Shifting Shadows

by Barb Shuler

  So, after a couple of months, I decided to call it quits with Zeke. I gave the poor guy that same old tired speech we all have gotten at least once. The “it’s me, not you” kind of speech. It really was all me. It sounded as lame as a three legged horse. I really felt like shit after that. I hated the thought of hurting Zeke, but anytime Dylan and I locked gazes his eyes lit a fire inside me that I never thought could be extinguished. It was then that I knew I was making the right choice. There were things in life, no matter if they hurt or not, you just had to do.

  I frowned as I remembered what transpired that day.

  That day, two months ago, changed who I was and what I wanted. I knew I'd never get it, but I wanted Dylan. He was the one I dreamed about and I only hoped I'd get the chance.

  As the graduation ceremony started, I waited to hear my name. When it was called, I strolled across the stage feeling a pang of heartache. This would be the end of my high school days, and an end to my desires of being with Dylan. I was leaving for the University in a few weeks, and into the real world.

  Dylan would become nothing more than a memory.

  CHAPTER 2 - Dylan

  Six months ago, my world was turned upside down, and all because of the new girl. The pretty, hippy brunette, Emerson Davenport. The moment our eyes met and her scent reached me, something snapped inside.

  It was instantaneous. A feeling overcame me and I had the sudden urge to take her. My inner animal was screaming, “MINE!” It wasn’t just her body that called to me. No, her soul sang to mine. My need to claim her was strong. So strong that I wanted to grab her, bend her over and fuck her right there in the parking lot, sinking my teeth into her soft, warm flesh, claiming her. Marking her in all ways as MINE!

  Everything in me was going haywire, to the point of being maddening. No matter how I tried, the more I fought against the pull the more it consumed me. As I stared at her, with these thoughts running through my head, I involuntarily moved towards her. The moment her body made contact with mine - I wanted to let the animal in me loose. But I couldn't. Not here, not now.

  What in the hell was wrong with me? She was human. No, this can’t be happening.

  As I watched her walk into the building, the only thing that held me back was my younger brother, Vincent. Well, him and that jackhole asspire, Ashton.

  Why Vinny kept him around, I don’t know. The bastard got on my last nerve and it took all I had in me not to rip his head off and set his ass on fire in broad daylight. He’d only been here for about ten months, but we couldn’t get rid of him. Leave it to my brother to be the hero and save the bastard, allowing him to be what he is. I’d have put him out of his misery and put him six feet under - but I’m the sadistic one. Vin isn’t. He’s the caring one, who apparently needed a butt buddy. That thought made me cringe. I sighed. I didn’t want to know what my twin did in his spare time. Whatever suited his fancy was fine with me, I just didn’t need to know about it.

  I moved my gaze back to where the girl had gone, my mouth watering for her. I took a step in her direction, but was stopped by Vinny’s hand slapping against my chest.

  “Dylan!” he warned. “Get ahold of yourself.”

  Lacey fluttered around me to stare into my eyes. We always had a good connection, she and I. We’d had it since the night Vin attacked her and made her like us. He still felt bad about that night, when he let his bloodlust get the best of him. Like I was trying to not do now. Lace stared at me and I knew she was trying to find something, but I didn't know what. The only thing I could focus on was the brown haired beauty that had walked into the building. I wanted her in every way possible, but I couldn’t have her.

  “Dylan, look at me,” Lace snapped. I refocused on her and she smiled. “You two share a bond. I can- I can feel it.”

  “What do you mean you can feel it?” I asked, confused.

  “Lace, have you been feeding on the drunken rabbits in the woods again?” Vinny asked, raising a brow at her. Her only reply was to flip him off. I let my head fall back and laughed hard. If anyone could keep Vin on his toes it was Lace. She didn’t take shit from anyone, especially from my brother. To be so little, she was quite lethal.

  “Dylan, that mark you have. The one Vin said you got when.. uh…” I cut her off as I stood straighter and glared down at her.

  “You mean the one I got when that fucking so called Preacher said I was inhabited by the devil and tried to burn it out of me?” My words came out as a growl. The anger rose so fast I had no time to react before Vin was slamming me back into our SUV.

  “Back. Off!” he growled, his hands tightening in my shirt. I took a deep breath and nodded. When he felt me relax he shoved off me and moved to put himself between me and Lacey. It wasn’t her fault that night changed my life.

  I’m not sure if that night was the worst of my life or the best. It depends on the day of the week and how my inner animal acts, I guess. If I were being honest with myself I was in shock by what she had just told me. I shook my head and tried to walk away but Lacey was in my face. Or as in my face as she could be at 5’ 5” to my 6’ 4”.

  “Listen to me, Dylan. She has the mark, that same one. I saw it on her arm. I can fucking feel it, ya know.” Her finger jabbed into my chest with each word. I stood there and took it. If I made any move to get away from her Vin would take it as a threat against his girl and I’d have to beat his ass in front of everyone.

  I’d do it, too. I don’t back down from a fight. Ever.

  I scoffed. “A human? Are you fucking crazy? I could never love her, Lace. No matter what you think you saw on her skin. You're wrong!”

  I heard her talking, but I tuned her out and walked away before I said or did something I would possibly regret. I headed towards the school, pushing what Lacey had said out of my head and trying to focus. I couldn't just walk in there and take the new girl, no matter how bad I wanted to. No, if I wanted her, I would have to wait, and that was something I could do very well. No, no waiting. I didn’t want the human. For fuck sake, I was so screwed.

  My instincts were on high alert as I stalked into the school and found her scent. My inner animal growled, “MINE” again and I smirked. I had many years under my belt of stalking people from afar until I got what I wanted. I walked through the corridors and into my first period class.

  There was no way this little human was anything more than a way to get blood, or sex. We didn’t date humans. They became a weak link. One I couldn’t have. I was a hundred and thirty-six year old shifter, for crying out loud. I didn't want a mate, nor did I need one. No, I just wanted a good fuck before a good meal and she was my target.

  I was lost in my thoughts when I caught an intoxicating scent. Fuck!

  My eyes popped up to see her standing there, looking around the room. My eyes met hers only for a second. The teacher was talking to her and as she walked to her seat, I raked my eyes over her body.

  She was stacked. Fuck, I loved her tits. Definitely more than a handful, even for me. And that body had curves in all the right places. Places my hands could grip onto as I filled her from behind. I was getting hard just thinking about her bent over, her whimpers and heavy breathing... Ugh. I adjusted myself and tried to stop picturing how her body would feel around mine. I wanted to run my hands over her ass, her heavy breasts and fuck her until she screamed my name. My motherfucking name.

  Mine. She was mine. I'd sink my teeth into her and taste her, licking that spot until she was marked by my bite. No! I was not mating her, she meant nothing to me more than a plaything. A very sexy, very fuckable plaything. My inner beast was wrong, she was not ours like that.

  I spent the whole period dreaming of different ways I could take her and before I knew it, the bell rang. She darted from her seat and out of the classroom. The only other time I saw her after that was at lunch. She was eating alone. I caught her looking my way a couple of times. That day I became obsessed with having the one person that could ruin me forever. Forever was all we had, aft
er all.

  However, thoughts of sleeping with Emerson gave me dreams that could only come true with her in my bed and me buried deep inside her. The rest of the school year flew by as it always does for us. Really, a few months is nothing. A cat nap for those that don’t age.

  With a face like mine - not that I am being a smug bastard - it catches the ladies attention. So since we don’t age like ‘normal’ humans do, we have to relocate often to not draw attention.

  So now, here I am. Another graduation day. Again, being bored out of my mind until I catch her scent. It wraps me up in my own Emerson induced coma. I just wanted to find her. When I come around the corner I see her standing there in a short lavender and black dress wearing a pair of fuck me heels, I wanted to run over to her, take her anywhere private and fuck her until she couldn't see straight. The front of my pants became increasingly tight and uncomfortable.

  Fucking A! What was this chick doing to me?

  I was rudely pulled out of my thoughts when Vin grabbed my arm and yanked me outside. It was only moments later when Lace and the jackhole were in my face.

  “Fuck off, will ya? Damn. I wasn’t doing anything!”

  “Dude, really?” Vin sneered at me. “Don’t. I heard you growling. You were looking at her again. You said you didn't want a mate, so leave her be.”

  “She can’t be with us anyway,” Ashton commented as he looked at his nails, like he was modeling some kind of damn polish. “You’re better off without her. Let her go find a boy of her choosing.”

  “She. Is. Mine. Fuck. Off!”

  “You need to get yourself under control. Seriously, dude, chill the fuck out,” Vin said from beside me.

  “I wasn’t going to do anything, I was just thinking about it,” I said, honestly.

  “I know what you were thinking,” Vin grunted.

  “Yeah, man, anyone with a good set of eyes can see what you were thinking. You’re about to bust out of your jockeys.” Ashton had the nerve to wink at me. “I’m always willing to help ya out there, Tiger.”

  Growling, I lunged for the skinny little bastard. I was gonna kill him. The stupid fucker was always pushing my buttons. Vin pulled me back and snorted.

  “Relax, Dylan, he’s just trying to rile ya up. Seriously, calm down, bro. If you sprout fangs and fur we are all going to be in the shit hole here.”

  It was Lacey, as always, that broke the tension. She smiled at me and grabbed my arm. “I know you weren’t going to hurt her. They’re just being cautious. They’re worried about you. I have faith, though.” She batted her lashes at me and I pulled my arm away from her.

  “I'm fine,” I huffed as I stalked off back inside the auditorium. I took my seat and waited for the ceremony to start. When Emerson moved across the stage to get her diploma I realized I was actually going to miss seeing her everyday. My beast was clawing at me to get out. He was not happy I was leaving her behind. But I had to. She deserved better than anything I could give her. I would only bring her heartache and destruction.

  Plus, we were off to University of Colorado in a month. We needed a change of scenery, but wanted to stay close to home, so to speak. I’d never get my chance to do what I wanted with her, but I knew I’d never forget the girl who awoke my darkest desires.

  Primal Darkness is available on Amazon

  About the Author

  I’m a Carolina Girl by right and a Texan by birth... so I have a Texas-sized temper. Living and working in both states I’ve learned a lot about hard work, adapting to your surroundings and making the best of the path that you have been led down. My grandma Dollie once told me I would know what I was meant to do when it happened. She was right, as always.

  As with most book lovers, I am an avid reader. Reading has always been a hobby - a passion, really. Reading helps to expand the perimeters of one's mind. That is what got me to start writing as a kid. If I had paper...or a wall... I was writing. Words are a part of us all. Why not use them, right?

  During the day I work as a ‘desk jockey’ and help the residents of my county navigate themselves around our little, but not too little country town. By night I am either blogging, doing PA work for some of my favorite authors or I am fighting with the voices in my head. (They can be stubborn at times.) It’s a way to cope and make the troubles of the day disappear, if only for a few hours. It’s a blessing and I am cherishing every moment. For that which is my creation, may become someone else's treasure.

  Tomorrow is never guaranteed so I want to make sure I live the day as fully as possible.

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