Adrian (The Dark Shadows Book 4)

by Ariel Marie

  “Should we call the doctor?” Nadira asked, concern lining her face.

  “I don’t know,” Adrian said, waiting for his parents to come. There had to be some way for them to break the control the necromancers had over Angel. He refused to lose his mate. “We’ll find some way to break their hold on her.”

  “If they have taken her energy, is there any way for her to escape them?” Teague asked.

  “She’s like a sleeper cell,” Nicu snapped from behind his desk. “The minute the necromancers are ready to attack, they can activate her, and there’s no telling what they will have her do.”

  “For all we know, she’ll try to kill you, brother,” Toma said, frowning.

  “I could never hurt him,” Angel whispered, her tear-filled eyes looking around the room. “You must believe me.”

  “I know that,” Adrian assured, kneeling on the floor in front of her. His heart ached. He hated this helpless feeling of not being able to fix this problem for his young mate.

  “If what Jaxon said was true, then I would be a danger to you and your family.”

  “She’s right.” Nicu’s voice was low. “What better way to infiltrate and destroy us? They just happened to luck up taking her energy. There was no way they could have known in the past, that one day she would be the mate of a Dark Shadow warrior.”

  “I won’t hurt you,” she said, shaking her head. He could plainly see the panic building up in her eyes. His heart began to pound in his chest; he felt absolutely helpless. They had just completed their mating bond, and should still be privately celebrating, spending time getting to know one another.

  “Of course you won’t,” Adrian murmured, his hands pushing her dark hair out of her eyes.

  “I can’t stay here,” she insisted, scrambling to get up from the couch, but he blocked her.

  “You’re not leaving here,” Adrian snapped, fighting to remain calm. “We can find a way to fix this.”

  “But Nicu is right,” Angel said, when he finally allowed her to get off the couch. “You don’t know when they will activate me.”

  “I’ll take that chance,” Adrian concluded, grabbing her arm.

  “But I won’t.” The king’s voice boomed as he walked into the room with the queen right behind him.

  “What?” Adrian gasped, unable to believe his ears.

  “It’s far too dangerous,” his father continued. “Are you sure she’s really your mate?” His dark eyes locked on Angel. Unconsciously, Adrian stepped in front of Angel as the king came to stand in front of them.

  “Of course she is,” Adrian snapped, anger building up in his chest. He was flabbergasted that his father would not believe or trust in him to know his mate. “We’ve completed the bond.”

  “Until the threat of the rogue army attacking is gone, son, she needs to go,” the king stated without remorse, his dark eyes unwavering from Adrian’s. Gasps could be heard from around the room.

  “Mom, you yourself said that she was an innocent,” Adrian pleaded with the queen. He knew that his mother had to have seen the good in Angel.

  “She is an innocent, son,” the queen nodded, standing next to his father. Her eyes filled with sorrow. “But that was before learning that the necromancers can control her. Just think of what could happen if she turned on you.”

  “We would be forced to kill her,” Nicu growled, interrupting their mother. “We will not risk any harm to our brother.”

  Angel’s quick intake of breath, and the feel of her tiny hands gathering his shirt into her fist had him seeing red. How could his family turn on his mate so quickly?

  “Stop!” Angel yelled. Her eyes were wide as she stepped from behind him, holding her hands up. “No one is killing anyone. I’ll go, okay?” She looked around the room.

  “If you would let me finish what I came to say,” the king snapped, his eyes flashing crimson. “Calm down, Adrian. No one is going to harm your mate. We would never let anyone or anything harm her.” The king shot a chilling glance at Nicu.

  “But you said—

  “I said she needs to leave here. You all never let me finish,” the king said, looking around the room at his children and wife. “Adrian, we are happy that you have your mate. You children know that I have been fighting for you to have the right to mate with whom fate has decided to be your other half.

  “When Nadira first found Cooper, your mother and I were ecstatic that one of our children had finally made the eternal commitment to someone. A fated mate was all we ever wished for our children, but never knew it would really happen.”

  “Then Toma mated with Anika,” the queen continued, taking the hand of his father. “I have to say, we did not see that one coming.”

  A few chuckles could be heard around the room. No one saw that relationship coming. They were all in shock when it finally came to light. Adrian grabbed Angel’s hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her to tuck her into his side. Relief washed over him, almost like a burden was being lifted from his shoulders.

  “But Anika was already family to us. We are willing to accept any mate that the fates have designed. Who would have known the fates would have given Teague a Valkyrie demigoddess as a mate?” The queen’s warm eyes circled the room, sending love out to each one of her children. “What my mate was trying to say, dear child,” her eyes landed on Angel, “is that we are overjoyed that Adrian has found his mate. But we need to be cautious, and protect not only him, but you as well.”

  “We are going to send you to the Fae to see if there is anything they can do to remove the hold that the necromancers have put upon you,” the king finished. Adrian nodded at that plan. The Fae were just as strong as the necromancers, if not stronger, and thankfully, they were one of the vampire’s allies.

  “Okay,” Angel breathed as she straightened to her full height. “Whatever I need to do, I’ll do it.”

  “Then that’s settled,” the king announced, grasping Adrian by the shoulder. “Have more faith in me, son.”

  Adrian nodded, unable to speak around the lump in his throat. He was ashamed that he even thought that his family would turn on him. He brought Angel to him in a crushing hug.

  “I’m going with you,” he murmured into her ear as she returned the hug.

  His eyes met his older brother’s over Angel’s head. Nicu offered a short nod, and Adrian knew that was as close to an apology as he would get from the Dark Shadows leader.

  “All will be right in the world,” Teague joked. “Aven will fix Angel, we’ll kick some rogue and necro ass, then the fates will send Nicu his mate.”

  Everyone in the room broke out into laughter, except Nicu.

  Chapter 14

  Angel

  Angel remained quiet in the truck as she was driven to meet a Fae. She had heard stories of the powerful Fae. She was literally bouncing on the inside at her excitement. She couldn’t believe that she was about to meet a magical creature from another realm, and he was going to help her.

  She was still in shock at the fact that the necromancers had siphoned some of her energy, but then, she wasn’t too surprised. She would have at least thought she would have felt as if a part of her was missing. The first few months after she was turned was a blur for her; she barely remembered anything. But, according to what she was taught, it was like that for all neophytes, or new vampires.

  She glanced out the window, watching the downtown scenery fly by. Angel thought it was strange that they were in the middle of downtown, pulling up to an expensive high-rise condo building. She strained her neck to look up at the building from her perch in the truck. She knew the area well, and knew that this was a very exclusive building, a place she would never be able to afford even a cup of coffee in from the coffee shop in the lobby, much less live in.

  “We’re here,” Viktor said, parking the truck in the valet section. A couple of valets ran out to the truck to open their doors. Angel got out, and instantly felt out of place as the valets scrambled, once they saw Ad
rian. Adrian came around to her side to grab her hand, and pulled her along behind him.

  “Stop it,” he muttered.

  “Stop what?” she asked, confused, as the building’s double doors opened automatically.

  “Thinking that you’re beneath me,” he said. He pulled her closer as they walked through the lobby. All the vampires nodded their heads to acknowledge their prince, while the humans curiously looked at them, wondering who he was.

  “Are you reading my mind or something?” she questioned, as Viktor hit the call button for the elevator.

  “I don’t read minds, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have to because it’s written all over your face,” he acknowledged. She looked up at him and saw the sincerity of what he said. “You are mated to a prince, and you, my dear, are now a princess. Get used to it.”

  The elevator doors opened, and Adrian motioned for her to enter first. Once inside, Viktor informed the attendant of their destination.

  “The penthouse,” Viktor said, positioning himself in front of the door as it closed. She could tell that he was always ready for combat. His stance in front of the door let Angel know that he was ensuring that no one would enter the elevator.

  “Yes, sir,” the elevator attendant said before hitting the correct button. Her eyes widened, as she had never been in a building that had to have someone stationed in the elevator just to hit the buttons for the guests.

  “Will he know what to do with me?” Angel whispered, holding tight to Adrian’s arm.

  “Aven is a very old Fae. If he doesn’t, he will know who can help us,” Adrian replied, pulling her closer to his well-toned body.

  The feel and smell of him calmed her fears. Ever since they had bonded to each other, she could sense him over the link that had developed between them. They were emotionally connected to each other. They could feel each other’s anger, pain, and pleasure. She had heard that mates at one point in the relationship would be able to speak to each other through their minds without having to voice anything out loud.

  “He is to be trusted.” Viktor’s deep voice cut through her thoughts. “We have worked with him for a long time.”

  “And he knows why we need him?” she asked.

  “Yes, we wouldn’t have been allowed into the building had he not known that we were coming,” Adrian confirmed, as the elevator announced their arrival to the penthouse floor.

  Her heart sped up, as she didn’t know what to expect from the powerful Fae creature. She wondered if he looked like the ones portrayed on television, or in the movies. Would he be small with wings, or would he be tall with pointy ears?

  They stepped off the elevator and into a small hallway, and waited while Viktor tipped the attendant. They continued down a short hallway that was elegantly decorated with items that Angel was sure cost more than she made in six months at the nightclub.

  They stopped in front of the door, and before Adrian could knock, the door slowly opened. A young, beautiful woman with long blonde hair and bright green eyes appeared with a smile.

  “Prince Adrian,” the woman said in greeting, nodding her head. “He has been waiting for you. Please, come in.”

  She ushered them into the magnificent apartment, that opened into a large living area. The kitchen and dining areas were adjacent to the stunning living room. The apartment was adorned with all the finest décor and electronics that money could buy.

  Angel instantly let go of Adrian’s hand and rushed to the windows. The view was absolutely breathtaking. She could see the city for miles in one direction, and she jogged to the other wall to see the view of the lake in the other direction.

  There were barely any clouds in the crisp blue sky. The windows were so clear that she felt as if she could reach out and pluck one of the seagulls that were flying out in the distance. She hadn’t realized how far up they were until she gazed out the window. Thank goodness she wasn’t afraid of heights.

  “I see someone is in love with the view,” a new voice said, gaining her attention. A tall, well-built man with long dark hair, tied at the nape of his neck, stood at the entry of the hallway and living space.

  “It’s beautiful,” Angel breathed.

  This must be the Fae who would be helping her. Her eyes widened as she took him in. His face was beautiful, almost like one of those male runway models. His build was that of a swimmer, tall and lean, while his appearance was that of a young male in his early thirties. But his eyes gave away that he was much older.

  “Aven, it’s good to see you again. I wish I could say it was for a happier occasion,” Adrian said, meeting the Fae in the middle of the living room to shake his hand.

  “It’s still a pleasure,” Aven said. “It is an honor to work with the vampires.”

  “We really do appreciate all that you have done for us,” Adrian praised, motioning for her to come to him.

  “And Viktor, it’s been a while,” Aven smiled, shaking the other vampire’s hand. “And who is this beautiful vampire female you have brought me?” Aven turned his eyes toward Angel, as she made it to Adrian’s side.

  “Aven, I would like for you to meet my mate, Angel.”

  “It’s a pleasure.” Aven took her hand and kissed the back of it.

  “Thank you for welcoming me into your home,” she said with a smile. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the Fae’s smile turn into a frown. He pulled back, but he did not release her hand. Instead, he flipped her hand over, and began to study her palm.

  “What is it?” Adrian asked, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

  “I can sense the power of the necromancers inside of her,” Aven observed, before releasing her hand.

  “That’s why we brought her to you,” Adrian said, concern lining his face.

  “I know. It was told to me that they took her energy.” He motioned for them to have a seat on the leather couches. Adrian and Angel took the loveseat, sitting close together, while Viktor sat on the larger couch. Aven paced in front of them with his hands behind his back. “We are not to be disturbed,” he relayed to the female who opened the door. She nodded her head before leaving the room.

  Angel shot Adrian a worried look as she gripped his hand. He patted her hand before turning his attention back to the Fae.

  “Let me back up. When a necromancer consumes a subject’s energy, they take a part of that person. The energy feeds the necromancer, just as a vampire needs blood from a donor. If they consume all the subject’s life force, then they will extinguish that person’s internal light, therefore killing them, and with that, they gain great power. Once the soul leaves the body, the necromancer can have total control of the subject’s body, hence, the versi. But, with Angel, something is different.” Aven glanced at Angel with a worried look.

  “What do you mean different?” Adrian asked, his voice firm. “Can you help her?”

  “This is different because normally, the necromancers take. They do not put their power inside of a host.”

  Angel couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her. The necromancers put their power inside of her? She didn’t feel any different. She stared down at her open palms as Aven had done, not seeing anything weird or strange about them.

  “Can you remove it?” Adrian growled, bringing her back to the conversation.

  “I believe I can, but I can’t promise that it won’t hurt.” Aven looked at Angel with a somber look.

  She knew that she could never go back to working with the rogues, and would never side with the necromancers. Over the years, she had seen first-hand the destruction that the rogues had caused. Even though she had been gone from that scene for the last five years, she didn’t turn a blind eye to what she’d heard on the streets. Her neighborhood alone opened her eyes to what really happened in the dark world.

  Once word spread that the necromancers were back, and wanted to take out the vampires, she knew that the rogues would side with them. It was like the age-old question, ‘Is the enemy of my enemy my friend’?


  So it didn’t surprise her when she heard rumors while working in the nightclub of the rogues increasing their attacks on humans and vampires. That was why she stayed to herself. She didn’t want to be forced back into that world.

  She glanced back at Adrian, noting that his eyes were on her. His beautiful ice blue eyes concentrated on her, as if trying to read what she was feeling. She knew in that moment, that she would do whatever it took in order to spend eternity with him. But if it failed, she would run. She would get far away from him. She refused to do him any harm.

  “I’ll do it,” she said, turning toward Aven. “Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it.”

  Chapter 15

  Adrian

  His mate was so brave, and his chest filled with pride as he gazed upon her. Angel stood at the window of the bedroom that Aven had assigned them. She was to stay with the Fae until the necromancer spell could be broken. They may have only just been mated, but he refused to leave his little mate’s side. Where she went, he went.

  She had been left alone in life far too long, and he refused to have her feel abandoned by him. He would stay with her through the whole ordeal, and if it didn’t work, they would find someone else that would be able to help them.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind, bringing her back against his chest.

  He needed to feel her in his arms. He could feel her body shiver as he nuzzled her neck. He loved the smell of her, and discovering all there was to his pint-sized mate. Once this was all over, he promised that they would go away for a while, just the two of them, so that they could properly get to know each other in every way.

  “What if this doesn’t work?” she asked quietly, not taking her eyes off the scenery outside their window. If it hadn’t been for his face in the crook of her neck, he may not have heard what she asked.

  “You have to be confident in Aven. He is a very powerful Fae.”