Light the Shadows (A Grimm Novel)

by Clay, Michelle

  “For your hand.” He wrapped the bandana around it. Throwing a leg over the seat, he twisted to look at her. “Get on. I’ll take you home.”

  Micah looked like she wanted to argue, so he didn’t give her the chance.

  “They’ll be back. Best if you’re not here when they return.” He started the engine then disengaged the kickstand. “Get on.”

  She cast one last look over her shoulder at the mausoleum. Without comment, she crawled onto the seat behind him and hugged her arms around his middle. Her head lay against his back, and he could feel the frantic beat of her heart against his spine.

  Normally he would push the limits, allow the motorcycle to fly down the street. Not tonight. The sun was just beginning to lower when they pulled away from the graveyard gates. Micah’s arms were tight around his waist. Her thighs pressed snugly against his hips. He could definitely get used to this.

  Micah had relaxed a bit by the time they reached the outskirts of town. Although her arms were still around him, she was no longer squeezing the breath out of him. Her face still pressed against his back, but every now and then she’d lift her head to look at something as they passed.

  He killed the engine in front of her house then stretched out his legs to steady the bike. Her hands ran up his back to rest on his shoulder as she climbed off.

  Micah smoothed the flyaways atop her head then licked her lips. Her gaze didn’t quite meet his as a shaky laugh escaped her. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

  Sully put the kickstand down then stood. “I’ll have your car brought over.”

  She retreated a few steps, and then her hand came to rest on the wrought iron gate. She winced. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll call my stepdad.”

  “Let me take a look at your cut.”

  She jerked her hand away from the gate and cast a longing glance at the front door. “Oh no, my keys! I left my purse in the car.”

  Without a word, Sully gripped the knob in his hand and gave it a twist. Just another perk of being a Reaper he supposed. He had access to places one normally wouldn’t. Micah said nothing as he followed her inside.

  She sank onto the couch then slowly unwrapped her hand. “Would you mind getting the first aid kit from the bathroom?”

  Sully bent in front of the sink to rummage through the drawers until he located the small white case. When he stood, he swore he heard Anna’s voice.

  “What are you doing?” The shepherd’s voice rose and fell with panic.

  Micah’s uneasy laugh was a jumble of raw nerves. “I thought you were one of those shadows for a minute.”

  He could see the teenager now, standing in front of the television with her arms over her chest. She said, “What happened to staying far, far away from the Reaper?”

  “Stop it. He protected me from those shadow things this afternoon.”

  Anna sighed then spoke as though she was explaining something complicated to a second grader. “He’s not trustworthy, Micah. He’s someone to be afraid of.”

  Sully grimaced. The shepherd wasn’t wrong.

  Micah said nothing for the space of two heartbeats then in a whisper, “A white light came out of my hands. The shadows closest to me kind of disintegrated, and the others got the hell out of there.”

  “How’d you do it?” Anna asked.

  “I have no idea.” Micah sounded confused and frustrated. She held her hands out for the ghost to inspect.

  Normally Sully would be suspicious, but he truly believed that she didn’t know how she’d done it. Her shock had been too genuine. And an even more frustrating question was what had the shadows done to Thomas? Thomas was far older than Sully, and as a Grimm, he should have been able to escape any situation regarding those vicious things. Come to think of it, there were way too many of the spirits to be normal.

  As he strode back into the living room, the shepherd glanced his way. Anna’s eyes were round as saucers. She flickered a couple times.

  Micah reached for Anna, and her fingers went right through her. “Wait. Don’t leave.”

  Sully opened the first aid kit and chose a band aid, pretending not to have a care in the world. The truth was, worry gnawed away at the pit of his stomach. If something had happened to Thomas…

  Not surprisingly, Anna disappeared. He and Micah were alone again.

  He took her hand in his and gently cleaned the blood away with an alcohol swab. Her fingers, he noted, were trembling slightly. The cut wasn’t really that bad. It wasn’t even bleeding anymore. So why was she still shivering?

  Chapter Eight

  Micah sat on the edge of the couch. She turned her hands this way and that, trying to figure out just how radiant light had sparked from them. From the corner of her eye, she also watched Sully’s graceful body move around the room as he glanced at the few photos on display.

  His shoulders flexed as he lifted his arms to stretch. Micah’s tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth when the hem of his shirt rose just a few inches. It provided a mouthwatering view of his flat stomach and the light dusting of hair that she thought of as the “happy trail”. Desire sizzled within her, and she squeezed her thighs together.

  Sully’s misty grey gaze locked with hers, and she looked away, certain he could read the dirty thoughts racing around her head. She had no business thinking that way about him. James Sullivan was a Reaper for goodness sake! Maybe if she kept telling herself that, it would dampen her attraction to him.

  "Who is Thomas?" Micah asked as a way to distract herself.

  “A friend,” he said in a clipped voice.

  “Is he a Reaper, too?”

  “No.” He glanced at her, seemed to realize she wasn’t an enemy, then said, “We were supposed to meet up a few days ago, but he didn’t show.”

  Micah raked her teeth across her bottom lip. “Maybe he had something else to do?”

  “I thought so at first.” Sully stopped pacing behind the couch and gripped the cushions. “But he would have called.”

  She studied him a moment, liking the way the tight t-shirt clung to the muscles of his chest and arms. Thinking like that could be dangerous. “When did you talk to him last?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe a couple weeks ago?” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Finally, he stopped pacing. “What were you doing at the cemetery anyway?”

  “It’s stupid really. Doctor Egan said there were a couple of no names, Jane Does, who had been buried out there in the last few weeks. I thought if I went out there I might remember. Never mind.” Micah finished with a helpless shrug. “Then those shadows started rising up out of the graves and scared the crap out of me. I tried to hide in the mausoleum.”

  Micah hugged her arms around her middle and shuddered. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”

  He took one of her hands in his and turned it over to run a thumb across her palm. He cocked a brow when she drew in a sharp breath. “Looked like you managed just fine, doll.”

  “You aren’t really interested in buying a house are you?” Not exactly the direction she’d hoped to go with the conversation, but it was a start to getting her mind off other things, things she had no business thinking about. Things like whether or not he wanted to kiss her again or what he’d do if she ran her hands over his chiseled body.

  The corner of his mouth tipped up in a slight smile. “No, not really.”

  Micah pulled her hands out of his. “You thought I was a shadow?”

  Sully sat next to her. His thigh rested against hers, infusing her with his warmth. The warm, spicy scent she associated with him caressed her senses. He picked at a small hole in the knee of his jeans. “To my knowledge, none of my marks have ever become one. I had to know.”

  “Marks? You mean the people whose lives you take?” She scowled at him. The word made them seem so much less than human beings. “These people … they’re nothing more than targets to you?”

  It was his turn to frown. “That’s not what
I meant.”

  Micah thought about what Anna had said earlier. Sully had shoved the teenager through the doorway when she’d balked at the idea. Maybe if he’d given her a moment to think, she would have gone through willingly. Maybe he’d do whatever it took to maintain his perfect record. What did that mean for Micah? “Good, because it makes you sound like a murderer.”

  “I’m not a murderer, Micah.” His hands lifted to her shoulders. The weight of them seemed to ground her to the here and now.

  “And I’m not one of your marks or a shadow, Sully.” Micah shrugged his hands away then stood. Knowing she had to get away from him, she retreated to the kitchen. She couldn’t think straight with him this close.

  He followed. “You’re not the real Micah either.”

  “What do you want from me?” She sat on one of the barstools, propping her feet beneath it. “I woke up in this body.”

  “Was she already gone?” His eyes narrowed and he searched her face. “Or did you push her out?”

  “I didn’t mean to take it. I didn’t steal it. It just happened.” Micah sighed, wishing he’d just drop the subject. “Dr. Egan said I, or rather, she was dead. They pulled the plug on this body, and a few minutes later, I sucked in a deep breath and woke up. The old Micah was gone, had been for a week or longer. Thankfully, Nancy and Roger just couldn’t pull the plug.”

  Sully didn’t say anything, seeming to realize she needed a moment.

  Micah said, “If this body hadn’t been available, I probably would have turned into one of those things we saw today.”

  “Tell me what you remember.” Sully eased onto the stool next to her. “From before.”

  Micah couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. She tried to recall anything from her past. Unfortunately, all that she had was bits and pieces of the puzzle, and none of it fit together neatly.

  “I remember lots of pain, and I heard the defibrillator. It makes the eeriest sound, doesn’t it?” She twisted her fingers in her lap. “Then all of a sudden, I felt better. There was a door that appeared out of nowhere, and even though I was scared and confused, I opened it because it seemed like the thing to do. It was so bright and white. Anna was there, but I freaked out and ran back the way I came. Anna said I couldn’t go back through, but here I am.”

  “I see.” His expression was neutral, and she could read nothing in his downcast eyes.

  “I only remember bits and pieces of who I was before I became Micah.” She placed her hands flat on the countertop, willing them to stop trembling. “I think I had brown eyes and blonde hair. And I’m pretty sure I was adopted. Anna said I died from an overdose.”

  “None of that matters.” His voice was firm as he met her gaze. “You aren’t that person anymore.”

  Micah smacked her palm on the countertop. “It matters to me!”

  “You can’t have both. Pick a life, and live it. Otherwise, it’s going to drive you crazy.”

  His words of advice prickled her skin and sent a sliver of ice through her veins.

  “Did I have a family, Sully? Do they miss me?” Tears slid down the sides of her face. “Why can’t I remember anything? I know I'm not that person anymore, but I’m not Micah either. I feel so lost, damn it.”

  He stared at her, his light grey eyes solemn. Micah didn’t like that look. It usually came with bad news.

  “Did I come back for a reason, Sully?”

  “I have no idea.” He turned away from her, his intention to leave clear.

  She caught his hand and was secretly delighted when his fingers curled around hers in return. He pulled Micah to her feet, and her free hand came to rest against his chest. A school of nervy fish swam circles in her stomach, and her knees felt like jelly.

  Then a notion struck her. “If you’re a Reaper, does that mean you’re dead?”

  Sully’s laugh was a throaty sound that sent shivers down her spine and made her tingle everywhere else. He lifted her captured hand to his chest. Beneath her palm, she could feel the steady beat of his heart and the spectacular muscles of his pecs. “Does it feel like I’m dead to you?”

  From where she stood, so close the warmth of his body seemed to embrace her, he felt more than alive. Her own heartbeat thrummed wildly against her ribcage. Every nerve screamed for his touch. Why wasn’t he kissing her senseless? He’d made the first move, though it was under false pretenses, at the condo. Why was he dragging his feet now?

  Micah tilted her head to stare into his misty grey eyes. To hell with Miss Manners, she was done playing the prim and proper debutante. Even knowing it would be a mistake, she said the words anyway. “Are you going to kiss me?”

  His fingers traced across her jaw until finally her cheek rested against his palm. She leaned into it, closing her eyes for a moment. The sensation was enjoyable, but not nearly enough. She needed more.

  “Is that all you want?” Sully’s voice was low and gravelly, his breath hot and seductive against her skin. It sent shockwaves of desire rippling through her. “A kiss?”

  Their breathing was the only sound left in the room as she looked into his eyes and nodded.

  His long fingers threaded through her hair, knotting at the back of her head and securing her into place. Then he leaned forward to touch his lips to hers in a soft, sweet kiss. “Like that, doll?”

  Micah couldn’t formulate the words. She wanted his mouth, his tongue doing devilish things to hers. Was that so hard to understand?

  He pulled her closer, the movement rough and possessive. “Or was this what you had in mind?”

  His mouth slanted over hers, this kiss hard and urgent.

  Micah’s self-discipline was gone as she pressed herself against him, succumbing to the desire building within her. Her hands gripped his shirt, bunching it up in one fist while the other skimmed along the flat planes of his stomach.

  Sully’s fist tightened in her hair, and she made a sound of pained pleasure. Heat swept through her, igniting every raw nerve. She rose up on tiptoe so she could reach him better. In that moment, Micah lost herself. Melted into him. Nothing else mattered. Not life or death, shadows or light. Just them.

  Sully’s free hand ran up her hip, all the way up to her waist until it met the bare flesh beneath her shirt. His touch was soft but insistent as his fingers caressed the sensitive area of her lower back. Finally, his hand cupped her ass and pulled her against him like he was claiming her as his. She sighed against his mouth, and he took that opportunity to invade it with his tongue.

  Micah eased her hands up his arms, over the bulge of his biceps, across his chest to his broad shoulders. Finally, both hands tangled in his hair. She felt so small and fragile in his arms, protected. At the same time, she felt vulnerable to his fierce masculinity. She liked it, maybe just a little too much.

  When he lifted her up onto the breakfast bar, her insides quivered with anticipation. Oh God, she wanted this man to take possession of her, to fill her and sate every need.

  Sully pulled her torn shirt up and over her head then made an appreciative sound at the sight of her black lace bra. He hooked his thumbs beneath the straps then pulled them down her shoulders until both breasts were exposed.

  Her nipples pebbled at his admiring gaze. He grazed one with the pad of a thumb, forcing her to arch her spine. She ached for so much more. Sully’s fingers swirled around the sensitized bud of flesh before finally giving it a little pinch.

  His gaze swept up to her face. “It’s not too late to tell me to stop.”

  Never!

  Lowering his head, he took it into his mouth. He caressed her nipple with lips before flicking the hardened tip with his tongue. Micah arched her spine, desperate for his touch. His teeth raked gently across her breast, nipping at the flesh.

  Micah couldn’t prevent the breathy moan that slithered from her throat. It had to escape, like the frustration and sexual energy building within her. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take.

  His husky drawl sent a vibrat
ion of hunger through her and ignited a fire deep within her core. “You are so fucking hot.”

  Recapturing her mouth, he pressed against her, proving just how hot, how hard she made him. Micah whimpered, and he drew his mouth away from her lips. Just like his tongue and hands, his incredibly sexy eyes ignited a fire within her.

  “Sully.” She bit her lower lip and reveled in knowing she was the reason he was so hard.

  His fingers were at her waist, unzipping then dragging the dress pants down her hips. Micah trembled with need as he shucked them from her legs and dropped them onto the floor. He closed the space between them, and her thighs closed around his waist. Her sex drowned with desire, clouding her mind with seductive thoughts and want. With him so intimately close, his hard-on pressed against her through the damp lace of her panties. She shifted her hips, and Sully rewarded her with a groan.

  “Tell me something.” He grinned wickedly then slid his fingers up her inner thigh. They inched closer to her pool of desire and made her heartbeat race. “Are you wet?”

  Her hands lifted from his shoulders, ran through his silken hair and down to his chest. Her nimble fingers fluttered across his shirt and even reached the second button before his hand closed over hers, stilling it. He prevented her from going any further by pulling her hand to his mouth. One by one, he kissed her fingers.

  She frowned and pulled away from him to look up into his eyes. “Sully, I want…”

  “I know what you want, doll.” His eyes glittered with feral passion.

  A gasp shuddered past her lips when Sully’s index finger slid past the ribbon-thin panties then traveled downward. His finger slid through the tight coils of hair at the juncture of her thighs then lightly grazed her most delicate area. She clutched his shoulders and tightened her thighs around him. “Sully!”

  "Want me to stop?" His voice was full of gravel and sexy as hell.

  She nipped his bottom lip. "Don't you dare."

  Sully tugged the lace past her knees. With what she hoped was a sexy purr, she pulled him toward her and thoroughly ravaged his mouth.

  Sliding his hands up the insides of her thighs, he forced them open. Now she was fully exposed to him. She gripped the sides of the counter and stared him in the eyes, daring him to take it further.