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

by Kiki Howell

  “Marquis Dracon de Sorcier, I believe we have something of yours.” The creature’s voice sounded too close.

  With no idea how many wounds she had sustained, she heard a name she thought she should know, and it came from the mouth of one of the creatures. She tried to move to a better vantage point, closer to Drayden, but two clawed feet suddenly appeared in front of her and she knew, too late, why the grating voice had sounded so close. Claws dug into her shoulder, but she refused to cry out. The muscles in her limbs throbbed as sensory memory goaded her to fight, but her instinct for survival was stronger. Overcoming men was one thing, but battling demons was something else entirely. Remaining silent, Treva allowed the creature to lift her from the floor. Everything else seemed to stop. The warehouse was completely silent, but instead of fearing for her life, she found herself wondering if the awful things had managed to destroy their opponent.

  The creature lifted her up, then drug her into the middle of the room where the other one like him waited. As soon as he set her on her feet, she realized she was surrounded by more of them, just like the one who had just mutilated her shoulder. Some flew above, some walked, and some even seemed to float, but they all moved in closer, staring at her as if she were a novelty, something they had never seen before. The creature in the white shirt approached her, smiling. His brown teeth had holes in them, and she cringed, praying that he wouldn’t touch her.

  The thing touched her hair, then lifted it and brought it to his nose.

  “Leave her alone, Theon.” The speaker came from behind the throng of creatures, and she recognized Drayden’s voice.

  The creature called Theon let go of her hair and waved his arms for the others to open a pathway. “Surrender, Lord Dracon. Your sorcery won’t help you now, but it could help this beautiful possession you seem to care so much about. She’s a fighter. I see why she’s broken through that shield of yours, but I digress. Your skills will certainly help me. That’s the only reason you’re still living. Give me your word that you will surrender to me, and I will let her go.”

  If she had been able to take a step back, she would have, but instead, she stood there with her mouth open. What she saw had the head of a black lion, horns of a ram, sharp, bloody claws, and the tail of a legendary animal she’d only seen in books: a dragon. Her entire system seemed to go into overdrive. She heard her heart drumming in her ears as she stared at him. Her mind raced with questions, and her heart ached with an emotion she had all but left behind. He had lied to her, and she couldn’t help but wonder what else he had lied about.

  “Do you really believe you can build a new society of druids by bartering your soul with demons? The days of the druids are over, and we never allied ourselves with demons. In fact, we hunted and destroyed millions of them. You are lost, Theon,” Drayden said.

  “It doesn’t matter how it comes about, Dracon. There will be a neo-druidism movement, and it will begin with me.

  “Drayden?” His name came out of her mouth a husky whisper. She could hardly breathe because she already knew it was him. The implications sent her reeling as pain, betrayal, fury, and sadness warred for first place.

  “Yes, Lady Treva. It’s me.”

  “Drayden. Drayden?” The head thing mocked her.

  “Is that what you told her your name was, sorcerer? Well, I suppose they say the best lies are those that closely resemble the truth.” It laughed, a high-pitched, grating sound. It then turned to her. “Lady Treva, I assure you that his name is not Drayden. His name is, and will always be, Lord Dracon de Sorcier, or literally, the dragon sorcerer. Not that he was a dragon, mind you, but that he was born the sorcerer of sorcerers. I do my research.” He grinned, his red eyes gleaming.

  “Stop the dramatics, Theon, and I will come with you.”

  “I don’t just want you to come with me. You will serve me as you have served Shoftiel.”

  “I serve Shoftiel not because he forced my hand, but because I owe him a debt.”

  “You’ll owe me a debt, too. Your Lady Treva’s life. Is that worth enough to you?”

  “I said let her go. I will do as you say.”

  “Wise decision. But, then, you were always known for your wisdom.” Theon turned to the two creatures holding her. “Let her go to him. I’m sure she’s never seen him up close for the beast that he is.”

  Treva shook herself loose and ran to Drayden as soon as they relaxed their hold on her. He dropped his head as she got closer, but she continued, taking the last few steps until she reached him. She touched his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her. His eyes were the same, deep, dark pools of fire, and she smiled. Despite the fact that she was staring into the face of what should have been a frightening beast, his voice, his eyes, and his actions overshadowed his superficial appearance. She hated being lied to, but from what she had just heard, his secrets were so dangerous that she tried to understand his deception. What she had heard and seen most was that he was willing to sacrifice his life for her.

  “I’m sure there’s a story behind this,” she said. “I want to hear it, word for word. That means you can’t go with the thing back there, so think fast.” She rubbed his mane and kissed him on the cheek, not quite able to bring herself to kiss his lion mouth.

  “You are a hard woman to shock, my lady, but you should go.”

  “Yeah. I get that all the time, and I’m not about to leave you with these...things.” she said, her brain working overtime to come up with a way out of their seemingly impossible situation.

  “Can we at least get some light in this damnable place?” a voice interjected.

  The demons started running and flying towards the exits, trying frantically to escape.

  Treva glanced at the warehouse door and saw Shoftiel leaning against the doorframe, looking pissed.

  “Damned demons. I hate a damned demon. You always think you’re so smart but you never learn anything. You just keep coming back for more. Oh, maybe I’m being unfair. You can’t learn anything because you’re idiots!”

  One by one, no matter how far from him they’d managed to get, their bodies started bursting into flames. The air cleared immediately, and the dark pall shrouding the large building was lifted. Shoftiel came closer to them and folded his arms. He gave Drayden a once-over, his pale green eyes traveling the length of his body, dragon tail and all. “I know you think I forgot to allow you to shift to your true form again, but I wanted you to stay in the form of the beast until I was certain.”

  “Certain of what?” Treva asked.

  Shoftiel’s cold green eyes shifted in her direction for an instant, then he looked from Drayden to her again. “His love for you is obvious, but do you love him?”

  “Of course, I love him,” she responded, indignant. The fact she stood there stroking his...fur should have been proof of that, she thought.

  He turned to Drayden again. “Are you satisfied now?”

  Drayden smiled, his lion lips tilting up at the corners.

  Treva backed away from him with her hands on her hips. “Are you serious? Look at me. I’m bruised and scratched, the whole time all I could think about was you, and you want your damn ego stroked?”

  Drayden raised his claws in submission, and they immediately started shifting to his human hands. “No. That’s not it at all. You know me better than that. It’s just part of the curse. I needed you to actually speak the words for it to be broken.”

  Moments later, Drayden dropped to his knees as the curse was removed and his body shifted back to normal for the last time.

  Immediately, she saw the holes and burns riddling is body. The impact of the risk he had taken, what he had just endured to destroy her final two targets, struck her like a furious slap, and she knelt beside him, gingerly touching one of his wounds. “If Shoftiel hadn’t sent me, you never would have told me what you were facing...what I would have faced if you hadn’t stepped in to protect me.” A fiery storm of possession, desire, and love rose up, enveloping her to a po
int where she could no longer speak. Her face felt hot, and the sensation of one long-awaited tear escaped her left eye and rolled down her cheek.

  Drayden frowned, reaching over to wipe the tear with his large thumb. “Don’t cry, my lady. I’m healing myself right now. We druids heal quickly, and we are extremely hard to kill; however, your tears will break my heart.”

  Shoftiel touched Treva’s shoulder, and her scrapes and bruises, along with the pain, disappeared.

  Treva ran her fingers through Drayden’s hair, needing to touch him, then wrapped her arms around herself as her breath stopped in her throat. There were so many things she needed to know, she had no idea where to begin. Secrets, lies, curses, each new piece of information felt more overwhelming than the last.

  Shoftiel addressed Drayden first, then offered a challenge to both of them. “This is the end of your debt to me, but you are always welcome, should you choose to remain. As you know, my circle of friends is decidedly small. I’ll leave you two kids to sort this out.” He turned and left the warehouse.

  Chapter Nine

  TREVA LOOKED DOWN at Drayden with mixed parts of anger, confusion, and relief. All she could think about was how empty her life would be without him, and the thought of him risking his life frightened her. Anger always proved itself easier to acknowledge than fear. She reined in her temper before she spoke, “Tell me everything, or I swear to God, no matter how much I love you, I will leave here and you and your underground friends will never see me again.”

  He stood and grabbed her, pulling her so tight against him she could hardly breathe.

  She glanced down, shocked to find his wounds almost completely healed, then gasped when their eyes met. The fire in his dark, narrowed depths singed her with command and possession, and despite her considerable belief in her ability to resist, she felt her body, mind, and heart melting in his arms.

  “You wanted to know me, so I gave you the dreams. I will explain everything you do not understand, but accept this once and for all. There is no place on this Earth or beyond, where I will not find you. I love and respect you, Lady Treva, but let there be no doubt. No matter how angry you may be right now, nothing will ever give you the right to walk away from me again. You are mine, and you will never be alone again.”

  Drayden’s words and actions made her aware of a place inside her that she’d never acknowledged as he held her in his embrace until her breathing slowed, melding with his.

  “I rented your room at the hotel for two weeks, and my home is more private than anyplace I can think of. The choice of location is yours. I’ll fill in the missing pieces.”

  “Let’s go back to the hotel, then. I don’t want to be underground or in another dimension, or wherever, right now. I need to be surrounded by something normal.”

  He smiled, gathering her hair in his hands as he gazed into her eyes. “Understood.”

  The moment he spoke the word, his smile widened, and she had no idea how he did it, but they were standing in the middle of her hotel room again. She pushed him, backing up to turn in a circle, palms up. She had started laughing before she could stop herself. Treva folded her arms, shaking her head from side to side. “In whose world is this normal?”

  “Ours,” he drawled. “Yours and mine. Most just never have the opportunity to see it. How do you think I won you those precious toys you wanted so badly?” he said, pointing to the stuffed animals.

  She walked towards him and took a seat at the small dining table. “Okay. Start talking, and now that I think about it, I don’t need all the details. Just tell me about this curse that I broke.”

  “I lived in a druid compound for several years, and carelessly developed a relationship with the druidess, Hilary. When my mother’s husband, the marquis, passed on, I returned to accept the title and assist my mother. Hilary became furious, cursed me to walk as a beast for the rest of my days, and sacrificed herself to seal the deal. When Shoftiel found me, he taught me how to buy time to walk in my human form by destroying the bodies of damned souls and sending them to him for imprisonment. That was the agreement he spoke of moments ago. To break the curse completely, I had to find true love, and the object of this love, you, had to return it.”

  Treva allowed the information to sink in. “So, it really is like a fantasy, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Is that such a bad thing, my lady?”

  “No. I just never expected it to be a part of my life. Did you love her?”

  “I cared for her, but no. I was never in love with her. I know it’s hard to believe, but I have never been in love with another woman before you, Lady Treva. I spent most of my years keeping the beast at bay as long as possible, and I have been with many women in human form for short periods of time, but I have never met another that I wanted from the moment I saw her, except you.” Drayden stood and held out his hand to help her up, leaning over and lifting her from the chair. “Come. Let’s celebrate in our own way.”

  They stood face to face, and her body reacted to the power in his eyes, vibrating throughout. She felt his warm breath on her face, brushing her lips, but instead of acting on the fireworks immediately, he led her around the bar separating the two rooms, and into the small kitchenette. She was still reeling from the turn her life had taken since meeting him.

  Once there, he removed a bowl from the small refrigerator, then set it in front of her. “Eat.”

  “Why are you always trying to feed me? Are you trying to tell me something?” She didn’t want to admit it, but the strawberries with whipped cream did smell delicious.

  “Later, you’ll be glad you ate something. You’re going to need your strength.” He picked up one of the strawberries and dipped it in the whipped cream to make sure it had plenty, then stepped behind her, effectively trapping her between his body and the bar.

  The combination of Drayden pressing into her from behind, and the sweet-tart strawberries with smooth whipped cream instantly reignited the fire. Then when he shoved her hair aside and kissed the nape of her neck, she stopped thinking and allowed her body to take control. The thick bulge wedged against the top of her backside let her know in no uncertain terms how badly he wanted her.

  He handed her the spoon, then placed the palm of his hand at her lower belly, tilting her bottom back toward him with one hand, then unbuttoning her jeans and undoing the zipper with the other. He pushed them just past her hips and let them fall to the floor, forgotten.

  She dropped the spoon and pushed back against him with her hips, encouraging him to continue. Her core clenched, beginning a sultry, spasmodic dance as she twisted slightly, grinding against him as she picked up another strawberry with her fingers.

  He grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt, and she automatically lifted her arms so he could lift it over her head. Next, he unclasped her bra with the skill of a man who had intimate knowledge of women’s underwear. As he caressed her breasts, alternately squeezing them gently and pinching her nipples until they were both aching for something more complete, she licked the whipped cream from another piece of fruit, curling her tongue and holding it there before swallowing. Treva had always heard about the erotic effects of combining food and sex, but had never taken the time to try it. For the first time since her parents’ and brothers’ deaths, she had time, and wanted nothing more than to make the most of it.

  Drayden slid his hand inside her silk panties and once again, she was grateful she had worn the red lace ones. Not that he paid them any attention. She heard them rip and he tore them off as if they were tissue paper, massaging the manicured curls at the apex of her thighs before sliding two of his fingers inside her.

  “Mmm.” The moan escaped without thought as the last of the dessert slid down her throat and he slowly moved his fingers in and out of her slick canal, pressing against her inner walls while gently thumbing her swollen clit.

  She inhaled, the desire to turn and face him overwhelming, but just as she ground her hips against him again, preparing to turn, he removed his
hand and she heard him unzip his pants, apparently removing his clothing like normal people for a change. He allowed his pants to fall to the floor very likely directly behind her panties he’d just ripped to shreds.

  She could feel the rough texture of his pants at her heels, then she heard the tiny popping sounds the buttons made when he made quick work of getting rid of his shirt. In what seemed like less than a second later, he gripped the back of her neck, massaging the length as he applied just enough force to bend her over the bar, plunging inside her from behind, the moment her cheek touched the surface.

  “Oh! God!” She immediately went limp, her knees buckling, her palms mirroring each other beside her head on the counter. Every part of her was consumed by what he was doing to her in that moment. This was a side of him that he’d never revealed to her before, and the possibilities this mysterious, multi-faceted man presented, excited her even more. With no room for thought, and no desire to think, her wanton pussy grabbed onto him, squeezing, locking onto his thick, heavy cock as he filled her. She had no words or coherent thoughts for how good he felt moving inside her as she accepted him, virtually immobilized by his grip around her waist and the feelings of complete rapture he produced. A force rose inside her, preparing to burst forth and shatter her into pieces.

  Just before she climaxed, Drayden came to a complete stop, motionless until the wave passed, his full length still pulsing inside her.

  He pulled away just long enough to turn her around, facing him, then lifted her so she could straddle his waist as he covered her mouth with his, their tongues dueling passionately, violently, and she pressed her knees into his sides, then pulled back from the kiss just long enough to offer him a sultry smile as she used her hands to help lift her onto the bar.