Chapter 40 The First Signs of Power
The First Signs of Power
Shadow’s monstrous form is a terrifying specter in the dim light of the alley. Crooked Nose releases me and jerks around. His confidence evaporates, replaced by a dawning horror. Shadow's obsidian eyes fix on him, a possessive fury burning within them.
The air around us crackles with his rage, the darkness coiling tighter.
"Evie is mine." Shadow’s infuriated roar echoes off the brick walls. "Mine."
The music continues to pound inside without ceasing.
I stand my ground, my heart a chaotic mix of fear and a twisted sense of triumph. Shadow trusted me. He followed me here, and even on the edge of reason, he claimed me as his own. Protected me.
Shadow's massive form dwarfs us, his presence a suffocating force. In one swift motion, he tears out Crooked Nose’s heart. Hot droplets hit my skin and clothes like a light rainfall.
Shadow’s eyes flash with a feral hunger as he chomps down the muscled organ.
I look away, leaving him to his grim task.
After a few minutes, darkness brushes against my exposed torso, a velvety caress. My eyes lift to meet Shadow’s. His eyes are still blacker than night, but his horns have retracted in length.
Relief sweeps through me.
I said I'd get him a heart and I did.
Instead of letting my protector bear his burden alone, I could actually do something about it.
Is this how Shadow feels all the time? Empowered? Helpful?
It’s not the same as helping Dana, who is a bottomless pit I don’t stand a chance of saving. I feel as though I’ve made a difference and am truly useful.
"Are you okay?" I ask, worry starting to creep in. Maybe it’s not enough? Maybe he needs to eat someone else?
Could I do that? Could I do this twice in one night? Am I sacrificing my soul for a monster?
I shake my head against the maudlin, booze-soaked thoughts. The people in my life carved off chunks of my soul long before this night. I am the monster now. It feels good. So fucking good.
Shadow’s eyes take on a feral glint and his breathing quickens. He steps closer to me, licking his lips clean. He still looks hungry.
Shadow’s lips crash against mine with a ferocity that leaves me breathless.
The power he exudes pulls me under his spell.
As our kiss grows deeper and more intense, I taste his smokiness mixed with the faintest hint of metallic.
I try not to think too hard about the fact I’m tasting that douchebag’s blood.
Plastered against Shadow’s hard body, my tongue battles for dominance with his. My nipples scrape through my sheer tank top and against the near-grating sets of muscles along his torso. The world fades away until all that remains is us.
That dull, aching throb of need kicks up in my lower belly.
The liquor heightens the sensitivity of my skin, making me feel more sensual than usual. Or maybe it’s the way I’m dressed that has me feeling myself? Or perhaps it’s the way I’ve given into my darker nature to save the only one I’ve ever loved.
This is power. Providing for and protecting the one I love.
Shadowy tendrils writhe around me like living serpents and seem to explore every inch of my body at once.
My breath shallows when he moves away from my lips, trailing kisses down my neck and lower.
Reaching my chest, he pushes up my bloodstained tank to lave his rough tongue over one tight, electrically charged nipple before continuing down toward my belly button.
His tongue dips into the hollow and I’m panting, digging my nails into his shoulders.
I'm wet, aching for more.
Lick me, eat me, devour me.
I don’t care if he feasts on my heart or my cunt, as long as I’m taken by him.
Shadow guides me until my back hits the brick wall.
Before my disappointment settles over him not burying his face between my legs, his clawed hand moves below my skirt, ripping away my panties.
The scrap hits the pool of Crooked Noses’s blood and red liquid crawls along the fabric of my ruined underwear.
"Do you know what you do to me?" Shadow’s hot exhale tickles my ear as his thick fingers trace a path through my moist folds. It’s only now that I can see the effort Shadow is taking to be gentle with me.
My hips buck with impatience for more. "What do I do to you?" I ask breathlessly. I need to hear it, so very badly.
Every second of every day is a moment of waiting for him to tell me how much he needs me and what I do to him.
He sighs and pushes his fingers into me, pushing me up on my toes. I moan, my hands clutching his shoulders as he thrusts in and out of me, his thumb grazing my clit with each penetration. His talons scrape my internal muscles but don’t pierce.
"You're my everything," he groans. "All I want is to be deep inside you. Though I should stay far away from you," he mutters, shaking his head back and forth. "This is forbidden. I shouldn't do this."
To be wanted like this, so purely, so fiercely, I feel a new sense of belonging, a sense of pure connection I've never experienced before. I want him to continue. I want him to want me forever. I'm overwhelmed by sensation.
"If you stop, I’ll die." I might be dramatic, but nothing could feel truer at this moment.
He doesn’t. He only finger fucks my clenching inner muscles faster.
"I can't resist you, Evie," he says, head angling over mine. "You’ve sated me, but I’m still so very hungry."
My monster's fangs glimmer in the faint light of a streetlamp as he leans in to lick my neck again.
A shiver of anticipation runs through me as his deft tongue traces a path down the lines of my stomach a second time, sweeping up along the underside of my breasts, lingering just long enough for me to gasp softly before continuing further.
He removes his finger, only to replace it with his devilish, eager mouth.
I am completely at his mercy as he licks and sucks my clit like he’s starving. Every move of his tongue sends waves of pleasure crashing through me, and I tighten and climb closer to orgasm. His hands grip my waist as he devours me.
His shadows tendrils experimentally dip into the wetness between my legs while he feasts on my over sensitized nub.
He doesn’t push into me, doesn’t fill me with his shadows like he usually does.
It’s all teasing and suckling. The sensations are almost too much to bear as I let out a loud moan, my body quivering, rushing toward the edge of release.
I force my eyes open and they connect with the corpse only six feet away from us. It should repulse me. I should recoil, but the fluttering in my stomach only intensifies.
I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve grown desperate, mean, or hard from how life has treated me, but I feel empowered. The world should be afraid of me, not the other way around.
I am not a victim.
I don’t need to wait for someone to give me what I need.
I don’t need to be quiet or avoid attention.
I can take what I want because I’m worth it simply for wanting it.
Shadow sucks me with animalistic abandon until I'm screaming out in pleasure, gripping his horns to keep myself upright. Waves of ecstasy crash over me as wetness slides down my thighs.
He continues licking until all my energy dissipates and then pulls away slightly so that I can look down into those molten obsidian eyes once more.
"Queen of monsters," he purrs.
Something about those words hits me right in my still-clenching center and behind my belly button. Suddenly, I can’t breathe.
I may be finding my power, but I'm queen of no one and nothing. If anything, it’s the Nexus who holds the power. The other one he is devoted to protecting.
Bitterness crawls up my throat even as I come down from my climax.
His lips find mine again for one final passionate kiss before pulling back with a satisfied smirk on his face. "That was delicious," he says breathlessly.
I can feel the desperation welling up in me. I’m still hungry, still aching for more.
"Fuck me."
He huffs.
"I fed you, saved you. Now fuck me," I demand.
The power between us has shifted. He can’t deny me anymore. I won’t let him.
I’m tired of waiting. We’re past any games, any pretenses. He would kill for me and I would kill for him. There is no reason to hold back.