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Lucifer’s face morphed, and all of the flesh disappeared off his bones. He grinned from his bony visage and then swiped a fingernail across his wrist. “Isn’t this fun? Just like a vampire.”
Fuck. Me.
This was nothing like a goddamn vampire.
A single drop of blood was swiped from the cut before it healed almost instantly. He marked my forehead with the crimson fluid, chanting something under his breath that I couldn’t hope to decipher. I gasped as heat blazed across the skin, and I cried out, dropping to my knees as the fallen angel, lord of demons, and the first Reaper exploded into a ball of flames, and the sky around my bike lit up for two brief seconds.
Then he was gone.
Wow. “The devil sure likes to be theatrical,” I deadpanned, knowing not a soul was close enough to hear the words.
A grim chuckle ghosted across the back of my neck, and I jumped, twisting around to find nothing but air. Great. I’d gained the notice of Lucifer Morningstar, and he wasn’t going to let me forget it.
“Thanks,” I muttered, positive that he could probably hear even if he didn’t respond.
THE SCORPION COMPOUNDwas dark at nearly three a.m. No club business was conducted, and no one lingered outside the rooms where girls showed the members a good time.
A few lower-level guys were walking the perimeter with guns like that would stop me or anyone else who really wanted to get inside. Sure, the place was gated and the fencing topped with barbed wire, but that was just a logistics problem and one I would easily solve.
I’d already brought the tools I needed to create an opening. I was just going to trip the alarm and send them all running toward the front gates as I slid through the back undetected. An easy solution that would buy all the time I needed to sneak inside and find Barnaby Nickel. What a stupid fucking name. He was the asshole who grabbed Stefanie. The one responsible for kidnapping her and transporting my girl to the location where the others waited.
Barnaby would die first.
The meeting with Lucifer was still fresh in my mind. I wondered if I could call upon the shadows. Would they answer my summons? Would the whispers come to my aid whenever I asked?
Some primitive intuition guided me, and I knew they would always be whenever I wanted or needed them. I didn’t lie to Lucifer. Just because the shadows and whispers and roars weren’t always here didn’t mean they weren’t watching.
As if they knew what I desired, dark shadows began to move around me. Fingers birthed from onyx vapors curled around my body and caressed my skin, slithering over one another with anticipation. Murmuring whispers drifted toward me from all directions, and they seemed to originate from the desert sands that rolled over every surface. Fine grains trickled across the asphalt and spun in circles, causing a mini dust storm. I closed my eyes and waited, knowing wind would blow them beyond the gates of the Scorpion compound.
The whispering drew closer, and I tilted my head, listening to their suggestions. Oh, what wicked friends I’d gained. And now? They were remarkably powerful after Lucifer’s intervention.
“Go,” I ordered, opening my eyes as the shadows lurched and swayed, rolling and bubbling along the ground while they spread out until the dark apparitions chose a human form.
They walked alongside one another and grew in number until they hugged the length of the perimeter. The air crackled with power as they hovered, awaiting the perfect moment to strike. When all of the guards switched directions and turned their backs on one another, the shadows darted forward.
There were no screams. No alarm.
No sounds at all.
A slight rustling next to a tumbleweed revealed a snake that coiled, ready to strike as our eyes met. I’d never been afraid of snakes, but I didn’t particularly like them. Wary, I stood my ground as it slithered closer and used its tail on the sandy surface. The reptile stopped, flicked his forked tongue, and then sped off, disappearing into the vast danger of the desert.
I knew the exact second the shadows returned. An eerie silence engulfed the entire grounds, and I walked forward, wondering how I would gain entrance. A shadow flew through the air and landed on the gate’s locking mechanism. A few seconds elapsed before I heard clicking, and then the gate swung wide and opened.
Before I entered, I chanted the words that were my battle cry, clinging to their strength as I prepared the first wave of my revenge.
I am darkness.
The darkness lives in me.
I am shadow.
The shadows obey my commands.
I am justice.
Brutality and vengeance will be mine.
My steps were confident as I approached the compound and walked to the right, locating the lower level of rooms.
