Shadowwalker

by Rhonda L. Print

  Alone.

  I shook the thought away. I’d have time to dissect my broken heart later. Right now, I needed to survive. I had lived in a lot of different places and would choose someplace I hadn’t been before. I was not without skills, and finding a job as a masseuse should be easy enough. I’d keep moving, living the gypsy life I’d been raised in. I’d done it before, and I could do it now.

  In the closet, I pulled out a pair of jeans, a jacket, and two pairs of socks. I didn’t have shoes, but I could double up the padding on my feet. I didn’t know how long I’d be walking or what terrain I’d be going over. I hid the clothes under the bed and then crawled back under the covers. If Raven believed I was sleeping, perfect. I’d wait until dawn took him and then make my move.

  Each minute felt like an hour as I waited, until finally I felt the bed dip beside me as Raven settled in. I heard the swish of fabric as first he removed his shirt and then the tell-tale sound of a zipper before his pants hit the floor. He gently rolled me into his arms so that my head was nestled in his chest. His scent was intoxicating as it seeped into me along with the warmth of his skin. Unbidden, a soft moan escaped me as the soft hair dotting his chest tickled my cheek. Raven gave a soft chuckle in return and swept his fingers through my hair.

  I lay snuggled against him, feigning sleep and fighting back the tears that stung behind my eyes. What kind of man could make passionate love to me for the purpose of deceit and then cuddle up with me for sleep?

  “I’m not a man at all. I am vampire.”

  “I don’t do romance, Zen.”

  Raven’s own words came back to haunt me, and I was sure they would continue to invade my dreams for quite some time. He didn’t make passionate love to me. He fucked me. Body, mind, and soul.

  These thoughts spiraled through my brain while I listened for Raven’s breathing to become deeper, more even, and then cease completely.

  “Raven?” I whispered, and when I got no reply, I called his name louder.

  Satisfied that he was out, I slid out of his arms in the guise of rolling over.

  His body stayed limp.

  I wanted as much of a head start as I could get, so I gently rose from the bed and quickly pulled on both pairs of socks and the jeans I had stowed earlier. Double-checking to make sure my wallet was still tucked in the pocket of the jacket, I took one last look at Raven, threw it on, and headed down the stairs.

  In the kitchen I found a pen and notebook, grabbed a couple of water bottles from the pantry, and left.

  Raven,

  Please don’t come after me. And don’t follow me within in the shadows. I’ve realized that you were right after all. You are not the man for me. You are vampire and I am…well, I don’t really know what I am. But I will go someplace safe to figure it all out. I do know that I am not your distraction. I want, I need, more than that. I know you’re angry but please, let me go.

  Zen

  Chapter 16

  The morning was crisp, the earth beneath my feet damp with dew. Walking around the house, I discovered that the balcony overlooked the rear of the property, and a line of thick pine trees sat about fifty yards away from the front porch.

  A narrow path wound through the trees, switch-backing often enough to deter a casual hiker from venturing too far. I supposed that was the intention of it anyway as I crossed my own path several times over.

  Moving swiftly, I heard only the sound of my own footsteps, the wind whistling through the trees, and an occasional bird calling out the new day. Light filtered through the canopy of trees, giving me no definitive notion of how high the sun had climbed into the sky. Without a cell phone—something that I intended to rectify the first chance I got—I had no idea what time it was or how long I’d been following this trail.

  The muscles in my legs began to protest, and several times I wondered whether or not this path would lead me anywhere. I even considered that it may have been a decoy designed to make its follower remain lost in the woods long enough for Raven to recapture them.

  Had I been the only one he’d brought here before, as he claimed?

  With the lies he’d already told me, I just didn’t know. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and I washed the taste out of my mouth with the last of the first water bottle.

  Keeping my pace steady, the trees began to thin a little until the narrow path opened up onto a sight that nearly brought me to tears. A black Mercedes sat parked off to the side. I’d seen the car before, parked in the lot of a client’s apartment complex. I remembered it vividly because of the small dent in the rear bumper and the fact that I had once considered purchasing one myself.

  I approached it slowly, as if it might start itself up and run me over if I moved too fast. Idiot! I chided myself and then walked over and reached for the handle. I couldn’t see a damn thing through the black tinted windows and slowly pulled the handle, thrilled when it clicked open.

  A rustle from behind had me jumping and spinning around, totally expecting to see someone lurking there; a certain tall, dark, and angry someone. Scanning my surroundings and satisfied that it was only the wind or some kind of a small animal, I yanked open the door.

  The interior of the car was empty except for the keys dangling from the ignition. I guess if I was a badass vampire living in a remote area surrounded by a forest, I wouldn’t worry too much about someone stealing my car, either.

  Thanking the heavens that the keys were in it, I settled into the driver’s seat and started her up. The car roared to life, and without hesitation I put it in Drive and followed the path out of the clearing.

  Gravel spit and pinged off the Mercedes, and I cringed at each scrape and sound, although I was relieved to be sitting in the comfort of a car, a very nice car. I fiddled with the controls until the seat started to heat and soft, warm air blew out of the vents, chasing the remaining chill from me.

  After a long and bumpy set of tight curves and narrowing lane, the gravel lane finally intersected with a paved road. Pausing at the juncture, I weighed the merits of each direction. If I turned right, the road seemed to lead uphill, and in the distance I could see the curve as it sliced through the mountain range. Choosing left led me downhill. I chose left.

  The road was deserted, and not sure if it was a private drive to Raven’s house or not, I kept my speed low as my eyes constantly scanned the wall of trees on each side. Navigating through a sharp switchback revealed the breathtaking valley below me. It was picture postcard perfect, and it took a great force of will not to stop and admire the view. I could see the road I was on as it snaked through the mountainside bringing me ever closer to the bottom and…was that a gas station?

  Yes!

  Triumphantly I picked up speed and continued down toward salvation, enjoying the last of the bottled water I’d taken from Raven’s kitchen. Flipping on the radio, I found soft melodic music filling the cabin of the car. The solitary sounds of a piano soothed my frazzled nerves as a CD strolled from one track to the next.

  Hmm…Raven likes classical music.

  Whispering his name within my mind filled me with sorrow. Was he still sleeping? How long before he realized I was gone, and what would he do?

  He’d be pissed.

  That thought made me laugh out loud. Talk about understatements! I could practically hear his voice rumble, see his eyes darkening.

  Like they did when he spilled himself inside me.

  My lower body clenched in remembrance, desire sending shivers through me.

  “You belong to me now, little one.” His words cut through the desire like a razor—sharp, painful, and laying my flesh open bare to bleed. Lies. They were all lies. He only needed to search me. Whatever emotion I thought he’d felt was false, a ruse. I was just another toy for him to play with until he bored of me.

  “Love is a weakness.”

  He’d warned me. It was my own fault to let him slip under my skin. He’d tried to tell me he was incapable of love and I ignored it. I had no one to blame for
my broken heart but myself.

  Pulling into a spot near the door of the gas station/convenience store, I shoved the car into park and got out. Walking into the store, I saw only a few patrons and one bored store clerk. I headed straight toward the coolers lining the far wall. Choosing two ice cold sodas, I walked up to the counter.

  “How far until the on ramp for I-17?” I asked as I put a twenty dollar bill next to my bounty.

  The clerk glanced up from his cell phone and gave me a lingering look that made me feel like I needed to take a shower.

  “No GPS in that fancy car of yours?” He jutted his chin toward the spot where the Mercedes was parked.

  “Uh…” I stammered, mentally kicking myself for not checking. “It’s not working properly.”

  “I’ll be happy to take a look at it for ya.” The “Born to Bleed” tattoo on his forehead crinkled with his grin.

  “No thanks,” I said curtly.

  He stared at me for a long creepy moment and then drawled out a stream of directions that let me know I was much farther north and east than I’d expected. His expression never changed as he rattled out the roadways, and I got the impression his life hadn’t gone quite the way he’d planned.

  He took the twenty, bagged my items, and gave me my change, all without another word.

  I hurriedly left and yanked open the car door, settling myself inside and locking the door. Anxious to keep going, I twisted the cap off one soda and took a long swig before placing it in the cup holder and starting the car.

  As I luxuriated in my booty of soda, junk food, and the comfort of the Mercedes, I steadily dropped in altitude. Towering walls of rock stained with brownish-red hues eclipsed my view, then fell away to reveal yet another stunning change of scenery.

  Large mountains, hidden behind thin veils of clouds, loomed in the distance. Juniper-covered rolling hills led up to them and were bathed in a golden light as the sun rose.

  I turned on the radio only to hear a soulful voice croon about lost love. Pushing the next button tuned into a country station and a woman who sang of lies and broken hearts. I’d nearly given up fiddling with the tuner when I came across a talk show that hailed the hosts as drunk, trained, professionals. Within moments I was laughing to the jibes and jokes from four guys on the Ed Money Live show. It carried me through another two hours before I finally reached the main highway that would lead east.

  The show ended, leaving me with a monotone voice of a radio anchor spouting about politics. Exhaustion was taking over. I’d had the air conditioning cranked until it was near freezing in the car and the radio turned so loud I was sure my ears would ring for a week, and still I struggled to keep my eyes focused. With little sleep in the past few days and Raven keeping me deliciously awake most of yesterday, sleep was becoming a priority. A decent meal wouldn’t be unwelcome, either, so I stopped and checked into a chain hotel for a few hours. Knowing Raven wouldn’t be able to leave his house until dark and I was already a couple of hours on the run, I bought myself a hot meal in the hotel restaurant and then took it up to my room. I ate at the tiny table and then spoiled myself with a hot shower. I set the bedside alarm clock for two hours before sunset and drifted into blissful sleep.

  All too soon the blaring alarm woke me with a start, but I wasn’t alone.

  Chapter 17

  “Hello, Zen,” a deep rumble beside me whispered.

  Jerking up made me realize both my wrists and ankles were bound to the bed. Letting my head sink back into the pillow, I turned to Raven. “Please just leave me be.”

  “You stole my car.” His words were soft, with a touch of amusement in them.

  “I would’ve left it somewhere,” I defended myself. “You’d have gotten it back.”

  “Where were you going?” he growled, eyes dark and narrow and boring into mine.

  “I can’t do what they think I can, and it’s not safe to go home.” I put all the despair that I felt into my voice. “Just let me go. I’ll find my own way.”

  “I can’t do that,” Raven said as he cupped my chin in his hand and stroked my cheek with his thumb.

  “Why?” I didn’t even try to stop the tears from falling.

  “I already told you.” Moving so close to me that I could feel his breath, he murmured, “You belong to me, little one.”

  His words, the convincing feeling of his lie, and his endearment for me was my undoing. Pain cut sharp and fiery and his knife of betrayal ripped through my soul.

  It was a moment before I could even pull in a ragged, painful breath, and when I did, I let anger replace my misery. “I. Am. Not. A. Possession!”

  His eyes widened a fraction before a cloud of acrimony darkened his expression. He moved to the restraints on my ankles, gave me one steely look, and ordered, “Behave.”

  “Go stalk someone else,” I spit out.

  “Sometimes I wish I could.” He spoke so softly I wasn’t sure that’s what I heard.

  “I’m not stopping you.” I flexed my ankles as he released my wrists but kept them both in his grip, raising my arms above my head.

  I was entranced, his dark eyes penetrating mine as if he could see into the depths of my soul, expression searching mine. “Yes, little one, you are.”

  Hoisting me up, he guided me toward the door. I struggled uselessly against him.

  “I need to get dressed.”

  He ignored me.

  “I have to check out.”

  His steps never slowed.

  “Dammit, Raven! I have to pee!”

  That stopped him. “Five minutes,” he growled, releasing me.

  I got not a minute more than that before he kicked open the bathroom door and escorted me to the door. Down a back set of stairs and out of a side door, and I was sitting in his black Mercedes once again, only this time, on the passenger side.

  “What about the car that got you here?” I asked, realizing he must have gotten here somehow.

  “I hitched a ride.”

  “And a meal?” I quipped, to which he only grunted.

  Before we hit the highway, he made a quick stop at a fast food drive through and asked me what I wanted to eat.

  “Nothing,” I said petulantly, even though my stomach disagreed.

  “Then I’ll order for you.”

  “What if I scream?”

  The question only caused a wicked grin to spread across his face. “Then I’ll have breakfast too.”

  I sucked in a breath, not sure if he was planning on feasting on me or the poor worker on the other side of the window. I guess he hadn’t gotten that meal after all. Not wanting to risk it, I ordered a breakfast sandwich and a large coffee.

  My grateful stomach settled once I’d eaten.

  Silence was a palpable thing in the car as we cruised along toward the highway, broken only by a short and very non-enlightening conversation.

  “How did you find me?” I finally asked.

  “Why did you leave me?” he countered.

  Leave him? I escaped. “How did you get to me before dark?”

  “Why did you leave me?” he asked again.

  I let out a long sigh. He wasn’t going to answer my questions, and I sure as hell shouldn’t have to answer his. Again, quiet weighed upon us like a heavy blanket on a summer night, too warm and unwelcome. It remained like that as we passed the gas station I’d stopped at and continued as we pulled into the gravel lane on Raven’s property. I blew out a breath of frustration when I realized I’d have to walk the same damn path I’d been through the day before. Resigning myself to my fate, I reached for the door only to have it opened for me.

  Raven stood outside with his hand extended to me. I let him help me from the car and then started walking toward the path that would lead us through the forest to the clearing of his home.

  My traitorous flip flop chose that moment to fall apart and I tumbled, nearly skidding across the ground.

  Muttering a curse, Raven picked me up, cradled me in his arms, and continued w
alking. “This would be faster if…”

  “No!” My voice came out louder than I intended and filled with panic. “Please don’t.”

  He nodded. “Then I shall carry you there.”

  “I can walk,” I protested, and squirmed in his arms.

  “A point you proved once already.” He commented wryly. “But I’d prefer to get you there unharmed.”

  I remained stiff in his arms. I didn’t want to lay my head on his shoulder and snuggle into the decadent scent of his body.

  Okay, so I did. But I wouldn’t. My heart had suffered enough, and hanging onto what little pride I could while being carried like a child, I kept my back rigid.

  “Relax, little one.” Raven sighed, a touch of annoyance lacing his voice.

  “Pfftt,” was the only reply I cared to give him.

  He moved much quicker than I did, and I found myself standing in the great room of his home in short order. Shifting from one foot to the other, I was unsure of what I should do—sit, stand, stay still?

  Raven made my choice for me. “You must be hungry. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll fix you something to eat?”

  That raised my eyebrows. “Why the hell would I eat anything you give me?” Did he really think I’d trust him after all his lies?

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he snarled back at me.

  “I heard you on the phone, Raven. You searched me.” My voice cracked at the last, and I hated myself for it. “You put something in my water.”

  “What?” His face fell, an expression of confused incredulousness. “It was a vitamin supplement. I was worried you weren’t eating well. Leah suggested it.”

  “I heard you,” I all but squeaked, but that didn’t mean I believed him.

  “You think I drugged you?” His expression looked—disappointed? Wounded? Whatever lingered there, I saw the truth of his words.

  “Whatever.”

  “What else did you hear?” he asked warily.

  Enough. “Nothing. I think I’ll have that shower.” Before he could respond, I strode down the hall and up the stairway.