by Ariel Marie
“You’re going to stay here with me?” she asked, turning in his arms.
“Rogues couldn’t tear me away,” he answered, tipping her chin so he could claim her mouth.
He couldn’t keep his hands off her. It had been too long since he was able to kiss her, or even hold her the way he wanted to. Earlier, when he thought that his family was kicking her out, he was ready to fight them all for her. He refused to be separated from the other half of his soul.
His jeans grew tight as she moved closer to him to reach her hands up to tangle them in his hair. The feel of her smaller tongue dueling with his, and the sounds that she made as he palmed her breast drove him crazy. He squeezed her mound, loving how it filled his hand perfectly. A moan escaped her again. He needed her.
Now.
He gently lifted her up in air, not breaking their kiss. He laid her across their bed gently, following her down to settle in between her legs.
“Adrian.” She moaned his name as he scraped his fangs against her throat.
He needed to feed, and he was sure she would need blood too. Since they had mated, they would no longer need to feed from donors; they could feed off each other. It would be a choice to feed from a donor, but it would no longer be a necessity. “Do we have time?”
“Shit,” he groaned, thrusting his jean clad erection against her warmth. “We can make time.” She wrapped her legs around his waist.
He pulled her shirt up, exposing her plump mounds in her almost sheer bra. He could see her dark areolas through the little material, and just looking at her caused him to curse. She was absolutely beautiful.
A knock at the door sounded and their eyes met. A sad smile crossed her face as he rolled his eyes and cursed. “It’s okay,” she said softly.
“I swear, I will kill whoever is on the other side of that fucking door,” he muttered, rolling off of her.
He stood and walked over to the door, looking back and finding Angel walking into the en suite bathroom, trying to fix her hair. He smiled to himself, loving how his hands felt in that long dark hair. He adjusted himself before he opened the door, and found the female Fae who had greeted them when they first arrived.
“Your luggage,” she said, nodding to the young bellhop. He opened the door, waving the young human male into their bedroom. He quickly delivered and sat down the luggage before heading out. “No need to tip. We’ve taken care of it,” the female Fae informed with a nod when he reached for his wallet.
“Thanks,” he replied, before closing the door.
“Who was it?” Angel asked, stepping back out of the bathroom, her hair combed and flowing down her back again.
“They dropped off our luggage.”
“But I don’t own that much,” she claimed, staring at the luggage in awe.
“Looks like my sister has went shopping for you. You are officially part of the family now.”
“This just wasn’t what I imagined when you said that we were going to be meeting with a Fae,” Angel whispered to him as they walked down the hallway toward the common area in Aven’s condo.
“What do you mean?” Adrian smiled down at Angel’s wide-eyed look. He knew what she meant, but couldn’t help but goad her a little.
“I have never even seen anyone from Faery before, and I thought we were going to some magical place deep inside the forest or something.”
“You aren’t the first person who would have thought that,” Aven said as they entered the living room. “But this apartment is very magical.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you,” Angel quickly apologized.
“No offense taken,” Aven chuckled. “This condo is not where I usually stay. I use it only when I am here in the human realm. Being up this high in the sky has its advantages.” He motioned for them to follow him down the hallway on the opposite side of the living room.
“And what is that?” Adrian asked. Even for him, this was his first time in the Fae’s home, and didn’t want to say he was shocked too by the fancy apartment.
“We are closer to the heavens up here. That’s why I need the penthouse. Close to the heavens, and an easy way to access a portal from up here without anyone suspecting a thing.” He stopped in front of a heavy wooden door.
Aven slid a key out of his jean pocket and inserted it into the lock. He turned the key and the air became filled with the sounds of multiple clicks unlocking, before the door was released from the doorjamb.
“Please, follow me,” Aven said, stepping through the door.
Adrian and Angel’s eyes met briefly in amazement before Adrian stepped through the door first, pulling Angel behind him. They walked into what looked like an older cabin, set back in the early seventeenth century. Aven shut the door behind them.
“Where are we?” Angel’s voice was soft as she took in the surroundings that were completely different from the condo.
“We are in Faery,” Aven answered. “If I am to try to break a strong necromancer’s hold on you, then I need the earthly power of Faery to help me.”
“I’ve never been out of the country, much less travel to a different realm!” Angel exclaimed with wide eyes.
Adrian could see the wonder and excitement in her eyes as she looked around the outdated cabin. In one corner stood a small clean cot, just big enough for one person. He quietly observed her as she wandered over to the large wood-burning fireplace, that even had a black kettle suspended over an empty space where a pile of firewood should be. The cabin was bare, except for the basic essentials that would be needed for someone living in the eighteenth century.
“Please, have a seat.” Aven motioned to the round wooden table and chairs that sat in the middle of the room.
Aven walked over to the cabinets and pulled out a few items as they took their seats. The cabin was drenched in silence as they watched him leave, only to return with a few pieces of firewood to start a fire beneath the kettle.
He poured water into the kettle and began brewing some sort of concoction. The faint aroma of lavender and sage filled the air, but he couldn’t distinguish any other smells that also filled the room. Before long, Aven brought Angel a small tin cup filled with the brew that he had made.
“Drink this, dear,” Aven said.
Angel’s eyes shot to his at first. Adrian nodded to her, as he knew that he had no reason not to trust Aven.
“It is a tea that will relax her a little, so that when I access her memories, I won’t cause her any pain.” Aven motioned to the cup.
A few minutes later, Angel sat the empty cup down on the table. “I’m ready,” she said, wiping her hand along her pant leg.
Adrian could tell that she was growing nervous. He could feel her pulse quicken deep within him, and knew it to be her heart rate speeding up.
“When this is over, we are going on a trip, you and I,” he said, grabbing her hand.
“Huh?” she questioned, her eyes drooping.
“A secluded vacation, the human version of a honeymoon, once all of this is settled,” he promised her, watching her head nod slightly. He walked around the table and picked her up from her chair before she slid out.
“Here,” Aven said quietly, pointing toward the cot. “Lay her here. You can sit at the foot of the bed. I’ll need to sit next to her. This may take a while.”
Chapter 16
Angel
“Neophytes, line up for inspection,” a large rogue snarled, his deep scar along the right side of his face deepening as he frowned. Angel quickly lined up with the other newly turned vampires. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked around the room.
She, along with nine other newly turned vampires, had been kept in an old abandoned warehouse for the past couple weeks. It had started out as fifteen, but five neophytes had gone completely full blown rogue, much to the pleasure of the rogue vampires.
Angel shivered at the memory of watching them starve the new vampires of blood. Since being turned a month ago, she’d had cravings for blood, muc
h to her chagrin. Her and the other neophytes were all once human, and all tricked into helping a stranger who in turn, attacked them and left them for dead.
Angel had yet to find out who it was that turned her. Her only memory was that of a rogue named Jaxon had found her and brought her back to this makeshift compound. She had barely seen him since. Occasionally, she would catch him watching her and the others as they were trained to feed, use their vampiric powers, and get their bodies used to the sunlight again.
The rogues were trying to make all the new recruits go completely rogue. Completely rogue meant that the vampire would have no true concept of anything but the bloodlust that made them a true killing machine.
She had heard that they were going to split the groups of five over time, and try to make them lose their sanity. The first five went three days ago, and Angel could still hear their screams echo in her head today.
She closed her eyes as the rogue vampire walked down the line, inspecting them one by one. She was the smallest of the group, and they had taken to calling her the runt of the litter. She wasn’t catching on as the others were. She was not the best fighter, and she still had a hard time trying to feed from a fresh source. The only thing she had going for her was her speed. She could outrun all the new vampires.
“So, runt, you’re still here,” the vampire rogue said, breathing down into her face. She was afraid to look him in the eye, so she stared straight ahead at his chest. She didn’t want to give him any reason to think that she was challenging him. The last neophytes who made that mistake were still limping a day later.
“Yes, sir,” she said softly.
“You five, follow me,” he said.
She looked up to find him pointing to her and four others. She gulped as she slowly followed him out of the warehouse, and toward the building located behind the main one that they stayed in. She knew where they were going. This building was where they attempted to make the neophytes turn rogue. Her hands trembled as she stepped inside the smaller building.
A sharp tug at the base of her neck caused her to cringe from the slight pressure of being pulled out of her dream. Her eyes were too heavy to open. The pain increased slightly, causing her to fidget. She didn’t know what was going on. She tried to open her eyes again, but it was as if someone had glued her eyelids shut.
She could hear the slight murmuring of a deep voices, but couldn’t make out any of the words. She felt herself being tugged in another direction, and the murmuring slowly disappeared as she fell back inside of the black abyss.
She opened her eyes and found herself strapped down on top of a cold metal table. A large skylight was built into the roof of the building. Panic began to set in, making it harder for her to catch her breath. She could still hear the screams of the other neophytes that had been in the room as they went full rogue. So far, she seemed to be the only one that survived the rogues’ cruel forms of torture, and remained unchanged.
“The runt is a strong one,” the scarred rogue noted, speaking to someone she couldn’t see.
“Her mind is strong. No matter what you do, she won’t go full rogue,” an unfamiliar voice said.
“I can break her. I know I can,” the rogue voice hardened with determination. “Give me more time.”
“No, leave her be. We’ll soon need that rogue army that you promised us,” the other voice said. “I have a plan. Give me five minutes alone with her. She is the type of vampire that we have been searching for. She will be the future of rogue vampires, and our army will be unstoppable.”
Angel was pulled out of the memory. Her body felt weightless, as if she were floating through time. She felt a soft brush across her brain again. She twitched as the light touch morphed into a deep burning sensation.
A tugging sensation began at the base of her skull, causing a sharp pain. A moan resonated from within her as the sensation intensified. She struggled to move away from the pain, but her body was frozen in place. A scream built up in her, and the pain was instantly snatched away.
“Angel, open your eyes,” a voice called out to her.
~Adrian~
He couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t watch her struggle with Aven’s extraction techniques. The tea that she drank seemed to be wearing off. Aven explained that he needed to delve deep into her psyche first, to try to find her memories, so he could pinpoint when the insertion of necromancer magic occurred.
Her eyes continued to flutter as her head thrashed on the pillow, while Aven continued to mutter words in his native language. The speed in which Aven spoke increased as he laid his hand upon her head. Her face flushed as a groan tore from her throat. Sweat lined her shirt, while her tiny hands clenched into small fists.
“You’re hurting her,” Adrian growled, unable to withstand watching his mate writhe in pain.
Aven held up a finger, as if asking for one more moment. The light dimmed in the room as Aven’s voice deepened, as he continued to chant in his language. Adrian stood at the foot of the bed, ready to knock Aven away from Angel, but he didn’t know what kind of connection was linking the Fae to his tiny mate. Her chest moved at an unbelievable rate as she tried to catch her breath. If she were awake, he would be afraid that she would hyperventilate and pass out.
“Aven,” he called the Fae’s name sharply, snapping him out of his trance. Aven turned his attention to Angel before slowly removing his hand from her head.
“Angel, open your eyes,” Aven commanded.
Her eyes fluttered, before finally opening. “Adrian?” she called out franticly, her eyes searching the room for him.
“I’m right here,” he answered, brushing past Aven to sit on the cot next to her.
Her honey brown eyes were wide with fear as they clashed with his. He grabbed her hand to help, wanting to comfort her, to lend her what strength he could pass onto her.
“Is it gone?” she asked, her eyes searching for Aven.
Aven turned back to them with a grim look on his face. “I’m afraid not. I was able to dive deep into your memories, but I wasn’t able to go as far back as I wanted to. How long ago were you attacked?”
“Ten years ago,” she whispered, her grip on Adrian’s hand tight.
“Ten years ago. Hmm… Do you remember when they took you to a small building?”
“The building where they forced the new vampires to go rogue?” she whispered, nodding her head. “That was right before I escaped.”
“That’s when the necromancer implanted the spell into the depths of your psyche.” He turned his sad eyes to Adrian. “Your mind was too strong for them to force you to go completely rogue, so instead, they decided to force their magic into you.”
“Can you remove it?” Put me under again. Take it out! Don’t worry about the pain. Please!” she shouted, just as Adrian dragged her to him and wrapped her in his arms. Her body was wracked with sobs as she buried her face into Adrian’s chest. “Get it out.”
“Can you?” he asked the Fae quietly, who looked away for a moment.
“No, I can’t,” Aven admitted, shaking his head.
Adrian’s heart plummeted. Shit. What else could they do? He refused to lose his mate; he’d just found her. He knew that if she were taken from this world, that he would willingly follow her.
“Do you know someone powerful enough who can?” Adrian asked, desperate for an answer.
They were running out of time. The Shadows knew that the necromancers were building their rogue army, and there was no telling when they would attack, much less activate any or all of their sleeper cell rogues.
“I can try to contact her,” Aven replied with a nod. “But, we will need time. She is a very powerful elemental, and I’ll need time to find her.”
“Please,” Adrian begged, gripping Angel tighter to his chest as her small body continued to shake. “Whatever you need to do, please, do it.”
Aven nodded his head, with sadness clouding his eyes. “I had a mate once.” He paused and turned away, but not be
fore Adrian witnessed the tortured look in his eyes. “I will do everything in my power to help your mate, Adrian. I will do this for you.”
Chapter 17
Angel
There is no hope for me, Angel thought to herself, as she stared out of the oversized, floor to ceiling windows of their bedroom. The midnight sky was starless, the only twinkle of lights she could see were from the city below.
She felt so helpless, knowing that at any moment, a necromancer could snap his fingers and she would be under his complete control. She couldn’t—no, wouldn’t hurt Adrian. She would rather die than harm her mate.
The cool window supported her forehead as she leaned against it, lost in her thoughts.
She could run.
Leave and put as much distance as she could between her and the Olaru family. She would just be a distraction to Adrian as he fought alongside the other Dark Shadows in the war against the necromancers.
A lone tear made its way down her cheek at the thought of leaving Adrian. She knew she had no other choice in order to keep him safe. The sound of the door opening and closing behind her reached her ears. She could sense that it was Adrian. Her body had become so in tune with his, that she could sense it was Adrian without turning to look.
His warm arms surrounded her and pulled her back into his muscular frame. The smell of him engulfed her as he nuzzled her neck, his lips leaving a trail of kisses. Angel could feel his hardness press against her bottom as he pulled her back, closer to him.
Angel closed her eyes, getting lost in the moment, just as his hands unbuttoned her jeans. She could already feel herself growing slick with need as Adrian’s finger slid between her folds. She gasped when he swiped his finger across her swollen nub. Angel knew that she would never be able to deny him anything, so she spread her legs wider, trying to give Adrian better access, but found herself restricted by her jeans.
“Clothes off,” he murmured in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Without another word, he helped her out of her clothes.