Lead Me Astray

Original Edition: CHAPTER 30 - AURIE

He was dressed in a blue business suit that fit like it was tailormade. The rainy weather didn't ruffle him any more than it did me. But he took the umbrella and held it over us both after easily catching up with me.

"Isn't it past your curfew?" I snapped.

"Yes. I have to admit, you have me acting out of character. Tell me why you're not happy. Didn't I deliver what you wanted?" When I didn't reply, he added, "Well, I guess we have all day. I'm only risking sunlight."

I stopped and glared at him. "You didn't mention the sacrifice."

"It seemed self-evident," Darcy laughed. "How else did you expect your disembodied Soul to return to the face of the earth? Of course, you need a body."

"I prefer my own, thanks." I took off again.

"We should talk. Give me five minutes of your time." He extended an arm, gesturing toward his vehicle. I glanced up. The sky was getting lighter.

"I don't trust you. You could drive off with me," I said.

"I'll make the driver stand in the rain, poor chap. I promise I won't spirit you away."

I gnawed my lip, knowing I shouldn't go, but he could answer my questions. What he wanted with Haley, for example. I couldn't ask that. According to Zyr, the vampire had no clue he was after my sister.

When the clouds shifted, and a tiny amount of sunlight made him visibly uncomfortable, I hurried back to the car. "Get in," I growled. He folded his tall, muscular frame into the backseat and closed the door behind us. The interior smelled of leather and cognac. The tinted window blotted out the sky. It was fearfully cozy.

"Thank you for your kindness. Rather unexpected, for someone who assumes I murdered them," Darcy said with a smile. The rain came down harder, and I guiltily pictured the driver in the downpour.

"I'm beginning to think nothing in Overlay City is that cut-and-dried. Now, why do you want me resurrected? Hurry up," I replied.

"Are you ready for more honesty? Because I'll warn you in advance, I tell the unvarnished truth. It isn't pretty."

I crossed my arms. "You want to waste time with a preamble?"

"I did drug you," he admitted.

"Okay, we're done here. You don't have anything new to tell me." I reached for the door, but what Darcy said next stopped me dead in my tracks.

"I drugged you because you were supposed to be the sacrifice."

"What are you talking about?" A chill ran down my spine.

"I have a special someone, dear. To be blunt, they needed you in order to extend their usefulness to me. In a twist, you enchanted me. This may sound cliché, but I've only had eyes for you ever since that party."

"Well, I no longer have that body, so?" I tried to play it tough, but my voice was pitchy.

The vampire casually lifted a shoulder. "Bodies are interchangeable. I would know. I get bored with old toys."

"And you switch them out? That's what you were gonna do with me and your 'special someone'? How utilitarian and entitled!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Darcy gave a closed-lip grin and draped an arm along the back of the seat. "I warned you I tell the truth. Since your unfortunate accident, watching you in Overlay City has made me certain you're the one I want."

"I'm not something you can own, Mr. Cyprian."

"No, of course not," he said as he touched my hair. "You're not like my pets. I'm offering much more than that." He stared at me with worshipful green eyes, and my skin crawled. He seemed like the type to keep a shrine in his closet. Or, worse, the object of his affections locked away.

Shrinking, I asked, "How did you even find me here?"

"Detective Zyr has a knack for sniffing out the paranormal. I followed his nose. Of course, I thought he'd be smarter, but werewolves aren't exactly known for their big brains. After all, he took you out last night as bait, as if I wouldn't taste the vampire hunter weaponry on the very air. It was a naked set-up," he sneered derisively.

"Underestimate him, if you want, but Zyr is smarter than you think. He wants you behind bars, and he'll figure out a way to make that happen."

"No, he wants me punished, dear heart. There's a difference. Don't fall for the cur," Darcy pined. "Do you think he cares what happens to you? You're dead to him. Ravani has been after me for years, and you're his perfect pawn. If you choose to be. You have other options."

I squirmed, wishing his words didn't fill me with such uneasiness. Whatever the detective's hang-ups, he was one of the good guys. Be that as it may, the vampire brought a fair point. If Zyr had suspected someone might be following him—which was the whole reason I was in hiding in the first place—why had he kept coming back to the cathedral? I knew he badly wanted an arrest, but enough to use me?

I jerked my head to clear the thought. "Your five minutes are up, Darcy."

"But, dear heart, I haven't told you the best part about Resurrection."

"What's the best part?" I grimaced.

"What's in it for you."