Love's Predator (Love's Predator Trilogy Book 1)

by Paula Nicole

  His lips pressed against hers, at first it was just a touch. Although they had kissed before, this kiss was different. This was not to seal a deal; this was the demon confessing his undying love to her.

  The kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and passionate as Lord Shade savoured her taste and how her lips felt on hers. The entire time Lindsey felt like she was in a state of ecstasy. It was as if some sort of destiny had been completed through the kiss; it felt like it was meant to happen.

  But then Lord Shade froze.

  He pulled away.

  Now his eyes were narrow and full of suspicion as he glared at his precious soul. “Lindsey,” he said, his voice was no louder than a whisper. “Open your mouth.”

  Lindsey tried to object but before she could do anything Lord Shade had grabbed her chin and was roughly pulling at her, opening her mouth forcibly. He slid his fingers inside her mouth, being more careful now, and he removed a slice of apple from her.

  Lindsey rushed to speak first.

  “I know you have hexed the food! I know it makes me forget!” She blurted out quickly.

  Lord Shade’s glare darkened. He took a step towards Lindsey, closing the distance again between them.

  “I did it for your own good,” he said in a low voice. “To help you forget that mess.”

  “The mess that you got me in to convince me to come with you,” Lindsey reminded him sharply.

  His eyes flashed dangerously.

  “Humans look to demons when they are desperate,” he told her cunningly.

  Lindsey looked away and bit down on her lip. The situation was difficult; she had been caught with the evidence of her distrust. She didn’t know what to do; she didn’t want to anger him more. After all, she had to live with him and she did not want to lose this world.

  But paradise had come crashing down.

  “But you wanted an Angel,” the demon sighed.

  He reached out for Lindsey and gently cupped her face. Frowning, he stroked her soft skin.

  “I could be an Angel for you, my dearest love,” he told her softly. “I could give you everything.”

  “You could try,” Lindsey replied in a whisper.

  Lord Shade gazed at her, confusion in his eyes.

  “But it would never be enough, not until I have freedom,” she went on. Lindsey had selected her words very carefully; she had learned from Kyle that saying the wrong thing could be fatal. “Since this all began, it is all I have wanted. Just to be free again.”

  Lord Shade’s frown deepened and he gently placed a kiss upon Lindsey’s forehead. “Perhaps I’ll give you another chance to win your soul back, your freedom,” he said quietly. “Would that please you?”

  Lindsey considered the offer. It seemed genuine but was it really enough?

  “We made a deal Lindsey,” Lord Shade reminded her. “Just remember what your freedom bought you.”

  “I do remember now, I remember everything,” Lindsey replied, her voice was a little firmer now. She felt more confident.

  “You gave me your soul, your freedom, to save the lives of your friend and her child. Don’t you realise how few humans would give their life for that of another, Lindsey?” Lord Shade asked her. “Very few. But you did,” he answered by himself without a pause.

  “It was the right thing to do,” Lindsey murmured. “I couldn’t let them die because of me.”

  She watched Lord Shade closely, wondering where he was going with this. Lindsey felt like he was working her up to some conclusion, one that she may not like very much. And then he smiled at her. It was a warm smile, but it did not reach his eyes, which were suddenly crafty.

  “Well I would say your freedom was well spent,” Lord Shade finally mused.

  Lindsey felt her heart sinking in her chest and she let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. But what she expected? Lord Shade would never let her go, not willingly. Lindsey could bet that if she ever won one of his games, he still would not give her back her soul.

  “Lindsey, I love you,” Lord Shade repeated in the kindest voice he could manage. “I will stop enchanting your food and I hope this can resolve the situation.”

  It wasn’t her soul, but to know her memories were safe made Lindsey feel more at ease. But then Lord Shade’s mood changed swiftly.

  “And you’ll never lie to me again, my dearest,” he said in a low growl. His eyes were narrow and his face had darkened. He looked demonic. But Lindsey didn’t quake. Instead she agreed with him and said she would go to bed, which pleased the demon.

  He turned to leave, but stopped. “Lindsey,” he said, and for the first time he sounded unsure. “May I hold you until you fall asleep?”

  His warm eyes addressed her, full of hope as Lindsey nodded in response. He then left her to change and make herself comfortable in the room. But whilst Lord Shade was looking forward to holding his Lindsey, Lindsey was climbing into bed and re-thinking her decision to let him have such intimate contact with her.

  She reminded herself of the kiss they had shared and how it had felt to have his lips on hers. The kiss had been explosive, full of an undiscovered passion which could be explored. And yet Lindsey feared another kiss, just as she had been afraid of Kyle’s touch before.

  What if she couldn’t resist him?

  There was a knock at the door and Lord Shade entered promptly. Lindsey watched him carefully from the comfort of the bed as he approached with gentle grace. He smiled softly at her, as if silently thanking her for the privilege of joining her in her bed. But as soon as his warm energy engulfed her, it was Lindsey who felt privileged to have him.

  She rested her head on his strong chest and she was surprised to hear his heart beating fast in his chest. Lindsey then was still when he wrapped his arms around her, forming a resilient fort which Lindsey felt safe in. A strange thought occurred to her then; maybe she could call this place home.

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  It wasn’t long before Lindsey was sleeping and had lost awareness of Lord Shade’s gaze, which did not leave her until he closed the door gently behind him on the way out. Lindsey was then left to dream, and now that her memories had returned they wreaked havoc upon her unconscious mind.

  A cold darkness swirled around Lindsey, blinding her. Biting down on her lip, Lindsey fought the urge to cry out for Lord Shade and kept herself silent. It was not long before a gentle light began to flicker ahead of Lindsey. She stepped forward and prepared herself; she knew something was waiting for her.

  The light gradually spread into a fine line and Lindsey grasped out for it, surprised to find that it was light slipping through the slim crack of the door. Doubts whirled around Lindsey’s mind as shivers raced up her spine, making her body tremble. She knew something was lurking on the other side of the door.

  Lindsey couldn’t stand the anticipation anymore, and so to escape the darkness she threw open the door to reveal a very familiar room. It was Kyle’s bedroom.

  A sharp gasp passed Lindsey’s lips and her desperate eyes searched the room for her greatest fear. Now she could feel her lips moving rapidly.

  “Kyle,” she whispered. “Kyle.”

  No sooner had she uttered his name, Kyle appeared before her. His eyes flashed like blades and he grinned widely, exposing his pearl white teeth. His skin seemed paler than ever.

  Lindsey stared at him, waiting for him to speak. But he said nothing; he only watched her with those haunting eyes.

  At last Lindsey had to look away from him and it was then she found the courage to fill the silence swirling around them. “I’m not coming back, Kyle,” she told him firmly. “You should give up looking for me.”

  Kyle said nothing. He only grinned.

  The lights flickered. It was as if Lindsey was blinking rapidly and then there was only long pause where there was no light at all.

  “Lindsey,” Kyle hissed in the darkness.

  Cautiously, Lindsey took a step backwards to find that something was sitting directly behind her. The th
ing pressed against the back of her legs and it was cold upon her bare skin. Lindsey’s hands went down to feel the thing, but whilst preoccupied in the darkness, someone violently shoved Lindsey back.

  The room was suddenly illuminated.

  Shocked, Lindsey discovered she was sat in a black wheelchair. She made an effort to get up, however Kyle was stood in front of her and he had pushed the chair back against the wall.

  “There’s no escape,” Kyle smirked.

  There was a loud snap and Lindsey looked down. Her vision was blurry as she stared at strong metal restraints, which had snapped together to capture her hands and legs. All her limbs were now bound to the wheelchair.

  Lindsey glared up at Kyle and she watched, paralyzed, as he leant in towards her. His forehead pressed against hers, their eyes were locked on each other. He chuckled lightly before he violated her lips with his.

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Lindsey threw herself upright and placed her hand on her chest. She took deep breaths as she slowly regained full consciousness.

  She was safe, she told herself silently. Kyle was somewhere else entirely and he couldn’t find her, no matter how hard he tried.

  Frowning, Lindsey ran a hand through her long, silky hair and she considered that having her memories back could be more troubling than she had first assumed. At least when she was conscious she could lock them away and get on with her life with Lord Shade. But when she was sleeping, her mind worked against her relentlessly.

  There was nothing Lindsey could do.

  Deciding not to go back to sleep, Lindsey tried to put the nightmare aside and coaxed herself out of bed. She tip toed over to the white wardrobe and was able to see just enough that she picked out a cream, light dressing gown for her to wear over her nightdress. She then left the room, secretly hoping that Lord Shade was still there.

  But what Lindsey found when she left the room was a far cry from the dream palace Lindsey was hoping to see.

  There was no hallway, no staircase or chandelier. The palace was gone. Instead there was a black starry sky which seemed to form the walls and ceilings of a dim room. But one wall was white and seemed to flicker ever few seconds as if it were breathing.

  Lindsey carefully stepped forwards, using her big toe to check that the night sky floor was safe to stand on, and to her surprise it was solid like marble. She padded along in her bare feet, gingerly examining the room.

  Lindsey spied the three mirrors at the end of the room. She had almost forgotten about their existence, which she could now blame on Lord Shade stealing her memory. But there was no activity in the two mirrors at the sides of her swirling red mirror. They had been smashed and their reflective shards glistened on the floor around the chair that sat before them, which now resembled a dark, tall throne rather than the delicate seat from before.

  Silently, Lindsey turned to look around again, but this time she saw something black and hairy crouched down on the floor not too far from the white, flickering wall. The thing looked like a large dog from the back and it seemed too consumed in what it appeared to be holding than to take notice of Lindsey.

  Nervously, Lindsey considered going back to her bedroom and she made her way back to the door, but was careful not to have her back to the creature.

  Just then a strange smell flooded Lindsey’s senses, making her want to gag. She held her breath and looked around once more, her eyes desperately searching for Lord Shade, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “Lindsey?” A voice called out. “Lindsey, is that you?”

  It was Lord Shade’s voice. But where was he?

  Lindsey’s eyes widened as the creature swiftly turned to face her. It struck her with its mismatched eyes, which seemed to glow as it looked her up and down.

  Lindsey tried to speak but couldn’t. Her attention had turned from the large, vicious wolf creature to what it grasped in its claws.

  It was a body, her mother’s body.

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  “Lindsey,” the creature said in Lord Shade’s voice. “You are meant to be sleeping.”

  Lindsey’s mouth was wide open as she stared at her mother’s pale, limp body. “Oh, God,” she uttered quietly. Her voice was trembling, almost breaking. “Oh, God,” she repeated.

  The creature stood on its hind legs, dropping her mother’s lifeless corpse heartlessly on the floor. The creature left Lindsey’s mother there and stepped forward.

  “Don’t come any closer!” Lindsey shouted. “Stay right there!”

  The creature stopped. Its mismatched eyes burned into her, one red and one misty.

  “This is my true form Lindsey, in all its cursed ugliness,” Lord Shade said softly.

  Lindsey could swear her heart was beating so fast that she could no longer feel it beating in her chest.

  “What have you done to my parents?” Lindsey questioned sharply. Tears were forming in her eyes but she bit them back forcefully. “You monster!”

  Lord Shade’s true eyes glistened darkly.

  “I devoured their souls,” he replied.

  Lindsey looked to her mother’s body once more and took a deep breath. She knew they had done wrong, but they had still been her parents and they were still people. Lord Shade had no right to take their lives.

  “I owned their souls, which they sold to me for money,” Lord Shade went on coldly. “And so I devoured them to give me the power I need to keep this world beautiful for you.”

  He stepped forward, making Lindsey cry out in panic as she flinched. Frowning, Lord Shade stopped and a mist appeared around him.

  Lindsey stared as he transformed into the dazzling man she knew as Lord Shade. He tried to step forward again, but this time Lindsey grew defensive.

  “Is that what you’ll do to me when you become bored of me?” She spat hatefully. “Devour my soul to power your fantasy?”

  Lord Shade sighed in distain and shook his head lightly. “No, my dearest soul,” he said softly. “I would never do that to you; I do all of this for you.”

  He came towards Lindsey swiftly and was soon only feet away from his most precious possession. He eyed her carefully before putting on a gentle smile. “Come Lindsey, I can make it all again for you, now I have the power I need.”

  He offered Lindsey his hand, but she pulled back in horror.

  “Please, my dearest one,” he cooed softly. “Let me make this all better.”

  He tried to take her hand himself, but Lindsey barked for him to leave her alone.

  Lindsey ran her hands through her hair and forced herself to take deep breaths as she tried her best to clear her mind and decide what to do, but deep down Lindsey knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to run.

  She looked around the room once more, hunting for the doors, but she couldn’t find them anywhere. Her eyes fell upon the wall.

  Lord Shade followed her gaze and he smiled as he gestured to the white wall. “Your curiosity will get the better of you in the end, my dear child,” he told her softly.

  Lindsey cast him a cold glare.

  “It already has,” she said bitterly.

  Lord Shade cast her remark aside and gestured to the wall. “Would you like to know what they are?” He asked her enthusiastically.

  “They?” Lindsey enquired.

  Her voice was still sharp; Lindsey would not lower her defences.

  “Take my hand and I will show you,” Lord Shade commanded gently.

  But Lindsey could see past the sweet, charming smile and through to the cunning glitter in his eyes. Again she refused his hand and made her way over to the wall by herself. Now that Lindsey was close to the wall she saw that it was not a white wall; it was blanketed with white moths and the flickering was their wings moving gently.

  “Are these the former butterflies?” Lindsey asked him. “What are they really?”

  Lord Shade laughed in amusement. He came up behind Lindsey and tried to wrap his arms around her waist, but Lindsey swiftly moved away.

/>   “What are they really, Shade?” She questioned.

  Her eyes were blazing hot as she glared at him, yet this seemed to have no effect on the cool and calculated Lord Shade. He merely smiled at her.

  “They are the part of the soul I can’t harvest,” he told her. His eyes examined her closely the entire time, never leaving her pale face.

  Lindsey felt uneasy under his gaze. How could he look at her that way after he had murdered her mother moments earlier?

  “Are my mother and father there?” Lindsey asked quietly.

  Lord Shade nodded in response and just as soon as Lindsey’s eyes turned back to the moths, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, successfully encasing her in her warmth. He quietly breathed in her scent and sighed contently.

  Lindsey was still.

  “Well, now you know Lindsey,” Lord Shade said simply. “These are all the souls I have used for power. It takes quite a few to travel, to create and of course to keep other demons out for your safety.”

  “Well you won’t have to kill on my account ever again,” Lindsey hissed hatefully.

  “Oh?” Lord Shade smirked. His grip around Lindsey tightened and he placed his head upon hers. “Why might that be?” He asked her with a playful grin. “Do you plan on going somewhere?”

  Lindsey’s eyes urgently searched the room, hoping to find a door, but all she could see was the starry walls.

  “Yes!” She finally retorted. “I am leaving. You said I could leave any time and I want to leave now.”

  Lord Shade laughed musically and Lindsey’s breath was drawn from her as he ran his long, pale fingers through her long hair.

  “You forget, my dearest, that was before you gave your soul to me,” Lord Shade said with an arrogant smirk. “You belong to me.”

  Lindsey swallowed heavily and tried to keep calm, but she couldn’t see a way out this time. She had made a deal with a demon, not knowing the full truth. Now she was stuck in it. She was eternally bonded to a murderous demon and there was nothing she could do.