Toma (The Dark Shadows Book 2) (14 page)

“
W
hat is the plan
?” Adrian asked as they stormed out of the king’s office. They had just left a meeting with their father who was being stubborn as hell and pissing Nicu off. They had been discussing the latest news pertaining to Rowena Frost.

“We’re going to go ahead and beef up security around mother and father. I don’t care what father says. Rowena is going to come after them. They are the reason she was imprisoned,” Nicu snapped. “Teague, I’m going to need you to take a trip.”

“Not a problem,” Teague nodded.

“I have an idea and I need you to go speak with one of our allies who we haven’t had to call on for a while,” Nicu said. “Someone who will want to see Rowena dead as much as we do.”

His patience was running on the thin side. The king was refusing all of his suggestions of keeping him and their mother safe. He was refusing to let them put them somewhere else until they could hunt the witch down.

The necromancers were in an uproar about the death of their prince. King Sodan had declared war officially on the vampires and had put a bounty on Nicu’s head for killing Xalak.

“We are going to continue to do our job. The Dark Shadows will continue to fight against rogues, necromancers and versi.” He paused outside his office, turning to his brothers. “We have a new target on our radar and she’s one of the most powerful witches ever. We need to get a handle on her.
Now
. There is no telling what she will get into.”

“No one has seen her in over five hundred years,” Adrian said. “There is no telling what she looks like now. We can’t even question the guards from the prison since Xalak killed them all.”

“I’m sure we can ask one person who will listen to us and tell us what we want,” Teague said as they walked into the room. He shut the door and looked at his brothers.

“Who?” Nicu and Adrian asked at the same time.

“Our mother.”

N
ever in all
of his four hundred years, would Teague Olaru had thought that his brother would trust him on an ambassador mission. Not just any mission, but a mission to speak with one of the most revered vampire allies, the valkyries.

Alone
.

As the youngest son of Vladimir Olaru, the vampire king, Teague has fought right alongside his older brothers as members of the Dark Shadows, vampire warriors that have sworn to give their lives to protect the vampire nation.

He had been waiting for the chance to be able to show them that he could be taken seriously and maybe one day fulfill his dream to lead his own team of vampire warriors. That day was now here. Currently, he was meeting with his brothers Nicu, Toma and Adrian in Nicu’s office.

“Aven has agreed to help with your passage to Aphadore,” Nicu said, speaking of the strong fae, who has helped them several times in their fight against the necromancers.

Nicu, the eldest of the Olaru offspring and commander of the Dark Shadows, sat back in his chair and crossed his feet on top of his desk. His notorious scowl was in place. “You will meet with Queen Sira. I trust that you will be on your best behavior.”

Teague tried to hold back rolling his eyes, but he failed. “Of course, do you think I would fuck this up? I know how important this is.”

“It’s not that I think you will fuck it up. I just want to make sure that you are taking this seriously,” Nicu snapped, his unwavering ice blue eyes stared across the room at Teague.

He bit his tongue to hold back the response he wanted to say, but he didn’t want to chance Nicu changing his mind and giving the assignment to his other brother Adrian. He knew right now that Nicu wouldn’t be sending Toma on a mission to another realm since Toma just completed the mating bond with his fated mate, Anika, a couple of weeks ago.

He still couldn’t believe that Toma had kept Anika being his mate a secret for years. It wasn’t until the necromancers, vampires’ mortal enemies, had turned their attention on Anika that Toma had lost his control.

The necromancers had reappeared suddenly a few months ago after disappearing a half a century ago. They have been on a mission to destroy the vampires with a vengeance. Until recently, it was unknown why the necromancers were after their sister Nadira. It wasn’t until the necromancers captured Anika, that they learned that Xalak, the son of the necromancer king, was after Nadira’s memories.

Teague laughed on the inside. He guessed Toma keeping his love for Anika a secret was no worse than him teaching their baby sister, Nadira, to fight. His brothers almost tore him a new one after Nadira showcased her fighting skills in order to save her mate Cooper.

Teague had thought he would have to take a stake to his own heart, at the look on Nicu’s face when Nadira showed up on the battlefield brandishing the twin swords that Teague had bought her. In the end, it had worked out, Nadira had helped save not only the life of her mate, Cooper, but that of her best friend Anika, also.

“You’re sending him alone?” Toma asked from his corner of the office.

“Sira will be a little more welcoming if only one of us went to see her. If I send a group, she may take it as a threat,” Nicu answered. “You have to remember, men are rare in Aphadore.”

“We need her on our side,” Adrian added from the couch. “Once she hears that Rowena has been freed, she won’t hesitate to honor the long standing agreement between vampires and valkyries.”

“Men are rare?” Teague asked confused, finding all of his brothers turning to stare at him. How can there be a realm with only women. Really? This mission was turning out to sound better than he could have imagined.

“Please tell me you know something about our ally?” Adrian groaned, his head falling back on the couch.

“Of course I do,” Teague rushed. He made a mental note to rush to the royal library once he left this meeting. His knowledge of the valkyries consisted almost nothing.

“Valkyries are one of the most fiercest warriors in history.” Toma said, his eyes narrowed on Teague. “It is said that they answer directly to the God Adros, the God of all deities.”

“I can handle this,” Teague said, a smile spreading across his face as he looked around his brothers. “You know the ladies love me.”

“Well, I’m glad that you seem to have a way with the ladies,” Nicu said wryly. “But I’m going to tell you this once. Your hands are to remain to yourself.”

“Why?” he asked confused. Nicu had never got involved with his private life before.

“These warriors are all virgins.”

F
irst
, I would like to thank God for giving me this gift of story telling. All things are possible because of
Him
.

To my husband, William, thank you. Your continued support and love mean so much to me.

To my children, Jalen, Paige and Taylor, you all make mommy so proud. I just love hearing your ideas for my future books. We’ll have to make them work out one day!

To all of my family and friends, who supported me, thank you! It means the world to me!

To my editor, Debbie, thank you so much! To my betas, keep your kindles charged, there is more to come! To my proofer, Misty, thanks again girlie!

Last but not least, my readers, you didn’t have to choose my book to read but you did! I hope you enjoy the characters and stories that continue to tumble out of this brain of mine!

~Until Next Time~

Ariel Marie

A
riel Marie fell
in love with books at an early age. She can remember her first favorite book. She read the book so many times that it fell apart and she was devastated! Fast-forward thirty something years later, Ariel now writes books she hopes readers will fall in love with and read over and over. Paranormal romance is her favorite genre. Who doesn’t love Shifters, Witches, Faes and all the other paranormals? She just loves writing about couple’s first meeting, the magnetism of when their eyes first meet and the first kiss! Her favorite part of writing paranormals is creating the world that the characters live in. 

She married her high school sweetheart. Together, they are raising three beautiful children. When she's not writing or reading, she loves spending time with her husband and three munchkins.  She loves cooking and baking! She's always trying new recipes!

Find Ariel Marie online!

• @the_arielmarie
  
• authorarielmarie
  

T
he Dark Shadows Series

Princess

Toma

Teague (Coming 2016)

Adrian (TBD)

Nicu (TBD)

T
he Mirrored Prophecy Series

Power of the Fae

Fight for the Fae

Future of the Fae (Coming Soon)