Shadows and Shade Box Set

by Amanda Cashure

“Keep behind me,” he says.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?” I demand.

  “I smell the desire to do harm. It’s heavy, and it’s watching us.”

  We walk wet footprints through the empty halls, each minute relaxing some of the tension from our muscles.

  “We check this cell, then we ride back to Beautiful,” Thane growls.

  Seth crosses his arms over his chest, not caring that our brother is oozing aggression.

  “Vexy,” he corrects.

  Thane snaps his jaws, Pax’s face becoming more wolf than man for a split second.

  “Beautiful Vexy,” Thane relents.

  I smack Seth across the back of the head.

  “Hey, what?” he squeals – just like my little brother always does.

  “Shut up,” I tell him, because telling him that the bond he has with Thane makes this family feel almost whole again would have an irreversible side effect on his ego.

  And maybe, even if I wanted to let those words form and turn into an unwavering truth – my voice still wouldn’t be able to carry them. Strangled somewhere between the looming danger on our tails and the fact that, in about five minutes, Seth’s going to do something to piss me off again.

  The records in the warden’s office – what’s left of them, anyway – read, ‘Fourth deck. North quadrant. Hall twenty-two. Room one.’

  Each hall is empty. Seth and I slow in natural agreement.

  Pax falls in behind us. I hadn’t realized how quickly this sigil would feel wrong. How unguarded he is. In theory, he should be able to block, but only the first strike.

  On the fourth deck he draws his sword. His fingers are shaking as we reach room one. The door is at the very end of the hall. Seth and I are in the lead, and we can already see that it’s open.

  We edge closer, and I kick the thing wide.

  Empty.

  Pax screams. Pure animal, laced with darkness and pain. Then Thane growls. The sounds echo down the halls.

  I step into the room. The stone of the building’s structure is lined with glass. A solid square of it with no edges and no seams. No room for her power to leak out. A blanket and pillow are in one corner. Deck of cards. A few books. Bucket. But nothing else, no bed, no table. This woman will be glad for her freedom.

  Pax is still outside the door, and I pace back towards him. Watching the glow in his eyes.

  “This is what the Sigil is supposed to do? Hold him back from his impulses?” Seth asks.

  “Wait,” I say.

  “Since he has to go through me first, I’d rather not wait,” Seth says.

  I chuckle at the guy.

  Pax turns, focusing on the exit.

  “Let’s go,” he growls, each syllable tainted with painful memories.

  Seth steps out of his way, and I join them in the hall.

  On the way out the writing on the door catches my eye. Hidden mostly in shadow, the worn-thin ink is scrawled on glass.

  Hyll, it reads, and my chest tenses hard enough to make my heart skip a dozen beats.

  “Stop,” I say, and both of my brothers do, turning slowly to face me.

  I pull the door closed, the full name illuminating in a flash of lighting.

  Eyv Hyll.

  “Eyv Hyll,” Seth says out loud, then his eyes go wide. His copper Chaos tang fills my nose as he whispers, “Evil.”

  He would bloody find that name amusing.

  Pax, however, doesn’t care for the child whose parents had a sick sense of humor.

  “Hyll,” he roars.

  He only cares that this is the woman who murdered his baby.

  The Override was telling the truth. Tanakan Prison is empty, and the Cataclysm is free and hunting us.

  The Cataclysm.

  Pax’s Cataclysm.

  “We have to get back to her,” Pax growls, already running for the exit.

  “We tear this Cataclysm to pieces – then we take back our Crown,” Thane adds.

  We run, all three of us, into the storm. Onto our horses. Through the forest.

  Whatever it takes to get to our woman.

  To keep her alive.

  But then what?

  I ride hard from the White Castle to the Black – but her trail’s already cold. Kyra ran from her family and her responsibilities months ago. Ran from me. And the grimm can’t find her; she smells more like the Veil to them than the Veil itself.

  That’s why I’m sitting in the tavern at EastCoyt with my third daer glass empty in my hand. I even rode here like a common Saber. On a horse. All of the way from the Black Castle through the small towns. All to avoid being seen by those who matter to me. My uncle is at the top of that list, and the Veil is his prefered method of travel.

  The rest of my team are in the White Castle, recovering from the beating we all took on the sands.

  They’re slow. Weak. Nothing to me.

  I’m stronger. Better. How a Saber should be.

  Kyra is going to slip up and come crawling back, I know it.

  But I’m not a patient man.

  I want blood, and I want it now.

  If not Kyra’s, then the servant – Shade. I’m going to pull her apart just to see what she’s made of. Mortals are toys, not equals. Not Sabers, and those damned Elorsins have made a mockery of everything we are by taking that soot into their pentad.

  Saber or soot, I’m sure they sound the same when they scream.

  I could put them side by side, Kyra and Shade. Listen to them both sing with agony.

  The thought makes me smile into my glass, then spurs me into action. I topple my chair backwards and slam my way out of the tavern.

  Kyra or Shade.

  Shade or Kyra.

  Which will I see first?

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  Shadows and Darkness

  Preamble

  Reimagined scene that slips in

  around the middle of book 2 Shadow and Darkness.

  THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT

  * * *

  A Note From The Author

  This chapter begins in the cave in the first moments of true intimacy between Pax and Shade. In the real world Shade is still mortal and vulnerable, and this moment almost knocks her out. She’s also a virgin, shy, and she’s not the kind of girl to throw herself at a guy.

  But what if she wasn’t mortal?

  What if the reason they’ve sworn off sleeping with her is because they’ve made a bet on who can hold out the longest?

  What if there are no mortal-death consequences, just a bet?

  Let’s take away Shade’s high level of shyness and some of her modesty too. And amp up her sex drive. Get rid of that broken arm and throw in a diversion… then see what happens.

  As always there’s some overlap between this imagined chapter and the real thing...

  But remember this chapter never happened.

  Never will.

  Forbidden Cave Scene

  My Alpha closes that distance. In a blur, he has his hands around my waist and me pinned against the wall. The one furthest from the exit, shrouded in shadow because the lantern light hardly reaches around the boxes and the crates.

  “You can’t keep secrets.” His words are low and heavy. Each one of them is laced with the threat of a wolf entering this conversation.

  I can keep secrets, and I did. I’m not about to apologize for that – but now would be a really bad time to open my mouth and say anything but an apology. My gaze darts towards the exit. He puts his hand on the wall beside my face, blocking my view. Power spikes against my skin, filling the room. His golden eyes are alight with a glowing ring around the iris.

  This keeping secrets thing is a really big issue for him.

  I bite my lip to keep anything s
tupid from coming out whilst I try to think of something not-stupid to say.

  But there’s a lot going on right now. My heart’s beating so fast that it’s interrupting my ability to breathe. He’s clearly not in control of his power, that thing that can kill me if this goes too far, and despite all of this he’s looking at me like I mean something to him. Like I’m important.

  The rush that sends through me is almost too much to bear.

  He growls, his fingers clenching against the wall and crumbling away chunks of ochre.

  Before I can gasp, he’s leaning in, pressing his lips to mine and snatching the air from my lungs, the thoughts from my head, the beats from my heart. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t start soft and build to passion – every movement is firm and determined and claiming.

  His fingers leave the wall and trace along the back of my neck, soft with crushed ochre powder. Finding the spot where his hand fits perfectly just beneath my hair. Tilting my head back, pushing me in closer.

  I push up on tippy toes, even though some part of me knows that this is probably not a good idea.

  But not a bad idea, I tell myself.

  The power in the room settles over my skin, warm and inviting. Joining and twisting with the need that is coursing up from deep inside me. The zap of it runs over my skin – like it’s waiting for an invitation.

  He tugs me off the wall and pulls me in close to him as his tongue brushes across my teeth, and his fingers run through my hair, tilting my head back a little further. I consider that maybe I need to stop, that maybe breathing is important, but my fingers curl through his shirt, and I press myself against him instead.

  His hand leaves my hair and returns to my hip. Lifting me off the ground. Pressing me back against the wall so I’m exactly the same height as he is. His body against mine, holding me in place. His kiss moves from my lips to my neck.

  Down my neck and onto my shoulder.

  I moan and am delighted in the sound leaving my own lips. A sound that says ‘yes’ and ‘more’.

  The sound is still rolling over my throat when pain sears through my shoulder – pain that fills me with heat and makes my muscles quiver. Pain from his teeth, or rather his wolf’s teeth buried into my flesh.

  His teeth withdraw, a low growl vibrating through his chest and into mine. If I could respond, I would. I want to.

  I swallow hard to stop the impulse. Me growling in return would just be weird.

  He tugs at the front of my shirt – either ripping or popping open my buttons until my chest is bare. I don’t bother looking to see if the shirt is ruined.

  Don’t care.

  The cool air of the cave whispers over my flesh and dampens some of the heat from his magic. Delicious, intense, passionate heat. I want that heat – want more of it – want more of him.

  My right arm keeps a hold of his shirt, using it as support to keep the damaged limb out of the way. While my left hand slips under it, along the curves of his muscles, exploring the way he feels and wishing I had the strength to just rip his shirt off too. Instead, I push it up, and he grips my wrist in response. Pulling it from under his shirt and pinning it against the wall. Between the pressure of his body against mine and the hold he has on my hip, he manages to lift me up a little higher. Putting me where he wants me.

  His teeth scrape over my shoulder with just enough intensity to leave a trailing sensation. Then they push through my skin again, biting harder.

  I gasp and grit my teeth and enjoy it all at the same time.

  He presses into the bite, all canines. Exploring the moan that escapes me, the way my back arches and my breath quickens for a long moment before releasing me. Leaving me with four punctures and a thin trickle of blood – and wanting more.

  His tongue trails over the blood, over the second bite and up to the first.

  “Alpha!” Chaos shouts, dashing into the cave and completely shattering our moment.

  Slowly, my mate stands – my mate who won’t go any further than teasing the crap out of me.

  “What?” he growls at Chaos.

  “Darkness says incoming.”

  Danger.

  Alpha runs from the cave, grabbing his sword on the way past.

  “Stay with her,” he growls, then he’s gone.

  I pull the two ends of my shirt together over my chest. The buttons are gone, and all of our bags are on the horses outside. I’m stuck in here with a torn shirt. Which wouldn’t worry me except these guys have a stupid ‘don’t touch the new member’ bet going on, and I’m not about to walk around shirtless in front of these guys unless I’m also getting something out of it.

  “What’s going on?” I blurt out – because only blurting is going to distract me from my problems.

  Problems – plural because there is more than one. Me, crazy excited by my Alpha and now possibly in danger is a problem because the crazy excited part is screaming at me louder than the incoming danger part.

  I do spare a thought for the fact that trying to fight, defend myself, or even run with my shirt flapping open is going to be… more than difficult. Putting my mind to fixing that as I climb to my feet.

  Chaos collects his bow and quiver and stations himself at the door.

  “Ambush, according to Darkness,” he says, squatting down. “Get yourself back into the far corner, in case they get in here.”

  I tie the two ends of my shirt together, barely managing to cover myself. I am going to have to kick or slap or something, probably Alpha for leaving me in this position.

  Which is not the position I currently want to be in. I’d much rather be flat on my back on the soft cave floor with him on top of me, again, and his teeth in my flesh, again.

  “Who is it?” I ask Chaos, risking a glance over his shoulder – where I see nothing.

  “The TrackerSeeds we thought we’d misled yesterday.”

  “So only three of them?”

  He nods.

  “Where are the others?”

  “Hiding, waiting for the TrackerSeeds to start up the cliff towards us. Then we’ll take them out.”

  “Oh,” I manage, because that hardly sounds like we’re in a lot of danger at all.

  Actually sounds like they’re overreacting.

  I snag the blanket off the floor and do as I’ve been instructed, moving behind the stacks of crates to the far corner. I fling the blanket out wide and settle it into place, laying down flat on my back and linking my hands behind my head.

  “How long is this going to take?” I call out.

  “Shhh,” he hisses. “This is an art, not a science. Maybe go to sleep.”

  ‘Fine,’ I mouth, and I am going to leave it at that – until more words start tumbling out, “Maybe you should make me.”

  “You know I won’t,” he says, just casually, as if he’s not waiting in the shadows to shoot someone.

  “Not won’t, can’t. Pretty sure you’re just using this bet thing as an excuse, like your junk doesn’t work or something. Because I’m pretty sure if this were any other bet, you’d break it just for fun.”

  He lets out a rough-huffing sound that the cave itself seems to soak up. That I seem to soak up. So like the deliciously-desirous sounds my Alpha was making moments ago. The kind that get my toes curling and thighs tensing. The nerves shudder between my legs and up over my clit – making my mouth open in a little ‘o’ shape and my eyes roll up in surprise.

  I squeeze my ass and roll my hips upwards. Moving slowly, enjoying the way parts of me that I don’t even have names for tingle and shudder like they’re begging for the pleasure that Alpha was teasing me with. He turned me on, and when he got up and left the cave, he forgot to turn me off.

  And, I realize, my hand is already resting inside the waistband of my, ahem their, pants.

  To be honest, I’ve never had this problem before. I had one steady relationship with Jake at the Manor. Not that there were any other options – nor that we were open about it. Actually, now that I think about it, I pret
ty much just had one steady sexual partner. I wouldn’t even call what we were together a ‘couple’.

  We just snuck fucks in quiet moments.

  I sigh heavily because even if Jake was here now, I wouldn’t take what he’s got on offer. He just doesn’t compete anymore, and that is completely unfair because these four have nothing to offer. At least nothing they’re willing to share with me.

  Not really.

  Not in reality.

  But they don’t get a say about what I do to them, or what they do to me, in my imagination.

  I slip my hand lower, giving my pelvic floor a squeeze and tracing the shudder with my fingers. All the way down to dip in the moisture at my opening. Mine – so therefore I can do what I want with it. And right now I want to trace it up and around my folds. Pressing gently on my clit and having to gulp back the moan of pleasure that bubbles up inside of me.

  This is exactly where I wish Alpha’s hands were.

  Right here, gently rubbing and exploring.

  Screw him.

  I press my palm down and grind against it just once… screw that, twice, before seeking out my opening and wetting my fingers again. Alpha would rub me gently, in my dreams, and Chaos would rub with fast motions that build to friction that maked me –

  I bite my lip, which makes me gasp almost as badly as I was threatening to in the first place.

  Someone shouts outside. The ambush, I guess.

  But I don’t care. I’m picturing Allure’s long hair as he lowers his head between my legs – because damn that would feel amazing. I slip my hand out and lick my fingers, enjoying the salty taste maybe more than I should, before putting them back to work – now wetter. Still thinking of Allure’s tongue.

  “They’ve got it under control,” Chaos says from the doorway.

  “Uh-huh,” I manage, swallowing a few times to get my voice under control with every intention of saying something remotely smarter… but I give up in favor of pushing my fingers inside myself with hard strokes like I imagine Darkness would use.