Heart of Darkness: Part One Taint of Shadow Read online

  Heart of Darkness: Part One

  Taint of Shadow

  By

  Cassandra Moore

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Taint of Shadow

  Copyright© 2008 Cassandra Moore

  ISBN: 978-1-60088-300-2

  Cover Artist: Sable Grey

  Editor: Leanne Salter

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Cobblestone Press, LLC

  www.cobblestone-press.com

  Chapter One

  Howls rose in the air. Full-throated, lusty bays filled the woods and startled sleepy birds from their chosen perches. In the east, the brilliant golden edge of moon peeked above the Cascade Mountains, greeted by several more eerie calls. The energy of the night changed, expectant to exultant. Full moon. Blue moon. Time to hunt.

  Beneath the leafy canopy, a white wolf raced between the boles of the trees. She wove in an agile dance as she chased the sound of water. Faster, faster she pushed, ears flattened to her head, tail extended behind her like a banner. Noah had beaten her last time, but not tonight. Tonight, she had him.

  A flash of gray fur caught her attention. Somehow, he’d made up ground with more speed than she’d anticipated. Kayla’s claws dug into the moist earth beneath her paws, and beneath her fur, her muscles bunched, released. Oh, to run and run, free of the city, the constriction of skin and human ideas! Headlong, full of the moon in her blood, she hurdled through the forest.

  He couldn’t keep pace with her. No one could. She was moonlight, quick like mercury. She was the wind, unstoppable as it swept over the earth. She was...

  She was falling behind. Rotten bastard! He’d come into full view, more than a flash of gray now. A handsome wolf, strong and nimble as he dodged through the trees. From somewhere, she dragged up more speed and, as the trees thinned, passed him by.

  Gulping for air, she skidded to a halt on the stream’s bank. He pulled up a bare second later, pink tongue flopped out of his mouth. Wolven body language allowed for many expressions, but she’d always liked to gloat with a human voice. It had the best effect.

  The fur receded and gave way to pale skin and dishwater blonde hair. After her time on four legs, the tiny denim cutoff shorts chafed, and the tank top constricted. Shifts preserved clothing, which often came in useful, but tonight, it irritated her. Just beneath her human veneer, the wolf shifted restlessly. The moon called to it, made it hungry. Soon, she promised. Soon. We’ll hunt with the pack, once we’ve gathered. Once we’re mated.

  It brought her back to the present, and she smirked at the gray wolf. “I win, slowpoke.”

  He gave a low, playful growl.

  “Oh no, you don’t. You get to cook dinner all next week. You lost, fair and square.” Unable to stand it any longer, she stripped off her clothes and tossed them onto a nearby tree branch.

  Another growl. He licked his chops.

  She laughed, even as hot moisture melted over her folds. The run had invigorated her, the competition excited her, and now she wanted to fuck, hard and fast. But the moon would be high before they knew it. “We have to meet the pack. Ugh, I’m sweaty. Suppose I have time for a quick wash? I don’t want to show up tonight smelling like—oof!”

  In a controlled tumble, she hit the ground. He’d thrown himself against her knees and knocked her legs out from under her. As she sprawled on the ground, mossy soil against her back, he prowled around her with slow, deliberate movements. Golden eyes watched her as he circled, head low to take in the scent of her hair, her skin. His breath, warmer than the May evening, gusted over her hip.

  She shuddered. Fur brushed against her outer thigh as he wound around her and moved between her thighs. Once there, he didn’t touch her, just stood with his nose outside her cunt and breathed. In his wolf shape, he could smell her desire, her need, and he savored it. She could see it in the smolder of his eyes.

  His body blurred, and then there he was, on all fours between her legs, smirk curled over his human lips. The fur had barely disappeared before he buried his face in her pussy, tongue lapping over her folds in long, bold strokes. She moaned, a deep, guttural sound, and splayed her legs wide.

  Warmth circled her clit as he sucked it into his mouth. He wormed his tongue into her, then out again to circle around the sensitive button of flesh. Flashes of pleasure lit her nerves, magnified by the tides of lunar energy that washed through her. But she wanted more than just his tongue; she wanted his cock to pound into her, over and over, until she couldn’t take another thrust.

  Just the thought of it sent the shocks of a small climax through her, a tease of an orgasm that only whetted her need. But it drove him beyond control. He lurched to his feet and hauled her with him, the momentum strong enough to press her against his chest. Their lips met, melded, and their tongues twined as his arms wrapped around her.

  In the distance, they could hear the howls of the pack. Fierce passion clawed through her, and he tore his mouth from hers with a snarl. The small hairs on her neck rose, and she had to have him inside her. Reaching high, she grabbed a low branch on a nearby tree as he shed his jeans. His thick cock stood up from a nest of dark curls, but she saw it only in shadow as he moved between her legs.

  Impatient, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Hard and insistent, his cock pressed against her pussy, slid along the wet slit to nudge her clit. She leveraged herself with her grip on the branch then dropped herself onto his shaft.

  They cried out in unison, almost howling with the pleasure of it. He snapped his hips up, drove himself deeper, until she took the length of him. He felt so hot inside her, so wide, and her inner walls gripped him as he pushed her open. With him buried in her wetness, she felt complete even as she thought she could never take him deep enough. Her friend, her lover. After tonight, her mate.

  He withdrew until only the flared tip of him stayed within, and then he drove in harder, his body wracked with shudders as the animal within him fought for control. She couldn’t see the moon, but she didn’t need to. She could feel it as it rose higher into the sky, not over the treetops, but not far from it. It stoked the burn inside her as much as the thrusts of his cock did, with a sticky, almost painful tingle that made her want to writhe.

  Unable to help herself, she gave in and undulated her hips against his. She couldn’t get him deep enough, hard enough, but she tried, even as the lunar pull made her want to crawl out of her skin. His hips slammed against her as he pounded his shaft into her cunt over and over again. From behind clenched teeth he grunted, but he never closed his eyes. They stared at each other, gazes locked, even as she pulled herself up and down his cock and he thudded into her.

  Release ripped through them as the moon tore free of the horizon and took command of the night. She screamed, every nerve alive, aware of every jerk of his cock in her depths, every jet of seed as it spilled into her. Their climaxes mingled, became one, and they shuddered in unison, linked by the magic that held them, and bound by a love deeper than those who could wear only a human’s shape.

  Within her, his cock stayed hard, ready. He had too much energy to stop now. Instead, he took her into his arms, catching her as she let go of the branch, then set her on her feet. She whimpered as his shaft slid out of her, but it didn’t stay out long.

  He sp
un her around and nudged her feet apart as she braced herself against the trunk of the tree. Behind her, he caressed her ass, grabbed hold of her hips. “Wider,” he growled as he leaned over her. His cock slid home, his balls swinging forward to nudge her clit. She groaned then spread her legs more, her hips canted up to receive him.

  For a long moment he covered her, shaft deep in her pussy. One hand slid around her waist to stroke her cunt. His fingers explored her stretched folds spread by his girth, stroked around the edges of his shaft to test the taut skin. Alive with need again, she pressed back against him, caught between the urge to take more of him and the burn to rub against his hand.

  She moaned with relief as he took her clit between his fingers. Then he rammed his cock into her with a merciless rhythm, while he pinched and tugged at the sensitive flesh. She backed against him, open and wet, met him thrust for thrust. They’d spent dozens of full moons together, but none had inflamed her this way.

  The moon, the long, firm thrusts, scorched through her. Head thrown back, she shouted her climax to the sky, threw herself back to force him in as deep as he could push. A howl echoed from behind her, and he exploded, emptied into her pussy. Her spine tingled, every nerve smoldered, and within her, his cock still twitched. The afterglow was more like a sunrise.

  The urge to take him over and over again still gripped her, but the pair of orgasms had dulled it. At the least, she thought as they slowly disengaged, they could get through the pack meeting without a loss of control. After that, it wouldn’t matter. The whole gang would have given up to the moon.

  A series of summoning howls went up in the distance. “We’re late,” he said with a laugh as he rescued his jeans from the ground.

  She pulled a leaf out of her hair. “We’re late, and we’re dirty. I can’t show up to my own binding like this. I look like I’ve been fucking in the woods.”

  “Imagine that.” He grinned at her and stepped close enough to give her a deep, tender kiss loaded with promises for later. “You’re beautiful, baby. I still can’t believe you’re mine.”

  “No one else’s. Not ever.” Her eyes closed as she nuzzled his nose with hers. “I love you, Noah.”

  Strong arms enfolded her. “I love you, too. Tonight, you’re my wife. I mean, we still have to do the whole city hall thing tomorrow, but the pack’s what counts.”

  He smelled wonderful, forest and wolf and aftershave. “The pack and you are all that really matter to me.”

  The howl sounded almost reproachful.

  “They’re going to skin us. Want to take a minute to get the dirt off? I’ll run ahead and let them know you’re coming.” He pulled away to beam at her, the huge, proud grin of a new husband. “I want to make sure the alpha knows we’re doing it tonight. And that Todd’s there. He’s standing up for us.”

  She laughed. “I know. You’ve said that at least fifteen times this week.”

  “Well, he is!” He looked a little sheepish. “He loves you to pieces. That means a lot to me.”

  “He’s your best friend. He wants you to be happy.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Go on. I’ll be right there.”

  Fur overtook his skin, and then he was a wolf. With a bark of goodbye, he bolted off into the forest, tail high. Such an amazing animal, and an even more wonderful man.

  Humming under her breath, she stepped into the stream. In May, the water ran warm enough, although earlier in the year the mountain’s chill would have made this bath unpleasant. The wolves wouldn’t care about the dirt, but she did. No girl wanted to show up to her wedding covered in mud, werewolf or no.

  Here comes the bride, all dressed in white... When she’d imagined a white wedding as a girl, she hadn’t guessed it’d mean fur. She threw on her clothes and donned her wolf shape, a bright shadow among the dim ones. Of course, she’d never anticipated a case of lycanthropy, either.

  Her mother had hoped the affliction would pass her over. Thank goodness my junior prom was the day before the full moon or Jimmy Davidson would have gotten more than a black eye for reaching up my dress.

  Darkness had settled into the trees, but she had no trouble navigating through the woods. Her night vision and sense of smell guided her toward the pack’s favored spot. Even while in her wolf form, excited butterflies danced in her stomach. She’d heard so many things about life with a mate.

  A foul odor on the air stopped her in her tracks. Ears back, tail down, she lifted her muzzle for a better smell. There it was again, the scent of death without rot, sour blood, and beneath both, the reek of twisted magic. Her hackles went up.

  Vampire.

  Every undead in the city knew to stay clear of the mountain on the night of the full moon. A truce kept them safe in the urban confines, but no deal could keep them alive on a night like tonight. Trouble, that’s what it meant. Trouble the pack needed to know about. Peter would have a litter of cubs. Any alpha would.

  Wedding forgotten, she turned to bolt for the pack, but her ears picked up voices, one of them familiar. Low to the ground, she slunk in the direction of the conversation. Yes, she definitely knew that voice. Regina, the alpha’s mate. What’s she doing out here? She should be back with the rest of them. Like I should. They need to know...

  But with a biter in the forest, Regina could be in trouble. Kayla couldn’t leave her until she knew. So she stayed close to the forest floor and made her silent way forward.

  “We are still short a guest.” The vampire, his voice smooth.

  Her lip curled at the sound.

  “In an hour, there will be wolves all over. That won’t be a problem.” Regina sounded calm, in control. “We’ll have what we need.”

  Although she could hear more as a wolf, her white fur stood out like a neon sign. She shifted her form and crouched down. Through a thick bush, she could see all she needed to.

  They stood beside a tree, sheltered by the thick darkness of a place where light never struck. Too casual for a scared woman, Regina lazed against the rough bark, lips near enough to the man’s to brush against them. He leaned close, one hand on either side of her, and even in the gloom, his long teeth glistened.

  Kayla’s hair stood on end. That’s Paul Kiplinger. Paul Kiplinger, who had flouted the truce every chance he got. Who ran a city-sponsored home for runaways to feed his coterie of walking corpses. His own kind had almost left him staked out to greet the sun after they’d caught him trying to make his own brood one bitten neck at a time.

  The tip of Paul’s tongue brushed over Regina’s lips. “We need a seventh or we lose our chance until next year.”

  Playfully, she snapped her teeth at his tongue. “We’ll have a seventh. Don’t touch me before the meeting or they’ll smell you on me.”

  The implications staggered Kayla. What was Peter going to do? Shit. Time to go.

  But she couldn’t shift. The wolf wouldn’t come.

  Frantic, she reached deep inside herself for the power. She could feel it there, in the place where her animal side lived. It waited, as it always did. When she pulled, it stayed where it was, stubborn, intractable. No matter what she did, it wouldn’t budge.

  Trapped on two legs, she got onto all fours to crawl away from the scene. Fingers, cold, dead, strong, laced into her hair. “What we got ’ere, eh?” asked a loud male voice colored with a gutter-British accent. “Miles, I think we’ve caught ourselves a stray.”

  “I do believe you’re right, Mason.”

  He hauled her to her feet, her scalp stretched painfully as he yanked her hair. A face forced itself in front of hers. Long blond hair fell into the man’s red eyes. The smell of death clung to him like leeches.

  “Maybe we’ve missed our calling. We should’ve been dog catchers.”

  Raucous laughter. “Hey, Paul, look what we found listenin’ in on you and the lady.” He shoved Kayla forward, his hand still wrapped around a hank of her locks.

  “One of yours, Regina?” Paul shoved himself away from the tree. He moved with an unholy agility, each m
otion smooth, refined. When he drew close, she struggled, but the other two vampires held her fast.

  Regina made no move to help. “Mmm. Kayla Schinn. One of the last people I would have expected a problem from. Or perhaps we should just call her number seven.”

  “Convenient for her to come to us.”

  Wide-eyed with a suffocating fear, Kayla looked to the other woman, searching for any sign that her pack mate would fight or run for help. Anything at all. Instead, she only found a malicious smirk.

  “They’ll look for her. I’ll have to make excuses. Here...”

  Paul turned as Regina touched his arm. “What is it?”

  The woman’s eyes had turned a lupine gold, but no warmth lit them. “Hurt me.” Her words turned Kayla’s stomach. “A few scratches will do. I can say Kayla and I were jumped by vampires in the woods. I’ll lead them the other direction and come back with my little puppy when the rest are lost on the wrong trail.”

  On either side of her, the vampires laughed. “Can we help?” one of them asked.

  A red-eyed glare shut them up. They had pushed Paul too far. “You won’t touch her. Get that one in place.”

  Kayla thrashed in their grip, but the one called Miles, Mason’s twin in appearance and perversion, pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt. The touch of the metal made her skin crawl and itch.

  “Don’t change form, cutie,” he breathed into her ear, “or you’ll cut off your own hands. Those cuffs are magicked against your stupid dog tricks. They won’t shift with you.”

  She screamed with every ounce of strength she had. It echoed through the night, and in answer, she heard howls. Those long, lonely calls made her ache to reply. They sounded so very far away.

  Mason punched her in the jaw. “Shut it. Come on, Miles.”

  As they hauled her away, she could hear Regina’s grunts and gasps as Paul left his marks. They sounded closer to orgasm than to pain.

  Chapter Two