Touch a Dark Wolf (The Shadowmen Book 1)

by Jennifer St Giles

  Sunlight streamed into the room and bathed Erin in a golden light. Her beauty took his breath away. His hand still throbbed from the feel of her softness, and his body ached to know more of the pleasure she made pulse in his blood. The pleasure was stronger than any poison from the damned.

  She patted the place beside her. Drawing a deeply satisfying breath of her scent, he settled onto the seat, feeling as if he’d sunk into the softness of a cloud. He reached for her and she shoved something into his hand.

  “That is a remote control. It works the satellite TV over there, which is a way to see almost anything that is happening in the world. The catch is, you’re only seeing what certain powers want you to see, but it is better than nothing.”

  She guided his finger on the remote and pushed his finger down. The wall in front of them erupted in a mortal battle of weapons and death. He stood quickly, his blood throbbing to act until he quickly realized that what he saw wasn’t real and sat back down.

  “Push this button up or down, and you’ll see different things,” she said. “I’ll be right back. I forgot napkins.”

  He clicked the button to find a group of mortals arguing over matters that had no worldly significance and dismissed them, moving on. He did that two more times before finding something of interest—a man and a woman in each other’s arms, kissing deeply. His insides clenched, and the vivid feel of Erin’s fingers upon him rushed over him.

  “We’ve just met, but I feel as if I’ve known you forever.

  “Hurry, we have very little time.” The man kissed the woman again. She moaned, and they grabbed at each other’s clothes, scrambling to take them off. Jared shook his head. Their life would be simpler if they dispensed with clothing, completely. The man moved his lips from the woman’s mouth to other places along the woman’s neck and shoulders, using his tongue and teeth upon her skin. Pushing the woman onto her back, the man spread her legs wide and kissed the darkened flesh there before he moved against her and thrust his swollen flesh into her. He heard Erin returning, smelled the clean scent of her before she even entered the room.

  “Oh, hell,” Erin said.

  After a surprised moment, he realized the images of the man melding to the woman disturbed her.

  “I do not believe Heldon’s realm has such pleasures, but then spiritual beings do not concern themselves with the physical aspects of the mortal realm. There are more important matters,” Jared said, gliding his gaze down her body, wanting to see, feel, and make her cry out as loudly with pleasure as the woman on the screen.

  She pulled the remote control from his fingers and turned off the images. “Snack is ready,” she said, shoving a plate and fork at him before she sat next to him.

  He took her offerings, frowning at her as he sensed her unease. “You are afraid of the satellite?”

  He found it odd that she hadn’t reacted strongly to the death battle, but had to the man and woman.

  “No,” she said. Using a fork to spear food, she put it in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. “Eat.”

  He found the supple movements of her mouth and lips fascinating and focused on them. “Then you were afraid of the man and the woman?” he asked.

  “No. Eat.”

  “They were intimate?”

  “Yes. Eat.”

  “Do you fear being intimate?”

  “No. Eat.”

  “Do you fear me?”

  “No. Eat.”

  “Then I don’t understand.”

  She took her fork with food on it and put it to his mouth. “Eat,” she demanded.

  Frowning at her, he opened his mouth, and she put the food in. Instantly, a sweet pleasure filled his mouth. He moaned. “What food is that?”

  “Peaches.”

  He took his own fork, stabbed a peach, and brought it to Erin’s mouth. “Peaches are better than oats.

  She frowned. “Jared—”

  “Eat,” he said, pushing the peach into her open mouth. He sensed that she battled with want just as he did. He sensed she wanted to be intimate with him, but wouldn’t allow herself to be, and that disturbed him. He leaned toward her, parting his lips, ready for his peach.

  Her frown deepened, but she fed him more peach. “It is customary for each person to feed themselves,” she said. “People only feed each other occasionally.”

  “When they are being intimate?” He gave her another peach, watching the sweetness of it glisten upon her lips.

  She blinked at him. “Well, yes.”

  He smiled and set his plate on the table. “Good,” he said, feeling a rumble of pleasure inside. Moving deftly, he pressed his mouth to hers and opened his lips to taste the juice of the peach and an essence his keen senses had now defined as Erin.

  She stiffened a moment, her golden eyes widening with surprise. Then she melted to him, softening her mouth to his. He leaned closer to her, pressing her back against the sofa, and sent his tongue searching for more of her.

  Desire once again surged within him, making his heart race and eradicating any lingering Tsara pain for the moment. As he licked the traces of peach from her lips, her tongue met his, sliding gently against it. He matched her movements, increasing them as his want of her burgeoned. He shifted his mouth from hers to touch and taste the softness of her skin along her cheek. He slid his hand to her sides, pulling her closer to the ache of his swollen flesh. Her robe bunched between them, and he tugged it open until his hand made contact with her skin.

  She groaned. Her fingers threaded into his hair, and she arched her back. Leaning slightly away from her, he spread her robe open and gazed at her breasts and womanly body. He drew a deep breath, this time detecting the scent of her sex and her desire. Her want of him was stronger than his awareness of anything else, and nothing was sweeter to his soul than that small reprieve.

  “Jared,” she whispered.

  “Erin. Beautiful,” Jared said, lowering his head. He closed his mouth over her, and the very tip of her breast changed to a hard nub as he brushed his tongue against her. She moaned, and he flicked his tongue over that tip until she cried out, arching to him.

  Her pleasure sent a bolt of pleasure through him so sharply that his hips jerked, bringing his hard flesh against her leg and loosening the towel at his waist.

  He snatched the towel away and covered her body with the heat of his gaze before he set his lips and tongue to tasting her again. He moved to the flat planes of her stomach and the soft, golden curls of her aroused sex, brushing his lips and tongue and teeth all along the softness of her skin until her heart hammered and her breast quivered with every breath. Then he spread her legs wide and set his mouth there, tasting her glorious sweetness and thrusting his tongue into her softness.

  Erin closed her eyes and let her head fall back into the soft leather as each stroke of Jared’s tongue shot shards of pleasure right to her center. Between her own heated desire and his hot touch, she felt every degree of his hundred-and-fifteen temperature. Lava had replaced her blood and set her afire.

  It was like being personally kissed by the midday sun and made her feel utterly decadent, as if she wanted to luxuriate naked in his warmth forever. The thought of having his heat inside her sent her erogenous zones into a frenzied chaos of sensations. She came apart at the very seams of her life as her orgasm erupted through her, a volcanic explosion of such magnitude that her world was forever altered. She cried out from the glory of it. Stars burst and a universe of new pleasure opened before her.

  Jared rose up to thrust his erection along the wet folds of her sex. He didn’t enter her, but thrust against her. She arched to him then reached down, wanting to show him the way. He her hand tightened around his erection the moment he thrust and his body shuddered as he cried out with pleasure.

  He kissed her then, staring into her eyes with such awe that she couldn’t help but smile.

  “You have shown me a world I have never seen before,” he whispered.

  His amulet lay warm between her breas
ts and his long hair formed a dark curtain around them, closing out the world that she wished had never existed. All she wanted to know was the feel of him, the touch of him. To luxuriate in the supple velvetiness of his hard warrior’s body. She pulled him close to her racing heart. “You did the same for me,” she told him.

  He settled against her and she felt their spirits entwine in a whole new way.

  Erin knew this shouldn’t have happened. She should be protecting Jared from an involvement that wouldn’t help either of them at the moment, but she hadn’t stopped, hadn’t wanted to stop, and honestly didn’t know if she could have stopped. Everything inside her had been caught up in feeling and knowing the power of his passion.

  And though they technically hadn’t had intercourse, a sexual bond had been forged between them—one that she was sure they were both going to regret.

  He leaned back from her, an intense question shadowing the iridescent blue of his eyes.

  “You find great pleasure with me, yet I feel turmoil. Why?”

  How did he know so much of what she felt?

  She glanced at Jared’s amulet, hanging between them and touched its smoothness, already prepared for its heat and the tingling of her fingers. “Yes, there is great pleasure with you, but I am torn inside because I don’t know you. I know hardly anything about you. We haven’t had time to—”

  “Time?” he said, easing to her side so that he lay next to her on the couch. “Time is irrelevant in bonding to another. Sometimes unity happens in an instant and sometimes millennia can pass before one soul learns to soar with another. You do know me. You know all that matters. You know my spirit, for yours soars with mine, embraces mine. I felt it.” He set his palm over her heart.

  “You felt passion, desire, sexual arousal. That’s all different than knowing what love really is. That only comes with time. You have to be patient, and when you understand all of this more, you will know I’m right. And you’re wrong. I don’t know you. I believe you are who you say, a Blood Hunter, a spirit being made mortal, but what does all of that mean now?” She placed her palm against his amulet.

  She must have hit a nerve, because Jared pulled his hand from her breast and climbed off the couch. She sat up and belted her robe, needing a barrier between them. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like the answers she’d get. He had said he was doomed. He had said there was no hope for him. He paced the great room naked, and after a few minutes, she held out the blue towel he’d had on.

  He frowned at it.

  “Please,” she said. “I can’t think with you naked.”

  “I think very well when you are naked. Perhaps your thinking isn’t necessary at the moment.”

  Erin stood, marched to Jared, and wrapped the towel around his waist. From the look of him, she knew just what he thought of her naked. “Believe me, if I don’t get to think, then nothing you are thinking will ever happen again. I want you to tell me everything about you, even what you told me before. This time I will hear you.”

  “What did you hear before?”

  “My own thoughts.”

  He spoke, and this time she listened to what he had to say about his service as a Shadowman warrior in the Guardian Forces. His elite band of warriors, known as Blood Hunters, protect humans with Chosen blood. She understood that the head of the forces for good was Logos, and a spiritual battle was waged against the evil Army of the Fallen, led by Heldon.

  Erin shuddered. “So my blood is coveted by vampires you call Vladarians?”

  “That is correct.”

  Erin drew a breath. “And those who have Chosen blood are descendants from King Solomon. That would mean my parents are and my ancestors were Chosen as well.”

  “At least one of them is.”

  “How can you tell who has Chosen blood and who doesn’t?”

  “This will sound strange but the power and the scent of Logos’s blessing runs strong in a Chosen’s blood. Why Logos chose to bless some and not others centuries ago are unknown to us all. His mysteries are as deep and varied as the universe. What you need to know is that you are in danger because of it.”

  “Why?”

  Jared seemed to hesitate a moment, inhaling deeply as if what he had to say was very difficult. “There is great power in the blood of the Chosen. The demons, werebeasts, and vampires of the Vladarian Order not only crave that power, but need that power in order to exist in the mortal realm and spread Heldon’s evil. Their plan is to create hell within the mortal world.” He walked to a wide window and stared at the thin mists rolling across the mountain peaks.

  “Where are these creatures? How will I know them? How can I protect myself from them?”

  “You’ll know. I’ll make sure you know. And I am here to protect you for a time,” he said softly.

  Erin knew there were more questions she should ask, and would think later to ask, but his last words snatched her attention. She riveted her gaze on Jared.

  “What do you mean, for a time?” He looked so alone, silhouetted against the mountain peaks and mists outside the window that she went to him and set her hands on his broad shoulders.

  He stiffened at first. Then, when she pressed her cheek to his back, he sighed and relaxed into her embrace.

  “I am damned, poisoned by a Tsara, one of Heldon’s spiritual assassins. I can no longer serve the Guardian Forces. I can no longer walk with my Blood Hunter brethren. I will walk as a mortal for a time, and then I will no longer be.”

  The words hit Erin in her chest, right in the center of her heart, and left her struggling against burning tears. She didn’t want to believe what he said was true. His life couldn’t be that fleeting. Yet she’d chosen to accept that he was a spirit being, so how could she not believe this, too? She moved to face him, needing to know more. His gaze was shadowed, his mouth grim.

  “What do you mean, you will no longer be?”

  He pressed his palm to her face and brushed his thumb against her cheek. “I can’t answer that because I don’t know yet myself.”

  He leaned down and kissed her then, lightly, reverently. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him so tight she was sure neither of them could breathe. “It’s not going to happen,” she whispered. “We are irrevocably bound to one another. I won’t let it happen, Jared.”

  He didn’t say anything, but she knew he didn’t believe her, any more than she had believed him before. The storm of events swirling around her life thickened to a dark cloud. It wrapped around her, strangling her with its force.

  She buried her face into the heat of his neck and placed one hand over his heart, making a silent vow. She didn’t understand what or how, or anything else, but when the time came, he would be safe, too.

  As she stood nestled against him, her eyelids grew heavy. At some point he carried her back to the couch and wrapped her into his arms. She drifted off to sleep realizing that Jared was right about something. The length of time passing didn’t necessarily equal the strength and the depth of a connection forged between two people.

  A jarring sound brought Jared to full alert, letting him know that danger didn’t lurk, but something extremely annoying intruded on their quiet rest. Erin slept in his arms, as golden and promising as a gentle sunrise. He didn’t want to let her go, but the irritating sound would not cease.

  Easing from beneath her, he followed the short, blaring notes, gritting his teeth against the unharmonious clatter. He found the offending object in the kitchen. Since glaring at it produced no results, he pushed it with his hand. It slid, hit the wall, and fell apart. The noise ceased. He thought he’d harmed the thing until he heard the woman Emerald. “Hello . . . are you there?”

  “Yes,” Jared said, scowling at the thing.

  “Is everything all right, luv? You sound a bit distant. Are you holding the phone?”

  Jared picked up the phone and held it dangling in front of his face. “Yes.”

  “Erin and I spoke of the Sno-Med Fair. We’re going, and—”

&
nbsp; “Include me,” Jared said, his irritation switching from the phone to the conversation. Had Erin planned to go fight this enemy alone?

  “Well, I hadn’t thought ... are you sure you’re up to the trip?”

  “Yes.”

  “In a jiffy, then.”

  “What is a jiffy?” Jared asked, but all he got for his trouble was a loud continuous blare that stopped after a few moments. “If you wish to dial a number, please hang up and try again.”

  “Jared?” Erin came stumbling into the room. “Who called?

  “What’s a jiffy?” he asked.

  “Depends on what kind of jiffy.”

  “Emerald said in a jiffy. Why didn’t you tell me about the Sno-Med Fair? Were you going to fight this predator alone? If you go, then I go, Erin.”

  “Whoa. Wait a minute. Emerald was on the phone?” Erin picked up the now silent offender and put it to her ear. “Hello?” She put the thing back together. “What did she say?”

  “I just told you. We’re all going to the fair, and she said in a jiffy.” Curious, he picked up the phone and examined it, hearing the noise again. “Show me,” he told Erin.

  Erin blinked at Jared, realizing what his problem had been. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about you needing to learn a few things about the world you’re in.” She didn’t exactly know how it had worked out, that she and Jared were going to the Sno-Med event, but she wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip from her hand. Even if Dr. Cinatas had people looking for her, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to recognize Jared. They couldn’t have gotten more than a glimpse of him. It was herself she’d have to disguise, but she’d worry about that shortly.

  She showed Jared how to use the phone by calling Emerald back on the number posted by the phone. “She’ll be here in a jiffy. That means fast. We have to put on clothes quick, and we don’t even know that they fit.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him back toward the bedroom. They’d barely managed to slide into slacks, shirts, and tennis shoes before Emerald arrived. The only thing that didn’t fit of the very generous and tasteful clothes Emerald had supplied were the bras. Erin opted to go without.