Darque Wants

by Diana Steele

  So she broke into a slow run, forcing herself to keep going no matter how much it hurt.

  “Not so fast!”

  She could barely register that voice before she heard something snap behind her. Before she had taken another step, the weight of a heavy net drove her into the ground, pinning her there. She summoned what little reserve of energy she had left to left it, but her wings were weakest when they were out spread, and she was no match for an entire entourage of vampires.

  Chapter Four

  Adelaide awoke to the sensation of multiple tongues on her body. Her eyes flickered open and she flinched at the sight of four vampires liking and sucking at her wounds. With a gasp, her eyes darted over her body, looking for the bite marks that would mean that her life as an angel had already ended. Luckily for her, she found none. She laid there for another long moment, summoning all of the strength in her, searching her mind for that energy force. She couldn’t tell if it had been mere minutes, or many hours before she finally found enough energy to sit up.

  The vampires, clearly just foot soldiers, seemed to have been frightened by that sudden movement, they jumped away from her, one of them even scurrying as far away as the concrete wall opposite of her. Adelaide’s eyes darted around the room, looking for a way to escape, but there was none. A seamless block of concrete wall surrounded her on all sides, and, knowing the vampires, she was probably miles underground. She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes darting around one final time before she truly allowed herself to accept the fact that she had been captured. She felt her gut sink at this thought. She knew what life she had chosen when she agreed to be a spy. Once caught, you were useless, corrupted. Her eyes stung with the promise of tears as she realized that even if by some miracle, she was able to escape, they would never take her back.

  She let her eyes flicker shut, the image of Daman and the general, sending her off to her death all too fresh in her mind.

  “Answers.”

  The hiss wrenched her out of her moment of despair. Her eyes flashed open and she found herself staring right at a short vampire. His papery skin told her that he was at least a few centuries old, but she could tell by his old facial wounds and his awful posture that he was low-ranking. She let her frustration well up inside of her, scoffing at him. “No.” she snapped.

  The vampire began to tremble; racing towards her at a speed she could barely perceive herself. In less than a second he stood a foot away from her, bathing her in his metallic breath. This was not the vampire soldier she had become accustomed to seeing in battle. “Who sent you?” He demanded in his breathy voice.

  Adelaide clamped her jaw shut. She closed her eyes, feeling her muscles shake as they became suffused with her healing energy. She could feel it building in her chest, surrounding her broken and bruised bones and healing them. Her jaw clenched together and her eyes squeezed as much as they possibly could as she sat there, enduring the pain of her bones re-breaking and rebuilding, of her muscles ripping, tearing, reforming; torn ligaments re-attaching. Joint realigning. She could see nothing but white light in front of her, could hear nothing but white noise around her as she endured this pain, this pressure acting on her entire body at once.

  By the time she opened her eyes again, she was more exhausted than she had ever been, but she felt brand new.

  Somehow, the lone vampire that had been sent to question her turned into four more. They circled her, their faces brandishing the same sneer, their eyes showing the same deeply empty stare. “Who sent you?” one of them demanded.

  And again. “Who sent you?”

  Adelaide looked down to find that she had been tied down. A thick, leather belt bolted her midriff to the ground. Four smaller ones held her hands and feet together. Her wings were fanned out, held down with a large net for each one. Now that she had all but healed, the sensation of all six of her limbs fanned out was starting to get to her.

  She clamped her jaw to prevent herself from crying out in discomfort. The vampires fed on that. “Who sent you?” they continued to demand.

  Adelaide could feel her strength growing more and more the longer she sat there alone and unmoving. She had to play it just right. If she acted too soon, she would run out of energy before she could take all of them down, and if she waited too long, they would notice the change in her.

  “Who sent you?”

  Adelaide took in a deep breath, allowing the damp oxygen to fill her chest as her heart pumped boiling blood through her body. She was almost ready. She could feel it.

  “Who sent you?” one of the vampires took the liberty of mounting her. She could feel his body pressing against her as his cold fingers traced her cheek. She winced at this, but did her best to ignore it, until….

  She grunted as she contracted every muscle in her body propelling herself upward. The tension inside of her had built so much that it seeped from her pores as heat and light, the strong force blasting the vampires away from her. The thick leather straps that had pinned her down slipped away from her, melting like taffy, but her wings were not as strong, especially when fanned out on either side of her. Just when she was about to stand up, her wings caught, a flash of pain running up her spine as her entire body yanked backwards. She turned, groaning at her own mishap as she went to unscrew the nails that kept those nets on her wings.

  That slight moment of hesitation was enough for the vampires to catch on. One of them jumped onto her back, digging his knee into her back. He pinned her down on her neck. She hissed in pain as she continued to unscrew her wings. However, another vampire caught on, stepping on her hand. A scream pressed out of her mouth as she wrapped her other hand around his ankle and pulled. He went tumbling down, his face hitting the ground with a gut-wrenching crack.

  He was still.

  She finally got one wing free and folded it, using that momentum to swing her upwards towards the vampire that pinned her. She swung her fist at him, wincing as it hit him square in the face. He whimpered as he scurried off of her, pressing his back against the nearest wall to her. She quickly untied her second wing and stood up, panting and glaring at every vampire that was still standing. She held her feet shoulder-width apart, holding her hands in front of her to protect herself.

  Although they didn’t make another move, they wouldn’t take their eyes off of her. Adelaide knew that she had spooked them, and part of her, a very small and defiant part, was annoyed that whoever their general was, he thought four mindless recruits would be enough to subdue her. As her eyes darted from vampire to vampire and the walls that held them all there together, she realized that if she were going to get out of this, she would need to see the general. She’d have to make some sort of deal with him, to trick him somehow, because without his blessing, there was no way she was going to make it through the entire camp. “I need to see your leader.” She demanded.

  They stared blankly at her at first, then at each other.

  The vampire closest to her moved first, scurrying up the side of her holding cell. She followed him with her eyes until he disappeared up through a hole in the ceiling she hadn’t seen before. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the small entrance ten feet above her. As the rest of the vampires scurried up that small hole, she wondered if she herself could fit through it with her wings fanned out. She glowered up, watching them disappear and listening to the scratching sounds of their climbing. Eventually, they were gone, leaving her with nothing but silence.

  Adelaide stood there for the longest time, recovering her strength, listening to her breathing, wondering what she could possibly say to the general.

  She had only made it past, “hello,” when she heard a heavy disturbance from above, like large rocks being moved aside. She tilted her head up, the pounding of her own heart mixing in with the sound coming from above.

  Then, all at once, a man came flying down through the opening. The force of his entrance created a whirlwind inside of the room. Adelaide stepped away, running her hands through her wild hair. The man lande
d on his feet, the sonic disturbance ringing through the concrete walls and leaving her stunned. As he stood, she got a good look at him. Her eyes took in everything from his head of bleached blond hair, his pale skin, red eyes and perfect lips. She caught his strong, tall frame, draped in a black cape and covered in black armor, his sizeable feet encased in knee-high leather boots. She could feel his presence beyond her five senses, inside of her. Only one other being had ever made her feel that way.

  And he had left her to die.

  As he approached her, putting one deliberate foot in front of the other, she stood with her back pressed against the farthest wall from him, wondering how one being could be so attractive.

  “You rang?” he murmured.

  She raised an eyebrow, trying to silence her heart long enough to get out alive. She decided to put her most confidant foot forward, all too aware of her exposed midriff and dirty hair. “Yes, yes I did.”

  He stopped only after he had put less than a foot between the two of them, his lips folding into a sensual smirk. “I’m flattered.” He replied.

  She wondered if she imagined that wink.

  “Yes? Well I’m insulted.” She replied, pleased with how easily she was able to hide her own discomfort.

  His lips folded into a fake frown. “Oh honey, by my watch, you’ve only been here for a few minutes and you’re already complaining?”

  Adelaide glowered at him, something told her it had been more than just a few hours. “How long have I been here?” she asked, realizing that he had eyes only for her neck.

  He shrugged. “A couple of days.”

  She gulped. If anyone were coming for her, they would have done it by then. “That long?”

  He sucked in a deep breath, his lips stretching into a smile. “We didn’t sedate you at all. For a while, we thought you were dead… until you started healing.”

  “Don’t you vampires have x-ray vision or something?” she retorted.

  “We can sense life.” He corrected, before staring her right in the eye. “And I smelt you all right. I could feel your warm, sweet blood coursing through your veins. Believe me, the only thing keeping me from draining you right now is the promise of information.”

  Adelaide pretended not to be scared. “Who promised you information?” she demanded, feigning surprise.

  He stepped even closer to her, smothering with in his intoxicating scent. She couldn’t help but feel even a little bit star struck about the fact that she was standing this close to the infamous General Constantine. He was the stuff of dark legends amongst the elderly angels that had raised her. “Maybe I’m thinking a little too far ahead.”

  “Well, judging from the pack of minions you sent, not far enough.” She replied.

  He swept his gaze around the room, taking in the destruction she had single-handedly caused. “Perhaps you’re right.” He admitted.

  “What did you mean by thinking too far ahead?” she asked.

  He pressed his hand into the wall above her head, leaning into her, his sharp eyes scanning her from head to toe. She felt bare and vulnerable. “Well, there’s the Mr. Nice Guy. Then there’s the threats of violence; the torture.” He explained, tracing her cheek and neck with his free hand.

  Adelaide’s mouth hung open, goose bumps rising on her skin.

  “Then I drain you, until you’re clinging to life with every weak breath…” he breathed, pressing his nose against her cheek and his lips into her ear, “And then you promise me answers.”

  Adelaide pressed her palms against his chest, reveling in the strong silence that met her for only a mere second before she pushed him with all of her strength, propelling herself off of the wall. He hit the opposite wall, putting a long crack in it, his deep laugh filling the room. “I knew you would be the fighting kind.” He replied.

  “I’m not the promising kind.” She countered. “You won’t get your answers by trying to hurt me.”

  “Oh really?” he replied in a skeptical voice.

  “I don’t respond to pain.” She replied.

  “And what do you respond to?” he then asked. “What have they done to you that’s got you wrapped around their finger? How do I buy your loyalty from them?”

  Adelaide let out a humorless laugh. “I’m not loyal. I’m smart.”

  “Oh, are you?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “And what do you think you know?” he asked as he joined her in the center of the room.

  She cocked her head to the side, running her eyes all the way down his body. She could tell from the way that he stared at her, his lips hanging just slightly ajar, his eyes half open, a haze covering the red pupils, his legs slightly apart, that he wanted to do more with her than to just drain her of her blood.

  And she needed to survive.

  “That your… more human desires have outweighed your monstrous ones.” She replied in an unwavering voice.

  She saw him flinch. It was a slight movement, something a human could have never noticed. But she did, and if she needed any validation for her suspicions that was it. She ignored the nervous fluttering in her heart and that voice in the back of her mind that told her she had never seduced something as bloodthirsty and sadistic as a vampire and she lifted both of her hands, placing them on either side of his face. She felt him moving even closer to her, felt his bulge pressing into her bare stomach… A smile played on the edges of her lips as she lifted her weight onto her tiptoes putting her less than an inch away from him. She could feel his submission. Until…

  With a growl, he lifted his hands, ripping her arms away from him. The force of it set her flying away from him. She skidded across the floor, her head hitting the back wall with a gut-wrenching crack. She blinked repeatedly, struggling to regain her composure.

  But, by the time she looked up again, he was gone.

  Chapter Five

  Adelaide sat there until she had lost all concept of time, waiting for him to return, but he never did. She pressed her back against the wall for security, wedging her head in between her knees and telling herself to breathe to ward off that little voice in the back of her head; the one that kept telling her that her last chance for survival had evaded her. Eventually, she grew tired of her own incessant internal monologue. Her eyes flickered shut and she fell into a fitful slumber.

  Her eyes flashed open and she lifted her eyes to the ceiling above her. The entrance the vampires used to transport themselves ten stories into the ground had become much larger, so much large that she could have flown through it with her wings at full span. She slowly stood up, getting a feel for her own movements and managing her dizziness. Yet, but the time she had made it to the center of the room, she heard a voice come from behind her.

  “This is a test.” She turned to find the vampire general standing behind her.

  Adelaide froze. “What are you talking about?”

  He began to approach her. “You were right earlier.” He muttered.

  “About what?” she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

  “I do want something from you, something more than your blood.”

  She stood her ground with her chin lifted and her hands curled into fists, but all she could think about was what it would feel like to melt into his ice cold embrace. “And what is that?” She asked, flexing her jaw.

  He lifted his chin, darting the short distance between the two of them in less than a second. She didn’t see him move, but the next thing she knew, his chest was pressed against hers. With his nose in the air, he took a giant whiff of her, the blue blood vessels on his neck dilating until she could see the clear paths that they forged underneath his pale skin. “I want you for myself. Forever.” He hissed, the sound seeming to come from inside of her.

  Her eyes went wide as her stomach flipped in excitement in spite of herself. “What do you mean? Are you proposing to me?” she asked.

  He shook his head, a mischievous smile darkening his face. “My dear, I’m not the marrying kind.” He whisper
ed, the words echoing throughout the entire room until he had completely disappeared from sight.

  Adelaide’s eyes flashed open that dream leaving a bad taste in her mouth. She could not believe she had really just dreamed about becoming romantically involved with a vampire. She sucked in a deep breath, sitting up and wincing at the burn in the back of her head.

  “Sweet dreams?”

  She flinched at the sound of the general sitting across the room from her. He had been there the entire time… suddenly her dream didn’t feel so unreal. “Were you just sitting there, watching me sleep?” she asked.

  “I accomplished some things while you were asleep.” He replied, looking up.

  Adelaide followed his gaze, just like her dream, the entrance had been widened to a size that would allow her a free and easy passage. She looked back at the general, her eyes wide in wonder. “What is this?” she asked.

  “I want you, more than I’ve ever wanted another thing in both of my lives. Now, you’ve made an offer, and I’d like to consider it.” He explained. He beckoned to her with his index finger. “Come here.” He murmured, holding his arms out to receive her.

  She obeyed him, her wings flaring out to either side of her as she made her way towards him. He ran his hands down each of her arms, the sensation of his touch raising every hair on her body. She felt her blood boiling under his icy touch as every part of her became completely and irrevocably drawn to every part of him. He placed his hands on her waist and gently turned her around so that she was facing the hole in the ceiling. “You see that? That’s your way out. There might be an ambush waiting for you, just at the surface…or there might not. You can take that chance if you want.” He bent over her shoulder, planting a kiss on the side of her neck. She had never been more hyperaware of her own pulse than in that very moment. “Or you can stay here with me.” He whispered, turning her back around to face him. He placed a palm on her cheek, lifting her face up to meet his lips.