Out of The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy Book 2)

by Jenn D. Young

  “Theera, look at me.” He tilted my chin up slightly.

  My eyes cracked open as I acknowledged him, “Hmm?” A serene smile stretched across my face. Although my body was weak and in need of sustenance, my spirit was full and free. Because of my mate. My soul was complete. The words he said to me last night, lyrical and entrancing bubbled up in my throat.

  A firm hand covered my mouth, stopping me from saying the beautiful chant. “Lorelei, you can’t. Not yet.” His eyes glowed like rubies in the dim lighting of the shower. Hands slicked back his wet hair as he knelt before me.

  “I shouldn’t have given in and said them. I have bound my soul to yours, but I can’t let you bind yours to mine just yet.” He cupped my cheek in his hand, thumb rubbing lightly across my bottom lip.

  My tongue peaked out and licked at the pad of his finger, a hungry noise escaping my throat. I felt my fangs grow in my mouth, my belly rumbling with ravenous hunger and thirst. My mind tried to form a response to his words, but I was cut off by the vein in his wrist. Blood pulsed just below the surface of his skin.

  “Drink, love. Take from me.”

  Mouth watering, I secured his forearm and sank my fangs into his flesh. His answering groan had me pulling harder as warm blood flooded my mouth and down my throat. Instant heat rushed through my veins as my cells awakened. The fog lifted as I swallowed deep mouthfuls of my mate’s blood. My nerves awakened and my body healed itself after losing most of my energy the night before. A rumble echoed from my chest.

  Removing my fangs, his wound sealed, and I sighed deeply, leaning my head back into the spray of the shower. Gentle hands combed through my hair and I smelled the fruity aroma of the shampoo as he massaged my scalp.

  “Feel a bit better now, Theera?” He pulled down the detachable handle and rinsed the soap from my hair.

  “Mmmhmm.” I raked my nails up and down his forearms in light scratches. I leaned into him, savoring the feel of his naked skin against mine. “I love your shower.”

  “And I love you.”

  My eyes opened, my mouth dropping in shock. “Wha-what?” I sputtered, water getting into my eyes and mouth as I sprang to my feet.

  He smirked, the corner of his lips tilting up. His fangs peaked out, the tips razor sharp and deadly. “You act surprised. I’m not sure why.” His head tilted to the side as he cupped my cheek and traced a thumb along my lips. He looked completely at ease, as if his admission meant nothing more than a simple greeting.

  Vincent leaned in closer and his warm breath fanned against my lips as his eyes flicked up and down my figure. “I have always loved you.” I wanted to drown in his touch, his words. Everything inside me cried out in joy, but it was short lived.

  The breath left my lungs and my eyelids fluttered closed as my heart seized inside my chest. “You are just saying that because the bond forces us.” The words were whispered, pain dripping from my mouth. My self-doubt dug a hole in my belly.

  Vincent just smiled. “Are you telling me what you feel is just because the bond forces you?” Fingertips trailed down my neck and along my shoulders, causing me to shiver as my nipples pebbled against his chest. “Does this feel like it is forced?” he whispered into my ear, his teeth nibbling on the edge as his hands reached my hips and drew me closer into his body.

  “Vincent.” I clung to his solid frame, my nails digging into the skin of his shoulders. I felt the firm press of his erection against my stomach. I knew he desired me. My body would always hunger for his, but I knew deep down this was much more than mere lust. This was something…different.

  “Tell me, Lorelei, do you think I would ever say those words lightly?” My legs parted as I lifted a thigh to wrap around his hip. My head shook to the side in answer to his question. His thumb and forefinger captured my chin firmly and lifted me to meet his gaze. “I. Love. You.” Each word was accented with a gentle touch of his lips to each of my eyes and finally my mouth.

  Tears leaked from the corner of my eyes, falling down my face and blending in with the warm water still cascading over our bodies. “I love you so much it scares me.” I wasn’t sure if he heard the words. I could barely hear them myself.

  “Theera,”

  Swallowing down my insecurities, I lifted my eyes to his. He tangled his fingers through mine and placed them on the wall beside my head. “Feel me, my love.” His other hand lifted mine to his chest, right over his heart. “This is all yours.”

  “Vincent, please.” I extended my body up and pressed my lips firmly to his. “Show me how much you love me.” I nipped at his bottom lip. A growl was my reward as he dropped my hand and lifted my other leg to wrap around his waist. My core aligned with his hard shaft as he shifted his hips to tease me, the head of his cock sliding along my folds.

  He unwound my legs from his waist to set my feet of the tiled floor before he turned me around and I braced my hands on the wall of the shower. My hair was swept to one side as his tongue traced the small droplets of water along my neck and shoulder blades. “Everything I have is yours, my love.” I felt the sharp tips of his fangs scraping along my flesh and shuddered. His palm flattened along my abdomen as my back connected with his chest.

  “My heart.”

  “My soul”

  “Everything.”

  The world exploded into vivid colors and shattered as he entered me. The rumbling in his chest vibrated through me, igniting my passion even further. My subconscious soul bubbled up and before I could stop myself, the lyrical binding words left my lips. As soon as I finished the strange words, a climax shook my entire body and I screamed.

  The answering roar followed by the sharp bite of his fangs biting into my shoulder caused my world to go black.

  Chapter 11

  Vincent

  “Fuck.”

  Lorelei slept peacefully in my bed, the serene and satisfied smile on her face caused my heart to fracture. I was such an idiot. I knew the binding words could never be one sided, that once one mate said them, the other would be compelled to finish the ritual. To complete the bond.

  My demon growled at my foolishness. He was proud to finally claim our mate. The person created to be perfect for us.

  “It’s about damn time you claimed her. She would have gotten away from us.”

  Now my demon was fucking talking to me. I scrubbed my hands across my face in frustration. I wish that my parents were still here to guide me through this. It had been a long time since I had wished for that unrealistic dream.

  “You have finally fully come into your power. It means that I can now communicate with you.” I felt the demon huff in frustration. “And it is about fucking time, you dolt.”

  “And what does communicating with you entail?”

  I was a fucking idiot. I couldn’t believe I was actually talking to myself.

  “I am you, but not. We are two halves of the same whole. Now that you have mated, your powers have been fully awakened.”

  “Awakened?” I was already pretty damn powerful, and if I had awakened even more powers, I wasn’t sure that would mean.

  “Our mate. You have merged and forged a bond, which means that powers have merged and both of you can access them.” The demon was becoming impatient with me, his tone rough and sharp. “You will have to learn to use her powers, and she will have to learn ours, but together you will become the two most powerful beings in the universe.”

  My head hung down, my hands clenching into fists. I reached out with my mind to Lorelei, our connection snapping to place, even with her deep in sleep. My heart rate slowed and I was able to relax, even if it was just for a bit. The demon growled as my eyes lingered on her shapely body, hidden beneath the cream-colored sheets.

  “She is the perfect mate for us in every way.” His presence began to fade as I felt him retreat within. “Call to me if you have need.”

  Clear blue eyes fluttered open and the smile on her face widened as she stretched out her limbs. “Who were you talking to?” Her voice was rough
with sleep. As she lifted her arms, the sheet fell to her waist and revealed her upper body. Her perfect breasts were now bare to my hungry gaze. “And why are you not in bed with me?” She tilted her head and then patted the space beside her.

  My lips curled as I sat down on the soft mattress, leaning back against the headboard. She immediately cuddled up next to me and placed her head against my chest, right above my heart. Her answering sigh as she inhaled my scent had me growling in approval.

  “You are always so growly.” Her small nails raked a path down my chest, leaving red marks behind. “And you haven’t answered my question.” Her fingers settled just above the waistband of my shorts and traced a pattern along my abs that had me losing my trail of thought once again.

  “You are entirely too distracting, my love. What was the question again?” She chuckled as I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed.

  “Who were you talking to? It was strange, I almost felt like I could hear the response, but only in my mind.” Her brow furrowed in confusion as she turned her inquisitive gaze up towards me, her ice blue eyes sparkled up at me. Damn, this woman was so beautiful she took my breath away.

  I hesitated before answering, still lost in my thoughts. “Apparently my inner demon has manifested into a sentient being and is now speaking to me.” Gods, that sounds even more stupid when I said it out loud.

  “Huh.” She didn’t seem to think it was all that strange and just closed her eyes and rubbed her nose against my chest.

  “You don’t seem surprised by this at all.”

  “I’ve spoken to him before, I just thought that meant you did all the time,” she said, shrugging her shoulders against me, her fingers still tracing a distracting pattern along my stomach. My cock twitched and begged for her attention, her hand so close to wrapping around it.

  Laughter made my whole body shake and Lorelei sat up and gave me a disapproving look for disturbing her comfortable moment. “Of course, the surly bastard has spoken to you.” I leaned down and kissed her nose, the smile never leaving my face. “What did he say and when?”

  “He told me I was a good mate and to be patient with you because you are a…” she snickered as she paused.

  “A what?” I laughed along with her, curious to hear the answer.

  “A dumb twat.”

  “I am going to have some words with him about that.” I gathered her into my arms and twisted, grasping her wrists and securing them above her head as I rolled on top of her. Her legs parted and wrapped around my waist as I ground my thick erection into her wetness.

  “At the time, it was true.” The mirth left her eyes, only to be replaced with the heat of desire.

  “Then, I will make you pay as well,” Lowering my head, I scraped my fangs down along her collar bone, smiling at the gasp that echoed in the room.

  My phone chose that moment to squawk from the table beside the bed, the familiar bass tones of Black Sabbath letting me know it was Damius calling. “Fuck. Always interrupting me.” I growled and removed myself from on top of my mate and rose into a sitting position.

  “Better be good, vampire.”

  “You need to get here immediately. Your club has been ambushed and burned to the ground.” Damius’ voice had a deep inhuman tone, something he rarely allowed to happen. I could hear the sirens of the fire engines and screams of onlookers in the background.

  “Any casualties?” I bit out as I ran my fingers through my hair. I felt Lorelei’s hands rub up and down my back, feeling my pain at the words on the other end of the phone.

  “The daytime manager, Adrienne, was mauled to death along with a few innocent humans.” I could feel the hesitation emanating off him. “Leo and Drya are already handling the survivors and law enforcement, but...” He paused and sighed heavily.

  “Go on,” I bit out, already impatient with his hesitation.

  “Vincent, we can’t find Nicolae. He was last seen here, but he is not responding to any emergency communications.” In the event of an attack, the council systematically enacted a communication relay to check in. We had beacons that were activated to indicate safety.

  “I’ll be right there.” I ended the call and stared at the phone in my hands. Lorelei placed a gentle kiss against the skin of my neck, and I could feel her wet tears along her cheeks.

  She rose, padding across the carpeted floor to the closet to retrieve a change of clothes. Her face was determined even as her mind was troubled. Worry for Nicolae clouded both of our thoughts. He was my oldest friend in this world, my second in command and trusted confidant.

  Locking her eyes with mine, she took the phone from my hands and pushed a pair of pants and a shirt at me. “Get dressed, let’s go.”

  Chapter 12

  Vincent

  We spent the next three days sifting through the rubble at the club. Damius and Leo took care of the authorities, forging records and documents to rule the fire an accident. The body count grew to eighteen, three supernaturals including my day manager, Adrienne, and two other lower demons who worked security during the day. Their throats had been mauled, an obvious message from The Syndicate to punish me.

  Never had The Syndicate been so bold as to directly attack a known Council member owned location. They were getting bold. Borderline reckless. Kristoff was growing desperate to smoke me out and get his hands on Lorelei.

  After three long, bloody and exhausting days, we still had no idea where Nicolae was. Assuming the worst, which was that he had been taken by The Syndicate, we funneled all of our available resources into finding out his location. There were whispers in the darkest circles that he had been thrown in the fighting pits.

  The fighting pits were where The Syndicate tested their latest recruits. It was a place of blood and death. The nightmare demon could fight, and fight well, but I feared for his sanity when we were finally able to rescue him.

  Shrugging off the jacket, which was covered in debris from the underground cellar I had been digging through today, I placed it on the kitchen counter. I walked over to the bar and poured myself a generous glass of scotch. After refilling it twice, I sat heavily on the plush leather couch and stared at the wall.

  Gentle hands swept my hair away from my neck and I felt my mate’s lips brush over my ear. “We will find him.”

  Her presence surrounded me, gathering me in its warmth. She had barely left my side the past few days, wanting to do as much as she could to help in the investigation and rescue of Nicolae. I closed my eyes and reached up to hold tight to Lorelei’s hand, bringing it to my mouth and placing a gentle kiss across her palm. “I hope so, my love. I hope so.”

  My mind had been so heavy over the last few days. Thoughts of Nicolae being subject to the fighting pits, the deaths at the club, the erratic actions of The Syndicate. What was the objective here? I know they wanted to capture Lorelei, to use her to free the Xandrios, but then what? Did they really think that they were going to rule by his side?

  I scrubbed my hands over my face in frustration, trying to turn my thoughts to more pleasant matters, such as my mate. The light to my darkness, the other half of my soul and my ultimate salvation. I never realized that I could ever feel things as intensely as I did for her at that moment.

  Her soothing touch across my face drew me from my reverie. Beautiful ice blue eyes blinked up at me, reflecting everything that I loved about her back to me.

  “There is nothing more we can do tonight, Vincent.” Deft fingers pulled at the buttons of my shirt, spreading the material apart. She looked down at me with a coy smile, arousal lingering in her blue eyes. Her nails raked down my chest, along my defined abs and settled on the waistband of my pants.

  “Let me distract you, mate.” Her knees hit the couch on either side of my hips as she ground herself into my thick erection. Moaning, I grasped her hips and arched into her pelvis, causing her to throw her head back and moan loudly. The oversized shirt—my shirt—she wore rode high on her thighs and exposed a lovely expanse of creamy white
skin to my gaze.

  “My Theera,” I nibbled on the lobe of her ear, scraping the edge of my sharp fangs along the delicate skin. Her hands clutched at my hair, pulling me closer to her as she panted. My hands made quick work of her thin t-shirt as I grabbed the neckline and ripped it down the middle.

  She gasped, her nails digging into the wall of my chest leaving behind a pleasurable bite of pain. “I want you to ride me,” I growled and reached for the waistband of her panties. Ripping the offending material off, I tossed it to the side and lifted my hips to unbutton my slacks and push them down just far enough to free my cock.

  Lorelei gripped my shoulders to gain leverage before impaling herself down on my thick shaft. Our combined groans reverberated in the room. Her breasts pressed against my chest as I pulled her body tight to mine, wanting no distance between us or our bodies.

  “Vincent, you feel so good inside of me,” she mewled as I lifted my hips and thrust into her. My hands bit into her waist and guided her movements. Hard. Fast. Until we were both panting and sweat trickled down our bodies as we moved toward our peak.

  “Please,” she pleaded. “More. I need more, Vincent.” Her fingers tightened painfully in my hair and I growled at the pleasure of the bit of pain in my scalp. With practiced movements, I rolled us, so she was beneath me without slipping free of her body. My hips began a frenzied movement of brutal thrusts that had her screaming with pleasure.

  “Lorelei, now,” I bit out through clenched teeth. My muscles tightened and her hot pussy contracted around me as she climaxed. My fangs exploded in my mouth and I bent my head and sank them deep into the throbbing vein of her neck just as my body exploded.

  White hot lightning raced down my spine and stars burst across my vision as I clutched her tightly to me, riding out the waves of ecstasy.

  “I love you, Vincent,” she murmured sleepily as her eyes fluttered shut.