Dancing with the Devil (Nikki & Michael 1)

Evil danced around her. When my creatures bring you to me, I will make you mine . Jasper's thoughts were soft, as if spoken from a great distance.

No! She lashed out blindly with kinetic energy, fighting the strength of the creature holding her. Though wrenched away, another quickly replaced it. Dimly, she felt the warm touch of blood on her cheek, heard a distant scream of anger not her own.

Then nothing but mocking laughter.

Chapter Nine

A slight hiss was all the warning he got. Michael dodged, but not fast enough. The dart hit his forearm, and spread fire through his veins. Silver ... the dart tip was made of silver . Swearing softly, he wrenched it from his arm. The zombies were close, moving down a tunnel that ran parallel to his. Monica was still ahead, still running away.

It made no sense. The wind sighed past him, velocity increasing with every second. A train approached. They were running out of time. He turned and headed back.

He'd barely taken a dozen steps when dizziness hit him. He staggered for several seconds then stopped, pressing his palm against the tunnel wall. It was real and solid, and most importantly, not moving. Frowning, he squinted into the darkness. Ahead, Nikki and Jake were blurred shapes; a muted wash of red he could barely see.

He blinked and swallowed. There was a bitter taste in his mouth, and it had nothing to do with fear. The dart had been drugged!

The zombies came out of hiding. Nikki screamed and energy seared the air. Something hit the side of his head. Michael dropped to his knees, battling to stay conscious as the night danced around him. Moisture ran down the side of his face. He licked it, tasting his own blood. The darkness within him rose, a demon that battled the lethargy overtaking his mind. He struggled upright, knowing time was running out. The train was almost upon them. He had to find Nikki and get out of this tunnel.

Her life force burned fiercely through the darkness. Her fear filled his soul and became his own. Michael lunged towards her, but his legs felt encased in glue. He couldn't move with any sort of speed. Jasper's distant laughter mocked him. Then darkness claimed the fire of Nikki's life force, taking her from his sight.

Taking the warmth of her thoughts from his mind.

He swore and swung around to meet the rush of a zombie.

Punching the creature in the face, he knocked it back several feet. It landed on its rear, shaking its head and growling in confusion. He turned and ran forward.

Jake was gamely battling against a second creature. Michael leaped, kicking it away, sending it staggering across the track. Grabbing Jake, he thrust him into the safety of the hole, and dived in after him. Two seconds later, the train screeched past, whirling dust and rubbish through the darkness. Coughing, he pushed upright and leaned against the grimy wall. The sighing wind was cool, but it failed to provide any sort of comfort. He closed his eyes and sent his senses winging back across the darkness. There had to be some trace of Nikki...

Nothing. The drug slowing his responses played no part in his inability to find her. The zombies were easy enough to sense, huddled in tight balls just down the track. Hope the bloody train severs their heads ... He took a deep breath.

So. As he'd foreseen, Nikki had been captured. He had no doubt Jasper would kill her. Then he would be forced to re-kill her, just to give her the peace of absolute death. He'd known it was a possibility, but it wasn't one he was ready to face. Not now, not ever. He clenched his fists in the dirt, then slowly released them. What was the life of one more human if he gained Jasper's death?

The thought chilled him, and for the first time in years, he wondered at the cost of his quest—both to himself and to others close to him. People like Nikki, who was by no means close, and yet could have been, had either of them wished it.

He rubbed a hand across his eyes. She wasn't dead yet, at least he had the comfort—or maybe that should be discomfort—of that knowledge. The connection she'd formed between them wasn't severed, just empty.

He wondered what Jasper was waiting for. He wanted Nikki's power, of that Michael had no doubt. The only way he could claim it was in her death.

"Where's Nikki?” Jake's question rasped across the silence. Michael opened his eyes and studied him. The red haze of his blood heat was a muted glow in the night. Purple patches marred his face and torso, bruises in the making, but otherwise, he appeared unhurt.

"Gone. Jasper has her,” Michael replied flatly. He blinked and switched his vision back to normal. The return of darkness was, in some ways, a blessing.

"Why the hell didn't you make her stay behind?” Jake demanded angrily. “You knew what this man was like, yet you let her come with us. It's your damn fault she's gone."

"You're her boss. Why didn't you forbid it?” Although Michael understood Jake's anger was merely his way of coping with the situation, he couldn't keep the edge of annoyance from his voice. Jake lowered his gaze. “I'm her boss, yes. But damn it, you care for her!" Michael stared at him in surprise. Where in hell had Jake gotten that idea? He barely knew Nikki, and while it was true there was definitely an attraction between them, he had no intention of acting on it. And by all indications, neither would she.

"What I may or may not feel gives me no right to force her to do anything against her will.” And despite his noble words, he knew that had he been able to enter her mind and force her to remain behind, he would have. Even if it meant breaking his vow.>"Nikki?” Jake asked.

She shook her head and turned away, staring out the window again. Michael pulled a chair across to Jake's desk and tried to close himself off from the pain he could feel in her thoughts. But he had a notion it was not his night to win—in any way.

* * * *

Nikki crossed her arms and leaned wearily against a metal signpost. Jake and Michael were standing several yards in front of her, barely visible through the mist of rain. She wondered why Monica had chosen a train tunnel to hide in. There had to be more secure places about. And surely a child raised in opulent surroundings could never be comfortable with the dirt and constant noise inside the tunnel.

Not to mention the high probability of being seen, or even caught. The area was a well-known haunt for street kids. Her gang had often dared each other to race through the tunnels just as a train was due. She had no doubt kids still did today. Some brainless stunts never went out of fashion. And unless it had changed in the last ten years, there weren't many hiding holes inside. So why come here?

Maybe Michael was right. Maybe another trap waited for them. Yet she had no sense of the evil that came with Jasper's presence, only Monica. She wrapped her fingers around the locket. The metal pulsed lightly—a single beat every few minutes. Monica's heartbeat, she knew. Jake snapped the timetable closed. She walked across to the two of them. “What's the verdict?" He shrugged. “Near as we can figure, there's no train due for at least half an hour."

"I hope you're right. There's damn little room to move in there with a train going through." Jake grimaced and studied the sky. “It's not going to get much brighter. Not with all this rain."