When Darkness Comes

He felt her shudder with longing beneath his touch before she was abruptly pulling away to gaze at him with wide, dilated eyes.



"Are you insane?" she rasped, pressing her fingers to her swollen lips.



Caught off guard by her sharp retreat, Dante gritted his teeth and shoved his hands roughly into the pockets of his jeans. It was a grim battle to master the desire still pulsing through his taut body.



A swift yank, a few heated kisses, and he would have her on the dusty floor and himself sheathed deep in her body.



Thankfully sanity slowly forced its way through his hazed mind; taking a careful step back, he regarded her with a measure of calm.



"I was attempting to keep you from getting us both killed. I couldn't allow you to call out to those cops," he explained in smooth tones.



Her brows furrowed together. "You think that demons have infested the Chicago police force?"



"No, I think the second you attempt to explain to those nice, unimaginative cops that we're being pursued by vicious demons and hellhounds, we'll find ourselves locked in a lovely padded room. If we aren't first tossed into jail for the murder of Selena. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be strapped in a straitjacket or offered a cell with a spectacular view of the morning sunrise."



Her expression hardened, as if she longed to argue with his logic. Then wrapping her arms about her waist, she heaved an annoyed sigh.



"Fine. And what is your brilliant solution? To crawl through these disgusting alleys for eternity?"



He gave a shrug, moving back to the open doorway. "Not quite that long, I hope. I do know a place, but I must be certain that we've shaken our bloodthirsty friends."



"God, what a mess," she muttered.



Dante forced his fangs to shorten as the lingering shudders of desire tortured his body.



"For once, lover, we are in full agreement."



Chapter 4



Two hours later, Abby was spent.



She had endured a house exploding, the violent death of her employer, being chased by demons (one of which she had killed with her own hands), hours of walking through vile-smelling alleys, and a kiss by a vampire. And to be honest, she wasn't sure which unnerved her the most.



Now, however, a wrenching weariness invaded her entire being.



Her feet hurt, she smelled like an overripe landfill, and a numbing fog was clouding her mind. Hell, at the moment she would have paid a lurking demon to leap out and swallow her whole.



Unfortunately, the ghastly creatures who had seemed so determined to destroy them a mere three hours ago had seemingly disappeared the moment they might have come in handy, and she was left to trudge upon trembling legs behind a silent vampire.



Perhaps this was hell, she theorized. Perhaps she had indeed died in the mysterious blast and was now doomed to roam through darkened, demon-invested alleys for all eternity.



No, not hell, a treacherous voice whispered. Not if she were to be offered an eternity of kisses from a gorgeous vampire that had made her melt into a puddle of aching need.



Her heart skipped a renegade beat before she was giving a sharp shake of her head.



Obviously she was becoming delirious. Vampire kisses. God. No doubt the toxic stench had driven her over the edge. Enough was enough.



"Dante." Coming to a halt, she folded her arms over her chest. "I can't go any farther."



With clear reluctance, Dante stopped at the corner of the alley and turned to meet her stubborn gaze. As weary as she was, her breath caught in her throat.



Bathed in the dull golden light of the streetlamp, Dante was strikingly beautiful. His flowing raven hair. His fiercely elegant features. His silver eyes that shimmered with a lethal danger. It all combined to create a vision that was bound to weaken the knees of any woman.



Thankfully unaware of her treacherous thoughts, Dante reached out to grasp her hand.



"It is just a bit farther, I promise," he urged softly.



Her expression only hardened at his words. 'You've said that for the past half hour."



His lips twitched with wicked amusement. "Yes, but on this occasion, I'm not lying."



"Ugh." She leaned against the brick building, too tired to care that she was only adding to the layer of grime that covered her. What were a few more nasty germs? "I should have staked you when I had the chance."



A raven brow arched at her petulant tone. "Do you know, Abby, you really are an ungrateful brat."



"No, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and all I want is to go home."



The chiseled features softened as he reached out and pulled her close to the hardness of his body. Tenderly he ran a hand over her tangled curls.



"I know, lover. I know."



Vampire or not, Abby discovered his touch oddly comforting. And deliciously wonderful. Without conscious thought, she leaned her head against his wide chest.



"Dante, will this horrible night ever end?"



"That much I can promise you," he assured her, giving a small tug until they were out of the alley and standing upon a narrow street. "You see the building on the corner? That's our destination. Can you make it?"



She regarded the plain building, at last concluding that it must have been a hotel in years past. A hotel that was now dank, moldy, and no doubt filled with entire communities of hungry rats. She heaved a sigh even as she gave Dante a reluctant nod of her head.



She was too weary to quibble. If a few rats and a rotting chair were the price of resting her aching feet, then so be it.



"Let's go," she muttered.



Readily accepting Dante's assistance, Abby limped across the street and around the building to the back. He ignored the narrow door that hung limply off its hinges and instead reached out his hand to touch one of the loosened bricks near the window. Astonishingly (well, perhaps not so astonishing on this particular evening), a silver shimmer filled the air, and before Abby could even question what had occurred, Dante had pulled her through the mystical veil into a vast crimson and gold lobby.



Stumbling to a halt, Abby glanced about her with wide eyes. It was impossible. There was nothing rat-infested about this place. Not with its black marble columns and crimson velvet walls and domed roof painted with beautiful naked women.



It was lush and exotic and, well, more than a little decadent.



"What is this place?" she breathed in wonder.



Dante smiled wryly as he took her arm and steered her toward a nearly hidden alcove at the back of the room.



"Better not to ask."



"Why?"



Ignoring her question, he brushed aside the gauzy curtain spangled with golden stars and pulled her down a darkened hall until they reached the last door. Tugging it open, he waited for her to enter before firmly closing the door behind them and turning on the lights.



Much to her relief, Abby discovered the large room considerably more comfortable than the lavish lobby they had left behind. There was a solid warmth to the satinwood paneling and leather furnishings that were scattered over an ivory carpet More like an English country estate than a lavish bordello, she decided.



Absently wandering to study the leather-bound books that filled the shelves upon one wall, she drew in a deep breath before turning to meet Dante's guarded gaze.



"Will we be safe here?"



"Yes, the building is owned by an acquaintance of mine. It possesses an enchantment upon it that will prevent anyone from sensing your presence here. Human or demon."



Enchantment? Well, that sounded… less strange than anything else that had occurred this bizarre evening. Still, Abby sensed there was a great deal he wasn't telling her. Always a bad sign.



"And your friend?" she demanded.



"What?"



"Is he human or demon?"



He gave a lift of his shoulder. "He is a vampire."



Abby rolled her eyes toward the open beamed ceiling. "Great."



With a silent grace, Dante was suddenly standing before her, his expression relentless in the muted light.



"I would suggest that you attempt to disguise that rather nasty prejudice of yours, lover," he warned in silky tones. "We shall need Viper's assistance if we are to survive the next few days."



Suddenly realizing that she had indeed been more than a bit rude to the man who had saved her life more than once in the past few hours, Abby caught her lower lip between her teeth.



"I'm sorry."



The silver eyes darkened as he tenderly ran the back of his fingers over her heated cheeks.



'There are some things I must do. I want you to remain here." The fingers slid beneath her chin as he gazed deep into her eyes. "And whatever happens, do not open this door until I return. Do you understand?"



A shiver inched down her spine. He was leaving her? Alone?



Good Lord, what if he didn't return? What if some demon attacked while he was gone? "What if…



Grasping her shattered courage, Abby gave a lift of her chin. Stop being such a spineless wimp, she chided herself. Dammit. She had been taking care of herself since she was fourteen years old. Not only herself, but her mother as well, since the older woman discovered life easier to bear at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.



And all without the assistance of a sinfully beautiful vampire.