Highland Darkness

by Lilian Jade

  Snapping her eyes open, Lilith tried to focus her attention on which direction the whiff of blood came from. She sniffed left and right, realizing that the scent seemed to be coming from the forest. Her stomach was all nerves as she pursued her nose. “Curiosity killed the cat,” she mumbled, shaking her head as she made her way deep into the forest.

  The forest was canopied by tall pine trees blocking out most of the sun. They left no room for warmth, only the cold dampness of the underbrush. The forest floor was covered in a blanket of moss that glittered a million shades of green from the few rays of sunshine that managed to sneak through the trees and bounce off the dew. Lilith walked over fallen trees and shrubs as she watched forest critters run, hop, and slither through the greenery to the musical backdrop of chirping birds. Lilith paused, lifting her head as she turned up her nose and sniffed the air.

  There was that smell again; that woodsy musk mixed with sweat and blood. Crouching low, Lilith made her way to her target. She pursued as stealthily as she could without being detected. She heard the sound of water trickling in a small valley as she made her way closer. Slowly she came across a family of deer.

  She crouched low, eyeing the family as their little fawn stumbled and tripped over its own newborn legs. As the baby made its crippled walk towards the crystal-clear flow of water lapping delicately across the forest floor, the parents looked on; oblivious to what was out there hunting them.

  Lilith could feel it. Whatever was out there was on the hunt, ready to stake its claim upon this family. She couldn’t let that happen. Lilith was alone in the world, and she wouldn’t stand by and let the fawn meet such a cruel, quick end if she could help it.

  The sun was muted by the shadows of the pine trees, giving the forest an eerie glow. The entire forest had gone unnaturally quite; not a single bird tweeted or chirped. It was as if all life within the forest had a foreboding about what was soon to come. There was so much noise inside Lilith’s head screaming at her to move, to get the hell out of there, yet she could feel the need to stand her ground, not to yield to whatever she would soon face. She waited in a cluster of trees, their branches looming over her. Lilith noticed that even the family of deer were becoming restless, unsettled by their unforeseen hunter. Just as the baby fawn tripped over its new legs again, there was the unmistakable sound of branches snapping.

  A massive, shadowy figure came crashing from the trees and into view. Whatever it was ran towards the little fawn, pursuing the helpless animal with rapidly growing speed.

  By God, was Lilith going to sit back and watch it? She knew it was time to get the fuck out of dodge, but instead of running in the opposite direction, Lilith ran towards the blurred figure at full speed. Her eyesight felt oddly distorted, and her sense of smell was off. Her heart rate doubled, almost tripled in tempo. Everything about Lilith was off kilter; her head ached as she hurdled over broken tree stumps and into the line of something. Lilith couldn’t think as she came smashing into the beast head on. The force of her hit sent them both crashing into a large tree trunk, splintering it into thousands of pieces.

  Amadeus patrolled the forest line. Not that he had to, but it was better than waiting for her to awaken from slumber. It was all he could do to keep himself from going to her room and licking every inch of her delectable skin.

  He had waited far too long for a fight this good, and he was betting that no one knew what trouble lurked beyond these walls. A war had been brewing, and only now was it being served. He needed to take her home in order to keep her safe. The thought of finally going home was one he never thought he would have the pleasure of having.

  It had been an eventful morning. So far Amadeus had killed three vamps, filthy fucking beings they were. Then he ran into two human hunters who carried tranquilizer guns filled with potions designed to kill first and ask questions later. Amadeus had shot both of the hunters with their own tranqs, causing them to become paralyzed and drop to the ground as their hearts seized out. And then there were the two nutty-looking fucking fae bastards he hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing since who the fuck knew. And he would have ripped their heads from their shoulders if they had the balls to step to him, but no. They kept skirting him as best they could. Amadeus had been killing wild animals all morning just so he could be at his best when he was faced with another kill. Animal blood was not top-shelf per se, but it mattered not. She needed him to keep her safe.

  Amadeus had just sniffed out his last warm-blooded meal for the morning. He was so caught up in the heat of the moment of being sated that he had slammed head on right into her. He held back the instinctual urge to rip out the throat of his prey. What was she doing out there? He could have killed her. Why was she out at this time of morning, and why was she this deep within the forest? Catching her in his arms, Amadeus pulled her to him as they flew through the air from the sheer force of her momentum.

  He went plundering into a massive tree trunk. The wood splintered into a million pieces, ricocheting off the tree and in all directions. He knew the entire expanse of his back would be riddled with splinters, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the woman in his arms.

  Right before his eyes, Amadeus witnessed her miraculous transformation. He could see she was in pain, could hear the sound of her bones breaking in order to reshape themselves. He could see the process was altering her very DNA. Her genetics were on fire, forming her human self into something more reconstructed, more vital, more bestial than human. He could feel it. He could smell her uniqueness, her essence. Amadeus could sense her entire being.

  “Help meee …” Her voice snapped him immediately out of his thoughts.

  “Lilith, sweetie, you need to focus.” Scream after scream ripped from her delicate throat. “Ma cherie … try to focus your mind on me. Hear me, only me … do you understand me?”

  She emitted moan after agonizing moan. “How? Oh, it hurts so bad! My bones … my head.”

  Amadeus could tell this was her first time morphing. He had never witnessed such a turn as this in his entire existence, save his own. Lilith was stuck between human and animal. Such a morph could kill a person.

  “Sweetie, I know it hurts. But you need to find a centre to focus all your energy on so that your body can have a measure of relaxation. Calm your mind.” He could sense her will to comply, could sense her attempt to calm herself.

  Amadeus knew that the others were nearing the valley. He felt it in the vibrations of the forest floor. With his acute hearing, he heard their curses and knew that the vamps could smell her blood from a mile away. A growl ripped from his throat. Like hell would he let them near her.

  “Amadeus, what happened here?” Alexander’s sweet, soothing voice was laced with vengeance and coated in demand. Amadeus smirked. If Alexander wasn’t one of his closest friends, Amadeus would have torn his head from his shoulders for taking that tone with his Alpha.

  “As you can see, the woman is morphing. She is changing,” Amadeus barked into Alexander’s mind.

  “Lilith, what the fuck? You’re … you’re a dog!” came Angus’s disgusted, impervious, whining voice. “What did you do to her, beast?”

  The woman in his arms leaned away from Angus’s words with a slight whimper. “Amadeus,” she croaked out. “Don’t let him near,” she cried into his mind.

  “As you wish, ma cherie. Hush now.” Amadeus heard the vamps stalking near. They were hesitating, keeping their distance while deciding whether or not they should risk coming closer.

  “What did you do, beast!” Angus roared. “Did you infect Lilith with your mangy bite?”

  Amadeus would have made a go at the puny fucking highlander if it wasn’t for the girl screaming in pain like a banshee. Her body didn’t know if it wanted to turn into full wolf form or stay human. Just then, a silver beam of moonlight hiding behind the day’s sky hit her entire form, transforming Lilith into the most extravagant, most enchanting blue-black, silver-tipped wolf he had ever seen before. Lilith screamed and screamed.r />
  “Make it stop, Alexander.”

  Ignoring the highlander’s remark, Amadeus picked up Lilith’s small body and cradled her to his chest. As he made his way back to Alexander’s home, he quickened his stride and hurried to the cellar. Lilith’s form kept converting and reverting again and again. Amadeus could tell the highlander had some claim over Lilith, but not while she was like this, he didn’t. She belonged to Amadeus—if not for his vow that he willingly gave, or because she was a beast like him, then it was for the fact that she had entrusted herself to him while she lay breaking on the forest floor.

  “Stop right there.”

  The highlander. Growling inwardly, Amadeus knew the highlander wouldn’t allow Lilith out of his sight. Well too fucking bad. Amadeus could smell the stench of gun powder a few seconds before he heard the shot being fired at him. Moving with lightning speed, Amadeus changed his trajectory just an inch to keep from being hit by the Beretta 9mm handgun fired by Angus.

  “Try again, fuckface,” Amadeus grated out. His voice was raw, dry. Even Amadeus was dumbfounded by his own voice. A voice he hadn’t had the pleasure of hearing or using in millennia. Digging so deeply to bring forth his voice made it all the more powerful. Angus got the memo. The vamps did as well, from the sound of their retreat from the outskirts of the castle. Amadeus’s brothers must have all shifted and scared them off. Angus lowered his gun, and Amadeus carried on to the cellar.

  Lilith felt as light as a feather, like she was floating on air and rippling in the wind. The air she breathed was thick and warm; everything smelled of male, earthy musk, plus a tinge of metal. Lilith’s mind was reeling in dreams of languid heat, of bodies being pressed and molded together in sensual affection.

  She could remember words being cooed to her as she whimpered in agonizing pain, softly spoken promises so tempting and guttural that Lilith ached for more. Feather-light kisses were placed at her temples, followed by hot teasing strokes down the length of her spine and back up. The action was repeated again and again.

  Lilith heard more calming words, reassuring her that she was fine, that everything would be okay and that she would be protected under the watch of her sweet enchantress. Slowly but surely, Lilith became aware that she in fact was not dreaming, but going in and out of consciousness. She looked around, catching glances of her surroundings. She was in a room that resembled a thermal rock spa, something one would see in the stone ages. When she tensed to move, a deep voice whispered, “Shhh, ma cherie. Easy.”

  She didn’t have to see the face behind the voice to know that it was Amadeus. Although she felt nothing but trust for him, she still couldn’t get past the fact that she was alone with him in a spa-like tub and undressed. Lilith tried to pull away.

  “Calme,” he grated out in an accent she gathered to be French. She remembered all the romantic movies she’d watched time and time again. “If you move too much right now, ma cherie, you might throw yourself into another turning frenzy,” Amadeus whispered into her mind. “Not to worry. You are still clothed in your undergarments. You are safe.” He didn’t release his hold on her, so Lilith had no other choice but to rest her back to his chest beneath the lapping waters.

  Lilith was beat. Her body felt like it had undergone the fight of its life, and so the hot, steaming liquid water was a welcome. Her entire being relaxed into Amadeus. The friction, heat, and the silkiness of his body against hers was an erotic enticement. His unique male musk wafted up off the steam and into her senses, her pores, and her very being. Lilith could feel herself begin to melt at the core of her mound, her body becoming softer and more relaxed, her nipples peaking. Her breasts felt full and tight against her lace bra in their state of arousal. She felt the sudden urge to rub her ass into his groin, and so she did. A low growl escaped his lips.

  “Easy, ma cherie,” he said. “You need more healing within these waters. You have greatly exerted yourself over the past few days,” Amadeus whispered before dropping a kiss to the top of her head. So much for forgetting how to talk, Lilith thought to herself. Amadeus was doing just fine.

  Lilith felt like apologizing, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Why say the words if she wasn’t sorry? Right now, all she wanted to do was rub her overly-wet body all over him like a bitch in heat. He was right there for the taking; all she need do was grind on him, kiss him, or maybe nip at his neck. Lilith groaned as she thought about taking him in her mouth. Shaking her head, she tried to figure out why she found herself so at a loss with Amadeus. Of course it was odd to feel this trusting and carefree with a person you only just met no more than twenty-four hours ago. The truth was, she felt as if she had always known him somehow. Perhaps in another lifetime. With all the shit she’d experienced in the past few days, it seemed like a possibility.

  And what did Amadeus mean by exerting herself over the past few days? The thought brought Lilith back to the present shit storm. “Amadeus, what happened to me? And more importantly, where are we?”

  Stroking her back absently, he replied, “You showed signs of obtaining another ability. So it seems you are a shifter, a werewolf to be exact. And we are still within Fort Charlotte. More to the point, in my chambers.”

  Lilith tried to straighten up a little more so that she could examine how truly massive his chambers were. Lilith noticed that the rock spa was carved into the far right side of the wall, in what looked to be the slope of a hillside, like some type of natural hot spring. To the left stood a privacy screen, and in the middle of the room was a futon bed made from what looked to be bamboo. The décor of the room had a harem-style influence with rich, colorful cushions dotting the floor in gold’s, maroons, emerald greens, rich reds, and slivers. There were fabrics hanging from the walls, depicting stories of ancient battles between armies and legions of otherworldly creatures.

  “Your chambers are beautiful,” Lilith murmured to the man at her back. She gasped in delight as Amadeus moved his lower body to stretch out his legs. She could feel how massive his hard on was as it pressed against her ass cheeks.

  “Thank you, ma cherie,” he all but whispered. His timbre was soft, yet the way he spoke was full of clarity and surety. She could also sense a rustiness to it, as if he hadn’t used his voice in quite a while. “As much as I would bid you stay, I feel the highlander has grown wary of your absence.” With that said, Amadeus placed both his hands on Lilith’s hips before lifting her with him as he stood. “You must change. Come.”

  Slowly she turned to face Amadeus, not knowing what to say or do as his rugged perfection threw her off balance. His chiseled pecks and dark, Persian looks drew her in like a bee to the pollen of the most exotic flower in the world. His eyes were as black as the abyss. “So … a wolf, you say?” Lilith asked shyly, remembering the pain she experienced. The hot and cold lashes of bones breaking, reshaping, and molding before breaking again. And she remembered Angus cursing. The utter disgust in his voice was enough for her to burrow into Amadeus for safety. Lilith couldn’t deal with anymore of his hatred. “What did you do to her, beast!” The anger and distaste coming off of Angus hurt Lilith more than she could ever describe. It pained her to think about what she may have looked like to Angus in a form she didn’t know she was capable of turning into. For fuck’s sake, Lilith thought to herself. Could things get any worse?

  “Yes. It seems you are my kin. My pack. My clan. My family.” All Lilith could do was stare at Amadeus in stark astonishment. His words hit home like a ton of bricks, and Lilith began to feel emotions she wasn’t sure she liked or wanted to feel.

  “Amadeus—”

  He cut her off by picking her up and carrying her behind the screen where he placed her on her toes. “We will talk of this later. For now you must dress. I sense the highlander seeking vengeance upon me. I do not wish to rip his wretched head from his stubborn shoulders, therefore staining my walls and vintage mats with his life’s blood. He may still prove to be useful … yet.”

  He spoke all this in a calm, level voice
. “Of course,” Lilith squeaked out. She didn’t want Angus killed or harmed, but maybe he should be taught a lesson to show that it wasn’t right for him to treat her with such disrespect.

  “Not to worry, ma cherie. We taught him enough lessons. He will handle you more delicately and value your presence with a lot more respect this time around.”

  Peeking around from behind the screen, Lilith looked over to find Amadeus buckling up a pair of faded denims about his hips before throwing on a maroon Dolce and Gabbana dress-shirt. Forgetting all thoughts, Lilith watched Amadeus as he rolled back his sleeves before buttoning up the shirt. His body rippled sinuously as he moved, his muscles bunching and relaxing over and over again. He was a sight for sore eyes. A depiction to be savored. Lilith licked her lips.

  “You were saying, amour?” He looked over his right shoulder at Lilith with a smile in his eyes.

  “Oh. Um. Wha … what do you mean we showed him a lesson?” Lilith asked, embarrassed for being caught drooling.

  “Never feel shy about looking at me, for you have a right to do so. And I said lessons. Not lesson.”

  Lilith smiled coyly at Amadeus before she busied herself with drying and dressing. By the time she was finished throwing on her clothing—an outfit that must have been handpicked by Amadeus—Lilith felt her face blush hotter than ever. She wore a skimpy little black-lace thong, denims, a cashmere and merino sweater, and no bra. Not because she chose not to wear one, but because there wasn’t one in sight. Lilith smiled. She felt oddly sexy, her breasts aching to be touched. The sweater rubbed against her breast like a lover’s caress, adding to the sweet ache caused by her panties rubbing against her delicate nub. Lilith threw her hair into a messy, high ponytail and then smoothed her hands down over her breasts, feeling her nipples through the fabric of the sweater. As her hands skittered lower down her body, she palmed herself through her denims. Lilith considered masturbating where she stood. That’s how badly she needed to be sated, knowing full well Amadeus stood mere feet away from her.