Shadow Marked: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Shadows of Salem Book 2)

by Jasmine Walt

  “Ye did surprisingly well,” he murmured in my ear, his smoky-sweet scent drifting around me as he steered me to the refreshment table.

  “I would have done better if you’d given me some warning,” I hissed. Starving, I snagged a small china plate and heaped it with fruit and cheese.

  Maddock snorted. “Ye wouldn’t have come at all if I had given you warning,” he said. “At least I hope ye understand why I didn’t insist ye bring yer vampire gun.”

  “Yeah, I get it,” I muttered, surveying the room as I popped a cheese-smeared cracker into my mouth. The stares had lessened somewhat, but there were still plenty of people looking my way. Thankfully, it appeared that a good portion of these stares were simply lustful—most of these people thought I was just a nice piece of ass. But since Mistress Delavergne had publicly declared me under her protection, never mind the fact that I was with Maddock, I doubted I was in any real danger.

  “Hang on,” Maddock muttered, letting go of my arm. I glanced up to see his eyes were focused on a golden-haired male across the room. Fae was my guess. “I have someone I need to speak to. Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

  Yeah, sure, I thought, eyeing the crowd over my glass of champagne. All I had to do was stand here and fend off the dozens of people who were eyeing me up right now. How hard could it be?

  I took a sip from my flute, then wandered over to the pianist on the far side of the room. He was playing some dark, complex melody that I probably should have recognized if I’d paid more attention in music appreciation class. Probably anyone else in the room would know it if I asked, but they would look down their noses at me for the uncultured specimen that I was.

  Man, just how out of place was I in this joint?

  “You look like you could use some company,” a female voice with a light Bostonian accent spoke from my left as a hand rested on my shoulder.

  I turned to see a petite blonde in a dark green dress smiling at me. She had warm, honey-colored eyes, a heart-shaped face, and flawless, peachy skin. My senses told me she was a witch, but even so she was refreshingly human compared to everyone else.

  “Maybe,” I agreed, turning to face her. “Depends on the company.”

  Her smile curved a little more, revealing a dimple in her left cheek. “My name is Thelia Sorensen, of the Daire Witch Coven. I knew your mother well, once upon a time.”

  I nearly dropped my glass. “You knew my mother? How?” I nearly blurted out that she looked way too young to have known my parents, but then I remembered what Maddock had told me about witches using their magic to increase their youthfulness and longevity. For all I knew, Thelia could be hundreds of years old.

  Hell, my parents could have been hundreds of years old before they were killed.

  Thelia’s eyes darted to the crowd, then back at me. “This isn’t a good place to talk,” she said, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. “But if you want to know more about your mother and father, I’d be happy to talk to you over lunch.” She pulled out a business card and handed it to me.

  “I thought I told ye to stay out of trouble.” Maddock’s voice came from my right elbow, and I twisted around to see him standing barely a foot away. His green eyes were locked onto Thelia, blazing with ill intent.

  “Lord Tremaine.” Thelia inclined her head with a smile. “I was just leaving.”

  “Aye,” Maddock agreed. “I dinnae need ye meddling in our affairs, witch.”

  “Call me,” Thelia mouthed as she backed away. She tossed a wink at me over her shoulder, then disappeared into the crowd.

  “What the hell was that about?” I demanded as Maddock took my arm. His grip was harder than usual, and I struggled against his grasp as he dragged me over to a shaded spot near one of the windows. “Let me go!”

  “Shut up,” Maddock muttered, pressing me up against the wall with his big body.

  I gasped as his mouth covered mine, shock and desire rippling through me all at once. I wondered how much of it was my own, and how much of it was because he was fae. As I understood it, the fae were capable of arousing people even when they normally wouldn’t feel that way. Could it be that Maddock was using his magic to make me want him?

  But no, that didn’t make sense. After all, he’d insisted that we keep each other at arm’s length, though that wasn’t what he was doing right now. His scent filled my nose, making my head spin, and heat ignited in my lower belly. His big hand gripped my jaw as he tilted my head back, and I fought against the moan trapped in my throat as his tongue teased the seam of my lips, coaxing me to open.

  But dammit, I couldn’t. If I let him inside, I would lose all reason. Hell, I was already halfway there. Why the hell was he kissing me like this, now, in front of all these people? Had Maddock lost his mind? I gripped the front of his shirt, intending to push him away, but a voice inside my head warned that it would be a bad idea to cause a scene.

  When Maddock finally pulled back, his green eyes were burning, his cheeks flushed. Something fluttered in my lower belly at the scorching lust in his gaze, and somehow I felt vindicated. Maddock might have been treating me as if I were nothing special, but deep inside, he still wanted me.

  “Come,” he said, his voice rough as he grasped my hand. “Let’s find someplace more private.”

  Chapter 5

  My heart pounded in my chest as Maddock pulled me from the room, my hand squeezed tightly in his. My head was still foggy from the scorching kiss he’d given me, which was really saying something since I hadn’t given him any tongue. I guess that was my way of resisting, but what the hell sort of resistance was I putting up now, allowing him to lead me out of the party after kissing the breath out of me?

  Oh my God, I thought as he pulled me down a hallway lined with guest rooms. Are we seriously going to do this? My blood heated at the faint sounds of giggles and moans drifting through some of the closed doors. Clearly Mistress Delavergne had no problem with letting guests use her rooms for extracurricular activities. But then again, she was French, and I’d heard vampires were a lot more hedonistic over there.

  “What are we doing?” I demanded as Maddock pulled me around a corner.

  “Shhh,” he whispered, not turning back to look at me. Suspicion crawled into my brain—he may have been holding my hand, but he was effectively ignoring me again. Clearly sex was not on his mind, though he’d done a pretty damn good job of making me think otherwise earlier. Just what was Maddock Tremaine after?

  “Are we spying on someone?” I asked in a hushed voice.

  “I brought ye here to look for something,” Maddock whispered as he led me away from the guest rooms. “The clan mistress is occupied, so now is the perfect time to move about.”

  “Oh.” I exhaled, relief sweeping through me. “Well, that makes a lot more sense. I’m guessing that little show earlier was just to mislead the others?”

  “Of course, Detective.” Maddock tossed a derisive look at me over his shoulder. “What, ye didna think I was actually planning on carting you off to one of these bedrooms and ravishing ye?”

  “No,” I said, heat rising to my cheeks as I glanced away. Jesus, this was fucking embarrassing. Not just the conversation, either, but the feeling of disappointment sitting heavy in my chest. What was wrong with me? I should be glad that Maddock was sticking to our agreement. “What exactly are we looking for?”

  Instead of answering, Maddock pushed me into a small alcove. “Guards,” he muttered just before he pressed his mouth against mine again.

  I gripped the lapels of his suit jacket, half a mind to toss him into the hall and into the path of whoever was coming our way. But he slid his tongue into my mouth, and I forgot my protests as hunger ignited in my lower belly. He tasted of wine and something darkly addictive, and his heather-and-wood smoke scent swirled around us, drawing me into him. His hands splayed against the wall on either side of my head, his hips pressed into my belly, and a thrill shot through me as I felt the unmistakable evidence o
f his arousal.

  My own desire was tempered somewhat by the footsteps sounding in the hall, and I forced myself not to look over as I sensed the two vampire guards draw up beside us. One of the guards chuckled, and my cheeks flushed at being seen in such a compromising position with Maddock.

  “Half the people at this party seem to be ridiculously horny,” one of them said, and he didn’t sound too pleased about it. “I wonder if the Mistress put something in the champagne.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time,” the other one said, and from the interest in his voice, I gathered he was the one who’d chuckled. “You know how Mistress Delavergne prefers her after-parties. And besides, that means we’ll be getting plenty of women tonight.”

  A shiver crawled up my spine at that, but I didn’t move a muscle until their footsteps and voices had faded away. What the hell did they mean by that? Did the vampire clan mistress host orgies with her guests? Was it just sex, or did they feed off them, too?

  “Most of the women who attend are perfectly willing,” Maddock said, as if guessing my thoughts. He pulled away, and I braced my hands against the wall behind me to steady myself. “None of the attendees here are human, and they know what they are getting into if they choose to stay after the main event.”

  “If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it’s not working,” I groused as we continued making our way back down the hall again. “Are you going to tell me what the hell we’re doing here?”

  “Yer about to find out.”

  That cryptic answer made me want to turn around and leave. If he wasn’t telling me, that likely meant he thought I would refuse to follow him. But something told me walking out of here without Maddock would cause a scene—and in a house full of vampires, that could spell trouble for me.

  We took another two turns, then stopped outside a heavy mahogany door with gold leaf edging the frame. Maddock placed his hand against the doorknob and muttered something in a strange language. A faint blue glow emanated from the brass knob, followed by a humming sound, and then the lock clicked open.

  “You can’t be serious,” I protested as Maddock led me inside a lavishly appointed bedroom. Sumptuous fabrics in black and red dominated the room, from the curtains drawn back from the large windows to the bedspread on the canopy bed piled high with pillows. Dark, sweet incense hung heavy in the air, and I spotted some incense cones sitting in a pot on the night stand. The fireplace was carved, black-as-night marble, and the bearskin rug sitting atop the blood red carpet was black as well.

  “This is the mistress’s bedroom, isn’t it?” I accused as Maddock stalked over to the huge walk-in closet. The expensive dresses, blouses, and slacks hanging inside were kind of a giveaway.

  “Aye,” Maddock said, pushing aside a heavy satin gown to expose a gap in the wall. A tingle skipped down my spine—there was magic somewhere in there. “We didn’t come here for pleasantries, Detective. We came here to retrieve something.”

  “Did you maybe miss the part where Mistress Delavergne said that she’d kill me if I crossed her in any way?” I snapped, grabbing hold of Maddock’s elbow. “We’re in a den full of vampires, Tremaine.”

  “Dinnae get so bent out of shape about it,” Maddock said, eyes snapping with annoyance as he turned to look at me. He grasped my upper arm, yanking me close. My heart skipped a beat as he crushed me against his chest, but there were no butterflies this time—I was too annoyed for that. “So long as yer with me, no harm will come to ye. Now let’s go.”

  The room spun and tilted around me, and I clung to Maddock, squeezing my eyes shut as we moved through time and space. When I opened them again, gone were the rows and rows of hanging clothing. Instead, I was surrounded by shelves mounted on steel walls—shelves that seemed to be laden with boxes and books and strange objects. Goosebumps broke out over my bare arms as the tingles started up again, stronger than I’d ever felt before. There must be quite a few magical objects in here.

  “We’re inside Mistress Delavergne’s safe,” Maddock explained, letting go of me. His green eyes scanned the shelves as he turned in the center of the space.

  “Yeah, I kinda figured that out.” Scowling, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What exactly are we here to steal?”

  “Not steal,” Maddock corrected. “Return.” He stopped moving and pointed to one of the higher shelves. “There it is. Go and take the Miotal Sorcóir.”

  “The what?”

  Maddock let out a sigh. “The metal cylinder, Detective,” he said, pointing again.

  Sure enough, there was a metal cylinder sitting there, about the size of the cardboard tubes that were used for toilet paper rolls. Runes were etched into its shiny silver surface, and the tingles running up inside increased the more I looked at it.

  Whatever this cylinder thing was, my senses told me it was powerful.

  “Why am I taking it instead of you?” I demanded, turning back to Maddock. “It’s not made of iron or anything, so shouldn’t you be able to touch it?”

  “Aye,” Maddock said, his eyes fixed on the cylinder. “But if I take it, the Mistress will instantly be alerted. If you take it, ye can use your powers to shade it from her eyes.”

  I scowled. So that was what this was about. Maddock had taught me early on that one of my main abilities as a shadow was the power to “shade” myself. I could literally hide my magical signature from supernatural eyes, so that they wouldn’t be able to track me, and if they passed me on the street would think I was a normal woman. I could also do the same thing with objects, though I hadn’t had an occasion to try it until now. The knowledge had both put me at ease and pissed me off, because if I’d known how to do this earlier, Oscar wouldn’t have had to hide me from the world.

  Had Oscar known I had this ability? If so, why hadn’t he taught it to me? There had to have been a reason, even if it wasn’t one I would agree with.

  “I won’t do it.”

  Maddock’s eyes sparked dangerously as his gaze snapped to mine. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” I lifted my chin, ignoring the chill that shot down my spine. Maddock wouldn’t hurt me. It was obvious that I was still too useful to him. “I’m not taking this for you until you give me an explanation. What is that object for, and why is it so important that you’re willing to risk my life to get it?”

  A muscle in Maddock’s jaw twitched, and for a moment I thought he was actually going to yell at me. But his expression relaxed, and he turned away from me with a shrug.

  “Very well. If ye dinnae want to cooperate, I’ll rejoin the party and leave ye in here. I’m sure Mistress Delavergne will be very happy to find ye in here alone, if ye haven’t died of suffocation first.”

  “You wouldn’t do that.” I scoffed even as my heart began to pound with fear. “Even you aren’t that cold.”

  Maddock turned his gaze back to me, and I sucked in a breath at the frigid look in his brilliant green eyes. “I am as hot or as cold as I need to be at any given moment,” he said, his voice glacial. “If ye insist on acting like a child at this critical moment, then I have no more use for ye. I have helped ye, and it is now yer turn to help me. Do it, or stay here and die. The choice is yers.”

  Snarling, I stepped forward and snatched the cylinder from its place on the shelf. The metal was cold to the touch, but it warmed as soon as it touched my hand, the runes glowing faintly. This was the moment of truth.

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “It will work,” Maddock said, his voice practically a growl. “People can do amazing things under pressure.”

  Or die trying.

  “Focus,” Maddock demanded.

  I pushed the doubt from my mind and reached inside the pulsing center in my body that was the source of my powers and focused on the cylinder. Darkness flowed from my hand, wrapping around the object. The smoky black tendrils swirled around the metal, then sank into the object and disappeared.

  “Incredible,” Maddock murmured, his gaze latched t
o the cylinder. “It seems like an ordinary object to my eyes now.”

  Pride began to swell in my chest, until I remembered that Maddock had blackmailed me into doing this. Then my mood turned sour.

  “Let’s just get out of here,” I grumbled, tucking the object into my clutch purse. It barely fit inside, and I was glad I hadn’t brought too much. Even if the cylinder was shaded, it still maintained its normal appearance. If the Mistress—or anyone else who was familiar with the object—saw me carrying it, I was dead meat.

  “Brace yourself,” Maddock warned, pulling me against his chest.

  The room tilted and spun again, and nausea tickled my gut. Even so, I was relieved that I would get to live another day. Even if only because of a man that I still wasn’t sure was friend or foe.

  Chapter 6

  “Are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about?” I demanded as we drove back to Salem. We’d rejoined the party for another hour before leaving, and it had been nerve-wracking to maintain a calm façade around all those vampires with the Miotal Sorcóir in my purse. My shade was working—nobody had sensed it—but if anyone had decided to filch my purse…

  “If I am to spend time teaching ye to hone yer talents, it isn’t going to be for nothing,” Maddock said without inflection.

  “And that is supposed to explain why you didn’t just transport us into the room, if moving around is so easy? You put us at risk sneaking around when you could have just teleported us in and out of there to begin with!”

  “I am not completely selfish, Detective, whatever ye may think of me.”

  I balked, stunned at his nerve. “You put me at risk because you’re not selfish? Explain to me how that little gem works.”

  Maddock huffed, his jaw tightening before he spoke. “Ye asked for training, did ye not? And that is what I provided. I won’t always be there to save ye, Detective. Ye need to know how to navigate such situations without someone to teleport ye around.”

  “I wouldn’t need you teleporting me around if I wasn’t stealing from vampires for you in the first place!”