The Princess of Darkness
Book 3 of The Dark Prince Trilogy
By Autumn Winchester
Warning
This novel will have violence and foul language. Not intended for anyone under the age of 18 due to sexual content.
© October 2016
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 1
With a dark purple towel lying behind her on the bed, Summer sat stiffly, and sadly, waiting for Gabriel’s wife, Heidi, to cut off the chunk of hair that was too tangled to do anything with. No amount of conditioner would help, even the half bottle that Summer had doused her hair in.
It was a lost cause.
With a heavy heart, Summer gave Heidi the go ahead to cut it, refusing to watch in the mirror across the room. She closed her eyes, waiting.
She didn’t want to part with any of her hair, as she remembered how it felt to have Chase’s hands glide through it. Or how it felt when he would fist her long tresses into his hands against her scalp.
She did feel better after a nice warm bath, although she didn’t stay in long, fearing she’d fall asleep. Summer was still so tired and knew it would take her body a few days to gain back its strength.
Heidi had been kind enough to help her out of the bath, on Gabriel’s advice. It was probably a good thing, as when Summer had stood up, her legs didn’t want to cooperate. She’d have likely fallen, and knocked herself out.
Once dressed in a gray sweater that belonged to Sebastian and dark pink yoga pants, Summer took a seat on the bed with the towel behind her and Heidi tried to detangle the mess of tangles.
Heidi was dressed in jeans and a plain shirt, her dark hair pulled up into a messy but elegant bun. Summer had expected her to be older since Gabriel seemed to be so much older by looks alone. She had kind light blue eyes and a motherly feeling to her. It was hard to not like the woman.
“Are you sure? I can keep trying to get this mess untangled,” Heidi asked with her mixed accent. She knew Summer had long beautiful hair and hated to cut it if she didn't have to.
“She will need it done either way,” Sebastian stated from the doorway. His arms were across his chest, folded on top one another. “It’s not safe for you to return to Chase yet. Not until the threat is taken care of.”
“When will that be?” Summer asked, turning her head towards the man.
“A few days. Maybe a month. Or longer,” Sebastian shrugged. “I’m really not sure. When the threat is taken care of, then and only then will it will be safe for you to return.”
“Oh,” Summer said, fighting back tears. She had hoped that she’d be able to see Chase, talk to him, after she was cleaned up. “Okay.” She swallowed down her emotions, schooling her face into a neutral look.
Summer would do anything to keep Chase and her family safe. If she didn’t have to be in a position to be taken again against her will, Summer would be glad to stay away for as long as needed, even if it made her heart feel like it was breaking.
“Can I send him a letter? Just to let Chase know I’m safe?” Summer asked with determination. She knew her husband well enough to know that he’d worry more if she didn’t reach out to him in some way. She also assumed that calling him was out of question, even if she could make it through a few minute without breaking out in tears.
“That would be a great idea. You can send him a text from my phone after you finish getting that taken care of,” Sebastian answered with a nod towards her hair. “Some makeup would be a good idea too, just because I know some of John’s men are looking for women without makeup.”
“Ok.” A deep breath from Summer. “Let’s do this.”
Heidi picked up the black thin scissors from the bed and brought them to Summer’s hair. With quick work, Summer’s hair fell in a clump, now just below her shoulders. A good six inches had been cut off with only a few snips.
What would Chase think once she returned to his house? Would he hate her for doing such a thing?
“Bleaching your hair soon would be a good idea,” she said, mostly to get the attention off of what she was doing.
“Not a bad idea,” Sebastian agreed as he leaned against the door jam, his arms folded over his chest.
Summer could feel the weight as it dropped from her head, almost in relief. It was amazing how much lighter hair weighed with it cut shorter. There was no way she would go along with bleaching her hair. Surely just cutting it would be enough.
Summer then ran a hand over her head, feeling the softness of it, mostly due to the amount of conditioner that she had used. That, and she hadn’t had a haircut. Ever.
Looking at the mirror, Summer was in awe. The shorter hair, although different, fit her well. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but she almost felt like a new person. She felt more in control by that simple act, and that shocked her for a minute.
“I like it,” Summer said, letting her hand fall back to her lap as a small smile graced her face. It was definitely a good different. She may not have full control over how it was done, but it was well worth it.
“It suits you, Princess,” Sebastian said quietly, his eyes soft. “We must speed this up a bit. We need to be out of the city before nightfall.” Although his voice wasn’t commanding, there was an edge to it. It was like he knew something was coming.
“Of course,” Heidi said, cleaning up the mess. “Go fix her some soup while I do her makeup.”
Sebastian arched an eyebrow at her bossy attitude, which she easily returned, not frightened the slightest. Summer sat there, amused that someone dared to pick a fight with this man. He oozed power, more power than even Ivan t had. His hair was now clean and cut shorter than when Summer had first seen him.
Brief flashes of her time with this man when she was younger came to mind, but none of them were hurtful. Actually, he never did hurt. He did the complete opposite; he loved her in that short time. Looking back now, Summer could tell that Sebastian did love her like a father, or maybe an uncle. She never knew love until Chase, but Sebastian had loved her.
Did he still love her? Would Summer be able to care about Sebastian now that she knew what love was?
“Come, Bash,” Gabriel said from the living room. “Heidi will have Summer ready to go by the time the soup is heated.”
Sebastian took one more look at Summer, wishing this would be easier on her, before turning away. He knew this was the right thing – the only thing. He was still having issues with her being grown up and no longer a child that could easily be taken care of.
“Men,” Heidi sighed out before getting her makeup bag
she had brought with her. She always carried extra things with her. “Don’t mind them.”
Summer simply watched, not sure how to respond to that statement. She was not used to being included, or even treated respectfully.
“I won’t do much,” she said, setting her bag with flowers on it by Summer before standing in front of her. “Just enough that it’s obvious you have some on. Sebastian is right about you needing to not be so noticeable. John has more men than we have on our side right now, and they will be stopping to check cars randomly. Although, you are hard to miss wherever you go in this city. With or without my handy work.”
It didn’t take Heidi long to put a few more drastic colors on Summer’s face, making her stand out more than her normal self. She hoped that it would throw whoever off that they would surely run into.
Summer was a shining star in the entire world. She just had this natural beauty about her, and everyone was drawn to her.
It was a shame that she had been found the way she had been and forced into the middle of a war between two mafia families. The Marcel family would no doubt win, simply because they had the tools and men to do so.
John was simply a complication. A complication that would be taken care of. There was a long line of men that wanted that one lowlife gone off the Earth.
“Be strong,” Heidi said, stepping back once more. “Sebastian will do everything he can to keep you safe. We will eventually join you wherever Bash takes you. We just have a few loose ends that need to be closed up.”
“Food is ready,” Gabriel said, walking into the room. His eyes raked over the girl, impressed with how well his wife could do things in just a short amount of time. He often joked that she was a miracle worker.
Summer nodded before pushing herself up off the bed. Her legs were still weak, but her stomach growled in hunger. Her hunger won out over the tiredness at that moment.
“Is there any shoes for me to use?” Summer asked, remembering she didn’t have any.
“Of course,” Gabriel said with a smile. “Sebastian had everything you could possible need. Not all of it is here at this place, but there are shoes.”
Summer shot him a confused look but didn’t reply. She couldn’t place what his part in all this was, nor could she figure out why he was being so nice. She did like him because he was so nice and seemed already so protective over her after a short time together.
“How long have I been here?” Summer asked through a yawn, making her way out of the bedroom and to the kitchen.
Even though space was small it was perfect for one person. Although, it didn’t seem to be very lived in. The furniture was too new; there were no personal effects to the place.
“About six hours,” Gabriel answered easily. “Longer than Sebastian had hoped, but it was needed.”
In the kitchen, Summer was met by Sebastian who was setting a small wooden bowl of chicken noodle soup onto the small two-person table. The counters were black marble with white cabinets.
“Eat,” Sebastian commanded, pointing to the steaming bowl. “We need to be out of here within half an hour. Sooner the better.”
“Crows moving in already?” Gabriel asked, taking the seat at the table that was still empty. He spread his legs out in front of him like he had no care in the world at the moment.
“Unfortunately,” Sebastian said flatly, cleaning up the small mess he had made while warming the soup. “Alex tipped me about Tony. He’s moving his men to look at every low-income place in town.”
“I can stay here for as long you need,” Gabriel said, not worried.
“No need,” Sebastian replied with a shake of his head. “Be better if you drive the opposite way than where I’m headed. I can deal with any stragglers.”
Summer slowly ate the food, finding that it settled in her stomach better than she expected with how long she had gone without eating. The two men passed information back and forth. She didn’t pay attention to much of it, thinking it would be better if she stayed out of it.
She heard something about an alarm that was set up, so if anyone were to enter the building, where Sebastian could look on his phone to see who had entered. He had every base covered.
After finishing the food, she felt full and ready for a nap. Instead, she took the bowl to the sink, where Sebastian told her to go freshen up if needed. He wanted to drive through until he reached the destination with as few stops as he could make do with, but had a feeling he wouldn’t be so lucky.
John was out there, waiting. Sebastian, so far, had done everything he could to keep that man off his back, so he wasn’t worried about that. What he was worried about were the men John had stationed guards at all exits of the town, checking into vehicles, claiming it was random drug checks.
John had police officers on his payroll and they weren't above killing if John wanted it done. Sebastian knew he had to be ready for anything.
Chapter 2
Summer was rudely awakened when Sebastian made the car take a sharp right turn, speeding through the red light and many cars had to slam on the brakes. A few even honked at the hurried driver as he passed them by without a second glance.
Summer blinked her eyes opened groggily, squinting against the bright car lights. The sun had long sat, and she knew she had fallen asleep minutes after leaving the apartment, going down through the garage without being seen by anyone.
Sebastian basically carried her, as Summer’s legs couldn’t keep up with his speed. Gabriel and Heidi went out the front way, causing a distraction to two guys that were seen entering the apartment building. Sebastian knew who they were, and rushed everyone out as fast as he could.
But now, as Sebastian honked, bypassing everyone he could, Summer’s sleep filled eyes tried to catch up to what was going on.
A least she had put on a seatbelt before they quietly left the underground garage. Summer didn’t think anyone would be able to see in through the tinted windows, but something obviously made the driver see a reason to speed faster, bypassing any and all driving laws.
“Hold tight,” Sebastian said, quickly turning and heading back into oncoming traffic, blending then swerving back into the traffic. Well, as much as his car could since it did stand out more than others.
Summer happened to look in the side mirror, seeing two dark nondescript cars trailing closely behind, weaving in and out of traffic. One car clipped another, causing more horns to be honked.
Sebastian also began to weave his way through the traffic, his face a calm mask. His movements with the car were made with careful persuasion and planning. Both hands were around the steering wheel in a death grip, his knuckles white.
Summer held onto the seat with one hand, the other grabbed around the seatbelt across her chest in a tight hold. Her eyes grew wide as the car did a half turn, merging perfectly into traffic. It was if Sebastian had done this a hundred times.
“Where are we?” Summer asked out as Sebastian cut off another driver, hearing the horn blare as he pushed on the gas.
“Still in the city,” Sebastian stated, his voice gruff. “Had to take a roundabout way, and they still caught up to us.”
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked, hoping there wasn’t. There was no way her hands would willingly let go of what they held on to.
Summer could feel her heart beating fast in her chest, sweat on her forehead.
Looking at the clock, Summer realized she hadn’t been asleep for as long as she first thought. She didn’t want to think about who was following them, as it was obvious.
“There’s a gun in the glove department,” Sebastian said. “Get it out.”
After a deep sigh of regret, Summer slowly forced her hands to unclench before reaching to open the small door that was right in front of her.
With shaking hands, Summer picked up the gun, knowing how to handle it from just the one time she had held one. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she last held a piece of cold metal in her hands.
Last time, she shot he
r father. This time, however, she had no plans of shooting the thing.
“Have you used one before?” Sebastian asked with a glance at her, seeing that she had kept her fingers off the trigger, the muzzle pointed down.
“Once,” Summer gulped, waiting for further instructions.
“I’ll teach you how to aim, and that alone will help feel more comfortable with it,” Sebastian stated, holding out his hand, letting Summer slowly place it in his. “But not today.”
With wide brown eyes, Summer watched as Sebastian maneuvered the car in the right lane, rolling down his window at the same time. He then pointed the gun out the window, aiming it right from the side mirror.
No one in the other cars paid attention to what he was doing, as the sun had long set. It was amazing how much people missed because they were always in a hurry or just not observant.
Since the gun had a silencer on it, the small pop was only heard to Summer and Sebastian as he pulled the trigger, hitting his intended target straight on. A few cars behind them, a black car spun out of control, as the tire was shot out, hitting a few other cars in the process and causing a road block.
Princess of Darkness (The Dark Prince #3) Page 1
