Teague (The Dark Shadows Book 3) Read online

  Teague

  The Dark Shadows 3

  Ariel Marie

  Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Before you begin

  Teague

  1. Chapter One

  2. Chapter Two

  3. Chapter Three

  4. Chapter Four

  5. Chapter Five

  6. Chapter Six

  7. Chapter Seven

  8. Chapter Eight

  9. Chapter Nine

  10. Chapter Ten

  11. Chapter Eleven

  12. Chapter Twelve

  13. Chapter Thirteen

  14. Chapter Fourteen

  15. Chapter Fifteen

  16. Chapter Sixteen

  17. Chapter Seventeen

  18. Chapter Eighteen

  19. Chapter Nineteen

  20. Chapter Twenty

  21. Chapter Twenty One

  22. Chapter Twenty Two

  23. Chapter Twenty Three

  24. Chapter Twenty Four

  25. Chapter Twenty Five

  26. Chapter Twenty Six

  Sneak Peek

  Adrian

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Ariel Marie

  Copyright © 2016 by Ariel Marie

  Cover Design by Natasha Snow

  Editor: Sue Soares

  This 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.

  All 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.

  ISBN: 978-0-9963263-9-1

  Created with Vellum

  To my children who have asked to read my books.

  No.

  Maybe when you’re 18.

  Maybe not even then.

  Love,

  Mom

  WARNING: 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…

  Teague

  The Dark Shadows 3

  By Ariel Marie

  Chapter One

  ~Teague~

  Never in all of his four hundred years, would Teague Olaru have 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.

  As the youngest son of Vladimir Olaru, the vampire king, Teague had fought right alongside his 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 show that he could be taken serious, 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 instinctive 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 he just completed the mating bond with his fated mate, Anika, a couple of weeks ago.

  He still couldn’t believe that Toma had managed to keep Anika’s status as his mate a secret for years. It wasn’t until the necromancers, vampire’s 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 had 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 Nadira to fight. His brothers almost tore him a new one after Nadira showcased her fighting skills to save her mate Cooper.

  Teague thought he would have had 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 ever 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 hurry over to the royal library once he left this meeting.

  “Valkyries are among the fiercest warriors in history,” Toma said, his eyes narrowing 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. “But I’m going to tell you once, your hands are to remain to yourself.”

  “Why?” he asked confused. Nicu had never gotten involved in his private life before. Why would he start now?

  “These warriors are all virgins.”

  * * *

  ~Bella~

  “Yield!” Arabella Kaldana stared down at the young female warrior who thought to challenge her today. Each day at the end of training, a valkyrie warrior in training would challenge the seasoned warrior and each day the challengers would find themselves pinned by Bella’s sword.

  “Not bad, Geisha,” Bella said, pulling her sword away from the females’ nose, and placing it in the sheath on her back. “Your form was better this time, and your timing has improved. You give too much away in your eyes. They give away your next move as if you were yelling out what you would do next.” She helped the warrior up from the ground.

  “That goes
for all of you,” she said, looking around the training field. “Erase your emotion from your face. You do not want to broadcast what your next move will be. This is one mistake that I guarantee will prove costly.”

  She looked around taking in the thirty-or-so trainees of all stages who had gathered to watch the demonstration.

  “And since none of you have yet to beat me, you know what that means,” she said with a small smile as the sounds of groans filled the air. “Katri, do you mind?” she asked as she walked towards her team of fellow seasoned warriors who stood by the fence observing as well.

  “Don’t mind at all,” Katri said, walking past Bella towards the trainees. “Ok, ladies, hit the suicide track!”

  “Are you ever going to let one of them beat you?” Ulrika asked with a smirk as they all watched the trainees jog in formation in the direction of the suicide track.

  “Why would I do that?” Bella asked, turning her eyes towards her longtime team member and friend.

  Ulrika’s green eyes twinkled as she held in a laugh. Kitt and Saida both snickered, holding in their laughter too.

  “Oh, I don’t know, boost morale of the new recruits?” she said. Bella could tell Ulrika was trying not to laugh. “You know it would help them, if they thought that they could beat you?”

  “Bella never lets anyone beat her,” Viva said jumping down from her perch on the fence.

  “Letting them beat me does not teach them anything,” Bella said as they began walking back towards Starford Keep, the large castle that had been in her family for generations. She sighed internally as a sense of pride filled her chest as she gazed upon her home.

  “A win in battle should be earned, not handed to you,” her team said in unison. She stopped to stare at them all, before a wide grin spread across her face.

  “You do listen!” They laughed as they made their way to the courtyard, just as their twin suns began to set.

  The courtyard was one of Bella’s favorite places to relax. It was picturesque in nature with a large central fountain surrounded with overflowing flower gardens The atmosphere here was always peaceful, in total contrast to the life of a valkyrie warrior that was filled with pain and death. She would come down here, and sit on one of the benches while she watched young children running around the fountain, begging their mothers to allow them to make a wish.

  “Bella!” a young voice yelled out, causing her to look up at one of the open windows.

  “Yes, Cassia?” she yelled out, looking at the ten-year-old, with long blonde pigtails, practically hanging out of an open window on the second floor.

  “The queen says for you to hurry and get cleaned up. Her guest from the human realm will be here soon!” the young servant girl hollered.

  “Thank you, Cassia.”

  They all quickened their pace through the courtyard.

  “Who is she meeting with?” Kitt asked as they entered the building.

  “A vampire,” Bella said, leading the way to their living quarters. “They are here to call on the assistance of the valkyries.”

  Chapter Two

  ~Teague~

  “My father and mother send their regards, Your Grace.” Teague nodded to Queen Sira.

  His trip to the realm of Aphadore had been smoother than he thought it would have been. It had been years since he had left his home realm. Aven had opened a portal that left him arriving near the town of Starford, with directions on how to reach the town on foot. Thankfully, it was dark in this new realm when he arrived and he quickly jogged the few miles into town.

  As a vampire, he was at his strongest at night. Before leaving his home, he made sure he had fed, not knowing if he would have another opportunity once he reached Starford.

  Vampires were not as they were portrayed in human movies and television shows. Most of what the humans believed was truly myths. Vampires could go out in sunlight; it weakened them but did not cause them to spontaneously combust into flames as humans had portrayed.

  Garlic didn’t do a damn thing; crucifixes did not harm them, and could be found in many vampires’ homes who believed in a higher power. The one vampire myth that had Teague laughing for hours was that of sparkly vampires. He still couldn’t get that image out of his mind from that one human vampire movie.

  Among the few things that the humans did get right, were the methods of killing a vampire. Wooden stakes to the heart was definitely a sure way to kill a vampire along with beheading and starving them from a fresh supply of blood.

  “It is always a pleasure to host an Olaru,” the queen said from her chair in the solarium.

  When Teague arrived at the manor, he was taken aback by the old world charm on the outside but the modern day spin on the inside. A few hours in this realm and he had yet to come across another male. He had witnessed plenty of children running around the town and even a pregnant woman or two but still no males.

  “Your family and ours have been allies for centuries,” she said, turning her steel gray eyes toward him. The queen, beautiful as she was regal, had a cold glint in her eyes that led him to believe that he was being judged by every word that came out of his mouth. “Why after all of these years are you seeking us out?”

  “Well,” Teague started, leaning forward in his chair. “I’m not sure how much you have kept track of what is going on in—”

  “Oh my, where are my manners,” the queen exclaimed, cutting him off, with a small smile. “Before we talk business, I should have offered you a drink. I wouldn’t be a good host if I didn’t provide you with substance that you are able to ingest since you are unable to have food.” She picked up a small bell and rang it a few times. “I’m sure your trip was long and taxing on you.”

  “That would be lovely,” he said, thinking a glass of warmed blood would do him a world of good right now and help calm his nerves.

  He couldn’t afford to mess this up. If he failed, there was no telling if Nicu would trust him again with another important mission. The vampire nation needed the valkyrie in this fight against the necromancers and the black magic witch. Teague was damn sure that he would not leave this realm without the valkyries pledging their help in the war.

  A minute later, the double doors opened and two beautiful women, dressed in floor-length white Greek-inspired gowns entered the room with serving trays. The first one that entered the room kept her eyes pointed to the floor as she walked toward the queen. The moment he laid his eyes on the second one, he instantly felt as if someone had clamped down on his esophagus, squeezing it, cutting off his air supply.

  Her golden-tan skin glowed against the whiteness of her dress. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back. Teague’s eyes roamed greedily, taking in her curves, from the large swell of her plump breast to her hips that the dress emphasized perfectly, making his mouth water.

  She looked up and her gray eyes met his and he knew he was a goner. She was the one. The one he had been waiting his long vampire lifetime to find.

  “Warmed blood for you,” she said quickly, looking away. She kneeled at his feet, displaying the tray to him. On the tray sat a silver teakettle and a mug. The aroma of blood reached his nostrils, causing his gums to burn from his fangs strained to descend.

  “Yes, please,” his voice was hoarse as he watched her set the tray on the table and pour his drink. She handed the mug to him and remained kneeling at his feet. He took a sip of the blood, finding it warmed to the perfect temperature and even his favorite type, O positive.

  He glanced over at the queen, finding the other female in the same position. He glanced back at the woman at his feet, noting the silkiness of her hair and fighting the urge to run his fingers through her hair.

  “Now,” the queen said after taking a sip of her drink. “Where were we?”

  “We were speaking of what is going on in the Terra realm,” he said, clearing his throat, his attention captivated by the female at his feet.

  “You seem to also have some questions, Prince Teague,” the queen said wi
th a smile, leaning back in her chair. “Go ahead, ask away. Let’s clear the air, so to speak.”

  He was taken aback by the request. He would have thought that she would have wanted to get right down to business. The queen and his mother were longtime friends. Maybe she just wanted him to be comfortable in her presence since he was here to ask her warriors to jump into the war between the vampires and necromancers.

  “I have to admit that I don’t know everything about you and your kind,” he began, thankful that she opened the door to questions first. “Where are the men? I see children but no men. Who provides protection?”

  “Men? Do you think we need men to keep us safe, Prince Teague?” the queen asked, her left eyebrow raised.

  He didn’t know how to answer that and didn’t want to insult the queen, but a slight stinging prick at his neck had him looking down. The once meek-looking servant at his feet now had an extremely large dagger pressed to his neck. Her gray eyes narrowed on him and he had no idea where the hell she had stashed that knife on her person before pulling it out.

  “See, that is the mistake you and every male make when you come to our lands,” the queen snapped, getting up from her chair and walking over to wall of glass that overlooked a garden.

  “You all assume that only men can keep a woman safe. We are valkyrie, the fiercest warriors of any realm and believe me, there are many other uses for men. Safety is the last thing we need a man for. One thing I can tell you is that we love the pleasures a man can give us.”

  “Ok,” he growled, staring at the gray-eyed beauty. “I get your point. Now, can you call off your female to remove the knife from my throat before someone gets hurt?”

  “The only person who is at risk of getting hurt is you,” the gray-eyed female said softly, a small smile graced her lips but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her hand remained steady as she pressed the dagger against his neck. He felt a small drop of his own blood slowly slide down his neck. His eyes locked on hers, daring her to make a move.