Declan squared his shoulders and reached for the handle. It was time to face his demons.
Ana reached for him, her fingers inches from his back, but Declan turned the latch and the door swept away. He stepped through and she followed suit.
And her mouth fell open. Literally.
Lilith’s private quarters were the most opulent, gaudy, shiny, and disturbing rooms she’d ever seen. In the middle of it, on a raised dais, was a massive bed. It was round and draped in layers of velvet and satin. Red and black seemed to be Lilith’s colors of choice, and the gauze that fell from the ceiling to embrace one half of the bed was shot through with both.
The covers were rumpled and the smell of sex permeated everything. Ana made a face and turned away but not before an image of Declan, naked on the sheets, assaulted her.
Declan was staring at her, his expression unreadable. Something flickered in his eyes, a flash of pain? Regret?
She opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. There, behind Declan, was a man chained to the wall. He was unconscious but his bindings kept him upright. She sniffed. He was human, tall, and from what Ana could see, Hollywood handsome. He looked vaguely familiar. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.
Jack something or other, an actor who’d died several months earlier. A result of too much partying and too many illicits.
What a waste.
He was naked; his torso was covered in a series of marks that were red and raw. She saw more of them along his inner thigh.
“What are those wounds?” She watched Declan closely. He paused before answering and she knew he was uncomfortable.
“Lilith is a succubus. She feeds her power through sex.” He nodded toward the unconscious man. “Those would be teeth marks.”
Ana’s gaze fell once more to the actor. “I bet he never thought this is what his end would be,” she murmured.
Declan scooped up a large dagger that had been lying on the floor. It was stained crimson. He stared at it for a moment and then tossed it to Ana. She grabbed it, held it tight. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled the putrid scent of stale blood.
Declan shrugged. “He made his bed, now he’ll be lying in Lilith’s until she grows tired of him and moves on.” His eyes narrowed. “Everyone down here has a touch of darkness in them, Ana. Don’t feel sorry for them.” He nodded toward the human. “That is no innocent, but a man who was weak and danced on the dark side. He lost and now he’s Lilith’s bitch.”
She knew he was right, but it didn’t negate the sadness of the situation. Her mind was asking questions, things about Declan’s stay that she had no right to ask.
But she had to wonder. Had her lover suffered like the human chained to the wall? She thought of the scars that adorned his chest.
I caught her eye.
His words echoed in her brain and she took a step forward, hand outstretched.
“No,” he said softly. “I can’t go there.”
Ana pulled back. “Okay. Let’s get the children.” She glanced around the large room, her gaze shifting past the gaudy furniture, the reams of clothes that adorned the floor.
Beside the bed was a table, and once again the remnants of rotting food were present, along with several bottles of wine and a plate of sweets. The flies were thick, their buzzing the only thing she heard past the beating of her heart.
“Where are they?” she asked, tearing her gaze away.
Declan answered, the sound muffled, “In here.”
She found him inside a walk-in closet that was the size of the entire main floor of her house in New Orleans. Again it was a disaster. Clothes were strewn everywhere, as were jewelry, shoes, and expensive bags of every brand known to man.
“You think she’d employ a maid,” Ana mumbled.
Declan stood before a nondescript door. It was between two large armoires.
His fists were slowly unclenching, long fingers stretching out before tightening up once again. Ana slid beside him and grabbed his hand into hers. She looked up at Declan, saw the pain though he tried to hide it, and she held his wrist against her cheek.
She didn’t say anything. It was enough to just be with him.
He gently extracted his hand from hers. It was time.