Chapter 19

 

Dante stepped from behind the tree with a faint smile. He recognized that peevish tone. It meant that Abby was well aware of his extracurricular activity with the dark wizard and was not a bit pleased with him.

"You did well, lover. That fool will think twice about coming after you again."

She stepped toward him, planting her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you help me?"

"Did you want my help?"

That made her briefly falter. Her independent nature made it nearly impossible for her to admit she might need assistance. From anyone.

At last she shrugged. "It's not like you to stand back and watch me duke it out."

Dante cocked a brow at the unfamiliar phrase. "Duke it out?"

"Fight off the bad guys."

He reached out to grasp her arms and tug her close. He breathed deeply of her warm scent. A scent that now held his own blood. That knowledge made a purely male pleasure race through him.

Her eyes narrowed. "I've had your blood; I know there was some sort of fight."

His lips twitched. "More a minor disagreement."

"Dante…"

He cupped her chin in his hand. "Abby, I found the wizard, we exchanged a handful of threats, I had him in my grasp, and like a fool I allowed him to disappear. Nothing more."

"You're lucky he did disappear. I have warned you what will happen if you get yourself hurt."

Dante smiled as his gaze dropped to her mouth. Surely he had allowed her enough chiding? It was definitely time to move on to more interesting activities.

Debating whether he dared to pull her back in Ms arms and kiss away her temper, he was abruptly whirling, his fangs extended and his hands curled into claws. A vampire was near, and he wasn't about to take chances.

On cue, Viper stepped from the shadows and folded his arms over his chest. Even to Dante's eye he appeared a lethal threat with his large body attired in black and his pale hair pulled back with a heavy silver clasp. An ancient predator who wouldn't hesitate to kill.

The familiar mocking smile curved his lips.

"Really, Dante, I thought you would be knee-deep in witches by now, and here you are playing with your new toy."

Dante cocked a brow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was following the trail of your wizard."

"Too late." Dante glared toward Selena's dark estate. "He already made his grand appearance."

"And now?"

His hands were lowering to the flare of her hips when she was suddenly pushing against his chest.

"Wait."

"What?"

'You're not going to distract me."

His teeth nipped at the lobe of her ear. "It could be fun."

She gave a faint shiver before she was sternly stepping back and folding her arms over her chest.

"No. You lied to me."

Dante ruefully conceded that Abby wasn't going to be deflected. She was smoldering with the need to rake him over the coals. A pity. With the immediate threat gone, he could think of better means of passing the time.

"That's rather harsh," he mildly protested.

'You told me you were going to lay a false trail and pick up the scent of that demon." She poked her finger at his chest. "You didn't say anything about flexing your testosterone with that damn wizard."

"He's going to be a pain in the ass until we can get rid of him. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder."

"Did you…?"

"No." Dante gave a disgusted shake of his head. He had been preparing for battle. He hadn't considered the notion the bastard would use his powers to elude him. "The coward scurried away rather than fight like a man."

More chest poking. "There was more than just him running away. I could feel you, and I know that there was some sort of fight."

"Hardly a fight. Or even a skirmish." He held out his arms. "Look at me, not a scratch."

"You seemed to be holding your own."

She leaned back to stab him with a narrowed gaze. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"I could feel you behind the tree, and I know damn well you were itching to charge out and kill that man. What stopped you?"

He smoothed back a stray curl. "I needed to know that you wouldn't hesitate to fight."

She made a strangled sound. "God almighty, I've been in a full-scale war for days. Why would I hesitate now?"

"You've been fighting demons and zombies, not humans. In your mind there's a difference," he pointed out. "I needed to know you could overcome your fear of harming another."

A flush touched her cheeks. "Oh."

His finger brushed her lips. "Are you all right?"

Her lips twisted in a grim smile. "As all right as I can be right now."

"No regrets?" he pressed.

She took a moment as she glanced down the now-empty street. "Actually… no. This may be horrible of me, but it's nice to know that I didn't panic when the chips were down."

He tugged her closer. It was a lesson she needed to learn for herself. But it had been hell standing back and allowing her to discover her strength.

He would rather be staked than go through that again.

"A powerful woman. I like it." His lips skated over her temple. "Sexy."

"Is there anything you don't find sexy?"

"What can I say? Vampires are insatiable."

"His grand exit. He called upon the Prince."

Viper shrugged. "It's only a matter of time."

"He's proving to be a pain in the ass."

"Aren't all wizards?"

"I did manage to injure him. You should be able to follow the scent of his blood."

A beat passed as Viper slid his gaze to the silent Abby. "You aren't in a hurry to be rid of me, are you, Dante?"

He was, of course. He was possessive enough to resent the manner in which Viper watched Abby.

"I have my own trail to follow."

As if sensing Dante's prickling unease, Viper deliberately strolled toward Abby and lightly touched her hair.

"And games to play, eh?" He stilled, lowering his head to sniff at her neck before reaching to grasp her arm and turn it upward. "What is this?"

Never one to be manhandled by anyone, Abby was struggling against the vampire's hold.

"Hey. What are you doing?"

Viper's startled gaze cut toward Dante. "You mated her? Well, well. Congratulations."

Belatedly noticing what had captured Viper's attention, Abby regarded the intricate red scrolling that now tattooed the length of her inner forearm.

"Holy crap. What is that?"

Viper gave a short laugh. "She doesn't know?"

Abby stabbed him with a wide gaze. "Dante?"

Dante briefly considered the pleasure of tying Viper around the tree like a pretty bow.

"I did tell you that when you took my blood, we would be mated," he reminded Abby.

She appeared far from appeased. "You didn't tell me that I was going to look like a biker babe from hell. Will it go away?"

"No."

"What does it mean?"

Dante opened his mouth, but Viper was quicker.

"That you have been branded. No other vampire may have you now."

Dante closed his eyes, perfectly prepared as he heard Abby suck in a deep breath.

He might not know a great deal about human women, but he did know they possessed a fierce dislike for being treated as property.

"Branded? You branded me?"

"For all eternity," Viper added in smooth tones.

Dante gave a low growl. "You are not helping, Viper."

Viper blinked with mock innocence. "Ah, you wanted me to lie to her? You should have given me some signal."

"Go." There was no mistaking the threat in his tone. "Go kill a wizard."

Viper's expression was suddenly somber as he moved to lay a hand on Dante's shoulder.

"Be careful. The Prince is calling on his minions. The town is crawling with demons. Most of them in a nasty temper."

Dante gave a small nod and watched Viper disappear into the shadows. Only when they were alone did he cautiously approach Abby and gently take her hand.

"Abby, it won't hurt you." His fingers ran over the scrolling mark. The demon inside him howled in triumph at the symbol of ownership, but he was wise enough to keep his expression sympathetic. "It's… like a wedding ring. A symbol of my love for you."

"A wedding ring can be removed. I'm marked forever."

Dante didn't need her blood to sense the tension that hummed about her stiff body. A frown tugged at his brows.

"Abby? This isn't about the brand, is it?"

She shivered as she forced herself to meet his searching gaze. "It didn't seem real until now. It's frightening."

"Me?"

"No, of course not. It's just that I never thought about spending my life with someone. After my parents' marriage…"

At last realizing the source of her sudden bout of nerves, Dante put an arm about her shoulder and pulled her close.

He hoped her father was burning in hell.

"We aren't your parents," he murmured softly. "I could never hurt you. Never."

She pressed her face into his chest. "I don't know how to be a mate. I've been alone all my life."

"Is that what you want? To be alone?"

He felt the shudder that raced through her. "No, but what if I disappoint you?"

Dante touched his lips to the top of her head. "Do you love me?"

'Yes, I love you."

"Then that's all that matters."

She pulled back, her face pale in the moonlight. "What if it's not enough?"

His hand cupped her neck. "The brand isn't a prison sentence, Abby. There is nothing to keep you from walking away whenever you want."

"And what about you?" she demanded. "What does the brand mean to you?"

He hesitated a moment before confessing the truth. "You are my mate. There will never be another."

His soft words seemed to catch her off guard. Then amazingly he felt the tension begin to ease from her body, and a rueful expression settled on her face.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me," Her arms encircled his waist. "I'm not usually the hysterical type."

Dante savored the feel of her heat pouring into his body. He wasn't sure how or why he had allowed her to become such a vital part of his life, but he knew he would never survive if anything happened to her.

"I can't imagine what's wrong," he teased, his fingers tangling in her hair as the familiar surge of desire began to harden his muscles. "It's not as if you have acquired an unwanted spirit or been hunted by demons or nearly sacrificed by a dark wizard."

She gave a reluctant chuckle as she snuggled close. "I think it was the tattoo that made me a little wacky."

"Not the thought of being my mate?"

A welcome amusement entered her eyes. "That depends."

"On what?"

"A mate isn't the same thing as a wife, is it?"

He gave a vague shrug. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does. I have no intention of spending the rest of my life being some sort of unpaid servant to you."

Abby his servant?

He choked back a laugh of disbelief.

"Don't worry, lover, I'm fairly low maintenance," he assured her with a guileless expression. "Once you're done scrubbing the floors and washing my clothes and serving me blood while I sit in front of the television, you will have plenty of time to do your darning."

Her elbow dug into his side. "Darning? More likely I'll be sharpening my stakes."

With a chuckle Dante tapped the tip of her nose. "I've been taking care of myself for centuries, lover, and to be brutally honest, if I wanted a servant, I could enthrall any human to do my bidding."

"Enthral?"

"A trick that all vampires possess."

Her brows lifted. "Did you ever try to enthrall me?"

His finger moved to outline her lips. "Never."

"Why not?"

"Because I liked you," he said simply.

She blinked. 'You liked me?"

"I liked your innocence, your honesty, your refusal to feel sorry for yourself despite the rotten breaks you'd gotten, and of course"—he slowly smiled—"that delectable body didn't hurt anything. I didn't want you to become a mindless sycophant. I wanted you."

"Oh." She sucked in a deep breath. "You keep surprising me."

"And how is that?"

"When we first met, I expected you to be arrogant and dangerous and sexy."

"All true. Especially that sexy part."

"I never expected you to be kind."

Dante glanced down in astonishment. Kind? He had never been accused of that before. And with good reason.

Until the witches had captured him, he had been a hunter who preyed upon anyone foolish enough to cross his path. And even after being leashed, he had been a lethal warrior who could kill without mercy.

It was only with Abby that he discovered the softer emotions he didn't even realize he possessed.

"I wasn't until you."

They stood holding each other in the darkness, absorbing the pleasure of simply being together.

Abby at last pulled back with a grimace. "Do you want to go in search of the witches?"

"What I want is to have you naked and sweaty beneath me," he murmured.

She nudged him with her elbow. "Maybe I want to be naked and sweaty on top of you."

"God." Dante went hard at the visual. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"I thought you were immortal?"

"Not even immortals can take that sort of torture." He bent his head to snatch a brief searing kiss. "Let's go before I forget what the hell I'm supposed to be doing."

 

Abby absently allowed Dante to lead her back to the shattered mansion. A part of her knew that she should be on guard. She should be preparing for anything from zombies to hellhounds to wizards to leap from the bushes. Hell, at this point, she wouldn't be surprised if a leprechaun popped out to do a jig.

Her sense of self-preservation at the moment, however, couldn't compete with strange tattoos that shimmered with crimson fire beneath the moonlight

Mate. Holy freaking cow.

Abruptly stopping in the shadows of the mansion, Dante turned to regard her with a smile that looked suspiciously smug.

"Stop scratching at it, lover. You'll make it sore."

"It looks strange." She held up her arm. "How am I supposed to go out in public like this?"

The smugness deepened. "No one will notice."

She shook her arm before his eyes. "Are you kidding me? I look like I got drunk on tequila and ended up in Shanghai."

"It's invisible to all but demons."

"Oh." Her arm dropped. "Really?"

"Really."

'Then why can I see it?"

He leaned forward to gaze directly into her eyes. "Because you're special."

Ridiculously it took a moment before realization hit.

"Great. First my eyes turn blue and now my arm is red. Are there any other bodily changes you should warn me about? A horn? Forked tongue? Cloven hooves?"

He shrugged, taking her arm and leading her into the house and toward the servant's staircase.

"Well, there is the tail, but once you get used to the wagging, you'll barely notice it's there."

She batted his arm. 'You're lucky you're already dead."

He flashed a grin. "And you are already nagging like a wife."

Her own lips twitched. God, he was so beautiful. And intelligent and strong and tender and… and perfect.

A rush of heat raced through her before she was sternly turning her thoughts to the matter at hand.

'Why are we going upstairs?"

"We can't leave the spell books. They're too dangerous to have lying around."

"No kidding." She gave a shudder as she recalled the strange magic that had gripped her as she read the spell. That was an experience she'd just as soon not repeat. "What do you think Selena was doing with them?"

He paused on the landing and turned to face her. "That's the question, isn't it?"

"Maybe we should review what we know."

"Review what we know?" he repeated with a faint smile. "Law & Order? CSI? Monk?"

"Agatha Christie."

"Ah."

"It might help." She leaned against the wall, suddenly realizing how weary she was. The past few days had taken their toll on her body. "At the very least it couldn't hurt."

He gave a slow nod of his head. "True enough. Where do we start this review?"

Abby blinked. It always caught her off guard to discover Dante's willingness to listen to her opinion. No one, no one had ever done that before.

"I suppose with Selena," she said hesitantly. 'You said you thought she was acting strangely before… the explosion? To be honest, I just thought she was crazy."

He narrowed his gaze as he remembered back. "She was more secretive than usual. She would come and go from the mansion without taking me and then disappear into her rooms for hours."

'You think she was visiting the witches?"

'Yes."

"Did she get the spell booJks from them?"

'That would be my guess."

Abby bit her lip as she attempted to make sense of the strange path of events.

"What sort of spell would she be working on? Was she afraid of something?"

His lips twisted as his gaze flashed over her. "At the time I didn't care. I had more… intriguing matters to consider."

The heat returned, with interest.

Damn but he shouldn't be so distracting.

"And now?" she grimly pressed.

"There's a possibility that the witches might have stumbled onto the wizard and his followers," he said. "If they sensed his power, they would have taken steps to protect themselves."

"That makes sense." She hesitated, sensing the frustration that simmered within him. 'You don't think that's the answer."

He studied her a moment. "Giving you my blood was a dangerous thing."

'Tell me what's bothering you."

He shifted restlessly. "If they were worried about the wizard, they wouldn't have felt the need to hide it from me. More than likely I would have been sent in to deal with the threat."

"And?"

"And the spell you were chanting was obviously intended to harm demons, not humans."

She reached out to touch his arm. She had told him of the demon attacking her, but she had forgotten to confess the wrenching agony that had drilled through her just moments before the spell had been brought to an end.

"Maybe not."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was in the middle of that spell, I felt… pain."

His brows snapped together, his fingers reaching out to touch her face as if needing to reassure himself that she was unharmed.

"What sort of pain?"

She grimaced. "Like someone was shoving a hot poker through me."

'The Phoenix?"

She tried to remember back, only to give a shrug. "I don't know. There was just pain, and then the demon hit me from behind and it was gone."

His frustration deepened as he turned to pace across the landing. "This makes no sense."

"After the past few days, you're going to have to be a little more specific," she said wryly.

"We still don't know what the witches were up to, who killed Selena, or what the bloody hell the wizard has to do with all this."

"You're saying we don't know squat."

His low growl made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. "There's a connection. We just have to figure it out." Reaching out, he took her hand and pulled her down the hall. "We need to find those damn witches."

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