Shadow Form (Dark Impulse Book 2)

by Edmund Hughes

  “Of course it matters,” said Jack. “But what should I have done differently?”

  “The fact that you ask such a question illustrates how far you still have to go,” said Mira.

  She smiled, and slowly extended outward with her arms. Jack was struck by her beauty, and the way the pink of her nipples was just barely visible through the sheer fabric of her white gown. Her smile grew wider, and then shadows gathered around her, and she lifted a few feet into the air.

  Mira was using multiple forms of blood magic at once, and the effect was striking, if not terrifying. Darkness danced across her skin under her gown, making the garment look like it covered an angel of death, rather than a woman. Shadowy dark Spectral Hand tendrils, at least a dozen of them, jutted from her shoulder blades, extending outward in grotesque curls and knots. Her eyes glowed bright red, and she slowly advanced on him.

  “Let me help you master your power.” Mira’s voice had a wavering quality to it that made it sound like multiple people were speaking in slightly different tones. “I can teach you. I can show you how to take the world into the palm of your hand.”

  Jack slowly shook his head. He was smiling, but he wasn’t sure why.

  “You’re not offering to teach me,” he said. “You’re offering to corrupt me.”

  “Oh, sweet, sweet Jack,” hummed Mira. “You’ve already been corrupted.”

  Mira’s tendrils all shot toward him at once, like lunging, venomous snakes. Jack turned away from the attack at the last second, letting the reality dissolve in fading streaks. He blinked, feeling the familiar softness of his mattress underneath him.

  CHAPTER 14

  Jack awoke to a tapping on his door the next morning. His head was pounding, and his throat felt dry and scratchy, though he knew that water would do nothing for it. The door creaked open a couple of inches. Jack sat up and saw Ryoko poking her head in, already dressed in her uniform and ready for the day.

  “Mr. Masterson,” she said, bowing slightly.

  “Ryoko,” said Jack. “You should be resting. Are you sure you got enough sleep last night?”

  “More than enough.” She forced a small smile. It pained Jack to know with certainty that she was lying.

  “Don’t hesitate to take a nap if you feel tired, then,” he said.

  “Of course, sir,” said Ryoko. “Do you have an opinion on breakfast? I didn’t get a chance to do any shopping yesterday, so I’m a little limited.”

  “Anything is fine,” said Jack.

  “Do you have any plans for the day that you require special arrangements for?” she asked.

  Jack shook his head. It hurt him a little to see how tightly she clung to her responsibilities, but at least it was something. Something for her to care about, and something for her to be distracted by. He sighed and started to roll out of bed.

  “I should prepare clothes for you,” said Ryoko. “Are you planning on heading into town right away?”

  She moved by Jack as she headed for his dresser, and he accidentally chose that moment to inhale through his nose. Ryoko’s scent reminded him of freshly crushed mint: sweet in a subtle, nuanced way. It smelled so good that it made his head pound. It took all the willpower Jack had to keep from reaching out to her and pulling her to him.

  “I can… dress myself,” he managed to say.

  “Are you sure?” asked Ryoko. “I don’t mind.”

  “It’s okay,” said Jack. “Really. I’d prefer to have a moment alone.”

  Ryoko frowned, and then glanced down at the sheets over his crotch, mistaking a small lump in the blanket for something else. She started blushing fiercely, gave a deep bow, and hurried toward the door.

  “Sorry, sir!” she said on her way out.

  Jack scowled and shook his head, but at least the misunderstanding had bought him some space. He pulled out jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt but set them out on his bed and headed to the bathroom to clean himself up, first.

  He took a shower, but it didn’t help. When Jack finally dressed and headed downstairs, it was hard for him to walk or even breathe without triggering severe vertigo and a pounding headache. How much of his blood essence had been used up by his Blood Sight? Basically all of it, or at least that was what it felt like.

  Katie was eating an English muffin and sipping on a cup of coffee in the dining room. She had on black leggings and a grey tunic-style sweater, and she raised an eyebrow when she saw Jack.

  “You look like shit,” she said.

  “Funny, because that’s also how I feel.” He groaned as he took a seat next to her. Ryoko came out with a mug of coffee, which she set in front of him. Jack waited until she’d headed back into the kitchen before leaning in a little closer to Katie.

  “Do you think she’ll be okay?” he asked. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stay at the mansion all day, and I’m sure you have things to do, too.”

  “I think so,” said Katie. “She’s still recovering and still in pain. But Ryoko is really strong. Stronger than we give her credit for, sometimes.”

  Katie fidgeted with a butter knife in one hand, twirling it in between her fingers.

  “Katie,” said Jack. “I… accidentally used a new power last night.”

  “Jack!” Katie folded her arms, glaring at him.

  “It wasn’t intentional,” he said. “It just happened. And it drained my blood essence reserves.”

  Katie’s hand went to the spot on her neck that Jack usually fed from. She crossed her legs and fidgeted a little, her cheeks reddening ever so slightly.

  “You can’t just be drinking my blood constantly,” whispered Katie. “You have to manage yourself better than that.”

  “I know,” said Jack. “I messed up.”

  “You fucked up,” said Katie. “Now this is just a shitty situation. It’s not like I can leave you to roam around town today, on the verge of losing control. It would set off the suspicion of anyone watching you. The Order of Chaldea, for sure, if they’re watching you directly. Even Bruce would probably notice that something was up.”

  “It’s like I said before, I didn’t mean for it…” Jack trailed off, considering her words. “Hey, wait a second. You knew that Bruce was tailing me?”

  Katie bit her lower lip and let out a sigh.

  “Yeah, I knew,” she said. “He gets… a little paranoid. About a lot of things.”

  “Why haven’t you told him off?” asked Jack. “Think of what would happen if he found out my secret, Katie.”

  “He’ll stop on his own in a few days,” said Katie. “Look, I can’t control him like that. He has a mind of his own. It’s one of the things I admire about him.”

  Jack groaned.

  “But you’re different,” continued Katie. “You have a full understanding of the situation and can be a cautious, mature adult.”

  “Whatever,” said Jack. “Look, it would be a lot easier for me to be a mature adult if I didn’t have to spend most of my willpower on controlling my bloodthirst.”

  “If I let you feed off me, will you promise me that you won’t use your blood magic today?” asked Katie.

  “I promise,” said Jack. The words came out easily, and he had to keep his expression still as he considered whether it was a promise he’d be able to keep. His main objective was to follow up on Martine, and he was fairly certain he could do that without needing his spells.

  “Fine,” said Katie. She finished the last bite of her English muffin. “Let’s head upstairs to your room. I have an idea about what we can do to keep things controlled this time, since we don’t have the handcuffs.”

  They headed up to Jack’s room, and Katie immediately proceeded to dig through his dirty laundry. She found a discarded sweatshirt, and then gestured for Jack to lie down on the bed. She tied his hands to the headboard as securely as she could with the sweatshirt, and then closed the door.

  “This’ll have to do,” said Katie.

  “It’s not going to hold me if I lose control,” sai
d Jack.

  “Well,” said Katie. “Then you’d better do your fucking utmost to not lose control.”

  She rubbed her hand on her neck and slowly made her way back over to the bed. Jack couldn’t help but notice how hesitant and cute she seemed as she slowly lowered herself into position next to him. She was blushing, and it made the freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks stand out.

  “Just a quick sip, okay?” she whispered.

  “Of course,” said Jack. “Just a quick sip.”

  She braced one of her hands against his chest and leaned her neck in close enough for his mouth to reach. It had the added effect of putting both of her breasts in direct contact with his shoulder, which felt far more illicit with Jack’s hands tied over his head.

  Jack let his lips graze along the nape of Katie’s neck, and he felt her shiver with excitement. One of her hands slid down to his thigh and squeezed it tight, as though she needed to hold onto something. Jack opened his mouth and let his teeth make contact, but didn’t bite her.

  “Hurry up,” whispered Katie. “Just do it already.”

  “You almost sound eager,” he said, with a smirk.

  “Quit being so mean and just… do it,” whispered Katie. Her hand slid a little higher up his thigh, and she made an odd, breathy noise.

  Jack wondered about what Mira had said about Katie having a minor enthrallment. It certainly didn’t seem like she was enthralled, at least in his regular interactions with her. But when it came to him feeding off her, he could almost see it. The way she seemed to anticipate his fangs. The way her body tensed up. Even the way her eyes would flutter, as though she couldn’t decide whether to keep them open or closed.

  Jack sank his fangs in, and Katie let out a pleasured moan. Her blood had such a wonderful taste. Sweet and sour at the same time, as though it reflected her personality as a person. He kissed her neck as he drank it in. He wished that his hands were free so he could do more than just that.

  “Mr. Masterson?” called Ryoko, from the hallway. “Ms. White?”

  Katie gasped and pulled away from him, rolling to hide the side of her neck Jack had been feeding on. The movement actually rolled her on top of him, and the door opened before either of them could remedy the situation.

  “Oh!” said Ryoko. “I’m sorry!”

  “This… isn’t what it looks like!” said Jack. He glanced up at Katie, who was straddling him and still too affected by his bite to say anything. He looked over at Ryoko, who was blushing even more fiercely than she had been that morning, when she’d mistaken the lump in the blankets for something illicit.

  “I just wanted to let you know that your breakfast is ready, sir!” Ryoko hurried to spin around and close the door, and the speed of her footsteps fading down the hallway made it sound like she was fleeing from the situation.

  “You idiot,” muttered Katie.

  “Hey, it was your idea to set this up so it looked like a BDSM session,” said Jack. “And why didn’t you lock the door?”

  Katie licked her lips and ran her hands over his chest. She was staring at his mouth and taking deep breaths, her chest heaving up and down. She shifted, letting her butt grind against his crotch, and finally seemed to notice that she was still on top of him.

  “Did you get enough?” she asked.

  “For now,” said Jack. In truth, he’d only taken a small sip. But he was afraid of what might happen between them if he fed again so soon.

  CHAPTER 15

  Jack took his time eating breakfast, mostly for a chance to watch Ryoko and see how she was doing. She’d moved onto cleaning after cooking the food, and for the most part, she acted like her normal self.

  A few times Jack would catch a glimpse of her face when she didn’t know he was looking at her. Her expression was pained, but in a way that went beyond what he would normally expect from plain grief. She looked like she’d lost a part of herself, and it made Jack think of the way she’d called herself worthless the day before.

  “Ryoko,” he said. “I have to head out with the car to run some errands. Will you be okay while I’m gone?”

  “Of course,” said Ryoko. She bowed as she spoke, and Jack suspected it was more to hide her face from him than out of politeness.

  “Alright,” he said. “Call me if you need anything, okay? Or Katie. She’s there for you too.”

  “I will, Mr. Masterson,” said Ryoko.

  He wished that she’d call him Jack, but this time, he didn’t press the point. She was barely holding it together. He stood up from the table, looking at her one last time before heading into the foyer and out into the garage.

  The weather outside was still as dreary as it had been the day before. Jack drove down the slope slowly, trying to keep the overcast sky and persistent drizzle from affecting his mood. He came to a stop at a red light as he entered Lesser Town and saw an easily recognizable car pull up behind him.

  Bruce had made no attempt at concealing his cruiser. In fact, he stared straight ahead through the windshield, making eye contact with Jack through the rear-view mirror. Jack scowled, feeling more than a little annoyed at how quickly Bruce had found him.

  He knew that he couldn’t head straight to the address Meghan had given him for Martine’s house, not with a sheriff’s deputy tailing him. He could, if he wanted to, pass all of the information he’d gathered on to Sheriff Carter and call it a day. Of course, that would raise questions about how he’d come up with Martine’s name, and he didn’t want the investigation to lead back to Meghan and possibly to the fact that he’d bitten her.

  Jack pulled his car into a parking spot on the street just outside of Stickly’s Tavern. He watched Bruce finding a spot a few behind his and smiled as he climbed out of the car. Heading to a bar when it wasn’t even noon was trashy, but it was also the perfect cover.

  Bruce wouldn’t be able to follow him inside without revealing himself, given how small the bar’s interior was. And given how badly he wanted to nail Jack for anything he could, he wouldn’t pass on the opportunity to camp his car and hope for a chance to catch him trying to drive home drunk.

  Jack wasn’t even sure if the tavern would be open, and he breathed a sigh of relief when the door swung as he pushed on it. He headed down the stairs into a completely empty barroom, with all the stools still upside down on the tables. He pulled one down and took a seat at the counter.

  Mickie appeared from the backroom after a few seconds. She didn’t question why Jack was there, or even say anything. She immediately filled him up a mug and set it in front of him. Jack nodded to her and took a sip, figuring he might as well play the part of an ailing alcoholic for a few minutes before attempting to dodge his tail.

  “Hey Mickie,” he said. “The bar has a door that exits to the alley out back, right?”

  Mickie nodded slowly.

  “Would you mind if I went out that door?” asked Jack.

  She shrugged. Jack glanced over his shoulder, and then leaned in a little closer.

  “If somebody came looking for me, would you tell them that I’m asleep in the backroom?” asked Jack. “That I happened to get a little too drunk, and needed a midday nap? I know it’s a lot to ask, but there’d be a tip in it for you.”

  Mickie frowned, considered it for a couple of seconds, and then nodded.

  “Awesome,” said Jack.

  He drank his first beer, and took the time to buy another, not wanting to leave until he was sure that Bruce had let his guard down a little. When Jack finally slipped out the back door and into the alleyway, he was sporting a decent buzz. The rain and humid fog was a little oppressive, and he wished that he’d thought to wear a raincoat instead of a sweatshirt.

  He had to travel all the way across town to reach Martine’s. She lived in a mansion, one that Jack had passed by at least a few times during his stay on Lestaron Island but never paid much attention to. It was a gated estate overlooking the beach, with a throng of trees intended for privacy surrounding the propert
y.

  Jack was considering the best way to make his approach when he spotted the security cameras. There were at least three that he could see, one on each front corner of the house and another overlooking the door. The last thing he needed was to have his entry filmed, especially when he wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking for, what he’d do while he was inside, and if he’d need to come back.

  He stood among the trees in the rain, considering his options and trying not to let the weather motivate his thinking. He might be able to use Shadow Form, which would allow him to slip through the gaps in the gate and hide himself from the camera’s view.

  He’d have to use it twice, taking advantage of the darkness provided by the trees first and then looping around to cast it again from the house’s own shadow. But, in theory, it would work. And Jack was reasonably sure that once he made it past the cameras, he could cast Spectral Lockpick to open one of the doors.

  He took a slow breath, shaking the nervousness out of his hands and preparing for what he was about to do. It felt different than fighting against Mira, or the ghoul she’d had doing her dirty work. It was challenging in a different way. More cerebral, and more about pacing, timing, and planning.

  Jack tried casting Shadow Form, stretching his awareness out across his body as he pulled from his blood essence reserves. A headache hit him almost instantly, bringing about enough pain to make him stagger and fall to one knee on the wet grass. He groaned, momentarily unable to think of anything other than the metallic pounding against the interior of his skull.

  He didn’t have enough blood essence to pull it off. Most of it had all been used up during his vision the night before with Mira. What little he’d taken from Katie that morning had barely satisfied his body’s natural cravings.

  The motel where he’d encounter Meghan was within walking distance. If he doubled back to feed on her, he’d have more than enough to pull his plan off. Jack let the thought hover for a moment before realizing how disgusted it made him feel. It was such a natural progression, too. It made so much sense, yet it would involve victimizing an innocent woman.