by Aja James
“Surely they’re not real,” Clara huffed a disbelieving breath. “Next, you’ll be telling me there are angels and demons too, and witches and ghosts and goblins and werewolves.”
He flexed his hips beneath her, rubbing deliciously against her pleasure center deep inside.
“Do I feel real to you?” he asked huskily.
“Yessss,” she sighed, clenching her core muscles around him.
“Legends and myths often contain grains of truth,” he murmured as she began to ride him deep and slow.
“You are special, Clara mine. I can help you find out more. Some of your Kind might even be documented in the Ecliptic Scrolls, which is stored—”
She kissed him into silence, ravenously plunging her tongue inside his mouth.
When she came up for air, she growled, lust and love and life and passion blazing hotly in her eyes:
“Talk later. Love now.”
Epilogue
Well, that didn’t turn out quite as I expected.
I knew Queen Jade and her Chosen would most likely send the Assassin to take out our weapons facility. The plan was to take him alive and turn him over to the Mistress. He would have been a magnificent addition to our growing family.
The human woman and child were not terribly interesting at that point. But if they survived the night, they could be included in the Mistress’s ongoing experiments with Turning humans without having to inject them with a slice of her own soul.
Just think of it: mass producing little vampires on an assembly line using the ready-made human shells that already overpopulate the world. Each one would carry the DNA imprint of the Mistress, just like her real children, were she able to have offspring.
Except, these children would obey her implicitly, and their bloodlust would be controlled, like good little pets brought to heel.
My Pure accomplice has been making steady progress with her Chinatown clinics in both Boston and the City. Soon, she’ll set up a new location in Washington D.C. Lots of migrant population in these parts, travelers, visitors, temporary workers that no one would miss.
Lots of human mice to experiment with.
She hasn’t perfected the technique yet, but all the failures up to this point have not been in vain. I have confidence in her devious, traitorous, brilliant mind.
But none of those plans have come to fruition.
The Dark Assassin lives to fight another day—for the other side. And the woman and child are presumably back in their own homes, back to living their dull little lives.
Since none of my soldiers lived to tell about it, I’m still pondering the what and how of our recent loss. Surely three shadow vampires and four well-trained Pure warriors armed with an endless supply of vampire killing bullets could have taken down one Dark Assassin?
I have no proof but I suspect Lord Wind had something to do with it. He’s even now living with the human woman and child as if he belonged there.
He’s even taken the name Eli Scott of all things.
I suppose he fancies himself “in love” with the human. Such stupidity.
What will he do when she grows old or sick and eventually dies as all humans do?
I almost pity him.
Not my concern any more. The Mistress has not asked me about her ex-henchman and Mate, but if she did, I’ve decided to tell her that he’s gone. She can interpret what that means herself. Whether he’s dead or simply missing.
As far as I’m concerned, Enlil of Anatolia, Enlil Naram-Anu, has indeed died. Eli Scott is a different male altogether.
Don’t tell anyone else, it’s our little secret—the truth is—I envy him.
If only we all have that second chance at life. To start over. To make different choices.
But I digress.
Our little skirmish wasn’t a total loss. I still have the bullet designs and weapon specs. We’ll figure out how to build our own vampire killers sooner or later.
Meanwhile, I have something else to look forward to, thanks to our resourceful new recruit.
Or rather, someone else.
She’s even now sitting in my chamber waiting for me, my lovely little captive.
Sophia.
Excerpt from Book #6.5 Pure Awakening
Prologue
I have always loved him.
Though that love has evolved, metamorphosed, transmuted over time (and sometimes it felt a little—maybe a lot—like hate), what hasn’t ever changed is that I love him.
But I didn’t comprehend the depth of my love, the teeth and claws and desperate prayers of my love, until six hours ago:
They say he’s missing.
Ever since our base was hit two years ago, ever since I was abducted by a mysterious, deadly and beautiful creature, my fiercest protector hasn’t been the same.
Physically, he remained at the Shield for a while, but mentally and emotionally he seemed to have checked out. So in some sense, he’s been missing for much longer than just a couple of days.
But this is different.
I haven’t seen the rest of the Elite, my personal guards, and the Circlet, my advisors, this worried before. Except for the time the Sentinel was taken.
We never got him back.
Since we confirmed his status—that Dalair is truly MIA, likely recruited into our enemies’ army like all the other Pure and Dark warriors that have been targeted in recent years—we’ve been preparing for another relocation, the second time we would move our HQ in as many years.
Eveline and Ayelet are packing up the essentials, as well as the most critical artifacts of our Kind, including the Zodiac Scrolls, which record our history, and the Zodiac Prophesies, which record interpretations about our future as seen in the Orb. Seth is scoping out a new location for our base, as well as something temporary for an immediate evacuation.
We can’t risk what happened two years ago to happen again—when the Turned Sentinel used his intimate knowledge of the Shield, our strengths and weaknesses, to target the destruction of our home and everyone in it.
The Elite has been training for the past several hours since we’ve been on red alert. Valerius and Aella know Dalair’s fighting style the best, so they’re bringing Tristan, Cloud and the human Chevaliers up to speed. Rain, our Healer, and Wan’er, her ex-handmaiden, have been packing medical supplies and making sure we have enough emergency first-aid kits on hand in case…
I try not to think about “in case.”
The Royal Zodiac—me and my inner circle—hasn’t been complete these past two years since the attack. We still haven’t recruited the sixth member of the Elite and the fifth member of the Circlet. Every time we get close to a potential candidate, they disappear, the most likely scenario being that Medusa and her minions got to them first.
And now she has Dalair.
Apparently, Seth and Aella knew about Dalair’s disappearance as of two days before, but no one told me until six hours ago. They were checking into it, they said. But I know the truth:
They don’t want to worry a useless, still-human Queen who’s self-absorbed and focused on living a “normal” college girl life.
What was I doing before I finally found out? The very last person to know despite being the nominal Queen of the Pure Ones?
I spent the morning seeing Tal, Ishtar and Benji off at the train station, where they’re taking the ten o’clock express from Boston to NYC. Their daughter, Inanna, and her Mate, Gabriel, adoptive parents to Benji, went back to the city yesterday after Inanna received an urgent call from her ex-comrades of the New England vampire hive under Jade Cicada’s rule.
It appears we’re not the only ones hit hard by Medusa’s recent plots to stir up mass mayhem and destruction.
In the afternoon, I idled the time away listening to new music on my iTunes and writing out a “Things to Do by My Twentieth Birthday” list since it’s right around the corner.
In one sense, I’ve experienced more than most almost-twenty year-olds—having lived in many
different cities in just as many countries, getting a world-class education, being surrounded by supernaturally beautiful, lethal, Gifted immortals who have the most amazing histories that span hundreds if not thousands of years.
But in another sense, I’ve done less than just about every young woman my age. I don’t have parents to rebel against or siblings to fight and hang out with. I don’t have friends beyond my protectors and advisors. I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs.
Never been to a prom. Never participated in a tailgate. Never had a sleepover.
Never been kissed—properly.
Never had a date.
Never had sex.
You can guess the kinds of things that top my birthday list.
As I said: self-absorbed.
Now, I just want one thing. For all the birthdays I will ever have:
Please, dear Goddess, if you’re out there, if you’re watching over us, if you’re even real. Please bring Dalair back to me.
Alive and whole.
I’ll never ask for anything else as long as I live!
Being useless, there was nothing I could do to help anyone with their tasks. Aella, my personal guard on rotation for the night, just told me to take it easy and try to relax. So, while she and the other warriors are knee-deep in grueling training, I’m “relaxing” by listening to my playlist of songs and going through my normal nightly routine.
Taking a shower. Getting in my sleep T. Brushing and flossing my teeth. Putting moisturizer and zit zappers on my face. Dabbing a little orchid oil behind my ears and on my wrists (my one indulgence and attempt at being more “girly”).
I start humming the new song Ere sent me to distract myself. Pretend everything is normal. Pretend like I don’t want to break down bawling over Dalair’s disappearance.
I look in the mirror and almost don’t recognize the face looking back at me.
Dark, chestnut waves rolling past my shoulders. Striking, full brows arching over dark brown eyes. Big lips that always look bee-stung no matter how I try to downplay them. A couple of discolored spots on my nose and forehead where I hid my latest pimples under some nude-colored zit cream.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that this was not always my face. This is only one of the many incarnations my soul has had. Well, I know of at least three incarnations, including my current form.
I wonder whether I was somewhat more helpful or more Queenly in those other lives. I wonder whether I’d be wiser and more capable after I’ve had my Awakening.
If I were a better Queen, if I had a stronger Gift, would I have been able to prevent Dalair’s capture? Is it all my fault that he’s been taken?
Useless, pointless thoughts.
And yet, I can’t stop them from churning through my mind.
Finally, I open the door, step out of my bathroom, ready for bed. Might have to take a Tylenol PM to sleep, or maybe putting my playlist on an endless loop, max volume, will help drown out the desperate screaming in my ears—
I gasp.
“Dalair.”
His achingly familiar, stoic face is the last thing I see before he clamps a hand over my nose and mouth, and darkness engulfs me.
*** *** *** ***
Other Books in the Pure/ Dark Ones series:
Book 1, Pure Healing
Book 2, Dark Longing
Book 3, Dark Desires
Book 4, Dark Pleasures
Book 5, Pure Rapture
Book 6.5, Pure Awakening
Dear reader:
Thank you for reading Dark Redemption. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
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Aja James
Glossary of Characters
Jade Cicada: Reigning Queen of the New England vampire hive. Known Gift(s): unclear.
The Chosen: Jade Cicada’s personal guards and advisors.
Maximus Justus Copernicus: The Commander. Leader of the Chosen. Known Gift(s): anticipating opponents’ moves two or three steps in advance, the ability to see through the eyes of his familiar. Weapon of choice: varies, but often fights with familiar Simca.
Simca: Maximus’ familiar. A black panther that is an extension of Maxiums, who can see through her eyes wherever she goes, and feel what she feels.
Ryu Takamura: The Assassin. Executes special, often covert missions for the Queen. Known Gift(s): to be seen. Weapon of choice: Ninja blade or ninjaken.
Devlin Sinclair: The Hunter. Hunts down and eliminates vampire rogues. Ensure security of the New England hive’s borders. Known Gift(s): photographic memory. Weapon of choice: varies, but usually a saber or gun.
Anastasia Zima: The Phoenix. Jade’s head of security, ensures safety of the Queen and assists Maximus with affairs of state. Known Gift(s): telekinesis. Weapon of choice: varies, as a lover and expert in all manner of weapons. Soft spot for daggers.
Alend Ramses: The Sage. Jade’s primary advisor on all things diplomatic. Gift(s): unknown. Weapon of choice: scimitar.
Inanna: The ex-Angel of Death or Angel of the New England vampire hive under Jade Cicada, used to be member of the Chosen. After discovering her Pure Soul as the daughter of a Pure and Dark One and having her Awakening, she is known as the Light Bringer. Human alias: Nana Chastain. Known Gift(s): the ability to see through any material and zoom in and out like a telescope or microscope. Weapon of choice: chained whip.
Gabriel D’Angelo: Inanna’s Blooded Mate. Used to be known as Alad Da-an-nim, born a Pure One, died and reincarnated as a human. Turned into a vampire by Inanna but retains his Pure Soul. Gift(s): unknown, but is a skilled martial artist as a human and was one of the fiercest Pure warriors in ancient Akkad.
Benjamin Larkin D’Angelo: Inanna and Gabriel’s adopted son.
Tal Telal: The General who led the Pure Ones to victory in the Great War. Inanna’s father.
Ishtar Anshar: Once a Dark Princess when the vampires ruled the earth. Tal’s Destined Mate, Eternal and Blooded. Inanna’s mother. Human alias: Estelle Martin or “Mama Bear,” owns all-things and pastry shop called Dark Dreams.
Enlil Naram-Anu: Once the Blooded Mate of Anunit Salamu and leader of the shadow warriors in Ancient Akkad.
Ava Monroe Takamura: Ryu’s human wife and mate. Brilliant geneticist who developed and took a serum that makes her uniquely super-human, with the Pure Ones’ ability to heal, the source of their eternal youth and apparent immortality.
Kane Takamura: Ryu and Ava’s son.
Grace Darling: Devlin’s Blooded Mate. Cyber genius who used to work unwittingly for Medusa’s empire.
Medusa: Anunit Salamu (the Dark Star). The arch nemesis of the Pure and Dark Ones, as well as humans.
The Creature: an enemy of both the Pure and Dark Ones. Seems to be working with Medusa. Known Gift(s): the ability to transform into different humanoid shapes, some form of telepathy.
Sophia Victoria St. James: Queen of the Pure Ones. Known Gift(s): the ability to see Pure souls and the true intentions of all beings.
The Circlet: The Pure Queen’s royal advisors. Part of the Dozen or Royal Zodiac.
Seth Tremaine: The Consul. Handles the Pure Ones’ diplomatic affairs. Talented negotiator. Known Gift(s): the ability to project a spiritual version of his physical self anytime, anywhere.
Ayelet Baltazar: The Gu
ardian. Main responsibility is to guide and educate the Pure Queen, caretaker and mother figure. Known Gift(s): the ability to feel and experience what others feel using a physical artifact of the individual; deep empathy.
Eveline Marceau: The Seer: Records and interprets Pure Ones’ potential future in the Zodiac Prophesies. Known Gift(s): spells.
Rain: The Healer: Ensures the health and vitality of Pure Ones, especially members of the Royal Zodiac. Known Gift(s): ability to absorb pain and poison from severe wounds using the needles of her hair, called zhen.
The Elite: The Pure Queen’s personal guards. Part of the Dozen or Royal Zodiac.
Valerius Marcus Ambrosius: The Protector. Hunt down rogue vampires who hurt humans. De facto Leader of the Elite given that the previous leader was killed. Known Gift(s): fast healing, beyond even the typical Pure Ones’ ability to heal. Weapon of choice: Chained scythe.
Dalair Abd Amirah: The Paladin. Recruit humans and Pure Ones to their cause. Known Gift(s): hyper-developed senses. Weapon of choice: Twin Dragon Blades or two half-moon crescent blades that can be combined into a disc.
Tristan du Lac: The Champion. Historically, he is the first warrior to be dispatched against enemies in one-on-one combat. In modern times, he helps train human Chevaliers. Known Gift(s): none. Weapon of choice: Excalibur or long sword.
Aella: The Strategist. Plan all manner of defense and attack vs. enemies and threats. Known Gift(s): speed. Weapon of choice: three chakrams, which can link together and stiffen into a longer-range hand-to-hand weapon or be thrown individually.