Trapped by Viper's demand to protect the lesser vampires Santiago had little choice but to offer a grudging bow.

"As you command."

He waited until they melted into the darkness, headed for the secret lair that Santiago had built when Viper had brought him here to guard the estate. They would be safe and covered by the healing earth. Which was more than he could say, he wryly acknowledged as the distant baying echoed eerily through the air.

He turned to meet Shay's troubled gaze. "The hellhounds return. We must go."

Chapter Nine

On this occasion Shay didn't protest when Viper grasped her hand and tugged her across the kitchen and through a narrow door that led to the basement.

A small miracle, but at the moment she was far more concerned with whatever was creeping closer to the house than asserting her independence.

With Levet clinging to the back of her robe, they moved in swift silence. She could vaguely make out the dark, secluded bedrooms they passed. No doubt spare bedrooms in the event Viper decided to have a sleepover.

Viper would have a room for himself, but it would not be his lair. At least not his hidden lair.

To prove her point the vampire halted before the paneling at the end of the hall. With a movement of his hand and a whispered word the paneling opened to reveal steps leading farther down into the ground.

"Through here." he whispered, waiting for them to pass so he could close the paneling behind them.

Shay could sense the curses that bound the door. They were powerful, but they wouldn't provide protection from the demon that hunted her. Not if it were truly determined to follow her.

The smell of warm, rich earth surrounded Shay as she cautiously moved down the flight of steps and entered what she assumed was Viper's lair. Once on solid ground she was forced to pause as complete darkness folded around her. Unlike Viper she didn't possess the ability to see through the murky black.

Perhaps sensing her troubles there was a sound in the dark and then the faint bloom of tight as Viper held a taper to the tall, silver candelabra.

Shay's eyes slowly adjusted as her breath caught in her throat.

"Holy crap," she breathed, her gaze traveling around the vast cavern that surrounded her. She had never seen so many weapons in one place. Long swords, short swords, daggers, ninja weapons, bows and arrows, handguns, and ancient armor were all carefully stored behind glass cases. There was even a case where she could feel the power of magically blessed weapons. "Where did these come from?"

Taking a key Viper unlocked a case to retrieve an elegant sword that he strapped to his back. He handed a dagger to the oddly silent Levet, and a sword to Shay who held it with the confidence of a woman accustomed to wielding such a weapon.

"It is part of my collection," he answered as he moved to another case and chose a small handgun that he loaded with swift ease.

Moving to stand beside him Shay shot him a glance of disbelief. "Part? Are you intending to invade Canada?"

The midnight gaze lifted to reveal a feint hint of amusement. Shay's breath disappeared at the sheer beauty of his face in the candlelight. It was almost indecent that a man should possess the face of an angel.

The eyes darkened as he felt the fine tremor that ran through her body.

"It's not on the agenda," he huffed, moving to stand far too close. "At least not for today."

There was a disgusted hiss from behind them as Levet gave a vicious tug on Shay's robe.

"I hate to interrupt such a touching scene but those hellhounds are not going to wait for you two to play kissey face. So, unless you intend to nail a chunk of roast beef to my butt and have me run around as a distraction, I would suggest we prepare for battle.";

The glare that Viper shot at the small gargoyle should have made Levet turn to stone, but he stepped back from Shay and waved them both toward the back of the room.

"They shouldn't have been capable of breeching my defenses," he muttered. "There is something with them."

Levet gave a small flutter of his wings. "Something bad."

Shay sensed it as well. A dark, creeping dread that filled the air and made it difficult to breathe. It was not yet at the door, but it was close enough to make a shiver inch down her spine.

Close enough to know that she didn't want it any closer.

She didn't want it at all.

Holding the sword in her hand she bent her knees and widened her stance. The robe had parted to reveal the long line of her legs but she barely even noticed.

Modesty was the least of her concerns at this point.

The howling of the hellhounds echoed through the air and she braced herself as they threw themselves at the door. There was a thick thud and then the sickening sound of frenzied eating as the hounds devoured one of their own that had obviously been injured.

The sound of Levet's breathing rasped beside her, but Viper was motionless. Absolutely still. Awaiting death.

Shay wasn't certain if the sight of him was comforting or terrifying.

And in truth it didn't matter as the howls returned and the door shuddered beneath the fresh assault. Wood splintered, cracked, and at last shattered beneath the writhing tide of hellhounds.

There was a moment to prepare as the beasts tried to charge in as a group and became lodged in the narrow opening. For a moment there was nothing but a black knot and the sound of howling fury. Then the dam broke and the demons poured through the doorway with deadly intent.

Bracing herself, Shay watched the first charging hellhound leap in her direction. They were fearsome creatures that stood as large as a pony with crimson eyes and fangs that dripped a corrosive acid. Thankfully, they were nearly as stupid as they were vicious and there was no strategy, no attempt to attack with a cohesive plan as they swarmed through the room.

Holding the sword in two hands she waited for the first demon to impale itself on her weapon. Teeth snapped at her face and hot blood ran down her arms as she smoothly turned and used the beast's own weight to fling it off her sword.

The dead hellhound landed in the middle of the pack and was immediately ripped apart by the rabid animals, but Shay had only a glimpse of the ghastly feeding as she continued to spin. She dipped the sword, down and then up to take off the head of the nearest hound.

Blood and the stench of dying hellhounds filled the air as Shay danced with deadly intent through the swarming mass. It had been years since she had been thrown into a full-fledged fight, but she had practiced her skills every day as she had sworn an oath to her father to do, and she found the sword moving with fluid ease through the attackers.

In the distance she was aware of Levet's grunts and fluent curses as he used his dagger to keep the demons at bay, and the swift precision as Viper waded through the room to leave behind a trail of dying hounds. Her concentration, however, had narrowed to the closest demons who charged without fear or hesitation.

She used short, controlled swings of her sword, managing to keep the beasts from her with the force of her kicks and the deadly blade.

The end came without warning.

One moment she was slicing through the throat of a hound and the next a thick silence filled the lair.

With a sigh, Shay leaned against the wall. She had a bite on the back of her calf and a deep scratch down her arm but she had survived. Never a bad thing.

Her gaze moved to ensure that Levet was still standing before moving on to the tall vampire who was calmly cleaning his sword.

Across the floor the dead and dying demons were beginning to decay to a layer of gray ash. Even the blood on Shay's arms was flaking to drift through the air.

Sliding the long sword in the sheath that was strapped to his back Viper moved to stand before her.

"Are you harmed?" he demanded.

She swallowed a weary laugh. She looked like she had been rolled through a dust pile and he stood there without a damn hair out of place.

"Nothing that won't heal," she muttered, frowning as he knelt down to examine the wound on her leg. His cool fingers sent a flash of heat through her body as they brushed over her skin. She gritted her teeth as she glared down at the gleam of his silver hair. "I'm fine."

He glanced up, his expression unreadable. "Do you heal like a human or a Shalott?"

"I don't know about Shalotts, but I heal far faster than humans."

"Are yon immune to infections?"

"Yes."

He returned his attention to the wound that had already stopped bleeding and was beginning to close over. Her inhuman strength wasn't the only reason she had been called a freak over the years. With a faint nod, he rose to his feet.

"Can you sense the demon approaching?"

Shay shivered. "Yes."

"Is it the same demon that attempted to steal you the night of the auction?"

She forced herself to concentrate. A task that would have been a lot easier if Viper had the decency to move to the other side of the room. The cool wash of his power was a distraction that she didn't need.

Sucking in a deep breath she closed her eyes and reluctantly opened herself to the approaching demon. It had taken her years to learn how to put aside her human logic and trust in the delicate senses of her demon blood. She might not understand how she could reach out and feel the essence of another, but she no longer questioned it.