by Maya Daniels
Venus Trap
Hidden Portals trilogy Book 1
Maya Daniels
Copyright © 2019 by Maya Daniels. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Dusan Markovic, Art by Dusan Markovic
Interior design by Zoe Parker
Edited by Anthony J Kohler
If you are unable to order this book from your local bookseller, you may contact the author at [email protected] or visit the website
www.authormayadaniels.com
Contents
Untitled
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
About the Author
Also by Maya Daniels
A storm was raging and the night was as dark as a black hole that’s trying to suck in everything around it. The skies seemed like a portal to Hell as lightning strikes split the dark gray clouds open and thunder echoed, making the ground shake with its force. Winds tore through the trees, almost bending them in half while branches were breaking off and flying through the air. No living thing stirred in the woods. No one dared to venture outside of their shelters while predators and prey huddled together; the instinct to survive stronger than the desire to hunt or run. Each lightning strike, spreading through the sky like a cobweb, was the only thing making it visible enough for the man braving the storm to continue walking. Even with his enhanced vision, it would've been impossible to see a finger in front of his face in the all-consuming darkness. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, the skies opened and icy rain poured down on him like from a faucet. The next lightning strike illuminated his angelic face, where displeasure was clearly written but determination burned hot in his eyes. It looked like even the weather was doing its best to stop him from continuing on. He had been summoned by his king for a reason. Besides, nothing was as dangerous as him in these woods.
His hair made rivulets of rain run down his neck and inside his shirt. Closing his eyes, he lifted his face towards the skies and spread his arms wide as if daring the weather to do its worst. The knee length coat flapped in the strong winds around him, but he stood firm as if laughing in the face of the gods. This was only bad timing on his part, not a bad omen. Most definitely not the worst day of his life, either. His immortal life, that is. The one he didn't ask for but received nonetheless.
Lowering his arms slowly, he gripped the closest tree next to him and pushed himself forwards. Refusing to let thoughts of his long-gone mortal life penetrate the calm and accepting façade he’d spent centuries creating, he continued along the path. Where he was going, it was best to stay as cold and as emotionless as he could be, because if they can't find a weakness, they can't exploit it. Only the strong and the cunning survive, and he has been around for centuries. He almost believed himself that there was no sentimentality left in him, just calculating logic.
A branch as wide as his torso slammed next to him and only his fast reflexes saved him from being impaled where he stood. The haunting sounds of the whistling winds amplified as his senses went on full alert. Standing unnaturally still, he tried his best to hear beyond the wind, albeit unsuccessfully. A prickling sensation alerted him that he was being watched, but for the first time, he couldn't tell by whom. He couldn't even say what it was that had the eyes trained on his movement.
At the last moment, he distinguished the sound coming from his right, but he wasn't fast enough. He wasn't dead, thankfully, but he was hurt. Excruciating pain tore through his arm, and he found himself unable to move. Lightning fast, he grabbed hold of the arrow pinning his arm to the tree and pulled it off while sliding around the tree trunk to hide from view.
"The predator becoming a prey." He chuckled under his breath while the uneasy feeling kept growing in his stomach.
"How does it feel?" a woman's voice softly purred in his ear, making the hairs on his neck stand on end.
Jerking his head in the direction he heard the voice coming from, he saw no one. How he was able to hear the whispered words so clearly above the winds and the storm was beyond him. It was almost as if they were in his mind. Unwilling to be a sitting duck, he stood and bolted through the trees as fast as his unnatural speed would allow him. His coat, wet and flapping behind him, catching on branches and shrubs while altering his speed, did not stop him. It might seem cowardly to some, but if you want to live and fight another day, sometimes running was the smart plan of action. Only a fool will stay against uneven odds, and a fool he was not. Grateful that none of his people would witness this moment, he concentrated all his efforts on getting out of there as soon as possible. Still holding onto the arrow, he streaked through the trees, moving left or right at the last moment so he wouldn't collide with them. Where he was headed should not be that far now.
As his speed was increasing, so was the storm getting stronger. With his mind firmly set on escaping whatever it is that was hunting him, he never noticed the dark figure following just above his head. The buzzing sound of the wings was covered by the monstrous thunders that were shaking the woods. Nor did he hear her gleeful chuckle at his fear.
"Run, little rabbit, run," she whispered for his ears only, making him stumble before tripping on dried roots and sprawling on the forest floor, taking few trees down with him. She laughed out loud when his body bounced off of the ancient tree that stopped his rolling. As part of the Wild Hunt, she absorbed the lifeforce of those she hunted, and his immortal essence called to her, like a beacon, to be consumed.
Stopping not far from where he landed, she watched him unsuccessfully try to lift himself up. After a couple of tries, he finally shook his head and raised himself to his knees. Blood was still running down his arm where she had pierced him with her arrow. The angelic face was gone, and in its place, an angry vampire stood. With fangs descended and eyes glowing with an amber hue, he searched the darkness while water ran down his face, making him finally look like the predator he said he was. Not that it would help him, but he didn't know that. They have been tamed, becoming complacent amongst the humans with no one stronger than them. They thought they were on top of the food chain. This little vampire will learn something different tonight. Too bad he won't live long enough to tell the story. He was the fourth in a row to meet an unfortunate end, and she covered her tracks perfectly. Not that she cared, but it was better for now.
She knew she shouldn't come here. It was not the time, but curiosity has always been stronger than reason. She wanted to see for herself the place that had banished her kind to live, secluded and hidden, when the humans killed their queen. They h
ave shunned the Fae, but embraced the bloodsuckers. The time to pay will come soon enough, only not today. The humans will not pay today, but the vampire in front of her would. Passing above his head, she gripped the branches of the tree tightly with her thighs. He was still looking around, searching and feeling almost confident with his back towards the tree that no one can sneak up on him. Lowering her upper body, her head was now hanging right on top of his. With a smile, she reached for her arrow, raising it up. "Up here, handsome," she purred, and his head snapped up.
Her smile grew as his eyes, locked on hers, widened in horror before she slammed her arrow through his skull. The thunder covered his scream before it was abruptly cut off. Pulling her arrow free and dropping to the ground in front of his body, she wiped it off on his clothing before placing it back in her quiver. Her body transformed back to its human-like appearance as it touched the forest floor.
"Well, that was uneventful," she mused to herself, looking around. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight. I can see now that Lazarus was right. This will be like younglings’ play if all of you are the same."
Closing her eyes, she pulled on his essence and consumed it, the shimmering glow lost in the flashes of the storm. A shiver ran down her spine; this one was as powerful as the other three before him.
With one last lingering look at the dead vampire, she smoothed the water out of her hair and started slowly walking back. They might see she was missing, and there would be hell to pay if Lazarus found out where she was. Even that wouldn't stop her from coming into this realm. Nothing can stop her once she sets her mind to it. Lazarus should be forever grateful she is duty-bound and that what he wants aligns with her desire for revenge. If that were not the case, she was sure only one of them would be left standing. For now, playing obedient solder was working for her. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could play the submissive and allow him to strut around, treating her like she was below him. The Dark Fae king had no idea what he was dealing with, but for everyone’s sake, she was hoping things would get settled soon. That hope was the only thing stopping her from unleashing her wrath on everyone and everything around her. With one last look over her shoulder, she disappeared between two ancient trees like she had never been there in the first place.
“What was all the rush to get me here, Claude?” Raphael’s words stopped everyone in their tracks as he walked into the large reception area.
The large open space had tall black pillar candles with flames flickering, reaching up towards the high ceiling. In their glow, the decorative golden crown moldings were casting shadows on the walls that danced around with each movement of the flames. Thick blood-red curtains were pulled tight over the floor-to-ceiling windows, hiding those inside from prying eyes. An elaborate dangling chandelier made entirely of crystal hung like a pendulum in the center, creating sparkling rainbows of colors with every beat of the music that was humming in the background. It was making Raphael dizzy when he looked at the faces around him. The marble tiles, shiny as mirrors, clicked under his feet as he made his way towards the raised platform on the other end.
Dozens of their kind were milling around, dressed in sheer clothing, leather and chains, holding their champagne flutes and pretending they were discussing something of great importance instead of gossiping like old ladies. Raphael knew better. All of them were there in the hope Claude would decide to share a bit of his blood, make a mistake to show weakness or choose to share his bed with one of them. That’s all everyone ever wanted. Power or sex. It was pathetic to watch how intelligent beings turned into pathetic little worms. The silence was deafening as they parted in front of him like the Red Sea while his power crackled around him and the closest ones shivered or moaned. The lust in their in their eyes as they followed his progress like a rare piece of steak didn’t go unnoticed. They would crawl on their hands and knees and bark like dogs if he so desired. The thought made the side of his mouth quirk a bit at the corner, but he kept his face expressionless. It was amusing but not worth his time or effort. Lately, nothing was. Raphael’s eyes didn’t leave the man sitting sprawled in a high chair elevated above the rest, his tuxedo rumpled albeit immaculate at first glance.
“Ah! Raphael, my friend! I see you finally made it…after I sent the third messenger to bring you here.” Claude’s smile and easygoing demeanor contradicted the angry glint in his grey eyes.
“You do know it’s the 21st century, no? Humans invented cell phones for that reason alone, so they don’t need to send messengers.” Reaching the platform where Claude was perched on his chair, Raphael slowly placed his hands in the pockets of his pants, flicking his suit jacket back and looking around at the gawkers. “Don’t the rest of you have something better to do? Get the hell out of here, and I don’t want to see any of you until I leave.”
Although his words were conversational and soft, they were like a whip to the rest of the crowd. In less than half a minute the large room was empty, leaving him and Claude alone.
“You’re not here one minute and you’re already killing all my fun. I see nothing has changed since the last time I saw you,” Claude drawls, narrowing his eyes at Raphael “How long has it been? A decade? Two?”
Not long enough, Raphael thought to himself but didn’t voice it. They had been friends for centuries, but Claude could be a bit too much most of the time and reminded Raphael of days he would rather forget. From the day Raphael was turned, Claude had been the only one bringing him back from the brink when their maker would do anything to drive Raphael crazy and feral. It was Anissa’s mission, like she was feeding off his sanity instead of his blood, ever since she saw him that cursed night when he was still human. His life had been worse than hell until he had his chance to change that. Pain gripped Raphael’s chest and bile rose in his throat, so he pushed it away. Some things were better left unspoken.
The silence stretched between them as he really looked at his friend. Claude’s dark hair was not in his usual slick ponytail but seemed like he had just moved it out of his face without brushing it. The grey eyes that always had a calculating look in them were now missing the sparkle and they look muted somehow. Barely visible dark circles lined his eyes, and as Raphael paid closer attention, he realized there was makeup on Claude’s face. The shock of seeing that made him take a step back as if someone had punched him in the face.
“What in the world is going on? And what the fuck happened to you?” Worry made Raphael’s deep voice boomed like a cannon in the empty hall, making Claude wince at the volume of it.
“Keep your voice down or I will silence you for eternity!” Claude hissed through clenched teeth, reminding Raphael that although this was his friend, he was the vampire king, after all. He had enough power to back up his words, feeding off of the rest of their species. Raphael gave up that right when he helped him take the throne. Maybe Claude didn’t have enough power to threaten Raphael, but he didn’t want to be king or deal with everyone either. So, showing respect even when Claude was being obnoxious was a small price to pay and he did it willingly.
“I apologize, my king. It was a friend being worried for a friend. Not meant as an insult.” Almost inconceivably, Raphael lowered his head in a show of respect, being loud enough to be heard by those snooping around.
He couldn’t bring himself to play an obedient fool. He had enough power on his own that if it came down between him or Claude, he wasn’t sure that his king would be the last one standing, despite all the extra power coursing through him.
“I know…I know.” With a sigh, Claude lifted himself from the chair, and walking past Raphael, he gestured with his fingers to be followed. Without another word, Raphael was right on his heels; curiosity and worry riding him hard. What could possibly worry the arrogant Claude this much?
Walking the hallways of the mansion felt surreal to him after all the years Raphael had done his best to stay away from it. With each year, he withdrew more and more until there was nothing that could bring him outside of his own
home. His books were his salvation; otherwise he might just meet the sun and end it all. Every time he was around his own kind, the memories of things he had done, or were done to him, would start haunting him and he couldn’t deal with that. So he stayed away. After centuries, the years started weighing heavily on his shoulders, and he often wondered if living this hollow existence was worth it. Looking around, he still couldn’t find any pleasure in the priceless pieces of art hanging on the walls or all the expensive decor that if sold, could feed a village for a year. With no prospect of finding a mate, they all wondered aimlessly through the centuries, looking for things that were lost to them forever. Their maker parted with her immortal life, taking with her all the secrets she held dear to her heart. That was how she held them all by the leash, how she manipulated them to do what she asked, by making promises of a future that she took from them when she made them creatures of the night. Now, with all hopes for a mate that he personally destroyed and made sure is gone, the rest of his kind played politics and fought for power. Raphael’s cold heart sent a pang of longing through him and he clenched his teeth. He would not let those thoughts insert themselves in his mind. Not now, not ever!
A rustling of clothing and light footsteps could be heard, but they didn’t see anyone on their way to Claude’s office. Like cockroaches, the rest of the residents scurry around, making Raphael sick to his stomach at how low they have fallen. How low his actions long time ago made them come, by being selfish and acting out of pain and anger. With clenched fists, he followed his friend, and looking at Claude’s stiff shoulders, got his mind back on the present problem. As they finally reached the double doors of the only room in the mansion that was soundproofed for their enhanced hearing, Raphael’s feet moved faster, as though he could escape his thoughts by giving himself something else to worry about. But they would come back, like leeches they will suck him dry, emerging from the shadows of his mind where he has pushed them to haunt him for as long as he lives. Not today! he declared to himself with conviction.