A light began to shimmer in the center of the circle. Soon, it became the outline of a woman. It didn’t take a genius to know it was Azerial. When her image became clear, Samuel almost choked. What was she wearing? It looked like a business suit. Her hair was put up all wrong and her shoes were rich woman heels. His goddess didn’t dress like that. The most disturbing thing about her though, was her eyes. She was confused. And not because she had been pulled to them. She ran her eyes over every person and didn’t appear to recognize even one. Not even him. His heart thundered in his chest. She didn’t recognize him.
“Azerial,” he whispered. Her eyes darted to him and she cocked her head to the side as if she were trying to figure out who or what he was. Then, she was gone. Just gone. Disappeared.
“Shit,” he cursed, but then Frankie collapsed to the floor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“It’s ok, I’ve got you,” John says gently as he pulled Azerial to the couch to sit. “What happened there?”
Azerial shook her head. “I’m not sure. One minute I was here, the next I was somewhere else. There were people standing around in a circle. I didn’t recognize any of them, but still felt like I should know them. What is happening to me?”
John stroked her cheek softly. “I am so sorry, Love. I had hoped your memories would come to you in time, but it seems that now I must tell you.”
“They tried summoning her, didn’t they?” a woman’s voice asked. Azerial looked up and saw a beautiful brunette entering their living room. Her shoulder length hair was dark and sleek, her eyes were sharp and the bluest blue she had ever seen. She oozed magic from her pores. A word entered Azerial’s mind. Fey.
“Yes Mother, I believe they did,” John replied.
Azerial thought she should remember his mother. Of course, she thought she should remember being married to this man.
“You have to tell her everything,” his mother demanded. “Then you have to teach her to protect herself. We don’t have time for all of this.”
“I’m afraid I am lost, Mrs…” Azerial started.
“Please, call me Anora,” John’s mother said.
“Anora,” Azerial repeated. Something inside her tingled as if that name should mean something to her.
“Let me explain,” John said, taking her hand into his own. Azerial nodded and stamped down the urge to pull her hand back from him. It just felt wrong. “Before we were married, you were a goddess. You fell in love with me and after a time, decided you wanted to live a life here on Earth. You gave up your grace for me.” He dropped his head and seemed to really be having a hard time with it all. “You are no longer a goddess, but you still have some of your power. Haven’t you noticed how everyone is overly respectful to you? They can’t help it. Your presence alone commands it. The flowers bloom for you when you walk by and the birds sing because they recognize you as a force of pure good. You can protect yourself, as well.”
Azerial looked at her husband skeptically. A goddess? Really?
“What happened today is what is called a summoning. My enemies wanted to call you to them in order to hurt me,” John continued. “The local vampire clan doesn’t want my medicines on the market. They have a chemist among them and they want to manufacture it themselves.”
“This is all a bit much to swallow,” Azerial said, carefully removing her hand from his and using it to push her hair out of her face. “They want to hurt me?”
“I don’t know that they would hurt you,” John said, “but they would definitely lie to you and try to make you think that I was the one in the wrong. They are afraid of my magic and they want you on their side to even out the balance of power.”
“What is your magic?” Azerial asked John.
Anora answered. “My son is a powerful witch,” she said. “He used his magic to develop the drugs. And he is going to use it to help protect you and shield you from the vampires.”
Azerial wanted to run. She wanted to scream. This was all too much to handle, and at the same time, screamed of bullshit. She giggled a little inside when she thought the curse word. He would be proud of me, she thought, but then, who would be proud? She desperately wanted to put a face with the thought. She knew without a doubt it wasn’t John she was thinking of, but the face escaped her.
“We should start immediately,” Anora said and John agreed with her. Azerial didn’t want to have any more to do with this nonsense, but the choice was taken out of her hand as she gazed into her mother in law’s eyes. She felt like she was spinning, spiraling into an abyss in her mind.
“Imagine a brick wall all around you,” Anora said to her. “Imagine each brick, solid and heavy, locked into place with its brothers. It forms an impenetrable barrier that no one can get through, not even the strongest of vampire minds. It will protect you from them. It will keep them from finding you.”
Azerial couldn’t help but to do as she was told. She imagined the wall and how it reached far up into the sky, as if it went on for eternity.
“Good,” Anora said. “Now, John, a protection spell, if you would?”
Azerial heard John’s voice speaking in a foreign language next to her. She felt a blanket of air surround her and she shivered. A blanket should make her feel warm, shouldn’t it? But for whatever reason, John’s blanket of protection left her feeling cold to the bone.
Anora released Azerial from her spell and she shook her head. “Now what?” she asked.
“Now we try it out,” Anora said. “I am going to try to get into your mind. Do not let me.”
Azerial envisioned her wall again, perfectly secure and tightly walled around her. She felt something on the outside of it, like a knocking. She squinted her eyes as the knocking got louder.
“I can’t get in,” Anora said, sounding a little disappointed. “She learns quickly.”
“I am so happy to hear that,” John said. He leaned over to Azerial and brought his lips down. Just before he could make contact with her lips, Azerial turned her head. His lips collided with her cheek. Her skin burned where he had touched her, and she resisted the urge to wipe it off.
“I think I need to rest now,” Azerial said. She rose to her feet and went straight to her room. She didn’t really need to rest, though. She needed to get away from John and his mother. She wanted to believe them. She wanted to trust them. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that all of this was wrong somehow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Frankie came around and found Jacque’s face in front of her. “What happened?” she asked.
“You collapsed,” he told her. His face was drawn tight with worry, the ring in his brow was damn near hanging over his iris. His eyes were dark and his lips were pressed into a tight line.
“Oh,” Frankie said, pushing up into a sitting position. “I must have pushed too hard.”
“Pushed too hard,” Jacque muttered. “Ya think?”
“I’m sorry,” Frankie said. “I wanted it to work so badly. It did work, sort of.”
“She didn’t know us,” Samuel reminded her. “And we couldn’t keep her.”
“I know,” Frankie grumbled. “I tried. I could feel something else trying to pull her away. I tried to hold on to her as best I could, but whatever called her away was stronger than I am. Hell, it was stronger than all of us.”
“Abaddon,” Phoenix said. “It has to be him. He knows we’re on his ass and he is keeping our strongest asset away from us.”
“But how?” Jacque asked. “It isn’t like she does anything she doesn’t want to do.”
A fierce growl permeated the room and all heads turned to Samuel. He was leaning his back against the wall and had his arms crossed over his chest. His lips were twisted into a snarl and the growl was coming from his chest.
“Easy my man,” Jacque said softly.
“He will not touch her,” Samuel forced out of his mouth, sounding a bit like a demon himself. He was imagining all the ways he was going to rip that demon to shreds when he foun
d him. He could see himself torturing the son of a bitch in all kinds of demented scenarios. That demon had no business anywhere near his mate and if he laid a finger on her, he was gonna pay, and pay dearly. With his life. Many times over.
“Hang on there,” Jacque said, coming closer to Samuel. “I can hear all those thoughts you’re projecting, but you can’t just run off half-cocked and expect to win against a demon. We can’t be sure he is the one responsible for this.”
“What the fuck do you know,” Samuel snarled, the words coming out in a low, dangerous timbre.
“I had to wait for Frankie,” he said, then shoved visions of Frankie being taken and tortured. He showed Samuel everything that had been done to his mate and the complete and utter desperation that Jacque felt.
“I don’t know if I can stop myself,” Samuel told him. His body was shaking from head to foot like a fucking vibrator. “I need to kill him.”
Jacque laughed. The fucker actually laughed. “It’s about time you realized that she is your mate. Welcome to the fold,” he told him. “Let’s go see what Gage has come up with concerning that phone number and then we will move on to the maiming of that demon.”
Gage was in his office when his brothers walked in. Actually, most of them walked. Samuel seemed to be more stalking than walking. The man was all tied up in knots and understandably so. His mate was in trouble, no doubt about it. He could tell that Sam was barely hanging on by a thread. If one wrong move was made, he would snap and Lord help anyone who got in his way. Good thing he had some information to give.
“What have you learned?” Angel asked.
“That number has called many other numbers. There were a few that stuck out and repeated. One belongs to a hooker named Molly. The other is to RedFire Pharmaceuticals. That was the number he called right before texting you Sam. I am willing to bet that’s where Abaddon is making his drugs. The company makes a number of things, none of which have been approved by the FDA. Everything from weight loss to mood enhancements are made there, and sold from there as well. I think this is where we need to start.”
“We need to get someone in there, undercover,” Jacque said. “But who? He would recognize all of us.”
“We could call Ricky,” Angel offered.
“No,” Samuel said immediately. “We are not asking the kid to walk into the depths of hell.”
“Now hold on a minute, Mon ami,” Angel said. “With the help of Ricky, we could get a search warrant on some trumped up accusations. All we need is for someone to go in there and have a look around.”
Samuel shook his head. “We would be signing his death warrant.”
“What if this is where we find Azerial?” Sebastian asked.
Samuel snarled at him. “I would do anything to get her back, but she would never forgive me if I sent an innocent man in to his death. No, there must be another way.”
“I think perhaps I know of one,” Angel said. “I have worked closely with the human government for a long time now. I will make some calls.” When Samuel started to argue, he put his hand up in a stop motion. “Just phone calls,” Angel continued. “While I do that, everyone else is gonna take some mandatory R&R. I want everyone resting and refueling. We have all been through quiet enough recently, especially Frankie. I need everyone at the top of their game, especially if we can’t count on the help of a goddess to get us through this.”
A few people tried to argue, but Angel would have none of it. “Your mates are out there in the house, waiting for you. I don’t have to tell you what kind of danger we will be facing. Go, be with your mates.” He lowered his voice and added, “You may not get another chance.”
The men’s faces were all somber masks. Angel had said what none of them wanted to admit. They were fucked and were probably going to die in the very near future. It helped that they knew there was life after death, but none of them could fathom a life without their mates. And none of them would sacrifice their mates’ lives just to be together in the hereafter.
One by one, the men left Gage’s office. When only Angel and Samuel remained, Angel laid his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “We will get her back,” he said.
“You sure about that?” Samuel asked.
“No,” Angel answered honestly. “But we will die trying.”
Samuel nodded in agreement and set off to be alone. “I’m going out. I promise not to kill anything.”
Angel thought Samuel was up to something, but he didn’t ask. Of all of his family, Samuel was the one missing his mate. He couldn’t fault the man for doing whatever he did to bring himself a little peace. And, over time, he had learned to trust Samuel; first as a human, then as his brother. He only prayed that Samuel returned to them safely.
Sebastian found Jessica right where he expected her to be, which was next to Frankie. The witch was resting quietly in her bed, a soft snore coming from her every few seconds. Sebastian smiled. Frankie had been Jessica’s best friend for more years than he had known her. Of course she would be by her side. She sat next to the bed, keeping watch over the most powerful witch they had ever known, and her sister by love.
Jacque followed into the room right after Sebastian. He didn’t say a word as he crept around the bed and gently folded his long body around Frankie’s. He laid himself on the bed so that her back was to his chest and he curled around her so that they touched from head to foot. He turned his eyes to Jessica and whispered, “I got this, go with your mate.”
Sebastian held out his hand and Jessica took it. He helped her to her feet and she looked up into his incredibly pale blue eyes. He looked just the same as he always did. His extra dark black hair was tied behind his neck, although it was shorter than it had been. Jessica talked him into cutting it, but only to brush his shoulders. Sebastian had been born into a time where men of stature wore their hair long, and even though he lived in the twenty first century in a house full of famous vampires, he was still stuck in his old fashioned ways for the most part. Jessica found it endearing.
“Let’s go,” he said softly, and Jessica nodded. He led her by the hand out of Frankie and Jacque’s room, down the hall, and into their own.
He closed the door softly behind them and then spun Jessica around to face him. He pulled her close and brought his mouth crushing down on hers. She kissed him back with all the passion of their first kiss. Sebastian kissed her with an urgency that she knew had nothing to do with sex. He was telling her how desperately he loved her. His tongue plundered her mouth, nipping and sucking as he went.
When he finally allowed her room to breathe, he cradled her face in his hands. “Jessica,” he whispered, “I love you.”
She smiled at him and gently placed her finger over his lips. “Don’t you do it,” she said. “Don’t you dare say goodbye.”
“Jess,” he said around her finger. “You know what’s about to happen.”
“Yes, I do,” she said. “I am not willing to accept that I might not have you in my life. If I have learned anything from Frankie and her religion, it’s that everything happens the way it’s supposed to happen. If it is destined for one or both of us to die, then so be it. I won’t be happy about it, but I will deal with it when the time comes. And so will you. For right now, we are going to live in today, right now. We are together right now.”
Sebastian nodded. His mate was strong; stronger than he was. She was willing to accept whatever cards fate had in store for her, but he was not. Here she was, calming him, ready to face danger, and he was terrified. He knew what had to be done, but he didn’t want to face it. He wasn’t ready to face the fact that they may become separated. A vampire couldn’t live without his mate. But she could live without him. A plan began to form in his mind, but Jessica distracted him by kissing his neck.
When she bit the tendon on the side of his neck, all rational thought fled his mind and it was only him and his mate. If their time together was limited, he was going to spend it making sure she knew exactly what she meant to him.
; CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
When Samuel finally returned to the estate, Angel had to do a double take at him. Both of his arms were covered in ink. From wrist to shoulder, an intricate design had been etched into his skin.
“Hi,” Angel said cautiously. “Been busy?”
Samuel shrugged. “I needed an outlet. I needed to think about anything else but the situation at hand. So I went and got a tattoo. It was supposed to be small, but the more he inked, the more I wanted.” Sam pulled his shirt over his head so that Angel could see it clearly. He saw that it not only covered his arms, but went across his shoulders on his back.
“That is amazing,” Angel said, taking a step closer to look at it.
“It’s my life,” Samuel said. The others had trickled down into the family room and were also checking out Sam’s new ink. “It starts here on my right wrist.” The tattoo was a series of intricate vines, but woven into the vines were images. The first was a rose, symbolizing his mother. Then a baby rattle. It worked up his arm, displaying the crest from his high school and a football. Then, higher up on his arm, was a 9mm and a set of handcuffs. As it approached his shoulder blades, the tattoo transformed into a storm. Dark clouds and lightning surrounded a hypodermic needle and then a pair of fangs. It symbolized his transformation. On his left shoulder was the sun, signifying the end of the storm. The sun faded into a cross, which Samuel explained symbolized a new life. On his bicep was a pair of pale blue eyes. Angel recognized them immediately. They were Azerial’s. Samuel must have drawn them for the tattoo artist because they were so accurate. The vines led into a tree, because she was an earth goddess. A heart wrapped in the vines followed. As it progressed down his arm, the images stopped and only the vines remained.
“I haven’t lived the rest of this life yet,” Samuel explained. “I only hope there is more to come so I can fill it in.”
“That is beautiful,” Frankie remarked, lightly touching the raised skin, careful not to disturb the healing. When she reached the part concerning Azerial, she said, “It’s like your own mating mark. One of your choosing.”
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