I laid my forehead against hers. “I love you too, Theera.”
Chapter 13
Lorelei
My eyes blinked open, my body cold as confusion washed over me. Arms reached out to the other side of the bed, encountering nothing but cool sheets. I sat up, stretching and yawning to shake off the last remnants of sleep. Where was Vincent? The lack of warmth on his pillow suggested he had not been in bed for some time. I didn’t like waking without him next to me. It had been something that, even in the short amount of time we had been together, that I had grown accustomed to.
I shuffled to my feet, shrugging on one of Vincent’s discarded shirts and buttoning it as I padded to the bedroom door. Reaching out with my mind, I sought our familiar mental connection. It snapped into place and I sighed in relief. His psychic touch lingered along the still healing scars of my neck, caressing me with his warmth as he indicated that he was in his office.
Smirking, I leaned against the doorway, staring at his strong frame leaning with his hands braced on the desk and head bowed in concentration. He hadn’t bothered to put a shirt on, just throwing on a loose-fitting pair of track pants which sat low on his hips. The stark black of his swirling tattoos against the pale white of his skin caused my mouth to water as I took in his body.
“Are you done starring, love?” Vincent quipped, a smile in his voice as he teased me.
I laughed for what seemed like the first time in days. Since Thanatos was destroyed and Nicolae was captured. I tried to stay strong for Vincent. I knew that it was his club and his best friend. He needed my support as his mate now more than ever. My eyes watched with rapt attention as he stalked across the room toward me.
Warm hands cradled my cheeks, his two-tone eyes shining as he looked down at me. “Lorelei, Nicolae will be fine. Thanatos was just a building; it can be rebuilt.” His thumb traced delicately over my bottom lip as the corners of his perfectly shaped mouth tilted up in a smirk.
“I know, Vincent,” I breathed, closing my eyes and sinking further into his touch. “I am worried. Worried about Nic. Worried about The Syndicate and what Antionette said. My bloodlines.” I curled my fingers against his bare chest.
“What am I going to become?” I confessed, giving voice to my ultimate fear. My powers were beginning to frighten me, the intensity of the forces that swirled inside of me were overwhelming at times. It took all my internal strength to keep the anxiety at bay, to keep from lashing out with those powers that were barely contained within my body.
He drew me into the shelter of his arms and kissed the top of my head gently before rubbing his chin against my hair. “You are my mate, the one person that was created for me and you are perfect just the way you are.”
Heat flooded me as his arms tightened around me, securing me in his embrace. Emphasizing his love. His desire. He was the other half of my soul and I craved his touch and comfort, needed it as much as I needed to breathe.
“Theera,” He drew back and tilted up my chin leaning down toward me.
Shrill laughter echoed from his phone, interrupting the moment, causing me to groan in frustration. “Why did you have to change the ringtone for Damius to that horrible clown laughter?” I grumbled, shoving at his chest.
Vincent chuckled in response, lifting the phone to his ear and barking out a gruff, “Yes?”
“Council meeting. Fifteen minutes,” Damius barked before the line went dead.
“Well, that sounded pleasant.” Vincent snarled at his phone, tossing it on the desk.
“I guess we are getting dressed and going to a council meeting?” I quipped.
“I suppose so,” he put a hand on the small of my back, leading me out of the room to get ready.
******
We appeared in the council receiving chambers several minutes later. I shrugged off the chill of the shadow flight. It had been getting less difficult every time Vincent did it, but I still felt the freezing ache in my bones after we reached our destination. His arms tightened around me as he placed a gentle kiss to the crown of my head, sending me a wave of reassurance through our bond.
“Fuck, Vincent, I told you not to bond with her,” Damius growled, his voice vibrating with menace as he stood before us.
Vincent immediately shoved me behind him and stood toe to toe with the large powerful vampire. “You know it just as much as I do that it couldn’t be helped. The fact that we lasted as long as we did without saying the bonding words was a miracle itself.”
Damius snarled, curling his lip in disgust at my mate.
“Fuck you Damius.” I stepped out from behind Vincent and tried to face off against the leader.
“Lorelei, stop,” Vincent growled, wrapping his hand around my arm to draw me back.
“No.” I shrugged his hold off me. “He has no right to tell you that you shouldn’t have bonded with me.” I was shaking with anger.
Electricity arched through me, igniting in my veins as my hands pushed at the wall of Damius’ solid chest. He flew back, an expression of horror on his face as threads of lightning left my fingers and ran through his body.
He crashed into the wall, wood cracking from the force of his impact. With a shake of his head, he tried to clear the daze. Sparks crackled in the air, making his hair stand out. “You electrocuted me,” Damius said, astonished. He climbed to his feet, shoving off a large chunk of drywall that had fallen on his torso.
“Lorelei!” Vincent gripped my wrists and drew them behind my back, entering my mind through our bond and sought to calm my errant abilities. The electricity danced and crackled through the dark corridor. My mind whirled, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I looked down at my hands, the sparks of electricity still moving between my fingers.
“What is happening?” I whispered, looking from Damius to Vincent and back down to my sparking hands. The room swirled around me, colors becoming sharper as they danced along my vision. My stomach cramped, nausea swimming as I fought to keep down the contents of my lunch.
“Settle, Lorelei,” Vincent’s calming voice washed over me, seeking to placate me. The tendrils of his mental touch slithered throughout my body, reassuring. His warm hand framed my face, drawing me into his hypnotic gaze. My heart rate calmed. The rolling in my stomach settled as I stared into those swirling black and red irises.
“That’s it, breathe with me, Theera.”
I closed my eyes and followed his breathing pattern. He clutched my fingers in his and drew them over his heart. Feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, I welcomed the sensations. We were connected. In sync with each other.
“She has the Astrapi,” Damius whispered reverently.
My eyelids snapped open and I sharpened my eyes ttoward his. What the actual fuck was he talking about? As-ta-wha?
Vincent sighed heavily, turning to face the vampire elder. “It would seem that she does.”
I looked between the two powerful men as they seemed to be having a mental conversation. Trying to slip in via our bond, I encountered a brick wall. I furrowed my brow, angry at Vincent for shutting me out. He obviously was discussing something with Damius that he didn’t want me to hear.
“It is rude to have a conversation that no one else can hear, you know?” I bit out through gritted teeth.
The two very imposing men turned to regard me, amusement in their gazes. “Your mate is quite the match for you. The fates laugh at you by giving you such a feisty little thing.” Damius trailed his gaze from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I shuddered beneath his intense assessment. His red eyes pierced me, seeing straight through me.
“I still think it was idiotic of you to bond when we don’t know the danger yet, but—” He shrugged, “—I can understand why now.” Considering the conversation done, Damius turned and strode toward the large doors to enter the council chambers.
“What the ever-loving fuck was that?” I planted my hands on my hips and turned to face Vincent. Smug bastard still wore amusement on his face as he
smiled down at me.
“Theera,” he whispered, running a hand through my hair. He lifted a lock of my dark strands and pressed it to his nose.
“Don’t Theera me, Vincent. What the hell is happening? I shot lightning—” I held up my hands in front of his face, “—from my fingers! Is that normal for a Nephilim?” My voice rose with hysteria.
He sighed, dropping the lock of hair to fall gently above my shoulders. “It is a very rare trait. One that is only seen in a specific blood line. And then only to those that he deems worthy of carrying it,” he admitted, a note of bitterness teasing his tone.
“Akakaios.” My father. Of course.
“So…are you going to tell me more?” I demanded.
“Vincent, Lorelei, inside. Now,” Damius’ curt voice rang through the hall.
My back stiffened in annoyance. “Insufferable vampire bastard,” I muttered under my breath, drawing away from Vincent.
“Although I may be a bastard, Ms. Blackstone, I do deserve more respect than that. Get that cute little butt in here now.”
Vincent let out a sound of displeasure, low and deep, wrenched from his throat as he narrowed his eyes at Damius. “You better not be checking out her butt, vampire. Council leader or not, I will end you.”
I stifled a laugh, lifting a palm over my mouth. Vincent put a possessive hand on the small of my back, guiding me through to the chamber, his angry gaze never leaving Damius.
Damius chuckled as he shut the door behind them. “It got you both in the door, though didn’t it?” He shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
“I really don’t understand that man,” I shook my head.
Claw tipped fingers drew over the flesh of my stomach, just under my shirt. He bent his head, his warm breath fanning over my neck as he lifted my hair over my shoulder. “You are mine,” he murmured against my ear. “He shouldn’t be looking at you. Or making comments about your ass.”
Wandering hands drifted down to the aforementioned ass, grabbing it as he pulled me roughly against him. “Mine,” he growled. The word made me shiver in anticipation. Goosebumps pebbled along my arms and warmth pooled in my belly.
“Ahem,” Damius and Leo cleared their throats loudly. They stood with their arms crossed over their impressive chests, eyebrows arched expectantly.
“Well, if you hadn’t made a comment about his mate’s backside—who also happens to be my niece—he wouldn’t be acting all territorial, now would he, Damius?” Kaniul asked, fury lurking just beneath the surface of his words.
Damius grinned and lifted his hands. “It’s fun. Kind of like poking the bear. How many times can you do it before he cracks and goes all demon lord on me?”
“And I thought Nicolae had a death wish,” Kaniul muttered, catching on the words, realizing what he had said as soon as the words left his mouth.
“Shit.” Vincent scrubbed his hands over his face in exasperation. All traces of possessiveness over me dropped as he thought of his second in command and closest friend. Sensing his emotions and need, I wrapped an arm around his torso and snuggled close to his body. I lent him my strength and support when I knew he would need it most.
“About that,” Leo interrupted, trying to break the tension. “We have news.”
Leo, the master strategist of the council, stood next to Damius. His curly black hair fell in waves across his elegant Greek features. His normally sparkling green eyes were somber today, holding no mirth or the glint of his sarcastic nature.
“Out with it, man,” Vincent demanded.
Whatever his news, it wasn’t going to be good.
“It is as we suspected, he was sent to the fighting pits. We have sent someone in to try and gather more information, but as you know, the pits are tough to infiltrate.” Damius paced the front of the room.
I gritted my teeth. I wanted to find Nicolae just as much as Vincent did. This was the news that we had anticipated, but it still stung to hear it. “Let’s sit,” I said softly, threading my arm through Vincent’s and pulling him toward the seats.
The chamber had been arranged differently today, which surprised me. Comfortable executive chairs were arranged in a semi-circle facing the front of the room. It reminded me of a classroom, the platform in the front where Damius and Leo stood was raised. Behind it was the large screen that had been used to show Leo’s presentation the last time I was here.
Vincent sat down next to Kaniul, not looking at my uncle or acknowledging his presence as he continued to wait for Leo to continue speaking. Starting to take the seat on his opposite side, an arm snaked around my waist and brought me onto his lap instead. His anticipation was palpable in the air around us, making my breath catch in my throat.
“We will find him,” I told him telepathically, my hand reaching for his and threading our fingers together. He squeezed my hand, nose nuzzling my hair in response.
“I understand that the pits are difficult to infiltrate, but obviously you have a plan, or we wouldn’t be here,” Vincent retorted.
Leo’s lips twitched at the corners. “Why yes, Demon Lord, I do.”
Vincent’s eyebrows rose, “Care to share, General?” he sneered.
I snorted. Men, such drama queens with their power struggles.
“I already have someone working their way inside. She received an invite to a special match that should be of interest. The tagline was Nightmare Prince Battle Royale.”
“What the—?” I snapped. “Why haven’t these been shut down before? I mean, they have to draw a lot of attention and the risk of exposure is so great. Isn’t that your job as the council to protect the supernatural community from exposure so that there isn’t all out chaos on earth?”
Once again, I managed to make the room fall silent with one statement. The arm around my waist tightened, fingers digging painfully into the flesh of my hip.
“Why must you always get the council so riled up?” Vincent’s smooth voice invaded my mind with just a hint of annoyance, but there was an underlying pride there as well. At least I knew he liked my spunk.
“I’ve only been to two council meetings, so you can’t really say always.”
“Both times you riled them up so yes, always is appropriate.” He bit down on the sensitive flesh of my ear lobe, causing me to take in a swift breath.
“We have been trying to shut them down for years but haven’t been successful. This is probably the best opportunity that we will have to destroy the ring. My girl is that good.”
“What is the point of them, anyway? What purpose does it serve for the Syndicate to operate them?” I continued to ask my questions.
“Money,” Kaniul answered simply. “They make a lot of money from supernaturals that pay to watch the fights. It is how they finance most of their operations. Which is why it has been one of the main goals of the council over the centuries to bring down the rings. Just as Leo said, we have never been able to get anyone on the inside.”
“And any attempts we have made at destroying their locations have been thwarted. They remain one step ahead of us at all times,” Leo added.
“Almost like you have a traitor in your midst,” I muttered, getting more upset with these excuses they kept spouting.
“We have thought about that, but everyone has always check out. We simply can’t understand it,” Damius shook his head, looking pensive.
“Well you bloody well need to do something about it now. Nicolae is one of you. One of the members of the council. You should be storming down the doors, blowing shit up. Something.” Frustration overwhelmed me. Part of it stemmed from Vincent. The other part was the little voice in my head whispering that this was all my fault. Nicolae would never have been captured. Thanatos wouldn’t have been burned to the ground. It was all my fault.
And I was helpless. My powers were not developed or controllable enough to be of any use. Tears burned the back of my eyes at the thought.
“Stop that line of thinking right now, Lorelei. This is not your fault. Nothing
you have done has led to this.” Vincent’s arms locked around me as his lips found the pulse at the base of my neck and nibbled lightly.
Sinking into his touch, I tried to banish the thoughts. I succeeded in pushing them away temporarily, but they lingered. Still taunting me with their niggling words and doubts.
“Lorelei, I assure you that we are doing everything that we can to get Nicolae back. He has been our friend and ally for centuries and we would never leave him trapped in that hell hole for longer than we have to.” Damius’ red eyes bore into me, conveying the depth of his statement. His body was rigid, his back stiff as he stared at me, our eyes warring with each other.
I nodded, turning my face into Vincent’s neck and running my nose along his stubbled jaw line.
“So, Leo, who is your girl? The one that had infiltrated the ring and you insist is ‘the best’? Vincent asked.
“Naomi. She is a woman of many talents and once she returns with Nicolae you will meet her and see for yourself.” Leo beamed, his smile wide as he rubbed his hands together.
Damius rolled his eyes. “Leo is too excited about his strategic little bargaining chip.”
“What is so special about this Naomi?” Adreon inquired.
Leo grinned widely, showing off two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. “She is a chameleon, able to manipulate her appearance in the eyes of others. It makes her the perfect spy.”
Vincent leveled a lethal stare at Leo. “How on earth did you find someone like this? That is one of the rarest gifts. What is her heritage?”
Leo pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing his legs in front of him. “I found her several years ago, lingering in Budapest. She is a vampire, I turned her myself shortly after I found her. She had lived for years as a high-end burglar and thief. I knew there was something otherworldly about her. Turning her was a logical decision,” he shrugged his shoulders.
“You have had this woman in your back pocket for years and hadn’t thought to share her existence with us?” I could practically see the steam coming out of Vincent’s ears and I tilted my head up to look at him.
Out of The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy Book 2) Page 10
