by Ariel Marie
His eyes rolled into the back of his head as the cramps hit him again. His body bucked violently as the pain coursed through his body. The thirst for blood consumed him. Memories slowly began to fade.
He growled pulling at the restraints again, staring at the figure, hearing their heartbeat pound in their chest. The blood called to him. He growled low, not taking his eyes off the small figure.
The door opened and in waltzed a tall male figure with long dark hair and glowing amber eyes. “How is my guest?”
Toma stared at him, almost seeing red. He squinted at the male, trying to remember him but his attention was captivated by the slightly familiar figure in the corner and the sound of the male’s blood flowing through his veins. He flashed his fangs, itching for another taste of the tangy copper tasting fluid.
“Finally, the blood lust has consumed you.”
* * *
~Nicu~
“There’s no one here at this location,” Ronin growled into the phone. Tension was heightened as they desperately searched for Toma and Nadira. Nicu wanted to throw his phone out the window at the news. That only left the location that he and his brothers were on their way to. Khalid had just called a few minutes before stating that his location was a sham.
“Start heading towards our location. They have to be there,” Nicu said glancing at the GPS in their truck. “We should be pulling up in about five minutes. We’ll check out the perimeter before going in. According to Teague’s research on the building, it’s huge. We’ll need more bodies to cover the area.
“On the way.” The line went dead. Nicu growled, his body falling back into his seat as Adrian floored the engine.
Killing Xalak would be too easy but he must pay for what he had done. He must not get to the witch. There was no telling what he had to do to Nadira to get the information he needed. If he had harmed either of his siblings, hell won’t even be a safe place for the necromancer to run to.
“We’ll find them,” Teague said from the back.
Even lighthearted Teague, had lost his smile once they had discovered Toma missing from the underground cemetery tunnels and Nadira was nowhere to be found. They had only found Anika’s unconscious body in the woods of the cemetery.
Nicu’s phone rung again, this time his father’s name came across the screen. “Father,” he answered.
“I’m back. The council has given us free reign to use necessary force against the necromancers,” his father said. “Cesar is sending his best vampires to assist. Send me the coordinates of your location and I’ll forward it to his vampires.”
“Good, we’ll need extra vampires,” Nicu said, as Adrian pulled the truck over onto the side of the road.
“Whatever you need, you let me know immediately,” the king said. “Bring them home. Burn the damn building down and everyone in it if you have to.”
“Yes, sir,” Nicu responded fiercely just as the line went dead. He quickly caught his brothers up on the conversation with their father.
According to Teague’s GPS, they were located about a half mile away from the abandoned warehouse in the old steel mill district. They quickly got of the truck, donning their weapons and any gear that they felt would be needed.
Teague sent off a text to their father, notifying him of their location and that of the building they were going to head into. They synced their communicators and each disappeared into the night to assess the surroundings.
Nicu stayed close to the shadows of the building as he quickly counted the versi that were patrolling the area. He was tempted to kill them as he came upon them but he knew that would alert the necromancer that controlled them.
Soon, they would kill them all.
* * *
Nicu made it to the building across the street from the warehouse that was an old fast food restaurant that had long been closed. It was boarded up and abandoned. Nicu quietly broke into the building finding it to be the perfect place to hide in plain sight while being able to keep an eye on the warehouse.
“Come to my location,” he said into the communicator, calling all members of the Shadows to him.
Khalid and Ronin had confirmed that they were close to the site. Before raiding the warehouse, they needed a plan. Unlike his stubborn brother Toma, who would just storm into the place kicking ass and asking questions later, he preferred to strategize and formulate a solid plan of action.
Once all members of the team were present, they poured over the blueprints of the building, devising a plan to attack the necromancers.
“They have our brother and sister,” Nicu began, looking around the room assessing his team.
Cooper, Nadira’s mate and honorary member tonight, leaned against the wall, his crimson eyes locked on Nicu. He nodded his head slightly to Nicu. Even though he was a newly turned vampire, Nicu had encouraged him to say on the police force and he had proven to be a great resource for the Shadows. Cooper’s modified dark graphite desert eagle pistol peeked out of his thigh holster and by the look in his eyes, Nicu knew, he was ready to kill to get his mate back.
Ronin, leaned against the wall twirling one of his daggers. Khalid stood in his corner with his deadly crossbow cocked and ready. Viktor, the senior vampire, stood next to Adrian. His scar was more prominent with the scowl that graced his face. Phaelyn’s hand rested on her sword as she stood at attention, waiting for her orders. Gadiel’s form was bent over the table re-examining the blue prints and Nicu knew the master hunter was memorizing the building plans.
“We are to use extreme measures to get to Toma and Nadira. The necromancers think that they will destroy us,” Nicu paused, as all eyes turned to him. He knew he would be able to count on these vampires. They would go to the end of the world to protect the vampire nation but this assignment was more personal. The necromancers had taken not only their prince and princess, but someone they considered to be a brother and sister. “They will soon discover how wrong they are!” he growled.
Grunts could be heard across the room in agreement.
“Tonight, we fight, not only to get our brother and sister back, but for vampire-kind!” Nicu growled around his fangs as they descended.
Murmurs echoed around the room. His team was ready for battle and tonight the necromancers would pay. Each member exited the building disappearing into the shadows.
26
~Nicu~
The sound of battle filled the air as Nicu and Gadiel raced down a hallway where Gadiel was sure that Toma was being held. Phaelyn radioed in over the communicator that they had found Nadira, safe but in a sleep like state that they couldn’t wake her from.
“Grab her and get her out of here. Call the king and inform him. Get her to him now!” Nicu ordered, coming up behind Gadiel as he paused in front of a locked a room.
“Yes, Nicu,” Phaelyn said over the communicator.
Nicu’s breaths came in short pants, as blood dripped down his sword arm from so many versi. There were much more versi and rogues present than they expected. They had stormed the building in teams, those with Nicu in the front and Adrian and his team through the back. They literally ended up fighting their way into the building.
Khalid, with his crossbow, stayed outside the building, perched on top of the building across the street, taking out any necromancer and versi that escaped.
“In here,” Gadiel hollered over the sounds of screams and yells, garnering Nicu’s attention.
He pushed forward running towards him. He glanced once more behind him witnessing a vampire he didn’t know taking down a versi.
Help had arrived.
The Council had sent back up to support them, as promised, in order to defeat the necromancers. The more versi the vampires took out, the weaker the necromancers grew, some running when all of their versi were defeated.
The vampires were not to allow necromancers to escape, they were ordered to kill them on sight, which could be tricky since the necromancers could escape through portals they could create and disappear to di
fferent locations. He was confident that the vampire army that arrived would be able to handle the necromancers with no problem.
Since invading the old warehouse, they had yet to find Xalak. That couldn’t be good. With Nadira being found in a dream state that could only mean that Xalak had been able to retrieve the information he sought.
Nicu and Gadiel had to kick in the door. The door finally gave way after Gadiel slammed into it with his broad shoulders, causing the door to crash to the ground. They rushed into the room finding Toma strapped to a table in full-blown blood lust.
“Shit!” Nicu exclaimed running to his younger brother.
Toma’s crimson unfocused eyes darted to him. Toma’s snarl and thrashing indicating that he was not in his rightful mind. Nicu knew that in order for this to have happened, Xalak would have had to starve Toma’s blood hunger long enough and only given a drop or two of blood to stimulate the lust for it to overcome Toma.
“Toma!” Nicu grabbed his brother’s shoulders shaking him. He prayed that his brother would not turn rogue.
“What is he looking at?” Gadiel asked looking into the empty corner of the room where Toma’s eyes kept gravitating.
“Her,” Toma growled his eyes locked onto the corner of the room. “Blood, I need more of her blood.”
“There is no one in the room but us, Toma,” Nicu said shaking his brother to garner his attention but the blood lust was in total control.
Toma was hallucinating, there was no one else in the room. Toma hissed, showcasing his massive canines. Nicu and Gadiel fought him to get him free from the restraints.
A flash of light encompassed the room, causing Nicu and Gadiel to pause as a figure suddenly appeared.
Xalak.
Nicu rushed to the necromancer slamming him into the wall.
“Nicu, you are too late,” the necromancer sneered just before Nicu drove his right fist into the necromancers face. The cracking sound of the necromancer’s nose breaking did little to satisfy the urge to kill this creature.
The necromancer swung his arm, using his powers to fling Nicu across the room. Using his vampiric speed, he was right back on the necromancer as they fought.
The sound of something heavy crashing to the floor sounded behind Nicu. He quickly glanced back to see Gadiel trying to wrestle Toma to the ground and loosing the battle. Toma was an extremely strong vampire and in his blood lust form, would be next to impossible for one vampire to take down.
Nicu quickly turned back to Xalak, barely missing a fist to the face as the necromancer tried to free himself from Nicu’s grip. They dodged each other’s blows. Nicu was able to land a kick to the necromancer’s stomach, slamming him back into the wall across the room from Toma. Nicu quickly followed, snatching the necromancer from the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Viktor run into the room.
“Help Gadiel!” Nicu shouted to his warrior who hesitated but for a moment.
“It doesn’t matter now, vampire,” the necromancer hissed. “Thanks to your sister, Rowena is free now. You filthy animals will cease to exist!”
“We’ll fight our battles one at a time,” Nicu growled. “And right now, your turn is up.” Nicu swiftly pulled his dagger out of the back sheath, plunging it directly through the necromancer’s heart.
Xalak’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth flopped open and closed, soundlessly. Nicu twisted the blade, eliciting a sharp groan from the necromancer. The glowing amber color of the necromancer eyes slowly faded as he slid to the floor.
Nicu sensed another presence at the door. He glanced over finding Phaelyn standing in the doorway, covered in blood from head to toe.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Not my blood, my prince,” she said. He turned back to watch the dead necromancer’s body land across the floor.
“Phaelyn,” he nodded to the body, knowing she would understand what he wanted.
“With pleasure, my Prince.” She quickly unsheathed her sword from her back, stepping over to the necromancer.
“Stop playing with him,” Nicu smirked at Viktor and Gadiel who were literally sitting on a growling Toma. “Let’s get him home.”
A harsh feminine laugh filled the air causing everyone in the room to pause. They all looked around on high alert, not seeing anyone.
“Oh, vampires,” the voice breathed as the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Nicu bent down, grabbing his dagger from the headless necromancer’s body.
“Who is there,” Nicu demanded, turning around in circles in the room as an unsettling feeling crept into his stomach.
He already knew the answer to his question. According to their father, his ex-betrothed had been a powerful witch who turned her hatred towards vampires after he followed his heart and mated with his mother. The Council had her captured and locked up for eternity after she murdered over twenty vampires.
“Tell Vladimir and his bride,” the voice said. “I’m back.”
Rowena Frost had been freed.
Nicu growled, knowing this was just the beginning.
27
~Anika~
“Cooper, you have to let him near her,” the queen said softly to Nadira’s mate.
Phaelyn had called ahead to warn them that Cooper and Teague would be bringing home an unconscious Nadira. Anika didn’t know what to expect, fearing the worst.
The king instantly made phone calls and within minutes a tall, muscular man with long blond hair and pointy ears arrived seemingly out of thin air, much to Anika’s disbelief. His intense blue eyes, showed wisdom of years way past the age he appeared.
“I won’t hurt your mate,” Aven, the powerful fae said gently to Cooper. Cooper’s eyes flashed crimson as he stared at the fae. “She needs my help.”
Cooper looked quickly down at Nadira’s sleeping form before nodding his head in a jerking motion.
Anika chewed on her lip with worry as she looked at her slumbering best friend. Her eyes blurred with tears as she thought of everything they had been through the past few months. She sent up a small prayer that Aven would be able to help her.
The Olaru mansion had been in a state of frenzy with the current events. Vampire dignitaries have arrived, meeting with the king in his office at all times of day and night. Security was at an all time high. She had barely been able to sneeze without someone wanting to confirm her identity.
She watched as Aven moved closer to Nadira, placing his hand on her forehead. His eyes closed as he took slow deep breaths. The king showed up at the door, motioning for the queen and Anika. They quietly crept out of the room to meet with the king in the hallway.
“Any word?” Alin asked Vladimir.
“They have him,” Vladimir nodded. Anika released the breath she hadn’t realized that she had been holding. Her body fell against the wall, as the tears finally fell.
Toma.
They had him and they were bringing him home to her. Her joy was shortly outlived with the king’s next words.
“It’s not good though,” Vladimir said pausing, his worried eyes locked on Anika. “The blood lust has him.”
“What does that mean?” she cried out as tears spilled down her cheeks.
“It means he’s not going to be in his right mind,” Alin said, grabbing Anika by her shoulders. “It’s not going to be pretty. We’re going to have to get blood in him quick. The necromancers have probably starved him causing his body to go into survival mode. Without blood he could either die or –”
“Turn rogue,” the king finished. “He will be in a frenzy to feed and you will not be safe around him. We will have to put him into a secured room,” Vladimir said gravely.
“She’s awake,” Cooper blurted from the door before disappearing back into Nadira’s room. They rushed into the room, finding a pale Nadira propped up amongst a mound of pillows.
“Nadira,” Anika cried out weakly as she rushed to the bedside.
Aven stepped out away from the bed to allow Nadira’s parents to stand on the other side of the b
ed. Cooper and Aven moved away, speaking quietly to each other.
“Are you okay?” she asked Nadira, grabbing her hand gently.
“I’m okay but I was so worried about you,” Nadira said squeezing Anika’s hand. “I was so afraid of what Xalak had done to you. I thought I failed you.” Tears welled up into Nadira’s clear blue eyes.
“No, you didn’t fail. You saved me,” she whispered as they hugged each other tight. Anika gripped Nadira tighter, thanking the Gods for protecting her friend.
“Did they get Toma?” Nadira asked looking at her parents.
“They got him,” the king answered, kissing Nadira on the forehead. “They’re on their way home with him now. We must go prepare a room in the basement.”
“Father,” Nadira gasped. “The basement?”
“What’s wrong with the basement?” Anika asked wearily.
“It’s for his own good,” Alin said, sitting on the other side of the bed. “Nicu said that they had to sedate him to transport him. We need to prepare for the worst.”
* * *
The sounds coming from the room that they were securing Toma in had Anika cringing. Toma’s shouts, growls and threats echoed throughout the hallway. It tore her up that she couldn’t be in there trying to comfort him but they refused to let her in the room.
It’s too dangerous for a human.
Nicu refused to let her even get a look at Toma when they brought him in. The tranquilizer they’d given him before the trip had worn off faster than they had calculated. It took three of them to bring him into the house.
The door opened and out walked Teague pinching the bridge of his nose while holding his head back.
“Shit, that fucker is strong!” he groaned as he tried to stop his nose from bleeding. The rag in his hand was streaked with bright red blood.