Born in the Shadows (In the Shadows Series Book 1)

by Courtney McPhail

  Seeing Mary with her hands all over Cordelia had brought out his jealous side. Sure, he knew he had no chance with her but it didn’t mean he wanted to watch her with someone else, especially when that someone else interrupted his time with Cordelia.

  He thought back to before the others had arrived and Cordelia had been in his arms. It had started innocently enough; it had been all about touching her so that he knew she was really there. It didn’t take long for those innocent vibes to be drowned under raging hormones that burst on the scene when he noticed her breasts were flush against his chest.

  He could feel her breath on his neck, the same place she had sunk her teeth into earlier. He wanted it to happen again, to feel her suckling on his neck, sending that intense pleasure driving through his body again.

  Now that he thought about it, it was probably a good thing her girlfriend had arrived. Any longer with her and he would have made a move on her and embarrassed them both. The summoning to the principal’s office was for the best and gave him a chance to cool off.

  They entered a room at the end of a short hallway off of the front hall. The study was furnished with more antiques and it gave off the vibe of major net worth. Heavy drapes, fancy rugs, glossy wood, all of it made his skin itch. He grew up blue collar and he didn’t feel comfortable around all of this fancy shit.

  Seated behind the large desk in the centre of the room was a teenaged boy. The kid barely had any peach fuzz but he sat there as if he owned the place. He watched as the others took their seats around the room, all of them facing Pint Sized.

  Cordelia came to his side and nodded towards the kid. “Gabe, this is Nicky.”

  The boy rose to his feet and held out a hand in greeting. Gabe reacted automatically, reaching out to shake the proffered hand but his mind was at a standstill from shock. This was the man who had changed Cordelia?

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gabe.”

  “You’re just a kid!”

  He hadn’t meant to say that aloud. Whatever, at least the kid didn’t seem pissed. Instead, he smiled and Gabe could see his fangs. Jesus Christ, it was creepy as all hell to see those chompers in the face of a kid.

  “I wish I still felt like a kid,” Nicky replied and Gabe saw something ancient in his eyes, a wisdom that didn’t belong on such a young face.

  “Please, sit down.”

  Gabe took a seat next to Cordelia on a small couch and Nicky rounded his desk and settled in the chair there. Gabe had thought that the strangest thing he had seen tonight would be the bloody battle in the alley but watching this ancient teenager leading a meeting between vampires topped the list.

  Nicky leaned forward and propped his elbow on the desk, resting his chin in his hand. “So what exactly happened tonight?”

  Mary and Demetri gave him a quick play by play of what happened and Nicky looked over at Cordelia, quirking an eyebrow.

  “Sounds like you made quite a splash on your first night out.”

  Gabe felt Cordelia tense beside him before she spoke.

  “Nicky, I’m sorry that things got so out of hand but I couldn’t let that jackass bite Gabe. The only reason he was in the club in the first place was because he saw me go inside. It would have been my fault if something had happened to him.”

  Nicky held up his other hand to silence her. “I’m not angry, child. I understand why you did what you did. I would have done the same in your place.”

  Gabe saw a blush rise in her cheeks at his words of approval. She was gazing at Nicky with complete adoration and he felt jealousy rear its ugly head. The desire to punch the kid in his smug little face reared up right along with it. Which wasn’t good.

  She didn’t belong to him so he had no right to be jealous. Besides, she had said Nicky was like a father to her so punching him in the face wouldn’t go over well. Yeah, best to keep that green eyed monster under tight control.

  “However my approval does not erase my worries,” Nicky continued, sitting back in the chair. “Armand is part of the Aldric clan and they have always been a problem. Aldric, the Old One the clan descended from, was a warmonger and he seems to have passed his aggressive traits down the generations. They are also one of the highest reproducing clans and the older members have little control over the younger ones.”

  Gabe was confused by the talk of clans but he understood enough to know that the Armand guy could be serious trouble. He liked it better when he had thought he was just some Anne Rice fanboy who lived in his mom’s basement.

  “On the High Council’s order, the Enforcer has been monitoring a particular group of the Aldric clan for the last few months. They were marked as potential rogues. Armand is part of that group.”

  Gabe looked to Cordelia but she seemed as confused as him however Nicky noticed and elaborated.

  “Our kind has our own laws and if a Shadow Walker breaks one, they are considered rogues and are rounded up to be punished. Breaking even one of the laws can put the entire race at risk and when anyone begins to put a toe over that line, they are put on a watch list of sorts.”

  “So this Armand guy is on that list?” Gabe asked, figuring that since Nicky was talking to him, he had a right to participate in the conversation as much as the others did.

  “Yes. And that means there is a high likelihood that Armand won’t accept his defeat gracefully. I’m worried that he’ll want revenge and he may retaliate. And if he can’t get to Cordelia, he may come after Gabe as a way to get to her.”

  “What about reaching out to his sire?” Mary suggested.

  Nicky shook his head in dismay. “Unfortunately, his sire, along with the sires of the other males in the group, chose to end their lives a few years ago. It’s why the Enforcer began monitoring the group of males in the first place. There is no one to stop them if they decide to go rogue.”

  “I’m sorry I caused this whole mess,” Cordelia said, her voice raspy and Gabe saw those damn tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

  The sight of her crying did all sorts of horrible things to him. It ignited a protective instinct in him that made him want to scoop her up and take her away from here. Just run off and take her some place where nothing could make her cry again.

  He wanted to reach out to her but before he could make a move, Nicky became a blur as he moved from the desk to kneel before Cordelia. He took her hands into his own, gazing up at her. “Child, do not apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Nicky’s hand reached up to brush her hair behind her ear, before cupping her chin carefully. They locked eyes, staring at each other in silence as Nicky’s thumb stroked her cheek.

  “What are we going to do if Armand does try to get revenge?” Mary asked and Gabe was grateful for her interruption. He wondered if she felt the same jealousy he did at the way Nicky touched Cordelia. Maybe, because her question had him rising to his feet and letting go of Cordelia.

  “The good news is that the sun will be up in a few hours. We won’t have to worry about him doing anything during the day time.”

  “And during the night?” Mary asked.

  “That’s where we could run into a problem,” Nicky said, rubbing a hand over his chin. “If he sees either of you are out in public, he could come after you. The only safe location is here. It is against the law for him to attack clan members on their own land. If he does so, he declares war between the clans.”

  “What makes you think that would stop this guy?” Gabe finally spoke up. “I was in a haze and it was still obvious to me that the guy is pretty unhinged. Seems like he’d like the idea of a war.”

  Mary chuckled. “He might but his clan would never have his back. Without them, he’d be annihilated in two seconds. He’s an idiot but he’s not suicidal.”

  “Our clan is one of the most powerful,” Nicky explained. “Our preternatural traits are passed down through our blood. As the clan grows and Shadow Walkers create more Shadow Walkers, the blood is diluted and so is its power. Armand is a younger generation in a
large clan while we are all older generations in a small clan. Even Cordelia, as new as she is, is ten times more powerful than him.”

  “Think of it as an army grunt taking on five stealth bombers,” Demetri said.

  Gabe nodded. “He ends up vaporized.”

  “Nothing but a smoking crater,” Demetri replied with a grin.

  Gabe liked that image. He almost wished that the dickhead would come after these guys just to watch him get destroyed. It would serve the asshole right. The memories of what had happened in the alley were still fuzzy but the dried blood on Cordelia’s clothes told him enough of the story. He wanted that fucker to pay for what he had done to her.

  “Since the manor is the one place where you will be safe,” Nicky told Gabe, “I am extending an invitation for you to spend your nights here.”

  Gabe was fine with that. He had worried that Cordelia would send him back to his life while she disappeared into her new one. In the back of his mind, he had been trying to come up with ways he could convince Cordelia to see him after tonight. Now it was being presented to him on a silver platter.

  “If it means everyone stays safe, I have no problem spending the night here.”

  And spending more time with her, he added in his head. It didn’t matter to him that she had a girlfriend or that she would never be interested in him. All he knew was he hadn’t been ready to let her go when he had thought she was dead. Now she was back and he wasn’t going to let her disappear again.

  Chapter 8

  Cordelia glanced up at the night sky as she and Gabe walked out the manor’s front entrance. The stars were still sparkling but the horizon was beginning to lighten. The sun would be up soon and despite her new aversion to sunlight, she was grateful. It had been a long night and she was happy to see it end.

  The adrenaline high she had been running on since the fight was gone. Sitting in Nicky’s office and talking about what would happen in the coming nights had brought her crashing down to reality. Gabe would leave at sunrise, go about his day and then return to the manor at sunset.

  As she watched Gabe sitting there happily obliging to all of Nicky’s instructions, she had wanted to start crying all over again. She had screwed up his life and thrown everything out of sync by being impulsive. He should hate her for all of this. She had put him in mortal danger and yet he accepted it all as if it was no big deal.

  He took being a nice guy to a whole other level. Anyone else would be furious at being forced into this situation but not Gabe. No, he actually seemed happy with the arrangement. Which either made him insane or the nicest guy in the world.

  Mary had assured her that the mind tricks hadn’t fried his brain so it had to be the latter. And that truth made her feel like shit for messing with his life. The jerks deserved that, not the nice guys. Unfortunately, time travel was beyond her so there was nothing she could do to change it.

  She led the way to the four-door garage a little ways away from the manor. She walked inside the side door and flipped on the rows of overhead lights. She heard Gabe whistle appreciatively behind her as Demetri’s babies came into view.

  A black Viper, a red Maserati and a yellow Lamborghini were lined up with an empty space for the Bentley that she had left in the drive. She’d probably catch shit from Demetri for leaving it out there but she couldn’t muster enough energy to care that much. He’d just have to deal with it.

  “Demetri is a car nut. These are only his absolute favourites. The rest are in a storage facility in town. Take your pick.”

  Gabe smiled widely before ogling each car like a kid in a candy store. Which, of course, he would. Men were all the same when it came to cars.

  He walked between the cars, dragging the tips of his fingers along the Lamborghini as he passed it, his eyes wide with awe but he ended up coming back to the Viper.

  She handed over the keys and he looked like he was about to weep in happiness as he opened the door and climbed into the leather seat. He stroked the steering wheel lovingly and she felt a sudden stab of longing, wanting his fingers to stroke her body just like that.

  Down, girl. Not the time.

  She should just be glad that he had found some enjoyment in such a horrible night. The guilt she felt for her part in tonight’s events began to creep back to gnaw at her.

  He looked up from the dashboard, its many dials and gauges forgotten instantly, as if he had sensed the shift in her mood. He climbed out of the car and came to stand in front of her, concern evident on his face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She sighed. God, where to start?

  “I’m so sorry that I brought you into all of this and that now you might have an insane Shadow Walker hunting you and you have to come stay here instead of just living your life. I’m also sorry that I bit you and that I punched you but in my defence, I did those things to help you, not hurt you. And I’m sorry for the whole fake death thing too. I know that getting to drive an expensive car doesn’t make up for any of it and you are being really nice about not yelling at me about all of it.”

  Well, guess that’s a start.

  He stared at her for a moment, his head cocked to the side before laughing. “I think that’s the longest apology I’ve ever gotten in my life.”

  “I’m being serious. I can’t apologize enough for everything that’s happened.”

  He just smiled. “Cordy, none of this is your fault.”

  She shook her head. She wasn’t going to let him excuse her just because he was a nice guy and didn’t want to yell at a woman. “Yes it is. The only reason you were in that club tonight was because I was there.”

  “And the only reason you were there is because you are a Shadow Walker and I’m to blame for that. If I hadn’t hit Sampson, he never would have attacked you and you wouldn’t have become a Shadow Walker. I should have known that he wouldn’t let it go, I should have stayed after work and waited to walk you to your car.”

  He seemed as if he was struck by a new thought and horror crept across his face.

  “Jesus Christ. Cordy, if Nicky hadn’t been there, you would really be dead and it would be all my damn fault. I am so fucking sorry, Cordy.”

  The anguish on his face hit her square in the heart. God, he was unbelievably kind. Most people wouldn’t care about what she had gone through. They would only be concerned with how it affected them.

  There was no way that she was going to let him shoulder the blame. And she really didn’t deserve it either. Neither one of them had asked for any of this. This had been done to them and when she traced all the events back, they came to one source: Sampson. What an asshole.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about Gabe, and neither do I. We are both ignoring the one person here who is to blame for all of it and that’s Sampson. I mean honestly, is murder really the normal response to a black eye?”

  He laughed at her joke and she was glad to see the pain on his face lessen. He still looked guilt ridden and she could still feel some of it weighing on her own shoulders but it was better.

  “You’re right. None of this is our fault,” he said. “I want you to know everything we went through tonight was worth it because I found out you’re still alive.”

  It was such a simple statement, no flowery words or poetic prose and yet it touched her deeply. Her enhanced senses picked up the relief and happiness in him and most of all the sincerity in his words. Before she knew what was happening, she was overcome with emotion and burst into tears.

  He took her mood swing in stride, reaching out and taking her hand in his own. He laced his fingers through hers and she felt a calming peacefulness settle over her, bringing her out-of-control emotions in check. She took a cleansing breath, shuddering on the intake but steady on the exhale.

  She felt like an idiot for bursting into tears. He was going to think she was completely unstable.

  “Sorry about that. Our emotions can get out of control. And I’m getting really sick of it. I’ve done enough crying tonight to las
t a lifetime.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Gabe assured her, reaching up to wipe a tear from her cheek.

  His tender gesture brought up another swell of emotions. On impulse, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and inhaled deeply. It was that same spicy scent he had exuded before when he had been eyeing her. It ignited a longing inside her and she pressed up against the full length of his body. God he felt so good. She wanted to touch him, to kiss him, to strip them both naked and spend the day like that.

  She let her soft curves mould against his hard planes as she wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders. She trailed her fingers up the back of his neck and he shuddered. His hands flexed on the small of her back before inching slowly down, hovering just above her ass. She leaned further into him, a silent signal that he was free to proceed, that she wanted it.

  “Cordelia, what about Mary?” Gabe asked, his voice hoarse in her ear.

  “What about her?” Cordelia replied, confused as to why he’d be asking about Mary at a time like this.

  He pulled back to look her in the eye. “I thought you two were…you know, together.”

  Okay, that was the last thing she was expecting to hear and she had to take a step back from Gabe, her arms slipping from around his neck.

  “Wait, you think Mary and I are together? Like girlfriends?”

  “Well, yeah, with the hugging and the sweethearts and the kiss earlier, I thought you were seeing each other,” he said, with a shrug of his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t assume you date every woman you meet. I’m not completely ignorant. I know lesbians can have women friends and not want to sleep with them.”

  All the pieces finally fell into place for Cordelia as it dawned on her that Gabe had believed the rumours about her. She knew that most of the men at the construction company thought she was a lesbian since she favoured a tomboy look and she had never bothered to correct that impression since it kept the men from hitting on her.