” he commanded.

There was a rustle in the shadows followed by a sharp scrape of claws upon the pavement before a large, hulking form slowly appeared. At first glance, it would be simple to dismiss the intruder as an awkward, brainless beast. With thick, leathery skin, seeping boils, and a misshapen head that sported three eyes, he was the poster child for the monster beneath the bed. But Dante was all too familiar with this particular demon and knew that beneath all the ugly was a cunning intelligence that was more deadly than any muscle.

“Halford.” Dante offered a mocking bow.

“Ah, Dante.” The deep, rumbling voice possessed a polished, elegant accent that would have been right at home in a posh boarding school. A ludicrous contrast to his brutish appearance. “I just knew you would be dropping in once you caught whiff of those hellhounds. I’ve tried for centuries to train them with a bit of discretion, but they must always rush in when stealth would serve best.”

Ensuring that he stood squarely between Abby and the demon, Dante offered a faint shrug.

“Hellhounds have never been renowned for their intelligence.”

“No. A pity, really. Still, they do have their uses. Such as flushing out prey so that I needn’t muck about in such filth.” Halford cast a disdainful glance toward the dilapidated hotel. “I must say, Dante, I had always believed you to possess better taste.”

“What better place to hide from the scum than beneath their very noses?”

Halford loosed a rumbling laugh that echoed eerily down the alley. “A clever ploy except for the fact that every brother in the city can smell your beauty from a mile away. I fear there’s no hiding.”

Dante silently cursed. Although Abby carried the Phoenix, she had not yet fully acquired its powers or any knowledge of how to control those powers. Until she did, she would be a beacon to every demon in the area.

“You underestimate my skill,” he drawled in silky tones.

“Oh no, I would never be so stupid as to underestimate you, Dante.” The demon stepped forward, his claws grinding the pavement to dust. “Unlike many in the brotherhood, I can easily sense the power that you have been forced to keep leashed all these tedious years. Which is why I’m quite prepared to allow you to walk away. I have no wish to kill you.”

Dante gave a lift of his brow. “You will allow me to walk away?”

“Of course. I have never taken pleasure in killing my fellow demons.” Halford gave what vaguely passed as a smile, considering his triple rows of teeth. “Leave the girl and I can promise that you’ll never be troubled again.”

Ah. Dante abruptly grasped the truth. Halford was alone. And not at all certain he could best a vampire. At least not before the other gathering demons could arrive and complicate matters.

“A rather generous offer,” Dante murmured.

“I think so.”

“Still, I think that handing over such a priceless treasure should be worth something more tangible. After all, if you are forced to battle me for the wench, you might discover yourself having to share the glory with any number of demons rushing in this direction.”

A sudden blow to the center of his back assured Dante that Abby had heard his taunting words. And naturally had jumped to the predictable conclusion. He was an evil vampire, after all.

Reaching back, he grasped one slender wrist in a tight grip. He could not risk having her bolt.

Halford narrowed his eyes. All three of them. “What could be more tangible than your life?”

Dante shrugged. “There’s little point in living an eternity if I must be reduced to wallowing among the wretched. As you said, I’m accustomed to a rather more luxurious lifestyle that is about to come to an end without Selena.”

“Why you . . .” With a low growl, Abby frantically struggled against his grasp, kicking him with a savagery that would have sent a mortal to his knees.

“Hush, lover,” he commanded without ever turning his head. “Halford and I are about to start negotiations.”

“Pig. Monster. Beast.”

Dante ignored the kicks that punctuated each word as he met Halford’s amused gaze.

“A spirited thing,” the demon rasped.

“A character flaw that could be easily corrected.”

Halford flexed his bulging muscles. “Quite easily. Now let us be done with this. What is your price?”

Dante made a show of considering. “A ready supply of blood, of course. In this day and age, it really is far too dangerous to be out hunting among the riffraff.”

“Simple enough.”

“And perhaps a few Shantong to keep my lair warm at night,” he murmured, deliberately choosing demons notorious for their insatiable sexual appetite.

“Ah, a vampire with exquisite taste. Is that all?”

Noting the triumph glittering in Halford’s eyes, Dante at last judged the moment ripe. The demon was consumed with thoughts of the glory as he offered the Phoenix to his dark Prince.

“Actually, no. I shall also need this.” Loosening his hold upon Abby, he bent downward and with one smooth movement grasped the daggers hidden in his boots. In the same motion, he was rolling forward, the daggers already leaving his hands as he came back up to his feet.

For a moment Halford merely stood silent in the darkness. It was almost as if he hadn’t yet noticed the dagger deeply planted in his middle eye or the other that stuck in his lower stomach. But whether he was in shock or indifferent to the danger, the deadly missiles had done their duty; with a rasping moan, he collapsed onto the vile rubbish that littered the alley.

Dante never hesitated as he flowed forward. With efficiency, he sliced open Halford’s throat and then cut out his heart. He was never stupid enough to presume a demon was dead until he held its heart in his hand. At last satisfied, he reached to retrieve his daggers and traced his way back to Abby. She hastily backed away from his approach, her eyes wide with distress.

“Abby.”

“No.” She held out her hands. “Stay away from me.”

Harshly smothering his flare of impatience, Dante forced himself to return the bloody daggers to his boots and to smooth back his tangled hair before taking another step closer. She was a breath away from bolting. One misstep and he would find himself having to chase her through the maze of alleys.

A wickedly delicious thought under normal circumstances, he ruefully conceded. Tonight, however, was anything but normal.

“Abby, the demon is dead,” he soothed. “He will not harm you.”

“And what of you?” she demanded in uneven tones. “You were going to sell me to that . . . thing. For blood.”

“Don’t be a fool. Of course I wasn’t going to sell you.” He reached out to grasp her chin, forcing her to meet his steady gaze. “I merely wanted to distract Halford long enough to strike. In case you didn’t notice, he was somewhat larger than me. It seemed best to avoid an ugly brawl.”

Her tongue peeked out to touch her lips. It was a tiny, unwitting gesture, and yet it made Dante’s fingers tighten upon her delicate skin. No matter what the danger about them, having her so close stirred a fierce, aching hunger. One that he feared wouldn’t be appeased any time soon.

“Why should I trust you?” she rasped.

His lips twisted as he lowered his hand and held it out. “Because for the moment, lover, you have no choice.”

There was a long moment when she battled her inner demons before at last accepting that the demons currently hunting them were far more dangerous than him.

Still, it was with obvious reluctance that she at last laid her hand in his.

Not giving her time for second thoughts, Dante grasped her fingers and, with a tug, they were slipping through the darkness. He was startled by the flare of disappointment that touched him at her lingering fear of him. What else did he expect from a mortal?

Unfortunately, the knowledge that she considered him only a step above the evil creatures chasing them, and maybe not even a whole step, more like a baby half step, left a hollow sensation within him.

Turning down a side alley, Dante continued to brood upon the woman struggling to keep pace with his long strides. Brooding and tingling with awareness of her warm flesh touching his own. That no doubt explained why he was taken off guard when the hellhound abruptly sprang from the building overhead and knocked him to the ground.

In a heartbeat, the deadly hound had him pinned to the ground, the acid from his teeth dripping onto Dante’s flesh with searing pain.

“Bloody hell,” he muttered. “You smelly, slimy piece of crap.”

Reaching up, Dante was preparing to grasp the demon’s throat and rip it out when there was a sudden whoosh of air, followed by the sickening crush of bone. He blinked as the hellhound tumbled to the side, obviously dead.

“Are you hurt?”

Like a vision from a dream, Abby was leaning over him, her face smeared with muck and her hair hanging in limp tangles, but her expression was one of gentle concern. Dante took a moment to savor the enchanting view before reluctantly pushing himself up to his elbows. Turning his head, he regarded the twitching demon before returning his attention to Abby.

“Nice swing, love,” he murmured, taking in the rusty pipe she clutched in her hand. “Demon killer extraordinaire, in fact. Almost as good as—”

“Say the name Buffy and I’ll stake you,” she warned, raising the pipe in a threatening motion.

He gave a low chuckle. “Very frightening, sweet, but if you truly want to get the job done, it has to be wood.”

“That could be arranged.”

“No doubt.” Dante rolled to his feet, brushing off the clinging filth. “Unfortunately, it will have to wait until later. For now we must be on our way.”

Taking her arm, Dante was once again moving down the alley, on this occasion keeping his senses alert. Sharply, excruciatingly alert.

Devil spit. He had been knocked down by a hellhound. In front of a beautiful woman. He wasn’t about to be humiliated again.

Killed, maybe. Staked, slaughtered, or beheaded, maybe. But not humiliated. A far preferable alternative for a proud vampire.

For near half an hour they traveled in silence, moving ever deeper into the slums. There were no more surprise attacks, but Dante could still sense demons in the distance.

Damn, he needed to determine if they were still following them or if he and Abby had managed to cover their trail.

Slowing his pace, he searched the shadows until he discovered a narrow door cut into the back of a brick building. He glanced about to ensure they were alone before lifting his leg and kicking the heavy steel off its hinges. There was a dull crash followed by a choking cloud of dust, but he never paused. Pulling Abby within the abandoned garage, he leaned against the twisted frame to keep watch for any unpleasant nasties that might be lurking in the dark.

Tense moments passed before Abby at last came to the end of her strained patience.

“What are we doing here?” she demanded.

“Waiting.”

“Do you even know where we’re going?”

“Away from here.”

Her teeth snapped together. “Stunningly ambiguous as always. I suppose you think it makes you all dark and mysterious?”

“Oh, but I am dark and mysterious.” He risked a glance over his shoulder to encounter her smoldering glare. “Isn’t that how you like your men?”

“I like them with a heartbeat and a taste for quiche, not blood,” she readily shot back.

Dante chuckled as he returned his gaze to the alley. “How can you be so certain, lover? You have yet to try a vampire. I can promise you it will be an experience you will never forget.”

“God, you must be mental. Or the most arrogant—”

Dante abruptly held his hand up in warning. “Sssh.”

Instantly on alert, she peered into the darkness. “Is something coming?”

“Yes. Stay behind me.”

They waited in tense silence until at last the muffled sound of approaching footsteps could be heard. Sniffing the foul air, Dante swiftly assured himself that the intruders were human rather than demon before relaxing his tense muscles. They couldn’t pose a true danger to him.

Then, the silence was broken by the static buzz of a voice floating through a walkie-talkie, and he heard Abby give a small gasp.

“Dante, it’s the police. They can help us,” she hissed before abruptly charging from behind him toward the door.

With pure instinct, Dante reached out to wrap her slight form in his arms. Smoothly he hauled her back into the building and pressed her against the wall. Her hands reached up to angrily beat at his chest, but already anticipating the scream that was about to expose their presence, Dante lowered his head and covered her mouth with his own.

His intent was honorable. The kiss was merely a means to prevent disaster. But the moment he touched the satin enticement of her lips, all honor was forgotten.

A combustible heat flared between them as he tightened his grip, and he devoured her with a hunger that he couldn’t disguise. Bloody hell, he wanted her. He wanted to taste, to seduce, to consume her until his dark need was sated.

Restlessly his hands trailed up her back, brushing the tantalizing skin of her nape before plunging into the honey curls. He held her head steady as he continued to plunder her mouth, all thoughts of danger forgotten in a haze of searing pleasure.

Pressed against him, Abby momentarily stiffened in shock at the sudden embrace, but with gratifying speed, she offered a low moan and wrapped her arms about his neck as she opened her lips to his. Almost as if she had been waiting for this moment with the same fierce intensity as he had.

At the unmistakable capitulation, Dante instinctively softened his lips, his kisses deepening with persuasive intent. She stirred restlessly against his hardening thighs as his lips moved to trail over her smooth cheeks and down the arch of her neck. He was drowning in the passionate fire she had released within him.

“Abby . . . my sweet Abby . . . I want to feel you beneath me,” he rasped in raw tones.

He felt her shudder with longing beneath his touch before she was abruptly pulling away to gaze at him with wide, dilated eyes.

“Are you insane?” she rasped, pressing her fingers to her swollen lips.

Caught off guard by her sharp retreat, Dante gritted his teeth and shoved his hands roughly into the pockets of his jeans. It was a grim battle to master the desire still pulsing through his taut body.

A swift yank, a few heated kisses, and he would have her on the dusty floor and himself sheathed deep in her body.

Thankfully sanity slowly forced its way through his hazed mind; taking a careful step back, he regarded her with a measure of calm.

“I was attempting to keep you from getting us both killed. I couldn’t allow you to call out to those cops,” he explained in smooth tones.

Her brows furrowed together. “You think that demons have infested the Chicago police force?”

“No, I think the second you attempt to explain to those nice, unimaginative cops that we’re being pursued by vicious demons and hellhounds, we’ll find ourselves locked in a lovely padded room. If we aren’t first tossed into jail for the murder of Selena. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be strapped in a straitjacket or offered a cell with a spectacular view of the morning sunrise.”

Her expression hardened, as if she longed to argue with his logic. Then wrapping her arms about her waist, she heaved an annoyed sigh.

“Fine. And what is your brilliant solution? To crawl through these disgusting alleys for eternity?”

He gave a shrug, moving back to the open doorway. “Not quite that long, I hope. I do know a place, but I must be certain that we’ve shaken our bloodthirsty friends.”

“God, what a mess,” she muttered.

Dante forced his fangs to shorten as the lingering shudders of desire tortured his body.

“For once, lover, we are in full agreement.”