Embrace The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy Book 3)

by Jenn D. Young

  “What’s this male’s name?” A prickle of awareness ran down my spine. I’d heard of a man with similar abilities a few centuries ago but was never able to cross paths with him. About a century ago, there were several deaths of well-known demons in London. When I investigated, no one could tell me a thing other than a man cloaked in shadows attacked and had taken my demons right under everyone’s noses.

  Layla swallowed. “No one really knows his real name. He’s just always gone by Shadow.”

  Interesting. Very interesting. His abilities could be of use to us. If we could turn him to our side, that is. “What is your sense on this Shadow?”

  “He’s aloof and never seems to care about anything other than money. Honestly, he’s a mercenary, provides his services to the highest bidder. He has no real loyalty to anyone or anything other than who pays him the most. Even then you are likely to have your throat slit if you know too much.”

  That was something else that could work in our favor.

  “We should try to capture this Shadow and bring him in. He would have a lot of useful information for us.” I slid my hand down Lorelei’s arm to twine our fingers together. Her mood had lightened a bit—she wasn’t quite as pissed at me now. Her fingers were entwined with mine and clung tightly as the conversation expanded around us.

  “I agree, but it isn’t the primary objective of this mission,” Damius added. “We aim to take out Natasha and Yuri. By removing them from the equation, Adrianna will be weakened and vulnerable. These are her top two security detail. Without them, she will be open for attack.”

  “Can Adrianna truly ever be vulnerable?” Leo asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

  “We’ll make her as vulnerable as we can, that’s for damn sure.” Damius slammed his fist on the table. “We need to make sure there are no outside influences so that Lorelei can take her down. Once and for all.”

  Once and for all. The statement hung heavy in the air. Lorelei stiffened against me, her breathing halting for a fraction of a second before she shut herself off and the mask fell over her features again. She hid herself well, not letting anyone see her fear. She couldn’t display any right now. We needed to present a united front where weakness wasn’t allowed to show.

  “We’re going to take her down, Lorelei. I know it.” Layla reached across the table and put her hand on Lorelei’s shoulder. She squeezed gently and gave my mate a reassuring smile. “This has all led up to this moment. This night.”

  “It has. I know it, too.” Lorelei spoke in a low voice, her eyes cast down.

  “Theera, you are stronger than her. Have more to live for than her. We will bring her to her knees.”

  Her lips quirked in a small smirk and she gripped my hand tighter in hers. My mate was, without a doubt in my mind, the strongest person I had ever encountered in my long existence. At just twenty-one years old, she was going to bring the world freedom from a potential tyranny they didn’t even know about.

  “What’s the rest of their plan, Leo? You didn’t finish,” I said to bring the conversation back to the present matter. It was also to give Lorelei a break away from being in the spotlight.

  Leo cleared his throat. “Yes, right. They plan on using this Shadow to drug the water supply. Then he’ll get into the ventilation system to release a second wave of a sleep agent that will knock out all the inhabitants of the bar. All the while, their perimeter will slowly move inward. By the time the club is shut down, it will be surrounded by Syndicate soldiers.”

  “Fuck, that’s brilliant,” Nicolae remarked.

  “Right? I’m surprised I’ve never thought of that one myself.”

  “So, what do we do?” Lorelei asked, her voice strong and sure.

  “Now that we know about the plan and what Shadow looks like, plus how to spot him, we will cut off their plan before it even has a chance to start.” Damius crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the room. “We’re going to need everyone in on this. It isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Shadow isn’t going to go quietly into the night. After that, we will need to find Natasha and Yuri and take them down.”

  “Leave Natasha and Yuri to us,” Nicolae growled, his eyes going completely black as he uttered the names of his cousins.

  “Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement on this one, Nicolae,” Damius responded knowingly, his crimson eyes swirling with dark knowledge. “They are powerful and cunning. We’ll need more than just the two of you to bring them in.”

  Lorelei squeezed my hand in a vice grip, signaling me. Her mind brushed over mine. “We need to be there.” Nothing more needed to be said. I trusted her and her instincts completely.

  “Lorelei and I will help take the twins down.” I spoke with finality, leaving no room for argument with my statement.

  Damius gave me a nod of agreement and turned to Leo. “Kaniul and I will go after Shadow. Leo, you and your team will take out the soldiers on the outside. Agreed?”

  The room nodded and murmured their agreements.

  Ready or not, we were going to take them down tonight.

  27

  Lorelei

  “We have approximately three hours before we need to meet back here. Make it count.” Damius clapped his hands and adjourned the meeting.

  “Wait!” I exclaimed, a thought entering my mind. “Has anyone told Ivan and Angelo what the hell is actually going down in their club tonight?”

  Leo and Damius flat out laughed. “We would never keep them in the dark about something like this, Lore.” Damius said on a snicker.

  I snarled at the vampire. “Fuck you, Damius. You know I don’t like being called Lore.”

  My hackles rose and I climbed to my feet, ready to spew fire, but Vincent wrapped an arm around my middle and drew me back against him. “Theera, I think it’s time for us to have a short reprieve at home. Perhaps I can tell you how sorry I am…” His voice trailed off as his tongue traced along the shell of my ear. “With my tongue,” he added in my mind, knowing I wouldn’t want the rest of the room to hear that last little tidbit.

  Damn this man, Seraphim, whatever he was, and the way that precise he knew how to manipulate my body.

  “Arg. You’re so infuriating,” I grumbled.

  Vincent chuckled against my ear and suckled the lobe into his mouth. I wanted to groan at the feel of his mouth, just on my ear. My freaking ear and I was ready to melt into a puddle of arousal, begging for him to fuck me.

  Damius shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Go, please. Before you set my chamber on fire with your lust.”

  “I’m so going to get you back for this.” I turned in Vincent’s hold and splayed my hand out over his chest. My fingers curved and my nails sank into his flesh, piercing his skin through the fabric of his shirt.

  He hissed just as he started our decent through the shadow realm. The scent of blood coated my nostrils, making more moisture gather between my thighs. My feet landed on solid ground, and not a second later, I was lifted into the air and tossed onto the mattress.

  Vincent loomed over me, the red in his eyes swirling with dark lust as they raked over my body. My tongue peaked out and licked my dry lips, seeing the way that crimson spread out over his light-colored shirt. It wasn’t a large wound, just a gouge with my fingernails, but they were deep. He healed, but the evidence was there in the red stain that collected on his clothing.

  “I think you want to be punished, little mate,” he growled, his voice low and fierce, ringing with his demonic essence. “I’d planned on making slow sweet love to you in the hours leading up to the battle, but you have forced my hand. No matter.” He shrugged his shoulder and a wide grin spread out across his face.

  My belly quivered with his words. I didn’t want him to make slow sweet love to me. I wanted it hard, fast, and hot. Explosive. Just like we always were. For all that I knew, tonight would be our last night and I wanted to spend every second of the time we had together experien
cing everything he had to offer me.

  “Vincent,” I breathed out his name. His hands wrapped around my ankles and he yanked me roughly toward the edge of the bed. My legs dangled off the side and he stepped between my parted thighs.

  “Yes, Theera?” he asked with an arched brow. His hands went to the front of my shirt, gathering it between his fingers and rending the fabric in two. Long claws extended from his fingertips and sliced through the center catch of my bra. He separated the destroyed clothing and gave an appreciative noise deep in the back of his throat. “Ah, much better.”

  Those sharp tipped claws trailed lightly down the exposed skin of my torso. My moan bubbled out of me, taking me by surprise as he circled a nipple. “Do you like the feel of my claws on your skin?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” I pleaded, arching my back as I sought more contact from him. I needed more of his touch. I was desperate for him. For his mouth. His cock. Everything. Everywhere. Inside of me, over me. I needed him like I needed air to breath. Food to eat. Blood to drink.

  The moment the thought of blood crossed my mind, my fangs extended into deadly points, protruding out past my lips. Vincent’s eyes shimmered with approval as he stared intently at my fangs where they nibbled into my bottom lip. “Well that takes a blow job off the table. Don’t want to mix that much pain with my pleasure.”

  Only Vincent could insert such an absurd and humorous statement in the middle of an intense sexual haze. My head fell back against the bed and I roared out a deep belly rumbling chuckle.

  “Are you laughing at me, little mate?” Vincent asked, his hands planted on the bed on either side of my head as he bent down over me. “Because I may have to flip you over and spank that ass red if you are.”

  Another bolt of desire echoed throughout my body. We had flirted with the idea of spanking and other BDSM elements in our relationship but hadn’t made any further steps. The thought was more than arousing. It made me ignite into a haze of lust. I writhed and reached up to plant my hands against his chest. My legs parted and wrapped around his lean hips. “Please, sir.” The words seemed appropriate.

  Vincent’s eyes went completely crimson, his mouth parting and his fingers flexing into the sheets at my side. “You aren’t ready for the dark side of my sexual nature yet,” he growled. “But soon.” His lips hovered over mine and devoured me. The kiss was hot and frenzied, our mouths dueling for supremacy.

  He pulled back and laid his forehead against mine. “We still have entirely too many clothes on. I need you naked and panting for me.”

  I nodded, all words fleeing my mind. Claws extended from the tips of his fingers again and he made quick works of my pants and panties before throwing them across the room. His tongue flicked across one pointed fang as he trailed his eyes up and down my body. “My perfect mate.”

  “Vincent. Get naked, now.” I rose onto my elbows. My body was flushed with arousal, my limbs tingling as power rose from deep within my core. “I need you inside me.”

  The corners of his lips tilted up and he pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his trousers. I sucked in a deep breath, impatient at how slowly he was moving. Damn it. He needed to move faster, I was going to burst into flames if he kept teasing me like this.

  With a lightning fast move, I rose to my knees and pushed his pants and boxers down just enough to free his cock. My hand wrapped around his shaft and I stroked him firmly from root to tip. “On your back,” I growled. I had no idea what possessed me to take charge, but my body grew hot at the thought.

  My mate smiled and then his lips parted as I bent forward and swiped my tongue across the darkened head of his cock. I groaned at the salty sweet taste of him, my tongue swirling and gathering up a bead of pre come that had gathered. “Lorelei,” he murmured in warning, reaching up to fist my hair together at the back of my head.

  Head drawn back, I licked my lips, whimpering at the loss of him. “On your back please?” I said with a seductive smile and my body squirmed under his hold. I wanted to be in control for once. To drive our pleasure. He denied me his darker side, so I wanted to flip things over on him.

  Those piercing two-tone eyes narrowed at me, glowing in the dim light of our bedroom as he hesitated before the hand gripping my hair loosened. He shoved his pants the rest of the way down his legs and stepped out of them before climbing onto the bed. I moved out of his way quickly, licking my lips at the way his muscles rippled with each move of his body.

  Rough hands grasped my hips, lifting me with practiced ease to settle me down to straddle him. A strangled breath escaped my lungs as my pussy slid along the ridges of his abs. The friction sent a frisson of pleasure down my spine as my hands curled into his chest and my hips rocked, seeking release.

  “Didn’t you want me inside of you, Theera?” Vincent teased, lifting his head, and wrapping his lips around one engorged nipple.

  “Fuck, yes. Inside me.” I panted, threading my fingers through his blonde hair and pressing his mouth harder against my breast. His strong hands lifted me again and I steadied myself before guiding my hips back down to impale myself on his thick shaft. Our cries of pleasure mingled in the air around us.

  Vincent’s fangs grazed along my breast as he drew back and lifted his torso off the bed. One hand flattened against my back, the other grasped my hip as he pressed our chests closer together. I gasped at the change in angle, his cock pressed inside me even deeper. Our bodies moved in tandem, his shaft stretching me and gliding against my clit with each thrust.

  Incoherent words spilled from my lips as I clung to his shoulders, my movements frantic while we chased our shared release. “Mine. Always mine,” Vincent rumbled against the skin of my neck, his nails biting into my flesh.

  “Yes. Yours,” I screamed as white-hot lightning burst from my eyes and arced throughout the room. Vincent’s guttural cries echoed mine. Climax after climax rolled through my body, sparks pouring out of me and into him as we collapsed against each other.

  “Damn,” I exclaimed on a sharp exhale and rested my forehead against his chest. A fine sheen of sweat covered our bodies, the smell of sex hung heavily in the air. A sated smile spread across my lips as Vincent chuckled. The movement of his chest made me groan and lift my head in a lazy haze. “Something funny, Demon?”

  “You.” He cupped my cheeks in his large palms and kissed my lips. “You continue to surprise and amaze me every single day. I don’t think that will ever change.”

  I stretched out my muscles and lifted myself off his lap. I grimaced as he withdrew from my body and I snuggled up beside him, laying my hand across his heart. “Someone needs to keep you on your toes.”

  He chuckled and combed his hands through my damp hair. “I wouldn’t have it any other way Theera. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  28

  Vincent

  I worshiped Lorelei every moment that I had, right up until we had to meet back at the council chambers. Our powers were fully charged. Lorelei fed deeply from my vein and I had taken enough of her energy that my cells practically vibrated with electricity. When she came the first time after we had gotten back to our bed, the lightning that had danced around her body was magical.

  When it had entered me, the Astrapi bouncing around in my blood, I had felt nothing but pure ecstasy. Her powers had accepted me, and I felt them deep within me, almost as if they were my own. It was an intoxicating feeling. The raw power that coupled with my own. Fully embracing and twining with my own abilities.

  While I waited for Lorelei to finish getting dressed, I drew on my fire and created a fireball in my palm. I didn’t feel the heat, but as I looked more closely at it, it danced with electricity.

  Holy fuck.

  My fireballs were now imbued with Astrapi energy.

  The Syndicate was never going to know what hit them.

  Lorelei emerged from the bathroom, gathering her hair into a bun on the top of her head, and drew up short as she saw me tossing the fire ball between my hands. “Wh
at the fuck is that?”

  I chuckled, tossing the ball up into the air and letting it fall back into my hands. “This would be a fireball, my base element that is also surrounded by your lightning. Pretty amazing isn’t it?” My words rang with awe as I clapped my hands together and the fireball fizzled out.

  “Wow,” she said simply. Her eyebrows rose sharply, and her lips parted slightly. “Like seriously wow.”

  “Yep.” My long legs ate up the distance between us and I drew her into my arms. Cupping her face in my hands, I lifted her gaze to meet mine. “Lorelei, we’ll get them tonight. I won’t accept anything less than a final victory.”

  Lorelei’s spine stiffened and she sucked in a harsh breath. Tension radiated from her. She was nervous, it was apparent. Hell, even I was a bit nervous, but I wasn’t going to let anything stop me tonight. We were going to take Adrianna down. I knew it deep down in my bones, a passion echoing from within my soul.

  “You feel it too? That something huge is going to happen tonight?” Lorelei whispered. Her icy blue eyes blinked up at me with burning intensity, the questions lurking within their glowing depths.

  I nodded, confirming her question. “This ends tonight.”

  Her lips quirked up in a small semblance of a smile, but the light didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I hope you’re right, Vincent.”

  We appeared in the council chambers—early for once—because we both knew the harsh implications of what we were going up against. Lorelei stood silently in my arms, the tension still evident in her posture. She was apprehensive, hesitant even, about going into Vamps tonight. We both had the same feeling. It wasn’t one of impending danger. But we couldn’t really describe it either.

  It was as if our entire lives were going to change tonight.

  But the question was, would that change be for the better.