Shadow Master: The Nightwatch Academy book 4

by Cassidy, Debbie

  Lloyd stepped around a group of nervous-looking academy cadets. He stopped at the sight of me and my entourage and crossed his arms. Aidan, Devon, and Harmon joined him. The hounds fanned out as we approached, and Athos came abreast of me, staying close, casting me in his protective shadow.

  We came to a standstill a few meters away from the gathered. “The hounds want to help. They’ll be joining us for training.”

  “They want to help?” Aidan looked from me to Athos.

  I shrugged. “That’s what they said.”

  “You can understand them…” Lloyd’s gaze dropped to my arm. “The mark.”

  “It has to be.”

  The hounds padded closer until they were surrounding the cadets. Someone screamed—a female academy student.

  “They won’t hurt you.” I placed a hand on Athos’s flank to illustrate my point. “They’re on our side. Their knights are dead, and they want vengeance.”

  Lloyd smiled, his ice-blue eye lighting up with an inner fire. He fixed his attention on Athos. “In that case, welcome to the army.”

  Seven

  The day passed training weavers in combat. Yeah … we really needed practice swords for this, but shadow cadets didn’t get practice swords.

  After the second time of almost taking off my trainee’s head, I lowered my blade. “This isn’t working.”

  “I can try again,” my trainee said. He was slender, pale, and wiry, and he was dripping with sweat.

  “No. Take a break. Get some water.”

  Around me, the other shadow knights were having a similar problem. The weavers just weren’t fighter material. They weren’t as fast or agile as the moonkissed and the nightbloods. Heck, if not for their ability to use the weave, they were basically human. My gaze snagged on Kash, one of the more promising weaver cadets. He moved fast, dodging Lloyd’s jabs and swipes, but his attack was clumsy, his movements almost jerky. A few weeks of training and we could maybe get him up to speed, but Kash was an exception.

  The rest of the weavers were way too slow.

  The moonkissed moved easily, aggressive in their attack and diligent in defense. Even though they didn’t have the shadow gene, they were able to counter the shadow cadets’ attack because they had the agility and the instincts of predators.

  An idea formed in my mind. We had a variety of skills here. In the past, the shadow knights had all been given equal tasks, but we no longer had that luxury. If we were going to survive, then we needed to adapt. We needed to use the skills we had to our advantage.

  I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled. “Hey! Everyone, stand down.”

  Swords and axes were lowered as everyone turned to face me.

  Aidan and Devon had stripped down to just joggers; they looked at me now, chests heaving, hard pectorals and abs gleaming with perspiration. Carlo’s words came to mind, about distraction and Devon’s abs. My heart squeezed painfully with the memory.

  Focus, Justice.

  I tore my gaze away from the twins and scanned the gathered. “All weavers will be paired up with moonkissed for day shifts and nightbloods for night shifts for now.”

  There was a low buzz of conversation as everyone absorbed this.

  I gave them a minute, crossing my arms and watching them. “Facts are, weavers aren’t as strong as the other supes, even feybloods, but you have weaver magic at your fingertips, and we can use that to our advantage. You’ll be trained in defensive and offensive magic.”

  A female trainee raised a hand to her face with a wince, whether at my words or at the effort of lifting her aching limbs, I wasn’t sure.

  I nodded in her direction. “Yes?”

  “Madam Latrou says only the weavers chosen for headquarters need to know how to attack and defend,” she said.

  “Things are different now. I’ll speak to her, and you’ll begin lessons tomorrow. For now, all weavers head down to AM post training and send the moonkissed and feybloods up here for combat training.”

  Lloyd walked over to me. “You think Latrou will do it?”

  “I’m not giving her a choice. We’ve had weavers all along. I mean, why not put weavers into the mist to fight off the fomorians too. We’ve had this resource at our disposal forever.”

  “I don’t know,” Lloyd said. “I guess they never needed to. We’ve always had shadow knights to do the dirty work—a breed perfect for this task.”

  “Faster, stronger, and able to fight on the other side.”

  He nodded. “There was never a need for weavers or any other breed.”

  “Indigo!” Kash approached at a light jog. He smiled at Lloyd. “Hey. I’d like to stay and fight,” he said. “I can do it.”

  I looked to Lloyd. “You were training him, what do you think?”

  Lloyd raked Kash over. “I think he has promise.”

  “Fine.” I nodded curtly at Kash. “You can stay.”

  A slight frown marred his forehead. “Thanks.”

  Lloyd crossed his arms. “Anything else, cadet?”

  Kash looked to me again.

  He was waiting for me to claim him. To bring him into the fold, but I couldn’t do this. Not now. Not when there was so much other stuff to be worrying about. Not when Brady was in danger.

  I sighed. “I’ll find you later.”

  He took a step back, then stopped and shook his head. “No.”

  Lloyd balked. “No?”

  Kash ignored Lloyd. “You never got the chance to tell Brady about us, did you?”

  “I told him. He knew, and he didn’t care. He was happy to share. He took me as his mate anyway, and I … I failed him. I let them take him.” My chest tightened, and it was suddenly difficult to breathe. “I can’t do this, us, right now. I have to focus on getting him back.”

  “And you think having me around will get in the way of that?” Kash asked.

  “Kash, I can’t give you what you want right now, okay?”

  “And what the fuck is it you think I want?” Anger stained his tone. “You think I want sex? You think I want your time? What?”

  I met his gaze, confused. “I don’t know.”

  He exhaled sharply. “Dammit, Justice, I just want to be here for you. I want to help, support, whatever it takes to fix this shit and get Brady back. Whatever it takes to put the light back into your eyes.”

  His words chipped at my resolve.

  “He has a point,” Lloyd said.

  Shit, I’d forgotten he was there.

  He raised his hands in a just-saying gesture. “Fine, I’ll leave you to it.” He turned and walked away.

  Kash stepped closer and cupped my shoulders. “Don’t push me away. I can help. I can be here. I don’t need anything from you, Indigo, I just want to be here for you.”

  I closed my eyes and stepped into his embrace. He hugged me to him and rested his chin on the top of my head.

  “I promise you, we’ll get Brady back,” he said softly. “Whatever it takes.”

  He couldn’t come with me. The world on the other side of the mist would kill him. But still, when he said it the way he did, I believed him.

  * * *

  It was late by the time I made it to the Academy to speak to Latrou about the weaver training. She didn’t put up a fight. The woman was amazing. She knew what needed to be done and roped in Helseth and another weaver from headquarters to help. The training for the weavers would begin in the morning.

  I’d hoped to bump into Hyde while there, but he wasn’t around, and neither was Orion. So, I headed back to the mist and the fortress grounds.

  The moon had reached its apex, and Hyde still hadn’t returned from the Academy. Even though his absence was a yearning in my blood, it was for the best. Being around him and not being able to touch him, to be close to him, would be too much right now. Orion’s presence here meant that we needed to be careful how we interacted.

  Athos and the hounds had made themselves comfortable on the other side of the forge. Devon and Aidan had lit the fire
s, and heat radiated from the building, spilling across the grounds and staving off the chill.

  Training was still going on, and tents had been set up for those not on shift to get some rest. Kash had retreated to the barracks to work on his AM post skills but would be back later. He’d made sure to set up a tent for us before leaving. There was something sexy about a guy who could erect a tent in five minutes flat.

  Below me, down in the mist, barracks six had been commandeered as the control center. Lloyd was in charge of communication between the Academy and us. A couple of radios kept him in touch with the fortress grounds.

  It was a simple setup and was working so far.

  Harmon sat on the ground to my left, staring into the flames of our campfire. He’d been quiet, reserved the past few hours.

  Worry pricked at my brain. “How are you doing?”

  He looked at his palm and turned it over. “Still a monster.”

  I slipped my hand into his. “Not to me, you’re not.”

  He smiled wryly. “No. Not to you, but I see the way others look at me when they think I not watch. I don’t belong here. Not anymore.”

  Panic gripped me. “If not here, then where, huh?” Did he want to leave? “Harmon?”

  He tucked in his chin. “Look at me, Justice. Who the fuck accept me like this?”

  He was talking about Thomas, he had to be. “Thomas loves you. He won’t care.”

  Harmon made a gruff, grating sound that I realized was an ironic laugh. “You not know him like I. Thomas love beauty. He love things look good. He not love me like this. No one will.”

  How could he say that, think that when I … Oh … My breath snagged in my throat at a dawning revelation. One that had been at the back of my consciousness for some time now. One I’d denied and ignored. Harmon was in my heart. He’d been there forever it seemed, but he’d belonged to someone else. But no longer. He wasn’t with Thomas any longer …

  Emotions that had been neatly tucked away rose to the surface like oil on water. My instinct to push them back under surged, but I fought it, shifting to crouch in front of Harmon and frame his face with my palms.

  “Harmon, look at me. Please.”

  He met my gaze, his eyes mossy and dark with sorrow.

  He needed to know the truth. He needed to know he was wanted. “I see you, and I don’t care. I … I love you.” My voice cracked. “You’re my Harmon, and you belong with me.” Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. “Will you stay with me? Please.”

  His eyes flared emerald, and his pupils dilated. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  I leaned in and brushed his nose with mine. “I really mean it.”

  His huge hands came up to span my back and hips. Our breath mingled, and then I brushed my lips across his, feather-light in a kiss that flooded me with warmth and love.

  “Thank you.” His voice was a thick whisper.

  Something was wrong. I pulled back to see the darkness of doubt that shadowed his face. He didn’t believe me. He thought this was pity. That my words were out of pity.

  I pressed my thumbs to his chin and forced his head up. “I fucking mean it, you idiot. I should have told you how I felt, but you had Thomas, and you guys were solid. There was no point, so I ignored it.”

  He scanned my face. “You felt it back then too?” The timbre of his voice had dropped an octave.

  I nodded. “I don’t know when we slipped from friendship to more, but it happened. I just … you were in a relationship. But now … Now, you’re not.” I licked my lips. “I want to explore what we have.”

  “Like this?” He looked down at himself. “You want me like this?”

  I caressed his cheek. “You’re beautiful. You can’t see it, but I do.” I ran my fingers down his cheek, over his jaw, and trailed them down his neck. His skin was slightly rough, but it was warm and hard. I pushed up, so I was kneeling between his thighs, so our torsos touched. “I think you’re fucking sexy as hell.”

  Our lips were a hairsbreadth apart, and then he kissed me. His lips were warm and soft. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body to his, deepening the kiss. Tasting him for the first time. It was familiar and comfortable, like taking that final step over the threshold of a place called home.

  We broke apart, breathless and smiling.

  His eyes darkened with desire. “I’ve wanted do that for long time,” he said. “Every time wanker Hyde knock you back. Every time Brady stare at you when you didn’t realize it. I wanted tell you how I felt, but we friends and there Thomas … I loved him. He never liked to share.”

  “Do you?” I studied him. “Could you share me with Brady and Kash?”

  His smile was wry. “I know you love me. I know you love them too. That’s enough for me.”

  I kissed his nose and pulled back. “Good. Now, we need to see about getting you some armor that fits. I can’t have everyone ogling your bits when we go into the mists.”

  He looked down at his crotch. “I guess the change has its upside.”

  “There is hope, you know? Henrich told me the weavers were looking for a way to reverse this. Once we have things under control, once the threat in the mortal world is contained, we can look into it.”

  His eyes widened. “I could be me again?”

  “It’s a possibility, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up, okay?”

  He sighed. “I’m not an idiot.”

  I stood and held out my hand to him. “Let’s grab some armor and see if we can modify it at the forge, eh?”

  He took my hand but stood on his own steam.

  “I guess it’s the only banging I’ll be doing for a while.”

  I stared at him in horror. Did he mean what I thought he meant?

  “What?” His brows shot up. “I’d fucking tear you in two like this.”

  We stared at each other for a long beat, and then his mouth twitched. Laughter bubbled up my throat, and then we were both laughing.

  Eight

  The tent was cozy, and the blankets that Kash had laid down cushioned my body. When had I slept last? Oh, yes, in Brady’s arms, the night before the trial. I curled onto my side and closed my eyes, ignoring the rumble in my stomach and the ache in my gums.

  I needed to feed, but the thought of feeding on anyone but Brady or Hyde made me feel sick. Funny how it wouldn’t have bothered me a few months back. How the thought of using bagged blood would have made me laugh, but now… Now, I’d prefer the bagged stuff to the vein if Brady or Hyde weren’t available. Problem was, the bagged blood had gone up in the explosion.

  It was the vein or nothing.

  I’d have to feed soon. There was no way around it.

  The soft sound of the zipper of the tent going up alerted me to Kash’s arrival. He climbed inside and zipped up the entrance. He’d changed out of his armor and, from the scent of him, washed too. He must have showered at the barracks before donning armor to come back up here.

  We had a box of joggers and shirts in the forge for trainees to change into if needed. The ones he’d picked were too loose on his hips. He crawled onto the blankets and lay beside me.

  “Fuck, I have no idea how you got through cadet training,” he said.

  I rolled to face him and studied his aquiline profile. “I guess I’m just stronger than you.”

  His blood pulsed faster through his veins at my proximity, and the nightblood inside me sat up and took notice.

  His expression sobered. “Indigo? Your eyes … Your pupils are huge.”

  I lowered my lashes. “It’s nothing. Just a side effect of hunger.”

  His mouth parted in comprehension. “You need blood?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  He touched my cheek lightly. “Can you drink from me?”

  My gums throbbed. “Don’t tempt me.”

  He shifted closer, and his breath was warm on my forehead. “I want you to.”

  The hunger tightened my throat with sweet need. “Kash … are you
sure?”

  He bared his throat in response. “Take what you need.”

  He didn’t need to ask me twice. I pressed my lips to his jugular and licked at his skin, fresh, clean, and mine. My fangs slipped out of my gums and into his artery. Hot blood filled my mouth in pulsing waves. I drank greedily, reveling in the electric taste of him. Fuck, that was good.

  His moan made me wet, made me want to mount and fuck him. Waves of desire crashed over me, and the hunger for his blood ebbed and morphed into something else. I was done feeding, but I needed something more. My fangs retracted as I sealed the wound with my tongue.

  “Kash …” My voice was a wanton rasp.

  His gaze dropped to my lips, then his hand wove through my hair, and his mouth slanted across mine. He kissed me like he was savoring me, tasting my lips, one then the other, before sucking on my tongue. He pushed me back onto the sleeping bag and covered me with his body. His thigh slid between my legs to press at the hot, throbbing place that reminded me there was pleasure in the world. So much pleasure.

  For a moment, I forgot the pain in my heart and arched into him, kissing him back with fervor. For a moment, I allowed my hands to slip beneath his clothes, to slide and press and pinch his flesh in desperate motions that begged him to take me.

  He moaned into my mouth. “Fuck, I want you.”

  I wanted him too; more than that, I needed him. Needed to dive into pleasure just for a little while. Needed release. I pushed him back long enough to yank off my shirt and slide off my shorts.

  His dark eyes were hungry brands roving over my nakedness.

  “Take off your clothes.” My voice was a rasp. “Now.”

  He tugged his shirt over his head and pulled down his joggers, sucking in a breath when the head of his arousal caught on his waistband.

  He was taking too long. I needed him now. “Let me.”

  I pulled the joggers down, caressing his hardness as I did it.

  “Fuck.” He drew his bottom lip into his mouth.

  His hair had fallen onto his forehead, all tousled and sexy. I ran my hands down his chest, over his pecs and abs, and then gripped his cock.