Enslaved in Shadows

by Tigris Eden

  “So, what if they are?”

  The entire situation needed to stop. Jesminda hadn’t even batted an eyelash the entire time. She kept her eye on her food, as if she knew Royce wasn’t about to let the table hit her. She didn’t so much as make a sound, not even a flinch. He admired her gumption. She may have issues with men getting in her personal space, but women were an obstacle she wouldn’t back down from. Before he could apologize, Melissa planted an open mouth kiss on him. She left no questions as to her purpose of coming down to the cafeteria. She meant to mark him before he left.

  “Knock that shit off, Melissa,” Draven pulled her arms from around his neck and looked at her sideways. “Before I go, there are some things we need to talk about.” He was about to become a total asshole.

  “That's fine; I wanted to talk to you as well.”

  Jesminda stood tray in hand. She didn’t give them a second look and walked over to another table. She sat and began eating. Well the wolf in him didn’t like that shit one bit, and apparently neither did Melissa. The growl started low in her throat and she flipped her blonde hair back and pinned Jesminda with an even stare. Royce rose and sat next to her as well. He was acting as a buffer in her defense.

  “Human, you don’t leave the table unless Draven gives you permission. The only reason he has to do this baby-sitting job is because the captain said so. He doesn’t want the job, and I don’t blame him. You’re weak, and the weak should be hunted.”

  “Melissa!” Draven shouted, “You will shut up!”

  Silence reigned and the others in the cafeteria directed their attention to the scene unfolding.

  Slowly Jesminda looked up from her plate and grinned. She politely sipped her soda sat it back down and pushed her tray away.

  “Oh, I’ll do a whole lot more than leave. I will go wherever the hell I want. If your man doesn’t want to babysit me as he called it, he doesn’t have to. Royce is more than capable of protecting me. I didn’t ask for Agent Stone and I sure as hell don’t want to be stuck within a hundred feet of him. So do us all a favor, huh. Stop being the bitch you are and grow the fuck up.”

  Draven watched as she pulled her hair in a ponytail. What was she doing? His wolf went on the defensive. Not for him or Melissa but for Jesminda. He’d grabbed Melissa’s wrist in a death grip before he knew he had.

  “By the way, no one wants your man, least of all me.” She’d addressed them both in her statement. Making it clear to him as well as Melissa. We’ll see about that. The possessiveness was rising fast. He never acted this way where Melissa was concerned. How many more signs do you need?

  Jesminda stood, walked over to the trash and dumped the rest of her food. She stared at him for a moment. Her eyes told him everything. She was under the impression he didn’t care about her feelings or her situation. She was wrong. Seriously wrong. He cared a lot. He did not want her running for the rest of her life with a child. An innocent child should be playing, not hiding out with a friend. He was going to get them some place safe, catch Marcus and watch over them from afar. He owed her that much. Draven set his attentions on Melissa.

  “Uncalled for Melissa, and childish.” He let go of her arm and put his head in his hands. Time to face the music.

  “You said you needed to talk. What’s going on baby?” She tried rubbing his back in a soothing motion. He shrugged her off.

  “Things are going to have to change between us.” Draven looked directly at her. He needed her to see the severity of the situation.

  “Change? How?” He could see her shoulder stiffen. She may not know what he was going to say, but she’d tensed. Prepared for the worst. Jesminda was human, the fact Melissa choose to pick on someone weaker than her didn’t sit well with him. A lot of things weren’t sitting well with him. Was he about to crown himself King of the assholes?

  “There is a lot I need to explain, and not enough time to go into detail.”

  “Oookaayyyy, just spit it out.” Melissa’s anxiety drifted into his mouth. It tasted vile, harsh.

  “The way you handled yourself with Jesminda was immature.”

  Melissa sat back in her seat and folded her arms.

  “She doesn’t matter,” She waved a hand between them. “We matter.”

  “You’re lucky I didn’t rip your throat out for the disrespect towards her.” Whoa! That was not the conversation he was trying to have. Melissa’s eyes grew large with fear. Her wolf sensed his anger. He was known for having a temper, but never with females. He acted as if he was protecting his mate.

  Royce decided to be a gentleman at that point and got up without saying a word. Melissa shrugged as if her reaction wasn’t a big deal. Royce was headed in the direction of Jesminda. It’s the direction he was going as soon as this conversation was over. Draven stood and towered over her. Now she got the gist of it. Head bowed and mouth closed she waited. She always tried to bait him. He was almost there, anger rising spilling out of his pores.

  “As I said, things need to. Change. Now.” Controlled breaths. Royce was a friend, not a poacher. He wouldn’t break. His friend had gone to check on her well-being nothing more. He was giving Draven time to break things off with Melissa in privacy. That was all.

  “How?” Melissa asked meekly.

  “This thing between us is over, and when I get back we will go further into detail about just how over it is.”

  He ignored her questions. He walked steadily in the direction of his future. It didn’t matter she’d given birth to someone else's child. The child and the mother now belonged to him.

  * * * *

  The fucking nerve of the broad had Jes hyperventilating. She was not confrontational by nature, but people were not going to step on her any longer male or female. She didn’t want the wolf, and he obviously had some serious issues if hooked up with someone like Melissa. Why the fuck did he have to be here? Why couldn’t he just not have shown up? Why was she letting a woman who obviously suffered from lack of trust in her man rile her up? Melissa had deep seeded issues. It had nothing to do with her current situation. Then again, she could be quite wrong. Maybe she was the one jealous? No, you are not jealous. Well maybe a little. It had a lot to do with the fact that she’d come face to face with her daughter’s father. Feelings were bound to spring to the surface.

  Jesminda didn’t even think she’d be able to handle the road trip. She couldn’t fly with these guys, shifters; especially wolves couldn’t stand to have tons of smells clogged together like that. Their noses were so sensitive sifting through the smells was next to impossible. She didn’t know about Royce. He could easily pass as a human. Maybe she could convince Dravaggio to change his mind.

  “Hey,” Royce tapped her on the shoulder. “You good?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Well if it makes you feel better, they’re over.” Royce said with a satisfied smile. “About damn time too. Bitch was seriously fucking up his mojo.”

  She grew warm all over. Why was she happy he was no longer with Melissa? She shrugged. He could spend more time with his daughter now. That’s why she was happy. Sure and denial is not a river. Royce laughed.

  “Could you stop that? Or turn it off?”

  “What.”

  “You know what, the whole mind reading thing. Freaks me out.”

  Royce shrugged.

  “I could, but then I’d be bored.”

  She was about to comment when she felt him, before she saw him. Her body was already setting it’s frequency to Draven time. Ugh!

  Her body wanted him, and her mind rejected him on all levels. She just couldn’t get over the fact that because of him, she had Faith, a beautifully gifted green-eyed beauty who was part werewolf. He lied to you, don’t get all mushy.

  “Hey,” he whispered softly. “I’m really sorry about that back there. Melissa had no right to talk to you that way.”

  “Shouldn’t she be the one to say sorry?” Jes turned and looked over at him. He was beautiful, dangerous, and his face sa
id he was sorry, not just for his girlfriends actions, but of things in the past. Things neither of them could control nor take back.

  “She should,” Draven cleared his throat. “And I know she won’t but I am apologizing for her and for me.” The smile he gave her was genuine. It was the first one she’d ever seen.

  “Apology accepted. We need to discuss when we’re going to leave.” Draven took two cautious steps forward. He grabbed the side of her arms; it was gentle and not tough.

  “I mean…” He took a steadying breath, looked past her shoulder at Royce and then back at her. She could see the concern in his eyes. His worry and his fears. What did he have to be afraid of? He was choosing his words wisely as his eyes scanned her face. He couldn’t be looking at her with want? Could he? It was too much, Jesminda looked down. Staring at him was doing things to her she didn’t have time to analyze. She ended up staring at his throat and watched his Adam’s apple work up and down. When he cleared his throat again, she decided she didn’t want to hear what he had to say.

  “I want to apologize about before when we first met.” She cut him off with a glare and then pulled herself from his grip. She started to head back towards the cafeteria, towards the elevator. Elevators weren’t complicated. She’d made it half way down the hall when he caught up with her and grabbed her shoulder spinning her around. Jesminda immediately tensed for the slap. It never came.

  She was all kinds of fucked up because of a man. A man who bullied her. She was taking small steps to getting her life back. She needed to take bigger ones. Draven would find out the hard way if needed. The old her wouldn’t stand for this crap and neither would the new one. Not now, not ever.

  “What!”

  “I just wanted to say that I was sorry that’s all. You have to understand, back then I was on assignment.” He shook his head. “I wanted to spend more time with you. I was an idiot for leaving. I was young.”

  “Your apology is not needed. This isn’t about five years ago. This is about the safety of me and my daughter.” She held up her hands to stop him from speaking, shaking her head. “Don’t, that was then, this is now.” Jes closed her eyes for strength. She needed it in large doses. “We never started a relationship to say it’s over, right? No names, after this you will never see me again.”

  Royce was standing over by the elevators when she finally reached him. When the doors dinged open, she quietly walked in with Royce standing next to her. Draven caught up and stepped inside. It was an uncomfortable silence as the three of them rode up the few floors to get back to the lobby. Her stomach hurt, and her ears felt like they were on fire. This was all the signs her body gave off that led to crying. She’d stood up to him. She should feel good about herself not horrible. The knot that formed in her belly somehow made its way up to her throat. Suffocated her air supply. She needed out of the elevator with him in it, and into some fresh air.

  The doors opened, and Jesminda stepped out, to only to be greeted by Royce’s twin Ronin. It was unnerving they looked so much alike. The difference was their eyes. Royce’s were amber orange and Ronin’s were metallic silver. Ronin’s hair shaved bald and Royce’s dark brown hair with auburn highlights fell everywhere. Royce oozed seduction with his looks. Ronin wore a “Fuck with me and I’ll fuck with you” vibe all over his person.

  “Well if it isn’t the sugar coated gum drop. The boys treating you well?” His stance was passive and his words had no inflection. It was as if he was on autopilot. Jesminda was utterly out of her element with all the men in the Shadow Unit. Ronin took the cake. He made her feel as if she was under a microscope and he was dissecting her piece by piece.

  “Leave her alone Ronin, she’s scared enough by you and your charm isn’t working if you hadn’t noticed.” Royce pushed him out of the way and held the door open so she and Draven could step through. It was still dark outside and the moon cast a bright light on the black pavement.

  “I’m pulling the car around.” Draven said taking the steps two at a time.

  Royce pulled something out of his shirt pocket and lit it.

  “That’s bad for your health.” Jesminda stated. He was smoking a dark brown cigarette that had an unusually spicy smell to it and the smoke was red.

  “Nah, it’s really not a deal breaker for me. Besides it makes me look more appealing to the women.” He took another drag of his cigarette and inhaled deep blowing it out through his nostrils while wagging his eyebrows. Jesminda laughed.

  “Sure keep telling yourself that.” She snorted.

  A black SUV pulled up to the curb, Royce put out his cigarette and started down the steps headed toward the car’s passenger door when all hell broke loose.

  Chapter 8

  There was no sound before the front window shattered. Not the slightest whine or slicing of air. There wasn’t even time for Draven to duck as the window shattered. Shards of glass sprayed the inside of the SUV, cutting him in his face and forearms. Who the fuck was shooting at them? Another shot whistled through the interior, passed the passenger side window and Draven’s gut bottomed out.

  It wasn’t him or Royce that was hit. The metallic tang of blood was fresh in the air. Human blood. It was Jesminda. Draven kicked the passenger door off its hinges in order to get to her. His heart driving in mad force to get blood to all of his extremities as everything slowed in its motion. His vision tunneled, all he saw was Jesminda, lying on the steps blood decorating her shirt, pooling beneath her back. He noticed Royce bent over her shielding her from any more fire. There’d been only two shots. One hit the window to distract him and the second meant for her. The warm, fresh smell of her blood made his stomach churn. It bathed the alabaster stairs as it trickled down one step, to pool on another. His animal side wanted to track the fucker who’d shot at her, but he knew she needed him here. He’d only just got her back in his life. For however short a time it was, he didn’t want her to leave the earth let alone his sight. He wasn’t going to over think it. Plain and simple she belonged to him.

  “Is she okay? How bad is she hurt?”

  Royce looked over his shoulder and shook his head.

  “She’s got blunt chest trauma. Severe lung bruise, man the fluid has already started to collect in the air sacs.”

  “Fuck!”

  Draven kneeled on the step next to her body. Royce slowly stood and took stock of their surroundings assessing if there was any more danger. The man could hear anything. Why couldn’t he hear the fucking bullets?

  “Good fucking question. I should have but fuck. I didn’t.” Royce pulled at the back of his neck and sighed. “Fuck, man. I’m sorry.”

  Her blood was everywhere. Seeped from her wound, it was opposite her heart but a lung had been punctured. She couldn’t even talk from all the blood pouring from the sides of her mouth. Shit! Fuck! She wasn’t going to make it. There were so many things he wanted to say. Wanted to tell her. How the fuck was he going to pull that one off? Time was slowly ticking down and all he wanted to do was fucking rewind, all the way back to five years ago when he’d first met her. First tasted her skin. He’d give anything to go back. She wasn’t just leaving him, she was leaving her daughter. Who would take care of her daughter?

  Royce rolled up his sleeve and pushed Draven aside. “What the fuck are you doing man? You can’t save her no one can!” Draven sat down next to her body and cradled her in his lap. She deserved better than this. Why hadn’t they been able to sense the danger? Where was everyone else? No one had come running out of the building.

  Royce continued what he was doing. He mumbled something too low under his breath for even Draven's ears to pick up and then his fangs descended biting down. He put two holes in his wrist. What the fuck? Royce wasn’t a vampire, and even if he were it wouldn’t save her! Blue blood welled where he’s fangs punctured. Royce tipped Jesminda’s head back and made her drink. Why the fuck did he have blue blood? No one’s blood ran blue. Draven looked at his long time friend dumbfounded. Blue blood? Blue blood? Why
do I know that?

  “I’m sorry,” was all Royce said to Draven when he stepped back and sealed his wrist.

  “Sorry? What the fuck did you do? Did you make it worse?”

  “No, she’ll make it. I’m just sorry about what’s gonna happen next. Just understand I did it to save her.”

  Before he could even ask what the fuck that meant, Jesminda started moaning. He watched in fascination as her skin mended right before his eyes. What kind of immortal is he? Royal vampires didn’t even have fangs that descended. Their fangs were part of their genetic makeup; there was no retracting them back like in the movies. Royce’s fangs elongated and retracted. What Jesminda did next shocked and aroused him. She began touching herself in highly intimate places. Soft caresses on her breasts, her stomach. She cupped her sex and mewled like a cat in heat, while her other hand pinched her nipples. Draven held her through it. They were in front of their building for all to see and she continued. She was on some sexual induced high he couldn’t break her out of.

  She sat up and began rubbing her body on his chest, nuzzling his neck licking his cheeks. When she realized Draven was not the object of her affection. She stilled mere moments and reached for Royce, begging. “Come to me.” Her voice deep, her words bathed in desire. She pinned Royce with a sensual stare, straddled Draven’s lap and begin dry humping him with such effort his dick hardened to steel. To add insult to injury she stared at Royce the entire time. The smug bastard only smiled and watched. He didn’t walk away or turn his head. He stayed standing right where he was arms crossed over his chest and he smirked.

  Fuck the fact he could feel the heat of her pussy on the length of his burgeoning cock. Oh no, she wasn’t shy in her ministrations either and when he tried to bring her closer, she pushed back. Looking over her shoulder at Royce. As if it was him bringing her to the edge. Draven gritted his teeth as the sex kitten picked up pace. Sweat ran down the side of his face to drip from his chin. A man could only restrain himself for so long. He thought he was doing a stellar job. Sort of. She threw her head back in ecstasy and screamed her release. She peaked using his body while looking at his friend. If that didn’t hurt a man’s ego he didn’t know what would. Royce shrugged and checked his watch. The show was now over. Unfuckingbelievable!