ETERNAL SOULS: A Shadow Creek Novel (Shadow Creek Series Book 1)

by J. C RIMELL

  “Come and sit,” he suggested, his voice deeper and grittier as his wolf surfaced with Cade's sexual desire for her. Positioning the sleeping bag a safe distance from the fire, which now crackled and spat as the larger pieces of wood caught light, he waited for her to join him.

  Kit sat and pulled her knees to her chest, the fire was warm, but she felt chilled to the bone.

  “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought you here.” He felt terrible that she was cold and uncomfortable. Jesus, he would never win any awards for wooing a female.

  She craned her head around to look at him while he stretched out beside her, oblivious to the chill. “Why do you say that?”

  Leaning back onto his elbows, he crossed his long legs and shrugged before meeting her gaze. “You're soaking wet for one, and it wasn't exactly how I imagined spending our first date.”

  “I dunno,” she said, with a teasing smile. “I think it's kind of… romantic.” A short silence passed between them and she turned away bashful, holding her hands up, palms out toward the fire. “Besides,” she continued, still avoiding his stare, “I love this lighthouse. I come and read here all the time.”

  Cade marveled at the profile of her face, everything was perfectly proportioned, even down to the small brown freckle on her cheek. “I know,” he admitted. Two years was a long time to spend observing someone. He knew more about her than he probably should, being privy to a lot of classified information on people made it easy for him. Still, he hadn't dug too deeply. Otherwise, he would have known about the death of her sister Clara.

  He did know she was from Hampstead, London. Her mother, Margaret, was a classical dance teacher, originally from Shadow Creek, like her twin sister Josephine. Her father, Keith, was a lawyer. They had a springer spaniel named Cargo, and she was top of her class. She cycled out to the lighthouse every other day and habitually sat in the same spot. The books she read were all the romance kind, fantasy, and paranormal. He had even taken the time to read a few she had. The one thing he'd learned about those books; the heroes were all―for want of a better description―supernatural studs. Hot, sexy, strong, masculine men, verging on the good side of bad, and if that's the type of guy she wanted, then damn, she need look no further.

  Not that he was big-headed. He'd never considered himself a handsome man. Far from it. Not with a scar that almost ran down half of his face. Heck, he'd been surprised when Jessie had all but fell at his feet the first night they'd met. But he put it down to his supernatural aura. His inner wolf. Plus, he kept himself in incredible shape, and most human guys just didn't bag that kind of profile.

  Biting her lower lip seemed to suggest she was considering something sexual, though, he needed a little more proof where that was concerned.

  In fact, she was doing it now.

  “How do you know?” she suddenly asked, turning to face him once again and trapping his gaze. Their eyes locked, the fire roared and heartbeats raced. Kit's eyes shifted over his face. The jagged scar, his full lips, his honed body, and blood rushed to deep, dark places where the sexual hunger she felt magnified. Until her whole body felt molten and highly sensitive.

  “I've spent the last two years lost in you. Watching you from afar, wanting to get close.”

  Cade saw the undeniable shock as it flared in her eyes and his fangs punched into his mouth. He was struggling to hold back the animal within, his body ached, ravenous and yearning with lust. She swallowed, and he watched the movement of her throat with an attentive longing.

  “What else do you know?” Her voice sounded low and curious, rather like she was more miffed than haughty and pissed off.

  His head tilted to the side. “A little more than I should,” he confessed, “but I didn't know about, Clara.”

  Her gaze turned a little wary in the sudden silence. She searched his face. He was a man first and foremost she reminded herself, and she couldn't escape the way he made her feel. Her heart tightened in her chest when his eyes sparked with what she could only describe as lust. The very thought she was desirable to him sent another barrier she'd built around herself as a defense against the world, crashing down around her. Kit's body flooded with a need to be with him, touched by him, a feeling so strong that it verged on desperation.

  “Kit, baby—” he breathed, a growl proceeding his next few words as he slowly sat upright so his face was within a fraction of her own. “If you keep looking at me that way, I'll have no choice but to give in to you.” He drew her in with his eyes. “We both know what's happening here.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Seth quickly picked up the scent of his brothers as he made his way back through Shadow Creek.

  It wasn't difficult. The smell of decaying human hosts had a particular tinge to it that was potent to the supernatural species. But it smelled like nothing more than a bad odor to a human.

  He kept tight into the closed shopfronts, concealing him in shadow and partially sheltering him from of the inclement weather. It wasn't long before he hit the coastal road and saw a set of glowing eyes peering through the heavy rain in the distance. He stood for a minute; the rain seeping through his black shirt and jeans as he let his inner instincts reach out and feel the area. He could sense something familiar being carried by the wind. Something that made him stir deep inside, but another smell tainted the purity of it. A familiar scent that reminded him of his past before being turned into a fiend.

  It reminded him of wet animals, like dogs and wolves. He had morphed into wolf form frequently during his lifetime. Their pelt was easy to find in deep woodlands and becoming a wolf made it easier to catch a decent sized meal.

  Seth should have ignored the temptation of what was calling him like a moth to a flame. He recognized the fragrant perfume now, and the blood in his veins roared with an agonizing, primal need. He was curious, nothing good ever came from curiosity and he should know better than most. Still, he decided against his better judgment and went to take a closer look.

  §

  The growl that escaped Cade made every tiny hair on Kit's body stand on end, sending her hormones into an unfamiliar, yet delicious frenzy. Her nipples hardened as the silver in his eyes splintered and speared her into place. She didn't spook when she saw long, razor sharp fangs pressed against his lower lip. The danger of them excited her, made her want to feel them grazing her skin.

  Cade curled a hand around the back of her slender neck in a tender but dominating hold. Her lips were so close he could feel her warm breath mingle with his own. It was taking every ounce of strength he had to bring the animal inside to heal. He knew his eyes were luminous and had shifted to night vision. His fangs had elongated into sharp points, and he had a hard on that bordered on painful bulging against the fly of his jeans.

  “Don't be afraid,” his voice was strained, barely above a whisper.

  “I'm not.”

  His smile revealed more of those deadly fangs. “Hmm, not even a little?”

  She shuddered as he lowered his head and spoke against her throat. “I'm slowly going crazy here, and I want to kiss you...” the pad of his thumb swept over her lower lip, “… real bad.” He edged closer, drawing her in with his scorching gaze. She swallowed as his hand on her nape tightened feeling her fingers lace through his hair.

  Cade was as gentle as he could be, mindful that he didn't catch her soft, generous, bottom lip with his fangs. He'd imagined kissing her. Dreamed of such a thing, he knew it would feel good, sweet, and the fleeting kiss in the rain had only confirmed it. But when her silky lips met his, the rest of the world evaporated, melted away into the dark, stormy night. All he could sense was the warmth of the fire and the pulse of her beating heart in the vein beneath his thumb. The gentle, feminine way she took his lower lip between her own stunned him and sent his thoughts scattering into oblivion.

  Kit knew she had two choices. She could remain stubborn and set on thinking he was nuts and she was going insane imagining the things that were happening. Or she could admit to her
self that he was different.

  Okay, very different. She was attracted to him in such a way that made her body ache with a need that ran so deep, she couldn't tell where it began or ended. Only that she wanted him with every fiber of her being and something begged her to explore him.

  Surprised by Kit's reciprocation, he and his wolf wanted to push a little harder. Gliding his tongue across the seam of her lips, her mouth parted and welcomed him in, unafraid and searching.

  Ah, sweet Jesus. That's when his control ebbed away and the wolf broke free.

  Kit didn't resist when Cade teased her legs down so she lay beneath him. He didn't break their kiss, it only intensified, and she was delirious with the pleasure of it. No one had ever kissed her the way Cade was kissing her now. Her body felt like a ticking bomb, heating up ready for an explosion of gigantic proportions. Her conscience was well and truly simmering somewhere on a back burner. After all, it would only ask her why she was getting it on with someone she hardly knew. With someone claiming he was a wolf who growled, had fangs, and eyes that… Bloody hell…

  Glowed?

  She was laying beneath a hunk of a guy who quite frankly had the ability to make her orgasm with his kiss alone. His lips were in control. His tongue was a satin whip against her own, making her skin buzz all over with little shock waves of bliss. Kit didn't want to see those haunting eyes lurking in the closet of her mind, didn't want to think about anything else at all. So she locked the door and set aside the key. At least she could forget while she was here, like this, with Cade.

  Sliding his leg between hers, Cade nudged them apart and settled himself between her inner thighs. And fuck, she moaned into his mouth. Unable to contain the rumble in his chest, he pulled back from her and growled; the sound resonating around the stark space. His body was a live wire. The blood in his veins pulsed to fever pitch and his eyes widened in bewilderment when her hands tangled tighter in his hair. She wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing the hard, covered length of him against her.

  The sounds of thunder and heavy rain seemed far, far away. The fire crackled, and the flames danced beside them, casting sultry shadows on the old brick walls of the room below the lighthouse. A strange connection, like an electrical pulse, weaved around the two of them. Tugging away inhibitions and breaking down barriers. Until all that remained was a sexual desire so strong neither one had the strength to fight it.

  Cade's hand traveled south, over the luxurious, smooth skin of her thigh as he took the weight of his body on his other arm. Every touch felt like a torrent of heat between them. He gazed at her for several long seconds, spellbound by her maddening beauty. From the first moment he had set eyes on her, his wolf had known, an ancient sense passed down from generation to generation, that she was his. Even as she lay under his body, she was so unaware she was staring back into the eyes of her mate. Allowing him to mark her and taking his blood was the only way she'd feel the full connection. The twinning of their souls.

  He smiled at her, a playful curve to his lips as he nipped her neck, tempted to bite, to mark her as his mate. Her hips twisted beneath him, rubbing against his arousal behind the rough denim of his jeans. Kit moaned in pleasure, the friction so delicious she bit his lip as he came back to take her in a hungry kiss. He growled deep in his throat, wanting her to bite harder as he rocked against her.

  Slipping his hand beneath his shirt she was wearing, it glided over her hip bone and along the curve of her waist. His hand lingered, waiting for her to stop him, give him some sign she didn't want him to go any further. But when she sighed once more he took it as a sure sign to continue. His hand drifted beyond her chest until he cupped her small, pert breast. She bucked against him as he brushed his thumb teasingly over her taut bud. Cade did it again, and again and relished her short nails biting into his back. She released a soft cry as he broke their kiss to look at her. He liked the way she played with the ends of his hair and his wolf rolled around in delight. Continuing his exploration of her body, over smooth creamy skin he hooked his thumb into her panties.

  Kit gasped as he explored her. His molten eyes never leaving hers, it was an intimate embrace of their own that kept her captivated. Cade watched her with growing intensity. Her sudden recognizance of him was overwhelming. His body was like a fuse, tripping every other second. She blew his goddamned mind. And he didn't want to screw it up by taking things further than she wanted. He searched her heated gaze and felt every delicate movement of her body. Her frustrated moans and her scent was signaling she wanted more.

  Much more.

  “I want to make you feel good,” his voice was so low, more wolf than human as he continued to stroke her flesh. Then he tugged down her underwear. “Let me.”

  Pressing a finger to his lips, Kit silenced him. Traced his scar with her fingertip, her caring, fervent eyes full of wonder. “Yes… please.”

  It was all the encouragement he needed.

  His hands roamed over her body, hot like brandishing irons claiming her, yet gentle as velvet in their caress. Kit was lost somewhere between a dizzy paradise and nervous anticipation. Shuddered as his fingertips slipped over the valley of her hip and the neat, silky curls now fully exposed, to the wet, slick core of her. She was still a virgin and knew her reactions were natural, being wanted and desired by a man, and somewhere deep inside being with Cade felt so right. Kit didn't want to kid herself that they might have a happy ever after, didn't dare to think beyond right here, right now. She wanted it all because who the hell knew what tomorrow would bring?

  A few years ago she'd almost died. A big part of her had, and at this moment she felt so alive she didn't want to let that feeling slip through her fingers. Kit hung on to Cade's strong shoulders while his hand slipped between their bodies. His skillful, deliberate touch with gentle promising strokes made her shiver and throw caution to the wind.

  “Cade!” Her voice was a breathy cry as she gripped tighter to the muscles that were rigid and bunched beneath her fingers. The beauty of her pleasure was hypnotizing. She her threw back her head, lost in that place where reaching the pinnacle was all that mattered. He quickened his rotation on her swollen sex and teased her open with a finger, gently slipping it in. He bit off a curse feeling her clench around him, hot, moist and tight.

  “Jesus Christ. Angel, you're so...”

  She's so tight… ah… Fuck.

  A sudden realization had him setting his jaw so tight he almost broke his molars. But he found it impossible to linger on the thought that imploded his mind as she moved harder against his hand. He should've stopped and perhaps a better man would have. But he allowed the thought to dissipate, saturated with a carnal need that left little room for anything else. He closed his mouth over the thin cotton that still covered her breasts and took her pebbled nipple between his teeth.

  Her neck was fully exposed and Cade wanted to take it. His gums ached. His wolf clawed at his skin. His throat burned, parched for the smallest drop of her elixir that would bind her to him and quench his thirst of longing. Turning his head away from the temptation and quickly becoming distracted by her legs opening wider, he knew instinctively she wanted more. He thrust two fingers inside, tentatively stretching her core, afraid he'd cause her pain. When she rocked against him again, he quickened his pace and she brought her head up to kiss him.

  Kit's bottom lip caught the tip of his fang in the urgency drawing a drop of blood from her skin, and he greedily drank her in. The sweet nectar flashed through his veins, fed his inner beast. Her knees rose higher and she whimpered, nearing that place she was now so desperate to reach.

  Tiny muscles coiled and contracted around his fingers as he drove them deeper. Her exquisite moan as he felt her climax was like an enchanted rhapsody to his ears making cock pulse and threaten to surrender his own release. Kit held on for dear life, hearing strange blissful sounds she knew could only be her own. But she was almost incoherent. Riding the storm of a wave that shook her body from her head to her toes until
all she could see were stars.

  Cade had no idea how he controlled his wolf. It had possibly been the hardest fucking thing he'd ever done. He wanted Kit more than anything he'd wanted in his entire life, and having tasted her blood amidst her heady climb to oblivion, he'd almost abandoned himself.

  Now he wanted to crow. Wearing a wide smile of male satisfaction as he smoothed her hair tenderly, tucked it behind her ear enjoying the flush in her cheeks. He watched in adoration as she came back down from wherever she'd ascended to, hoping next time he'd be able to join her. Rolling over, he pulled her into his chest and she buried her head in the crook of his arm.

  She felt protected, warm, and cozy. And in the few moments she lay recapturing her breath, cuddled up to the man who had just given her the most amazing orgasm she'd ever had. She wondered if could he tell she was a virgin? Kit wasn't naïve, she knew how to pleasure herself. But it was the first time someone else had touched her in a sexual, intimate way.

  The earlier thought that had infiltrated Cade's mind reappeared, and it became a feeling that niggled at him. His wolf's senses were pretty accurate and this question was one he wanted an answer to. Cade didn't quite know how to phrase so it wouldn't make her flee from his arms.

  “Cade?” Her voice was muffled against his chest, too embarrassed to look at him.

  Slipping his free arm around her he pulled her in closer. “Mm?” he answered while his fingers traced circles on the back of her hand. He was stiff as a steel rod and wanted nothing more than to be deep inside of her, pleasure her, taste her, feel her body covering his own.

  She could still feel his arousal, wedged hard against the crease of her thigh and it stoked the embers aglow in the pit of her stomach. “Can I ask you something?” Kit's fingers traced across the marks scaring his arm. He knew everything about her, and she wanted to know something about him, just a small detail about this man that intrigued her so much.