Into the Darkness (21 page)

over him.

So they’d slept together. She wasn’t sure what constituted

a relationship in Rene’s mind.

However, she followed Simon out the door, feeling as though

she was entering Oz as she crossed the threshold. Instead of a

yellow brick road, pearl gray carpet cushioned her bare feet.

She walked toward the end of the hall to a long staircase

that curved down to an open foyer tiled in black marble shot

through with veins of gold. A massive chandelier suspended

above was made of wrought iron twisted into vines, frosted

glass globes, and cylindrical crystals.

into the darkness

177

She didn’t have time to catalog the rest of her surroundings.

Simon pulled her into a parlor with cream-colored walls, velvet-upholstered camelback sofas with lots of plush, colorful

pillows in an erotic mix of maroons and golds. Thick velvet

drapes covered the floor-to-ceiling windows, but the centerpiece was a black marble fireplace with a portrait above it.

Curious, she walked closer to study the painting. Splotches

of vivid red and gold surrounded the stunning woman at the

center of the portrait—blood red lips, black hair, black eyes,

a sallow cast to her skin—Middle Eastern or Indian, she

thought. Her gown was rendered in gold foil and a gold necklace with a large red stone carved into the likeness of a creature with outstretched wings rested between her breasts.

“She’s beautiful,” Simon whispered very close to her ear.

“But when you meet her, beware.”

Natalie drew back in surprise, glancing at him over her

shoulder. “She lives here?”

“This is her house.”

His expression seemed to be schooled, reserved. Far from

the open, fun-loving person she had thought him to be.

“What’s her name?”

“She has many,” he murmured. “But here, they call her

Inanna. She’s your grandmother many, many times removed.

In fact, every one of The Born who lives here is descended

from her.”

“That term, ‘Born’—”

One side of his mouth quirked up. “Not for me to

explain.”

She didn’t bother to hide her frown of frustration. “All

right, can you tell me how many Born are here?”

178

delilah devlin

“I don’t know. In the past, when I was a regular visitor, they

came and went frequently. This was a kind of social center.

Now, it seems more a military compound than a residence.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I. And you’re not expected to. You’ve been

out of the fold. So have I. I’ll let them explain it to you. I just

wanted to give you a little warning.” He leaned close again,

his voice dropping. “Don’t trust. Follow your own path.”

She dropped her hand from his arm and stepped closer to

be sure he could see exactly what she thought. “Stop going

Yoda on me. I’m twenty-five, not five. And I’m getting pretty

sick of everyone knowing what the hell is going on around

me!”

“Natalie.” He reached for her arms and gripped her, giving

her a little shake. “Just be careful. Nothing is ever as it seems

on the surface.”

“Perhaps you should let her see beneath your own surface,

Simon,” came a melodic, singsong voice from behind them.

Natalie turned to find the woman in the portrait—Inanna.

She looked as though she had just risen from bed. She was

dressed as Natalie was in a long, silky robe, only hers was a

deep crimson shot with gold thread that made the gown shimmer as she walked toward them. Her dark hair fanned around

her shoulders and she didn’t wear a trace of makeup. Still, she

was the most beautiful woman Natalie had ever seen.

“It’s well past time we met,” Inanna said, holding out her

hands, palms up. The tilt of her head relayed a challenge.

Although she was reluctant to touch her, given Simon’s

warning, Natalie reached out and her hands were enfolded in

warmth—and surprising strength. Inanna tugged her closer,

into the darkness

179

until Natalie stood close enough to smell the other woman’s

minty breath.

This close, the woman’s eyes weren’t black at all, but a liquid, bottomless brown, her pupils surrounded by a surprising

golden aurora. Her skin was a creamy café au lait—and for a

woman who was supposedly her grandmother “many times

removed,” dewy and youthful.

Her lush red lips curved as she returned Natalie’s stare,

seeming to inspect each feature. “There’s little of your

mother in you,” she murmured. “The same blonde hair, the

same coloring, but I see more strength. That bull she chose

was an excellent choice after all.”

Her mother? Natalie felt her pulse throb at her temples.

Somehow, it didn’t seem the right time to pursue the topic.

Not standing this close. She felt almost light headed from the

effort of keeping her expression neutral.

“Natalie, you are breaking free from a chrysalis—you are

only half-formed. Soon you will be magnificent—blessed to

be among us. Powerful in ways you cannot conceive.”

Somehow, the words didn’t sound ridiculous. Not in Inanna’s melodic intonations.

A shiver bit the base of Natalie’s spine.

Inanna released her hands and turned to walk toward twin

sofas that faced each other in front of the fireplace. “Please,

have a seat,” she said, settling gracefully onto the cushion.

“Lunch is coming. While we wait, we can get acquainted. I’m

sure you have a million questions.”

Shaking off her fascination, Natalie lifted her chin, refusing to follow her to the sofas. “I do. For starters, why were we

brought here?”

180

delilah devlin

Inanna’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “It was a bit dramatic,

non
? But it was for your protection. It seems you’ve had a bit

of excitement in your life lately. We wanted to make sure we

spirited you out of the city without anybody getting wise

to your existence. A quick surgical extraction. Nicolas’s idea.

Were you frightened?”

As she glared back, Natalie found herself unwilling to

express her fear. “Of course not. I slept through the whole

thing.”

Inanna’s smile held approval. “Are you comfortable in your

room?”

“I might be more so if the lock was on the inside of the

door.”

“You are blunt. As I said, we only want to keep you and

your . . . friend safe.”

“We’d like to leave.”

Inanna’s smile seemed more genuine this time. “I know you

would. But it’s out of the question for now. It’s not safe for

you outside of these walls. There are those who would kill

you for the promise you hold in your body.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your child.”

“What?” A chill spread through her.

“You may have been a virgin yesterday, but you may already have conceived. You are in your season. In a very short

span of time you’ve managed to mate frequently. We’ve been

monitoring your progress.”

“The cameras.”

Inanna’s eyelids lowered slowly then rose again. “Your

Rene is very clever,” she murmured, then her gaze drifted

into the darkness

181

beyond Natalie’s shoulder toward the door and she relaxed

deeper into the cushions. “Our meals have arrived. Do have a

seat,
damu
.”

Natalie looked behind her and stiffened. Two young men

entered. Surely, she didn’t mean . . .

“Simon, you may leave us now,” Inanna said, her gaze

hardening.

Simon’s back stiffened, and then he bowed his head and

departed the room.

But not before giving Natalie one last warning glance.

“Pasqual, please help Natalie to her seat,” Inanna said, waving her hand toward the younger of the pair. He was swarthy

skinned, his eyebrows dark slashes above his hooded eyes.

Pasqual gave Natalie an easy smile and extended his hand.

Again reluctant to touch, this time for a very different

reason, Natalie lay her hand in his and let him guide her to

the sofa. He sat next to her, his thigh sliding snug against

hers.

Natalie didn’t glance his way, holding herself rigid.

“Come here, darling Sergio,” Inanna said to the light-haired

man. “Sit beside me.” The smile she flashed at Sergio had his

cheeks heating. “This is small, intimate,” she said, never lifting her gaze from Sergio. “I thought the setting might help in

introducing you to our customs.”

“Introducing whom,” Natalie broke in. “Sergio?”

Inanna’s gaze swung her way at last, and she laughed. “It

was rude of me not to look at you. But he is beautiful, don’t

you think?”

Natalie was quickly becoming irritated. The warmth along

her thigh, and the lovely cologne emanating from the man

182

delilah devlin

beside her, had her salivating. “What’s the point of my being

here? In this room?”

Inanna’s eyes widened in mock innocence. “We are becoming acquainted, and you must begin your training. Your hunger should be a private thing. Since I am your grandmother, I

thought I’d provide the lesson myself.”

“Lesson? I’ve already had enough education today,” she

said, thinking about Gerard.

“Our hungers ought to be mastered—and they shouldn’t

be a public thing. And despite your attachment to your policeman, you really must look farther afield to feed yourself,

or you will deplete him. I take it you have already discovered

how to find a vein?”

That only served to ratchet up her awareness of her grumbling stomach. Natalie licked her lips with her tongue, aware

the man next to her stared at her every movement. “Um, I

can feel a pulse beat beneath my tongue.” Her breasts beaded

beneath her thin robe.

“Very good. You can also listen for the beat or feel for the

greatest warmth beneath the skin. Be very careful about how

you bite—if you intend no harm. You mustn’t bite too deeply

as you did with Gerard. His blood flowed too quickly for you

to track his progress. You need to be supremely aware of

every heartbeat so you know when he’s given all he can.”

Pasqual shifted on the seat beside her and his breaths grew

more shallow. Was he aware of her growing arousal? Could he

smell it as distinctly as she did? Desperation had her blurting, “A question? Do you just keep meals like this about the

place?”

Inanna’s smile widened, tilting her eyes upward at the cor-into the darkness

183

ners like a cat’s. “These men aren’t human,
damu
. They’re

vampires,
Revenants
.”

“That word again,” Natalie said, feeling breathless.

“They are a form of vampire. It will all be explained. Right

now, the important thing to learn is that once vampires have

fed from a human host, you can in turn feed from them. You

can continue the cycle without fear of doing harm. With humans, you can’t continue to go back to the well, or you will

drain them to the point of death.”

“Pasqual and Sergio are both vampires?” she asked, feeling

herself lose intellect as each second passed. Knowing the men

were here to drink from loosened the leash on her hunger.

“Did I not just say so? For this lesson,” Inanna said, her

eyes glittering, “you will not have to worry about going too

far.”

Inanna reached for Sergio’s hand and brought his wrist to

her mouth, giving it a delicate lick.

“May I touch you, Mistress?” he asked in a reverent tone.

“Of course you may,” she crooned to him as she held Natalie’s stare. “Put your head to my breast.”

He knelt on the floor in front of her and opened her robe,

nuzzling her breast with his lips while she bit into his wrist.

His groan stretched, and his back grew taut.

Shock had Natalie gasping at their public intimacy. She’d

wanted to find family—but this wasn’t what she’d had in

mind. Despite her revulsion, liquid seeped from inside to wet

her sex. She gave Pasqual a nervous glance.

His answer was a player’s smile, one corner of his mouth

quirking upward.

Natalie didn’t know quite how she felt—equal measures

184

delilah devlin

of revulsion and sensual excitement making her hot and cold

all at once.

Watching Sergio as he suckled Inanna’s breast, had her own

nipples ruching, drawing painfully hard beneath her robe.

Inanna’s gaze held hers, glittering fiercely, triumphantly as

Sergio’s hand crept beneath the hem of her robe and his hips

pumped against the sofa. Inanna’s robe rustled softly as she

parted her legs allowing him greater access.

All the while, she drank, her eyes glazing, her murmurs

against his skin quickening in cadence.

When she’d had her fill, Inanna licked his wrist to close his

wounds and drew him close for a moist, noisy kiss. “Thank

you for the gift.”

Then she glanced beyond his shoulder at Natalie and

smiled. “You need not feel disloyal to your policeman. Your

Revenant
will spend himself in his trousers. Just from the taste

and feel of you. You can take your fill and provide him pleasure, without betraying your lover. Pleasure is the price of

the transaction.”

Pasqual’s hand had crept to her thigh and Natalie pressed