The Shadows Awaken (Guardians of the Night Book 1)

by Robyn Wideman

  “Jesus, Jess. It’s really fucking crazy out there, isn’t it? Were we really living in such a bubble, oblivious to all this supernatural shit?”

  “Yes, it would seem so. It’s as if our whole lives up until a few days ago have been a complete lie.” Jess stared with unseeing eyes into her coffee cup. The amusement she’d felt while chatting with Moira had disappeared and she fell into a somber mood while thinking of her new reality.

  “Are you okay?”

  Jess blinked and brought her friend into focus. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m so confused about Cain. I’m attracted to him, there’s no doubt that he’s very easy to look at.” She stopped and smiled at Mandy’s enthusiastic nodding. “But he’s a vampire and I keep getting hung up on that.”

  “But he’s one of the good ones,” Mandy said. She reached out and rubbed the back of Jess’s hand. Her palm, unnaturally warm from holding onto her coffee cup, felt comforting.

  “Yes, I know. But vampires killed that little girl’s family. They would have killed me. I saw them kill innocent people in the coffee shop.” Jess paused and shook her head in a useless attempt to erase the memory. “Vampires are not nice people.”

  “Jess, are you listening to yourself?” Mandy asked, pulling her hand away from Jess. “There are plenty of humans who are not nice people. What about those guys who tried to rape you? Not nice people. Who rescued you from them? Vampires. Nice ones. Who saved you at the coffee shop? A vampire. A nice one. Who has welcomed you into her home here? Erica. Who, I found out when I was chatting with Jeffery last evening, is also a vampire. And you just finished telling me she’s created something amazing here. And that’s pretty freaking nice of her too.”

  Jess sat back on her stool and looked at Mandy, her eyes growing wider as her friend’s voice continued to rise in pitch. When Mandy paused to breathe, Jess nodded. “Yes, I know that Erica’s a vampire, she told me herself.”

  “Sorry, I think I got a little carried away. I just think you have a chance to be happy with Cain. I’m tired of seeing you sad and depressed. With the way things are looking right now, I think if you have a chance at happiness, you need to grab it and hang on for as long as you can, because that may not be for very long.”

  Jess took the last drink of her coffee and set the cup down on the counter, taking her time to think about what Mandy had said before she spoke. “No, don’t be sorry,” she eventually said. “You’re right, he is good, and so are Jaden and Erica. And I probably needed to be told to pull my head out of my ass. Thank you.”

  Mandy threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, thank god. I thought maybe I’d gone too far this time.”

  “No, we’re good. I mean it, thank you, you’ve made me think.” Jess grabbed her empty cup stood up. “Now hurry up and finish your coffee, we’re supposed to meet with Erica in her office in fifteen minutes. She’s taking us on a tour of the grounds.”

  …

  “There’s two hundred acres of land here at Sanctuary,” Erica said as she led Jess and Mandy through the vegetable garden nearest the kitchen. “We’ve started making plans to turn this into a completely self-sustaining community. Jeffery already had this kitchen garden going, but we’ve expanded food production to include even larger vegetable gardens, grain crops, orchards, and a greenhouse.

  “We bought new farm equipment that has the option to be run on bio diesel, and we have bio diesel backup generators as well as solar panels installed on both the mansion and the farm house.”

  “What exactly is bio diesel?” Jess asked. She watched as Mandy ran her hand through a potted rosemary plant at the entrance to the garden. She crushed a few of the leaves and inhaled their resinous scent with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Jess was watching her and she shrugged, mouthing the word, “What?”

  “It’s a fuel alternative made from crop waste. We wanted to be able to operate completely independent from the outside world. If things continue as they are, it won’t be long before we’ll no longer have access to fossil fuels.”

  “I’m completely amazed at what you’ve done here, Erica,” Jess said. “And with such foresight. How did you know to do plan all this?”

  Erica smiled. “My dad was a survivalist. I always thought he was a little nutty with his preparedness, but now I’m so grateful for what he taught me. I think he’d be pretty impressed by what we’ve done here. But to be honest, I had no idea things would be this crazy. I just wanted the place to be special, now I wish I had thought of more things.”

  “Jess is right, it’s all pretty amazing. Can we go look at the orchard? I’d like to see that too,” Mandy said, and Jess shot her a confused look, wondering at her friend’s interest in the gardens and orchards.

  “Certainly,” Erica said. “That’s over closer to the farmhouse.”

  “The farmhouse. That’s where Moira lives, right? I met her this morning when I came down for coffee,” Jess said. “She’s quite a chatty little thing, isn’t she?”

  “Yes.” Erica smiled fondly at the mention of the girl’s name. “You wouldn’t think she was the same child who came to us when her family was murdered by the council. She wouldn’t talk to anyone except for Dante. They spent a lot of time together. Eventually, she began to open up more with Jeffery and with Carrie, who came to us the same night as Moira and has become her primary guardian. Now there’s no stopping the little chatterbox.”

  “She said she had to go to her lessons. Is there a school here as well?” Jess asked.

  “Yes, of sorts. We have two sisters, Daniella and Pamela, who have taken on the teaching duties. As our population grows here at Sanctuary, it will become more important that we have some sort of school system for the growing number of children.”

  They had arrived at the entrance to the orchard and Erica led them down a wide pathway that ran down the middle, explaining the variety of trees as they went. On the right side were three varieties of apple trees while on the left were the stone fruit trees: peaches, plums, and apricots. At the end of both sections was a single variety of cherry tree, one sweet for eating fresh and preserving, and one sour for putting into pies and other baking. Jess was amused at the look of happiness on Mandy’s face as they wandered down the path. “We only recently got the orchard set up. However, we were able to buy mature trees, so we won’t have to wait years before they produced enough to be of value.”

  There was a picnic bench at the end of the pathway, between the cherry trees, and Erica invited Jess and Mandy to take a seat. “Everyone here at Sanctuary has a job to do, we must all contribute in some way to the running of our community. Cain, as you know, is already talking to Brad and will be helping him with locating shifters that need our help and bringing them here. I’d like to know in what way you two ladies could contribute to our operations. What were you doing before you came to Sanctuary?”

  “I was tending bar,” Mandy said, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t suppose you have use for my drink mixing skills here.”

  Erica laughed in reply and shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not, but is there anything I’ve shown you this morning that piqued your interest? Perhaps you could do something in the kitchens. Would your drink mixing skills transfer to food preparation?”

  Mandy looked around at the fruit trees surrounding them and asked, “What about here in the orchards, or in the gardens? I have to admit, I don’t have a green thumb at all, and the last time I played in the dirt was before I hit puberty and boys became a driving interest, but walking around the farm this morning really takes me back to my grandparents' farm. I used to spend summers there and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until now.”

  “Why didn’t I know that? I always thought you were such a city girl,” Jess said, now understanding the looks of pleasure and awe on Mandy’s face as they walked through the garden and orchard. “Now it kind of makes sense, the way you looked so happy walking around here.”

  “You can talk to Jeffery later today, he will f
ind you a job to do. Experience isn’t always necessary, but a willingness to learn and help out is,” Erica said and Mandy nodded enthusiastically.

  Erica turned to Jess and said, “And what about you, Jess? How are you going to contribute?”

  “I’m a nurse. I worked in the ER, but I’ve been on medical leave for some time because I’d been suffering from depression since my fiancé died. I couldn’t do my job anymore.” Jess realized with a start that she hadn’t thought of Mike in a while and the realization made her feel strangely guilty.

  “I’m very pleased to hear that. There are many of us who know basic first aid, but we don’t have any medical professionals here yet. How would you like to head up our medical center?”

  Jess looked at Erica and said nothing. She couldn’t immediately form an answer because her thoughts were so confused. So much had happened in recent days that she’d forgotten about the depression she’d been in. She recalled the conversation she’d had with Erica the day before and again the realization struck her that since she’d met Cain, she’d never felt so alive. She hadn’t forgotten about Mike, he was still there in her heart and always would be. Jess knew that she was no longer consumed by the loss of him. “Yes,” she finally answered, “I think I can do that. I’m ready.”

  “That’s a good answer. Let’s go back to my office and start planning. We’ll need Terra to teach you about healing vampires and shifters.”

  As they walked back to the mansion, Jess listened with amusement while Mandy talked excitedly with Erica about growing things, working outdoors, and getting her hands dirty. She felt a growing sense of excitement within herself as well at the thought of getting back to work and helping people. She wondered at the thought that their impending doom should bring her back to life.

  61

  JESS

  “COME IN,” JESS CALLED OUT in answer to the knock at her bedroom door. She was sitting at her desk with an open laptop and several sheets of paper covered in notes. After talking with Erica about the new medical center she would be heading up, she’d been excited to get started and was busy making plans. Thankfully, Erica had had the foresight to order plenty of traditional medical supplies when she first began transitioning the country mansion into Sanctuary. Supplies of any kind would soon be difficult to come by. Jess was busy researching alternative medical treatments and medicinal plants so she would be prepared when and if the time came that they would have to rely on them.

  Still absorbed in her research, Jess jumped when a pair of hands gently rested on her shoulders. She turned and saw Cain standing over her. “Hi,” she said. She was happy to see him and immediately began telling him about her meeting that morning with Erica and about what she was currently researching. She stopped talking suddenly when she realized he was just standing there smiling at her and she hadn’t let him get a word in at all. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

  “It’s really good to see you so lit up about something. You’ve come a long way from the woman I saw in the bar that night.”

  “I know, Cain. It’s kind of crazy but everything that’s happened since that night, and the uncertainty of what is to come, has really shaken me out of my funk. I’m no longer living in a fog. I feel excited about what’s next. It’s so weird, I know, but I feel so good.”

  Cain’s smile deepened. “That happens sometimes. When you’re faced with your own mortality, you feel more alive than ever. It looks good on you. Really good.”

  Jess was pleased but felt self-conscious under the intensity of his gaze and lowered her eyes. Cain pulled her to him and lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze. Her hair fell into her eyes and he brushed it back, tucking the strands behind her ear. The cool brush of his fingers on the side of her face made her shiver deliciously and she couldn’t break away from his searching eyes. I want to get lost in that blue forever. The realization shook her.

  “I love you, Cain. And the thought of that doesn’t scare me anymore.”

  “Why would it have scared you?”

  “Because everyone I love dies. I thought I was cursed, I’ve told you that, but I’m not scared of loving you.”

  “That’s good, because I’m a vampire, we don’t go down easy anyway.” He was smiling at her and his eyes danced with laughter.

  “Are you laughing at me?”

  “No, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because you’ve made me ridiculously happy.”

  “How so?”

  “Because I love you too.”

  Jess felt her heart speed up. His eyes dipped to her chest briefly and his smile widened. She knew he could hear the pounding of her heart. “Damn your vampire senses,” she said, smiling back at him. “And damn your fucking dimples.”

  Cain’s only answer was to bury his hand in her thick blonde waves and pull her head back. His lips descended on hers and Jess felt her body respond. Her hands reached up to the back of his neck and she parted her lips, her tongue reaching out to meet his. She felt his hand slide down her back and firmly cup her buttock. Heat began to build between her thighs and radiate outwards, until every nerve ending tingled with it. She smiled inwardly when she felt his cock hardening against her, his body responding in kind.

  Cain broke off the kiss and held her in his gaze. “I want you, Jess. More than I’ve ever wanted anything, I want you.”

  She reached up and traced his jaw line, her finger rasping along his beard stubble. “I love you, Cain, and I want to be with you.” Jess stood on her toes and gave him a brief kiss. “And besides, I think I’ve been yours since you rescued me in that back alley.”

  “My sweet Jess,” he said, “I do believe it was I who has belonged to you ever since the moment I laid eyes on you that night.”

  “My beautiful, blue-eyed vampire. Kiss me again.”

  Cain pulled her to him and kissed her, deeply and thoroughly, until he finally pulled away, both of them panting with desire. “I don’t know if I can wait any longer, Jess. I need to have you now.” His voice was ragged with emotion.

  Wordlessly, she stepped back from his embrace and began unbuttoning her shirt, not taking her eyes off his. He watched her in silence as she slowly began undressing. When she’d shrugged off her shirt and stepped out of her jeans, she hesitated briefly before reaching behind her back to unhook her bra. It fell to the floor next to her shirt, and her panties landed on top a moment later. Jess stood naked before him, bravely allowing herself to feel vulnerable under his rapt attention. “I’m all yours, Cain. You don’t have to wait any longer.”

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he reached out and traced a breast with his fingertip, running his thumb over her nipple. Her breath caught in her throat and her nipple hardened in response. Cain repeated the action with her other breast and Jess moaned in reply.

  She stepped closer, reached for his belt buckle, and tugged it loose. Cain pulled his t-shirt off over his head and Jess studied his well-muscled torso before reaching out to touch him. His flesh felt cool beneath her fingertips. She ran her hand down his chest, across his taut stomach, and slipped her fingertip into the waist of his jeans. He gasped as her fingernail grazed his lower abdomen. “Commando?” Jess asked with a smile, brow arched in surprise.

  “Yes,” Cain chuckled, “I was hoping underwear would just be a waste of time today.” He laughed again, no shame in his admission, and pulled her to him. Her breasts pressed into his chest and her skin felt like it was on fire against the cool hardness of him. She reveled in the sensation.

  With a sudden urgency, Jess began unbuttoning his jeans, impatient to explore the rest of his body. The denim slid past his slim hips and his cock sprung free, as hard as the rest of his body. She reached out and touched him, running her fingers along his length and wondering how he would feel inside of her, hard and cool.

  With an impatient growl, Cain picked up Jess and brought her to the bed, setting her down on the edge. He knelt on the rug before her and looked at her hungrily. “I want t
o taste you,” he said, his voice husky. Jess felt her pulse quicken at his words. Biting her lip in anticipation, she opened her legs and watched as he bent his head forward. He kissed and nibbled the tender flesh of her inner thighs, teasing her with his breath, hovering just over her center but not touching her. Jess lay back on the bed and enjoyed the teasing, feeling her body respond with growing arousal. When the exquisite teasing became torment, she thrust her hips forward with a whimper, begging for his touch. Cain placed his hands on her thighs, effectively stilling her. She gasped as he finally licked her with long, broad strokes.

  Jess ran her fingers through his hair, guiding him with her hands. The rasp of his beard stubble on the inside of her legs made them tingle with pleasure. She felt his tongue stiffen and he penetrated her as deeply as he could. Her thighs grew slick with a mix of her own juices and his saliva. Cain softened his tongue again and turned his attention to her clit, licking and sucking gently. He slid two fingers inside and she bore down on them, wanting to feel him deep inside her. She opened her legs further as she felt the waves of passion building at her core. “Don’t stop,” she whispered, riding his fingers. She arched her back as the orgasm rocked her body and she held his head firmly in place until the last wave passed through her.

  Jess released her hold on Cain and collapsed on the bed with an embarrassed laugh. “Well, that didn’t take long,” she said. She stole a glance at him and saw him looking at her with a self-satisfied grin. Her stomach did a flip. God damn those dimples. “Yes, well done,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Now come here, it’s my turn.” She moved over and patted the spot on the bed next to her. Cain stood and obediently joined her. When he started to gather her in his arms, she placed a hand firmly on his shoulder and pushed him back on the bed. “I said it’s my turn.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” said Cain, laying back with a smile and letting her take charge.