A Dark Passion (2 page)

Alara raised a pencil-thin brow when he faltered. “What are you going to do, big boy?”

With a growl, he dropped her to her feet and stalked away, trying to ignore her laugh when it followed him down the hall and around the corner. He stopped in front of the first door. “Your room. Get settled in and I’ll send someone up about clothes.”

“Why don’t you just tell them my size? You explored my body quite thoroughly last time we were together. Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

No, he hadn’t forgotten. That was the problem.

Tyroz turned and walked away, more frustrated than ever.

“Master Tyroz.”

His men bowed when he entered his training hall, and then left. They knew he preferred to train alone.

Once alone, he pulled off his t-shirt and stood in front of his punching bag. He attacked it with all the speed and strength he possessed, and slowly his frustrations leaked out of him with each punch. Yet Alara’s face still lingered in his mind and her laugh shattered the peace that came with training, causing him to clench his teeth together, hard enough to slice his tongue open with his fangs. He swallowed the blood and continued to take out his frustrations on the punching bag.

When it split open, sending sand cascading to the floor at his feet, he inhaled deeply, trying to compose himself before replacing it and starting again. He punched harder and faster with each passing second, and with each passing second, he thought of Alara and his lust grew.

What was it about her that made him react with just a thought? Why did he want to strip her naked and do everything he did that night all over again?

Tyroz stopped suddenly, blinking sweat from his eyes.

Someone was watching him, the stare stabbing daggers into him. He straightened and checked each corner of the room.

Alara was nowhere to be seen.

Tyroz gritted his teeth together and fisted his hands to the side. “Alara.”

Her chuckle made his anger and arousal flare. He despised the woman that dropped down from the ceiling and sauntered up to him.

Yet she made his body come alive in ways no one else could. He realised he’d felt so empty since he’d left her at the club after their night of passion. It was the only thing keeping her alive now.

“Why do you train alone, yet are surrounded by all your guards?”

“Every powerful vampire needs their guards for protection.”

Alara twisted one of her dreadlocks around her finger and circled him. “I would have thought it would be the opposite. A very powerful vampire would be strong enough to protect himself.”

“No matter how powerful, strong and important people need protectors.”

She came into view, smiling. “Are you sure? You don’t exactly do anything that puts you in danger to need protection.”

Tyroz swung his fist, but suddenly she wasn’t standing where she had been moments before. He stiffened when she tutted behind him and pressed her dagger into his back.

“That’s no way to treat a woman, have you no respect?”

“I am sure if I treated you like a woman, you would kill me on the spot.”

“Hmm.” She leant forward, pushing the dagger harder against him. “That’s true, but it’s always nice to have a man treat me with gentle hands once in a while.”

Tyroz chuckled this time, and turned to face the beautiful assassin. “You like to be touched roughly. It was what drew me to you in the first place.”

She licked her lips slowly and seductively. When Tyroz tried to grab her, she spun away from him. He growled. He wanted her and he wanted her now.

He reached out to her again and she blocked him with her arms before knocking his hands away. Tyroz moved quickly, grabbed the dagger from her hands, threw it away and grasped the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She ducked and twisted and knocked his feet from underneath him.

Her sultry laugh made him hard in seconds.

She straddled him and ran her hands up his stomach and chest. “You can’t just take everything you want, Antask. It’s what will get you hated among others, no matter who you are.”

“Alara,” Tyroz growled. In all his time alive, he had never given out his name. He had always been called
Master Tyroz
because of his heritage and had made others call him that when they addressed him once he grew up.

“If you didn’t want me to say your name, you shouldn’t have told me it in the first place.”

Tyroz would have told her he regretted telling her, but he knew he would be lying to himself, and knew she would know also. He’d liked hearing his name on her lips as she came, and knew he would again.

She smiled and leant closer until he felt her breath against his lips. He was just about to close the distance and press his lips to hers, when the footsteps of his guards made him stand so quickly, Alara toppled off him and landed on the floor, growling.

He shot her an apologetic glance. He couldn’t allow his guards to see that a woman had bested him, let alone the scene that would have played out had he stayed on the floor.

“Master Tyroz.” His guards bowed. “Lord Theraux has arrived. He is waiting in the entrance for you.”

“Thank you. I will be there shortly.” Tyroz quickly grabbed a towel to wipe himself down with before pulling on his top. He glanced at Alara as she brushed herself down. “I take it you will follow me even if I told you to stay put?”

Alara raised her eyebrows in response.

“Stubborn woman. Very well, but keep your mouth shut or you will be punished.”

She smiled widely. “Sounds kinky.”

He grunted and walked away, resisting the urge to tell her all the things he’d love to do with her.

Alara followed Tyroz out of the hall and kept quiet. As much as she’d love to annoy him more than he was already, she knew how powerful Lord Theraux was. They walked through the halls of the manor, filled with portraits, plush carpets and warm coloured walls. Past open doors filled with expensive furniture, to where Lord Theraux stood, with his daughter next to him.

Tyroz stopped. “Lord Theraux.” Tyroz bowed respectfully to the old and scary vampire and then turned to his daughter.

Alara saw his jaw jump as he clenched his teeth together and bowed his head.

“Layla.”

What the hell is that about?
Alara looked at the beautiful woman who looked so much like her mother, yet stood like the strong vampire at her side. What did Tyroz have against her?

“I am part human and Tyroz has a thing against dhampirs, no matter who they are.” Layla looked at her and then glanced at Tyroz, smiling. “Yet the fact that he has bedded one is incredibly interesting.”

Alara stiffened the same time Tyroz did.
How did she know what I was?
She took a closer look at Layla, but saw no difference in her. She wouldn’t have known she was a dhampir before she told her, so how had she known?

Alara saw Tyroz glare at her and felt fear course through her with the murder he held in his eyes. She’d never told him what she was, never saw reason because he didn’t asked, too busy wanting her body rather than her life-story.

She knew he despised dhampirs with a passion and only now did it occur to her that she was in deep shit because of what she was.

Lord Theraux sighed softly. “Daughter, must you always cause trouble when we have a serious matter to talk about?”

Layla grinned. “Payback for how he treated me for all those years.”

“Aren’t you being a little childish?” Alara asked, putting her hands on her hips, and close to the hilt of her dagger.

“Why stick up for him when you tried to kill him not long ago?”

Alara’s eyebrows rose. How had she known that? “I’m an assassin and had a job. I don’t ask questions as long as I’m paid.”

“Not a very good one it seems. Tyroz is still breathing.”

Angry, Alara threw a dagger towards Layla before any of the others could react. She believed it would hit her target, until Layla smiled and the air around her shimmered. A tall, handsome, dark haired man appeared out of nowhere and plucked the knife out of the air before it could hit her.

Alara twisted and side-flipped away from Lord Theraux’s attack, but couldn’t avoid Layla’s as dark tendrils shot out from her body and grabbed her around the leg, causing her to fall hard.

“She’s fast,” the new male said, turning her dagger in his hands.

“Not fast enough. Her dagger wouldn’t have hit me, Shade. I didn’t need your help.”

The handsome man—Shade—rolled his eyes and pulled her close. “Always moaning.”

“Only for you,” she replied seductively.

Lord Theraux and Tyroz cleared their throats before Tyroz spoke. “I apologise on her behalf. She’s yet to come to terms with my rules.”

“Leave her,” Layla interrupted before Lord Theraux could speak. She held out her hand when the darkness holding Alara to the floor slithered away. “She was defending herself—something all of us would have done, no matter what the company.”

Alara glanced at everyone before grudgingly accepting her hand.

“Teach him how to respect others, Alara, before he gets himself killed,” Layla whispered before letting her go and looking at Tyroz. “We will come back to talk when things have calmed down here.” Taking hold of Shade’s hand, Layla smiled at Alara before disappearing in a blinding light, while Shade disappeared in darkness.

Lord Theraux glared at her, but Tyroz blocked his line of sight when he stepped in front of her and bowed his head. “Once again, I am sorry. I will make sure this does not happen again.”

Lord Theraux didn’t speak and a second later, Tyroz relaxed slightly.

He turned to face her, the murder back in his stare. “You have some explaining to do.”

Shit.

Alara stuttered at his words, but didn’t explain anything.
Alara
. He should have known. The name was human.

“Alara,” he warned. He could barely contain his anger as it was. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a…
dhampir
?” he spoke the word with disgust.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. “You didn’t ask, and you didn’t seem to care while you were banging my brains out!”

Tyroz felt her anger and hurt as she spun on her heels and stormed off. He sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face. “Alara!” He ran after her, catching her as she reached her room. He turned her and held her in place when he felt her stiffen, ready for a fight. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you with my words. I just don’t have good experience when it comes to dhampirs.” He inhaled deeply, knowing his words were going to hurt him as well as her. “I cannot be in a relationship with a dhampir, nor can I allow you to drink the blood of my people.” He’d learned from his past mistakes. He won’t let it happen again.

“We weren’t in a relationship in the first place.”

Tyroz heard the hurt within her words, but she spoke as he opened his mouth.

“As for drinking blood—there are only a handful of dhampirs in the World, why set up such a meaningless law?”

“You have met Layla—she was captured by the humans, herself and her twin. Both were tortured, but only Layla survived. After that, Guardian Nikalye gave up his post as my guard to look after her. She couldn’t be saved and went into bloodlust—she attacked my people and killed them before she could be stopped. Since then, I set up a law forbidding dhampirs from drinking blood.”

“You make it seem like it was her fault she went into bloodlust.”

“Everyone has the willpower to resist bloodlust. I have lived for hundreds of years and have resisted the lure many times. She gave into that darkness and brought her own fate upon herself.”

“I suppose I can understand that. As I am in your debt, I will abide by your law and refrain myself from drinking blood.”

“Thank you, Alara. My people’s safety comes first.”

Alara nodded and met his eyes. “If you will excuse me, it has been a very long day.”

Tyroz frowned. She didn’t sound at all like herself. “Of course.” He watched her walk into her room. She spoke just before she closed the door.

“Goodnight, Master Tyroz.”

His heart slammed into his chest. He felt like the heartless vampire most people called him.

Alara poked her head out of her door when she heard Tyroz walk away, muttering to himself. She sighed heavily, knowing he didn’t mean to hurt her, but it didn’t excuse the fact that he did.
Where has the carefree vampire I first met gone?
She remembered him all those years ago. Remembered him not having a care in the World, despite the chaos the humans caused at the time. He protected his people and still had fun.

You’ve changed also.

Alara couldn’t deny that, and for the most part, she blamed Tyroz for that. If he hadn’t left her so soon after having sex, and taken her heart with him, she wouldn’t have wanted to seek revenge and wouldn’t have signed a contract to become an assassin for Jahlmari. She wouldn’t have been hunting him for all those years, waiting for him to come out of hiding so she could kill him.

Alara closed her door after she stepped out of her room, angry over the thought of
what ifs
. What if she hadn’t taken that contract? What if she killed him when she had the chance.

What if she hadn’t fallen in love with him when he’d charmed his way into her underwear?

You should have kept your legs closed.

“Idiot,” she scolded herself. Whether she resisted him at the time or not wouldn’t have changed anything between Tyroz and herself—she’d felt the slight connection they shared when she’d first met him. It was what drew them together in the first place. And it was the reason she hadn’t been able to kill him when she’d had the chance.

Grunts and yells drew Alara’s attention to the sounds, and brought her out of her own thoughts. She glanced around quickly before following the noise to the training room she’d been in not long ago.

Tyroz’s vampires were obviously training hard. The sweat covering their body spoke volumes, along with the scent they gave off.

When she neared, they noticed her and stopped fighting.