ShadowsofNight (23 page)

Shit, the old “I’m your commanding officer” card.
Technically,
he was now. If she was going to be a part of this coven, and he led it, she had
to serve. All the air went out of her sails. “Crystal.” She gave a sharp nod.

“Good.” He motioned for Dane, Christian and the others to
follow.

“I’ll be back.” Christian squeezed Emma’s hand just before
he made eye contact with Conner. Something passed between them. What were they
planning?

She was irritated that Christian didn’t go to bat for her
but she knew how it worked. Marcus was in charge. She was just going to have to
deal with it. Emma walked over to the window and looked out.

“Who do you think this messenger is?” Emma asked.

“No clue.” Lena shrugged.

“I’m surprised Marcus made you stay behind.” Emma turned to
face her.

“He probably wants me to keep an eye on
you
.” She
smiled.

“Aren’t you curious?” Emma glanced out the window again.

“Of course I am. But Dorian is very dangerous and a lot’s at
stake here.”

“I feel a strange pull—like there’s a connection between me
and the female messenger. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m losing it,” Emma whispered,
placing her hands on the glass.

“Are you sure?” Lena sounded troubled.

“Yes. Is that normal?” She glanced over her shoulder at
Lena. The pull was growing stronger. It was a strange sensation, one that tried
to draw her to its source.

“A connection like that only happens if you’re bonded in
some way or they’re your creator. We always sense our kind. But there isn’t
usually a draw like you’re describing.”

“She’s nervous. I sense pain and indecision.” Emma closed
her eyes. “Do you think we could watch from a safe distance? I want to see if
what I’m picturing in my mind is real.”

“What do you see?”

“She resembles me.” Emma’s eyes fluttered open and her heart
was racing.

“I don’t know. We should to stay here…”

“I have to
know
, Lena. We can keep a safe distance.”
Emma was feeling more anxious by the second. Who was this stranger who
resembled her and why was she with the likes of Dorian?

“Marcus isn’t going to be pleased with me. Let’s go.”

“So I hear your mate was once some kind of secret operative.
Sounds like you have your hands full with that one,” Dane commented as they
walked toward the gates.

“It hasn’t been easy. She’s fiercely independent and
struggles with following my lead.” Christian sighed.

“My female struggles too. We come from a different time, you
and me; when men led and women followed. It’s not that way anymore and even
though centuries have passed, our principles still remain,” Dane replied.

“I supposed you may be right. Don’t tell me
your
mate
is ex-military?” Christian laughed. Their conversation seemed to flow
naturally, no strain like earlier. They used to share like this all the time.
But that relationship was a distant memory.

“Nah, she’s just stubborn. Doesn’t trust easily, but I guess
neither do I.” A dark expression clouded his face.

“Well, Emma
is
ex-military. She wants to fight right
alongside me. I understand. It still scares the hell out of me though.”

“What’s her training?”

“She belonged to a special forces unit of sorts. She went on
missions her government wanted to keep under the radar. I guess vampires fall
into the category of highly classified targets.”

“She targeted you?” Dane raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Her government sent her undercover to spy on Voss
International. She couldn’t get a job at our U.S. location so they sent her to
London instead. I met her after she managed to get hired as my assistant. I
should have taken her out when I discovered the truth. But fate had other plans
for us. Love can do weird shit to your brain.”

“So you mean to tell me your mate used to be a spy? Shit,
and I thought
I
had it bad.” Dane stared at him with a shocked
expression.

“Crazy, huh?” He shrugged. No use sugarcoating it. The truth
wasn’t a pleasant picture but he wouldn’t change any of it because it had led them
to each other.

“The whole carnal instinct thing, recognizing our fated
mate, is still hard to wrap one’s mind around. It’s a powerful attraction.”

“Yes, it is. But it’s more than that now. I love her, man.”

“I’m happy for you, brother.” Dane had a faraway look in his
eyes, as if he was contemplating his own fate.

“Thanks. And you, what’s going on?” His brother wasn’t
sharing any details.

“I don’t know what to do. I’m still angry. I love her—it’s
hard. Trust doesn’t come easy with me. I guess I’m still hung up because of my
past.” He rubbed his hands down his face, clearly divided inside.

“My advice—you need to ask yourself if she’s worth it.
Either she is or she isn’t. Once you know the answer to that question, the
decision to stay and work it out or leave for good will become clear. But the
pain—man, that’s a whole other issue you’re going to have to deal with. I don’t
envy you that.”

“It’s not pleasant.” Dane grimaced.

“I’ll bet. You should try to work it out.”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot that’s happened.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Christian offered.

“Another time, perhaps.” Dane had always been guarded with
women. Hopefully, whatever the issues were, they’d work it out.

The woods up ahead were eerily quiet. The moon shone above,
casting its eerie glow on everything.

“No stars out tonight,” Christian commented as Roman
materialized as if on cue alongside Marcus, with several of his guards as well.

“No, there’re none—perfect night for an ambush.” Dane pulled
a blade from the sheath strapped to his leg.

“Do you sense something?” Christian didn’t feel anything,
just the calm of a frigid night.

“No, just playing it safe.” He gripped the blade, poised to
strike at the first sign of danger as they crossed through the gates.

“I thought the messenger was at the gate?”

“She’s just beyond,” Marcus replied. He didn’t elaborate.

They left the gravel path and made their way through the
low-lying grass toward the trees up ahead. Christian hated to admit he was glad
Emma wasn’t accompanying them outside the coven’s compound. Instincts were a
bitch to overcome, but there it was.

“You never said what your female did to break your trust.”
Christian tried again to unravel the reason his brother needed space. The act
of walking away from Emma even for this short time made him edgy. How his
brother could stand being away from his mate meant something really bad must’ve
happened.

“She lied to me. Put others’ lives at terrible risk. Not
once, but
twice
. I can’t be with someone I don’t trust. I really don’t
want to talk about it.” He stabbed his hand through his hair in obvious
discomfort over his predicament.

“Deception can be tough.” He knew the feeling firsthand. It
was best to back off on this one, he thought, sensing his brother’s pain.
Besides, even after everything Emma had done, in the end it didn’t matter. He
still couldn’t stay away. The draw to her was too powerful, and he was sure
Dane would discover the same with his mate.

“You’re more forgiving than me. I don’t think I could get
past the kind of betrayal your mate has committed. But maybe that’s the
problem. I’m not very forgiving. Something I need to work on, I guess. Women
can be such frustrating creatures.”

“You’re telling me,” Christian muttered. No truer words were
ever spoken. Frustrating wasn’t even the half of it.

“There she is.” Dane pointed at the female standing near a
fallen tree in the distance, her white, billowy dress flapping in the breeze.
She was of slight stature, with long black hair twisted up in a sweep of curls
piled on top of her head and stunning green eyes that watched their approach.
Her pale face and skin almost glowed in the mist that surrounded her.

“She doesn’t look like a warrior.” No fear or reservations,
just calm resolve was what Christian sensed from her, and nothing more. Her
heartbeat was steady and elevated only slightly as they drew closer. She was a
beautiful creature—with a resemblance to his Em, which he found a little
disturbing. Emma didn’t have any siblings that he was aware of, though her past
was still shrouded, and he couldn’t get over the fact this female closely
resembled his love. It was also obvious she was immortal, but there was something
else about her that Christian couldn’t put his finger on.

“Stay alert,” Marcus said to his men. Roman nodded and they
spread out, watching their surroundings for any potential ambush. They stopped a
few feet away.

“My lady.” Marcus bowed. The woman curtsied slightly,
lowering her head in response. “My name is Marcus Alterus. You’re here on
Dorian’s behalf, I presume? What is his message?” he asked, not wasting time
with pleasantries.

“No message from Dorian. I’ve come of my own accord,” she
replied. “Thank you for giving me audience.”

Marcus glanced at Roman. “What’s your business here, then?”

“I’ve come to ask a favor of you.”

“What kind of favor?”

“You’re the leader of this coven, are you not?”

“I am.” Marcus’ brows drew together. “What is your request?”

“I’ve come to ask for protection. I need refuge. Dorian
doesn’t know I’ve fled his coven and I fear his repercussions. Please,” she
took a step forward, “will you help me?”

“If sanctuary is what you seek, then of course, my lady,”
Marcus replied.

What had Dorian done to warrant her defection? Christian
wondered. Probably nothing good, was his guess. Not surprising. The mystery
deepened as Christian listened to her exchange with Marcus.

“If I may ask, who are you to Dorian?”

“I was once his lover.” She never made eye contact, keeping
her head down as she spoke.

“I see. So you’ve decided to leave because…” Marcus must’ve
sensed something was off too. Females were usually unfailingly loyal to the
vampires they cared about.

“He will never want me because of the other woman he seeks.”

“You love him.” Marcus watched her carefully.

“Yes…”

Christian felt sorry for any female who had the misfortune
of falling for that callous bastard.

“He wasn’t always evil. There was kindness in him before he
became obsessed with finding Emma.” She lifted her chin, tears welling in her
lovely eyes.

“Tell me your name,” Marcus asked.

“I am called Petrina.”

“Well, Petrina, of course you are more than welcome to stay
with my coven and remain under my protection. However, until I can determine
that you are no threat, you will not be allowed to wander the compound and will
be kept under guard for the time being.”

“I did not leave one prison to enter another.”

“And I didn’t start this fight with Dorian. But I do intend
to finish it. Now that you have sought my refuge, I imagine the situation will
become even more precarious.”

“I guess I have no choice but to accept your terms.” Pain was
etched in the depths of her eyes. She looked almost tortured. This turn of
events was troubling to Christian.

Why would she come here if she still loved him?

“I’m sorry, my lady, but those are my conditions.”

“Dorian is not who you perceive him to be.”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be standing here.”

“Perhaps you’re right, and I’m still caught in the past—in
love with the man he once was.”

“He’ll kill you for betraying him. You understand that you
cannot leave here if you wish to live?” Marcus regarded her.

“True. Though I don’t really matter. He’ll come for the
girl—that’s all he wants.”

“Over my dead body,” Christian snarled, taking a step
forward.

Dane grabbed his arm to hold him back. “Don’t. Let Marcus
handle this.”

“Sorry, brother, but that’s not going to happen,” Christian
replied, his temper ready to get the best of him.

“I meant no disrespect to you. Are you her mate? I sense
your love for her.” Petrina blinked and took another step back.

“None taken, I’m just stating fact.” Christian’s gaze
searched as he stared into her eyes. He doubted he’d ever make sense of this
strange female. How could she be in love with a male who wanted another? The
whole situation made his blood boil with rage.

“All that you’ve learned about your mate isn’t true. Her
origin…everything is not what it seems. Yes, Dorian is obsessed, I know. But he’s
not evil.”

“If that’s true, why don’t you fill in the blanks for us?”
Emma asked, appearing in the clearing with Lena.

Marcus cursed under his breath, clearly not happy Emma and
his mate had disobeyed his order to wait at the compound.

“Emma!” Petrina breathed, her expression both one of concern
and something Christian couldn’t make out for sure. Was it fear?

“Have we met?”

“A long time ago. You’ve grown into a beautiful woman. I’m
not surprised my love favors you.” Her expression saddened.

“I’d say you made a bad choice when it comes to Dorian.” She
placed her hands on her hips.

“You don’t know him like I do.” Petrina frowned.

“Yeah, and I don’t want to get to know him either. The only
up-close-and-personal I want with Dorian Dracus is when I’m driving a stake
through his black heart.” She took a step forward.

Christian traced to Emma and grabbed her hand. “Marcus told
you to wait at the compound,” he whispered.

“I know this woman. I don’t know how, but I do.” She glanced
up at him.

“I’m glad you’re here, Emma. We haven’t seen each other
since you were quite small,” Petrina continued.

“Small…? I’ve never met you in person before.” Emma turned
toward the female in the flowing white dress.

“You were taken from our people when you were an infant.”

“I was taken by whom?” Emma felt nauseous, sensing truth in
her words.

“Anna Lisa, your nursemaid, took you. But I’ve already said
too much. I-I shouldn’t have come, this was a mistake.” Petrina tried to trace
but found she couldn’t. “I can’t trace.”

“That’s because I’m preventing it,” Marcus replied. “Sorry,
but your presence has created more questions than answers. And since you are
technically not a messenger, rite of passage does not apply here.”

“You can’t do this!” She struggled as Roman seized her.

“I can and I will. You made the choice to come here. No one
forced you. Roman, please escort our guest to the lower cells where we house
female prisoners,” Marcus ordered.

“Yes, my lord.” Roman bowed.

“No…”

“Female, fight me and you’ll die. Don’t think for one moment
that I’ll hesitate turning you into a pile of ash.”

Petrina bowed her head. “I will not protest.”

Roman led her through the gates and they disappeared from
view.

“What was that all about?” Christian grabbed Emma before she
could follow.

“I-I don’t know. I have to speak with her though.” Emma’s
mind was reeling. Who was this woman and how the hell did she know her? Was
this another trick? It had to be.

The night air cooled, sending an icy chill through her.
Something in her gut told her she wasn’t going to like the answers she sought.

“Marcus, there’s a connection between these two females. I
don’t know what’s going on but I decided it was worth the risk.”

“Not your call to make, Lena.” Marcus frowned at her.

“Forgive me, my lord.” She lowered her eyes.

“We’ll discuss this inside the compound. Hurry, I sense
trouble brewing and I don’t want any more surprises. Let’s go,” Marcus replied.

They all traced inside the mansion and both women followed
Marcus into his study. Christian walked in behind them and closed the door. He
didn’t stand by her side. Instead he remained by the door. It was just as well.
There was no need for him to defend her and she appreciated him letting her
handle it.

“I’m concerned that you’re unwilling to follow my orders,
and now you’ve somehow convinced my mate to follow along. What do you have to
say about this?” He leaned against his mahogany desk and crossed his arms over
his massive chest, clearly frustrated as he regarded her.