Stalking Darkness (5 page)

“At
last our friend will not spend the evening howling as though lost,” Raven said
with a chuckle.

“Our
animals often know what they need better than our human side,” Cannon said,
opening a bottle filled with a deep red liquid which resembled blood.

“Well,
my animal side wants something to eat,” Hugh announced as he stabbed his fork
into a large hunk of nearly raw meat and dropped it unceremoniously onto his
plate. “So how did your training go? You look great.”

Raven
watched Cadence pull a tray of meat close and grab a section only half the size
of Hugh’s before she looked around at the others and answered. “Things have
gone well here. I feel much better, more whole than when you all brought me
several month ago.”

“So you
can take care of yourself in a fight?” Drake asked, tipping back a glass of the
red liquid.

“I
don’t believe I will be a detriment to your missions,” she said between bites.

“Our
Cadence is modest,” Cannon corrected as he winked her direction. “Her skill far
exceeds a large number of those who have passed through this facility, and she
has already proven herself against a formidable enemy.”

Raven
looked at the woman who blushed a bit at the praise she received from the man
they all respected. He’d seen the events Cannon spoke of in a vision, but
dismissed it as dream or cryptic message of events to come. Now he knew the
truth.

“The
wolf man attacked and would have killed you both if given the chance,” Raven
admitted in revelation. “You have grown very strong and skilled. I am glad you
have healed both physically and mentally.”

****

Gavin
looked back and forth between Raven and Cadence, feeling as though he’d missed
something important.
 
The room fell into
a sort of awkward silence for several minutes until Cannon finally asked if
they’d learned anything new about their current quarry. It was a change in
topic that seemed to put Cadence at ease.

“Looks like they hit another small college in the southern
part of New York State.
No survivors and did not take any souvenirs. Same thing as always, they
rented some high dollar penthouse with private access, disabled all security
cameras and held a little impromptu blood dinner party with college kids as the
main course,” Gavin laid it out, watching Cadence for any hint she might
remember something from her own experience that could help.

“Did
they spike the drinks again?” she asked tilting her head to the side.

“Is
that why it seems the students don’t resist?” Drake asked, leaning forward in
his chair now that his meal was gone.

“They
serve some sort of tainted liquor that makes everything fuzzy like a dream,”
Cadence added, wiping her hands on the napkin, which had been folded neatly on
the table. “There were eight of them, all large and dangerous looking, kind of
like the four of you. Nigel and Anton were the obvious leaders.”

“Yeah,
the two have been a pain in our ass for well over a year and a half now.
 
But, from what we saw on this last scene I’d
say they picked up a few more members into their happy fucking club,” Hugh said,
tossing his booted feet onto the edge of the table and earning a rather stern
look of disapproval from Cannon.

Gavin
waited for the elder to push the arrogant fool’s feet from the table or knock
him and the chair over. When Cannon simply rolled his eyes and shook his head,
he was surprised. Evidently, the man was mellowing with his years here. Not
that he couldn’t use a bit of mellow, the master had been hell on wheels when
Gavin had spent his time here.

“Any idea where they might head next?”
Cadence asked, and immediately every
man at the table turned their eyes to Raven.

Gavin
might be looking to the team’s seer, but his mind was wandering to the woman at
his side. He could smell her sweet scent and his body tingled with the thought
of being so close. He’d dreamt of Cadence every night for the past four months.
The sight of her standing naked beneath the spray of the shower burnt in his
mind. A dozen different ways he’d played that scene out if he’d chose to do
anything but hide in the shadows and watch.

“Somewhere
much warmer, but the only thing else I have seen was a swamp,” the dark haired
male said, interrupting the thought, as he stared up at the ceiling as though
he found the answer written in the yellowed tile.

“Not
much in a means to narrow it down, lots of swamp land down south,” Hugh
commented sarcastically.

“Well
at least we have a general direction, and Cannon knows what areas to watch for
signs.” Gavin stood and stretched, cracking his neck side to side. “Why don’t
you all stretch your legs and maybe help Cadence get her stuff while I speak to
Cannon,” he suggested, giving the older man a nod.

“I
really don’t need help,” Cadence said as she stood and began clearing the
dishes from the table. “You can all just go do whatever it is you need.”

“I will
help you clean up here first,” Raven told her as he also stood and grabbed the
empty glasses scattered around the table. “I think I will breathe in the air
before we leave here.”

“Hell,
I plan to find a couple cold beers and just watch the stars come out,” Hugh shared,
jumping to his feet as though he feared someone might expect him to help with
the dishes.

“I
guess I’ll take old Phynix out for a run. See if we can scare up a rabbit or
two out in the brush,” Drake informed them before whistling for the dog.

“Just
be ready in a couple hours,” Gavin grumbled.

He
could not help but stare at the woman who moved around, gathering and stacking
plates atop one another. She seemed even more sensual than when he’d brought
her here. Gavin thought it might be because of the self-confidence he saw her exude
with every movement and word. Before, Cadence was sexy; now she was strong,
confident, and sexy. Everything he loved in a woman.

****

“So where to?”
Hugh asked once they all climbed into the SUV and fastened
their seat belts for the journey ahead.

“I
think we should head to lower South Carolina and find someplace to lay low
until we find something to clue us in on where they are. Cannon created a list
of all the smaller colleges that have the same population and general
environment similar to their other marks. We can break that list up tonight,
and each of us can start trolling the news and internet feeds for anything of
interest,” Gavin said leaning his seat back slightly and getting comfortable.

It was
going to be a long ride, Cadence knew, so she’d best make herself comfortable
as well. Twisting in the seat slightly to gain a bit more leg room, she put on
her earphone and pushed play. Instantly the music poured through the earpieces,
drowning all the doubts and fear Cadence felt in her ability to be what the
team needed.
  

Chapter Five

Cadence
pushed yet another red pin into the map, which she’d secured to the corkboard
to track the movements of their target.
 
They’d managed to secure a good-sized ranch house that set just outside
of town on several acres to serve as their temporary headquarters. Evidently,
the place was a foreclosure currently belonging to the government.
 
It was the perfect place; it overlooked the
small college community, had a room wired to support all the high tech devices
they needed, and plenty of open area to allow their wilder sides a bit of
freedom. There was also the fact every member of the team had their own space. That
alone was a godsend for Cadence when the level of male ego reached a boiling
point.

Tonight
she sat on the deck with a light wind making her hair dance about her head
while she
surfed
the net on her laptop for any sign of
Nigel or his brother.
 
Finding nothing,
she closed the computer and leaned back in the chair to enjoy a mug of hot tea.
The men were all inside playing poker around the dining room table. From the
sounds of it, Drake was taking the others to the cleaners.
 
 

With a
deep sigh, Cadence set down her cup and closed her eyes. The tension in her
body had been building, burning her up inside. She needed to feed and expel the
sexual energy pulsating through her. Something she feared might prove to be
detrimental. Not that the men would think less of her, but it could cause a potential
riff to develop that could be disastrous to their missions. Cannon had warned
her of the potential aftermath of relations with any one of these men.

She
chuckled at the irony of her condition and current position. She could just see
her prune-faced aunt’s reaction to the idea that Cadence planned not to take
one lover but four and perhaps all at the same time.

“What’s
so funny?” Gavin asked, causing Cadence to jump in surprise.

When
had he come outside? She looked at him as he moved in front of her and leaned
against the banister, the last beams of the evening sun streaking the sky
behind him. It made him look almost god like.

“Lose
all your money?” Cadence asked, avoiding his question with one of her own.

“Enough
that I might need a loan next time we all go out to dinner,” he joked while
reaching out to lift the computer from her lap and place it on the small table
to the side. “Now come here,” he told her offering both his hands.

Placing
her much smaller ones inside his, Cadence allowed Gavin to pull her up from her
seat and in against his chest where he wrapped his arms about her tucked waist.

“We
have watched your struggle not to give in to the desires. I must say you are
stronger than I thought. Nevertheless, you cannot continue to deny those feelings.
It makes you far too dangerous. It makes us too dangerous. Each man here can
feel you when you step into the room. It feeds our own desires.”

He
leaned forward as he spoke, placing his forehead against her own, and the
closeness made her tremble.
 
Cadence
could feel the heat building between her legs and her nipples pebbled into hard,
wanton peaks. The energy in the air around them was palpable, snapping and
cracking with each labored breath.

“I’ve
come to let you know there is nothing to fear, and since you refuse to take the
steps to relieve these desires, I will.”

Before
Cadence could say a word in response, one of his hands came up to firmly grip
the back of her head, and his mouth fell upon hers.

Heat
engulfed her body, building inside her until she thought she would melt away.
Her tongue danced with his as she felt him lift her up, holding her to him by
gripping her ass while she wrapped her legs about his waist.

Cadence
continued to nip and lick along his jaw as the pair moved through the house
toward the room she’d claimed as her own. She heard the unison call of, “I fold!”
from the men who remained inside playing cards. Finally reaching the large king-size
mattress, Gavin slowly lowered her onto the down comforter. Immediately he
began stripping away her jeans,
shimmying
them across
her hips and down her legs.

He
pushed her thighs wide enough so he could settle between them as he knelt on
the floor. She could feel his hot breath against the thin silk of her panties,
causing her body to clinch in excitement. His hands slid across her hip,
fingers gripping the strings holding the scrap of cloth, pulling them down and
off, dropping on the floor forgotten.

****

Gavin
gazed at the glistening folds as her sweet scent permeated the air around him
until he felt drunk on her essence. Falling upon her mound with voracity, he
pulled the swollen nub into his mouth. Gavin sucked and released in rapid
succession while sliding three fingers of one hand into her hot cunt, fucking
them in and out of her until Cadence began to buck and grind herself against
his mouth. When Cadence reached her free hand down to grip his head tightly,
Gavin slide two of his wet fingers across her perineum, forcing them past the
tight muscles of her ass so he could fuck them in and out of the starred
muscular opening.

“Oh
yes,” Cadence purred, her hands roaming across her abdomen before reaching up
to squeeze her own breast.

He
loved the taste of her on his lips, the sounds of her moans, and the tightened heat
of her backside. Gavin could hardly wait to bury himself balls deep into one
side or the other. Giving her hot cunt one last, slow lick, Gavin began working
his way back up her body, gripping the bodice of her top. He pulled it downward
until both her breasts were free. Twin dark areolas with hard, peaked points
stared up at him, begging for his attentions. Suckling one after the other, he
disposed of the fabric that constrained around his stiff cock. Taking it in his
hand, Gavin guided the thick purple head to her gleaming opening and with a
single, hard shove buried himself ball-deep inside the velvet folds. Cadence’s
body instantly enveloped him, gripping him tight in the burning heat until his
hips began to rock against her on their own accord. Harder and harder, he
shoved into her cunt as though possessed; her nails dug into his back until he
was certain she’d rip him to shreds.