Chapter Twenty-Two
Vampire business was better than good. It was fantastic, judging by Shade’s home. Darren had been in some swank houses during his work with Ford Security. This one would hit the top ten.
Darren and Miranda followed Shade through a foyer that was two and a half stories high. A double-staircase wrapped around the edges of the room. He led them through a door beneath one that opened to a sitting room.
The walls were covered in yellow and white striped wallpaper. Flower-shaped sconces lit the room. A few chairs and small couches filled the space, with a coffee table in the center and a sideboard between two doors set in the wall on their right.
The cheeriness of it seemed odd to Darren. He’d expected a vampire’s home to be gloomy and gothic. Then again, he could say the same about the vampire himself.
Shade seemed to be constantly smiling—when he wasn’t worried about Eden, or trying to kick Darren’s ass. After gently setting her on one of the couches, Shade sat on the floor next to her, holding her hand.
“You’re sure she’ll be okay?” Miranda’s grip on Darren’s waist tightened.
“Yes. Well…” Shade half-shrugged. “Pretty sure.”
“Pretty sure isn’t very reassuring,” Darren said.
“Whatever illness she has is affecting her blood. Weakening it. I’m not sure how it will affect us.”
“Us?” Miranda said.
“Turning for vampires is about mixing our blood. Whatever fate is in store for her, I’ll share.” He glanced over at them, then smiled. “I’m okay with that.”
Miranda started to fidget. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“Actually, it would probably help for me to be at full strength. Healing that broken leg took a little out of me.” He stared at Darren, but was still smiling.
“What can we do?” Miranda said.
“I need blood.” Shade spoke casually, as if asking for blood was no big deal.
Darren felt his hackles rise, even though he was in his human form. He stepped forward and growled.
“Not hers.” Shade laughed. “Come on, we’re not savages here. I have a supply in the fridge in the kitchen.” He gestured over his shoulder at one of the doors next to the sideboard.
“You’re just going to let a couple of strangers wander around your house?” Darren said.
“Friends of Eden’s are friends of mine. Besides, if Niall turned you…” Shade’s smile faltered. He looked down at Eden for a moment, as if collecting himself. When he looked back at Darren, he was smiling again, but his eyes glittered. “If Niall turned you, that sort of makes you family.”
Something shifted deep in Darren’s gut. Forester had tried to claim Darren as family, and the offer had sounded so hollow, it didn’t affect him at all. The sincerity in Shade’s eyes, in his voice… Darren could feel that he meant it.
He started to feel hope again. He had been afraid after their fight that he had ruined any chance that Shade might help them.
“We’ll be right back.” Darren led Miranda toward the door. It opened to a narrow hallway lined with several more doors.
“How will we find the kitchen?” Miranda asked.
Shade laughed. “Just follow Darren’s nose.”
“Very funny.” Darren scowled back at Shade, but only half meant it.
“I’m a comedian,” Shade said. “You’ll get used to it.”
Darren chuckled, leading Miranda down the hall. Finding the kitchen was easy. Just as Shade said, Darren followed the scent of food—and the sharper, metallic scent of blood. He opened the door to the kitchen and let Miranda go in first.
“Holy crap. This place is huge.” She spun around in a circle, looking at the high ceilings, the tiled walls, and the rows of tables and workspaces.
“Do you like it?”
He remembered with a start that he still didn’t have a job. With Scott and Mrs. Ford gone, there was little chance he’d be going back to the security company.
If Miranda wanted a house with a kitchen as big as her apartment, he didn’t know how he’d swing that. How the hell did werewolves provide for their pack?
She shook her head. “It’s completely impractical. I mean, maybe if you were entertaining a bunch of people or threw lots of parties. But I like my little kitchenette. Everything is one step away.”
“My apartment has a small kitchen. It’s a little roomier than yours, but nothing like this.”
“Sounds perfect.”
He let out his breath. As soon as he had this whole werewolf thing squared away, he’d find another job. They would figure out how to make it work.
He started to lead her deeper into the huge room, but she stopped. She put her hands on his face and stared into his eyes for a few moments.
“Are you okay?” she said.
“Yeah. Shade barely touched me.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
Darren was aware. He was just trying not to think about it.
The fight had been terrifying. Primarily because it had been…fun.
He’d been focused on protecting Miranda at first, but the longer it went on, the more the violence sang to him. He’d ended up wailing on Shade just for the hell of it. The power in his limbs, in his claws and teeth, had made him feel invincible.
It scared the hell out of him.
The only thing that was anywhere near that rush was when he was making love to Miranda. Thank God Shade had reminded Darren of her, brought his focus back to her. It had helped him to pull himself out of it.
“I thought I was going to lose you.” Her eyes filled with tears again. They were still red from crying earlier—when she’d thrown herself on Darren’s back to try to get him to calm down.
He dusted his fingertips across her cheek. “That’s never going to happen.”
Then he kissed her. He needed it as much as she did, probably. The reassurance, the connection. He let his tongue slide into her mouth, feeling her embracing him, welcoming him into her body. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.
He lifted her from her feet, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist. Once she did, he walked them to the nearest table and sat her down.
Dammit, she was wearing jeans. He could tear them off easily enough, but then what would she wear after they were done?
“Do not have sex in my kitchen,” Shade said.
Darren broke off the kiss, wheeling around and expecting to see Shade right next to them. But they were alone.
“What is it?” Miranda said.
“Shade.”
“You’re kissing me and thinking about Shade?” She cocked an eyebrow and smirked at him.
Darren scowled in return. “No, I heard him just now.”
“She can’t hear me,” Shade said. Darren realized his voice was coming from the sitting room.
As if confirming Darren’s thought, Shade said, “Vampires might not be able to smell things as well as werewolves, but we have great hearing.”
Darren shook his head and slowly backed away from Miranda. Picking her up by her hips, he set her feet on the floor.
“Shade says we’re not allowed to have sex in his kitchen,” Darren said.
Miranda’s eyes widened and she blushed. “How did he know what we were doing?”
“He heard us.” Darren smiled at her. “Let’s hurry up and get him his blood.”
She nodded and followed Darren as he led her to the fridge where the metallic scent originated. When he opened the door, he saw that most of the fridge was filled with vegetables, drinks, meats—things you’d find in anyone’s kitchen. But the bottom two drawers were filled with bags of blood.
He barely raised his voice as he said, “How many do you want?”
Miranda glanced around the kitchen.
“Three should do it,” Shade said.
Darren plucked three bags from the drawer and closed it along with the doors to the fridge. “Big eater.”
Shade chuckled.
“You could hear him from in here?” Miranda said.
“Yeah.”
As they headed back to the sitting room, she said, “How does anyone have sex in the house without hearing each other?”
Shade didn’t reply until they’d returned. “We don’t.”
He stared at them intently as Darren handed over the bags of blood.
“Thanks,” Shade said.
His fangs descended again and he bit into the first bag, draining it in seconds. When they were all empty, he tossed them on the coffee table and sat back with a sigh.
“That is much better.”
“Sorry about the leg,” Darren said.
“No you’re not. You loved every minute of that fight.”
He stammered, wanting to deny it, but not wanting to lie.
“It’s okay,” Shade said. “It’s a werewolf thing. Fighting is like catnip…or something that makes more sense for werewolves.”
“You’re really okay?” Miranda said.
Shade smiled at her. “I’m fine. It’s one of the benefits of being a vampire—or a werewolf. We’re very resilient.” He gestured toward a nearby chair. “Please, have a seat.”
Darren chose a small chair and pulled Miranda down onto his lap. Having her close would help him keep a lid on his temper if Shade said or did anything that upset him.
Darren had a feeling they’d be wading into some murky waters in their conversation. It didn’t take long for Shade to start up.
“Eden said you’re an oracle,” Shade said. “Does that give you special strength or healing powers? Maybe mind control?”
Miranda laughed. “I wish. Aside from the visions, I’m a garden-variety human.”
Shade let out a thoughtful sound. “I somehow doubt that.”
“What do you mean?” Miranda said.
“You seem to be a pretty ‘well bonded couple’. Not to be crass, but I’ve never heard of a werewolf having sex with a human without…” Shade seemed to be struggling to find words. Given what Jack had said back at the restaurant, Darren couldn’t blame the guy.
Miranda pulled Darren’s hand onto her thigh, holding his wrist. “Darren would never hurt me.”
“That’s what I thought about Eden.” Shade’s smile fell as he turned to look at Eden, smoothing some hair away from her forehead. “I still was so carried away that I…” He shook his head, his voice trailing off.
“You bit her,” Miranda said. “That’s what sped up her descent.”
“If she had died, it would have been my fault,” Shade said. All traces of playfulness left his tone. “I can never repay you for helping me save her.”
“Saving her is good enough for us,” Darren said.
Shade let out a soft laugh through his nose. “We’ve always known it was dangerous to be with humans. I thought I could control myself when we…”
He shook his head. “It was so natural, though. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I stopped. I caught myself so quickly. For a normal human, it wouldn’t have harmed them at all.”
“You didn’t know she was sick, did you?” Miranda said.
“Not until I tasted her blood. Niall must have known. He kept trying to warn me away from her. I thought it was just because of—” He shook his head again.
“Listen, you want information from me,” Darren said. “I need information from you, too. We’ve been fumbling our way through this blind.”
Shade laughed. “Fumbling? I’d say you’re navigating these waters with amazing skill, my friend.”
“It helps that he has an oracle as a guide.” Miranda smiled and leaned into Darren.
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “That’s true. I guess we haven’t been completely blind.”
“Remarkable.”
They both turned to Shade.
“I’m just stunned to see you in such control,” he said. “We’ve always thought that we couldn’t have that kind of… intimate contact with humans without harming them. That’s why it’s forbidden.”
“Forbidden?” Miranda said.
“Niall fell in love with a woman from one of the villages we were protecting back when we had all just changed. It didn’t end well.”
“Did he turn her?” Darren didn’t want to ask, but had to know.
A haunted expression passed over Shade’s features. He took a deep breath, and said, “He killed her.”
Darren’s heart started to pound. That didn’t make any sense. Darren loved Miranda. He would never hurt her. He was sure of it. But if Niall loved that woman, he might have thought the same thing—and been wrong.
Miranda turned to Darren and lifted her hand to run her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensation, letting it calm him.
They’d already made love, and she was fine. He hadn’t come close to hurting her. But what if things changed? What if the full moon was more than he could handle?
He felt her hand on his cheek. She tilted his face toward hers and said, “Stop.”
Darren opened his eyes again. She looked so determined. There was a fierce confidence in her gaze.
“That is not our future,” she said. “Remember?”
He nodded. Still, he’d feel a lot better once she had turned as well—when she’d have the same strength coursing through her that he’d felt during his fight with Shade.
“In six hundred years of existence, I’ve never met an oracle,” Shade said.
“I’ve never met a vampire.” Miranda smiled at him. “But I’m…not that old.”
His grin returned. “Well, I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance. Even under such circumstances.”
“I’m glad to hear it, because we need your help,” she said.
Shade turned to Eden and dusted a lock of hair away from her forehead. “You brought Eden to me and helped me to save her life. Anything in my power to give is yours.”
Darren let out a breath. “The full moon is in two nights. I’m doing okay controlling myself so far, but we’ve heard it’ll be worse on that night.”
Shade nodded. “You heard right. Niall and the other werewolves among us have been living with this for hundreds of years, and they still lose control on full moons.”
Hundreds of years? The reality of that started to hit Darren. He was immortal now. But it only meant something if Miranda could share that with him.
“What do you do to keep people safe from them on those nights?” Darren said.
Shade’s smile broadened. “And with that, you’ve passed the first test.”
“What test?” Darren asked.
“Niall and I are—” Shade winced as he corrected himself, “were—part of a group of warriors who have pledged ourselves to protect humans from the fey. Your focus wasn’t on keeping yourself safe or even Miranda specifically. You want to protect everyone.”
What he was describing sounded an awful lot like Darren’s idea of the Knights of Antares. But if he asked and was wrong, what would that mean for his new relationship with Shade?
A wrong assumption could be deadly in this case. Fey beings didn’t seem very fond of the “traitors” among them. Darren kept his thought—his hope—to himself, waiting for Shade to bring it up. It was enough that they all seemed to have similar goals.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Darren said.
“I can see that.” Shade nodded. “Niall has a safe room in this house. One that even a full-powered werewolf can’t escape from. We’ll get you settled in it before your first full change.”
“Thank you.” Darren felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He let out a huge breath, pulling Miranda closer against his chest. She leaned over and kissed the top of his head.
“Of course,” Shade said.
Darren laughed. “That doesn’t seem like much of a test, though.”
“It’s better than you think.” Shade shook his head. “Most people become raving psychopaths after they’re bitten. The ones that survive, anyway.”
“As if I wasn’t worried enough about Miranda,” Darren said.
When Shade looked at them quizzically, Miranda said, “He’s going to turn me.”
Shade’s smile faded again. “That’s a very bad idea.”
Darren felt a growl bubbling up in his chest. He choked it down. His voice was still a little lower than usual when he said, “Why?”
“I’m not saying she shouldn’t be turned,” Shade said. “Just that you don’t have enough control to do it safely. You could easily lose control and kill her.”
“Also not reassuring,” Darren said.
Miranda let out a sigh. “How about this? I’ve seen us together, turned, helping people. Is that reassuring?”
He smiled up at her. Her visions hadn’t led them astray so far. He believed in them.
“Are you alone in these visions, or are there other werewolves and vampires with you?” Shade said.
“The visions I’ve seen so far are just of Darren and I with our pack.”
Hearing her talk about it so casually, as if it had already happened, was the most reassuring thing of all. Darren felt he could breathe easier. They were going to make this work.
“Then it’s even more important that Lev is the one who turns her,” Shade said. “He’s the pack leader. It should make both of your integrations easier, especially since technically Darren is part of Lev’s pack already. It’ll be a bit tricky getting Boden on board. He and Niall were brothers before they turned, and… Let’s just say he feels Niall’s loss keenly.”
“What about the others?” Miranda said.
“Others?” Shade looked confused.
“I’ve been studying Darren’s future pretty closely,” she said. “There are four other werewolves with us in my visions.”
Shade’s face fell. “Lev’s pack is just the three of you.”
“Our pack will have six werewolves,” she said. “I’m sure of it.”
Shade shook his head. “Not if it’s Lev’s pack.”
Darren felt the tension pick up in the room. If Miranda’s visions were about them joining a different pack—a pack that was at odds with the one Shade was talking about—things could get ugly again quickly.
“If they’ll accept me, they might accept others,” Miranda said. “I don’t know how far into the future I was seeing.”
That was a white lie. From what she’d told Darren, it wouldn’t be long. She might not have an exact date, but she knew it would happen soon.
“Look, these are all really big ifs,” Shade said. “I’m not even sure they’ll accept Eden after I change her.”
“Is that why you told her you might have to run?” Darren said.
“Yes. I’m still not sure which path is safest for her.”
Miranda stood. “I can help with that.”
Darren was reluctant to let her go, but she was right. If she could read Shade, it would help them all.
“May I read you?” Miranda said.
Shade looked over at Darren. It was almost like asking permission—or checking to see if it would set Darren off. Darren nodded briefly.
“Of course,” Shade said. He held absolutely still as Miranda walked over to him. She touched his shoulder, then walked back to Darren and sat on his lap again.
“That’s it?” Shade said.
“Not quite.” Miranda turned her hand over and stared at it, as if she was watching a video. She let out a huge sigh and then her lips pulled into a broad smile.
Shade leaned forward, but kept his grip on Eden’s hand. “What do you see? Is Eden going to survive the transformation?”
Darren had wondered if Shade was hiding worry behind his smile. It was clear as day when he asked his questions.
And like Darren had unwittingly passed Shade’s earlier test, Shade had just shown his own true nature. All he cared about was that Eden was safe.
“You don’t have to worry,” Miranda said. “I see you and Eden together. She’s going to be fine.”
Shade let out a huge breath and sat back. “Thank you.” He gazed at Eden, his smile tender, then turned back to them. “That’s a very cool power you have there.”
Miranda leaned into Darren. “A vampire thinks my powers are cool.”
Shade jumped in before Darren could even formulate a thought. “And so does a werewolf, which is even cooler than a vampire.” He cast a comical grimace at Miranda and said, “Werewolves can be territorial. Best not to make him jealous.”
Miranda laughed again. “Thanks for the tip.”
“What else did you see?” Darren knew she was relieved about Eden, but her reaction was so strong, he suspected there was more.
“That Shade is one of the Knights of Antares.” She smiled down at Darren. “We found them, just like Niall said.”
“Niall told you to look for us?” Shade’s voice had a pensive tone.
“Before he died,” Darren said. “He told me to find you. That you’d help.”
Shade nodded. “He was a good man. That he bit you… I can’t really bear to think of what he must have been going through to do that.”
“Then don’t think about it,” Darren said. “Don’t remember him that way.”
Shade gave them another cock-eyed smirk, but there was a sad cast to it. “Thank you.” He seemed to collect himself, then turned to Miranda. “So, we’re all going to be happily fighting fairies for years to come?”
He had mentioned not being sure if his boss would be okay with him turning Eden. Shade had a vested interest in knowing what Miranda had seen.
“Eventually,” she said. “We’ll all be part of the Knights of Antares while we fight the impending apocalypse together.”
“That’s great,” Shade said. Then his smile fell. “Wait… Did you say apocalypse?”
“There are some things that we need to fill you in on,” Darren said.
Eden stirred and Shade turned to her. “It’s going to have to wait. Eden needs my full attention now. We’ll probably be…occupied…for at least tonight and possibly tomorrow as well.”
“Isn’t that cutting it a little close?” Darren wanted to be locked up in Niall’s safe room before the full moon rose.
“It’ll be fine,” Shade said. “Michelle is staying with me. She and her sister, Stacey, are humans who help us out.”
“What kind of help can humans provide the Knights?” Miranda asked.
“Oh, you know. Sharpening pencils. Polishing the silver.” Shade looked at Darren and grinned.
Darren just scoffed. He really was getting used to Shade’s sense of humor.
Shade’s smile faded a bit. “All of the Knights are paired with a vampire and a werewolf. Niall watched over me during the days and I watched over him on full moon nights. Since he’s gone… Well, Michelle volunteered to stay with me while the sun’s up and I’m dead to the world. She can let Darren into the safe room if necessary while Eden and I are in our day-sleep.”
That was a lot more reassuring.
Eden stirred again and this time Shade stood and picked her up from the couch. Miranda and Darren stood as well.
Shade turned back to them and said, “Michelle’s sleeping right now or I’d have her show you out.”
“Not a problem.” Darren put his arm around Miranda. “We can find the way.”
“Thanks.” Shade walked with them into the foyer. He paused before one of the staircases. “And Darren, I’m glad you found your way to me.”
“Me, too.”
Shade nodded, then headed up the stairs.