Coming Darkness

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Coming Darkness: book excerpt

Chapter One

“You’re not wearing that.”

Suppressing a sigh, Kai looked down and watched his clothes change. Instead of black slacks, shirt, and boots, he was now attired in tailored tan and cream—with loafers. He hated loafers. He turned, waiting for his lover to enter the foyer.

Lucifer, white hair unbound and loose around his shoulders, with a recently acquired black cat in his arms, entered the foyer and fixed critical silver eyes on him. For someone who always wore shades of white—and who knew there were so many?—Lucifer had a lot to say about what Kai wore. In fact, Lucifer dressed him with such dedicated fervor that anyone less sympathetic would call him obsessed. It was why Kai had been trying to sneak out of the house before Lucifer caught sight of him. 

“Come on, Luc, that’s not practical, and you know it,” said Te, joining them in the foyer and changing Kai back into his original clothes. “How you expect him to do reconnaissance and retrieval in loafers and kakis, I’ll never understand.”

“Thank you,” Kai said to him, smiling.

“I live with Philistines,” Lucifer said with a mock sneer. “The least you could do is wear silk.” Kai was now wearing a black, raw silk shirt, and he refused to admit he liked the way it felt.

“Are you both done?” he asked, trying for exasperation but only succeeding at fond acceptance.

Te laughed. Brown-skinned and gleaming from his bald head and single, gold earring to his white teeth, Kai was hard-pressed to remember a time when Te’s silver eyes weren’t sparkling with good humor. Always nattily dressed, he shared Lucifer’s penchant for sharp, expensive clothes. Unlike Lucifer, however, Te had never met a color he didn’t like or look good in. His current suit was red pinstripe, complete with matching bowler hat, bow tie, and spats.

Lucifer gave them his patented put-upon look and, with his nose in the air, sauntered into the adjacent sitting room. Taking a seat on a couch, he stretched out, positioning his long, lean body to the greatest visual effect. The cat mirrored his posture and stretched out atop him. Even after more than seven hundred years together, Kai never grew tired of watching the one he considered his mate. Lucifer held endless fascination for him, as well as his love and devotion.

Te entered the sitting room behind Lucifer, took a seat in an antique wing chair, and put his feet up on the matching footstool. It was always a surprise that the old and delicate furniture in the house didn’t protest when Te sat on it. But then, his size was deceptive. True, he was at least six-foot-five and powerfully built, but his personality, much like Lucifer’s, made it seem like he was so much larger.

“What’s on tonight?” Te asked when the sixty-inch smart television came on.

Lucifer made no secret about how much he hated humans. In fact, he’d go out of his way to expound on that hatred to anyone who’d listen. That didn’t mean, however, that he didn’t enjoy the food, clothing, and endless gadgets created by them. The house was filled with anything that caught his fancy, including the latest technology.

“Housewives,” Lucifer answered as the channels flipped.

“Is that the one with Kendra?” Te asked, a bowl of popcorn appearing in his lap. Four more cats appeared, as if out of nowhere, and positioned themselves around the two seated figures.

“Not the Kendra you’re thinking of, no.”

The big demon made a face and shoveled a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Kai leaned against the doorjamb, taking a moment to enjoy his little family.

“Wait, wait, go back,” Te said.

“Is this Rosemary’s Baby?” Lucifer asked, having flipped back to the channel requested. “Oh, it is. I almost missed it. Good catch.” He looked up at Kai and crooked his finger. “Come on, you know you want to stay.”

He was right. Rosemary’s Baby was one of their favorite movies, and the pull to join them was very strong, but he had a job to do. Kai retreated to the coat rack by the door and removed his leather trench from it.

“I need to get going,” he said apologetically, donning the coat. “Te, would you mind giving me a lift?”

Te looked over and smiled. “You sure? Gregory’s not going anywhere.”

“I’m sure.”

“Then of course. Happy hunting.”

With a last wave, Kai was gone.

Chapter Two

Starr Roberta Maxwell sat at her desk and contemplated killing her boss with the letter opener or, better yet, the stapler. It would take longer. Nothing was too good for William Ford Gregory III.

“Starr, did you fax those numbers to Geneva yet? What’s taking you so long? And get me another cup of coffee. This one’s cold,” Gregory, a.k.a. the Asshole, bellowed through the open office door.

As she walked to the door to answer him—she felt yelling in the workplace was unprofessional—she cursed her mother’s naming choice and aspirations for her daughter for the umpteenth time since coming to work here. Introducing herself as Roberta had been a wasted exercise. The man had known her full name and, upon seeing her for the first time, had refused to call her that, instead choosing to inflect “Starr” in such a way as to remind her that she was not and never would be.

Telling herself again that this was just a temp job, and that once the week was over, she could burn the son-of-a-bitch in effigy, she answered politely, “I faxed it twenty minutes ago. It’s after two in the morning in Geneva, so I doubt anyone’s there to receive it.” She moved over to the desk and picked up his coffee cup.

“Of course they’re there. That’s what I pay them for. Where’s my coffee? Slow and stupid. Makes me wonder what I’m paying you for.”

Roberta sighed and tried to keep it together. “I’ll get Mr. Prideaux on the line and get you your coffee now, sir.”

She tried to make the “sir” sound like “fuck you” but failed. Her strict upbringing kicked in, refusing to let her be rude to her boss, no matter how rude he was to her. She hurried into the outer office, wondering which she should do first, the coffee or the phone call. She was screwed either way, so she refilled the mug, not bothering to brew fresh, but emptying the dregs that remained in the carafe. If she couldn’t tell him to go fuck himself, she could at least fuck with his coffee. Wearing a small smile, she brought the cup back to his office and placed it carefully on the desk.

Returning to the outer office, she placed the call to Switzerland, preparing herself mentally to tell the Asshole there was no answer.

The line picked up on the third ring. “’Allo?”

Roberta inwardly collapsed in relief. “Yes, I have Mr. William Ford Gregory III calling for Mr. Pierre Prideaux.”

“This is Pierre.”

“Hold the line, please.”

“Mr. Gregory, I have Mr. Prideaux on the line; transferring now.”

“Pierre, you son of a bitch, how are ya? How’s that beautiful wife? Excellent. Did your little girl get the birthday present I sent? Loved it, did she? Good, good. I know it’s late, and I appreciate this; I really do. Listen, my girl said she sent you the fax. Well, did you get it? You did? Okay, this is what we need to do…”

Roberta quietly closed the door to Gregory’s office, effectively muting his voice. She could feel her eyes prickling, and she closed them and held her breath, refusing to let herself cry. Hearing the concern and sincere apology in his voice just seconds after yelling at her made her want to break down. How could he be so nice to everyone but her?

Just three more days, she told herself. Three more days, and I am so outta here.

#

Cloaked in shadow, Kai sat on the high wall surrounding the Gregory compound. He’d been there two days now, watching the comings and goings, and was eager to get this job done. The complex where Gregory lived and worked was a huge, sprawling thing that covered at least forty acres of land in upstate New York, about an hour’s drive from the city. The driveway was long and wound through the property until it reached the main buildings, which were hidden by foliage at the end of the serpentine path. Obligatory surveillance cameras dotted the landscape, providing more than adequate coverage of the property. There were guards posted at the gate and, Kai knew, at a checkpoint closer to the buildings. All in all, the security was surprisingly light and would not pose a problem.

What did pose a problem, however, were the cats. They were everywhere—prowling among the trees, hunting, playing with each other, and lounging in the grass. He could see no spot that was clear of the little beasts. There was no way to approach the building without causing a ruckus. No doubt, Gregory had anticipated an attack from Te and prepared accordingly.

A strong scent of ozone with an undertone of cinnamon filled his nostrils, and his lips tilted in a smile. “Uriel. Here I was, thinking you’d abandoned me.”

“Careful, vampire, lest you grow too familiar,” Uriel responded.

“As if you’d ever let that happen.”

Kai turned to look up at the archangel, checking to see if his retort had gone too far. Even though Uriel had taken to accompanying him on these jobs, Kai had only just begun to relax in his presence and still felt uncomfortable with their banter. As usual, Uriel gave no signs of displeasure, although Kai had no idea what that would look like if he did.

Dressed in a black tunic with red accents, black breeches, and black leather boots, Uriel’s shoulder-length, vibrant red hair framed attractive features that might as well have been carved in stone for all the expression they held. Kai wondered if Uriel’s skin would crack if he dared to smile.

Uriel didn’t look at him, but instead let his copper eyes roam the grounds. It was just as well. Having that heavy gaze on him always made Kai uncomfortable, as if Uriel was judging him and finding him lacking—which, given his general air of disdain, was probably true. Before these visits, Kai had known the archangel only by his reputation, through stories. Uriel was known as an assassin and a zealot. Grand-scale destruction à la Sodom and Gomorrah was in keeping with his reputation. This helpful version standing next to him was not. Of all of his lover’s family, he found Uriel’s presence the most unsettling.

“It appears you have a problem,” Uriel said.

“Merely a nuisance,” Kai bluffed, pretending he hadn’t been on that wall for two days because of the cats. Leave it to Uriel to not only point out the obvious but also make him feel inadequate in the process.

“How had you planned to get by them?”

Kai looked up. Was that amusement in Uriel’s voice? Damn him. “I hadn’t actually gotten that far,” he admitted, feeling his throat tighten in embarrassment. “I could use your help.” Kai knew that was what the archangel had wanted to hear and hated having to ask.

Uriel glided off the wall to the ground. The cats in the immediate vicinity came running. They purred, rubbed, and wound themselves between his feet, altogether thrilled with his presence. The Egyptians had been right to revere cats. Uniquely attuned to the supernatural, the presence of a cat could keep ghosts and spirits away, and their saliva was poisonous to Other-kin. While the cats couldn’t hurt Kai, they would raise the alarm, and having Uriel prevent them from doing so would be immensely helpful.

Kai watched from his perch as Uriel walked among them, stooping every now and then to stroke, pet, and scratch behind their raised ears. Eventually, he picked up a smoky grey one and walked a few feet ahead with it in his arms.

He turned and addressed Kai. “Come down, vampire. They will not announce your presence.”

#

Roberta looked at the pictures of two cats on her desk, her predecessor’s pets. She wondered what had happened to them. The woman who’d held the position full-time had died quite suddenly of a stroke after working there for almost fifteen years. Roberta couldn’t imagine it. She’d been the third temp in as many days and, because of it, had been offered a ridiculous amount of money to take—and keep—the job. Having a reputation for being able to work for anyone, no matter how difficult they were, had its perks.

She’d been under the impression that she had seen it all, and that she could handle everything with a smile and professionalism. Gregory tested that theory within the first fifteen minutes of their meeting. He was rude, crass, and insulting. By the end of the first hour, she was in tears in the bathroom.

It was then that she realized the reason behind the forty-dollars-an-hour salary—it was a bribe, pure and simple. The agency had finally acquired his company’s business and were eager to keep it. If she couldn’t handle it, they had no one who could. For forty dollars an hour, she could do it. Just the idea of that kind of salary left her thrilled. She could actually create a savings account.

That was then. Now she just wanted to make it to Friday. Once Friday came, she would refuse to continue the assignment, and they could bribe someone else. She could be bought, but only so far.

She blew out a breath and looked out the large windows of the outer office. It had surprised her to find out that Gregory’s home and office were located in a sprawling estate in upstate New York. As it turned out, he was a workaholic recluse that lived and worked on his property, and he expected certain others in his employ to mimic his bizarre lifestyle.

She’d taken residence in his former secretary’s cottage, an adorable, one-story, picture-book structure with a stone fireplace and exposed stone walls. A dormitory was provided for other employees. She had yet to understand why he required so many to live on-site. The main office building housed a cafeteria, a small convenience store, and a fitness room with a spa and sauna. The meals were delicious, and most of the workers were friendly, if not slightly odd. Overall, it didn’t seem like a bad place to work. She had free room and board, plus a very nice salary.

Unfortunately, the person who made it unbearable was the person she had to work for.

She admonished herself for being seduced by the money, free food, and free place to live. A month had already passed. At the end of every week, she intended to quit and tell them to take the job and shove it, but she never made the call. She would tell herself it wasn’t that bad, and to rest over the weekend and see how she felt on Monday morning, planning to call then if she really wanted to quit.

But she always managed to talk herself into staying. When she was first offered the cottage, she’d refused, saying she didn’t want to move until she had permanent employment. It was a polite way of saying, “No fucking way.” Then, abruptly, her apartment in Brooklyn had gone condo, and she’d needed to move. The Asshole’s wife and personal aide, Catherine, a.k.a. the Iron Lady, had stepped in and had her things packed up and moved. Just like that. Roberta had wanted to object, but every time the opportunity arose, her reasons felt flimsy, and she felt ashamed for even thinking about complaining. Besides, living on the property was so much easier.

A couple of the cats outside chased each other past the window. Were her predecessor’s cats among them? When she had asked about the cats, The Iron Lady had told her that she and her husband loved cats so much that they had made the grounds a sanctuary for them.

Roberta found it hard to believe that either of them could love anything that wasn’t power or money. They had loads of both and no heirs. Maybe the cats would get it all, unless the two planned to live forever or have it buried with them, neither of which would surprise her.

#

“After all this time with Lucifer, vampire, it surprises me that you are still afraid of cats,” Uriel said as they walked, still stroking the cat in his arms.

“I’m not afraid of them. I just don’t like them,” Kai countered, eyes on the ground in front of him as he navigated through the surrounding animals. “Gregory is in one of the buildings ahead. Can you tell which one?”

“No, he is hiding himself. His presence is masked and echoes throughout. I could find him eventually, but obtaining the information the old-fashioned way would be faster.”