The Darkling's Desire

So he had been right—she had some powers that were more than human. She would never have heard his descent otherwise.

Closing his eyes and inhaling air that he no longer needed to breathe, he told himself for the third time since discovering the woman to focus.

No matter how much she intrigued him, for he had always loved a puzzle, he had a job to do.

* * *

Anastasia shifted uneasily in her crouch, trying to ignore the fact that she could no longer feel the tips of her fingers.

Minutes earlier she had heard a noise that sounded like a footfall—a creature landing on the ground. Though her eyes, her ears, her every sense failed to detect anything, she knew that she hadn’t imagined it.

Squinting, straining, she scanned the empty lot and once again saw nothing. But…was that.... yes! There was a low murmur of voices, barely audible through the back door of the shop. But they were there, she was sure of it.

Cursing, Anastasia made her way carefully to that closed door. Pressing her ear to the cool steel, the voices became louder—one male, one female.

Furious with herself, she fumbled for the blade that she had replaced in its worn sheath only moments before. The Witchling, Gavin Thibodeau, must have gotten past her somehow. How was she going to assassinate the female Darkling now? She should have just gone in and done the job straightaway, instead of waiting, hiding, gaining her bearings.

Lesson learned. But she still hadn’t accomplished what she had come here to do. Inhaling deeply, she backed up, then sprang at the door with her black-booted foot outstretched.

She was gratified when it flew open beneath her kick, though the resultant shock was felt all the way up into her torso. But at least she had done it right.

Two startled and wary faces greeted her as she burst forth into the cluttered room. Aubrey Hart, the former doctor turned newly made Darkling, stood with her palms planted on the ornately carved wooden counter. She displayed the innate stillness of her kind. Anastasia had seen photos of the woman, but she hadn’t been prepared for the innocence that the creature displayed. With her cascade of honeyed hair and wide azure eyes she looked nothing like the evil rogue that Anastasia had expected.

This was who she was supposed to kill?

Stalling for time as her mind sorted that one out, Anastasia shifted her stare to the other being in the room. She pegged him instantly as another Darkling, but he was a stranger to her. With his head cocked slightly to one side, he studied her as if she were a bug under a microscope…or as if he were taking her clothing off, piece by piece.

He was hot. She noted this as completely as she had noted Aubrey’s unease, but she tried to shove that thought right out of her head.

It had no bearing on her mission.

Instead she focused on his special skills. Did he have more speed than the average Darkling? She hadn’t learned of anything of the kind.

From the corner of her eye Anastasia saw Aubrey lick her lips once, slowly, and saw the woman’s blue eyes fasten on the pulse throbbing, slow and steady, in Anastasia’s neck.

Shit. She was in way over her head. Her only hope was to catch Aubrey by surprise, and damn whatever the other Darkling was here for. Not ideal circumstances, but she would have to work with what she could.

Before she could over think it, Anastasia launched herself across the room, landing on the counter in a crouch. Aubrey hissed in surprise, baring her fangs, a show that Anastasia knew was bravado.

She could see the fear reflected in the sea-blue depths of the newborn’s eyes.

Instead of making her feel powerful, in control, it made her sick to her stomach. Every fiber in her being screamed that this woman was not the evil being that her nastavnyk—her mentor— had insisted that she was, nor was she a threat to humankind.

Biting down on her lip hard, Anastasia choked those feelings back. She was a Carpathian Amazon, sworn ally to the Darklings.

She had a job to do.

Catching the other woman’s long flaxen hair in her fist, she yanked her close, turning her at the same time. The best way to kill a Darkling was to burn them to ash. Since that wasn’t an option at the moment, she went with option number two.

Slit the throat, deep and hard.

Anastasia caught the other woman around the throat with the arm that had been woven in her hair. Aubrey struggled against the strong arm that held her captive, and Anastasia held on tightly until her muscles screamed for release.

“Why…why are you so strong?” Aubrey didn’t need to breathe, Anastasia knew, but she panted regardless.

She hadn’t been a vampire for very long, and Anastasia knew that habits were hard to break for those recently turned.

Anastasia didn’t answer Aubrey’s question. She couldn’t let herself think of this woman like the living—well, sort of—being that she was.

The Amazon closed her eyes and pressed the blade to the tissue-thin skin at Aubrey’s neck. Gritting her teeth together, she dug in, just the slightest bit. Darklings were heavily allergic to silver, though it could not kill them, and she heard the sizzle as the metal of her blade burned the Darkling’s flesh. The bittersweet tang of crimson blood, vampire blood, hit Anastasia’s nose and caused nausea to roil through her belly.

Then she was on her back on the floor, the wind knocked out of her, stars dancing in a multicolored conga above her head. As she wheezed, trying to kick her way up off of the ground, she saw a stream of blond hair waving in a sudden breeze as her target ran away at full vamp speed. Pressing a hand to her head in an attempt to stop the throbbing, she tried to get her leaden limbs to cooperate, but they wouldn’t listen to the signals that her brain was screaming at them.

Whatever had hit her, it had hit her hard. She might be inexperienced, but she was strong—one of the strongest Amazons in the compound. She had also been trained by the best, and she was certain that she would have seen this vamp moving toward her if he hadn’t had some unknown trick up his sleeve.

Blinking, she willed her eyes back into focus. As she did, a heavy weight settled itself over her body, straddling her hips, pressing her own blade to her cheek. Above her was a face, a face made up of lean planes and interesting angles, topped with a wealth of tawny hair.

“You will stay away from the Darkling.” The voice of the man whose identity she still didn’t know was low and rough, layered sexily with the accent of her homeland. He looked her over intently, the beam of his charcoal eyes studying her until she felt naked beneath him.

“Why did you stop me?” It was hard to speak with the blade pressed against her cheek, but after assessing the situation, she had decided that she was in no real danger. If he had truly wanted to kill her, then he would have done so already. If he had wanted to feed from her, he would have done that, too. “She is a rogue. This is the law.”

The heavily muscled man didn’t reply.

“How did you stop me?” Anastasia wasn’t done talking. “I should have seen you.”

Slowly the blade was drawn away from her cheek, then thrown across the floor, where she couldn’t reach it. As she was cursing the loss of her weapon of choice, the man slowly leaned down and licked the thin line of blood that had welled out of the shallow cut.

The slow, deliberate movement told Anastasia that he was merely asserting his control. Instead of angering her—she was a Carpathian Amazon, after all, and would not be dominated—she found herself intrigued at the feel of his tongue on her skin.

“What are you?” The man leaned over, bracing an arm on either side of her shoulders.

She had nowhere to run, but she wasn’t the kind of woman to give in that easily.

“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine.” A hint of a smile crossed the vamp’s lips as she spoke and after a moment of consideration he nodded once in agreement.

“Some Darklings possess unique powers. I can wrap myself in shadows, can hide in thin air.”

Anastasia’s mouth fell open a bit at the admission.

Yes, she was in way over her head.

“I am a Carpathian Amazon. Sworn ally to the Darklings.” It was her turn…and maybe he truly had no idea who he was messing with. “You’ve just fucked up my mission from the Karpaty Council. So I guess the question is, who the hell are you?”

The man actually chuckled. He actually laughed at her! Angry now, Anastasia squirmed beneath him, trying to free herself, but only succeeding in making herself aware of the rock-hard muscles that were hidden beneath his black-as-night shirt and pants.

“You think this is funny? That woman is a rogue Darkling, a creature my people are sworn to hunt.” The man chuckled again, and Anastasia shoved at his chest.

Strong as she was, he was stronger.