“What? I don’t have a mate,” Drake insisted as he picked her up. “I’ll find a healer. Stop talking, save your strength.”
“It will take centuries, but she’ll help you control your power,” Arya whispered, then her body went limp.
“No, little sister. You can’t leave me.” Tears spilled down Drake’s cheeks. “No!” he moaned.
Without thinking, Charlie wrapped her arms around him, hugging him from behind. “I’m so sorry, Drake,” she murmured. “I had no idea.” She rested her head against his back.
He tensed then reached up to grasp her hand as she became solid.
Charlie saw movement, turned as Daron came at them with the sword. She gasped. “Behind you!”
So this is the killer.
Drake didn’t seem to hear as the sword came down on him.
Light blurred around the room as Charlie’s body shifted between corporeal and incorporeal. She hadn’t stayed incorporeal for this long before it had taken its toll. Damn it, she couldn’t be seen. The fight with Myles had already drained her of a lot of energy. She dove into the nearest energy source she could find, Drake.
Whoa, weird, she thought as she settled inside him. She now had complete control over his body. She dodged the blow. “Why you are doing this?” she demanded in Drake’s voice, dodging again.
“Because I’m tired of waiting for power,” Daron snarled, swinging the sword again.
Okay, you are so going down. She blocked his blow, grabbed the sword, then flipped it so she held the blade then hit him on the back of the head with the hilt. I should kill you, you bastard! Lightning flashed as a strange mist filled the air. Now what’s happening?
Charlie leapt from Drake’s body as the bolt hit him in the chest, a massive surge of power jolting through him.
He’s become the Akaran, she realised.
Drake blinked, bewildered as he stared at his bloodied hands. “What have I done?” he muttered. “Did I do this? Gods, Arya.” He gathered her up in his arms.
Daron groaned, glanced between Drake and the fallen sword.
“Daron, what happened?” Drake asked. “I don’t remember. Who did this?”
Daron blinked and then his lip curled as he scrambled up. “You did this.”
“What?” Drake gaped to him. “No, no. I’d never hurt them. You know I wouldn’t.” He let go of Arya, fire forming in his palm.
“You’re the Akaran,” Daron snarled. “You killed Papa for his power.”
“No!” Drake bellowed, the walls around shaking so hard Charlie almost fell out of her hiding place. “If I did, why would I kill Mama and Arya?”
Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall.
“Get out,” Daron hissed. “You have no right to Papa’s throne. Leave. I’ll take the throne, it is my right. You’re never to return here.”
Stunned, Drake staggered back. “But I didn’t—”
“Go, Drake. Before I tell everyone what you did.”
Drake stood there, the look on his face threatening to break Charlie’s heart. Arya had told her to save him so she’d do just that. She dove inside his body and the feel of power intensified, replenishing her own strength. She felt it then, the soul bond between them as the Akaran’s power settled into its new host.
“You know damn well I didn’t do this,” she snapped in Drake’s voice. “I’ll prove my innocence. Remember, brother, I’m the one with the real power now.”
She used Drake’s powers to shimmer out. He collapsed onto the hot desert sand, pain threatening to overwhelm him. I can’t do this, he thought. I don’t deserve to live.
His grief made Charlie ache for him as she fazed out of his body. “You can’t give up,” she snapped. “You have to fight.”
Drake blinked, seeming to hear her.
“You can’t give up. You’re the Akaran, think of the good you can do,” she continued. “Fight, fight for me. You have to stay alive. For me, for us.” She touched his cheek.
He stiffened. “What am I supposed to do now?” he murmured.
Charlie thought fast. “Go to Elaris, to the Serenity,” she blurted out without thinking. “She can help you to control your power.” But she knew Niara would have been the only one able to help. “Remember Arya’s words. Remember your life mate. She’s out there waiting for you. You have to find her.”
Drake wiped his eyes and said nothing.
“Don’t give up,” Charlie said. “Remember not to give up. You can become a great man. Don’t give up on your mate either, no matter what.”
The desert and Drake faded as Charlie appeared back in the spirit realm, holding Arya’s hand.
She wiped tears from her eyes. “Why did you do that?”
Arya gave a sad smile. “He needed to be shown the way and you had to see the truth.”
“Daron killed you and your parents. You’ve been stuck in limbo ever since.”
“I had to watch over my brother until he found you.”
Charlie laughed. “I haven’t made things easy for him either.” She stared at the girl, stuck somewhere between a child and a woman. “I have to go back.”
“He’ll need you by his side.”
She sniffed. “He has me, even if he doesn’t realise that.” She hesitated as she went to leave. “What about you? You can’t stay here. You have to move on; it’s not natural for spirits to stay behind.”
“I think I’m ready to move on now. I know you’ll take care of him.”
Charlie gave the girl a quick hug. “Thanks for what you did. Go now, be at peace.” She watched as Arya shimmered with white light then faded.
Chapter 3
Drake stood inside the cave where he last saw Charlie. He still felt the lingering trace of her presence there. He pictured her lying there asleep in his arms, almost as though he could reach out and touch her. It made his heart ache and the familiar anger rose.
He’d spent the past few days scouring every inch of Mount Marlowe trying to sense her and find a trace of those he had taken her. The Illuminari leader Irina Devereux claimed to be Charlie’s mother, who’d been thought to have died giving birth to her.
Drake still couldn’t believe the very clan who’d murdered his parents and sister were Charlie’s own demon clan. Still it would never change his feelings for Charlie.
Kaz and Nigel, two enforcers who worked with Charlie and on their unofficial team had been helping with his search too.
“Drake, I don’t think we’re going to find anything up here.” Kaz touched his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
He shrugged her off, scowling. “Don’t say that,” he growled. “She must be somewhere, and I won’t rest until I get her back.” He stalked outside, the icy air hitting his face. The cold didn’t bother him. He was immune to all changes in temperature.
“Hey, I know you miss her – we all do – but at least we know they won’t hurt her.” Kaz followed him out, pulling her pink hat down over her red hair.
“Do we? That clan is responsible for killing my family. I won’t just let this go until I get her back.”
“Charlie wouldn’t want you starting a war for her, hell, she’d be pissed off.” She crossed her arms. “Nigel has ears; we know what you and Daron have been talking about. You want to find the Illuminaris and go to war against them.”
“They took my mate, I have every right to wipe them off the face of the earth.” Hell, he thought he’d done just that centuries ago. But they were a wily bunch.
“How do you think Charlie will feel if you hurt her mother?”
Drake winced. He knew Charlie, she wouldn’t be happy by her mother’s sudden reappearance. Plus, she needed him to find her and get her away from them. They had to be holding her against her will or else she would have come back to him by now. He knew she would.
“We still have Goodridge to worry about, why does everyone seem to have forgotten about that?” Kaz asked.
Because finding Charlie is much more important than worrying about Goodridge.
I’ll deal with him later.
Kaz sighed. “I’ll go find Nigel and have another look around. Stay in contact.”
Drake waved her away without saying another word.
He reached out to Charlie with his mind but the ever-present link that had existed between them seemed to have vanished along with her. He didn’t understand it. They were life mates even though they weren’t bonded yet. That link wouldn’t just break without killing one, or both, of them. In his soul Drake knew Charlie still lived. He’d know if she were gone. But then, where was she?
He moved along with the path, snow crunching under his feet as a blanket of white stretched out over the mountaintop, disappearing into the clouds. He ignored his fear of heights as he climbed higher. Tired of the steep climb, he shimmered until he finally reached the mountain’s peak. Despite his fear, being up there gave him a strange kind of peace.
Where are you, Charlie? He closed his eyes, dropped his mental shields and let his power roam free as despair threatened to overwhelm him. He let out an anguished moan, a demon crying out for his mate.
His power shot out, shaking the very mountain. His inner demon clawed at his mind as the part of himself he’d fought to rein in for so long tried to take control.
More power leaked out of him, stone groaned as the mountain continued to shake but he didn’t care. He could feel his soul slipping away into darkness. Demons needed their life mates, the bond tethered them. As the most powerful of all Demonkind, Drake had spent over eight thousand years keeping his power and his true nature under control. He’d been good at it too. That had changed six years earlier when he’d found Charlie when she’d been only eighteen. Since then he’d come to know her, love her, even. That had all ended the night they’d taken her away. He hoped they wouldn’t harm her but…
Rage quickly replaced the emptiness, he wanted blood now, revenge on every Illuminari. They may have killed his family, but he wouldn’t lose his mate too.
His eyes bled to black when he opened them, his fangs came out as power hummed through his veins. I am the Akaran, I am power. No demon is free from me. Now where are those fucking Illuminari!
The mountain groaned and twisted beneath him. The Akaran had a mystical connection to his realm too. He could control every inch of Kyral. One way or another he would use it to find Charlie.
“Drake, what the hell are you doing?” Kaz yelled through the commlink in his ear.
“Leave.” His voice came out low and guttural. The sound of a true demon. “Now.”
“But what’s happening to the —” He waved his hand, Kaz and Nigel’s presences vanished from his mind as he sent them back to Setara. They’d be safer there.
Drake raised his hand, as power extended out every inch of Kyral. The earth pulsed and breathed as if they were one being. He sensed the presence of every demon in his realm and beyond as he scanned their minds. He’d keep looking until he found a trace of his mate.
Drakon, what are you doing? Daron demanded. The ground is shaking, and people know I’m not the one doing it. Are you trying to ruin everything I’ve worked for?
He muted out his brother’s voice. He didn’t care if anyone found out the truth. He’d never wanted to reveal his true nature, instead preferring to let Demonkind believe Daron was the Akaran while he remained in the shadows.
They no longer mattered.
Charlotte! he cried. Where are you?
Around him rocks and heavy boulders fell away as the mountain began to crumble beneath his feet. He remained in place, held there by his power.
He clenched his fists as a pool of molten lava rose from the ground, filling the air with a heavy odour. He liked to heat, hell, he didn’t like mountains anyway. With a single thought it crumbled around him leaving ash in its wake as the lava consumed all of it. The Illuminari had been there, it had been one of their bases once. Perhaps it wiped some of them out in the process.
Drake landed on solid ground, the earth trembling beneath him. The thrill of power filled some of the emptiness inside him. I’ll take this place apart bit by bit until I find her. He grinned at the thought. Hell, if Charlie hadn’t come there they might never have found her. He pulled out the comm link, incinerating it. He didn’t want to listen to reason. The time for that had ended.
Now it’s the time for blood and war.
Drake shimmered in and out of the different planes of existence, drunk on power as he searched for the Illuminaris. He’d already shimmered to half a dozen different places; a couple of demons had tried to challenge him as the earthquakes had already brought down several buildings. But he killed them without a hint of remorse.
Nothing mattered now.
The sun beat down on him as he moved over the hot desert sands, stalking through it. Where are you, Illuminaris? Come out! I will find you. No demons – not even you – are safe from me.
A swirling blue vortex formed around him – just like the ones he’d seen those bastards use. Finally, he had them. Drake raised his hand, trying to get control of the vortex. Light flashed as his power bounced off and the portal swallowed him up. He felt like he was being sucked through vacuum as the portal tossed him around then spat him back out again.
Drake growled as he landed on the floor that looked like it had been made from purple glass. Purple blue mist made up the walls that shimmered faintly in the low light. He frowned, he knew this place. “Charlie,” he managed to choke out, jumping to his feet.
“Drake, what have you done?”
He spun around. There she was, his little witch, with her long brown locks tied into a knot, her dark brown eyes and her luscious curves. She looked just as he remembered. His heart twisted at sight of her.
She held up her hand. On it she wore a black gold ring encrusted with a huge amethyst stone. It could control both him and the power inside him. “Do I need to use this?” she asked. “Please don’t make me, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Drake hesitated, part of him wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, the other wanted to continue the hunt for those who’d taken her.
“Drake.” She reached up, cupping his face. “Stop, this isn’t you.”
All at once the power retreated, his fangs retracted, making him gasp. “Charlotte…” He touched her cheek, his hand making contact with solid flesh. “Gods, I thought I lost you.” He pulled her into his arms, burying his face against her shoulder.
She sighed and clung to him. “I’m okay. They haven’t hurt me.”
He kissed her long and hard, not wanting to let her go. “Our link.” He felt her there now at the edge of his mind. That Illuminari bitch hadn’t broken it after all.
“I thought it had gone too. Irina used magic to try and break it, but it didn’t work.” She kissed him again. “Listen, we don’t have much time before I have to go back. It’s a good thing I found you before you lost complete control.”
He gripped her shoulders. “I’m not letting you out of my sight again,” he growled. “I may have let my powers get the best of me for a moment there, but I have every right to rip every Illuminari limb from limb.”
“Irina is my mother – biologically at least. You can’t kill her, or them.”
Drake snarled, “They kidnapped you! You can’t expect me to do nothing.”
“Please promise me you won’t start a war over this,” Charlie begged, taking his hands in hers.
He pulled away and ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me. They killed my family.” His hands balled into fists.
The ring flashed on her finger. “Please don’t make me use this,” she said again.
“Fine, tell me why you won’t come back with me right now.”
She told him what she’d seen in the past. “You don’t remember, do you?”
“Remember what?”
Charlie bit her lip. “The girl I kept seeing was your sister Arya.” She clutched his hand. “She stayed in limbo watching over you. She took me back – well, I
’m not sure if that was her or me –but I went back in time,” she explained, putting her arms around him. “Drake, Daron killed your family, not the Illuminari. That’s why he banished you so he could be the Akaran instead.”
Drake pulled away from her, shaking his head. “No, he wouldn’t do that. My brother is a lot of things, but…”
“You know I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Did you see him physically do it?” He didn’t want to believe it, didn’t even want to consider the possibility.
“No, but he had the sword in his hand and he tried to kill you too. He might have done so if I hadn’t been there.”
“I don’t remember any of it and I’ve been relieving it for centuries.” He wracked his brain, trying to remember what she’d said but most of what happened after his family’s deaths remained a blur until he’d found his way to Elaris.
Charlie hesitated. “I was weak from being incorporeal for too long so I kind of possessed you and fought back. That’s why you don’t remember much of it.”
Drake turned away from her. “I can’t believe this. I won’t.” She tried to hug him, but he shrugged off her embrace. His hands clenched so hard, he could feel the bones popping. “Daron wouldn’t…” His voice trailed off. He knew she wouldn’t lie to him and his eyes bled to black as the rage returned. “I’ll kill him for this.”
“No, you won’t.”
He gaped at her. “He has to pay for his crimes.” He started to shimmer out, but something held him in place.
The ring on Charlie’s finger flashed. “Look, I know you’re angry right now, but you can’t go rushing off to confront Daron.”
“Why the fuck not?” he demanded.
“Because he wants you to lose control. If you kill him, other Demonkind might turn against you too.”
Drake’s jaw clenched. She had a point. After his earlier stunt, killing Daron outright wouldn’t win him any favours. “I’ve never desired to be the Akaran and I never will.”
“But it’s what you are. You can’t...”
“I can’t ignore this, little witch.” He touched her cheek. “He took my family from me.”
Shadow Sworn: (Urban fantasy romance) (Shadow Walker Trilogy Book 3) Page 2