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

by Kiki Howell

  She looked down at her naked body, drawing her knees up to cover herself, “Oh well, yes I could eat. I suppose I could whip us up something to snack on while we finish our preparations to carry out my mission.”

  He reached out to her, taking her into his arms, “I didn’t mean to upset you, darling. I only meant to express that I was hungry. The food can wait until after we shower if you really would like to join me.”

  Morrigana smiled up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears, “No it’s fine. Some people just don’t like company in the shower. Besides you don’t know my kitchen that well so it only makes sense that I make us something to eat.”

  She pulled away, “Go on. Go get your shower and meet me here when you are finished.”

  Kheelan pulled her back into his arms and kissed her forehead, “I’ll only be about fifteen minutes. Then we can get down to business. Again.”

  Morrigana chuckled, “I apologize for interrupting our business discussion. However, I was tired of talking about the mission ahead and couldn’t wait to have you again.”

  He chuckled with her, “Don’t apologize. I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to be able to hold out before I ravished you.”

  That brought a genuine smile to her lips and Kheelan was glad to see it. He stood, stretching his body out, “You said the bathroom was down the hall and to the left?”

  She shook her head as he helped her up, “Down the hall and to the right, not left. Fifteen minutes and I will be coming in there after you.”

  Morrigana winked as she gathered up her clothes and made her way down the hall ahead of him. He watched her walk out of the room, his eyes glued to her fine ass and wishing they didn’t have to speak of anymore business that night. However, he knew that if details weren’t set in stone, her mission could go sideways and he would have to answer to many; at the top of that list would be his father, then the Elders, and of course Frejya and the leaders of the Valsten Clan.

  Kheelan followed her out of the room, making his way down the hallway in search of the bathroom. She stopped in front of the bathroom door and waited for him to make his way to where she stood. She heard him before she saw him, his feet slapping against the wood flooring.

  When he came into view she opened the door to the room he had asked to use, “Here you go, Kheelan. Try not to take too long though as I would like to have a shower before we finish our business. I would like to get my mission started by this time tomorrow night. The sooner we start, the sooner it can be done and over with.”

  Morrigana smiled as she turned around and made her way to her room, leaving him standing in front of the open bathroom door. Kheelan watched her as she walked down the hallway until she disappeared around a corner. He couldn’t stop himself from watching her naked ass as she moved. Morrigana was something in clothing but she was simply a vision without them. Sighing once she had disappeared, he moved into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Kheelan knew they needed to make iron-clad plans to take out Christopher Perrie however he truly hoped they would have more time to explore each other more. There were many things he longed to do with her body before taking out her target and returning home.

  Grinning like the cat that ate the canary he went to the medicine cabinet where the mirror was located and reached out to it, calling his magic as he had done not more than twenty-four hours prior, and releasing it into the reflective surface before him. It didn’t take as long as before for his father’s face to replace his own.

  Hefeydd looked even angrier than he had the last time the two had spoken and Kheelan hadn’t been sure that was possible, “It’s only been nine hours since last we spoke, Kheelan. Are you calling to inform me that you’ve failed?”

  Kheelan wasn't quick enough to smother his own anger and tension when he answered, “No, Hefeydd, father, I haven't called on you to tell you that I've failed. I’ve called on you to tell you that I’ve succeeded. My plan to wait to contact the girl until today seems to have worked. I’m currently standing in her bathroom, in her home, after having discussed her legacy, and what is needed of her. I wanted to give you this update before I went on to discuss with her how to proceed.”

  His anger wasn’t lost on Hefeydd who gave him an ugly smile as he responded, “It also appears that you’ve discussed other issues than the business at hand with Morrigana, haven't you my dear son? What have I told you about getting involved with humans? What did Oren do? I'll tell you what Oren did! He disgraced his family, renounced his title and all that comes with it, betrayed his clan! For what? To live among filthy humans!”

  Kheelan returned his father's ugly smile as he interrupted his triad, “But, dear father, Morrigana is not human. You can't condemn me like you did Oren because I haven’t disregarded your rules. I successfully completed the first part of my mission. I will finish the second part of it, as well. What does it matter that Morrigana and I have sex? How could you possibly know if we have had sex or not?”

  Hefeydd was shaking his head, a cruel smile upon his lips when he replied, “You have been out among the humans to long, my son. You forget your place within this clan!”

  Kheelan shook his own head as he watched his father's true self begin to peek out of the mask he put on for anyone who was not close family, “No, father, I don’t forget my place. I remind you of yours. What was this mission supposed to accomplish?”

  He placed his index finger in front of his mouth as if pondering his question, “Oh, yes. Wasn’t it to prove that I was able to take your place on the throne? I believe that you needed me to show you I had what it took to lead our clan and, dear father, since you have already disowned your eldest son I am all that is left. I have completed the first part of my assignment and, after tomorrow night, Morrigana will complete hers, seeing that I complete the second part of my training. You see father, throughout this assignment of mine, I’ve had a plan of my own. It is almost time for me to execute it."

  Kheelan reached out and cleared the mirror. He was done trying to please his father and every word he had uttered to Hefeydd was truth. He had been sent on his warrior training assignment to succeed and over throw his father, and he had devised a plan to make sure he accomplished it. If Morrigana became a bigger part of his plan, then so be it. Kheelan leaned into the shower and turned on the tap, making sure that the water was as hot as he liked it before stepping into the tub.

  .

  Chapter Fourteen

  MORRIGANA WAS SETTING the serving tray containing the food she had prepped in the middle of the coffee table when Kheelan stepped into the living room. He looked disappointed to see that she was clothed but she didn’t want him to be distracted while they discussed her mark, the man she was to kill within two weeks. Morrigana still wasn’t feeling confident that Kheelan had the right girl for the job he claimed she had to take on. However, she didn’t want to let him, or her possible family, down so she was determined to hammer out the little details needed for her to accomplish that.

  She took a seat on the couch and ran her gaze along the length of Kheelan’s swimmer’s body. His hair was still wet from his shower and his chest was dotted with drops of water. Morrigana was appreciating the view when he decided to pull his shirt over his head, bringing her attention back to his face. She gave him a sexy pout as he joined her on the couch.

  Morrigana cleared her throat as he was getting settled, “So, tell me. What’s the plan to get to Christopher Perrie?”

  Kheelan grabbed the folder and picked up a sandwich as he answered, “As I was telling you before, he has found a way to avoid every Reaper that has been sent after him. There have been many number of Reapers that have been assigned to collect his soul, all of Faerie have lost count except I guesstimate the amount to be somewhere in the upper twenty’s, and none have been successful. Most of them have vanished into thin air, never returning to explain their failures. The Elders, and all the Fae community, fear the reasoning behind his ability to avoid his soul being taken is because he has bee
n capturing creatures of Faerie. Some of the Fae community have gone missing and, while not all of them are very important to some of the higher creatures in our world, their absence has been noticed and it’s causing some ripples in our world. We need to find out if these rumors are fact or if there is nothing to really worry about. If it turns out to be true, your mission will have gotten more difficult, as we will have to rescue as many of the missing Fae we can locate.”

  She looked down at her hands wondering, not for the first time since they had started talking about her mission. What powers did she have that made her different from an entire clan of Reapers? How were they so much more that it made them believe she could accomplish what so many of them couldn’t? Morrigana wanted to believe in herself, the way Kheelan and her clan did, even though she was afraid of so many things. Afraid she wasn’t the girl the warrior Fae had been charged to find. Afraid she was the girl they all had been looking for. Afraid of disappointing her family. Afraid of disappointing Kheelan. Afraid of not being able to complete the mission, and never getting to meet her family.

  He watched her looking at her hands and saw the emotions crossing her face, She’s doubting herself. Believing that she isn’t the long-lost Reaper; that when the time comes to prove herself the powers won’t manifest. How can I help her believe in herself? What can I say that will instill self-confidence in this amazing woman?

  Kheelan reached over and grasped her hands in one of his while placing his other on her face.

  Once he had her attention he gave her a reassuring smile, “You can do this, Morrigana. I really believe that you can. Take a deep breath and get some food into your system. While you’re eating, I’ll run through an idea of how we are going to do this, together I might add, and make sure there are little to no speed bumps along the way.”

  Morrigana reached over to the coffee table and plucked a sandwich off the serving tray, taking a bite.

  She watched as her companion did the same and waited until she had finished chewing to say anything, “We’re in this together, huh? Just how much pressure is there on you for me to complete this mission?”

  Kheelan smiled as he leaned back into the couch, “Well let’s just say that I can’t return home unless you have Perrie’s soul in hand, so I’d say I’m under just as much pressure as you are to make sure your mission is completed.”

  Morrigana set her sandwich down, “I’m just afraid that I’m going to disappoint my family and I’ll have to live here with the humans forever. I can’t go back to that. I won’t go return to that.”

  He looked at her for a minute, trying to put his thoughts into words, “What you need to do is stop second guessing your abilities. When the time comes to collect his soul, you will know exactly what to do. Look, let’s go over some of this information I have for Perrie and I’ll let you in on my thoughts as to how you’ll go about taking him out.”

  She set her sandwich down and watched as he reached over to collect the folder with Christopher Perrie’s information. Morrigana couldn’t believe that she was discussing taking someone’s life, much less their soul. Her stomach was turning as the importance of the situation began to weigh heavily in the air.

  Kheelan sat back, opening the folder, “Okay this is what we have; we’ve already discussed that he is overdue for his death and that he has avoided every Reaper your family has sent his way. I feel like I should tell you that your clan is one of the most powerful clans of Reapers in Faerie so you know where your powers are coming from. I hope that helps build your self-confidence some.”

  Morrigana picked up the picture she had briefly looked over earlier. She studied the man while her companion shuffled through papers.

  The human in the picture wasn’t much to look at; he was in his mid-thirty’s, five foot eight inches in height with gunmetal grey hair and slate blue eyes, “He doesn’t look all that dangerous, much less smart, so why are the older Reapers having such a hard time cashing in his death ticket? How old is this guy?”

  Her companion leaned forward with what looked like a birth certificate, pointing at the top line, “Do you see the year he was born?”

  She set the photo aside and looked at where Kheelan was pointing, gasping in shock, “According to this, the man should be in his seventies! Except he doesn’t look much older than thirty, maybe thirty-five. How is that possible? When was this picture taken?”

  Kheelan nodded to himself thinking, She’s the Reaper who has been missing for the last twenty years, I’m sure of it. Morrigana’s the perfect choice to help me overthrow my father and take over the throne. Even though she is having some self-doubt she keeps her cool and is asking all the right questions. All that’s left to do is see how she handles her powers after she taps into them later tonight. Yeah, all this pretty much sums up to being an assassination but it’s also the job of a Reaper, or at least it is for the Valsten Clan.

  Morrigana was looking at the photo again, looking for any signs of wrinkles or salt and pepper hair that she might have missed with her first glance.

  He watched her as she perused the picture and he couldn’t help hoping that she remembered what she was at the crucial moment of her mission, “The picture was taken three days ago by yours truly and the information on the birth certificate is correct. Perrie should be seventy-five years old and he has remained in his mid-thirty’s. The only possible explanation for him to look as young as he does, are the rumors of him capturing Fae are true.”

  She looked up from the picture, “But what kind of Fae could keep him in his mid-thirty’s? Better question, why would he stop at his thirty’s? Why not look younger?”

  Kheelan looked at the photo she was clutching in her hands, “There are certain kinds of Fae with powers that can keep a mortal young, almost immortal. That is where the Reapers come in. So, Morrigana, can you see why this is so important?”

  Morrigana looked up into the intense gaze of her companion, “I can’t believe that this ordinary looking man can be so clever. How did he even discover that there were other beings out in the world? Or other worlds for that matter? How does he discern between the Fae that could keep him young and those that weren’t worth anything to him? What does he do with the ones that can’t help him?”

  He took her hands in his, “I guess it goes to show you that looks can be deceiving because for all his ordinary looks he has been able to stay under the radar, ours and the humans. However, I believe that I have found a way for us to approach him without any suspicions.”

  She nodded, taking a deep breath to speak when he raised his hand and cut her off, “I shudder to think of what he has done with the Fae that he has not found a use for. Except I have to believe that he is the one who has been capturing the lesser Fae that have gone missing. The rumors of his actions started around the same time they disappeared. We need to save them, Morrigana, if that is all we manage to do in this mission of yours.”

  Morrigana leaned closer to him and gave him a brief hug, “I understand how important this is for you, Kheelan, and I will make this promise to you right this second; we will save all of the Fae that horrible man may have, and I will capture his soul.”

  She could see how much he wanted to do the right thing by his people, and she knew that she needed to dig deep within herself to try and grasp on the powers that the warrior Fae had been telling her she harbored. Rescuing any Fae Christopher Perrie may have locked away was only icing on the cake. It was important to Morrigana to save as many people’s lives as she could, and in order to do that she needed self-confidence; any way she was able to.

  Kheelan smiled as he caught her chin in his hand and gave her a quick kiss, “With that look of determination on your face I believe you. Listen, I need to return to my hotel room before we head over to your target’s home. I have to pick up the lantern you need to place Perrie’s soul in.”

  She stood up, “Do you need a ride there or is there some sort of ability that you haven’t shared with me that you have where you can just telep
ort from place to place?”

  He stood with her, “I was thinking we could have a little more fun before having to get down to business, but no I can’t teleport.”

  Morrigana grabbed Kheelan’s hand and led him down the hall and into her room, a knowing gleam in her eyes.

  .

  Chapter Fifteen

  AS THEY MADE their way into Morrigana’s room she turned to look at Kheelan, a soft smile playing on her lips, “Now, where were we?”

  She stood on her tiptoes, placing her hands on his chest for balance, and gave him a passionate kiss. When they parted, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, taking her breath away.

  Kheelan pulled her shirt off, taking her breasts into his hands, “I believe we were right here.”

  He lowered his head and took her left nipple into his mouth, tweaking her right nipple with his fingers. Her head fell back as she moaned, running her hands through his thick hair. He kissed his way down the front of her body, leaving a wet trail to the top of her sweat pants. Kheelan hooked his thumbs into the waistband and looked up at Morrigana’s face. He took in the heavy-lidded eyes and the flushed cheeks as he pulled her pants down in one swoop, helping her step out of them. She put her hands on his shoulders as she balanced from one foot to the other and watched him throw her sweats into the corner of her room.

  Kheelan licked his lips, “You’re so beautiful. I think it’s my turn to see how you taste.”

  Morrigana grinned, “Well then I believe we should move this over to the bed. You know, just in case my knees give out on me.”

  She moved to the king size bed, Kheelan watching her with an almost predatory look as she slowly swayed her hips to music only she could hear. He stood up and walked across the room to join her. Morrigana climbed onto the large bed, stopping in the middle, lying on her side, and patting the bed next to her. Kheelan stopped at the side of the bed, not climbing on after her, and looked at her body. There was a burning intensity in his gaze when she ran her hands along the front of her body, taking her breasts in hand and tweaking her nipples.