Darkness Eternal Read Free Page A

proffered paper, his brows lifting as he realized it was a map of England.
    “What’s this for?”
    “I negotiated with the local coven. They cast a searching spell.” Victor stabbed a finger at the odd markings that were drawn at three spots on the map. “These are the locations that blocked their magic.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means someone with magical abilities is trying to hide something.” Victor moved his finger to the mark placed over the plain of Salisbury. “I would suggest you start here. The witches claimed they could sense black magic in the area.”
    Stonehenge?
    Bloody hell. Could the mage be any more cliché?
    Belatedly realizing his chief was headed back to the door, Uriel abruptly lifted his head, a flare of panic twisting his gut.
    “Victor.”
    The older vampire halted, glancing over his shoulder. “Yes?”
    There was an unmistakable warning in the silver eyes. Victor had given his orders. Now he expected them to be obeyed.
    No matter Uriel’s reluctance.
    Uriel gave a resigned shake of his head. “Nothing.”
    Victor continued out of the room, his power still thick in the air.
    “Don’t disappoint me.”

Chapter 3
    Kata had lost track of how many years she’d been trapped in the dark, iron-lined cell that was buried six feet beneath Stonehenge. She knew it had to be close to two hundred, but the days had become a continuous blur as she lay on the narrow cot, held motionless in the mage’s spell.
    At the moment, it didn’t really matter. Once she managed to free herself, she would tally the time she’d been held hostage and ensure Marika and Sergei suffered for every damned minute they’d stolen from her.
    Marika . . .
    A dark revulsion spread through her at the mere thought of the vampire bitch.
    Amazing considering that four centuries ago she and Marika had been twin sisters and deeply devoted to one another.
    The daughters of a powerful Romani elder they were openly prized for their dark, sultry beauty. Their hair was long, and as glossy as the finest ebony. Their eyes were dark and framed by long lashes and their pale features were delicately carved. Their sensuous lips had prompted epic poems and the sight of their lush curves attired in simple peasant blouses and skirts had inspired countless fights among the males of the tribe.
    But Kata and Marika had never taken an interest in their beauty. From the time they were old enough to walk they had realized that their true power lay in their magic.
    Although not witches, they both possessed the traditional magic of the gypsies. They could heal even the most grievous wounds, they could read the signs of nature to predict the weather, and of course, they could conjure curses that made grown men tremble in fear.
    They could also speak to one another mind to mind, no matter how far the distance between them.
    They had been destined for greatness until that fateful night that Marika had been called to heal an elder from a nearby tribe. Kata had stayed behind to tend to a child who had fallen and broken his arm earlier that day. If only . . .
    No.
    Nothing could have altered the fact that Marika had been attacked and drained by a vampire.
    At first Kata had thought her sister dead. What else could it be? Not only was Marika missing, but the sense of her that was always nestled in the back of Kata’s mind had abruptly disappeared.
    Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to leave well enough alone. One of her more persistent faults. She had continued to send out mental calls for her sister, unable to accept the inevitable.
    And eventually Marika did return.
    Only it wasn’t Marika.
    The demon might have her sister’s face and they might still be psychically connected, but the demon who had murdered her sister was an arrogant, brutal predator who had hunted Kata down and caged her like an animal.
    For two centuries Kata had been held as her sister’s prisoner, kept on a leash in her lair. Then two centuries ago the power-hungry