Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Adkins, Heather Marie

  “Thanks.” She tried to stay away from him.

  “Wait a minute,” he demanded, his gaze whipping toward her.

  “What?” She paused, a bag of potato chips against her chest.

  “You’re wearing nothing.”

  She scoffed. “I have a towel on.”

  “And nothing beneath it. Where are your clothes?”

  “I couldn’t stand to have them on again. Just give me a couple more minutes and I’ll get changed. I’d think by now you’d be used to living with a woman and not take offense to one when she gets out of the shower.”

  “It’s not offense I take.”

  The gruffness of his syllables turned her attention to him. She found his eyes on her. Wandering from her ankles and legs to her clavicle and back down.

  “What are you looking at?” she asked softly.

  “Nothing. I’m drinking you in. Wondering.”

  “Stop wondering.”

  Still, her heart began to pound and her thoughts slow. Warm. There was something about the way he was looking at her. Like he wanted to eat her. Or murder her, whichever came first. She hoped it was the former rather than the latter. The heat of his attention caused the world to shrink around them. Recede until it was only the two of them and the frantic pulse of her heart.

  “What? A man is allowed certain thoughts,” Oriel murmured.

  “Not when it comes to me. Or this situation,” Georgia responded. “You need to stop looking at me like that. And besides, I thought you said your belly was bothering you.”

  “It isn’t anymore.” He crossed the room to her and leaned forward.

  “I don’t know why you’re looking at me.” She turned her neck to the side, kept her gave averted when everything in her screamed for his touch. For him to draw her in, breathe in deeply, bite her neck and make her his. “There are better things to do than look at me.”

  “I can’t think of a one.”

  “What about everything that happened today?”

  “I don’t want to think about it…”

  She had long since stopped wondering where those heated thoughts came from.

  “Do you mind if I touch you then, Georgia?” he asked. Vulnerable. Sensual.

  It would be foolish to say yes. Yet it was all she could think about. The rest of the world began to fade again, as it did so often with him, and she felt herself leaning closer, her breasts straining against the towel. “I…don’t mind.”

  Oriel took hold of her, bringing her back against his chest, his nose buried in her hair. She lost the ability to breathe. Her lungs seized and every bit of moisture in her mouth turned to ash. Closing her eyes against the sensation, she let him tug her closer still until her curves fit neatly against him.

  Click.

  It was two puzzle pieces clicking into place. Then she forgot all about the romantic notion. Forgot who and where and what she was because he was touching her. Those large calloused fingertips were trailing fire down her sternum, between her breasts, down to her belly button and lower. She felt it through the towel like a sizzle.

  “What are you doing to me?” she said under her breath. She arched against him, thrusting her breasts forward for his perusal. Her head tilted back on a moan.

  “Whatever you want me to do,” he replied with equal softness. His fingers lingering near the waistband of her bands before shifting to her hips.

  Bumps burst to life on her flesh and she shivered. “I’ve never had anyone touch me the way you do.”

  Oriel chuckled. The sound rumbled through her body, igniting long-dead parts. “You can’t honestly expect me to believe you still have your V card. A beautiful woman like you?”

  She swiveled around and smacked him lightly across the chest. “You know what I mean.” Her hand dropped to his shoulder. Without squeezing she felt the muscles there. The strength that went deeper than his skin. The strength giving him a spine of steel.

  “I think I do.”

  “You touch me as though you want me. Like my pleasure means more to you than your own.” Rising on her tiptoes, her mouth grazed against his. “Why?”

  “You shouldn’t need to ask. You should just know.”

  “Are you planning on enlightening me?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I’m planning on showing you.”

  He swept her off her feet with a howl and carried her to the bed. Georgia barely had time to wrap her limbs around him before he set her down. Looming over her with an indescribable look in his eyes.

  Then his mouth was on her. Devouring her. Bringing her into his body until she was no longer in control of her own. The front of her towel slid open and the cool air churning from the air condition brought her nipples to peaks. When Oriel reached forward, he let his hand fall on her chest, working his way up until he captured her nipple. The weight there was heavy and solid. Firm in a way she knew extended to more than just his hand or his arm. It was him.

  “Wait,” she said without thinking. “This isn’t right.”

  “I think it’s exactly right.”

  “There are things about me I haven’t told you.”

  “I know the important things. I know what a hard worker you are when you set your mind to it.” He punctuated the statement with a kiss. “I know you are sweet and disarming when you let your guard down. I know you fight like hell for things you believe in, even if you did kill my raven.”

  She shook her head. “You need to stop. You can’t talk to me like that.”

  “Like what.”

  “Like you…you know. Like me.”

  “But I do like you.” He pointed down to his pants. “I think it’s pretty obvious.”

  She slapped him on the shoulder. “Which is why I need you to wait. And give me a little space so I can think. My brain switches off when you’re this close.”

  Instead of forcing the issue, as plenty of men she’d known in the past, Oriel took a step in the opposite direction even though it cost him. His hands fisted at his sides and he gnawed the inside of his lip. “Now that you have your breathing room, you mind telling me what’s going on.”

  “I’m not who you think I am.”

  “Oh?”

  “Don’t look at me like you think it’s cute.” She pointed a finger at him in warning, her eyes narrowing. “It’s not cute at all. It’s…it’s dastardly.”

  He swallowed a chuckle. “You’re dastardly? Maybe when it comes to throwing cold water on a good time.”

  “Please, I want to talk to you. Come sit down next to me. not too close,” she warned.

  “Hey,” he began when she turned her face away. “what’s wrong? Was it something I did?”

  No, it wasn’t him at all. It was her. But how could she tell him without it coming out wrong?

  There was no way. Because what she’d done was wrong. Everything about her was wrong, wrong, wrong.

  “I think it’s time I tell you the truth.”

  “Why do I get the feeling this is one conversation I’m not going to enjoy?”

  She wiped beneath her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “The set was plagued with issues from the start. I was working on a project for a made for television movie about …well, it doesn’t matter. There were issues. Little things going wrong left and right. Footage would disappear after an afternoon of shooting. People kept getting hurt. The lights would break, the sound equipment fail. The man I was acting opposite didn’t seem to think anything was wrong at first.”

  “Were you involved with him?”

  Her sniffle turned into a chuckle. “Rick? God, no. He was gay but hadn’t come out yet. I’m not sure he ever will, really, because to him it was a career changer.” And didn’t she know all about those? “Rick isn’t the point. The point is the Curse.”

  “The Curse.” Oriel was skeptical.

  “Everyone thought the set was cursed.” He heart began to bang in her chest. She could do this. She had to do it. There was no holding it back anymore. “But they didn’t expect the
electrical fire. It roared through the soundstage. It brought down the boom walk. I was trapped when it fell. My clothing was burning.” A sob hiccupped through her. “I didn’t know what to do. It hurt so badly. You have no idea the pain.”

  He reached out and took hold of her hand. Refrained from wincing when she squeezed it tight. “You can stop if you want to—”

  Georgia shook her head. “No.” Stay calm and keep it together. “I wasn’t supposed to make it, Oriel. Don’t you understand? I should have died. I don’t remember the man who saved me. The set was on fire around me. I saw his face and those kind eyes staring down at me. The flames didn’t touch him. It was like he was immune.” The words poured from her now and she knew there was no stopping them. She squeezed Oriel’s hand again and when she looked over, his eyes met hers. “His voice was in my head asking me if I want to live. If I wanted to take the chance he offered me. I don’t remember answering but I must have said yes. Right? I’m alive. I must have said yes d blood or forced you to eat and he changed me.”

  “Do you remember anything he did? He must have given you something…exchanged blood or bitten you.”

  “I’m not sure what he did,” she said hesitantly. “It’s all a blank. No matter how hard I try, it’s like part of my mind has been scrubbed clean and there is nothing but darkness. I woke up alone.” Her gaze went to granite. “He made me and he left me. I have no idea what I am or how to feed myself or anything.”

  “Let’s slow down and think about things.”

  And there was Oriel, with his careful words and his methodical approach to any problem. A regular hero. “Think about what?”

  “You know you can blend in with the shadows. You can go completely incorporeal, or keep your physical body. Depending on the situation.”

  “Yes, but I don’t know how I do it. That’s the problem. What kind of monster steals a woman’s life and leaves her defenseless?”

  “I wish I had an answer for you,” he said.

  “What kind of monster leaves you to starve when you don’t know what to eat? The paramedics pulled me from the wreckage and said how grateful I should be, to be alive. How it was a miracle I’d survived the heat. But how can it be a miracle? I was starving, I was in pain, my life was gone. It was gone.”

  “I was spared, for some reason. Spared from death which would have been a hell of a lot kinder than what I went through. No one deserves to wake up from the grave feeling like they’ve been sawed in half. Unprepared. Ignorant.”

  “The man you say was there… he didn’t talk to you?”

  “He didn’t say a word. I saw him before the fire working the boom mike. Then I didn’t see him again. I get bits and pieces. Fucking flashbacks. Like a movie I don’t remember watching. The fire is burning me alive. His hands are on my hair. There’s pain, nothing but pain. He’s standing over her and I want to hate him. His eyes are so kind. The least he could have done was found me afterward and said, ‘Hey, sorry about what happened. I know you’ve never seen me before but I’m a whatever-the-hell-I-am. Oh, and guess what? You are too!’”

  Georgia shuddered.

  “Whatever it is you want to say, spit it out. I’m not going to judge you.”

  No, but you might hate me. His tight smile sent a shot of lust through her system even as it spiked her anxiety through the roof.

  She shifted impatiently and tried to think about her next sentence. “I don’t know what happened. He must have left me with enough nullum whatchamacallit to last me, because I survived almost two years on less than a thimbleful. It was constant pain and darkness. I hurt people, Oriel. I hurt a lot of people and came close to killing a few.” She stopped and sighed. “No, that’s not true. I did kill. It was an accident the first time. The second time…I started to enjoy the feeling of power. Whenever I took a sip of that stuff, though, it brought me back to myself. Enough to numb the physical pain and let me feel and understand the full brunt of the emotional pain.”

  “Whatever you went through, it made you who you are today.” Oriel shifted closer. “And you are a good person. You’re bright and compassionate, kind and loyal. You have a good heart.”

  She couldn’t stand to listen to him. The compliments were knives on her skin. She moved away across the bed. “No, I’m not. Trust me. Whatever you think about me, it’s not true.”

  “I know you, Georgia.” Instead of giving her the physical space she wanted, he moved closer still. Close enough to touch her thigh. His fingers brushed the hair out of her eyes and the gesture was sweet and moving. More than she deserved. “Why are you running away?”

  “Because I don’t want you to hate me,” she admitted.

  “Why would I hate you?”

  She cleared her throat. “I’ve done something terrible.”

  “And whatever it is, we’ll move past it.”

  “I’m not sure we can.”

  “Well,” he began, “at least explain it to me. We can get to the root of the issue—”

  “Stop.”

  “—and try to figure it out together. There’s nothing we can’t—”

  “Please, Oriel. Stop,” she demanded.

  He continued to try and soothe her until Georgia exploded. “Goddammit, you can’t keep being this nice to me! I don’t deserve it.”

  His knuckles cracked and he stared at her, his expression hard. “Why?”

  “I’m the one who told the shifter about your stash.”

  9

  He stared at her, eyes growing hooded. The rest of him shut down. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t feel his hands anymore. Everything was numb.

  “What?” she asked, gnawing on her lower lip and refusing to meet his gaze. “Say something.” Her voice was reedy. Thin as she tried to pull herself together.

  “How could you?” he ground out. “How could you do something like that to me? I was helping you.”

  “I know.” She hung her head.

  Like her guilt made him feel any better, or helped erase what had happened. “I brought you into my home and rearranged my life for you.”

  “I never asked you—”

  “You didn’t have to ask. I did it for you, because you stirred something inside. Something I’d never thought was there.”

  “Look. I’m sorry, Oriel. I know there’s nothing I can say to you to make you understand how truly sorry I am…” she trailed off and at once he wondered if this was a speech instead of something real. Tangible.

  “No, because by now I’ve seen just how good of an actress you are with my own two eyes. You really pulled a number on me, woman. I should give you a round of applause. In fact, here.” He brought his massive hands together in a slow clap. “It might be the last ovation you get for a while. Drink it in.”

  She shrank away from him. “I didn’t know you when the shifter first approached me. He told me I could have a normal life again,” she called after him when he got up to stalk the room. “I know it doesn’t make things right. At least hear me out.”

  He chuckled and the sound was dry in his throat. “I’ve done nothing but hear you talk about how you betrayed me…I’m not sure I can take any more.”

  “I didn’t realize what he wanted. Oriel…I was blinded by the lure of my old life.” She wrung her hands on her lap and at once he was painfully aware of how small she looked. Still wrapped in the towel he’d wanted nothing more than to rip off her body. “I didn’t want to admit it wasn’t an option for me anymore. He came in knowing you had the potion. I’m so sorry.”

  “You hurt people, Georgia.” He stood to his full height, shoulders like granite, and turned his gaze to the door. “Coming clean doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t make things better.”

  “Don’t you think I know? Look at me.”

  “I can’t look at you. I’m sorry.” His heart felt like she’d driven a knife through it. Suddenly everything he felt for her, the budding feelings stirring in his heart and loins, were gone. Disintegrated.

  If there
was no trust, how could they go on?

  “Stay or go, I don’t care,” he told her dryly. “You can keep the room tonight. I’m leaving.”

  “And where are you going? You don’t have an address. You don’t have a lead.”

  “Do you?” He turned on her, stalking forward and crowding her against the bed until their faces were inches apart. “Do you have an address, Georgia, one you’ve been keeping from me?”

  She shook her head. “No, I have nothing.”

  “Did your little friend tell you where to meet him when you were done fucking me over?”

  “Oriel, stop.” She pushed against his unmovable shoulders. It forced him to consider their positions. Normally he would retreat. Do the logical thing and give her space. Give them both time to consider what was happening before one of them said or did something rash. Something hurtful.

  It was too late.

  He sprang away with a grunt of disgust. “I wanted to love you,” he admitted.

  “Then love me!” she cried out, drawing the sheets around her to cover her. “I’m trying to tell you the truth. I couldn’t let you make love to me with the lies between us.”

  “You didn’t want me to live in ignorance, huh? How sweet of you to consider me and my feelings.”

  She sat up and her hair draped down around her shoulders. She was fragile and breakable, someone who’d been through too much to continue, and god help him. He wanted it to be real.

  “Give me a name,” he demanded. “An address. Give me something I can use. I’m going after my potion and you can go to hell.”

  Trembling fingers pushed at her hair and at last she stared at him. Eyes impossibly wide. “He never gave me a name. But I did—” she broke off. “I did take something from the man in the parking lot.”

  She slowly got up and let the sheets drop. Oriel glanced away from her creamy skin, the bruises from the attack. Her clothes were in the bathroom and she took them now, searching through her pants pockets. And withdrawing a square black wallet.

  “This should give us some information.”

  “You stole his wallet. Another one of your many gifts, Ms. St. Edmonds. I applaud you.” He held out his empty palm and waited for her to toss the wallet to him. As soon as she did, he turned away, shoulders hunched. He couldn’t look at her anymore. “We’ll add thievery to the list. Go put some clothes on.”