Chapter 29 Shadow
SHADOW
She tasted like warm honey and female desire—sweet, heady, and addictive. It was a flavor I would have gladly drowned in—the flavor I’d been starving for my entire long, dark existence.
I had never experienced anything like the feeling of Danni trembling beneath my tongue—her thighs quivering against my shoulders, her heels digging into my back as if she was trying to pull me deeper inside her, her breath hitching in those helpless, broken little moans I was quickly learning to crave more than air.
Her soft, curvy body was a banquet I wanted to feast on forever—a landscape of pure pleasure I was only just beginning to map.
Every inch of her was sacred to me, every breath she gave, a gift.
I wanted to worship her with my mouth until the end of time, until my tongue was raw and her name was the only prayer left in the world.
And Gods, I did worship her.
The way her scent swelled as her pleasure built—that intoxicating aroma of pure, desperate arousal…
the way her lush thighs tightened around my head, trapping me in her heat, a willing prisoner…
the way her fingers curled around my horns and pulled—a sharp, possessive demand when she couldn’t take it anymore—I wanted it all.
I wanted to bury myself in her until she knew in her bones that I belonged to her.
That I existed for the sole purpose of making her fall apart in my arms.
I climbed into bed beside her and pulled her close to me.
“Again,” I murmured in her ear. “Let me taste you again, Danni—one more time.”
She shifted against me, her eyes going wide.
“Really? You like it that much?”
“I fucking love it,” I growled, stroking her hair. “I’ve been waiting for so many years—once isn’t enough for me. I need more of you.”
“Well…all right.” Her cheeks were pink again with embarrassed pleasure. “If you really want to do it that much…”
“I do,” I assured her. “But this time, why don’t we try something different?”
“Something different?” She arched an eyebrow at me, looking confused. “How do you want to—”
“Like this,” I said. Reaching for her, I took her by the waist and lifted her.
“Oh, Shadow! What—? She began but then I settled her so that she was straddling my face. Looking up between her legs, I met her eyes.
“Like this, little witch. Ride my tongue while I taste you.”
“Oh, I don’t…ohhhhh.”
Her uncertain protest ended in a moan as I began lapping her again—long, slow strokes of my tongue from the tight entrance of her honey well, all the way up to the tight, throbbing pearl of her clit.
She tasted so fucking good! I groaned into her cunt, the vibration making her jolt, the sound muffled by her flesh.
“So perfect,” I growled, my voice ragged with desire—my cock throbbing between my thighs. “This pretty little pussy was made for my mouth. You’re dripping all over my face, little witch. Do you have any idea what that does to me?”
I didn’t wait for an answer—I devoured her.
I flicked my tongue against her clit in a rapid, relentless rhythm, then plunged it deep inside her, fucking her with it, tasting her honey straight from the source.
I could feel the tension coiling in her belly—the way her hips began to stutter and buck against my mouth. She was already close—so close.
“Come on, Danni,” I murmured against her slick folds. “Let it go for me. I want to feel you come on my tongue. I want to drink every last drop. Give it to me—scream my name!”
I thrust my tongue deep inside her then, filling her completely to the end of her channel. At the same time, my tail, acting on its own primal instinct, coiled tightly around her thigh, the sensitive tip pressing firmly against her swollen little clit, mirroring the rhythm of my mouth.
That was all it took.
Her back arched in a beautiful curve, and a raw gasp tore from her throat.
“Shadow! Oh god, Shadow!”
My name on her lips was the most glorious sound I had ever heard.
Her body convulsed around me, her inner muscles fluttering wildly against my tongue, her thighs clamping down on my head and horns as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through her.
I held her there, lapping eagerly—drinking down the proof of her pleasure until she was sobbing, limp and utterly spent.
When I finally lifted my head, my mouth and chin were drenched in her honey.
I looked up at her, panting for breath—so beautiful and all mine.
The thought made a possessive, feral satisfaction burn in my chest. I had done that—I had shattered her with pleasure.
And I knew, with a certainty that felt like more than just hope, that I would spend the rest of my existence doing it again and again.
I lapped her more gently then, bringing her down, and didn’t stop until she started to shy away, her breath catching, her thighs twitching as her sensitivity turned sharp.
I forced myself to pull back then, though I would’ve gladly spent the rest of the night coaxing climax after climax from her sweet, curvy body.
“Oh, Shadow,” she panted. “I…I think I need to lay down. That was intense.”
“I know, my little witch. You did such a good job, coming so hard for me.”
I tucked her against my side as I licked her flavor from my lips, savoring the last traces of her on my tongue.
Mine.
She was everything to me—I wanted to worship at her altar again and again but for now she had clearly had enough.
I pulled her closer, curling my larger form around her small, curvy body like a shield. She was already reaching for me, those soft arms slipping around my waist as she snuggled close.
I purred softly—a deep, soothing rumble—and stroked my hand down her bare back.
“I wish I could see your face,” she murmured sleepily, cheek resting against my chest.
“You can.” I brushed my lips over her forehead. “Turn on your bedside lamp.”
She blinked up at me, uncertainty clouding her eyes.
“But I thought that would make you disappear.”
“That was before,” I told her gently. “Before we tasted each other. Before our bond grew stronger.”
“Really? But how does that work?” She tensed slightly in my arms, looking up at me with a question in her eyes.
“Every time we come together,” I explained, “I become more real…more solid. And more able to bear the light.”
She hesitated.
“Well…if you’re sure…”
“I am. It’s all right—I promise I won’t disappear on you.”
Slowly, she reached for the little lamp on her nightstand and flipped the switch.
Warm, golden radiance bathed the room.
For a long, breathless moment, Danni just stared at me. I waited, my heart beating hard, to see what she would say. Was I too monstrous for her to love? Would she find me too ugly…too alien?
“Oh,” she whispered at last. “You’re…really handsome.”
I let out a rumbling laugh as relief swept over me.
“For a Creature,” I said.
“No,” she said softly, reaching up to trace my features with gentle fingers. “For anyone.”
“Thank you, little witch.” I caught her hand and kissed her fingertips, nuzzling my face into her palm. Her touch made my soul hum with contentment.
“I want you to be able to be with me,” she said. “Not just at night…during the day too. I want you to walk with me in town, and sit with me by the fire, and hold my hand in the sunshine and…and everything.”
I froze.
Her eyes searched mine.
“Shadow? Did I say something wrong?”
“No. No, little witch—you weren’t wrong to say it. I want what you want, too.”
I looked away, jaw tightening.
“Tell me,” she whispered, clearly sensing my turmoil. “How can we make that happen? This is a magic town—there must be a way.”
“There is, but…” I closed my eyes. “It’s not a simple thing.”
“Please,” she said, and I felt her pressing a kiss to my chest. “I need to know.”
I sighed and held her tighter. My heart thudded loud in my ears. What would she say when I told her? Well, there was only one way to find out.
“In order for me to be completely real—to come out into the light and leave the cottage with you—we would have to form a Heartmate bond,” I said at last.
She sat up a little, eyes wide.
“A Heartmate bond? I’ve heard other women in town talk about that—about having ‘Heartmates.’ What does it mean exactly?”
“It means you’re mine,” I said, voice low. “And I’m yours. Forever.”
She swallowed, but her eyes never left mine..
“But I already feel that way about you. So…what does the bond do?”
“It’s a sacred tie,” I said softly. “A blessing from the Goddess and the Fates. Your Heartmate is the one you’re destined to be with—the one who was made for you.
You called me into being with your need, Danni.
And years later, your need brought me back to you.
And I…I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you. ”
Her breath caught in her throat and her small hand trembled against my chest.
“Oh, Shadow…” Her voice cracked. “It’s been so long since anyone…since I…”
“So long since you felt loved?” I finished for her, raising an eyebrow.
She nodded and swiped at her eyes.
“Since I felt seen. Wanted.”
I cupped her cheek and kissed her tears away, tasting their salty flavor on my tongue.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart—I’ll never stop wanting you. Never stop loving you.”
She looked up at me again.
“Please, tell me—how can I make you real all the time? I want that. I want you.”
I hesitated, my heart thudding.
“I’ll tell you,” I said at last, stroking her hair back. “If you really want to know.”
But inside, I was bracing myself.
Because once I told her what was required… once she knew what it would cost… she might not choose me after all.
And if she didn’t…
If she couldn’t…
She would never see me in the light again.