During his centuries as a Shadow Ryder, he’d done as the Shadow Lord had asked of him, which always meant killing someone. He was good at killing. Was comfortable with it. He had no experience with softer emotions. But Dovina made him want to reach out to her and offer more than just physical pleasure.
He scowled, unhappy with this turn of events. Emotions made a man vulnerable. Weak. He was neither.
When she sniffed and reached beneath her glasses to scrub at her eyes, he almost broke and went to her. Instead, he stiffened his resolve and watched. Every muscle in his body strained to move toward her. It took every ounce of discipline he contained to keep his distance.
What was so important about this woman that she needed to be protected at all costs? The Shadow Lord hadn’t said and he hadn’t asked. He usually didn’t care to know anything about his missions other than who he had to kill. He even had his target now. The headless horseman.
He almost snorted aloud. That was a joke. There was no such thing as a headless ghost who could wield a deadly sword. No, whoever was masquerading as the horseman was other, like him. Some powerful, supernatural entity wanted Dovina. 26
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A low growl rose from deep within him. Dovina’s head shot up and she slowly stood, adjusting her glasses as she peered into the corner. Hadeon receded farther into the shadows, knowing he was invisible to her eyes.
“Must be the heating system.” Dovina swiped her palms over her cheeks one final time and toed off her sneakers, kicking them aside. She padded into the bathroom and leaned on the counter, staring at herself in the mirror. “Maybe I’m going crazy.”
Hadeon watched her looking at herself. She frowned, her brows furrowing. He wanted to smooth that worry away. His gut clenched as she leaned forward. The movement pushed her ass back. It was lush and curvy. He wanted to touch it, to mold it with his hands.
He could easily imagine stripping Dovina naked, bending her over the sink and fucking her from behind. She’d make the same soft, whimpering noises she made when he’d pleasured her with his fingers. His cock threatened to burst the zipper of his leather pants. At the very least, he’d have the metal teeth marks from it on his dick. That’s what he got for going commando. That was the term they used for going naked beneath pants. He shook his head at the strangeness of the word even as he gave thanks that every Shadow Ryder was gifted with the knowledge and clothing of the time in which they were sent. It allowed them to fit in and do their job more successfully. He could have worn boxers or briefs, but he’d never worn undergarments during his “real” life and he saw no reason to start now just because it was the norm in this time period.
She pushed away from the mirror and sighed. “Order some food, get a shower, then work out exactly what the heck happened tonight.” She nodded at herself and hurried back to the phone perched on the tiny bedside table that was bolted into the wall.
Picking up the small menu sitting next to the phone, she perused her choices before picking up the receiver and pressing the number for room service. She chewed on her bottom lip while waiting for them to answer. Hadeon was quickly realizing it was an unconscious gesture on her part when she was thinking or nervous about something.
“I’d like a garden salad,” she began. Then she stopped and muttered “screw that”
under her breath. She paused, then continued. “No. No. Cancel that. I want a cheeseburger and fries with a side of coleslaw. I’ll have an iced tea with that too.” She picked up the small plastic-covered menu and flipped to the back page. “And one of those chocolate fudge brownies.” She glanced at her watch. “How long will that take?”
She nodded. “Half an hour is fine.”
She hung up and went to her suitcase, which was sitting on the luggage rack. She quickly opened it and pulled out some clothing. Once she’d gathered all she needed, she padded to the bathroom and closed the door.
Hadeon exhaled slowly. His temples were pounding. His cock was throbbing. Every time she passed by the corner where he was standing, he could smell her, a 27
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combination of woman and lavender that enticed him. The perfume of her arousal still clung to her skin, tempting him to reach for her.
He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders to try to release some of the growing sexual tension. It didn’t work.
He should be returning to the Shadow Realm to get answers from the Shadow Lord. Hadeon had sensed evil emanating from the horseman he’d faced down. Not only was this enemy not human, his intentions toward Dovina were less than noble. He snorted. Not this his were much better. All he could think about was sinking his rock-hard cock into her hot cunt and fucking her until they both found release. The difference between him and the horseman was that Hadeon would die to protect her. That was his mission. His honor demanded he do everything in his power to complete it.
And Hadeon didn’t like failing. At anything. He needed information. He needed to understand just what it was he was fighting.
But he couldn’t leave Dovina until room service had come and gone, until the sun was almost rising. Even then, he wouldn’t be gone long. There were shadows to be found in most buildings and he didn’t know if the horseman was confined to darkness and shadows as he was.
There was no way he wanted her alone with that other creature stalking her. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that he couldn’t pull his mind away from wanting her. He raked his fingers through his long hair, totally disgusted with himself. He was getting distracted from his duties by a sexy ass and a pair of solemn gray eyes. He huffed out a breath. It was more than that. There was something about Dovina, something that went way beyond the physical, that drew him. He’d seen more beautiful women over the long course of his long life, but never had one called to him on such an elemental level. Dovina was his. Belonged to him in a way he couldn’t articulate. And furthermore, he didn’t want to. It was useless to even think about such things. He was an immortal warrior. She was human.
The water to the shower came on and Hadeon prowled toward the bathroom door as if pulled there by an invisible rope. He leaned his forehead against the wooden panel and closed his eyes. All too easily, he could imagine Dovina naked beneath the warm spray. Her body hot and ripe and wet.
The thick mass of red hair would be slicked back from her face, emphasizing its heart-like shape and delicate features. Hadeon thought he’d been damned during his lifetime and after, but he was now only beginning to understand the meaning of the word torture.
He ached. Not just his body, which was bad enough, but right down to the depths of his soul. After so many centuries of being alone, drifting in a never-ending, thick 28
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gloom, he felt a spark of life igniting inside him. He knew that Dovina was the key and that light would die when he was forced to leave her, when his mission was done. He could almost hate her for that. To offer hope and then snatch it away was far crueler than any torture he’d ever faced from his fellow man. But it wasn’t her fault. She was innocent in all this.
Knowing he shouldn’t, he eased the door open a crack and peered into the bathroom. The shower curtain was clear plastic and he could see the outline of Dovina’s body as she washed. Hadeon almost swallowed his tongue.
Her hips were wide and lush. She was built to cradle a man between her thighs as he rode them both to ecstasy. He could easily imagine himself lying atop her body, slamming his cock in and out of her hot cunt until she screamed his name and clawed at his back. She would be magnificent in her passion. His balls clenched in agreement. She raised her hands over her head, working shampoo into her hair. The motion pushed her breasts forward. Hadeon leaned closer for a better look, careful to make no sound and to block all the light from the outer room so she wouldn’t realize the door had been opened.
Her breasts were full, more than enough to fill his hands. And he had large hands. He narrowed his gaze and could make out her nipples through the plastic shower curt
ain. They were pink and puckered. By the water or by arousal, he didn’t know. He wanted to taste them again. He’d barely had a chance to enjoy her in the woods. He could spend hours licking and sucking her breasts. He could almost hear her breathy sighs and passionate entreaties, begging him for more. He reached between his legs and adjusted his erection. Or at least tried to. There was no way for him to get comfortable.
That wasn’t quite true. There was one way, but he couldn’t take it. Not now. Not yet. When he finally had Dovina, he wanted to have her complete and enthusiastic cooperation and more time than he had now. He sensed her uneasy emotions and knew she needed time.
And wasn’t he a sensitive modern male? He almost snorted aloud at the mere thought. He was more used to just taking what he wanted, when he wanted. Not that he’d ever forced a woman. He hadn’t had to.
In his day, women wanted to be with the strongest men. That usually meant safety and wealth. And in uncertain times, that was everything. No, he’d never had trouble getting any woman he wanted. But he didn’t want just any woman. He wanted Dovina. He tried not to watch as her body swayed and enticed while she finished scrubbing her hair. It was no use. He couldn’t make himself look away. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
She was humming as she ducked her head beneath the spray. She worked the soap from her hair, her breasts jiggling as she did so. Hadeon was so intent on her lush body, he almost forgot he shouldn’t be standing there watching her. 29
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The water suddenly went off and she reached her arm out from behind the curtain and grabbed a towel, rubbing it over her hair. She curled her fingers around the plastic to shove it back. Hadeon managed to step back and carefully close the door just as he heard the curtain being pushed aside.
Dovina frowned as a cool breeze hit her, making her shiver. She squinted toward the door, all the while cursing the fact she wasn’t wearing her contact lenses. She fumbled for her glasses, which were resting on the toilet tank, hooking the wire frames over her ears. They fogged immediately and she swore in frustration. She squinted and stared at the door. It was closed.
“You’re losing it.” Now that she was safely in her hotel room, it was easy to dismiss what had happened in the woods. “The horseman was just a prank by locals. Nothing more.” That didn’t quite explain the instant connection she’d felt with Hadeon or the very real swords both men carried. But what else was she supposed to believe? That it was real?
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching her. She’d had it during the entire drive back to the hotel, but it had disappeared when she entered her room, only to reappear a few seconds later.
Grabbing the towel she’d laid out, Dovina quickly dried herself. She felt vulnerable without her clothing on. As she pulled the thin cotton over her body, she ignored the echoes of pleasure that tightened her nipples.
“Enough,” she muttered. “Bad enough you let a stranger touch you,” she admonished herself. “But you had to go and have an orgasm too.” And it had been a damn fine one. The best she’d had in a very long time.
She tossed the wet towel over the rod to dry, doing her best to ignore the low pulse between her thighs. Totally disgusted with herself, she tugged on a pair of greenstriped cotton fleece pants and a plain white T-shirt. She liked to be warm when she slept and a nightshirt just didn’t cut it. Barefoot, she opened the door and stepped out into the alcove that contained a small counter and mirror. It also had a hairdryer. She rummaged through the small bag she’d left on the counter earlier and found her brush and a can of styling product. Squeezing a large dollop into her palm, she worked it through the mass of her hair. If she didn’t, her out-of-control curls would be a complete nightmare.
Grabbing the hairdryer and her brush, she turned it on low and went to work. Ten minutes later, she was satisfied her hair was tamed as much as possible. And just in time. A knock came on the door. “Just a second,” she called. She went to the door and cautiously put her eye to the peephole, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw a woman with a cart on the other side. She opened the door and the woman smiled. “Room service.”
Dovina stepped back and motioned her in. “That smells good.”
The waitress laughed. “Tastes even better.”
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Seconds later, the door was closed and locked tight and Dovina was sitting at the table in the room, her meal spread out before her and her laptop powering up beside her. She needed to do some research and write some notes while things were still fresh in her mind. She probably should have done that already, but she’d needed to get her equilibrium back. Luckily, her hands had finally stopped shaking. The back of her neck tingled and she whirled her head around, staring into a shadowed corner of the room. “There’s nothing there. It’s just your imagination.” Still, she couldn’t shake the sensation she wasn’t alone. She didn’t feel threatened. Not in the least. She just sensed that someone else was with her. Not just someone, but Hadeon. Feeling totally stupid, she stood up and took a step toward the dark corner.
“Hadeon?”
She waited, knowing she would get no answer. “There’s no one there. You’re just spooked because of some prank a few local guys played on you.” It was time to think about that and put her experience with the ruggedly appealing Hadeon out of her mind. “That probably wasn’t even his real name.”
Still, it was unusual enough for her to go and look it up online. She found it easily.
“Destroyer,” she whispered. She could easily believe that. Watching him heft the sword in front of him had been an amazing experience. Even though he was dressed in modern clothing, there was something about him that made her think of ancient times and warriors. “Now you’re romanticizing things. So you let a man you didn’t even know touch you. Get over it. It’s not like you slept with him.”
Determined to get her thoughts back on track, she pulled up the draft of the article she was working on. The dry text would ground her like nothing else. As she reread what she’d written, she picked up her burger and took a bite. The flavors exploded on her tongue and she moaned with pleasure. This was exactly what she needed. Hadeon couldn’t watch any longer. He still couldn’t believe that Dovina had looked straight at him and called his name. Not that she’d seen him, of course. No Shadow Ryder could be seen in the shadows. But she had certainly sensed him there. He frowned and scrubbed his hand over his face as he considered the implications. There was a connection between him and Dovina. There was no denying it. Maybe it was necessary for his mission, but he didn’t think so. It went much deeper than that. The Shadow Lord was holding out on him. It was time for answers. Dovina moaned as she chewed her food. Her eyes closed as she swallowed. The ache in Hadeon’s balls was excruciating. It was like watching her come all over again. She wore the same look of pleasure. Her cheeks were flush, her lips slightly parted. Even covered from chin to ankles in clothing, there was no hiding Dovina’s sexy curves. And when her tongue came out to lick her bottom lip, Hadeon couldn’t take any more. She was safe for the moment.
He faded back into the deep shadows, not taking his gaze from Dovina until she’d disappeared from sight. He rode the familiar path to the Shadow Realm, losing himself 31
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in the complete darkness void of all light, to the place he’d called home for more than several thousand years. It felt foreign to him now. Lacking. Hadeon rubbed his hand over his chest, feeling the ache that permeated the area of his heart. He stopped cold. He missed Dovina. Wanted to be with her. This situation was impossible.
Anger roared through him and he welcomed it. It was familiar to him. He knew what to do with anger.
The darkness receded slightly and the walls of the castle coalesced around him. He strode through the dim room, feeling his fellow warriors stirring from the dark depths. He ignored them. The man he sought sat at the head of the table in a large carved chair that resembled a throne.
Hadeon didn’t stop until he stood in front of his leader. Hands on hips, Hadeon glared at him. “You left a few things out when you sent me on this mission.”
The Shadow Lord rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and steepled his fingers together. “Did I?” His tone was mild. Almost uninterested. Hadeon wasn’t buying it for a second. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.
“Do you not have knowledge of the world as it is now? Are you not able to function in this time and understand all the machinery and customs?”
Hadeon inclined his head. It was one of the gifts of the Shadow Ryders and came in handy as they’d all been to various parts of the world during different time periods. Hadeon had no knowledge of just how old the Shadow Lord was. He’d been here for about twenty-five hundred years himself and there were some Shadow Ryders much older. The Lord was older than all of them.
But that was not the issue. “The creature threatening the woman sent his regards. He said to tell you that this one belonged to him.”
Warriors stirred in the shadows. The Shadow Lord pushed back his chair and rose to his great height, towering over Hadeon. “He called me by name?”
Hadeon nodded. “He did.” The fact that it disturbed the Shadow Lord worried him and he wanted to get back to Dovina. “What am I fighting? How do I defeat it?”
“Tell me what happened?”
Hadeon rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, his fingers caressing the hilt of his sword that rested in the sheath against his back, as he gave an accounting of the encounter from start to finish. The Lord’s eyes narrowed. “She is safe.”
He nodded. “For now.” He didn’t know how else to put it so he gave the hard, unvarnished truth. “I feel connected to her somehow.”
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The Shadow Lord nodded, but said nothing. His eyes seemed to be peering inward rather than outward. Hadeon knew their leader had the gift of prophecy and could sometimes see things that others couldn’t.
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