Adrian (The Dark Shadows Book 4) (6 page)

V
iktor drove
like the gates of hell had opened up behind them. The truck jerked to a halt in the circle driveway at the base of the front steps of the Olaru mansion. Nicu, Teague, Nadira, and Anika stormed out of the front door. Adrian jumped out of the truck, turning to grab a barely conscious Angel.

“What happened?” Nadira asked, completely in her nurse mode. Nadira was the one vampire in their family that had healing powers, along with a nursing background. Her and Anika had gone to nursing school together, and both worked at the local supernatural hospital.

“She hit her head when the truck slammed into a damn fire hydrant,” he recounted, climbing the steps with Angel in his arms.

“Where are we?” Angel asked, her voice weak.

“My family’s home.” She closed her eyes, and gave a slight nod of her head. “Don’t go to sleep,” he reminded her. Even though she was a vampire, he knew that brain injuries could still be tricky until the vampire’s body healed itself.

“Let’s take her to the infirmary,” Anika said, directing the way.

“What happened?” Nicu snapped.

Adrian knew that his brother couldn’t stand for any woman to be hurt, especially one mated within his family. He knew that his brothers would protect his mate at all costs, as if she were theirs.

True fated mates were not that common, and the bond between two vampires was considered precious. It is said that if one mate were to die, the other would follow, usually from a broken heart.

“Rogues,” he hissed, pulling Angel closer as they ran down the stairs that led to the infirmary.

“They will pay,” Teague said from behind them.

“They certainly will,” Adrian agreed, as they burst through the infirmary’s door. Anika and Nadira immediately took control. The royal family’s physician was notified of the emergency, and was said to be on the way.

He laid Angel down gently on one of the infirmary cots. “Let go, baby, it’s okay,” he murmured as her arms tightened around his neck. She slowly pulled her arms away, then settled onto the bed.

“Give us a second to get these dirty clothes off of her,” Anika instructed. Nicu and Teague nodded, and stepped to the other side of the infirmary. “You too,” Anika coaxed, motioning for him to leave. She must have read the hesitation in his face, as hers softened. “It’ll be okay, Adrian. She’s in good hands. We just want to make her comfortable.”

He jerked his head in a nod as he stepped back. Anika smiled softly as she pulled the curtain, blocking his view of Angel. He could hear the soft voices of his sister and sister-in-law speaking to Angel. He stalked over to Nicu, determined to avenge his mate.

“The rogues need to be handled,” Adrian growled, swiping a hand across his face in frustration.

“I agree,” Teague acknowledged with a nod of his head.

“Were they after you, or were they after Angel?” Nicu asked, his eyes narrowed on the curtain that hid Angel.

“They tried to snatch Angel again,” he bit out. He wanted to hit something—no, kill something. Now.

“We need to find out why, and get to the bottom of it,” Nicu instructed, just as his phone rang. He walked away, answering the call.

The physician arrived within minutes, and immediately went behind the curtain to assess Angel. Adrian’s heart pounded hard as the sensation of her pain washed over him, as if he himself had hit his head. Their bond allowed him to feel her emotions, and he despised the fact that his mate was currently hurting. He paced back and forth as he waited for the doctor to finish.

“She’ll be okay,” Teague said quietly, his eyes following Adrian as he paced back and forth. “Congratulations on the mating. You didn’t waste any time, did you?” Teague barked a short laugh.

“Why wait?” Adrian said with a small smile. He was beyond pleased with his mate, and wouldn’t trade her for the world. “Where is Bella?” he asked, just now realizing that his other sister-in-law was not with them.

“Oh, you know how it is,” Teague joked. “Being a demigoddess, she can get called at any time for her job.”

Teague’s mate was the Goddess of Death. She was charged with making sure the dead were escorted to the proper place; Heaven, or one of the seven hells.

His eyes were again drawn back to the other side of the room. Through the curtain, he could make out Anika and Nadira’s busy forms, moving around the room. He hated not knowing what was going on, and it was killing him. He needed to get to his mate, to comfort her, help ease her mind and pain. Hell, it would just make him feel better to visually see that she was okay.

Finally, the doctor pushed the curtain back and motioned for Adrian to come over. Anika brushed past him with a small smile. “She’ll be fine. She’s a fighter,” she whispered, patting him on the arm.

“Thanks, Anika,” he smiled, as she walked over to Teague.

“Adrian, I hear congratulations are in order,” Dr. Eugene Holinsky said, shaking Adrian’s hand.

“Thanks, Dr. Holinsky,” he beamed, as his eyes were drawn to Angel. Nadira sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand. His heart warmed, seeing that his little sister was already making an attempt to get to know his mate.

“She has a nasty bump on her head,” Dr. Holinsky started, “but she’ll be okay. Being a vampire saved her life. Had she been human, she would have had a nasty concussion. Her body has already started its own natural healing process.”

“So she’ll be okay,” he breathed. His eyes drifted back to Angel, who was staring at him with a soft smile.

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” she said quietly.

“She might have a headache here and there, until she fully heals. Get her fresh blood, and she’ll be like new by tomorrow night.”

“Thank you, Dr. Holinsky,” Adrian said, shaking the physician’s hand again.

“Remember, my dear, rest for the next day or so,” the doctor said to Angel before leaving the room.

“Well, this wasn’t how I wanted to meet your family,” Angel groaned. He sat down on the bed next to her, as Nadira stood and moved to the foot of the bed.

“Nothing like making a grand entrance,” Nadira joked with a chuckle.

“It was very nice to meet you, Princess,” Angel said, returning the laugh.

“None of that!” Nadira gently scolded. “You are mated to my brother. It’s just Nadira.”

“You don’t have to use formality,” he said. Taking her hand, he lifted it up and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Technically, you are a princess now, too.”

He laughed as Angel’s eyes grew wide. “But I’m a nobody,” she insisted. “I still don’t see how we can be mated. I thought you had to mate with a vampire of a higher social status.”

“I told you, that doesn’t matter to me,” he said fiercely. “You are my mate, and you are who fate decided I am to spend all eternity with.”

She looked around the room as Teague and Anika joined them. He introduced her to Teague, just as Nicu walked back into the room.

“I just spoke to Khalid and Cooper,” he said. “Meet me in my office once you get her settled in your suite.”

“
I
’ll be okay
,” Angel said for hundredth time.

Adrian had carried her to his private suite in the mansion, and helped her get washed up as best as he could before tucking her into the bed. He had insisted that she sleep naked, but she was not up for any hanky-panky, so she finally convinced him to at least give her one of his shirts to sleep in.

“I’m so sorry,” he said sincerely, placing a kiss on her forehead. He settled onto the bed next to her.

“For what?” she asked, confused. She turned over in the bed so that she could see him clearly. He had done nothing that would warrant an apology. He was the last person that needed to apologize.

He saved her.

“For not protecting you.” His eyes were filled with sorrow.

“It’s not your fault that those rogues attacked us.”

“Angel,” he sighed, as her belly filled with dread. She knew what he was about to ask her. “I have to know…why are the rogues after you?”

“I’m not sure.” She tried to look away, but he pulled her face back up to meet his eyes.

“I’m not judging you in any way. You are my mate. In order for me to keep you safe, I need to know what they want with you.”

She stared deep into his eyes, and knew instantly that she was head over heels in love with him. There was no denying it. She knew that their initial meeting was a little unconventional, but deep down she knew that he took the mating seriously, and he would be forever faithful to her.

Everyone in the vampire world had heard about the council demanding that the Olaru heirs mate with prominent vampires. There had been much talk of whether or not it was fair for the council to demand that the heirs to the throne be only allowed to mate with vampires.

Humans were still unaware of the existence of vampires, so this wasn’t something that would be broadcasted on the nightly news. Vampires were savvy with technology. One would be surprised at what could be hidden online, if only one knew where to look.

The entire supernatural world waited with bated breath for the pending decision of the council. It was known that there had been a private meeting between the council and the king, who was protesting the outdated laws, and he was demanding that they be changed.

“I promise, no matter what, I will keep you safe.” Adrian’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“They are recruiting,” she began. She figured if she couldn’t trust him, then she would never be able to trust anyone. She was just going to have to believe in him. “The necromancers are recruiting rogues. I was attacked and turned by a rogue, and they feel that I should be loyal to them. They wanted me to side with them, but I didn’t have any rogue tendencies. I was just a human who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, attacked and turned. I couldn’t stay with them any longer. I wanted to try to live my life as normal as possible, being a vampire.”

“So, what does that have to do with you?” he asked, entwining their fingers together as he listened. “Why was Jaxon at the nightclub, trying to kidnap you?”

“I’m not quite sure.” She shook her head. “He was one of the ones that helped me leave.”

* * *

“
I
s your mate settled
?” Nicu asked as Adrian sat on the couch in his office.

“Yes.” Adrian nodded, looking around the room. The entire Dark Shadows team was present. Their local unit consisted of him and his brothers, along with a few other vampires; Viktor, Ronin, Gadiel, Khalid, and Phaelyn.

“Is she doing okay?” Phaelyn asked. “She’s one tough little vampire. I couldn’t imagine going through the change all by myself.”

“She is,” Adrian agreed, thinking of his mate. His chest swelled with pride at the thought of how tough his mate truly was.

“What has she told you about who turned her?” Toma questioned from his seat on the windowsill.

He explained the story of the night she was turned as best as he could. A hint of jealousy crept up in the back of his mind as he thought of Jaxon, being the one to teach Angel about vampirism. It was Jaxon who taught her how to hunt and feed. Feeding between vampire and donors could be very intimate and sexual in nature. He could feel his gums burning at the thought of how close Angel may have been with Jaxon.

“So if they knew each other, why would the rogue try to snatch her from the club the way he did?” Teague asked.

“She doesn’t know. According to her, he was one of the ones who helped her get away.”

“There is something more to this story,” Viktor said. “The way the rogues were attacking led me to believe that they really wanted her. They must need her for something.”

“The necromancers are building a rogue army to fight against us,” Nicu announced. “It must have something to do with that. She was turned by a rogue vampire, I assume?”

“That’s what she told me.” Adrian shifted on the couch. “According to her, she was taught that the Dark Shadows were sent to hunt down and kill all rogues, and any vampires turned by rogues.”

The room erupted as everyone began to speak at once. Each Dark Shadow member took their job of protecting the vampire nation seriously, and would give their lives to fulfill the oath they had taken when they were chosen as a member of the deadly vampire warrior team.

“If she was terrified of us, as Phaelyn has said, then how many other innocents are out there, fearing for their lives from the Shadows?” Khalid asked with a deep scowl embedded on his face.

“There’s no telling,” Adrian answered. “She kept to herself, had a job in a club owned by a vampire, and tried not to draw any attention to herself.”

“So why would they want her?” Toma asked. “This doesn’t make sense. She’s not a trained warrior. What could they possibly need from her?”

Adrian didn’t like being in the dark. They had to get to the bottom of this, or Angel may never be safe.

“She said something about how they felt that she should be loyal to them since she was turned by a rogue,” he relayed, looking around the room.

“We need to talk to her. We need to find out everything she knows about the rogues,” Nicu concluded. “Which rogue turned her? Does she know?”

“No,” Adrian said, answering both questions while shaking his head. He refused to have them pick her brain and bring back memories that she had been trying to bury. “She has been through so much already.”

“We won’t hurt your mate,” Nicu advised. “Right now, she is the only one that can tell us about the rogues, and give us some insight as to what their goals are regarding us.”

“He’s right, Adrian,” Teague spoke up. “You should know that we wouldn’t hurt your mate.”

He looked around the room and knew that they were right. They had a vampire in their home right now that could educate them all on the workings of the rogues. He knew if it had been any other vampire upstairs with such knowledge, he would be begging to question the person too.

“Fine,” he said, blowing out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I’m not leaving her side, though.”

“We wouldn’t do it any other way,” Nicu huffed. “We can question her, then compare what she knows to what the rogue in the dungeon admitted to.”

“He’s still alive?” Adrian asked sharply. He naturally assumed that they would have just killed him.

“Yes,” Nicu answered. “He’s a lucid rogue who can give us information, so we still have a use for him.”

“Why don’t we send Angel to speak to him?” Viktor argued.

“Are you fucking out of your mind?” Adrian exploded, rising from his seat to face Viktor. The room drew silent, becoming thick with tension. How dare he mention putting Angel in the same room as the rogue who attempted to take her from him.

“Calm down,” Teague demanded. “He didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I just meant that if we allowed her to speak to him, she could get him to speak freely, or tell her—”

“No,” Adrian roared.

He usually wasn’t the hothead in the family, but right now, they were talking about using his mate by putting her in the same room as the animal that tried to take her from him.

“She will not be in harm’s way, “Nicu said quietly, shifting Adrian’s attention from Viktor. “He will remain in chains, behind bars. She will be safe, and there is a camera inside of his cell.”

Adrian continued to shake his head. He didn’t want her anywhere near the rogue. She’d been through enough already.

“You can stand right outside the dungeon’s doors,” Nicu offered.

“Hey!” Phaelyn started, gaining the attention of the room. “It’s not for us to decide. How about we
ask
her? She’s already had so much taken from her in her short life. Why don’t we leave this decision up to her?”