When Darkness Comes (Guardians of Eternity #1)(63)

Dante rolled off the bed, and before she could even appreciate the sight of his hard, alabaster body, he was impeccably attired and looking Gucci yummy.

Damn. That was starting to be a real sore spot with her.

"If we're safe, why do we have to leave?" she demanded.

He gave a lift of his raven brow. 'You don't want to be locked in a room with a hungry vampire, lover. Even if I can't drink human blood, I don't doubt I might get a bit testy. Besides, I doubt that the witches will be considerate enough to make an appearance upon our doorstep."

Heaving a sigh, Abby sat up and pushed her tangled curls out of her face. "Fine, go ahead and make sense. At least you can hand me the clothes you ripped off me."

"Your wish is my command." With a flourishing bow, he bent to retrieve the clothing that had been scattered across the floor.

'Isn't that what a genie is supposed to—" Her teasing words trailed away as she watched Dante scoop the clothes in his hands and then slowly stiffen. With a strange expression, he pressed her shirt to his nose. 'Dante? Are you sniffing my shirt?"

His silver eyes shimmered with a dangerous glow. It smells of demon."

Abby stiffened. Did he just say she smelled like a demon?

She had probably suffered worse insults, but she couldn't think of one at the moment.

"Excuse me?"

He took another deep sniff. "I don't recognize the breed, but you have definitely been close to a demon."

Oh. Well, that was better.

Marginally.

"Yeah, I've been close to a demon." She gave him a pointed glance. "About as close as I could get. You don't remember? I know you're old, but holy crap."

His expression remained closed. Hard. "A demon, Hot a vampire."

His blood stirred within her. She could easily sense his lethal focus. A predator on the scent.

'That's impossible," she groused. She would have known if some demon had been rubbing on her shirt That wasn't something a normal woman… "Oh."

"What?"

Abby slapped her forehead with her open hand. Christ She must be losing her mind.

'There was this strange woman who interrupted my spell," she confessed.

"Upstairs?" 'Yes."

Abby shivered as Dante's blood heated with fury. "What did she look like?"

She struggled to recall. She had been just a little preoccupied at the time.

"Human, for the most part, although she was far more graceful than any mere mortal. And incredibly strong."

"She had the shape of a human?"

"Yes. A beautiful woman. She had dark hair and the most amazing gold eyes. Oh, and her skin had the strangest bronze glow to it."

His eyes widened as he lifted the shirt to his nose once again. "A Shalott demon? I thought they had all fled this world. She attacked you?"

'Yes… no."

He stabbed her with a piercing gaze. "Abby?"

She gave a helpless shrug. "I think she was just trying to stop the spell. She could have killed me while you were out, but she ran off. She said someone was calling her."

"Damn."

"What is it?" Abby scooted to the edge of the bed. "Is she dangerous?"

"I don't know, and that's what is driving me crazy." He gave a sharp shake of his head. "We must leave here now."

"Where are we going?"

"To see if I can pick up the trail of the Shalott. When they were in this world, they were assassins. If we can trace her back to her employer, we might discover what she was doing here."

There was an edge in his voice. A sharp thrill for the chase.

"Assassin?" she demanded.

"Very effective assassins. If either of us was her target, we wouldn't be here to tell the tale."

"Crap." Was there any end to the creepy crawlies that roamed the night? "Dante."

'Yes?"

She bit her bottom lip. If this assassin was so deadly, she had no desire to go chasing after it. "Does it matter why she was here? She can't have a connection to the witches."

'There is some connection."

"How do you know?"

'There is a spell upon her."

'You can smell that?"

"I can smell fear. And a Shalott demon fears nothing but magic."

Damn. He was good. "It could be that horrid wizard."

"We would be dead if it was."

There was a dark silence as Abby forced herself to swallow. Dante was right. The psychopathic wizard would have her roasting over a fire or in her grave.

"I suppose."

Dante moved forward to press her clothes into her reluctant hands. "It's the only lead we have at the moment, lover. I think we should follow it."

"Okay."

She knew she sounded petulant, but she couldn't help it as she pulled on her clothes and smoothed back her hair. Her idea of excitement was renting a movie and eating a bowl of popcorn. Not a gladiator session with a pack of demons.

Waiting in silence for her to recover from her bout of self-pity, Dante stepped forward to hand her the sheathed dagger.

"Don't forget this."

"Damn." She heaved a faint sigh. "I should have used it earlier. Some savior of the world I'm proving to be."