Shadow's Pleasure: The Shadow Warder Series, Book Two (A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance Series) (30 page)

Kiernan stood at his kitchen counter, absently sliding a spoon back and forth across the black and gray granite. A dark brown drop of liquid congealed in the dip of the spoon, left over from his second cup of strong, black coffee. Taking another long sip, he watched the closed door of his bedroom. She was still asleep.

Sorcha needed her rest. Kiernan wasn’t going to be the one to wake her. He could only hope that a solid eight hours had been enough to soothe her ragged mood. If she’d slept as badly as he had, Kiernan knew he was fucked.

You’re mine.

It echoed in his head. Steven’s strident, demanding voice screaming in Sorcha’s ears so loudly Kiernan had heard the words as he ran down the street toward them.

You’re mine.

Hadn’t Kiernan said exactly the same thing? Probably in the same furious, possessive tone. He didn’t bother to ask himself what made him better than Steven. For one, Kiernan wasn’t an abusive psychopath. Maybe a little controlling. Kiernan would cop to that. Possessive, definitely. Sorcha was his. He wasn’t backing off from that. But hearing Steven stake his claim on Kiernan’s woman had reminded Kiernan why she was so gun-shy.

Kiernan wasn’t going to let her go. If that made him an asshole, he could live with it. They were bonded. Neither of them had expected it, but life rarely asked if it could throw a curve ball. It was Kiernan’s good luck that he was fine with the bond, and Sorcha’s bad luck that she wasn’t. But he was nothing if not charming. If he played it right, he could fix this.

Sorcha needed space. She didn’t need him to tell her that he’d felt a fierce joy when he’d realized fate had bonded him to a strong, gorgeous, smart Shadow who was sexy as hell and could throw flames from her hands. Or that he’d claimed her the moment she’d set him on fire at the club. The longer Kiernan spent with her, the more certain he was that she was a perfect match for him. In time, he had no doubt he’d be deeply in love with her. He was half gone already.

If he told her any of that, she’d be out the door, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. Kiernan was going to have to be practical. First issue, her insanely dangerous plan to touch Michael. Just the thought of his Shadow getting that close to the reportedly infected Director sent bile swirling in his stomach. Unfortunately, she’d had a point.

They were moving too slowly. Not only was Sorcha convinced the missing Shadows were running out of time, but if Michael was infected it made Charlotte a more dangerous place for them than he’d anticipated. The longer it took them to find the Shadows, the more it increased the risk of them being caught. Going straight for Michael was dangerous, but it was a viable plan. Smart, ballsy and potentially deadly. That was his girl. Though he wasn’t going to admit to Sorcha that he thought the plan was smart. Not when he’d called it insane the night before. While yelling at her and driving her away. Yeah, he was the king of charm.

If they were going to do this, he wanted backup. The best he could get. First, he called Alexa.

She answered, surly and annoyed as ever. “What?”

“Good morning to you too, fearless leader. Get up on the wrong side of the bed?” Kiernan couldn’t resist aggravating her. Alexa made it too easy.

“What do you want, Kiernan?” she asked. Her voice sounded tired and thin.

“Just giving you a heads up. As soon as we get this situation cleared up, I’ll give the Mysterium your number. I can’t guarantee he’ll call, but I’ll do my best.”

“Give me his number,” she said.

Kiernan laughed as quietly as he could manage so he didn’t wake Sorcha. “Hell no. You don’t give out this guy’s number. I’ll give him yours and ask him to call you. That’s the best I can do.”

“Fine. Have you found the Shadows yet?”

“Not yet. We’re getting closer. But that’s not why I called.”

“Then what do you want?” she asked.

“I told you. To give you a heads up. There are signs that Michael’s infected. Keep your eyes open and be careful.”

Silence.

Then she said, “By a Voratus? That’s not possible.”

“Lots of things are possible, Alexa.”

“I’d know if he were infected. I haven’t seen him in a few days, but the last time I saw him, he didn’t feel infected.”

“They have a way to cover it up. Look, I don’t have time to debate this with you or try to explain. Just be careful.”

Silence on her end.

Then, shocking the hell out of him, Alexa asked, “Do you need help?”

Kiernan was quiet for so long he heard his name echo through the phone.

“Kiernan. Kiernan,” she said, sounding irritated, and more like herself.

Kiernan got his brain in order. “Yeah, just thinking for a second. If you want to help, I could use a favor. You won’t even have to leave your desk.”

“What is it?” she asked.

Kiernan filled her in, telling her he’d text her when it was time. When he was done with Alexa, he clicked off the call and pulled up another number. The phone rang six times.

Kiernan was sure it was going to flip to voicemail when a gruff voice said, “I went to sleep an hour ago. What the fuck?”

“Sorry, man,” Kiernan said, glancing out his wall of windows to the pale morning light beyond. “I didn’t think about the time. I just need a minute.”

“Fine,” Madoc said. “Spill it so I can get some sleep.”

“We need backup. And we have a plan that’s going to need a spell way past what I can handle.” As quickly as he could, Kiernan filled Madoc in on everything that had gone down in the past few days, only leaving out his changed relationship with Sorcha.

“Fucking A,” Madoc said with a grunt. “Ben’s still here. Let us get some sleep and we’ll be up tonight. Don’t do anything stupid before we get there.”

“Thanks, man.”

The click of the bedroom door handle drew his attention. Kiernan turned to see Sorcha emerge, wearing one of his t-shirts, waves of her flame-red hair falling in her face, eyes on the floor. Half asleep, and either shy after their fight or still pissed at him. He’d find out soon enough.

Getting out another coffee mug, Kiernan filled it as he finished up with Madoc. “We’ll try to stay out of trouble until you can get here,” he said. “Later.”

Putting the phone down on the counter, he handed Sorcha her mug. He still didn’t have cream or sugar. So far a grocery store run hadn’t been on his to-do list. That wasn’t going to change any time soon, but he hoped the hot, strong coffee would be enough of a peace offering. He was going to need all the help he could get.

Sorcha’s eyes didn’t want to focus. She should have taken the time to shower, brush her hair and put on more than Kiernan’s t-shirt. But she’d smelled the coffee and heard his voice talking in low tones. Her talent told her that Kiernan was the only other person in the loft, so she hadn’t thought twice about coming out half dressed and half awake. Maybe that should tell her something about where her head was where Kiernan was concerned.

Taking the warm mug from Kiernan, she drank in long sips. Even without cream and sugar, it was exactly what she wanted. Unwilling to take the mug from her mouth, she eyed the phone on the counter, then Kiernan. He caught her glance, then her raised eyebrow. Kiernan was a lot of things, but he wasn’t slow.

“Madoc,” he said. “He and Ben will be here tonight. They can help with a tracking spell if touching Michael isn’t enough.” He put his coffee cup down beside a dirty spoon and his phone before he met her eyes. “I want to wait until they’re here before you go near Michael. I’ll feel better if you have more than just me at your back.”

Sorcha nodded out of reflex, her sluggish mind attempting to process. She really should have stayed in bed until she was firing on all cylinders. He’d given in? Not only given in, but had already started planning? Sorcha didn’t know what to think. She’d slept like a rock the night before. She’d thought that between the fight with Kiernan and Steven’s unexpected attack, she’d be up all night tossing and turning.

Instead, she’d relaxed in the steamy shower, inhaled the pizza Kiernan had left, and passed out. The bonus was, she felt strong and rested. But she hadn’t had a chance to think about anything. And here Kiernan was, being sweet. Thoughtful. Not bossy and overbearing like she’d expected him to be. So what was she supposed to do with this?

Stop being such a bitch
, her mind whispered to her. Sorcha sighed. She didn’t want to be a bitch. And she didn’t want to deal with all this emotional stuff. The bond. Kiernan being possessive. She was hungry, and she wanted to clear up their plan. “So you’re on board?” she asked, watching Kiernan’s eyes for a sign that he was just playing along to appease her.

His hazel eyes met hers evenly, with no sign of dissembling. “Reluctantly. I don’t like you putting yourself in danger. Obviously. But the longer we’re here, the more dangerous it gets. Especially if there are infected Warders in Charlotte. So, I’m balancing your safety on both sides and your plan wins.”

“I don’t want to talk about the rest of it,” she said. “The you and me stuff. Not right now. I’m hungry.”

Kiernan burst into a laugh that lit his entire face. Relief, humor, affection and desire all washed through his expression, easing Sorcha’s hesitation. He was going to let her off the hook. If he kept being a good guy, she was going to have a hard time being pissed off at him.

“Why am I not surprised?” Kiernan asked, laughter still in his voice. “You only ate half the pizza last night.”

“Ha ha.” Just that easily, they were back to normal. At least on the surface. She was aware they’d have to talk at some point. Just not yet.

“Go get ready,” he said. “And I’ll take you out for waffles. And more coffee. Then we can figure out the rest of our day.”

The burn of his eyes on her ass, barely peeking out from beneath the t-shirt, told her exactly how he thought they should spend the rest of the day. Tingles hit between her legs and tightened her nipples into hard points. A day in bed with Kiernan before they got back to work? She’d be a fool to argue with that plan.

Breakfast was at a place nearby. Crisp, fat Belgian waffles smothered in fruit and powdered sugar. Eggs, hash browns and about a gallon of strong coffee. By the time they were done, Sorcha was feeling almost like herself again. Kiernan sat back on his side of the booth in a relaxed slouch, watching her eat with a half smile on his face. As she shoveled in food, he entertained her with stories about his childhood. It was clear he’d been brutally poor. And equally clear that he’d been very much loved by his mother and sisters. She sensed his sadness when he spoke of them, but it was tempered by the affectionate memories.

His family had been human, she realized, and would have been long gone by now even if they hadn’t died of illness in Kiernan’s youth. His tales of picking pockets, and getting his ear twisted by his mother when she found out, made Sorcha collapse into giggles. She could see him as a not-so-innocent child, scamming passersby then proudly presenting his mother with his booty only to be sent to the corner in punishment. With a wry grin, Kiernan had added that while his mother had punished him, she’d also kept the money.

Finally, their stomachs full, they headed back to Kiernan’s loft. Sorcha buckled herself into the truck and pulled out her phone. She’d called Kate twice, only to be sent straight to voicemail. Kate wasn’t a slave to her phone, but something about the phone not even ringing felt off. A call to Zach had the same result. Wherever they were, either their phones were out of juice or they were turned off. Wishing she had a better option, Sorcha called Iris. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or not when Iris answered. Sorcha wanted to know where Kate and Zach were, and she had to tell someone about Steven, but she didn’t really want to talk to Iris.

“Sorcha, are you alright?” Iris asked in a breathless rush that was completely unlike her.

“I’m fine. What’s going on? I can’t get Kate or Zach on the phone.”

“I don’t know,” Iris answered. “We don’t know where they are. Zach was supposed to bring Keeley back with him the night the Warders and Hannah arrived. But he never got here and we were unable to reach him. Then Kate went after him and we can’t reach her either.”

“Is there any reason to think they aren’t okay? I mean…” Sorcha trailed off, not wanting to say what she was thinking to Iris.

“You mean they can be flaky and take off with no notice, especially Kate?” Iris said in a dry tone that sounded more like her.

“Yeah. That’s what I meant. I don’t like it, but we can’t leave Charlotte yet.”

“Have you found the girls?” Iris asked, hope rising in her voice. Sorcha wished she could say yes.

“Not yet. But we’re close. Once we have the girls, we’ll figure out what’s going on with Kate, Zach, and Keeley.”

“Are you being careful, Sorcha? I worry about you. In the city with so many people. Alone with that Warder.” Iris sounded like a woman trying very hard not to give voice to her prejudices.

Sorcha cast a sidelong look at Kiernan, who was listening to both sides of the conversation and trying not to laugh at Iris’s careful words. “I’m okay. Really. But Steven was here. He attacked me in the street last night. Dragged me into an alley and demanded I let him into my mind.”