From Out Of The Shadows

by Linda Mooney

  “I remember sensing their fear.”

  He paused, his hand lifted to brush her hair away from her breasts so he could see her beautiful nipples. â��You sensed them?”

  Tora nodded slightly. The hair swayed and parted over one breast, but left the other covered. â��Sometimes a person’s emotions are so strong, I don’t need to touch them to know what they’re feeling. It’s not too different like when you’re looking at someone and knowing how they feel if the expressions on their faces are revealing. It wasn’t hard to intensify that fear.”

  “How are you able to make people like you, when you know they instinctively fear you?”

  “I don’t know. I just did. I thought good thoughts…happy thoughts…and I guess I projected them onto the people I wanted to like me. I didn’t…I haven’t done it a lot. Just when I needed something…like food.â�� Tilting her head slightly, she smiled. â��You’re listening to me, but your mind is elsewhere,â�� she whispered.

  He pushed her hair behind her shoulders, his eyes taking in the pale beauty of her body. Even though she was incredibly thin, he could see enough to know how breathtaking she could be.

  “What does lust feel like, Tora?â�� He reached for her face and saw her eyes widen. She licked her lips, leaving them moistened and begging for his kisses. And then she answered his question…

  …as a Sensitive would.

  Burning.

  Devouring.

  Consuming all thought.

  Driving, searching for that hunger to be filled.

  A bottomless, aching need.

  Desperate for completion.

  He was suddenly blind to all else except her. For the taste of her on his lips and in his mouth. He pulled her to him, and this time Tora fought to match him as hard as he demanded.

  The tray with its empty contents went sliding onto the floor. Croat rolled on top of her as she tugged on his head and arms. His knees spread her legs as he positioned himself, and the smell of her heat and wetness called to him like a siren’s song.

  There was no need for him to guide his rigid erection to her inner lips. He couldn’t manage it, even if he wanted to. His arms were around her, cradling her to his chest, and she moaned into his kisses.

  Lowering his hips was like dipping into a tight well that threatened to squeeze every drop of seed out of him. Deeply he plunged, and Tora gasped against his tongue. Again he dove into her. Again. And again.

  The fireplace and the cabin vanished from existence. There was only each other and their all-consuming, immediate hunger. Every thrust increased their need, making them move faster and harder to reach their pinnacle.

  Without warning, his world shuddered before exploding outward.

  She encased his erection, tightened around him, and as her muscles massaged him, he could feel himself doing the same.

  His entire length was on fire as he withdrew and plunged into her, and she was the one digging into her own silken depths.

  “Oh, gods…â�� He cried out, pulling his mouth away from hers so he could look down into her eyes. His own visage reflected back at him in the dark mirrors. â��What’s happening, Tora. What am…I…feeling?”

  But he already knew. He had known from the moment they’d begun making love.

  He was her. She was him. They were one body, each giving and receiving the other’s responses. Sharing this moment and their reactions, fused as a single whole entity.

  “Tora…”

  “I didn’t…know…â�� She arched her neck and cried out when he rammed back into her.

  Croat continued to pump hard and thick into her. As his orgasm began to build and strengthen, her body reacted to it. Just as her own release rose increasingly higher and higher, Croat could feel how she reached for it, and fought for it.

  They wouldn’t be two people experiencing two separate climaxes. They were one.

  Their release tore into them with a force neither had expected, or Croat believed was possible. Tora screamed in his ear, but he had already gone blind and deaf to everything except the beautiful, searing pain overtaking them. The pain of pleasure. The extreme agony that threw their bodies into full rigidity. They both shuddered with their mutual release, doubly intensified from feeling the other’s. Neither had control.

  As their orgasms lessened, Croat planted his face in the mattress, still dazed and shaken. Gradually, steadily, reality drifted back into his consciousness. He vaguely grew aware of his weight resting on top of her, and somehow he managed to slide onto his side. When Tora breathed freely, so did he.

  He was sore. He was limp.

  He felt complete. He was still horny.

  His hands twinged. His ribs ached.

  When Tora reached over to touch his face, he felt the dull pressure run up his arm.

  “My love,â�� she whispered.

  He placed a hand over her bared breast to keep them warm, and realized how rough and calloused his own palm was.

  An instant later, he was asleep.

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  Chapter 29

  Meeting

  “Croat. Time to wake up.”

  The sound was coming from the other side of the room and sounded vaguely like his grandmother. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the ceiling. Lifting his head, he saw Deelaht standing in the doorway, and looking as impatient as ever. â��I still see your handprints on all of this. Especially on my back,â�� he accused hoarsely.

  She answered with a smile, then turned and walked back into the other room. He knew she had left.

  Tora was cuddled against his side, but he knew she was slowly awakening. Unfortunately, so was his libido.

  “Tora.â�� He caressed her face and shoulder, and wondered if they had the time for more lovemaking, when he remembered the look on the old woman’s face. Deelaht wouldn’t have interfered unless it was important. The fact that she had intruded upon his inner sanctum told him he was needed without delay.

  She moved, brushing flesh over flesh, and his semiflaccid erection filled and lengthened.

  Simultaneously, he felt her grow wetter. These sending, giving, and receiving of emotions between us are going to be both a blessing and a curse.

  “I wish we could, my love, but the others are outside waiting for me to begin the meeting. Hurry and dress. I want you there with me.”

  She rubbed her eyes and nodded. Croat kissed her forehead before rolling out of bed and heading for the toilet. When he emerged, she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Holding up her gown, she stared at it then glanced over at him. â��Is there anything clean for me to wear?”

  “Have you checked the other room?”

  Without asking him what he meant, Tora padded to the doorway. Her sense of surprise as she stared into the front room gave him the answer.

  “Is there breakfast, too?”

  She entered the bedroom, carrying a bundle of clothing under one arm and nibbling on a piece of sausage wrapped in a bun. Handing him the food, she dropped her clothes on the bed and disappeared into the toilet.

  Croat hurried to finish dressing. He grabbed another wrapped piece of sausage as he left the cottage.

  Gesset was waiting for him. â��You didn’t say where you wanted to meet.”

  “Here will be fine.â�� It was big enough to hold everyone, and he could be heard just as clearly as he could inside the sanctuary where most meetings were usually held. It wasn’t long before everyone was gathered. A quick glance overhead told him it wasn’t too far long into morning, which was good. Crossing his arms over his chest, Croat decided to waste no more time. â��It is my belief that our days of trying to remain isolated are coming to an end, no thanks to Baron Agrino.”

  His initial comment was met with general agreement, as he suspected it would. Rumor had been going around for months, ever since the first of their kind had been captured. Jajun had been tortured and discarded in the woods, left to die, but he had managed to s
urvive long enough to pass along a warning.

  Behind him Croat sensed Tora emerging from their cottage to join him. To his relief, the others merely glanced at her but made no comment. Apparently they were finally willing to accept her as Croat’s woman, albeit reluctantly.

  “The baron will not be content until he believes he’s captured every Lupan alive so he can torture us and bend us to do his will, which is to be part of his growing army.â�� He eyed the married men in the crowd. â��If all he finds is us males, that won’t suffice. He won’t be satisfied until he finds all of us. Agrino knows we have females, but he probably thinks, like most villagers do, that our females are human instead of Lupan.”

  Tora’s sense of shock wove through him. Apparently she had also originally believed the same thing. That Lupan, if they existed, kidnapped human women in order to propagate.

  “And if we have females, then there must be children, some of who must be Lupan, too. Either way, Agrino won’t be satisfied to capture just us males, but our mates and children, too. He’ll torture our women and keep them captive to keep us breeding. Our children…they’ll either be turned against us, or forced to obey him. You know the baron will not allow us to be human. He’ll treat us like animals. He’ll keep us caged like animals. He’ll allow us only what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants. If he succeeds, our lineage will die. And Lupan will become as extinct as people have pronounced us for centuries.”

  Mengar stepped away from the crowd, but where the others could see him as he spoke directly to Croat. â��You have a plan?”

  “I do.”

  “That involves all of us? Not only our men, but all the women and children, too?”

  Croat looked out over the wary and fearful gazes of his people. â��All of us,â�� he repeated. â��We are all at risk, so it will take all of us to succeed.”

  “Her, too?â�� It was Amrin, standing at the other edge of the crowd. Who he was targeting was clear. Croat started to reply when he sensed Tora coming up from behind him. Determination and love steadied her.

  “I have as much at stake as the rest of you,â�� she told them. â��Sensitives have been victimized, the same way you will be if Agrino manages to capture you. I love Croat. And whatever abilities I have, I pledge to use them against the baron, the same way you will use your Lupan powers to prevent him from succeeding.”

  “Tora is crucial to our success,â�� a voice called out from behind. Everyone turned to see Deelaht emerging from the woods behind the cottages. Her ever-present basket was filled with flowers and green herbs. Slowly, she made her way toward the crowd and stopped beside her grandson. â��The woman is a Beginner. Her power is immeasurable.”

  Confused looks passed between the people. Indistinct murmurs and whispers were too low or muffled to be understood, but Croat understood.

  “Here is my plan. First, we will go as one to Neabush. Once we arrive, we will convince the villagers to accept us as allies. Then, together, we will plan how to attack the baron’s castle and overcome him.”

  “And kill him?â�� Amrin asked.

  “Yes. And kill him.”

  “What if word gets out that Lupan did the killing? What happens when humans discover we’re no longer extinct? What happens then?â�� He looked around as if challenging them all. â��Do you honestly believe no one will come after us to destroy us then?”

  “It depends on how we carry out stopping the baron,â�� Croat told them. â��Yes, we have no choice but to kill the baron, but we won’t leave behind any trace of what happened when we’re done.”

  He didn’t need to be a Sensitive to read their expressions.

  “We’ll go in, take care of what needs to be done, then leave, taking the bodies with us to dispose of in the woods. Humans going to the castle will find it deserted. More tales and legends will spring up to explain the sudden disappearance of Agrino and his men. Forrestbard and Pickens Town are the closest villages to the castle. Anyone who investigates will more than likely go there to see if anyone knows anything. Neabush is inconsequential. It doesn’t have the crops the other villages do where the baron has extracted hefty taxes. No one will ever suspect Neabush of being behind the baron’s disappearance. The other villages will be accused of retribution.”

  “And you don’t think that anyone from Neabush will go and reveal what happened?â�� someone called out from the crowd.

  “No,â�� Tora answered. â��The villagers have been seeking a way to protect themselves from the baron’s random cruelties ever since Agrino took over. They’ve all but given up because they have no way of defending themselves. Not when the baron’s men are carrying rifles and riding horses, and the villagers have only their knives and farming implements.”

  A woman raised her hand for permission to speak. She was Veemra, a widow of some years. Croat nodded at her.

  “How will having us go with you help?”

  “To make us appear human. To let the villagers know we have as much, if not more at stake. To let them see we have families, wives, husbands, and children. That our future is as shaky as their own. Except, in our case, we’re being hunted and kidnapped for different reasons.”

  “You know the baron has his own men within the town. Men in high positions,â�� Amrin reminded him. â��They’ll have to be subdued.”

  “I’m aware of that,â�� Croat admitted. â��So here’s what we have to do. Today, I need for everyone to prepare to travel. This is going to take at least a week. Pack medical supplies, a few food items, but only one change of clothing. At dusk, we’ll gather here to leave. We’ll travel at night to avoid being spotted, and we’ll travel as Lupan to conserve our strength. We should reach Neabush by morning. When we get close, I’ll give everyone further instructions. Any questions?”

  “Babes, too?â�� It was Illia, clutching her precious son.

  Croat hesitated. Would it be fair to put the woman and child in danger’s way after all the misery that family had been through to finally have a baby?

  A hand touched his shoulder. â��The children can stay behind in Neabush. They’ll be safe there.”

  Croat gave Tora a quick smile. â��Even Bristol,â�� he told the woman. â��Once we gain the villagersâ�� trust, we can leave the children behind under their protection when the rest of us attack the castle.â�� He motioned toward the back of the crowd where he had spotted Basia earlier. â��Our pregnant women can stay. I will not risk them miscarrying.”

  “What makes you so sure this will work?â�� another voice demanded from the crowd. Croat recognized Cheeldon’s voice. The man had always been a naysayer.

  “I’m not sure, but if you can think of another planâ��”

  “Yeah! I say we stay here and keep our borders clear, just like we’ve always done!â�� Cheeldon cried out. A few people murmured their agreement.

  “And how long do you think that will last?â�� Tora spoke out. She stepped around to stand in front of Croat. He had felt her rising anger and irritation, but he had dismissed it as a mirror of his own frustration. â��Agrino won’t stop until he’s found all of you! Or until he thinks he’s found all of you who are left.”

  She stood before them, hands curled into fists at the end of ramrod-straight arms pressed by her sides. â��We’re a game to the baron. We’re an exciting hunt on a boring afternoon. He has been taking men, women, and children from the surrounding villages on a regular basis and doing gods know what with them. Do you honestly believe, now that he knows you really exist, that he’s not going to put every man he can on your trail to try and find you? Dearest heavens, you were a myth! When normal people find out the myth is real, can you imagine the terror he could incite? They nearly killed Croat, and tried to make him feed on me because the baron knows how invincible he’ll be if he has a whole army of Lupan.”

  “We won’t fight for him,â�� Worton growled.

  “You would if h
e had your wife and children as hostages. If he tortured the people closest to you. Yes…you would,â�� Croat assured him.

  The crowd quieted as they tried to imagine what kind of horrors the baron could inflict on them. Overhead the birds sang in the trees. To the unknowing eye, the world appeared peaceful, happy, and full of promise.

  Breeat broke their concentration by stepping forward and shifting into his Lupan form. â��Meet here at dusk?â�� he clarified.

  Croat nodded, and everyone began to disperse to prepare for the journey. As he watched them leave, Tora’s hand slipped into his. She radiated calm determination. More importantly, she was hopeful.

  For some strange reason, it was enough to make him believe they might actually have a chance at a future together.

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  Chapter 30

  Traveling

  The toddlers were carried on their father’s backs. The women held their infants tightly wrapped against their breasts. The older children loped along with boundless energy, delighted to be in their Lupan forms for as long as they wanted.

  They moved in single file, or in twos. The long line extended through the forest as they hurried through the brush to reach Neabush shortly after dawn.

  A special sling had been brought for Tora to ride in. Stretched between two of Croat’s men, she lay in it as the Lupan literally raced under the light of the three-quarter moon.

  She had been shocked at first when every man, woman, and child had shown up right before sunset totally naked, except for those little squares of cloth tied about their waists to cover their genitals. The women were bare-breasted, but it didn’t seem to bother them. Clothing had been folded and tied together, to be worn on several women’s backs.

  Prior to their leaving, she had helped Deelaht tie up packets of herbs and fill a shoulder satchel with everything else the old woman thought they would need, mostly rolls of bandages. She’d shared a large, late lunch with the woman, who urged her to eat as much as she could hold, since there was no way they would know when they would be eating again.