Shadow's Seduction

by Kresley Cole

  Standing beside a shackled and gagged prisoner, Mirceo gazed up at Lothaire--the red-eyed king--with a defeated expression.

  What was happening? The tension between them was so taut it seemed to reverberate. Figure it out later. Cas readied to trace--

  Trehan clamped his shoulder to prevent him. "Lothaire has been in rare form these last few days," he said in a low tone. "If you'd like to survive this day, I suggest you stay out of his way."

  Cas growled, "Who hurt my mate? Was it Lothaire?"

  "If the king thrashes you, how well will you be able to help Kosmina? You choked back your fury earlier with me. You must again. You have a family to think about now."

  Cas sank his claws into his palms, grappling not to attack the king.

  Lothaire stalked closer to Mirceo. "Do it. Do it for your sister," he said. "That is a royal command."

  Do what???

  Appearing dazed, Mirceo leaned toward the restrained male--toward his neck.

  Cas's mate was about to bite another! He tensed to fling himself away from Trehan.

  Just before Mirceo's lips made contact, a blood tear tracked down his cheek. He drew back, shaking his head. "I-I can't."

  Cas knew how much Mirceo loved his sister, could see how starved the vampire was--how could he not bite that male?

  Lothaire snapped, "If you don't drink Kristoff, I will."

  "No way," the queen--Elizabeth?--said from her throne. "Any more memories'll send you right over the edge."

  Lothaire gruffly said, "I'll be fine, Lizvetta. When did everyone get so fucking persnickety over this?"

  "Forget it, Leo."

  Lothaire turned to Mirceo, baring his fangs. "Kosmina is in jeopardy."

  Another vampire male said, "Because you sent her out!"

  "Do I need to crush your skull again, Viktor?"

  A hulking Dacian with a flask in hand--must be Stelian--said, "As if you care about Mina. Let's not pretend."

  "Kosmina Daciano is my blood relation. Mine. No one takes from me." To Mirceo, Lothaire said, "Bite Kristoff's godsdamned neck! Your sister's life is on the line."

  "I know that!" Mirceo all but sobbed. "This is killing me!"

  His pain is my pain.

  Trehan increased the pressure on Caspion's shoulder.

  Lothaire thundered, "Do it now! Do you not want your sister saved?" Abruptly changing tack, he softly queried, "Do you think she's frightened right now? Will little Kosmina cry for you? Don't you believe she's already injured?"

  Blood tears streaming, Mirceo bashed his fists against his head.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Mirceo beat his skull and tore at his hair. Was Mina crying for her big brother? Was she scared? Is she . . . dead?

  Though the need to save her clawed at his throat, his fangs were dull and useless. His mind understood why this act was necessary, yet his body remained irrevocably faithful to his mate. Mirceo had even tried to imagine he was about to sink his fangs into one of Caspion's warm, welcoming veins, but his body hadn't been fooled.

  He'd just thought, I need my demon, when familiar hands seized his wrists. A low voice soothed: "Hey, hey, love. I've got you." Strong arms enfolded him. "Shh, shh. Stop this, vampire. I've got you."

  Caspion. Mirceo shuddered from relief. "Am I dreaming you?"

  "I'm here."

  Lothaire demanded, "Who the hell is this demon in my court?"

  Pride ringing in his tone, Caspion said, "I'm the tracker who's going to get Mina back."

  How had Caspion found out? How had the demon reached this kingdom?

  Anger disappearing as if it had never been, Lothaire returned to his throne. "Continue, demon tracker."

  "If she wasn't in the Forbearers' stronghold, then they don't have her. You waste your time. That's not the trail."

  "Then who does have her? What is the trail?"

  Caspion asked Mirceo, "Does your arm still pain you?"

  "Yes. I believe she was injured, and I feel it. Have for days."

  Caspion nodded. "As long as you feel that pain, you know she's alive."

  "But where?"

  "Why would an immortal vampire, a female, not heal from a mere arm injury?"

  Realization. His legs gave out, and he sagged against Caspion.

  "No, Mirceo," the demon murmured. "We will find her. And we will heal her."

  Lothaire canted his head. "You think she has the plague. Interesting."

  Interesting??? Mirceo almost attacked again.

  Caspion said, "The Gaolers might have taken her to their dimension. Which would explain why your oracle can't see her."

  "Ah, the demigod devils are riding again? They used to be much more active. Of course, there used to be many more sick vampires before those sweeps began." To the court, Lothaire said, "If Mina has the plague, then the Gaolers have her. Sadly, she will not be returning home."

  "Leo!" the queen snapped. "You better start behaving yourself."

  Mirceo nearly vomited again.

  Lothaire said, "Those phantasms are untouchable--and there are few beings I consider beyond even my unholy reach. No one knows whence they come."

  Caspion had said the Gaolers' dimension couldn't be reached. Dear gods, what if she ran afoul of Silt Harea--the male who'd threatened to kill anyone Mirceo loved?

  Caspion squared his shoulders. "I can get to the Gaolers."

  _______

  Lothaire laughed. "This I must hear. How can you find demigods?"

  Cas said, "Because I know where they will go in the future--and when."

  Mirceo cast him a questioning look.

  Cas told Lothaire, "Mirceo and I are going to capture another one of their bounties. When the Gaolers come to collect, we will collect them."

  Lothaire flashed his fangs. The king's version of a smile? "I approve of your cunning. Which bounty will you retrieve?"

  "There are several possibilities. Once Mirceo has fed and healed"--Cas directed a look of menace at Lothaire--"he and I will assess the bounties with other seasoned hunters."

  "Keep me informed." Lothaire's attention fell to his gagged and shackled prisoner. "Apologies, Kristoff. Apparently your faction had nothing to do with the Dacianos' troubles. No hard feelings, brother." Kristoff yelled behind his gag, thrashing. Unaffected, Lothaire said, "I assume we're still on for our match this afternoon. I will even move your chess pieces while your broken fingers heal. Best keep your eye on your queen." Lothaire took Elizabeth's hand. About to trace her away, he paused to ask Mirceo, "Why is that demon still embracing you?"

  Mirceo lifted his bruised chin. "He's my mate."

  Lothaire's red eyes widened and blazed. "I don't care how valuable he is for us to use, I forbid such a union in my kingdom!" He slammed his free hand down on his throne's armrest, disintegrating it. "Not on my watch! If you want that male, I'll exile you."

  Sounding crazed, Mirceo said, "Then my mate and I are going to live in a dismal cave and hunt Wendigos for the rest of our lives."

  Cas shot him a side look. Pardon?

  Mirceo muttered to him, "I realized I would rather that scenario with you than anything else without you."

  The queen snatched her hand away from Lothaire and glared at him. "What the hell is wrong with this match, Leo?" The angrier she got, the thicker her country accent grew. "They clearly care about each other."

  "Mirceo is my blood! And he dares to proclaim this male as his mate? Bringing this"--he gestured to Cas and Mirceo--"into my court?"

  Cas clutched Mirceo's frail form against him. He'd figured they would get pushback somewhere or sometime--simply because they possessed two dicks between them--but he hadn't thought it would come from a three-millennia-old vampire.

  Voice thrumming with fury, the queen told Lothaire, "You had better check yourself."

  Lothaire threw his hands up as if all the world had gone mad. "When Trehan mated a sorceress with demon blood, I tolerated the match, even encouraged it. But now Mirceo's mate is a full-blooded demon? With horns! Will
Viktor bring home a Wendigo? Stelian will surely mate a ghouless. When we find Kosmina, she'll probably be knocked up with centaur foals. Lizvetta, there's only so much I can STAND!"

  "Wait," Cas said, "you don't care that I'm male?"

  Lothaire blinked those creepy eyes. "Why the fuck would I care if you're male?"

  Then solely because I'm a demon?

  The queen frowned. "For lordy sakes, I thought you'd be more tolerant since your queen was a human 'peasant' before you turned her into a vampire."

  Lothaire gazed down into her eyes, and his expression softened. "Ah, but you were different, my love. There is uncommon greatness in you."

  Her eyes went soft as well, and she gave a resigned sigh. "You're digging yourself deeper than a mole." She turned to Cas. "I'm Ellie, and I'm so happy to welcome you here to Dacia, Prince Caspion. I know you will protect Mirceo to the death and help bring back Mina. We officially recognize your union in front of all." To Lothaire, she pointedly said, "Don't we, Leo?"

  Lothaire sneered to Cas, "We recognize this union." With a sinister grin, the king added, "We also recognize that the demon probably won't make it out of his upcoming mission alive. . . ."

  THIRTY-SIX

  Caspion drew Mirceo even closer, teleporting them to their villa.

  "I have to be imagining this." Mirceo was so weakened that his vision had blurred, his thoughts a snarl.

  "I'm here." The demon swept the backs of his fingers over Mirceo's cheek to brush away a tear. "I will be as long as you let me."

  "You and Mina are the only things that matter to me. But I lost you both."

  "You've lost neither." He cupped Mirceo's face. "Heed my words: We are going to find Mina alive. I took her poster from the board, entering myself and my partner into that contract. Together he and I have never failed to claim a bounty."

  "You truly believe we can?"

  "Yes. And when we bring her back here, perhaps Lothaire will view my presence as something other than an insult."

  Mirceo trusted Caspion. If the demon said they'd find Mina alive, then they would. The fears that had threatened to undo him began to recede to a manageable level.

  "We'll leave as soon as you're ready. So you need to drink, leechling. You're far too young to go without blood."

  "You're not the latest in a long line," Mirceo blurted out. "You're the last. My last. My ever. I need you to know that I kept my fangs in my pants and my dick in my mouth."

  Caspion's blond brows rose. "Okay, vampire, you really have to drink now."

  Mirceo frowned. "Am I making sense? Can't seem to think."

  "We'll talk about all this once you've recovered. Please feed."

  Mirceo swayed against him. "I might not keep it down."

  "You will, because your panic will be less. You've identified the cause of it, and we know what we face. You understand the road ahead, and you better believe we'll prevail. But you need to drink to be strong for the job." Caspion drew a claw over the side of his neck, then cupped the back of Mirceo's head to press him to the bleeding slash.

  Warm drops glistening against bronzed skin . . . Mirceo's fangs went razor-sharp, but he needed to get these words out. "Why are you being so kind to me after what I did? I fucked up that morning. And I fucked up months ago when I manipulated you. I am so sorry for that."

  Caspion's brows drew together. "I can't regret what happened, because we're fated. But I'll kick your ass if you do something like that again. Now, drink."

  _______

  Though the vampire panted with starvation, he somehow dragged his haunted eyes away from the blood. "I need to know that we're bonded . . . that we will get back to where we were . . . the night you claimed me."

  "No, leechling. Because I feel even more for you than I did then. I godsdamned love you." He thumped Mirceo on the ear. "Now, shut up and suck."

  Mirceo gave a strained laugh. But he did ease closer and pressed his mouth against Cas's neck. Tentative licks followed.

  "Bite, vampire."

  With a weak growl, Mirceo sank his fangs into ready and waiting flesh.

  "That's it, love." Cas gazed at the ceiling as he healed his mate, solidifying their connection again. "Drink."

  As Mirceo sucked, his body began to fill out, his injuries mending.

  "I'm strong for us," Cas assured him. "Take as much as you need."

  Mirceo's reedy heartbeat slowed and deepened. Soon it had synced with Caspion's, one loud drum in their ears.

  "You feel that, Mirceo?" He groaned in response, and together they basked in the connection. "You need someone to take care of you. Let me be that mate."

  Mirceo's arms wrapped around Cas's chest, and he moaned his assent.

  "I'm sorry that I didn't have faith in you," Cas said. "Or in my ability to keep you. I'll never doubt either of us again."

  When Mirceo released his bite with a last lick, Cas's gaze roamed over his face. "There he is. There's my mate."

  Mirceo's eyes had cleared, his gray irises brightening. Color tinged his cheeks, his lips reddening. "I can't believe you came back to Dacia for me. How did you get here?"

  "Trehan traced me."

  "Did you two fight?"

  "I was desperate to get to you, couldn't spare the time. So I asked him very, very nicely to take me to my mate."

  Mirceo raised his brows. "You must love the hell out of me."

  "Trehan's thoughts exactly." Cas clamped his nape. "You're under my skin, Mirceo. When we parted, you took my heart with you. Go easy with it, okay?"

  "I'll protect it forever, just as you'll protect mine."

  "You saying you love me?"

  "Madly. I already knew it the morning after, which is why I was so confounded by my panic." He gazed up at Cas, staring into his eyes. "We really are going to find Mina?"

  "We'll storm hell if we have to." He took Mirceo's hand in his. We fit. "I will not let you down."

  "What if Harea finds her?"

  "Then he had better hope she can't lay hands on a sword. Somehow, someway, this family will best him a second time."

  Mirceo gave a decisive nod. His expression grew focused and intent. "Then let's get started, old man."

  Cas gazed down at the mate he loved. "You stay on me like my godsdamned shadow, vampire."

  Mirceo's lips curved. "Eternally, demon."

  Sneak Peek of WICKED ABYSS

  Next up in the electrifying Immortals After Dark series.

  Coming April 25, 2017

  This fairy tale doesn't end with a kiss . . .

  Turn the page for an exclusive bonus preview.

  A spellbinding Immortals After Dark tale from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole!

  The terrifying king of hell . . .

  As a boy, Abyssian "Sian" Infernas had his heart shattered by a treacherous fey beauty who died before he could exact vengeance. Millennia later, a curse has transformed him into a demonic monster--just as she's been reincarnated. Sian captures the delicate but bold female, forcing her back to hell.

  Meets his match.

  Princess Calliope "Lila" Barbot's people have hated and feared Abyssian and his alliance of monsters for eons. When the beastly demon imprisons her in his mystical castle, vowing revenge for betrayals she can't remember, Lila makes her own vow: to bring down the wicked beast for good.

  Can two adversaries share one happily-ever-after?

  As Lila turns hell inside out, the all-powerful Sian finds himself defenseless against his feelings for her. In turn, Lila reluctantly responds to the beast's cleverness and gruff vulnerability. But when truths from a far distant past are revealed, can their tenuous bond withstand ages of deceit, a curse, and a looming supernatural war?

  PROLOGUE

  "Listen well to the storyteller, and you'll hear such a tale," Nix the Ever-Knowing said to her sister Regin as they sat before the fire in their temporary abode. "Once upon a time, two females entered an enchanted forest on opposite ends of the woods. One was a lovely and truehea
rted fairy princess, born an old soul, with perhaps a bit of a temper. The other was a temptress called the dame of fire, known to be sensual and devious, with perhaps a lack of mercy.

  "The princess was fleeing a baneblood archer who'd vowed to wipe out the entire fey royal line. The princess wanted only to live.

  "The dame was pursuing a cowardly ruler who'd jeopardized all of his people. The dame wanted only to kill.

  "During the princess's journey, she met a mysterious, gorgeous, shifty soothsaying Valkyrie who betrayed her. Next the princess met two sorceresses. They sent her on the adventure of a lifetime, down the rabbit hole to a strange new world, because they knew that not all bad is bad.

  "Lastly the princess met a king of beasts with two faces. He could keep her safe from the archer, but first the fairy princess would have to become the beast's bride.

  "On the opposite end of the woods, the dame of fire met an ancient and primal force that recognized and rewarded her bravery.

  "Next she encountered a wise dragon who admired her audacity, so he decided to grant her one wish.

  "Lastly she met a beautiful fairy king, who had offered her his hand in marriage. And everyone knows the best way to become a queen is to marry a king.

  "The dame and the princess would meet in the middle of the forest, clashing so violently that even hell trembled. Which one would emerge from the woods? Who would triumph before the clock tolled midnight? The storyteller's companion, one of her Valkyrie sisters, blinked in astonishment at such a tale, then said . . ."

  "Uh, Nix, I just asked if you wanted to go hunt some ghouls." Regin frowned at her sister, wondering how much nuttier the soothsayer could get. After the destruction of the Valkyries' home, her mind was declining even faster than before. "And why are you calling yourself 'the storyteller' and narrating our conversation?"

  Nix smiled vacantly. "The storyteller replied: 'Because I am telling a story. And besides, no ghouls were harmed during the making of this fairy tale.'"

  FITFO. Figure it the fuck out.

  --CALLIOPE "LILA" BARBOT, PRINCESS OF THE SYLVAN FEY LINE

  My sire was the devil, and my dam was darkness embodied. I am a shadow that can follow you, even into the night.

  --ABYSSIAN "SIAN" INFERNAS, KING OF PANDEMONIA AND ALL HELLS,