Courting the Darkness (2 page)

Sean pulled on her arm to stop in front of the huge warehouse, effectively pulling her away from her worried thoughts to the present. Lifting his hand, he knocked three times on the large iron doors. A hidden panel slid back. “Open up, I’ve returned with the girl.” His words rang ominous to her ears as the doors slowly swung open. Yanking on her arm, he pulled her inside.

From the street, the vampire headquarters resembled an ordinary warehouse. Once inside, Desiree was surprised to see how lavishly decorated the building was. The colorful plush furniture, draped in silk, were the rich reds, greens, purples and yellows that were so popular of the Marti Gras. Everything was fresh, clean, and new. The floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina made it necessary to replace everything. She had to give these vampires credit. They did live in style.

Desiree’s eyes grew wide in admiration of the thirty or so vampires lounging around the room. They could all be models, right out of the pages of
GQ Magazine.
She unconsciously slowed her pace to stare. Sean stopped, turning around to glare at her. “Why did you stop? Is there a problem?”

She shook her head self-consciously, feeling color rise to her cheeks at being caught gawking like a lovesick schoolgirl.

Shaking his head, he turned, pulling on her arm again. “Come on then, Drake’s waiting.”

She followed Sean without protest. What choice did she have? Someone had revealed her secret, and she lacked the confidence in herself to fight it. Drake must have paid handsomely for that tasty morsel of information.

She deduced that the “someone” had to be her landlady. If she managed to get out of this mess, she just might have to turn that woman into a toad, the blabbermouth. When she returned to her apartment a couple of days ago, the crazy woman was screaming that she was the devil incarnate. The foolish woman crossed herself, pointing an accusing finger at her, screaming that she would burn in hell for her sins. The nosy hag rummaged through her things while she was out, discovering that she was a witch. Not just any witch—no that would be too simple—she was a very young-looking old witch. Therefore, she must serve Satan. She shook her head in disgust. Satan indeed; she was insulted—she had been born with her powers, and she did not worship Satan to get them. A day later, she had received an invitation in the mail from Drake. Desiree was not stupid; it was not an invitation at all. It was an order.

As a result, she found herself standing outside a pair of huge, wooden, ornate doors with her arm restrained by a very large vampire. It could have been worse. The daft woman could have blabbed to the witch hunter, Jason Hargrove. If that nosy hag had done that, she might be dead now instead. Intently looking into Sean's eyes, she sighed dramatically. “Let’s get this over with.”

He nodded, reaching up, and knocking three times on the doors. Another secret panel slid back and a pair of eyes stared at them. “Inform Drake the witch is here.” After a slight pause, the wooden doors swung open to admit them.

Sean pulled her inside a very large, elaborately decorated chamber. This room was also decorated in the bright colors of the Mardi Gras. A large, king-sized canopy bed sat in the corner, draped in a colorful silk comforter with sheer, multicolored fabric draping the canopy. A plush red carpet covered the massive expanse of the floor. Large, overstuffed pillows, in a variety of colors, sat scattered about the room for lounging. The well-lit room had no windows to allow in the sunlight.

A slight noise drew her attention to a large sitting area, boasting a huge, regal throne. Touching her shoulder to get her attention, Sean nodded. “Wait here.”

Swallowing hard, she nodded back.

A few seconds later, a gigantic vampire entered the chamber from an adjoining room. Her heart almost stopped as she gawked up at him in awe. He had to be close to seven-foot tall and all muscle, reeking with power. Her eyes were drawn to his strikingly handsome face, comprising of piercing, hypnotic blue eyes, high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a strong, sensual mouth. He wore his raven-black hair long and straight. To her surprise, he dressed very casually, in a pair of tight black leather pants, no shirt, and a loose silk robe. She swallowed hard. More than her freedom might be at stake here.

***

Drake’s eyes flicked over her in amusement. She was not at all what he expected. When he heard she was a hundred and twenty-five years old, he expected to see an old hag, not a young, beautiful woman.
She must indeed be a powerful witch.

At only five-foot-six, she could not weigh more than a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet. Her thick auburn hair surrounded her heart shaped face, falling past her shoulders. Her large brown eyes, framed in luscious dark lashes, accentuated her high cheekbones and soft, kissable mouth. She wore tight hip-hugger jeans, a close-fitting pink scoop necked sweater, and a black leather jacket, fitting her curves nicely. He smiled, inclining his head toward her. “Desiree, I presume?”

She cleared her throat. “Yes—yes, I’m Desiree.” Her voice broke. “Why am I here?”

Laughter rumbled deep from his chest. “I have need of your witchy services. And from looking at you, I believe you might be just powerful enough to accomplish the task.”

She looked around the room nervously. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She took a quivering breath, continuing. “What witchy services? What kind of powers do you think I have?”

He walked around the chair, taking his seat. Frowning, the amusement was gone from his eyes. “You profess innocence.” His eyes raked over her again. “I know better. I need you to conjure a spell for me.”

Swallowing hard, she raised her eyes to meet his. “You’re already immortal.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “What do you need from me?”

He noted her protective stance, and raised an eyebrow speculatively. “As you know, we are creatures of the night. The sun is harmful to us, and therefore, we can’t go out in the daytime. I want you to conjure a spell or bless an amulet that allows us to go out freely in the day. I have lived over three hundred years in darkness, and I grow tired of the restrictions. I want to walk in the daylight.”

Her mouth gaped open. “I don’t know of a spell that will accomplish that.”

He propped his fingers under his chin. “You may not know now, but I believe you can be very creative. I believe you will think of something.”

She looked at him a long time, appearing to consider his request. “What’s in it for me? What if I can accomplish what you ask? Will you let me go to live my life with no consequences?”

He sat back in his chair, smiling. “I’m not unreasonable. If you can accomplish this task, you can have anything you want.” He paused. “If it’s within my power to give it.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, I still need to go back to my apartment to get my things.” She put her hands on her hips, assessing her surroundings again. “My landlady will sell my stuff.”

Amusement flickered in his eyes. “I can provide you with anything you require.”

She turned her gaze back to his and raised her chin defiantly. “I require my things. I have personal possessions that I use to invoke my craft.” She stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. “If you want my cooperation, then you’ll let me get my tools and personal things.”

He narrowed his eyes, not accustomed to having his orders defied. He was, after all, King. He held the lives of others in his hands. “Very well, you may go back to your apartment and get your ‘tools’ as you put it.” Glaring at her, he allowed his fangs to extend out to get his point across. “But I warn you, if you try to run, I will have you hunted down and brought back in chains. Am I clear?”

She cringed away from him. “Yes, I—I understand. I’ll come right back.” She swallowed hard. “I promise.”

“You may leave in the morning. No one will stop you, but you better be back by sundown, or you’ll suffer my wrath.” He looked away, dismissive.

“Yes, sir, I’ll be back by sundown. You have my word.”

CHAPTER
TWO

As the early morning’s rays flooded the alleyway, the vampires let her walk right out the door as promised. She knew very well that it would be foolish to try to run, with Drake making it perfectly clear what the consequences would be if she did. Besides, she would be practically living in the lap of luxury while she was there, even if she could not come and go as she pleased.

Her apartment was just a few short blocks away, taking her no time to get there. Hiding out from the witch hunter meant keeping a low profile. So, she had leased an apartment a low rent seedy side of town. At least residing with the vampires meant she wouldn’t have to worry about the witch hunter anymore.

She stopped, staring up at the shabby frame of the building. The weathered blue paint peeled in strips from the rotting wood of the two-story apartment. Two upstairs windows were boarded. She turned her head, looking up the street. There were several abandoned old cars missing doors and windows. Litter papered the street and walkways. “I won’t miss this place, that’s for sure.” Walking up the steps, she took her key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and went inside. Once safely inside, she closed the door, locking it firmly behind her.

She ambled into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. A bowl of cold cereal and milk fit the bill nicely. She sat down at the dingy table, eating her cereal leisurely. She looked around the room, assessing what needed to be done.

Having leased the apartment fully furnished, thankfully most of the items did not belong to her. She chewed the mouthful of cereal slowly as she looked around the small, dumpy apartment. The walls, once white, were dingy and water stained. The carpet, tan when new, was stained dark from years of abuse and spills. It was also threadbare and sporting holes in a few spots. The wooden kitchen cabinets had been painted so many times that the green paint bubbled and peeled in places. Two of the cabinet doors hung askew on broken hinges. The refrigerator was old and rusted. The stove had seen its better days, too. A single bulb hung from the ceiling over her head at the table, giving meager light to the shabby room. She hated living like this. She watched a roach crawl across the stained ceiling and shivered in revulsion. She would not miss this place at all, and she definitely would not miss that nosy landlady either; good riddance. She had a good mind to cast that toad spell anyway. It would serve her right.

She finished eating and put her dirty dishes in the sink. Leaving the room, she headed into the small bedroom to pack. Pulling out a suitcase, she laid it open on the bed. Opening her top drawer, she pulled out her book of spells, and placed it gently into the suitcase. She then scooped all of her statues, amulets, and candles, and put them next to the book. Scooping up all the rest of her clothes, she shoved them in overstuffed the bag, testing the integrity of the nylon zipper. She dragged the heavy suitcase from her bedroom, placing it beside the front door.

Grabbing a shopping bag, she made her way to the kitchen, emptying her cabinets of all of her herbs. She was looking for anything that she might need to cast a spell. She slowly looked around the room to see if she missed anything. Sighing dramatically, she noted the rest of the stuff she had to leave. She would not need it where she is going anyway. Toting the shopping bag into the living room, she placed it by the suitcase next to the front door.

She paused, giving the door a puzzled look. It was standing wide open; she could have sworn it was closed a minute ago. A cold chill raced down her spine, and she froze. “Oh my God, someone must have followed me home.” She apprehensively looked around the room. “Is—is someone there?” she whispered hoarsely.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind her, covering her mouth and nose with a cloth doused in chloroform. Fear gripped her as she frantically struggled to pull away from her captor.

“I’ve got you now, witch.”

* * *

The sun had set over an hour ago and Desiree had not made her commanded appearance, again. Drake was livid. “Sean, come in here!” he roared.

Sean hurried into the room and respectfully kneeled before his master. “Sire?”

Drake pounded his fist on the table, splitting the wood. “I told that little witch to be here by sundown, or I’d have her in chains. Go get her, now!”

Sean bowed his head to Drake. “As you wish.” He stood back up and inclined his head, slightly smiling. “Should I take the chains with me, or chain her up when I bring her back?”

Drake narrowed his eyes. “Very funny.” He clenched his teeth together. “Just bring her back, unharmed. We need her.”

Realizing he made his jest in poor taste, the smile dropped from his face. “Yes, sire.”

* * *

Desiree slowly opened her eyes to the gentle rocking of the minivan, her mind in a medicine-induced fog. The chloroform steadily wore off, taking away the cobwebs that cluttered her conscious thoughts. Pinching her eyebrows together, she felt a sharp pain shooting through her temples with an intense feeling of disorientation. Moving at all was a labored effort; her stiff joints screamed in pain. Jerking at her bindings, trying to readjust herself, she discovered that she could not move. A moment of panic engulfed her, bringing her to total awareness. Her mind raced, trying to assess her situation. The only thing that she knew for sure was that she was bound and gagged. Turning her head slightly, her eyes frantically searched the interior of the minivan, stopping on the driver. Groaning in despair, her heart sank. Jason Hargrove was at the wheel.

Upon hearing a groan, Jason tore his gaze away from the road to look over his shoulder into the backseat. A wicked smile split his face. “Good, you’re finally awake; you’ve been asleep a long time. We’ll be in Salem in a couple of hours.” Turning his head back toward the road, he continued. “You’ll stand trial, and I’ll finally get my bounty. They’re going to burn you, witch. They’re going to use green wood and make it burn hotter and last longer,” he taunted, glancing back over his shoulder at her.