When Shadows Call

by amanda bonilla

  As the afternoon drifted closer to evening, I felt a strange exhilaration. Soon, the sun would set and I would be free of my corporeal form. The shadows called to me, entreating that I join with them once again.

  “You look anxious,” Azriel said. His amused expression brought a smile to my face. I had no doubt he could tell what I was thinking. “Tell me why.”

  “I am anxious,” I said, “for the sun to set.”

  “Really?” He mused with such innocence. “Why is that, my darling?”

  “You know why.”

  His eyes drank me in and I felt the world melt away until there was only the two of us. “I want to hear you say it.”

  My God, he could entice a nun to sin with nothing more than his voice. I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath. I could be as bold as he wanted me to be. “I crave the shadows.”

  Azriel’s answering smile was blinding in its brilliance. My knees went weak at the sight of him. “What shall we do in the shadows?”

  I answered him with a wicked smile. “We shall do whatever we please.”

  He kissed me once. “That’s my girl.”

  * * *

  As the sun sank over the western horizon, I could almost hear the contented sigh of my soul. Crimson red blazed a path across the sky, reflecting off the waters of Puget Sound and bathing Azriel’s skin in the warm glow of waning light. The waterfront wasn’t the safest place for two wealthy-looking tourists to be—especially after sunset—but Azriel said we had nothing to fear.

  Twilight came to swallow the last of the waning day, but my body refused to leave its solid form. I looked to Azriel and he threaded his fingers through my hair. “Not yet. After the gray hour, Darian. You must wait for darkness to descend, and not a moment sooner.”

  My body tensed with anticipation and pulsed with heat. I needed the release that only welcoming darkness could give me, and it could not come soon enough. I fought the urge to pace, to burn off the excess energy that pooled beneath my skin. Curious eyes watched from the pier, but I paid them no mind. I had spoken the truth to Azriel: I craved the shadows. Needed them. Now.

  “Move a muscle and I’ll cut you ear to ear.”

  I spun, the rustle of my skirt echoing in my ears like waves breaking on the shore. I tried to ignore the fascination with my new, preternatural hearing, but it still took a moment for my brain to process what I was seeing. A man, not much taller than Azriel but twice as wide, had one arm wrapped around Azriel’s shoulders. He held an old, rusty-looking knife against Azriel’s throat, the handle tucked below his ear. I took a tentative step back. And then another. The man smiled, revealing a mouthful of rotting teeth. The feral gleam in his eyes sent my heart beating a frantic rhythm, and I became light-headed as I realized that in my fear, I’d forgotten to take a breath.

  “If you don’t wanna see yer man bleed to death right here on the docks, you’ll hand over yer valuables.” He hitched the knife higher and a trickle of blood ran down Azriel’s throat.

  I swallowed down the fear that rose in my throat like bile. If this animal could take Azriel so easily, I wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Bigger, stronger, I would be nothing more than a helpless victim. “I-I have no valuables,” I stammered. It was the truth. Besides the new dresses that Azriel had bought for me, I had nothing. “Please, just let us go.”

  My statement earned a round of raucous laughter. “Yer nothin’ but a daft bitch if you think I believe that,” he snorted. “You come walkin’ down in these parts dressed like you are and you’re just askin’ for trouble. So don’t lie to me again, or I’ll make him watch while I take my knife to you.” Azriel stood still as a statue, his chest rising and falling in a calm, rhythmic way. How could he be so at ease when our lives were in danger?

  “Listen to the lady, my friend,” Azriel said, his voice constricted by his captor’s chokehold. “We have nothing to give you.”

  “Bullshit.” The tip of his knife dug deeper into Azriel’s flesh and his dark eyes grew wide. “Empty yer pockets.” Azriel moved and the man gave him a rough shake, stalling any further movement. “Wait up. Don’t think I trust you.” He jerked his head toward me. “Have her do it.”

  Azriel tensed as if nervous, but his eyes told a different story. He urged me toward him, nodding his head almost indiscernibly. Perhaps all he needed was a distraction. Just a moment to draw the thief’s attention so Azriel could gain the upper hand. Knees wobbling, I took a step toward him. My pulse skittered and my palms became slick and clammy. Terror gripped me with every inch that I drew closer to Azriel. Never taking my eyes from his, I reached into his pocket. From the corner of my eye I noticed the knife slacken against Azriel’s skin as our assailant came up on his tiptoes to look over Azriel’s shoulder and see what prize I’d fish from his pocket.

  The moment of imbalance was all Azriel required. He twisted free from his captor and swung his fist, somehow missing the man’s jaw by inches. Before he could swing again, the thief brought the heavy butt of the knife down on Azriel’s head and he crumpled to the ground.

  Spurred by fear, I dug my heels down hard, prepared to flee. The man reached out for me a second before I could turn to run. His rough hand clamped around my wrist like a vise, and he hauled me against him. Foul breath, reeking of liquor, washed over my face as he leered. When I tried to pull away, his other arm wrapped tight around my waist, squeezing my ribs so tight I struggled to take a deep breath, let alone scream for help.

  The gray hour of twilight melted away, as if swallowed by beautiful night. I felt an exhilarating rush as shadows chased across my flesh, releasing me from the prison of my corporeal form. I dodged to one side, my movement so fast I doubted he even noticed. He reached out, wrapping his arms around nothing but air. “What the hell?” he said before whipping around. “You’re a tricky one, but it don’t bother me none. When I get my hands on you, you’ll regret playin’ with me!”

  Azriel lay unconscious on the pier, but he had been right: under the cover of night, I was beyond harm’s reach. No matter how confident this filthy man was that he could overpower me, his hands would never make purchase. After all, who could possibly hold on to shadow? Azriel needed my help—he’d yet to regain consciousness—and my heartbeat pulsed in my ears as I prayed for him to wake.

  I stepped from the surrounding dark and regained my solid form. I was fast—as fast as a gale-force wind—and spun to the side of our attacker, my long skirt flaring out around me as I melted into the night and reappeared at his back. “You are a vile man,” I spat before shoving at his massive back. He flew forward several feet and crashed into a stack of crates near the end of the pier. For a moment, I’d thought he’d lost consciousness, but he was only stunned. My strength astounded me; I’d overpowered him with as much effort as it took to move a feather. I swept toward him as nothing more than a dark cloud as he gained his bearings and barreled toward the spot where Azriel lay. I couldn’t risk him being hurt worse than he already was, and so I grabbed the man by the collar, spinning him around so fast that his head jerked wildly on his shoulders. I hiked up the hem of my dress and gave him a sound kick to the back of his knee. I heard the bone crack and he fell to the pier, his good knee breaking his fall.

  “You would have killed us if you’d had the chance,” I murmured more to myself than to him. I pondered my unimaginable strength and wondered how Azriel had managed to let himself be bested. “He could have easily broken your neck,” I whispered. “I could break your neck.”

  “No!” he whimpered. “Pleeease.”

  “Do it.” I stiffened at the sound of Azriel’s voice behind me. When had he regained consciousness? The man continued to blubber at my feet. I looked through the dark at his pathetic face, the tears that streaked down his cheeks to drip from his chin. Azriel’s fingers caressed my scalp before they threaded through my hair, and his warm breath caressed my neck
. “If you don’t, he’ll victimize some other poor soul.”

  My hands shook with fear as well as exhilaration and my teeth all but ground to dust as I clenched my jaw. Azriel was probably right, but I refused to take a life, no matter what had happened. “No,” I said. “I won’t kill him.” The man sobbed in relief and scurried to stand on his one good leg. He dared not turn his back to us as he hobbled away, his arms outstretched as if he meant us no harm. But he had. He’d meant to do us harm, and I had protected myself with no help from anyone. In fact . . . Azriel’s portrayal as a helpless victim seemed too convenient considering how easily I’d managed our attacker.

  Azriel sighed, clearly disappointed. “For a moment, I thought you would actually do it. Alas, you showed the fool mercy.”

  I turned, and before I could stop myself, slapped Azriel with all the strength I could muster. He grunted, not exactly in pain, but I hoped that I had at least caught him off guard. “You are stronger, faster than him! There’s no possible way he could have overpowered you. You let me believe you were unconscious when you could have stopped him at any time. . . .” the words died in my mouth, too angry and hurt to form coherent words. “You are no—”

  “Ah, but I told you last night; I am no gentleman,” Azriel said, interrupting my tirade. “Besides, you obviously didn’t need me for protection.”

  My body hummed with pent-up energy. Or was it anger? Both, more than likely. I tried to slow my breathing, but my chest burned with the effort. “This was a test?”

  “Call it . . . a demonstration.”

  My voice quavered with each word. “It was a cruel thing for you to do.”

  “No.” Azriel’s tone became serious. He gripped my shoulders and locked his gaze with mine. “I promised to never treat you with cruelty. This was a lesson, Darian. One you had to learn. You are no longer a weak, susceptible human. You are Shaede, deadly and cunning. Never bow to that mortal weakness again.”

  I had defended myself. I could have easily killed that man. Azriel was right. I was no longer human. No longer frail or weak or incapable of protecting myself. I was something more. Something powerful.

  Shaede.

  Chapter 6

  We traveled back to the hotel under the cover of darkness. Nothing more than a whisper, our shadows twined and sped as the wind down the cobbled streets. I tried to hold on to my anger at Azriel for the games he’d played, but how could I when his very presence dazzled me so? After all, he’d kept to his word. He hadn’t treated me with cruelty, no matter what I’d thought at the moment. My new existence was a far cry from my human life, and he was teaching me the only way he knew how.

  My mind swirled with innumerable thoughts, too many for me to give voice to any of them. Instead, I left Azriel in the main room of our suite and took my leave of him in favor of a bath. With no fear of the dark and vision just as sharp in the night as in the day, I didn’t bother to illuminate the room with anything but a single candle. Its warm glow cast beautiful shadows which danced in time with the flickering flame. And I sat, enthralled for a moment before I turned my gaze to the wide, deep bathtub. As I watched the water pour into the porcelain tub, I was reminded of the night I’d thought of ending my life. Henry had done one single thing right in our five years of marriage: he’d saved me from death so that Azriel could give me new life.

  I passed my hand beneath the running water, realizing that the temperature felt so much cooler than it should. I turned the cold water knob tighter and tighter until it shut off entirely. While the water was still steaming, I stripped bare and dipped a tentative toe in what should have been scalding water. But rather than burn me, the water felt deliciously warm to my new, preternatural skin.

  With a deep sigh, I sank chin-deep into the tub. How people survived before the invention of the water heater, I would never know. The warmth of the water soothed me, mingled with the shadows dancing across my skin. So engrossed in my own thoughts, and the new sensations I was still getting used to, I didn’t pay much attention when I heard the door open. The sound was little more than a sigh, and I could not be bothered to notice as I rested my neck on the high back of the claw-foot tub to let my head loll back.

  Azriel’s fingers ghosted across my skin, tracing a line from my collar bone across my shoulder. My head jerked to attention, and a sudden heat flushed my body. But whether from shock or something more erotic, I did not know. I sank deeper into the water in an attempt at modesty.

  “Shhh,” Azriel’s warm breath blew close to my ear. “Just relax, Darian, and let me admire you.”

  “One admires with their eyes, no?” I tried to hide the nervous tremor in my voice. Pleasant chills followed the path of his fingers, so light against my skin. My breath halted in my lungs as I wondered if he could hear the frantic rhythm of my heart.

  “Oh, no,” Azriel said, laying his mouth to the pulse-point beneath my ear. “I would admire you with more than just my eyes.” His tongue darted out and traced from my earlobe to the tip of my ear. “And I would worship you with my mouth.”

  My lips parted in surprise, and his warm laughter in my ear caused chills to ripple from my head right down to my toes. “Darling,” he whispered. “You’re blushing.”

  I tried to form a coherent thought as he placed tiny, languid kisses up and down my neck. “Sit up,” he said against my skin, “and let me wash you.”

  If our behavior was sinful, I didn’t care. I only knew that I felt a rightness in the moment, and I did as he asked, pushing myself up and drawing my knees to my chest. I heard the rustle of fabric as he removed his shirt and discarded it somewhere behind him. Reaching over me, Azriel retrieved the bar of soap from the tray at the side of the tub and dipped it into the water. He worked the bar into a lather between his hands, and I stared, transfixed, as the muscles in his arms flexed with the simple motion.

  I barely paid attention as he set the bar back in the tray. But when his slick, soapy hands slid across my back . . . I noticed. Azriel took his time, as if he savored every moment of contact with my flesh. Down my spine and back up again he traveled, over my shoulders and around until his fingertips brushed the swell of my breasts. He paused to lather his hands again and washed my arms with a strong downward caress, his fingertips weaving with mine where they rested at my knees before he pulled away and traveled up again, under my arms this time, grazing my breasts on either side.

  Never in my entire life had I envisioned such a delicious torture. Once he’d finished with my arms, he guided first one leg, and then the other, to the rim of the tub. I sank deeper, the murky water offering me some cover, but as Azriel’s strong hands passed from each of my toes, over the arch of my foot, up my leg to my thigh, I couldn’t have cared less about something as silly as modesty.

  My lips parted and my breath came heavy. He lifted my leg and gently lowered it back into the water. Heat rushed like quicksilver through my veins as he worked his way back up my body, his fingers passing slowly over each of my ribs. And a moan worked its way up my throat as his fingers meandered over the swell of my breasts. My eyes drifted shut and I allowed my head to rest against the back of the tub. I gripped the porcelain edge as if to keep me anchored to the world, lest I float away on a cloud of pleasure. Azriel plunged his soapy hands beneath the water and cupped my breasts. His thumbs grazed my nipples and I drew a sharp breath as an electric rush chased through my limbs, to my center, and settled between my legs.

  “Azriel,” I whispered. “I . . . Henry never . . .” I clamped my mouth shut. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I’d never been with a man. Henry had never wanted to consummate our marriage. I was twenty-five years old, a married woman with no more carnal knowledge than a girl of thirteen. I wanted Azriel’s hands on me, craved his touch like I craved the shadows. But I neither understood my desires nor knew how to tell him what I wanted. Again his fingers brushed my nipples, but this time he light
ly rolled them between his thumb and finger. I arched my back into his strong hands, desperate for more.

  “I am aware of your circumstances, Darian,” he whispered against my forehead. “And do you realize what it does to me to know that I will be your first?” He kissed my temple, down my cheek, and at last laid his lips to the corner of my mouth. “I want you so much, it is torture to be gentle and take my time with you the way you deserve.”

  My entire body trembled beneath Azriel’s touch. He took his time, admiring every inch of my flesh with his skillful hands. I tried to sit up, opened my eyes to look at him, but he eased me back against the tub and brushed his fingers across my eyelids. “Just feel, Darian.” He traced a finger between my breasts, venturing lower, down my abdomen. My stomach clenched as he circled my belly button, but when he ventured lower, I couldn’t help the trepidation that stiffened every joint in my body.

  “Relax,” he said. “Darian, trust me.”

  “I don’t think I can,” I whispered.

  He put his mouth to mine and spoke against my lips, “You gave me the gift of companionship. Let me give you pleasure.”

  I arched my body toward him, and a small wave of water lapped at the edge of the tub. I may have eased his loneliness, but he’d given me so much more than I gave him. He’d freed my soul from the darkness that had eaten away at me for years. I wanted him. With every touch he made me feel more alive. “I trust you,” I said before pressing my mouth to his in a kiss.

  Azriel leaned further into the tub and his hand wandered, caressed, dipped down into the water and closed around my hip. I opened my eyes to find him staring, his gaze drinking me in, and I became lost in its dark depths, hypnotized by his beauty. A drop of water tickled my flesh as it ran from my chin, down my throat. Azriel bent his head and I gasped as his tongue flicked out to lick the water from my skin. He cupped the back of my neck with one hand, while the other wandered from my hip and across my belly. His mouth found mine, a gentle caress of lips. He kissed me with care, plying my mouth to open as his tongue traced my lips. What had been gentle evolved into something more frenzied as my tongue slid against his, tasting, searching, and wanting more.