Darkness Falls (17 page)

With a low growl of frustration, she opened her eyes and hopped off the bed and dragged it to yet another location. For such a small room, it was surprisingly difficult to find the hidden access point. It would be just her luck that after all of this effort, she was probably going to discover nothing more than a stash of skin magazines.

Finally, finally, she pushed up and the tile gave way, at least a little. Trying not to think about what might be up there ready to bite her fingers, she slid her hand into the slit and blindingly searched for the latch that would release it. As the secret door sprang open, she was faced with a dark so dense she knew it was a small, storage room onto itself.

Uncertain of what she might find, she wandered out to the supply closet and grabbed a flashlight, offering a smile to the two men she passed. They didn’t look surprised at seeing her so she figured Bruiser must have told them she was there. If she had more time or her thoughts weren’t racing at a million miles an hours, she might have stopped and formally introduced herself.

Once more in her room, she locked the door behind her, climbed back onto the bed and turned on the flashlight. Anticipation made her skin prickle and eagerness made her stomach flip over on itself. Unless that was morning sickness, which liked rearing its diabolical head at the most inconvenient times.

What time was it? Or rather, what time was it at the Aradian islands, since she had left in the morning and arrived in New York at night? Either time moved differently in Aradian-land or she had been in the Netherspace for longer than she realized or the islands were on the other side of the world and not the Caribbean like she had assumed. She’d have to ask Feryn if she ever got the chance.

Shining the light into the gaping hole, she had to hold back the gasp at the sheer amount of stuff stored up there. Piles of money, weapons, papers, and, oddly enough, a doll. Ignoring the money and weapons, she grabbed the raggedy doll, the old memory hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Nadine and the best week of her young life.

Cradling the beloved doll to her chest, she smiled, remembering her one week of normalcy, of being a child and having friends and having no worries.

Before she went back to the island she should visit the woman who had given her something so very precious, a memory that had given her hope and a reason to keep fighting. Georgia wasn’t so very far away. She’d be able to hop on a bus and ride down. Or she could take some of the money and rent a car. Or, judging by the piles of cash that were up there, she could buy a car.

If she bought a car, would she be able to bring it back to the island with her? True, she had the sleek silver convertible that Feryn had given her but it wasn’t really her. It was too new, too expensive, too… shiny.

After quickly going through the papers, finding deeds to properties that were spread throughout the states and old newspapers, copies of various birth certificates under different names and matching social security cards, leather-bound books, and old journals filled with writings she’d never be able to decipher, she let the secret door fall closed, hearing the latch click back into place.

Still holding the doll, she climbed back down and went to grab some food from the little kitchenette. Afterwards, she got ready for bed because tomorrow was going to be a big day, with the drive down to Georgia and meeting the woman who had meant so much to her for a short period of time. She wondered if Nadine would even remember the little girl Malorie had been, if she’d recognize the woman she had become.

Despite the fears and doubts that rode her, she found that she missed Feryn and it went without question that she missed her son. She wondered how he was getting along with Jack since there was so much between them even though everything was different now. He had lost so much when he became a vampire and she still wasn’t sure he could be trusted, hence the need for Jiro to watch over him while she went on the search for her father.

At least the trip hadn’t been a total bust. She caught up with Bruiser and found Gus’s secret stash. Whether or not she continued searching for her father remained to be seen. Obviously he didn’t want to be found but he didn’t know how stubborn she could be or how greatly she wanted to find him.

Plus, she met an angel and learned that there were other creatures out there and not all of them were as evil as vampires.

A smile played at her lips as she thought about Officer Scott Macintyre and she wondered if she would ever meet him again. Either way, she knew he was going to be all right wherever he ended up. He was a good man, angel or not.

What a bizarre world she lived in.

“You’re our leader, Feryn,” Jiro whispered, urgency making his voice harsh. Grabbing Feryn’s arms and shaking him, Jiro hissed, “You have to break through this blackness and show the others that you are still the only one to lead us.”

Feryn heard the words his brother spoke but they didn’t penetrate his frozen soul. In the weeks since they buried his son, Feryn hadn’t felt anything. He didn’t want to feel anything because once he let even a drop of emotion in he knew it would destroy him.

No, he would simply fade away until he could join his father and the rest of the Aradians on the Otherworldly Planes. His brother would be able to rule the Breeder-born Aradians, no matter how loud or how often he protested otherwise. Jiro was just as strong and his brother wasn’t missing his heart, his soul.

Swallowing against the emotions that threatened to rise up and choke him, he rasped, “Make the arrangements, Jiro.”

“Don’t do anything rash, brother,” Jiro pleaded, desperation and fear burning in his silver-green eyes.

Feryn shook his head, “I have no desire to remain on this planet anymore.”

“Fuck, Feryn, I’m not ready,” Jiro growled, turning away and scrubbing his fingers through his bleached hair. “If you leave now, one of the vamp-mad Aradians is going to make a play for the throne and I don’t know if I’m strong enough to hold on.”

Feryn’s eyes closed as his brother chipped away at his icy, protective shell. The memory of holding Varick pierced his heart and he flinched, desperate to shut the pain off before it could spread. “I can’t.”

“I’m not asking for forever,” Jiro said, changing his tactics. Grabbing a chair, he sat down in front of his brother so Feryn couldn’t avoid looking at him. “Give me a few years, ten, fifteen at the most, and have my back as I grow into the role of Emperor.”

Looking at his brother, seeing the absolute terror at the thought of being emperor in his eyes, he wavered. “Five years.”

Jiro sighed, his eyes closing in relief that he managed to achieve any concessions from his brother. “What if I’m not ready?”

Feryn arched a brow, and Jiro widened his eyes in response. “Father stood with you for a hundred years before ascending. All I’m asking for is fifteen years, twenty or twenty-five tops.”

Despite the agony that pounded against its prison walls, Feryn smiled, “We’ll see how it’s going in five years….”

“Ten,” Jiro interrupted. “I need at least ten.”

“I
am
leaving, Jiro,” Feryn said firmly, standing up and walking over to the window. Staring blindly across the land that no longer held any beauty for him, he sighed, “No amount of time is going to change my mind.”

“Then promise me ten years,” Jiro insisted, coming to a stand next to him. “They have to see that you have confidence in me before they even think of following me, unless you want a vamp-mad Aradian to lead us. Despite being defeated at the moment, you know that they will recover eventually and they will be furious. The desire for vengeance will give them purpose and strength.”

Another shard of glass lodged itself in his belly as he thought about the monsters that led to his son’s death. Pressing a hand against his gut, he shook his head, “Seven years.”

“It’s not long enough….”

“It’s all I’m offering.”

“Then do everything in your power to demonstrate your strength and prove your faith in me,” Jiro growled. “Allow me to deal with the remaining vampires and have my back, no matter what.”

Warily, he looked at his brother, “What are your intentions?”

“Kill them all,” Jiro hissed. “Kill every last vampire abomination and make vamp creation a crime punishable by death or banishment.”

“We cannot alienate our brethren that create vamps,” Feryn murmured, even though he wished he could do as Jiro asked. “If your first move as emperor is vamp annihilation, you will be rendered powerless. Even Aradians who have no desire to create vampires will sympathize with the vamp creators and you will have a mutiny on your hands almost immediately.”

“Then what do you suggest?” A slight smile tilted Jiro
’s
lips as he looked at Feryn with curiosity and sheer relief.

“Work with the humans,” Feryn said slowly as ideas formed in his head. “Get their permission to let vampires have certain rights, that there will be Open Feeds and that there will be plenty of warning in advance to keep the wiser humans safe. Make sure the Aradians know that if a single vampire takes a human life, he or she will be held responsible. We will cause no more death, Jiro. If a human wishes to be a vampire that is on him but we will no longer abide forced conversions.”

Jiro nodded his head in understanding. “How is this going to work?”

“Put Taella in charge of the feeds,” he said off-handedly. “She knows how to keep her vampires from killing their prey.”

Malorie startled awake, her heart racing in her chest. Jesus Christ, Feryn put Taella in charge of the feeds. It was like putting the wolf in charge of the sheep, if the sheep had fangs and drank human blood….

Oh, God, Feryn was going to give it all up! Slamming her hand over her mouth, she flew off the bed and barely made it to the communal bathroom before she lost the microwaved-meal she ate the night before. Leaning against the stall door, letting the cool surface soothe her over-heated skin, she tried to catch her breath and remind herself that Feryn was still alive and that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Covering her face with her hands, she let out a soft, slightly hysterical laugh as she did the math and realized he would be moving on to another world soon if he hadn’t bit her on Christmas. She never would have met him had it been only a few more months and that thought tore through her, leaving agony and soul-deep gratitude in its wake. Just a handful of weeks, months, and she would have missed out on the most intense, most passionate relationship of her life.

Pressing her hand against her stomach, she took a breath that shuddered painfully in and out of her lungs. She might never have known her mate, might never have known she had a mate, and it was almost too much to bear. Hot tears coursed down her cheeks as she thought about her time with Feryn, understanding his protectiveness so much better now.

She understood Jiro’s devotion to Feryn as well, taking on the crap job of babysitting her and her son simply because Feryn asked. Feryn, the incredible man, broke her heart with his own sorrow and heartache and yet he still gave her the space she so desperately needed. It had to be difficult because the child she carried was a new beginning for him and he was probably terrified about losing the baby.

He loved her because she brought him back to life. Was his love enough to last eternity or was he holding onto her out of desperation?

It was like her relationship with Jack. She had loved her young husband, perhaps she had even loved him desperately, but she didn’t know if she would have fallen in love with him had it not been for their circumstances. Hell, she never would have met him….

Just as she never would have met Feryn.

Funny how fate worked.

Was she a fool for loving Feryn, who had vastly more experience, more knowledge than her? He was the freaking emperor of the Aradians and he had never even told her. But hadn’t his actions spoken of a leader, one who was willing to do whatever it took to ensure the survival of his people, even if he was no longer going to be there?

Would he have moved on to the next plane had she not gotten pregnant, had the memory augmentation spell worked and she had forgotten him? She remembered what he had gone through when he let her go, the agony of losing her and the certainty that he would have gone after her eventually. If she had forgotten would he have reconsidered the risk to his heart and simply walked away? In time, would he have come to the conclusion that life on this plane of existence was simply too painful and it was time to move on?

She could have lost him twice, once before she knew him and once when she should have forgotten him.

Her thoughts twisted in on themselves until her head was spinning in circles. She could spend hours, weeks, contemplating the quirkiness of fate, the cruelty and the kindness, but it would only drive her mad. Feryn was here, he was hers, for now or forever, and that was all there was to it. After tomorrow or the next day, she would return to the island and figure out a way to breathe under water… er, simply breathe and come to terms with her new life.