Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters, #2)(52)

I felt him thicken, and then he groaned above me, jerking inside fast before he slowed right down and rode out his pleasure, all the while sending me into another head-spinning orgasm where I blacked out for a few seconds.

My body was limp, and it was only Shadow’s hold on me that kept me from face-planting right into the chair and suffocating in the process. “You. Killed. Me.” A weak wheeze left me, and I felt his laughter along my spine as his mouth brushed across my skin there. He was still buried deep inside, still hard, and I wondered if this was normal. Or was Shadow just the exception…?

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said before he lifted me completely, his dick sliding free, with more than a little resistance, like it was reluctant to leave. He set me on my feet, but my legs were way too wobbly to walk, not to mention the spinning head and stars dancing before my eyes.

“I understand now why the women leave you satisfied and broken.” I groaned as I almost fell right on my face again.

He scooped me up into his arms, stepping through the house, past the back room with the cloud bed. He dropped the fire perimeter, moving out of the main house and onto what looked like a back deck.

We found the waterfall. Right there, just pouring over the stone deck. I’d heard none of its thunderous roar from inside Kristoff’s home, but out here, it was loud and glorious.

“Outdoor shower,” I said, figuring it out as I wiggled to get down. Feeling had returned to my legs, so I assumed I could make it on my own now.

And as much as I didn’t want to be away from him, I already knew I had to start the distancing process. Getting attached was no plan. It was a one-way ticket to heartbreak, and fuck, at some point, I had to do the intelligent thing and protect myself.

The water was an icy splash across my skin, and I gasped at the first blast, but in a few moments adjusted to the refreshing shower. Shadow joined me, and he didn’t seem to be having the same worries about distancing, crowding into my personal space.

And… dammit, I really liked it.

He was still at his slightly smaller than seven feet height, and we fit together well. I went up on my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck, and… he let me. For a moment, we just existed under the water as it washed away our mammoth sex session.

Shadow dipped his head, tracing his lips across mine, and I had to open my mouth, needing his taste. His cock jerked against my stomach, and I pulled back to laugh. “You have some stamina.”

His gaze moved over my face. “Apparently.”

Just as he was about to kiss me again, we both felt a new burst of power coming from off to the right of Kristoff’s house. A burst of power that was foreign in nature, belonging to none of our friends.

Shadow jerked me behind him in an instant, reacting faster than I could have. He stood between me and whatever was coming for us, and while we were naked, weaponless, and somewhat vulnerable, having Shadow on my side gave me confidence I wouldn’t normally have.

“Spies,” he spat. “They tracked me faster than I expected.”

“Royal spies?” I asked, trying to lean around him.

“I assume so.” Short, clipped words, and the somewhat gentle beast was gone. In his place was the demon of shifter nightmares. Our moment was over, long before I was ready, but this was for the best.

Another taste and there was almost no way I’d ever be able to walk away.





25





Are you okay?

Midnight’s voice was loud and clear in my head again, so whatever Shadow had been doing to block us, he’d dropped it in the face of the danger around us.

Royal spy, I shot back quickly. It was a relief to know our mists were close.

“What is it?” I asked Shadow, trying to peer around him, but he kept shifting his position, stubbornly blocking me from view.

We’re on our way, Midnight said in a rush.

Best news ever. We’re kind of naked out near the waterfall.

They’re spinning energy around the place, and we’re attempting to get through. They may be planning something huge. Be on guard.

With that ominous statement, Midnight cut off from me, and while I was panicked, I also loved that we had mists on our side. I’d seen the look on Kristoff’s face when he’d learned they were bonded to us, and since he appeared to be both ancient and powerful in his own right, that told me it was a big deal.

A threat many wouldn’t see coming. Maybe the threat that saved us.

Can you see if it’s royal spies or something else?

There was a long pause, and if I hadn’t been able to feel the bond to Midnight, I might have worried that we’d been cut off again.

Three beings that are cloaked in darkness, adept at camouflage and subterfuge. Kristoff has disappeared as well. No idea what happened to him.

Wow, that sounded a lot like a James Bond movie, and that could only mean one thing: It was my time to Bond girl the situation and sort this shit out.

Placing my hand on Shadow’s back, I wasn’t surprised to find his skin boiling hot, despite the chilled water still pouring over us. “Midnight said that Kristoff is gone. Do you think he betrayed us?”

Shadow was furious, if the flames licking across his body were any indication. “A lot could have changed in the past two thousand years. So maybe.”

“Are they shadow creatures?” I wondered, mostly to myself. “I could try to command them,” I added louder.