House of Shadows

by Morgan Hawke

  A knock sounded on the door, and Rowan jumped.

  “Are you coming out of there? I need to use the uh, facility.” Rick’s voice was slightly muffled.

  “Be out in a minute,” she called. A vampire that has to use the toilet? She shook her head. No, I don’t want to think about it… She put the brush down then picked up her shoes, clothes, and spell ingredients. Let’s get this over with. Clutching everything to her chest, she opened the door.

  Rick was leaning against the wall right by the door. Rowan was rendered speechless. His body was all long, lean muscular lines and the black silk of his trousers rode very low on his hips.

  “Nice of you to join me.” His smile was pure decadence.

  She swallowed, then slid past him. This is such a bad idea. The bathroom door closed behind him.

  Rowan raced to the bed, shoving her clothes under the foot. She grabbed for her bag and went digging for a safety pin. She couldn’t find one and hissed in frustration. She heard the sound of the toilet flushing, then heard water running in the sink. She was running out of time.

  “Damn it! Where the Hell are my pins?” Rowan abruptly stabbed her finger on a straight pin. She yanked out her hand and sucked on her wounded finger. Not what I had in mind…The bathroom door opened. Rowan sighed in defeat, picked up her dagger, the bag of salt, and the horseshoe nails, then stood up and turned around.

  Rick sauntered, all grace and power in motion, toward the huge four-poster. He climbed up on the bed and crawled on hands and knees across the mattress. With a sexy groan, he rolled over, stretching out across the scarlet sheets. “Are you ready to come to bed?” His smile was broad and flashed sharply pointed teeth.

  “Uh…” Rowan felt a strong shiver of feminine awareness and a warm, moist hunger. I should have stayed in the bathroom. Rowan abruptly turned her back on the wanton display of pale masculine flesh and midnight hair. Mother of Mercy, I need a cigarette. She squeezed her hands. The silver horseshoe nails bit sharply into her palm, and she winced. I have a spell to cast, she reminded herself. Might as well get to it.

  “Rowan?” The vampire called softly from the bed. “Are you coming to bed?”

  She took a deep breath. “I have a ward to cast.” She knelt and dug a Djarum clove cigarette from her bag and her lighter.

  “Are you smoking?”

  “It’s for the spell.” She lit the cigarette and gratefully sucked smoke. “I used cigarette smoke when I broke the demon’s binding on you, remember?”

  “Oh.”

  Rowan opened her bag of salt. “Mother of us all,” she whispered and began the casting. Lit cigarette smoking in one hand, she walked to the head of the bed. Studiously ignoring the vampire, she strode counter-clockwise in a broad circle around the bed, scattering grains of salt. The pungent, incense-scented smoke of her cigarette billowed after her.

  She reached the head of the bed again completing the circle, then turned and walked clockwise. She placed each of the silver horseshoe nails point outward, marking the points of a star with the last nail at head of the bed for the fifth and master point. She stepped within her marked circle, clapped her hands and blew smoke on the last nail. A soft breeze erupted and a line of blue light marked the circle, then disappeared.

  “It is done,” she said softly.

  “Good,” the vampire said softly. “Put that cigarette out and come to bed.”

  I guess I can’t put this off any longer. Biting her lip, Rowan stabbed the cigarette out on her dagger, then knelt and tucked both the dagger and the half-burned cigarette under the bed with her clothes. She took a breath and climbed the steps.

  She hesitated at the top, staring at the magnificent male spread across the sheets. I am in so much trouble…His skin was stark white and his hair midnight black against the scarlet silk. A warm curl of anticipation shivered through her, and she felt a powerful urge to stroke his skin to feel the muscles moving underneath.

  He smiled. “Scared?” He shifted to make room under the black comforter and muscle flexed invitingly.

  Rowan felt a hot surge of bravado. “Of you?”

  “Look…” He shook his head. “I’m blood-sworn not to harm you, so I’m not going to attack you.” He patted the mattress. “Nothing is going to happen, I promise.” He licked his lips and his eyes gleamed copper-bright with heat. “Not without your consent, anyway,” he added very, very softly.

  Rowan swallowed. That’s what I’m afraid of…

  He chuckled. “Just get in. We’re both tired and I haven’t slept for three days so, I’ll probably pass out on you in a few minutes.”

  Rowan gathered the shreds of her courage and climbed up onto the mattress. She crawled under the blankets and dropped her head back on the pillows before her nerve gave out.

  “There, that wasn’t so bad,” he said softly.

  The lights began to dim, draping the room with thick, encroaching shadows. Rowan looked around in alarm.

  “The lights are on remote control.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, they won’t go all the way dark. Even I can’t see in full darkness.” The lights dimmed until Rowan could barely make out the shape of the bed she lay in. She felt the mattress shift and turned her head. Rick’s face was a deep shadow only inches away. She clutched the blankets with white knuckles. “What?” Her voice came out in an embarrassing squeak.

  “How about a good-night kiss?” His voice was a seductive whisper.

  Rowan’s lungs squeezed in alarm even as her body clenched with moist, interested hunger. It took a few moments to get air back into her lungs. “How about—not.”

  He chuckled. “Fine, go to sleep.” He abruptly fell back on the mattress.

  She blinked up at the darkness and felt her heart pounding in her throat. I can’t believe I’m in bed with a vampire…

  - Eight -

  Hunger

  Rowan jolted semi-awake from deep sleep with her heart pounding as though from a nightmare. She kept her eyes closed, groggy with sleep and unsure of what was disturbing her, but heard nothing. I don’t remember dreaming about anything scary… She didn’t recall dreaming at all. Maybe this feeling will go away. She yawned and snuggled face down into the pillows and deeper into the blankets. The scent of warm male on the sheets caught her attention. Something heavy shifted on the mattress. Her eyes snapped open.

  The room was lit by a disturbingly familiar bright blue glow that seemed to be coming from below the bed. What is that? Confusion colored her thoughts then she suddenly remembered. The house, the vampire she was sharing a bed with—and the other vampire. Her pulse leapt in her throat. That’s the ward! The magical barrier around the bed was glowing, which meant that something had set it off. Or someone…

  Rowan cautiously turned over onto her back. Rick was sitting up rigidly still and staring at the foot of the bed. She felt the hair all over her body rise. She sat up to see what he was looking at. Oh shit, I just found my scary dream.

  Klaus was standing just outside the barrier. His elongated face was starkly lit by the glow of the warding spell. His eyes were glowing with flame and locked on Rick’s.

  “Uh, hello, Klaus.” Rowan couldn’t think of anything else to say. I’m not glowing, so I must not be in danger. The ward must be holding.

  Klaus didn’t even glance her way. “Ved’ma,” he hissed.

  “Yeah, I’m a witch. We already went over that.” Rowan stared from one vampire to the other. What the Hell is going on?

  “Rickart Holt,” Klaus said softly.

  An oily smear of rank power slid repulsively across Rowan’s nerves. Damn it! His power is somehow getting through the barrier.

  Rick’s head jerked up and his lips pulled back from his teeth with an expression of pain. A soft hiss escaped his lips.

  Oh, shit…I’m not in danger, but Rick is. Rowan’s heart tried to pound its way out of her chest in fright. “Klaus, what the Hell are you doing to him?”

  Klaus curled his lip in a jagged smile but did not break eye con
tact with Rick. “Nothing, yet.” Klaus lifted a clawed hand, palm up. “Come.” It was a command.

  Rick came up on his knees, and every muscle in his body was rigid with resistance. His hands were fisted at his sides

  “Leave him alone.” Rowan threw the covers back and got up on her knees. “Why don’t you go back upstairs and watch TV?” She thought about reaching under the bed for her black-handled dagger, but if she brought it too close to the barrier, the magically charged steel would dispel the ward. Earlier her dagger’s ethereal radiance had extended into a long-sword of light in Klaus’s presence. She had no idea if the light-saber effect would dispel the ward as well. Better not take that chance.

  “I hunger.” A long thin tongue snaked out past pale lips.

  “Well you’re not feeding off of us. Go find your dinner somewhere else.” Rowan cringed. I hope I just didn’t get someone else killed…

  “I am forbidden to feed on humans.” His voice was so soft, Rowan barely heard him.

  Rowan’s mouth fell open. He’s forbidden to feed on humans? Terrific. Now what?

  “I hunger,” Klaus said again, then rushed toward the barrier in a blur of shadow. The barrier blazed up in a curtain of blue-white flame. Klaus recoiled back sharply from the blue-white wall of fire with a scream like nails scraping a blackboard.

  Rowan threw an arm up to shade her eyes from the phosphorescent glare. Ouch. I’ll just bet that hurts. She bit back a smile. Witch two points, if I include chasing him off earlier, Klaus still at zero.

  He turned his blazing and angry gaze on Rowan and bared his serrated teeth. “I hunger.” His voice was almost plaintive. He stepped to the side and began circling the parameter of the ward as a shark circles a boat.

  “So, go find another vampire.” Rowan watched the circling vampire while Rick remained frozen on his knees. What kind of hold does Klaus have on Rick?

  “I have searched. There is only Rickart Holt.”

  Rowan crossed her arms over her chest defensively and shook her head. “Sorry, Rick is off the menu.”

  He stopped on Rick’s side of the bed and focused hungrily on younger vampire. “I can make Rickart Holt come to me.”

  “Klaus, the barrier works both ways. If you can’t break the barrier and you’re older, you know that Rick can’t either.” Rowan swallowed. And I can’t let him try—it might kill him…

  Klaus smiled with a mouth never meant to open that wide. “You will drop the barrier to keep him from harm. This I know.”

  Rowan recoiled in shock. How the Hell does he know that?

  “Rickart,” the elder vampire called softly.

  Rick’s head slowly turned to face the elder vampire. His face was stretched in a snarl of dread.

  Shit! Rowan crawled across the bed and came up on her knees in front of Rick. “Rick, snap out of it.”

  Klaus came as close to the barrier as he dared. “Rickart, come to me.”

  Rick gasped and strained, fighting the call, but he began to slide across the bed toward Klaus.

  “You see? He will come.” Klaus continued to smile. “Take down your spell or he will die by your magic.”

  Rowan bared her teeth. “If I take down the barrier you’ll kill him.”

  Klaus shook his head slowly. “I do not need so much. He will not die.”

  “I said no, and I mean no. You can’t have him.” She turned to face Rick. “Rick, you need to wake up.” She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

  Rick continued to move toward Klaus as though unaware of Rowan at his side.

  “Oh, but I will have him and then I will feed.” He chuckled with the sound of sand grinding stone. “Come, Rickart, I wait for you.”

  Rick reached the edge of the bed and slid one leg over the edge.

  Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit… Rowan snatched at Rick’s arm. His arm was hard like marble and slick with cold sweat under her fingers. She could feel his fear radiating from his skin. “Rick, stay.”

  He abruptly stopped with one leg over the side then turned his head and stared at her. His pupils were tiny contracted points in flat, copper coins.

  Klaus let out an animal snarl. “Rickart,” he snapped.

  Rick slowly turned his head to face the elder vampire, but his eyes strained to keep her in view.

  Rowan came up on her knees and placed her other hand on his tense shoulder. “No, Rick, look at me.”

  He turned to face Rowan.

  Klaus made a harsh sound of frustration. “His lust for you is all that you have to hold him, ved’ma.”

  She spared a quick glance toward Klaus. He seemed to be sniffing the air. What is he up to now?

  Klaus smiled suddenly. “You have not shared your body or your blood.” His chuckle was an ugly sound.

  Rowan shot a glare at him. “He’s had some of my blood.”

  “A few drops, how generous.” Klaus snorted. “You have not taken him into your body.”

  Rowan flinched. “So, I haven’t slept with him. So what?”

  “So, you will lose. You have no true hold on him. I can feel that you do not wish to soil yourself with his body.”

  Rowan looked into Rick’s face. Carnal heat seemed to be warring with painful resistance in his expression. “He’s still looking at me, vampire.”

  “Rickart,” the vampire growled. “You will come. Now.”

  Rick strained between the two of them. His head tilted toward the elder vampire but his gaze stayed locked on Rowan.

  Rowan could feel the tension in his body. “Rick, stay,” she said softly.

  Rick’s head continued to turn toward the vampire with agonizing slowness.

  “You see, ved’ma? You cannot hold him. Your reluctance to do what is necessary to make him yours will bring him to me.”

  Rowan bit her lip. She reached up and took Rick’s face in her palms. “Rick, stay with me.”

  He turned to look at her.

  Rowan’s thoughts chased each other back and forth. I don’t want to make him mine… But I don’t want him to get drained by Klaus, either.

  “Rickart Holt, you will obey,” Klaus snarled.

  Rick’s head turned in her palms. She did the only thing she could think of. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. His pulse jumped under her fingers. His mouth opened under hers and she sucked in his breath. Painfully aware of his sharp teeth, she brushed her tongue delicately against his.

  Abruptly, he leaned into her kiss, his tongue surging within to stroke hungrily against hers. He groaned into her mouth.

  White heat flared up her spine in sensual awareness. Her belly clenched in violent arousal and her nipples tightened sharply. “Are you with me?” she whispered against his mouth and fought for control of her heated reactions.

  “I am now,” he whispered back. “I was dreaming and I couldn’t wake up.”

  “Rickart,” the vampire shouted.

  Rick cringed at the command. “I didn’t realize that he was this strong,” he whispered softly against Rowan’s lips. “Hold on to me.”

  “All right,” she breathed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hard nipples brushed against his broad chest with devastating sensual pleasure. Softly, she kissed him again. His arms suddenly came up and wrapped around her, crushing her against his chest.

  Klaus screamed sharply in frustration. From the corner of her eye, she watched Klaus suddenly strike the barrier with his fist. There was an electric crackle then a hiss of pain. She felt a bolt of magical awareness from the barrier. She broke the kiss to look at the snarling vampire.

  “No,” Rick whispered in the softest of breaths. “Please, don’t stop.” His mouth sought hers and she let him take her lips. He pressed her mouth open, wide seeking deeper contact and stroked his tongue against hers with appetite.

  She felt Rick shift his arms, then suddenly she was on her back against the mattress and under him. His chest pressed against her breasts with full weight of his body. Her hands splayed across the muscular breadth of
his back. She could feel the rigid length of his profound erection pressing against her hip and her body jolted hard with alarming greed. Oh Goddess, what have I gotten myself into? She shifted under his weight, uncomfortably aware that Klaus was just beyond the barrier, watching. Her provoked body didn’t seem to care.

  She felt his hands slide under her shirt to encounter naked, unprotected flesh and he froze. Oh shit! I forgot I’m not wearing panties, she thought in panic.

  She felt his groan vibrate against her chest, then his hand closed on her naked buttock, pulling her tight against him. The only barrier between them was the thin silk of his trousers. He flexed his hips against hers, shoving his silk-trapped length against her stomach in suggestive promise.

  Voluptuous tension coiled tightly and desire burned a trail up her spine, arching her back under him. A silk-clad leg insinuated itself between her bare thighs, spreading her open, making intimate and shocking contact. She drew a sharp breath. The rigid length of his erection shifted dangerously close to the open juncture of her thighs. Merciless desire uncoiled and blazed in a shockwave through her body. A soft moan escaped her lips. She couldn’t stop her hips from rising, pressing up against him in uncontrolled lust.

  His mouth moved from hers and slid down to her throat. His lips and tongue swirled, making wet circles. Delicious shivers wracked her body. She gasped for breath and barely felt his hand reaching between them. His fingers plucked at her silk shirt, then his palm closed on the bare skin of her breast. She went rigid in alarm and grabbed his wrist.

  He lifted his head to look at her. His eyes were pools of liquid fire. “Let me,” he said softly.

  “But, I...” she began. His fingers closed on her nipple, bringing it to aching attention. A bolt of pleasure streaked straight to her core and she bit back a moan.

  “Please.” His eyes narrowed with determination. “I need this. I need you.”

  Abruptly his head dropped and his wet mouth closed on her breast. His tongue made damp circles, then he sucked. Ravenous and unreasoning appetite clawed in her belly. His teeth tugged gently on her tender nipple. Her back arched and she moaned her pleasure.