Home > Darkness Betrayed(2)

Darkness Betrayed(2)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

   “The city is seething.”

   “Seething. Yes. That’s exactly what’s happening,” Styx agreed. It was like they were sitting on a simmering pot that might boil over at any moment. “I don’t suppose you’ve managed to discover what’s causing the trouble?”

   “I have answers for the latest incidents.” Xi strolled forward, halting next to the desk. “The collapse at the sanctuary happened when the wooden beams in the ceiling shattered.”

   The sanctuary had been Darcy’s idea. She’d spent years barely scraping by, unaware why she was different from other people. She wanted a place for demons to go that would offer them food and a warm place to sleep, as well as protection from the more predatory creatures. Or even from humans, who had a tendency to kill what they feared.

   A week ago, the old warehouse collapsed into a pile of rubble, wounding several of those seeking asylum. Darcy had been furious, and Styx had promised to get to the bottom of the collapse.

   “Did someone tamper with them?” he asked Xi.

   The Raven shrugged. “The damage was too great to determine if it was an accident or deliberate.”

   Styx was willing to bet it was deliberate. “And the others?”

   “The fire at the Viper Club was caused by an electrical surge,” Xi continued. “And the rampaging vampire that we captured claims he was kidnapped and injected with some unknown toxin that sent him into a psychotic episode.”

   It’d only been a night ago that Styx had received a frantic call that warned there was a crazed vampire destroying a human nightclub. The male was not only creating chaos, but he was threatening to expose the existence of vampires. Something that would be catastrophic for the entire demon-world.

   Styx had personally gone to the club to capture the idiot and toss him into a locked cell. It was also when he’d suggested to Darcy that she might want to visit her sister. Anything to get her out of town.

   “Where was he kidnapped from?” Styx demanded.

   “In front of your lair.”

   Styx hissed in outrage. What demon had the balls to kidnap a vampire beneath the nose of the Anasso?

   A dead one.

   Grimly, he resisted the urge to push his fist through the wall. Now that he was king, he had to pay for repairs. It was insane what a good carpenter could charge.

   “What was the vampire doing here?”

   “He doesn’t remember. All he can recall is leaving his home two nights ago to hunt for his dinner and being attacked by two Weres, who held him down and injected him with something. The next thing he knew, he was chained in your dungeon.”

   “Darcy doesn’t like the word ‘dungeon,’” Styx reminded his companion, his thoughts distracted. Had the vampire been kidnapped because he was coming to see Styx? Perhaps he knew something about the troubles plaguing the city. Or had he been kidnapped just because he happened to be near Styx’s lair? Like a warning shot?

   Impossible to know for sure.

   “Holding center for disobliging guests,” Xi offered in dry tones.

   “That’s better.”

   “If you say so.”

   Styx shrugged. He didn’t understand his mate’s distaste for the word “dungeon.” There were cells that locked and guards to keep watch. You could call it the Four Seasons Resort if you wanted; it didn’t change what it was.

   “He was sure it was Weres?” he asked his companion.

   “Positive. And I could smell the scent of dogs when I went to interview him.”

   Styx continued to tap his finger, his mind seething. Could the Weres be behind this relentless attack? The thought made his stomach clench with dread.

   “I need to have a word with Salvatore.” Salvatore was the King of Weres and Styx’s brother-in-law. Yep, he could write the book on dysfunctional families. “Then I’ll question our disobliging guest.” He reached to touch the massive sword strapped to his back. For the past couple of weeks, he had never left his bedroom without it. Some people had therapy animals. He had a big, pointy weapon that could slice off a troll’s head. Hey, it gave him comfort. “I might be able to prompt his memory.”

   “I’ll continue to dig for information on the other disturbances,” Xi offered, his expression even more stoic than usual, a certain sign that something was bothering him.

   “You seem…”

   Xi frowned. “What?”

   “Troubled.”

   Xi hesitated. His emotions were always hidden, but they ran as hot as lava beneath his icy composure.

   “The accidents could be random,” he finally said.

   “But?”

   Xi shrugged. “But I don’t believe in coincidences.”

   “Neither do I,” Styx agreed. “See what you can find out. But be careful.”

   Xi arched his brows. Styx grunted, not having to guess why his guard seemed surprised. He sent his Ravens to deal with the most challenging, most dangerous tasks. They were a brutal weapon that he wielded without mercy.

   He certainly never patted them on the head and told them to be careful.

   Styx twisted his lips. “There’s a funky feeling in the air,” he muttered.

   Xi’s brows arched even higher. Styx rolled his eyes.

   “Go do your job,” Styx growled.

   A faint smile skimmed over Xi’s lips before he turned and silently disappeared from the room.

   * * * *

   Brigette was on the hunt.

   Gliding through the darkness, she crouched low to the ground as she followed the two intruders. She’d picked up their scents long before they’d actually entered the desolated grounds that surrounded her lair. A benefit of spending time alone in this remote part of Ireland.

   Night after night, she prowled through the village, which was nothing more than shattered foundations and sorrowful ghosts. Or along the barren cliffs, listening to the waves crash against the jagged stones and breathing deeply of the salty breeze. She had nothing to distract her.

   Well, unless you counted the thousand regrets that haunted her.

   Regret for having betrayed her pack to join with the evil Beast who’d nearly destroyed her. Regret for having driven her wolf into hibernation. Regret for having wasted her opportunity to rewrite history.

   She was lying in the ruins of her parents’ cottage when she detected the icy power of an approaching vampire. With a fluid speed, she was on her feet and racing over the decaying ground to circle around the intruders.

   Following behind them, Brigette took inventory of the two demons who were attempting to sneak along the edge of the cliff.

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