Shades of Darkness

by Nora Ash

  She pinched her full lips and crossed her arms in a pose I knew all too well. With an inward sigh, I steeled myself for a lecture.

  “It’s my reputation on the line too, Kat. I can’t just bring an article based on some anonymous source, without checking it myself. It’s Journalism 101.”

  My cheeks heated again, though this time from annoyance rather than embarrassment. As much as I appreciated her being here for me, I didn’t need another reminder of how she was a real reporter, and I wasn’t—at least, not in the circles she frequented. “It’s also Journalism 101 to protect your source in a case as dangerous as this, and honestly—this is so beyond getting a story in the paper, Trish. I was kidnapped, for Chrissake! If we are going to get to the bottom of this, we need to work with The Shade and Lightning—not try to chase a story for the front page. I was hoping you would help me figure out what the mayor is up to, so we can uncover exactly what his relationship to Bright is—so maybe, we can avoid getting killed.”

  Trish’s lips were still pinched as she looked at me, and it dawned on me that this was the first time I’d ever really taken a stand against her.

  “All right,” she finally said. “You’ve got a point. I’ll help as best I can. That’s sort of why I was trying to get a hold of you, actually. I know someone who might be able to help.”

  My temper fizzled, and I felt a minor wave of guilt at my outburst. “Oh, that’s great, Trish. Who?”

  She grimaced. “It’s one of the senior reporters at the station. But he wants to fly under the radar for now, so I can’t give you his name yet. But trust me, he’s big. He wants to meet with you. Think you can ditch those two and come with me?”

  I frowned, worrying my lip between my teeth. “I doubt it. Can’t they come, though? They’re as keen to figure this mess out as I am.”

  Trish shook her head decisively. “No, definitely not. He’s not… he doesn’t trust superhumans in general, that’s why he’s interested in this case.” She glanced at the toilet door. “How about I text you, later, and you can let me know if you’re available?”

  As in, sneak out when my two self-appointed guards were preoccupied.

  I nodded, giving her a thankful smile. As much as I wanted to cling to either supe for protection right now, I needed to get my big girl pants on if I was going to pull my weight in this endeavor. And I couldn't exactly fault Trish’s colleague for not wanting to get involved with superhumans, what with my own, recent experience with their world.

  “I better get going, then,” she said. “I don’t think your boyfriends are all that keen on my presence here.”

  I flinched. “They’re not my boyfriends.”

  “Yeah, sure. You do the horizontal mambo with them, and they’re hanging around your apartment, flexing their muscles and protecting you. Nothing about that sounds like they’re boyfriends. No siree! “ A wide smirk and her trademark, sparkling eyes had returned, reminding me all too well of the fun, sarcastic girl I’d known in college.

  “I think it’s time for you to leave!” I said, ushering her toward the closed bathroom door. “Out you go!”

  She laughed and unlocked the door, sashaying out of the small room as if she was no longer the least concerned about the two men in the room. I turned off the tap and followed her, pleasantly surprised by the light spark in my chest caused by my friend’s banter. Despite how fucked up everything had gotten, I still had a friend like Trish in my corner. Something about that fact made hope that I was going to be okay at the end of this spread through my body.

  “Bye, boys!” she said at the two supes waiting by my desk, giving them a cheerful wave. I didn’t know exactly when she’d gone from terrified to apparently completely calm around them, but the flippant way she spoke to them made me laugh in amazement. Typical Trish—she could turn any situation around to suit her.

  Or… almost any situation.

  Trish had nearly made it to the front door, when the air next to her erupted in a dark burst, and The Shade materialized in her path. His big hand clamped around her shoulder, halting her, and what was visible of his face was twisted into an unmistakable threat of violence.

  “You get to leave here because Kathryn trusts you, but make no mistake—one word out of you about anything she’s told you, or even just that you’ve seen us here with her, and I will kill you. Slowly and painfully. Do you understand? Just one word.”

  Others would have instantly cowered at The Shade threatening them like that, but Trish glared back at him with obvious defiance. It did, however, crumble somewhat when he bared his teeth at her and growled a low warning—not even Trish could withstand the primal response to such a predatory threat.

  She winced, undoubtedly in reaction to the tight grip on her shoulder, and swallowed. “Yeah, okay, I understand. I won’t say anything.”

  The villain glared down at her for a long moment, driving home his point and power with his burning gaze, before he finally let go. Trish practically ran out the door, not giving us as much as a cursory look before she slammed it shut behind her, leaving me alone with the two supes once again.

  “That was really rude,” I hissed, putting my hands on my hips and squaring up against the man who had just sent my best friend packing. “Where do you get off, acting like a bully to someone who wants to help me? Help us? This is my home, not yours.”

  He turned to me then, some of the warning still remaining in his blazing, blue eyes. The intensity in them made me gulp involuntarily, and something south of my navel heat up. “Be happy I want to please you enough that I didn’t kill her, just for the risk she poses. You swear she’s trustworthy, but you could be blinded by your soft feelings and history with her. Did you know DNSA Network is owned by Shaw Industries?”

  I scoffed at the ridiculousness of that question. “She’s a journalist—she’s not our mole.”

  “She could be working for the mole and not even realize,” Lightning—to my utter surprise—interjected. “You can’t trust someone just because they call themselves your friend.”

  “Well, she’s not involved with the mole, period. And I would really appreciate it if another time, you didn’t go out of your way to try and drive away the only friend I have. I don’t particularly want to be all alone in the world—especially not now.”

  “You’re not alone,” The Shade said, his voice surprisingly soft. He walked toward me, and I couldn’t help but swallow thickly at the quiet smolder in his eyes as he looked at me. “I’m here.”

  He reached my side and stroked a hand through my hair, tipping my head back enough to lock my gaze with his. My tongue darted out to wet my lips of its own accord when his eyes swept to my mouth.

  “We are here.” Lightning appeared by The Shade’s side, his glowing eyes holding no less heat than his enemy’s. A gloved hand slipped up underneath my shirt and brushed against my bare hip, raising goosebumps of anticipation along my skin. “You will never be alone.”

  I wanted to remind Lightning how he’d made it clear he wasn’t in it for anything but the magic tying us together via my mark, but the way he looked at me as if I was something precious made my stupid heart flutter in my chest. It was as if they’d spoken some magic spell, because everything that had been tight and scared inside of me, loosened at their words.

  Another hand joined the first, trailing up along my soft stomach to cup a breast. My nipple tightened in response, and I moaned softly and reached out to support my suddenly wobbly knees against The Shade’s strong body. I didn’t think—didn’t want to remind myself of all the reasons why I shouldn’t allow either man’s touch, and most especially not together. It felt so good to just give in and let go of all the fear and doubt for just a moment.

  It lasted until someone’s—I couldn’t tell whose—hand dipped into my panties and brushed over the top of my cleft.

  The zing of sharp excitement tore me out of the lethargic haze brought on by their more gentle caresses, and I stumbled backward, nearly tripping over my own legs
.

  “Ah, w-we should probably not do that,” I stammered, while avoiding their heated eyes by fumbling with my clothes in an attempt at straightening them.

  “Why not?” The Shade challenged.

  I dared a surprised glance up at them. “Um, for starters, you hate each other? And then there’s the whole Bright situation. The sooner we get going to meet your friend, the sooner we have a chance at ending this nightmare.”

  “We are not going anywhere, Kittykat.” Lightning’s smoldering gaze cooled somewhat as he folded his arms across his wide chest. “You and I are staying here while The Shade talks to Mirome. I don’t want you mixed up in anymore supe business.”

  “I think what you meant to say is that you will go talk to Mirome while I stay here with Kathryn,” The Shade growled, narrowing his eyes at his enemy. “I am not leaving you alone with her—we both know you would love nothing more than to take off the second my back’s turned.”

  “Like you would, if I went and you stayed, Again, may I remind you which of us has the better reputation when it comes to honesty?” Lightning stared at him. “It’s not like we can leave her on her own, without risking Bright swooping in.”

  Splendid. Why was it that they seemed perfectly okay with groping me together, while every other form of cooperation was a complete no-go?

  “You really don’t need to have this argument, because I’m going with you anyway,” I interjected. “I’m not going to let you sideline me, when this is very much about my life, too. And neither of you will ever concede to the other, so you don’t have much of a choice.”

  Seven

  The Shade

  Kathryn shook in his arms after the—for her—unusual sensation of teleportation. The startled look on her face reminded him of his own first experience with that part of his magic, and how he’d quivered like a leaf, too, much to the amusement of his teacher—the same man they were here to visit now.

  The Shade indulged his urge to pull her closer to soothe her with his presence. A surge of male pride rushed through his blood when she gratefully pressed herself against his body for a few, blissful moments in an effort to stem her shaking. His cock instantly rose to the occasion, pressing eagerly against her stomach and straining against the fabric of his suit in its effort to reach her tantalizing warmth. He smiled wryly, continually amused by how his body acted like a desperate teenager around his woman.

  Kathryn noticed it too. She jerked when she felt the firm press against her abdomen and pulled back, separating the contact, before shooting him and admonishing glare.

  As if he could help the constantly churning ache in his poor balls. He grabbed her by the chin and pulled her in for a quick kiss, enjoying her sputtering surprise turning to soft compliance with a little whimper as much as he enjoyed the tingling warmth of her lips. Yeah, she was as affected by him as he was by her.

  The air crackled in front of them, and above Kathryn’s blonde hair he saw Lightning’s familiar red-and-charcoal clad figure appear. The annoyance in his enemy’s eyes turned to anger when he spotted them.

  “What the fuck, Shade? You were the one who told me no teleporting yesterday, remember?”

  The Shade flicked his tongue out to dart it over the seam of Kathryn’s lips, silently promising her much more at the earliest convenience, before he slowly pulled back to level a contemptuous stare at Lightning. “I trust me, not you. And I didn’t fancy her puking all over me if we were to do the full trip by running.”

  Lightning glared at him with murderous intent. The Shade tensed his muscles in anticipation of a possible attack, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the other supe grabbed Kathryn by the shoulders and pulled her out of his loose grip and into his own. She made some protesting noises, probably at being manhandled, that neither of them paid any mind.

  “Do that again, Shade, and you’ll regret it.”

  The Shade growled low in his throat and rolled his shoulders in a display of his bulging muscles. What was it about that girl that had all his most primitive instincts come rushing to the surface? At least Lightning was too deep in his own impulses to ridicule him. He bared his teeth and tugged Kathryn closer to his chest, ignoring her attempt at resistance. When he bent his head and claimed her mouth in a possessive kiss, she stopped pushing against him and seemed to melt under his touch as easily as she had under The Shade’s lips.

  The lack of anger in his chest at the scene surprised The Shade somewhat. Just the thought of Lightning taking her from him made rage pound in his temples, and when he’d first seen his full claim on the back of her neck, all he could think about was restating his own right to her… But seeing his enemy touch her intimately? Didn’t seem to ruffle his otherwise volatile emotions when it came to her in the slightest. In fact, his cock twitched eagerly in his pants as he looked at Lightning’s mouth move slowly against Kathryn’s, while his hands caressed her full, voluptuous ass in a highly suggestive manner.

  Had to be the damn, wonky magic in the claiming mark. Maybe their powers had mixed on her neck somehow, and they were now tied together through her?

  That disturbing thought quelled his erection somewhat, and he shook his head to clear it of the cold dread that threatened to settle. “If you’re done marking your territory like a common dog, maybe we can get going? Mirome has undoubtedly been made aware of our presence by now.” He nodded toward a camera that was pointed at them.

  Lightning ignored him while he pressed a few more teasing kisses to Kathryn’s lips as his hands traveled up underneath her shirt. She jerked and squirmed against him, finally pulling her head back.

  “Stop that! God, you two and your pheromones! Could we please focus on this meeting now?”

  He couldn’t stop the sly grin from spreading on his lips at the small woman’s obvious frustration with her own reaction to their pheromones. There was a certain pleasure in making her body surrender despite her brain’s obvious reluctance, and it seemed Lightning shared his sentiment, because when their eyes met for a short moment, he was wearing the same, smug expression as The Shade.

  “Sure thing, Kittykat.” Lightning didn’t budge for her attempts at shoving him away, opting to wrap a possessive arm over her shoulders so he could easily guide her through the narrow alleyway that led to the rundown building where Mirome’s more well-known lair was hidden. After a few moments, she gave up her resistance and let him lead her, though she was obviously sulking.

  The Shade didn’t bother disrupting the other man’s clear marking of his territory—he’d felt the same urge when Lightning teleported with her the day before and there had been that short, terrifying moment where he’d thought he’d never see her again. As much as he despised the hero, he couldn’t fault him for needing to reassure himself—and her—of his continued claim.

  He followed them to the heavy metal door marking the only entry point for visitors, and hung back when Lightning rapped a knuckle against it. He trusted Mirome, as the only exception when it came to other supes, but it had been a long while since he’d been around his lair. There was no telling who might be watching.

  The door ripped open with a bang seconds later, making Kathryn jump from shock and reel back. Lightning stopped her easily by tightening his arm as he leveled a broad smile at the man in the door.

  “Mirome, old friend. Answering the door like a commoner now?”

  “How could I not, once I saw my two boys arrive? Together, no less!” The brightly clad supe stepped aside with a flourish of his long sleeve, gesturing for them to enter. Lightning led Kathryn, who seemed to be doing her best not to stare at the flamboyant man with her mouth open, in, and The Shade followed, his muscles relaxing somewhat. If Mirome opened his own door, there was nothing threatening his compound. If there was one place he’d always felt safe, apart from his own hidden base, it was in the company of the superhuman who had trained him as a young man.

  “And you brought the human girl, who has everyone aflutter with gossip?” Inside the dark corridor, Mirome tu
rned around to level a curious stare at Kathryn. “I take it your dual claim is why you’re here?”

  The Shade grimaced. “Not exactly. We need to talk about Bright. We can’t let his transgression against our human go unpunished, or the entire community will think she’s an easy target to get to either of us.”

  “We were hoping you knew something about him that we don’t,” Lightning added. “Specifically, anything about his relations with the mayor.”

  Mirome’s curious smile dropped as if someone had flipped a switch, his gaze darkening. “I was afraid you might want revenge. In the eyes of the community, he was in his right to detain her. You both best forget about him, and make sure the girl is kept somewhere safe. Trust me, nothing good will come from pursuing this.”

  “You know we can’t do that,” Lightning said. “If we don’t take care of him, it will be the end of us. Will you help us?”

  Their old teacher sighed. “If you insist, I will at the very least hear you out. Come, bring the girl to the basement so we can talk.”

  “Excuse me, basement?” Kathryn’s indignant tone made The Shade cringe and glance at Mirome, who looked downright stunned that a human would speak to him in such a tone.

  “I’m not going to any basement—I’m staying right here, with Lightning and The Shade, thank you very much.”

  Where he should have felt annoyance at her lip, or perhaps even embarrassment that his human outright confronted his old teacher—the one man that had ever held any sort of authority over him, from the sheer respect he’d commanded—The Shade instead fought back a smile. As soft and vulnerable as her humanity made her, and as traumatized as she’d obviously been by her run-in with Bright, she clearly still had plenty of spine left. He’d liked that about her from the night he’d shadowed her into the dark and dangerous industrial quarter in her search for answers, and he was pleased that her brush with superhuman society hadn’t strangled that part of her.