Chapter 10
Lorelei
I watched as Damius and Vincent walked away to question Antionette, my stomach a churning pit of dread. A sire bond. I wished I could get my hands on her and wring her scrawny little neck. She had ruined my life, tortured me and she would pay for that.
Nicolae cleared his throat behind me, drawing my attention to him. “Lorelei, are you alright?” He tilted his head and there was genuine concern on his face. For once he was being serious and looked genuinely worried about me.
My lips turned up at the corners in a small smile. “I will be, Nic.” I placed my arms around him in a quick hug. “Thank you.”
His shoulders stiffened, seeming surprised by my touch. He returned the gesture eventually and then stepped back quickly. “It’s okay, Nic, I won’t tell him I hugged you.” I patted him on the cheek as he burst into laughter.
“You know, no one really ever calls me Nic.” He shook his head with a sad smile on his face. “Not anymore, that is.”
There was a story there, but I didn’t know Nicolae well enough to pry. For the first time I saw sadness creep into his eyes and the small waves of emotions that I felt made tears spring to my eyes.
As if realizing I was feeling his emotions, they abruptly cut off and his familiar mask settled back into place. He gestured to the security monitors as the sounds of Vincent, Damius and Antionette talking came through the speakers.
Nicolae and I watched with rapt attention as Vincent worked his magic on Antionette. Shivering, I rubbed at my arms as I felt the power that he was exerting over her. It was terrifying to think anyone could have that much control over another being.
A mental barrier was erected around his mind, shutting me out completely I understood why he did not want me to see this side of him. The demon prince. Powerful and regal. Deadly and without mercy. But this knowledge didn’t make it hurt any less to be shut out.
Nicolae gave me a knowing look and arched an eyebrow in question. “I knew he was powerful, but it is different seeing it like this,” I answered the unspoken query and pulled the sleeves of my hooded sweatshirt down over my hands before huddling down in the chair.
“You scared?” His arms were crossed over his chest, his posture relaxed and at ease, but his eyes were sharp as they flicked from the screen to my face. “No one would blame you if you were. I can imagine that this is all a lot to take in.”
Shaking my head, I looked up at him. “No, I’m not scared of Vincent. I know he would never hurt me.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “It is a lot, but I’ve always known something was coming. That I couldn’t stay in the shadows forever.” I shrugged, finding it difficult to explain. “My life has all been in preparation for this.” The words bubbled up and I did not know where they came from.
“You are a strong soul, I would expect nothing less.” He nodded. “You are a fitting mate for him. A perfect balance for him.” A smile split his face, showing off his perfect white teeth and just a hint of his deadly fangs.
“Is this like the best friend approval moment?” I laughed, trying to lighten the situation and take my mind off the intense interrogation going on before our eyes.
He responded in kind and gave me a brief side hug. “Yes, Lorelei, this is the best friend approval moment.”
Tears clouded my eyes as I covered his hand with mine and gave a brief squeeze. He nodded in acknowledgment and moved the normal several feet away from me. He was uncomfortable with touching me. Whether that had to do with the fact that I was Vincent’s mate or a deeper reason, I wasn’t sure. Probably had more to do with Vincent.
I turned my attention back to the screen as I saw blood dripping from Antionette’s nose. “What is happening to her?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. While I relished the fact that she was bleeding, neither Vincent nor Damius had touched her.
“She is fighting him. Doing so caused severe trauma to her brain, hence the bleeding. See how he is easing up now?” Feeling the taut string of power between Vincent and Antionette loosen, I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding in.
“Council killed them.” Her words echoed in my ears.
“The council killed her parents?” Shocked, I whirled on Nicolae.
He shook his head, brow furrowed. “For as long as I’ve been on the council we have never ordered the execution of a mated pair. She must have been told the wrong information. This has Kristof written all over it.” He let out a snort. “What better way to recruit a hybrid than to kill their parents, blame the enemy, and earn their trust and vengeance all in one shot?” He scrubbed his hand over his mouth, trying to piece together the puzzle that was being laid out.
“Having had my own parents murdered in front of me, it would be a cold day in hell before I allowed that to happen to another child.” Vincent’s words, recalling his parent’s death, broke my heart. I remembered the echo of the memories from that day. Such a small child going through the death of their parents. I knew that pain personally after the death of my mother.
The words were said with conviction and I knew he would never let that happen to a child. Antionette wouldn’t believe him, but we knew it to be true. My heart swelled, this was my mate.
This man. This demon, hybrid, Seraphim, whatever he would want to be identified as was my perfect mate. Nicolae was exactly right, we balanced each other.
Drawn from my musings by Antoinette’s evil giggle, I heard the tail end of her last taunt as Vincent and Damius left the room. “She is the last blood relative of Xandrios, she will be the key to his return.”
I turned wide eyes to Nicolae as Kaniul walked through the door. I cleared my throat, unease settling in the pit of my stomach. “Kaniul, did you know that? You seem to know the most about this fucked up situation that we are unraveling.”
Long fingers ran through his unruly black locks, musing them. He hesitated and I waved my hand at him. “Well?”
“Yes, Kaniul, can you enlighten us as to why we had to find that information out from Antionette?” Damius looked furious. “You are supposed to be the protector of the bloodline, and as such inform the council if it is ever endangered.”
Vincent scoffed. “I would say that letting the line get down to one person would make it pretty fucking endangered,” he shouted, fury clouding his features.
“Morgana was of the bloodline, we never thought she would die so there was never a pressing issue.” Kaniul spoke in a low tone. His eyes never leaving mine.
“So, what does this mean?” My foot started tapping on the floor as I looked around at the men for answers.
Kaniul sighed, a deep release of his breath that conveyed his despair in that moment. “Iah, it means that if you die Xandrios will be freed from his prison. When he was defeated, he couldn’t be killed without tearing apart the fabric of the universe. He was imprisoned deep within the earth using very powerful blood magic. Blood magic that was sealed using the blood of the true born son of Xandrios.”
Damius began to pace along the wall, his hands gathered behind his back. “As there were a number of sons and daughters that Xandrios sired, no one thought any issue of the way that the magic was sealed. It was the only way to know he would stay locked away.” He exhaled deeply, visibly trying to control his anger and frustration.
“Morgana and Kaniul were tasked with keeping the bloodline secure. Ensuring that Xandrios would never escape.” Vincent snarled at Kaniul. “Morgana, being the oldest of the line, was the keeper of the history and Kaniul was to keep tabs on the various family members.”
Pulling out a chair from the table, I sat down heavily. “So, why am I the last of the line if Kaniul is still alive?”
Vincent laughed, his eyes still blazing with fury. The red swirled as he threw Kaniul a deadly glance. “Kaniul is not of the line. It was through Morgana’s father that she continued the line. She was actually the daughter of Alekos, who volunteered and sealed the prison. Alekos was Xandrios’ son.”
“So, let me get this
straight. I am the daughter of one Archangel and the granddaughter of another one?” I dropped my head into my hands. “Shit. This is all making my head hurt.”
My head was spinning. Everything that I had believed about myself was now turning on itself. At twenty-one years old, I was apparently one of the most powerful supernatural beings on the earth. I slowly massaged my temples in delicate circles, trying to relieve the ache that was forming.
“I think we could use a drink. Be right back.” Nicolae finally rose from his seat, shooting me a wink as he faded into the shadows. Leave it to Nicolae to suggest alcohol to lighten the mood.
Kaniul took several steps toward me before Vincent’s growl stopped him in his tracks. “Stay away from her. You unnecessarily endangered her life by neglecting your duties as guardian.” Hurt flashed across Kaniul’s face. His eyes were pleading and shiny with moisture as he looked at me. “No wonder The Syndicate has had such a hard on for her all these years.” The string of curses that left Vincent’s mouth had me raising my eyebrows at him.
“Here I thought it was just because they wanted to try and manipulate her blood to try and free him. Not knowing that if they performed the ritual, they could really succeed. And make him even more powerful than before. You really fucked this one up, Kaniul,” Vincent growled at him.
Nicolae reappeared and set a shot glass down on the table before me and poured it full of vodka. The corners of my mouth tilted in a smile of thanks as I downed the alcohol in one swallow. The liquid burned a path down my throat into my stomach as warmth spread through my body. I knew that I couldn’t get drunk as my system would metabolize the liquor much too quickly, but I could try and warm myself.
“Shortly before Morgana’s death, the assassinations began to happen in rapid fire succession.” Kaniul yanked the bottle from Nicolae’s hands and took a long pull. “We tried to protect as many as we could.”
He looked so broken, the lines around his mouth and eyes more pronounced. The bottle sloshed as he took another long swallow, then poured me another shot. “At the time Morgana had her visions of a child, the number of blood relatives of Xandrios was about three dozen.”
“By the time Lorelei was born, her and Morgana were the only ones remaining. We had no idea how they knew where they were. We had protections in place. They must have had someone on the inside.” He sat down heavily into a chair and looked around from Damius to Vincent.
“Before you ask, Morgana told me specifically not to tell the council. I was sworn to complete secrecy, and she sealed it with a blood oath compulsion to not be able to speak about it.” Damius’ expression softened slightly, but Vincent’s eyes were still spitting fire. He would not forgive Kaniul for endangering me so severely.
“Come over here please.” I reached my hand out, needing to feel his touch to center and ground me. I knew mine would calm him to a degree as well. Instead of sitting in the chair beside me, he reached down and lifted me into his arms. I settled into his lap as he sat down in the place I had just vacated.
I eased my head onto his shoulder, my nose inhaling his unique scent. Cool lips touched my forehead in a gentle kiss. “Thank you, Theera.” The words, whispered in my mind, calmed me. I burrowed my fingers in the fabric of his shirt, reveling in the heat of his body.
Kaniul just stared at us. I could see the approval in his eyes, but there was an underlying jealousy burning within him. My heart broke for him at that moment. Vincent’s arms tightened around me and I felt his thoughts clear as he held me.
“What the fuck are we going to do about this crazy situation we seem to have found ourselves in?” Nicolae said, sliding the bottle of vodka toward me.
Vincent grabbed it before I could and wrapped his lips around it. I watched his throat work as he swallowed the alcohol and shivered. It was then that I took in his full appearance. There were small lines around his eyes and mouth, and his skin was paler than normal. I recalled Nicolae saying that his ability took a great deal of power to control. Coupled with the fact that Antionette was resisting, he had to exert a great deal of energy to manipulate her mind. His body had to be starving.
Damius caught my eyes, his gaze fierce as he looked me over and nodded in acknowledgment of my thoughts. “All we can do is protect her and train her to face the challenges ahead.”
“Now, I think we have all had quite enough excitement for the evening, shall we reconvene tomorrow?” Damius arched a brow at me and then glanced briefly at Vincent. It was enough for me to get the hint that this was the break that he needed. I would need to attend to my mate. Feed him.
The thought caused a shiver to run down my spine.
“Adreon and Kaniul, I would like a word with you in my study.” He held up a hand and the two men followed behind Damius as he left the room. With a final glance over his shoulder, he winked at me, his glowing red eyes sparkling with knowledge and intent.
The door closed softly as Vincent’s arms went limp and fell to his sides. “You need to feed.” I held his face between my palms as his eyelids fell shut. “Badly, from the looks of it.”
His jaw was clenched, making the vein in the side of his neck stand out, pulsing with blood. When he opened his eyes and looked at me, black had swallowed his iris and crept out toward the white. His demon was taking over. “Nic,” He whispered several instructions in his demonic language.
The words made goosebumps rise over my arms and heat pooled in my belly. I had no idea what he said, but I had a feeling this was going to be a sleepless night as Vincent replenished his energy with mine. I threaded my fingers in his hair and brought my lips to his.
“Not here,” he hissed, dragging my head back with a fierce grip at the base of my neck. The fingers of his other hand dug into my hips as I tightened my thighs around his waist and rocked against him. A low groan echoed through the room as he threw his head back. Fangs fully extended from his mouth, dropping down below his lips.
“He expended much too power over Antoinette.” Nicolae’s voice broke through my haze as I realized we were not alone. “His demon is already reaching out and feeding on the available energy, but he is going to require copious amounts of blood and sex to restore his power levels. It is going to take a lot out of you, but he will take care of you when the fog lifts.”
Nicolae paused for a moment, considering his thoughts. “Lorelei, I am going to take you to his chambers. It might be a bit tricky since I must touch you. He is in full demon mode right now and will not like me touching his mate. You need to distract him.”
I nodded at his words, willing to do whatever it took to make my mate whole again.
Vincent growled fiercely as Nicolae took a step toward me. “Mine.”
“Look at me, Vincent.” I guided his face back to mine and kissed him gently. “Let’s get you fed. Show me what you need.” A low sound left his throat as his tongue swept into my mouth, igniting my arousal. Our mouths devoured each other as I ground against him in rhythm to the thrusts of his tongue.
Nicolae took the opportunity and quickly placed a hand on each of our backs and I felt the blackness enclose over me as the shadows took us.
Back hitting the mattress, I opened my eyes as light filtered through them again. I saw Nicolae’s smile as he disappeared from my sight again. Hands began to pull at my clothing, fabric shredding at the seams in our rush.
“Mine.”
I arched my neck as his fangs dragged along my vein. “My mate,” he growled possessively before his fangs pierced my flesh. My scream reverberated off the walls of his bedroom. Our hands frantically tore at clothes, seeking skin, wanting to touch each other and soak in the experience of our soft flesh touching soft flesh.
His lips peeled away from my neck to devour my mouth. I tasted the tang of my own blood on his tongue and it drove me wild as I pushed down his pants just enough to free his substantial erection.
“I need you, Vincent,” I muttered against his swollen lips. Parting my thighs, I wrapped my legs around his waist and h
e wasted no time before he shoved into me. My head fell back against the pillows, my muscles tightening around him in pure pleasure as he began a brutal rhythm thrusting into me with that hard cock.
His eyes were completely black as he stared down at me, his hips never stopping their fierce movements. Savage growls left his throat as he changed the angle of our hips so that he could drag his length along my clit with each stroke.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I bellowed, sinking my nails into his firm ass, urging him along even faster. Harder. Gods, I needed this. This brutal brand of absolute possession that only Vincent could give me. My release struck me like a bolt of lightning. Vincent’s roar of triumph pounded in my eardrums and his fangs pierced my neck for a second time.
I twined my fingers through his hair, aftershocks rolling through me with each pull of his mouth on my vein. He lifted his head and my vision blurred. My stomach rolled with pangs of hunger as I looked into his demonic eyes.
Then he began to speak. The strange words made my breath catch in my throat and something inside of me snapped into place. Finishing the lyrical chant—which was in a strange language I couldn’t understand or even begin to identify—Vincent pressed his forehead to mine. “Now you are truly mine. For eternity.”
A serene smile hovered over my lips and the world went black.
******
Gentle hands lifted me into strong arms. I groaned as I lifted to wrap my limbs around Vincent’s neck. My muscles protested and I tried to blink away the fog in my vision. My body felt like it had been run over by a truck. Even wiggling my toes hurt. The night was a blur of fangs, blood, and sex. I smiled shyly at how absolutely wonderful it had been.
“Shh. Let’s get you a shower and I will feed you.” His voice was strong, a complete transformation from the day before. “I promise I will not let anything like that happen again.” I felt his lips brush the top of my head as he sat me down on the tiled seat in the shower.
Water trickled down on my head from the rainforest shower head and I tilted my head back to catch the small droplets in my mouth. Liquid poured down my throat and rehydrated me. I sighed in relief and sat back against the cool tiles.
Out of The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy Book 2) Page 8
