Teague (The Dark Shadows Book 3)

by Ariel Marie

  “What happened?” he demanded. “Where is she?”

  “We don’t know!” Kitt exclaimed, her green eyes wide in disbelief. “Saida and I were standing outside the door while the others left for a few minutes. The transport should be here any minute.”

  “We were standing guard and all of a sudden, we saw a flash of light from within the sanctuary,” Saida said, scratching her head. “We tried to open the door—”

  “But it wouldn’t open,” Kitt interrupted.

  “Is there any other door to this building?” Teague asked, his heart pounded as he looked at the empty slab. It was as if Bella had never been there.

  “Yes, the side door, but we would have seen or heard if anyone had come through it.” Kitt answered.

  “Then where the fuck is my mate?” he growled; he could feel the pressure of his fangs wanting to descend. The women in the room gasped at his proclamation. He didn’t care at this point. Someone had taken his mate’s body and would pay dearly.

  The queen walked through the door with Katri, Ulrika, and Viva close behind her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Sira said quietly, not taking her eyes off the slab where her daughter had once laid.

  “What do you mean? Someone has taken her body and will pay for this,” Teague snapped.

  He already was at peace that his mate had sacrificed her life for the life of his mother and the good of their worlds. But, he would not stand for someone disrespecting his mate in death. Not after all she had done.

  “Prince Teague,” the queen said. “Calm down. I know who took her body.”

  “Who?” The question echoed around the room as they all were confused that the queen would be so calm.

  “Adros has claimed her.”

  Chapter Twenty Four

  ~Bella~

  “Rise, my child,” a deep boisterous voice commanded her, slowly bringing Bella out of a thick dark fog. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking at the blindingly bright lights. It took a few moments for her eyes to focus. She found herself lying flat on a patch of deep soft grass.

  She sat up slowly, looking around, not knowing where she was. Her eyes landed on the largest set of golden gates she had ever seen. A large man, with a deep golden tan with long black flowing hair down his back, sat on a pure white stallion watching her with kind eyes.

  “Where am I?” she asked, her voice sounded gritty to her own ears. She cleared her voice before trying to speak again. “Who are you?” she asked.

  The last thing she remembered was pushing the vampire queen out of the way, then Teague’s face marred with tears before darkness engulfed her.

  She stared at the gates in disbelief. Is this heaven? She had so many questions to ask but didn’t even know where to begin. She slowly stood; her legs trembled as she straightened to her full height.

  “Yes, this is Heaven,” the man said, waving his hands toward the opening gates. She looked at him sharply, realizing that he had read her mind. “My name is Gabriel,” he announced to introduce himself. It was then she saw the hint of large white wings behind him.

  She gulped as she stood there staring at him. Realization dawned on her as to who he was, and wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Hi, um, I’m Arabella.” She figured it would be rude otherwise; this was the Archangel Gabriel directly in front of her.

  “Yes, I know who you are,” he said, nodding. “We have been waiting for you.”

  She felt her eyes widen as she thought how crazy it was, that the Archangel Gabriel himself was waiting for her. She didn’t think she deserved this type of welcoming to Heaven. She was just lucky that she made it to the pearly gates. Correction — golden gates.

  “You are very special.” His eyes were filled with merriment as he gestured for her. “He knew that you would be something great. Come, he is waiting for you.”

  “Who is waiting for me?” she asked as he helped her onto the back of his massive stallion. His pure white wings folded themselves close to his back as he guided the horse through the gates.

  “Your father,” he said, glancing back towards her.

  “But I don’t know my father. He’s here in Heaven?” she asked, confused.

  She never knew who her father was. Most of her sisters did not know who fathered them either. Her mother was a very fertile queen, who loved taking lovers over the years, and had produced twenty-three daughters.

  “He knows you. He has watched you grow up over the years, training to become a valkyrie and then leading them. He has had his eyes on you this whole time and you have made him very proud.”

  “But I don’t understand,” she asked as she glanced around at the most magical land she had ever seen. Heaven was purely beautiful. Words could not describe it. Her heart ached a little at the thought that she would never see her true love again.

  Teague.

  She sighed and knew that she’d had a choice — the good of mankind or love. So she had made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of mankind.

  She just prayed that Teague had not created a bond between them. She knew that vampires would bind themselves to their mates and if that bond wasn’t completed, it could end in tragedy. She just wouldn’t be able to deal with herself if something happened to Teague because of her.

  “There are many things that your father will have to explain,” Gabriel said, interrupting her thoughts. “We will arrive soon.”

  The rolling lands around them were a crisp green, with bright blue skies, without a cloud in sight. She glanced up and her mouth dropped open. Were those angels flying overhead? Every single one of them that passed Gabriel and Bella waved and shouted out a greeting.

  “What should I say to him?” she asked as nervousness settled in as she stared at the large fairy tale white castle that came into view.

  “You will know, my child. You will know.”

  * * *

  Bella could feel the butterflies in her gut as she followed behind Gabriel through the monstrous castle. She was still in awe of his wings, as she found herself staring at them once again. She checked behind her back again for at least the fifth time, to see if she too had sprouted any wings. Nope. No wings.

  Darn it! She huffed to herself. Gabriel looked back at her, chuckling slightly. She would have to remind herself that he could read minds.

  “You know it’s rude to read people’s minds,” she joked, trying to make light of feeling slightly violated by him listening to her private thoughts.

  “It doesn’t take a mind reader to know what you are thinking now,” he said. “Besides, you keep looking at your back with a disappointed look on your face.”

  He stopped in front of a set of glass double doors that led out to a picturesque garden. Her eyes took in the vivid colors and the overgrown but yet perfectly manicured garden.

  “He’s out there, isn’t he?” she asked, unmoving from her position. What do you say to the father you’ve never met?

  “Yes.” Gabriel nodded and opened the door for her. “Go, Arabella, your father awaits you.”

  She swallowed hard, before stepping through doors onto the stone walkway. “Will I see you again?” she asked, turning back to Gabriel.

  So far, he was the only person she had got to know since she’d arrived in heaven. She knew that she had only been there for less than a day, but for some reason she had a feeling that they would be getting to know each other.

  “I’ll be around,” he said with a smile. He motioned for her to go before he closed the doors.

  She turned and followed the path past the amazing smelling flowers. A comforting feeling overcame her as she made her way closer to the man that helped create her. She looked up at the sky and realized that she was at peace. She may not be with her true love, but at least Rowena was now in hell where she belonged and the Terra realm was now safe again. Teague could continue as a Dark Shadow warrior, protecting his people and the humans of Earth.

  Her heart began to pound harder the closer she got to where she was told
that her father would be. As a child, she had always fantasized about her father. Was he a strong warrior, or maybe a scholar or a businessman? Growing up in Aphadore, it was common for children not to know their fathers. But that didn’t mean that the children of Aphadore suffered from the lack of a father. They grew up loved, well care for, and were used to having very few men around. They understood the way of their world.

  Her footsteps slowed as she came upon the person who waited for her. He faced away from her, staring off across the gardens. Her quick intake of air caused him to turn to her. It couldn’t be! Her mouth opened and words would not form as she stared at the larger than life figure.

  Holy h—

  She quickly kept herself from cursing. She was in heaven for heaven sakes! Her father was none other than the God Adros himself.

  “Arabella,” he said with a small smile.

  She was rooted to the spot, eyes wide, as he walked over to her.

  “How?” she asked, unable to believe that this whole time, her mother had never said anything to her. Never even gave her a clue of who her father was.

  “Is it too hard for you to believe?” he asked. He grasped her shoulders and stared down at her, pride beaming from his eyes. She cocked her head back to look him in the eyes. He was a god and literally larger than life.

  “But that would mean—” she paused, unable to say the words.

  “Yes, my daughter. You are a demi-goddess.”

  Chapter Twenty Five

  ~Teague~

  “You look like shit,” Toma growled. Teague didn’t have it in him to even roll his eyes. The old Teague would have cracked a joke and kept going. The new Teague could care less what he looked like or even what happened to him. He didn’t have any real reason to live anymore. Fate had decided to fuck him over and snatch his mate away from him. He snorted before turning away from his brother.

  Tonight was his night to patrol. Rogues were reported loitering around the Metro Parks late at night. There was no way that they could allow that, for fear that the rogues would attack the night visitors to the area. The necromancers and versi had all but disappeared again.

  It was widely known that they had retreated after the death of Rowena the witch. The necromancers had hoped that the black magic witch would have succeeded in destroying the vampires, but now she was dead and they were left scrambling.

  It had been two whole months since Bella death, and he knew he was slowly dying of a broken heart. Who would have thought that shit was real? He hadn’t told his family that he knew he was slowly wasting away from the inside out. He could no longer find joy in anything, even blood no longer held any appeal. He had only able to tolerate just enough to keep his body from starving.

  What was the point of living if the one who was designed by fate to spend the rest of eternity with him was dead? If it weren’t for his family members making him get dressed and leave the house, he probably would have just rotted away in his room.

  “Who the fuck cares?” Teague growled back, not really wanting to deal with Toma tonight.

  “Listen here,” Toma demanded, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. “She’s gone. I get that. There is no way I would even have the slightest clue of how to function if Anika were taken from me. But one thing I know would make me feel better, is killing something,” Toma pulled him in for a tight brotherly hug. Teague was shocked and touched.

  This was the new Toma, the mated Toma. The Toma before being mated to Anika would have never shared deep feelings. The old Toma would have just told him to suck it up and move on.

  “Thanks, brother,” Teague said gruffly pulling away from Toma. He knew his brother meant well. He would just play the part. Maybe hunting would make him feel half of a vampire he’d been, before Bella.

  “Let’s go kick some rogue ass,” Toma demanded, leading the way into the darkened park.

  They jogged a few minutes away from where they parked, going deep into the woods away from the main jogging trails. Toma came to an abrupt halt, causing Teague to almost slam into the back of him.

  “Holy shit!” Toma cursed. “What the fuck?”

  “What is it?” Teague asked, stepping around his brother with his blade in his hand. Maybe his brother was right. Maybe he needed to let his frustrations out by killing every rogue vampire he could get his hands on.

  When his eyes focused on what held Toma’s attention, the blade slid from his fingers, clattering to the ground. He shook his head and blinked. He had to be dreaming. He took a step forward, unable to believe his eyes. If not for Toma, he would have believed that he had finally gone crazy.

  “Bella?” he whispered softly, moving toward her.

  She was dressed in a long white dress that flowed around her legs and her long blonde hair draped over one shoulder. She nodded her head, a silly grin spreading across her face as he picked up, speed running toward her. He immediately scooped her up in his arms, holding her high against his chest as her smoky eyes gazed down on him.

  “I must have finally lost my fucking mind. Please tell me that this is not a dream.”

  “It’s not a dream, Teague,” she said, laughing slightly, running her fingers through his hair. This couldn’t be real. Her body certainly felt real in his hands.

  “Toma!” he shouted for his brother who slowly walked up to them, his eyes wide as he stared at Bella. “Please tell me you see and hear her too.”

  “Fuck, Teague, she’s here all right,” he answered in awe. “But how?”

  “Put me down,” she demanded, wiggling to get free. He let her feet touch the ground, but there was no way in hell he was taking his hands off her.

  “I watched you die,” he said, staring down into her beautiful eyes, unable to stop touching her as his hands threaded their way into her hair. “I held you as you took your last breath.”

  “You’re right. I did die,” she said, looking between Toma and Teague. “Giving my life for your mother and for the greater good was only part of my destiny.”

  “Just part?” Toma asked, looking just as confused as Teague felt.

  “Yes, when I died, I was taken to Heaven where I met my father.”

  “Your father?” Teague was bewildered. He didn’t even know if the queen of Aphadore would have known who sired any of her children.

  “I couldn’t believe it either,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Who is your father?” he asked, curiosity settling in.

  He still couldn’t believe that she had returned and not only just returned, but found him. His heart pounded as he realized that the thin line of despair and loneliness was immediately dispersing the longer he held her in his arms.

  “The God Adros is my father,” she said softly.

  “Sweet God above,” Toma choked out.

  “What?” Teague exclaimed. “So you’re…. what are you?”

  She didn’t look any different from before she was killed. He could tell that some of her hardened muscles from extreme training had faded a little, replaced by softer curves, which he loved. He could already tell his cock accepted it too, as it hardened with the sweet smell of her.

  “If Adros is your father, then why did you have to die?” Toma asked.

  “Dying was a test. It proved I was worthy of my ultimate destiny in life,” she said, moving closer to Teague. Nothing but the clothes they had on now separated them. His heart beat erratically as she gripped the front of his shirt, staring up at him with wide eyes.

  “And what is your ultimate destiny in life?” Teague was afraid to ask but did anyway. His hand gripped her waist tight as he waited for her to answer.

  Was this only a last goodbye, before she had to move on to do what the Gods wanted her to do? He just couldn’t let her go. He would fight whomever he needed to keep her in his life. If he had to fight the God Adros himself, so be it.

  “I am the Goddess of Death,” she said, pausing at the shocked look on both of their faces. “I am to guide those who pass over to where they are su
pposed go, be it Heaven or hell, and when the time comes, help lead my father’s army.”

  “So that’s it?” His heart felt as if it were breaking all over again. This was it. This was where she would say have a nice life and disappear just as she appeared tonight.

  “No,” she said softly. “I was also sent back to mate with the love of my life. You are part of my destiny, Teague. You are stuck with me for all eternity,” she said just as he swooped down, taking her mouth in a brutal kiss. She instantly stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck pulling him closer to her.

  “You lovebirds need to get a room,” Toma said, faking disgust as they broke apart. An embarrassed look crossed Bella’s face, as she must have forgotten his brother was with them. “Here, take the truck,” Toma said, tossing the keys to Teague. “I’ll find a way home,” he said, walking away, pulling his phone out of his pocket and disappearing into the dark forest.

  * * *

  Teague practically kicked in the door of the Olaru mansion as he rushed through the house with Bella in his arms, using his vampire speed, ignoring the shocked stares. Once at his bedroom suite, he opened the door, stepping in before he set her down. The second her feet touched the floor, she was on him, pushing him against the door, slamming it shut.

  Her mouth covered his, opening to allow his tongue entrance to taste her. God, how he had missed her. He tangled his hands in her hair as he took everything she had to offer. Tonight, he would claim her, body and soul. Who the fuck cared that she was not a vampire? The council should be fucking happy that a royal heir was mating with a demi-goddess, the daughter of the God of all deities.

  Tonight, he would no longer think of the council and what they had demanded of him and his family. He would be selfish and think of what was best for him and right now, the best thing for him practically crawled up him like a tree.