by Fiona Archer
Raising on tiptoe, she tilted her head and brushed her lips against his. Mouth against mouth, they let their lives seam together.
A hunger rose between them. Desire flamed from low in her belly and spread throughout. From this kiss, she imagined being with him, celebrating their union of bodies.
Something shifted, and the more they kissed, the more lightheaded she grew. His kisses felt like they possessed the power to suck her energy, along with her good sense. They broke the connection. She swayed.
“Whoa, hold on there.” Marco steadied her. “Maybe we should slow down.”
“Give me a moment.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded drunk, floating in and out of volume. “It’ll be all right.”
She focused on a point of light and watched as it grew smaller and smaller until everything went black.
And she felt herself falling.
Chapter Three
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” Marco took Antoinette within his arms.
Sucked the life right out of her. That was his greatest fear. Yes, being a shadow shifter came with its powers. He didn’t consider himself an incubus, draining victims of their energy, or an energy vampire. Every now and then, maybe he’d sample a little bit of light source from an individual in order to fully function during the daytime hours. Maybe he’d pushed it too far being out in the afternoon. Never had he experienced anything like that kiss with Toni. It was as if the negative component of his body reacted with her positive, and he’d drained her.
He brought her back to her trailer and laid her on the bed. “Caro mio.” He kissed her forehead. “Please tell me you’re all right.”
Her eyes fluttered, long lashes brushing against her cheeks, and finally she opened them.
“What happened?” She took in their surroundings. “How did we get here?”
“Shh. It’s all right. You fainted. Perhaps too much excitement for tonight.”
“You carried me?”
Guilt tugged at his conscience. She’d never believe him anyway.
“You were so light.”
Chapter Four
She knew the old wives’ tale that seeing one’s death was a bad omen. A cloud of darkness swirled, forming a distinct shape. Toni stilled, afraid moving would draw unwanted attention. The shadows merged, forming a whirlpool in the air.
The stillness reached her heart, and something insisted she run. She remembered the moving of the images on the wall with the flickering candles when Marco had come for his reading. What was it about shadows and that man?
A coldness swept over her right shoulder, and she resisted the urge to look. To acknowledge the presence would be to acknowledge its existence, which gave it power.
The nightmare chased her into waking. Toni clutched at her nightshirt, pulling the damp material away from her body. Maybe after this stop with the Carnevale, she’d take the next show off.
Or quit.
It was the ever-present feeling of foreboding. Something watched her, waiting, and the time drew short.
The shadows shifted, moving closer.
“Antoinette.” Her name was whispered in her ear. She glanced around the empty room. “Don’t fear.”
The lightest touch glided across her cheek and Toni reached for the lamp, increasing the brilliance and chasing the darkness into the corners.
“Go away! Leave me alone!”
With a whoosh, all the shadows within the room sucked out, leaving a sense of emptiness. From underneath her bed, she grabbed an oversized bag. She needed to go.
Perhaps she should see Esperanza, the bruja, the witch in the Carnevale, for a spell of protection. From what she knew, though, once she’d seen a fate, it was hard to undo. Although Toni sensed Esperanza’s power, the woman was limited by a curse of her own.
She shoved clothing into her suitcase, some books and her familial deck of cards. As her fingers hit the box, it burned warm. Her fingers itched to crack it open for a reading.
A knock sounded on her trailer. Marco. No way. She wasn’t expecting him. Toni held her breath. Maybe if she didn’t answer, whoever was on the other side would go away. After a full minute of silence—
Wham, wham, wham. “Come on, Toni, I know you’re in there!”
It sounded like Marco. Her brain went on full flight alert.
“Antoinette! You must open this door before it’s too late,” he warned. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Too late for what?” Again a war between her head and her heart. Maybe he didn’t mean to harm her, but something would happen between them.
“It’s not safe.”
He jiggled the door’s handle. Please hold.
“Sounds like he’s desperate to get in here.” A male voice cut through the darkness of her bedroom.
“What? Who’s there?”
“I was sure you would never forget me.”
Zoro stepped away from the wall. She screamed, and the banging on the door increased.
“Open up! What’s going on in there?”
The noise outside faded in comparison to the real danger in the room.
“What are you doing here? You can’t be here!”
He moved toward her, and she caught the insane smile and a glint of silver in his hand.
“You couldn’t hide from me forever.”
He held a knife. Her body froze, and she calculated how fast she could reach the door and how quickly he’d grab her. The odds were against her. She stepped backward, and Zoro stalked forward.
“I forgot how beautiful you were. Maybe we can play a little bit before I kill you. Or I can play with you after.”
After all this time wondering what might happen if he found her, nothing compared to this horror.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
“If you don’t open this door, I’m going to open it.” Marco pounded.
Zoro grabbed Toni’s arm, twisting it around her back. He held the blade to her throat, cutting into her skin. “I’ll kill him first and make you watch. Tell him to go away.”
The moment he touched her, she saw herself once again lying in a pool of her blood, eyes vacant and staring up at the dark sky.
He squeezed her arm. “Do it.”
She opened her mouth in order to pacify both men and somehow save herself. The moment she’d met Marco and saw this scene happening, she should have left. Hindsight, a bit too late. When it came to her own future, she was blind. Too close.
“It’s okay, Marco.” Her voice sounded weak. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Do better than that,” Zoro said. “Is he the reason you left me? Had a little something on the side?”
“What? No. I ju-just met him.”
“If not him, it was probably someone else.”
Zoro’s sour breath flooded her face and made her gag. He smelled like death.
“Please, Marco. Let me be.”
The shaking of the door stopped and she let out a sigh. Maybe he would believe her, and he’d be safe.
She had no future. None she saw.
A crashing noise shattered the reprieve. Marco broke out the window next to the frame and snaked his arm through, unlocking it.
Zoro shoved her into the couch. “I warned you. Stay there.”
She hit the frame, hard, and wetness seeped down her neck. She brought her fingers to her throat and knew it was her blood.
With a roar, Zoro charged Marco. The moment before he touched her would-be savior, he froze. The lights in the trailer flickered, and a whisper echoed through Toni’s ears. Shadows crawled over the walls, emerging from behind Marco.
Toni attempted to clear her vision, blinking. Perhaps the cut on her neck was worse than she thought. She braced her hand against the armrest and pushed up to stand. She couldn’t let Marco get hurt. She’d misunderstood the vision, but that shouldn’t affect his future.
The room spun, topsy-turvy, and she stumbled, attempting to walk and failing and flailing.
She tumbled into the darkness.
Marco saw Antoinette stumble, but he was useless to do anything. He had to stop the deranged guy before him. He’d seen him following Antoinette at the Carnevale, but until he made a move, he didn’t know the end-game.
The man gripped a knife. Using the power of the shadows, Marco built a barrier between them, effectively keeping the man in place. Too bad he couldn’t keep him there forever. Fury built inside Marco. No matter what, he couldn’t allow Zoro to go on and hurt or kill others. Hopefully, he wasn’t too late to save Toni—he glanced again at her prone body—but he’d stop him from killing again.
The darkness swirled, forming tendrils of smoke circling Zoro. The man moved his eyes side to side and up and down, tracking the shadows. The air around him compressed and he opened his mouth in a silent scream. It was the moment the darkness waited for, and the tendrils shot forth into his mouth, into his body. He convulsed, and blood poured from his nose. His eyes rolled back into his head, and a shudder vibrated through his figure, as if it was slightly expanding until he disintegrated.
Energy drained, Marco slumped against the wall. He’d never killed someone with his power before. The shadows that inhabited Zoro’s body poured out and returned to Marco.
He moved to Toni’s side and checked her pulse. It was faint. Oh so weak. “Please be all right, my love. Please be all right.”
Lightly, he stroked her hair. He removed his shirt and held it against her throat. As always when he was near her, the brightness within her countered something inside him. He didn’t understand it. He only knew that he’d been drawn to it when he’d visited the Carnevale in his hometown all those months ago.
It wasn’t like his darkness dampened her light, but instead it brightened his life. She balanced him.
His curse, gift, whatever the hell it was, brought death. Maybe hers brought life? If he channeled that energy, it might heal her.
He had to try.
The light of her smile. The brightness of her being. Marco focused on the luminosity contained within Antoinette and her spirit. As he touched her, he drew upon her energy, feeling the warmth of the rising sun. He tilted his face toward the door, letting himself bathe in the approaching morning. The edges of his being wavered but combined with her life source, held strong.
While he lived on the very edges of humanity, she lived center. She gave, and he took. Somehow, between the two of them, they found balance.
He took in so much, to the point he felt like he must burst, and held it until the time was right. Then he channeled the energy back into Toni, infusing her with the love he contained and all the strength of the universe. Her body glowed.
She stirred beneath his touch. Momentarily, he sensed happiness and love, and then his world went dark.
He woke in her arms. She caressed his cheek, watching how the outline of her fingers feathered along the contour.
“How did you become cursed?”
He retreated away from her touch, and the corners of his eyes turned down.
“I am not a curse. I’m simply so.” His voice took on a gentle tone. “Is the golden hour when the sun kisses the ocean’s waves and casts a magnificent show of color a curse? How about the beauty of a bright winter day when crisp new foliage reflects a shadow upon snow?”
The descriptions grew, building one upon the other, weaving a delicate balance of nature.
“There is morning and evening, and sunrise and sunset, and the shadows play a vital role. So I am not cursed. Maybe I only want more than I should have.”
His words and his heart rang true. The warmth of love shined within her, and a glow emanated from her skin. She glanced at her arms, holding them out.
“What is happening to me?” Antoinette asked.
“Being all you can be.”
Where the light touched Marco, he disappeared. She didn’t want to lose him, not when she’d just found him and what they shared.
“Chiaroscuro,” she murmured.
“What?”
“The interplay between light and shade in a painting,” she explained. “Chiaroscuro. That’s us. Or what happens between us when we’re combined. I love you.”
“And I love you.”
She held his hand, and together they walked into the sun.
Copyright 2020 Louisa Bacio
About Louisa Bacio
Since selling her first short story in 2010, Louisa Bacio (“Shadow Lover”) has published more than 40 novels, novellas and short stories, including the paranormal The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf series and Winter Solstice Ménage.
A Southern California native, Bacio can’t imagine living far away from the ocean. She shares her household with a supportive husband, two teenagers growing too fast, and a multitude pet craziness. In her other life, Bacio teaches college classes in English, journalism and popular culture.
The Nightshade Guild Series
Sea Mage
Never stand down
Serena Moon treats life like a beach goer taking in the ocean’s tide. It’s all serene until you turn your back for a second, and an errant waves knocks you on your ass.
Know when you’re in over your head
When she’s entrusted with the safekeeping of the child elven queen, she enlists the help of mysterious — complete understatement— Peder, leader of the shifter sea dragons. Serena’s not sure what’s happening off the coast of SoCal but he’s got his own tricks.
It’s gotta be safe
It’ll take more than magic and mastery of the sea to take on the evil darkness determined to capture the world’s salvation. Serena and Peder must conquer unknown enemies and the complexity of love everlasting to save their hearts.
The multi-author series starts January 2021 with Mated to a Mage by Cassidy K. O’Connor. For more info, visit the Nightshade Guild fan page.
Sea Mage hits October 2021, on pre-order now https://amzn.to/35uk9qP
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Real
by
Magan Vernon
Chapter One
~Wolf~
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Political Science 101 Final paper questions
Hi, Professor Woods,
I’m Wren Rider, in your Political Science 101 virtual class and I have a few questions on our final paper.
It says that we had to have our topics given to you by this Saturday, so I’m hoping I’m not too late.
I’ve chosen the political aspects of Orwell’s 1984 since it would combine my knowledge as an English major with what we’ve learned through your course this year.
I was also wondering if there was a grad assistant or an online study group I could converse with since there doesn’t seem to be much chatter in the classroom.
Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you.
-Wren
Professor Wood’s drunken snoring from his office chair was loud enough to rouse me from the latest barrage of emails.
Out of all the professors to assist for, I had to get the guy with all online classes who drank and bullshitted politics until he passed out. That’s when I could actually get to his work.
And now another student, probably some naïve freshman touting her English major was trying to ask questions that were all clearly in the online syllabus?
Honestly, I was done.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Political Science 101 Final Paper
Ms. Rider,
Please see the class syllabus, clearly marked in the ‘Welcome’ file of the online classroom. It will give you all of the
information regarding study groups as well as my TA’s information.
Your topic is approved, but in the future, please use those English-major-reading eyes to go over the fine print.
Brad Wolf.
I backspaced.
No reason she should think this was from anyone other than the professor and he wouldn’t notice anyway.
Sincerely,
Professor Woods
* * * *
~Wren~
What the hell?
This didn’t sound like the scratchy-voiced, meager gentleman from the videos he posted for class.
Sighing, I opened up the syllabus that I had already looked at a million times. I knew there was a virtual study group, but it was connected to the class, where the professor could see everything. No one was going to say their real thoughts there.
Like a shining beacon I hadn’t noticed before, the TA’s name flashed at me from the document.
Brad Wolf.
My stomach curdled.
This wasn’t the first time that asshole’s name had crossed my screen.
Though the last time it was when he was breaking the heart of my roommate via the school’s messenger app.
She thought the tall, dark, and handsome stunner was into her when he brought her up to his room at a house party.
But then the Wolf came out when she messaged him the next day and he said he didn’t do relationships.
The last person I wanted to message for help was him, so I’d figure this paper out on my own. Hopefully.