by Kim Faulks
This wasn’t just flesh, and blood.
Wasn’t just hurt and pain.
His lips brushed my spine and I closed my eyes. The slow rhythm, the warmth against my back. It was enough to make a woman forget…to make a woman come alive.
His hand moved against my stomach, skimming my ribs, my breast, and dragged the hemline of my black top with it.
“Do you want this, Eva?” he murmured. “Tell me now…before I lose myself in you. Because for me, there’s no coming back.”
I’d been still, frozen with fear. Not fearful for me, but for him. I eased my body upright and pulled away. I shuddered under his touch…and my brother’s words echoed back…
Eva was never so cold...never so hard.
I was cold, and hard. And for the first time I felt myself caring, wanting to be different—wanting to be what he needed me to be. I turned in his arms, finding the man and the beast. “I do want this, and I want it with you.”
Hope flared in those midnight eyes. Outside these walls it didn't matter how they saw us. Outside these walls—the world didn’t exist.
I lifted my hand and cupped his cheek. His stubble grazed my skin, a contrast to cold, stony flesh, a contrast to everything I’d ever known.
My heart throbbed, finding a new beat as I leaned in. Warm lips moved under mine as I took his mouth. Claws returned to fingers as he dropped his hand to my hip. Everywhere he touched was fire, my breast…my throat…my lips.
I wasn’t a Princess here…or a Queen. I wasn’t Vampire, or Death—in this minute I was his…and he was mine. Something in my chest soared as his arm slid around my waist. He pressed harder, moving his hips. We rocked like that, two imperfect souls, dancing to a new beat…one we made together.
Desire raced, spearing through my veins. I arched my spine, and pressed against his chest. My nipples hardened with the friction, a soft moan escaped. He stilled for a second, leaving me to rock against him before he slid his hand around to grip my ass and lift.
My feet left the floor. The hard brunt against his body stole my breath. Two long strides and I was falling, smacking my head against the mattress, and sank under his weight.
I lifted my knees, and widened my legs. His cock rode my crease and pressed against my center. “Time to see what marks those fucking wolves left on you.”
My gut tightened as he peeled my top free. The sheer nylon bra puckered around my nipples as calloused fingers grazed my flesh. He curled his fingers, dragging his knuckles over the rise and under my arms. “God you’re beautiful,” he whispered, and then grasped the edges and yanked.
Seams split, tearing the garment open. One quick tug and what was left of the tattered fabric was gone. Dusty brown nipples tightened as he moved to the edge of my panties, tightening as he ran a finger along the edge, and all the way down.
My body trembled as he stopped—one small tremble away from where I needed him to be. The panties no match for brute strength, nor a beast’s desire.
He eased backwards, grasped my knee, and then lifted. My body splayed open, agile fingers teased, probed and lingered.
The mattress dipped under his weight as he dropped low. Warm lips slid along the inside of my thigh, working their way closer. I lifted my head catching my pale skin dance with the glow of silver flames.
His tongue dipped, following the fiery trail his fingers left behind. My breath caught as I fisted the sheets. I arched my back, and opened my thighs. Tendons pulled taut, and then shuddered under the strain.
Have me…have it all.
And he took what I was willing to give. He dug his hands under my ass, and then lifted, cupping my body hard against his mouth. Warm lips melted ice as he rocked me, dipping lower, rising harder.
My nails pierced the cotton sheet, fingers tangled in the savage mess. But it was his touch I craved as a moan spilled free. My hand fluttered uselessly and found the thick tangle of midnight hair. His lips trembled with a growl. I was absorbed by the feel of him, the vibration, the heat, the desire that rose like a storm.
“Now,” I whispered. “I want you now.”
The mattress dipped as he pushed, rising like a God to tower above me. Warm flesh slid over mine, until his thickness rested against my crease.
His lips glistened, fresh with desire, until one corner curled in a cheeky grin that made my heart quiver. “In a hurry, aren't you?”
I had no words, no response as he slipped one hand between us, angling the head of his cock against my core.
“I haven’t finished my assessment yet,” he growled. “I plan on searching every inch of your body.” His muscles never shuddered, only flexed with the strain. “Do you have an ache, Princess?”
He lowered his body, mouth open, lips glistening. The heat from his breath mingled with mine as he whispered against my lips. “Looks like you do…”
I splayed my fingers wide and gripped his arm. His muscles were rock hard under my touch. His skin trembled, racing to catch up as I ran my hand along the length of his body, down to the hollow of his back.
He was strong, this Guardian. Fierce too. He was every bit the reckoning I dreamed of.
And I was here to collect.
Strength met strength as I flattened my hand against the perfect curve of his ass and pushed. Hips drove down. I kept that gaze, finding the flare as his body merged with mine. His eyes widened, flames surged, each lick of silver reached higher as I eased my hold.
Warmth left me before he thrust once more. This was our rhythm now, this was our dance. Heat and cold, climbing higher as he found a home.
Gone was the grin. Gone were the words. An ache filled my mouth, as my fangs lengthened and his lip curled in response. I wanted blood, wanted him. I wanted all he had to give as he withdrew and slammed deep.
The pace quickened, and the thunder of hooves filled my mind.
His muscles rippled as he lowered his body to angle his head. “Take me.”
The thick vein pulsed along the groove of his neck. Each brutal slam of his hips devastated my control, drawing my hunger close. He didn’t know what he asked…didn’t know what this meant. His harsh whimper tore free. “Please.”
A wave of need crested. The ache built in my fangs, mirroring the burning need in my center. My stomach trembled as I reached for his face and stared into his eyes.
He didn’t know what he demanded. I’d tasted the ruined blood of the Dragon, Zadoc. I’d seen his past and his pain. I’d seen it all as I took his essence into my mouth. But that was before this abyss of Death—that was before…the Archer. “I don’t know what will happen.”
He slowed the crest, withdrawing slower, pushing his cock harder—driving me toward the edge of panic. But there was no blinding spark of passion, no bright lights to map the way.
Our desire was an underground river, dark, turbulent, drawing me under to where the abyss called.
The vein pulsed, whispering…feed, fuck, survive. I closed my eyes, giving him a second to change his mind, before I wrenched them open and struck.
His body shuddered. Muscles tightened. The fight to survive fierce. But instead of pulling away he gripped my hips and with a guttural growl buried himself deep.
Pointed tips carved skin, and pierced his vein. Heat rushed, filling my mouth. And through the raging an image called, one that came with the rush of a climax.
I stood on one side of Death’s chasm, another woman on the other. I knew this woman…I’d seen her before. She looked down into the endless pit, midnight hair shone against the moon’s rays, but instead of silver, this moon shone blood red.
It has to be…she whispered, meeting my gaze. It’s the only way…
She was my mirror this woman. My fate.
And as her rage built around us, so did mine. We met force with force—two opposites colliding with the kind of power that would shake the world.
Lucas shuddered, his warmth spilled free. I dragged my fangs from his flesh and swallowed my whimper. Darkness pulled me under. I licked m
y lips, taking the last of him deep. Darkness and Death waited for him, for me…for everyone.
His thrusts slowed, until he eased out of my body and collapsed beside me. “Are you okay?”
I couldn't answer, couldn’t speak. My powers had only ever shown me the past—until now. I closed my eyes and heard those words…It has to be…it’s the only way.
“Eva?” Lucas whispered. “Did you see something?”
“No.” Lie…lie…lie. The words stuck in the back of my throat tainted with the sweetness of his blood. “It was nothing.”
I turned my head, meeting those perfect silver flames and knew where my destiny waited. “I’m going to take the throne,” I whispered. “And become the Shadistin Queen.”
The silence grew, widening the gap between us. “I alway knew you would.” Silver flames softened in his eyes, giving way for stony obsidian. “Now are you going to tell me the truth? What did you see with my blood, Eva? This time no lies.”
Lie better, that quiet voice whispered. Tell anything else. But I couldn’t force deceit anymore. I was done with the lies, and the secrets.
“Your sister,” I murmured. “I saw your sister.”
Panic stole the heat from his growl. “Xael?”
“Yes,” I answered. “And me, standing across a divide.”
His dark brows furrowed. The muscles of his throat flared as he swallowed. “What does it mean?”
“I don’t know. Right now, all in know is that I need to see Austine. He needs to understand what happened here. He needs to understand why…”
“Why he’ll never be King.”
Those words hit me like a blow. All these years of waiting and wanting. All these years of denying to end up at the one place I never wanted to be. “I’ll give Marcus what answers I can, but Austine deserves to be the first to hear what happened. I owe him that at least.”
He reached for my face, brushing his finger down my cheek. “And that’s why you’ll be the kind of ruler your people needs.”
The bed dipped hard as he made a move to rise. I reached out, snaking my fingers around his wrist. “Not so fast. We’re not done here.”
That cheeky grin came back with a vengeance. He dropped against the mattress, rolled to pull me hard against his body. “We’ll never be done, don’t you have any fear of that. Where you go, I go. There’ll be plenty of time to see just how far a Vampire’s stamina can go.”
That hungry throb in my chest quickened as he leaned close, taking the kiss slow and deep before he pulled away. “They’ll fall off you, but I’ll grab you a sweatshirt and pants.”
The thought made me smile. There was no way his clothes would fit, and no way a Queen could instill loyalty dressed like that. “My dress is good enough. You keep those sweat clothes, Guardian, you’re going to need them.”
I followed Lucas down the stairs. Most of his family hovered around the table, except for the Bloodletter. No, Marcus paced. Long strides consumed the floor. Each brutal thud of his boots made the others flinch. He spun on his heel and lifted his gaze as I hit the last stair. “About damn time.”
Fear filled me. Duty steeled me. I tried to wet my arid mouth, finding Joslyn, the Dragon child, and then Zadoc. Responsibility overwhelmed me, but under the need for duty the infernal current raged.
I lifted my head, searching the wolves and the Guardians and stilled. She was just as I pictured her, this other half of me. Dangerous, cruel and intoxicating. A shiver raced along my spine as our gazes collided. There was no recognition in her eyes, no spark of knowing what I’d seen.
Maybe her path was not yet written…maybe she whispered only for me. It has to be…it’s the only way. I tried to still the tremble, as I finally told the truth after five hundred years. “I’ll give you what information I can, some you already know…”
I spoke to the Guardians, but my words were for Joslyn. “The Huntress took Austine hostage because of me. They beat him, tortured him. But they wouldn’t have killed him, because they needed his life to trade for mine. I would’ve gone to them that night…until they took the babies.”
The young mother’s grip tightened. I could hear her heartbeat thundering through her veins. I’d give anything to change what happened, to ease my own tortured soul.
Movement dragged my gaze to the corner of the room. Gabriel stepped into the room and worked his way through the wolves and the Guardians toward me.
“I sent my best warrior to save them…but there was no stopping her. No stopping any of it.”
Shame echoed in Gabriel’s eyes. The past had no hold on us, not on what we were, not where we were going. His shoulders straightened, as he took his place beside me…my first circle warrior on one side, and my mate on the other. “I found the vials of demon blood in the cavern after the child was rescued, but by then I knew it was already too late.”
“And then you set us up,” Marcus snarled and crossed his arms over his chest. “You used your warrior here to set up a meeting.”
I could only nod and find the child. Death no longer lingered in her eyes. I could almost catch the sparkle of life from here. But she was weak, tired, and far from well. “I needed you away from her. A quick death then…or torture for her later. There was no other choice.”
“Then,” Joslyn finished. “There was no other choice then. But there was after, in the room. What did you do to her?”
I glanced to the sister, to the mirror image of myself. “I stole her death, and took it into myself.”
Silence settled, before the Bloodletter spoke. “And the Huntress. Do you know where she is now?”
A chill raced as my own voice filled my head. I wonder what will break first…your spirit, or your body? I shook my head. “No. But if she comes for me, it’ll be through my brother, and this time she won’t keep him alive.”
Marcus glanced toward the door. I could see the steel in his gaze as he reached for his pocket.
The yellowed enveloped was stained with age, even from here I could see the neat black scrawl that marked the page with one name…Bloodletter.
And in an instant those memories surfaced…five hundred years disappeared in the blink of an eye. “Then go.” The Bloodletter’s tone carried a demand. “Protect your kin. But we haven’t finished here, Princess. We need answers. Answers it seems only you can give.”
I bowed my head and took a step. My legs trembled, feet refused to work. Warm flesh met mine and fingers entwined. Lucas’s grip tightened, as we made for the front door.
They wanted answers…and it seemed I’d finally run out of time.
27
Lucas
The cold stony walls of the Shadistin world were starting to feel as familiar as my own damn home. And for some reason that thought didn’t unnerve me. Not as it should.
Eva turned her head; pale eyes caught the yellow hue of the flame. She held out the lantern and murmured. “I’ll need some time. I owe him that at least.”
“I’ll take good care of him,” Gabriel growled near my ear. “We can play truth or dare.”
My gut tightened. I swallowed the hard barrel of laughter. “I have a feeling that’s code for a damn interrogation.”
White fangs glinted as he smiled. Truth sparkled in the warrior’s blue eyes. Still she left us there, shaking her head as she strode through the area and mounted the stairs. The woman looked just as devastating and terrifying as she did before.
And she was all mine. All blood-chilling, death-defying…mine.
“She was ours first, Guardian, remember that,” the warrior snarled.
I turned my head, catching a fierceness in his gaze as he turned to me. “She was always meant to rule. It just took her five hundred years to figure it out.”
Five hundred years, thirteen Guardians, and wolves…don’t forget the wolves. The image surfaced. The forest. The storm. The beast cold to the touch without a mark on his skin. “Do you remember the two wolves. The ones that attacked you?”
“Yes.” His voice was
so soft, staring at the entrance to their private chambers. “She saved my life. I’ll never forget it. He doesn’t deserve her, you know—doesn’t deserve the title. He’s weak, even more now when I saw him turn and run. He left her there, left his own sister to die.”
And with the Vampire’s words came a chill, one that bloomed within. He couldn’t be trusted. Mindless, cruel, fucking cunning.
The quiet, dank cavern seemed to close in. An icy breath whispered…something doesn't feel right. The Vampire turned his head, scanning the space…and lingered at the far end of the arena. “It’s quiet. It’s never quiet. The Lowest Kynd…”
We surged forward, and lunged for the stairs as Eva’s voice drifted across the open space. “You’re not him, Austine. You’re good…you’re kind. You’re everything he wasn’t. Our father was weak, a liar and a coward. He sold me to the Huntress, and then he covered up his own tracks to do it. The letter to the Guardians was nothing more than a smokescreen.”
I was one step behind the warrior, tearing past the sitting room as the first Lowest Kynd scurried out of the shadows on hands and knees. The male stilled, lifted his gaze, look one look at me and bared his fangs.
“And you killed him for it,” the Prince snarled. “His own daughter. His own flesh and blood. You killed him and left us vulnerable. They never looked at me as their leader…it was always you…always you…always Eva.”
Glassy eyes shone in the shadows. Another stepped from the darkness…and then another.
I never took my eyes from the mindless vermin. “There’s only ten, or twenty…right?”
“Ten, the last count was ten,” Gabriel turned his head, lips curled to snarl. “We never broke the oath, Guardian.”
More of the undead spilled from the shadows, a lot more than fucking ten. They came in droves like a nest of damn spiders, scurrying up the sides of the walls until they crammed the space. I hated spiders. Fucking loathed them.
The room was quiet now, no more secrets left to bare.
