Darkness Everlasting (Guardians of Eternity #3)(73)

She stepped back, her expression defensive. "Styx, you've seen the picture. Even you have to admit we look too much alike for it to be a coincidence."

He swallowed the urge to argue. On occasion he did actually learn from his mistakes.

Miracles of miracles.

"I'm sure he must have told you more than the fact that the woman is your mother," he said instead.

Her eyes darkened. "He did."

"And?"

"He claims that my mother is a pureblood."

"No," he said more sharply than he intended. "He must be lying. You are no Were."

Her lips thinned at his tone. "Well, I'm certainly something besides human. You said yourself 1 must have demon blood."

"Demon blood, yes," he grudgingly conceded. "Not Were."

"Are you certain?"

Was he? Styx abruptly turned to pace across the tiled floor. In truth, he was baffled by the fact that he was unable to determine precisely what she was. But what he did know was that he couldn't allow himself to consider the possibility that she could be even part Were.

It had nothing to do with prejudice. Vampires could be arrogant with the best of them, but they often chose lovers of different species.

No, his reluctance came directly from his fear of losing this woman.

It was bad enough having to battle a long-lost mother returning to Dairy's life.

What chance would he have against the call of an entire pack?

Slowly he turned to meet her troubled gaze. "I cannot say exactly what you are, but I do know you are of an age at which you would have already begun to shift."

Her gaze dropped as she reached for the sweatshirt she had left on the counter. "Supposedly there is a reason that I have never .. . changed."

"Ridiculous." His hands clenched. By the gods, he should have killed Salvatore the moment he entered Chicago. "This has to be some sort of game."

"Maybe." Darcy pulled the sweatshirt on and gave it a sharp tug over her hips. "Whatever it is, I intend to discover the truth."

"Darcy ..." His futile words of warning were broken off as he turned toward the door.

She was swiftly at his side. "What is it?"

"Viper is approaching."

"Perhaps you should go and see what he wants."

He turned to brush a finger over her cheek. "We need to finish this conversation."

She smiled wryly before giving him a gentle push. "Go. I'll be here when you're done."

"You promise?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Just go."

Chapter Eighteen

With gliding steps, Styx left the bathroom and moved through the shadowed bedroom to open the door just as the silver-haired vampire arrived.

He stepped into the hallway but left the door open. No matter how foolish it might be, he didn't want any barriers between him and Darcy.

"Viper, unless the house is in flames I don't want to be interrupted," he said, with a warning frown.

"I must speak with you."

"Not now."

"You know I would not be here if it was not a matter of importance."

"I do not care if the world is coming to an end, I..."

He broke off with a hiss as Viper abruptly pushed past him to stand near the door, the dark eyes narrowing as he took a deep sniff of the air.

"Bloody hell. You mated her?" Viper growled. With a blur of speed, he slammed the door shut and moved to stand directly in front of Styx. "Have you lost your mind?"

Styx's smile held little humor. "I suppose it's possible."

"More than possible," Viper gritted. "You don't even know what the hell she is."

He grimaced, well aware his words were not about to reassure his companion.

"Actually, Salvatore has claimed that she is the daughter of a pureblood."

"She's a Were?" Expecting frank disbelief, Styx was caught off guard when Viper instead gave a slow nod of his head. "Shay did say that she smelled of wolf, although not even she was certain."

Styx frowned. Shay had suspected that Darcy was a Were?

Damn, damn, damn.

He resisted the urge to growl as he offered Viper a stern glare. "It no longer matters what she is."

"Devil's balls," his friend muttered. "It bloody well does matter."

"This is none of your concern. Viper."

"You are our Anasso. It is all of our concern."

With a deliberate ease, Styx allowed his power to fill the hallway. Viper was his friend, but he was in no mood to be lectured as if he were a fledgling demon.

"Do you wish to challenge me? Do you believe you belong in my place?"

The dark eyes narrowed. If push came to shove, both knew that Styx possessed the greater power, but the younger vampire was far from intimidated.

Viper was like any vampire.

He was too damn arrogant to be intimidated.

Not even when he should be.

"Don't be an ass, Styx," he snapped. "I wouldn't take your position if it was handed to me on a silver platter. But I can't stand aside and watch you endanger yourself with a female who is clearly tied to the Weres. What if she is a trap?"

"A trap?"

"There is nothing to say that Salvatore didn't deliberately lure you into believing they were hunting Darcy so you would capture her yourself."