by Ariel Marie
“You will not remember me,” she instructed. “You will walk to the corner of the street with no account of this alley, and continue on to where you were going. Do you understand?” He nodded slowly, before turning and walking out of the alley.
She leaned back against the building and closed her eyes, basking in the newly consumed power. She knew that she couldn’t stay there much longer; she needed to move. She had already been in town for two days, and it was time to move on to her next destination.
A noise at the end of the alley caught her attention. She opened her eyes, and found an imposing figure standing at the mouth of the alley. Her breath caught in her throat as she froze in place.
A rogue.
She glanced at the other end of the alley, finding herself trapped. She cursed, looking back toward the rogue.
“Angelina,” the rogue whispered, but she could hear it.
She didn’t recognize this rogue, and didn’t know how he could know her name. She had kept to herself in the small town, and didn’t use her real name. She swallowed hard, knowing that the only way out of the alley was past the rogue.
“How do you know my name?” she asked, trying to figure out if she could make it past him with her smaller stature. She took a step backward. “What do you want?”
“It’s been too long,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his massive chest. “You haven’t forgotten me already, have you?”
She took another step back, gasping as recognition set in.
“Who would have thought, the little innocent student, stupidly walking along a college campus at night would have made it this long as a vampire?” His voice triggered memories of that night.
It was such a beautiful night, she thought as she gazed up at the star-filled sky. She shifted her book bag on her back, as she continued walking along the sidewalk near the Student Union of the university where she studied. The walk across campus to her apartment wouldn’t take long. Once she arrived back home, she knew that she would be up most of the night, studying for her upcoming finals.
She smiled, knowing that her parents were watching her from Heaven, and would be happy for her. She currently had straight A’s in all her subjects, and was on the Dean’s list every semester. She glanced around, not seeing anyone else. She got off work late, and wasn’t at all surprised that there was no one else walking the same path.
“Excuse me, miss,” a deep voice said.
The figure took her by surprise as she rounded the corner, coming to a dead halt. He was very tall, and bulky with muscles, but then again, most people were taller than her. She glanced wearily at him, but stood her ground. Her apartment was a couple blocks past him, and she needed to go in his direction.
She slowly reached in her pocked, feeling slightly comforted by the feel of her small pepper spray can.
“Yes?” she asked, tightening her grip on the can.
“I just got to town, and was trying to surprise my younger sister, but I seem to be lost,” he said, looking down at some papers.
This late? Who surprises family at this time of night? She took the time to quickly study him, finding him average looking with dark hair—just in case she needed to pick him out in a police lineup.
“Where does she stay?” she asked, thinking that it wasn’t her problem that he was surprising his ‘sister’ this late. He was probably a jealous boyfriend checking in on his girlfriend. If she could point him in the right direction, then she could be on her way home.
“She said Hillenbrand dorm,” he replied, pointing at his papers.
“Sure, Hillenbrand is in that direction,” she said. She turned to point him in the direction from where she just came. She turned back to him and instantly realized her mistake.
Never turn your back on a stranger late at night.
The attack was a blur. The only thing she remembered were piercing, crimson eyes, and the excruciating pain of something latching onto her neck.
“You,” she whispered, coming back to the present, finding tears flowing down her face. This vampire was the reason she had been left to forever live as a blood-sucking creature.
“So, you do remember.” He rubbed his hands together. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Stay away from me!” she warned as he started advancing on her. Her heart pounded as she backed away from him.
Shit!
She knew she was trapped, and would have to fight to get away from him. She refused to go quietly.
“It’s time, Angelina,” he stepped forward, his crimson eyes locked on her. “All of my sired vampires will rise and fight in the war alongside the masters.”
“No.”
She briefly thought of Adrian and his family, and knew that she would rather die than fight and kill a vampire, now that she knew the truth about them. She wiped the tears from her face, determined to fight her sire to the death, if need be. Calmness washed over her as she took a low fighting stance, just as she was taught when the rogues had trained her.
I love you, Adrian, she thought fleetingly, as she stared down the vampire.
“Fight me?” He barked out a laugh, with a deadly smile spreading across his face, displaying his massive fangs. “Very well, then. You won’t stand a chance.”
Chapter 21
Adrian
“We’ll find her,” Teague assured Adrian as they walked along the main street of the small town of East Haven, Alabama. It was late, and not that many people lingered around the street at night. That was the difference between the big cities and small towns; everything closed up early. “Gadiel has tracked her to this town. You know that he can find a needle in a haystack.”
Gadiel was one of the youngest vampires in their Dark Shadow unit. He hailed from the Olaru’s old country of Romania, and was a master hunter. Adrian trusted Gadiel with his life, and knew that he would be able to trust Gadiel’s instincts on finding Angel. So far, his tracking had led them to the very depths of the state of Alabama, in a small town located near the Gulf Coast.
He growled his frustration as he looked around at the small town’s storefronts. It was a much smaller town than Cleveland, but he knew that a town this size was the perfect place for a vampire on the run to hide. It had been almost two weeks since Angel had disappeared, and he prayed to the Gods that they would find her safe and sound.
“I found something.” Gadiel’s Romanian accent broke him out of his thoughts. Gadiel motioned to the corner of an alley. Adrian’s heart skipped a beat as he and Teague jogged toward the other Shadow member.
Each day that Angel was gone, left a pressure in his chest that would not go away. He knew that it was the mating bond. The curse of the vampire mate. If he didn’t find Angel alive and unharmed, he would go bat shit crazy. If she died, then he knew it would only be a short period of time before he would die of a broken heart.
He snorted, thinking of the vampire mating bond. It was fate’s way of making sure that a vampire spent eternity with the perfect mate, but why did it have to cause so much pain?
He stood at the mouth of the alley and watched Gadiel stoop down and pick up what looked to be a child’s hoodie in his hand. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked on the blood splattered across the grey material.
“Este al ei,” Gadiel said, speaking in their native language, handing the hoodie to Adrian. This belongs to her.
He sniffed the dried blood, confirming it to be Angel’s. The soft scent of his Angel still lingered on the dirty hoodie. He would know the scent of her blood anywhere. He balled up the hoodie in his hand and looked around, trying to gather himself. He would kill whoever made her bleed, and if she was dead, he would kill every rogue or necromancer that he could find.
“Da, este,” he said, confirming it to be hers.
“She is not far,” Gadiel announced. “This hoodie has not been here long. We’ll find her, My Prince.”
Adrian’s head jerked in a nod, unable to speak around the lump in his throat. He prayed that th
ey would not be too late.
“Teague!” Adrian called out for his brother as he made it to the mouth of the alley.
“Yeah,” Teague answered with a grim look on his face.
“Call Bella and make sure Angel isn’t on her radar.”
He couldn’t look at his brother while making such a request. He needed to know if Bella could sense Angel’s pending death. Teague’s mate was a Valkyrie turned demigoddess, whose primary job on this Earth was to escort the newly departed to their appropriate destination; Heaven or Hell.
Teague let loose a curse. “Adrian, seriously—”
“Just do it,” Adrian snapped, holding up his hand. “Please. Just do it,” he repeated in a softer tone.
“Yeah, sure,” his brother muttered, pulling his phone out of his pocket as Gadiel jogged back across the street to join them.
“There is a camera over there.” Gadiel pointed to the brick storefront directly across from the alley.
The dark, ugly building was as unwelcoming as the name. The Grimm Leprechaun Pawn Shop shined bright in the darkness. The scowling Leprechaun etched into the large window stared directly at them, as if daring them to enter the establishment. “If it’s a working one, I’m sure it would have caught everything that has went on in that alley.”
“That angle is perfect,” Adrian murmured in agreement. They dodged the few cars as they crossed the street. “Let’s go talk with the store owner and find out whether or not that camera has caught any recent action.”
Adrian, Teague, and Gadiel instantly went on alert the moment the door closed behind them. The interior of the building matched the exterior in its dreariness. It was a pawnshop, all right. Adrian would believe that the business was a legitimate store when unicorns returned.
The store held shelves full of electronics, televisions, stereos, and DVD players, all of which Adrian was sure were illegally obtained.
“Vampires,” a deep voice, with a strong Irish accent boomed from behind the counter.
A large, dark-skinned man stood poised with his arms across the front of his massive chest. His unruly hair was draped over his forehead, doing little to hide the scowl that graced his face.
They were certainly not welcomed.
The air shimmered slightly around the man, displaying his true form for a brief second.
Demon.
The fucking establishment was owned by demons.
“Demon,” Adrian said, stalking to the counter, with Teague and Gadiel behind him.
He knew that when dealing with a demon, nothing would come for free, but they needed to see what was on the camera. He would be willing to pay any price to find Angel.
“I nu dat yer are not ‘ere ter browse dis gran’ establishment,” the demon said in his strong Irish brogue.
“You’re right,” Adrian said, placing his hands on the glass countertop. “We’re not. My name is Adrian Olaru. This is my brother Teague, and our associate, Gadiel.”
“Waaat is it dat yer want, Shadows?”
A snort, followed by a cough, could be heard behind Adrian, and he knew it was Teague without bothering to look.
“A couple of nights ago, there was an incident in the alley across the street.” Adrian’s voice was cool and hard, as he tried to keep all emotions from showing.
“Is dat so?”
“We believe that a female vampire was assaulted and kidnapped from the alley directly across from your store.” Teague stepped up, coming to stand next to Adrian.
“And we believe that your camera caught it,” Adrian said, glancing at his brother before turning back to the demon.
“An’ yer are wantin’ ter review me video tape?” The demon leaned forward, a cynical smile spreading across his face.
“You’re going to let us view it,” Adrian growled, not backing down from the large demon.
He would fight to the death to find his mate, and if dueling with the demon would get him closer to her, then so be it. The jingle of the bells over the doorway sounded, but Adrian didn’t take his eyes off the demon.
“Jirak!” a female’s harsh voice barked from behind them. Adrian turned, recognizing the voice, and found Teague’s mate, Bella, standing by the door.
Chapter 22
Adrian
“Yer called a feckin goddess on me?” the demon growled, slamming his large fist down on the counter. Teague stiffened as the demon turned his furious gaze toward his mate.
Bella was dressed in her warrior leathers, adorned with multiple weapons. The look on her face was that of a fierce warrior as she marched up to join them. She stood next to Teague, holding her hand up to silence her mate.
“Jirak, you are to show them what they seek,” Bella stated, staring the large demon down. “You are not welcome here, and it would be in your best interest to assist these vampires,” she threatened.
The Irish demon stared at her, his jaw tightened. “Waat ye gon ta do? Call yer pappy on me?”
“Oh, I won’t need to do that. I can handle you on my own,” she said, her voice dropping low. “But my father, the God Adros, won’t take too kindly to finding out that Fomori demons are running loose in my territory.”
Adrian sucked in a quick breath, as his eyes shot back to the large demon. Fomori demons were known to be the direct descendants of the God of Death, Balor.
A few months ago, Bella and her Valkyries were honoring an age-old agreement between the Valkyrie and vampires. She and her warriors had come to Earth to help in the war. She was killed, protecting the vampire queen, only to reappear a few months later, returning from the dead as the Goddess of Death.
While she was in Heaven, Bella had discovered that her father was the God Adros, the ruler of all deities. Her newly appointed job on Earth was to guide the souls of the newly departed to their respected destinations, Heaven or Hell, as the Goddess of Death.
Balor was the demonic God of Death, who was completely opposite of Bella. He was known to steal the souls of the dead and give them to his demons to feast on. He was killed centuries ago, at the hands of his own son, and legend had it that the Fomori remained hidden in the caves and seas of Ireland. And right now, one was standing right in front of them.
“Now, are you going to show them the video tape, or are we going to have a problem?” Bella asked.
The room grew still, and was laced with tension while they waited for the demon to make his decision. Adrian glanced at Gadiel, his blade out, ready for battle, while Teague’s murderous gaze was locked on the demon.
“Fine. Oi don’t wan any trouble.”
“Teague, how’s it going?” Adrian asked as he paced the back room, impatiently waiting for his brother to work his magic with the video. Bella and Gadiel were out in the store room, keeping an eye on the disgruntled Jirak.
“Patience, brother,” Teague murmured as his fingers flew across the keyboard. Adrian walked over and peeked over his brother’s shoulder at the monitor. “The uploads from the camera are digital, meaning that it records twenty-four hours straight. I’m rewinding as fast as I can.”
“Remind me never to get on your mate’s bad side,” Adrian said, patting Teague on the shoulder.
“I know! Her in leather alone gets me hard—”
“Teague, honey, I don’t think your brother wants to hear about our um...relations.” Bella cut him off as she walked through the door. “Adrian, I’m sorry about your mate.”
He nodded, unable to speak around the lump in his throat. He watched, envious of his brother, as Bella ran her fingers through his hair, and laid a kiss on his forehead. He looked away and cleared his throat.
“Thanks, Bella. Not that I mind extra help, but why are you here?” he asked.
“Teague called me, asking me if Angel was on my radar, which she’s not…yet.” She was quick to assure him. “But, when he told me where you were—”
“Hey!” Teague interrupted. “Got something. You are not going to like this.”
Adrian and Bella rushed over to
Teague, catching the first glimpse of Angel on the screen. She stood at the corner of the alley, leaning against the building as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Adrian wished he could hear the conversation between her and the human, but there was no audio. Even without sound, he knew what needed.
She needed to feed.
His gums ached as he watched the human follow her into the darkness. Minutes later, the human returned back on the screen, almost as if in a trance, walking out of the alley.
“Come on, baby,” he murmured, almost willing her to walk back out of the alley. The pit of his stomach dropped as he watched a large threatening presence saunter up to the mouth of the alley, blocking Angel’s only exit.
“Shit. This doesn’t look good,” Teague murmured.
“Who is that?” Bella asked.
They all watched as the new figure threw his head back and laughed, then dashed forward into the alley, out of the camera’s sight. Adrian’s heart skipped a beat as he glanced at the time on the screen, and watched it continue to tick away. Time seemed to stand still as they all watched and waited, to see who would walk out of the alley the victor.
“A rogue,” Adrian growled as he watched the large vampire walk out with Angel’s limp body thrown over his shoulder.
A dark SUV screeched to a stop, blocking the camera’s view. Seconds later, it pulled away, with Angel and the rogue vampire no longer in sight. “A dead rogue.”
Chapter 23
Angel
Tortured screams filled the air. Rogues. Rogues lost to the bloodlust, no concept of anything but the need to feed, were scattered around the room in steel cages. Angel covered her ears with her hands as she cringed, looking around the room.
