The Darkness of Shadoewynne: Book 3 of the Shadoewynne series

by Penelope Kein

  He released my hand again but didn’t slow down. I struggled to keep up with him, not only because I wanted to keep an eye on him, but also because I really didn’t want to be alone in the woods at night by myself. After a few minutes, though, I began to lag behind.

  “David! I need to stop! I can’t run like this!” I could barely get the words out through the breaths that were sawing in and out of my chest.

  He stopped and turned around to look at me. For a second, he looked like the old David, with love and laughter in his grey eyes. Then his eyes darkened, becoming black holes of nothingness. Even the whites were taken over by the darkness. I stepped away as his lips pulled back from his teeth in a parody of a smile.

  “What’s the matter, Sugar? You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

  There was a warning in his tone. The other is in control, and if I admit my fear, it will only make its position within David’s mind stronger. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders and faced him head on, refusing to give another inch. “No, David, I’m not afraid of you. I love you.” Internally steeling myself, I took a step closer and reached for his face. As I ran my hands over the stubble, I said, “I know you love me and would never hurt me.”

  He closed his freaky eyes, so I leaned in and brushed my lips against his. I only intended for it to be a quick, sweet kiss, but when our lips touched, he reacted faster than I thought possible. His arms shot around me and pulled me to him while he deepened the kiss. For a moment, I had to fight the urge to struggle. When he pulled back slightly and opened his eyes, only the iris was dark and his smile was more normal. The kiss helped push back the Other! I tangled my hands in his hair, bringing his face back to mine. Our tongues dueled for a moment, before I broke the kiss to move to his neck while I forcefully leaned his head to the side, using my fingers in his hair. I let go to run my hands down his body until I found the button on his jeans, which I undid and pushed down to his ankles. He watched me with eyes that were almost his own, but I could see the darkness pushing back. His pupils were going wild, dilating, then receding.

  I licked my lips as I knelt down, taking his underwear with me. He sprang free, brushing my lips as he did. He gasped and dug his fingers into my scalp. In a swift motion, I took all of him into my mouth. His hips bucked against me, almost knocking me down. The only thing keeping me up was his hands in my hair. He only thrust a few times before he pulled me roughly off of him and spun me around. His hand snaked around me, undoing my pants, then pushing them down quicker than I could react. He dug his fingers into my hips as he pulled me back against him. One hand moved to my shoulder and pushed as the other continued to pull back on my hips.

  Without checking to see if I was ready, he pushed inside me. I gasped at the roughness, even as I climbed toward an orgasm. A bench grew out of the ground in front of me, so I braced myself against it. As soon as my palms landed on the rough wood, David picked up the speed and force. I couldn’t catch my breath. One hand moved lower until one finger circled the small bundle of nerves nestled between my legs. He rubbed it a few times then flicked it hard. I screamed out my release.

  Without warning, he pulled out and spun me around before picking me up to set me on the bench he had made. He quickly buried himself in me again. As I watched his eyes, which were back to normal, I gripped the back of the tree root bench, digging my fingernails in and earning myself some splinters I didn’t notice until later. I spread my legs wide, giving him all the access he needed to pound into me.

  I leaned back a little, pushing my boobs toward his face. He took the hint and pulled my shirt off before pushing aside my bra to take a nipple in his mouth. His fingers were shaking as he fumbled at the front closure. Taking pity on him, I undid the clasp so he could slide the bra from my shoulders. I pushed my heels against the bench to prevent my butt from slipping. My head lolled back and he grunted his approval before he moved his mouth to my neck to suckle and bite, causing me to moan out his name. He chuckled against my neck and slid his hands beneath me before lifting me up. The bench grew, becoming a bed as velvety moss grew on it. By the time he laid me down, it was as soft as any mattress. His movements slowed, becoming less frantic as he covered my face and neck with little kisses.

  “Evalia, I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, David.” He pinched a nipple lightly before replacing his fingers with his mouth as his hips picked up speed again. My hands ran down his chest and around to his butt. His eyes closed as he neared his release. The forest echoed with our cries. When I went over the edge, I called out his name again. He didn’t slow. I had to fling out my hands to hold on to the edge of the makeshift bed to stay in place. His mouth came down on my neck again. I moaned, but it changed to a pained gasp as he bit down hard. He roared his release to the sky and when his eyes came back down to mine, they were completely black again. Fear gripped my heart as his hand clutched my throat.

  I clawed at his fingers as he pulled out. Black spots were dancing in front of my eyes by the time he released me.

  “You were stalling for time, you bitch!” He pulled me roughly to my feet and dragged me away.

  The sun had risen while we were occupied, but it wasn’t adding much light or warmth to the shaded forest. I attempted to dig my bare toes into the semi-frozen ground as I protested. “David! I wasn’t stalling and I will freeze to death if you don’t let me put my clothes and shoes back on!”

  Without slowing, he snarled, “Your water nymph blood protects you from the cold. You can stay naked!”

  Half-frozen slush was seeping through my toes with each step and debris on the ground drew blood on my feet and ankles. I slid off a mossy fallen tree, scratching my leg up to my butt and turning my ankle. He didn’t slow down for my hobble, just jerked me off my feet every other step. After about five minutes of this, I had enough. I gathered the water in the air and froze it around him, leaving only his head free. Then I added ice until I was sure he couldn’t get free anytime soon. He thrashed as he cursed me. I ignored him as I gathered more water and warmed it up to clean my wounds as well as the leftovers from our lovemaking that were trickling down the inside of my thighs. Then I healed my wounds.

  After I finished, I looked at him sadly. His eyes were pure black now, with no hint of his normal beautiful grey. “David.” He stilled, though he continued to glare. “I know you can hear me. I love you. You need to fight this. Come back to me.”

  His lips turned up in a parody of a smile. “Sugar, let me go and we can talk.”

  I wagged my finger in his face. “You need more than words for me to believe you. I can tell you are not fully David.” The bond within me was pulsing, alternating between love and hatred. I waited silently, letting David fight the other within him. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself. Hopefully Kait and Travis made it here soon and with luck they would have my pack with them. I may not freeze to death but the cold was damn uncomfortable.

  As David’s eyes closed so he could focus on the fight within, I paced a circle around him. It gave me something to do, and helped warm me up, just a bit. The pulses of love through the bond came slower and slower until all I could feel was hatred. I shook my head as his eyes opened.

  “Not good enough, David!”

  The being in front of me laughed. “David no longer exists. I just destroyed him. This is my body permanently.”

  Fear shot through me, which just made the evil thing in front of me laugh harder. I drew my power into my hands. I couldn’t wait for Eir and Kait; I had to heal him. I smacked my hands down boxing his ears and making him grunt in pain. The power leached out of my hands into him as I stared into his eyes. The black swirled within them, never settling. I pushed more power into him, earning another grunt.

  I lost track of how long we were like that. I would push back the Other, until only the grey was left in his eyes, then it would surge forward again. Eventually, I tried another way. Instead of forcing it out, I would attempt to quarantine it within his mind. Attacking
from all sides, I forced it into a ball, and built a wall around it with my power. David’s body was shaking by the time I was through.

  With my hands still on his head, I said, “My power alone can’t hold it back. I can already feel it pushing at the walls. You need to build your defenses around it as well. Lock it in a closet in your mind until we can figure out how to get it out of you.”

  Tears were running down his face as he sobbed. “I can’t, Sugar. You can’t make it leave because it’s a part of me.”

  I kissed him tenderly, ignoring the salty tears and snot. “You can fight it. You are strong, and together, we can fix this. Help me imprison it and we will go from there.” He shook his head as the wall I had built cracked. “David! Help me! Lock it away in your mind.” My voice was barely a whisper, since most of my attention was on the fissures spreading through the metaphysical wall.

  I could feel the sobs wracking his body as he bawled. There was nothing more I could say; either he did what I asked, or he didn’t. A crevice split the wall which I could feel deep in my heart and the blackness inside began seeping out. The greasy stain spread across the floor of his mind, heading directly for me. No matter what happened, I did not want that to touch me. Using my magic, I created a scoop to redirect it back to the area I had caged it. It merely flowed over the edge, heading for me with a single-minded determination. I set my feet. Obviously, I would have to fight.

  It pooled directly in front of me, forming into a body. Hands shot out toward my head but David blocked them by suddenly standing between me and it. He bellowed at it and the force of his yell pushed it back against a leafy green wall that hadn’t been there before. Once I was over my shock, I helped, reinforcing the cracks in his wall with my power. He boxed it in and closed it up. When the fight was over, a green chest sat in the middle of his mind-scape.

  I withdrew from his mind as he collapsed against me. When he looked up, his eyes were the normal grey, but his skin was also very grey. His arms wrapped around me almost painfully as he continued to sob against my stomach. Eventually, he quieted, and I carefully stepped away.

  “Where’s your pack, David? I’d like to at least get a shirt on. Then we can walk back to where we were before to get the rest of our clothes.”

  He glanced at me, then down at himself, where he was still naked from the waist down. “Yeah, that’d be good. Evalia, I’m sorry.”

  “For what, David? The thing that hurt me, that made me walk naked through the freezing woods, that wasn’t you. You were the one that was gentle, that made the soft bench and bed for us as we made love.” He just shook his head. “I was in your mind. I saw the other thing that is there. That isn’t you.”

  “You don’t understand, Sugar. That thing is part of me. It’s not an outside force. It’s always been there. Wait.” His eyes shot to mine. “How were you in my mind? You’re not a mind reader.”

  I laughed as I felt myself blush. I had stepped into his mind without thought and hadn’t even realized it until I had to leave it. “Apparently, it’s part of the bond. Now that we have fully consummated the bond, our connection has grown. It’s the same with Travis and Kait. Now, can we go get our clothes?”

  He pulled me back to him and rested his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry for doubting you, Sugar.”

  I kissed him tenderly then whispered, “Don’t worry about it. I understand.” I pulled away, running my fingers down his arm before I took his hand to lead him back to where we started. “Come on, I may not have to worry about freezing to death but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel the cold. Let’s go get our clothes.”

  He nodded and we started the walk back. We took it slower than the headlong pace we had come out here with and it was a mostly silent walk. I darted glances at David’s face now and then to make sure he was doing okay. The bundle of emotions in my head that was him told me he was beating himself up for the rough sex and for dragging me naked through the woods, but the other personality wasn’t making a reappearance. We just needed to wait for Kait and the others before we tried again to excise it.

  He sighed. I stopped walking and turned to him. “David, you know there was nothing wrong with what we did. If you were too rough, I would have said something.”

  “It’s not even that. It was our first time, it should have been more tender.”

  I stifled a laugh. Apparently, David is a closet romantic. Cupping my hands around his face, I gently kissed him. “I didn’t want tender at that moment. Maybe another time but I thought it was perfect. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

  We started walking again with our fingers laced together. I brought his hand up to my mouth and kissed it. He stopped, pulling me to a halt. I raised an eyebrow at him, then he stepped in front of me before wrapping me in his arm. “Sugar, what did I do to deserve you?”

  I kissed his nose. “The question is, what did I do to deserve you?”

  He smiled and shook his head. “Come on, let’s hurry. Your hands are freezing!” Pulling me along, he broke into a trot. We were back to where we left our clothes quickly.

  I hurried forward and got dressed. With a bemused look, he picked up his pants and held them up. A frozen muddy slush covered them. I giggled at his look even as I used my powers to clean and dry the pants. He pulled them on, then ran a hand over the bed he had made. We had crushed the plants in the middle, but they regrew quickly when he touched them. I walked over slowly, then ran my hands up his back, under his shirt.

  “See, you made a nice, comfortable bed for us.” The bundle of feelings in my head told me he was still upset. I went up on my tiptoes to kiss his neck. He didn’t react; he just stood there with his head down, staring at the flowers now growing on the bed. I moved my hands to his front, feeling the warm muscles of his stomach move with each breath.

  His chest heaved more with each breath until he was almost sobbing. Self-loathing was filling the bond. I had to do something to stop this. My hands worked lower, moving over his abs to his waistband. I kissed his shoulder as I deliberately thought about everything I loved about him. Slowly, his breathing went back to normal. I cautiously felt the bond. Kait and Travis were closer, but it would still be awhile before they arrived. I worked my fingers under his waistband. His breath caught as my fingertips brushed the tip of his dick.

  “Sugar, what are you doing?”

  I lightly bit his shoulder at the junction of his neck before answering. “I thought it was pretty obvious.” My fingers worked at his button, finally freeing it, then I pushed his pants down.

  He started to argue. “This isn’t a good idea, Sugar.” But his words caught in his throat as I ran my fingernails lightly down his shaft before grasping him firmly.

  My lips tickled his ear as I breathed out, “Why?”

  He just shook his head. I spun him around before pushing lightly on his shoulders until he sat on the bed he had made. Kissing him firmly, I climbed into his lap. “If you can honestly say you don’t want me, I will stop.” Undulating my hips on his erection was probably unnecessary but I did it anyway until he groaned out my name and wrapped his arms around me. I smiled to myself as I buried my hands in his hair and guided his lips to mine. He met me with a ferocity I didn’t expect.

  His hands went to my pants, pushing them down my butt until I lifted a bit, then he slid them down my thighs without breaking lip contact. A finger circled my clit before delving deeper into my folds. My hips bucked against his hand. He chuckled darkly enough that my eyes flew to his to make sure the other hadn’t returned. He gave me a lopsided smile, then lifted me quickly only to settle me down onto him, burying himself in me.

  I gasped out his name as I rode him. His hand on my butt helped steady us. Slowly, he turned his body, taking me with him, laying us down on the soft bed. The bed pushed up at the head, allowing him to sit up some. He grabbed my hips, stopping my up and down movement and guiding me to make circles with my hips. I gasped at the new sensation. One hand released my hips, reaching around to kneed my b
utt. He arched his back, pushing himself in deeper as he released my butt to grab my wrists and pull me down as he pressed up. I screamed his name as I came apart. He was right behind me, calling out my name as well.

  Trying to catch my breath, I collapsed on top of him. He brushed some hair that had escaped my braid from my face before he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me gently.

  “I love you so much, Sugar. You have no idea how much.”

  “I love you just as much. I would give everything for you.” I kissed him back, then moved off him. Pulling some water from the air, I used it to clean myself and him before pulling my pants up. He sat up slowly, then pulled his pants up. David was watching me as I glanced around the clearing.

  “What are you looking for?” He seemed puzzled.

  “I’m trying to figure out which direction you threw my tracking ring. I’d like to get it back if possible.”

  His eyes roamed the woods. “I don’t remember throwing the ring, so I can’t help you.”

  “I think it was this way.” I cautiously stepped into the undergrowth. He followed me, kicking at the dead leaves on the ground. It was such a small ring. It’s going to be impossible to find now. We looked for about ten minutes when a voice stopped us.

  “What are you two doing?” Kait’s voice sounded amused and frustrated at the same time.

  I shot him a smile over my shoulder. “We, uh, had a bit of misfortune and I lost the tracking ring. We’re looking for it.”

  He shook his head as he closed his eyes. Then, he walked over to a spot about twenty feet to our left and knelt down to pick up the shiny gold ring. His eyes widened at the blood on it.

  Thinking furiously that I didn’t want David to hear, I thought to Kait, “Please don’t ask. I’ll explain it later.”

  Chapter 9

  Kait’s eyes flew to mine. He waited a second, then nodded slowly. In my mind he said, “I don’t like it, but okay.”