by Sadie Moss
“Okay. I’m ready.”
“Then step into the shadow. I’ll go with you.”
We moved forward together, and the shadow welcomed us, drawing us into its depths.
Willow shivered. “Oh, I felt that! Did I do it?”
“You did, little wildcat.” I squeezed her shoulders.
I’d helped her along that time, but now that she knew how it worked, I was confident she’d be able to reproduce the effect on her own. I let go of her and stepped back, checking to make sure she stayed hidden in the shadow.
After a moment, she reappeared, breathless with excitement. Her enthusiasm dimmed only slightly when I made her repeat the move over and over until she could slip in and out of the shadow at will.
“Excellent,” I said, as she stepped from the shadow once again. “Now let’s make it a little more difficult.”
“How?”
“I’m going to close my eyes and count to three. While I’m counting, you must find a shadow to hide in. If you can escape the shadow and find a new hiding spot before I catch you, you win. If not, I win.”
“Like hide and seek?” She tucked a wisp of dark hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear.
“Yes. Exactly like hide and seek. Except if you lose this game in a real fight, a rogue supernatural will kill you and sell your skin to a dark magician,” I said dryly.
Willow rolled her eyes, but a flicker of worry passed over her face.
I closed my eyes and counted slowly, listening for her footsteps. I’d promised her I wasn’t going to go easy on her, and I had no intention of doing so. The shades certainly wouldn’t.
When I reached the end of my count, I glanced over to where her footsteps had stopped. A grin stretched my lips.
Clever minx.
A long bow staff leaned against the wall next to the weapons rack, casting a thin shadow across the wall and floor. With vampire speed, I darted over and pushed her out of the shadow.
Willow reappeared, stumbling backward and landing on her ass.
“Hey!” She looked up at me with wide eyes. “How the hell did you do that?”
“Don’t assume you’re safe anywhere, wildcat. Not even in the shadows. Next time, move before I find you.”
She stood slowly, rubbing her perfectly formed ass. The black pants she wore hugged every curve of her long legs, and I found myself inexplicably jealous of an article of clothing.
I wrenched my gaze away, dropping my eyelids closed. “Again.”
We continued like that for several hours. She did well. She was a determined student and a keen observer.
Good. She has so much to learn, and the faster we work, the better.
The more time I spent with this fierce, delicate woman, the harder it became to remember why I needed to keep a barrier up between us.
If I could get these training sessions over with as quickly as possible, I might come out of this with my dignity intact and the shades’ corpses at my feet.
18
Willow
In.
Out.
Run.
Again. Faster.
In.
Out.
Run.
I slipped from shadow to shadow like a ghost, racing from one to the next so quickly wind whipped the hair back from my face.
My nightly training sessions with Mal were exhilarating and brutal. Every time I thought I’d mastered something, the evil man would throw a new curveball at me, leaving me floundering again.
The first time I’d stepped into a shadow, the first time I’d used my new strength and speed, I’d gotten the most incredible rush. What vampires could do was incredible. It was like being an honest to God superhero.
But Mal was so much better at it all than me. Up against him, I felt like a bumbling idiot who had no idea what she was doing.
Well, the second part is true. I have no fucking idea what I’m doing.
But I was no idiot. And I was determined to hold my own in our next training session, if only to salvage my bruised ego.
In.
Out.
Run.
I sped through the house, challenging myself to slip into smaller and smaller shadows.
Over the past few days, the brothers and I had settled into a strange routine. I spent a lot of my time training with Mal. We were occasionally joined by Jerrett or Sol when they weren’t locked in an upstairs library, comparing the markings on the shade’s ancient flesh to runes they found in equally ancient tomes.
But every night, we gathered for a meal in a large dining room on the first floor. The food was amazing, although I didn’t know where it came from. I never saw any of the men cooking, and I never heard the doorbell ring for delivery.
Regardless of how the food arrived, those dinners had become one of my favorite parts of the day. Something about sitting down around the table transformed the men from stoic hunters to normal, insanely hot guys. They traded banter, fought over the last serving of whatever their favorite dish was, and occasionally regaled me with stories of the strange creatures they’d fought on previous hunts.
Sometimes it was still hard to believe I was the houseguest of three powerful vampires, but in those moments, it didn’t really feel like that at all. It felt like being part of a family.
This evening, the brothers had left together to resume their hunt for the shades. I’d offered to go with them, but all three had soundly rejected that idea. So instead, I’d bitten the bullet, sat on the bed in my room upstairs, and made two of the most difficult calls I’d ever had to make.
My phone call with Carly was heartbreaking—the woman had become like a surrogate mother to me, and I was sure she didn’t buy my excuse of needing some time off to “work on myself.” I had no idea what she guessed was really going on, but worry thickened her voice as she made me promise to call her if I needed anything.
The call with Tony was shorter and less tear-filled, but it’d still hurt. He and I had never been particularly close, and serving drinks at Osiris had been my survival job, not my passion. But quitting felt like putting the final nail in the coffin of my old life, and I’d mourned that loss as I dropped the phone back onto the bed.
I’d hung out in my room for a while, feeling antsy and unsettled, but eventually I couldn’t take the waiting any longer. They hadn’t given me any explicit instructions to stay out of certain areas of the house, so I’d wandered the halls for a bit, poking my nose into open rooms here and there.
The place was big. Three stories, not including the lower level. Tastefully decorated, with modern, dark wood furniture and high ceilings—the whole place screamed of wealth, but not in an overstated way.
Even though I couldn’t hunt with the brothers yet, that didn’t mean I couldn’t keep training. My current activity had started with a simple attempt to slip into the shadow of an ornate metal sculpture on the first floor. Things had escalated from there, and now I raced from shadow to shadow, whipping around corners and dashing down hallways. I figured there was no harm in it. The brothers would never even know as long as I didn’t—
The edge of my shoulder clipped a vase as I darted into what looked like a large study.
It wobbled on the tall tabletop for an agonizing second, then tipped sideways.
My heart lodged in my throat.
Time seemed to slow as I spun on my heel, diving back to catch the vase before it shattered on the floor. I clutched it to my chest like the world’s most valuable football, tongue hanging out as I panted in relief.
“This is why you don’t run in the house, dummy,” I muttered. “Everything in here costs more than your entire apartment.”
I set the vase back on the table with shaking hands then crept downstairs. These guys didn’t seem to be overly materialistic, but I didn’t want to risk getting kicked out of their house for destroying their property. As resistant as I’d been to coming here at first, I was starting to realize just how much I needed them.
An hour later, I
was in the basement training room doing my best impression of Jackie Chan on the heavy bag when the scent of leather reached my nose. A moment later, a shadow fell across the doorway.
Mal.
I didn’t even need to look to know it was him.
“How’d your hunt go?” I asked, grabbing the swinging bag with both hands to still it.
“Not well.” He stalked into the room, his dark mood rolling in with him like a storm cloud. “We’ve lost all trace of the creatures. They’ve either left the city or they’re hiding somewhere out of our reach.”
I smoothed back the wisps of hair that had escaped my ponytail, frowning. “I don’t understand. Isn’t that a good thing?”
He cocked his head at me. “Imagine I’m your enemy. Now, would you rather know where I am or not?”
As he spoke the last words, he moved quickly, slipping into a shadow so fast I lost sight of him. My heart rate picked up, and I glanced uneasily around the room. “Um… I’d rather know.”
“Exactly.”
Mal’s voice came from behind me. I whipped around, my eyes darting back and forth.
“So… you’re done hunting for the night?” I asked. If I could keep him talking, maybe I could follow the sound of his voice.
“I didn’t say that, wildcat.”
The teasing, predatory purr came from behind me again, and I spun. Damn it, how was he moving so fast? I hadn’t caught any sign of him.
“Oh yeah? What are you hunting?”
I swiveled my head, my gaze tracking across the room.
Come on. Just a glimpse. A hint of movement.
A second later, I got more than a glimpse. Mal’s large form came barreling toward me, slow enough that I could see him this time, but still too fast for me to react in time.
Before I knew what was happening, he’d lifted me off my feet and flipped me onto my back. It was a testament to his strength and control that despite the speed of the movement, I landed gently. He crouched over me, his face hovering above mine.
“You, little wildcat. I’m hunting you.”
I swallowed as his dark gaze burned into me. He was on edge tonight, frustrated and restless. Thinking of training with him right now sent a thrill of nervousness and anticipation through me. Mal usually seemed so unflappable, but tonight he definitely looked like he could be… flapped.
I just wasn’t sure I was prepared to handle the consequences of that.
“Well, it looks like you caught me.” I laughed awkwardly, sitting up and scooting away when he finally leaned back.
“Yes. I did. Far too easily.” He looked thoughtful as he crouched on the balls of his feet, elbows resting on his thighs. “We’ve been focusing on defensive tactics, but it’s time you learned some offense.”
“You mean like fighting?”
Butterflies exploded in my stomach. I was supposed to fight this man? This tower of ferocious strength and grace?
I wasn’t short, but he had at least ten inches of height on me—and about a hundred pounds of muscle. Even with my boosted strength and speed, I had a very strong suspicion I was about to get my ass handed to me.
“I mean exactly like fighting, wildcat.”
Mal stood, running both hands through his shaggy dark hair. I couldn’t stop my gaze from zeroing in on his biceps—the way they bunched and contracted as he moved, straining against the sleeves of his soft gray long-sleeved tee. His upper arm was the size of my thigh. And I was supposed to fight that?
My pride wouldn’t let me back down, however. And as he’d pointed out to me about a million times by now, as terrifying as he was, there were creatures out there that were far worse.
Better to face my fear in here, with someone who wouldn’t hurt me.
I hope.
As if he could read the thoughts in my head, Mal grinned as he rolled his sleeves up to his forearms. The feral gleam in his eye made the expression only somewhat comforting.
He extended a large hand down and helped me to my feet.
Then he stepped back, spreading his arms wide. “It’s easy, wildcat; I want you to hit me. That’s all you have to do. I won’t hit back. Just hit me as hard as you can.”
I wrinkled my nose. “As hard as I can? Are you sure?”
He dipped his head in a nod, his lips quirking. My stomach rolled, but I raised my hands in front of me, curling them into loose fists.
“Oh geez, this feels like a fucking trap,” I muttered under my breath.
Mal chuckled darkly. “No trap. As hard as you can.”
I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet, taking a few calming breaths through my nose. Then I leapt toward him, using all my vampire speed as I snapped my hand out.
He hadn’t lied. He didn’t hit back.
But I didn’t hit him either.
One second, he was in front of me. The next instant, there was nothing but empty space. He’d moved so fast I’d completely lost sight of him.
I stumbled forward but caught my balance quickly, pivoting on the ball of my foot and launching myself at him again. This time my fist caught the edge of his shoulder as he slipped away.
It was like punching granite, but I resisted the urge to shake out my hand as I swung around to face him. “Ha!”
Mal grinned. “Well done.”
“So do I win?”
“No, you just advance to the next round.”
Unconsciously, I raised my hands higher. “What round is that?”
“Now I get to try to stop you.”
Ah, damn it.
Deciding the element of surprise was probably the only chance I had, I didn’t waste time pouting. I launched another attack, my fists flying in a quick volley. He blocked each one easily before spinning me around and pinning my wrist behind my back.
“Try again, wildcat.” His breath stirred my hair, and my heartbeat thudded hard in my chest.
We traded blows for several more minutes—and by “traded,” I mean, I tried to hit him, and he batted my hands away like they were annoying flies. I did get in a few lucky hits, but nothing that did any real damage. I was beginning to think nothing could damage this demi-god of a man.
As we broke apart and circled each other, I noticed his normally steady gaze waver, slipping down. I hesitated, glancing downward myself. My loose-necked t-shirt had slipped off one shoulder as we sparred, revealing the line of my collarbone, the swell of my right breast, and the top of my simple lace bra.
Is he… checking me out?
My skin tingled with awareness, and to test my theory, I shook out my shoulders, readjusting my stance as I let out a breath. The movement worked my t-shirt farther down my arm, showing just a little more of the skin beneath.
Mal’s nostrils flared, his rich brown eyes darkening.
Even as his gaze made my skin catch fire, I took his distraction for the gift it was. I launched myself at him, hitting him hard in the side. He let out a grunt, stumbling backward in surprise, and we both went down.
I landed on top of him and sat up, triumph glinting in my eyes. “Do I win now?”
In a flash, Mal rolled us over, wresting back the upper hand. The weight of his large body pressed down on me as his gaze met mine. The humor in his eyes was gone, replaced by the dark wildness I’d seen earlier.
“No, little wildcat.” His voice was soft. “You do not win. You cheated.”
I struggled to push him off, annoyance rising in me. He couldn’t even let me have one win? Seriously?
“How is it cheating to use every advantage I can get? You were eyeballing my breasts, and while you were distracted, I hit you. Sounds fucking fair to me!”
“Do you think that move would actually work in a real fight?”
“Maybe!” I pummeled his hard chest with my hands, baring my teeth in frustration.
He grabbed my wrists, pinning them to the floor by my head. His face lowered, so close I could see the small flecks of dark red in his brown irises.
“Do you think creatures made of s
hadow and desiccated flesh will lust after your body? That they’ll be entranced by the sight of your soft skin? No, little wildcat. They won’t be distracted so easily.”
I twisted under his grip, my breath coming in short gasps as I snarled, “Oh yeah? Then how come it worked on you?”
As if drawn by a magnetic force, his focus drifted downward again. Our struggle on the floor hadn’t helped my shirt situation at all. Even more of my bra was showing, and the fabric of the tee had inched up on the bottom as well, revealing a flat strip of my stomach.
Mal sucked in a breath, his muscles going rigid. For a moment that seemed to hang suspended in time, he just stared at that small expanse of naked skin. Then he wrenched his gaze away, looking back up at my face.
A dozen emotions flickered through his eyes, too fast and too intense for me to register most of them.
Lust. Anger. Self-recrimination. Fear.
He shifted slightly, adjusting his grip on my wrists, and my breath caught for a whole new reason.
Mal’s body was settled in the cradle of my legs, his muscled weight keeping me pinned to the floor.
And he was rock hard.
19
Malcolm
Thoughts ran through my head so fast I could barely comprehend them.
My body raged, held in check only by the thinnest thread of self-control. The hunt with my brothers tonight had been frustrating and worrisome, and I’d returned to the house with unspent energy coursing through my veins. The second I walked into this room and saw Willow, tantalizingly disheveled as she worked the heavy bag, I should’ve walked right back out again.
Nothing good could come of staying. I’d known that.
Yet I hadn’t been able to resist—had even convinced myself my motives were entirely selfless. The fact that we’d lost track of the shades meant Willow was in more danger than ever. We had no idea where our enemy lurked, and she needed to know how to defend herself.
I’d stifled the voice in my head that told me I was only doing this because I wanted to touch her smooth skin, to see the wild gleam in her hazel irises as she fought.