Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness Series #3) Read online

  Cooper packed Cole’s SUV with the merchandise. I never thought I would be part of something like this. I was trying really hard not to judge. I didn’t like it, but good or bad this was how they made their money. They were Dark Dwellers, Dark Fae, bikers. What did I expect? For them to have proper jobs and be respectable? Funny in my world the supposed good wanted to kill me, and the bad wanted to protect me. The terms good and bad were relative.

  “Eli, you know this is stupid. Why are you allowing Ember to go?” Cole stared at Eli.

  “Allowing?” I sputtered, but they both ignored me.

  “Have you tried to stop her from doing anything she has set her mind on?” Eli continued to help Cooper load the car. “Plus, she’s a good fighter now and has some extreme powers. We can’t treat her like she’s breakable. She’s tough and can handle more than any of us give her credit for.”

  “Not the point.” Cole stroked his chin in frustration.

  “I promise I will keep her safe. The Apocalypse Riders won’t be a problem. Easy trade. They are the closest to comrades you can have in this business.”

  A chuckle came from Cooper. “Comrades, huh?”

  Eli shot Cooper a look to shut him up.

  “I should go instead,” Cole stated. “Weiss still has a warrant out for you, and Ember is with you.”

  “Nah, man, we’ll be fine. What could possibly go wrong?” Cooper egged Cole on even more. Eli smacked the back of Cooper’s head, giving him a shut-the-hell up look.

  “Don’t worry. This will be fast. It’s only a drop off so Cooper and I can handle it. We’ll be back and all this worrying will be for nothing, Mom.” Eli teased. Cole was about to interject when Eli hopped on his Harley. He turned to me, throwing me a helmet.

  “Climb on, Brycin.” I settled the helmet on my head and swung my leg over, scooting up behind him. He leaned back. “You don’t know the things I imagined doing to you on this bike.”

  A thrill consumed me as imagery played out in my head. “You are evil.” I poked him in the back. He grinned and started the engine, revving it for emphasis.

  Cooper gave a salute, hopped in the SUV, and tore out the driveway.

  “My lady, would you like us to follow?” Simmons flew close to my ear so I could hear him over the roar of the engine.

  “No, Simmons, stay here. I’ll be fine.” Simmons didn’t look happy, but he nodded. Cal fluttered into my line of slight looking even more displeased with my decision.

  Before I could address Cal, the Harley plunged forward. I had to clamp Eli’s waist to keep myself from falling off. “Let the good times began.” His foot hit the gas as we drove off the ranch.

  The wind against my face and the freedom of being outside the property felt exhilarating. A giddy smile wouldn’t leave my lips. “Faster,” I yelled into his ear.

  He toed the pedal into a higher gear and twisted the right handlebar. The bike lunged forward, prompting me to wrap my arms tighter around his middle, fitting my body closer into his. My chest soared, feeling like I was let out of a cage. We flew down the road, and I let my head fall back, watching the tops of the trees zip by as the bike hit maximum speed.

  The meeting point was an old, deserted warehouse on the unpopular side of town. No one came here, not even the kind of seedy criminals I had encountered in Mike’s Bar, unless they were doing something they didn’t want anyone else to know.

  We stopped in the middle of an empty lot. “Wow, if this isn’t a movie poster for doing shady business.” I removed my helmet and slid off the bike. “This is the point in the movie where you yell at the screen telling the girl to get the hell out of there.”

  “Yeah, but not when the girl is the one who the others should be running from.” Eli swung off, his helmet already in his hand.

  “Good point.”

  Cooper rolled next to us. “I miss my bike when I drive this thing. It doesn’t go around those corners as sweetly as my baby used to.” Cooper glared at Eli as he hopped out of the car and came to us.

  “Yeah, yeah I get it. After we get the money for this, you’ll get your bike,” Eli grumbled.

  As I started to ask what happened to Cooper’s last one, I saw distant headlights bounding toward us. Two cars stopped and several people piled out leaving their lights on blinding me to who was approaching.

  Cooper chuckled under his breath. “Oh, man. You are so screwed.” His attention was on someone across the lot. His sight and smell was better than mine.

  “Shit.” Eli lowered his head and muttered under his breath. “I didn’t think she would be here.”

  Eventually, the group moved close enough for me to see them. I scanned the people and zeroed in on a brunette. Immediately, I recognized her as the girl who had kissed Eli at the party in the woods. The night Lorcan attacked me. My gut wrung, suspicion sitting heavy inside my stomach.

  “Eli?”

  His lids closed briefly. “You can’t be mad, Brycin. You were gone three years. I went a little nuts. I thought you were dead.”

  “You were with her?”

  “Who left who?” He arched an eyebrow.

  Embarrassment and fury burned up my neck. “Don’t come at me with logic,” I hissed at him. “We’re way past that. We’ve been through too much crap to be sensible.” I knew Eli was not the type to go without sex for three years, and I didn’t think he’d pine for someone whom he thought was gone, but it still hurt.

  His hands came up to my face. “You’re right. You and I threw all sense out the window a long time ago.”

  “Don’t be cute.” I surveyed the girl who had now noticed me as well. Her face contorted in anger as she glared in my direction. “Let me guess, you didn’t tell her you were no longer seeing each other?”

  “Well, we weren’t exactly ‘seeing’ each other. I thought if I stopped texting or showing up, she’d get the idea.”

  Cooper snickered. “You are such a dick, man.”

  Eli took my hand and squeezed it. “That I am.”

  Gripping his hand tighter, I glowered at him. “Remind me to kill you later.”

  One of Eli’s drop-dead grins turned up his lips. “Count on it. Now, come on.” He tugged me toward the other biker group, only letting my hand go when the leader approached him. I snuck a glance at the girl and saw contempt in her gaze on me.

  “Dragen. Morgan.” The man nodded at Eli and Cooper. His Second stepped with him.

  “Bobby.” Eli nodded back. “E.J.”

  “Did you hear about Hermit?” Bobby asked.

  “Yeah, shot. I’m sorry, man.”

  “Yeah. Good guy. Those bastards in Portland. Heard you guys had trouble with them a few years back. Pock and McNamm, right?”

  My muscles tightened. To me it wasn’t a few years ago. They still appeared in my nightmares—Pock’s hand down my pants and McNamm pinning me to the floor. I wasn’t sorry they were dead, but I got uncomfortable with the fact Eli had killed them because of me.

  Eli didn’t even twitch in my direction, only nodded in agreement and quickly changed the subject. “Would you like to see the merchandise?” Eli motioned him to the car. Cooper turned on a dime and headed back for the SUV.

  I was too busy watching Cooper, E.J., and Bobby, so I missed the girl slithering up to Eli.

  “I’ve already seen the merchandise.” Her hand jetted out cupping Eli through his pants. “It was more than satisfactory.”

  Disbelief left me rooted in place. Eli grabbed her hand and shook his head. “Yeah, my mistake, and it definitely won’t be happening again.”

  Humiliation flushed her cheeks. “Why? Because of her?” Her eyes traveled over me. “Don’t tell me the infamous playboy has settled down with that?”

  Crap! I’m having a Samantha rerun.

  “Natasha, you knew there were no strings.”

  Rage discharged from her pores. “You bastard!” She pushed at his chest. “You didn’t seem to have a problem when you were screwing my brains out night after night.”
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br />   The shock, which had kept me frozen, dissipated.

  Eli saw me move before I realized I had. “Em...” He obstructed my path to Natasha. “Don’t.” His hands gripped my arms.

  “You. Better. Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” Each word bounced off his chest, which blocked me from getting to her.

  “Bring it, bitch,” Natasha challenged me. “You think he’ll be faithful to you? Good luck. Your boyfriend’s been screwing me for the last eight months.”

  “Natasha, stop,” Eli bellowed. “You do not want to piss her off.”

  Natasha put her hands on her hips and sneered at me. “Her? Oh, I think I can take her.”

  “You think?” I grinned, baring my teeth. “Eli, she thinks she can handle me. Why don’t you step aside, and I’ll show her what she thinks she can handle?”

  “Oh, hell, no.” His hold became tighter. “Brycin, she’s not worth it.”

  Those words only pissed off dear Natasha more. She flew at us. Before she could reach me, Eli let me go and grabbed her wrists, holding her back.

  “What the hell is going on?” Bobby demanded as he, E.J., and Cooper came around the SUV. “Natasha, I only allowed you to come because you said you wanted to be a part of this transaction.”

  She held Eli’s gaze one more moment before stepping back, pulling free. “You’re right, Father. Those are the only goods I’m interested in.” She headed for the SUV.

  As much as I wanted to despise her, I saw sadness building a strong wall around her for protection, making her more hardhearted. In this life style, she had to have thick skin. I should sympathize... but, nah... I hated her.

  Eli’s attention returned to me, and his hands were back on my upper arms. “Breathe.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, I blew it out roughly. “I am so gonna kill you.”

  “I look forward to it.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  My eyes looked deep into his beautiful green ones. “If you ever cheat on me—”

  “Right,” he scoffed, cutting off my words. “Remember, I like my beast-parts intact.”

  I grinned impishly. “And I could render them crispy fried bits and balls.”

  He shuddered, covering my mouth with his hand. “Shhh... they can hear you.” He looked down at his pants. “Don’t scare them like that. It’s okay boys she didn’t mean it.”

  “Oh, I did.” I gave him a withering look. He chuckled, kissed my forehead, and herded me toward the others.

  As we were walking, I felt tingling, a tugging in my gut. Panic tore through my veins. No, not right now, Lars. I hadn’t felt anything all night and hoped Sinnie had just slipped up, not able to help herself from making the bed. That it hadn’t been a signal from Lars. My hope was dashed, and now I was being yanked in the direction of the Unseelie King. It wasn’t painful yet. “Yet” was the key word here. I swallowed, trying to ignore it and nervously continued to walk with Eli.

  We had just rounded the back of car when we heard the others talking. “Looks good. They should be easy to sell on the street.” Bobby examined the merchandise. “E.J., grab the case. The amount we decided on—”

  Bobby’s words were cut off by an outbreak of red and blue lights flooding the area with a glow an instant before sirens began to wail.

  “Shit, the cops!” Cooper ran toward us.

  Two police cars skidded to where we were parked, enveloping us in dirt.

  “What the hell is this, Eli?” Natasha screamed. “You set us up?”

  “Don’t be stupid.”

  “Well, someone did.” The accusation was directed at me.

  “Freeze!” A voice boomed over a speaker. I recognized the voice immediately.

  Weiss.

  E.J. and Bobby darted for the trees. “I said, ‘Freeze,’” another cop yelled as he got out of the car.

  We all scattered. Everything turned chaotic and frenzied. I quickly lost Eli and searched for him through the throng of retreating bikers. Right then my stomach gripped in pain, doubling me over. The desire to run in the same direction where the cops were standing burned in my muscles. “Noooo, Lars.” I gritted my teeth and fought the notion to act.

  “Brycin?” I could hear Eli’s voice dimly through the wail of the siren and yelling people.

  A dry heave pushed up my throat. “Eli,” I replied, but it barely came out a whisper. With everything I had, I willed myself to run. I moved closer to where I had heard his voice.

  A fist collided with my gut and ripped breath from my lungs, taking me to the ground. As I landed, a pointy woman’s boot slammed into my stomach. “That’s for you, bitch,” Natasha jeered before kicking me once more. “And that is for you asshole boyfriend.”

  I writhed in pain from both ignoring Lars’ call and the kicks to my stomach. All my control intended to keep humans safe from me dissolved. Anger and pain expelled in wave after wave out of me.

  It was in the same instant when I felt myself being yanked to my feet that a spark of my energy lit the vapors from the gas tank and ignited the car’s engine. The gun powder and thousands of bullets boxed in the back of the SUV exploded.

  BOOM!

  The force propelled me off the ground, past the cop cars, and skid me into the dirt. Skin tore against the gravel, and my head slammed back onto the ground with a hard thump.

  All went black.

  EIGHTEEN

  There was a dull ringing in my ears, and my brain and reactions moved groggily through the haze of the dust and debris still settling to the ground. The first sensation I had was of my arms being pulled behind me and metal enclosing them. This type of metal did nothing to me and under normal circumstances I could have broken free.

  The second thing I noticed was I no longer felt Lars’ pull. Did the explosion break the connection? Or did he stop it? I wasn’t given much time to consider either option.

  “So you’re still alive, Ms. Brycin. Hiding for the last three years, and you come out to commit a crime? Not at all surprised.” Sheriff Weiss’ words hissed into my ear. “You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent...” He went through the mandated Miranda rights before adding his own. “And this time you won’t ever leave. I finally have you like I said I would. I knew it was only a matter of time and you’d screw up.” He tugged me to my feet while my vision tried to cut through the cloud of dirt whirling around the area.

  Eli? I sent out my thoughts. I knew he couldn’t hear me, but he could feel me. He would follow.

  “You were always trouble, but being with Mr. Dragen has compounded your misdemeanors into felonies. Tampering with lights is child’s play compared to black market trafficking.”

  My mouth stayed shut, and my eyes continued to search for Eli as Sheriff Weiss hauled me to his patrol car. I was still dizzy and confused from being thrown across the ground, kicked in the stomach, and summoned by a Demon. Weiss shoved my head down as he pushed me into the cruiser. The moment he did, I knew I was in trouble. Iron laced the generic metal dividing the front and back of the police car. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to cause my body react. I sunk back and pressed my pinned arms uncomfortably against the seat.

  Weiss grasped his police radio from his belt. “Lambert, copy.”

  It took a few moments before a voice came back over the speaker. “Copy, this is Lambert. I have Dragen in custody. The others got away.”

  My lids squeezed together. Shit. There was little doubt Eli could have gotten away, but he had probably been looking for me. Knowing him, he’d do something stupid like letting himself be arrested if he knew I had been caught.

  “Dammit, Eli,” I mumbled. Now through the dark I felt him near. I looked out the window and saw the green eyes first. Glowing and furious.

  My own narrowed in on his. Are you stupid?

  I wasn’t the one who blew everything up and then got caught, he retorted.

  I was about to curse him further, but Lambert escorted him into the back of the other police cruiser, blocking our eyes from communicating.
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  There was a part of me, a sick part, that thought, Oh, how romantic. He got arrested for me. Our romantic gestures consisted of getting felony charges on our records for each other. The Bonnie and Clyde of the Fae world.

  This is not what I had in mind when I think of Eli and me and handcuffs.

  Sheriff Weiss slipped into the front seat, turning on his siren. This was not some minor charge we could walk away from with only a slap on the wrist. I really needed my powers so I could get out of this mess, but the iron incapacitated me just enough.

  Sheriff Weiss drove from the abandoned warehouses and turned toward downtown Olympia.

  “Don’t think you are some bad-ass. Do you know how many girls I’ve seen like you? They all think life with the bad boy is fun and exciting. Until it gets serious, and they find themselves doing twenty to life or worse.” He looked at me through the rearview mirror. “If it takes a scare like this for you to get off this path and see the truth before it’s too late, then I will be happy.”

  I shifted to the side so the ache in my arms wasn’t so constant. “You’ve been after me from the beginning. You’ve probably dreamed about this. So what do you care if I get on the right course or not?”

  “You’re right. I’ve never liked you and knew you were a bad seed. There was something about you I never trusted, but you also reminded me of someone. Someone I gave up on.”

  There was something in the way he said it that I knew it was personal.

  “Who?”

  His hands gripped the steering wheel harder. “A daughter,” he said finally.

  This made me uncomfortable. The evil Sheriff Weiss was becoming a person. Someone who experienced pain and love. He and I always had a wall of unreserved judgment and hatred for each other. I didn’t like him becoming... human.

  “You remind me of her. Same stubbornness, same lack of consideration for others. All you think of is yourself, and you give little thought to right and wrong.”

  I had no idea of his daughter’s story or what became of her, but his bitterness was clear. When I first met Weiss, I had a feeling I was being punished for more than just my actions.