Page 25 of Prince with a Chance of Darkness

The pressure in his skull increased. His wolf howled, wanting release from the constant onslaught of outside forces. It was restless. Angry. Desperate.

The song grew louder.

Dragos’s voice pushed harder at the dark corners of Lucian’s mind.

Unable to take another moment of it, Lucian pivoted on his heels and ran for the exterior door at the end of the hall. It dumped out at the back of the property. Perfect. The moment he set foot outside, he sensed another close. He snarled. “Teya, go inside.”

The blonde vampire stepped out of the darkness. She approached, her blue eyes wide. “Master will be most displeased.”

“Go. Back. Inside,” Lucian said between clenched teeth.

She ignored him, never having much in the way of self-preservation skills. She came closer even, her hand finding his chest. She caressed it and he caught her wrist. Her mind may have been filled with who knew what, but she was all woman.

When she wanted to be lucid, she could be. He’d known her for centuries. He was no stranger to The Weird Sisters and their bedroom requirements. He’d used them to handle his needs more times than he could count, and they’d used him as well. As an alpha, he could withstand theirfulltwisted requirements. Very few men could.

“Teya, go inside,” he commanded, having no patience for her or her antics on this night.

Teya laughed—a sound too out of place for the moment, like wind chimes clanging off-key in a thunderstorm. “You are going tohim. To the cave. To your maker.”

Was he?

Lucian hadn’t been thinking clearly when he’d run out of the manor. He’d simply wanted air. Wanted away from it all.

Teya tipped her head, watching him with eyes that saw far too much, as if she already knew what would happen next and had decided not to warn him out of spite or amusement. Onenever knew with her. “You were going to rush to the cave. To him. When you found you could not cross the threshold—as has always been the case—you would succumb, the weight of it all too much. You would find a way to meet your end.”

The possibility of being done with the nonstop onslaught held appeal.

Teya caressed his chest. “Shecan help.”

“She?”

“Baba Koreneva,” she responded flippantly.

Lucian wasn’t sure if this was real or simply one of Teya’s delusions. “The forest witch?”

Teya nodded. “She can help lessen your old master’s pull. She can help you find something close to freedom—from him. From your maker.”

Lucian noticed that she wasn’t talking in riddles. She sounded almost sane. “At what price?”

“If you want this, you will have to do something you will not like,” she said, staying close.

“What?” he asked, his jaw tightening. There was always a price. He’d learned that long ago.

“You must betray your brother—again,” said Teya, a knowing smile sliding over her face. “He will hate you for it. You will have to block him.” She touched her temple. “Mentally. He will hunt you to the ends of the earth. Should he find you…”

“W-what is it the forest witch wants me to do that would set Vlad off in such a way?” Lucian hated that he was even entertaining betraying Vlad yet again, but he couldn’t go another day—another second with Dragos in his head. It was too much, for too long.

Teya turned somewhat, directing his attention to a spot in the trees that was abnormally dark. It was as if something was there, drinking in the light, leaving nothingness behind in its wake. “You must take the girls far from here—fromhim. Youmust hide them where he will not think to look—close to those who may hate him but who would never harm innocents—no matter their feelings on him.”

Lucian knew instantly the people Teya was speaking of. “Van Helsing and the others?”

She nodded. “They have much dislike for him—some warranted, some not. But they would never harm the girls. One should be closer to them regardless.”

Lucian thought of Harker’s desperate plea for assistance. The agony in the man’s voice had moved Lucian, made him rethink so many of his choices. And when Harker had announced one of the girls was his mate…

Teya continued, cutting through his thoughts. “Dark One, you cannot return home for averylong time. Maybe not ever.”

“What interest does the forest witch have in the young women? Who are they to her?” demanded Lucian, learning long ago to question everything when it came to deal making. Especially when the deal was with the devil.

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