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

by Adkins, Heather Marie

  “Torryn?” I barely hear her over the engines and my distraction, but the furrowing of her brows drags my attention away from my feelings. I smile and shake my head, hoping to reassure her.

  I don’t think it works, but she does finally turn back toward the front of the boat… slowly. Not wanting to give her time to ponder my strange reaction, I grasp the throttle and push it forward. The boat shoots forward, gliding over the water as we race out into the swamp.

  Her head swivels from side to side as we make our way through Cypress knees and huge floating masses of lilies. Snow white Herons lift into the air, startled by the engines, and silent gators glide through the water searching for shade. She takes it all in.

  Her hair is streaming out from behind her. I hold my hand out and let the ends caress over my fingers. I can imagine the silk of it over my skin as I draw in a deep breath, and the scent of it tickles my nose. Her own personal scent is hard to describe but reminds me of the heat of the sun and it is mixed with the distinct aroma of the south, magnolia blossoms.

  Her gasp once again draws me from my thoughts, and I narrow my gaze looking for danger but I soon realize it was the view as we broke through the thick trees that had pulled the sound from her.

  I stop the boat and cut the engine. Silence envelopes us until the music of the swamp starts as the bugs and animals return to their symphony. Her hands come up and pull the earmuffs down, letting them fall around her neck.

  This is my favorite place. I’ve never brought anyone here.

  “It’s so…” She turns in her seat. “Beautiful isn’t enough, but I can’t think of a word that is.”

  Neither can I. She is the closest thing to angelic I’ve seen since my last day in Heaven.

  “I think it has always reminded me of home.” I look around at the golden reflections and realize that is exactly what I’ve always felt and didn’t even realize it.

  “Heavenly,” she murmurs, and I nod, still looking out at the wide opened area.

  She’s right, somewhere buried beneath the layers of hell were the memories of Heaven. Hidden under blood and death was the glorious shining city. I’ve come here for years, sitting in one form of boat or another, letting the silence and sun wash over me. I’ve sought peace and solitude here, surrounded by the multitude of inhabitants of the wilderness.

  The songs of the birds and insects soothes me after battles with the Fallen.

  “How did you find this place?” The boat rocks gently as she stands and moves around to stand in front of me. “Do you come here a lot?”

  “I found it not long after we first moved here. Of course, back then it took me much long to get out here. My first trip out here was with a Creole man who I had helped when someone had tried to steal his business from him. He had grown up out here. His people were slaves that had run and hidden deep in the swamp. Building a life, he had come into the city to try to get legitimate and help the family. He was doing great until he fell in love with a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she was too white for him, according to the bigots that ran the town then. Rachelle had fled Europe because of her traveler blood and persecution because of it.” I smile at the memory of the fiery woman. “Anyway, Toby brought me here after I protected them from those that would have not only taken the business but also their lives.”

  Her face softens, and I lose my train of thought.

  “How did you stop the people that wanted to hurt them?” I don’t want to answer her but I refuse to lie to her just so she won’t think less of me.

  “I killed them and made it very clear I’d kill anyone else who tried to take their place.” My heart pounds as I wait for her judgement.

  “An avenging angel.” The whispered words take my breath. “What don’t you want to tell me?”

  So many things.

  “What has you so worried, Torryn?” Her hand cups my jaw as she applies pressure. I let her turn my head, look her in the eye and see fear mingled with a tiny hint of hope.

  I draw a deep breath. “Before we get into that, let me get us to a more comfortable place.” I move around her to the front of the boat and turn on the trolling motor.

  Silently we glide over the water toward a group of trees where, through the years, I’ve built a platform, a deck of sorts, with chairs and a hammock, a place to relax, to ignore the world and the war.

  Tying off the boat, I step out and then turn to help her out. Her excited face makes my chest swell.

  “It’s amazing.” She spins slowly, arms held out.

  Once she stops, I hold my hand out, and she takes it without hesitation, once again surprising me. Leading her to one of the chairs, I wait as she lowers herself down, her face turned up to me. Curiosity fills her eyes as she watches me. I drag the other chair closer to her before I sit and stare out at the water for a minute.

  I let my knee rub against her leg while I organize my thoughts.

  “Just tell me, Torryn.”

  Nodding, I look at her, memorizing every detail just in case I lose her before I ever really have her.

  “There is more to the prophecy.” She nods.

  “I figured.” Of course she did. “Hit me with it. No sense dragging it out any longer.”

  “It says that each of the descendants is destined for one of the Princes. It is why we were chosen and brought back from the darkness. Our names, our deeds on that fateful day in Heaven were written into the prophecy. Caliel foretold of how we will join together to fight the Fallen.”

  She stares at me in silence, barely blinking for entirely to long. “Join in what way?” Her voice is quiet and yet much higher pitched than normal.

  “In every way,” I murmur, my eyes on the suddenly very interesting wood of the deck.

  “Every way.” Her voice is low and filled with a shy interest.

  “I mean, you are supposed to find your soul mate, the one created just for you by God.” Fuck, that sounded lame and stupid. “I just mean that according to Caliel, you should find one of the Princes of Hell compelling.”

  God, let it be me.

  29

  Lillian

  God, let it be him.

  “I should probably meet all of you then, right,” I say softly. It’s mean, but I need to see his reaction. He doesn’t let me down.

  His entire body tenses, and the vein on the side of his forehead pulses. I feel like both are good responses.

  “I can arrange that.” Looking down, I let my hair fall and hide my smile. Heat is pouring off of him; Dagen did tell me about Torryn’s heat.

  The idea of it intrigues me as I imagine it licking across my skin. All of my skin. How could I want something I’ve never experienced so much?

  “Are you cold?” Concern and confusion change the tone of his voice, making it deeper. It hits me low in my belly, making muscles clench as I shake my head before forcing my eyes back to his.

  His are flickering between azure and crimson, and I feel myself leaning toward them. I notice the light spattering of freckles on his nose and cheeks, so pale they almost fade into his olive skin.

  “Do you want me to meet the others?” I whisper the question.

  His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. Eyes stay locked with mine as his head moves from side to side, “No.”

  I’ve never had anything of my own.

  That thought barrels through my mind as I continue to study his face, the full lower lip and a square jaw sprinkled with dark stubble. Tattoos peek from his shirt collar, and once again, I wonder if they cover every inch of him that is hidden beneath his clothes.

  Could I have him for my own?

  “What if I’m not compelling? To any of you, I mean.” Please say I’m compelling.

  He slides out of the chair, going to his knees in front of me. Hands grip my knees and slowly open my legs making room for him as he moves forward, his eyes never leaving mine.

  Fire spreads through me starting where he touches me, his heat burning through my leggings.

  “I’ve n
ever wanted something like I want you.” Those words hit me like a bolt of lightning.

  My entire body reacts -- core clenching, nipples tightening, and goosebumps rushing over my skin. I don’t even try to fight the shiver they cause. His eyes flare, and he draws a deep breath.

  “What do you want, Lillian?” His voice is filled with heat and something else. Flames flicker in his eyes, and before I realize it, my hand has raised, my finger tip almost touching his eye. “Do they scare you?”

  Shaking my head, I say, “No. They are beautiful.”

  Those flames flare higher at my words, and I feel giddy at the power I have. I let my focus widen as my finger touches the stubble on his cheek. Am I brave enough? To take what I want? To fight the Fallen? To fulfill some ancient prophecy?

  “What if I can’t do everything that they want me to?” Would he want me anyway? Does he want me or what I might be? I wait for his answer, terrified of it.

  “Then we leave this world to them, let the war rage like it has for thousands of years. I am a Prince of Hell; no one rules me.” I raise a brow, thinking Lucifer would disagree with him. “I will take you away, spend eternity keeping you safe from anyone who thinks to cage you again. You are free, and I will destroy them if they think to take that from you. You choose and I will be at your side.”

  My choice. I let the breath I have been holding out. Be brave. Take what you want. The rest can be decided later.

  I let my fingers slide over his cheek, tunnel through his hair, and pull his face forward. I stop only when his breath whispers over my lips, and if I shift a millimeter forward, they will touch his.

  “I want you.” Three words that ring with truth. “I have since the moment I saw you.”

  He crashes into me; this is no mere brushing of lips across mine. His hands stay on my thighs, fingers flexing and releasing, reminding me of a cat kneading at my skin.

  I’m scared, paralyzed by hunger I don’t understand and fear of doing something wrong. His tongue licks over my lips, tasting me, and I flinch, startled. The pressure decreases. Damn, I already screwed up.

  “I’m sorry.” Mumbling, I pull back, trying to hide my mortification, but his palm cups the back of my head, stopping me.

  “Don’t be sorry, Angel. It’s just you and me.” His breath tickles at my lips as he steals my breath.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing.” I feel he deserves to know the truth. “This is my first time. My first kiss. My first anything.”

  My cheeks are hotter than his heat, and I’m sure they are blazing beet red. He growls low in his chest before leaning back slightly. The sound causes a different kind of heat to flare in my body. His eyes dilate. I read somewhere that means lust.

  Could he like my lack of experience?

  “You can’t do anything wrong. You and me. Anything you want. However you want.” Sweat trickles down between my boobs, but I’m not sure if it’s because of how those words made me feel or his demon heat. “Let me show you the way.”

  I nod once as he leans back in, his eyes dropping to my mouth as I lick over my suddenly very dry lips.

  “You’re killing me.” I stiffen. “In a good way, Angel. So good.” The last is murmured against my mouth. His breath dampens my lips before his tongue traces over them once more.

  This time I think about movies I secretly watched, hiding from Seraphina and the others. Lips slightly part, I run the tip of my tongue over his. He tastes like dark chocolate and heat. I want more.

  He presses harder. “Open for me.” There’s that silent ‘please’ again. How could I refuse? Why would I want to?

  His tongue thrusts in and then glides over my own as he devours me, stealing my breath, and I’m afraid for my soul. My hands find their way around him, one buried in his hair and the other pulling at his shoulder trying to get him closer.

  His arms slide under my legs as he stands, lifting me with him. He holds me, my core pressing against him, and I gasp as liquid coats my folds. I can’t keep still as he makes his way to the hammock strung between two trees in the middle of the platform.

  I thought he would lay me down, but instead he sits, keeping me on his lap. The pressure of him against me sends shock waves through my body.

  “You’re in control, Lillian.” His voice is rough, deeper, and it goes to my head the power he is giving me. “Whatever you want.”

  Fuck. Shock at just thinking the word has me grinning like a fool, and he grins back at me.

  “Anything?” One nod is my answer. I have no idea where to even start. At least my head doesn’t, but my hands have a mind of their own. They pull at his shirt, wanting to uncover all those hidden pictures.

  He lets me pull it up and over his head then pulls his arms out and lets it drop onto the wooden floor. My eyes move over his skin, the beautiful colors mixed with the black forms intricate designs and images, all blending into each other. Words, death, life, and love all mixed together. It is a tapestry of his eternal life. My nails trace outlines for long moments, until I grow bold and lean forward. I let my gaze rise to his face when I draw near his skin. The muscle at his jaw is flexing, and I realize he is fighting to let me explore.

  There goes a piece of my heart right along with my soul. Who would have thought a demon? That’s the last thought I have as my tongue flicks out to taste his skin, to trace all those colors. His skin heats more, growing molten beneath my mouth.

  How sweet it will be to burn in his fire.

  30

  Torryn

  This is a fresh new Hell and Heaven rolled into one.

  Slow. Slow. Slow. I chant the word to myself as I fight my needs and my demon desire to claim what is mine. Never before have I felt more in agreement with my darker nature.

  “You can touch me.” Her words are soft at my ear, her breath sending chills over my blistering skin. Her words flame the fires. “I want you to.”

  Goddamn. I draw her scent deep into my lungs, letting my darker nature slip free a tiny bit, using the heightened senses. Her desire hits me like a freight train, and the smell of her arousal snaps the last thread of control I have.

  My hands leave her legs, sliding up her thighs and over the roundness of her ass. I pause to feel the firmness of it, squeezing it, imagining seeing my fingerprints there on her creamy skin, a brand, a marking to show she is mine.

  I want her to be mine alone. Her quiet admission that she is completely innocent awoke a hunger I didn’t know I had. All mine. The thought growls up from my soul.

  My fingers freeze and I look up at her face above me, cheeks flushed pinks, mouth slightly parted and brilliant emerald eyes darkened to almost forest green with desire my breath stills in my lungs.

  Mine.

  Created for me and me alone. I let my gaze travel beyond her face to the sky above and something unlocks within me.

  “Torryn?”

  I look back at her and see Heaven. I will worship her for eternity. She sees the promise and melts into me, lips coming against mine, followed by teeth that nip before she runs her tongue over the spot soothing it.

  I don’t want soothing. I want the sting.

  My hands continue up to the bottom of her shirt and then slide under it. My held breath explodes from my lungs at the feel of her cool, satiny skin beneath the heat of them. Her back arches, pushing into my heat, and I fight to control it, not wanting to burn her.

  “So hot.” Fuck. She’s going to kill me. Sitting up, she looks down at me, waiting to see what I’ll do next. Her body instinctively moves, rubbing over me, trying to find what it needs.

  It causes her to undulate above me, and I grow harder beneath her own fiery heat. My hands move higher, pushing her shirt up, exposing all that porcelain flesh, and she just raises her arm. Goddamn.

  “Are you sure?” Shut the fuck up, you fucking idiot, don’t give her a chance to change her mind. Please, Angel, don’t change your mind, I beg silently. A single nod and I push the shirt up further.

  No bra. I feel li
ke my brain has locked up like a damn computer. I need to restart as I stare at her small, pert mounds. My dark hands will engulf them, in fact they are itching to, but first the shirt needs to go away. I rise up to push it over her head, putting my face level with my temptation.

  My mouth waters as my warm breath causes her cotton candy pink nipples to pucker and peak. Her hands pull at the shirt that has been forgotten in my own, and it drops to the ground. Her chest rises and falls as she pants.

  I lean forward, closing the short distance between me and my feast.

  Her screech shocks me almost as much as the appearance of Luc at our side. I growl and see red as his eyes lock onto her flesh, bare to him. Her hands flap and push me out of the way as she tries to cover herself. I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her and glare at the King of Hell.

  “What the fuck, man?”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean…” His face is bright red, and I hear Lillian giggle against my chest.

  “It’s not funny.” My voice is harsher than I mean.

  “It’s kinda funny.” She holds out her hand, and he stares at it for a minute. “My shirt, please.” Her finger points down, and his gaze follows it, landing on the forgotten t-shirt.

  “Yes. Of course. I’m very sorry, Lillian.” He holds it out and then turns away as she pushes up.

  I forget him in an instant. As the shirt comes down over her face, I make my move. Flicking my tongue out, I taste what is being stolen from me. She sucks in a breath before dropping a hand to my head holding me to her.

  A throat clears and she pushes me away, face flaming. Jerking her shirt down, I glare at the current bane of my existence.

  “I wouldn’t interrupt, but Evander...”

  “What about him?” I shift her to the side and stand ready for battle.

  “He went to the city, determined to kill Seraphina.” Lillian jumps up as best she can from the hammock. “Dagen is following him, but I think we need everyone together.”

  He looks at the small woman beside me before continuing. “Did he have a chance to explain? Everything?”