Salvation in Darkness Read online

  Were those … fangs?

  “I warned you,” the gun-toter screamed, his voice quivering. “Back off or you’ll get another!”

  Everything happened so fast after that.

  The next thing she knew, the big man was behind her attacker, the asshole’s head bobbing before there was a hideous snap and his lifeless limbs were falling to the ground, limp and … dead.

  Well, hell.

  Later Orianna would be worried that her disappointed sigh likely wasn’t the appropriate response to seeing someone killed only a few feet away. For the time being, she would have to deal with the fact she would not be getting answers from this one.

  Now that the dead guy was no longer a threat, her full attention went to the man standing just a few feet away. He was even bigger than she’d thought, clocking in a good foot taller than she was. Not sure what he wanted from her, Orianna kept with the frightened woman routine, locking her stare on his face. It would’ve been smart to take off, but her feet were rooted in place, palms flat against the scratchy bricks.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, noticing the slight hitch in her words. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t as unaffected as she pretended. But it had nothing to do with the dead asshole and everything to do with the fact this man had been shot and he was acting as though it wasn’t a BFD.

  His head lifted, attention on her once again.

  Orianna couldn’t seem to move, but he wasn’t having the same problem. Before she knew it, he was only a breath away, his big body surrounding her. There was a strange detachment, as though she was watching this happen to someone else as he lifted his hand. His fingers were gentle where they swept over her temple, then around to the back of her head. Orianna flinched, pain blooming. When he pulled his fingers away, she realized there was blood. Likely from her little headbutt with the wall.

  He hissed softly, as though the sight of her blood bothered him.

  “Go,” he growled, his voice a dark rumble. “Run far and fast.”

  This time her feet got with the program. She palmed the brick, moving sideways along the wall, keeping her eyes on him. Regret shot through her when she peered down at the dead asshole one more time. She’d wanted to question him, but now she needed to get gone or risk the police taking her into custody. Didn’t matter that she was a witness, she had no desire to mix it up with the cops.

  When she reached the end of the alley, Orianna peered back once more. The enormous man with the sexy mohawk was still standing there, head turned, following her every move.

  She could feel his eyes on her even when she finally turned and fled.

  Chapter Two

  Two months later…

  “Hey, E-man! We’ve got incoming,” Miklós called out.

  Eclipse let his eyes scan the room. Despite the fact his lieterra’s announcement would’ve been more subtle if he’d used a glowing neon billboard, no one else moved. Not a muscle. He wouldn’t be surprised if the archangel Michael was peering down from Heaven wondering why the ruckus, or God was pausing in his daily … whatever it was he did … to see whether he needed to intervene.

  Wait for it…

  A sequence of vibrations, chimes, rings, and even a rendition of Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” sounded through the war room, signaling that a motion sensor on the property had been activated. Yep, and now everyone within twenty miles of the mansion had been notified, which meant the verbal outburst was merely wasted breath.

  Yet it never failed. The fiestreigh were like human children announcing the arrival of the ice cream truck.

  Rather than remind his lieterra of that, Eclipse strolled through the rows of tables, coming to stand behind Miklós, who was currently staring at his laptop screen, deft fingers flying over the keyboard.

  “Put it on the monitor,” Eclipse instructed.

  Every time he caught sight of the six television screens mounted on the wall, Eclipse had to wonder where Penelope Calazans had been fifteen hundred years ago, back when they’d first tackled the task of protecting the humans from Lucifer’s evil bastards. Those fifty-inch monstrosities weren’t the only updates to their mission that Obsidian’s ereswa had added in the past few weeks, either. Ever since she’d mated with Eclipse’s oldest brother, Penelope had decided she wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines while everyone else spent their nights working. And when the female put her mind to something, they’d learned right quick to step back and let her work her magic.

  Not only had she offered them structure by designing a war room that allowed a space to work without distraction, she’d also implemented a schedule, giving the fiestreigh some downtime. They’d been at this gig for a millennium and a half, and Eclipse couldn’t help but wonder if they would’ve made more progress if she’d been along for the ride since the beginning.

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Eclipse studied the image when it appeared on the screen. The black Cadillac Escalade was inching up the long drive toward the house, headlights cutting through the darkness, guiding the way. “How many are there?”

  Miklós’s fingers never stopped typing, even when he said, “From what I can tell, two. One male, one female.”

  Eclipse leaned closer, studied the green-tinged image. Although human technology had improved by leaps and bounds in the past century, it didn’t quite match up to angel eyesight. Had he been outside, he would’ve been able to see clearly without the strange alien glow distorting the features of the two approaching the mansion.

  “Anyone know who this is?” Eclipse asked, squinting for a better look.

  The conversation around the room disappeared instantly as everyone turned their attention to the screen.

  “Looks like Kaj,” Reidar noted, moving to stand at Eclipse’s side.

  Since Reidar was Obsidian’s ladeare, Eclipse figured he would be the first to recognize Obsidian’s best vampire pal. As for why the male was creeping up on the mansion with dawn only an hour and a half away, that was yet to be determined.

  “Did we know he was coming?”

  The rumbled consensus was no, they hadn’t.

  Eclipse turned to face Reidar. “Where’s Obsidian now?”

  “Last I saw him, he was heading up to the third floor.”

  “I’ll get him. You take Gryffyth, Kandarie, and Torak to greet our visitors. Do not allow them entry until Obsidian gives the signal.”

  “Will do,” the ladeare said, his expression fierce.

  While the males gathered to greet their guest, Eclipse disappeared. When he resumed his physical form, he was in the living room on the third floor. The Colorado mansion was home to more than seventy souls—angel warriors, soldiers, a handful of Fae, the heurosp, even a couple of civilian humans—which was the reason Eclipse and his brothers had restricted the third floor as their personal space.

  It was twenty thousand square feet of only theirs, a place they could find solitude when the weight of the war they waged on demons bore down on them. While most of the space was allocated to their personal quarters, there was enough left over for a huge room for relaxing, a separate meeting space, as well as a recreation room complete with pool table, a kick-ass stereo system, and a well-stocked bar.

  Since most of his brothers were out searching for their amsouelots, Eclipse hadn’t expected anyone to be there, and he’d been right on the money. The living room was empty, large-screen television dark. The polished wood coffee table gleamed in the yellow glow from the sconces on the wall, and there was the faint scent of lemon polish lingering.

  A soft snore drew his attention to the floor.

  Eclipse smiled when Zeus rolled to his back, the canine’s paws kicking up into the air as he slept soundly on the fluffy dog bed in the corner. For the hell of it, he cleared his throat, watched Zeus flip over, dark head popping up, keen gaze surveying his surroundings.

  “Lazy dog,” he muttered.

  Clearly Zeus didn’t see him as a threat, because his tongue lolled out of his mouth, and Eclipse was almos
t positive the canine was smiling at him.

  “You seen Obsidian?” he asked Zeus as he started toward the hallway leading to Obsidian’s private quarters.

  Zeus hopped to all fours and trotted his way.

  “Ah. I think he’s coming now.” Eclipse paused when he heard voices, giving Zeus’s soft head a scratch while they waited for Obsidian and his ereswa to appear.

  “Hey,” Obsidian greeted, seeming a bit confused to find him loitering in the hallway.

  “Perfect timing. You’ve got a visitor,” he informed his brother, offering Penelope a smile and a nod. “Arrived a minute ago.”

  Obsidian frowned. “What? How’s that possible?”

  Eclipse understood Obsidian’s concern, because the mansion was supposed to be invisible to everyone with the exception of the angels and Fae who resided there. Not only was the place not on a map, not even detectable by the human government, they’d also erected dhira in an effort to cloak them in the event the demons were on the hunt. The shroud of pitch-black mist made it impossible for anyone to see, as well as offered a disorientation to any visitor who got close to the property, effectively sending them on their way.

  “No clue,” Eclipse answered, “but looks as though Kaj has got a lock on our coordinates.”

  Obsidian’s silver eyes flashed with what Eclipse could only describe as hope. He probably wouldn’t admit it aloud, but it looked as though he’d been worried about the vampire.

  “Kaj? Your vampire friend?” Penelope asked, her gold eyes darting between the two of them.

  “One and the same,” Obsidian said, taking her hand and leading her toward the stairs.

  Eclipse followed close behind, adjusting the Oakleys shielding his eyes.

  “Where’s Reidar?” Obsidian asked, his voice signaling he was in warrior mode, ready and willing to defend the mansion against anyone who hadn’t been invited. Even a friend.

  “He’s the welcoming committee.” Eclipse jogged down the steps behind the couple.

  When they reached the main floor, several others were marching their way, long legs eating up the distance to the front doors.

  “Do you think he’s a threat?” Eclipse asked, wanting to know what they were walking into.

  “Not at all,” Obsidian said, his voice reassuring. “But if he arrived without letting me know, I suspect there’s a damn good reason.”

  Standing in the foyer were three of the fiestreigh—Magnar, Echo, and Cayden—armed to the teeth and awaiting their orders.

  “Open the door,” Obsidian instructed.

  Without hesitation, Magnar pulled open the front door, the three males leading the way outside. Obsidian followed, then Penelope, while Eclipse pulled up the rear. Once he reached the porch, Eclipse subtly moved around in front of Obsidian’s ereswa, prepared to protect her should it be necessary. In a casual move, he pulled off the shades, folded the arms, and tucked them into the neck of his T-shirt for safekeeping.

  Standing at the base of the steps was six feet seven inches of powerful male vampire. Kaj’s jet-black hair was a haphazard mess and in desperate need of a trim—perhaps the style—while his jaw sported a week’s worth of dark stubble, and the thick muscles of his shoulders were tense, as though he was expecting a threat and not sure he was ready for one. But those keen celadon-green eyes showed no signs of exhaustion.

  Eclipse had to give the vamp credit, though. While he was the focus of an army of angels loaded for bear, he appeared unfazed, proving he had brass balls. Or a death wish.

  Outside of those who resided in the mansion, Kaj, the vampire Obsidian considered his nearest and dearest friend, was likely the closest thing to family they had here on Earth. During the three hundred years Kaj had been hanging around, Eclipse had spent more than one drunken night in the male’s company, but he hadn’t heard even whispers of what Kaj was up to for the past eighteen months, ever since the vampire left the mansion after six months of recuperation.

  Not for lack of trying, of course. The fiestreigh had been attempting to get in touch with him to help with the Perfidious issue, to no avail.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Obsidian prompted, his voice stern.

  The vampire smirked, light green eyes glittering with amusement. “Good to see you, too, brother.”

  Eclipse kept his eyes on the female currently slipping out of the SUV. She was slight of build, despite her taller-than-average height for a female. Casting aside her posture, which spoke of defeat and despair, Eclipse knew they couldn’t rule out her abilities. When it came to vampires, it was always best to err on the side of caution.

  For several breaths, Obsidian and Kaj squared off with one another until finally Obsidian laughed, all tension dissipating at the gruff sound. The two males embraced, smacking one another on the back.

  While they bro-hugged it out, Eclipse slipped into Kaj’s mind in an attempt to get the lowdown, but before he could filter through a single memory, the vampire’s head turned his way, those celadon peepers igniting with light, effectively breaking the connection.

  “Don’t do that again,” Kaj rumbled. “I assure you, I’m not a threat.”

  Eclipse would be the one to decide that; however, he’d clearly have to take a different approach, because Kaj’s mind was closed to him, impenetrable. A new development, for sure.

  “Seriously, Kaj,” Obsidian said, “what brings you here?”

  “As much as I’d like to claim it’s a social visit, I’d be lying.” His eyes trailed over Obsidian, then darted to Penelope as she moved in closer to her reuthet. “But it looks like the rumors are true. I presume this is your better half?”

  Eclipse remained at Penelope’s side as she moved down the steps to join Obsidian.

  “Most definitely.” Obsidian’s voice rang with pride as he placed one big arm over her shoulders. “Penelope, meet Kaj Courtenay. Kaj, this is my ereswa, Penelope Calazans.”

  “Ereswa? I assume that’s a fancy term for life mate,” Kaj teased, offering a polite nod to Penelope. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

  The vampire didn’t attempt to shake her hand, knowing full well that a mated female angel could not stand the touch of another male. That wasn’t only the case with angels, but all supernatural creatures God had created, including vampires. Considering how much infidelity the humans encountered, Eclipse often wondered why the Almighty hadn’t done the same for that race. At the very least, it would’ve shortened that list of commandments they lived by.

  “Likewise,” Penelope replied with a nod, sliding her hand into Obsidian’s when he held it out for her.

  “Come in,” Obsidian urged, turning to head back inside.

  Kaj peered over his shoulder briefly and Eclipse followed his gaze.

  The female vampire likely thought she was hidden in the shadows of the SUV, but every male there could see her clearly. Eclipse sensed her uncertainty and that innate desire to maintain a safe distance. He’d bet dollars to donuts she had an escape route picked out based on the hard glint in her eyes.

  Kaj motioned her forward. When she took a step, Obsidian put his body between the newcomer and Penelope while the others took up a defensive stance, Kandarie and Torak shimmering into existence on the other side of the unknown female. Eclipse remained on Penelope’s right, his hand resting on the hilt of the half-moon blade sheathed on his side.

  “Stand down, angels. She’s not a threat,” Kaj said, his voice low and even. “Bijou, I’d like you to meet Obsidian. Obsidian, meet my daughter, Bijou Courtenay.”

  Eclipse wasn’t the only one doing the whole what the fuck? Behind his dark lenses, Obsidian’s eyes widened, and knowing him, he was racking his brain in an attempt to figure out when Kaj had mentioned he had an offspring.

  Obsidian nodded in Bijou’s direction, his furrowed brow telling Eclipse he was surprised as well. “Pleasure.”

  She offered a shy smile, eyes lowering respectfully.

  “Please, come in,” Penelope said, slipping around Ob
sidian and motioning toward Bijou. “It’s cold out here. We’re about to sit down to the morning meal. Would you care to join us?”

  Kaj met Obsidian’s gaze, clearly seeking his permission, and received a nod in return.

  Eclipse stayed back as the vampires started toward the house. Before Kaj passed, he held out his hand to Eclipse.

  “Good to see you again.” His voice was the equivalent of no harm, no foul. Clearly, he forgave Eclipse for the mental intrusion earlier.

  Relaxing his stance, Eclipse took the proffered hand. “Likewise. Been a long time.”

  “Probably should’ve called, huh?”

  “Always a good idea.” Eclipse held out his hand for Kaj’s keys. “With the sun coming up soon, you’ll be staying.”

  Kaj smirked. “You won’t get an argument from me.”

  Eclipse turned to Gryffyth, tossed the vampire’s car keys. “Put the vehicle in the garage.”

  Gryffyth nodded while Eclipse led the way into the house.

  They’d made it as far as the kitchen before the heurosp currently on duty, including Phillip and Jeffrey, nearly plowed Kaj over in their attempt to greet him. Seemed the vampire had made quite the impression on those who maintained the mansion during his previous stay.

  “Quite a fan base you’ve got,” Eclipse said when he managed to extricate Kaj and lead him into the dining room.

  “They’re a good crew,” Kaj noted, sounding almost as though he’d missed them while he was gone. “I see you’ve upgraded your digs since I was last here.”

  Eclipse followed the male’s eyes as they scanned the interior of the new mansion they’d erected to house them all more comfortably. “It works for us.” He motioned for Kaj to precede him into the dining room. “Let’s eat, shall we?”

  Several of the fiestreigh were already there, each of them getting to their feet and greeting Kaj with smiles and handshakes. Introductions were made, and before long, everyone currently in residence had joined the party, dragging Kaj into the fray.