Shadow Of Death

It didn’t matter to him if it was a dream or not… dreams were an extension of the heart’s desires and Jason’s wanted Tiara.

*****

Nighthawk stood beside the same distant tree he’d haunted off and on since Tiara’s first night at the cabin. He knew there was an empty room set aside for him next to Tiara’s but the closer he got to her while she and Zachary were alone, the more emotions he would feel. Not just any emotion… it was mostly the hunger coming at him in waves.

At first he’d been surprised he had felt anything and enjoyed the fleeting caress. But instead of Tiara’s hunger being satisfied… it seemed to be the only thing she and Zachary did when they were alone. They were lucky if they were getting an hour of sleep at a time. The only occasion Nighthawk could not feel her sensual call was when they visited the graveyards for her lessons with Craven.

Nighthawk pushed Tiara’s cries of passion from his mind when he noticed Craven had joined him under the tree.

Craven’s silver eyebrow rose when he felt the blood bond he had established with Tiara intensify due to his arrival. He’d spent all week collecting souls, trying to build his army and it had triggered his own hunger several times to the point of feeling the same thing Tiara did… but being a full blooded demon allowed him the option of never feeding it. The need did not expose him to the souls as it did Tiara. That was her mother’s weak bloodline… not his.

Being so close to Tiara’s passion now was not easy but Craven didn’t like easy… it bored him. However, the desire to touch someone was slowly starting to creep up on him. It didn’t matter if he had more control or not, the desire would appear from time to time and he knew it would have to be satisfied soon or he would not be able to lend control to Tiara while they practiced.

He waited patiently for the Night Walker to reveal himself. The last time he’d been with Tiara, she’d shared her concern over not seeing Nighthawk in days. Immediately after saying that, she’d quickly looked around her and murmured, “Never mind… he’s here.”

Craven felt his own amusement when Nighthawk finally appeared beside him. It was uncanny to see such paleness on the Indian’s golden tan skin and it enlightened him to the truth behind Nighthawk’s refusal to mingle. He was sure if he were in Nighthawk’s place, the constant coupling of the new mates would probably affect him as well.

“When she is ready, bring her to the cemetery where we first met,” Craven said softly. “The small one… and make sure her teammates do not follow.”

Nighthawk said nothing as Craven vanished but felt a slight weight that had been on his shoulders lift. Perhaps since Craven wanted to return to their first meeting place, that would mean he was going to teach Tiara something new. It was time to accelerate her instruction but Nighthawk had been unable to tear her away from her mate long enough to do so.

The thought of kidnapping her for private lessons had entered his mind several times and Nighthawk was satisfied that he no longer had a reason to hold back from doing so. He narrowed his eyes when the front door of the cabin slowly opened and saw Jason stumble out into the cool night. The human’s hand was pressed to his forehead and he was covered in sweat.

He wondered if Jason was experiencing the same kind of problem due to Tiara’s emotions coming through the ring. It wouldn’t have surprised him if that was indeed the case.

Jason inhaled deeply letting the cool night air drift across his face. He had heard and felt enough over the last week since moving in with Tiara. As if listening to the two newlyweds go at it wasn’t bad enough, now he had to feel what she was experiencing. He also kept having to delete the fact that it was Zachary who was making Tiara feel that way… it was enough to give him the wiggly-boos.

Being outside the cabin helped some, but only his ears felt the effect of the separation. He glared down at the ring wishing he could take it off for a few minutes. Before, he’d had to concentrate in order to sense Tiara’s emotions… now it seemed he couldn’t get away from them. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

He watched his hand shake for a moment before self-consciously sliding the tips of his fingers into his pocket. He didn’t want anyone knowing he was having trouble with the ring in fear of them taking it off and booting him out of the clubhouse.

Problem was… he had moments when he felt feverish and dark urges had started popping into his head over the last couple of days. Urges that were dark and the polar opposite of his personality. So far he was controlling them, but if that changed then he knew he’d have to speak up.

The small fine hairs on his arms rose and Jason had the sensation that he was being watched. He turned his head and narrowed his gaze toward a large tree in the distance. For a moment, he wondered if the apparition of the form he’d just seen was a figment of his imagination or maybe even a ghost.

Jason’s train of thought was disrupted when he suddenly heard something clicking behind him. He spun around thinking a Skitter had somehow survived the cemetery clean up and followed them here.

“Gotcha,” Guy said with a laugh. “You should’ve seen the look on your face. I’m surprised your pants are still dry.”

Jason gave Guy a small smile but didn’t rise to the bait.

Guy stopped laughing, noticing that Jason didn’t look that great. “Are you going to be okay tonight? You’d think a ring that makes you invincible would keep you from being sick.”

“I’m not sick… I just haven’t been sleeping well,” Jason grouched, shoving the hand with the ring deeper into the pocket of his jeans. Maybe it was time to tell someone and Guy wasn’t such a bad choice since he practiced in magic. “It used to be that I had to concentrate to know what Tiara was feeling… now that the ring is back in service I’m getting more than I ever bargained for. Strange thing is… the ring is starting to feel kind of haunted.”

“What do you mean?” Guy asked seriously.

Jason shook his head having no way to explain it, “Nothing, it’s probably just jet-lag… going from human to superman in the equivalent of zero seconds is actually very tiring.”

“I wonder what’s taking Zachary and Tiara so long,” Guy said sitting down on the steps while Jason leaned against one of the posts surrounding the front porch.

“Yeah, I wonder,” Jason wanted to roll his eyes at the question but he silently thanked Guy for getting away from the subject of the ring. He nodded toward the tree, “I think I saw Nighthawk a few minutes ago… out there watching the cabin.”

Guy frowned in the direction Jason indicated. He’d wondered what the Indian was up to. Carley had caught him a few times looking for a spell that would make Nighthawk seeable and told him to leave it alone. She seemed serious, so he’d dropped the idea. He was glad they had moved all their spell books and scrolls to the cabin. It was a great way to kill time and also drowned out the… noise.

“He’s not exactly friendly is he?” Jason asked.

Guy shrugged, “He doesn’t have to be, his loyalty is to Tiara.”

Nighthawk moved past them and into the cabin. His trek on the spirit road took him to Tiara’s bedroom… a place he’d been several times but never stayed long. He was suddenly there in the room, silently watching Tiara and Zachary as they finished getting dressed.

Zachary walked up behind Tiara as she pulled on a pair of panties and slid his arm around her. “The worst part of the whole day is when you decide to get dressed,” he teased kissing her bare shoulder.

Tiara giggled and reached for the skirt before Zachary talked her into laying out of work tonight.

‘We will see Craven alone tonight,’ Nighthawk told her.

Tiara jumped and placed a hand over her heart. “Don’t scare me like that.”

“Like what?” Zachary asked in confusion.

“Not you… Nighthawk,” Tiara said with a soft smile but quickly started wrapping the skirt around her. It was bad enough she hadn't even started on the top half.

“Who, that illusive, invisible Indian who has no sociability skills or personality and likes to walk into people’s bedrooms while they’re having a private moment?” Zachary demanded as the temperature in the room rose by several degrees.

Tiara repressed the urge to giggle again as she lied, “He’s not like that and you know it.”

“I don’t know it,” Zachary growled. “For all I know, he’s watching us right now and listening to every word I’m saying about him. All this watching you from some invisible vantage point is more than a little creepy.”

Nighthawk suddenly appeared not an inch away from Zachary making the blonde man jump back in surprise. Tiara didn’t bother to hide it this time and started laughing softly as she tied on her top.

“You had that one coming,” Tiara managed after calming down a little bit.

Zachary grabbed his jacket and slid it over his shoulders. “Yeah, yeah… so where are we going tonight Tonto?”

“We are not going,” Nighthawk said in an emotionless voice. “Tiara and I are going to meet Craven alone.”

“Why alone?” Tiara asked as she slid on her shoes.

“He wishes to teach you something new,” Nighthawk answered and grasped Tiara’s arm.

Tiara’s eyes widened and all that was left of her was the echoing sound of a gasp as she disappeared.

As soon as they vanished, Zachary stormed out of the bedroom and headed toward the front door … not so calmly slamming it behind him.

“Let’s go,” Zachary thundered seeing Guy and Jason waiting.

“What about Tiara?” Guy asked looking back toward the cabin.

“She’s gone,” Jason answered and followed Zachary to the car.

Zachary glared at him, “That damn invisible, stalking, voyeur Indian took her for some special training with Craven and didn’t tell me where they were going. So I need you to turn that damn ring on and find out where the hell she is.”

Jason looked over at Guy, “I’m sitting in the back with you.”

Chapter 4

Mrs. Tully walked through the front door of Moon Dance and immediately approached Envy, who was sitting in a booth near the bar. She frowned noting Trevor and Devon standing at different ends of that same bar.

“Now,” she said getting straight down to business, “how about telling me what happened?”

“I’m fine,” Envy insisted waving her hand dismissively, “I think I just got too excited or something.”

“I see,” Mrs. Tully raised an eyebrow. “I take it you faint a lot then?”

Envy frowned at her deciding not to even answer. The truth was… she’d never fainted before.

Mrs. Tully pointed to the side door, “Upstairs now.”

Trevor rushed forward to open the door for them. He even kept it open, letting Devon go in before him then growled when Devon tried to close it behind him. Jerking the door out of Devon’s grip he passed him on the stairs with a smirk and again opened the door for Envy when she reached her room.

He looked around the bedroom then back at Devon, “You wanted to grow up to be a teenager… didn’t you.”

Devon’s lips hinted at a smile as they faced off. He and Envy had made love only a couple hours ago right here in this room and their scent was still strong… strong enough for Trevor to get the message.

Chad rolled his eyes at the two knuckleheads and focused his attention on Envy.

“Tell me how you were feeling just before you fainted dear,” Mrs. Tully asked once she had Envy sitting on her bed.

Envy sighed, “I just felt a little lightheaded… it was a fuzzy feeling but nothing too serious.”

Mrs. Tully frowned, “I’ll be the judge of that.” She immediately turned to the men clustered just inside the door. “Out… out, out, out.”

“Can Chad stay?” Envy asked quietly.

Mrs. Tully looked at the young man in question before nodding her head, “The brother can stay… the rest of you leave.”

Devon and Trevor silently grumbled to themselves as Mrs. Tully ushered them out and soundly closed the door behind them.

“What in the hell have you been doing to her?” Trevor demanded in a low hiss. “She’s never passed out like that since I’ve known her.”

Devon glared at him, “If I knew why she passed out, I wouldn’t have agreed with your decision to call Mrs. Tully.”

“You need to start taking better care of her,” Trevor growled. “She’s human and I bet you’ve been treating her like a shifter.”

Devon did indeed feel a bit guilty for Envy not getting enough sleep recently but he’d thought he’d fixed that over the last week.

“You haven’t been here,” Devon stated. “I’ve been with her everyday so I think I know better than you do about her wellbeing.”

“I have a job to do,” Trevor rumbled, “and it involves keeping the streets safe for people like Envy to walk down without worry.”

“Sure,” Devon drawled, “whatever you say government man.”

The door to the bedroom flew open revealing a miffed Mrs. Tully who gave them the glare only a mother or grandmother could muster.

“If you two don’t shut up, I’ll send you downstairs and make you wait for my diagnosis,” She threatened before slamming the door closed again.

“Okay,” Trevor said in a weak voice while backing away from the door.

Devon looked at Trevor, “You think we overdid it?”

“I think we should shut up,” Trevor whispered.

Devon couldn’t help but nod his head in agreement.

Inside the bedroom, Envy remained patient while Mrs. Tully looked her over with a practiced eye. She frowned however when Mrs. Tully didn’t do much more than press a hand to her forehead.

Mrs. Tully finally sat down on the bed next to the red head and debated on how to approach the subject. She had a pretty good idea of what was wrong with Envy but wasn’t sure if she should say anything with Chad in the room.

Seeing the worried expression on her face, Envy’s eyes filled with concern. “Is something wrong with me?”

“I wouldn’t say something is wrong,” Mrs. Tully began, “but I’m not sure if this is the proper environment to tell you my suspicions.”

Envy smiled, “Whatever it is, you can say it in front of Chad.”

Mrs. Tully sighed, she loved Trevor like her own grandson and knew he had claimed Envy as his mate before the woman decided to accept Devon’s suit. It was now a question of which man was responsible for Envy fainting.

“Are you sure you want your brother to stay?” she asked again.

Chad leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and crossed his arms over his chest, “I want to know Mrs. Tully. At this point, I wouldn’t leave even if you tried to make me. She’s my little sister.”

“Fine, just remember there are two men right outside the door that will hear you if you raise your voices.” She gave the stern warning before pointing at Chad. “I don’t want to hear a peep out of you, understand?”

“Yes ma’am,” Chad said, suddenly feeling like he was twelve years old again and in the principal’s office.

“You’re more than likely pregnant,” Mrs. Tully said in an abrupt but whispered voice then pointed at Chad again when his mouth dropped open and he stood up from the chair like a Jack-in-the-Box.

Envy shook her head and pulled on Chad’s hand until he sat down on the bed beside her. “Mrs. Tully, that can’t be right. I’ve been on birth control since before I had my first date,” She whispered making sure to follow Mrs. Tully’s example now that she understood why.

Mrs. Tully frowned sympathetically at the girls naiveté, “Neither of the men out in the hall are human Envy… birth control has never worked against their potency. The moment you crossed that line, the drug was completely useless.”

Envy swallowed hard and she suddenly went pale. “Both of them,” she repeated Mrs. Tully’s words and her eyes widened. She hadn't had her monthly since a couple weeks before meeting Devon… she had no idea who would be the father.

“How do you know that’s what’s wrong with her?” Chad hissed under his breath. “Don’t you need blood test for something like that?”

Envy silently agreed with Chad, wanting more than just someone looking at her and saying it, “If it’s true, then with the blood test you could also tell when it happened… right?”

Mrs. Tully nodded and pulled her medical bag onto her lap. Rummaging around, she took out a hypodermic needle, “I can let you know for sure in a couple days.”

Envy had turned her face away when Mrs. Tully drew blood but found herself face to face with Chad. Looking him straight in the eyes, she gave him his first threat, “If you tell either one of them before I’m ready, then you’d better hope Kriss and Dean did make you immortal… because I will kill you.”

Chad nodded in understanding not really wanting to be the one to light the fuse that would probably blow them all sky high. Both men had their good points, but he found himself rooting for team Trevor… though he would do so silently.

Mrs. Tully clicked her case shut with an amused smile before getting up to head for the door.

“Just take it easy,” Mrs. Tully said loud enough to get the attention of the two men waiting in the hall. “You don’t have to stay in bed but I wouldn’t overdo it.”

Opening the bedroom door, she stared at the two brooding men and waited for them to stop fidgeting. “Envy is just a little under the weather and needs to relax so… do not add to her stress. She doesn’t need bed rest but I don’t want her doing any hard labor either.” She sent Chad one last warning glare over her shoulder before leaving the room. “You two mules can go in now.”

Trevor and Devon started toward the door at the same time but Trevor stopped and gestured with his arm, “Go ahead.”

Devon nodded and entered the room first with Trevor following quietly behind.

*****

Deth slipped up behind Myra and wrapped his arms around her. His long cloak covered them both from neck to toe, cocooning them in its warmth. With every hour that passed, he could feel her mind returning and she was becoming more herself. She’d been standing in the open doorway staring out at the massive army he’d gathered with an unreadable expression on her face. He felt pride that she had taken such an avid interest in her surroundings.

“How do you like the kingdom I have created for you?” he asked tucking her against his chest and inhaling her wonderful scent. “We will never have to hide here.”

Myra blinked and a tear slipped down her cheek as she took it all in. This place must have been beautiful once… a fracture in dimensions that mirrored her own beloved world. This place had been untouched… unspoiled by the hand of human or demon. She could have pretended to be happy here had Deth not brought all the monsters and lost souls with him.

“The souls that you have trapped here cry,” Myra whispered. “They think they have been pulled into hell and are suffering. Do you really think any of that makes me happy?”

Deth's lips thinned at her displeasure and his thoughts darkened as he brought his hand up to caress the soft skin at Myra’s delicate neck. If she had agreed to him bringing Tiara with them then she would be happy now. It was her fault for the delay.

Myra arched her neck feeling Deth's fingers wrap around it. She wouldn’t stop him if he tried to kill her. She didn’t want to be here… she wanted to go where the souls had asked her to go so many times.

*****

Nighthawk stood nearby with his arms crossed over his chest watching Tiara. At first, she’d been angry with him for taking her from her lover’s arms, but as soon as she’d saw who was waiting on her, that smile had returned.

Craven seemed closer to Tiara than he’d ever been and appeared more confident in his new role as Tiara’s sire. Though from an outsider’s point of view, Craven would have looked like her lover… not her father. Nighthawk could feel her fear of what she was about to learn and hoped she would override it with knowledge.

“That’s it,” Craven said keeping his voice soft and calm. “Take it slow.”

Tiara nodded, understanding she would have to dig deeper. The souls she was calling this time weren’t here in this world waiting on her… they were on the other side of that link. It was almost like sending a soul in reverse as she spread her power across the small graveyard and through the bottomless links.

She shivered remembering the horrible dream she’d had about Lily turning into a zombie and was afraid of what the outcome of this lesson was going to be. Tiara swallowed thickly as she heard the echo of Lily’s cry in her mind and lost the grip she had on her control. Her necromancy connected to the other side and like the flick of a whip sent it right back at her.

Tiara pressed her back tightly against Craven’s chest when the whole graveyard started to awaken making her whimper in fear. “This isn’t a good idea… I’m not ready yet. Can you make it stop?” she pleaded.

“It’s all right,” Craven whispered, “embrace the fear… you must in order to learn how to control it instead of it controlling you. Remember that when you do have to call on the souls for protection, you will be feeling this same fear.”

Tiara blinked as not only souls responded to her call but zombies began to emerge from the graves. She didn’t like this… didn’t like it at all.

“Look at what you have done,” Craven soothed, “Instead of only calling forth the souls you have also summoned the zombies as your bodyguards. What the souls cannot fight… the zombies will attack.”

Tiara was still terrified but understood what Craven was trying to teach her. It was a form of self-preservation, allowing her to call upon two separate armies to aid her if it ever came to that. It was a little frightening to see them emerge already looking around for the target she’d called them to protect her against.

“They are looking for the battle… aren’t they?” Tiara whispered as she watched several of the zombies crawl to their feet with more life than they should have had.

“Yes,” Craven’s lips stretched in a slow smile at her power. His little one would be a force to recon with if this was what she had on her first try. Feeling her tremble, he palmed her heated cheek and whispered in the shell of her other ear, “This is one of the reason’s Nile should have feared you.”

Zachary brought the car to a screeching halt outside of the cemetery they’d visited on their first assignment. It was relatively small and he frowned wondering why Craven had brought her here of all places. He still didn’t trust Craven completely but knew Tiara would never let anyone come between her and her uncle… father… whatever the hell she called him now.

“Look at that,” Jason whispered. “The whole damn graveyard is moving.”

Zachary’s eyes widened and he was out of the car in a flash of movement, “That son of a bitch!”

Guy and Jason raced after Zachary, who looked mad enough to burn the whole place to the ground.

Zachary was angry alright… angry that Nighthawk and Craven had taken Tiara from their circle of protection. He toasted several zombies that moved to stop him as he crossed the threshold into the graveyard. How the hell was he supposed to protect her from stuff like this if they resorted to kidnapping her from his bedroom?

Shadow followed closely behind the men, having come out of the dimensional wall at the cabin just in time to see them take off. Her skin still stung from the thick electrical current she had fought her way through just to get back into this world. She’d barely had time to regain her wits before following the human wearing her ring. Only he would lead her to her target.

Since it was her blood in the ring, it acted like a runway leading her right to this rundown graveyard. She knew she had to abide by Deth’s wishes but that didn’t mean she had to hurry. Scowling down at the zombies in her path, she followed the men to a small clearing with a large fountain.

Her eyes widened in confusion and she stilled to watch when she saw Deth's daughter leaning back against a demon that could have been Deth's doppelganger. This demon looked like Deth in many ways but she could tell that it was not. His hair was shorter but his beauty matched her evil master in sinful detail.

“Damn it Craven,” Zachary growled standing several feet in front of them. “You could have told me what you were getting her into tonight.”

“You are Tiara’s mate,” Craven said calmly, locking eyes with the phoenix. “But that does not mean I must inform you of every step she takes. I understand better than you realize what she will need in the future.”

“Look at her,” Zach demanded unable to keep the ebony from seeping into his eyes. “She’s frightened out of her wits. Did you raise these things just to scare her?”

“I did that,” Tiara said softly blinking the tears out of her eyes. She hadn't even known she was crying. “This isn’t Craven’s fault. He’s teaching me how to protect myself in case one of you or Nighthawk can’t get to me in time. Besides, it’s best he teaches me to do this before I do it by accident and don’t have a clue how to handle it.”

Just saying it out loud made her feel stronger and Tiara turned her emerald eyes away from the zombies… locking them on Zachary. “Remember the vortex of souls I created at Hollywood Cemetery? I’m a danger to everyone if I don’t learn how to handle this too… right?” She looked toward Guy and Jason wanting them to understand.

Shadow frowned and narrowed her eyes on the odd group. So that was Craven. She’d heard Deth mentally whisper the name many times but Deth had always used it in past tense. Perhaps in her master’s demented mind he thought Craven was dead. She looked at the three men facing Craven and wondered if they would fight.

“You don’t need them to fight for you Tiara.” Zachary was having a hard time keeping a lid on his anger and he didn’t want to calm down. He didn’t want these people stealing her away whenever they wanted and teach her to be just like Deth. “You have us to protect you. Send this army of the dead home.”

Tiara pressed her cheek into the palm of Craven’s hand not realizing how sensual it looked, “I understand why he’s teaching me this, but you’re right… it’s time to send them home.”

Craven glared over her shoulder letting Zachary see his sudden annoyance. “We will have to try again because summoning them is only the first step… you will have to be able to control them.”

Zachary growled seeing how high Tiara looked and started toward her only for Guy and Jason to each grab an arm in an attempt to hold him back.

“Wait,” Guy ordered as some of the ghosts started flowing in Tiara’s direction. “It’s best if you let her undo what she has done. Walking away now would be the crime.”

Jason glanced down at the ring wondering why it wasn’t screaming at him with Tiara’s hunger. He could feel something coming from it but couldn’t pinpoint what that something was. He looked up at Tiara and saw satisfied lust in her eyes and missed the fear she’d been experiencing when they’d first entered the graveyard. Jason blinked and pushed the evil thought away from him not knowing where it had come from.

He let go of Zachary as soon as the man had stopped struggling against them and looked around at the zombies. He had to agree with both sides on this one. Tiara shouldn’t raise the dead but now that she had, he definitely wanted her to send them back.

Shadow watched all the souls ascend through Tiara and was glad the necromancer was doing it the same way Myra did instead of following Deth's path and claiming them for her own. She made a face knowing that innocence wouldn’t last long once Deth got a hold of the child.

She glanced back at the boy wearing the ring and wondered how he was holding up now that he’d been dragged into this mess. Shadow stilled realizing she could find out if she wanted. She lowered her gaze to the ring. She’d once loved her connection to the ring but when Deth had stolen it from her Pharaoh and slipped it on his own finger… she’d quickly taught herself to stay disconnected from it.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Shadow linked with the ring and inhaled sharply as she watched his profile. She was right… he was innocent. He was probably the most innocent out of the whole graveyard, including the dead. She smiled looking at his profile. He looked like he would be better suited for Hollywood or playing on a soap opera and breaking all of the girl’s hearts.

God she missed her soap opera addiction. Even around Deth, she’d been able to sneak up on a TV somewhere… but across dimensions she was out of luck. She noticed him rubbing the ring like it was bothering him. She actually felt sorry for him being linked to Deth in such a way that he could feel Deth’s evil eyes on the ring’s twin. If she could find a way… she was going to save him.

Feeling the pull of Deth's willpower, she looked at the gathered humans and settled her sights on the one with longer dark hair. He appeared to be the weakest of them… more human somehow. Shadow sent a silent signal to a couple of the demons Deth had sent with her.

A pair of ancient demons slipped through the graveyard toward the man Shadow had deemed their target.