Darkness Falls (32 page)

The only one missing had been Ginny but then Malorie hadn’t seen her around for several days. Malorie wasn’t sure what had happened to the vivacious redhead but in the back of her mind she figured Jiro must have sent Ginny home after she asked to be released from the bond.
If
she asked.

Heaving a sigh, she almost forgot she was calling someone when Jack picked up, “Malorie. What can I do for you?”

“I’m just checking in on Toby,” she said, wincing at her words because she knew Toby was doing well. Clearing her throat, she added, “Actually, I just want to make sure you’re okay not going to this… thing tonight.”

His warm chuckle reminded her of when they were young and talked about everything and nothing while everyone else was sleeping. He had been such an important part of her life… “I’m sure, Malorie. I’ve had more than my fair share of vampire gatherings.”

“Aradians,” she corrected automatically.

“I know,” he said. “After what happened at the beach, I prefer to keep my distance from all blood suckers. Now that I’m like you and Toby there is even more reason to steer clear of them.”

“I
am
sorry about that,” she said again, as if she hadn’t apologized a hundred times already. Turning to the side, she admired the way the swirls of color glimmered. What were the others going to think about her marks?

What were the Aradians going to think about Feryn’s mark? As far as she knew no other Aradian had been marked. Ever. Or maybe it was a moot point if he had decided to remove her mark from his body then no one would see anything.

“It’s fine,” Jack chuckled since he had assured her for a hundred times that it was alright and he didn’t blame her for any of it. Clearing his throat, he said, “Toby and I are planning on having a boys’ night. You know, boobs, brews, and football.”

“What?” she shrieked.

His laughter made her realize he was just teasing her. “I’m kidding, Mal. In fact, we’ll play a few video games and maybe watch a movie. He says he hasn’t seen any superhero movies so I’m looking forward to introducing my son to the world of awesomeness.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she chuckled. This was what Toby had missed out on and she hadn’t even realized how much her son was missing. Not that grown men running around in tights was life changing but it was a bonding experience with his father. “Give him my love.”

“Will do.” Jack didn’t hang up and Malorie waited to hear what he wanted to say, which was more tolerable than going to the celebration just yet. “Um, you know that if this thing between you and your Aradian doesn’t work out, the three of us could leave this place and maybe start over as a, um, as a family.”

“Jack.”

“Toby’s told me that the two of you are barely talking and that’s not healthy,” Jack continued in a rush. “I’ll be a good father, Malorie, to Toby and the baby. We could make it work.”

“I’m sure we could and I appreciate the offer but it’s not going to happen,” she said on a sigh, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Feryn and I will work through this, er, disagreement. And Jack?”

“What?”

“You
are
a good father,” she told him, which was nothing less than the truth. “And a good friend.”

“I love you, you know,” he murmured, his voice resigned.

“I know and I love you, too,” she returned, smoothing her hand over the slight curve of her belly, knowing that everything would be easier with Jack. But she belonged with Feryn, for better or worse, at least until the baby was born. Unless he participated in the night’s activities with anyone but her. Then she might have to castrate him. “I’ve got to go.”

“Malorie,” he started and she waited for him to continue. Instead, he heaved a sigh and murmured, “Have a good time tonight.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted before she could think better of it. With a wry smile that Jack couldn’t see, she said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Clicking the phone off, she tried to figure out a way to keep it close at hand but there was really no place to put it. Reluctantly, she left it on the night stand, hoping her father would freaking call because he needed to know about his son, even if they would never have the chance to meet. What if Gus had more children out there? A whole slew of children that could be captured by Aradians who were far less honorable than Feryn.

Smoothing her hands over her bare ribs and down her hips, she put thoughts of her father, her brother, her son and Jack to the back of her head. All she had to do was put in an appearance, find Varick, and then she could spend the rest of the night hiding out in a corner with her lover’s son, who happened to be her father’s half-brother.

Jesus, that was seriously fucked up. But though she shared blood with Varick, there was no genetic link between her and Feryn. His son and her father had the same mother but her grandfather was a Breeder and Feryn’s father was… an alien.

Fuck.

Maybe she should take Jack up on his offer to run away, except she wouldn’t be able to go back to being his wife again. Too much history was between them, from her relationship with Feryn to his time as a vampire. From the haunted look in his eyes that she saw when he thought no one was looking, she was certain it had been the stuff of nightmares. He hadn’t escaped unscathed and he needed time to heal, even if he was a Breeder now, the complete opposite of a vampire.

Licking her lips, she walked through the apartments and out the door, locking up behind her. The festivities were taking place throughout the compound but the main events were being held in the commons, the central area of the Aradian compound. It was a large, vast park that had duck ponds and walking paths and all of the amenities a girl could want. When Ginny had told her that being amongst the Aradians was like going to college, she hadn’t been lying. Except all of the Aradians lived in lavish apartments and the humans lived in either the communal dorms or with their Aradian.

Slowly, self-consciously, she made her way over the grounds with her shoulders back and her head held high. No matter how awkward she felt, no one would know how uncomfortable she was. It wasn’t just her own lack of clothes, it was everyone else’s state of undress. Feryn had been very generous in his choice of outfits, considering her breasts and butt were fully covered. Most of the women were bare-breasted and the men… well, most of the men had very nice asses, though none were as nice as Feryn’s.

She really hoped he wore a loincloth that covered his very nice privates.

Even though the night was still young, there were already couples finding dark spaces to have private celebrations. She knew that by the time she reached the commons, her face and her chest were going to be bright red.

“Hello, lovely,” a drunken voice slurred as warm hands grabbed her hips. She stiffened in outrage, turning her head in time to see the man’s eyes widen in horror as his gaze dropped to the glimmering mark that was shining brighter than normal. Holding his hands up in the air before she could say or do anything, he stepped away from her, “Please tell him I meant no offense.”

She huffed out a disbelieving laugh, wondering how drunk he could have been to miss the mark in the first place. Before she could ask, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the growing crowd. Shaking her head, she turned back around and her gaze slammed into Feryn’s as he glared at her from across the short distance.

It was ridiculous how her belly tightened with desire at seeing him, despite the fact that the material draping across his waist did little to conceal his impressive penis. In the warm light of the fires surrounding him, his mark glowed even brighter than usual and from this distance it was breathtaking, swirling around his ribs and thighs. He was all hard and gleaming muscles and she wished that they were alone and that they weren’t fighting.

His eyes narrowed as he took in her outfit and she thought he would be pleased that she wore the dress that he had given her. But by the time he raised his head and met her eyes once more, his scowl had become even fiercer. Confused by his contrary action, she put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side in a silent question. Instead of answering her, though, he turned on his heels and walked away, squeezing his hands into two tight fists.

Throwing her hands up in the air, she went in search of Varick, since he was now the only reason she was there. As hard as she tried to ignore what was going on around her, she found it impossible to shut out the sounds of pleasure and the way bodies moved in sensual dances, both on and off the dance floor. It surprised her to realize she could tell which figures were Aradians and which were humans. There was nothing overt to distinguish the two species, just a feeling that pricked in her belly around Aradians. At that moment her belly was practically on fire from the vast amounts of the creatures.

She was staggered by how many Aradians were at the party. For some reason, she had assumed there were only a handful of Aradians throughout the entire world but there were hundreds at the party alone. Certainly there were more out there, including the vamp creators.

Jesus, how many Aradians were there?

Moving through the fringes of the gathering, trying to avoid the darkest corners, the low pulse of drums that permeated the sultry, tropical air started to have their way with her. Her limbs felt looser, her skin tighter, her heartbeat faster and her body hotter the longer she remained at the party. Bodies moved against hers as she slowed to a crawl, losing herself in the sensual atmosphere. Her chest rose and fell with each panted breath and she was growing desperate for Feryn, for his touch, for his possession.

A woman’s orgasmic scream pierced the throbbing beat and a shudder worked its way through Malorie. If she didn’t find Varick in the next ten minutes, she was going to head back to her rooms because she ached with desire for Feryn and he was avoiding her like the plague. The sheer material was beginning to feel oppressive and she understood why everyone else was wearing next to nothing. If she was a little less self-conscious, she’d be tearing her dress off and sliding her hands over her overheated body.

What the hell was Feryn thinking forcing her to attend this stupid thing and then keeping his distance? In desperation, she looked around the fucking masses, hoping against hope to find Feryn so he could relieve the burning pressure that was tying her in knots and making her unbelievably horny. She didn’t even care how big of an asshole Feryn was acting, if only he would find her and ease her suffering.

“Malorie,” a scratchy voice called out, breaking through her fog of lust. Looking around for the source of the sound, all she could see were bodies writhing together, in dance, in pleasure. A soft chuckle cleared a few more cobwebs away before the voice added, “Over here, in the space between the library and the gym.”

Trying to walk as casually as possible and not give away the fact that her legs were noodles and she wanted to be fucked, she made her way over to the buildings that disappeared into the night sky. The space between them didn’t seem very large until she was standing directly in front of the gaping hole, which only reinforced her awareness that the Aradian island was monstrous.

As soon as she was out of the warm glow of the firelight, her eyes adjusted and she quickly spotted Varick sitting by himself on a comfortable chair that looked like it belonged in a sitting room and not outside. To her surprise, there was a second one just like it waiting for her and with a smile, she sat down. “How long have you been watching me make a fool of myself?”

“Not long,” he rasped, his voice still scratchy from disuse. He held his hand out for her to take, which she did without hesitation. His long fingers wrapped around hers and squeezed, matching the grateful smile on his lips, “Thank you for finding me. In the caves, I mean.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” she told him, squeezing his hand in return. Despite having only met him once before, since she didn’t count the cave as a meeting, she felt such a connection to him, such love for him. He was family.

“It’s my fault,” he told her, taking the blame. “If I hadn’t erased myself from your life….”

“I remembered you when I saw your picture months ago,” she interrupted, not letting him go any further. “I should have heard you then but I was… overwhelmed.”

Varick smiled and she saw so much of Feryn in him that it took her breath away. His green eyes sparkled with quiet laughter as he said, “Yes, I suppose my father can be a bit much to take.”

“You have no idea,” Malorie said with a grin, still holding his hand. Leaning back in the chair, she looked through the darkness and out over the festivities, wondering where Feryn was and if he was going to swoop in and separate her from the one person she truly wanted to see. “I don’t think he knows what to do with me.”

“That’s an understatement,” Varick said softly with a rusty chuckle. He leaned back in his chair as well, gazing towards the dancing but Malorie knew his thoughts were a thousand miles away. “He’s told me that I am to be a brother. Congratulations.”

Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she didn’t notice any bitterness in his expression. Of course, he had just been through hell so maybe he didn’t care or he had learned how to hide his emotions very, very well. Licking her lips, she asked softly, “Are you okay with that?”

Startled, he looked at her with bewildered eyes, “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve known for years that you were meant for him and naturally that means children, hopefully many children because my father is an incredible dad.”

“Yeah but you’ve been an only child….” Her words trailed off as Varick arched an eyebrow in disbelief. As color flooded her cheeks, she cleared her throat, “Well, after everything you’ve been through, I thought you might need some time to adjust to, well, whatever. All of it.”

His lips quirked up in a half-smile as he shook his head, “And yet if he hadn’t found you when he had then I would never have been set free.”

Slowly, she nodded her head, realizing once again that had things played out differently, Feryn would have been gone and there would have been no one else powerful enough to take on Taella and her vampire hordes. Had Malorie dreamt of Varick without meeting Feryn, she doubted there would have been anything she could have done for the boy. Taella would have been at full strength and a lone vampire hunter, even a battalion of vampire hunters, would have been no match in the Aradian caves. If they had even made it that far.