Toma (The Dark Shadows Book 2)

T
his is a work of fiction
. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, events, and incidents are a figment of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any similarities to real people, businesses, locations, history, and events are a coincidence.

A
ll rights reserved
.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

T
o the love
of my life. Thanks for the support. I love you to the moon and back!

W
ARNING
: Due to the explicit language and graphic sexual scenes, this book is intended for mature (18 years +) readers only. If things of this nature offend you, this book would not be for you. If you like a good action story with hot steamy scenes with vampires, then you have chosen wisely…

A
fter working
a 12-hour shift she took a deep breath and stared out into the eerily quiet parking lot. A pitch-black parking lot, she added, laughing nervously to herself. Anika Massey never thought that she would be too chicken to walk out of the hospital at night by herself.

“You can do it, Massey!" she muttered to herself.

She had become accustomed to having her vampire guard trailing her everywhere she went after her best friend, Nadira, had been attacked about a month ago. Today was her first day with no guard and she was more nervous than a prostitute walking into church.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door to the hospital and practically ran to her silver Toyota Camry. She looked into the car first, made sure no one was hiding in the back seats and then jumped in and locked the doors.

“This is crazy!” she said, shaking her head as she started the car and put it into drive.

She didn't live far from the hospital and made sure that she drove a little faster than normal to hurry home. She thought of all the tips that her vampire guard, Idris had given her before he was pulled from guarding her. He had taught her tips on how to spot someone following her; he had installed a new alarm system in her condo and even taught her a few self-defense maneuvers, just in case someone threatened her.

Her best friend Nadira Olaru, a vampire princess, wanted to have a purpose in life and had become a nurse. They met back in nursing school and had been inseparable since. Nadira was even able to pull some strings to help Anika get her nursing job at Lutheran Hospital, a private paranormal hospital that few humans were privileged to know about and Anika is one hundred percent human. She was one of the few humans that work at the hospital.

In all of her twenty-nine years, she would never have thought that there were supernatural beings walking this Earth with humans. Nadira was patient in explaining about her being born a vampire and the other paranormals.

A little over a month ago, Nadira became the target of a group of powerful beings called necromancers who were currently at war with the vampires. An attempt had been made to snatch Nadira, and Anika was with her right before it happened. As a precaution, Nadira’s father, the king of vampires, assigned a guard to watch over Anika. It had been a month now and since there were no other occurrences involving Anika, it was decided that she would no longer require a guard.

“I’ll be fine. The necros do not want a pleasantly plump human,” she tried to reassure herself as she pulled into the parking lot of her condominium.

She didn't live in the best of neighborhoods but at least there were plenty of street lamps illuminating the parking lot. Her building was an all brick three-story building with two condos on each level. Goosebumps spread across her arms as she began walking up to her third floor condo. The Cleveland night air could be chilly in the fall.

She hurried up the stairs when a feeling of dread began to appear in her belly. She slowed down as she made it to the top of the stairs on her level. She silently cursed herself for taking the top floor condo and the buildings lack of an elevator.

At five foot five and one hundred and sixty pounds, she wasn’t drastically over weight but she was definitely out of shape and had thought it would be great exercise when she first bought the place. She definitely wasn’t what was plastered all across the supermarket magazines.

The condo across from her had been empty for a few months. The previous owners moved due to the husband’s job transferring him to Phoenix, Arizona. She stopped outside her door, putting her ear to it to listen to see if someone was in her apartment.

“Get a grip Massey, there is no one in your condo!” She unlocked the door, and immediately noticed something was wrong. She pushed the door open and flipped the light switch in her entryway and immediately a scream tore from her throat.

“Oh my God!”

Her place had been ransacked. Everything was flipped over, her pictures slashed and thrown across the room. The pillows in her couches were slashed and the filling scattered across the floor. Even her television didn’t make it; it was cracked as if someone kicked it in.

“Snowball?” She called out for her little West Highland white terrier that her parents had given her for her birthday seven years ago.

She didn't come running like she normally would when Anika came home. She frantically wiped her face as tears flowed down her cheeks. She knew she shouldn’t go into the apartment but she had to find her beloved dog.

“Baby, mommy is home,” her voice cracked ending on a whisper.

She pulled out her phone as she carefully entered into her apartment stepping over her broken coffee table and slowly making her way down the hallway. She stopped dead on her feet at her bedroom door, frozen, as she stared at Snowball’s tortured, bloody body hanging from the ceiling fan in her bedroom.

“No….” she moaned falling against the doorway, sobs racking her body.

She backed up, bumping into a solid mass. She quickly turned around and saw a hooded figure. A scream flew out of her mouth, quickly cut off as the figure grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet, then slammed her into the wall.

“Where is she?” the figure growled.

She shook her head as she clawed at his hands. She fought to get a breath as he pulled back and slammed her again against the wall causing her world to go black.

“
R
onin says
that he spotted another versi downtown this morning,” Nicu said from the front-end of the table.

The Dark Shadows leader looked around the room and paused before nodding his head to Ronin to give him the floor. Toma sat back in his chair scowling. He’d rather be out hunting down the fucking necros than be in a meeting discussing them and their damn dead puppets. He just wasn’t meant to be sitting in a conference room. He was more of a get your hands dirty type of vampire.

Toma glanced around the large conference room that was located deep in the Olaru mansion’s basement. Not only were his brothers Adrian, Teague and Nicu present but the rest of their local team of warriors were currently seated around the conference table. Viktor, Ronin, Khalid, Gadiel and Phaelyn, the only female member, made up the rest of their unit.

Viktor, an old vampire around six hundred years old, loved his swords. He was a wise vampire with a long scar that ran down the left side of his face. No one knew how he got the scar considering vampires tend to heal rapidly. He had been a loyal member of the Dark Shadows for centuries.

Ronin, an Italian vampire, was a man of few words but fierce and loved his daggers. He was a beast in hand-to-hand combat and had admitted to having a need to look in his opponent’s eyes as they died. He was extremely deadly in battle and Toma was damn glad that Ronin was on their side.

Khalid, a four hundred and twenty five year old vampire who hailed from the Middle East loved his cross bow. His skills with a crossbow were unmatched by anyone. His long range shooting with his modified bow was the stuff a person would definitely write home about.

Gadiel and Phaelyn were both from the Olaru’s old country of Romania. Both were the youngest of the group. Gadiel, a three hundred year old vampire was a master hunter. There was nothing that this vampire could not track down and find.

Phaelyn was the only turned vampire on the team. She was once human and was kidnapped, beaten and left for dead until Nadira found her and due to their friendship, turned Phaelyn into a vampire a little over two hundred years ago. Phaelyn had sworn to serve the Olaru family and protect the vampire nation ever since. She was a deadly warrior with her sword and had proven herself time and time again to be a loyal fighter for the Dark Shadows.

“The versi was walking on west Fourth Street. I was trailing him when—” Ronin was cut off by the shrill sound of a telephone. Everyone in the room reached for their own, but it was Nicu who answered his phone.

“Cooper,” Nicu answered quickly, with a scowl.

Detective Zac Cooper, was the mate of the youngest Olaru sibling, Nadira, that none of the brothers at first approved. The Fates had determined that the once human detective, now turned vampire, was made for their sister and she for him.

Nadira fought them in order to be with her mate. A month ago the necromancers had kidnapped Cooper and tortured him within in an inch of his human life. Nadira, at the prompting of their mother, the queen, turned him into a vampire in order to save him. Once the change took, he exhibited signs of an alpha vampire. He immediately had the strength and control of a seasoned vampire.

Toma and his brothers were coming around to accepting the new vampire into the family. Cooper loved their sister, was very protective of her and made her happy. If he made one wrong move, Cooper knew that he would have four deadly vampires after him who wouldn’t hesitate ending him.

Toma and his brothers had always been very defensive and guarded of their only sister and for good reason too. Recently the necromancers had set Nadira in their sights. The necromancer king wanted Nadira and his son Xalak to mate in order to join the two feuding races. They were now at war because their father, the king of vampires refused to use his daughter as a pawn.

“You’ve got to be shitting me!” Nicu growled as he continued to listen.

The room drew silent as all eyes turned towards the Dark Shadows leader. Tension filled the room as everyone waited for Nicu. He disconnected the call.

“The necros have attacked again. That was Cooper calling to tell us that Nadira’s best friend Anika was attacked and she’s currently in the hospital,” Nicu announced to the room.

Curses filled the room as Toma’s chest tightened with a feeling he was not used to experiencing.

Fear.

Anika Massey, his little sister’s best friend was the curvy, light-brown skinned woman that had haunted his dreams since the first night Nadira introduced them. Never in a million years would he act on the feelings that he had for Anika.

She was the complete opposite of Toma. She was outgoing, feisty, always smiling and a constant flirt. Because of these strong feelings for her, he had avoided her at all cost. There were a few reasons why he could not pursue her.

She’s his little sister’s best friend
.

She’s human.

And she was his mate.