Dark Caress (The Fallen)

by Throne, Tatum

  Amber was almost to work when she realized that she was being followed by a black Audi. Her thoughts immediately went to Kane. Bright morning sunshine failed to reflect through the tinted windows of the car. Amber stopped at a traffic light. She sipped her hot coffee as she watched the car in her side mirror. Sunglasses hid the worry and fear in Amber’s eyes. She didn’t want to think about the ramifications of falling in love with Kane. Amber hit the gas when the light flipped to green.

  Kane wasn’t the first Fallen she’d ever been infatuated with. Two years ago, the Fallen Galen had seduced her into meeting with him. She had fallen right into the web of temptation he had spun. Amber spent months under his control before she got away from him.

  She had every reason to be cautious now. She should’ve been more back then, but she lived and learned her way through it. Amber fingered the slave tattoos beneath her shirt as her memory went fuzzy. Galen had scrubbed most of the memories from her mind. It was blessing and a curse. Amber parked her car at District Five’s headquarters. Kane’s car pulled to a stop on the street.

  Her cell vibrated. The number was marked restricted. She knew even before she answered. It was Kane. “Hello?”

  “Did you get my roses?”

  “I did. Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  She stared at the car. “At work, but you probably already know that, don’t you?”

  “My driver followed you. Can you spare a few minutes?”

  Of course he would know she was still playing hard to get. She glanced at the police station. It was a paperwork day for her. There was nothing pressing to take care of right now. “I can’t. I have to work.”

  He sighed through the phone. “I know it’s a bad time. I just want to talk. I promise I won’t keep you long.”

  She dropped her voice to a seductive whisper. “I have a feeling you’re going to break that promise.”

  He chuckled, a dark, earthy noise that sent a thrill dancing through her belly. It was the excitement of the chase. She knew it. She wanted him to chase her and seduce her to his bed. She wanted him to try to pin her into submission.

  “I want to see your eyes while we talk,” he said.

  Seduction could begin with a flick of an Elemental’s eyes. Elementals called eye-play entanglement, otherwise known as the first Vow of Seduction. The Fallen warrior was right to be intrigued by her golden irises. They were powerful. Dangerous. Seductive

  “You’re not afraid of what I can do with my eyes?” she asked.

  “I am not. As you are not afraid of me. I won’t keep you long Amber.”

  She sighed as she felt her body caving to his demand. “Okay, I can spare some time this morning.”

  “I can’t wait to see you.”

  The temptation to see Kane again was too much for Amber. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know where he lived and how he lived. Last night had played over and over on her mind. She wanted to feel him touch her again. She was going to be late for work, but it would be okay.

  “I’m on my way.”

  “My driver will bring you.”

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  Amber made a quick call to her partner about being late before she headed to the awaiting car. The driver stepped out. He opened the rear car door. Charleston city streets rolled into a lush landscape outside the city. Amber loved the old southern houses outside of the city, but the rich landscape wasn’t enough to distract her from her worry.

  People who had gotten too close to the Fallen tended to disappear completely. Charleston’s murder rate was higher than the national average. Amber was certain that had a lot to do with the Fallen. The car pulled to a stop in front of a stone gate. An old Armory arched with two towers, a middle lookout, and a long cathedral roof. Amber sensed that she was being watched. The place was immense and far off the beaten path. Security wasn’t visible, but it didn’t mean that it wasn’t there.

  The driver pressed the intercom button next to the gate. Excitement and nerves made Amber’s stomach a mess. The gate buzzed opened. The driver pulled through, and it slid shut behind. The long driveway ended in front of a set of huge wooden double doors. The car stopped. She opened the door before the muscle could come around.

  Amber went up the stone stairs to the grand entrance. The door opened when she reached it, but there was no one behind. The door automatically snapped shut behind, locking. Amber stepped inside, surprised by the coolness of the interior. Amber took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the simple entry. The hallway was empty and long. A runner led to another door. Amber walked to a second set of doors. They opened.

  A Fallen was waiting in the foyer.

  His hair was cut sharp, and everything about him was big, bad, and lethal. He looked as though he didn’t want to be here, but there was business to take care of.

  “I am Dryden.”

  “Amber.”

  He studied her closely. “You are the one.”

  Amber felt as though the world was turning, but she was standing still. “How do you know I am?”

  “Kane is never wrong when he chooses a lover.”

  Amber glanced away from Dryden and moved farther into the Armory. Long ago, the Armory had been renovated into a mansion. There’d been a blurb in the Post about it. By the looks of things, there was nothing Old World about the Armory now. It was simply elegant and tasteful with modern contemporary furniture. She went into the living room and looked around. A chill raced over her skin as though a spirit had walked through her body. Amber clutched her belly and whirled around.

  “Whoa.”

  “What?” Dryden asked.

  “You have a ghost.”

  A vase of flowers next to Amber tipped back and forth. Amber reached out to catch the vase before it slammed to the floor, but she missed. Water rushed over the tips of her fingers. Amber centered her energy, freezing the water before it spilled all over the wood floor. Ice curved out from the table and hovered above the floor. Dryden’s eyes widened.

  “Neat trick.”

  Amber righted the vase that was now on its side. “Thanks. So about this ghost...”

  “She hasn’t communicated with us before. She must like you,” Dryden said.

  “Lucky me.”

  “This way,” he said. “Kane’s been anxious to see that you are okay.”

  “I am.”

  She was taken to the grand staircase, where they went up three floors. The Fallen led the way into an open corridor that stretched out before them. Opaque glass windows stretched from floor to the ceiling, protecting the Fallen from sunlight. Beyond the glass, an open rooftop garden bloomed in the sunshine. It was nothing like she’d ever seen and more than anything she’d ever owned. Her heart fluttered in appreciation. Beyond the garden, she saw a rooftop pool. She didn’t want to feel anything for Kane, but she did. Amber knew she could easily fall in love with him, and that scared her. If she fell in love with him, she would lose all sense of balance and independence.

  Amber watched the Fallen warrior closely. Angels were given rein over heaven; the Fallen were given rein over the Earth, and Elementals were given control over nature. Humans lived in ignorant bliss, and every once in a while ended up being used. Everyone had a part to play. Her grandmother had told her that the Fallen were serving out prison terms. Why else were they Shunned?

  Bottom line, Elementals and the Fallen had a long history of not getting along. The war proved that they had a lot of work to do if both wanted to live in peace.

  The Fallen went to an interior computer panel. He typed in a code on the screen. A metallic hum started. Dark opaque glass lifted from the ground, and an opaque panel slid across the roof. Amber watched every piece of sunlight disappear. Now, that was awesome, she thought.

  The Fallen opened the door to the garden and waited for her to walk through. The enclosure was now protected from the sunshine that blasted fiery rays. Natural lights running off solar energy ill
uminated the pathway.

  Bright red roses filled the garden. Ivy was woven along within the cracks of the old stone pathway, mixing with the shrubbery. The fresh country air was replaced with a cool draft of air-conditioning. Amber looked around. It was then that she realized that the roses had come from his garden. Tears misted her eyes. No one had ever given her flowers before.

  Stone sculptures of angels killing demons were positioned around the outer edge of the garden.

  “Wait here.”

  The Fallen went back to the corridor.

  One sculpture’s beauty drew Amber. White marble sparkled under the soft glow of light. Amber reached out, running a finger along the blade the angel held. She let her fingertips move over the wings. What would it be like to be one of the chosen and have it all taken away?

  She sensed him behind her, but she never heard him approach. Kane had a way of moving without being heard. Amber angled her head to see him. He was beautiful, and she wanted him.

  Kane was more attractive than she remembered. Her breath caught on an almost painful yearning to be with him. His hair was damp, and his strong jaw freshly shaved. There were two white strips over a healing cut on his brow. He was by far the most beautiful vampire she’d ever met. Amber couldn’t ignore the way her body wanted to respond when she was so close to him. Under all that beauty, there was a lethal, deadly quality that would and could strike first if he chose. Amber knew that there was no going back now that she was within his circle. That should have scared her, but it didn’t. She felt safe when she was with Kane.

  “I’d like to make you an offer,” he said.

  Amber swallowed twice and felt her mouth go dry. Her heart hammered. “What kind of offer?”

  “I would like to have you as my lover.”

  “Why would a Fallen want a woman like me?”

  His gray eyes focused on her in quiet contemplation. “I like what I see.”

  He paced to a rose bush and snapped off a bloom in gentle appreciation. She watched as he brought the bloom to his nose. Lust zipped through her pussy when she saw his lips caress the petals. The response was swift and quick between her thighs. Her core clenched, and her pussy lips wet. Amber fought for control of her body’s response. How was he doing this to her without even touching her?

  “Stop it!”

  Their gazes locked. “Is that what you really want?”

  Flutters rippled over her sex. She couldn’t block the need to release. A moan slipped past her lips as her pussy contracted hard. “Yes.”

  “I don’t think you want me to stop,” he said. “I know you don’t have a lover. You haven’t had one for a long time.”

  Amber knew she had trouble keeping a man. They tended not to like the fact that the female in the relationship was a cop. Men just didn’t like dating cops. They were afraid to go out for a drink for fear of her arresting them for DUI.

  “I have had many lovers over the years,” she lied.

  “I know you don’t.”

  How could she begin to tell him or anyone about the slave tattoos warning all men to stay away? By all accounts, she was damaged goods.

  “I choose not to be with men,” she said.

  “Are you afraid to love?”

  “No. I just chose not to.”

  She could love. She just didn’t want to put her heart out there. She wasn’t a heartless woman. It was just too hard to put herself out there when she was damaged. He continued to mentally manipulate her sex. Amber felt her panties wet as her pussy pulsated. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to keep from coming. Things intensified when her eyes closed. She could feel flutters ripple over her clit that felt so much like the tongue lashing he had given her last night.

  “Kane. Oh, I’m so close.”

  “I like keeping you on the edge.”

  Amber’s gaze flared as he teased her clit with gentle strokes of his mind. “What do you want of me?”

  “You’re Elemental. You’ve made a vow to love. I want you to love me.”

  An Elemental’s vows were their guide. Some led their lives by vows that were sexual in nature but not all. Most would want to know which element she could control. She suspected that he didn’t know she could manipulate water.

  “What do you know of an Elemental’s vows?”

  “I know more than you think. I know that an Elemental takes three vows when their powers blossom and that the ceremony is rich with your Elemental history. I know that as you grow more powerful, you take on more vows.”

  Amber turned away as the past came slamming back. She didn’t want to ever forget. Tears misted her eyes. “My grandmother...”

  White ceremonial candles were lit in circle around Amber’s bare feet. Her white tunic came down to her knees and blew gently with the wind. Her grandmother stood outside of the circle saying the prayer of nature. She dipped her hands in water, sprinkling the water into the circle as Amber declared her vows.

  “I take the vow to love, the vow of tranquility, the vow of seduction.”

  Amber kneeled within the circle, brushing her fingers over the grass turning the water into ice. The ice caught the dewy grass, spreading beyond the circle. Her grandmother kneeled down before her. They were mirror images, one older and one younger. Her grandmother reached out and caressed her cheeks.

  “You will be the one to bring peace to our kind and the Fallen.”

  Amber awakened on a gasp. She had forgotten her grandmother’s words.

  “Amber?”

  “I had forgotten.”

  “It’s easy to forget what we are called to do.”

  She shivered at the way his gaze went from the top of her head to her feet. It was no secret that Kane was an experienced male.

  “I don’t have much time. I have to get to work,” she said.

  “Do you wish to leave?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not stopping you, Amber.”

  She really didn’t want to leave with her body so twisted up with need. Amber wanted more time with the Fallen leader to explore how good they were together. She watched Kane’s lips caress the rose, and her pussy fluttered in response. He licked his tongue out, flicking it across the sweet edge of the rose. She cried out as her clit throbbed from the connection. She was no longer in control of what happened next, and she loved it.

  “I can make you do anything I want. Would you like me to go there, Amber?”

  His words were whisper soft, and the meaning was a powerful seduction to her sexual side. The question was too tempting to answer honestly now. She wanted to go there with him. “I don’t have time for romance today.”

  “As you desire. There won’t be any romance.”

  The urge to obey Kane was hypnotic and overpowering. She loved the way his lips caressed the rose and her pussy responded. He was simply amazing. Amber found his abilities striking and attractive. He continued to impress her with the things he was capable of doing. Amber found herself wanting more from Kane.

  ****Undress.

  Kane whispered the thought through her mind. Amber’s mind was strong, but he was stronger. Her hands were shaking as they reached for the hem of her shirt. She fought not to pull the fabric over her head, but quickly lost. Kane rewarded her obedience with another lick upon the rose. She cried out as her pussy pulsed with the need to come. Her cotton blend T-shirt came over her head to reveal her black lace bra and slave tattoos. Kane sucked in a harsh breath as his throbbing cock punched out hard against the fabric that held his prick prisoner. She had been enslaved. Kane released his hold so that she could cover the tribal markings visible above the top of her cargo pants. There would be time later to find out more about those markings that shamed her.

  “Nice.”

  Amber’s long lashes fluttered in surprise. She really didn’t think she was beautiful. He sensed her thoughts as he heard the beat of her heart tick up and the sound of her blood running south to her pussy. He growled in approval. It wouldn’t be long before her puss
y was wetter and ripe for the taking. Kane watched as she removed her Glock from her cargo pants and set her with her T-shirt.

  The light fragrance of her arousal permeated the air between them. Her gaze dropped seductively to the bulge in his pants. She licked her lips and slowly worked her eyes up over his body, flashing those golden Elemental eyes. Kane’s cock flexed hard, drawing his balls up tight and making pre-cum weep from his dick. Kane felt his fangs tighten down on his jaw at the memory of lapping her pussy skipped through his mind.

  “Why do you want me?” she asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I? You’re exquisite.”

  Her mouth dropped open and closed. “My breasts are too big, and my hips are too wide. I’m not the type of woman you would want. I’m a cop with a bad attitude.”

  “A cop who likes to wear sundresses on her day off,” Kane said. He licked his lips, moving them over the rose. “I like curvaceous women.”

  She bit her lip.

  Kane closed the distance between them, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers. He lifted the rose to her lips. “You don’t believe me?”

  “I don’t understand why a Fallen like you would want an Elemental like me.”

  “Like me?”

  She flustered and worried her lip as he dropped his hand to the back of her neck to massage her erogenous zone. She reached up cautiously to touch his face. She smoothed her fingers over the sharp edge of his jaw. “You’re so beautiful. I don’t know why you’re fucking with me.”

  Anger surged through his body before he could temper it down. “I’m not fucking with you. I want you. I’m going to have you.”

  Kane released the psychic hold he had on her. He circled her arm behind her back and put his lips to her ear. When they moved this way, it felt as though they were dancing. Kane felt out of control from the rush of having her body so close to his.

  “I can’t fall for you.”

  “Too late. You are falling for me.”

  The corners of her lips turned up. She was obviously attracted to him. “I’m not.”

  Kane slid his hand down, unzipping the fly of her cargo pants. He groaned as he brushed his fingers over her silky panties. “Your pussy is wet for me.”