Marina's Awakening (Seduced By Shadows Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Man, you really need to work on your aim,” Drake teases, nudging me with his elbow as we step out of the bar and head toward his car.

I chuckle, shaking my head. ”Says the guy who scratched on the eight ball.”

Drake snorts. ”You got lucky.”

”Maybe next time,” I reply with a smirk, pulling out my phone to check for any messages, secretly hoping for something from Marina telling me she misses me and asking when I”ll be back. Instead, a text from Charles pops up, and my blood runs cold as I read it.

”What”s up?” Drake asks, catching the change in my expression.

”It”s Charles,” I say, my voice tight. ”He”s got Marina. Says if I want her to live, I need to meet him at this old factory complex, the one your guys discovered as their stronghold. Says if I want to see her alive, I have to go alone.” I show Drake the screen, and he scowls. My stomach twists into knots as I stare down at the words. What was I thinking, leaving her side?

Drake”s grin vanishes instantly, and he snatches the phone from my hand, his eyes scanning the message with an intensity that could scorch skin. After a moment, he hands it back to me.

”That bloody bastard,” he mutters, fury burning in his gaze. ”He has to know I wouldn”t let him take a member of my clan without coming for him.”

”No,” I snap. ”I have to go alone. It says─”

”That”s not happening,” he interrupts. His voice is so full of conviction that I nearly flinch away from it. He”s normally so calm and composed, but now there”s a fiery rage brewing beneath his exterior—one that”s bound to explode at any moment. ”It would be suicide.”

”Drake...”

”No, Gabriel,” he insists. ”Long before she became... whatever it is she”s become to you, she was a member of my clan. My family. Just because they turned her human doesn”t mean we stop caring for her.”

I run a hand through my hair, trying to keep my composure. ”But what if─”

He holds up his hands to cut me off. ”I summoned the rest of our clan to Emily”s place already, anyway. They were supposed to help us attack the Extractors. Now that”s just been moved up, that”s all. They should be at Emily”s by now.”

My jaw clenches tight, and I resist the urge to punch a nearby wall. He took her. That arrogant, prejudiced prick took her, and the truth is, I stand no chance against Charles and his thugs without the vampires” help. Drake”s right. I need them.

”All right,” I concede with a deep breath. ”Let”s go get some backup, then.”

We take off and sprint through the parking lot to Drake”s car. Once we”re both inside, we peel out of the parking lot, heading for Emily”s house. The drive doesn”t even last five minutes but it feels like an eternity as I silently curse myself over and over for letting Marina slip away from me in the first place. I was so entranced at the idea of bonding with her clan leader that I let my excitement cloud my judgment. If I had just insisted on staying with her... maybe she wouldn”t be gone right now.

Drake glances over at me, his brow creasing with concern. ”We”re going to get her back, Gabriel,” he says quietly. He doesn”t sound certain, though, and it leaves a cold pit in the bottom of my stomach.

We barely have time to set foot in Emily”s living room before a woman with blonde hair and vampire-trademark bright blue eyes strides into the foyer. ”Everyone is waiting in the living room. What”s going on?”

Drake doesn”t respond as he takes her hand and tugs her forward. I follow, and when I step into the living room, three more vampires are seated on the couch.

”Everyone, this is Gabriel,” Drake announces, gesturing to me. ”Gabriel, meet Lola, my wife.” He nods toward the woman whose hand he”s still holding. ”Simon, our tech guy.” He indicates the young man with the laptop on his lap, and Marlon.” His hand gestures toward the bespectacled man holding a notebook to his chest.

Lola steps away from her husband, her eyes assessing me from head to toe before offering a nod of acknowledgment. ”Nice to meet you,” she says. ”Wish it were under better circumstances.”

Simon”s gaze is already back on his laptop, and his fingers are flying over the keys. He gives me a brief nod, his attention clearly divided between his work and our conversation. ”Hey,” he says, his voice distracted but not unfriendly.

Marlon pushes his glasses up his nose. ”Hello,” he says, his voice a touch hesitant but polite. ”Always good to meet a new face, even if the situation could be better.”

Drake turns back to me, his expression serious. ”All right, Gabriel, fill them in.”

I recount the details of the text message from Charles, the chilling threat, and the equally chilling realization that we”re running out of time.

Lola crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing as she listens. Simon”s fingers slow on the keyboard as his attention shifts fully to the situation now. Marlon”s pen pauses over his notebook, the scratching sound ceasing as his jaw falls opens.

”So, what”s the plan?” Lola asks, breaking the silence that follows my explanation.

”I know we expected we”d have more time, but we need to hit the Extractors” stronghold,” Drake says. ”We can”t leave Marina there with those animals.”

A low growl rumbles in my throat at the thought of her being subjected to any harm by Charles and his crew, but I push it down, refusing to let myself lose my focus. My hand clenches into a fist, the nails digging painfully into the skin. I do my best to stay calm, but it doesn”t help much. Every second wasted is another chance for Charles to hurt her—to kill her even. The rage within me is building quickly as I think about everything he”s done up until now, and how this could be my fault.

Simon glances at his screen again. ”Any intel on their defenses? Security systems, guards?”

”Emily”s crew has been looking into all that. I”ll see if she has any new information,” Drake explains.

Marlon pushes his glasses up his nose again. ”I”ve actually been in touch with them a bit. Using the information they gave me, I”ve been working on some algorithms that could help us pinpoint potential weak spots in their security. If I could just get a little more data...”

”I’ll see to it you get whatever my men have,” Emily announces from the connecting kitchen doorway. I jump at the sound of her voice. When did she get here? ”If you”re going after the Extractors, you”re going to need more than just your clan, Drake. These guys are big time. We need to move together, just as we planned.”

Drake”s eyes meet hers, and for a moment, they communicate without words. A shared understanding of what”s at stake, of the line we”re about to cross.

”I understand,” Drake acknowledges, ”but we can”t afford to wait. Charles won”t give us the time.”

”It won”t take me long to get my clan together. We”re not sitting this one out.”

Drake hesitates for only a moment before nodding. ”Fine,” he says, the word heavy with finality. ”But we strike tonight. No more delays.”

This is it, the moment we”ve been dreading and preparing for, all rolled into one.

Simon snaps his laptop shut with a decisive click, the action a physical embodiment of our collective resolve. Marlon tucks his notebook under his arm, his glasses glinting in the room”s soft light as he straightens up. They”re ready, itching to do this thing. Lola watches silently from her husband”s side, but even she has the same intensity blazing behind her eyes.

”Gabriel,” Emily calls to me, ”may I have a word with you in private?”

I swallow hard, nodding before following her into the kitchen. We stand face-to-face for a long moment. My hands tremble at my sides, my heart pounding like mad inside my chest. I just want to get to Marina.

”Marina...” I start, my voice breaking on her name. I run a hand through my hair, unable to meet her gaze. ”If anything happens to her—”

My throat tightens around the words, making it nearly impossible to continue speaking. A part of me still doesn”t quite believe this is real. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, willing myself to regain control over my emotions. I know that right now isn”t the time for panic. Panic won”t help Marina, if I want to do what”s best for her.

”I need to tell you something, and I”m not going to lie to you, Gabriel, but this is going to be difficult to hear.” Emily meets my gaze with a grave expression, and I feel another surge of panic bubble up inside me.

”Just say it,” I urge her, trying to keep the desperation from my voice. I have to know how bad it is. ”Whatever it is.”

Emily nods, taking a deep breath as she hesitates. She lets out a long sigh before beginning. ”Marina”s pregnant.”

For a moment, everything around me seems frozen in place—the clock ticking on the wall, the lights flickering above us, even the air itself holding its breath. It feels like time has stopped, and yet somehow still moving at the same time. The ground seems to tilt beneath my feet, making me feel as if I might fall over. I”m stunned and struggling to breath, and I have to grab onto the kitchen chair to keep from falling over.

”What?” The word barely escapes my lips, and Emily nods, her eyes filled with sympathy as she watches me struggle to wrap my mind around this revelation.

”She planned on telling you when you got back from your outing with Drake. I think it”s important you understand what is truly at stake here. It”s not just Marina”s life that”s in danger, Gabriel.”

Pregnant? Marina”s carrying our child? A thousand thoughts race through my mind—fear, disbelief, and an overwhelming rush of protectiveness. Charles has her, and now our unborn child is in danger too. That can”t happen. It just can”t. This all feels unreal, as if some twisted nightmare is spiraling out of control.

”I need to get her out of there,” I say, my voice low but resolute. The urgency doubles, no, triples. Every second counts now.

”We”ll do everything we can to make sure she”s safe,” she promises.

My grip tightens on the edge of the chair, my knuckles whitening. ”I can”t lose her, Emily. Not her, not our child.”

”You won”t,” she assures me, her voice steady. ”We”re in this together, and we”ll fight tooth and nail to bring Marina—and your child—back home safely.”

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The weight of responsibility settles heavily on my shoulders, but it also sharpens my focus. No more doubts, no more hesitations. I have a family to protect, and nothing—absolutely nothing—will stand in my way.

”Let”s do this,” I say, my voice firming with newfound resolve. ”Let”s bring them home.”