Taint of Shadow

by Cassandra Moore

  It awakened the alpha in him when he kissed down her neck. Her head tilted back, to the side, left her throat bare. That vulnerable place, the naked place that showed submission. She gave it to him as his mouth warmed her skin. His cock came up with a sudden rush of need, no matter that he’d just come into her sweet mouth.

  He kissed that spot. His teeth closed on it, trembled as he felt her body soften against his.

  “Yours,” she whispered, and triumphant energy bristled through him. Needing to taste her, he lapped at the skin, letting the perfume of her flesh fill his head.

  She hooked one leg over his hip. Her slick pussy caressed the length of his cock as she offered herself to him. His. That feverish cunt, every swollen, puffy fold of it, and he’d have it. His lips locked onto hers as he took hold of her leg. Then with one, long stroke, he buried himself in her.

  Her body jolted with his thrust. She moaned into his mouth, her hands clasped around the back of his neck for support. With a final caress of her tongue, he broke off the kiss to look into her eyes. “Say it again.”

  She grunted as he shoved into her again. “Yours!”

  Animal instinct took over. No long, tender moment. He wanted a savage, fast fuck to sate the hunger that one word raised. Mine. He plunged into her. “Mine.” He said it out loud.

  “Come inside me,” she groaned. “Make me yours.”

  Pictures rattled on the wall, but he didn’t care. He drove in, each thrust forcing a loud cry out of her. Her cries grew in strength, higher and higher, until she wailed his name. She threw herself onto him, her entire body rocked by shaking waves. It pushed him over the edge, and he growled, loud and long, as he emptied into her.

  For a long moment, they stood, trying to find their breath. “Did you mean it?” he asked, his voice quiet.

  Her eyes smoldered. “Yes.”

  Overcome, he cradled her head to his chest. I won’t let anything else happen to you.

  Her arms wound around him to pull him tight.

  No one hurts you. Not ever again.

  Someone knocked on the door. He ignored it.

  Whoever it was knocked again. “I know you’re in there,” said the peevish voice of their busybody neighbor. No matter how quiet they kept the noise level, the man tended to show up with a raft of complaints. They’d given up trying to appease him after the first obnoxious week.

  “Rabinski’s still next door, huh?” she asked, laughter in her voice.

  Determined not to rip the poor man’s head off, he let her go. “Watch your eyes, baby.”

  Naked, dick half-hard, he opened the door. “Yes, Mr. Rabinski?”

  The balding man’s jaw dropped. “You’re— Um. You’re making— You’re making a lot of noise.”

  Noah nodded. “I’m very sorry. I was just screwing my wife. She just got back, and I’m very happy to see her.”

  From behind him, Kayla snickered.

  “Ah.” He hadn’t expected that answer. He obviously hadn’t expected a nude man, either, and he did his level best to keep his eyes off Noah’s rather prominent package. “Could you keep it down?”

  “Sure. We’ll take it into the shower. Is that okay?”

  Eyes still averted, the man nodded. “Um. Sure. That’d be...great. Have, um. Have a good time.”

  Gales of laughter broke out as soon as the door closed. “How many times did he ask us to keep it down in the first week that we lived here?”

  “Ten. He came over twice a couple days.”

  “Nice to see that some things don’t change.”

  He moved back to her. Gently, he cupped her face in his hands then leaned down for a kiss. Her lips pressed to his then parted so the tips of their tongues could meet. Long, tender caresses between their mouths made his breath catch.

  It was a damn shame they couldn’t stay in tonight, order Chinese, then spend the night with him to the hilt inside her. Soon enough, he told himself as they sank deeper into that prolonged kiss. Just a couple nights until the rest of our lives.

  “You still have a wonderful laugh,” he whispered when their lips finally parted.

  “You still bring out the best in me.” That one sentence carried so many layers, but mostly, it carried hope for her salvation.

  He lost himself in that purple glow. “I promise to try to. Always.” Their lips brushed. “Come on. I’m told that I stink. Let’s hit the shower.”

  “Yes, because now I stink, too.”

  Steam billowed out from behind the shower curtain before she decided the water had warmed up enough. She had never believed in cold showers, a preference that seemed to have survived dark rituals and perverted magic. “You still have my shampoo,” she said over the patter of water against the tub.

  “Of course, I do. I’ve got all your stuff.” He lit a small votive candle on the sink to give himself a bit of light.

  “Don’t you think that’s a little obsessive?”

  He’d heard it a thousand times from various pack mates, especially Todd. It hadn’t been funny then, but it was hysterical from her.

  He chuckled. “I knew you would come back. Care to deny it?”

  She poked her soapy head around the curtain and stuck out her tongue. “Yes. I’m not coming back. Ever.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Can’t imagine why.”

  It occurred to him, as the light scent of her conditioner wafted up on the steam, that she was naked in there. He, on the other hand, was naked out here. A great injustice occurred right here, in his bathroom. As a good citizen, he couldn’t allow this to continue.

  Her head tilted back, eyes closed, as she rinsed her hair. The way she lifted her arms to work out the last of the cream from her locks pushed her breasts forward, her nipples pointed high. Streams of water hugged to her body, washed over the flat of her stomach to detour into her navel.

  No man could withstand that sight. He leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth. She gasped, hands in her hair, too off-balance to do anything but push forward into him. The nub of flesh felt good on his tongue, even if it tasted a bit like hair product. He could live with the flavor of conditioner for this.

  She moaned. In his mind, he could hear the cries of her climax, and decided that he wanted to hear them again. Careful to support her so she didn’t slip, he turned her around, his cock snug against her ass. “You’re very dirty,” he murmured into her ear.

  “Whose fault is that?” Another gasp rushed out of her as he spread her folds wide.

  “Mine, completely. I take full responsibility.” The pad of his finger flicked over her clit. “And I’m going to fix it for you.”

  Still spreading her pussy, he reached past her with the other hand to take down the hand-held shower head. It had several settings, including a fast pulse of the jets. With his thumb, he turned the dial to pulsate, then held it to spray against her clitoris.

  The effect was immediate. She moaned and leaned back against him while the water did its work. Her hips shifted, rubbed against him, coaxed his cock up again. It nudged against her ass and parted her cheeks to slip into the tight valley.

  Her head leaned against his shoulder, her face tilted up to him. Those curved lips parted, a clear invitation that he accepted. Never could he get enough of her kisses or the way her tongue danced with his.

  She lifted her leg and rested it on the lip of the tub. Now, he could spread her properly, so his cock could slide inside. Warm water splashed onto his balls as he pumped into her, an added bonus to the gratification he gave her. He had to go slow, or else they would lose their footing, and it tormented them both.

  In, out, a protracted series of thrusts as they groaned into each other’s mouths. She struggled to take more of him until she found a rhythm that worked in counterpoint to his. No brushfire now, but a build of pressure, magma waiting until it could explode from deep within.

  Their thrusts became more impassioned, more reckless. Moans and loud cries echoed against the shower walls
. He couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t move fast enough, until the molten heat burst from him and into her. She shuddered violently, calling his name as her climax took over. All he could do was try to keep his balance as tremors shot through him.

  It faded slowly. He withdrew from her and hung the shower head back in its holder. Then she turned to nuzzle against him, and in the warm rain they stood together until the water started to lose heat.

  From the bedroom, he could hear his phone ring. It stopped as he got a clean pair of jeans over his legs, but started again right away. “Someone really wants to talk to you,” Kayla noted as she pulled a shirt over her head.

  He tugged on his own shirt as he walked into the living room to grab it. “It’s Todd,” he said, a nervous flutter in his gut. “I told him I’d call him later.”

  “When did you do that?” The question was sharp.

  “Earlier, when we went to lunch.” Her eyes flared again. He hurried to explain. “I told him you were back. I thought it was safe. I mean, it’s Todd.”

  But he now knew for certain that he’d done the wrong thing.

  “Fuck. I told you, no one can know. Especially not him. Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  “I’m sorry,” he told her. “I just thought—”

  “It’s okay.” She took a deep breath. “My fault as much as yours. I should have been more specific. I assumed— Nevermind. I’m not mad. But I think we’re in trouble.”

  The phone rang again.

  “What do you want me to do with this?”

  For a moment, she pondered. “Answer it. Find out what he wants.”

  He touched the screen. “Hey, what’s up?” he said as casually as possible. Kayla moved close so that she could listen in when he held the phone away from his ear.

  “I’ve been trying to call you forever. Why didn’t you answer?” Todd’s nerves were evident in his voice.

  “I was in the shower,” he answered. “You okay?”

  “No, not really. I need you to meet me at my place right away. It’s an emergency.”

  He glanced at her and saw the same thoughts in her eyes that raced through his head. This was suspicious. “Kayla and I can come right away. What’s the emergency?”

  “Not Kayla. Just you, Noah. It’s really important that it’s just you.”

  “I don’t know if I like that. What’s going on?”

  “Pack business. You said you didn’t want anyone else to know, and they’d find out if she came along.”

  She mouthed the word bullshit. A series of concerned lines furrowed her forehead, but she flashed one finger, then five.

  Noah understood. “All right, but I’ll need at least fifteen minutes. That good enough?”

  “Just hurry. Fuck, just hurry, okay?”

  The connection dropped.

  “We have to get out of here,” she said.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.” He stuffed the phone into his pocket. “I think we’ll want to grab a few things, too.”

  They found backpacks in the closet. Clothes and an odd assortment of necessities bulged at the sides before they’d finished. As they hurried through the front room, she pulled several pictures off the walls and crammed them into her pack.

  “Get that blanket off the window,” she told him as she slid on her shades, “and let’s roll.”

  Twilight kept the sky bright, but the last trace of the sun had dipped below the horizon. Still early for vampires, although the ones that strode through the parking lot hadn’t gotten that message. They glanced to the west, time and again, as if worried the sun would jump back above the horizon.

  Sharp stabs of energy danced over his neck. “Kayla—”

  “It’s one of us,” she said, voice low. “One of them. We have to move.”

  The shadow wolf lead the group, dark glasses on her face to protect her eyes from the dying light. Her hair was a vibrant gold, her lips a shade of crimson. Beautiful, with a dangerous aura that made him wonder if he wanted to fight her or pin her down and fuck her.

  “She’s a real piece of work,” Kayla told him. “I never met her before Kiplinger took us. When he was done, she liked to kill for the hell of it. Let’s hop over the railing. The drop’s not too far. They’ll see us if we use the stairs.”

  One biter carried a plastic gallon jug filled with an amber liquid. “Gasoline,” Noah whispered.

  “Go.”

  Not for the first time, he blessed his wolfish blood. His knees complained about the shock, but they made it over the edge and onto the ground. The vampires, behind their feral leader, rounded the corner just as Noah and Kayla dodged around the other side.

  Without another word, the two of them made for the truck. “Go any direction that’s away,” she told him as the engine turned over. He slammed it into reverse.

  Smoke had started to billow from the open apartment door as they pulled out into traffic. “Kayla, I need you to explain,” he said as he wove around a slower car to gain speed. “Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say that Todd just tried to warn me.”

  “He did.” She looked out the window, unable to meet his gaze. “He knew that was coming.”

  “How? How could he know?” But he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.

  She didn’t want to give it. Regret wrote itself in every line of her face. “Because he probably caused it. Todd’s not what you think.”

  “Tell me.”

  “He was there, Noah. That night, he was there. He watched. He participated. He was one of the werewolves in the ritual.”

  The steering wheel creaked under his white-knuckled grip. “No.”

  Finally, she looked at him. “He’s Regina’s dog. He showed up with her for Kiplinger’s little party. He’s been lying to you the whole time.”

  No words would come out. Anger rolled in his gut, fueled by an acute pain in his heart. It made a horrible sense, when he looked back at the past year. Todd’s insistence that Kayla was dead. The way he looked at Regina when the pack gathered, the subtle signals she gave him that now seemed very clear. He and she had played opposition to each other, two different opinions to divide the pack and keep it impotent.

  Then his reaction at lunch today. No wonder he’d looked nervous. He hadn’t known if Kayla had divulged his involvement.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” He forced the sound out of his throat. It sounded harsh, raw.

  “I was wrong,” she began. “I should have said—”

  “Tell me.”

  Again, she looked out the window. “Because I thought you’d try to stop me. He’s dangerous, but he’s your best friend, and I thought you’d defend him. And I just...” She sighed. “I wanted to put off hurting you. I knew it had to happen, but I wasn’t ready to see it. I’m sorry.”

  For a moment, he was horribly alone. His world had upended itself, and he clung to the hull of it, desperate to put it right again. But too much had changed for his life to ever go back to the way he had known it. He had lost his friend, his old love, the last vestiges of trust he had in his pack and his alpha. No place was safe from this new, hellish threat.

  A warm hand rested on his thigh. “Noah. Please. Say something.”

  “You should have trusted me.” He took his eyes off the road long enough to lock with her gaze. “I’m your mate. We are in this together. Did you think I wouldn’t choose you over him?”

  “But he’s—”

  “A fucking traitorous bastard. He hurt you. And that’s all there is to it.”

  Silence again over the hum of the engine and the rattle of passing cars. “I’m hungry.”

  “Me, too. Let’s get something to eat before we go hunting.” Their plans for the night had a distinct appeal after the revelations of the last few minutes. Killing vampires would do his soul good. “When do you want to take care of Todd and Regina?”

  “Tomorrow night. I’d thought about showing up for the pack meeting.”

  “Why?”

  She squeezed his leg. “To ta
ke her down in front of everyone. To make her confess. When I thought that Peter still had control, I thought he might have to hear it from her to believe it.”

  He nodded. “It won’t matter what he believes after tomorrow night. But I think it’s a good idea. If they hear for themselves, maybe the pack can pull itself back together in time to meet this threat.”

  Nearly full, the moon shone down on them. The wolf paced and waited impatiently for blood.

  Eight

  “No more secrets.”

  As they drove, she talked. About the ritual, about the months of starvation, deprivation, indoctrination. Paul Kiplinger flexing his imperfect but still too effective control over the shadow wolves he had created. Personal details and horrors stayed hidden for now, but he understood she wasn’t withholding them out of a lack of trust. It was still too raw for her to relive.

  But he could see it in the tension of her jaw, hear it in the clipped tone of her words. All that terror, all the torture and darkness, sat just out of sight, still as palpable as the charge from an electric coil or the rattle of an angry snake. Unpredictable at best, he knew it would lash out when they least expected it.

  He didn’t care if it hurt him. It was Kayla he worried about. They grew closer to a piece of her revenge with every light that turned green. When she got it, would she lose her soul in the process?

  It was just as Moira had said. I don’t think she understands herself, or how dangerous she is. She’s a time bomb. You need to defuse her before she explodes.

  Not that Moira had even understood how to defuse herself. She’d either not known, or not cared, that her own energy had started to spin out of control. Which made no sense at all, now that he thought about it.

  “Do you suppose Moira’s all right?” he asked after they had lapsed into silence.

  “I’ll call her and find out. She ought to know what happened, anyway.” She dug into his pocket for his phone.

  Disquiet grew in his mind as she dialed the numbers. She’d listened for far too long without a word. “Anything?”