Shadow's Light

by Nicola Claire

  I was meant to be protecting innocents like that raven haired beauty he was devouring with his eyes, as he ran his fingers up her arms and her young and buff looking guy watched on mesmerised. Here I was harbouring the monster, when I should have been saving them from his sights. I swallowed back a bitter snarl and then felt Gabriel's presence at my back.

  I forced myself not to act defensively, to spin around and push him back a step or two, but instead just pirouetted on the spot.

  He pulled back at my sudden movement, a look of guilt flashing over his eyes. I don't think he realised I knew he had been there. I keep forgetting I can smell and hear things better than the average Norm. I'd taken him by surprise and caught him out in an act of lust. I made myself smile happily at him, to put him at ease and chucked the dish cloth I was holding at his chest.

  “Can I shoot off a little early tonight?” I asked, putting a little more effort into my smile.

  He relaxed and smiled back, his eyes taking a quick scan of my face and then body. “You don't want to stay for a drink with me?”

  Well, that was a first. He'd asked me to stay for a drink before, but never blatantly asked if I'd have one with him.

  I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Avery had disappeared. Damn. He was feeding from one of those teenagers. I'd have to move fast if I wanted to lay down the rules.

  “Um, that would be great and any other night I'd be tempted, but something’s just come up.” I was already removing my apron and fishing for my jacket under the counter. Realising too late that I was giving Gabriel a nice view of my behind.

  Luckily, the view had covered my faux pas. I would not normally lead Gabriel on to think that any other night I'd be tempted and under usual circumstances he would have picked up on that. But, my butt had done a decent trick on him and he just stalled where he was, gaping. I let him cop a good look a little longer and then stretched up to my full height.

  “Gabriel?” I asked, innocently. “Is it all right if I go now?”

  “Ah, yeah, of course, Luce. Have a great night.”

  I smiled thankfully at him, skipping past without touching and following the sense of where I could feel Avery had gone. There were no other vampires in the vicinity, so I knew it was him.

  I found them down a quiet alley, steeped in Sanguis Vitam mist. He was shielding any Norms from seeing them and as there were no vampires in the immediate area, he was quite safe from prying eyes. Of course, as a Nosferatin I can see through that mist they create. I could have followed his Dark right to him, but instead it was a faint pull. As though the evil-lurks-in-my-city pull was almost, but not quite, about to be triggered.

  Avery had a lot of Dark and even when I thought he had no intention of breaking the rules, his vampire within had other thoughts entirely.

  I approached slowly, I wasn't there to stake him, but I would if the need arose. I wanted to talk him out of it. Two adults, polite discussion. Nothing more. But, I stopped dead in my tracks at what I saw, unable to pull my gaze away. Unable to speak a word. It could have been the shock of seeing Avery's body over both of the teenagers before him, I'm not sure. Or maybe the sounds of pure enjoyment coming from the young girl as Avery fed at her neck. Or maybe it was the way Avery stroked the face and chest of the boyfriend, causing small shivers and shudders to wrack his entire frame. I was taken by surprise though, that much I will admit. And although, initially, the surprise made me falter in my tracks, the sight of Avery's bare butt - his jeans had fallen to the ground around his ankles and his back was to me - slowly rocking backward and forward against the teenagers trapped against the wall before him made me unable to move a muscle further.

  He was feeding from her neck, one hand running up and down the sides of her skimpy top. His other running over the torso of the boy just to her side. I couldn't see where the boy's hands were, but he wasn't fighting the vampire feeding from his girl. He wasn't defending her either. He was watching Avery though, with a look of pure ecstasy gracing his face. All I could see, was Avery drinking from the girl's neck, stroking the boy to keep him quiet and slowly rocking his pelvis erotically. His butt rippled with each thrust of his hips. A slow, rhythmic motion that held me captive, I couldn't for the life of me look away. He was purring, that vampire purr they have when they really are enjoying themselves and the boy was definitely letting it be known he was having fun too. The girl just looked stunned, in a lust-filled kind of way.

  Her eyes were closed in pure bliss, her head slightly thrown back elongating her neck for Avery's mouth and tongue to devour. The rhythm and sounds the three of them were making were hypnotic and I realised with a shock of guilt, that I was slightly turned on watching. I actually wanted to feel what they were feeling. I actually missed it so much I found myself wanting to be against that wall. The thought of envisaging anyone else but Michel, feeding from me and making me feel anything - anything other than loss and heartache and despair - like that, was too much. I doubled over in pain and shock trying desperately to inhale oxygen into my lungs.

  The sounds began to grow to a peak and I pulled myself back to the present. I had no doubt Avery knew I was there now. Hell, he probably knew the moment I stepped into the alley. He hadn't stopped, he'd continued as though I didn't matter. All that mattered was getting his fill and spilling his seed. I looked up as he rocked one last time against the trapped teenagers, shuddering and gasping in final release. His tongue came out and licked her neck intimately, gently, with such care. And then he turned to look at the boy, holding him in his gaze for several seconds. The boy's mouth opened in a slight O shape and then without any further assistance from Avery he shuddered, groaned and slumped against the vampire that held him by a firm hand around the throat. It was all so not what I was used to seeing. I felt a little sick.

  Avery turned his attention back to the girl, his hand brushed her long black hair out of her eyes and held her jaw, tipping her face up to him.

  “Open your eyes,” he said, huskily. She obeyed. He murmured something else I couldn't quite hear, his eyes casting a jade hue to the dark scene and then he let her step away. She smiled sweetly at me as she skipped past holding the hand of her now recovered boyfriend, both none the worse for wear. Well, not aware of being anything other than none the worse for wear anyway. He'd glazed them both and sent them on their way. They probably wouldn't even remember what had happened. Who knows. Either way, Avery had taken advantage of them, her in particular and she had been so young.

  “I hope she wasn't a virgin,” I said with a little too much heat in my voice.

  He casually bent down and pulled his jeans up, buttoning them closed and watching me.

  “The girl?" He smiled to himself, a small amused smirk that slipped across his lips and then vanished. He looked back up at me. "Why are you angry?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “You know what I am. I need to feed and I enjoy sex. They were not harmed.”

  “You took advantage of them, of her. Did she actually consent or did you make her think she was. Mess with her mind, as you are so prone to do?”

  He scowled, his eyebrows furrowed, lips in a thin line, then stalked over to me threateningly. Jade flashed in his eyes. "Consent was given, Ms. Monk. I am not an animal. Participation was voluntary." I didn't take a step back. I even let him grip my throat with his large palm and run a finger from his other hand down the side of my neck, over my pulse point. He leaned in and inhaled my scent and whispered, “She wanted it, as much as you want it right now.” His tongue came out lapping over my pulse and I did take a step back at that, his hand at my throat releasing immediately.

  “You can't hunt like that while you are here.” My voice wasn't nearly as strong as I would have liked.

  “Or what, Ms. Monk? Give me something better to do and I might make a deal with you.”

  “Or I'll stake you.” My stake was against his chest even before the sentence was out. When I mean business, I can move. Even Avery was slightly surprised at the speed.

&nbs
p; His hand came up and wrapped around my wrist holding the stake, his thumb stroking across my veins there. He pulled me close against him.

  “I say again, what will you give me to make me stop?” His other hand came around the back of my shorts, grabbing my butt cheek and pulling me roughly against his body.

  “I will not have sex with you, Avery.” I said with conviction. “But," - I swallowed - "you can feed from my vein if you agree to leave the women and girls of this city alone.” I just couldn't handle the idea of Avery being here and feeding off innocents, all because of me.

  His smile broadened. “Your blood, but no sex. Hmm. An interesting bargain. I could refuse and still get what I want from somewhere else.”

  “And I could stake you.” I repeated my threat.

  “You could try,” he offered, then said, “Still, your blood is a sweetener to the deal, I will confess.” He leaned in again and ran his lips over my neck.

  “From my wrist,” I added, belatedly.

  “Oh no, little Hunter. If I agree to no hunting on your precious streets and forgo sex, I will pick the blood vessel of choice.”

  “Not happening,” I said trying to break free of his grasp. His hands just turned to steel and held me firmer against his rock hard chest.

  “Make it worth my while, Ms. Monk. Loosen up a little. Live life on the edge. You know you want to. Just let yourself be free and I promise you, you wont feel anything else but joy. No more sadness. No more heartache. No more loss. Let me help you through this time. Let me help you live.”

  I felt hot tears streaming down my cheeks at his words. Spoken so carelessly, with such shameless intent. He knew how I felt. How I had been feeling. How lost and alone and full of grief my days had been. Avery was not a friend. Not even a trusted acquaintance. But, he understood what I was going through. Even if he didn't have a compassionate bone in his entire buffed body, he knew what I had suffered. I didn't have to justify my behaviour to him.

  “Do we have a deal, Ms. Monk?”

  What the hell was I thinking? I should just let him have free rein of the city. But, it was my city now and he was here because of me. A little of my blood to protect the innocents wasn't much to pay. If it kept his cock in his pants and his hands off the teenagers and his fangs off human flesh, then I could deal.

  “OK,” I said, blowing out a breath. “Deal.”

  In a split second he had me against the wall, his hand fisted in my hair and my head tipped back. His growl was loud in the still misted air of the alley as his fangs pierced my skin and sunk deep in my flesh.

  “Hey!” I protested through the sting of the bite. “You've fed already tonight.”

  The sting was slowly being replaced with lust and hunger, my body fighting the response he was trying to make me feel. I threw up shields and pulled on my Light to protect me.

  I suddenly find myself ravenous, Ms. Monk. I think this may take a while, please bear with me. And for God's sake, just let go!

  I closed my eyes and most definitely did not let go and waited him out.

  Damn. This was not going to be good. What the bloody hell had I been thinking?

  Chapter 4

  Fey Detection 101

  He fed for more than 30 seconds. More than Michel would have. I realised that everything he did, I compared to my kindred. I had to stop it. It was too painful to be reminded constantly of what I had lost. Avery was not Michel and I couldn't afford to see him as such. What I had with Avery was practical. He may have ulterior motives for everything he does, but so did I. I wanted to be able to sense the Fey, so I was not running, but letting him stay. I wanted to protect the innocents of Rio from my guest, so he was feeding from me and not them.

  It was practical and essential. Nothing more. A business transaction. The fact that I was selling my blood to a vampire to achieve my goals had not escaped me. But, desperate times called for desperate measures. If the portals were opening and fey were about to cross in numbers, our world would no longer be the same ever again.

  I could stop it. I could just join with a vampire and let the Iunctio do what they will with the power I give them in order to close Álfheimr off from this world, once and for all. It didn't need to be Avery. I could contact Samson and see if he would make a suitable kindred. At least I know Samson, trust him. I also know it wouldn't need to lead to anything else, other than a joining. But, part of me already knew that Samson would not be a suitable match. He is only a level four Sanguis Vitam master. I was guessing that to be compatible with me, the vampire needed to be powerful too.

  Avery had licked his puncture marks closed at my neck, but he hadn't stepped away. In fact, he was leaning into me slightly. His body pressed against mine, his hands holding my shoulders rigidly still and his face resting in the curve of my neck. He was breathing deeply too. I guess he'd not had Nosferatin blood for a while. Or maybe not at all. He seemed a little affected by it.

  “Avery?” I asked after a few minutes had passed. “You can let me go now.”

  “When I'm ready,” he replied. His voice level and seemingly unaffected.

  I waited. There was no point turning this into a fight. I had said he could feed from me, it would be hypocritical to cause a scene now. But, I did wish he'd move away. I bit down on my lower lip and forced myself to remain still.

  His hand came up and cupped my cheek before his face pulled back to look at me. I thought he'd say something, but he just stared at me for a few seconds and then abruptly turned away.

  “I gather you usually hunt now, Ms. Monk?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “Yeah. I wander the streets until I feel the pull.” I'd walked a lot of Rio over the past couple of months.

  “Perhaps a coffee instead of the walking?" he suggested. "I feel the need to relax.” Not looking at me, he started stalking towards the bars and restaurants on the main drag.

  “My blood too much for you, vampire?” I couldn't help it, he'd definitely walked straight into that one.

  “As delightful as your blood is, Ms. Monk, sex makes me mellow. I'm in a post coital bliss I don't wish to walk off just yet.”

  Bullshit, I thought and hoped he'd plucked that out of my head.

  We ended up in an all night café. Sitting at a table on the footpath, watching the night life of Copacabana waltzing by. Colourful and under dressed and way too intoxicated. It was just one big party atmosphere and I loved it. The humans seemed so alive. Despite them having an uncontrolled infestation of creatures of the night prowling their streets, they all seemed high on life. I envied them, of course. How could I not? So carefree and happy, not a worry in the world.

  I purposely pushed those thoughts aside and took a deep drink of my coffee.

  “How do you sense vampires, Ms. Monk?” Avery asked, sipping on his espresso.

  “Do you mean my Sanguis Vitam Cupitor powers or natural Nosferatin talent?”

  “Let's start with the natural Nosferatin talent and see where that takes us,” he replied.

  “OK. It's the Sanguis Vitam. It hums in our heads. We can feel it in the air too, but mainly it's the internal noise.”

  “So,” he said, contemplatively, “you sense their power and know instinctively that it is Nosferatu?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then what?” he prompted.

  “Then I guess I use my Blood Life Seeking powers, the Sanguis Vitam Cupitor ones. I let my mind sink into a blank nothingness and then seek out their Dark. That way I can tell how bad they are and also where exactly they are too.”

  “Out of curiosity, how do you see me?” He'd asked it with the utmost casual ease, but I could tell there was an undercurrent of tension there. Was he nervous of what it was I saw when I looked at him?

  I let myself sink into that black void and sought his signature out. I'd got used to how Dark Avery was, so it wasn't a surprise. I doubted he'd be surprised either.

  “You're Dark,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders. “It's a wonder you don't go around draining eve
ry single throat you suck on. You have way more Dark than Light.”

  “You don't sound alarmed?”

  “I saw your Dark the moment I first laid eyes on you. I've got used to it. And as yet, I haven't caught you in the act of draining a human dry, so my stake has remained out of your chest.”

  “But, you wanted to stake me tonight. For the girl.” His eyes flashed a little amber and ochre in amongst the hazel. I couldn't tell if he wanted me to rise to the bait, to actually threaten to stake him again. Why was he pushing this?

  “Yes.” I settled on simplicity.

  “Why didn't you?”

  “She seemed unharmed. She was at least alive. And you said the rest was consensual.” The rest, of course, being everything other than the feeding. Vampires don't normally seek consent when feeding from strangers.

  He studied me for a moment, then said quietly, “I think your boundaries have shifted, little Hunter. They are no longer so black and white.”

  My boundaries had shifted a long time ago. They had nothing to do with Avery Rousseau.

  I didn't say anything though, just waited for him to proceed. When he realised I wasn't going to play the game he took a sip of his coffee again and then said, “To sense fey magic it will be a similar experience as your current Sanguis Vitam detection powers allow. A combination of both natural instinct and concerted effort.”

  “I can tell they aren't human. That they have power, but I can't get a handle on what it is. Whether they are shifter or just a human Mage who has become less human and more magical.”

  “That is a start,” he said, “but you will need to tell whether they are Ljósálfar or Dökkálfa.”

  Telling the difference would be handy. I assumed both would want to get in my pants, once they realised I was a mœðr, and from what I have been told the Dökkálfa would not make it nice. I had a feeling, that despite the Ljósálfar using magic to influence, they would at least make sure I enjoyed it.