Shades Beneath (Shattered Souls Book 1)

by Chrissy Jaye

I woke up slowly, relishing the warmth around me and burrowed into someone’s side. The scent of sandalwood filled my nose, telling me the body beside me was Asher. Arms I hadn’t noticed before tightened around me, pulling back into another body.

  My eyes popped open when I felt his erection pressing into my back.

  Fuck… I was naked again. Seriously, fuck you, Universe.

  I attempted to shimmy my way out of the arms around me, unsure of whether it was Cole or Ford. I could hear their steady breathing in the dim room. It wasn’t quite daylight out, but it would be soon.

  Asher grunted when my elbow accidentally hit him in the chin. I stilled, frozen in place, willing them both to stay asleep until I could get out of the bed and find clothes. Let them think they woke up naked together without me.

  “Going somewhere, Gorgeous?” a sleep riddled voice asked as their breath on the back of my neck made me shiver. Cole chuckled before releasing me. “It’s probably for the best, seeing as we’re without clothes. Probably Asher too. You’ve been naughty in your sleep.” I scrambled out of the bed, trusting the lack of light to hide my private bits, which I knew were probably as scarlet as the rest of me.

  Just as I reached the end of the bed, I heard a groan. “Are we naked again?” Asher asked.

  “Yes, Brother. Aria seems to prefer us in the nude when we sleep. She was even dreaming about ravaging us a few hours ago and our clothes went poof.”

  Really? Did he just say poof?

  “I did not!”

  “Yes, I did indeed say poof. And yes, you did. I can’t lie.” Cole chuckled at me. I heard an impact, the sound of flesh meeting flesh before Cole grunted in pain.

  “Stop embarrassing her and give her a sheet so she can get dressed, Ass.”

  Once Cole handed over the sheet, still warm from his body, I wrapped it around myself and bolted for the door, almost running nose first into Bastian poised to knock.

  “Sorry,” I squeaked, willing him to move out of the way. He stood there for a few moments with his mouth gaping and as his eyes roamed my body from head to toe. I made a shooing motion and after a second, he seemed to realize what I wanted.

  I darted around him as soon as there was enough room, heading toward the Maker’s room, determined to break the door down if I had too. I had magic, I’d figure it out. I didn’t need to though because just as I passed his room, Ford’s door opened, and he stepped into the hall with the sexiest bedhead I’d ever seen.

  “Clothes, now!” I snapped at him. His eyes narrowed for a second at my commanding tone, but he held his palm out as it began to shimmer, and the tingles of magic wrapped around me before fabric took its place. The sheet dropped to the floor as I looked down and smiled. He’d dressed me in a long-knit sweater the color of sand and a pair of charcoal leggings with prints of roses on it. “Thank you!” I leaned forward on the tips of my toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He nodded, and I stormed away, determinedly not look at the guys in my borrowed bedroom as I passed. It didn’t matter, they laughed anyway. I halted in mid-step and backtracked to the open doorway and flipped them the bird.

  Assholes.

  In the kitchen, I searched all over for a coffee maker. It had been almost a week since I’d had any and after waking up naked – again – and last night, I needed it. Badly. Or else someone was going to get murdered. Garrold would make a good victim. I could already feel his creepy cat eyes on me as I tore the kitchen apart. Esper was there too and I just knew her gaze was shrewd.

  Fuck it. I wasn’t changing clothes.

  I turned toward the cabinet over the kitchen bar, which put Esper directly in my line of sight. Sure enough, she sat perched on the arm of the couch staring daggers at my outfit. Her lip was curled up in distaste. Even the flowers in her hair were snapping toward me, ready to tear into me for my fashion sense.

  Just as she opened her mouth to challenge me, Ford appeared at her side and cut her a hard glare and bent down to talk to her quietly. I couldn’t hear what they said, but her ruby eyes flashed with displeasure. He said something else to her before straightening up and headed toward me.

  “What are you looking for?” He asked, coming into the kitchen proper then leaned one hip against the counter as I was just about to climb to search the higher shelves.

  Seriously, who had shelves this high?

  “Coffee,” I muttered darkly, one leg already on the counter as I pushed myself upward. Ford leaned forward and plucked me off, wrapping me in his arms.

  “I’m so glad I can do this now,” he said into my hair as he smushed my face into his bulging pectorals. I inhaled his scent, smelling something crisp, like fresh rain and something else that added spice to it. I tilted my chin up to look at him, gaging how serious he was being but didn’t get a chance. His face swooped down to press a tender kiss to my lips that staggered me and filled me with want. “Good morning, Babe. Look behind you.”

  Reluctantly, I turned in the circle of his arms and spotted a steaming mug sitting on the counter. Without leaving his arms, I bent forward and snatched it from the counter to inspect it. It was full of coffee, tinted chocolate brown. I took a sip of it and moaned into the mug as I did. Ford went ridged behind me, but I didn’t spare him a thought, already lost in my delicious, specially conjured coffee. It even had my favorite creamer in it. When I moaned again, louder than the first, he released me. I spun around to face him, surprised. His cheeks were tinted red and he refused to meet my gaze.

  “You okay?” I asked. He didn’t answer. “Thanks for the coffee by the way. You’re my hero today.” And every day. But I didn’t say that. His blush deepened, filling my stomach with butterflies. Sweet, sweet, butterflies that made me feel light as air.

  I’d made him blush. Me. It was a new feeling, knowing that I could have that type of power over someone. And he’d kissed me. Not once, but twice now. I was so happy, I could see myself skipping around the house for the rest of the day.

  All those feelings died in my chest the moment Cole, Asher, and Bastian appeared at the foot of the stairs. I almost dropped my coffee – the weight of guilt crushed me. What was I going to do about my attraction to all of them? It wasn’t normal to have feelings for more than one person without being a labeled a slut or worse.

  I turned away from them as they approached, trying to push it all away, but it was too present in my mind. It got worse when Cole swooped down on me, turning my face to his to plant a lingering kiss on my lips. My brain stuttered to a halt as I enjoyed the sensation of his lips pressed to mine. I leaned into it without thinking as his mouth slanted over mine, deepening the kiss.

  When he pulled away, I snapped back to reality, my gaze darting to the four men around me. None of them looked upset. Ford even gave Cole a friendly grin.

  What was happening here?

  I couldn’t deal with it. Not yet. I grabbed onto my next biggest priority which brought a whole new wave of guilt. Mia and Aunty. Did that make me a terrible person? To let myself get so distracted by the guys that I kept forgetting they were missing? I think it did.

  Without turning toward, them, I spoke. “I need to find my family. And I think I might have an idea of where to start. None of you will like it.”

  I’d been trapped inside the house for days while the guys took the lead on the search for them. I didn’t want to do that anymore. I needed my family too much. Not to take care of me, not anymore. I had a feeling I wouldn’t need them so much from now on. No, what I needed was to know my loved ones were safe. I needed to see them, to hold them, and mesh my two lives together. Whatever that new life was, anyway.

  I knew that Ford was the one who did most of the searching for them, but he wasn’t having much luck. Cole spent most of his time entertaining me and when he was busy, I played shadow to Bastian in the library. I wasn’t sure what Asher did when he wasn’t around, but I got the impression that he was sort of in charge around here. Well, next to Esper, whom it seemed everyone went to with issues. No one said it outright t
hough, so I wasn’t sure.

  I looked at Asher to gage his mood, but his face was impassive. When I couldn’t figure him out, I turned my gaze to each of them; the same stoic expression was on each of their faces. I sighed and decided to reveal the new memories I’d acquired from my trip to the well last night.

  “I know about the well. I remember it,” I said, cutting my eyes to Asher briefly, remembering how we’d almost kissed there. “And I’ve met Bea.”

  My eyes drifted to Cole when he winced. There was something about me mentioning her he didn’t like. He’d have to get used to it though because we were sort of a package deal. They still just stared at me with hard eyes. It made me cower inside, but outwardly, I straightened my spine. Fine, they weren’t going to say anything. That was just fine by me. I had plenty to say.

  “When I woke up in that motel, all I had was my purse, a few pill bottles, and a key for a locker in Maine.” I paused, working through my thoughts. I didn’t know why it hadn’t struck me before. Bea always did crazy things when she was in control, but I had a feeling, after meeting her, that she did everything with purpose. Nothing she did was wasted or without reason. “I think she was leaving me a clue. A place for me to start, only I was too freaked out to figure it out before now.”

  My voice trembled and stuttered out. Every word felt like an epiphany that left you feeling stupid. But they also felt right in my gut and I always followed my intuition.

  “You want to go there?” Cole asked, his eyes narrowing as he spoke.

  “Absolutely not,” Bastian spit out. “We’re not taking her out there. Over my dead body.” His outburst shocked me. I knew he cared about me, but he was vehemently against my leaving.

  Irritation welled up in me. “Yes, I am,” I stated firmly. “I know something is after me. I’m not stupid, but we need to find that locker.” No one spoke again. It was becoming a theme where they didn’t speak, and it was annoying me to no end.

  “No,” Asher said quietly. “There’s a way to do this without you leaving the house. We can’t risk it.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Asher and Ford had left several hours ago, and I was becoming impatient for them to return. I was still angry that they hadn’t taken me with them, but once Asher had put his foot down, everyone else agreed with him and there was no getting them to budge.

  “Stop pacing. It won’t make waiting go any faster,” Cole said from his bed. He was reclined back against the headboard, his eyes following my movements like a cat. We’d retreated here, which was a near replica of the room I’d been sleeping in. In fact, almost every room used for sleeping was identical to the others.

  “It doesn’t make it go any slower, either,” I snapped back at him as I worried my lip between my fingers.

  I kept going over what we’d done before they left, still trying to puzzle out how they’d managed it. From what I gathered from the bits and pieces they’d been able to get out before choking on their own lungs, the Lord of Shadows had sort of done us a favor, in a way. He’d been trying to tamper with my mind, making me open to his influence. It had allowed Bea and I to sort of link up, but not in a direct way.

  With Cole and Asher’s help, they’d sort of accessed some memories of hers, telling them where to go and what to find. It was a confusing mess for me because none of it made sense. The only thing I could relate it to were the flashes I’d had in the ritual circle before something had attacked me. With just a word from Asher, a torrent of memories I didn’t own, came rushing forward in a jumble. To me it had been overwhelming, bordering on terrifying. Blaring sounds, unfamiliar scents, and disjointed conversations with strangers.

  The worst part of it had been the emotions that came with them. It had been too familiar to what I’d been experiencing the past few days. The emotions had shifted so swiftly, from jealousy to rage to protective in the span of seconds. And one that still made me shudder to think about—I was pretty sure that Bea had murdered someone and not for the first time either.

  And while I’d been in a flashback horror show, Cole had used his talent to sort through them and come up with a chain of events starting from the night Bea and I had switched to just before I came to in that motel.

  It had not been an easy journey for Bea at all. What sent the whole thing into motion was actually my fault. I’d fallen asleep in the tub after taking those sleeping pills and almost drowned. She came forward just in time to keep me alive and then slipped into a rage when she discovered what I’d done. She not only got rid of the pills, but had a merry time smashing them to bits on the counter with a meat cleaver and then washed the dust down the drain. I’d been right about the empty bottles being a message for me.

  Ford confirmed it by telling me just how bad things could have turned out. It was a known side effect for people with talent to become unstable— there were records dating back to the Fourth Century when Alchemy came into fashion. Fae under the influence had disastrous effects, from leveling entire cities to making the skies rain fire. Needless to say, I was never taking drugs of any kind again.

  After her rage passed and Mia didn’t come home, Bea realized that something was very wrong and decided she needed to hide me. It wasn’t that simple though. It was more than just hiding me, she wanted to fix me somehow and she needed something that had been hidden away. All I saw of it was a flash of blue trapped inside a warped glass. Before Bea could get to it though, we were attacked openly in broad daylight by that shadowed monster with the purple eyes. The rest was a blur of motion, like someone had hit fast forward until I was myself again.

  It didn’t explain everything, but it did sort of make sense. I didn’t like discovering that I’d almost killed myself by doing something so stupid as falling asleep in the bathtub. What I did know though was Bea was sort of a badass with a chilling temper.

  “Come here,” Cole commanded, motioning for me to join him on the bed. I hesitated for a moment, still dissecting what I could from what had happened to me. He motioned to me again, his eyes growing hard, telling me that I could either join him willingly or he’d just drag me over. I sat on the edge of the bed, still a bundle of nerves. It wasn’t good enough for Cole because no sooner had I settled, he latched onto my arm and pulled me down beside him, turning us both on our sides so we were eye to eye.

  So close to him, I had a chance to examine the pigment of his eyes. They were a startling shade of emerald green with thin black streaks and flecks of darker green in them. He blinked slowly, reading my thoughts, brushing his perfectly curled lashes against his cheeks before opening them again.

  He was so beautiful.

  He chuckled, clearly able to follow my train of thought.

  I needed to get shielded. Eventually.

  It happened in a flash, in the second it took to think he was beautiful to wanting to be shielded, his lips pressed against mine. One moment, I’d been gazing into his eyes and the next, he was pressing me back into the pillow, his body looming over me, his lips greedy and demanding on mine. I gasped into his mouth in surprise, giving him access to my tongue. His lips slanted on mine, deepening our kiss as our tongues danced together, making heat swell between us.

  I felt his hand slide up my stomach, resting just above my belly button. I sighed into him at his touch. Encouraged, he moved his hand higher, his fingers tickling along my ribs, leaving trails of liquid fire in his wake. My arms came up automatically to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer. One hand twined in his hair while the other trailed along his shoulder, feeling the rigid lines of his muscles. When his hand moved higher still, almost cupping one of my breasts, my nails bit into his skin.

  “Tell me if you want me to stop,” he mumbled against my lips, the sensation making my body pulse with need.

  I couldn’t have spoken if I’d wanted to, so I just shook my head. It was all he needed before his thumb brushed across the peak of my nipple outside my bra. I shuddered and moaned softly into him. His lips trailed from my mouth, along my jaw to my nec
k where he laved me with his tongue. The ache between my legs scorched higher as his teeth nipped my neck before he soothed it with his mouth. All the while, his hand kept caressing my breasts until I was practically mewling.

  “Oh God,” I moaned when ever so gently, he bit down with his teeth, giving the bite just enough pressure to be painful but not overwhelming. I didn’t know something so simple could cause so much sensation. When he bit down again, I shuddered harder against him. So hard, I thought I might shatter.

  “You like that, huh?” he asked, his voice husky and teasing. Fuck, he was going to kill me, and he hadn’t even gotten to my more intimate parts.

  Abruptly he sat up, pulling me with him. “Tell me what you want,” he said as he nipped at my lip before my shirt was pulled over my head. Next, he unclasped my bra, hesitating before he removed it. When he didn’t do it fast enough, I arched into him, giving him my permission as I reclaimed his mouth with mine.

  “You.” It was all I could get out in the onslaught.

  I wanted him. I didn’t know how far it would go, but I wanted something to happen. Not because I needed to forget how stressed I was, but because I cared for Cole, even if I didn’t know him that well yet. No one had ever touched me like he was before. Not even I could replicate the want that was growing inside me.

  Cold air hit my breasts, making my nipples pebble. He ripped his mouth away from mine to lay me back down before he started kissing the skin around them. Then he slowly sucked one into his mouth while he rolled the other in his fingers.

  He trailed kisses up and down my torso, starting at my breasts moving to my collarbone and then back down to my belly. The entire time I lay shaking, uncertain of what to do with myself. My arms rested around his shoulders, kneading them with my fingers.

  “Nothing. You don’t have to do anything,” he said, his breath fanning over my exposed abdomen, raising goosebumps all along my arms. “Just relax.”

  I couldn’t. Not with the ache between my legs. I was going to combust if I didn’t find some relief soon.