Princess (The Dark Shadows #1)

by Ariel Marie

  She ran her hand through his short midnight hair, wishing she could gaze into his warm brown eyes again. She stilled next to him as she concentrated. She breathed in deep, pulling the magic from Cooper into herself. Her fingers tingled as the power was drawn out of Cooper. It flowed up her fingers and was slowly absorbed by Nadira. The room spun as she fell back against her pillows, lying next to Cooper, and closing her eyes as she was pulled into the deep sleep, that a few seconds before held Cooper.

  * * *

  ~Cooper~

  Cooper sat up suddenly, gasping for air, waking up from his deep slumber. He looked around the room quickly, taking in Nadira’s brothers and father. They were in a lavishly decorated bedroom that he recognized as Nadira’s. Teague and the queen burst back in the room, holding bags of blood and supplies. Cooper looked to his left, finding Nadira lying deathly still next to him in the bed. Nicu and Toma rushed to her side. Teague jumped into the bed, pulling Nadira into his lap to rest her against his chest as the Queen and Nicu worked to place a needle in Nadira’s arm.

  “What the fuck happened?” Cooper asked the room, jumping out of the bed to make room as they worked quickly around Nadira. He stumbled for a second, his legs weak as he watched her family work on her. His heart slammed against his chest and concern clouded his mind as he forgot about what happened to him. Is she okay? He tried to move towards Nadira but her father grabbed his arm.

  “She healed you,” Vladimir said, pulling Cooper to the side while they connected Nadira to a machine and started a blood transfusion.

  “How did she… what happened to me?” Cooper asked, running his hands through his hair. The last thing he remembered was chasing the hooded figure, talking to him in the woods, then nothing. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “She was able to detect that you were under a necromancer spell. Her healing you meant she had to draw the spell onto her, in order to heal you,” Vladimir said, gazing at his daughter.

  “Why would she risk herself for me?” Cooper questioned, wanting to pull his hair out in worry.

  “You are special to her,” Alin answered, coming to stand next to her husband.

  “Toma and Teague brought you here unconscious. What do you remember?” the King asked.

  “Toma and Teague were fighting the versi and a hooded figure stood off to the side. I ran after the person—”

  “Who was it?” Nicu asked, coming to stand next to Vladimir. Nadira remained deathly pale in the bed while the blood made its way to her vein.

  “He said that he was Nadira’s soon-to-be betrothed,” Cooper said looking around the room as everyone became still and turned their attention to him.

  “Did he give a name?” Vladimir asked, glancing at Nicu first, and then turning his attention to Cooper.

  “Yes, he said his name was Xalak.” Curses filled the room. His eyes locked on Nadira, he just had to be near her. In such a short time, she had crawled into a corner of his heart. He made his way back to her, needing to touch her, feel her, and protect her. Teague moved aside, allowing Cooper to switch places with him on the bed. He pulled Nadira’s warm body against his chest. Alin draped a blanket around them.

  Cooper informed them of everything that happened when he chased Xalak and their conversation.

  “How does he know you?” Toma asked, scowling, from the other side of the room.

  “I’m not sure but he had a message for me to give Nadira,” Cooper’s voice was grim as he looked around the room.

  “What the fuck is it?” Nicu demanded, crossing his arms across his chest.

  “He said to tell Nadira, that he is coming for her,” Cooper said, pulling Nadira close. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

  “Like hell, he is!” Teague shouted.

  “Nicu, I want a member of the Dark Shadows on her at all time,” Vladimir directed angrily, standing in front of his eldest son. “The necromancers are not getting my daughter! We are calling on the Council. We are going to war!” Vladimir stalked out the room with Nicu, Toma, and Teague, leaving Cooper alone with Nadira and her mother.

  “Come on, baby, wake up for me,” Cooper whispered in Nadira’s ear.

  “Only she and the Gods know when she will wake up. She will have to fight to come back to us. The blood we hung on her will ensure that she remains strong,” Alin said, settling into the chair by the window.

  “Nadira, baby, can you hear me?” Cooper whispered in her ear, watching her eyes twitch. “Come to me, baby,” he begged her. His heart was heavy wanting to see her ice blue eyes again. He was not sure how he knew but he felt as if he should continue to speak to her, to let her know that she wasn’t alone. Maybe his voice would help steer her back to him. “Has this happened to her before?”

  Alin nodded, “Once before. She was healing her brother Teague when they were younger and she slipped into a deep exhaustion like this. By us infusing blood into her, it will provide nourishment she will need while she is unable to feed.”

  “So, she’ll be okay?” He had to know since he felt so helpless right now. He pulled her closer, pushing her hair out of her face.

  “She should be,” Alin whispered, looking out the window. “My husband is about to go to war with the necromancers to protect our child and this world. She has to be.”

  Cooper continued to whisper in Nadira’s ear, telling her of his family, stories from his childhood, the police academy, his first beat as a police officer and his promotion to detective. He talked for hours, even after the queen left, promising to come and check in on them. He had come to terms that he was in love with this little wisp of a woman, vampirism, and all. He shifted in the bed, tucking her into his side as he drifted off to sleep with her in his arms.

  14

  ~Cooper~

  Cooper rubbed his hands through Nadira’s hair while she trailed kisses along his jawline. This was the most realistic dream he has had in a while, involving sex and a woman. Dream Nadira became more aggressive, ripping his shirt open, scraping her nails down his chest towards the top of his jeans. A deep moan released from his chest as she began to trail kisses down his stomach, soothing the scratch marks caused by her nails. He tangled his hands in her hair watching as she unbuttoned his jeans. She glanced up at him; her gorgeous eyes now crimson, locked with his as she pulled his thick, hard erection from his jeans. His breaths came in short pants as she stroked his cock with her small hands, eyes still on him as she filled her mouth with his cock.

  He gasped, his eyes jerking open, waking up from the dream. He looked down in time to see Nadira’s ice blue eyes before she closed them as she took his cock in her mouth. He moaned deep as the real Nadira took him deep in her mouth, sucking hard while caressing his balls with her hands. He threw his head back, clenching his eyes at the feel of her hot mouth on his cock. She stroked and sucked his cock with the fever of a starving person having their first meal. His stomach muscles clenched the deeper she took him into the back of her throat. He looked back at her while her tiny hands gripped the base of his cock, stroking it in rhythm as her head bobbed up and down.

  “Nadira,” he gasped.

  “Hmmmm?”

  “Honey... I love what you’re doing…” She sucked harder on his cock, causing his words to turn into moans and gasps. “I’m not sure you should be doing this. You were just unconscious,” he just about hollers as she took him deeper in her throat.

  “I need you.” Her three little words causing him to lose it.

  Fuck this!

  He grabbed her by her arms, hauling her up to the top of the bed. Her clothes disappeared faster than the eye could see, his jeans pushed all the way down to his ankles enabling him to plunge deep into her hot pussy, eliciting deep moans from both of them as she rode him. His hips had a mind of their own as he thrust hard and unmerciful into her. His eyes stayed glued to her beautiful full breasts as they bounced to the rhythm set by his thrusts. She threw her head back as he pounded his cock deep in her.

  “Oh God,” she gas
ped, turning her now crimson eyes to him, her hair falling over her shoulders. She leaned down feverishly kissing him, invading his mouth with her tongue. He grabbed the back of her head, dominating the kiss while swiftly flipping them to where he was on top. He pulled out of her, eliciting a frustrated moan from her. He hastily shucked off his jeans, boxers, and the half-torn shirt off. He spread her legs wide, placing his cock at the entrance of her drenched pussy.

  “Hell of a way to wake up from a coma,” he said, shifting her legs onto his shoulders, slowly re-entering her. She threw her head back while lifting her hips to him.

  “Your voice guided me,” she gasped as he settled balls deep within her, not taking his eyes off of her. A shudder ran through his body at the feeling of her tight, dripping pussy on his cock. He had to pause, trying to think of basketball stats or anything just to keep from shooting off too soon. “You are mine, I had to get back to you,” she panted as he began to thrust slowly. He couldn’t get enough of her or get close enough to her. He never wanted to be apart from her. She belonged to him. Not the necromancers, or Adam, her blood servant, would keep Cooper from her.

  “I don’t share,” he stressed, referring to her blood servant. He wanted to erase every memory of the fucking blood slave from her mind. She won’t have a need for him any longer. If she needed blood, he would be the one to provide it. He kissed her before she could respond; she panted, opening her mouth just enough for him to slide his tongue into her mouth, dueling. She wrapped her legs around him pulling him closer and deeper into her. “If I belong to you, then you belong to me,” he said, thrusting deeper into her slick core.

  The irises of her eyes deepened to a bloody red and he knew she was close. He reached down in between them, finding her hidden nub. He pinched her sensitive flesh, causing her to stiffen and scream his name. He was sure the whole house could hear her, but he couldn’t care less at this point. He felt his balls tighten, his hips paused as he followed her over the edge. Her name escaped his lips as the feeling of lightning coursed through his body as he spilled his seed deep within her.

  * * *

  ~Nadira~

  The feel of his warm, muscular body on top of her was comforting. The smell of him was intoxicating, causing her incisors to descend from her gums, almost putting her into a trance. She tried to get her fangs to go back into her gums but they didn’t want to follow orders. Cooper went to shift but she held on tight.

  “Babe, I don’t want to crush you,” he protested, his deep brown eyes staring down at her.

  “You can’t hurt me, you know,” she said around her fangs, tightening her arms around the back of his neck. She nuzzled his throat, lightly running her fangs along his neck, eliciting an uncontrollable shiver through him.

  “You sure you’re okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked, slowly pulling his semi-soft cock from her slick pussy. She instantly missed the fullness from his thick cock. He turned on his side, pulling her into his arms.

  “I’m positive. Your voice was like a lighthouse. I was able to follow it to safety,” she said, her face pressed into his chest.

  “What exactly happened?” he questioned, slowing playing with the tips of her hair. Him touching her made it harder for her to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

  “You were under a necro spell. The spell wasn’t meant to cause any harm. It was a warning for us that they are back. The spell, if not removed would have kept any human sleeping for a long time. There was no telling how long you would have been trapped.” She rubbed her hand on his chest, needing to touch him.

  While under the spell, she walked around in a white fog so thick, she couldn’t make out anything directly in front of her. His voice helped guide her back. She would have roamed for days on end in the dream had it not been for his voice.

  “How did you release me and then yourself be taken by the spell?” He looked around the room for a second. “And when did you wake up and unhook yourself from the blood transfusion?” He looked over at the transfusion set up that she had disconnected and stored in the corner of her room.

  Upon waking from the slumber, she quickly took the intravenous needle from her arm, licking the small bleeding hole closed. She turned off the transfusion machines before pushing it into the corner of the room. The minute she turned and glanced at Cooper, a heat consumed her body, a pure need for Cooper burned in her chest. The deep slumber of the spell awoke a sensual need that only he could fulfill.

  “Hey, where did you go?” he asked, pulling her tighter to him.

  “Nowhere, just thinking,” she said, looking up into his eyes. “I have the ability to heal. When I heal, something like this doesn’t happen all the time. When it comes to spells and magic, I can just absorb it from the person who was under the spell. It drains me but since the spell that you were under put you in a dreamlike state, it took me to that same state.”

  “You can heal wounds?” Cooper asked, shifting them.

  “I can speed the healing up but I cannot heal them totally.” She glanced at the clock on her nightstand, seeing the time. “I slept most of the morning?” She scrambled off the bed. “I have to find my brothers.”

  Twenty minutes later, they both were showered, dressed, and looking for her brothers. They found Nicu and Adrian in Nicu’s office.

  “Welcome back to the land of the living,” Adrian said, grabbing her into a hug. “I’m glad to see you are doing well.” She could feel her face flush as Adrian’s eyebrow rose as he glanced over at Cooper before turning his eyes back to her.

  “What can you tell us of the magic?” Nicu asked, scowling at Cooper. He walked over to Nadira as if to assess her himself before hugging her.

  “The spell that entrapped Cooper was not meant to harm anyone. It would have just kept him in a long slumber.” She looked to both of her brothers. “It was a warning,” she declared.

  “Why would Xalak lure you into the woods?” Nicu asked, moving closer to Cooper. “You are just a human; how does he know of you?”

  “I told you before, I don’t know,” Cooper grounded out between clenched teeth, not backing down from Nicu, meeting his stare head on. “What the fuck is your problem with me, Vamp?”

  “My problem is that you’re human,” Nicu criticized, pointing his finger at Cooper. “My problem is that Fate apparently chose you for our sister’s mate--”

  “Nicu!” Nadira gasped.

  “Mate?” Cooper’s eyes flew to Nadira’s. “What is he talking about, Nadira?”

  “Oh, she hasn’t told you?” Adrian asked; his eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms across his chest.

  “Please, just stop,” Nadira begged Nicu, getting in between him and Cooper. “Nicu, please, you cannot protect me from everything,” she whispered holding onto Cooper’s arm. Nicu grunted at her statement, backing away. “Vampires are blessed to have a perfect partner made for them, someone to love, to cherish, to be able to spend the rest of their lives with. A Fated Mate.”

  “That sounds almost like a fairy tale,” Cooper said, wearily looking over at Nicu before turning his attention back to Nadira. “How do you know if someone is your Fated Mate?”

  “It’s a feeling you get; it hits you right here instantaneously,” she said thumping her chest over her heart. “We just know, you feel like a completed jigsaw puzzle once you are mated.”

  “And you think I’m your mate?” he asked, watching her nod her head slowly.

  “I know you are,” she said softly. “You don’t have to feel obligated or anything,” she said quickly sensing his hesitation.

  “You know what happens when vampires don’t claim their mate, Nadira,” Nicu snapped from behind his desk.

  “I know,” she said, not looking at Cooper. Her heart cracked a little at his hesitation. Well, what did she expect? Him to profess his love for her? After only knowing each other for a few days that would probably never happen. Humans would never understand what it was like to search for the one person that Fate had designed to be y
our perfect half — the one you were meant to be with for all eternity.

  “What will happen?” Cooper asked.

  “Vampires who are unable to claim their Fated Mate, are known to die,” Nicu said, walking back over to them. “They die of a broken heart.”

  15

  ~Cooper~

  “What’s up with you and the little brunette from the diner?” Sam asked while Cooper checked his voicemail. He had to come to work today. It pained him to leave Nadira, especially after the discussion of Fated Mates.

  Nicu dropped a bomb on Cooper when he told him that vampires tended to die from a broken heart if they were unable to bind themselves with their Fated Mates. The look on Nadira’s face was enough to almost bring him to his knees. Her face alone led him to believe that she thought that she didn’t mean anything to him. Little did she know she couldn’t be further from the truth.

  He had always believed that things happened for a reason, that Fate determined how life should be. He had never experienced this type of pull towards any woman before, not even his last girlfriend who he had been with for a few years. However, Nadira, the little vampire princess, had crawled into his heart and he never wanted to let her go.

  “Nadira and I are good,” he said, glancing up from the notepad he wrote his messages on. Sam laughed, signaling he could wait until Cooper was done checking his messages.

  On his voicemail, one person claimed they saw one of the runaways that were highlighted on last night’s news broadcast, another caller left a message about the neighborhood garbage cans that were reported missing. The next message sent chills down his spine.