Wind Runner: The Complete Collection

by Edmund Hughes

  “That sounds divine,” said Rose.

  Malcolm brought her a towel and some of his clothes, which would be big on her, but were still better than what she currently had on. She headed into the bathroom, and Malcolm listened to the sound of the shower while considering his situation.

  She doesn’t seem like a bad person. I don’t know what to do here, but I know that I can’t just pretend like she’s evil.

  He sat on the couch, mulling over his choices. Involving the Champion Authority was outside of the question, but maybe they had some knowledge that he didn’t about the nature of sprytes and demons. Maybe there was a way to help Rose get closer to who she was originally, or a cure, even.

  “Malcolm.” Rose had finished her shower. She walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel, her dark hair slick against her pale purple skin.

  “Rose,” he said. He stared at her, his eyes running the cleavage he could see pushing against the towel, and the curve of her butt underneath it. He stood up as she came around to his side of the couch.

  She let the towel fall. Her eyes blazed with confidence and sexual power, though Malcolm’s attention was pulled to her big breasts, her dark nipples, and her perfect thighs.

  “I guess you have missed me,” she said, letting her palm push against the bulge in his pants. “Here, let’s go into your bedroom. Into the dark.”

  Malcolm shook his head.

  “I want to see at you like this,” said Malcolm. “I want to look at you, Rose.”

  She stepped in closer to him, pushing her breasts against his chest while her fingers unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans.

  “You can do more than just look,” she whispered. “And so can I.”

  She gave his erection a squeeze and then led him toward his bedroom, glancing over her shoulder at him with a sultry expression on her face. Malcolm stared at her butt, naked and with just the right amount of curve.

  Shadow tendrils extended from the darkness as he entered his room, roughly pulling his shirt up and over his head, and his pants and boxers to the ground. Malcolm would have found it terrifying if not for how aroused he was.

  He pulled Rose in close, her body naked against his. His erection poked her in the stomach as they kissed. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and let out a soft, sensual moan.

  Malcolm felt his cock being caressed, and it took him a second to realize that it wasn’t Rose’s hand doing it. She was still using her shadows, touching him with them, showing how good they could feel. Strangely, it made him feel like being aggressive with her. He wanted to see what they would do if he turned the intensity up even further.

  He pushed her onto the bed and heard her squeal with delight. There was just enough light in the room for him to see the shadow tendrils form into visible shapes. The upper torsos, along with heads, of two very attractive women slid up out of the darkness, both caressing and then licking Malcolm’s hardness.

  He groaned, a little unnerved and a lot turned on. One of them immediately started sucking on the tip of his erection. The other was licking and kissing the shaft. Rose was watching, lying on his bed pushed up on her elbows, enjoying the effect she was having on him.

  Malcolm stepped forward, moving past the shadow phantoms. He climbed onto the bed and pulled Rose’s thighs open. She put her hands around his neck as he pushed forward, his shaft sliding into her tight, hot hole.

  “Mmm…” moaned Rose.

  Malcolm groped at one of her breasts and started moving, feeling her wetness slicking over his tool. Rose urged him on, her fingers squeezing his shoulder and pulling across his back.

  They fell into a fast, easy rhythm. Rose bucked her hips up to meet each of his thrusts. Her breasts bounced in the dim light of his bedroom, and their bodies made lewd noises as they slapped together.

  He kissed her deeply, and she rolled him over, briefly assuming control on top and grinding into him to take his full length. Malcolm rolled back, twining his hands through her hair as he pumped into her roughly.

  He let his hands grope at her butt, giving it a small, punishing slap. Rose squealed and seized the offending hand with a shadow tendril. Malcolm kissed her neck and nibbled on her earlobe, feeling the tendril weaken as she lost focus. He slapped her ass again, and Rose let out an even louder squeal.

  The bed shook as though it was being subjected to an earthquake. Malcolm hoped his neighbors weren’t trying too hard to get to sleep. He held onto Rose’s body, pulling her as tightly as he could as he thrust into her madly.

  “Malcolm!” she cried out, her body seizing with pleasure.

  He hammered away, pushing his hardness into her until he couldn’t hold out for a second longer. Malcolm held her as he unloaded, filling her up. The pleasure was unbelievable, and he cradled Rose’s head against his shoulder, fingers in her hair.

  They stayed like that for a while, neither of them moving, as though it might spoil the moment.

  “Is your champion friend coming by early again tomorrow?” asked Rose.

  “No,” said Malcolm. “I… have the day off.”

  Rose made a pleased noise.

  “That means we have all night,” she whispered.

  CHAPTER 25

  Malcolm smelled breakfast when he made his way out of his room the next morning. Rose was in his kitchen, wearing one of his shirts, cooking eggs and toast on a pan. She smiled at him when he walked over.

  “Your kitchen isn’t exactly well stocked,” she said. “But I’m making do with what I could find.”

  “I’ve been living the sad bachelor life since before I was old enough to drive.” Malcolm grinned back at her. “We can grab some stuff from the store today and have a real dinner tonight.”

  Rose looked at him as though he was stupid. It took Malcolm far longer than it should have to realize why.

  Oh right. She’s a spryte. Being out in public during the day isn’t such a good idea.

  “I appreciate the sentiment,” said Rose. “Maybe I’ll send you out with a list.”

  Malcolm nodded, but didn’t quite feel ready to move on from the issue.

  “I feel like… there has to be some way you could move around during the day,” he said. “Can’t you teleport through shadows?”

  “I don’t teleport through them as much as hide in them,” said Rose. “I call it shadow walking. But no, there isn’t any easy way for me to do it when the sun’s out. I have to become visible again each time I reach the edge of a shadow.”

  Malcolm thought about it for a second.

  “What about hiding in the shadow of a person?” he asked.

  “It’s too difficult,” said Rose. “If they make any sudden movements, I fall out of the shadow. Which is dangerous, for a spryte.”

  “Okay, but if they knew you were in their shadow?” asked Malcolm. “I have an old cane. I could walk slowly, pretending I have a limp. Would that work?”

  Rose blinked, as though she’d never thought of it before.

  “It… just might,” she said. “As long as nobody shines a flashlight over the shadow. Yeah, we could try it.”

  After breakfast, they gave it a shot. Rose stood just inside Malcolm’s apartment, wearing one of his t-shirts and her yoga pants. She looked nervous as Malcolm stepped out into the hallway, using the cane and carefully positioning his shadow so she could easily step into it.

  “Alright,” said Rose. “Here goes.”

  It was interesting, watching her hide inside of shadows with the bright sun overhead. Rose seemed to melt away like her tendrils did when they disappeared into the darkness. Malcolm carefully closed the door behind him, feeling a bit apprehensive about their endeavor.

  “This is by far the weirdest date I’ve ever been on,” he whispered.

  “It was your idea,” came Rose’s reply, from floor level. “And there had better be a movie involved if you’re going to call this a date.”

  Malcolm grinned down at her.

  It wasn’t as hard as he’d expected it to be
. The sun was bright and there were few clouds in the sky, which left Malcolm with a well-defined shadow. He walked slowly, turning with the speed of a tank in order to give Rose time to change directions with him.

  He stopped by the grocery store first. Malcolm wasn’t sure what Rose had in mind for dinner, so he made a show of pulling out his phone and talking into it to disguise their conversation.

  “I forgot the list, honey,” he said. “What did you say you wanted again? Pork chops?”

  “Let’s do chicken,” said Rose, keeping her voice low. “Chicken stir fry. I’ll help you pick out vegetables.”

  He smiled, and together they gathered vegetables and a few other items Rose insisted he needed. They paid for the food, brought it back to the apartment, and then, at Malcolm’s insistence, set out again.

  “I’m not going to be able to do this forever, you know,” said Rose. “At least not without getting a recharge from my focus activity.”

  Which is sex.

  “I love it when you talk dirty,” said Malcolm. “And don’t worry, we won’t be too much longer.”

  He headed downtown, and then into a woman’s clothing store. It was surprisingly busy, and nobody paid much attention to him as he started down one of the aisles.

  “So,” he said, with his phone out again. “What’s your style?”

  “You… want to buy me clothes?” asked Rose.

  “Feel free to reject my generosity if you can’t handle it,” said Malcolm. “Just thought you might be more comfortable in something other than ratty yoga pants and a boy’s t-shirt.”

  “I mean… that’s really sweet,” said Rose. “I’m just surprised. It’s been a while since anyone has been nice to me like that. From what little I can remember.”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.” Malcolm winked at his shadow.

  He slowly walked through the aisles, stopping now and then and thumbing through the clothing racks. Rose took longer than he ever would have imagined to decide, and he was almost beginning to regret his offer when she finally told him to bring the clothes to the dressing room.

  Malcolm glanced around the shop, waiting until nobody was looking before stepping into the dressing room. Rose materialized out of his shadow with a cute, appreciative smile on her face.

  “Let me try these on and see what fits,” she said.

  “Right.”

  Malcolm waited just outside, feeling a little awkward. It didn’t seem like anybody cared all that much about him being there, but it was still a little hard to feel comfortable in the feminine space.

  “Alright,” she whispered. “You can come back in.”

  He stepped through the curtain, and his jaw dropped as he looked at her. She’d had him grab a set of expensive, black lingerie that was a little out of his price range. She was wearing them, the see-through garments tight and suggestive against her pale purple skin.

  She was also wearing fishnet stockings, complete with a garter belt. Her nipples were visible through the material of the bra, and her hair fell loose across shoulders. She grinned at him and spun in a circle.

  “Well?” she asked. “What do you think?”

  “It’s… I mean… wow.” Malcolm blinked, trying to focus enough to form a thought.

  “I just thought I’d try them on,” she said. “You know, to see what you thought.”

  What I think is that the temperature in this tiny dressing room just went up ten degrees.

  “The fabric looks soft,” said Malcolm.

  “Here,” said Rose. “Feel it.”

  She took his hand and pulled it to her breast. Malcolm stepped in a little closer. Rose licked her lips and kissed him, one of her legs lifting slightly as she pushed her crotch into his.

  “Excuse me?” A shrill voice came from just outside the dressing room. “Sir?”

  Malcolm swore under his breath, turning around just as the curtain opened. Rose was gone in time to not be seen, but one of the store employees was gesturing for him to leave the dressing room, clearly displeased.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  “Our policy doesn’t allow for anyone to bring more than one article of clothing into the… dressing room?” The employee glanced at him, and then behind him. Malcolm realized what had happened after a couple of seconds.

  Rose brought the clothes into the shadow with her. Clever girl.

  “I didn’t,” he said. “I don’t have any clothes that don’t belong to me. You can strip search me if you want.”

  The saleswoman flicked her eyes down, and Malcolm realized that he was still excited from seeing Rose in the lingerie.

  “I think you should leave,” said the saleswoman.

  Malcolm grinned at his shadow as soon as he was outside of the store. He waited until he’d passed by a crowd on the sidewalk before whispering down to her.

  “That was amazing,” he said.

  “You just turned me into a shoplifter,” said Rose. “Just because I’m a spryte doesn’t mean I don’t have morals!”

  Malcolm laughed, but her words gave him a moment of pause.

  Rose does have morals. And empathy. And a sense of right and wrong.

  “Bring me back to your apartment,” she said. “It’s hard for me to use my powers like this. The extra clothes were tricky to bring into the shadow.”

  “Right away,” said Malcolm. “Though I think it makes me an accessory to a robbery, doesn’t it?”

  “Oh, you just wait,” said Rose. “I’m going to get you back for this.”

  CHAPTER 26

  “Hold on a second,” said Rose.

  They’d been walking for a couple of minutes, maintaining the slow pace the ruse required. Malcolm glanced down at his shadow on the sidewalk, and then around the area.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “That bar over there,” said Rose. “I remember something about it.”

  The sign out front was made of painted wood and read “Terri’s Tavern”. Two lantern lights were placed on either side of a staircase that led down to the entrance below. Malcolm frowned, trying to think of whether he’d heard of the place before.

  It’s not one of the popular spots in town. Though, I still can’t legally drink yet, so I’m not exactly the most up to date on something like this.

  “What can you remember?” asked Malcolm.

  “It’s related to sprytes and demons,” said Rose. “I know it is. I’m not sure how, though. It’s just… fuzzy when I try to think about it.”

  She sighed, and for an instant, Malcolm’s shadow flickered as though she was losing her form. He glanced around nervously.

  “Let’s get you home,” he said. “I think we’ve overdone it a little for today.”

  They made it back to his apartment about a half hour later. Rose hopped out of Malcolm’s shadow once they were inside, still wearing the lingerie, arms full of clothing. She changed into a much more practical outfit consisting of jeans and a loose black blouse, and the two of them sat together on the couch.

  “Do you think it might lead me to the monster I’m looking for?” asked Malcolm.

  Rose frowned at him.

  “Maybe,” she said. “Though, I feel like you shouldn’t use that word around other sprytes and demons. I don’t mind it, but… it’s not the word they would choose for themselves.”

  Malcolm nodded slowly.

  “Just how much do you remember?” he asked. “Has more been coming back to you over the past few days?”

  “Bits and pieces,” said Rose. “I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s like trying to remember a dream. I just get these flashes. Some of them… aren’t fun to think about.”

  Malcolm reached over and set his hand on top of hers.

  “Would it help to talk about it?” he asked. “I don’t want to force you if you don’t feel comfortable.”

  Rose closed her eyes. It was becoming harder and harder for Malcolm to see her as something dangerous. She was expressive and sensitive, and it was impossible t
o reconcile that view with the Champion Authority’s mandate on monsters.

  “I was someone, before all of this,” said Rose. “I was a confident woman. Some type of professional, a doctor, or a scientist, maybe. I think… I was happy. Really happy.”

  She shook her head and sighed as though the toll of trying to remember was too much for her.

  “Never mind,” she said. “How about I get started on our dinner?”

  “I’ll help you,” said Malcolm. “We’ll cook together. As a team.”

  A slow smile spread across Rose’s face, and she gave a small nod.

  The dinner they made was incredible, either through their teamwork or Rose’s precise ingredient selection. Malcolm found himself staring at her afterward, the two of them eating side by side on the couch, the only place available to sit in his spartan, bachelor apartment.

  “What?” asked Rose. “Why do you have that look on your face?”

  Malcolm chuckled and shook his head.

  “No reason,” he said.

  That seemed to satisfy her, even though it shouldn’t have. She smiled back at him and seemed to think for a moment.

  “I want to take you out,” she said. “To the bar we saw before. I want to help you find your… monster.”

  Malcolm felt a small spark of excitement.

  “Tonight?” he asked.

  “Right now. If the lead doesn’t end up panning out, we can at least have some drinks, and maybe some fun.”

  Malcolm hesitated.

  “…Alright,” he said. “But I am kind of, well, technically under the drinking age.”

  Rose frowned a little at him.

  “I figured you were younger than me, but I didn’t realize that you were that young,” she said.

  “I’m 19,” said Malcolm. “Why? How old are you…?”

  He trailed off, realizing not only that it was rude to ask for a woman’s age, but that he’d already been through this once before with Tapestry.

  “28,” said Rose, grinning. “And I used to have a thing for younger guys in college.”

  She winked at him. Malcolm was both insanely turned on and curious. She’d remembered both the fact of her age and that she’d once gone to college, apparently without even noticing on her part.