Dark Magic (Dark Series - book 4) Read online

  “Fine, do it then,” she snapped, jerking away from him. “But they give me the creeps. And I want none of their blood.”

  He pulled her back into his arms and found her throat with his mouth, his teeth scraping, teasing along her creamy skin. “You are so soft inside,

  ma petite,

  your heart is so gentle. It is good you have me.”

  “You think,” she snapped, but her body was melting of its own accord into his. He was fire and ice, white-hot heat and electric excitement.

  Gregori put her from him and turned back toward the cluster of men. They were whispering now, formulating their plan of attack. He moved toward them with his easy stride. They fanned out, thinking to overpower him in a rush.

  “Do any of you know Beau La Rue?” he asked softly, startling them.

  One man, on his left, cleared his throat. “Yeah, I know him. What of it?” He tried to sound belligerent. To Gregori he sounded young and scared.

  “Are you a friend of his?” This time Gregori’s voice was pitched low, captivating them, ensnaring them, weaving a black-magic spell.

  The man felt compelled to answer, to move forward, away from the safety of his friends. “Yeah, you have a problem with that?” he snarled, pushing out his chest.

  Gregori smiled, a show of gleaming teeth. His eyes glowed hot and strange in the night.

  Come to me and allow me to feed.

  He sent the call, wrapped them in it, and drew them to him. He drank his fill from four of them, sating his bloodlust and the aching, gnawing hunger. He was not particularly gentle about it, and he allowed them to fall to the ground unaided and dizzy. He planted memories of a fight, one man against so many. They were all in pain, all knocked down and out. The friend of La Rue’s he saved for last, for Savannah. When he fed, he was far more careful, making certain the man would feel the need to thank Beau La Rue. He would thank him for saving him from the severe beating the others had received.

  He gave Savannah no chance to protest his feeding her. He commanded her obedience, and she was blinking up at him with drowsy eyes before she was aware of what he had done. He saw awareness come, the smoldering heat heralding her temper. She shoved him away. “Imbecile.” One word. It should have crushed him, but he wanted to laugh.

  Gregori caught her head in his hands and hugged her hard, joy exploding through him. Life was all around him. The night was theirs. He caught her up, and, cradling her in his arms, he launched himself skyward.

  Gary nearly fainted when the couple materialized on the balcony outside his room. He slid open the door and gaped at them. “Are you nuts? Anyone can see you out there. Everyone’s room looks into the courtyard.”

  Gregori swept past him and tossed Savannah unceremoniously onto the bed. She took a half-hearted swipe at him, then rolled over to glare at him as he paced across the carpet to Gary’s side. “No one can see us when we do not wish it,” he explained patiently, averting his gaze from Savannah’s perfect bottom. “Did you retrieve the list of names we need? Those under suspicion by the society?”

  “The manager here allowed me to use his printer,” Gary acknowledged, handing Gregori the list. “Hey, Gary,” Savannah said, “do you want to go on a vampire hunt?”

  Gregori swung around to pin her with his brilliant silver gaze.

  Do not even start.

  He used the beauty of his voice like the weapon it was, compelling and mesmerizing.

  Savannah blinked, then smiled sweetly up at him. “Really, Gary. I saw it in one of those tour brochures.

  Isn’t that the perfect place to look for those society types? They must hang out around those kinds of things.”

  “A vampire hunt?” Gary echoed incredulously. “For real?”

  “I have the brochure at home.” She studiously avoided Gregori’s furious gaze.

  She wore the little secret smile again, the one that always drove Gregori crazy, turned him inside out, and melted his heart. She was up to no good. He had no doubt of it.

  It has occurred to me that you need a good spanking.

  Her smile grew smug.

  I said I was willing to try anything once, lifemate, but I think it best if we wait until we are alone, don’t you?

  “Is she putting me on?” Gary demanded of Gregori. “Is there really a vampire hunt for tourists?”

  “Believe me, mortal, if there is such a thing, she would know about it,” Gregori admitted. “I fear we are going to be talked into something we will regret.”

  “You won’t regret it,” Savannah said quickly, sitting up. Her blue eyes had gone vivid violet, those mysterious silver stars shining in their centers. “We could go tomorrow night. I’ll bet it would be fun. It starts out at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop at eight. They even provide the stakes and garlic. Let’s do it, Gregori.” Her long eyelashes swept down to cover her expression, and that little infuriating smile brought his attention to her soft mouth. “You might pick up some pointers. After all, these guys are probably professionals.”

  Gregori felt the laughter welling up from somewhere in his soul. The silver eyes warmed to molten mercury, quicksilver. “You think they might be able help me out?”

  Savannah nodded solemnly. “It says right on the brochure, no drunks. That has to mean they know what they’re doing, don’t you think?”

  “What else does it say?” Gary asked, curious.

  Savannah grinned at him mischievously. “Actually, it says it’s pure fun. You walk around, and they tell you stories. History mixed with myths and legends.”

  We might actually learn something, Gregori. You never know.

  There was a faintly hopeful note in her voice she tried desperately to keep from him.

  Gregori instantly crossed the distance between them and cupped the side of her face with his palm, his thumb sliding in a little caress along her jaw.

  Why would you ever be insecure, Savannah? I can feel it in you, that you imagine I will consider you silly for wanting to do these tourist things.

  Savannah’s laughter-was soft and somehow sexy. She put her hand over Gregori’s. “I am in you, lifemate,” she said gently. “I read you as easily as you read me. You think ninety percent of the things I want to do are silly.”

  “I think my allowing you to do all these things is silly.”

  She winced visibly. “We need less of this

  allow

  stuff. Besides, you owe me a night out without any trouble.”

  “You had trouble tonight?” Gary asked.

  “There was no trouble.” Gregori was clearly puzzled.

  “You’re always getting in fights. Everywhere we go, you just can’t help yourself,” Savannah accused indignantly. “You picked the one tonight.”

  “You picked a fight?” Gary was astounded.

  “I did not pick a fight,” Gregori denied. “A few men were determined to mug us, so I provided them with an interesting experience. There was no fight. Had I actually struck them physical blows, they would be in the hospital.” His white teeth gleamed, the silver eyes glittering with more than danger, with a hint of amusement. “As it is, they just think they should be hospitalized. There is nothing wrong with any of them. I was quite gentle for Savannah’s sake. Which, I see, she does not appreciate.”

  “I would appreciate going out and behaving normally.”

  “I was behaving in my normal fashion,

  chйrie

  ,” he reminded her gently.

  “I take it we’re going on a vampire hunt tomorrow night,” Gary said, laughter in his voice.

  Gregori took the list of names from Gary and glanced at it, committing the contents to memory before handing it back. For a moment his silver gaze rested on Gary’s face, a cold, bleak reflection of emptiness. When Gary shivered, Gregori blinked, and the illusion was gone. Gary wondered just which was the illusion—the warmth Gregori showed on occasion, or the harsh, soulless void in his eyes.

  Savannah flounced off the bed, sent Gary a flash of deep blue
eyes, then tucked her hand into the crook of Gregori’s arm. “We’ll meet you at the blacksmith shop—well, bar, tomorrow at eight.”

  “I’ve got to get back to work,” Gary objected. “I’ll lose my job.”

  “You can’t go back,” Gregori said softly. “The minute you told Morrison you were going to call the police, the minute you objected to his changing your formula, you sealed your own fate. He will send his people after you, and all of them will be controlled with a compulsion to kill. Morrison is the master vampire—we know that now—and you have crossed him.”

  “I’m not worth his attention.”

  “Power is everything to the vampire,” Savannah said softly. “He’ll come after you with everything he has. It will fester, drive him crazy that you got away. And he knows I was with you in the swamp. By now he knows Gregori was there also. He can’t touch us, but he will feel that if he gets to you, he has somehow bested Gregori.”

  Gregori nodded, astonished that she was so adept at reading the situation. Gary was in far more danger than he could ever conceive. “Have you made any calls from this room? Given your address to anyone, even within your family?”

  Gary shook his head. “No, I was going to call the airlines and see if I could use the same ticket on a later flight. And I’ll have to call my boss tomorrow. I’ll be fired, Gregori, and I don’t want that to happen. Even if I did end up working for you, I do have a reputation to look after.” The toe of his shoe scuffed at a worn spot in the carpet. “I like research. I don’t want to get stuck in a job I hate because of all of this.”

  Gregori took the laptop from Gary and brought up the word processor with skill. Savannah watched in astonishment as his fingers flew over the keyboard. He typed out a long list of places and businesses. “Take your pick, Gary. I count myself lucky to have you. In the meantime, I will leave you cash. I do not want them tracing you.”

  “You haven’t seen my resume,” Gary objected. “I’m not looking for charity.”

  The silver eyes glinted, a brief, hard humor. “I had your formula inside my body, Gary. That was all the proof of your genius I needed. The society had access to that blood for some time before you did, but none of them were able to come up with anything that worked on us.”

  “Great, I get that dubious pleasure. Someday you’re going to introduce me to one of your friends and you can say, ‘By the way, this is the one who invented the poison that is killing our people.’”

  Gregori did laugh then, a low, husky sound so pure, it was beautiful to hear. It brought a lightness into Gary’s heart, dispelling the gloom that had been gathering. “I never thought of that. We might get a few interesting reactions.”

  Gary found himself grinning sheepishly. “Yeah, like a lynching party with me as the guest of honor.”

  “We will have an antidote for all our people soon,” Gregori reminded him softly. “There is no need to worry.”

  “If I had my equipment, I could have one immediately,” Gary said. “I always make certain I can reverse whatever reaction I create. It wouldn’t be all that hard to find where they perverted the formula. In fact, maybe you still have some lingering aftereffects in your bloodstream.”

  He looked so hopeful, Savannah burst out laughing. “The mad scientist is going to chase you around with a hypodermic needle, Gregori,” she teased.

  Gregori lifted an eyebrow, his face an unreadable mask, the pale eyes glittering with more than menace. White teeth flashed, a baring Of fangs.

  “Maybe not,” Gary conceded. “Not the best idea after all.”

  Savannah was up and moving with her sensuous grace to fit herself beneath Gregori’s shoulder. She looked impossibly small next to the big Carpathian, delicate, fragile even. It wasn’t so much Gregori’s height but the rippling muscles, the thickness of his arms and chest, and the power emanating from him. Her face was turned up toward his, her soft mouth curved with laughter, in no way intimidated by him.

  Gregori’s arm swept around her and crushed her to him, nearly enveloping her completely. “She thinks I am going to take her on this ridiculous vampire hunt.”

  “She’s right, too, isn’t she?” Gary grinned at him.

  “Unfortunately,” Gregori admitted. “Do you have enough food until tomorrow night? We will have a plan of action by then.” He dropped several large bills on the nightstand, hiding his actions from Gary as he did so.

  “What plan of action? What can be done? We can’t fight the whole society.”

  “I was thinking we could use you as bait and draw them into a trap,” Gregori said, straight-faced.

  Gary’s eyes widened in alarm. “I’m not sure I like that plan. Sounds a little risky to me.” He looked at Savannah for support.

  Gregori shrugged his broad shoulders in a casual shrug. “I do not see a risk.”

  Savannah’s small clenched fist thumped his stomach in retaliation. Gregori glanced down at her with surprise. “Is this when I am supposed to say ouch?”

  Savannah and Gary exchanged a long, mournful groan. “Why did I want him to have a sense of humor?” she wondered.

  Gary shook his head. “Don’t be asking me. You created the monster.”

  “I know I would be unable to stand the press of human bodies in Preservation Hall,” Gregori said suddenly, “but perhaps we could listen to the music from the street. It would get you out of here for a few hours and, with the severity of the storm, hopefully the tourists will have stayed inside.”

  Gary leapt at the chance to get out of his room. “Let’s do it.”

  Savannah held back, her hand tightening on Gregori’s arm. “Is it safe for him?”

  Enfante,

  I cannot believe you would doubt my ability to protect you and the mortal. The mortal? He has a name. He is easily killed, where we are not.

  The silver eyes roamed over her face. His hand came up to caress her cheek, his thumb feathering gently back and forth. “I would not allow Gary to be in any real danger. He cannot live his life in hiding.”

  I should have protected Peter. He would be alive right now if it wasn’t for me.

  Savannah’s voice was husky with grief, the unshed tears clinging to his mind.

  I alone am to blame for Peter’s death, ma

  petite.

  It was my responsibility to detect the vampire’s presence. I had not felt any emotion in so long, so many centuries, and when I went into your show and saw you, colors nearly blinded me. Feelings overwhelmed me. I was sorting them out and trying to get my self under control. In all the centuries of my existence, it was the only time I have failed to detect the presence of the undead. Peter’s death is something

  I

  must live with.

  He felt her instant denial of his assessment of the situation, the quick spring to his defense. And it warmed him as nothing else ever could.

  As they moved out of the rooming house and through the rain-wet streets, mingling with the unexpected crowds, he thought about the way she made him feel. He was always in control—it was necessary for one of his power and predatory nature—yet she could make him feel as if he was spinning into orbit.

  Gregori glanced down at the top of her silky head and allowed the emotion to wash over him, through him. Just watching her brought him a measure of peace and a flood of warmth. He found he could enjoy the upbeat music, even the craziness of the tourists laughing and crushing close in the streets and on the sidewalks. Merged with her, he could feel what she was feeling—carefree, her sense of humor, the quick interest she had in everything and everyone around her. She spoke to people easily, held them in the palm of her hand with the same ease she held him so captivated.

  When he took her home after settling Gary back at his room, Gregori turned Savannah into his arms. “You are my world,” he whispered softly, meaning it.

  She leaned her head into his shoulder, inhaling his masculine scent. “Thank you for going out tonight. I know it’s hard for you to be among humans, but I’ve spent the last
five years living among them. It’s been so long since I’ve had contact with any of our people.”

  “I have a hard time,” he admitted. “I want to supply what you need, Savannah. It is difficult to understand the need in you for their company.”

  “You’ve always been so solitary, Gregori,” she said softly, “where I’ve had humans around me since I left home.”

  His mouth found her temples, then drifted across her eyelids and down to her mouth. He lifted her as his lips teased hers, cradling her in his arms. He took her up the stairs to one of the bedrooms. Gregori made gentle, tender love to her, incredibly reverent, showing her with his body what he never seemed to be able to express adequately in words.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop was

  dark

  and mysterious, the perfect setting for the beginning of such a fun adventure. Savannah laughed softly as a couple of locals shook their heads at the pack of crazy tourists crowding into the tavern to join the vampire hunt. She could feel Gregori inwardly wincing, the desire to dissolve and be invisible paramount in his mind, but he hung in there grimly. He turned heads with his impressive stature, the power that sat so easily on his broad shoulders. His expression was stoically impassive, the silver eyes restless, merciless, missing nothing.

  Within the bar’s darkened interior, the peculiar night vision their species had gave them an advantage. Gary flanked them, astonished at how many tourists actually went on these hunts. Savannah shot him a glare. “We’re here to have fun, Gary. Don’t start acting like Gregori on me. One grump raining on my parade is enough.”

  Gary leaned close. “If you wouldn’t read people’s thoughts all the time, snoop, you might not get so bent out of shape.”

  “I was not reading your thoughts,” Savannah objected with an injured expression, her lush mouth in a frankly sexy pout. “It was written all over your face.”

  Gregori was definitely having a hard time. Carpathian males rarely allowed other men near their lifemates, certainly not unattached males. He hated the press of bodies. Savannah attracted men the way bees went for honey. Heads turned, and hot gazes followed her progress as they wound their way through the throng toward the back room of the building. Savannah exuded steam. Even in a room filled with bodies, so many that there was really nowhere to sit, Savannah made men feel as if she was the only one there. Dimly lit, with flickering candles, the room held a faint trace of mystery, and she was part of that.