Touch a Dark Wolf (The Shadowmen Book 1)

by Jennifer St Giles

  Jared couldn’t take much more of the aching want Erin kept building tighter and tighter inside him. The hot rushing need drove him wild. He had to act, had to take control of the madness before it claimed him.

  “Erin, enough!”

  His body trembling with pleasure he didn’t want to end, Jared grasped Erin’s hips and rolled until she lay beneath him. The warrior in him had to act, had to push this pleasure to its highest level.

  He entered her again in a long, hard stroke, holding his weight on his arms, pinning her hips to the mattress. He kissed her deeply as she wrapped her legs about his hips, urging him closer, deeper.

  Being inside Erin was unlike anything he’d ever known, greater than any hunger he’d ever felt. He thrust into her until she cried out sharply, clutching him and triggering a pleasure so intense that the very center of his being exploded into a million stars of pulsing light. He’d never known a heaven so great, nor a spirit so beautiful.

  He pulled Erin close to his heart, and his spirit soared with hers.

  Jared’s pulse slowed to a hard thud. He rolled on the bed, pulling Erin tighter into his embrace. She pressed herself to him, head to his shoulder, breasts to his chest, thighs entangled between his. She set her hand over his heart, over the burn scar, as if she wanted to take that pain from him as well. Then she reverently touched his amulet, gliding her finger over the ancient markings.

  After making love with Erin, he concluded that being mortal was worth every drawback he’d cursed. In some strange way, he felt alive for the first time ever, even though he’d seen the passing of many millennia.

  When he looked into Erin’s eyes, he’d seen her soul. Now he’d touched her soul, and the depths and beauty of it were incomparable to any other being. He now understood the reason behind what he’d spent his whole life battling for. He now fully understood what was at stake in the battle Logos waged against Heldon.

  Sliding his hand up the soft curve of her back, he threaded his fingers through her lush, sun-streaked hair, breathing in all the fragrant nuances of her—her skin, the taste of it, the feel of it, the scent of her arousal, and the aroma of their joining—a heady sweetness he couldn’t seem to breathe enough of. He also breathed in the scent of her Chosen blood, and it was stronger than ever now. Though his hunger for her blood had ebbed, he was still aware of the rush of it through her body, the heat of it pulsing against him, the taste of it in her kiss, and the essence of it in her breath. How long before he had no control over the darkness in him? He needed to tell her what he was, what he was becoming, but he also needed to love her again, to feel the cleansing beauty of her arms. To know again the heat and pulse of her body melding with his. She lay half upon him, half at his side with her head cradled against his shoulder. Her fingers absently tracing the star of his amulet that stood for the unity she had just shown him in a way he’d never imagined—a unity he craved to know again. He’d worn the amulet for many millennia and had never really understood the true essence of what it meant.

  “Erin,” he said roughly, pulling her up to meet his kiss. As he set his lips upon hers, he gazed into the liquid gold of her eyes and lost himself completely.

  Erin heard the deep plea in Jared’s voice. Even though he’d only spoken her name, she heard so much more, his need of her, his want of her, his secret cry to escape the darkness that had sent him running into the forest. And she answered that cry as his kiss delved deeper and his tongue sought hers. It wasn’t the kiss of a man satiated, but one from a man whose desire hungered for fulfillment.

  He rekindled her desire within moments. Her pulse raced as he rolled her beneath him, kissing her deeply and then lightly, sliding his tongue sensually against hers, then nipping the fullness of her lips before tasting her cheek, her brow, her ear, and her throat. She threaded her fingers into his hair, luxuriating in the feel of its silkiness sliding between her fingers. She arched herself up to the heat of his questing mouth, willing to give all of herself over to the pleasure of his touch.

  He slid between her legs as he moved downward and sat on his heels, looking at her splayed before him. He slid his hands gently over her breasts, arousing her nipples to feverish points of exquisite pleasure. Her breath hitched as her back and hips arched for more. Then he spread her legs wide, bending her knees out until the fullness of her sex lay exposed and needy.

  The fire in his gaze as he looked his fill of her sent a deep burn from the tips of her toes to the crests of her breasts. “Jared, touch me, fill me, love me.”

  He smiled, and the light and tenderness in his eyes wrapped around her heart in a way nothing had before. But before she could even grasp the meaning of the feeling, he pressed his hot palm against the ache of her wet sex. “You are so beautifully made. So perfect. Everything that I lack to be whole, you are. I want to fill you with all that I am over and over again,” he whispered as he grasped her hips.

  Rising to his knees, he pulled her up the long length of his thighs to where just her upper back rested upon the bed and drove his velvet hard arousal deep inside of her. Her blood rushed to her head, and she gasped at the fullness of him spreading fire through her body. She clasped her legs about his hips, arching more of herself to him. He slid almost all the way out, then thrust again, harder and deeper, filling her more than ever before, and she cried out from the pleasure of it, needing more and more.

  Her head pressed deeper into the mattress, and she fisted the sheets in her hands, gaining the leverage that she needed to press herself even closer to him. His thrusts came harder and faster, each time spiraling her higher and higher into a world where nothing else mattered but joining the hot core of her body as closely to his as she could. Her heart raced after his, caught up in the power of his passion as he drove her over the edge of reason. Her gaze locked on his, and the dark desire blazing in his eyes consumed her. She cried out as pleasure so deep and intense filled her and sent her mind, body, and spirit soaring. He drove into her one more time and cried out as his body shook hard and fast against her, telling her that his pleasure had been as great as her own.

  Releasing her hips, he slid forward until he could kiss her softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled the full weight of his body down upon her. The feel of him against her was just as satisfying as all that they’d just shared.

  She loved him. She knew it with her heart, even though her mind wasn’t able to reason it out just yet. She closed her eyes and had just drifted off to sleep when Jared rolled from her. Lying beside her, he wound his hand into the length of her hair.

  “Erin, we need to talk.”

  The morning had passed with the heaven of making love, and now reality was tearing down the door.

  “Erin—”

  A sharp blaring cut through his words. The phone.

  Erin didn’t need her fledging sixth sense to tell her that what Jared had to say wasn’t something she wanted to hear. She wished with her whole heart that she could wrap both of them in a cocoon, shutting out the world so that they could have the time to grow, to love, and to be all that they could possibly ever become.

  “I have to answer that,” she told him, feeling as if something very special was being snatched from her. It’s important.”

  “It’s an annoyance that shouldn’t have to be tolerated. Communications should be made spirit to spirit; to do otherwise removes the heart.”

  “Talk later, phone now.” Erin rolled from the bed and crossed to the desk, accidentally bumping the computer keyboard as she reached for the phone. The screen blinked on as she picked up the receiver, displaying the long list of Googled articles about Dr. Cinatas. It was Monday, and somehow she had to get inside the Sno-Med Research and Development Center without him knowing it.

  “Hello,” she said into the receiver.

  “The dragon is coming to arrest you,” Emerald said. “He won’t listen to a word I say. Won’t believe that there’s more to this bloody world than what’s sitting in front of his face. And everyth
ing will smack him right between the eyes if he doesn’t wake up. I’m bringing you down to the cottage.”

  “The sheriff is coming? Why? What’s wrong?” Erin asked, dreading that Cinatas had found a way to her jugular.

  “Some bleeding clinic in Manhattan burned to the ground Friday. Four bodies were found in the ashes, and you’re wanted for questioning in connection to their murders. Sam’s going to kill me because I’m to wait for him and his deputy to get here. But I’ll be there in a jiffy to bring you here.”

  Erin felt numb. She’d expected that Cinatas would have eliminated the bodies and all proof of their existence within minutes of her escape. If she had stayed in Manhattan, gone to the police, reported the murders, she had no doubt Cinatas would have not only discredited her story but would have captured her. He had friends in high places. But she never dreamed he would have burned the clinic down with the bodies inside and blame her.

  She shivered at his insane genius.

  “We’ll be ready,” Erin said and hung up the phone.

  Jared joined her at the desk. She didn’t want to let the world intrude, but it was crashing down around her, and she couldn’t stop it. She prayed that somehow she’d be able to keep him from the full repercussions of the trouble she was in, which meant she couldn’t run from the law. Jared would run with her, and she couldn’t stand to have anything happen to him. He stood next to her, totally absorbed in the computer screen.

  “I have a problem.”

  “What is this?” Jared nodded at the screen.

  “A computer. It’s like a mechanical brain that works faster and holds more information than a human’s, or at least my brain can. I was searching for information last night on Dr. Cinatas and the Sno-Med Corporation. This is a search engine that compiles information from the Internet—a network of computer communications that connects the entire world. Put in the right words, and you can find out anything you want if someone has posted it on the Internet. Like this article on Dr. Cinatas.” She pulled up the one about his near drowning.

  Jared glanced at the screen, then frowned back at her. “He too had a near-death experience ten years ago. I would like very much to meet this satanic doctor.”

  Erin gaped at Jared. “You read that article that fast?” Then her mind sputtered, “Satanic? I thought so, but what made you think—”

  Jared pointed at the screen. “Evil relishes to twist things backwards. Live becomes that which causes death, Evil Cinatas backwards is Satanic?

  Erin gasped. “And Sno-Med backwards is Demons? She picked up the list of men she’d made last night. Maybe she had more proof that there was something very wrong with Cinatas than she thought she had. “We have to get dressed and go with Emerald. The sheriff is on his way to arrest me. Dr. Cinatas burned down his clinic in Manhattan and blamed me for it and the murders.”

  Her hand trembled. She had the urge to run, to get as far away as possible before the sheriff appeared, but that would only endanger Jared. As things stood now, if she gave herself over to the sheriff, then Jared would be free. There was no way he could ever be connected to what happened in Manhattan.

  Jared cupped her cheek in his palm, his eyes a clearer blue than they’d been since he woke on the hood of her car. He leaned down to kiss her, but a horn blaring from outside the cabin sent Erin scrambling. She pulled clothes from the closets and drawers, dressing herself and getting clothes on Jared as well—no easy task. The man was a nudist at heart. She dashed out the door with her notepad of names and facts related to Dr. Cinatas in hand. Jared was right behind her.

  “Hurry!” Emerald sat revving the engine of her Mini Cooper. Dr. Batista was in the back seat, looking not at all happy or comfortable. The woman clearly did not approve of what Emerald was doing. Erin winced. She hadn’t been very truthful with them, even though their generosity and goodwill had been unfailing.

  Erin opened the passenger door, frowning. She didn’t see how both she and Jared were going to fit in the Mini. “Uh, I—”

  “I’m not getting in there,” Jared said. “We’ll run.” He scooped Erin off her feet, and before she could say a word, he took off down the road. Erin thought that she must be getting used to Jared’s speed and agility, because she didn’t blink an eye as the forest trees passed in a greenish brown blur and the wind rushed past her race. She was beginning to understand Jared’s need for space and unencumbered movement.

  Once down the long, winding road, Erin could see the white-frosted walls of Emerald’s gingerbread cottage. In front, with blue lights flashing, was the sheriff’s squad car. Erin’s stomach flipped at the thought she would be leaving Jared, trading in the warmth and strength of his arms for the cold back of a squad car and metal handcuffs. Upon their approach, Erin saw that the sheriff was in front of Emerald’s cottage, back to the wall by the door, his gun drawn and held up.

  Jared didn’t make a sound until he set her down and she dropped her notepad.

  The sheriff swung, gun pointed. She raised her hands slowly. “Don’t shoot.”

  “Where’s Em!” he shouted. “Raise your hands!” he said to Jared.

  Jared just fisted his hands, his stance tense. The sheriff might be a mountain, but Jared clearly meant to be the dynamite to bring it down if necessary. He emitted a deep, feral growl that vibrated with threat.

  Erin’s spine shivered with fear for Jared and apprehension for herself as something skirted the edges of her mind, something that connected Jared with the wolves at the cave that first night in the forest and the sharp howling of the wolves she’d heard last night. Did he have some special communication with the beasts? Did he call, and they answer him? As a Blood Hunter from the spirit world, did he have the ability to commune with animals and nature in some way?

  Just then the Mini came into view, flying down the mountain, gravel and dirt scattering as it came to a screeching halt in front of the sheriff’s squad car.

  “Bleedin’ hell, he can fly!” Emerald exclaimed, getting out of the Mini and staring at Jared with appreciative amazement in her green eyes. She didn’t even glance at the sheriff. “Not with wings, mind you, but bloody well close.”

  “What the hell are you and Nett doing, Em? I told to you stay inside and lock the damn door.” The sheriff sounded like thunder and looked like lightning about to strike.

  Emerald turned and set her hands on her hips, her bracelets tinkling like a soft wind chime in the face of his storm. “And I told you that it wasn’t necessary. Now we’re all going to go inside and discuss this problem, and you’re going to listen before it’s too late.”

  “Over my dead body,” Sam said. “They’re coming with me to the station now.”

  “I wouldn’t be saying that if I were you, Samuel T. Sheridan. Your arse is so bloody stubborn you’d tempt a saint to murder.”

  Erin thought the sheriff was going to explode. She barely resisted the urge to run and duck. The air around them was so charged that it was a wonder it wasn’t crackling with lightning.

  Surprisingly, Dr. Batista, wearing her customary lab coat and hair knot, moved from the Mini and set herself between the sheriff and Emerald. “I think we ought to hear what they’ve got to say, Sam.” She turned her dark gaze to Jared, an assessing frown knitting her brow. “There are things you don’t know, and I’ve just seen something that can’t be explained by anything you or I know. If they were of danger to us, Em and I would be dead despite the pistol in my pocket. And if they were of the mind to run, they would have breezed right by you, and I’m not even sure you would have seen them pass.”

  “We need to hear what they have to say before it’s too late,” Emerald said again.

  Erin’s scalp began to tingle. “What do you mean?”

  Emerald shook her head. “The Druids weren’t so kind, so I can’t answer that. I can say we’re all going to be somewhere we don’t want to be.”

  Jared inhaled sharply. Erin glanced at him. His eyes were narrowed, and he seemed to be trying to watch the sherif
f and scan the area. Erin had to ease Jared’s apprehension. “I’m going to lower my hand and hold Jared’s hand. He’s in pain, and only I can help.”

  “Pain from what?” the sheriff demanded.

  “Poison from a Tsara,” Erin said.

  “A what?” demanded the sheriff.

  Erin slipped her hand into Jared’s and plunged herself into his world with no going back. “A Tsara. Jared is a Blood Hunter from the spirit world, a Shadowman warrior for the Guardian Forces who fight Heldon’s Fallen Army of the damned. He was poisoned in battle and condemned to our world. If we can sit down and talk, I will tell you all about it and the fact that a doctor is framing me for the murders of four people. Four people from whom he drained blood to transfuse into the king of Kassim, Ashodan ben Shashur. I’m a nurse, and I worked for the Sno-Med Corporation in Manhattan. I’ll tell you everything—then, if you want to take me to the station, I’ll go. But I have one question for you. I don’t know if these four people are the only people Dr. Cinatas has killed or not. How many unexplained deaths or disappearances have there been in this area since Sno-Med moved into Arcadia?”

  “Stef,” Dr. Batista gasped. “She worked there. What if she discovered something—”

  “Erin will not go where I cannot protect her,” Jared said.

  At that moment several black tubes landed at their feet and exploded, emitting a powder keg of blue smoke. Clouds of it encompassed Erin’s face, making the dozen or more gas-masked, black-clad men surrounding them almost seem like a dream. A dream with guns bigger than any Erin had seen outside a movie screen.

  Erin’s eyes immediately watered and burned. The smoke suffocated her, and no matter which way she turned her face, it was there, burning her lungs.

  “Nobody move,” a man yelled as if over a loudspeaker. “Drop the gun!”

  Through the haze, Erin saw the sheriff swing around. But before he could do anything else, a bullet ripped through his arm with enough force to knock him backward and send his gun flying to the ground. The gunshot was deafening to Erin’s ears.