I nodded. I knew then that I would not just sit here waiting for everyone else to decide my fate. I would take control, tell the council what I knew and hopefully get a crack at Antoinette. My time of hiding in the shadows was done. I was a Nephilim, a vampire and not going to sit back any longer.
“Kaniul, I am going with you to meet the council.”
Chapter 20
Lorelei
Nicolae chose that moment to appear behind Kaniul. “Oh goody, that should be entertaining. Boss man is going to be pissed, even better.”
Kaniul rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why he keeps you around when it seems your main goal is to always annoy him.” Kaniul was still rapidly typing out words on his phone and barely looked up at Nicolae.
“He needs to be annoyed, that man has been half dead for decades. He is hardly at the club anymore, barely picks up his guitar or sits down at the piano, and who knows how he has been feeding since no one sees him anymore.” Nicolae picked at invisible dirt from beneath his fingernails and shot me a piercing glance. “That is until a certain little girl appeared to him in a dream.” He winked at me.
“That’s enough, Nicolae.”
Vincent materialized behind Nicolae. His eyes narrowed with a murderous gleam that had his red irises glowing. He slapped the back of Nicolae’s head, but Nicolae ducked just in time.
“You missed me, boss.”
“If I wanted to hit you, I would have,” he said wryly.
Red eyes turned back to me, igniting the fire deep inside me again. My gaze raked him from head to toe, taking in his lithe form with appreciation. He had changed since we had left the club and was now dressed in a fashionable black business suit, without the tie. His shirt was a deep red, with the top couple of buttons undone showing off the strong column of his throat. The black edges of his tattoos peaked out over the collar of the shirt, adding to his allure.
He could pull off a suit too. My mouth watered at the masculine sight of him.
Damn it, why couldn’t I control myself around him?
“Are you sure you want to go to the council? I was hoping to spare you from them a bit longer.” He rubbed at his bottom lip with the pad of his thumb, my eyes drifting down to watch the movement, entranced by the sight.
My brain jolted back to the present. “What is so bad about them and what can they do to me? I keep hearing, council, council, council, but not what they actually do, other than to make rules.”
Vincent sighed. “The council is the ruling body of the supernatural community. Their goal is to keep our existence a secret and keep the bloodshed off the human streets. Since the accords, there has been a small faction that has grown larger in recent years called The Syndicate. Their leader, Kristoff, used to be a member of the council before he betrayed us. The Syndicate wants to have supernaturals rule the world and enslave mankind.”
“They hope to accomplish this by finding and restoring the main archangel that brought the world to its knees in the great war, Xandrios.”
“Kaniul was telling me about that,” I replied. I shuddered at the memory of Kristoff and his evil laughter, still haunting me.
Nicolae chimed in as well. “Each member of the council is powerful. They are either the oldest of their line or they have a special ability that is useful.” He used his chin to indicate Kaniul. “He is on the council because of his future sight, even though he is not the oldest or most powerful vampire. Vincent and I are because we are the head of our lines. Then there is Damius, who was the first vampire.”
“Also, my sire,” Kaniul added.
“How many members total?” I was going to walk into this as informed as I possibly could be. A crash course in supernatural history would have to do for now. Tendrils of conversations with my mother started to break through the barrier on my memories. She had been open and honest with me about the supernatural world before she had died. Of course, she didn’t tell me everything, but there were things that I was starting to remember.
Vincent answered first. “Ten. The three of us, Damius. Adreon, who is Damius’ brother and a vampire as well.”
“Drake and Lyiana are Nephilim, the two oldest left and mates.” Nicolae was checking through his phone as he spoke. “Alexandrya or Drya as most of us call her is the only other demon. She is the leader of the clan of sexual demons, better known as Incubi and Succubae.”
He laughed to himself. “Better watch her, she will be all over this.” He waved his arms in circles to indicate Vincent and I. “Unspent sexual tension between you and boss man. It will be a feast for her.”
“Nicolae,” Vincent growled.
Nicolae grunted and doubled over in pain.
I looked at Vincent in confusion. “What did you just do to him?”
Nicolae coughed. “Just a little telepathic love tap, love, nothing to worry about.” He straightened himself and winked at me.
“You are just asking for trouble today, Nic.” Kaniul rolled his eyes at the nightmare demon who just shrugged and smiled.
“Moving on,” Vincent said, his voice still gravelly, causing me to shiver. “Leo is the fourth vampire on the council. He is a brilliant strategist and former ancient Greek commander.”
“And finally we have the youngest member of the council, Kathryn, who is a hybrid.”
“What is a hybrid?” I asked, curiously. “Am I a hybrid?”
“Hybrids are children of a vampire Nephilim mating. On the other side of the coin, seraphim are children of a demon Nephilim mating.” Kaniul supplied.
Vincent sighed, answering the second part of my question. “We don’t quite know what to consider you, yet.” He paused and his eyes tried to convey a message that I couldn’t grasp. “Kathryn is part vampire and part Nephilim. Her father was a very old and powerful vampire, one of the first created who mated with a Nephilim during the great wars. Kathryn was the result of their mating, but she came centuries after the fighting stopped.”
“Oh, are her parents the ones you mentioned before? The ones who’s mating helped to end the war?” I said, excitedly. I was starting to connect the dots here.
Kaniul and Nicolae both started laughing before Nicolae spoke with a twinkle in his aqua eyes. “No, love. Of course, he wouldn’t tell you what actually happened to cause a stop to the fighting or who that happy couple would have been.”
I turned to Vincent, confusion radiating out of me. His eyes narrowed at Nicolae and the power gathering inside of him crackled in the air around us. Black claws replaced his fingertips, eager to shed his blood. This seemed to be a very sore subject for him.
“Vincent?” I said softly and placed a hand on his chest. The others looked at me with wide eyes, neither wanting to approach him in this state.
Kaniul was the first to speak. “It was when Azazel mated with the Nephilim, Sophia, that the tide of the war began to shift. The demons, vampires and Nephilim all joined together to trap and imprison Xandrios.”
A gasp left my mouth. His parents were mates. Vincent himself was a Seraphim. I watched his face as Kaniul spoke. His eyes hardened and his mouth settled into a grim line. “Your parents.” The words were whispered and a nod from him was my only reply. Tentatively, I reached out along our mental connection and was surprised when I encountered a wall.
So, he was blocking me out. Hurt radiated out of me before I could stop it.
An arm reached around me and snaked around my hips. Without looking at me, his mind merged with mine, his walls dropping and allowing me to breech his thoughts.
“My parents have been gone for a very long time, theera. I do not like reliving it,” his voice caressed my mind. His expression hadn’t changed, Nicolae and Kaniul were still at the other end of his death glare. His emotions flooded me, causing me to gasp audibly.
There was so much pain. I caught a small glimpse of Vincent as a small boy, screaming his mother’s name and clutching at her hand. There was blood everywhere. She gave him a small smile, whispered words in a strange language and then closed her eyes
and exhaled for the last time.
Vincent inhaled sharply and the walls were back in place. Tears pooled in my eyes as I relived the pain of that moment. I sent a wave of comforting energy through our bond. I knew he felt it as his lips curled ever so slightly at the corners. His grip on my hip tightened.
The connection between us was as natural as breathing. I couldn’t explain it. I had known Vincent through dreams for years, but physically we had only known each other for two days. It was as if our souls were connected.
Kaniul cleared his throat, trying to dispel the awkward moment. “We are already ten minutes late. I would suggest we get moving. Nicolae?” He nodded toward the other demon who then walked over and touched Kaniul’s shoulder before both disappeared.
I touched Vincent’s cheek and tried to catch his eyes. “Let’s go.” He shrugged off my touch and blackness crossed my vision as we moved through the shadow realm.
Chapter 21
Vincent
I knew she had seen a brief glance of the memory of my mother that I had tried to keep buried. The only time I every recalled that moment of my childhood was in nightmares. I was 10 years old when our home was ambushed by what would later come to be known as The Syndicate.
∞∞∞
The smell of my mother’s blood assaulted my senses. I held her hand, screaming her name as blood poured from the wound directly to her heart. Even with her Nephilim healing and the powers she gained after bonding with my father, she would not be able to recover from the wound.
The roar of pain from my father as he tried to fight off the last of The Syndicate vampires echoed in my head. They both knew that their time was short. My mother, Sophia, looked up at me with bright green eyes and smiled. “Remember my son, do not forget to love. Your life will be full of challenges, but eventually you will find her, and your soul will sing.” Blood trickled from her lips as she coughed, trying to hold on.
My father, Azazel knelt beside his beloved wife, tears falling down his face. I would never forget the look of anguish on his face. “I’m so sorry, my love.” He brought her hand to his cheek and placed a kiss in the center of her palm.
“We don’t have much time Azazel,” Sophia coughed again. “Vincent, remember what we have taught you. Damius will protect you until you come into your powers.” Her hand caressed my face.
My father looked at me, sadness etched into the features of his proud demonic face. “My son.” He brought me into a tight hug. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again. I had never heard my father utter those words. He was the first demon created, centuries ago, and he was one of the most powerful beings on the planet, he didn’t have to apologize to anyone for any reason.
My mother’s breaths grew short as my father gathered her into his arms and placed a kiss on her lips. “Forever and always, my love,” he whispered as one final tear cascaded down her face and her heart ceased beating.
My father’s red eyes held mine and a small smile parted his lips. “Remember your lessons, my son. We are so proud of you.” A final, shuddering breath left his chest, and he collapsed next to my mother’s body. Before my eyes, their skin turned gray, their bodies turning to ash and scattering to the wind.
Screams reverberated through the hall as I expelled my grief. Damius came bursting through the door of our home, his weapons drawn. His face fell as he took in the morbid scene. Adreon came up behind him and bowed his head.
“Too late, you were too late,” I growled at them, covered in blood. I charged at the two brothers, my small fists pounding into Damius’ chest. He gathered me into his arms and held me tight as I screamed out my anguish.
I was brought back to the present as Lorelei reached out and touched my face, the concern in her ice-blue eyes almost breaking me. I slammed the walls up on our connection, not missing the flinch of her body as I firmly shut her out. Kaniul and Nicolae had already teleported to the council chambers, and we needed to do the same.
“While the members of the council will view your situation with pity, do not take them for fools. If you present a threat to the supernatural world, they will try to destroy you.” The words came out harsher than I had intended.
Her lip trembled slightly as shock crept over her delicate face. “I say try because they will have to get through me in order to make that happen.” Before I could help myself, I placed a light kiss against her soft lips. While she was distracted, I teleported us to join Kaniul and Nicolae.
“You play dirty, demon,” she whispered against my lips as we landed on our feet outside of the meeting room doors.
Only this woman could make me forget the horrors of the past. I smiled and nipped at her bottom lip before removing my arms from around her. “Wasn’t as bad this time around, though, was it?” I smirked at her and placed a kiss against her temple.
Nicolae would laugh if he could see me right now. His assessment of the fact that I had been half dead for decades was spot on. The things that had once brought me joy were no longer of any interest. I barely composed any music or even just played. Much like Lorelei, music held a huge place in my heart. I played the piano, cello and guitar mainly and played in several bands both supernatural and human based.
Music had provided a reprieve from the nights of endless fighting and strategizing against The Syndicate. Over the centuries, strides had been made, but the covert war seemed endless. One day I would get my revenge on Kristoff for not only his crimes against my family, but for the torture he inflicted upon Lorelei.
On that note, my thoughts were getting much too bloody. It was time to face the music and present Lorelei to the council. I had wanted to wait as long as possible for this moment, but I was actually quite proud of Lorelei wanting to get it over with. She was already far surpassing my expectations. I was proud of the woman at my side. Her resilience and tenacity was intriguing.
“Let’s get this over with. I don’t know how formal everyone is going to be today, so be on guard,” I warned, taking her hand in mine before opening the doors. As we walked through, the chattering ceased and all eyes turned to Lorelei.
Damius arched a brow at me as he looked from our joined hands back up to meet my gaze, a question clearly written in his blood red eyes. Drya was the first to greet us. A huge smile split her face as she first bowed her head in respect. Platinum blonde hair was piled elegantly atop her head and her green eyes were full of mischief. Her usual style.
“Lorelei, it is so nice to meet you.” She took Lorelei into a tight hug. I saw confusion cross over her face as she half-heartedly returned the hug. Drya, being a succubus, was also a powerful Empath. She was full of emotion and as such she used touch quite frequently. It was something that I had forgotten to warn Lorelei about. I’m sure I would be hearing about that later.
“Um,” Lorelei paused and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “Nice to meet you too.” I could see she put on her best fake smile as she regarded Drya. Anyone with eyes could see that Drya was the ultimate beauty. It was, after all, her nature to seduce and absorb sexual energy. Her athletic body was dressed in the latest fashions and her face made up to perfection.
“I do hope that these boys have been treating you well. It is so tragic what has happened to you.” She wrapped her arm around Lorelei’s shoulders and started to walk away with her. “We have all worried so much since you were captured. It took all the effort in the world to plan things strategically so that we could ensure your safety. We practically had to lock this one in a cage.” She pointed a thumb at me, sticking her tongue out.
“Drya,” I said, clearing my throat, authority clinging to the one word.
“Oh, sorry. You will find that I am a bit too much of a chatterbox!” She laughed and clapped her hands. “I can’t help it. I’m just so glad to finally meet her!”
Lorelei looked at me with panic written on her face. Drya could be a bit overwhelming at first. I stepped forward and pinned Drya with a knowing look. She dropped her eyes and removed her arm from around Lorele
i’s shoulders before taking a few steps back.
Lorelei looked around the room, which was built in a circle with tables arranged in a square. At first glance it appeared to be your typical business conference room. Each table was equipped with a docking station for a laptop as well as power and USB connectors. A large projector screen was centered in the front. One side of the room was lined with bookshelves. Each one of those books held part of our history.
Kaniul spoke softly with Adreon as they studied one of the leather-bound editions. I am sure they were trying to research various recounts of Nephilim.
Damius whistled loudly, bringing everyone to attention. “I know this is not our typical council meeting but let’s sit while we discuss what Leo has discovered from those captured at the research facility.” The various council members took their seats along the tables.
I placed my hand at the small of Lorelei’s back and directed her to sit down in my chair. I stayed on my feet as the anticipation had me on edge. I could feel all eyes on us, looking back and forth between Lorelei and myself as questions lingered in their gazes. I am sure they were thinking that Kaniul would be in this position of her protector rather than me.
“This meeting will not be to question Lorelei,” Damius said sternly. “So, we all need to drop that right now. It can be discussed at a later time once she has had time to adjust to her transformation. Vincent and Kaniul are appointed as her Guardians and any requests regarding her can be filtered through them.” He swept his knowing glance across the room, waiting for anyone to question his authority.
I placed my hand on Lorelei’s shoulder before she tried to speak. “Theera, this is the way of the council. Newly made vampires are appointed guardians after their transformations in the event their maker is not present. This is to help guide them.”
Her jaw clenched. “I am not a child, Vincent. I don’t need a guardian.” Her voice in my head was strong and defiant. I knew she would have an issue with this.
“Damius just saved us from a lot of questions and unnecessary tests. It is just a formality.” I looked down at her, my gaze pleading with her. “Trust me.”
Into The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy) Page 14
