Beyond the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #6)(102)

“Tane?”

“Yet another vampire.”

Harley had a vague memory of Salvatore mentioning the vampire, but nothing more.

“What does he have to do with Levet?”

“Levet said he was following Tane’s trail the last time we heard from him.”

Okay, that didn’t sound good.

Still, it wasn’t like a babe lost in the woods.

“There’s not many things that can hurt a vamp,” she pointed out.

“Especially not Tane,” Darcy readily agreed. “He’s a Charon.”

Charon? Somehow Harley didn’t think he was a ferryman.

“Is that some sort of ubervamp?”

“I suppose you could call him that. They’re trained assassins who hunt down vampires who have gone rogue.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, my thought exactly.”

Harley sipped her hot chocolate, wondering what would induce a vampire to choose such a dangerous position. It certainly wouldn’t make him popular among the clans.

“It’s not much of a surprise he would vanish. He has to have a lot of enemies.”

“Actually, he wasn’t on the job, so to speak,” Darcy confessed. “He was with Salvatore when they discovered the presence of a jinn. He followed her trail while Salvatore continued his pursuit of Caine.”

“Oh.” Setting aside her mug, Harley rose to her feet, a scowl marring her brow. She’d forgotten that Caine’s demon had disappeared during his disastrous journey to Hannibal. Now she felt a pang of fear for the poor creature. “Why would he care about a jinn?”

Darcy tilted her head to the side, clearly puzzled by her sister’s concern.

“From what I understand, it’s the fact that she’s a half-breed that has everyone all wound up.”

“Why?”

“Their powers are supposedly unstable.”

Salvatore had mentioned his fear of the jinn, but it hadn’t occurred to her that the vampires would be hunting her down as if she were an animal.

The thought made her heart twist in sympathy.

Despite the fact that Caine had always kept the jinn at a distance, Harley had always felt an unspoken bond with the beautiful creature.

They both had their reasons for hiding from the world.

“What will they do to her if they find her?”

With an abrupt motion, Darcy set aside her mug and rose to her feet, crossing to grab Harley’s hands.

“I’m sorry, Harley, I never even thought about that. Was she a friend of yours?”

“Not exactly a friend. Caine kept her isolated from the rest of us,” Harley corrected. “But I don’t think she would be a threat to anyone. She always seemed so…”

“What?”

“Frightened.”

“Frightened of Caine?”

Harley shook her head. The few occasions she’d seen the jinn in the company of Caine, she hadn’t picked up any vibes that the pretty demon was scared of Caine. But there had been something that haunted her eyes.

“No, I don’t think so.” Harley shrugged. “He kept her locked in a private lair, but she wasn’t his prisoner. At least no more than I was.”

Anger rippled over Darcy’s face at the mention of Caine’s role in protecting the bastard who had stolen them from the nursery. Not to mention putting her sister Regan through hell. Then, with a shake of her head, she returned her attention to the missing jinn.

“What do you mean?”

“She left more than once and returned of her own free will.”

Darcy sucked in a startled breath, her eyes wide. “Then she might be trying to get back to Caine?”

Harley chewed her bottom lip, debating whether to tell a lie. She didn’t want to be responsible for the death of the poor jinn.

Then again, she was fairly certain that Darcy would sense any attempt at deception.

“It’s possible,” she grudgingly admitted. “I think he has a way of keeping her hidden.”

“I have to tell Styx.” With a brief kiss on Harley’s cheek, Darcy was headed for the door. “He’ll want to track down Caine and find out if he’s seen the jinn.”

“Darcy, wait.” Harley called.

Her sister halted in the doorway. “What is it?”

“Would you ask them not to kill her until they find out for sure whether or not she’s dangerous?”

“Of course.” Darcy paused, a slow smile curving her lips. “Harley?”

“Yes?”

“If they manage to find Caine, do you want him brought back to you? Styx would be happy to tie him up with a bow if you want.”

Harley rolled her eyes. “Only if Salvatore doesn’t find him first. I’m assuming he already has his pack out looking for Caine.”

“Ah, you know me so well, il mia amore.” The dark, richly masculine voice filled the room as Salvatore pushed open a French door behind her and stepped in from the garden.

“I think that’s my cue to make myself scarce.” With a wink toward Harley, Darcy had disappeared down the hallway.

Harley barely noticed her departure.

Who could blame her?

What female on the face of the earth wouldn’t be entranced by Salvatore prowling toward her wearing nothing more than a pair of faded jeans he’d obviously just pulled on after shifting?