House of Shadows

by Morgan Hawke

  His hand slid down her side, between their bodies, and his palm slid across the soft skin of her inner thigh. Her body rocked in violent anticipation His cool fingers brushed against intimate flesh.

  “You’re wet,” he breathed.

  Rowan turned her head and saw Klaus watching them avidly. Icy shock dashed her body and she went rigid. “Stop,” she gasped. She grabbed Rick’s shoulders and shoved. He grunted, but was unmovable while his fingers continued to explore her. She tilted her hips to escape his touch and he took the opportunity to slide a finger deep into her. Her body clenched avariciously around his finger and she whimpered.

  “Rick, please,” she gasped. “Please stop.” His hand withdrew and she breathed a soft sigh of relief. She felt him shift above her and suddenly felt the heat of his erection pressing against her intimate flesh. He was about to take her right in front of Klaus.

  “Damn it, no.” Her voice broke. Embarrassment and fear fought with her body’s violent hunger. His back arched and she felt him pressing to enter. She shoved against him, struggling to escape, then grabbed his hair and yanked. “You have to stop.”

  His head came up sharply. Hunger was etched on his features. “Why? You’re more than ready for me.” His voice was thick and hoarse with passion.

  “I am not doing this with an audience,” she shot back.

  Rick stared at her, then turned sharply to see Klaus. He bared his long fangs. “Get the fuck out,” he snapped.

  Klaus snarled right back. “I will not.” His tongue snaked out, wetting his thin lips. “You will take her now, or you will come to me. Choose.”

  Rick looked at Rowan with determination and fear. He licked his lips and shifted, pressing for entry.

  “Rick, you can’t do this,” Rowan gasped and grabbed his shoulders. “Not in front of him.” She dug her heels into the mattress and shoved to get out of range.

  Rick abruptly grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head. “I will not go to him,” he said softly. “I have to do this.”

  “Rick, don’t. I said no. If you try to take me, it’ll be attempted rape and that’s harm.” A shimmer of light began to play under her skin.

  Rick winced and abruptly released her, pulling away. “Bitch,” he snapped out.

  Rowan sat up and grabbed the edges of her shirt to cover her breasts.

  “See?” Klaus hissed. “The ved’ma will not allow it and resistance to me is futile.” He smiled coldly. “Come, Rickart, and let me feed.”

  Rick’s spine arched as though struck. “You son of a bitch,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Wait…” Rowan rose up on her knees. “Rick…” He shot an accusing look at her and she flinched under the weight of his gaze. She darted a look at Klaus, then looked at Rick. “He said before that I had no power to hold you because I hadn’t shared my body…” She bit her lip. “Or my blood.”

  Klaus lunged at the barrier and it flared. “Rickart, come now!”

  Rick fell forward onto his hands and grabbed the sheets. His body shook with violent tension. “Rowan,” he gasped. “What are you offering?” His fingers clenched in the sheets with the harsh sound of fabric ripping.

  “Blood,” she whispered. “You can drink my blood in front of him.”

  “No!” The shout from Klaus was deafening. Klaus pointed a finger at her. “Taking your blood is harm!”

  “Not if I say it isn’t,” she snapped back. “And I know Rick won’t kill me.”

  Rick held out his hand. “Hurry,” he whispered. “Come to me.”

  Rowan scrambled toward him and took his hand. He yanked and she tumbled against him. One arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her against his kneeling body while fingers slid into her hair. She grabbed his shoulders for balance. Her head was pulled to the side, exposing her throat.

  She watched from over Rick’s shoulder. Klaus snarled something dire and completely unintelligible from the other side of the barrier.

  “I don’t have the time to make this pleasant,” he whispered against her ear. “For Hell’s sake, don’t fight me.”

  “Just do it,” she gasped out, then felt his lips on the tender skin on the side of her neck. She felt his tongue seeking her pulse, the sharp scrape of long teeth. She shivered hard. All the hair on her body rose.

  He bit. The ripping pain of his fangs burned twin lines of fire into her throat and she whimpered. She heard the distinct sound of swallowing.

  Klaus let out a hideous, screaming spat of something that she couldn’t understand, then shattered into rags of smoky shadow that dissipated instantly. The ring of blue fire went out as though smothered, drenching the room in darkness.

  He’s gone… Thank the Gods. Rowan’s lids grew heavy and she let them fall.

  * * *

  She dreamed of endless falling snow...

  She stood on the edge of an endless horizon of shadowed white barely visible through a curtain of falling snow. The heavy sky was a dimly glowing pall of iron gray. A long and insubstantial robe of blue-white swept to her bare feet. She knew it was bitterly cold, but felt nothing.

  She turned, her long hair and the hem of her robe lifting in a wind she couldn’t feel. Through the whispering snow, she saw a massive and twisted tree, winter-barren of leaves. The tortured trunk was stark black against the dim blaze of snow.

  She moved toward the tree in vague curiosity, ghosting across the top of the snow. A forest of winter bare trees appeared through the falling snow, behind the one tree. The falling snow thinned. The sharp crags of snowy mountains appeared in the far distance all around.

  Someone was sitting with their back to her, hunched down among the roots. The person shifted. It was a man, bareheaded and shuddering with cold.

  He wore a long and tattered dark gray coat that was belted at the waist and smeared with ice. The ragged ends of his pitch-black hair brushed well past his coat’s high collar. Tarnished silver glinted at the lapels. There was a filthy black stain on one shoulder and some kind of insignia on his sleeve.

  She drifted closer. He used a black, metal stick to laboriously lever himself to his feet. Tall black boots rose to his knees, tall enough to be partially hidden by the hem of the long coat. The black belt had an empty pistol holster and a strap that crossed from his hip to loop over the opposite shoulder.

  She stopped a dozen or so yards away. He was wearing a uniform that she thought she recognized, but couldn’t actually place. From this close she could suddenly see that the stick was an odd looking rifle. She caught the ripe scent of copper; the stain on his shoulder was blood. He turned to face her.

  It was Rick.

  * * *

  “Rowan? Hey, are you with me?”

  Rowan’s eyes fluttered open. Everything was a blur of muted color. Gods, what the Hell hit me? She took a deep breath and flinched. Her throat hurt. She blinked to clear her vision. Rick leaned over her, frowning. His eyes were a warm and ordinary hazel. She caught sight of the distant ceiling over his head. She was still in his bed and the lights were on.

  “Can you hear me?” His voice was soft and a wrinkle creased his brow.

  “Yeah.” Her voice came out hoarse. “Cold…” She swallowed, and that hurt, too. She lifted a hand and he caught it. His hand was hot against hers.

  “Don’t touch. It’s still healing.” He gently tucked her hand under the thick comforter then dropped to lie against her side. “I’ll get you warm.” He pulled the comforter up over them both.

  She struggled to sit up. “Is it morning?” Rick put a hand on her shoulder and casually held her down. Struggling seemed to hurt her throat, so she gave up.

  “No, not even close.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. His lips were fevered against her cool brow. “I just wanted to be sure that you were okay before we went back to sleep.”

  Rowan turned her head to look at him and bit back a groan. Her brows dipped in confusion then flew up. “You bit me.”

  He raised a brow. “You volunteered, remem
ber?” He smiled grimly, propped his elbow on her pillow then his chin on one hand. “I just wanted to fuck you, but you had a problem with that.”

  Rowan made a face. “I’m not into public sex.” She swallowed and flinched against the sharp pain in her neck. “I didn’t think two holes would hurt this much.”

  He sucked in his bottom lip. “Um, it’s a little more than just two holes. It’ll only hurt for about another twenty minutes, then it’ll be gone.”

  Rowan frowned. “More than just two holes? Aren’t you guys supposed to be neater than that?”

  Rick’s lips twisted in a brief smile. “Put some fake fangs in, then bite down on something, and see what you get.”

  She thought about it. “Oh, you have a point.” Rowan nodded and regretted the motion immediately. She flinched.

  “Two points, actually.” He fussed with her pillows.

  “Bad pun.” She made a face and swatted at him with a hand. “The pillows are fine.”

  “See? You’re feeling better already.” He suppressed a smile. “Anyway, they’ll be completely healed by the time you wake up.”

  “They will?”

  “Yeah. There’s something in my saliva, I think, that promotes fast healing. You might have a bruise, but the wounds themselves will be gone.”

  “You think your saliva heals?” The lights began to fade and his face disappeared into shadow. “You’re not sure?”

  “It’s not something I had checked.” He slipped an arm around her and draped his length warmly against her side.

  She felt his leg slide over hers to hold her in place against him. The silk of his pajama bottoms rubbed suggestively against her skin. This is so far past my comfort zone…She stiffened in his arms. “Um, aren’t you a little close?” She felt his chuckle and realized that his mouth was resting near her collarbone.

  “Right now you need to stay warm, so get over it and go to sleep.”

  “Hey, I don’t want to get munched in the night.” She shifted to move away and his arm held her firmly against him.

  “You don’t have to worry about another bite, I’ve had plenty. You’re pretty damn potent, I’m kinda buzzing.”

  “You’re buzzing? As in drunk on my blood?” She moved to make room for herself and somehow, ended up getting entangled more securely against him with the blankets.

  “Something like that,” he mumbled and snuggled closer.

  “What am I? A hundred proof?”

  “Are you always this chatty before you sleep?”

  “I’m not used to sleeping with someone else.”

  “Good.” His voice was barely audible.

  “What?”

  “Just go to sleep.”

  She heard him yawn and immediately yawned in response. Terrific, I’m being cuddled by a vampire. His skin was almost hot and felt more than good. She bit back another yawn that made her throat ache. That has to be from all the blood he drank from me... Lethargy swamped her and his stolen warmth soaked into her.

  - Nine -

  Invocation

  The thud of a slow heart thumped against her ear. Rowan awoke with her cheek pressed snugly against a warm, broad chest and froze in alarm. What the Hell? Where am I? She blinked, but couldn’t see a thing in the stygian darkness. The scent of warm, familiar skin filled her nose. Memory struck heavily. The drive to Watertown, the cubist’s dream house… Oh, yeah I’m in bed with Rick…The rest of her memories came flooding back. Klaus, the kiss, the bite…She swallowed. At least my throat stopped hurting…

  Her throat felt fine, but her shoulder ached where she had slept on her side, with her arm tucked under the pillow. Her other arm was thrown carelessly across his waist. Somehow, she had wrapped herself around him, snuggling into his warmth. I must have been in a really deep sleep.

  Cautiously, she retrieved her arms and shifted onto her back. No blue glow from the barrier, so Klaus isn’t anywhere around… I suppose that’s a good thing, but I can’t see a damned thing. She blinked again, but darkness blinded her utterly.

  Rick shifted, groaned, then rolled and flung an arm across her waist. From the angle of his draping arm, she guessed that he was lying on his stomach. Gently she moved his arm. He abruptly tightened his grip around her waist, then curled up onto his side against her, trapping one of her arms under his body. She felt his hand move up her arm to her shoulder. His arm stretched alongside her head, then his broad palm burrowed into her hair, cupping her.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was husky with sleep and very close to her ear.

  “Um, can we get up now?” She writhed to get her other arm free of his weight. It was like trying to move a downed tree.

  “Yeah… In a minute.”

  She felt his breath, then his lips on her throat, then his tongue, creating tiny shivers of delight. He nipped on the tender skin of her throat, then his wet tongue feathered down to her collarbone. Her skin tingled and warmed from his heated mouth. A honey-thick trail of desire blazed straight down into to her core. I need to get out of this bed before I do something I’m going to regret...

  She turned her head away and his fingers curled in her hair, holding her firmly against his open mouth and clever tongue. “Hey…” She grabbed hold of his wrist with her free hand and worked to ease her head away from his mouth. “Wait a minute, I thought you said you weren’t going to munch on me.”

  He released her hair and carefully twisted his wrist from her grasp. “Don’t want blood.”

  Abruptly, the fingers of his hand closed on her wrist, gently pressing her captured hand to the pillow above her head. His lips brushed her collarbone. She felt the wet rasp of his tongue.

  “Uh, Rick, then what are you after?” She wiggled her captured fingers, then shifted away from his mouth. Please let me get out of this bed before my sex drive takes over, she thought desperately. After all that magic last night, it’s going to be a doozy...

  His response was a sleepy chuckle. He rolled slightly, pressing closer with his legs tangled in hers. His mouth slid down into the plunging neckline of her shirt. The buttons suddenly gaped loosely.

  “Uh, Rick?”

  The silk of his long mane slid across her exposed breasts. Her nipples tightened to swollen points of fire. His tongue brushed between the curves of her breasts, then skimmed lower.

  Hunger stirred deep within and she bit back a moan. Uh oh…

  “Guess what I want.” A muscular leg insinuated itself between hers. “I’ll even give you a clue.” His knee slid up between her thighs into brief intimate contact.

  Her knees compulsively closed around his muscular thigh to stop him but succeeded in only bringing him into closer. His hip pressed against her hip. The heat of a very rigid erection nudged boldly against her. All the unfulfilled passion from before came rushing back in a torrent of liquid heat. Rowan drew a shuddering breath. Shit, there goes my libido into overdrive.

  “Don’t say no,” he breathed. He released her wrist and a warm hand closed on the fullness of her breast.

  Her nipple was a bright angry point under his palm. She fought to keep from arching upward under his caress, like a cat that craved petting. Her body quivered with hungry tension and it wanted what he was offering, goaded by the magic she had expended. I have to stop this. I do not need to become involved with a vampire…“Rick, I…”

  “Say yes,” she heard him whisper. His fingers closed around the erect nipple, piercing her with a stab of pleasure. “There is no one watching now.”

  A hot, wet mouth closed on her other breast. Delicious tension speared from her captured nipples straight down into her melting core. She let out a sharp, gasping breath. Her hands found his head and her fingers tangled in the silk of his hair, holding him to her breast. Teeth tugged gently, then lips seized and sucked. Her back arched helplessly upward and a moan escaped her lips.

  She felt the mattress shift under her. He pulled his mouth from her breast with an audible and wet sound, and his hair slid through he
r fingers. He rose up on his knees in the dark, lifting away the blanket. The air was cool on her fevered skin.

  His lips touched, traced the inner curve of her breasts, then traveled lower, making a wet trail down toward her belly. His hair swept the fullness of her breasts then slid down. She felt his weight settle between her legs with his knees spread between her thighs, holding her open wide.

  “Say yes, Rowan.” His whispered words came from somewhere near her belly. His hands closed powerfully on her thighs, raising her knees and pushing her further open. “Say yes, now.” Breath stirred the fine curls at the opening to her body.

  She took a startled breath. His mouth brushed lightly against the tender flesh of her feminine folds, then his tongue stroked. She gasped. His tongue dove deeply. Heat flared up her spine. She choked with the intense sensations of his mouth engaged in the most intimate of kisses. Her heels dug into the mattress and her hips rose into him.

  The wet sound of lapping was loud in the utter darkness. She jolted with every tiny stroke of his rapidly moving tongue. Brutal pleasure built and burned white hot. Helplessly she bucked against his mouth and a scream caught itself in her throat.

  He pulled away and she collapsed against the mattress, trembling and gasping with unfulfilled need. The mattress shifted and she felt him move up her body. She could hear his labored breath. He stopped and held himself balanced on his palms, poised above her. The light increased until she could see his face, carved with deep shadows.

  “Let me give you pleasure,” he said softly. The bright gleam of impassioned hunger smoldered in his eyes. “Let me give you what you need.”

  She stared up at him, vibrating and ravenous to the core. Her shirt was spread open around her, revealing her pale vulnerable flesh, and her nipples swollen hard with excitement. His silk bottoms were gone and his rampant flesh arched between them, swollen and tipped in moisture.

  She bit her lip. “I…” Too late, too late, her thoughts chased through her mind. Too late to stop now...