ADarkDesire (4 page)

Careful not to wake Belia, he climbed out of bed. He pulled on his shirt and followed Doxiak out of the room.

Once the door was quietly shut, Doxiak spoke. “I take it Belia has recovered from what happened earlier?”

“She…I…” Nikalye was lost of words. He was unable to explain to Doxiak what happened.

Doxiak smiled and placed his hand on Nikalye’s shoulder. “The bond can affect even the strongest of people, Nikalye. Believe me, I have been around to see it happen.”

“She is human. Others will not accept her as I have.”

“The only one you have to worry about is Layla.”

Nikalye hung his head. “She will hate me.”

“She will not, but she will not trust Belia after what happened with her. It will probably take time. Now, go and wake your young beauty. Our transport is ready to take us to the beautiful warrior in speaking.”

Nikalye nodded. Leaving Doxiak in the hall, he went into the hotel room. Belia stirred as he neared and hunger for her touch and taste burned inside. As he sat next to her, she reached up to stroke his cheek and he leant down to kiss her lips. “We must hurry, our transport awaits us and Doxiak is outside the door. If you do not dress quickly, I am afraid I will be joining you in that bed and it will be quite some time before we leave.” Nikalye almost groaned as he brushed his knuckles over her nipples.

Belia moaned softly but was quick to climb across the bed to where her clothes lay across the room.

Nikalye watched her dress with hungry eyes, holding himself where he was so he wouldn’t push her against the wall and take her.

“Is it natural that I know how you’re feeling?” Belia stepped into his embrace.

“I would think it was obvious.” Nikalye rolled his hips against her to emphasise his words.

Belia sighed and pushed him away. She folded her arms and raised her eyebrows.
Who knew vampires could be so…horny?

Nikalye chuckled at her thoughts and picked up her bags. He opened the door for her to walk ahead while he replied. “We are bonded. My emotions are your emotions, just as your emotions are my emotions.”

A smile tugged on the corners of her lips as her cheeks and neck reddened. Images of the two of them together in bed flitted through her mind and she let out a soft sigh.

“Nikalye is right. Because you are bonded, you can feel all his emotions, and he can with you. It is so you both know when one is in danger, or feeling unhappy.”

Belia smiled at Doxiak before frowning at Nikalye. “How do you know this? Don’t you have amnesia?”

“He does, but what comes naturally cannot be forgotten once it’s awakened.” Doxiak replied and led the way through the hall to the elevator at the end.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. Kind of.”

Nikalye chuckled and pulled her close. She truly was an amazing woman.

“You aren’t Spanish.” Belia eyed Doxiak. “Why speak it?”

“It is the language you both know and feel comfortable speaking in. I use it to make you feel comfortable.”

“Who taught you?”

Doxiak smiled and met Nikalye’s eyes as they exited the elevator and stepped into the roof. “Nikalye taught me, just as he’s taught many others before that.”

“Recently?” Nikalye was surprised.
I taught Doxiak and others to speak Spanish? I only ever remember teaching Layla.

“Very much so. You have been missing all but two months. We thought we would never find you. Layla knew we would, she always told us that you would find your way back. It seems she was right as usual.”

Jealously from Belia shot through Nikalye, making his heart to beat hard and his stomach knot.

“Is Layla psychic?”

Nikalye took her hand and squeezed it gently. “She is not. She just…”

“Knows things,” Doxiak finished. “A gut instinct that is always accurate.” Doxiak pulled open the door to the helicopter.

Nikalye pulled Belia close. “You have nothing to fear from Layla and me. Do not let your jealously take control, my love.”

She blushed and but kept her eyes on his despite her embarrassment. “I hate the way you talk about her, as though she’s perfect.”

“She is far from perfect—it is that which makes me so fond of her. Do not worry though. All will be answered soon enough and your mind will be reassured along with mine.” He helped her inside before climbing in behind her.

Doxiak took a seat opposite, obvious of their conversation but not showing it.

Nikalye smiled his thanks.

Doxiak bowed his head and then smiled as the helicopters propellers began to spin. “Let us see if your memories can be restored once and for all.”

Chapter Eight

Layla was meditating, facing Nikalye, Belia and Doxiak’s direction with her eyes shut, her back straight and her arms at her side as she breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. Though it was dark, Layla didn’t seem to care. She often meditated and trained in the dark and cold.

Nikalye exhaled softly at the sight of her. She was still as beautiful as she always had been, even with her scars. With just the moon shining down upon her, Nikalye noticed she had new scars added with her old, the skin pale compared to her tanned skin.

The scars on her wrist, neck and chest were the first scars she had received while in the hands of the humans—criss-cross marks and dots making a pattern up her wrists and arms from the transfusions and jagged lines on her chest and neck where they cut her open.

More scars on her wrists, chest and face followed after from when she was killed. A circle on her forehead where a bolt had been with marks around her eyes and across her cheeks to her chin, connecting to the scar on her neck.

Nikalye had seen all of Layla’s scars. The new ones on her wrists made anger surge through him. Someone had hurt her and he had been unable to help her.

“Is that her?”

Nikalye didn’t look away from Layla as he nodded. He couldn’t speak, not when he was unsure of what to do or what was about to happen.

Does he love her?

He sighed and faced Belia. “It is complicated. My feelings for her are strange. I cannot explain it. I never have been able to, nor has anyone else.”

“Has it always been like that? She looks so young.”

“Not always, no. Only after I brought her back from bloodlust did my feelings for her change to something more. Layla is thirty years old.”

Belia’s eyes widened. “Thirty? She looks twenty or something.”

Nikalye chuckled. “And I am four-hundred and fifty-three years old.”

“I’m jealous.”

Nikalye smiled as her eyebrows rose and she stuck her chin out. “Of my non-aging skin, or the relationship I had with Layla?”

Belia chewed her lip. “Both.”

“We promised we would never go there.”

“But you forgot,” Belia whispered the words.

“I will not know until my memory has returned, but I assure you that I do not think of her that way anymore. The only woman I want is you.” He stroked her cheek gently.

“Will she feel the same?”

Nikalye was unable to answer. When Doxiak touched his arm, relief shot through him. He didn’t want to upset Belia with an answer he wasn’t sure was true.

“Come, let me escort you both over and we’ll see if your memories can be saved.”

Nikalye nodded and grasped Belia’s hand tight. They headed to where Layla meditated.

As they neared, Layla’s eyebrows rose and her lips curved into a smile. She opened her eyes and met Nikalye’s.

He stopped in his tracks, his head pounding hard. When he swayed, Doxiak steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. His vision blurred as Layla moved forward. Her touch burned his cheeks.

“Fight the darkness,
Guerrero,
fight it.” Her voice cut through the black veil covering his eyes.

Nikalye swore as he remembered everything. Remembered giving into the darkness Shayla had put in him, and watching her hurt Layla. Remembered the sex he wanted Layla to feel, and remembered hurting and kissing her before she stabbed him.

“
Mi Belleza Oscura,
I am sorry.” He touched her scarred cheeks.

Layla smiled and pulled him into her embrace. “I am glad you found your way home.” She moved back and studied him before her eyes flicked over Belia.

Nikalye could feel the hatred coming from her skin. She really did not like humans.

When she spoke, it was in Spanish. “I hope there is a good reason for you bringing a human to my home.”

“Layla—”

“I helped him find his way back. If you can’t be thankful, then that just tells me you aren’t a grateful person.” Belia also spoke in Spanish.

Nikalye stepped in between them, grasping Layla’s fist with one hand and pushing Belia behind him to keep her safe with the other. “I do not want a fight.”

Layla held his gaze, unblinking. After a few seconds, she turned to Belia. “If you hurt him, believe me, Nikalye will not stop me from ripping your throat out.”

Nikalye let go of Layla to push Belia back as she started laughing, her eyes angry.

“I get there was something going on between the two of you, but whatever that was, it’s over now.”

“Layla, they have the bond. Think before you start drawing blood,” Doxiak murmured quickly. He could no doubt feel the tremor run through the ground as Nikalye could.

Layla glanced between Nikalye and Belia, her anger disappearing instantly. Her eyes met Nikalye’s. “I am glad you finally found someone to love.”

“It seems you were right once again.” Nikalye smiled widely and turned to Belia. “She saved me.”

Belia blushed. “You saved me first, twice now even.”

Nikalye stilled, frowning. He watched Belia’s eyes move across his face.

“You don’t remember?”

“The first attack, no. I remember everything else except that.” How could it be possible to remember everything but the night Belia was attacked?

Doxiak stepped forward. “Interesting. Maybe you need time. Shayla’s dark ability to control one is very strong. Even after the darkness left her, it still lingered inside you.”

“Something dark rose?” Belia whispered. “That was what you spoke about? This Shayla made you forget who you were.”

Nikalye nodded. “Yes.”

“Come inside. Let me explain everything to you both.” Layla turned away and headed away from the river and towards the mansion. The mansion he hadn’t been in since Layla and Akila were taken.

Chapter Nine

“Long story made into a short one for you,” Layla said to Belia. “Shayla drank the blood of an ancient creature known as Priscus. A Shadow Demon. By drinking his blood and killing him, she not only saved my life, but she changed into something evil. Priscus still lurked within her, controlling her. I will not put all the blame on the Shadow Demon. Shayla knew what she was doing and instead of fighting that darkness, she embraced it instead.”

“How did she get rid of it?” Belia asked in a quiet voice.

Layla met Nikalye’s eyes. “Her bonded mate cut his own throat to save Shayla and everyone.”

Nikalye’s eyebrows rose quickly. “Kaiven killed himself?”

“Yes. In doing so, his blood pushed the darkness out of Shayla.” Layla smiled widely, her eyes still on Nikalye.

“Kaiven is alive? How?

Wait what?
Belia turned her attention to Layla and then Nikalye and back again, obviously missing something only Nikalye had heard.

Layla chuckled. “He is. That is another story.”

“I don’t get it,” Belia cut in before either of them could speak. “How can he kill himself but not be dead?”

“I have died three times in my life. I am alive.” Layla told her.

Nikalye took Belia’s hands. “Layla is part Spirit Demon, remember?”

“Oh, so you can’t truly die?” Belia couldn’t deny that she was impressed by the beautiful woman standing in front of her.

“I can. I found that out when Shayla squeezed my Mother’s heart and killed her.”

“Queen Surquyn is dead?”

Belia groaned.
Okay, I’m lost again.

Nikalye’s eyes widened. “She is a vampire?”

Layla laughed openly. “Yes, and still getting used to it. Father has taken her on holiday, somewhere remote to help her with her new feelings and hunger for all things.”

Belia rubbed her head, feeling a headache slowly settling in. “Okay, your world is just so confusing.”
Why did we have to come here? Nikalye isn’t going to want to leave now he’s found Layla.

Nikalye pulled her close to his body. “Wherever you go, I go. I will not leave you, not for anyone.”

“I hate that you can read my mind.” Belia ran her hands through his hair and pulled him down for a kiss.

Doxiak cleared his throat. “I am sorry to interrupt, but I would like to see if I can restore the last of your memories.”

“You mean before they start ripping each other’s clothes off?” Layla asked.

Belia gasped and covered her face. She knew she was most likely a deep shade of scarlet.

Layla chuckled. “Come, let us leave Nikalye and Doxiak alone.” She reached out.

Belia flinched away, moving closer to Nikalye.

“Layla.”

“I swear I will protect her with my life.”

Nikalye nodded and kissed Belia before he let her go.

Wait, you trust her?

“With my life. Do not worry, she will not harm you.”

Belia nodded. “Okay.”

“If you feel as though you are in danger, call me. I will hear.”

After nodding again, she turned and followed Layla out of the large mansion and outside, rubbing her hands nervously.

“You have nothing to fear from me.”

Belia cast a sideways glance at the beautiful woman. “I trust Nikalye. I just don’t trust myself to say something that will get you mad.”

Layla pursed her lips. “What feelings Nikalye and I had is long gone. I hope you know this.”

“I’m more bothered by the fact that there was something there to begin with.” Belia sighed and sat down on a bench near a broken statue of what seemed to be a warrior.

“I assume you know about my past?”

Belia nodded when Layla sat next to her. She couldn’t look away. The woman radiated beauty like nothing she had ever seen—though that could be because she had been living alone for a long time and hadn’t seen another woman until now.