Embrace The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy Book 3)

by Jenn D. Young

  “Good, you’re here.” Kaniul rounded the corner and approached us. He wrapped Lorelei in a tight hug, holding her longer than was necessary. Was he having a sense of apprehension about this evening too?

  “Yes,” I replied simply, my lips drawing into a severe line. “Where’s everyone else?” I looked around the room and it was empty. The lights were dimmed, all the screens turned off and the chairs pushed in under the tables. It was rare when the room was this silent.

  Kaniul cleared his throat. “Preparing in the armory. I suggest you do the same unless you brought some from your own stash?”

  I shook my head. “Good idea. Lorelei, would you like to arm yourself with any additional weapons?” Her eyes hadn’t moved from Kaniul and she remained silent.

  “Lorelei?” I stepped in front of her, between her and her uncle and bent down. “What’s going on?”

  She shook her head, blinking rapidly. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.” She plastered on a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and put a palm over my chest. “I wouldn’t even really know how to use anything, but you can grab what you think I might need. Do you mind if I stay and have a word with Kaniul?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. What was going on? I merged with her mind and found it to be a jumbled mess of thoughts and insecurities. She was trying to gather her strength and courage.

  And she wanted to ask Kaniul about her strange feeling.

  Although I wish she would have just told me that in the first place.

  I smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be back in a few with the others.” My eyes pinned Kaniul with a harsh glare. He returned it with a lift of one dark black brow and a small smile. Knowing there was nothing more I could do, I crossed the room and descended the stairs to the basement to join up with Leo and Damius.

  Lorelei

  This damned feeling would not go away. It was so different than the others I had experienced. The sharp burning sensations that came with danger. The tingling in my spine that warned that someone was watching me.

  No. This was a feeling like the entire world was about to be turned upside down. Yet, it wasn’t in a negative sensation.

  I shook out my hands and loosened my body, trying desperately to ease the tension that was building in my muscles. “Kaniul, please tell me you are feeling this—” I waved my hand around. “—whatever it is too.”

  My uncle gave me a knowing smile and cocked his head to the side. “Look deep within you, Iah. Analyze your emotions and instincts. What are they telling you?”

  Great. Kaniul was playing prophet again. For once, I wished he would just give me some straight answers.

  I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Like the world is about to go topsy-turvy tonight and there isn’t anything we can do to stop it.” I paused, rethinking my words. “In fact, we’re probably going to be the ones to make it go that way.” A short snort of laughter escaped me.

  Kaniul smiled, showing off his gleaming white teeth. His amber eyes sparkled in the low lighting of the room. “Exactly, little one. We must stay on our path and all will happen as it’s meant to.”

  Realization washed over me. “You’ve seen something about this. But you made it sound like you couldn’t see anything.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of things about this night and the future that happens because of it. This time is the best chance that we have to make it right.” He grasped my hand between his and brought my knuckles to his lips. “You’re exactly where you’re meant to be, Lorelei. Exactly who you are meant to be.”

  “What does that even mean Kaniul?” I asked on a broken whisper. “Has my whole life been one big test for this night?”

  “Not just for this night, but for what comes after it. There are many things at stake. Many futures that will be changed after tonight.” His pupils enlarged and contracted while his breathing accelerated. “It’s already happening Lorelei.” He smiled and placed his hands on my shoulders.

  “Kaniul, what if I’m not strong enough? What if I can’t kill her tonight?” I said the words that were gnawing at the back of my mind. Eating away at my soul and driving all my doubts. The question I had always asked myself: What if I wasn’t enough?

  His large hand cupped my cheek and his thumb swiped away an errant tear that had fallen. “Iah, you’ve always been strong enough. Always been enough.”

  The way he answered my fears and doubts so quickly and easily sent a pang of awareness lancing through my heart. He had faith in me. Vincent had faith in me. It seemed the council had that same faith in me. That meant I could have faith in myself, right?

  “Thank you, Kaniul,” I replied and placed his hand over mine and held his palm to my face. “We’ll get these fuckers once and for all.”

  “Once and for all, little Iah.”

  29

  Lorelei

  I took in a deep fortifying breath as the sounds of chatter reached my ears. Opening my eyes, I unfolded my body and rose to my feet. The moment that I had taken to do a few deep breathing exercises my father had taught me helped to sharpen my mind and focus my abilities. My mind clear, I was able to leave my doubts behind when we left for the mission.

  Vincent strode across the room and wrapped an arm around me when he reached my side. “Better?” he whispered in my mind, sending a shiver of awareness down my spine. The sound of his voice in my head did all sorts of things to my insides.

  My head inclined in a small nod of agreement before Leo started speaking.

  “We all know what is at stake tonight. We’ve gone over the plans and everyone knows where they’re supposed to be. So, let’s just go with that.” He clapped his hands together and looked around the room. “Any questions?”

  “Please don’t call me the peanut gallery again.” I couldn’t help making the jab at him. Snickers of laughter echoed in the room while Leo’s face flushed with fury.

  His lips parted and snapped closed again. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.”

  I shrugged. “What? I couldn’t help myself. You make it so easy for me to mess with you Leo. At least it isn’t Nic that is poking fun at you.”

  Nicolae lifted his hand and motioned at me. I slapped his palm then we bumped fists.

  “I’m glad that everyone is in such good spirits,” Damius said dryly. Per usual, his arms were crossed over his large chest and he was dressed in a long sleeve, black shirt and dark pants. Those crimson eyes of his took in every detail as he scanned the room, staying aware of his surroundings.

  “Better for us to laugh than to act like we have a stick shoved up our asses like Leo,” Nicolae muttered under his breath. His hushed tone didn’t mean a thing in a room filled with immortals equipped with superior hearing.

  Damius was able to grab Leo before he closed the distance and attacked Nicolae. “Children, all of you,” the oldest vampire snarled and slammed Leo against the wall. “And you know as well as I do that if you didn’t act like such an uptight prick, they wouldn’t act like that. Now settle yourself, General. We have a battle to fight and it isn’t amongst ourselves.”

  Leo rumbled out a string of curses that had my eyebrows lifting into my hair line. When he was finished, he swept a hand through his thick hair and straightened his askew shirt. “As I was saying,” he said on a huff. “Does anyone have any questions before we pair off and head to Vamps?”

  A cascade of responses in the negative swept through the room. “Right then. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Damius had an evil gleam in his eyes as he rubbed his palms together. “We’re going to kick some serious ass tonight. Make sure that you watch each other’s backs. No one’s dying tonight. Not on my watch.”

  We nodded and Vincent wrapped his arms around me, and we folded into the shadows.

  Vincent had a palm wrapped around my mouth the moment our feet hit the floor. “Quiet. We’re in the basement, but based on the signs from Layla, I think we have company.”

  My head inclined d
own, and my eyes scanned the dark room. My night vision was better than a humans, but Vincent’s was far superior so I relied on him to try and find Shadow. Part of me wondered if he knew about the mercenary that we were searching for, but I didn’t have the time or the thought to ask about it.

  Layla had provided us with his essence so that we were able to track him. His signature, so to speak. She’s fed from him, using her succubus abilities and it created a connection between them. Something that was incredibly useful right now.

  Layla and Nic would be close by, waiting to help us take Shadow so that he could lead us to Natasha and Yuri.

  “Stay here.” Vincent stepped away from me and crept quietly around the room. I could make out the dark shapes of rows of liquor boxes stacked to the ceiling. Shelving units were lined with various bottles and containers. They obviously used this as a storage room for the bar above. How Vincent could get around without bumping into anything blew my mind.

  I slowed my breathing and lowered my heartrate, not wanting to tip Shadow off. Heavy bass flooded the room from music above, making any sound in the room muffled, but I didn’t know how sensitive his senses were.

  A shuffle of feet and a distinctly male grunt reached my ears. I clung hard to my control, not wanting to give away my position in case there were more Syndicate soldiers here. Fists slamming against flesh and the smell of blood penetrated the air. Then a heavy thud as a body hit the ground.

  “Clear,” Vincent said before he flicked on the lights. Nicolae and Vincent held Shadow down on the floor, a collar around his neck and gleaming silver handcuffs around his wrists.

  “Seriously, a collar? Are you fucking kidding Vincent?” I snapped indignantly. I would never wish that fate on anyone, even a foul loathsome enemy.

  “Lorelei, it is a modified version that Adreon created. It just taps in on the wearers abilities and shuts them down. There’s no torture or burning involved. Now, move your ass,” Nicolae snapped at me as he lifted Shadow up and came in my direction.

  Vincent growled and Nicolae dropped Shadow behind a row of boxes. “What? She needed to move. Don’t look at me like that. I wasn’t snapping or talking bad to her.” He quirked a smile and his gaze met Layla’s from across the room. “Phase one is good. Didn’t think he would be that easy to take down.”

  “Facing off against you and Vincent? It would take a seriously powerful person to beat that much raw power especially since you’ve both mated,” Damius commented as he materialized in on the opposite end of the room.

  “Nice of you to join us, vampire,” Vincent said as he searched through Shadow’s pockets and jacket. He pulled out several pouches and knives and set them on the ground around him. Soon the floor was littered with enough silver and poison to kill an entire city of immortals.

  Nicolae whistled as he asked, “Damn, what the hell is this guy?”

  “I told you, a mercenary. The Syndicate wanted to do real damage and send a message tonight. We need to get upstairs and get Natasha and Yuri before they get too suspicious. Shadow should have been done with this part of the mission already.” Layla jerked her arm toward the door as she spoke.

  We nodded in agreement. “What about him?” I asked and pointed down at Shadow.

  “Adreon and Drya will be here momentarily to pick him up and take him into a cell. We’ll question him later,” Damius responded.

  I drew in a sharp breath as a chill ran down my spine. There was something about this man. But I couldn’t dwell on it right now. My Eye twitched along my arm and my instincts told me to run upstairs immediately.

  “Upstairs. We need to be upstairs.” I said the words before a rational thought formed. On instinct, my feet carried me to the landing, and I took the steps two at a time with Vincent hot on my heels.

  Burning need possessed me as I ripped open the door. Lights assaulted my senses, the thrumming bass pounding in my ears. My eyes scanned the room, glowing with dark intent as I searched for my target. I was determined. Nothing was going to stop me from reaching my goal and finishing this tonight.

  Natasha and Yuri might have been the focus for tonight, but we would be walking away with an even bigger prize.

  The crowd had thinned out. There wasn’t the crush of bodies swaying to the heavy guitar riffs like there was the last time Vincent and I were here. Ivan and Angelo must have tried to clear out some of the people without making it seem too obvious that they were onto the plot.

  A no name band played on the stage. I cringed at their lack luster sound and off-key melody. Probably the reason for the smaller crowd. Good thinking Ivan. Get a shitty band in here to drive the people out.

  “What are you feeling, Lorelei?” Vincent stood back, melding into the shadows, not wanting to alert others to his presence. I was grateful for that. He was a well known figure in supernatural circles and would be recognized immediately, tipping off Natasha and Yuri that something was going down. Me? Not so much.

  “Adrianna is here somewhere. I feel her evil tainting the building.” Vincent ran a mental hand over the nape of my neck, his signal of comfort and approval. He trusted me completely. Put his faith in me to lead and guide us. I felt Nicolae and Layla close to Vincent, holding still, but at the ready for my signal.

  Where are you, evil bitch? My eyes scanned over the club once more, lingering on the upper VIP lounge. Ivan would be watching from his office, situated just off the landing where all the important people congregated. He had a wall of windows with one-way glass that he used to keep an eye on things.

  “Leo said things are getting heated outside. Fighting is going to spill over in here any minute.” Vincent warned me. He was alert and on edge from the statement.

  The front doors burst open, shouts and grunts of fighting floating into my ears. Screams of frightened clubgoers pierced my eardrums as they scattered about the floor, looking frantically for the exit. Bullets whirled through the air, fired by errant guns. More screams. More bodies trampling over each other as they searched frantically for the exit.

  Then I heard the laughter. A deep maniacal laughter that turned my blood to ice.

  It was her.

  Adrianna had arrived and she was sauntering toward me as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  30

  Vincent

  My heart seized in my chest as I watched in abject horror. The crowd of frightened clubbers parted for Adrianna, scurrying out of her way as she sashayed toward my mate. The lights still danced around the walls and floors in an erratic pattern. It was quieter, the band scattered along with rest of the frightened people.

  Nicolae tensed beside me, his fury palpable as he focused on Adrianna. He wanted to rip her apart, not only for what she had done to him, but for what she had done to Layla. Well, he would have to get in line. We had a mission to accomplish. A job to do and we weren’t going to succeed by charging in and attacking Adrianna.

  “Remember what we are here for, Nicolae,” I growled at him, reminding him of what he needed to do. Find Natasha and Yuri. Redirect his anger and focus, that was what he needed.

  “She deserves to burn, Vincent.”

  I slid my eyes in his direction and watched as Layla tried to soothe him with her touch. Layla, who spent centuries being mentally abused and manipulated by this woman had a cooler head than Nicolae. His form waivered, skin turning black and massive horns sprouting from his forehead. The whites of his eyes were completely swallowed by darkness as he gave into his demonic nature. His blonde hair turned white and flowed down around his body like a cloud. It was his most dangerous weapon, he could control it with his mind and use it to strike down his enemies like a sword.

  He was in full Nightmare form, something I hadn’t seen in centuries. Shit.

  “Get him out of here,” I hissed at Layla. Nicolae losing control of himself was the furthest thing from helpful right now. Where the fuck was Kaniul and Damius? We needed them here to get rid of these fucking humans and take out the rest of the lower soldiers.

/>   Damn it. I couldn’t just keep standing here. I had to move. I had to do something to protect my mate and my family. Because that is what every person that had come to this damn club with us were—My family. Even Leo, as much as I hated the fucker, was a brother to me.

  Lorelei stood perfectly still. Waiting. Watching Adrianna as she stalked forward across the club floor. Her muscles were tightly coiled, on high alert as she watched. My feet itched to run across the room, gather her into my arms and take her far away. But that wasn’t what tonight was about. Tonight, we were going to end this.

  Damius and Leo might not have known it when we were planning the strategy, but now I knew the feeling that Lorelei and I both had. It was that this was going to end tonight.

  Adrianna would die.

  The Syndicate would go down in flames and we would finally be able to live our lives out from underneath their shadows.

  “You understand now.” Lorelei still didn’t move, didn’t speak the words aloud or react in any way. But I had felt them through our bond. I did understand now. Lorelei was going to take Adrianna down.

  It was my job to clear the way and make sure she was protected from anyone else.

  Adrianna cackled, the sound ringing throughout the emptied room. “You really thought you could pull this off? That you could defeat us.” She threw her head back and laughed manically. “And you, daughter?” Her voice dripped with acid as she gave Layla a venomous look. “Didn’t you tell them that I couldn’t be defeated?”

  “Everyone has a way they can be defeated. Even you, Mother,” Layla bit back with her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. Of course, Layla hadn’t listened to me when I told her to get Nicolae out of here. She stood her ground, Nicolae firmly at her side. He towered over her in his full Nightmare form. A daunting sight to behold. One that didn’t even phase Adrianna.

  “And I’m going to be defeated by who? You and your pathetic excuse for a Nightmare mate?” She pointed a long red tipped nail at Nicolae who narrowed his eyes and growled at her in response. “Don’t make me laugh, Layla. Or do you think this freak show is going to do it?” Adrianna’s head cocked to the side as she turned her gaze to Lorelei. “Your little lightning bolts gonna do what, tickle me?”