Chapter Twelve
Shadow
My dark desires rise up.
This is what I love about women. Each one has their own particular smell, and every single one of them is uniquely delicious in their very own special way.
I want to lift a thick sheath of Luna’s hair to my face and inhale the aroma of sebum, shampoo, and scent.
The hair always holds the second best parts of a woman’s fragrance.
The strands seem to pull the essence straight out of the skull and into the scalp.
And from there, the perfume seeps down the hair shaft until it reaches the end.
I could shoot my load from the smell of a woman’s hair alone.
And here she is, Tempest’s niece, inviting the rough and ready Midnight Rider to follow her upstairs to spend the rest of the night lying between the grace of her pale thighs.
I must refuse her in such a way that her pride does not suffer. How I wish I could tell her about the barrier between us.
No, it is not a barrier. It is an insurmountable barricade. A problem that only Tempest has ever been able to solve.
And yet… I am tempted beyond my endurance to stay. It is only partially because of my gnawing hunger. Overall, I find Luna very much to my taste.
Putting the soft scent of her essence aside, Luna’s presence holds out other attractions for me.
Her brilliant red hair twists and bounces like the flames from a dragon.
Her strangely multicolored eyes—the flecks of orange, brown, and green all sandwiched together to pass as hazel if someone doesn’t look too close—are always blinking from the flecks of mascara falling into them.
The way her cheekbones rise like rosy cushions on either side of her pert nose.
And those plump lips that are simply begging for me to nibble on them.
I never thought of myself as a lyrically-minded creature before, but Luna could turn me into a poet when it comes to describing her beauty.
Finally, I cannot hold back any longer. From the way she has shifted her hips back, I know she is taking great pleasure from the close contact her clitoris has with the rock hard bulge under my pants.
There is even a hint of some subtle grinding as she swivels back and forth, thinking I won’t notice.
She has the sexual appetites of a healthy young woman, but they are nothing compared to the starvation roaring inside me. Man and ravenous monster, melded together forever.
Dare I command her to do what I yearn for? And will it be safe for her to indulge my cravings without endangering this special woman? Luna could turn out to be the MC’s most important ally, and I am not about to fuck that up.
Delicately tracing my hand around the side of her face, I stare into those gorgeous patchwork-color eyes.
“What I want from you, Luna, is hardly likely to take the whole night.”
The tight crevice inside her floods with tasty juices as she picks up on my excitement. Luna bites the side of her lower lip with her incisors as she considers what I just told her.
“Shadow, the way I feel right now—it’s probably only going to take a few seconds. At least from my side of things.”
And there’s that cute, sassy smile again. I am guessing that Luna could be a total little firecracker in bed if she wanted to be. I wish I could be the answer to her prayers tonight, but it would be too dangerous.
I must set out some parameters before we proceed. “I think I should warn you. My skin is still cold from riding here without a jacket.”
She runs her hand down my arm, her fingers linger on the mound of muscle under the t-shirt sleeve and then moves to the buckle of my belt. Her fingers pluck at the buckle with impatience.
“Sh- shall we go upstairs?” Luna doesn’t look at me when she says it.
I need Muohta to bark at me if I take this too far. Like the Samoyed, I have fangs.
“Let’s keep things on the couch for now.” Cupping her face between my icy hands, I brush my lips against hers. “I am not going to fuck you, Luna. Let’s make out a little. Take things slow.”
She pouts, which makes her look absolutely adorable.
“I want more.”
A low growling laugh. Her appetites and her insatiable hunger; I am starting to think that Luna just might be my soul mate. But my main objective tonight is for me to shut her previous delightful nightmare visitor out of her mind forever.
“I know you love to be penetrated, Luna, but you’ll have to be satisfied with my tongue and my fingers for now.”
Her pupils dilate as I say the words. She’s right on the edge of excitement, already cocked and locked, ready to come.
My seduction is so much better when a woman meets me halfway. I’ve never liked a timid lover. The bolder, the better.
But I must always, always be the master.
Slowly, I undo the buttons at the neck of her tank top to expose the cleft of her breasts. The room is chilly enough for her nipples to tighten, but they pucker into hard peaks as my hands slide over the delicate globes of flesh.
“So cold…” But Luna wants me to know she enjoys it. “Like icicles of heat.”
How enticing she is. When Luna whispers the words to try and describe her pleasure it makes the rampant hardness in my pants writhe like a serpent.
“Did you know your pussy can’t feel hot or cold inside it?” Licking the side of her neck, I dare to dream. “It’s sensitive to movement and pressure, but not temperature.”
Letting her head fall back as I run my fingers around the tip of her breasts, Luna gasps. “Mm, don’t tease me. You know how much I long for it.”
Her desperate attraction makes her bold. Grabbing the hem of my t-shirt, Luna pulls it over my head after waiting for me to raise my arms. But when she fumbles at the belt buckle again, I grip her wrists.
“I play by my own rules, Luna. I will never pull up in the middle of the night just to fuck you. I want so much more from you than just sex.”
Slipping my hand under the band of her panties, I slide a finger over the plump hood of her clit. The lovebud throbs with the need to orgasm. The crotch of her panties is soaking wet—
And then Luna jumps off me, pulling her tank top closed. Her expression is mournful but determined.
“I’m sorry, Shadow. I’m not looking for a serious relationship right now. I just got out of a messy long-term partnership. I can’t give you more. Nor can I give you even the possibility of it.”
The best thing for me to do is stop breathing. Doing that instantly freezes all those lovely smells that want to float up my nostrils and down my throat.
Luna looks at me in such a way that lets me know I’m going to have to say something if I want to continue my imitation of humanity.
Standing up from the couch, I walk to the kitchen in double-quick time. I get busy lighting the stove top and filling the kettle. Only when Luna’s mouthwatering scent has left my head do I dare reply.
“I’m confused. One moment you want sex, and the next moment you don’t.”
Luna does not do me the discourtesy of making this all about her. I admire that.
“You said you wanted more from me, Shadow. I’m open to discussing what that is. You mentioned playing by your rules, which seems to preclude you from visiting me at night for sex. So… what is it that you want from me?”
Everything.
Holding out my hand in a “pause” gesture, I wait for the kettle to whistle while reaching for a mug out of the cupboard and a teabag. Filling the mug with boiling water, I dunk the bag a couple of times and add honey before re-entering the living room.
The hunger inside me has subsided. Telling Luna a half-truth is best.
“Let me rephrase what I said.” Handing Luna the mug, I go and sit on the armchair. “You were dreaming about a man when I came over. It brought out certain feelings of… possessiveness inside me.”
Warming her hands on the mug, Luna blows the steam. When she does that, it reminds me of a song from long ago, something about every little thing she does is magic. If I had normal dreams, I am sure that Luna Blackwood would be able to give me a delightful one.
Pointing her finger at me, Luna pretends to shoot her trigger finger.
“Bingo. That’s what I was talking about. This is a small island, Shadow. You can count the number of times we have met on half a hand. I can’t have someone like you… I mean, anyone in general, feeling possessive of me.”
A woman who wants to control when she falls in love and who she falls in love with. Luna has hidden depths of discipline I never knew. But she’s canny, because she knows the best way to keep the hungry wolf of infatuation from knocking on her door is to avoid having sex with anyone.
Intelligent and beautiful. Such an attractive combination.
I have to smile before changing the topic of conversation. “When we do hook up, Luna, I can promise you that it will stay our secret until you choose to tell someone.”
Chuckling, Luna covers her mouth with her hand as she shakes her head. “No need to worry about me wanting to make our relationship ‘Facebook official,’ Shadow. There are no phones or connectivity!”
My upper lip curls into a sneering snarl and there is nothing I can do to stop it.
“Those things are citified crap. Like a collector who likes to pin butterflies to cardboard to show how pretty they are when they are dead. That is what I think of people signaling their affections to the world by using electronic methods.”
Luna’s eyes widen.
“What?! You don’t like social media?” Luna taps her teeth thoughtfully.
“I’ll admit it has its pros and cons. But choosing your relationship status to be a ‘civil’ or an ‘open partnership’ is a bit cringe.
” Giving me a little wink, Luna concludes.
“I think everyone should be forced to choose ‘it’s complicated’ as their status, because you know, it always is. ”
I know I should try to act like the modern man I wish to pass for, but my ancient heritage overtakes me.
“Certain tribes dress their youth in bright clothing to indicate when they are ready for marriage. Once the wedding night is over, then the wife makes a new gákti for her husband to show to other women he has taken. If the wife leaves her husband, he can show his wife that he wants her back by continuing to wear the gákti she made for him. Do you not think this is a better way to communicate the longings of the heart without posting it online for all the world to see?!”
Her pretty mouth widens as she suppresses laughing at my passionate outburst. “What is a gákti?”
I am so relaxed in Luna’s presence that I forget she is not Tempest. She knows nothing about our origins or traditions.
Shaking my head, I redirect the conversation. “It’s a kind of uniform. Forget about it. I almost have. Show me Tempest’s mail. I will help you with it.”
Luna opens her mouth to protest, but I cut her off, motioning her away with my hand as if she’s a naughty child. “Tsh-tsh-tsh, go get the mail. Go on, scoot.”
Padding upstairs, Luna shoots a teasing look at me. She believes I am impatient and wretched because I did not get sex.
But that is far from the truth.
Her nocturnal visitor might be more than a dream. And if that is the case, I have to do something about it.
Time is of the essence.