Darkening Moon

by Gaja J. Kos

  The little boost they gave me was just enough to keep my nerves from flaring up.

  I walked over to my suitcase stuffed rather indignantly at the bottom of the wardrobe.

  Unpacking had never been my strong suit—I mean, why bother when everything would end up back in the suitcase within a matter of days, anyway?

  Mindful not to disturb the neat piles too much, I sifted through the clothes, glad I brought more with me than such a short trip merited. I fished out a tight black dress that showed more skin than it hid, then pulled on some opaque pantyhose and slipped my feet into thigh-high leather boots.

  Apparently, Moondance had an informal dress code that went with the ambiance.

  I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about going to a club where lust ruled the air since I’d had way too much of that in my life lately. The ungrateful variety, at that. But it wasn’t as if I could change the location at the last minute. Maybe once we were done, I could stick around, experience what Moondance had to offer, and drown that annoying itch.

  My body tightened at the idea of having a good time, but it wasn’t some stranger who filled my mind.

  So much for having a taste of the local scene…

  I blew out a breath and ruffled my unbound hair as I walked over to check my reflection in the floor-length mirror—only to find out I wasn’t alone in the room.

  A towering, muscular form materialized behind my back, the delicious, power-ridden scent enveloping me not a second later. Eagerly, I drank it in, then flashed Afanasiy a smile before I could stop myself.

  Too dangerous, a voice inside me whispered.

  I don’t fucking care, another replied.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked over the conflicting whispers as I turned around to face him.

  His gaze skimmed across my body, lingering over every curve the little black dress flaunted, then finally locked on mine.

  “Wanted to see you before you went out.” A twitch in the corners of his mouth. “Offer to take you, in case you wanted to skip the walk.”

  He stepped closer, the heat that undulated from him lapping across my skin and stirring my ever-growing desire. I breathed heavily, wanting him to rip off the fabric that suddenly felt too oppressive, too thick against my skin, and just throw me on the bed. Take me like we both wanted him to.

  And it wasn’t to the club.

  I swallowed. “And now?”

  His breath caressed my lips. “Now I think coming here might not have been such a good idea after all.”

  “No?” I trailed a single finger down his chest, much like I had when I’d barged into the Shadow World. “How fast can we get to the club if you use your particle form?”

  The heat in his gaze was scorching. “Three minutes. Less if we indulge in a little speeding.”

  “So that leaves us with at least twenty minutes of spare time.” I popped open the button on his pants, then tugged down the zipper, the sound accompanying my own descent as I lowered myself to my knees. I looked up at Afanasiy from beneath my eyelashes. “How do you want to spend them?”

  18

  “Lotte,” Afanasiy warned, but there was no true conviction in his voice.

  And much to my delight, the demon liked going commando.

  His cock spilled into my hand, hard and thick, and whatever reservations I might have had flew out the window. I kept my gaze on his as I guided him into my mouth, taking it slow to accommodate his length.

  I felt, more than saw, Afanasiy’s hands bunch into fists, as if touching me would break some ethereal barrier between us he was still holding on to.

  It didn’t matter. I was more than wolf enough for the job.

  I amped up the rhythm. The pressure of my lips. All the while keeping eye contact with those hunger-filled pools of violet.

  Afanasiy shuddered, then groaned, a vibration that reverberated through his every muscle and echoed in mine. His fingers entwined with my hair as I sucked him, tracing my lips from the base to the very tip before doing it all over again.

  With a roar, he threw back his head—and the walls shattered. I felt him with clarity that shouldn’t have been possible, no depth of him concealed.

  As none of mine were from him.

  We became a conduit of sensation and desire, twin threads of hunger nothing could separate.

  The gentle pressure of his fingers at the back of my head increased, and I let Afanasiy control the rhythm while I added in little treats of my own.

  A scrape of my teeth.

  A hard, long flick of my tongue.

  A twirl around the crown.

  He twitched with each new surprise I sprang on him, his need for me manifesting in how he pushed himself deeper down my throat, in the way his very energy seemed to pulse around me, caressing me where his hands could not.

  Just as the hint of pre-cum exploded on my tongue, he growled, “Up.”

  Without waiting for my reply, he yanked me to my feet and spun me around until I was pressed against the wall. The brisk touch of air slid across my butt and thighs as he lifted the hem of my dress then slid down the pantyhose.

  Anticipation burned through my veins, but the touch I craved didn’t come.

  Not immediately.

  It was only when the weight of his gaze on my ass became almost impossible to bear that he released me.

  I gasped as a finger teased my molten core before delving inside, followed closely by another. Then a third.

  Motherfucker…

  “Are you certain you want this?” His breath whispered into my ears. “It will make staying apart infinitely more difficult.”

  Not trusting my words, I met his gaze over my shoulder and nodded. Heat and something else—something brilliant, pure and primal—flashed across his features, and then he was pushing inside me, the thickness of him separating my folds and filling me to the point where I didn’t know if I could take any more. He paused, breaths harsh and tremors reverberating through his body straight into mine, then sheathed that last inch.

  I cried out, nails scraping the wall until it chipped, but I didn’t care. Couldn’t care. Not when it felt so right to feel him moving inside me. To have this heat caressing my back, his scent blanketing my skin.

  My knees were weak, but his hold on me kept me from stumbling. I arched my back, and Afanasiy complied, taking me with long, hard thrusts that were wild and intimate all at once.

  The slap of his flesh against mine dominated the room, my moans becoming louder, rising in tune with his grunts. He shifted one hand to my neck, touching with just that perfect amount of pressure that was possessive yet gentle, while the other slipped around my front, then between my thighs to work on the sensitive bud above my folds.

  This time, my knees did give way.

  But Afanasiy didn’t let go, thrusting inside me and teasing my clit until I felt as if the force of my climax would rip me apart. I burned for him, the liquid heat between my legs increasing to the point where his movements faltered.

  He cursed in that ancient language I didn’t know, then speared me again. “Do you want me to come, kāros? Do you want me to spill inside you?”

  Each word was a sensual rasp that only helped build up the storm inside me. I knew I couldn’t keep it at bay for long.

  “Please,” I moaned. “Please, yes.”

  He let go then. Let go of the caution, of those last echoes of restraint. He surged into me, hard and fast, and when my pleasure erupted, we came as one, our bodies pressed against the wall and riding those aftershocks until the last, faintest ripple sealed us together.

  Flushed and grinning like an asshole who didn’t give a fuck about consequences, I stepped into Afanasiy’s arms. We were both fully dressed again, although the aroma of sex lingered—as did the heat in our eyes.

  “Have you ever taken particle form?” he asked as he fitted me to his chest.

  I shook my head. “Anything particular to watch out for?”

  “You mean like a lost digit or twisted l
imb?” Mirth touched his lips at my raised eyebrows. “Nothing of the sort. A mild discomfort perhaps, but you have already experienced separation from your corporeal form when you came to me in the Shadow World. This should not be too different.”

  I hadn’t particularly liked that experience, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle, either.

  “All right. Whisk us away.”

  Afanasiy smiled, then slanted his mouth over mine, stealing away my breath—and my body.

  We were out through the slightly open hotel room window before my mind could even catch up to what was happening. In all honesty, I didn’t even want to dwell on the peculiar feeling of being nothing but a shroud of disconnected atoms while maintaining all sensation and thoughts as if I hadn’t changed form at all.

  So I focused on the night sky instead, on the lights below us as we soared high above the city. We evaded the taller buildings, at times swooping down low and nearly touching the pedestrians’ heads just for the fun of it.

  Afanasiy’s chuckle swirled around me whenever I tensed, but it didn’t take long for me to join in.

  For all the weirdness, it was…liberating. A kind of freedom not even my wolf form could grant.

  More than likely sensing my unexpected enjoyment, Afanasiy cranked up the adrenaline. We cut corners, passing so close to the buildings that we would have damaged the moldings and reliefs had we been corporeal.

  Our trip turned from sightseeing into a mad, thrilling dash across town, and when Moondance came into view, Afanasiy didn’t pull the plug on the fun.

  Instead, he flew us into an alley leading away from the club at neck-breaking speed. Just when I thought a collision with the grime-smeared pavement was imminent, he rammed our particles back together so that we landed feet first on the ground, the contact featherlight.

  I swayed a little at the sudden change, but Afanasiy kept me steady. Safe. My body seemed to trust his, and instead of fighting off a spell of disorientation, I found myself staring up at his handsome face, a wide grin on my lips.

  He laughed and trailed his thumb across my lower lip. “I take it a repeat experience is on the menu?”

  “As long as it’s you taking me,” I purred.

  Hunger blazed in his violet eyes. “I intend to take you often and in every possible manner, Lotte Freundenberger. All you have to do is call.”

  I barely had enough time to catch my breath before he kissed me, deeply and passionately, the touch speaking of all he could offer if I chose to explore what lay between us. And gods, in that moment, I wanted nothing more.

  But there was a detective waiting for me inside Moondance, and while I knew I wasn’t running late, that would most definitely change if I didn’t keep my distance from Afanasiy.

  With no small pang of regret, I eased back from his embrace. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  Afanasiy smiled. “I look forward to it, kāros.”

  He winked out of existence.

  I leaned against the cool building for a moment. If I didn’t regain my wits before I walked into the club, I doubted I would be able to carry anything even close to a coherent conversation.

  But as was my luck, my reprieve was over before it even began.

  19

  A vamp drunk on alcohol-laced blood that permeated the currents and wrinkled my nose stumbled towards me from the main street, his fangs gleaming as if he’d just seen his nightly snack. I let my growl fill the space between us, conveying my warning that I wasn’t a good target to fuck with, but the asshole kept on coming. His dazed eyes drifted between my breasts and the vein in my neck.

  Lovely. Just lovely.

  I had no weapons on me, but I didn’t need them when I could shift. The only reason I hesitated at all was because I seriously didn’t want to spend the evening in wolf form or walk around naked. Which were the only two choices I’d have left once I changed.

  Still, I reached for the power inside me, holding it just beneath the surface as I waited for the vamp to come within reach.

  With my gaze fixed on his movements, I almost missed the shadow descending from above.

  It—no, not it, she—brought the vamp down hard, her booted feet crushing his back as she held him pinned to the ground, half of his face pressed into a questionable puddle leaking from the wall. But her hand was stretched out towards me, as welcoming as the smile blooming on her lovely face.

  “Hi, I’m Lena,” she said as I padded forward to accept her hand. “My mate’s already inside, but I thought I’d come to roll out the welcome mat.”

  I laughed. She sure as shit had.

  After a wide grin and warm welcome from a bouncer who clearly knew Lena, we were inside Moondance. The club was far larger than it appeared from the outside, a massive dance floor dominating the center of the room while tables and booths lined the walls.

  I followed the dark-haired woman through the throng of people once we handed off our coats, immensely glad I’d had my fun with Afanasiy before coming here. The air was saturated with lust, the music filled with heavy basses and guitar riffs seductive enough to tempt me to shrug off what little clothes I had on and let loose on the dance floor.

  “What is this place?” I asked once we were able to walk side by side again.

  Lena glanced around, her profile illuminated by shafts of neon light, then flashed me a wicked smile. “This right here is a slice of paradise.”

  “You’ve got that right,” I muttered as a wash of energy from the crowd rolled over my back.

  “Moondance was the top supe-only club before the War,” she explained, skirting around a vamp and a were in the middle of undressing.

  With the amount of leather straps crisscrossing their bodies, they would probably be at it for a while.

  Amused, I pushed on, collecting more glimpses and impressions.

  The twins had never mentioned a club like this, and they weren’t exactly strangers to nightlife of the erotic variety. After all, before Jürgen hooked up with Katja, they and Rose had a fuckchart going on to see whose record would be most impressive. Rose had won of course, since she’d snagged an actual deity, but it had always been more about the fun and thrill of it all than conquests. The twins were many things, but shitty partners or disrespectful one-night stands weren’t among them.

  Had it been otherwise, they would have received a proper ass kicking from the entire Freundenberger clan.

  “The club was one of my regular haunts before I found my mate,” Lena said over the thrumming bass. “Actually,”—a smile teased her lips—“this is where I first met the gorgeous hunk.”

  “Wait,”—I arched an eyebrow—“Detective Zeman?”

  Given that he’d carried the badge before the War, I’d presumed Caz Zeman was human. A sensitive who knew of the supernatural, but human nonetheless.

  But if he’d been in a supe-only club…

  That was one mind-fuck that caught me completely unprepared.

  Before we revealed ourselves to the wider community, supes had to be super careful about picking jobs. And law enforcement was about as far from ideal as it got. With their many medical checks, it was next to impossible to hide the traits that made us who we are.

  If the man succeeded at working for the force back then, I could do no less than applaud his resourcefulness.

  “We hooked up here for the first time, but it was the case—the one that might be of interest to you—that brought us together in the end.” Lena looked at me in a way that revealed my surprise hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Trust me, I was shocked, too, when he tried to arrest me over a corpse I didn’t kill.”

  My mind flashed back to my own brush with the law. My dashing officer had been human, though in no way lacking.

  “I hope you put those cuffs to good use,” I drawled as we squeezed between a packed table and a group of weres determined to dance their butts off.

  I ducked under an out-flung arm, then straightened in time to see a spark brighten Lena’s blue-green eyes.

/>   “Speaking from experience?”

  I grinned. “You bet.”

  With a chuckle, she led me up a stairwell that hugged the wall and offered an uninterrupted view of the dance floor. I peered at the level looming above, watching as a couple clearly on the verge of having sex disappeared through a nondescript door. One of many I could see, now that we were higher up.

  Private rooms. Perhaps even outfitted to cater to specific tastes.

  Afanasiy didn’t strike me as a nightlife-enjoying type, but maybe we could return here one day, see what was hidden behind door number three...

  “I hope you don’t mind me asking…” I glanced at Lena once we reached the landing. “You’re half demon, aren’t you?”

  Lena threw a strand of her thick black hair across her shoulder and gave me a blinding grin. “Nightwraith. Demon on my mother’s side, Koldunya on my father’s.”

  That explained the uniqueness of her scent. And if what I was sensing was right, she was damn powerful, too.

  “Taking an interest in the residents of the Shadow World?” She cocked an eyebrow. “I can sense one of Raya’s on you. Like literally on you. Though I’m betting in applies as well…”

  A laugh exploded out of me with the same speed and fervor my thoughts swelled with memories that wreaked havoc on my hormones.

  We came to a stop before a door, and Lena tapped out a short string of numbers on the small keypad etched into the wall at eye level.

  “It’s Afanasiy, yeah? The solitary, glowering, and oh-so-regal Blade of Raya?”

  I opened my mouth, but before I could reply, my gaze fell on the man waiting for us inside the burgundy room.

  Handsome, with dark curls and an air of easiness around him, there was no chance in all the realms to mistake what he was. Perelesnyk.

  It took all my will not to burst out laughing.

  A dragon had infiltrated the police before the War. Gods, that was brilliant.

  He crossed the room in three long strides and offered me his hand. “Caz Zeman.”