Dancing with Shadows

by Bridie Henderson

  “Quinn… I was worried about you. I was afraid of losing you. Me. I can’t speak for anyone else. Just me.” She pulled back looking up at him thoughtfully.

  “Tell me something?” he nodded, swallowing past a lump in his throat. “Why did you pull away from me at Aaron’s house?”

  “What? Well… I… your gifts… you weren’t yourself. I was taking advantage,” he stuttered, bracing himself for the inevitable. She just nodded as though he was confirming something she already knew.

  “So if I kissed you now, fully in control of myself and of sound mind, you wouldn’t pull away?” her voice had dropped an octave lower and he felt himself harden in all the naughtiest places as he shook his head, unable to speak a word. Apparently she didn’t need a word. Her hand snaked up, latching on to the back of his neck and she forcefully pulled him down to her, her damp lips meeting his with a fiery need. He was too stunned to move for a second but it didn’t last long. A deep growl emanated from his chest as he gripped her waist pulling her off the ground so he didn’t need to bend. She responded by wrapping her legs around his waist, her hands running through his hair. He ripped the blanket away from her as they broke their kiss so she could pull off his shirt. Then they were back, melded together in the throes of passion. He walked with her to the bed, laying her down and leaning back a little as he finally broke the kiss. She lay before him like an auburn goddess, her body, toned and soft in the right places. The muscle of a hunter but the curves of a woman. Still… she was injured, he reminded himself with great difficulty.

  “Quinn… your wound,” he murmured, running his fingers beside it.

  “I can barely feel it,” she muttered, pulling him closer.

  “You lost a lot of blood, baby,” he replied, testing his self-control more than he cared to.

  “Slade, dammit, we’ll be careful,” she growled, her teeth grazing his shoulder erotically. That did it for him. He gave up the fight right then. Standing up, he pulled off his pants as her eyes widened in anticipation. She looked him over with an expression that stirred the hunger inside him further. Kneeling over her, he gently kissed her lips before slowly making his way down her neck, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses. His hands masterfully worked over her body, her breast, full and warm, filled his palm as his mouth found its way to the other one. She let loose a little moan that had his manhood throbbing with need. Reaching down, unable to wait much longer his fingers found their way beneath her underwear. She was wet and ready for him but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take care of her needs as well. His fingers slid over her little nub as his mouth sucked and nibbled her nipple. She bucked her hips against his hand with a gasp and he responded with a throaty growl. The faster he rubbed, the harder she bucked, not content to be a passenger in the ride they were on. He liked that. Liked it a lot. A soft white glow began to emanate from her, soon becoming a brilliant, almost white light. He almost stopped but when he looked into her eyes, she gave him a ‘don’t you fucking dare’ look even as the grey seemed to bleed out of them.

  “Quinn?” he breathed, uncertain, slowing though he didn’t stop.

  “It’s me,” she replied, her voice low and throaty, sexy as all hells, and he picked up his pace once more. Her hands travelled down his chest, gripping his cock with a soft yet firm hold. She began working it up and down in rhythm to his own movements and he heard himself groan. It didn’t take long until he was as worked up as she was, if not more, and he frantically ripped her panties away, lining himself up. He looked up at her, his amber eyes meeting her bright white ones, asking for permission. In response she growled, bucking her hips and pushing herself onto him impatiently. A smile crept over his face as she began rocking back and forth, doing the work he had hesitated to begin. His woman was no prude; that much was clear. He wasn’t about to have her outmatch him though. Pinning her hands above her with one hand and gripping her ass with the other, he thrust inside her long and hard, only to pull out almost completely before thrusting home again. Again and again, he worked up a rhythm, her skin flushing as she neared her climax. The lights bleeding from her enveloped them entirely, creating bone deep sensations everywhere they touched. He changed his momentum, with fast shallow strokes as his hand travelled round to play with her shiny, moist nub once more. She gasped against his mouth as he kissed her, overcome with the sensations he provided. He thrust, again and again and again. She arched her back and moaned as he brought her home, following just moments later with a groan as he filled her with his seed and the bright power flowing from her seemed to shake the room with the same earth shattering intensity as his orgasm. He moved inside her again and again prolonging the ecstasy of the moment until he could take no more. With one last thrust and an open mouthed kiss on her throat, he released her, rolling to lie beside her as they bathed in the afterglow, both figuratively and literally. Pulling her to his side, she nestled in close and for that moment he felt like he could face anything, as long as she was with him. The bright tendrils of her power finally rescinded after about twenty minutes, which was a relief… facing his Mother and daughter downstairs would be awkward enough without such obvious evidence of their actions floating around them. As they began to fade, he heard a small sigh from Quinn as well, so maybe she was thinking the same. At least that’s what he hoped it was.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, unsure of what her answer would be.

  “Mmmm… are you?”

  Hell yes! “Er, yeah… I’m good.” Shit. This is getting awkward.

  “Good… ‘Cause that was awesome.” And just like that, the tension disapparated. He chuckled, turning to face her.

  “I care about you, Quinn, and not just because I want you to help my daughter,” his words were sudden but he felt they needed to be said.

  “I know… I guess you’re okay too,” she murmured, a cheeky grin filling her pretty, flushed face. He laughed, feeling lighter than he had in a while and pulled her to him for a kiss. Now if they could just get through the next few days unscathed, life might just take a turn for the better. That gave him a dark thought and he couldn’t help but ask about it.

  “Say everything works out, we get your sister, save Shay… what then? I heard you tell Aaron that you’d leave straight after,” he waited for her reply, trying to appear nonchalant.

  “Well, I’d say this changes that a little, doesn’t it?” she said simply and he smiled, a toothy grin that lit his whole face.

  “Aye, I’d say it does.”

  They lay there for a few more minutes, just holding each other, but eventually the real world beckoned. Quinn was the first to mention it and he ran out of excuses for remaining where they were. She clambered off of the bed chuckling, pulling the blanket with her, a shy smile playing on her lips as her hair fell over her face. She was the perfect mix of confident and coy. It made him want her all over again. He was about to say so when she turned away from him, showing him her back.

  “Seven hells,” he muttered under his breath, moving from the bed.

  “What?” she asked, curious.

  “Your back… the markings have grown again.”

  “They have? Does it look bad?”

  “Nothing about you looks bad, baby,” he said with a cheesy smile. She rolled her eyes, thwacking his arm with a light tap of her hand. The vines had grown further down her back, now curling just above her ass and snaking around to line her hips. “What do you think it means?” he asked, as she craned her neck in a pointless effort to see the development.

  “I don’t know but your Mother said she had some ideas earlier.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah… have you spoken to her?”

  “Sort of… I don’t want to disown her at this particular point in time,” he clarified when she gave him a questioning look.

  “Well, that’s something,” she shook her head, looking around, seemingly lost. Clothes. She needs clothes. A small, inconvenient voice sounded in his head and though he was tempted to push it away, ther
e were things that needed tending. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a pair of pants and a small black t-shirt. Both belonged to Cammy. He handed them over to her, avoiding eye contact.

  “I don’t have to wear these. I know it must be difficult for you,” she said softly, her grey eyes wide and sincere.

  “No, it’s okay. I came to terms with the death of my wife a long time ago. I just… I hope she understands, wherever she is.”

  “I saw the capture of you together. She seemed to really love you. When you love someone that much, you want happiness for them,” she murmured and he nodded, swallowing past the lump in his throat. He wasn’t lying. He had managed to move past the pain of losing Cammy… it was the guilt that stuck with him.

  “She would have liked you. She was a fiery, stubborn woman. She valued kindness, integrity and strength of character above all else… and she had the dirtiest sense of humour you can imagine. Like a damn sailor, she was,” he said with a chuckle.

  “She sounds special,” Quinn murmured with a smile.

  “She was… seems I have a type.”

  “Ooh, that was smooth,” she said with a laugh and he smiled along with her. Being with her, like this, it was just so easy. No hidden agendas, no lies or fear… just easy.

  “Come on, get dressed. We should make sure everyone is alright,” she nudged him, pulling the pants on under the blanket. He shook his head in amusement as he pulled on his own clothes, opting for a clean shirt and not the one stained in Quinn’s blood.

  “You know, I have seen you naked… several times now,” he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “And if you want to see it again, you’ll shut up,” she said, a blush working its way over her cheeks. He shook his head but didn’t say another word, making her chuckle. A minute later and they were ready to face the world again. Or at least, they were dressed for it.

  Chapter 17

  Slade walked down the stairs and Quinn followed closely behind. They followed the sounds of voices past the kitchen and into a large sitting room. She quickly realised there were more people waiting for them than she had anticipated. The sitting room had three large sofas, one lining each long wall, each with four seats on them. All but one of those seats were filled. James, Slade’s father, sat on one along with Aaron, Dax and Colt. Molly, the large lady and small man sat on another. The third sofa contained the other two hostages, another woman and a man she recognised instantly.

  “You!” she said, marching into the room. Kieron held up his hands in surrender as she approached but she didn’t care. “Where are my knives?” she demanded, not caring who she was talking to.

  “It’s nice to see you too, Quinn.”

  “What is he doing here?” Slade grumbled behind her. “He’s the son of the leader of the rebellion,” he told her when she turned to him with a question in her eyes.

  “That’s not quite true,” Kieron offered and she turned back to him with a frown.

  “What do you mean?” Slade asked, a hint of a growl in his voice.

  “Well, technically I am nobody’s son anymore. My Mother is dead.” He paused and an uncomfortable silence fell over the room, although Quinn couldn’t have cared any less. “Also, she wasn’t the leader, just a commander.”

  “So who is the leader of the rebellion?” Slade asked suspiciously.

  “Who the hells cares?” Quinn growled angrily, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “I told you I’d kill you if I ever saw you again, and I meant It.” her tone was low and threatening and she could feel the fire inside her clamouring to get out.

  “Quinn! His mother just died, show a little heart,” Shay reprimanded her, floating forward.

  “Bullshit, show a little heart. He didn’t give a shit that my sister was kidnapped by the king, possibly on her way to a death sentence or worse. Instead he used his gift to pacify me and force me to help the rebellion!” she shouted. “Tell me, Kieron, what really happened with my clan? I’ve thought about it, you see, and you couldn’t have led the king’s soldiers there because you didn’t escape them like you told me. You would have looked for me there first so that would mean… Did you see Amira get taken?” Her voice had calmed as her mind whirled, considering the variables…

  “I did,” he admitted simply, as though it wasn’t a big deal. As though she were over-reacting.

  “What? You… why you…” her words cut off as her anger overtook her ability to communicate on a verbal level.

  “Look, there were too many. I couldn’t fight them all by myself, could I?”

  “You just let her get taken? She’s an innocent. Isn’t that what the rebellion is supposed to do? Protect the innocent from the King?” Slade muttered, his words accusatory and belligerent.

  “And if I had stepped in, then I’d have been dead too.”

  “What a loss that would have been,” Slade growled sarcastically but she was too far gone to appreciate it. She felt the shadows inside her, boiling and hammering against her skin, fighting to be released.

  “You… didn’t… tell me. You found me… in the forest… and you didn’t tell me,” she managed to grate out between gritted teeth as she tried to hold on to the fury inside.

  “Because you might have run back there and risked your life. Then you would have been dead too,” Kieron muttered, clearly pissed at being attacked.

  “That sounds tactical. Unfeeling but tactical,” she heard a voice murmur with no small amount of spite from behind her, later realising it was Colt. She had forgotten he was there. Forgotten most of the people in the room completely. Slade, for his support, and Kieron for his crimes, taking her full attention.

  “I had orders. I was following them.” Kieron said with a nod, as though that explained everything.

  “No. You had a choice. You chose wrong,” she whispered, a small tendril of fiery smoke escaping from her clenched hand. “S…Slade.” Her voice was weak, straining with the effort it was taking to contain her gifts. He looked down, confused marring his brow until he noticed the strain on her face and the smoke emanating from her fists. He reached out, placing his hand over hers and though she felt her gifts recede, scared away by his power, her anger was still pulsating, palpable and fierce.

  “You need to learn how to control yourself. If you don’t, you’ll be a liability in Union City,” Kieron said, clearly not understanding the precarious position he was in. She eyed him for a moment, her breaths coming in quick, short pants like a raging animal and at that moment, that’s exactly what she was. She snatched her hand away from Slade and pushed the power out of her with all of her will. She felt the flames, hot and brutal, as they violently flew from her fingertips, interlaced with smoky shadows as both of her gifts worked in tandem. She felt Slade reach for her once more as the tendril of smoke filled flame, flew towards the treacherous coward sitting stony-faced on the sofa. She turned to him, a quick jerk of her head.

  “No.” it was all she said but with her mind she was begging him to trust her. He stopped, hand outstretched and looked into her eyes for a very long moment before dipping his head in a short, solemn nod and stepping backward, his hand falling to his side. Turning her attention back to Kieron she felt herself lift from the floor and he had the good sense to look afraid. Still, then, though her gifts were out in full force, swirling around her lovingly like an old friend, she had never felt so in control. One fiery tendril reached out towards Kieron, sniffing around him as though it were a sentient creature. Through it, she felt his self-righteous indignation, felt his needs and desires, saw the darkness in his heart surrounded by good intentions and the will to be right. His was a lost soul, teetering on the edge of good and evil, yet neither one nor the other.

  “It was for the greater good,” he muttered, defending his actions in the face of her fury.

  “Tell me, Immortal,” she heard herself say, a hundred voices overlaying her own, “Who else would you sacrifice for what you perceive to be the greater good?”

  “Anyone,” was his instant
reply.

  “Then what makes you any better than those you fight?”

  “Action must be taken to protect our future. Not all of those actions are pretty. Besides, you are hardly an innocent. I’ve seen you murder soldiers. I stopped you from killing an injured man, remember?”

  “Soldiers who committed crimes of war, slaughtering, raping. An injured man who abused and neglected my Mother and Sister for years. You do not know that I would have killed him. That is just an assumption. Regardless, I do not claim to be virtuous or righteous and I would not sacrifice an innocent for my own intentions.”

  “So you’re going to kill me, is that it?”

  “I will not kill you… today, at least. Your soul is tarnished but it is has potential. Remember this, immortal, I do not care about your intentions, about your missions, or about the greater good you believe in. I care only about those I care about. Get in my way and I will not be lenient.”

  “Won’t that be breaking that big moral code you keep flinging around?”

  “As I said, I do not claim to be virtuous,” with that said, she turned to find Slade looking at her with an odd glimmer in his eye. He gave her a half-smile and held out his hand to her once more. This time she took it and though she felt her power rescind a little, it was still circling around her, free yet contained. Odd as it was, it did not feel dangerous, as it had so many times in the past. Though she was literally playing with fire and dancing with shadows, she no longer felt fear of the gifts she possessed. Slade shrugged at the development and she felt herself smile. Slowly, she descended, her feet lightly padding on the oak floor. Colt and Dax were standing beside the door, apparently having stood to defend Kieron from the risk she posed. Although, Colt was smirking, a glint in his eye and he bowed his head to her though Dax still looked conflicted. She returned Colts nod and walked by them, Slade still holding her hand in his large, warm grasp. They walked outside together, slowly ambling down the dirt path road but not really heading anywhere.