Darque Wants

by Diana Steele

  Adelaide’s eyes flashed open. Her eyes watering from the pain of that memory. Vampires were impossibly dangerous when they wanted to be… and they did want to be. With her wrist tingling from the wound she had sustained and the healing her body had gone through, she leaned off of the pillar, wondering what could possibly move Samson to enact a betrayal of his own race that deep. She decided that she needed to find out.

  Chapter Five

  Adelaide crossed the camp in almost no time at all and was pleased to find that no one had beat her to the questioning-and-torturing gig. In fact, there wasn’t even anyone standing outside of the tent guarding the angel. Adelaide assumed this might have just been because Samson was too weak to break free and escape, or it could be that he no longer had anywhere to escape to. She pushed through the flap, and stopped, her body practically vibrating in anger as she beheld his strong, heavy frame collapsed in the back corner the of the tent like an old sweater. His golden hair, which had flown through the air as he had zoomed in between the trees, trying his best to kill her, hung like a limp, dead thing, over his sharp, blue eyes.

  “Hey.” Adelaide snapped, fearlessly crossing the tent to reach him.

  “Hey.” He replied in a tired voice.

  She clenched her jaw. “Look at me.” She demanded.

  He shook his head. “Why should I?”

  She reached down to him, grasped his jaw and forced him to look up at her.

  When he did, she almost gasped at the way they had mangled his face. His nose was broken and dark, dried blood was plastered on his cheek. She glanced over his shoulder and sure enough, his wings had been cut off. Nothing remained but bloody nobs of bone and the odd feather. She dropped his chin and stepped away from him, her skin crawling. An angel was not meant to look like this.

  He let out a dark chuckle. “That’s what I thought.”

  Adelaide shook her head. “Don’t do that.” She ordered. But it was too late. She could feel his disdain like a knife in her skull.

  “This is what your people does to angels.” He muttered.

  Adelaide gulped. It made her sick, but she had to ignore it. He had tried to kill her. He worked for vampires. It wasn’t as simple as he was trying to make it seem. “I came here to ask you questions, not to have a conversation.”

  He raised a frayed eyebrow. “Then you’re going to be disappointed.”

  Adelaide shook her head. “No no no. You’re going to tell me everything you know, because you enlisted with the creatures that murdered my sister and I demanded at least that from you.”

  He scoffed. “It’s not that simple.”

  Adelaide sank to the ground, realizing that he was right. “Who the hell are you?” she breathed.

  “I’m an angel.”

  She glared at him. “You’re a sick excuse for a living thing. You are hardly angel. You don’t even have your wings.”

  “Because demons took them from me.” He hissed.

  “Because you tried to kill me.” Adelaide countered.

  He shook his head, leaning back against the wall. “I did what I needed to do to survive.” He replied.

  Adelaide really thought she might vomit then. The whole thing was despicable. “How could you be so selfish?” she demanded, bringing herself within a foot away from him. She wanted show him that she was not intimidated by him by the least bit.

  He met her gaze, bringing himself within inches of hers.

  She could smell his sweet angel breath and could hardly deny that it aroused her.

  “Selfish?” he hissed. “How can you accuse me of being something you do so well? You are the queen of selfish!”

  Adelaide gulped. “I am fighting this war for my kind. If the demons win, you know what that means for earth. You know what that means for my family and for yours and for every other glorious living thing out there.”

  “So you abandoned your kind to fight for the very thing that we hate? How noble.”

  “It is not as simple as you are making it.” Adelaide replied, thinking only of Daman. “Besides, you’re the one working for vampires.”

  “I was born working for vampires.” He snapped.

  “What are you talking about?” she demanded.

  “That family you mentioned? Yeah I don’t have one. They were taken after the invasion of the undead and used as blood slaves for the royal family. My mother was pregnant with me. By some twisted miracle of fate, I didn’t die inside of her. So they used me too. Until I grew up and I got big and the demons declared war and they realized they were wasting an asset.”

  Adelaide’s eyes filled with tears. She had never even been fed on before and here Samson sat, having witnessed hardships she didn’t even experience in her worse nightmares.

  “I didn’t get lucky like you did. I’m a male. I’m a threat, not an agent of pleasure. My choices were limited.”

  “What are you saying?” Adelaide’s face flushed with the mention of her sexuality.

  Samson pursed his lips, grunting as he used his sheer strength to break through the cuffs. They rolled away from his now free hands like child’s playthings. Adelaide tried to move away from him but he grabbed the body of her face and squeezed, drawing her chin towards him. “I’m saying they would never feed on you. Even if they did they would never do it to an extent that would harm you in any way. Sex with an angel is the best sex there is.” He replied.

  “I wouldn’t know.” Adelaide sneered.

  Samson let out a dark laugh, one that made Adelaide fear for her safety. “You’ve never even made love to one us? How traitorous of you.”

  Adelaide yanked her face out of his grip, slapping his hand way. “How can you say that to me? If the vampires win because of something you did, you would have murdered all of the angels.”

  “What if Constantine had found you first?” he demanded.

  Adelaide clamped her jaw shut. “I-…” when she ran away, she needed food and shelter, she didn’t care who it came from.

  What if Constantine had found her first?

  Samson shook his head. “You would fallen in love with him and he would have fallen in love with you and you would have done whatever it took to convince yourself that when he won the war, it didn’t matter that it meant the end of your family. You have been blessed with a body no man can resist… not even me. And you know that.”

  “I don’t like what you’re insinuating.” Adelaide snapped.

  “Why? Because it’s true?” he snapped.

  “I’m a good fighter and I fly better than any angel out there. That’s why I’m alive.”

  Samson shook his head. “No it isn’t. You’re alive because Daman loved you and now Constantine does. You use your body to get what you want and you come in here and preach morality to me? You’re nothing but a prostitute.”

  Adelaide slapped him, her hand hitting his face so hard that her palm turned white from the impact. She gasped, surprised at her own actions. “Don’t say that to me!” she hissed.

  “I never tell you anything!” he roared.

  “Oh fuck you.” Adelaide replied, standing up.

  Samson stood up as well, facing her.

  She tried to ignore the fact that he was naked, tried to ignore the fact that his huge member dangling just inches away from her hand.

  “At least, not like this. But…” he scanned her with his invasive eyes. “But you are exquisite… and I’ve never had sex with an angel either. I might forget who I am and why I’m here…” He whispered stepping so close to her that she could feel his penis against her hip bone. It had filled out and was slowly rising with his every word. “I might forget why withholding information… and I might tell you everything.” He spoke those last words so close to her that she could feel his moving lips on her face.

  Adelaide could hardly think, she could barely deny how badly she wanted him, and now, he was offering information that could save the war and for what, a measly ten minutes inside of her? It was a fair trade. “Fine.” She whispered
as her eyes flickered shut and she waited for his kiss.

  When it never came, she opened her eyes to find him staring at her, an impish grin on his face. “What the hell?” she demanded.

  He shook his head in wonder. “I can’t believe it. You would actually have sex with the angel who tried to kill you if it meant information.”

  Adelaide scoffed, looking away from him. She had never felt more embarrassed in her life.

  “I don’t know what happened to you to make you hate yourself this much.” He continued. “But, I think it’ll work out just fine for you, because General Constantine is working out a treaty with your general. An alliance. An agreement that could end this and all wars to come.” He chuckled at this. “And I can bet that his final bargaining chip will be you.” Samson returned to his place in the back corner as he said this.

  Adelaide could hardly think straight, she was so stunned. Somehow, here she was again, being tossed between monsters.

  Daman was giving her up… again.

  Chapter Six

  Adelaide ran through the camp, heading straight for the General’s tent. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, begging to be set free. Her skin was on fire as her Energy coursed through her veins, setting her skin on fire and casting everything in front of her in golden hue. She weaved in and out of the groups of soldiers that dotted the pathways, knocking over buckets and pissing demons off. But she didn’t care. She needed to get to the General before it got to be too late, before he finalized the plans. She had half a mind to fly the rest of the way there, but by the time she could work herself into a running start, she was skidding to a stop in front of the tent. She could hear a murmur of voices. One of them was Daman’s and she was coming for him.

  “How could you?” she roared as she barged into the tent.

  The five demon officers that were gathered around a strategic map looked up, their intense gazes interrupted by temporary expressions of confusion.

  The general stood in the center of them, his fist on the table as if he had just finished illustrating a pivotal point. He looked up at her, then exchanged a look with Daman, who charged at her from around the table, his brow raised in agitation.

  Adelaide pointed a sharp finger at her. “No.” She ordered. “You will not drag me out there like a child. I demand to know what you are planning!”

  The general shook his head and scoffed, but didn’t even respect her enough to respond, instead, turning his attention back to the map. “Now, they are going to want Ellesmere because the weather is suitable for their skin…”

  Daman wrapped his arms around Adelaide’s waist, but she became so heated that her wings expanded to their full span, shoving him away from her. “You realize the vampires will kill all of us!” she yelled. “I can’t…” but Daman pressed his large hands on her lips, pushing her words, along with her tongue deep back into her mouth.

  She turned her face red trying to talk around her hand, but this proved all but impossible. She curled her hands into tight fists, slamming them into his chest and torso, but his ghostly body became elusive to her hits. She could not strike him fast enough to make a difference. When it became clear to Daman that Adelaide was not going to give in, he picked her up, effortlessly resisting her flapping wings and thrust her out of the tent, shutting the flap behind him.

  Adelaide hit the ground hard with her hip, the deep thump reverberating through her bones. “Daman!” she cried, tears streaming down her face as she pushed through the pain and stood up ignoring the tingling in her bones.

  “How dare you embarrass me in front of the general like that?” he demanded, jutting his finger at her.

  Adelaide glared at him. “You can’t do this! You can’t make this deal!” she screeched. Her voice rang through the air, but it wasn’t enough. For once, Adelaide desperately wished she could do something more to undo what had been done.

  “It is not my decision to make!” Daman replied as he lifted Adelaide over his shoulder and pressed through the tents back to their home.

  Adelaide felt the blood rush to her head as she gave up fighting him on this. If he dropped her, she could break a bone, and that would be an even more damaging distraction from what was going on.

  As soon as they got inside of their own tent, Daman slammed her onto the bed. Adelaide sat up, pressing her palms together. Tears poured down her cheeks, wetting her shirt as she pressed her hands together and begged him. “Daman please don’t let this happen! You can still win against them, you know you can. This is just an act of weakness and that’s all. You have to push through and come up with something else.”

  Daman’s chest rose and fell as he sucked in a deep breath, clenching his jaw and he leaned over the mattress so that his eyes met hers. “This is beyond our control. You have to understand that.”

  But Adelaide could not accept this as an answer. She threw her arms around him, slamming her head against his chest. “But Daman, you can’t let them take me all over again! You can’t!”

  “What are you talking about?” Daman asked, pulling her away from him so that he could hold her at arm’s length.

  Adelaide hiccupped before she explained that, “When I was talking to Samson, he said Constantine was going to take me again. He said that was the only way that he could make the deal.”

  Daman shoved her back onto the bed, Adelaide’s head yanking back as she fell. He stood back up and turned his back on her. “You were talking to another angel alone?”

  Adelaide glowered at him. She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. “I resent that!” she snapped. “Don’t you trust me?” she asked.

  When he didn’t respond, she added, “Why won’t you fight for me?”

  Daman shook his head, turning to face her. “Because this isn’t about you.”

  Adelaide’s heart exploded in her chest. She scurried across the room at him, swinging her hand to slap him in the face, but he grabbed her wrist right out of the air. “You’re weak!”

  Daman slapped her.

  Adelaide’s eyes went wide as her hand flew to the stinging cut on her cheek. It flashed gold as her body rushed to heal it.

  “He wouldn’t even want you if you hadn’t have already had sex with him!” he roared.

  Her jaw dropped. “He would have killed me if I hadn’t!”

  Daman frowned at her, shooting her a tired glare. “I don’t know if I believe that.”

  “I never would have cheated on you if I knew there was another way!” Adelaide cried, but the words felt wispy and meaningless coming out of her mouth.

  “You didn’t even look for another way, because you knew that was an option.” Daman argued.

  Adelaide struggled to look for any kind of response to this… but, all of the sudden, the past was too blurry to understand.

  Daman didn’t wait for her reaction. He let out a deep, dark sigh, then pushed open the flap. “I have to get back to that meeting.”

  Adelaide practically jumped towards him, “But you’ll fight for me won’t you?” she pleaded, her eyes wide and desperate.

  He turned and looked down at her, his gaze boring deep into her soul. She had his attention, but she knew that she did not have his heart, at least not at that moment. “I have enough things on my mind without having to think about your own impossible fears.” He snapped.

  “But-“

  But he left before she could finished her sentence.

  Chapter Seven

  Adelaide prayed to the gods that she had been wrong about what Constantine would want, but the next morning, when the vampire shadow had descended on the demon camp, Daman helped her pack her things, because she was right all along and he didn’t fight for her. She sat at her dressing table, combing her long blond hair in front of the mirror. The rhythmic movement helped to calm her nerves. Her Energy sizzled just under skin as she practically vibrated with anxiety. Her eyes rimmed with tears, but she had already cried as much as she could the night before. Nothing more could come ou
t.

  “There.” Daman murmured, as he dropped a small duffel bag next to her. “Here is everything.”

  Adelaide nodded without looking at him and stood up, grabbing the duffel bag and stepping outside. She could tell by the bright, white sky that somewhere beyond the shadow, there was a sun that she could not see. “Do you want me to walk you to the edge?” he asked.

  “I’m on my own. I’ve always been on my own. I can walk a thousand yards by myself.” She replied, without even slowing her step. She continued walking beyond Daman, who, surprisingly, didn’t raise his voice to protest.

  Adelaide sucked in a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for staring Constantine in the eye again. It was already awkward enough meeting her one-night-stand all over again, but the fact that he was taking her as some sort of glorified war prisoner made it a hundred times worst.

  “We meet again.” Constantine declared as he stepped off of his chariot and crossed the field to meet her.

  Adelaide gulp, pasting a strong smile on her face. “I see you haven’t lost your charming creativity.” She replied as she ignored his outstretched arms.

  He shrugged and followed her to the chariot. “I see you haven’t lost your intolerable sarcasm.”

  Adelaide scoffed as he joined her on the chariot. She dropped her duffel next to her feet and clasped her hands on the gold-plated handles. “What is pulling this?” she asked as she glanced over the front edge of the chariot at the ropes that seemed to be free-floating.

  A mischievous smile spread across Constantine’s face. “Demons. Your general gave me two of his best runners. They are phasing right now. That’s why you can’t see them.”

  Adelaide shook her head. She wondered how she was going to possibly survive an eternity with this vamp. “Oh God how I hate you.” She whispered as he launched the demons into action.

  They sped off, the force of it yanking Adelaide’s neck back. They raced across the field and into the forest in less than a minute, reaching the outskirts of the vampire camp in a fraction of the time it would have taken Adelaide to fly the distance. She stepped off of the chariot, sighing at the perpetual shadow. She could never get used to this.