Beyond the Darkness

With delicate furnishings that might very well have come from Versailles, and a Persian carpet that had obviously been woven to perfectly match the gold-and-ivory décor, there was a definite museum vibe to the place.



Across the room the crimson curtains were pulled aside to reveal the towering windows that stretched the length of one wall, overlooking a sunken garden bathed in moonlight. A lovely view, no doubt, but Harley barely noticed. Hell, if she didn’t notice the massive vampire dressed in leather who leaned against the marble fireplace, or her twin sister she’d thought dead for the past thirty years, a view wasn’t going to capture her attention. No matter how magnificent.



Pacing from one end of the long room to the other, Harley at last came to a halt at the sound of the front doorbell. Darcy tossed her a reassuring smile as she headed into the foyer. Harley caught the unmistakable scent of vampire and…human?



Somehow she thought a goddess would have her own unique scent.



Her confusion only deepened as Darcy returned with the two strangers.



Dante was easily recognizable as a vampire. Pale perfect features. Long black hair pulled into a tail at his nape. Silver eyes that flashed with a bad-boy glint. Yummy body dressed in white satin shirt and black Chinos.



But who would ever guess the tiny honey-haired woman with astonishing blue eyes and impish grin was a powerful goddess?



She waited in silence as Darcy urged Abby toward her while Dante sauntered toward the waiting Styx.



“Harley, this is Abby.” Darcy performed the introductions with a broad smile. “Abby, my sister.”



“You’re the Chalice?” Harley demanded before she could halt the words.



“I know.” With a grimace, Abby ran a hand down her casual sundress. “I’m always such a disappointment. You’d think that if I have to be a goddess, I would at least get a crown and scepter.”



Belatedly realizing just how rude she must sound, Harley blushed, but thankfully Darcy was swift to take charge of the awkward conversation.



“That’s what a queen’s supposed to have, although mine must still be in the mail,” she teased, obviously a BFF with the goddess. “You should have a halo or a glowy gown.”



Abby laughed. “Instead I have split ends and PMS.”



Darcy nodded her head in sympathetic understanding. “Thank you for coming. I hope my mate wasn’t too overbearing in his invitation?”



Abby glanced toward the two men who were strolling in their direction.



“I’m accustomed to vampires. If they aren’t being overbearing, then I know something’s truly wrong. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how much help I can be. This whole goddess gig is still new to me, and I spend most of my time just trying to avoid causing mass chaos.”



The two vampires moved to stand at the side of their mates, each wrapping a possessive arm around the women they so clearly adored.



Harley pretended she didn’t notice that she was standing by herself. Or that her heart was clenching with something perilously close to envy.



She didn’t need a man standing at her side, bristling and flashing fang if anyone came too close. She could take care of herself, thank you very much.



“You have no sense of a disturbance?” Styx asked, his alarming gaze trained on Abby. “A demon lord would not be able to entirely disguise his powers.”



“The problem is that I’m not really sure what a disturbance would feel like,” Abby ruefully confessed. “A pity that becoming the Chalice didn’t come with a user’s manual.”



Dante tugged her protectively close. “We all know you are doing your best.”



“Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?” Styx pressed, impervious to his fellow vampire’s growing annoyance.



One arrogant king was obviously just like another.



Whether they were vamp or Were.



Abby shrugged, her expression troubled. “It’s not out of the ordinary, but I do sense something I can only describe as…evil. I’ve felt it ever since I became the Chalice, so to be honest, I’ve learned to ignore it.”



“Do you sense which direction it comes from?”



“I can do better than that. I can tell you exactly where it comes from.”



“Where?”



“The caves where we fought the dark prince.”



Harley took an instinctive step backwards as the two vamps stiffened in shock. She didn’t know anything about the caves or dark prince, but it clearly struck a nerve.



“Bloody hell,” Dante muttered.



Abby shivered, nestling closer to her mate. “That’s why I’ve always dismissed the creepy sensations. I assumed it was some sort of residual nastiness from the mages.”



Styx narrowed his eyes. “The mages.”



“They’re dead,” Dante said, his voice flat and cold.



Definitely a story there.



“Unless they had a backup team,” Abby pointed out.



The suggestion was enough to make Dante’s fangs lengthen and his silver eyes flash with an eagerness to kill.



“You think someone else is trying to open the portal between dimensions?” he demanded of his king.



“It’s possible, although I think it more likely that a demon lord managed to discover an anchor in this world before the portal was closed,” Styx said grimly.



A chill shot down Harley’s spine. Holy crap. That couldn’t be good.



“What’s an anchor?” Harley asked.



“A lesser creature who accepts a portion of the demon lord’s power. If the bond is strong enough it would allow the demon to continue to touch this world even after the goddess was summoned, although not directly.”



“The King of Weres,” Harley breathed.



Darcy regarded her in startled disbelief. “Salvatore?”



“No, the one before him. Mackenzie.” Wrapping her arms around her waist, Harley returned to her pacing, attempting to remember precisely what Salvatore had said about the previous king. “Salvatore suspected that something was wrong with him before he died. But why would a demon lord give a Were power? What’s in it for him?”



“The demon lord is capable of controlling his anchor and forcing him to do his bidding, but more importantly, he can siphon the life force of his victim,” Styx answered.



Harley came to an abrupt halt. “Life force?”



Styx shrugged. “Chi…soul…whatever you want to call it.”



“And it gives him power?”



“Yes.”



Darcy moved to grab her hand, her eyes dark with concern. “What are you thinking, Harley?”



An awful, horrible dread curled through the pit of her belly. She met Styx’s searching gaze.



“Caine always said that Salvatore’s strength came from his position as king. Is that true?”



“Salvatore is the strongest of the Weres or he would never have been able to claim the throne, but he is able to call on his pack when necessary.”



“So, he’s connected to them?”



“Of course…” Styx bit off his words, his features bleak. “Damn. The bastard has been draining the Weres. That’s why they’ve lost their ancient magic.”



Dante nodded. “It would explain a great deal.”



“But the previous king is dead, and I can’t believe Salvatore is willing to deal with a demon lord,” Darcy pointed out.



“He would never put his people at risk,” Harley snapped, unconsciously rushing to Salvatore’s defense. “It’s Briggs who has the black magic.”



Darcy gave her fingers a squeeze, but surprisingly it was Styx who offered reassurance.



“No one would suspect Salvatore of sharing power with a demon lord.” His lips twisted in a humorless smile. “Hell, he’s far too arrogant to share power with anyone.”



“Which must make him a pain in the ass if there’s a demon lord lurking out there,” Dante said. “Not only does his position as king prevent the bastard from drawing energy from the Were packs, but he has enough innate strength to threaten to bring back the ancient powers.”



“It would certainly be a reason for someone to want Salvatore dead,” Styx agreed.



Dante snorted. “Just one of many.”



Harley sent him a warning glare. “Hey.”



The vampire lifted his hands in a gesture of peace, his earrings glinting in the light of the Venetian chandeliers. “Sorry.”



“No one gets to kill him but me,” she informed her companions, pulling away from Darcy as she was struck by the sudden, vicious sensation that Salvatore was in trouble. God. It might be ridiculous, but she could physically feel his pain. “As soon as I track him down. So if you’ll excuse me. I really have to go.”



She was headed toward the door when Styx moved to stand directly in her path.



“Wait, Harley.”



With no choice, she came to a halt. She might like to think of herself as a badass, but she wasn’t suicidal enough to try to wrestle her way past the most dangerous demon in all the world.



“Please, I’ve wasted too much time already,” she whispered. The need to get to Salvatore was becoming downright unbearable.