Born in the Shadows (In the Shadows Series Book 1)

by Courtney McPhail

  It had been everything he had wanted with her since he had first met her. He had believed that things were perfect between them. Then all this shit with Armand had gone down and everything was all fucked up again. He never seemed to win.

  And the truth was, he wanted like hell to win with her. This time spent with her had made his feelings painfully obvious: he was head over heels in love with her.

  The thought of her in any danger made his stomach turn and it lit off this burning need inside him to take her somewhere far away, where it would just be the two of them and he could look after her. She was his and he wouldn’t let any harm come to her. The problem was she hadn’t gotten that memo.

  She still thought she was on her own and it’s not as if he had done anything to make her think differently. Instead of telling her how he felt, he had let his damn fear and ego get the better of him. He had gone about everything wrong.

  What he should have done was take a calming breath and tell her the truth. He loved her and he couldn’t imagine his life without her. Wanting to be changed into a Shadow Walker wasn’t just about protecting her; it was also because he didn’t want her living without him. He wanted forever with her and she could make that happen.

  But saying all of that would make sense and God fucking forbid he do anything that made sense. The idea of losing her made it impossible for him to be rational, which meant he had acted like a complete asshole to her.

  His threat to leave had been his hail mary, a last ditch attempt to scare her into doing what he wanted. It had been a low blow, a move born out of desperation instead of any real intention to follow through. But she had called his bluff, refusing to be manipulated and Gabe feared that he would not be able to take back his words.

  She was strong and she wasn’t going to be pushed around, even by him. If he didn’t accept that, he would lose her. The problem was his instincts had him needing to protect her and no amount of reason was going to silence them.

  He scrubbed the heels of his palms over his face, groaning in frustration. This was not how he wanted things to go.

  The door opened and he dropped his hand to see Cordelia in the doorway, her face registering surprise at finding him here. She quickly schooled her features into a neutral expression as she came in, shutting the door softly and leaning back against it.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here.”

  “I thought you could always tell where I was.”

  “Signal is down for the next little while.”

  He nodded his head even though he wasn’t sure what she meant but he didn’t care about that now. They had more important things to discuss. Like him grovelling for forgiveness then laying his heart on the ground before her and praying she didn’t crush it under her feet.

  “Look before you say anything, there is something I have to tell you and if I don’t say it right now, I’m never going to say it,” she said before taking a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever it was she had to say.

  “I’m in love with you.”

  He stared at her, not quite sure if he had heard her right. She stood there, biting down on her lip, staring at him and he saw something new in her eyes. Vulnerability. She was willing to put herself on the line, something they had both avoided doing in the past. If either one of them had just been honest back then maybe they would have come to this place a long time ago.

  “I love you too.”

  “You do?” she said, her voice filled with such amazement it made his heart ache. How could she ever have doubted he loved her?

  He stood up and went to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. He pulled back and pressed his forehead against hers, their lips almost touching as he whispered to her.

  “I love you more than anything in this world, Cordelia. It’s why I acted like an ass. The thought of something bad happening to you sets me off and I didn’t know how to handle it. I’m sorry for pushing you like that.”

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry for pushing back,” she said, smiling widely as she cupped his face and kissed him hard. His hands dropped to her ass, pulling her up against him and she lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist. He carried her over to the bed, laying her down and hovering over her.

  He grabbed the hem of her shirt and stripped it off her, dipping his head to press a kiss to the swell of her breast. He could see her nipple pucker under her bra and he took the nub between his lips, suckling her through the fabric. She groaned, arching her back and pushing herself further into his mouth.

  He hooked his thumbs under the bra straps, easing them off her shoulders and down her arms. He tugged at the cups, pulling the whole thing down to hang uselessly around her waist. Her nipples were a bright pink, standing at attention, begging for his touch. He reached out and reverently traced the tip of one with his index finger. She inhaled sharply and her back arched off the mattress. He grinned devilishly before taking the tight flesh between his lips and suckling on her nipple.

  He moved from one breast to the other, tormenting her until she was writhing beneath him, her fingernails scratching sharply along his back. He abandoned her breasts and headed south, his lips trailing down the centre of her stomach, his tongue taking a detour to circle her navel before continuing on its merry way to the waistband of her jeans.

  He made quick work of the button and fly, yanking the denim swiftly down and off her legs. She lay there clad solely in her panties and he stared at her from his position at the bottom of the bed.

  It was like a kick in the stomach as he stared up the length of her body. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her hair was spread out on the pillow, haloing around her head as if she was an angel. Her eyes hooded with desire, her breasts swollen and pink from his mouth, her legs splayed out and he could smell the scent of her arousal on the air.

  She trembled as his hands slid up her legs, coming to rest on the inside of her thighs where he nudged her to open them wider. He slithered up the bed until he was directly between her legs, eye level with her panty-clad mound.

  He reached out, his warm palm cupping her centre and her hips jumped in response. He pressed against her with the base of his palm, rotating in small circles and she moaned deep in her throat. She spread her legs farther apart, giving him as much free access as possible, silently begging him to go further.

  He grinned at her eagerness, relishing it in the way that any red blooded male would. He dipped his head and pressed his lips against her panty-clad sex.

  “Tease,” she whined and he only wagged his eyebrows in response before pushing his tongue between her folds.

  She cried out and dug her fingers into his hair, holding him in place as he explored her with his mouth, using the texture of the cotton panties to his advantage. He lapped and sucked on her, dampening the fabric with both his mouth and her desire as she thrashed and moaned beneath him. The taste of her made his head swim and he clamped his hands around her hips, as much to keep her steady as himself. He felt her body tense beneath him as he continued to delve into her centre and he looked up, his eyes meeting hers and holding them as he drove her over the edge.

  When her cries had quieted and her body had ceased its trembling, he pulled her damp panties from her body, tearing them in his haste. Didn’t matter, he’d buy her some new ones later. Right now, all he cared about was getting inside her.

  He stripped himself quickly, wanting nothing but skin-to-skin contact in this moment. He positioned himself at her entrance and stared down at her as he took his time filling her to the hilt. He loved watching her face when he pushed inside her, the way her mouth opened in that little O and her breath hitched in the back of her throat.

  He reached out to brush her hair off her forehead and then pulled himself back, inching out of her slowly before sliding back in at the same languid pace. He wanted to make the feeling last. When he was inside her, it felt like he was right where he belonged.

  The only problem was that Cordelia wasn’t in the mood for slow
. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her hips lifting in rhythm with his, urging him to pick up the pace.

  “Faster, Gabe, please,” she whimpered, her hands dropping to his ass, fingernails digging into the hard flesh, urging him on. Her plaintive tone was his undoing and he reared up, letting instinct take over as he began to thrust hard and fast inside her.

  Her keening cry told him that he was doing everything right and with every thrust, he could feel her slick channel trembling around his length. She was close and so was he. He had wanted it to last longer but knowing that this was the woman who loved him was too much for his self-control.

  As his hips pistoned, his head dropped to her neck and he rasped in her ear.

  “Oh God Cordy, I love you so much.”

  “I love you, Gabe,” she gasped back, the words turning into a long moan as her muscles throbbed around him, holding him tight inside her body as she reached her peak. The feel of her clenching around him was enough to drive him over the edge and he came inside her with one final powerful thrust.

  It was beyond the scope of anything he had ever felt in his entire life. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed into him and just when he thought it would subside, it started up again. It could have gone on a few minutes or a few days, he didn’t know and he didn’t care. He didn’t want it to stop.

  The two of them collapsed in a sweaty heap on the bed, gasping and panting as they came down from the high. Gabe pulled her tight against his chest, his fingers going to toy with her hair while she pressed her cheek against his chest, sighing with contentment.

  “You know,” he said, finally breaking the companionable silence between them, “That is the first time we’ve ever had sex without you feeding.”

  “I know. I wanted to do it once without it.” There was a long pause, as if she was mustering up the courage for what she would say next. “Did you miss it?”

  He thought about it. The feeding had been new and exciting and it had added another level of intimacy to sex. He had enjoyed it a lot but tonight he hadn’t missed it at all. The intimacy that came from loving each other topped any feeling that could come from feeding.

  This time it had been only about them. They weren’t a Shadow Walker and a human. They were just Cordelia and Gabe.

  “Not at all. I just want you,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

  “Right answer,” she said with a bright smile. “Now about me going to Roxy, I am still going to go. What happened between us doesn’t change that.”

  That protective urge flared up inside him again but he beat it back. He wasn’t going to screw this up again.

  “I don’t like it,” he told her. He figured now was as good as a time for honesty as any other. “But I understand why you have to do it.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like it either,” she sighed, idly tracing a fingertip over his chest.

  “I won’t fight you about it anymore but you have to do something for me.”

  His serious tone had her rolling over in his arms to face him, the playful caresses between them halting. “You have to promise me that you’ll come back okay. I already lost you once, I’m sure as hell not going to lose you again. So you promise me you’ll be okay.”

  “I promise,” she said. He looked into her eyes, trying to find any hint of a lie but she looked sincere.

  But his mother had looked just as sincere when she promised him she was fine. A month later, she was dead and he discovered she had known that what she was promising in that moment was a lie. Since then he had never trusted himself to tell if someone was being honest.

  Still he didn’t want to fight with Cordelia anymore. Truth or lie didn’t matter because he did not intend to sit at home, waiting to find out if she made it through safe. But she didn’t need to know that, not when it would have her throwing him out on the streets.

  “Good. Now let’s get some sleep,” he told her, pulling the rumpled blankets over them. “You have a big night ahead of you.”

  Truth was he needed the sleep more than she did. He had to be at his best because there was no way in hell she was going out without him. Even if he had to sneak behind her back to do it.

  ***

  The front room of the cabin was dark, the only light in the room coming from beneath the skinning room door. Though for Matthew, that strip of light provided enough illumination for the room to be as bright as day.

  The only sound in the cabin came from Armand’s even breathing as he slept on the cot and the movements of Matthew’s fingers as he twirled a USB drive between them. He had made the decision today to pass along the information he had gathered.

  Just before his death, his sire had told him the story of a legendary prophecy that had been made by one of the Old Ones. It had been whispered about since the end of the Great War. There wasn’t much known about what it said, except that it had something to do with the prediction of a great upheaval in the race. Whatever it was, it had scared the Old Ones enough that they had hidden it, intending for no one to lay eyes on it ever again.

  His sire’s story had sparked Matthew’s curiosity and he had started to investigate the legend. It had been hard going, there was little in the way of Shadow Walker libraries. He had ended up reaching out to all different classes of the Shadow Walker world in his search. The deeper he dug, the more he discovered that it was not merely a legend. The prophecy existed, there was no doubt in his mind.

  There was also no doubt in his mind that Armand was setting into motion the events that were rumoured to be mentioned in the prophecy. If they could get their hands on the actual prophecy, it could serve their side as a map to follow.

  And so it was time to reveal his secrets to his brother. He rose from his chair, intent on waking Armand but before he could reach him, a cell phone rang shrilly in the darkness. Armand stirred, reaching out to pick up the little silver piece of electronics.

  “Gotta love the 21st century. You can get reception even out in the boonies.” He flipped open the phone and spoke to the caller, listening intently before laughing and then clapping the phone closed and jumping up from the cot.

  “Armand, there is something I want to show you,” Matthew said but he was quickly interrupted.

  “I don’t have time now. That was Philip, one of our new recruits. Word on the street is Cordelia will be showing up at Roxy tonight. Apparently that pretty boy from the Faelan clan is planning to show her off. We need to get word out to the other recruits and then head down there. I’m taking her out tonight.”

  Matthew nodded and set the stick on top of the laptop. There would be no distracting Armand now that he had the scent of the fledgling. He had tasted his chance at revenge and nothing would stop him until he got it.

  It would be fine. They had time. The prophecy had been buried for more than a thousand years, what would another few nights matter.

  Chapter 18

  Cordelia had walked into Roxy on Zeke’s arm, keeping her head high and her fake smile perfectly in place but inside she was shaking with nerves. She was grateful that Nicky’s psychic gift was still in place. It was safer with her mind closed tight. They did not know how talented Armand or his people were at reading minds and she didn’t have enough experience to ensure her thoughts stayed hidden.

  The good thing was that Zeke turned out to be an expert at acting casual. He had directed them to one of the booths in the VIP area and now was lounging beside her, arms spread over the back of the booth as he exchanged pleasantries with the passers-by.

  If it hadn’t been for the fact that every once in a while he would lean down and whisper in her ear the reports that the others were putting in his head, she would think he was just here for fun.

  She was definitely not having fun. They had been here for two hours and nothing had happened. No sightings of Armand or anyone suspicious. She was beginning to feel like tonight was a complete bust. Maybe word hadn’t reached Armand about her coming here. Maybe Isaac had been wrong that she w
ould be enough bait to draw him out.

  A throbbing started up in her head followed by a ringing in her ears. Stray thoughts of those around her began to brush up against her psyche and she realized that Nicky’s gift had worn off. She had to readjust herself, putting her own walls back in place to drown out the white noise of the crowd around her.

  Her headache disappeared but the ringing remained. Her stomach clenched and her veins tingled with a familiar sensation. It didn’t take long to realize the ringing wasn’t from the thoughts of the people around her. It was from the thoughts of one person in particular and anger burst to life inside her.

  She did her best to fake calmness as she leaned over, close to Zeke’s ear. “I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Zeke said, making a move to rise but she stopped him.

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him, dropping a hand to pat her side, where the knife Mary had insisted she carry tonight was strapped beneath her jacket. “Besides, they could be waiting for me to make a move away from you. If anything happens, I can call for the others now.”

  She made her way to the back hallway, conscious of the eyes of her friends and family on her as she moved through the club. She could feel their minds brushing up against her own, trying to read her thoughts but she kept them at bay.

  When she rounded the corner and knew she was out of eyesight, she quickened her step, walking past the bathroom to the back door that opened to the alley way.

  It looked just as dirty as it had the night she had fought Armand. Thankfully, the blood that they had spilled had been washed away and the place looked like any other alley in the city. Except for the man lurking behind the dumpsters.

  “I know you are here, you might as well show yourself,” she said, her voice echoing off the tall brick walls. There was a moment of silence before she heard scuffling from behind the dumpster and he emerged, stepping into the streetlight.