Shades of Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #16) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,2

her attention to the guard.

“No one is supposed to enter her cell except for me, and I haven’t been down there for days.”

“That’s why I went to check on her.”

“And?”

Riza grimaced. “She was alone.”

Troy narrowed his eyes. It would be easy to overreact after Brigette had nearly managed to destroy their world.

“Perhaps she’s become unhinged,” he suggested. “She did spend five centuries as a handmaiden to an evil beastie-thing.”

“That’s what I thought,” Riza said. “But she keeps doing it. And the last time I checked on her, I was sure I caught sight of a shadow in the cell with her.”

Inga hissed in alarm. “A shadow?”

“It was probably just a figment of his imagination.” Jord intruded into the conversation, his expression grim.

“It was not,” Riza stubbornly insisted. “I know what I saw.”

Troy moved toward the guard. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

Riza turned his back on his glowering companion to speak directly to Troy. “I was on duty when I heard the female babbling about pledging her loyalty and promising to obey without question.”

“Did you hear a name?” Troy pressed.

“Name?”

“Was Zella mentioned?”

The guard wrinkled his nose. “I suppose she might have said Zella.”

Inga muttered a curse. “This can’t be good.”

“The understatement of the century,” Troy muttered. “And well past our pay grade.” He squared his shoulders. “We need Chaaya.”

* * * *

Dreamscape Resort, Vegas

Chiron didn’t exactly stomp across the casino floor. He was, after all, a sophisticated, flawlessly elegant vampire with an image to maintain. Only a child indulged in temper tantrums.

Still, the humans seated in front of the flashing slot machines or clustered around the roulette tables shivered with unease as he passed. They didn’t realize they’d been brushed by the icy power of his seething temper, but in the most primitive parts of their mind, they realized there was danger in the area.

He ignored the lingering gazes that followed him. He knew what the humans were seeing: a slender male with devilishly handsome features. His dark hair was cut short and smoothed from his lean face. Next they would notice the designer suit that cost a fortune. From there they would decide that he couldn’t be responsible for their vague sense of anxiety and return their attention to their gambling. They would never suspect he was a monster beneath his polished façade.

Chiron cast a last glance around the casino before heading toward the back of the vast space. He was in dire need of some peace and quiet, and the only place to find that was in his office at the top of the hotel.

He’d managed to make it out of the public rooms and was waiting for the doors of his private elevator to slide open when his luck ran out. For the hundredth time that night.

Or at least, that’s what it felt like.

“Go away,” he snapped as a large male approached from behind.

Basq ignored his command, halting next to Chiron.

The younger male was taller with a thicker build than Chiron. His features were carved with bold strokes, giving him an impressive nose and wide brow. His jaw was square, and his full lips were pressed into a stern line. His brown hair was long enough to brush his shoulders and the top layer was pulled back and tied with a leather strip. It was his eyes, however, that captured the most attention. They were rimmed with a deep brown and progressively lightened to a pure white in the center.

The male had been a member of Tarak’s clan until Tarak had joined with the previous Anasso. Chiron wasn’t entirely certain where Basq had gone or what he’d been doing for the past centuries, but a few years ago he’d shown up at Dreamscape Resort and asked for a job.

Chiron had taken him in without question.

The male would always be his brother.

“For a vampire who just mated the love of your life and rescued your master from the bastard that held him captive for over five hundred years, you’re in a crappy mood,” Basq said.

Chiron searched the male’s face for any hint of mockery. There was nothing. Basq had a special talent for hiding his emotions. Or maybe he didn’t have any. Hard to say for sure.

“I seriously underestimated how much I depended on Ulric. I can’t leave my office without a dozen employees harassing me about their tedious problems,” Chiron groused. “So far tonight the kitchen staff has threatened revolt because the chef changed the menu without telling them, a janitor fell and broke his leg, and two