Wilder, J. C. - Shadow Dweller 1

by OneWithThe Hunger(lit)

  Her mother.

  Now there was a tangled mess. When not on dope, Sarah Jordan had been a lovely woman. She'd had a quick wit and a soft heart, too soft to withstand the rigors of raising a child alone. Always in pursuit of happiness and someone to look after her, more men then Shai could remember had paraded through their home and their lives. None of them had amounted to anything, though a few had been nice to the shy daughter Sarah had kept hidden away most of the time. It was her own father who'd led Sarah down the path of alcoholism, then drugs. A veteran alcoholic, Jared Jordan had tried to keep it together and, for a short time, he'd succeeded.

  Then it had all come apart.

  Just after her fourth birthday, he'd left them on a cold winter's night. Haunted by unnamed demons in his past, he'd succumbed to the darkness and allowed himself to be consumed by cheap whiskey and heroin.

  So long, Dad...

  As she refilled her glass with a shaky hand, she wondered if her father was still alive. If he were, she doubted he could have afforded scotch of this caliber. She raised the glass in a mock salute. "Here's to you, Dad."

  As she swallowed, she wondered how many more drinks it would take until she passed out. It was a time-honored tradition in the Jordan family to drink until passing out. Hell, her mother had turned it into an art form, pretty much her life's mission. Shai couldn't argue. Anything was better than this endless torment she was enduring. Had she finally followed in her mother's footsteps and gone around the bend? How long until she took strangers to bed for money?

  She set down the glass and stared at the tape recorder on the coffee table. It hadn't been a hallucination, had it? She reached over and flipped it on. Her voice drifted out from the tiny speaker and she could hear the noises of the restaurant in between her words. The clinking of glass, the scrape of silverware on china, then dead silence. After a few seconds of silence, the sounds resumed. It was almost as if his words had been erased with the rest of the tape intact.

  She frowned. Complete silence. Even the background noises were missing. Had the killer known about the recorder? Was he a magician? Had he somehow fixed it so his voice wasn't recorded?

  Turning off the recorder, Shai settled back on the couch. There was no doubt about it, she was nuts. "Certifiable" was what they'd called her mother. "Like mother, like daughter." She reached for the glass once more and downed the contents.

  "Finally! That one didn't burn all the way down." She raised the bottle and noticed that it was almost empty. She cursed as she emptied the remains into her glass. An errant spring from the worn couch dug into her lower back, but she paid it no mind. A warm lethargy stole over her as she settled into a comfortable position to nurse the rest of her drink.

  Within minutes, her glass slid to the gray carpeting and the scotch spilled. Shai closed her eyes and reveled in a rare feeling of peace and well being as she drifted to sleep.

  The scent of roses slowly woke her. She blinked and stretched, feeling better than she had in years. Something sinfully soft caressed her skin as she moved, causing her eyes to fly open. Looking down, she was startled to see white silk sheets and hundreds of rose petals had replaced her usual cotton linens.

  What the devil...

  She caught a movement in the corner of her eye and her gaze was drawn to the man sitting in her rocking chair. It was him. Her dream lover, Val. A chorus of words clamored in her mind, begging to be set free. She wanted to tell him everything that had happened to her in the restaurant. Most of all she wanted to say that she was deliriously happy he wasn't the killer.

  Who was the killer? How had Val gotten into her bedroom?

  Bewildered, she sat up in bed. The evening air was warm on her skin and she felt curiously exposed. She looked down to see a royal blue silk chemise had replaced her customary sleep shirt. Someone had unbraided her hair and the liberated locks tumbled about her shoulders.

  "You..." She didn't know how to finish her thought.

  He rose from the chair and crossed the room to sit on the edge of her bed. He gently laid a warm finger over her mouth and shook his head. "Not tonight, my love," he murmured. "Tonight is for you."

  "But-"

  "Shh-Only you."

  He drew back the sheet and captured her hand before helping her to her feet. More rose petals littered the floor. They felt wonderfully sexy against her bare feet as she allowed him to lead her to the full-length cheval mirror tucked into a corner of the room. He positioned her in front of him and placed his hands on her shoulders.

  "I want you to watch, my love."

  A tremor of desire shot through her limbs, far more potent then any alcohol on earth. Shai felt weak, her limbs jellylike as he drew her back to rest against him. He towered behind her and his hands looked shockingly erotic against the blue silk as he traced the curves of her body. A rush of desire raced through her limbs, so strong it threatened to knock her to her knees.

  Reaching her shoulders, he drew his hands down her arms and captured her slender wrists. His fingers locked around them as he drew her arms up, guiding her fingers to lace behind his neck. The silk of her chemise drew taut across her full breasts and a soft entreaty broke from her lips as her nipples tightened against the gentle friction.

  "You remember last night, do you not?" he murmured against her shoulder, his lips brushing her sensitized flesh.

  "Yes." Her voice quivered.

  "Don't remove your hands or I'll stop touching you. Do you understand?"

  Throat dry, she nodded as he slid his hands down the curve of her arms before stopping at the tops of her breasts.

  "I want you to watch as I love you. If you close your eyes, I'll stop until you open them again." He nipped her neck, his teeth blazing a trail of fire over her skin, before raising his dark head to meet her heated gaze in the mirror.

  She nodded once more, not trusting herself to speak.

  He smiled. "Good." His fingertips lightly outlined her breasts, the sensitive outside curve and the vulnerable underside. Back and forth. Back and forth. "Tell me what you want me to do, Shai."

  "Touch me." Her voice came out as a sigh, long and drawn.

  "Where do you want me to touch you?"

  "Everywhere." In the mirror, she watched as he stroked her aroused flesh through thin silk. The feel of his hands against her chemise and exposed skin was shocking, erotic.

  He chuckled. "That's not specific enough."

  "Touch my breasts."

  He cupped their full weight, gently plumping and squeezing while making no attempt to caress their aching tips.

  "Please," she panted, torn between pulling away from his tormenting touch and leaning into him for more.

  "Please what? Tell me what you desire, Shai."

  "I-" Her cheeks colored at the thought of whispering such explicit requests.

  "Come now." His tone was gently chiding. "Don't be embarrassed with me, my love. There's no room for modesty in the bedroom."

  "Touch my nipples," she whispered. He complied by caressing them into full arousal, gently pinching and teasing until she bucked against his increasing erection. "I want you to use your mouth," she gasped. "Suckle me."

  He chuckled. "I thought you would never ask."

  He unlaced her hands from behind his neck and moved. Placing her hands on his shoulders, he lifted her into his arms until her breasts were level with his mouth. Slowly, he drew one silk-covered nipple into his mouth and rolled it with his tongue.

  She cried out at the sensations he was creating through the delicate silk. Warmth rushed to her vagina, raising her temperature to a fevered pitch. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, her fingers tangling in his hair, urging him closer as he transferred his mouth to her other breast. He nipped, sensations of pleasure and pain mingling to bring her to mindlessness.

  He released his grip on her, allowing her to slide down his body, then resumed his former position behind her, replacing her hands behind his neck. He withdrew the jewel-handled dagger from his waist.


  He held the knife in full view and the candlelight gleamed brilliantly on its colored stones and wicked blade. Her breath caught. He moved the dagger and gently pressed the flat of it against her silk-covered stomach, then slowly began to draw it upwards.

  Shai couldn't tear her gaze from the blade. Half of her was afraid he'd cut her while her other half was turned on beyond belief. Jewels glistened and she ached to feel them against her skin.

  As if reading her thoughts, he removed the blade to slip it inside the low neck of her chemise.

  "Is this what you want, my love?" He nipped her earlobe before catching it, tugging on her trapped flesh. The blade dipped lower and sliced through the silk. "I won't let it score your skin. It's only here to tempt and tease, not maim."

  The knife continued its path, separating the delicate silk to her belly button. Shai quivered, her breath catching as it reached the top of her panties. He didn't stop until he reached the hem and her chemise hung limply on her body, the front sliced neatly in two. He raised the blade to the delicate shoulder straps. Dipping the blade under the first, his eyes met hers in the mirror.

  Should she want this? Was she being incredibly brazen?

  Holding her breath, Shai nodded and he cut first one, then the other. The chemise fell in a silken swoosh, leaving her bare except for the matching panties.

  He slipped his hand over her stomach, his fingers lightly brushing the top of her panties. "Shall I?"

  "Please." She arched against him, his erection pressing into her lower back. If she didn't get him inside her quickly, she'd explode.

  He brought the knife around and cut the panties away, allowing them to drop to the floor.

  She quelled the urge to cover herself. In the mirror, reflected in the golden candlelight, her skin looked creamy pale. For the first time in her life, wrapped in this man's arms, she almost felt beautiful.

  "Spread your legs for me."

  She hastened to comply, spreading her legs ever so slightly. The air felt warm and alien against her damp, exposed flesh.

  "More."

  She took a shaky breath and parted her legs further. Her gaze met his in the mirror and he smiled.

  "Watch closely, my angel. I want to see you come apart for me." He dipped his fingers inside her warmth and a cry wrenched from her as he touched the center of her desire. "Does this please you?"

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak coherently. She arched as his strokes increased. Her breathing grew labored and her legs more wobbly as he quickly brought her to the edge and tumbled her over. She fell back fully against him and he effortlessly swept her off her feet and carried her across the room.

  He dropped her onto the bed in a flurry of petals and stood over her, his breathing ragged, eyes dark with desire. He dropped to his knees and pressed her thighs apart, skimming his hands upward until he reached her apex. He delved into her damp folds, seeking the aching bud at the center of her desire.

  He stroked with a slow figure eight motion and Shai arched against his masterful touch. Her gaze never left his as he moved the blade into view.

  Surely he wouldn't...

  "Is this what you want?" He lowered the dagger and teased her damp opening with the cool metal of the handle. She quivered, horribly afraid, yet wanting it inside her all the more.

  Breathless, she nodded and he smiled in satisfaction. Gently he inserted the handle until the hilt was firmly pressed against her clitoris, the cool metal stretching her, filling her. He pressed her knees upright and together, then rocked her back and forth as he retained a grip on the blade.

  The friction was incredible. As her body moved against the tenderly caressing hilt, the large jewels created delicious friction in her vagina. Shai cried out, barely able to draw oxygen into her lungs. Wild pulses of rapture ripped through her body, her senses concentrated on that magical jeweled handle and the man who controlled it.

  A low moan signaled the first spasm as her peak loomed before her. She writhed off the bed and her hands knotted in the silk sheets, crushing the fragile petals. Her cries escalated into a shriek as the power of her orgasm ripped through her.

  She lay limp and breathless as Val parted her thighs and removed her metal lover. She heard the rasp of a zipper and sighed when his weight settled between her thighs. With a smooth thrust, he embedded himself deep within her. His worn black jeans were soft against her calves and she raised her hands to clutch the front of his shirt. She shifted, taking him deeper and he bit back a groan as his hips gave an involuntary thrust.

  She forced her eyes open and met his heated black gaze. He held himself completely still within her and she drew her legs against his hips to urge him on.

  He caught her face between his hands. "You're mine," he whispered urgently as he began to stroke.

  She groaned, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, and met him motion for motion. "Yes," she breathed as that awful, terrible tension began to build once more. "I'm yours."

  "Forever," he whispered.

  "Forever," she sobbed as she reached her peak once more.

  With one final thrust, he dipped his head to her exposed throat. He peaked just as his teeth broke her skin and he began to drink.

  She was perfection. The vampire fondled her full white breasts and the redhead squealed in delight. She was giving him the king of all blow jobs and he was loving life. Maybe he would let her keep this up for hours. Little did she know that he wouldn't allow himself to reach release until he drank her blood.

  He sighed and tangled his hands in her brilliant red hair, forcing her head to bob faster and faster on his aching rod. She could easily wear herself out doing this and he could take her without much fuss. But did he want that?

  Usually he enjoyed the battle more than the victory. Too bad mortals didn't have more stamina. He grinned as he imagined another redhead whom he'd just left with her dark lover only an hour before. Now there was a woman with stamina! Watching his old nemesis Valentin fuck her with the dagger had almost been his undoing. How he wished he'd been the one wielding that blade.

  Soon enough, though, she would be his. Shai would be dangling from his rod and his alone. Maybe he'd let her suck him like an all day sucker and, if she didn't please, then he'd bind and whip her like a dog. He'd really enjoy that and he'd bet she would also.

  The image of her bound and waiting for the caress of his whip brought the vampire to a level of desire he'd attained only once before. His teeth snapped together as the delirious rush of lust and hunger made him dizzy with its virulence. Roughly he wrenched the woman's head upward and tossed her back on the bed. She squealed in delight as he pushed her thighs apart and impaled her.

  He slipped his hands around her throat and slowly began to squeeze as his thrusts increased. Her cries changed to pleas as she began fighting and clawing at his ice-cold hands. Strangled sounds emerged from her throat as she struggled to escape him.

  The vampire was imagining another redhead beneath him. Wild and willing as she'd been for Val, crying out in ecstasy, only it was his name that she sobbed. "Shai, Shai," he screamed as his desire reached a fevered pitch.

  He wrenched his hands from the struggling woman's throat and dropped full length upon her. Enjoying the feel of her full breasts as she struggled to breathe, he caressed her cheek tenderly then dipped his head to her throat.

  Her screams filled the night.

  * * *

  Chapter 7

  Shai awoke with a groan. The late afternoon sun poured through the half- opened drapes and hit her eyes with the delicacy of a truck through whipped cream. She clambered to her feet, staggered drunkenly to the window and clawed at the fabric until they shut out the blinding rays. She leaned weakly against the wall.

  Why in heaven's name did she feel like this? She ran a shaky hand through her tangled hair. Her mouth felt like cotton. How had someone gotten all these tiny fuzzy socks on each individual tooth? She grimaced.

  Maybe breakfast would help. The thoug
ht of food sent her stomach rolling and elicited another groan. No! What did she do last night? She frowned as bits and pieces of her evening and her fractured dreams began reasserting themselves.

  She remembered sitting on the couch with a bottle of scotch, polishing it off, and she must have fallen asleep. Then he'd arrived.

  Or had he?

  She frowned, her head pounding. Was he real? A flash of red caught her eye and she reached down to pluck a single red rose petal from her carpet.

  Nah...he couldn't be...

  She lifted the petal to her nose and the fragile scent of roses teased her senses, evoking images from her dreams of last night. A slow itch began between her thighs and her breasts ached. The small scratches on the base of her neck where he'd bitten her tingled.

  What was going on?

  She shoved her tangled hair out of her face with a weary hand. Whatever had happened or hadn't, she needed a shower and a cup of coffee right now. She dropped the petal on the dresser and walked toward the bathroom. The ringing of the phone stopped her progress. She grabbed the phone and groaned a greeting into it.

  "How soon can you be at the Celebrity Deli on Forty-Second?" Mariah barked into her ear.

  "Fifteen minutes. Why?" Shai stifled a yawn. The only thing she really wanted was to climb back into bed. Why was she sleeping so much all of a sudden? It was unusual for her to sleep more than seven hours a day. Was she coming down with something?

  "They found another one. Detective Henry is waiting for you on scene. He said you need to see this one in particular."

  She frowned, trying to ignore the sudden tightening of her stomach muscles and the churning in her gut that had nothing to do with the scotch from last night. "Why?" she asked.