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

by Kiki Howell

  “I am not light-headed. This is called shock. People don’t just pop in and out of thin air. I’m more open-minded than most, but you have got to admit this is a bit much. Believe me, I have lots more questions to ask you, but I’ll start again with who are you, and where did you come from?”

  “Since you won’t eat first, we’ll take it with us when I show you the answer to your question.” Drayden placed his palms at either side of her face and gazed into her eyes. “I’m pleased that you summoned me. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m getting to that, and you can start by answering my questions.” She placed her finger in her mouth as her body started demanding more than a visual. “But, on second thought, if you’re going to take me to your place later, I guess I can wait. How did you know when I was awake?”

  His strong fingers brushed her skin as he lifted the necklace. “You touched this when you woke. That’s how I knew when to send your meal.”

  She slid her tongue along the inside of her top lip, then bit down on her lower lip with her teeth, baiting him. “Mmm. Strange and cool all at once, just like you.”

  Drayden grabbed her by the waist and pulled her flush against him before she could gasp, then covered her lips with his own as he kneaded her back. She managed to get her hands between them, throw off his cloak, cursing it as she threw it to the side, and remove his shirt, revealing his broad shoulders and muscular chest. Energy seemed to resonate from his torso as he stepped back, continued to hold her to him with one hand, and finished undressing with the precision and natural sensuality of a stripper.

  She hungered for a taste of him and stood still, watching him, unable to walk away.

  He glanced at her, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “More excitement?”

  Treva couldn’t keep herself from smiling. She felt relieved, although she couldn’t explain why, as desire rushed through her body in a wave that propelled her towards him. The way he’d just pulled her to him left no doubt that he wanted her as much as she wanted him, and the sense of joy flooding her at that realization, frightened her. She hadn’t needed anyone in a long time, and she did not want to start. Needing someone else meant unbearable pain when they were taken away, and in her experience, they were always taken away.

  Treva shook her head, slamming the lid on her encroaching fear, and wrapped her arms around his neck, inviting him to lift her.

  DRAYDEN ACCEPTED, LIFTING her with one arm wrapped around her waist and the other hand gripping her ample bottom. Her soft, tender flesh rode him like a pronged leash, forcing him to rein in his strength so as not to hurt her...his dangerous, delicate beauty.

  Leaning in, she kissed his neck and seemed to be inhaling his scent.

  He wanted to touch her everywhere at once, his large, rough hands roaming her delicious body, but he had to be careful. The two kills the night before offered him a short reprieve from his beastly form, but her skin seared his, fiery, volatile, and the resulting kinetic energy rushed through his entire body as he touched her. He placed her on her back.

  No sooner had he let her go than she rolled over onto her stomach and positioned herself on her hands and knees. She stretched her arms out in front of her and turned to offer him a mischievous grin over her shoulder.

  His heart leapt into his throat, the level of restraint required left him barely enough strength to breathe, and he had to close his eyes a few moments to jumpstart his heart again. He knew she heard him whispering, but prayed she couldn’t understand what he was saying. His native tongue sprang forth in a rush of air as he slid his hands under her, gliding from her soft, full breasts down her silky stomach, and lifted her bottom so she was on her knees on the bed, her luscious bottom stealing his breath again.

  He leaned forward, placed one of his knees on the foot of the bed, and tested the hot, moist entrance of her core with the tip of his finger, then licked the appendage clean. The scent and taste of her arousal served to heighten his even more.

  She moaned softly, and he wanted her more than reason. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he knew it was beyond normal for her body to be ready for him with so little foreplay, but every signal invited him closer.

  He pressed just inside her entrance, sending shockwaves through his entire body, pulled back, and thrust halfway into her creamy core once again. She was slick with desire, the walls of her sheath stretching to accommodate him, and he waited again, every movement requiring careful control. Fiery hot and tight against him, every nerve ending inside her was perfectly aligned with his cock. She pushed back, and he wanted nothing more than to give her what she sought, all of him, everything. Drayden leaned onto her back and plunged into her welcoming pussy again.

  The pulsating walls at her center rippled and gripped him, adding coal to the already raging fire inside him. He cupped her soft round bottom in his palms, placing his broad shoulders between her silky thighs to lift her, and wrapped her legs around his waist for greater access.

  As he leaned over, she grabbed a handful of his hair, pulled his face to hers, and pressed her lips to his. Their tongues danced wildly, mimicking their frenzied bodies as they pumped with abandon. She broke a dam inside him, as if she had always been the means to freedom, yet he sensed that her carefree spirit could never fathom the extent of her effect on him. Centuries of existence offered him a unique perspective, and he knew that no matter the outcome, there would be no coming back from this union. Loving her would either save or destroy the life he’d come to know.

  He groaned as he plunged deeper inside her, forcing her to open completely. He suddenly pulled back, then returned more slowly, forcefully, with a distinct rhythm this time. The beat quickened as she began to cry out again, beckoning, pulling him closer, her voice husky with need. It called to him as if he heard a native drum far in the distance. The ease with which their bodies moved together, the way she felt, the scent and taste of her, everything within him answered to her primitive call. This time, she clearly affirmed and encouraged his hold on her. The friction they produced grew more and more intense as the extreme pleasure and need became tinged with something addictive, out of his control.

  AT FIRST, TREVA HAD felt him pull back again and thrust, but never more than halfway. She could feel the hard length of him against the crease of her buttocks, and even that was titillating. She could actually feel what more he had to offer her, but for some reason he’d refused to give in. Tension began to build inside her again, and she could not remain still. The ache inside her had built to a keening wail.

  As her movements became more agitated, he’d quickly flipped her over onto her back to face him. She had opened her mouth but had no time to make a sound before he positioned his firm, muscular hips between her open legs, pulled her legs toward him so her knees braced against his chest, and thrust inside her again. He lifted her buttocks, sliding his knees under her so her bottom rested on his strong thighs, and thrust the full length of his iron rod into her welcoming entrance inch by delicious inch.

  The pleasure she felt became nearly unbearable as her canal, even tighter than usual because of the position he’d placed her in, gave way to his invasion. She heard gasps and cries before she realized it was her making the sounds in time with his thrusts.

  Treva reached up and pulled his hair from behind, forcing his head back, and he increased the tempo again, meeting her silent demand for more, deeper, faster. She clung to his back, digging in to claim him once and for all, bringing forth a feral sound from his throat that made her insatiable. She felt herself falling, pleasure and pain so entwined that she needed both to be satisfied. She knew in that instant, only he could do this to her. She realized she was not only overwhelmed by what he did to her body, but she could feel what he felt as well, much like a channel for his energy.

  Before she could fully comprehend what was happening between herself and this mysterious man, her body lost control, and she could no longer think. Her writhing essence gripped him, and her legs tightened around him. She fel
t her own explosion as well as his rush up from deep inside her as a pulsating force pushed them from the precipice and they were floating. Everything else receded to the background. As she fell, she knew that she was lost—lost in a fantasy she had never believed possible.

  Chapter Six

  DRAYDEN WOKE FIRST to a blinding headache, alerting him that his time of reprieve was nearly over. He felt Treva’s soft, silky legs sprawled across his, and her fingers splayed across his lower abdomen in an unconscious display of ownership. As much as he wanted to stay, he gently extricated himself from her hold, then stood, placing his index fingers at his temples to ease the pain.

  “Hey.”

  He turned at the sound of her soft voice.

  She lay on her side, supporting her torso with her elbow as she faced him. “You okay?”

  “Fine. Are you ready for me to take you to my place now?” He fought to keep the gruffness out of his voice.

  She rolled over, facing forward, and balanced her weight on both elbows. “Please do. Do you think I should shower again first? I’m not meeting your mom, am I?”

  “No, there’s no need. There’s a shower there, of course, and unfortunately, my mother crossed over a very long time ago. Trust me?”

  She squinted her eyes. “Why not? You did save my life, and I imagine if you wanted to hurt me you would have done it ten different ways by now. Why am I trusting you this time?”

  He couldn’t begin to explain, so he did the only thing he knew. Without another word, he lightly touched her forehead with his palm, and she sank into his arms. He looked down at his precious cargo, again admiring her exotic beauty before opening a portal. He then stepped through.

  Drayden placed Treva in his bed as soon as he entered his castle through the portal. Leaving her there to rest, he descended through the tunnels and into the communal dining area of the underground home he shared with other residents of Shoftiel’s, the punishing angel who oversaw the tunnels and maintained them as a home for his unique charges, those with special skills like Drayden who did not play well with others.

  “Why would you bring her here?” Sebastian voiced the same question every member of their make-shift family would ask as soon as they found out that Drayden had brought an outsider into their underground dimension.

  “She doesn’t even know this place exists. She’s in the castle,” Drayden replied.

  “And that’s way too close. Just how long do you think it will take for your human keepsake to find out about our little slice of Cimmerian heaven?” Sebastien lifted his brow, staring at Drayden over a chunk of bloody meat. “All she has to do is decide to come down here, and then what are you going to do?”

  Drayden was certain he did not want to know what kind of meat his friend seemed to be enjoying so much, and he certainly did not want to continue the conversation. He rubbed his stomach and stretched his neck from side to side as he spoke, attempting to quiet his own concern and relieve the tension at the base of his skull. “No, she’d have to step down onto a narrow, completely dark stairway, then find her way through a maze of winding, dark tunnels. I doubt that she’ll be coming down here. Shoftiel wanted two targets eliminated, and he wants her safe. I eliminated the targets, and now I’m keeping her safe.”

  “Hmph. Don’t you think it’s interesting that all of a sudden he asked you to bring one of them down here? He’s never done that before, has he?”

  Drayden sighed. Sebastian would not leave it alone. “It is, and you know he hasn’t. I don’t attempt to make sense of Shoftiel’s complex mind, and I’d suggest you follow suit.”

  Drayden stepped over to the gas refrigerator and swung the door open. He tried not to think about what Shoftiel’s reaction would be when the punishing angel discovered exactly what he had done. Yes, he’d left the stone with her, but the punishing angel did not know he’d brought her to their dimension.

  Sebastian spoke to Drayden’s back, “Talkative and forthcoming as usual, I see.”

  Drayden would never mention it to anyone, but he’d wondered what was so special about the human woman since Shoftiel had given him the task of saving her. The moment he saw her, however, he felt as if his unasked questions had been answered. Her beauty made it difficult to look away from her. Shoftiel’s orders had been simple: Drayden was to watch over her, save her if necessary, and protect her. Otherwise, the night they met would have been her last. The moment Drayden had seen her among the throng of chaos, something about her presence silenced everything else around him, as if some unseen force had clicked a selective mute button. He heard her beckoning heartbeat as she moved, a sultry, curvaceous form that would catch the eye of any man. Every other sound and distraction faded as he watched her move, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, his desire for her had been unmistakable since that moment, and she hadn’t even spoken. The sound of her voice simply acted as an additional anchor, luring him and holding him close to her.

  He pinched the area between his eyes, attempting to regain control of his wayward thoughts. Since the curse, he could not remember reacting to a human this way, and his memory was long and infallible. Still, he couldn’t deny the pleasure he’d felt upon hearing her summon him, nor could he deny his eagerness to return to her right now, and this troubled him even more. He’d tasted forbidden fruit, and now he would pay the price over and over again. The soft curves of her delectable, albeit forbidden body offered warmth, passion, and a sense of coming home that he’d never experienced before. The reminder niggled at him, always there. You are no longer a man. If she ever sees what you really are, she will curse you.

  He duplicated the contents of Treva’s tray and set the two meals side by side to take back upstairs. The scent of food reminded him how hungry he was. Shifting always took a great deal out of him, and the previous night was no exception, not to mention they had made love well into the morning hours. It felt as if once he touched her, he couldn’t let her go. Guilt rode him. He hadn’t even tried to resist, and had in fact returned for more. He left the common area and went down the passageway to his quarters while their dinners heated. Once inside, Drayden removed the cloak then donned a blue T-shirt and worn jeans before climbing the stairs to serve dinner to his new guest.

  TREVA’S NOSE ALERTED her to a titillating combination of scents that evoked an unladylike answering growl from her stomach, and her gaze immediately landed on the bearer of the feast. “Where are we?” She kept her voice calm.

  “Don’t be frightened.”

  “Why would I be frightened? You told me we were coming to your place, and I assume this must be it. It’s just that one minute, we were standing in the hotel room, and now we’re here...wherever here is. So, again I ask, where are we?

  “I am pleased that you’re not afraid. Welcome to my home, Treva.”

  She surveyed the room, taking in the king-sized Baroque-style bed Drayden had placed her on, ornate ironwork, and huge etched pillars dividing the bedroom from what appeared to be a dining area. Precious jewels were everywhere. Her mother had made sure she could identify them on sight. Since the death of her parents and brothers, there had only been one other person who looked after her. She couldn’t help wondering why Drayden had suddenly shown up, and how he’d known her life was in danger. She couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of money he or his family must have to live so luxuriously. From where she sat, Drayden’s home was like castles she’d only seen and read about in fairytales.

  Without another word, he sauntered into the dining area and proceeded to set their plates on the small, round, dining table.

  To her surprise, the table was decorated with red roses and candles.

  “Come. Eat while our food is hot. I will give you a guided tour later, if you like.”

  She slid to the edge of the king-sized bed and stood, gingerly placing her feet on the decorative stone floor to get her bearings before joining him at the table. Like the surroundings, he seemed so formal here. She imagined him as some kind of Lord of the Mano
r again. Something about him reminded her of a regal lion kept at bay by the shredded threads of civilization. Just as she had seen it in his eyes the moment she looked into them when he reached down to save her, fire burned in the impossibly dark depths as he watched her now.

  Although she had just met him, Drayden’s gaze lit a matching blaze inside her that she couldn’t explain, and in that moment, she was reminded again that she wanted to know everything about him. The thin cotton T-shirt accentuated his broad shoulders and wide chest, eliciting memories of how he had moved against her, but something volatile lay just beneath the surface, something much deeper, magnetic, even. The way he’d made love to her served as proof that he had either been with many women, or he’d been carefully taught to please. Her gaze was drawn to the mysterious tattoos on his arms, and the seemingly related images etched into the large, arched pavilion window across the room.

  Unable to pass the dark red roses without smelling them, she stopped. “Are these for me?” Treva smiled as she fingered the fragrant blooms.

  “They are. You outshine them by far.”

  Treva glanced at Drayden, but decided not to respond before continuing on to the window. Darkness limited her to small pieces of the scenery, but the moon illuminated the outlines of trees and water. She turned. “Are we on the beach?”

  Drayden stepped up behind her, his chest grazing her left shoulder. “Yes, and no.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” She found his unwillingness to give her a straight answer and reveal their location annoying to say the least.

  Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her to face him. “This land is private, so it’s not visible to the public. In fact, you won’t find it on a map anywhere. That means that when you leave, you can never tell anyone about it.”