The Black Prince (Shadow Unit Book 5)

by Tigris Eden

“You also didn’t do all you could to help me get my memory back, now did you? Instead, you kept company with me. Let me fuck your sister. You didn’t give two shits what happened to your family. Fuck this, I’m done talking.”

  Stavros didn’t get another chance to speak. Enri’s hand was in his throat, and the impact was swift. The only sound heard was of the male choking and bones crushing as Enri yanked Stavros’s spine through his mouth. There was a distinctive pop and Enri regarded the male dismissively, his eyes wide and lifeless as Enri held his spine in his hands. Stavros’s blood splattered the ground and the front of Enri’s pants. The nerve and muscle still attached to bone twitched and moved as if experiencing pain. Stavros wasn’t dead, but he’d be in a shit mood when he came to.

  “Do you have anything you’d like to add, Phaedra?”

  She shook her head violently.

  “Good, now get the fuck out of my sight, and take this mess with you.”

  Chapter 17

  “Was that really necessary?” Yewa questioned Enri. They were in a room above the club. The music still pulsed through the floor with a heavy bass. She could feel it beneath the soles of her shoes. She’d never had an issue with heights, but knowing she walked on a floor made of glass threw her off her balance. Made her stomach roll when she moved. Enri made his way over to an area in the room partially hidden by black drapes. There was a bed in the center, raised on a platform. The sheets were black, but the bed, itself, white. Against the concrete wall it was pushed against were three large panel canvases—each one placed perfectly with just enough space between to show they were separated. The background was a solid white with broad brush strokes of black paint. They were wings, she realized—large, black wings.

  “We need to rest,” was his response. “I’m tired, and I know you can use some sleep; we’ve been on the go for too long.”

  “Where are you right now?” He’d said he could be in multiple places at the same time. But what she really wanted to know was if he could do that, who’s to say Erebos couldn’t?

  “He can, and does. But Darkness doesn’t see Chaos as a threat; he’s looked at as more of a nuisance.” The voice in her head was back.

  “Sound. Or if you’d prefer my chosen name, the one I chose for myself, it’s Ekho.”

  “Ekho,” Yewa said the word out loud, and Enri turned in her direction.

  “Ekho?” Enri asked.

  “Sound.”

  “Is he here?” His eyes moved to the far corner of the room before landing back on her.

  “She is.”

  “She?”

  “The voice is feminine in my mind. Is it not in yours?”

  “Fuck no; he probably thought he’d appeal to me in male form. I don’t take kindly to women giving me information.”

  “You don’t like anyone giving you information.”

  At her statement, he grinned. “You’re right, of course. But like I said, we need to sleep. To answer your question, I’m elsewhere, besides here. Except for the time when we were in the purple moss, I have been everywhere.”

  “Like Erebos.”

  “Yes, like my creator. I have things to do, thrones to usurp.” He threw another grin her way before winking.

  Enri walked over to the giant bed, sat, and patted the spot next to him. An interesting change of events. When they’d first met, he’d been nothing but cruel and uncaring. Yewa couldn’t even look at him, and she’d accepted his treatment. Not because she didn’t value herself, but because there was no use in trying to change his actions.

  A lion would always be a lion. It would always hunt its prey and protect what was rightfully his. Enri did the exact same thing. He would always be who and what he was. There was no changing that. He would strike back at those he thought wronged him, or who no longer served their purpose. He’d also keep promises to those he’d given his word to.

  Are you sure about that last part?

  Yewa couldn’t say Enri trusted her completely, but she felt like he did need her. She’d been of some use to him. What if his kindness was due to your newly mated status? When he no longer needed her, would he toss her to the side? She tried to remove the doubt from her mind. She’d been in this world for a long time, and this was the most alive she’d ever felt. Enri took her places she’d never dreamed of going, let alone believed they existed. Hear about different worlds, and experiencing them, were two different things. Seeing things for what the truly were? That was something.

  Now, she had a chance to experience Enri. The touch of him when she wanted to be touched. Not forced. This was her time to experience what it felt like to want someone and be wanted in return.

  “Can I ask another question?”

  Enri let out a loud, exasperated groan. “Sure, but I can’t promise I’ll answer.”

  Yewa walked to stand in front of him. Enri looked up with a curious expression. She knew he could read her mind when he wanted, and she did her best to school her facial expression and calm her mind. She didn’t want him to see how concerned she was. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her or do anything she wasn’t okay with, but for the first time in a long time, she was going to ask for something she wanted. Something she needed.

  She was going to be selfish.

  Greedy.

  Enri watched her every move as she took another step closer. When her legs met his knees, he opened, and she glided into the space between. Yewa brought her hands to Enri’s face, and with shaky fingers, traced the outline of his lips. He pulled in a sharp breath before letting it out slowly. His eyes tracked hers the entire time.

  “Enri.” Her voice faltered for a moment. You can do this.

  “Yewa?” His hands went to her waist and he gently squeezed, giving her the courage to do what she set out to do.

  “Enri, will you make love to me?”

  Two things happened when she whispered those seven words. Enri’s heart stopped and his dick became instantly hard. It was the last thing he expected to come out of her mouth. He knew his grin was wide enough to show fang, and devilish enough to make her squirm. But he tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer.

  “I don’t know how to make love, Sundara. But it can be a first for both of us.”

  At his comment, she smiled. It was genuine and real. There was no calculation behind her eyes. She wasn’t trying to fuck with his head, or even get in his headspace. Although, it was a little too late for that. She might not have planned on taking up space inside his mind but she was there.

  You can do this. He could. He’d never made love to a woman before. Enri fucked plenty, but loved? Nope, that was something that was the farthest thing from his mind. He could do this for her. This one thing. He could show Yewa what it was like to have the love of a man. You’re not a man. Well, he would be tonight.

  “Will it be all of you, or just the you, you are now?” Yewa inquired quietly. Her gray gaze held his. She allowed him to see everything, and he couldn’t believe what beamed at him from her depths. There was forgiveness—so much of it that it tugged at a place inside him that shouldn’t exist. Loyalty, friendship, and and a deep fondness weaved a thread between them, tethering them together. All of it was right there for him to see. Even trust. She trusted him.

  Had he ever really cared if he’d gained anyone’s trust? Ever?

  No.

  Her trust meant everything in that moment. If Yewa was willing to give that, Enri could give something of himself. For however long this lasted.

  She leaned forward as if she were going to kiss him, and at the last minute, he pulled her all the way into his chest, rolling them on the bed until he was on top of her. She let out a small gasp but relaxed into the mattress, smiling up at him in wonder.

  “We’re going to take this slow for as long as I can stand it. I wasn’t bullshitting you—I mean…lying—when I said I’d never made love before, Yewa.”

  Her mouth grew wider, showing perfect white teeth. She was going to bring beauty to all with that smile. />
  “Then this will be a first for the both of us, like you said,” Yewa agreed.

  Fine by him. The thought of another male making love to her had rage boiling in the pit of his stomach. He must have let it show on his face, because she lifted her hand and touched his cheek, soothing him. “Be here with me now. Be fully here, nowhere else. Me and all of you.”

  Enri closed his eyes for a moment. He never thought about bringing himself fully into an act this intimate, but he’d made the effort before with her, when they’d been on Skye, he could do it again. Enri closed off the last part of himself and made sure his entire being would be fully immersed in the act of making love to Yewa. Everything else on hold for now. The world wasn’t going to stop spinning. It would continue. He also made sure they wouldn’t be disturbed. The sounds from the club below quieted to silence, and then it was just the two of them.

  All of her, and all of him. Together.

  Undressing her was the fun part. Enri took his time, enjoyed the catches in her breath as he peeled away her clothing. She still wore the gold bands on her ankles and wrists. Later, when she was ready for a darker, hungrier type of sex, he was going to fuck her hard enough to hear the metal jingle.

  Enri kissed a path from her forehead to her toes, paying extra attention to the places he knew would have her writhing against the mattress. She didn’t disappoint when he sucked a nipple into his mouth. He pulled lightly with his teeth, making sure to give her a slight taste of pain mixed with pleasure. Each nip at her skin pulled a soft mewl from her throat. Yewa used her hands to keep him at her breasts. Each stroke of his tongue against her soft skin was divine. She didn’t want him to stop, but there was more exploring to do. His kissed the soft globes of her flesh, cupped them in his hands. They were heavy and round.

  “I’m going to put the length of my cock right between your tits one day, beautiful. Move in and out of your plush mounds until I mark your skin with my seed.” Enri sucked each nipple, before pulling each one into the heat of his mouth again.

  The taste of her skin was hot and spicy, with undertones of cinnamon and apple. It was the only thing he could compare it to. With every lick, every touch of his tongue, the flavor would get stronger, bolder. He needed to see if the same taste would linger in her blood. When Enri looked up at Yewa, his eyes caught sight of hers, and he could see she was passion-drunk. Her mind was on him, but also into what he was doing, and she wanted more. Much more.

  “I’m going to drink from you Sundara; tell me yes.” Even though he knew it would be hard to take no for an answer, if she didn’t agree to it, he’d back off.

  “Please, do something. I feel empty, but full.” Enri smiled against her skin, and nibbled a spot just beneath one of her breasts. Continuing his journey, he moved south. If Enri was going to taste her, he wanted a part of her he knew would give him the most bang for his bite. The thigh, or the neck. I could do both. He could.

  Decision made, he continued his descent. As he explored her body, he made note of her scars. Each one, he kissed. Committing them to memory. The men who did this to her would pay.

  Enri forced himself to remain with Yewa. He wasn’t going to let thoughts of others interrupt his time with her. He could feel her heart crashing against her rib cage as his lips skimmed over her skin. Her breathing became ragged, as he lowered himself and his hands gripped her waist. He was between her thighs now. The area between her legs bare and open, like a night-blooming flower that got its strength from the darkness. No, she gets her strength from me.. She was opening for him. Her lips glistened with her need. The scent of cinnamon and apples became stronger, enticing him to drink, but he was on a mission—he wanted her life’s blood. He’d only had a taste, now he wanted to gorge.

  Enri skimmed his fingers over the soft flesh of her inner thighs. She was wet, really wet. Almost ready. But not quite. The stark contrast between her skin and his was beauty in the making. Her dark to his light on the outside and his dark, and her light on the inside. They were two different souls from two different worlds. He’d been around long before he even had the body he held now. He’d existed—and from his existence, life sparked. In a way, she was his creation. If he’d ever thought to create the perfect being, it would be her.

  Yewa was fierce, loyal, and she healed everything in her path. She called him out on his shit, pointed out what was right and what she knew to be wrong. Knowing how he was, what he was, she went with him anyway. Refused to be ignored, offered to help him on his quest for revenge against those he felt wronged him. Admittedly, it had been a single target, but he’d gained others along the way—and still, she remained. A woman he’d wronged in more ways than one. He wouldn’t call what they had love, but it was damn close to it. If there were ever anyone he could love, it would be Yewa. He would have laughed if he could, but the situation was serious. Very serious.

  Enri was hyperaware of every sound, every touch, and every taste she had to offer. She was a meal he would savor for as long as possible.

  “Put your hands above your head and keep them there.” He would memorize the look on her face and keep it with him always. Her eyes gleamed with lust, and as he considered delving inside her mind to see what she felt, he noticed her observing him. Drunk on the experience, she still held her wits about her. As he catalogued her reactions, Yewa observed his.

  Her arms lifted slowly as she stretched them above her head, the movement raising her breasts up like an offering.

  “If it gets to be too much, let me know.”

  “Okay.” Her whispered response was quick, and then she sucked in a deep breath, as if bracing for what was about to happen.

  Enri’s hands skimmed the underside of her arms, tracing his fingers down her sides until they rested on her hips. “Open your legs wider.”

  She did, but not enough.

  “Wider, Yewa,” he said a bit more forcefully. This time, she did, and Enri bent forward, placing his shoulders right up against the backs of her thighs raising her ass slightly off the bed.

  He kissed her right thigh before turning sharply to her left and sinking his fangs in. Her body jolted and she let out a slight hiss before settling on the mattress. The first rush of blood to hit his tongue was euphoric. Her taste magnified tenfold, and right when he thought the feeling would subside and give him time to adjust, he took another pull. She was better than wine or any nectar. There were notes of the cinnamon-apple combination, and even more undercurrents of the spice that was unique to her. He knew her blood would be addicting, but he had no clue just how hooked he’d become. She tasted of innocence and comfort. He could only imagine what would happen when he paired this with sex. Damn. She set the bar high. No one compared. Not. One. Single. Person. When he pulled back, he admired the two tiny holes on the side of her thigh, and watched, riveted, as her skin sealed over the bite marks allowing only two drops of blood to escape.

  She was not like her brother, who was a Walker. She healed people with her touch and Enri suspected she did a lot more. He was proof of that. Sure, he was still a fucking bastard. He didn’t care what others thought of him. He wasn’t looking to be accepted—but with her, he needed her to accept him just the way he was, and she did.

  “Open your eyes,” Enri coaxed with a kiss on her belly. They were screwed shut. Yewa’s eyes popped open and he could see the storm brewing in their depths. Rapidly rolling clouds of dark gray that sometimes looked brown, were watching him. “I’m going to taste you, right here.” He dragged the tip of one finger through her wet folds. “It’s going to feel good. I’m going to make it amazing.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded her approval. He could tell she was nervous, and that wasn’t at all how he wanted their first time to be. He wanted her on fire. He wanted her to lose control. Enri peppered kisses along her stomach and worked his way up slowly. He dragged his lips across her flushed skin. His hands rested on either side of her hips, caged her in, making sure she couldn’t move from beneath him. His main focus was to ens
ure she was comfortable while at the same time experiencing something that, if done right, would have her wanting it more and more. But only with me.

  He was going to ruin her for anyone else.

  Enri sucked on the delicate skin where her shoulder and neck met. He tasted her jaw, loving the way she turned her head to kiss him back. It was the first time she’d demanded he pay extra attention to her mouth. He allowed it, letting her control the kiss. He made her go in search of his tongue, refusing to be the one to initiate contact. When she did, a small, breathless whisper escaped her mouth when she tangled her tongue with his.

  Things were progressing nicely, and he knew she was more comfortable with kissing than she was with anything else, but if she wanted them to make love, he was going to have to get her to step outside her comfort zone. Even if he had to do it dirty, he would. He wanted her to experience all he had to offer and more—even the darker, more primal part of his sexuality.

  Drenched with lust, and aching. It was an amazing feeling to be sure. She’d done a lot of reading while researching the Throne of Creation with Enri. On some nights, when he wasn’t with her—out doing whatever it was he did—she would read up on the female anatomy. She’d even come across a book that showed all kinds of interesting entanglements that a man and woman could get into together. Her ouma called it her pearl, but she’d also heard it called a clit.

  Yewa writhed beneath Enri’s attentions. Her clit was swollen. Her entire body felt flushed, over-heated. His tongue, gods, his tongue was doing very wicked things to her. He was tasting the skin of her breasts, while his hands moved lower—until they reached the apex of her thighs. Is this really happening? She was finally going to experience what it was like to made love. Her pulse raced with every breath she took and she knew at any moment she was either going to pass out from the myriad sensations or she was going to explode.

  Moaning his name, her head fell back against the mattress. There was a need building inside of her as his body moved lower, and his mouth hovered over the part of her she knew craved his touch. She felt desperate. Finally, his mouth closed over the very heart of her, and Yewa cried out. His name left her lips on a chant she repeated over and over again, which only urged him to bring her to the edge of oblivion. Every stroke of his tongue pushed her closer and closer to a certain death. Her fingers found their way into his hair. She tugged on the strands, hoping somehow they’d anchor her to the mattress. Her body shook. Uncontrollable tremors shuddered through Yewa, and she didn’t fully comprehend her reaction. But it was good. Her toes curled, and something she could only compare to the Earth quaking began to take up residence in her core. She could feel the blunt tips of his fingers, stroking her inside as his tongue latched onto her clit and sucked. Like a tuning fork, her body hummed, vibrated, until she could no longer hold back the scream that left her mouth when she exploded in pure, pulsating pleasure. She gave in as the feeling crashed over her in large swells of ecstasy.