Chasing Shadows (The Initiative Book 1)

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Chasing Shadows (The Initiative Book 1) Page 3

by Kindra Sowder


  “You know it doesn’t take long before I’m screaming your name, baby,” I retorted, barely able to catch my breath as the steam moved around us and caressed our flesh like lovers.

  “Is that so? Shood we put that to th’ test?”

  “Oh, by all means,” I answered as I looked back at him, my eyes smoldering with the need for what he had. A need only he could satisfy. I wiggled against him, and his eyelids drooped as my slick skin rubbed against him.

  He leaned against me, pushing me even harder into the wall, but I didn’t care. I used both hands to open me up to him further, and he thrust into me hard, grunting as I cried out at the welcome invasion. He moved within me, and I met him thrust for thrust, wanting to feel him as deeply inside as I could. The pleasure was insurmountable, building and building within the both of us as we moved against one another with the water pelting our flushed skin. Sweat broke out across my forehead, mixing with the water that was already soaking my hair. McGrady’s hands gripped my hips again, pulling me into him as he moved. With each thrust was a sweet lick of heat that spread from where he entered me and up through my gut, running through my veins like a sweet elixir. It had me drunk, the world slipping away into the nothingness that was beyond us, curling around us like shadows.

  His teeth dug into my shoulder, stinging only slightly. The feeling disappeared and was soon replaced by the pleasure I was feeling. Only we existed as the sensation continued to build, unfurling in my belly as I felt my body clench, the sweet release so close I cried out and reached back with one arm to pull him farther into me. His moans matched mine, and my head tilted back as my back arched against him, pushing him only deeper. He pulled out, only leaving the tip inside of me. Torturing me as I stood there shaking, not able to do anything about what he was doing to me. He swiveled his hips, moving inside of me in a circle. A moan escaped my parted lips.

  “Oh my God,” I whispered past my ragged breaths. “Oh, don’t tease me.”

  He reached up with one hand and cupped my breast, kneading it as he bit into my shoulder again. His heavy breaths were hot against my flesh and replaced with the intake of air into his lungs that caused a chill to run up my spine. I shivered, but not only from the slight chill.

  “Ye knoo ye loch it.” I could hear the smile on his face in the way he spoke. He loved to torture me, but we went back and forth with each other, one tormenting the other until we couldn’t take anymore.

  He inched inside of me, only coming in halfway down his considerable length, his girth stretching me in a satisfying way. I moaned again, wishing he would take me like he had so many other times before. Hard and rough with no need to stop until we were both sweaty and exhausted, not able to move for days. Sleeping the entire day after away because neither one of us were on duty or on-call. Just so happened that was the case for tomorrow.

  “Deeper,” I protested as he stopped, his hand moving up my back as I arched against him. Every touch felt like pure electricity, igniting something inside of me that only he could sedate, and it was delicious. “You are such an ass—”

  Before the last word entirely left my mouth, he thrust into me, pumping at a rhythmic speed that caused my head to spin and my gut to clench over and over until the intensity caused me to cry out in ecstasy. I lifted one leg and placed it on the lip of the tub, moving him even deeper inside of me. He groaned, so deep inside of me that I could swear we were fused together. Within mere moments I was on the cusp of release and so was he and, when we finally came together, it felt as if I had shattered into a million shaky pieces. My legs were like Jell-O and my knees were trembling, his breaths coming in ragged pulls as he laid his forehead on my bare shoulder.

  Through breathlessness, he said, “We jist keep gettin’ better an’ better.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more.

  Chapter 3

  After soaping each other down and rinsing off, we dried our bodies, and I led him to the bedroom by the hand still nude. Now, we were lying in my bed covered in black satin sheets that were so smooth you could slide off if you weren’t careful. I was lying on my belly while he was propped up on his elbow, tracing his fingertips down my spine. It was a pleasant sensation and tickled only a little.

  I had my head propped on my arm like a pillow and watched him as his amber eyes absorbed the sight in front of him, only love and adoration housed there. We had never used the ‘L’ word, but we both knew how we felt and, while it was nice to hear, his actions spoke louder than any words could. No words were needed. I could feel it in his fingertips and see it in his eyes and face and the way he held his body while he was around me, protecting me even when he wasn’t touching me.

  “Do you ever stop and think about whether what we do for a living is wrong?” I asked as his fingers left tingling trails up and down my back.

  His brow furrowed as he replied, “Whit do ye mean?”

  “Like, do you ever think that we could be the ones doing the wrong thing? That maybe these creatures that we kill were put on this Earth to snuff us out because we are the ones that are evil?” I had thought about asking him this question before, but never did. And now that we were completely relaxed it seemed the best time to see what he truly thought about our position on this Earth.

  “I’ve ne’er given it much thought, loove.” He shrugged as the furrow in between his brows only grew deeper. “Ah guess it’s possible. Why do ye ask?”

  My eyes fell, and I couldn’t look at his face after he requested that, especially when I explained why the question even came up in the first place. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about. I wonder if we’re actually fighting the good fight sometimes. I’m not sure why, but I think it.”

  He hooked a finger under my chin and raised my face to look him in the eye again, his eyes piercing mine.

  “That’s nothin’ tae be ashamed oov. We all question whit we do. E’en me.”

  “Really?” I mocked, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “The Scot that preaches loyalty and solidary to the Initiative doubts it?” I was teasing him, and he knew it, but the look on his gorgeous, strong face was serious. The Van Helsing family was a part of the Initiative; the government funded sect controlling what we did and who or what we killed. McGrady dropped his hand to the bed.

  “Sometimes I do. Ah, havn’ met a single Van Helsin’ that hasn’ at leest once.”

  “I guess that’s true. Just no one talks about it.”

  “Do ye really expect them tae? They’re well paid an’ we git some amazin’ perks. We git tae kill things an’ play wit stoat gadgets. Hoo wants tae give that up?”

  “Not me, that’s for sure. Which is why I’ve only brought it up to you.”

  “Good. Don’t brin’ it up tae anyone else. Ye knoo some folk want ye gone.”

  “Well, they are shit out of luck,” I said as I rose up on my elbows and looked him in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. This is way too much fun.”

  “By th’ way, Ah knoo ye hate th’ political side ay this whole thin’ so I figured eh’d tell ye now. Governur Richards is gonna be stoppin’ by th’ office this week an’ givin’ a press conference th’ next day. Ah wanted tae warn ye. Ah knoo ye don’t loch th’ bloke.”

  I groaned and collapsed to the bed dramatically, pushing my face into the smooth sheets and making the same noise again. McGrady was right. I hated the man with a fiery passion that had nothing to do with him being a politician. It had everything to do with the fact that he was a slimy pig who was married with two children and had hit on me the first time we met, continuing to do so despite my insistence he stop his advances. I had even told him about McGrady, and that didn’t deter him. McGrady knew all about what had transpired and didn’t like him very much either, which was understandable. Who would like the man who was trying to snag your girlfriend to have an affair?

  “My luck sucks,” I moaned
into the mattress.

  McGrady chuckled and placed is large hand on my back in a comforting gesture.

  “Ah wooldn’ say it sucks,” he laughed.

  I turned my head and stared at him, meeting his gaze with a skeptical eye. James Richards was a son of a bitch, and I hated having to deal with him at all, even if it was just in a political capacity. He always managed to find me alone and corner me regardless, and I couldn’t expect McGrady to be around all the time. Being a part of the retrieval team was crucial because they didn’t only pick up Sanguinarian Blades. There were always individual creatures that couldn’t be taken down and only locked away, which was another part of their job. I killed them, and McGrady locked them away, both extremely dangerous jobs, and I wasn’t sure who worried about whom more.

  “Having to deal with James Richards isn’t bad luck? Then what is it?” I asked him, desperately wanting to know the answer.

  “Hell, ah don’t knoo. A necessary evil?” A smile spread across his lips then, seeing the expression on my face as he said the words. I would’ve paid to see it myself because the mixture of shock and amazement I was feeling had to be a funny sight to see.

  “A necessary evil? That man manages to corner me and try to pick me up everytime he is in town. Multiple times. So many times I have lost count, and I can’t expect you to babysit me to keep him away. I’m done having to deal with him at all, and his advances only make me want to punch him.”

  “Trust me, Ah wish Ah cood. Ye knoo I’m out ov th’ office moor than in it, loove.”

  I turned my head back, so my face was planted into the mattress again, gripping the sheets in pure frustration. “Don’t remind me.”

  “Jist try tae be aroond others. It’s all Ah ken tell ye tae do.” His hand began to move up and down my back in a soothing gesture, calming me nearly instantly like always. “We’re off tomorrow nicht. We’ll figure out somethin’.”

  “Maybe I can just take to the streets while he’s here. Stay out of the damn office and away from the man as much as possible.”

  “We’re all expected tae be at th’ press conference, Izzy. Ah don’t knoo whit it’s about, but it’s big.” He sighed and stopped rubbing my skin, taking his hand away. When I turned to him, he was running his palm over his exhausted face, the stubble on his jaw making him look even more so. We hadn’t slept since we got there and I was surprised we hadn’t passed out yet. “Tae be honest, it has me stressed out.”

  I propped myself up on my elbows and gripped his free hand with one of my own, giving it a squeeze.

  “We’re not going anywhere,” I reassured him.

  “Ye sure?” he asked, scanning my face for any trace of doubt. There wasn’t any to find.

  “We’ve been around way too long, and we’re way too important for the government to give us the sack. We’ve been around since long before Bram Stoker brought the original Van Helsing to light with the Dracula story, and we aren’t going anywhere.”

  I leaned forward and planted a soft, comforting, and lingering kiss on his lips, causing him to moan again and wrap his arms around me to pull me closer to him. I turned onto my side as he did so, placing both hands on his chest between us, scooting even closer as I felt him grow hard against me. A smile spread over my lips, and I pulled away from him just a little.

  “You didn’t get enough earlier?” I giggled as I looked at him, his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted.

  “Ne’er,” he whispered. “Why? Ye gettin’ sick oov me?”

  I melted against him and wrapped my arms around his broad, muscular body and whispered one solitary word I his ear.

  “Never.”

  Chapter 4

  A couple of days later, I was walking into the office, coming up on Jane, who was sitting at her desk diligently plugging away at her computer with her headset on. She was dressed especially loud today in her bright, Day-Glo green dress and bleached blonde hair. She was extremely hard to miss, and I had to squint just to look at her. And here I was dressed in all black with knee-high leather combat boots and my long hair up in a loose ponytail. All of which made me stand out to her since everyone else in the office had a tendency to dress in button up shirt and the like as if we worked in an actual government office. I was a part of the talent, so I got to wear whatever I wanted. Helped me blend in on the streets better, but I wasn’t so much worried about that anymore. Plus, now that I was back in the office I needed to see if Jared was in. I needed to have a word or two with him. He let that vampire go after killing his mate, which was a big no-no and he knew the rules all too damn well and continued to break them every chance he got.

  I was about to pass Jane when my name was called, her nasally voice echoing in my ears at an incredibly annoying pitch. I rolled my eyes and turned to her, stopping right next to her desk as I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Yes, Jane. What ya got?” I asked as she stared me down. I was silently daring her to say my full name, but I didn’t think she was brave enough to say it to my face.

  “Governor Richards is here, and he has been looking for you. Do you want me to send him to your office?” she asked, her eyes never once locking with mine as she spoke. If anything, she was doing what she could to avoid eye contact altogether, which was a great thing because her eyes were such a disgusting shade of brown I detested looking into them.

  “No, please no, don’t. I’ll find him when I’m ready,” I paused, rethinking what I had just said. I changed direction quickly. “Is Jared in?”

  “U-u-um,” she stammered, flustered. “He’s in his office.”

  “What about Addison?”

  “She’s in, yes.”

  Without another word, I walked toward Jared’s office, which was at the back of the building. The location worked for him, but with Richards in the building, I wasn’t too thrilled about the possibility of getting caught by him in the lonely hallways back there. I made my way there regardless, feeling the intense need to give my older brother a piece of my mind and to remind him of what the rules were. I could’ve been killed because of his stupidity, and he was going to find out before anyone else had a chance to tell him.

  This building was just like every other government building. It was clean and sterile with ugly green carpet and beige walls, each door that led into an office made out of a thick pane of bulletproof glass just in case anyone came in and opened fire on the place. It had never happened, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. Each name of every person within those offices were lovingly stenciled on the doors; mine included, and I shrunk thinking about the fact that I was so easy for Richards to find. It didn’t help there was a directory for each office at the front. I found Jared’s office and pulled the door open, not even caring to knock at this point. When I came in, I was greeted by two shocked faces. Jared and Addison were staring at me with wide eyes. Addison was sitting in one of the chairs in front of Jared’s desk, and Jared’s hands were hovering over the keyboard keys like he had been typing away furiously.

  “What the fuck, Jared?” I said as I let the door close behind me with a soft clicking sound.

  His eyebrows raised, he turned toward me in his fancy office chair, placing both hands on the solid wood desk. He was dressed in a button up shirt, the top three buttons not even closed and his dark hair was a mess, his blue eyes tired. We looked exactly alike and were even called twins on occasion, but nope. He was four years older than me, but I just happened to be the more responsible one.

  “Nice to see you too, Izzy,” he said as he watched me carefully. “What can I do for you?”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit, Jared. You almost got me killed pulling that stupid stunt of yours. You know the rules,” I lectured, his brow furrowing as he took in my words.

  “Izzy, wait, what? What are you talking about?” Addison rose from her chair, taking a step toward me in her high
heels and black slacks. I almost forgot that she wasn’t home to tell about my close brush with death and the Sanguinarian Blade that vampire just happened to have on him.

  “No one told you? Of course not.” I pointed at my brother, taking a step toward him, rage filling me even more now that he was within my line of sight. “Your mistake almost cost me my life, you jackass. You didn’t kill that female’s mate, and he came after me to try to find you. He thought he could use me to get to you, and I had to clean up your mess.”

  He shook his head, looking down at the floor and sighed. “Shit, Izzy.” He stood, coming around the desk and wrapping me in a hug. I stood there, arms at my side with fists clenched trying not to punch him. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea he would come after you.”

  “Seriously, Jared? You know the rules about that kind of thing. You always kill the mate for this reason,” Addison said from behind me, nearly yelling at him and causing my ears to ring with the pitch of her words.

  “Yeah, yeah Addison. That’s enough of the lecture.”

  “Do you want to get yourself fired? Because they will do it and you know she has to report this,” Addison explained.

  I pulled away from my brother and watched his face crumble at the anger he saw in mine. I didn’t want to be mad at him, but there was only so much I could take, and this had been the last straw.

  “Please don’t report me, Izzy. It won’t happen again,” he begged.

  I clenched my fists even harder, feeling the sting of my nails biting into my palms. “It’s a little late for that. I had to report it because he had a Sanguinarian Blade on him. If they were going to fire you, they wouldn’t have let you through the door. You’ll probably get a slap on the wrist like usual.”

  “Oh come on, sis. Don’t be like that,” Jared chided as he squeezed my shoulders.

 

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