Instinctively I got on my knees, grabbed the headboard of his king-sized bed with both hands, and arched my back, readying myself to receive him.
His strong hands found the curves of my ass and I practically screamed with delight when his full length slipped inside of me. His hands moved up to my waist as he held me firmly, his raw power exuberating from his touch.
Shadow’s thrusts were slow at first, sheathing his full length inside of me. I continued to groan and found myself sliding back and forth in a steady rhythm, countering his thrusts with a rhythm of my own.
Our physical union intensified as he began pumping faster—the feeling of euphoria so intense that I had to grip the headboard of the bed, slamming it repeatedly into the wall with every thrust of his.
“Fuck me Shadow,” I moaned. I closed my eyes as his hard flesh satisfied me in every conceivable way.
I felt him tug gently on the back of my hair and that drove me wild. He was displaying his dominance and I allowed him to. I straightened my body out even more so he could fill every inch of me. I felt the tip of his manhood push against my G-spot and it wasn’t long before a mind-bending orgasm seized my entire body—my muscles down below clenching tightly around his length.
I moaned with delight, begging for him not to stop.
Eventually he erupted and let out a loud groan as he unleashed his pleasure, filling me with hot cum.
Afterwards I rested my head on his massive chest and wrapped my arms around his body, listening to the sounds of his steady breathing.
The aches from my wounds were returning, but I didn’t care. It was worth it to have Shadow once again.
“The stitches on my shoulder must look hideous,” I said. “Probably makes me look like some Frankenstein woman.”
“You’re as sexy as ever,” Shadow said. “Your scar is a reminder of how strong and dangerous you are. You killed a Crow.”
I sighed and closed my eyes, recalling the events of my near-demise.
Death never did get its clutches on me, but Abraham on the other hand…
I looked up to see Shadow lost in thought. No doubt he was thinking about the old man as well.
“It’s okay to cry in front of me,” I said. “I was never one for this macho heart of stone bullshit. Men have emotions too.”
Shadow shook his head. “I have no time for tears. I need to find out who hired the Crows and destroy him.”
“Does the Midnight Society have enemies?” I asked.
Shadow practically snorted. “Every day the Midnight Society makes enemies,” he said. “I’ve lost track the number of times in our organization’s history that we went to war.”
“Is that what’s going to happen? War?”
Shadow nodded. “One of the council of seven is dead, murdered by a Crow. They also took a shot at you and nearly succeeded. If this doesn’t spell out war, then the word’s not in the dictionary.”
“People are going to die aren’t they?” I asked.
“Yes. Being a part of the Midnight Society, you get used to it,” he said. “In our world, death is as common as the rising of the sun.”
The funeral for Abraham was two days later. As people gathered around his solid oak coffin, watching it descend slowly into the earth, I couldn’t help but feel that the weather was too nice for such an occasion. How could the clear blue sky smile down on us with a bright yellow sun, when Abraham was sealed in a casket, ready to decay in the earth for the rest of eternity? It just wasn’t fair.
I sat by Shadow’s side—first row dead center—as the ceremony took place. Words were spoken by several of the key members of the council. Takeshi gave a particularly beautiful speech, comparing the life cycle of man to that of a cherry blossom tree. Meanwhile, Shadow remained in his seat, his sunglasses making him seem distant and cold.
He was shutting down, both mentally and emotionally. Being the leader of our organization, he couldn’t show any signs of weakness. I felt sorry for him.
A person should always be allowed to grieve for their loved one.
When Abraham was finally buried, the massive crowd made their way towards the funeral home—though it was more like a funeral mansion given the size of it.
I looked over at Shadow and squeezed him gently on the arm. His face was a mask of stone, hiding all his emotions underneath a grim exterior.
I wanted to say something to him but decided that silence was probably best at the moment.
He was lost in his own dark world, one that was haunted by the death of his parents, and now Abraham. It was a place I could never understand.
Takeshi strolled over to us and bowed his head.
“I know how much he meant to you,” he said. “He was and always will be a man that has my respect.”
“He was the last of the Constantines,” Shadow said. “It’s sad to know that the legacy and future of his house has now ended.”
“A new house will have to rise and take his spot,” Takeshi agreed. “Perhaps we should start this dialogue with the rest of the council sooner rather than later.”
“I’ve already chosen my candidate,” Shadow said.
“You made the decision without consultation from the rest of the council?”
“I didn’t believe I needed council approval to make my decisions,” Shadow said.
“You don’t, but out of respect you need to take their considerations as well,” Takeshi said.
“We have more important things to worry about, such as finding out the identity of the fucker who hired the Crows.”
Takeshi turned his attention to me, amused. “Aria the Crow Killer,” he said.
“What?” I asked, surprised. Out of all the nicknames I owned, Crow Killer was definitely at the top of the list of being bizarre.
“It’s the name that’s been circulating amongst our members over the past couple of days,” Takeshi said, “Aria the Crow Killer.”
“Can’t say I’m a fan of it,” I replied. “And why do I need a nickname? First I’m the Golden Virgin and now I’m the Crow Killer?”
“Trust me, the Crow Killer is a name you can take great pride in having,” Takeshi said. “The Crow brothers are notorious assassins with the reputation of being both brutal and effective. Just to hire one Crow can cost an average man a whole year’s salary, let alone both. Up until your encounter with the Black Crow, they have never failed to fulfill a contract, but somehow you managed to kill one of them. We are in complete awe of that accomplishment.”
“I wasn’t the one who killed the Black Crow,” I said. “It was Abraham. He risked his life for me.”
Much to my relief, Shadow interrupted our discussion of murderous assassins. It was something I wanted to forget.
“It looks like the council’s waiting for us,” he said.
At the top of the hill, where the funeral home was, stood Calisto, Lincoln, Donald Huff, and Brevin West.
Lucien was noticeably missing.
“Let’s not keep them waiting,” Takeshi said.
“Should I leave you guys alone?” I asked. I was tired and the last thing I wanted was more council scrutiny.
Shadow shook his head. “Our discussion today starts with you.”
Fuck.
“We’re at war,” Shadow stated. “Aria was viciously attacked by the Crows two nights ago and it was only because of Abraham’s intervention that she wasn’t killed. Abraham…”
His voice staggered for a moment. The rest of us, seated in a large circle reminiscent of an AA meeting, listened intently.
“That old man always had fight in him,” Brevin said, finally cutting through the silence. He cast his eyes over to me. “I’m still stunned that a girl, who dedicated her hands for the ivory keys, and an old white man, specializing in Chinese food, had enough grit in them to take down a Crow. I never thought it could happen.”
“I can do more with my hands than just play the piano you know,” I stated.
“My words weren’t meant to offend,” Brevin sa
id. “I’m just stunned by what you two did. Up until now, I thought the Crows were practically inhuman.”
“Am I the only one who notices the obvious?” Calisto asked. “Where the hell is Lucien?”
Takeshi cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. “I guess now’s the perfect time to discuss an investigation I was conducting after the Crows had attacked Aria,” he began. “One of the main concerns is just how did the Black Crow enter into Aria’s condo unit? The building itself is a fortress in terms of security.”
“The bodies of several security guards and the concierge were discovered after the police did their sweep of the place,” Donald said. “Pitting a Crow brother against a typical security guard is the same as tossing a wolf into a Mexican cockfight.”
“Yes, but as far as entering into Aria’s suite, the security system behind those doors is a vault. There are two methods of security to her entering. The first is her key to the door, and the second is the operator who unlocks the door for her after a visual confirmation.”
“What visual confirmation?” I was surprised. I thought a key to get in was all I needed.
“You don’t see it but there’s a camera positioned right over your door,” Shadow said. “When you insert your key into the lock, it sends a signal to an operator indicating your presence. The only way that door is opening is after the operator sees you and releases the remote locks on your door.”
“What the fuck?” I was stunned. “So all this time I enter and leave my place, someone is watching me?”
“Yes,” Shadow said.
Good lord. I tried to recall if I had ever done something visually embarrassing in front of my door such as fixing my bra or scratching an itch in my nether regions.
I hated the thought of being watched, and more vexing, being controlled.
“I don’t appreciate having someone else dictate whether or not I can enter or leave my place and spying on me,” I said. “I’m not the kind of girl that does well in front of cameras.”
“They only monitor you entering,” Shadow said. “It was only meant to keep enemies out of your place.”
“So can I point out the obvious that your little security system didn’t work and someone still managed to get inside?”
“Which is why we’re all surprised,” Takeshi said. “Our houses all use the same system by Skycom Security Inc. To have yours compromised puts the rest of us at risk as well.”
“I assume you’ve investigated Skycom?” Shadow asked.
Takeshi nodded. “I’ve had my people find out who was operating the system that night. It’s plausible an employee could have been bribed. With a bit of creative investigations into Skycom’s log books, I discovered the name of the individual who was monitoring Aria’s condo that night. Jason Weathers.”
“Great, so we find Jason, lock him in a room and grill him about who paid him off,” Brevin said.
Takeshi leaned forward in his seat. “My investigators already found him,” he said, a grim expression on his face. “He hung himself last night.”
“I’ll get the police reports immediately,” Donald sighed.
“The suicide has not been reported yet. My people left the scene untouched,” Takeshi said. “But we can all come to the conclusion that Jason Weather’s demise has been staged.”
“So now what?” Calisto asked. “The mastermind has covered his tracks. Seeing as how we all have Skycom Security at our places, we’ve put ourselves in the jackpot.”
“I’ve conducted my own investigation into Skycom’s business. Just last year, their company was purchased by an overseas media communications firm,” Takeshi continued.
Shadow smiled. “You solved the puzzle already, haven’t you?”
Takeshi nodded grimly. “The communications firm that purchased Skycom is Blueleaf Inc, the same corporation that broadcasts and televises all of Kingdom United soccer games in the U.K.”
“Lucien,” Shadow spat. “That mother fucker.”
“He’s betrayed us,” Takeshi confirmed. “Now the question is how do we approach this? Lucien knows the inner workings of the Midnight Society and all our weak points.”
“We find him and we put his head on a spike,” Brevin said, his voice filled with contempt.
“That’s probably what Jesus would do,” Lincoln leaned back in his chair and smirked, no doubt taking a jab at the fact that Brevin owned a Christian media empire.
“Now’s not the time for jokes,” Calisto said. “This is some serious shit that’s happening here.”
“I can’t help myself,” Lincoln said. “Consider it a defense mechanism for nervousness and anxiety. Some people have irritable bowels, I make wisecracks. Which do you prefer?”
Calisto ignored him and turned her attention to Shadow. “What should we do? It’s been a long time since the Midnight Society faced an enemy that’s one of our own.”
I could see the gears were spinning inside Shadow’s head as his eyes glanced over each member of the council. Finally he spoke.
“First thing we need to do is reinforce our defenses,” he replied. “Security to our homes and family is the first priority. We gut every single piece of Skycom equipment, down to the wire, and install a third party system. Calisto, I’ll leave it to you to find us a reliable company to provide us with the physical security we need.”
“I’ve already got one in mind,” she replied.
Shadow nodded before turning his attention to Donald. “I need you to dig up any dirt you have on Lucien. Because he’s a resident of the U.K., it’ll be difficult to hit him on American soil, but find everything you can on all the key players in Lucien’s organization. If they’re American, do whatever you need to do to temporarily hold them in a cell. Any high ranking official in any big corporate business must have done something shady in the past. Discover what it is and use it to lock them away,” Shadow instructed. “Meanwhile, pull all our resources over in the U.K. and see what they can do for us. By the end of the day tomorrow, I want Lucien’s business empire razed to the ground.”
“You got it chief,” Donald said.
“Good.” Shadow turned to Takeshi next. “Meanwhile, all of our own business assets may come under attack, if it hasn’t already. I need you to secure our corporations and increase the cyber security around them. I’ll leave the protection of our investments in your hands.”
If Shadow was under any duress, it didn’t show. He was doing exactly everything a leader needed to do. For him to doubt any of his own abilities to lead the Midnight Society was ludicrous.
Shadow was born to rule.
“That leaves the four remaining council members to hunt down Lucien,” Shadow said, turning to Brevin and Lincoln.
“Four?” Brevin asked.
Shadow nodded.
“Sorry chief, but I think your arithmetic is a little off,” Lincoln said. “Captain Christianity, you, and I add up to three.”
“As of this moment, I’m nominating the house of Valencia to take the house of Constantine’s place on the Midnight Society’s inner council.”
His announcement surprised me and drew immediate backlash.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Brevin asked. “Look, you have a thing for cute musicians, I get it. You chose her as your partner, fine—whatever. But now you’re telling me that she gets a spot on the council just for sleeping in your bed?”
“Sorry bro, but I have to agree with Brevin here,” Calisto said. “As much as I adore Aria, she doesn’t have the qualifications to have a seat on this council. In fact, she shouldn’t even be at this discussion in the first place,” she turned to me and frowned. “No offence sweetie.”
“None taken,” I said truthfully. I had no idea what the hell Shadow was doing. The last thing I wanted was to become a high ranking member of this dangerous social club. I just wanted to go to classes, play my piano, and then come home with Shadow and fall asleep in his arms.
“This isn’t a democracy,” Shadow said.
“I’m going to play devil’s advocate here for a second, but didn’t Abraham risk his life to save Aria?” Lincoln asked.
No one bothered to answer the rhetorical question.
“Clearly Abraham valued Aria’s life over his own, so really, I don’t think he’d be all too offended in having Aria sit in his seat,” he continued. “In fact, I think the old man was extremely fond of Aria and would be glad to know that his seat went to someone he cherished in the twilight of his life.”
“No one is questioning how loveable Aria is,” Calisto said. “But come on, we’re talking about a seat on the Midnight Society’s council here. There’s no power in her family name.”
“Did you guys forget that I started off pedaling crystal to trailer trash and street walkers?” Lincoln noted. “But here I am now.”
“You’re an exception,” Brevin said, “though more often than not, I think your inclusion into the council was a mistake.”
“I appreciate you honesty,” Lincoln sighed. “As always, it’s refreshingly blunt.”
“So girl,” Brevin said, turning to me. “What makes you qualified to sit in that seat.”
I was quick to respond. “I have no qualifications. Honestly, I don’t want to be a member of the council. I’m just a lowly arts student who’s struggling to maintain a 3.0 average that’s required to stay in my program.”
“What about your family name? What did your father do that was special?” Brevin continued his questioning.
I paused for a moment and thought about dad, and all the sacrifices he made for me. I knew what everyone here was thinking at the moment—they didn’t deem his accomplishments worthy to grant me a seat as a member of the Midnight Society’s pretentious inner circle, just because he didn’t make the big bucks.
“My father made me,” I stated. “He sacrificed money, power, and the chances of a prestigious life just so I could be sitting here today. You can look down on me all you want, but don’t look down on the man who gave up his dream just so I could fulfill my own.”
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