Defeat the Darkness (Hearts of Darkness) (34 page)

The vampire stood over seven feet tall and had shoulders equivalent to a linebacker’s. Yeah, he probably could handle her, especially with the silver cuffs. When Amyra and her guards were taken away, Kyle edged his way to the door.

Dylan caught him before he reached the open door and said, “If you want to check on Shelby, I’ll help you get through this.”

“No.” Kyle shook his head and couldn’t watch—couldn’t even allow his gaze to drift over his friends. His vision was blood red and he felt as if he was peering through a door from hell. His shoulders slumped and he kept his focus out the door. “Max needs your help with her.”

Kyle didn’t want Shelby see his demon—to remember him this way. “I’ll meet you back at the estate before morning. The jaguar needs to hunt.” He folded his wings into his back and traced out to the bayou. He didn’t need blood. Victor had seen to that, but the jaguar was hungry for gator and Kyle wanted a fight.

He also wanted to forget what he was and what happened to Shelby. He squeezed his eyes to shut out the vision, but it was indelibly burned into his memory. Before anyone could interfere, Kyle traced to the bayou swamp past Dylan’s property. The one moment of concern overwhelmed him when the demon refused to back down as he attempted to shift into the jaguar so he could hunt. After a few failed attempts, he succeeded. Relief flooded through him as he sniffed out his quarry.

The old daddy gator he’d spotted a few weeks ago made the mistake of coming up for air too close to the branch Kyle was draped across. The water was shallow. Kyle’s cat never minded getting wet, especially not now if it meant a fair fight.

The gator was a worthy opponent, giving Kyle the physical battle he craved. Shifting back was easier once he’d fed, but hunting left Kyle physically exhausted. When he shifted back into human form, he sat down on a fallen log and cursed. After checking out the tiny clearing, he realized he had no clothes in the area.

He ran a hand down his face. It was a long way to the estate through the dense underbrush in nothing but skin.
Change of plans.

~~~~

Garr opened the front door to the sound of scratching. When he saw who it was, he let out a deep belly laugh. “Kyle, you stuck in dat cat?” he asked, “or is it easier facing the world as a cat than a man,
mon ami
?”

Kyle slid past him, growled, and went straight to his room to shower and change—literally.

The Garr had a point. Perhaps he considered shifting into the cat more often since he’d been relatively calm in his jaguar’s form. Once he discovered how much more control he had when his jaguar was fed, he vowed never to let it weaken again. He could control the demon and relax for a change.

Simone sat in the den with a tall glass of tea in her hand talking to Garr when Kyle joined them.

“Want a drink while we wait for the others to return?” she asked.

“You sit. I’m up. I’ll get it.” Kyle went to the bar for a beer. “Anybody else want anything?”

“I’ll take another beer,” Garr said.

“Where is everyone?”

“Max took Shelby to the mausoleum. She’s beginning her transition, and he wants to be there for her.”

“You going with?” Garr asked.

Kyle dismissed the answer he considered and took a long swallow. “No. I don’t think I’m ready to deal with all this. What will the council do to Amyra for breaking the Parrish rules?”

“I don’t know for sure. Her relationship to Niccolai complicates things.” Garr paced the room checking out the books on the shelves but lifted his head at the approaching sound of voices.

“I think they’re back.” Simone hurried to the door and opened it for Dylan and Victor. “How did everything go?”

“After taking Amyra and her jaguars before the joint council, we couldn’t wait to get out of there.” Dylan informed everyone how he and Jackson returned to check on Max and Shelby before they made arrangements for Amyra. “Everyone holding up? How about you, Kyle?”

“I’ll be fine once I know Amyra’s been taken care of for good.”

“Sorry to say, not as permanently as you may have expected. Two vampires on the council voted against the rest, and her death sentence was commuted.”

“Who would go against the rest and vote to spare her?” Garr asked.

“The first was an ancient Norse vampire we don’t know much about. Dylan tilted is head and raised a brow at Jackson. “The other was—”

“Me,” Jackson said with a low warning growl in Garr’s direction—a reprimand for questioning the council’s decision. “She’s family. I was satisfied with the alternative. They ordered her to be sent to ground. They will bury her in her sarcophagus under the Queen’s pyramid in Egypt. The sentence is for a thousand years. By then my father will have returned and it should give us time to figure out a way to deal with her.”

Jackson hadn’t had a choice. Kyle understood that. “You think you can keep her from rising?”

“Yes. We better or next time, she will be put to death.” Dylan said. “What about you? What will you do?” The room grew quiet waiting for his answer.

“I thought I’d return to Guatemala and help Victor for a while.”

When Dylan turned his back and casually pulled out a beer from the fridge for himself, Kyle suspected there was more to this conversation.

“I think that’s a great idea. You think it could wait until Shelby completes her transition and stasis? Max called to tell me she’s having a rough go of it. He thinks the fae needs to feed from you because of your bond, especially now.” Dylan pointed his bottle at Kyle and said, “It shouldn’t hold you back for long. The full moon should wax again soon, but she’ll have her full control by then.”

“If she needs me I’ll be here for her, of course. After what I’ve done to her I thought she’d rather not see me.” Could he deal with seeing the condemnation in her eyes?

“What part of her situation are you responsible for?”

Either Dylan was in his head again or Kyle was projecting his own thoughts too loudly. “All of it. Damn it, Dylan, you know I bit her that night and started all this.”

“No. I know Amyra tried changing the jaguar people and a rogue bit you. I know she drugged you, threatened Shelby, and coerced you. The one who is responsible has been put to rest. Now
come to terms with it or come up with some other excuse, Kyle. She’s still your Shelby.”

“Is she? Because, if the demon manifests itself in her, won’t Amyra have won?”

“No. Her jaguar will fight the demon the way yours does, and don’t forget her light fae blood. The darkness can’t absorb all her light. She’ll be good for you and Max—a balance to keep you two on the right side of the line.”

“What line?”

“The line between good and evil.” Dylan gave Kyle a lopsided grin and reached into his mind.
Go to her. Your soul mate is calling for you.

Kyle’s stomach knotted. What would he do about Max?

You have to care for him, too. You are his maker. The sire bond will hold you and Max together no matter what. The sire bond he has with Shelby will hold them together as well.

“I think you should give it time,
mon ami
,” Garr interrupted the mental chatter between Kyle and Dylan. “Everything will settle down, and you will find a level of comfort with each other. Time will heal all wounds if they are not mortal and since you three live...” The shifter raised his shoulders in his dismissive way.

Kyle smiled for the first time all day. “You’re right, my friend. We are all very much alive.”

“Where there is life there is hope…” Simone said quietly.

Her words surprised him. They were the same words he used like a mantra in the operating room to get through the toughest cases. “That’s absolutely correct,” Kyle agreed, sensing a pull from Shelby and suddenly feeling as if a load had been lifted from his shoulders.

“I’ll be in the mausoleum if anyone needs me.” He put down his empty bottle and strode to the door before he paused. “And, I know I’ve been difficult lately. Thanks for coming to my rescue, every one of you.”

Chapter 40 Together

When Shelby awoke with her face buried in Max’s chest and her leg draped over his hip, the first sensation that struck her was how normal she felt. Not hungry. Not aching. No pain or thirst. Her muscles felt used, and they had been—well used. The grin touched her lips when she recalled the new skills she and Max had practiced, testing so many new parameters in the last few days. It had been lovely.

Even bringing Kyle into it during her dreams felt real enough to satisfy her craving for the man until she could convince him to return to her bed. In her dream, they’d been in the shower.

Kyle sandwiched her against Max who caressed her ass while Kyle teased and fondled her breasts. Kyle forced her chin around so he could kiss her. His tongue searched her mouth as she stroked Max’s chest and followed the faint pale blond trail of hair to his impressive erection
. She needed both hands to grip him. His length grew in her hands and lurched, silently begging for more.

“Turn off the shower and dry off. I’ll join you in bed,” Kyle said. While he did a quick dry, Shelby kept Max focused on her and sex. By the time she got him back on the bed, she was ready to straddle him.

“Up a bit higher. Good, that’s exactly the position we need. Can you take him inside you? Are you ready?” Kyle touched her sending hot liquid pouring to her folds.

“Kyle, could you be any more clinical? I’d like this to be about us all being one.”

“Shelby, look at me,” Kyle said.

She did as he asked and noticed the strain on his face. His eyes were still the black of the demon’s. His jaw was clenched so tight she expected teeth to pop out of his mouth at any moment. Her gaze explored all of him. Tendons bunched, veins pulsed, and every muscle was rigid, every muscle hard as steel. His skin looked too tight to wear comfortably. His sex was bigger and thicker than she’d
ever seen it. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “I’m sorry. This is difficult for you.”

“I’m holding on, but I can’t hold on forever. Clinical helps.”

She should be more understanding. He was trying to come up with a solution. He was trying to deal with something that went against all their natures. “I’ll get in position and then what?”

His expression softened. “Then
we can forget clinical, and Max and I can love you like you were meant to be loved. Both of us. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Perfect,” he muttered and slapped her ass. “Climb aboard.”

She kissed him lightly and turned her back to lower herself over Max’s cock. His erection held, and he rallied when she slipped down around him. She moaned as each inch of him filled her and Kyle cursed behind her.

“I can’t wait to be inside you…”

The idea made Shelby shiver, desire sneaking up on her, waking her.

Just then, something on the bed behind her moved. A familiar scent filled her senses and a strand of long dark hair draped across her shoulder. The hand cupping her breast wasn’t Max’s. It belonged to whoever was poking her from behind with an impressive morning hard-on. Shelby glanced over her shoulder into Kyle’s open eyes.

Why did she think he could read her thoughts? Perhaps because the smile on his lips said one thing and his body said something else. He confused her.

Bracing his hands on her hips, he eased himself behind her. Once in place, he returned his hands to her breasts, cupping them from behind, weighing their weight in his palms, and teasing her nipples. Kyle’s hot breath sent goose bumps across every inch of her skin as he kissed his way up her spine.

“I love you, Shelby. I would do anything for you.”

At first, Max was too dazed to focus, but his eyes popped opened wide when he realized what was happening. He moaned. Less awake than either of them, he moved his lips to her throat, and then over her collarbone saying literally the same words in her other ear.

Kyle lifted her breasts so Max could see his hands on her. Max blinked a few times before what was happening fully registered. He lifted his head, his lips curling into a grin, and took the offering Kyle held in the palm of his hand.

As she leaned over and cupped Max’s head to her breast, he feasted, sucking and nipping at her sensitive nipples while Kyle’s fingers teased her clit. The myriad sensations were almost more than she could stand. She must be hallucinating from the transition.

Okay, she could deal with this. Even if she could only have them both in her dreams, she would be patient in anticipation for the pleasure to come.

“You’re not dreaming, Shelby. Tell me now if you don’t truly want this.” Kyle’s voice shook her to her very core.

“I love you both so much. Why wouldn’t I want it?”

Shelby understood how difficult this was for him, for so many reasons. They’d loved each other for such a short amount of time before everything had ripped them apart. Now, they were bound together for eternity, and she didn’t want him to be sorry about it. They would have to find a way to adjust to their new life. And he had Max in the mix—another responsibility.

Heat surrounded her, cocooned her, and it was precisely what she desired—making love with both the men she loved.

Max kissed her and sucked on her breast a few times, and then groaned. “Hey, ya’ll, don’t want to burst your bubble, but do you mind finishing this round without me? I think I need a live donor. The bagged blood isn’t enough. Sorry, Shelby. I’m whipped, babe.”

“Go ahead. We have unfinished business, anyway,” Kyle said.

“Then she’s all yours this time, Kyle.” He rolled over, picked up the phone, and dialed out for Garr to unlock the gate. “I’ll be glad when I finish going through stasis so I can trace.”

She turned her face up to Max’s and kissed him with her mouth opened enough so Kyle could see his tongue fucking her. As
he watched, he pressed his erection against her hip her taking advantage of a better angle. Shelby felt the smile form on Max’s lips. Both had a mental link with Kyle. He was fully aroused by the sight of another man kissing her, and that gave them hope for the future.

Max winked at her, and before he left, he said, “I’ll be back after I find a live blood donor so I can properly feed you, Shelby.”

I’ll take care of feeding her until you return.
Kyle’s words sounded possessive even through the mental link he shared with Max.

Shelby moved beneath him distracting him. As he nudged aside her thighs and backed up, he slipped a finger inside her. He stilled for a moment as he added another finger. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe. Did his heart even beat while his fingers tested her?

She opened her thoughts to him as he pressed his length slowly inside her.

Oh, oh that feels so right, so good.

So fucking tight.

Kyle grunted. His cock twitched inside her then he started breathing again. He never skipped a beat.

Neither did Shelby. Having him inside her again was like coming home. It was a good sign.

“I was afraid I’d lose you when my sex fae gene activated.”

“Never.” Kyle’s low sexy growl rumbled through his chest while he rode her, pumping inside her in time to his thrusts. “I thought you’d hate me for doing this to you.”

“Never.” Shelby repeated back to him. “Can you deal with me needing other men at the time of the full moon?”

“Other men? I don’t know. Let me get used to the idea of Max first. We’ll see what happens after that. Okay, sweetheart?”

“Going through stasis will help. I should be able to control my needs more after that.”

But there was still something else driving her—a hunger, a thirst, an ache—a need undefined demanding more.

~~~~

It wasn’t long before Shelby heard the key turn in the old metal lock. They were locked in because of her. The transition made her unstable, but with both Max and Kyle feeding her, she was feeling stronger faster. After Max closed the bedroom door to the furnished apartment in the mausoleum, he began removing his clothes.

“Feel better?” Shelby asked.

Max wiggled his eyebrows at her and said, “Energized. I can feed you, my little vampire and satisfy your sex fae, too.” He dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Where’s Kyle?”

“In the other room getting a bag of blood.”

“Did you wear out our favorite Yankee?”

Shelby’s heart clenched in her chest. The reference to their old relationship filled her with joy. “Yes, I did,” she said with a grin so wide her cheeks hurt. The three of them being friends again felt right. “He’s okay with the bagged blood if he’s hunted recently.”

“Well then, come here, sugar and eat up.” Max sliced open a vein near his groin. Shelby’s attention shot to the wound as blood bubbled to the surface. Because of the heady scent of male and blood, her fangs descended for the first time and her vision fogged over with a red haze. She dropped to her knees and leaned over him unable to hold back.

Sending thoughts of love to Max, she sank her teeth deep and drank.

Before long, she smelled Kyle, and felt his possessive bite at the back of her neck. Then she submerged herself in their taste and surrendered to the sensation of having both men’s hands caressing her all over. Wet lips, tongues, and pointed fangs teased all her highly sensitive flesh. Pleasure, such as she’d never experienced with an orgasm, began stirring within her. Every nerve ending existed in triplicate. One for each of them while they fed from each other. Through their mind link, they could feel each other’s climaxes approach, and the men hadn’t physically penetrated her.

The blood lust orgasm racked Shelby to her soul. Love for Kyle filled her heart. Love for Max filled her being. The most compelling impression was the way it appeared to reflect back at her.

“Wow, did you feel that?” She gasped and collapsed on Kyle’s chest with her hand wrapped up in Max’s hair.

Max lifted his head. “Earthquake?”

“No—the power of love,” Kyle replied very seriously.

Max slapped Kyle on the back and said, “Shelby, he’s back! Our old romantic Kyle has finally returned.”

The weight that had felt like an anchor since Guatemala lifted from Shelby’s heart as her eyes met his. “Yes, it seems he has.” With his eyes opened wide, Shelby saw light flicker through the dark pupils. “My dashing romantic Yank is back.”

He winked at her then curled his fingers through her curls and tugged, pulling her lips down to his. His kiss was filled with a desperation Shelby never experienced with him before. When he released her, he stared at her with eyes the color of a calm spring sky—so different from the solid black marbles they’d been after he’d released the demon, or the gray they’d once been before.

His gaze moved over every inch of her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “You are my light, my life, Shelby. Only you can defeat the darkness within me.”

“Then there’s hope for us all, my sire,” Max said with a relieved sigh.

Shelby turned to Max and absorbed his enthusiasm. “And hope for our future.”

THE END