Vampire's Mate Read online

  Vampire’s Mate

  Guardians

  Valerie Twombly

  Copyright © 2013 by Valerie Twombly

  Editing by: JRT Editing

  Cover by: Original Syn

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 978-1-7326306-0-4

  Print ISBN: 978-1-7326306-1-1

  2nd Edition

  Created with Vellum

  Dedication

  For my fans. Thank you for sticking with me.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  About the Author

  Also by Valerie Twombly

  Introduction

  Vampire Guardian, Marcus Dagotto is sworn to safeguard humanity. With the death of his mate, and a curse that will soon catapult him into bloodlust, he focuses on protecting his king and surviving each day. When the gods interfere, it’s never a good thing and this time they destine him a new mate. He tries to resist the woman fated to be his, but when she ends up in trouble, instinct demands he protect her.

  * * *

  In the darkness, she may be the sliver of light that will save his soul.

  * * *

  After the love of Cassandra Jensen’s life ditches her at the altar, she swears off men forever. But when a sexy stranger visits her nightly dreams and seduction plays a starring role, she reconsiders her current situation. Problem is, he’s a figment of her wild imagination, at least until he steps into her life for real. His world is full of things that go bump in the night, and something evil is coming to claim him. To protect herself means losing him. To save him will mean the ultimate sacrifice.

  * * *

  A single kiss will change her life forever.

  Prologue

  1712

  Tears stung Marcus’s cheeks when he raised his sword. “I am so sorry, love. I have failed you. It should be I who dies this day.”

  Eliza’s cocoa eyes looked at him but didn’t see him. Dead inside, her soul lost. She would never again be the woman he loved. He sucked in a breath and flexed his arms, the sword swung, slicing across her neck. The blade tore through sinew and bone and sent her head rolling across the stone floor. Reality nearly sent him to his knees, but there wasn’t time to mourn the death of his mate. The fighting outside echoed in his ears, the demons were strong and put up one hell of a fight.

  Marcus advanced down the corridor of the abandoned castle. The scene played out the same in every direction. Blood bathed the floors, and his brethren’s heartsick screams echoed off the walls as they killed their mates. A demon jumped out from behind a door. Its claws tearing the flesh on Marcus’s arm. He wielded his sword and sent another head flying across the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a Draki dispatching another demon. The shifter, a friend who also searched for his mate. Not even the dragons were immune to Drayos and his fucking misery.

  The dragon turned his head. “Be careful, my friend. My brethren will soon be setting this place on fire.” Caleb’s cerulean body shimmered as he shifted back to human form.

  “Have you found your mate yet?” Marcus asked as he searched the adjoining room. Empty.

  “Not yet, you?”

  He stepped beside his friend. “I killed her.”

  Caleb laid a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry, my friend. Drayos will die for what he has done.”

  Marcus nodded and moved forward in his search for the demon Drayos. He opened up the psychic path leading to his prince. Aidyn.

  Marcus, did you find my sister?

  He closed his eyes, so many hearts broken today. She is dead, I am sorry, my lord.

  I will kill Drayos with my bare hands.

  Aidyn had already lost his brother and father in this battle. The prince’s pain ripped through Marcus and there was no doubt the other guardians felt it. It was a blessing and a curse to be connected to each other. He tried to pinpoint Aidyn’s position, but something blocked him.

  Aidyn, where are you? Do not engage Drayos.

  The prince would die as well if he tried to kill the Demon Overlord. Aidyn was far too young; his two hundred years were no match against a thousand-year-old demon.

  He took our women, used them to carry his spawn. He has killed everyone I love.

  With weary muscles, Marcus took the stairs. He stormed from room to room, kicking in locked doors only to find them empty. I know, my lord, and he will pay, but it is not wise for you to confront him. He knew Aidyn wouldn’t listen. Perhaps the gods would help.

  “Zarek!” Marcus summoned the god. Nothing. No surprise. After all, the gods could have stepped in and saved the women, but they had all been left to fate. Fuck fate, he was sick to death of it.

  The sound of clashing swords filtered in from the hallway. He flashed into the room, not caring what he stumbled across. His vision filled with Aidyn and Drayos, they were face to face.

  Drayos had morphed into a full demon and stood at least three feet taller than Aidyn. Blood seeped from the wounds that covered the demons blackened skin. Marcus tried to run toward them but found himself behind an invisible barrier. “What the fuck?”

  He balled his hands and banged on the wall. “Aidyn!” The prince ignored him. Marcus was stuck, helpless as he watched the events unfold in front of him. Thoughts of telling Daria, his queen, she had lost her entire family in this battle sat like a balled-up knot in his stomach. He pressed his palms against his prison. Aidyn, my friend, I can’t bear another loss today.

  The air behind him shifted, a cool breeze lifted his hair. He looked over his shoulder and found Zarek towering over him in a Scottish kilt rather than his beloved Egyptian shendyt. His raven hair held a beaded braid on one side. So this is why he ignores us? He is busy playing dress-up with the goddess Quadira.

  “Get me out of here!” Marcus demanded.

  “You will not interfere, my son.”

  Marcus growled, his fangs elongated and he wanted blood. Yes, he would take the blood of his god if it ended the pain and suffering of his brethren. “You would let the prince die?” He tried to lunge toward Zarek but found his feet pinned to the floor. You are our creator, we your warriors. Why would you do this to us?

  Zarek gave him a leveled gaze. “What makes you think the prince will die this day?”

  Marcus looked back toward the fight. Aidyn had lost his sword; a small dagger was clutched in his hand. Both the demon and the vampire bore bloody wounds. Turning back to Zarek, Marcus dropped to his knees, he would beg the god if he had to. “The prince is too young to fight one as strong as Drayos. Send me in his place...please.” He was three hundred years older than Aidyn and could defeat the demon. “We have lost so much today.” Death haunted him like a fucking plague. He was a healer, but to
day, he healed no one. The anguished cries of his brethren still echoed in his ears. They had slain their mates, and then turned on each other to end their misery. Marcus would like to end his suffering as well, but he would continue on, his skills needed.

  Zarek laid a hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “I am sorry, my son, for all the pain you will encounter this day. However, today must shape the future.” With those words, he vanished.

  The future? Aidyn was their future, the line that tied them all together. They all hoped the prince would persuade the gods to find a cure for the curse Drayos had placed upon them. The curse would devour them, creating an imbalance that darkened their souls. When Zarek created his vampires, he used light and dark, good and evil. The light fueled the guardian of humanity, the darkness the warrior. A perfect balance, but once Drayos’s curse took full effect, the light faded, the darkness turned them into pure evil destined to destroy everything in their path. Not even the humans they guarded would be safe.

  He jumped to his feet but found the shield still erected around him. Aidyn’s body lie still on the floor, and Drayos stood over him, sword poised for the fatal blow. Marcus beat on the invisible wall. “Aidyn!” He sucked in a breath, his heart trapped in a vice that squeezed the life out of him. He could do nothing but watch his prince die. A tear slid down his cheek for the death of his mate, his brethren and now his prince, his best friend. I am no guardian. I am a failure. I have failed them all.

  Drayos swung his sword. Everything moved in slow motion as Marcus waited for the blade to connect with Aidyn’s neck. Lightning sizzled from the sky and sent debris flying in different directions. The room crumbled around them as the earth shook. Drayos’s head rolled across the floor. Marcus sensed the shield that encased him drop, and he rushed forward to where Aidyn now stood.

  “What the hell just happened? Are you all right?” Marcus asked.

  “I am not exactly sure. I think I caused the lightning.”

  “You?” Marcus looked over at the prince, his pants torn and his shirt missing. Dust from the debris covered bleeding wounds. There was something different about the prince. He appeared stronger. Marcus noticed a dark marking on Aidyn’s chest and reached out to wipe away the dirt so he could get a better look. “Sweet deity!” He jumped back.

  “What?” Aidyn looked at his chest, his jaw dropped. “I never felt it.”

  Like many of the other guardians, Aidyn had been given his mark. An indication of his position and abilities. Marcus bore the Ankh, a pair of angel wings spread out over the top. The ancient symbol meant life or living. A healer, able to repair the sick or injured with his energy. Now, the naked skin over Aidyn’s left breast bore the mark chosen by the gods. The eye of Ra, the symbol of protection and power, sat atop a pyramid encased by a blazing sun. This could only mean...

  Marcus.

  His thoughts interrupted by the almost unrecognizable voice. Father?

  Come to me, son.

  Aidyn touched his shoulder. “I am fine, let us go help your father.”

  Together they flashed to the location his father communicated. When Marcus arrived, his father was on his knees holding the bloody, headless body of his wife, Marcus’s mother. His sword lay beside him covered in blood. Marcus knew what had happened. His mother’s belly was heavy with child. Drayos’s demon spawn had been growing inside her, and like the other women, her soul had darkened. There was no cure. Marcus had tried to heal Eliza, but it had proved fruitless. Like him, his father had taken the head of the woman he loved.

  “Father.” Marcus knelt next to the frail man and placed an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in tight. “I am so very sorry.” Tears welled in his eyes, he refused them escape. He would remain strong for the man beside him.

  His father looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. “You will do the honorable thing.”

  Marcus closed his eyes, again. He would have to mourn later. “Yes,” he whispered. How much more destruction could he take before he crumbled? Somewhere, he would find the strength needed to end his father’s misery and begin his own.

  “Take care of your sister.” It was the last command his father would ever give him.

  “I will. I love you.” He kissed the man on the cheek then stood, his sword flashed through the smoke-filled sky and sliced through his father’s neck. Marcus dropped to his knees, the heartache so severe he nearly passed out. His lungs contracted as he screamed to the heavens. Another failure, so many broken hearts he was unable to heal. Why couldn’t he heal the broken hearts?

  Strong arms circled him from behind and held him tight. “I have you, my friend,” Aidyn whispered.

  Chapter One

  Current time

  “When do you suppose the bastard will show up?” Marcus asked, tired of waiting. He and Baal had staked out the stucco house for weeks, waiting for the ring leaders to show. They’d even rented a house across the street and worked in shifts. He’d just sent Garin and Lucan home for the night when Baal arrived.

  The demon beside him stared out the curtained window before turning to answer. “My sources think it will be soon.”

  “I sure the hell hope so. I’m ready to burn that fucking hole to the ground.” He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. While they waited for the man in charge to show his face, the girls were paraded up and down the sidewalk like cheap streetwalkers. His jaw clenched so hard he thought his fangs would snap. Marcus wanted to move the women to safety, but they were forced to wait. If they showed their hand now, they might never catch the slave traders who were busy kidnapping Kothar demons to use in the prostitution market.

  Baal’s back went rigid. “That’s a human woman.”

  Marcus’s frame shadowed the window in two steps. “Damn it.” Sure enough, there was a petite blonde, wearing a skin-tight red dress and heels to match being escorted down the sidewalk. Her shoulders slumped, and her head hung low. She looked to be either American or European. Her looks stood out considering they were in the middle of bum-fuck Egypt, literally. He had no idea humans were being taken and sold into slavery as well. “I take back my previous comment. Before I burn the house down, I will gut every one of the motherfuckers responsible. I may even heal them then gut them again for fun.”

  Baal slapped him on the back. “I will enjoy helping you.”

  Marcus didn’t doubt it. Baal was a Kothar demon, and his younger sister Lileta had gone missing years ago. Hell, she might even be in the very house they staked out. He felt a twinge of pain in the center of his forehead. What the hell? He reached up and rubbed his temples.

  Baal gave him a look of concern. “What’s wrong? I didn’t think vampires got headaches.”

  “We don’t.”

  Marcus, I need you...now! Shit, his prince’s voice slammed into his brain.

  “I have to go. Aidyn is calling me. Something’s wrong,” Marcus said.

  “Do you need my assistance?”

  “No, stay here and watch that house. I’ll send reinforcements as soon as I can.” Before Baal could respond, Marcus flashed from the house to a remote location in the desert. He hadn’t dared open a portal to Vandeldor back at the house. The demons in the area would sense it and run.

  When he arrived in the forests of Vandeldor, storm clouds boiled in the sky. “Aidyn?” Debris flew at his face, causing him to squint. Movement caught his attention, and he ran toward it. When he drew closer, he realized Aidyn sat on the ground, cradling his mother, the queen, in his lap.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “She was attacked. You need to heal her,” Aidyn replied.

  “Attacked by whom?” Her neck was nearly sliced clean through, and blood pooled under her head. Your majesty, who did this to you?

  Odage.

  Marcus placed his palms on her neck, and energy flowed through his fingertips. Within seconds, her wound closed. He moved his hands down to her abdomen, searching for internal injuries. Oh gods! How could this happen?

  He bowed his head. “I am s
orry, my lady.” He stood and looked at Aidyn. “There is nothing else I can do. Her life force has been taken. She will die.” It was the only thing besides beheading that would kill an immortal. He touched the prince’s shoulder. “Make your goodbyes quick.”

  Daria’s hand trembled when she reached up to touch Aidyn’s cheek. “Aidyn,” she whispered. “It is time for you to take the crown and become king.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I sense darkness descending upon the world. Evil not seen for many centuries will close in around you. Stay true to your course, my son.”

  Her gaze moved to Marcus. “Marcus, move closer to me.” Her voice hardly a whisper.

  He knelt next to her and gently grasped her hand. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

  “You are like a brother to Aidyn. Promise you will stand by him.” The once vibrant woman, who held the guardians together through a war with Drayos, now looked weak and fragile. Visions of his own father shifted through his memories. Moisture caught in the corner of his eye as he bent to kiss her hand. “I swear it on my life.”

  Daria turned back to Aidyn. “I love you, son. May the gods have mercy on you.” She grew silent and her eyes slid shut.

  The queen was dead.

  Aidyn kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Mother.” Marcus reached out and gripped Aidyn’s shoulders as the new king wept over his mother’s body.