Shadow Of Death

Michael felt undeniable rage thrum through him as the image of Aurora under this demon surfaced. He’d been taught that it was a sin to come between a man and his mate but this wasn’t a man and right now he really didn’t give a damn.

Samuel stilled himself when the man’s eyes began to glow in warning and power he was not familiar with pricked the skin of his hand where they were touching. It would be a mistake to show this one fear.

Leaning forward Samuel smirked and lied, “If she was truly impressed, then why did she leave you to come find me?” He realized his mistake when the tunnel started to vibrate under his feet and he knew he was looking at the cause of the earthquake.

Michael felt his skin began to tingle like it had when he hit the tracks earlier… and he liked it. Hearing the thunder of a train closing in, Michael gave the demon a chilling smile then suddenly shoved him backwards. The demon released him immediately and Michael’s smile darkened when the demon toppled over the railing and directly in the train’s path.

The transport slammed into the demon, but for a split second he noticed the demon had turned and gripped the train as if hitching a ride. Before he could follow it and finish the demon off, Michael felt the earth around him shake and moved just as a piece of concrete came crashing down right beside him.

Ignoring it, he slowly turned his angry gaze in the direction the train had taken the demon. He didn’t care if the world came crashing down… as long as he drained every drop from that son of a bitch first. Moving faster than the train he slammed into the side of it so hard that it rocked on the track.

Before he could climb up to the top, Michael felt something slam into his back and fought the searing pain, trying to throw whatever it was off of him.

Syn had felt the sun touch Michael’s skin and followed the link and quickly closed in on his son’s position. He arrived just in time to see Michael attack the subway train and the dark smile on his face told Syn everything he needed to know… Michael had just tapped into his true power and wasn’t handling it very well.

Coming up behind Michael, Syn pulled another bloodstone from his arm band and rammed his fist into Michael’s back, forcing it through flesh and blood. He held Michael in a tight grip as he inserted the blood stone behind his heart much the same way Michael had once done Kane.

The tunnel around them started to vibrate with Michael’s rage and Syn knew a cave in would soon follow if it was not brought under control. Planting his feet against the side of the train, he pushed away taking Michael with him. Trying to stun him into submission, Syn slammed Michael into the wall hard enough to leave an impact creator but Michael still blindly fought him.

Feeling that rage only gain strength, Syn sighed wearily before gripping Michael’s neck… snapping it.

He caught Michael’s limp body and gently picked him up in his arms. Walking a few feet to an alcove hidden mostly by darkness, Syn carried Michael to the closest electrical room and forced the door open. He laid Michael on the floor and stared down him for a moment before leaving him in there.

Closing the door behind him, he turned around and placed his palm against it giving it a demon barrier so his son would not be disturbed. He couldn’t afford to help heal Michael… the time it would take for healing was needed for that kind of rage to wear off.

He smirked knowing the female Fallen had rattled Michael’s cage then frowned as he glanced back in the direction Angelica was in. Michael’s cage wasn’t the only one being rattled.

*****

Shadow stayed hidden in her self made prison of the maze Night Walker’s called the spirit realm. She might be trapped here in this alternate dimension but that didn’t mean she had to make herself a target for Deth’s unwanted attention or the hoard of demons he’d brought here with him.

She missed the world of life that even now was nestled somewhere on the other side of the thin dimensional wall that separated the two worlds. Stepping through that wall was rather painful but she’d do it in a heartbeat if Deth would allow it. Problem was… he’d never allow it.

She watched as Deth once again gave Myra some of his blood. It was part of the deal he’d made with the woman before killing her in the human world. As promised, he’d raised Myra from the dead, but it was a slow process because the jealous demon had demanded that he was the only one to feed her.

The one thing the woman had going for her was the fact that she’d only been dead a couple hours. That revival was nothing compared to the process it took a zombie to reform after it had been in the grave for years or even centuries. Shadow sighed in her boredom deciding it would be more fun to watch grass grow.

In Shadow’s opinion, stupid demons deserved stupid humans. She’d been witness to the deal… both deals. The one Deth had made with Myra when she’d first had the half-breed child, and the deal Myra had made that allowed Deth to gain at least one of the two things he wanted.

Getting half of what you want never made a demon happy. Instead of looking at it half full, to Deth it would always be half empty.

Shadow recalled that Deth and Myra had started out fighting pretty heavy back then. Myra had spent most of her time running from the mistake she’d made but she’d never been able to outrun the demon that had caught her scent. The more Myra had fought him, the more Deth had wanted her.

Shadow shook her head once again realizing humans and demons were a lot more alike than most thought. Growing weary of the war between them, Myra had finally stopped running and offered Deth a deal.

The first deal had been that Myra would become his lover any time he wished it, as long as he stayed away from the child. Deth had been under the influence of Myra’s hunger when he’d agreed to the deal. Just like a man to think with the wrong head.

The second deal had been interesting though. Deth had threatened Myra with the fact that if he couldn’t watch over Tiara or ever see her, then he would send someone in his place… the deal hadn't forbid that. Myra had panicked and tried to make another deal with her demon lover. It was amazing how she had never learned not to trust a demon though she had put more thought into this final deal.

Myra agreed to cross over into this forsaken demon ridden world and let Deth revive her on this side on the condition that Deth stayed on this side with her. Shadow knew it was the last step to making sure Deth never got his hands on Tiara “the little princess”.

She supposed Myra loved Deth a little but that wasn’t why she’d made the deal… if Myra had been powerful enough Deth would have met his demise before the first deal had been struck.

Deth had also been smarter this time and had revised the deal before agreeing to it. He’d made sure Tiara would have the protector he wanted her to have by taking Shadow’s binding ring and making a clone from it using her Night Walker blood. As part of the deal, Deth would wear the clone and Tiara could choose a human to wear the real ring so he could tap into the binding spell.

Shadow understood more than anyone the secrets the Egyptian binding ring held. She frowned as she thought about the human that was now trapped in Deth's little game by wearing the ring.

With the rings came Deth's true connection to his daughter. Deth could keep tabs on her for him and Myra through the rings. If Tiara was to ever come across an enemy she would fall to, then the ring would alert him and he would be allowed twenty-four hours on the other side to rescue his daughter before the deal would bind him back into this world.

Myra had been a fool to agree to those terms. If Deth was allowed to leave here, then he would find a way to bring Tiara back with him. What he had not told Myra was that the ring also gave him a little control over the person wearing the ring. At least enough control to make that person stay near Tiara if Deth so chose.

She watched as Deth once again returned to staring at the ring. She wondered how long it would take him to decide to send a demon after his own daughter just to wound her so he could go collect what belonged to him. She knew Deth, had known him longer than she could remember. He might love Myra and Tiara in his own way, but he was evil enough to destroy both of them without feeling much guilt over it.

A demon hating you was one thing… but a demon as powerful as Deth loving you was a worse fate. Myra hadn't known that by agreeing to only being revived by Deth's blood she would not be able to fight him like she had in the human world. She would now become little more than an obedient rag doll for Deth to manipulate for eternity. The only thing Deth had not taken from Myra was her soul.

Shadow looked down at the marks on the inside of her wrists and wished Deth had not returned her own soul to her after he’d used a spell to bind her to him as his Night Walker. At least if she’d lacked a soul, the numbness would have kept her from being bored out of her mind.

She dropped her arms deciding it didn’t matter. As long as Deth willed it, she was just as trapped in this world as Myra was. The only thing she was waiting on now was Deth to make up his mind on how long he’d wait before he decided to kill his daughter.

Deth slowly pulled his bare chest away from Myra’s lips and rose from the bed, undisturbed with his nudity. He had built this place between dimensions many centuries before, ruled it from its highest peak with an untouchable army… the thousands of souls at his command.

Like his beautiful Myra, he was a necromancer, but his forte was the enslavement of the souls he drew to him rather than leading them into their afterlife.

Those very souls circled around his magnificent home crying out to be released… but Deth never released something once it belonged to him. He knew Myra did not truly love him, nor did he really care if she did or not. She was his and that was all that mattered.

He stared out the window of his bedchamber at the gray colored sky while pulling on a heavy brocade robe. He’d grown tired of the world. With nothing left to fight, even stealing the souls had not held its charm. He’d yearned for the world of demons he remembered and the sibling he’d lost so long ago.

Craven had been born from the same female only moments after he’d clawed his way out of her… but they had not been alike. Craven did not have the strength to handle the war that had been raging and had fallen to it… dragged into the rift and sealed away. Such a weak child to have fallen so quickly.

When he first saw Myra he’d had to have her… her power over souls had called him to her, reminding him of the taste of his brother’s power. It was a weak flavor but sensual and seductive in its nature.

After watching her from the darkness Deth found himself drawn to her sexual hunger. For reasons that eluded him, he felt jealousy when she turned to those weakling human males to satiate her need. That’s one of the reasons he’d removed them from the human realm… he’d known she would eventually find a way to elude him if he did not seal her away from prying eyes.

Deth concentrated on the ring and felt Tiara’s bliss. The sensation of the feeling made his eyes glow red and he punched his fist, ring first into one of the many paintings of Tiara that Deth had taken from Myra over the years. Myra had spent all of her energy keeping him from Tiara and now the child’s happiness was an unwelcome barrier.

If Tiara would just suffer then he could go get her. He let his gaze roam over all of the smiling paintings of his child then looked toward the bed Myra was laying on. He’d trapped his lover’s soul within that body so that she would never be able to leave him and he would do the same to Tiara.

Shadow stilled herself as she listened to Deth’s thoughts and watched the evil smirk appear across his lips. She knew he was finally going to acknowledge her presence which was something he hadn't done since they’d entered this dimension and probably something he would never do again if she accomplished what he wanted.

‘Shadow,’ Deth called to his Night Walker. Seeing the long dark hair and the young supple body of the Egyptian girl appear in front of him, he knew he had found his way to take his daughter’s smile away from her.

“Do you want me to kill her?” Shadow asked narrowing her gaze on her master.

Deth's eyes again turned their eerie red as he brought the ring hand up then struck Shadow across the face with it.

“What makes you think I would give that satisfaction to you? It will be I who ends her life,” Deth's voice was little more than an angry hiss. The color receded from his eyes as if it had never been there and he cupped the chin of the face that had turned away from him. “You will go find my daughter and destroy whatever is making her happy.”

Shadow held her ground as Deth called forth a small army of nasty underlings, ordering them not only to watch her but to obey her every command. She nodded looking forward to the pain of passing through the dimensional wall. She would do that and more if it would give her a few days away from him.

Deth watched Shadow step into her realm and smiled when his underlings followed her. Turning his attention to the ring on his finger, he moved toward the light shining through the window to admire it. He tilted his head to the side feeling not only Tiara’s pleasure but the ring bearer’s frustration as well.

“You want her,” Deth whispered, his voice like a silken caress.

He turned the ring on his finger, silently chanting the runic incantations inscribed on the band and he smiled again. The ring began to glow an angry red and tiny flames erupted from the inscription emphasizing the words as he recited them.

“You shall have her… and all she has to offer,” Deth promised. “All you need to do is kill anyone in your path.”

Chapter 3

Chad was still giving Trevor the silent treatment when they pulled into the parking lot at Moon Dance. The only one that had gotten a word out of him was Evey and Trevor was starting to feel a bit left out. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Chad to live alone. Hell, even he understood the meaning of privacy.

What scared him the most was the thought of Chad going back to that apartment so that whatever had killed him could show back up for a ‘murder part two’. No one had been there the last time until it was too late… and he seriously didn’t want to relive Chad’s death scene. Once had been more than enough.

Trevor sighed when Chad got out of the car without a word and strode toward the entrance of the club.

“Hey, hold up a minute,” Trevor called out closing Evey’s door a little too hard. Great, now he felt guilt over both friends.

“What?” Chad growled not bothering to turn around.

“Come on man,” Trevor said as he caught up and placed a hand on Chad’s shoulder, “This isn’t us ganging up on you. We just want to make sure whoever it was that killed you doesn’t get another chance.”

“So you do that by taking away my freedom?” Chad asked with a hard look.

Trevor shook his head, “You didn’t see yourself laying there lifeless in a pool of your own blood… that’s something I never want to see again. I know you’re walking around and talking now, but that doesn’t erase the fact that you died because some asshole stuck a knife in your heart and made it stop.”

“Why do you care?” Chad asked curiously.

“You know, the other day you asked me how I was able to keep my emotions in check when it came to good cops dying on the streets. Remember my answer?” Trevor ran his fingers through his hair feeling remorse over what he’d said that day.

Chad frowned, “Yeah, you said that after a while you just grew immune to it or something like that.”

Trevor looked him straight in the eye, “I lied.”

“You what,” Chad asked remembering the fact that he’d punched Trevor in the face over that statement. He suddenly had the urge to do it again but thought harder on it this time. He blinked at his friend’s confession and remained there for a few seconds after Trevor had walked around him to head inside.

“You coming, or are you just gonna stand there all day?” Trevor asked over his shoulder feeling a lot better now that he had dumped some of the weight he’d been carrying.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Chad mumbled feeling like a complete ass for acting like a spoiled brat all day.

Trevor stopped him before they went inside wanting to lighten the mood, “I have a reputation to keep so… if you don’t mind.”

Chad waved his hand, “Yeah, yeah, I know… no making you look like a girly-man regardless of how tempting it is.”

Trevor raised his fist and growled, making Chad laugh and quickly dart around him to run inside. It was good to see Chad at least making an attempt to smile again. The man really hated being center of attention but that’s what he gets for getting himself killed and scaring the hell out of everybody.

When Trevor heard Envy cry out and Chad groan loudly, he opened the door curiously and entered the building. A smirk appeared on his face when he saw Chad sprawled against the bar with an ecstatic Envy clinging to him like a dryer sheet.

“So good to see you,” Envy squealed.

Chad’s eyes went wide at the amount of force she was using to hug him. “Envy,” he rasped playfully, “can’t… breathe.”

There were a few snorts and chuckles at Envy’s display to her recently resurrected brother, not that they blamed her.

“Sorry,” Envy said with a giggle and let go of Chad to smile at Trevor. He quickly looked away and she knew why the moment she felt Devon’s arm come around her.

Trevor looked around at all the preparations for Halloween. The club had already passed out flyers announcing the grand re-opening and everything had to be ready. They had changed their minds from having a private Halloween party, to making it the kickoff of their bigger, better club.

“So, what’s going on?” Envy asked.

“Chad won't stay at the castle and he refuses to live at Night Light,” Trevor answered earning a heated glare from Chad.

Envy frowned showing her worry, “Why not? You can’t stay by yourself anymore.”

Chad’s expression became brooding as he turned to his sister, “I’m a grown man Envy but I’m not ready for a rest home just yet. It shouldn’t matter if I live alone or not. If whatever attacked me wants to find me, then nothing is going to stop him or her.”

“Or it,” Devon injected into the conversation and extended his hand, “Welcome back to the world of the living.”

Chad shook his hand, “Yeah, I’d just like to be able to live that life with a sense of freedom.” He sighed when he noted Trevor and Devon giving each other the cold shoulder.

Envy frowned, “But why can’t you live at Night Light? It’s the perfect place. No one is getting through those doors without a couple dozen wolves pouncing on them.”

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable there,” Chad answered truthfully. “If I have to, I’ll set up a sleeping space in one of the more private jail cells at the station.”

“Do you mean in the Hole,” Trevor demanded making a face.

Chad shrugged, “At least I’ll be safe and under constant surveillance… which seems to be what all of you want.”

“It’s not like that Chad,” Envy said sadly. “We’re your family… your friends. We just want to make sure nothing comes after you again.”

Trevor ran a hand through his blonde hair as Envy’s sadness hit him like a brick wall, “Okay, I’ve had it with this crap. Chad, you can move into my place… I got more than enough room and I’m rarely there. You’ll basically be on your own with the exception of me popping in every now and then. The alarm system is one of the best available and it’s a lot nicer than the Hole.”

Chad looked over at him with a startled frown on his face. He never even thought of that and the fact that Trevor had offered wasn’t to be taken lightly since they all knew how much Trevor liked his privacy.

“All right,” Chad said softly, actually liking the idea. “We’ll go get my stuff and I’ll move in with you later today. But,” he continued, “I keep my apartment. That way when I want some time to myself I actually have a place to go.”

“Too late,” Envy said guiltlessly. “I cancelled the contract on the apartment yesterday and all of our stuff is now stored.” She shrugged at the look Chad gave her and tilted her chin defiantly, “What? My name was on that lease too.”

“Whatever,” Chad gave up deciding to drop the subject.

Trevor nodded and clapped a hand on Chad’s shoulder, “Well, look at it this way… that’s better than her burning the place down and you having to arrest her for it. I’d take what I can get if I were you.” He glanced at Envy just in time to see the relieved light in her eyes and knew he’d just made her a very happy girl.

“Come on,” Envy said excitedly, “you gotta see what we’ve done to the club so far. It’s a lot bigger than what it was.”

Chad gave Envy a patient smile and let her drag him from one end of the club to the other. Trevor followed a few feet behind them taking in the new decorations and grinning at the numerous glow-in-the-dark Jack-O-Lanterns that were being set against the walls on the floor.

Warren was on the scaffolding, hanging upside down next to the mirror ball putting something on the faceted surfaces of it.

“Run it,” Warren called out after he’d pulled himself upright.

The lights went out and the mirror ball came to life. Trevor raised an eyebrow as the ball reflected light back across the floor and walls. Hundreds of witches, skeletons, and black cats with their backs arched high in the air were giving the appearance of running from shadow to shadow.

“Looks awesome bro,” Devon called up.

“Did you remember to order the fog fluid from The Witch’s Brew?” Warren asked him.

Devon gave him a thumb up, “It’ll be in tomorrow morning. Nick offered to pick it up for us.”

“He’s Alive!”

Chad yelped when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and spun around. When his feet found the floor again, he had to grab onto the railing to steady himself. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Nick standing there.

“Nick,” Envy admonished. “Don’t do that.”

“Why not?” Nick asked with a smirk. “Tis’ the season to get the crap scared out of you. Besides, it’s not every day I get to see someone who cheated death. I gotta get my hug too.”

Chad had regained enough of himself to bat his eyelashes at Nick. “Why Mr. Wilder,” he said in a sticky sweet voice, “I didn’t know you cared.”

Nick paused and slowly looked back over at Chad who was grinning stupidly.

“Damn,” Nick said when he realized Chad was joking with him. “As long as you don’t EVER do that again… we’ll be fine.”

“Hi Trevor,” Alicia said coming up behind Nick. She hadn't seen Micah in the last couple days due to her and Damon breaking in their new home at Love Bites. Michael and Syn were supposed to be living there too but so far they hadn't moved in. “Is Micah behaving himself at work?”

Trevor smirked, “If you don’t count the paper airplane battles, using the window as a garbage can to hit unsuspecting pedestrians walking by, and having to restrain him from spraying silly string all over Tasuki’s car… yeah, he’s doing good.”

Alicia grinned, “Yeah, he told me about the new guy joining him and Titus, and from what Micah says, Tasuki seems pretty cool.”

Damon growled from behind her and she promptly turned around to smack him on the arm. “You stop that right now,” Alicia announced then turned to Nick, “Speaking of crazy vampires, I’ve got something for you.” She waved him away from the others not wanting anyone to see the gift she had for him.

Nick frowned when Alicia slipped something into his hand. “What’s this?” he asked curiously as he stared down at the necklace curled in his palm.

“That is a charm I made to protect myself from falling under a vampire’s thrall,” Alicia whispered then smirked wickedly over her shoulder at Damon. “I switched the gold chain I was wearing with black leather so it would look good on you. Don’t tell anyone you have it. If you wear it the day of the party, then Michael won’t be able to trick you into dressing up like a girl.”

Nick had a smile plastered to his face, “Awesome! And who says I’m waiting until Halloween to wear it?” He quickly put the necklace on feeling safer for it. He ignored Damon who had started growling again and tucked the necklace inside his shirt to hide it. “I really owe you one for this.”

Damon drug Alicia back toward Envy before Nick decided to give her a hug too. He didn’t think she’d like it very much if he strangled the jaguar with her gift. He knew Nick didn’t remember but the image of Nick all over Alicia in Michael’s living room was still too fresh in his mind.

Alicia frowned when several overhead light bulbs brightened then shattered. She looked up at the back of Damon’s head when Warren yelled from the rafters something about there being a short somewhere in the wires. She hid her soft smile as she wrapped her arms around Damon in an attempt to save a lot of extra work on the club.

“What are you dressing up as?” Chad asked Nick when they rejoined the group.

“I’m going to be the twenty-first century version of Billy the Kid,” Nick answered with a straight face.

“In Layman’s terms,” Alicia droned, “He’s going as himself.”

Everyone chuckled when Nick shrugged and went to help Quinn and Kat behind the bar. Alicia suddenly gasped and rushed off toward the back of the club with a predatory looking Damon following close behind her.

“What do you suppose that’s about?” Chad asked with an arched eyebrow.

“What do you think?” Devon smirked.

Trevor glanced over at Envy and frowned when he noticed she suddenly looked a bit pale.

“You okay Envy?” he asked softly.

Envy raised her chin with a bright smile and lied, “Sure, I’m great…”

Trevor moved to catch her the second her eyes closed.

“Envy,” Chad also reached for her and kept hold while Trevor lowered her to the floor. “What the hell just happened?”

Devon had moved at the same time Trevor did but Trevor had been closer when Envy fell. He kneeled down beside Chad and cupped Envy’s cheek.

“Envy,” Devon whispered while stroking his thumb across her skin. “Come on baby, open your eyes.”

“Has she been getting enough sleep?” Chad asked accusingly.

Envy squeezed her eyes shut as sound drifted back towards her and moaned before slowly blinking them open. She frowned when all three men sighed collectively in relief.

“Why are all of you looking at me like that?” Envy asked and looked around in confusion. “Did I fall?”

“You fainted,” Chad explained suddenly getting a little payback from all the worry she’d been doing over him. “Are you okay?”

Envy gripped his hand and slowly stood up, “Yeah, it must be all the excitement going on. I’ve been having so much fun that I might have forgotten to eat or something.”

Trevor shook his head hearing the lie in her voice, “I’m not buying that.” He took out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. The phone rang a few times before the familiar and welcoming voice answered it.

“Hello,”

Trevor smiled, “Hi Mrs. Tully, it’s Trevor.”

“Trevor dear, how are you?” Mrs. Tully asked.

“I’m doing all right but I need a really huge favor.” He watched as Chad and Devon helped Envy sit down on one of the softer seats around the low tables.

Mrs. Tully smiled, “If I can, I’ll be more than happy to help.”

“I’m over at Moon Dance and Envy just passed out. She seems fine now but something doesn’t feel right. Can you spare a few minutes to come and take a look at her?” Trevor asked.

“Of course I can,” Mrs. Tully said. “Give me about twenty minutes to get my bag and drive there.”

Trevor smiled, “Okay, we’ll see you soon.”

“Good call,” Devon said shocking everyone else.

*****

Jason lay on the thick mattress in that place between sleep and awake just down the hall from where Tiara and Zachary were making love… again. Even in his semiconscious state he could hear them… feel her ecstasy like a caress on his own heated skin. He pressed the back of his head into the pillow when that ecstasy heightened… unaware that the ring on his hand had started glowing.

Jason’s expression darkened and he suddenly found himself standing at the foot of Tiara and Zachary’s bed watching what he had only felt moments ago. He almost sighed in relief when he realized he was dreaming. When they didn’t notice him standing there, Jason moved around the bed so he could see Tiara’s face. His eyes widened at the way she looked and tried to turn his head but couldn’t.

His gaze landed on Zachary, watching his body move above Tiara’s and he took a step back. For just a brief moment Zachary had transformed into him before reverting back… teasing him with what he could have.

Jason suddenly felt something in his hand and looked down at the dagger fisted in his fingers. The handle was cool against his heated skin and the edge seemed to glimmer at him… tempting him to use it.

Tiara’s voice rang out calling Zachary’s name and Jason watched, detached and horrified as he raised his arm and plunged the knife directly into Zachary’s spine. Tiara’s screams of pleasure turned to terror… it was a soothing sound to Jason’s ears. He looked down at the bed with blood pouring from the wound in Zachary’s back and soaking the mattress.

Jason suddenly regained control of his body and tore himself from the dream with such force he sat straight up in bed. It was only by force of will that he refrained from crying out at such a horrific scene. Tiara’s ecstasy once again filled him and he fisted his hands in his hair, fighting the tears that burned his eyes. Unable to withstand the emotional turmoil, he climbed out of bed and rushed out the front door feeling like a traitor.