Dang.
She would trade her soul for a hot bath.
"Darcy?"
The voice came from directly beside the tree, and Darcy moved into the shadows to discover Shay waiting for her.
"I'm here."
"Thank god." Astonishingly the half demon reached out to pull Darcy into a tight hug. "I've been so worried about you."
Feeling strangely awkward at the open display of affection, Darcy glanced down at her rumpled clothes with a faint grimace.
"Despite appearances, I'm fine."
"We can easily enough take care of that," Shay assured her.
"Why are we here?"
Shay tilted her head toward the sprawling mansion down the street.
"We're actually going there."
"Wow." Darcy gave a shaky laugh. "It looks like a palace. Who lives there?"
"It belongs to ..." Shay broke off before she heaved a heavy sigh. "Well, hell, I might as well be honest. It belongs to Dante and Abby."
Darcy rolled her eyes. Did demons invest in every neighborhood in Chicago?
"Let me guess, vampires?"
"Dante is," Shay confessed. "Abby, on the other hand, is a goddess."
Darcy sputtered at the ridiculous claim. A goddess living in the suburbs? A soccer goddess?
"Now you're just ranking my chain."
"Yanking ... ?" Shay gave a sudden laugh. "No, I'm afraid not, but I do promise you that Abby doesn't act like an all-powerful deity. In fact, I predict that you're going to love her."
"You're serious. A goddess?"
"More precisely she carries the spirit of the Phoenix, which is worshipped by many. She is known as the Chalice."
"Can this possibly get any weirder?" Darcy muttered.
Shay reached out to press a finger to her lips. "The one thing I've learned over the past few months is to never, ever say that. It's like waving a red flag in the face of fate."
Darcy couldn't argue with that. "No crap," she said on a sigh.
With an encouraging smile, Shay took her hand and tugged her deeper into the shadows.
"This way," she whispered.
"Why are we sneaking around?"
"There are always vampires keeping watch on the estate. They claim that they merely want to protect Dante and his wife, but the truth of the matter is that all demons want to keep track of Abby and the spirit she carries inside her."
"Why?" Darcy demanded in confusion. "Do they worship her?"
Shay gave a small snort. "Hardly. She's capable of burning them to a tiny pile of dust with a mere touch. It makes them anxious to know precisely where she might be at any given moment."
Good choice. That was a heck of a trick.
"And she's married to a vampire? Is he suicidal?"
"Dante is many things, including the usual traits of a vampire." Shay ticked off the traits on her fingers. "Arrogant, controlling, possessive, and annoying as hell, but not suicidal. Abby is usually capable of controlling her powers, although there has been a singeing or two."
Darcy couldn't help but envy the goddess. She would give a great deal to be able to singe a vampire or two as well.
That was a talent every woman needed.
Glancing toward the seemingly silent estate, Darcy futilely searched for some glimpse of the lurking vampires.
"If the place is being watched by vampires, then how do you expect to slip past them? God knows they can smell us a mile away."
"I've arranged for a small distraction." Shay smiled with a rather smug anticipation. "Just wait."
Darcy was about to point out the spectacular stupidity of hanging around waiting for the vampires to track them down when the silent night was abruptly shattered by a deep boom that rattled the windows and sent Darcy tumbling onto her frozen backside.
"Ouch," she muttered, forcing herself back to her feet. "What was that?"
"Levet."
"Did he set off a bomb?"
"No, that's what usually happens when he tries any sort of magic."
Darcy couldn't help but laugh. Somehow it didn't surprise her at all that the tiny gargoyle was prone to magical disasters.
"Something to remember."
"Exactly." Shay shifted around one of the towering oaks and then surprisingly reached down to pull a grate off what Darcy could only suspect was a tunnel. "Let's go."
"Through there?"
"Trust me," Shay murmured as she disappeared into the darkness. "And try to keep up. I'm not very fond of dark spaces, and I'd rather get this over with as quickly as possible."
Darcy followed behind, holding out her hands as the inky black swiftly consumed her. Blast. She didn't have a problem with tunnels, but she wasn't particularly fond of running headlong through the thick darkness at breakneck speed. With her luck, she was bound to run into a wall and knock herself senseless.
They traveled in near silence, Shay more silent than Darcy, until at last they left the tunnel and entered a large basement.
Darcy sighed in relief as toasty air wrapped about her. At the moment she didn't care if they were in the basement of hell itself as long as it was warm.
The thought had barely passed through her mind when the overhead lights were flipped on and a pretty, dark-haired woman with a stunning pair of light blue eyes moved forward.
"Abby." Shay moved forward to embrace the slender woman before waving a hand in Darcy's direction. "This is Darcy Smith."
"Darcy." With a charming smile, the woman moved forward to take Darcy's hand. "You are most welcome to my home."
Darcy felt a small tingle run through her at the woman's touch. A sense of power that was unmistakable.
She would remember not to piss the woman off.
"Thank you," she murmured, resisting the urge to shiver as Abby dropped her hand and turned toward Shay. "Dante's out searching for Darcy, so we might as well go upstairs, where we'll be more comfortable."
Shay gave a small grimace. "Actually, I need to go check on Levet. I hope to God he didn't manage to singe his wings again. I had to listen to his moans for a week the last time he did that."
Abby chuckled. "Bring him back here. I'll order from his favorite Greek restaurant. If anything will divert him from his complaining it is a seven-course meal."
"Good thinking," Shay murmured as she headed for the nearby stairs. "Have that food ready."
The half demon rushed from the room and, feeling oddly strange to be left alone with a genuine goddess, Darcy awkwardly tried to brush the dust from her jeans.
"I'm assuming all vampire lairs have these tunnels?" she asked.
Abby gave a chuckle. "They're a little obsessive about having dark places to hide in. I suppose I can't blame them. They are rather flammable in sunlight."
A portion of her unease faded at Abby's casual manner. She seemed almost... normal.
Whatever the heck that meant.
"This way." Abby led the way to the stairs, and together they climbed toward the upper floors. Once in the wide hallway that could have held her entire apartment,
Darcy came to a sharp halt. With a sense of disbelief, she allowed her gaze to travel over the crystal chandelier, which cast a soft glow of light over the priceless paintings and ceramic-tiled floor.
Realizing her guest had halted to gape in wonderment, Abby slowed her steps and glanced over her shoulder. "Darcy? Is something wrong?"
Darcy gave a slow shake of her head. "I've never been in the house of a goddess before. It's incredibly beautiful."
Abby gave a small snort as she retraced her steps and linked her arm through Dairy's. With a small tug, she had Darcy moving toward another sweeping staircase.
"Well, this goddess would rather be living in a comfy apartment that's in dire need of a good dusting, and close enough to the mall that I can catch the scent of Prada handbags," Abby confessed, with one of those smiles that invited the world to join in her happiness. "Dante, on the other hand, prefers a more lavish style."
"What's it like?" The words left Darcy's lips before she could halt them.
"What's what like?" Abby demanded.
"Being married to a vampire?"
"Ah." The pretty features abruptly softened into a dreamy expression. It was the same expression that Darcy had noticed on Shay's face when she spoke of Viper. "I suppose it wouldn't be for every woman," Abby confessed. "Most vampires are prone to excessive arrogance and are way too fond of giving orders. And, of course, they have little experience in sharing their emotions. They need a great deal of training to become a proper mate."
Darcy gave a small laugh at the woman's teasing. "You could say that for all men."
"Yes, but vampires tend to take their faults to epic levels."
Darcy grimaced. "I know exactly what you mean."
Abby patted Darcy's hand. "On the other hand, they are extraordinarily sexy, and they possess an ability to make a woman feel like the most beautiful, most cherished woman in the world. And even better, once they are mated they are completely faithful and utterly devoted for the rest of eternity. I will never, ever have to fear that Dante will leave me for another."
