by Ariel Marie
He knew that the Shadows would come for him. They would never leave a vampire in the hands of a necromancer. He only had to hold on and survive. Survive long enough to see her again. The single female member of the Dark Shadows had been on his mind for years but he had never had the nerve to approach her.
She was a Shadow, surrounded by other warriors that didn’t let anyone near her. Her beauty and skill with a sword was a legend amongst all vampires. Her long blonde hair and fierce green eyes was embedded in his memory. There were many nights where she starred in his dreams.
His gums ached as his fangs demanded to descend with the thought of Phaelyn. But then again, as he sat on the hard ground, he realized that it was due to the fact that it had been a while since the necromancers had fed him. He would need blood soon. The slight ache in his abdomen was a warning that he would need to feed.
The necromancers knew that they couldn’t drag out his hunger too long. Starving a vampire could make him insane, turn rogue or even kill him, with the latter being the last option. Not all rogues were alert and oriented. Some became so lost in the blood lust that they became true monsters.
A noise at the entrance of his cell caught his attention and caused him to turn and look. He held back a groan at the sight of the necro who loved to torture him.
Zoreal, the necromancer guard who was very skilled in the art of torture peered at him through his cell.
“Ahhh…I see our guest is awake again,” Zoreal said as he unlocked the cell.
Idris dragged himself to a sitting position, bracing himself. He knew that when Zoreal came for him they would torture him to try to get him to give up secrets about the Olaru clan.
After Nicu, the leader of the Shadows, killed Xalak, Sodan the necromancer king has been on a rampage. The necromancers had high hopes that Rowena the dark magic witch would wipe out the vampires. It had been legend that the black magic witch had a way to wipe vampires from the face of the Earth.
Being captured didn’t mean that Idris didn’t hear the gossip that made it’s way around the necromancer’s camp. There had been much talk amongst the necromancers about Rowena’s failed attempt on the vampire queen’s life. Since Rowena had failed, the necromancers were in a frenzy to continue to build their rogue vampire army to pit vampires against vampires. Idris would forever refuse to give away secrets of his people until his last dying breath.
“It must be time for our play date.” Sarcasm dripped from Idris’s words as he stared the necromancer down as he entered the cell.
“We’ll see how much fun we can have today, vampire,” Zoreal grinned, showcasing his silver handcuffs. The necromancer was draped in the traditional black robe, his dark hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. His amber eyes narrowed on Idris as he advanced. Two additional necromancers appeared by the cell’s entrance. “Now, stand up or I’ll make you,” Zoreal snapped.
Idris held in his grimace as he slowly stood from the floor. He refused to show them weakness. He stood to his full height and turned his back to the necromancers, wincing as the silver handcuffs snapped in place.
“You’re going to talk, vampire. I promise you this, you’ll sing what we need to know, once I’m done with you.”
Chapter Four
~Phaelyn~
“Teague you never fail to amaze me,” Phaelyn murmured as Gadiel maneuvered their SUV down a dirt road. She was amazed at how the vampire prince was able to narrow down where Idris was being kept. They had been looking for the royal guard for weeks without success. Gadiel shut off the headlights, casting the road into complete darkness as he used the GPS system to guide the vehicle further, under the cloak of darkness, to keep them from being detected.
“The joys of those little things floating in space called satellites,” Teague joked, from the passenger seat, as he pointed to a place for Gadiel to park.
Teague, the youngest son of Vladimir and Alin Olaru, the king and queen of the vampire nation, was able to track down one of the necromancer’s hideouts. Reviewing the data that he had collected, they all believed that Idris would have been taken to this particular hideout. It was not far from the cemetery where they had rescued Anika but lost Toma and Nadira.
Phaelyn shifted in her seat as she stared out of the back window into the dark night as the memories of the night Nicu, their Dark Shadow leader, killed the necromancer prince, Xalak. Nicu may have dealt the fatal blow but it was Phaelyn’s blade that ensured the necromancer prince would never return in this lifetime. It would be pretty hard for anyone to return without their head.
“Seriously, how did you pull this off?” Viktor asked from his place next to Phaelyn.
Viktor had been a member of the Dark Shadows for centuries. He was a very private vampire, never one to speak much, but Phaelyn knew that she could trust him with her life.
“I just upgraded my system and good old NASA doesn’t have a clue that I piggybacked my system off of theirs,” Teague boasted.
“Incredible,” Viktor murmured, shaking his head in disbelief.
“We are a couple of miles away from the building,” Gadiel said, interrupting them as he turned off the vehicle.
Gadiel still carried his slight accent of their old country of Romania. Both he and Phaelyn joined the Shadows at the same time as the youngest members and during that time became fast friends and were often assigned together as partners.
“Let’s roll,” Teague said as they all stepped out the SUV.
Phaelyn loved her swords and placed her favorite twin swords on her back while they each made sure they were strapped with more weapons than a small army.
“This is where we split up,” Teague instructed, shutting the back of the SUV closed. “Gadiel and Phaelyn, you two together as usual. I want you on the north side of the building while Viktor and I will come in on the south side. I have a few presents I want to leave the necros.”
They all nodded, synching their communicators before each team disappeared into the dark woods.
* * *
“Anything?” Phaelyn whispered, as her and Gadiel observed the old structure that stood deep in the woods.
It was an old wooden structure that had very few windows and by the looks of it, a good strong wind would blow it over. Anyone passing by would have assumed it to be abandoned but according to Teague’s intelligence, it was a hot spot for necromancers and had to be connected to an underground hide out. The Shadows were quickly learning that the necromancers loved building underground. Beneath the Earth’s surface was a brilliant idea and made it harder for them to be discovered or tracked by modern day technology.
“Nu.” Gadiel shook his head, not taking his eyes off of the building. No.
She sighed, ready to storm the building and kick some necromancer ass. She was strung tight, needing to release some of the built up tension. A movement near the edge of the woods caught her attention.
“There,” she said pointing toward the figure, who appeared at the edge of the woods as if out of thin air. The figure wore a long black robe, with the hood pulled over its head.
Necro.
Necromancers were powerful beings that could use their magic to conjure portals to allow them to jump to different locations as they pleased.
“Teague, you see what we see?” Phaelyn asked into her earpiece.
“Yeah, I want you and Gadiel in that building,” Teague responded. “There's more to that building than what we see. Viktor and I will be right behind you.”
Her eyes locked with Gadiel’s and his nod confirmed that he heard loud and clear that they were given the go ahead to enter the building.
“We’re moving in.” She motioned for Gadiel to follow her. She grabbed one of the daggers from the back of her pants as they made their way toward the necromancer. They moved swiftly, not making a sound as they approached the necromancer.
Amber eyes met Phaelyn as she used her vampiric speed to reach the necromancer. Before he could react, her fist crashed into his face, causing him to stumble
and fall to the ground unconscious.
“Nice hit,” Gadiel murmured, as he reached down and swung the unconscious necromancer over his shoulder. “Lovești ca o fată,” he taunted. You hit like a girl. She flipped him the bird automatically, used to his teasing.
“I didn’t want him to disappear into one of those portals,” she said walking up to the entrance with Gadiel in step behind her. “Ai dori să poți lovi ca o fată,” she threw over her shoulder. You wish you could hit like a girl. His only reply was a snort.
She gripped her dagger tighter in her hand as she tried the door. It gave way. She looked over her shoulder at Gadiel before pushing it open completely, revealing a gutted large room. Darkness greeted them but there was a soft light glowing from a staircase that led beneath the building.
“Teague,” she spoke into her communicator as they walked into the room. “You were right. There is more to this building, there is a staircase that leads to somewhere below.”
“We’re right behind you,” Teague said signing off.
Gadiel dropped the necromancer onto the floor and quickly secured his hands and feet with zip ties as Teague and Viktor walked through the door. Gadiel walked over to a door, turning his eyes to them. They all braced ready as he opened the door finding it to be an empty closet. They all relaxed as he and Viktor stuffed the unconscious necro into the small space.
“We find him, then we are blowing this place to the fucking moon,” Teague said, keeping his voice low to not alert anyone below. “Viktor and I have set the chargers outside this building. So when I say move, get your ass away from this building.”
They had to find Idris. Shadows never leave a vampire behind and definitely not in the hands of their mortal enemies. Tonight would be no different.
“Let’s roll,” Teague said as he led the way down the stairs.
Chapter Five
~Idris~
“Had enough yet?” Zoreal demanded, his face inches from Idris.
Idris raised his head, barely able to see. His left eye was swollen shut and his right one filled with unshed tears, leaving him temporarily blinded. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. His mouth held a coppery fluid he knew to be his own blood. He turned his head and spat the thick fluid from his mouth onto the floor.
“I don’t know anything,” he repeated again, keeping to the same story.
His body hung limp as a result of the torture at the hands of the necromancer. There was currently no feeling left in his arms as they stretched above him, linked by his cuffs to the chains that fell from the ceiling.
Zoreal’s smile was full of malice as he backed up toward a table that held his gadgets. “You think that you can continue to block me from your mind, vampire?”
“It’s not my fault, you’re a weak necromancer,” Idris taunted. “Maybe you need to go back to necromancer school, or wherever the fuck you come from.”
“Weak?” Zoreal barked a laugh. “You vampires will bow down soon to King Sodan.”
“Never,” Idris growled, feeling his fangs burst through his gums.
“The witch will do us a big favor. Xalak was stupid in thinking that he would have been able to control her.”
Idris thought to the conversations he had heard whilst captive and knew that the necromancer prince, Xalak, had been able to free the legendary black magic witch. He had also heard that Nicu the leader of the Dark Shadows killed the necromancer prince.
“No witch is strong enough to take on the entire vampire nation,” he snapped.
“Oh, this is where you are wrong vampire,” Zoreal wagged a finger. “Just wait for all the destruction that Rowena will bring—oh wait. You won’t be here for that.” The necromancer picked up another small gadget from the table. Idris braced himself, not knowing what the torture device would do.
Loud voices drew their attention to the door just as it burst open with two necros in the doorway.
“I think they are trying to rescue him,” the newcomers shouted, rushing into the room.
“No!” Zoreal shouted in anger before turning and pointing his finger to Idris. “We are not done here. Not by a long shot.”
Finally, Idris thought to himself with a sadistic chuckle as he watched the necromancers disappear in a burst of light. Necromancers were powerful beings that could cross realms with their magic. The necromancers may be powerful but he had all the faith in the world in the Shadows, and knew that these necros would not stand a chance.
A loud explosion rocked the building causing the lights to flicker until they finally extinguished, leaving him to hang from the ceiling in complete darkness. A blaring alarm filled the air as the building shuddered again.
They were close.
They were coming for him.
He knew not to lose faith in the Shadows, he just had to hang on a little longer. The sounds of fighting filled the air outside of his private torture room. Suddenly the door was kicked in, banging against the wall. A small light from a flashlight swung his way.
“Shit!” a female’s voice exclaimed from the doorway.
He closed his eyes briefly at the sound of the voice that he had been longing to hear. Even with the alarms blaring he knew that voice.
Phaelyn.
“Idris, are you okay?” she asked, coming to stand in front of him. “I found him,” she announced to someone unseen.
He could barely make her out in the dark as she moved around the room, looking for a way to get him down. He didn’t need to have a light to know who was in the room with him. He would recognize her silhouette anywhere. It had been ingrained into his mind for years.
“Yeah, just get me the hell out of here,” he hissed.
He watched her flip a switch on the wall. The chains holding him jerked, and slowly began to lower him to the ground. She hurried over to him, undoing the chains from around his wrists.
“What the hell have they been doing to you?” she gasped, casting the light from the flashlight over him.
“You really don’t want to know,” he groaned as he shifted his arms. He was actually thankful for the darkness. There was no telling what he looked like after his session with Zoreal.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” she stated, helping him to stand.
His body swayed and she threw his arm over her shoulder, taking the brunt of his weight. He hadn’t realized how weak he had become. He would need blood fast.
“I’m too heavy for you,” he grunted as they made their way from the room. His pride was now on the line. He stumbled, causing Phaelyn to tighten her grip.
“Nonsense,” she snapped, directing him down a hallway. “Don’t tell me you are too bullheaded to accept help from a female.”
“No,” he lied.
Of course he was.
He was a strong vampire and should be able to walk out of the building on his own. The only female to ever catch his eye and make his heart race shouldn’t be practically dragging him along. He cursed at how weak he had become.
“Good. I deal with enough alpha males on a daily basis. I’m not dealing with one that I’m trying to rescue.” Her eyes burned with a fire that left him speechless but he knew he wouldn’t win this argument—not tonight. “I will leave you.” She threatened but he could see in her eyes that she was lying.
“Yes ma’am.” It was the only response that he could think of at the moment that wouldn’t give her cause to push him over and do exactly what she threatened.
“Vampire!” a voice shouted from behind them over the screeching of the alarms.
“Shit,” Idris cursed under his breath as they turned. He recognized the newcomer as one of the necromancers that worked under Zoreal. He knew it would have been too good to be true if they made it out of the building without being spotted.
“Vampire, that is our prisoner,” the necromancer said, slowly advancing. His amber eyes glowed in the darkened hallway as he approached them.
“I’d like to see you try to take him away from me,” Phaelyn growled
, pushing Idris behind her.
Idris watched as she stalked toward the necromancer, no fear in her gait as she pulled one of her swords from the sheath on her back. He couldn’t help but admire how her lithe body was loose as she faced down the necromancer. She let loose a yell as she engaged the necromancer.
Another explosion rocked the building causing Idris to lose his balance and fall against the wall. He cursed as his knees gave way and his body hit the ground hard.
He needed blood.
Fast.
There was no way he would continue to be helpless as a neophyte, a new vampire, while he watched someone else fight his battles for him. Phaelyn quickly impaled the sword into the necromancer, ending him.
“Behind you!” he hollered out as another necro appeared out of thin air. Phaelyn flawlessly whipped out her second sword with her vampiric speed and made light work of the newcomer.
“Come on!” she yelled as she raced toward him. “We’ve got to get out of here now. This whole building is set to blow.”
Chapter Six
~Phaelyn~
She was practically dragging Idris from the building. She knew that Teague would not joke about the building. If he said that it was rigged to blow—run. Run like the gates of Hell were opening up. Teague would make sure that it and everyone in the building would get blown straight to Hell.
They approached an old door with a broken exit sign above it. She kicked the door open and discovered that they were at the back of the building. Great. Now they had to go the few miles back to the truck.
“This way,” she said, guiding Idris out the door. She could tell he was weakening fast. She had to get him to the truck before he crashed. She knew that she was a strong female vampire but even she had her limitations on what she could do. Picking up a six foot four, almost three hundred pound vampire was not one of them.
