Enslaved In Shadows (Shadow Unit Book 1)

by Tigris Eden

  Royce urged her forward. Her sneakers stuck to the sticky blood and she almost lost her footing. Royce held a steady hand on her arm and tightly held her daughter, who was not moving.

  “What’s wrong with Faith?” Jes cried out. Why wasn’t she awake? God, had she been cut by the glass? She was about to panic, but staved it off. There was no blood, none that she could see anyway. Faith must have passed out in fear. Or maybe it was Royce? Another bird seemingly of the same origins as Bells with black tipped wings stood in the corner. Draven was in his wolf form and pinned Royce with a feral growl. Glowing emerald eyes looked her over with concern.

  “My daughter, did you do something to her? Tell me now!” Anger didn’t begin to describe the words that left her mouth. She knew she sounded hysterical and didn’t care.

  “Yes, I did. Now, please, I have to get you two to the car and out of here. Draven.” He nodded in the direction of the huge black beast. “Follow us on foot.”

  “Why is it so easy for you to change back?”

  “Because I’m not a werewolf or a shifter, I am something else.”

  “And that is?”

  “Chop chop, pretty, let’s get you and Miss Faith to a safe place, we need to get back to the captain as soon as possible.”

  “Fine, but what about Bells and Solon?” Jesminda asked.

  “They have wings, I’m sure they will follow Draven. Now let’s go before more of those things come.”

  She waded through more blood as it hit the sides of her shoes in thick waves. She didn’t want to think about it, couldn’t look as she walked out the front door. Their car was destroyed. How the hell were they going to get back on the road now? The other houses’ lights remained off, and she couldn’t help but wonder why they weren’t coming out to see what all the commotion was.

  “The fight was masked, now stop asking questions and move your ass.”

  She turned a glare on Royce and pointed at the destroyed car. Like he could magically put that shit back together.

  “That’s what neighbors are for, follow me.”

  Royce led them down two houses where a black SUV was parked in the driveway. He popped the lock and quickly laid Faith down in the back seat and motioned for Jes to get into the front. A loud snarl grounded Jes to a halt. She looked back to see Draven step out of the house. Menacing and dark, he was extraordinary as he approached them. The moon seemed to follow him as he stepped in their direction. Paws huge and soaked in blood, he moved forward. On all fours, his gait was predatory, purposeful. She watched as he took a deep breath and released it through his snout in a puff of air that misted in the night. Jes plastered her body to the passenger side door of the vehicle. She’d never been faced with a werewolf. This was a night of firsts for her. She’d never imagined grotesque people would try and climb through a window to get to her either. On some level, she should have assumed something like this would happen eventually. She was a part of the supernatural community.

  Royce stood on the running board of the SUV looking over the hood at her as Draven approached. The wolf didn’t stop until he stood directly in front of her. He bent his head down so they were face to face and the air between them was hot and moist as he breathed her in. Those dangerous eyes caressed her from head to toe. Her body shook in fear and arousal. She was uncomfortable with the way his wolf made her feel. Deep, intense need crawled slowly up her spine to rest comfortably at her breasts. Her nipples became hyper-sensitive from the cloth touching them. She knew adrenaline did this to people. Made them hyper-aware of everything around them. Elicited a euphoric response, but gut-clenching sexual arousal? Was it supposed to be like that? There could be more of those things out there, yet, she swayed forward in the beast’s direction. What she should be feeling is fear.

  “Draven, man, don’t do it. Not now, we’re in the middle of a shit storm and you’re thinking with your little head, not your big one.”

  Draven’s wolf lowered its massive body to the ground, head bowed, ignoring Royce’s advice. He was inviting her for a ride, but why now? Royce was right, they didn’t have time for this shit. Bells came running out of the house with Solon towards the SUV and jumped into the back with Faith. Solon got into the front, ignoring Royce when a string of curses flew out of his mouth.

  “Now it’s a fucking party,” he said as he watched Jes with the wolf.

  He looked over the hood of the car and muttered another curse.

  “Jesminda, you better go with him, I don’t want a fifteen hundred pound wolf clawing my eyes out. Just go. I have your daughter, and Bells and Solon will be with me.” Royce looked over at the wolf. Some sort of communication passed between the two and then Royce was starting the car.

  Thick, soft fur glided through her fingers as she attempted to grab on to the scruff of his neck. He was patient as she seated herself on top of his back. When he stood, he was the same height as the SUV on all fours. Pondering the size of him would be cause for concern. She was always careful, planned everything meticulously, one of the things she prided herself on. She never took chances. Marcus had been a bad calculation on her part. One she’d never make again. Getting on a wolf’s back couldn’t be the right move. She felt like she was in the story about the scorpion and the fox; only she sat atop the scorpion in the story. When he struck her down and proved her wrong, would his only answer be: it’s in my nature? It could be worse. Nope, this was right up there with bad.

  She was worried about Faith and knew her daughter would be worried in turn. Royce had already started to pull away, not giving her a chance to change her mind. Was it safe to go off with Draven in this form? What if there were more of those monsters out there lurking in the dark. She watched as Royce turned the car towards the opening of the street. He rolled the window down as he passed by, tossing a pair of sweats at her.

  “You’ll need these for later.”

  The wolf broke out into a dead run in the direction of the car. He kept to the trees that outlined the side of the service road Royce had taken, and they continued for what seemed like forever. The night air was chilly against Jes’s skin, and sitting up posed a problem as summer nights down south were filled with bugs, bugs, and more bugs. She ended up lying on top of his head and wrapping her arms securely around his neck. I hope this doesn’t hurt him. The legs of his sweats were wrapped securely around her waist as he ran through the night.

  # # #

  The wolf broke away from the route of the SUVs. The trees became denser, and the night air chilled her face to almost frozen as he ran at a fast pace. He made sure he didn’t stumble, and just like a horse, he was built for speed and agility.

  When he finally slowed and allowed her to get down, it was deeper into the woods; a small outcropping surrounded by trees and bushes. The unforgiving ground was hard on her ass when she sat down. The temperature was dropping fast, and Jes didn’t like the feel of it one bit. Indian summer my ass, she thought to herself as she gathered his sweats from around her waist and pulled her arms through the pants legs. He’d stood there and watched her the entire time she messed with the legs until she’d gotten it just right, then left her in the dark. He’s coming back. Maybe he doesn’t want you to see him change. Or maybe he really left. Why would he leave her in the dark? She couldn’t see anything, so she sat down where he’d left her. The eerie glow from his green eyes had provided a bit of light, but now he was off somewhere she couldn’t see. The sounds of the forest seemed to be magnified. She could hear bugs on the forest floor as they crawled over leaves, branches snapped from the weight of an animal walking. She was seriously getting freaked out. Her mind was getting the best of her. What if the noises she was hearing weren’t those things? What if Marcus’s men had caught up with her? She’d never see Faith again! Her breathing started to work overtime and she found herself rising from the dirt. She couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

  “Don’t run,” a dark gravelly voice said in the darkness. Every bone in her body froze. The voice was raw, d
ry. All her instincts told her to do the opposite of what the voice had said. If she ran, she could have a chance.

  “I can smell your fear. I won’t hurt you. Just…” His voice sounded strained, as if his vocal cords were heavy in his throat. “Just don’t run.”

  What would happen if she ran?

  # # #

  The strain in his voice caused her to take a measured step back. She still couldn’t see him, but she could hear the thickness in his voice, syrupy and dense. Wanton emotions tugged on the string connected to her clit. He wanted her to run, she could feel it. It terrified her and aroused her deep down inside at the same time. She’d stood there and as he warned her again not to run, she knew it was Draven. Her body had known before her brain was able to reconcile the information.

  “Don’t,” Draven said again. Jes watched in abstract bewitchment as he partially stepped from the shadows. His leg muscles were more pronounced. The veins pulsed beneath the moonlight. His body was dusted with hair, allowing his skin to breath but covered him completely. She held her breath as he came into full view. In this form, he was raw animal. Jes took her time to look him over. Part man, part beast, every muscle on his body was more pronounced. The indent at his hips dipped into a low V where his impressive erection strained past his navel, farther than usual. That will never fit. In this form, his cock was thicker, heavily veined. The skin stretched tight over the hard appendage. As if he knew what she was thinking, his eyes peeled the layer of clothing from her body in a heated perusal. No words were cast between them. Their bodies spoke to one another, a lover’s heated whisper across flesh. Galvanic sparks of sexual electricity flowed between them.

  She swallowed a moan when he took his thick cock in the palm of his hand. He bore his steady gaze into her as he stroked himself. Long strokes from base to tip produced a bead of moisture that slowly slid from the slit and onto his finger. He spread the moisture around the tip and thrust faster into his hand, his thigh muscles flexing in reaction. Fucking werewolf. He was masculinity at its finest. His abdominal frame was paved with marble stone and stood in stark relief against his skin. The muscles beneath jumped and seemed to vibrate when he moved. His arms tensed as his body shuddered in pleasure from his strokes.

  Abruptly, he dropped his hand and took a huge step forward. His strides eating up the distance between them. A long muscled arm came around her waist and then she was in his arms. Jes looked up into green-gold eyes that penetrated the darkness, smoldering flames that called to something immeasurable inside of her. He was immaculate like this. Perfect. His hair was longer and seemed to grow into thick sideburns, which lined his strong jaw. His lips were fuller, more pronounced now that his canines were in full view. Her body shivered from the cold and from her over-stimulated senses. She wanted the heat of his mouth. To be crushed under his embrace would hurt so good. Her entire body ached for this man beast. Something in his raw manner calmed her and excited her at the same time. His hands were warm as he molded her forcefully to his body. His scent assaulted her, drugged her in such a way she didn’t want to escape the virility of him. It was only they and the moon. One hand glided up to tangle in her hair, tipping her head back so she could receive his kiss. The kiss never came, his eyes held longing, regret, and anger. But anger for what?

  “I want to chase you. Watch you run from me so I can catch you, fuck you senseless.” The words sounded crushed, like gravel underneath someone’s boot.

  He made her belly ache and her pussy ready for his invasion. She was swollen and ready to come just from his words alone. She tried to pull away to do just what he wanted, but he grabbed her and brought them both to their knees in the dirt.

  “Next time, when you’re truly ready for me to chase you, as is my right.”

  Draven claimed her mouth in a bruising kiss. Their tongues battled for supremacy over the other, and in the end, he won. His canine nipped her and a small bead of blood formed on her lip and he sucked it away.

  Why did that feel so good? She was breathless, unstable in her emotions. He was taking her for a ride she didn’t think she’d ever want to get off of. Who was to say after the assignment was over that he would stay? This is a distraction. He was a distraction.

  Her mind fogged when his other hand grabbed her ass and pushed her into his heated erection.

  Hot breath caressed her neck and warmth surrounded Jesminda from all directions.

  “You belong to me,” he growled.

  She grunted at his response and playfully bit him on the chest. It got the effect she was looking for. He quickly moved out of the way of her seeking teeth, laughing as he playfully pushed her to the side and quickly brought her back to his front so she couldn’t bite him again. His laugh sinfully traveled down her spine on a journey toward her clit. She swore she could feel his laugh settle and teeter back and forth, intensifying her need. She stiffened when Draven bit the outside of her ear and growled.

  “You’re playing with fire, small fry,” he taunted. She could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Who you calling small fry–?” He cut off her words as he nibbled his way down the side of her neck. She dropped her head to the side to give him more access.

  “For real?” She moved as his lips kissed the back of her neck. “I could have sworn we had issues, you know creatures chasing us, my daughter and I needing safety? Don’t go pushing up on me just because you got an itch you need to scratch.” Her voice was firm, knew she sounded bitchy, but she didn’t care. Her body contradicted her tone and he capitalized on it.

  His earlier statement of her belonging to him had taken her out of her sexual haze. These were her feelings. It was one thing for him to be a part of his daughter’s life, but he wasn’t going to ruin hers. She was through with men, no matter how good or how furry they were. She was done.

  She struggled more and that brought out a different kind of growl from him.

  “Dammit woman,” he growled. “I’m trying here, and you’re not giving me much of a choice. I can do this real calm or I can be a real bastard, your choice?”

  “Funny, I already thought you were being a bastard.”

  He grunted and dragged her under him with a quick twist. He got down in her face, nose to nose. The gold in his eyes crackled and popped. His glare became solid. The gold melted into the green. His pupils were dilated and the whites of his eyes were barely visible. Lust for a wolf was apparently a heady combination. It didn’t matter what she did, he wasn’t letting her go until she played nice. That was fine by her, as long as the big bad wolf could take as much as he was dishing out.

  “Fine, fine… I’m not moving, see?” She held completely still. She could feel the hard indention of his muscles along her skin; everything from the steel slats of his abdomen to the rock hard cage of his arms. The night was slowly drawing back, allowing the sun to heat their skin. She could sit here and dwell on the many faults she found in him or focus on the here and now. She could also protest they needed to meet up with the others. Faith would be worried.

  “Stop thinking so hard,” Draven said against her lips. “I can see the lines in your forehead. You’re over thinking it, just let it happen.” A dark curl fell over his brow when he raised his head to look at her more thoroughly. He slowly lowered himself and spoke against her lips.

  “Our daughter is fine. Royce would have called. My cell is in the sweats he gave you.” He eyed her for a few more seconds and slowly planted an intense kiss on her lips. He was gentle at first, not too demanding. He gave her just enough to entice her to open and let him in. The minute her lips parted, he devoured her. Small intimate sips became vicious and bruising. She could feel the blood rush to infuse her lips, plumping them to a hurting pleasure. She tried pulling back from the kiss as he took over, ate at her. His tongue darted inside the cavern of her mouth tugging on her tongue for the next dance. Her arms went up under his, latching on to his back, anchoring him to her and pulling him down for more. They were sharing one another’s oxygen, creat
ing mass amounts of carbon dioxide, and she didn’t care. She didn’t want to come up for fresh air. Regardless of how idiotic it was to give in to him, she did. Jes shut off her brain and turned up her body.

  What seemed like hours later, he broke the kiss and they both gasped for air. He didn’t give her time to catch her breath before he was pulling off her shoes and going for her pants.

  “Wait.”

  “No more waiting.” Draven went back to divesting her of her clothes. He made quick work of the sweats she’d wrapped around herself and her shirt and bra. Naked and on the cold ass forest floor was not the business!

  “This is not going to be comfortable.” She could see the huge bulge of his erection as he stood, taking her with him. He grunted his approval a few times as he stared at her naked form. She was embarrassed. Her body wasn’t the same as when they had met five years ago. And in the motel room, it had been mostly dark. She had childbearing hips now that flared a bit too much. Her breasts weren’t as perky as they once were. And, of course, she was scared. Draven lifted her by her ass and she wrapped her legs around his waist. All her physical flaws and scars didn’t deter his affections. He kissed every inch of her skin until he was satisfied. She looked into his eyes and wasn’t sure what he was thinking. She knew what she was feeling. She should have been cold, but she was wrapped in his warm embrace. The sun was cresting over the trees and light pinks and glowing oranges began to weave their way around the darkness. If only they could stay like this forever, in a perfect embrace; two bodies as one, wrapped around the other, seeking comfort and shelter. The other providing what was needed in order to see them through anything.

  Draven kissed her neck, backing them up towards a boulder. Her slick heat coated his stomach as she writhed, wanting more of his kiss. Jes braced her elbows on his shoulders and grabbed big chunks of his hair, tugging him closer. She wanted to crawl into the heat of his skin. Her heart made a little more room for him and she wasn’t going to let it scare her. The juices from her core welcomed the heat of his dick as it rubbed at her opening. When the blunt tip of his head slowly pressed into her, stretching her heated flesh to take him in, she moaned. The burn ached, blazed out of control until she was screaming in pleasure. He pressed her down on his cock, inch by delicious inch. Smooth like honey, thick bands of arousal coated her flesh, warming her skin to an unbearable level of ecstasy. The burn increased as he slid farther in. She clenched and unclenched, choking his length as he slid impossibly deeper.