Embrace The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy Book 3)

by Jenn D. Young

  Damius swiveled his head to me and cocked an eyebrow. “Are you really thinking about that in a time like this?” he scolded.

  I shrugged before I picked up my pace to stand next to him. He paused and peered around the corner.

  “They are in there.”

  I nodded, acknowledging my approval, and reached out with my senses to seek what was going on in the room. Men and women of The Syndicate scattered around the grand ballroom. Various demons and vampires were huddled together in a corner, chained together and imprisoned by some sort of magical shield.

  “Far right. Drya and the others. There is a barrier that is holding them in place.”

  Damius inclined his head in agreement. “Either it is a witch or a power that Adrianna siphoned from another immortal.”

  “I’m betting the latter.” I barely contained the snort of frustration that wanted to escape. Adrianna was the foulest being I ever had the displeasure of meeting. She used her daughter to siphon powers from other supernatural beings, absorb them, and make her powers stronger. It was utterly disgusting.

  He shrugged his shoulders and focused his blood red eyes at our opponents. “How do you want to call this one? I take the seven on the right and you take the six on the left?”

  If it wouldn’t have given away our position, I would have laughed at his insinuation. “You don’t think I can handle the extra person?”

  An indignant look flashed across his face as he regarded me. “By all means, take the right side then.” He swept an arm out to echo his statement.

  My lips quirked up with the ghost of a smile. If anyone could find some sort of humor right now, it would be Damius and I with our bullshit banter. “Do you know where Nic or Leo went off to?”

  The vampire shook his head. “Leo is securing the perimeter. I’m not sure about Nic. You would have the stronger mental link to him in this scenario.”

  “After we take out these goons, I’ll worry about that.”

  We turned our attention back to the room and Damius held up three fingers. He dropped each one slowly and then we took off using our preternatural speed. The Syndicate must have brought fledglings because the soldiers barely reacted as we broke their necks. Retrieving a couple of daggers from the incapacitated bodies, we started stabbing them in the hearts and watched in triumph as they disintegrated into dust.

  I smiled at Damius as blood dripped from my fingers and the splatters on my face. My heart raced in my chest as I fed from the violent emotional energy in the room. Damius looked at me from the corner of his eye and shook his head at the glee on my face.

  A sound from across the room had me turning on the balls of my feet and rushing toward the trapped immortals in the back of the ballroom.

  Drya pounded on the invisible barrier, her mouth open and forming words, but I couldn’t hear a word she said.

  “It has to be some sort of witchcraft,” I muttered, watching Drya break down before my eyes as her pounding on the shield grew more frantic.

  Carefully, I mouthed out the words to Drya. “We’ll find a way to get you out of there.”

  “We need to circle up with Leo and figure out what the fuck is going on here,” Damius growled.

  A sharp pain pierced my skull and radiated down my spine. “Lorelei,” I breathed and staggered back. Damius wrapped a thickly muscled arm around my back to keep me from falling over as I reached out to my mate.

  Lorelei

  Kaniul’s spine stiffened as he pushed me behind him and shielded me with his body. Tingles of awareness ran through my fingers and up my arms to jolt my brain back into lucidity after the fog of my injuries. My hearing had returned, my eardrums fully healing after the concussive force of the blast.

  “Stay behind me. They can’t get you. If I’m compromised, you run and don’t stop. Do you hear me?” Kaniul growled at me through clenched teeth.

  “Kaniul, what—”

  He silenced me with a fierce rumbling of his chest. “Enough, Lorelei. These are your instructions. If I don’t make it. You. Will. Run.” He enunciated each word. The ferocity making me take a step back.

  I let out a shaky breath, not happy with his words, but I knew that they were the edict of my mate as well. “I understand.”

  Three men slowly approached us, dressed in all black and sporting sinister smiles etched along their faces. One held a knife and twirled it through his fingers as his black eyes ran up and down the length of my body in a leering caress. “Kristoff is going to reward me when I return with you, little Nephilim. He has been searching for you for a long time.” His voice made a shiver of revulsion run down my spine.

  “That will never happen, Syndicate scum,” Kaniul spat at them, pushing me even further behind him. “She will not fall into Kristoff’s filthy clutches again. It will be a cold day in hell before that happens.”

  “Well then, consider this a very cold day indeed.” Another of the men stepped forward and pulled something from behind his body.

  “Kaniul, I can help,” I whispered, pressing my hands into his back, and letting a small amount of my electricity out. “Let me zap them.” I spoke low enough so that they couldn’t hear me.

  A subtle shake of his head was my only answer. I ground my teeth together and snarled in frustration. I would not be held back. I was not weak. I was a powerful Nephilim. Descended from Akakaios himself. No way would I back down in this fight. The men padded even closer toward us on silent feet. Pink tongues darted out to swipe at their fangs as they glared at me.

  Swallowing down my pride and lingering fear, I shoved Kaniul to the side and stepped out to face our attackers. Sparks danced from my fingertips and the sliver of power that shot through me was euphoric. “You ready for this, you nasty Syndicate fuckers?” I growled with a hint of a smirk dancing across my lips.

  “Oh, little princess. You have no idea who you are messing with.” A new voice emerged as the men parted and a woman sauntered through them. She looked like the perfect ice queen with her platinum blonde hair and icicle blue eyes. Her skin was so pale it had a translucent quality to it. Dressed in a form fitting pair of leather pants, and a corseted black shirt, her stilettoed heels clicked on the tile floor as she walked.

  This woman oozed deadly sexuality. It leaked from her very pours into the air, suffocating the room with her pheromones. Unlike with Drya, this succubus did nothing to control her powers and the way that she effected people. Revulsion coiled within me and my skin crawled as if a thousand fire ants danced over my skin. My muscles tensed, my body on high alert as sparks arced in the air from my fingertips.

  “I think I do. Adrianna, I presume?” I asked with every inch of haughtiness I possessed seeping into my voice. I would not let this woman—this creature—get the best of me. I rolled my shoulders and worked up my mental barriers. The tingling, fiery sensation along my skin eased, my shields kicking in.

  Adrianna moved closer to me. She laughed, the sound deep and hardy as it echoed off the walls of the destroyed corridor. “I see that Nicolae made his way back to his little friends. Vincent always did like to pick him up and set him back on his feet. Although, he may be missing a few gifts that I found rather useful.” Her blue eyes blazed at me as she held up a hand to stop the men from moving any closer.

  Emotions rolled within me, my doubts resurfacing. She had to be messing with my feelings. Drya tried to do that before, but she used her gifts only to help. Plus, she always stopped when you asked her. Somehow, I doubted Adrianna would stop her manipulation of my emotions if I asked nicely. So, I tried a different approach.

  “You’ll never win, Adrianna. We are stronger than you and we’ll always come out on top,” I tried my hardest to believe the words that I spoke, but her empathetic manipulation worked its way deeper into my mind and my resolve began to waver.

  “Lorelei,” Kaniul whispered and placed a hand at the small of my back. The touch was just enough to ground me and shake off the threads of her control.

  I built up every ounce
of my power, gathering it deep within me, and let it roll through my body and build energy like a snowball. It grew larger as my heart rate increased and my breathing went ragged. Kaniul removed his touch and I let every ounce of strength explode out of my outstretched hands. Lightning danced in the air, bolts ricocheting into every corner of the room and striking down everything in their path.

  “Oh, dear,” Adrianna laughed, slapping her thigh. “You think that is going to harm—” she paused as one of the bolts pierced her chest. “Ouch, that hurt,” she gritted out and then flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she sidestepped several more bolts. “It will take a lot more than that to take me down, little girl. Trust me.”

  Stronger bolts escaped my body and I felt my strength wane. I raised my hand and concentrated several powerful strikes directly at the evil demoness. “Fuck you, bitch.” Blood trickled from my nose and rolled down over the curve of my lips. My tongue flipped out my mouth and cleaned the droplets that I could reach. Damn it. I was expending too much energy too quickly.

  Adrianna didn’t falter as she stood before me. Lightning pierced her body and she did little more than grimace. Her palm landed squarely in the center of my chest and she shoved me back against the wall.

  The breath left my lungs with a painful oomph and Adrianna pressed forward again. “I am going to enjoy breaking you, little Nephilim.” Her fingers wrapped around my throat and squeezed until all my oxygen was cut off.

  My lightning sputtered and faded as my nails tried to pry her hands from my neck. Damn it. Where was Kaniul? Fuck. I was in serious trouble now. My mind tried to reach out to Vincent, but Adrianna had me firmly under her control and wrapped up in some sort of spell. Black spots danced along my vision as my brain started to shut down from lack of air.

  Adrianna’s grip faltered and I was able to draw in a quick breath before I fell to the floor. Her maniac laugher rang in my ears as I coughed and sputtered to quickly draw air into my lungs.

  “You must be the prophet. Kaniul, right?” Adrianna taunted as she stood toe to toe with my uncle.

  My heart seized in my throat. Kaniul stood no chance against the powerful succubus in the condition that he was in. Blood dripped down from a wound on his temple. His arm was bent at an awkward angle and as he stood there, leaning heavily on his right side without any weight on his left leg.

  “Adrianna, I presume?” Kaniul said, trying his best to straighten his spine and rise to his full height. He injected every ounce of his regal poise into his voice.

  “Kaniul, no,” I croaked, my voice shattered from Adrianna crushing my throat. I coughed and gathered what little reserves of strength I had left. “Adrianna, look at me.”

  Adrianna’s head snapped in my direction, her brows knitting together in confusion. “Oh, this is great. You are going to use your ability on me. Fant—”

  “Shut up and keep your mouth shut. Now,” I growled and dragged myself up the wall. “Don’t touch me. You are not going to harm me or Kaniul.” I felt the tendrils of my compulsion weave around her and wrap around her brain.

  She threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, child. That will only last for so long. You are so tired. You used up all your power with your little lightning show.”

  “Lorelei, stop it this instant. Get out of here,” Kaniul bit out and took a step toward me.

  I held out a hand to stop him, along with a withering glare. “Adrianna. You will leave here without harming anyone. Go.” My jaw clenched together so hard my teeth were going to crack under the pressure. Black spots dotted my vision as I forced the words out again. “Leave, Adrianna. Now.”

  She giggled.

  Actually giggled.

  Not just a laugh. It was a high-pitched tinkling sound. She sounded as giddy as a schoolgirl. “You just signed your own death warrant.” Her eyes took on an eerie glow as they flashed red. “Come now Layla, don’t you want to meet Lorelei? She should see the person who is siphoning off her powers right now.” Adrianna waved her hand and a petite, curvy blonde appeared at her side. Adrianna threw an arm around the woman’s shoulders and bent down low to whisper in her ear. “Take them now, little fox.”

  White hot lighting erupted in my head as the pupils of Layla’s sharp green eyes expanded and I felt the energy being sucked forcefully from my body. “No, Layla. Don’t do this. You’re better than her,” I pleaded.

  Her gaze softened and I jolted as our minds connected. “I will make it look like I’ve taken your abilities from you. You need to act weak and defeated and go with us. There’s no other way.”

  I schooled my features, my face turning to stone so that Adrianna wouldn’t be aware that Layla and I were communicating. “Why should I trust you?” It felt cliché to ask, but I didn’t know a thing this woman aside from the fact that she was mated to Nicolae.

  “I have a plan, but you are going to need to do exactly as I say. Now fall to the floor as if you passed out.”

  I couldn’t hesitate. I needed to trust my instincts and everything within me told me to trust her. The fates wouldn’t link her to Nicolae if she were evil. Nicolae himself said that she wasn’t. She was just tortured and manipulated by her mother. A victim of her circumstances.

  So, I complied, let my body go limp, and collapsed to the floor. Kaniul tried to rush to my side, cursing, but Layla turned her hypnotic gaze on him, and he soon fell to the ground beside me. I hoped that she’d been able to communicate with him and didn’t cause him any harm.

  Adrianna laughed, edging the tip of her shoe to jerk my shoulder so I fell onto my back. “Little powerful Nephilim is nothing now. You see my little Seraphim is so much stronger than you.” She gathered Layla into her arms and kissed her forehead. Layla’s eyes flashed with pain as her body stiffened in her mother’s embrace. Didn’t Adrianna catch onto the fact that Layla hated her?

  “Now, now. Boys.” She clapped her hands and the goons from earlier stepped forward. “Take the vampire for interrogation. I’m sure Kristoff will want to see what he has to say. This one will be coming with me.” She grinned and slid her tongue over her elongated double fangs as her fingers stroked the exposed skin of her collarbone.

  “Yes, mistress,” they muttered, the sounds of shuffling greeted my ears as they jerked Kaniul up and disappeared.

  The succubus bent down to crouch before me. “We are going to have so much fun, little dove,” Adrianna murmured, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. Her lecherous grin was the last thing I saw before we teleported away.

  4

  Vincent

  “Where the fuck is she?!” I roared as I stormed through the corridor where I had last seen Lorelei. Every time I tried to reestablish our mental link, it faltered and sputtered out. She was somewhere far away, and I couldn’t connect with her.

  Fuck.

  I wanted to scream. Curse. Destroy things.

  My inner demon raged within me, demanding that we take immediate action to find our mate and restore her to us. My blood was like liquid fire as it pulsed through my veins. The need inside me to find her was overwhelming as I frantically searched the room.

  “Vincent, calm yourself, we’ll find her,” Damius muttered from behind me. “We need to figure out how to get Drya and the others out of that shield.”

  “No need,” Drya exclaimed and she sauntered out from the entryway. Her dress was in tatters and barely hung to her body. The slit that originally went to just above her knee was now torn across her thighs and exposed most of her legs. One strap was torn, and the top of her breast was exposed from where the dress fell. Not that she cared when she exposed her body.

  “How did you get out?” Damius asked.

  I paced the length of the hall, still trying in vain to connect with my mate.

  “A few seconds after you and Vincent ran off, the shield just dropped and all of our powers were restored,” Drya ran a hand through her blonde hair and tried to calm the strands.

  “It’s because they left. The shield disappeared
because the one that was casting the spell or the person it was drawing power from was no longer here,” Damius pondered as he ran his fingers along his bottom lip.

  “I don’t fucking care about this shit. We need to find Lorelei. Now.” I fisted my hands in the lapels of Damius’ jacket and shoved him against the wall. My demon crawled to the surface as my claws lengthened and dug into the vampire’s flesh. Horns sprouted from my head and my skin burned from the sensations coursing through my body. Flames licked around my arms as my powers overwhelmed me.

  “Flane, get it together, man. I can’t have you going off the rails right now.” Damius shoved me back. Or rather, he tried to, but I pushed him right back into place.

  “Find my fucking mate, Damius. I can’t connect with her. I don’t know where she is, and I can’t fucking think straight right now.”

  “Vincent, I know where she is, just take a step back from Damius,” Nicolae said as he hooked his arms through mine and pulled me away from Damius.

  “Where, Nicolae? I swear to the fucking gods, if you had anything to do with this, I will murder you myself.” My emotions were completely out of control. My demon had taken over and he was furious at losing our mate. He was screaming at me. Raging uncontrollably and I couldn’t fight him because I felt the same things.

  “Vincent.” His palms fell to my shoulders and he shook me. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he shook his head. “We will get her. Layla is going to keep tabs on her and make sure that she is as safe as she can be.” His voice shook as he spoke of his own mate and it was enough to clear the fog that was clouding my judgement.

  “Layla? You can communicate with her now?” I cocked my head to the side and regarded my best friend through narrowed eyes. “You said that your connection cut off as soon as you left the prison.”

  Nicolae swallowed thickly. “We have been able to communicate through dreams and our bond was strengthened enough that we cracked through part of Adrianna’s hold over Layla’s mind.”