Shadow Touched (Shadow Roamer #1) (5 page)

EIGHT

“Duck,” Nero ordered as he and Stella fought. She
dropped to the ground and then quickly followed up with a sweep of her leg.

“Nice one. But remember, some of your opponents might have stronger bones and you only would end up hurting yourself if you did that.”

She jumped to her feet, nodding in understanding, and they continued, exchanging kicks and punches.

“Now
cloak yourself in shadows.”

Nero
pulled back a bit, giving her space and the time, knowing that it still took conscious effort for her to do as he had asked.

He watched
, his arms crossed over his bare chest, as Stella pulled the shadows to her, his sight not hindered at all by the darkness and flickering candle light.

Almost a week had gone
by since the King had left on his business trip and Nero knew his time was running out. Although Stella had become more agile, excelling the obstacle course he put her through on a daily basis, and could pull the shadows to her with ease now, she still hadn’t managed to do anything with them once that first task was accomplished.

Only
in the privacy of his mind did he admit that most of his frustration stemmed from the fact that he had no idea how she was sustaining herself and not from the lack of results regarding the shadow training. Had she acquired human food for herself or had she started to drink blood? And if she did take blood, then from whom? The thought of her at another man’s vein didn’t sit well with him. At all. Although he damn well knew he had messed things up after their first and only kiss. He knew he had absolutely no claim on her.

Yet he couldn’t stop his gaze fr
om traveling the length of her, admiring the curves beneath the sweatpants and top, the dark hair swept up in a bun and glinting violet in the candle light…and most of all, her face and the look of concentration and determination there.

She cursed under her breath
, then inhaled deeply and tried again.

Over a week ago he had turned her world upside down, and yet
here she was, facing life head on. Never once had he seen her waver, had he seen her break down…no, she was a fighter through and through. Nero could only imagine how odd and out of place she must have felt in the daylight, living amongst human but not really belonging.

Though h
is parents had died when he was young and he had missed them, he had been lucky to have a Queen who didn’t care for status that much and had no problem making sure the son of her best patrollers and best friend of the heir didn’t lack for anything. He still remembered the pride in her eyes when he had come back from his first patrol.

“I have an idea,” he suddenly announced before the thought had barely registered.

She opened her eyes, beautiful black pools gaining a weary edge as if she might suspect him of having thought up another means to train/torture her. “Okay.”

“How about
you come with us tonight?”

“
You mean, patrolling? With you guys? Really?” she asked, her lips already spreading into a wide smile.

Nero laughed, “The fact that you’re
so excited about that reminds me that you’ve been cooped up in here for far too long.”

“It’
s not just that, though I admit the prospect of fresh air is kinda heady,” she said, going along with his teasing. More serious now, she continued, “I think it could help me.”

“That’s why I brought it up. The first time I saw you using the shadows was under duress. Maybe going out during the twilight, maybe even running into a demon, will help you figure things out.
” Another idea came to him. “But…”

Stella laughed
and shook her head at him, before propping a hand on her hip. “I knew there had to be a catch.”

“
…I want you to drink some blood first. It will make you stronger, and I want you at your best before taking you with me tonight.” It was also a – admittedly sneaky – way of finding out what she’d been feeding on these last few days.

She swallowed and Nero wondered…
ah yes, it was there in her eyes.

S
he was remembering their first attempt at making her drink from him as well. Remembering their kiss. And suddenly the room seemed darker than before, the candle-scented air hotter around them, like a safe cocoon hiding them from the rest of the world.

When Stella licked her lips, offering him a glimpse of tongue,
he knew it was excitement
and
nerves making her do so. The last part was what kept him from pulling her close, and almost made him smile as it was answer enough to the question that had been eating at him the last days. She hadn’t taken from a vein before.

Gently taking her hand in his, he led her towards the couch in the corner
where they sat down. As he had come to expect from her, Stella had used the moment to gather her thoughts and faced him, the nervousness not gone but controlled.

“Okay, I‘ve noticed the snacks I’ve
managed to hunt down aren’t as tasty anymore, so I’ve wondered how you…urm…how blood tastes, you know.” Her brow suddenly furrowed and somehow Nero could tell the exact moment when the pieces fell into place. Maybe it was the word ‘taste’ that jogged her memory, taking her back to the time King Vago and she met. “He wants you to drink from me.”

Nero nodded.

“Why?”

“I
might be able to tell who your mother was. From the taste of it.”

Her eyes went wide, the deeply buried but unrelenting need to find out more about yourself, your own history and who you are pulsing through her.
Her frown deepened. “And he can’t?”

The image of
Vago at Stella’s soft neck made his jaw clench, as he fought a possessiveness he had to remind himself he had no right to. “I’ll explain to you his reasons at another time. Now…this is about you. This is your first feeding and it’ll be enough of an experience without me adding to it.”

“Okay, that sounds
…logical.” She shook her head laughing at herself. “God, this is so weird. Training with you, learning to fight and to actually pull shadows to me. That’s…odd, but doable. But this whole blood thing and talk about feeding…it’s just so…Twilight.”

Nero couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Hey, no need for insults, please.”

A bit more relaxed now, their thighs touching, he held up his wrist to her. “Your fangs dropped once, so it’ll get easier with time. Just close your eyes and remember the feel of them. And think about your hunger.”

When he felt her lips and then her warm tongue against his skin, he had to muffle a groan.
A sweep of softness and then the sharp pierce of her fangs. She grabbed his wrist with two hands now, a needy sound escaping her when his blood hit her tongue that had him in knots. Never had a feeding been such torture on his control, never had it been so…erotic. Watching her cradling his arm, writhing…and suddenly she was straddling him. Her dark eyes opened, staring right at him, blazing with desire and need.

This time he did groan, clenching his fists. He licked his lips, his eyes trailing to her neck, to the hot beat of life there.
No, no, no…he told himself over and over again. This was about her. Not about him.

But by God
, it had never felt like this before.

NINE

Nebbi
a and Ombra had taken Stella to the shopping floor of the tower and the girls had fun selecting Stella’s fighter clothes and in turn parading in different outfits. It went without saying that most of it was black or anthracite - and looked amazing on the toned women.

While
Ombra seemed to have a weakness and felt the most comfortable in heeled ankle boots, slim-fitted army pants, tank top and leather jacket, Nebbia went for black pants and a kind of leather corset with a long-sleeved shirt beneath it. On a whim or maybe due to the heady thrill at the prospect of going patrolling that night, Stella settled on knee-high boots, leather pants and a sweater.

Since both
women had advised her to keep her hair in a braid and tugged under her shirt to keep it out of harm’s way that’s what she did. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she could only stare. She was the same and yet not. However, it wasn’t just the clothes or the feeling of her body becoming fitter and more toned every day, but the healthy glow to her. At the thought Stella flushed, remembering what might be responsible for that glow.

She had
drank blood. Nero’s blood. And it had been…divine and pure power. Sweet and metallic, the taste of the setting sun’s last golden rays sweeping across the city. Yes, he tasted like sunset.

Never would she have thought
it would be like that, and a part of her wondered whether a feeding was always like that, whether it always meant such loss of control…such pleasure.

Al
though her mind had been blank and her body had been in a state of pure bliss, she had noticed him tense, had seen his clenched fists, his knuckles turning white. Yet she had never doubted that he had enjoyed it as much as she had. It had been in his eyes, black and blazing with a need that matched her own they had latched onto her neck. It was then she had known he wanted nothing more than to taste her as well. But he had refrained himself, just like he had promised her. That kind of control was utterly sexy and…a challenge of sorts, as it made her wonder what would make him lose it.

A knock sounded at her door.

Shaking her head sharply to shake those thoughts away, she threw one last look at her reflection before she moved to open the door where Nero was awaiting her.

His dark gaze
was a physical caress as it slid up and down her body, a sensual smile playing at his lips. “Well, I’ll be damned. No matter what the Council says, you’re definitely one of us.”

He had probably no idea what his words meant to her, but inwardly Stella was squealing and swooning like a girl. “Thanks.” Her eyes traveled his body in turn, admiring and taking their time since it had been a while since she had seen him in anything but sweatpants. He wore
the same outfit he had on the night they had first met, black army pants and a long-sleeved shirt that didn’t leave a lot to imagination the way it hugged his form. “You don’t look too bad either.”

Their
grinning gazes met and for a moment the world stood still. It was one of those moments where nothing really happened and yet there was meaning to it. A connection. A missed breath and heart beat shared.

“You guys coming?”
Scuro stuck his head out the elevator he was holding for them.

Right.
It was time to head out to meet the others.

As the sun was about to set, setting the western sky aflame with streaks of small feathery clouds glowing pink, t
he whole gang gathered in a small alley a few streets away from the Tower. The moment Stella saw them she couldn’t help but think that at a first glance they looked like the kind of group she normally would have avoided at night. Now she knew better and although she would face dangers tonight, she wasn’t surprised to realize that she had never felt safer in her whole life.

Trevas
, a cigarette between his fingers, whistled when he saw her, his grinning eyes sweeping her from head to toe, appreciating. “Looks like the little one is ready to rumble.”

Ombra
nodded, “Damn girl, I knew these boots were made for you.”

Nero’s eyebrow arched.
“You picked them?”

“Uh huh.”

Now grinning he said, “Remind me to give you a raise.” Flushing under their gazes, Stella was grateful when Nero finally went to the business at hand, “Patroller Ombroso’s team’s back on the streets and want the west so…Trevas and Nebbia you’ll take the Lower North and Four Points tonight, while Ombra and Scuro patrol the Heights. Stella and I will have a look at Riverside and Hunter’s park. Afterwards we’ll meet at the Fool’s Head. First round’s on me. Okay?”

After a round of
eager nods, the others…disappeared.

Eyebrows hitting her hairline, Stella turned to Nero.

“Remember when I told you I walk the shadows, the night we first met?” After her nod, he continued, “Some call it jumping shadows as well. It’s how we move about. Teaching you this is better done outside and not in the close quarters of our training room.” He took her hand in his, and she liked the feeling of his being so warm and strong and sure. “With the sun about the set, the shadows are growing. Twilight is our time of the day. Dusk and dawn are our playground. You see the shadow over there?” Nero pointed to a big warehouse father up the street that was darkening the entire alley. “Close your eyes.”

Only a moment had passed when he asked her to open them again, and when she did, she was stunned to find they were now standing in the shadow of the warehouse. They had…walked the shadows.

Looking up at Nero she demanded, “Okay, how the hell did you do that?”

“It’s almost like pulling shadows to you, only this time
it’s the other way around. You go to them.”

Her body felt naturally drawn to the shadows, so picking them out and moving from one to the other, especially when darkness was gaining turned out to be a piece of cake.
After only ten minutes of practice Stella wished the rest of the training would be just as easy as shadow walking was. Probably because when jumping from one dark spot to another she was using the shadows but not manipulating them. That sudden realization made her pause and rethink her whole approach of the shadow-as-a-weapon thing.

“I knew you’d like this,” Nero said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Come on, let’s head towards Riverside.”

“Race you!”

Stella grinned at him, before taking off.
The breeze of dusk was caressing her skin as she ran from growing shadow to shadow, she herself nothing more than one. From time to time she felt Nero brushing against her, a cold and yet warm touch. Laughter, like a bubble in her heart, wanted to escape and burst free. She had never felt so good before.

All to
o soon they reached Riverside and slowed their pace to walk the roofs of the buildings along Quay Street, staying to the shadows but keeping an eye out for creatures that would soon reign throughout the night. In the west the sun had lost the forever waging battle and its last light touched the sky, turning it an incredible shade of turquoise.

“It feels good doesn’t it?”

Stella looked at Nero, who had watched the sky as well and was now facing her. “Yes, it feels…right.”

Nero smiled softly and then
admitted, his voice low and deep, “I remember my first patrol. I didn’t want the dusk to end.”

“How did it go? Did you fight demons?”

He rubbed his chin. “Yeah. A cat at first and it went pretty well, too well maybe since I got cocky and didn’t pay as much attention as I should have been when a ghost started toying with us a little later in the night. Erm, it was a mess to be honest but in the end I got the job done.” He glanced at her from the side. “You know that house with the collapsed roof on Royal Street, in the French Quarter?”

Falteri
ng in her step she gaped at him. “Everyone knows that one. I believe it’s even part of the tours through the Quarter.” Then she started to laugh. “That was you?”

It was difficult to tell
in the growing darkness but it almost looked as if he was blushing. “Well, the ghost did most of the damage, but yeah, that was me.”

“Huh. Never
would have thought it actually
was
haunted.”

Their night turned out to be rather quiet
. Whenever they came across a demon Nero wanted her to stay put given the fact that she had only been training for a week and took care of them on his own. Stella didn’t mind at all, watching him fight was a treat for the eyes she didn’t want to miss. There was always this alertness, this presence, about him, even when they laughed and joked, but when a demon was near he switched into total warrior mode. And it was sexy as hell. His focus, the way he moved, powerful and silently, a predator in the night.

Only
after they reached Hunter’s Park did real trouble find them.

A teenaged couple
was using the park as their hide-away to steal some kisses and gropes, when a group of blood demons showed up.

Stella had only ever seen demons of prey before and not this kind. While the formers were hideous hybrid creatures, these looked like ordinary humans.
At first she wondered why Nero would stop, but then she noticed it. There was something about the way they moved and carried themselves as they approached the couple, acting as if a bit drunk and just having fun. It was…odd, too robotic and fake. And then their eyes turned red and their fangs dropped down.

Nero
jumped off the roof of the carousel they’d been perched on and right into the middle of the fray.

Before Stella could follow him down to make sure the kids were okay, she saw them running away as fast as their legs could
carry them and shrugged. Getting their asses home was probably the best way for them to stay alive anyway. When she returned her attention to the fight below, her breath caught in her throat.

Two more demons were sneaking up on Nero from behind.
Five against one.

Dropping from the roof she landed
right in their path, taking the newcomers by surprise and using that to her advantage as she attacked. Maybe it was the adrenaline her heart was pumping through her veins, maybe it was the darkness or the fact that Nero, the man who had opened her eyes and showed her another world, was in danger…whatever the reason, but keeping the shadows with her and shaping them into a weapon against these demons was easy. The shadows, suddenly forming the sword in her hand, were an extension of her arm and it came as natural as wanting to slap them. Real danger, real motivation…and her instincts took over, while during training it had been her mind trying to figure it all out.

Strike.
The shadow sword in her hand was writhing and moving and didn’t weigh a thing, but somehow, the edge of it was as sharp as any blade’s edge. Duck…feint and strike. It was a dance her body somehow knew and exhilarated in. Never had she felt as alive as in this moment, conscious of her body, trusting it and using it. It was incredible. After the first one went down, she was surprised to find Nero taking care of the other demon.

Five down.

Breathing heavily, she couldn’t help but smile. And it went right into her heart when his was as wide as her own and filled with pride and respect.