Shadow's Pleasure: The Shadow Warder Series, Book Two (A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance Series) (32 page)

It didn’t take long before Kiernan groaned, “Sorcha, I can’t hold off any more. It’s too good.”

In answer, she took him to the hilt once more, twisting her fingers around the base of his cock as she did. On the upstroke, the tight clasp of her fingers followed her mouth. It was more than Kiernan could take. His release surged from him, filling her mouth as she swallowed it down. Distracted by the heat between her legs, the rush of pleasure she felt from Kiernan, Sorcha almost missed the licks of flame rising from Kiernan’s golden skin. So it wasn’t just her who set them on fire with an orgasm. Interesting.

Their panting breaths subsided after a moment or two. Nuzzling her cheek against Kiernan’s leg, Sorcha traced a finger from one hip bone to the other, fascinated by the hard muscle and smooth, golden skin of his abs. Her body was still tight with arousal, but Kiernan’s satisfaction eased through the bond, taking the edge off. She’d get hers soon enough. Fortunately for Sorcha, just as she was calmed by his release, her need pulled at him through their connected energy.

Anticipation humming in her veins, she watched his cock swell again. She couldn’t resist giving it a light stroke. A Shadow’s control over energy guaranteed a quick recovery time. Whether it was a Warder trait or a side effect of the bond, it looked like Kiernan was ready to go again. In her fascination with his rapidly hardening cock, Sorcha forgot all about the Tk holding Kiernan’s wrists to the bed.

Kiernan hadn’t. The second her distracted mind dropped its hold, he rolled them both and rose over Sorcha. She spread her legs, wrapping them around Kiernan’s hips, tilting up to receive the thick cock that filled her. Feeling his pleasure through the bond when he came had been amazing, but she hadn’t come yet herself and sucking Kiernan’s cock had turned her on more than she’d ever thought it could. She was close to the edge. Fortunately, Kiernan’s patience had been stripped away.

He pounded into her, filling her pussy over and over until she heard herself let out a sharp scream. The licks of flame dancing across Kiernan’s skin when he’d come had grown into a blaze the moment his cock pushed into her body. The heat, the sharp, stretching pleasure of him inside her was too much. Another scream and Sorcha convulsed around Kiernan, sobbing out her orgasm through a haze of red and orange fire and sweet, white smoke.

Sorcha wasn’t sure how long it took them to come down. When she finally lifted her head, she was draped across Kiernan, her cheek resting on his shoulder, turned in so she had an up-close view of the stubble on the underside of his chin. Her torso rose and fell with Kiernan’s breaths. The duvet was gone, and the now familiar haze of smoke still hung in the room. It was a few more minutes before she could manage speech.

“At least we haven’t burned the place down,” she said.

“Not yet. But it’s good to have goals,” Kiernan said, his dry delivery making her laugh.

“Mmm hmm.” She rubbed her cheek into his smooth, warm skin, not ready to get up yet.

Kiernan stroked his hand over her back, tracing the lines of her tattoos, his touch both affectionate and proprietary. “I can give you space,” Kiernan said into the quiet. “But I’m not letting you go, Sorcha.”

She raised her head to meet his suddenly very serious eyes. His hand on her back froze, pinning her in place. “How is not letting me go giving me space?” she asked, not sure if she wanted to scowl or laugh. Or if she really wanted him to let her go at all.

Beneath her, Kiernan shrugged. “That’s the best I’ve got. I’m not going to push, but you’re part of me. I won’t let you walk away. I can’t.”

With an irritated grunt, Sorcha dropped her head back to his chest. Whatever. Clearly Kiernan was possessive. Sorcha wasn’t going to waste her energy arguing about it. There would be time for that later. For now, they had two Mysterium arriving in a few hours. She had a pretty good idea what she wanted to do until they showed up.

Chapter Seventeen

Michael stumbled into the side of the cellar door, swearing under his breath, his bottle of whiskey clanking into the doorframe. He should have turned the light on when he’d come in, but then he’d have seen how fucking ugly the place was. Didn’t matter. He’d be done with the run-down little house in a few days. He’d set himself up in a new pad. A brand new house, custom built for a wealthy buyer who’d relocated at the last minute, leaving the builder grateful for Michael’s cash offer. Right on the lake, the new house was better than the brick mansion in Meyers Park the Warders had blown up helping Hannah escape. Bigger, more luxurious, and best of all, it was as private as a waterfront home could be, giving him more freedom to indulge in his side projects.

Once they escalated the infections of the Charlotte Warders, he would rule them all. A twinge in his chest reminded him that in reality, Druj would rule them all. But Michael was only one rung below. He’d take it. Now that he had a seed of the powerful Voratus inside him, Michael didn’t dare even think of betrayal. A shudder went through him at the thought of angering Druj. Not worth it. He was going to be a loyal soldier. But he was taking tonight for himself. Almost all of his loose ends had been carefully tied. He still had to take care of the play-toy for their unpredictable ally. Michael would worry about that tomorrow. Tonight was for him. A few drinks, some company, and he’d be ready to move on. Just a few more days.

At the bottom of the stairs, he flipped on the light switch, sending dim illumination through the musty cellar. It was empty, save for the huddled form on the dirty cot in the single occupied cell. Her once-blond hair was dark with grime. Her skin was likely the same. Normally, Michael wouldn’t stoop to touch a body this dirty, not to mention one with a mind so compromised. But he was feeling nostalgic. When he’d taken her, she’d been so innocent. Maybe not physically. She’d been fucked before, at least once. No, she’d been innocent in spirit. So clean. So much hope.

The Shadow had been a beauty, a summer’s day of a female with her blue eyes and golden hair. He hadn’t allowed himself to enjoy the sex beyond what was necessary. Not in the beginning. It had been part of the experiment. They’d considered artificial insemination but decided they should keep the process as true to nature as possible. Some animals resisted impregnation through artificial means. Why waste the time if the Shadows were the same? So he did his duty, even though the female hadn’t been to his taste.

Since the seed of the demon had taken root in his chest, Michael’s tastes had changed. It was unfortunate that she was so used. So broken. As he was now, Michael would love to have had her back as she was the day he’d brought her in. Trembling. Weeping. Begging to go home. Her big, blue eyes drowning in tears. She’d been so susceptible to his threats against the younger Shadows. He could have made her do anything.

Setting his whiskey bottle down by the door to the cell, Michael felt in his pocket for the keys. Next time, he wouldn’t waste the opportunity. He unlocked the door and returned the keys to his pocket. He might be a little drunk, but he wasn’t going to get sloppy now. Not when he was so close to the next step. The figure on the bed cringed away from him. Michael smiled. Somewhere in his mind, he was aware it was the seed of Druj inside him that savored this moment. The Michael he was would have been too repulsed by the dirt and mildewy stench of the cell and the acrid odor of the female to feel arousal. But the male he was now, charged by the demon’s invasion, felt only the sweet rush of anticipation. Best to enjoy it, he thought as he advanced on the bed. She wouldn’t be alive to play with for much longer.

Chapter Eighteen

Kiernan picked up a carton of noodles and watched Sorcha laugh at something Ben had said. Their afternoon together had done some good. Considering the danger of their plan, she was more relaxed than he’d ever seen her. A few hours of hot, athletic sex could do that for you. Sorcha wasn’t entirely resigned to being stuck with him, but whatever was holding her back, it didn’t seem to affect her enthusiasm in bed.

Kiernan had never been into bondage, but having Sorcha pin him to the bed with her mind while she took every inch of his cock in her sweet mouth… His wildest, most erotic dream didn’t even come close. He had to fight getting hard just thinking about it.

“You sure you want to do this, Sorcha?” he heard Ben ask. “You being that close to him if he’s really infected—there are a lot of ways that could go bad, even with us at your back.”

“We need to find them, Ben. The way Caerwyn was talking in the dream, she thought her time was running out. If Michael’s been infected recently, it would change his priorities. She said he’s been different. I don’t want to wait and risk losing her.”

Ben looked away, staring out the window before turning back to Sorcha. To Kiernan he said, “You’re cool with this?”

“Not remotely,” Kiernan answered.

“It’s their best chance,” Madoc said, interrupting. “If a Director is infected, if the message Gabriel sent is accurate and there are more, this city is going to be infested before we know it. They need to take care of business and get out.”

“True,” Ben agreed. “Did you tell Cameron to move his people?” he asked Kiernan.

“Yeah. He’s thinking about it. Said he’d have to talk to them. I don’t know how fast things might change.”

“Hard to say,” Madoc said. “But I wouldn’t want to be here to see firsthand.”

“What about Atlanta?” Sorcha asked. “Isn’t there a Citadel there? Isn’t Michael the Director for everything in the Southeast?”

“Doesn’t really work that way,” Madoc said, taking a pull from his beer. He sat back on the black leather couch, feet in beat-up motorcycle boots propped on the coffee table. His dark eyes were difficult to read. “There are Warders and a Citadel in Atlanta, but it isn’t officially under a Director. They have a Steward to run the place, along with a few handlers, but mainly they take care of the city without a lot of oversight.”

“Doesn’t mean Atlanta’s clean,” Ben said. He sat beside Madoc, leaning at an angle against the arm of the couch, his tall frame half reclined. Both he and Madoc looked tired.

Kiernan wondered what they’d been up to all night. Building some new toy or weapon they were going to make a pile of cash selling, probably.

“True,” Madoc answered. “Fuck. I have better things to do than check out the Warders in Atlanta.”

“Can they infect Mysterium?” Sorcha asked, a note of anxiety running through her voice.

Kiernan started at the question. Why hadn’t he thought of that? If they’d figured out how to infect Warders, why not the Mysterium? Kiernan’s chest tightened. Infected Warders were bad enough. Mysterium with Vorati running the show? Terrifying. The shit they could do—Kiernan really didn’t want to think about it.

“No,” Ben said. “No way.” He looked at Madoc for confirmation.

“Maybe,” Madoc said.

Ben scowled. “Fuck you, Mad,” Ben said without heat. “We’re not built the right way. They can’t get a foothold to start the infection.”

“They could if one of us let them,” Madoc said. He finished his beer and put it on the table.

“Why would—” Sorcha began.

Madoc cut her off. “I have no idea. And I’m not saying one has. I’m just saying that if a Mysterium wanted the infection, it would be possible, that’s all.”

“Okay, we can go over the many ways we’re all fucked later,” Kiernan said. “Right now, we need to walk through the plan. I roped Alexa into helping.”

Leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees, Kiernan laid out how it was going to go.