Charred by Darkness

  “Then why did you wait?” he asked.

  “My mother’s power kept me in a protective bubble that was intended to shelter me, but it also kept me trapped.” Her hand dropped away from his fingers. “And when I escaped her powers, the curse’s madness made it impossible to focus my thoughts long enough to explain what I wanted to do.”

  Her eyes sparkled with pinpricks of light and Char could feel the frustration heating her skin. A frustration she’d no doubt endured for centuries.

  “And then I arrived,” he said.

  A smile curved her lips and Char caught sight of a dimple that danced in her cheek. Yet another enchanting surprise.

  “Yes. I finally had the opportunity to use my magic.”

  His fingers brushed down her jaw, savoring the feel of her skin. The glow that surrounded her abruptly brightened, and Char felt a tingle of pleasure.

  The pretty dragon liked his touch.

  “What exactly is your magic?” he asked.

  She hesitated, as if wondering whether or not to tell him. “I don’t actually have any powers,” she finally admitted. “At least not in the traditional sense.”

  Char arched a brow. “Now I’m intrigued.”

  “I can’t create magic, but I can see it, and sometimes I can manipulate it.”

  “Manipulate it?” He gave a confused shake of his head. “What’s that mean?”

  “It’s difficult to explain. When I concentrate, I can see magic like strands of music.” She lifted her hands, waving them in a graceful motion. Like a conductor directing an unseen orchestra. “They’re like strands that float through the air in various patterns.”

  Char studied her in fascination. “And you can manipulate them.”

  “Not if it’s just a quick spell. Something that is there and then gone.” Her brow furrowed, as if she was struggling to think of the words to explain her talent. “But if it’s a magic that lingers or if it’s a permanent part of an object, then I can use my powers to touch and alter the threads.”

  Char gave a nod. It would be easy to assume that her powers were disappointing for a purebred dragon. There were dragons who could change iron to gold. Or create earthquakes that could smash entire cities. Or even control the minds of massive hordes of demons to force them to do their bidding.

  Hell, Char was a half-breed and he could slow time.

  But anyone who assumed her powers were somehow inadequate would be wrong.

  The ability to manipulate the magic of others meant that her powers were limitless. As vast and infinite as magic itself.

  “Like you traced the threads of your curse,” he said.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  He studied her in confusion. “But you can’t break it?”

  “No.” The opal eyes flared with brilliant colors. “I’ve tried for centuries.”

  He turned his head to glance around the empty room. “Why did you bring us to this time?”

  “I didn’t mean to bring you.”

  Char felt that same blast of annoyance at the thought that she might have disappeared without him.

  He told himself he was simply worried about her safety. Who knew what was just beyond the door? Probably the crazy-ass demon who’d cursed her in the first place. Or maybe something worse.

  She was a fool to rush into an unknown situation without backup.

  But he knew that wasn’t what was bothering him.

  He resented the thought that she regarded him as an unwanted companion. Like he was some bug that got stuck to her shoe and now she was trying to scrape him off.

  “We’re in this together now,” he informed her, his tone indicating that he wasn’t arguing the point.

  She blinked, studying him with that strange, calm intensity. “I suppose so.”

  A rueful smile twisted his lips. He didn’t think she was deliberately trying to bash his pride. It was more a lucky accident.

  “So, what was your plan?” he asked.

  “I realized that if I could move backward in time, I didn’t have to worry about how to break the curse,” she told him. “I could simply stop the spell before it ever happens.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  The Viper Pit in downtown Chicago was renowned among demons.

  The ritzy club was hidden behind a subtle glamour that made it look like an abandoned warehouse. It was the best way to keep away humans and other riffraff. Once past the illusion, however, the public rooms spread out like a palace.

  There were acres of marble floors dotted with white fluted pillars, and glittering chandeliers that hung from the impossibly high ceiling. A dozen fountains sprayed droplets of water between the white-clothed tables that were surrounded by the crowd of demons.

  In the back of the club was a wide doorway that gave access to the basement. The lower rooms were reserved for the gaming tables, as well as for those searching for more intimate entertainment. There were private rooms where they could join in the ongoing orgies or start one of their own.

  The upper balcony was reserved for the vampire owner of the club, Viper, and his exclusive guests. Tonight, his guest was Styx, the Anasso, the King of Vampires.

  Hidden by the crystals of a large chandelier, Levet studied the two powerful vampires.

  Viper possessed the haunting beauty of all vampires. His hair was long and as pale as moonlight. A direct contrast to his eyes that were as dark as midnight.

  Tonight he was attired in a cherry-red velvet coat that flowed nearly to his knees, and black satin breeches that looked more suitable for a Regency ball than a Chicago nightclub.

  Styx had chosen his usual black leather. The six foot five vampire had long black hair that was braided and decorated with turquoise beads. He had the narrow, bronzed features of his Aztec ancestors. And the temper of a rabid hyena.

  They were currently sharing a bottle of brandy from Viper’s private stock. Levet’s mouth watered. He’d occasionally managed to sneak a bottle or two from the cellars, but it had been months since he last—

  A ripple of darkness shot upward, bringing a sharp end to Levet’s distraction.

  Sacre bleu.

  He’d had little choice but to sneak into The Viper Pit. The vampires were a prickly bunch, and they had an annoying tendency to hold a grudge. Really, you would think they had never heard of the golden rule to “forgive and forget.” If he wanted to warn Styx about the dragons, then he would have to find a way to force him to listen.

  Then, as occasionally happened, Levet had found himself distracted.

  A lethal mistake, as Viper moved with blinding speed, leaping upward to grasp Levet and yank him out of the chandelier.

  “Well, well. Look what I discovered, amigo,” Viper drawled, holding Levet by the horn like he was a sack of potatoes. “It appears that I have bats in my belfry.”

  Styx slowly rose to his feet, the lights suddenly flickering. The Anasso’s anger could take out entire grids of electricity.

  “It’s kind of chunky to be a bat,” Styx retorted.

  Viper smiled, displaying his snowy white fangs. “And his wings are entirely too frilly. Just like a dew fairy.”

  Levet struggled, even knowing it was a futile effort. It was the principle of the thing.

  “They are not frilly,” Levet muttered, his tail twitching.

  Viper lifted Levet higher, twirling him around.

  “What do you think, oh mighty master?” Viper mocked. “Do you proclaim them frilly?”

  Levet caught sight of Styx rolling his eyes. The ancient vampire hated to be reminded that he was king. It was a position that was more a duty than a pleasure. Still, the annoying creature was happy enough to poke fun of Levet.

  “Yeah, they’re frilly,” Styx agreed.

  “There,” Viper said. “It’s been proclaimed.”

  Levet scowled, hoping the crowd of demons that were carousing below could not see his humiliation. He did have a reputation to protect.

  Giving another wiggle, Levet glared at his torment
ors. “Release me or I will tell Shay you are being mean to me again.”

  Viper hissed, his lips pulling back as his fangs lengthened. “Do you want to kill him, or can I do it?” he asked his overly-large companion.

  Levet flapped his wings. Oops. Perhaps it was not the best strategy to threaten to tattle to Viper’s pretty mate, Shay. The male was a little sensitive about the fact that Levet was a favorite with the females. “Wait,” he demanded.

  Styx ignored him, folding his arms over his massive chest. “He did try to sell my sword.”

  Viper shrugged. “Yes, but he wrecked my favorite car.”

  “True. Still, I—”

  “The dragons are coming to start a war,” Levet hastily interrupted.

  He did not think that the two vampires would actually kill him. But it might be best not to take the risk.

  A sudden chill saturated the air as Styx stiffened. “Is he drunk?”

  “I don’t think so.” Viper held Levet closer, pretending to study him. Then he sniffed his breath. “Hard to tell with a gargoyle.”

  Levet gave an annoyed wave of his hands. “I am serious. You must listen to me.”

  “Must?” The chill was beginning to frost Levet’s tail as Styx narrowed his eyes. “Do you think you can give me orders?”

  “Fine.” Levet made a sound of resignation. What did he care if the dragons and vampires decided to have a war? It was not as if it mattered to him. “Then be turned into piles of ash. See if I care.”

  There was a tense silence before Styx muttered a curse.

  “Release him,” he abruptly commanded.

  Viper scowled. “Are you serious?”

  Styx gave a nod. “Yes. If this is another of his idiotic tricks, then you can rip off his head.”

  “You swear?”

  “On my honor.”

  Levet felt himself being unceremoniously dropped to the ground. With a flap of his wings he managed to land on his feet, sending his two tormentors a glare.

  “Vampires.” Sheer disgust edged his words. “You are as bad as dragons.”

  Styx towered over him, his lean face hard with warning. “Start talking.”

  Levet sniffed, heroically resisting the urge to blow a raspberry toward the arrogant beast. He had to try and think of Tayla. His friend was depending on him.

  “Perhaps you have heard of Synge?” he instead asked.

  “Baine’s sire,” Styx retorted.

  The dragons rarely interacted with this world, but Levet wasn’t surprised the vampire was familiar with the various names and clan connections. It wasn’t just Styx’s big sword that made him the natural leader of the vampires.

  “Oui,” Levet said. “The ancient dragon was recently reunited with his daughter, Blayze.”

  “I’d heard rumors that she was found by Tayla along with a tribe of Sylvermyst,” Viper murmured. The silver-haired vampire traded in information along with pleasure at his various clubs.

  Styx nodded. “Isn’t she the one who was cursed?”

  “Unfortunately,” Levet said.

  Styx regarded Levet with a smoldering impatience. “What does that have to do with the vampires?”

  “A few hours ago, Blayze disappeared from her father’s lair,” Levet explained.

  Styx arched his dark brows. “Dragons don’t just disappear. Not unless they want to.”

  “So far it is a mystery.” Levet puffed out his chest. “Which is why they sent for moi.”

  “You?” Viper’s disbelief was palpable. “The dragons asked you to come to their lair?”

  Levet pursed his lips. He didn’t know why it was surprising. He was, after all, a renowned Knight In Shining Armor.

  Why wouldn’t the dragons send for him when they needed a hero?

  Then he recalled that it wasn’t precisely the dragons who’d wanted him to travel to their lair.

  “Actually…” He cleared his throat. “It was Tayla who offered the invitation.”

  Styx took a minute to connect the name with a demon. “The imp who is mated to Baine,” he at last said.

  “And my friend,” Levet added with pride.

  Styx didn’t appear nearly as impressed as he should be. Instead, he continued to study Levet with seething impatience. “Why would she send for you?”

  Levet puffed out his chest even farther, nearly popping a rib out of place. “She desired me to use my awesome skills to discover who’d kidnapped Blayze.”

  Viper snorted, but it was Styx who asked the obvious question.

  “And did you discover who was responsible?”

  Levet hesitated. He was getting to the part where he needed to choose his words with care. See—he did not have a death wish.

  “Well, I was in the process of searching for an intruder when my magic shattered an illusion that was hiding the origin of Blayze’s curse.”

  Styx and Viper exchanged a glance. The sort of glance that implied they were dealing with a creature who was not entirely sane.

  “Do you know what the hell he just said?” Viper drawled.

  Levet shook his head. “Barbarians.”

  Styx abruptly sliced his large hand through the air. “Get to the point.”

  “I exposed the magic responsible for the curse,” Levet continued. “It was obviously a spell created by a human, but I could detect that a vampire had been the one to cast it.”

  Styx looked confused. “How could you know that?”

  Levet gave a wave of his hand. “When the spell exploded it left tiny bits of the vampire’s essence embedded in the wall.”

  The Anasso grimaced, but he didn’t press for details. Vampires possessed a deep, abiding hatred for magic. It was the one thing that their considerable powers couldn’t control. They couldn’t even detect it.

  “What does this have to do with Blayze’s disappearance?” Styx demanded.

  “I am not certain. I was attempting to explain what I had discovered, but like vampires, a dragon cannot allow a demon to finish a sentence,” Levet complained, hunching his shoulders. “It was not my fault.”

  Viper tilted his head to the side. “What wasn’t your fault?”

  “Synge happened to walk in while I was offering my big revolt.”

  “Reveal,” Viper corrected with a roll of his eyes.

  “Oui. Big reveal.” Levet waved a dismissive hand. “All the stupid creature managed to hear was that a vampire had cursed his daughter.”

  Realization of the massive danger about to descend on them hit the two vampires with visible force. Viper cursed. But it was Styx’s surge of icy power that made the club suddenly fall silent.

  No one within a six-block radius could miss the Anasso’s displeasure as the lights sparked and then went dark.

  “Shit,” Styx growled.

  Levet took a strategic step backward. It wasn’t that he was scared of the vampires. Of course he wasn’t. But he was small, and Styx had feet the size of tanks. He might get squashed as the male paced from one end of the balcony to the other.

  “It is not my fault,” Levet reminded the furious vampires.

  “Where is Synge?” Styx demanded.

  Levet lowered his gaze, pretending to study the floorboards beneath his claws.

  “Levet, answer the question,” Viper snapped.

  Levet heaved a sigh, reluctantly lifting his head to meet Styx’s frigid gaze.

  “I am not certain, but Baine was following him,” he confessed. “Perhaps he has managed to calm the—”

  His words were interrupted as the entire building was suddenly shaking like it’d just been hit by an earthquake. Only Levet knew it wasn’t a natural force that was making the floor tremble beneath his feet, and the chandeliers sway from side to side. Not when the air was sizzling with a heat that could only come from a pissed-off dragon.

  Styx sent him a narrow-eyed glare. “You were saying?”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Blayze was trying not to be overwhelmed.

  It was unexpectedly diff
icult.

  After all, it was one thing to experience the world through the eyes of her mother. There was a constant buffer between herself and actually being awake and fully aware of the sensations that battered against her. But now she was left raw and exposed.

  And it didn’t help to have Char standing just a few inches away from her.

  She’d seen other dragons through her mother’s eyes, but never one who was this gorgeous. His gray eyes that darkened from silver to smoke, the blond hair that was short enough to emphasize his finely carved features. And his hard, male body.

  He was deliciously sexy.

  Was it any wonder her dragon was anxiously pressing against her skin, wanting a taste?

  With an effort, she battled the urge to reach up her hand and touch the warm skin of his face.

  She’d risked everything to travel back through time. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted from her goal.

  Later she would indulge in her new, unexpectedly sensual attraction toward Char.

  “You hope to discover who cursed you before it can happen?” the male was asking, his brow wrinkled.

  “Yes.” She didn’t understand why he looked so confused. It seemed the obvious solution to her. “I know the exact time I was cursed. And I thought I knew the exact place.”

  His lips flattened. “A dangerous plan.”

  She shrugged. I didn’t matter if it was dangerous. Not if it could work. “It was the most logical way to get rid of the curse. But now…” Her words trailed away as she glanced around the room in disappointment.

  “But what?” her companion prompted.

  She grimaced, her mind racing. Had she changed the past simply by coming back in time? It was a possibility.

  “I should be here,” she said, pointing toward the spot where her bed was located in the future.

  Char took a long minute. He had a sour look on his face. The same look her mother had when she wanted to scold Blayze. The male, however, was smart enough not to waste his breath.

  “Perhaps you’re sharing your mother’s room,” he instead suggested. “It looks as if this nursery is still being refurbished.”

  She wrinkled her nose, walking toward the distant wall. She’d spent centuries being hidden by her mother. Usually in some remote pocket between dimensions. But she’d instantly sensed when she’d been returned to her childhood room two days ago.