Cimmerian Shade: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Collection

by Kiki Howell

Kheelan looked up as Morrigana placed the serving tray on the coffee table next to the stack of magazines, “What’s all of this?”

  She cleared her throat as she grabbed the soda and liquor and began pouring them into the tumblers, “I figured we could both use a drink to help us change gears before diving into business, so I brought you one of my favorites. Oh, and I brought some sandwich fixings because, I don’t know about you but I worked up quite the appetite on our little detour.”

  Morrigana gave him a wink as she smiled as she put poured them each one of her favorite alcoholic drinks. She held out a filled glass, listening to the ice click as he accepted it from her. Morrigana took a seat on the chair next to the couch he was lounging on and took a long swallow from her own glass.

  She watched as Kheelan leisurely sipped his own and settled back into her chair, “So your note said that I’m Death, a Grim Reaper. Do you mean that I’m one of those hooded cloaked figures that carry a scythe?”

  He nodded and smiled at her, taking her breath away, as he set his glass on the coffee table, “Yes that’s what you are. Except humans have made Death into that vision. Reapers don’t look like that; they look very much like you. They’re just not human. Not even a little bit. You have lived among humans since you were an infant so you don’t know the kind of power you hold within your grasp. My father, my clan, has sent me here to show you the way of that very power. Your family, the Valsten Clan, came to my father, the King of the Dréggors Clan, in need of someone to come to the human realm and find you. Hefeydd decided that this would be the perfect warrior training assignment for me.”

  Morrigana set her cup down on the coffee table next to his, “Warrior training assignment?”

  Kheelan smiled, “Yes I am one of the Fae, what humans call the Faerie People. I happen to be from one of the warrior Fae clans, the more bloodthirsty of them actually. We have training assignments given to us at a certain age. It’s the way the King vets the best warriors for Faerie. Hefeydd is not only the King of my clan, he also happens to be my father. So, you can imagine that when your family came to him for help in finding you he took this as an opportunity to prove me a failure. I am trying to prove to him, my clan and myself that I have what it takes to be a warrior Fae.”

  She sat back as if all of the wind had been blown out of her sails, “That’s a lot to take in all at once, Kheelan. How do I know that you’re not just pulling my leg?”

  He leaned forward and placed his hand on her knee, “I understand that this sounds like some kind of joke but I promise you, Morrigana, everything I am telling you is the truth. However, this is only the beginning. There is more to tell you.”

  Morrigana sat up straight, “What do you mean there’s more?”

  Kheelan took a deep breath, picked his tumbler up and took a long swallow, “Your family is in trouble. Their magic is failing and they are sure it’s because you’re not in the mound where you should be. That’s why they came to my family for help. There is a mission that all Reapers must take part in once they turn seventeen and since you weren’t found until now, you are going to have to take on your mission three years late.”

  She stood in one fluid motion, pacing the living room floor in front of the coffee table, “What is this mission that I must take part in? Why do I have to take part in anything at all? Why can’t I just be returned to my family?”

  He stood with her, watching as she nervously paced in front of him, “Because your clan needs to know how powerful you really are before I can return you to the mound. I know it’s a shitty situation, except in order to help your family you need to tap into your powers and do everything in your means to beat this mission before time runs out.”

  Morrigana stood still, turning to look at Kheelan, “So I’m being tested? Like you are?”

  Kheelan nodded, “Something like that. Look we can get through this together. That’s part of my assignment, making sure you tap into your powers and helping you complete your mission.”

  She sat on the arm of the chair and met his gaze, “Okay, what’s this mission they have given me?”

  .

  Chapter Eleven

  KHEELAN STOOD AND took Morrigana into his arms, giving her a passionate kiss. Morrigana pulled back with a goofy grin on her face, “Does this mean business talk is over?”

  He smiled at her bluntness, “Unfortunately, no. We still have much to discuss.”

  She sat down again, “What else is there to discuss? I mean we have gone over why you’re here, who my family is and what they need from me. What more is there?”

  He had a seat himself, “Well there is the target we need to talk about and why he was picked for your mission, for one. How you’re going to go about it, for two. You know, just nailing down some of the little details.”

  Morrigana sighed, “What if I told you that I don’t want to do it? I don’t want to have all of this responsibility on my shoulders.”

  Kheelan opened his mouth to say something but she put her hand up and continued, “Listen, I know that I can’t go back to my life the way it used to be, not that I really want to because there were parts of my life that I didn’t care for, however I’m just not convinced that I’m the right Reaper for the job at hand. That’s all I’m saying.”

  He wasn’t sure what to say to that except he knew he had to try and convince her to take on the mission at hand, “I understand how you must feel, Morrigana, but there is a lot riding on you and how powerful you are.”

  She shook her head in denial, “I don’t have any powers. I can promise you, Kheelan, I am not all that powerful. I’m sure the Valsten Clan has the wrong girl. I mean, really how do you know for sure that I’m a Reaper?”

  Kheelan moved toward her, trying to take her into his arms once more, “I can feel the power that you have running underneath the surface, Morrigana. The Valsten Clan was not wrong about you. Twenty years ago, Frejya Strom of the Valsten Clan gave birth to a bouncing baby girl, thought to be the most powerful Reaper by the Elders of Faerie. Frejya knew that there would be a trial to test the girl’s abilities to prove her worth and instead of having her child go through the trauma she enlisted the help of a human woman who knew of all Fae. Asking this woman to raise her child as a human, Frejya made the toughest decision a mother of any race can make and handed her child over to this trusted human. Though she tried to keep tabs on the girl, Frejya eventually realized that the Elders also knew of her plan to keep the child away from the clan so she made another tough decision by leaving the child in the human realm without Fae contact. The human woman raised the young Reaper to the best of her abilities, knowing that when the girl became seventeen years old questions would be raised. The Valsten Clan’s powers began to fade and Frejya stepped forward, informing the Elders, as well as her clan, that her child was alive and well living among the humans. What I’m trying to say here, Morrigana, is that I’m fairly certain that you are that child. Come, sit down. Let’s talk details and go from there okay?”

  Morrigana let him lead her to the couch and pull her down to a seat next to him, “Okay let’s see what’s in the folder you brought with you and we’ll go from there.”

  He reached under the serving tray and pulled out the brown folder he had carried into the house with him.

  Opening it he took out a few photos, “This is your target. He’s one of the big wigs in this town; I’m sure he looks familiar to you. He has escaped Death too many times for it to be natural and we feel certain that he’s not that lucky by nature, either.”

  She leaned into him, their arms brushing as she took the picture he offered her, “He does look familiar. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him in the diner a few times and I know he’s been on TV a time or two.”

  Kheelan nodded, “Yes he’s one of the top guys who runs the town. Not sure exactly what position he holds or anything, except he is definitely someone of importance. Which is going to make your mission that much harder as you’re supposed to kill him.”

  Morrigan
a leapt to her feet, the picture tumbling to the floor at her feet, “Say what?! You want me to kill someone in office? Are you fucking insane??”

  He pulled on her hand, causing her to take a seat again, “No I’m not insane. As I said earlier he was supposed to die twenty years ago. There is no way a human can live as long as he has, clean living or not, and we all want to know how he has avoided Death this long. That is where you come in.”

  She shook her head again, not sure what she was going to do, “So not only am I supposed to kill this man but I’m also supposed to find out how he has escaped us for as long as he has? Geez couldn’t my family have given me a harder mission? This one seems like a piece of cake.”

  Kheelan hid a smile as he understood her sarcasm although he wasn’t finished telling her everything, “As I said his expiration date was up twenty years ago but he’s eluded every Reaper that’s been sent his way. You’re going to need to capture his soul, and to do that you’re going to need a special container. I happen to have that container except I didn’t bring it with me since I wasn’t sure how you were going to take this news. However, we can take a look at that after we sort out all of the little details. Unfortunately, this is the mission ahead of you but I will be here with you every step of the way. The Valsten Clan felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to get you to tap into your powers and bring you into the fold. They don’t care how you reach this goal, only that he is brought down.”

  Morrigana leaned down and picked up the photo lying on the floor, leaning closer to Kheelan, their arms brushing once again as she returned the picture to the table, “The Valsten Clan feels that I can accomplish this goal?”

  She was looking at him with a mixture of anxiety and longing and it was all he could do to restrain himself long enough to get through this part of his mission so he cleared his throat and gave her the truth, “Yes, they do. Not only does your clan feel you can do this, my clan does as well and so do I. I was sent for this reason; I’m supposed to help you with your mission. I can’t leave and return to my clan until you complete it. Oh yes, I should probably mention that if you don’t collect this man’s soul you can’t return home and neither can I.”

  Morrigana gave him a sexy smile, “Geez no pressure or anything. I mean, seriously, it’s feeling like an awful lot is riding on my ability to take care of this one man and bring his soul back home.”

  She shrugged, making up her mind, “Well if my family, your family and you have such faith in me I guess I should go ahead and accept the mission. However, I feel as if I should be apologizing ahead of time just in case it doesn’t turn out the way you all think it will.”

  Kheelan gave her a grin as he pulled her onto his lap, “Of course you’d feel like you need to apologize, darling. But I promise you that you are more than up for this.”

  .

  Chapter Twelve

  MORRIGANA LOOKED AT Kheelan, the desire they were both feeling swirling through the air.

  She gave him a seductive smile as she stood, her skin felt tight as she moved the coffee table away from the couch, “So you’re here until I complete my mission?”

  Kheelan nodded as he watched her pull at the collar of her shirt, “Uh-huh. Yup, can’t go home until you’ve killed Christopher Perrie and collected his soul.”

  He settled into the couch, watching as she moved slowly toward him, the lust shining bright in her eyes. Kheelan couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have been assigned to such a head strong woman, a woman who’d just found out that she wasn’t human. He’d had his reservations when his father had first approached him about it while he was trailing her, but after the discussion they had finished he was sure his assignment was going to be cake compared to Morrigana’s mission. Hers was going to be a bit more difficult for her to handle since she had never done anything like it before, however Kheelan was going to be by her side throughout the whole ordeal.

  Once Morrigana reached the couch she straddled him, leaning close and whispering into his ear, “How much time do I have to complete this mission?”

  He swallowed thickly before answering, trying to keep his mind on the business at hand, “Uh, two weeks. I apologize for such short notice except it took me longer than I had anticipated gathering the courage to approach you.”

  She kissed his neck, “Two weeks huh? I can accomplish anything in two weeks.”

  Morrigana pulled back, looking deep into Kheelan’s eyes before capturing his mouth with her own. She clutched him like she was drowning and he was a life preserver. He kissed her like he was a dying man in the desert and she was his first drink of water.

  The building desire took hold and swept both of them away. Morrigana moved her burning kisses down his neck, pulling his t-shirt over his head and exposing the highly toned abs she’d been aching to touch since he had walked into her work. She ran her fingers down his naked chest, marveling at the fact there was no hair. Morrigana kissed along Kheelan’s jawline, making her way down his chest leaving a wet trail down to the top of his jeans. Climbing off his lap she slowly unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper down, pulling his cock free of its confinement.

  She looked up at him, meeting his gaze as she gave him a secret smile. Morrigana tugged on his jeans, helping him pull them off. She sat back on the balls of her feet as she gazed at the perfection sitting before her, running her nails up Kheelan’s legs. She giggled as he inhaled deeply, moving her hand up to grip his hardening cock. Morrigana kept her gaze on Kheelan’s face as she leaned forward and blew lightly on the warm body part in her hand. She could feel the heartbeat in her palm as her grip tightened slightly and she licked the mushroom tip. His eyes closed as his head fell back onto the couch.

  Morrigana wrapped her lips around the tip of Kheelan’s cock, tired of the games the two had been playing with each other through the night. She couldn’t wait to taste him and she licked the underside, feeling the vein there. Morrigana smiled as Kheelan’s cock twitched in her mouth. She rolled her eyes up to look at the man she was pleasuring and watched as his eyes rolled up in the back of his head. His hips began to move, pushing himself further into her mouth with an urgency she knew all too well. Morrigana knew that Kheelan was close to emptying his seed, and she couldn’t wait to savor every drop.

  He pushed himself deep into her throat one last time as a growl escaped his lips and he let himself go. She swallowed as fast as she could; feeling satisfaction in knowing that she had this effect on such a man.

  Kheelan ran his fingers through Morrigana’s hair, pulling slightly to get her attention.

  She slid her mouth off his spent cock and gave him a smile, “You seem to have enjoyed yourself, sweets.”

  He tugged on her hair once more before letting his hands fall away while he recovered his voice, “I most definitely did. Unfortunately, I will need a little time to recover. Whatever will we do with that time?”

  Kheelan stood and stretched, showing Morrigana his strength as he helped her to her feet.

  He watched her as she had a seat on the couch while he stood in front of her with is hands on his naked hips, “There is something off here, my dear.”

  She blinked at him with false innocence, “Whatever can that be?”

  Kheelan leaned over her, tugging on her shirt, “I seem to be at a disadvantage as I am naked as a jay bird while you sit before me with all of your clothes on.”

  Morrigana chuckled, “I wonder if there is something we can do about that, hmm?”

  He reached down and pulled her to her feet, “Oh I believe that there is.”

  She lifted her arms as he pulled her shirt off over her head, stepping back to take in the view.

  Kheelan stepped closer to her, reaching behind to unfasten her bra, and freeing her breasts. His sharp intake of breath emboldened her and she reached up, taking her breasts into her hands. Kheelan watched as she massaged them, offering them up for his mouth. He leaned over her, taking her right breast into his mouth and swirling his tongue around her ha
rdening nipple. Morrigana moaned as she arched her back, enjoying the attention Kheelan was bestowing upon her body. He moved his head to the left breast giving it the same attention as he had the right, taking the right breast in hand and pulling on the nipple slightly.

  She pulled his head up, looking into his eyes as he stood to his full height. Kheelan reached down and lifted her up, causing her to wrap her legs around him as she moved her hips to settle herself onto his waiting cock. Morrigana gasped in surprise when she felt that he was recovered and ready to have sex again so soon. The two stood still, neither daring to move, staring into each other’s eyes; each of them waiting for the other to make their move. Kheelan gasped as Morrigana began to pull herself up, almost completely off the one thing holding them together, then slammed herself down. She continued to move, bringing them closer to the brink of ecstasy.

  .

  Chapter Thirteen

  KHEELAN AND MORRIGANA lay on the floor holding onto each other as the clock struck midnight. He looked over at the gorgeous woman lying next him, wondering what his father would think if he saw the two of them together. Knowing that Morrigana wasn’t human might be the only saving grace Kheelan would have from the King of the Dréggors Clan. He shook his head, chasing away the dreadful thoughts as the Reaper in his arms stretched.

  She turned onto her back, looking at the warrior Fae next to her, “We should get cleaned up. There is a matter of someone’s soul to be collected that we should continue to discuss. Don’t you think?”

  He smiled at her, running his hand along her side, “I suppose we should. Do you mind if I take a shower?”

  Morrigana sat up, a gleam in her eye, “A shower is a wonderful idea. The bathroom is down the hall to your right. I’ll let you shower first. Unless you want me to join you?”

  Kheelan laughed, “I don’t know about you but I worked up quite an appetite with that workout. Do you think you could fix us something to eat while I’m in the shower?”