Shadowed

  “What? Why?” Nina finished another bite and licked the fork. “Did a mouse fall in the batter or something?”

  “No, nothing like that, but the signs on the layers got mixed up.”

  “It was my fault,” Maggie explained guiltily. “I’m so sorry—I just wanted to help. I never meant to cause any trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Nina was beginning to get a very bad feeling about all this.

  “The kind where you want nookie so bad you’re crawling out of your skin,” Olivia groaned. She looked at Lauren. “Are you telling me we’ve been stuffing our faces with bonding fruit cake?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Lauren twisted her fingers together. “How much have you eaten?”

  “Pretty much the whole slice. I thought it tasted familiar.” Olivia frowned and shifted in her seat. “Oh my God, what’s going on? This is working fast.”

  “It’s because it’s so concentrated,” Lauren nearly wailed. “When I cooked the fruit down, I pretty much quadrupled its potency. I have to go warn everyone!” She rushed off again, making the rounds of the other tables. “Stop eating,” Nina heard her yelling. “Not another bite!”

  “Okay, now I have to find Baird.” Liv hopped up. “Fast.”

  “I should find Saber too,” Lissa confessed, crossing her legs uncomfortably.

  “I thought he didn’t make it in time for the ceremony,” Liv said.

  “He didn’t, but just as they were cutting the cake, he bespoke me through our link and told me he was landing.” She uncrossed her legs and recrossed them. “Oh dear!”

  Oh dear was right. Nina looked down at her plate and realized that she had somehow managed to consume almost the entire slice. And now she was beginning to feel the effects.

  “Nina?” Maggie looked at her with concern. “Are you all right? Your face is all flushed.”

  “Oh no, Nina!” Liv shook her head. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t even think about you eating the cake too.” She looked at Lissa. “She’s not bonded to anyone—what is she going to do?”

  Lissa shook her head and shifted in her seat. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know.” She looked at Nina. “Are you okay?”

  “I…don’t know,” Nina confessed. “I feel hot all over and…and sensitive. Almost itchy. Could I be having some kind of an allergic reaction?”

  “I don’t think so—I think that’s just the bonding fruit,” Lissa said. “Although I’ve never tried any before…”

  “I did once, on a dare from Kat,” Liv said. “And what we’re all feeling is perfectly normal—although this is a much faster reaction than I had when I just ate the fruit.”

  “What can I do?” Nina was shifting in her chair now as well. In addition to being hot all over, her nipples were suddenly so tight they ached, and the spot between her legs was throbbing with need.

  “There’s nothing you can do but wait it out,” Liv said grimly. “I’m afraid you’re in for a rough time, hon. I’m sorry.”

  “We need to get her back to her suite,” Lissa said. “Otherwise, if she comes in contact with any unmated Kindred males…”

  “You’re right!” Olivia nodded. “She’s got to go back and lock herself in for at least twenty-four hours.”

  “A whole day?” Nina groaned. “Are you serious? That’s how long it takes this stuff to wear off?”

  “Afraid so.” Liv nodded and shifted again. “Oh my God, I’m going crazy over here. I have got to find Baird.”

  “But someone has to take Nina back to her suite,” Lissa objected. “She still doesn’t know her way around the Mother Ship yet.”

  “I do,” Maggie volunteered. “I’ll take her back.” She looked at Nina apologetically. “It’s the least I can do since this whole mess is my fault.”

  “Great—you girls get going.” Olivia was already out of her seat, followed by Lissa.

  “I’m sorry.” Lissa pressed Nina’s hand briefly. “Really sorry, Nina but I have to go.”

  “That’s all right—I need to go too,” Nina said through gritted teeth. The tingling and tenderness had been joined by an empty sensation—the feeling that she needed to be filled. If I can just get back to my suite maybe I can take care of this myself, she thought desperately. Right—if she could resist the urge to rip of her clothes and touch herself before she got there. “Come on,” she told Maggie, rising unsteadily to her feet. “Let’s get out of here—show me the way back to my place. I, uh, need to be alone. Now.”

  * * * * *

  “I’m telling you—just go talk to her,” Saber said for the fifth time. “She’s probably down by the sacred grove. Lissa told me they were having the after joining celebration there.”

  “I don’t want to just burst in on her,” Reddix objected. “What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she hates me now?”

  “Well, she’ll never get over it until you explain,” Saber said patiently. “In fact—wait…” His eyes got a far-away look, and he nodded and then said, “All right—I’ll be right there.” Frowning, he looked back at Saber. “That was Lissa calling on our link—she’s back in our suite, and she needs me to come at once.”

  “What about Nina? Did she say where she was?”

  Saber concentrated again for a moment. “She says she’s in the visitor’s wing in Suite B 1245. Go knock on her door and make your apologies. See what happens.”

  “What’s going to happen is Nina slapping my face and kicking me out,” Reddix growled. But he knew he needed to talk to her and apologize. If she wanted to hit him, it would only be exactly what he deserved. Might as well go and take my punishment.

  He made his way up to the visitor’s wing and walked down the corridor scanning for B 1245. Once he found it he had to stand in front of it for a full minute before he could make himself knock. Then, taking a deep breath, he rapped his knuckles against the thick metal sheet.

  There was no answer, but he could hear someone stirring inside. He knocked again and heard a shuffling sound, as though someone was trying to make their way to the door.

  “Who is it?” Her voice was muffled by the metal door, but he could tell it was her.

  “Nina?” he called. “It’s me—Reddix. Are you all right?”

  There was a long pause as though she was trying to decide if she should open the door or not.

  “Nina, please, I just want to talk.”

  “I don’t know.” She sounded hesitant. “I don’t think this is a good time.”

  Reddix leaned forward, his senses completely attuned to her. He could hear the sound of her shifting from foot to foot just inside the doorway, and then he began to smell something to. A warm, familiar, feminine scent he would know anywhere—the scent of her desire. It drifted up from under the tiny crack at the bottom of the door and assaulted his nose, making him instantly hard. What the hell was going on in there? Was she with another male? Why else would she smell like that?

  A possessive anger flashed through him. She was his, damn it! If any other male dared to so much as lay a finger on her he would die…slowly.

  “Nina!” he roared, banging on the metal door with the flat of his hand. “Damnit, open up—now.”

  “All right, all right.” The door slid open, and she stood there, wearing a thin silky black robe which she’d wrapped tightly around herself. To Reddix, it didn’t look like she had anything on under it. He took a step toward her, and her scent got even stronger—heat, need, desire—it drove him crazy. Especially when he thought that it might be directed at another male.

  “All right, where is he?” he growled, stalking around her and looking into the empty suite. “Where the hell is the bastard? I’ll fucking kill him for touching you, I swear.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nina looked at him like he was crazy as he made a quick sweep of the suite. But she was the only one there—in fact, Reddix didn’t even smell even a trace of another male. So what the hell was going on? Her scent said she was deep in need and ready to be bonded. Why would she s
mell like that if she was just spending time alone in her suite?

  Reddix turned to face her. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” she snapped back. “First you use me and dump me, then you come charging in here, talking like a lunatic. What the hell are you doing here, anyway?”

  “I came to talk to you,” Reddix muttered, frowning.

  He had more to say, but now that he was looking at her, the words seemed to dry up. He had never seen her so beautiful—so desirable. Her cheeks were flushed, and her long dark hair was a tousled mane around her face. Under the thin black robe, he could see the sharp points of her nipples and the full curves of her breasts and hips. And of course there was her scent—Goddess, she smelled so fucking hot. That sweet aroma assaulting his senses made it hard to think.

  “I mean…I need to explain,” he added, haltingly.

  “Explain what? That you’re a jerk?” Nina said, putting a hand on her hip. “Thanks but I already figured that out for myself.”

  “No, not that. I mean, I am a jerk—if that word means what I think it means,” he growled. “I’m an inconsiderate bastard, and I know I hurt you, but I had a reason—a good reason for doing what I did.”

  “Is that so?” Nina had her arms crossed tightly under her breasts and was shifting from foot to foot. She had a look on her face that was almost pain. Did it hurt her that badly just to be near him?

  “Yeah, that’s so. Do you want to hear it?”

  “No.” Nina shook her head. “In fact, I think it’s time for you to go now. I can’t…can’t talk to you anymore.”

  “Why not?” Reddix demanded, taking a step toward her.

  “B-because.” She took a step back. “It’s just…not a good time. I need…need to be alone.”

  “From the way you smell, that’s the last thing you need, sweetheart.” Reddix took another step in her direction, drawn by her hot scent like a magnet. His shaft was so hard it hurt—she looked fucking delicious in that thin little robe.

  “What…what are you talking about?” Nina demanded, backing up again. “What do you mean I smell? I just took a shower not too long ago.”

  “Got nothing to do with that,” Reddix told her, coming forward again. His fingers were itching to touch her, he flexed his hands into fists at his sides, trying to ignore the carnal urges her scent brought out in him.

  “What does it have to do with then?” Her voice was high and breathless. She had backed up until the backs of her knees were against the side of the couch. The animalistic lust her scent unleashed inside him roared. She had no place else to go—he had her cornered.

  “It has to do with how hot you smell right now, sweetheart,” he growled. “Your scent says you’re going into fucking heat or something.”

  “I…no. I don’t know…” She looked down, away from him. Reddix felt like he was going crazy. He needed to know what was happening here. Needed to understand why her scent was so hot before he lost control completely and just took her.

  “Yes, you do know. I can tell you know something.” He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Tell me, Nina. What the hell is going on with you?”

  “I…I ate a piece of bonding fruit cake by mistake, all right?” she flared, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. “It was Maggie’s fault—she mixed up the signs on the cake layers. It was supposed to be for married couples only because apparently bonding fruit makes you really…uh…” She shook her head, her cheeks getting even pinker. “Anyway, I came back to my suite to try and wait it out. They say the effects should pass in about twenty-four hours.”

  “Bonding fruit?” Reddix raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I’ve heard of that—the Twin Kindred use it. Isn’t it supposed to be dangerous if you eat too much of it?” He narrowed his eyes at Nina. “How much did you eat?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. Lauren said it was really concentrated after she cooked the fruit down to make the filling for the cake. I ate a whole piece of the cake so…a lot, I guess.”

  He frowned. “And you thought you could just wait it out? Too much of that stuff can be dangerous if you don’t have a way to get it out of your system, Nina.”

  “Well, what else was I supposed to do?” she demanded. “It’s not like I have anyone to help me take the edge off. I’m all alone up here—unless I want to go find some strange Kindred I’ve never even seen before and ask for help.”

  The very thought that she would go to another male made him see red with rage.

  “You stay away from other males,” he growled, pulling her close. “You’re fucking mine. You hear me, Nina? Mine.”

  “The hell I am!” She pushed away from him and nearly lost her balance. Only grabbing the arm of the couch saved her. “I don’t belong to you,” she snapped. “Not after the way you treated me. I…you…” Her eyes got wide. “Oh…I feel so…so strange.”

  “Nina? Are you all right?” Concern cut through the red haze of lust and rage that surrounded him. Her cheeks were flushed, and her chest was heaving. She looked close to having some kind of a meltdown.

  “No, all right?” She put a hand to her chest. “My heart is racing, and I can’t seem to catch…catch my breath. I feel like…like I’m going into…into overload somehow.” She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fright. “What’s happening to me?”

  He took her by the shoulders and looked into her face anxiously, noting her dilated pupils and rapid breathing.

  “That damn bonding fruit. You need to take the edge off—now.”

  “I tried,” Nina moaned. “What do you think I’ve been doing ever since I got up here? Until you knocked on the door I was…was touching myself nonstop.” Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, but she went on anyway. “I must have come fifteen times, but it didn’t help—nothing helps.”

  “That’s because you need a male to help you—only a male’s essence can ease the pain.” Reddix made a sudden decision. Nina might hate him for it later, but he had to do it—had to help her. He could stand here and watch her have some kind of attack when he could keep her from it. “Lay down,” he commanded, pushing her closer to the couch.

  “What?” Nina protested, resisting him. “Why?”

  “Because if you don’t take the edge off soon you’re going to have serious problems. So I’m going to help you. Now lay back on the couch and spread your legs for me.”

  “I…no.” She frowned at him fiercely. “You’re an ass and a jerk. You used me and dumped me. I do not need your help.”

  “I may be all those things,” Reddix growled. “But right now you do need me. Now lie on the couch and spread your legs, Nina. Or do I have to make you?”

  She put a hand to her neck. “You wouldn’t.”

  “To keep you from danger? I sure as hell would.” Seeing the fear in her eyes, he tried his best to make his voice softer, more gentle. “It’s all right, Nina,” he murmured. “I’m not going to fuck you. Just going to help you take the edge off by tasting you some. Just need to lick your little pussy until you come—that should help.”

  Her breath hitched in her throat, her pupils dilated with lust and need, but still, she lifted her chin defiantly. “What if…what if I don’t want you to?”

  Reddix was out of patience.

  “Too fucking bad.” He pushed her gently but firmly back until she was sitting on the couch. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and pressed her down. “Open your robe. Let me see how bad it is,” he demanded.

  At first she clutched the robe even tighter around her. Then, biting her lip, she finally complied. Spreading the thin black robe, she bared her body for him.

  Reddix drew in a deep breath as he took her in—her full thrusting breast with their tight dark pink nipples, her curving waist and full hips. And there, between her legs…

  “Spread them,” he demanded hoarsely. “Spread your legs for me, Nina.” He had his hands on her knees, but he didn’t want to force her. He wanted her to show h
erself because he asked, not because he made her. “Come on,” he said again, softly. “Open yourself to me.”

  “Fine,” she whispered at last. Her thighs parted, and Reddix had to bite back a groan. Her little pussy was freshly shaved, the plump, naked lips swollen with obvious need. The outer lips had parted showing a glimpse of her slippery folds and the pink pearl of her clit. And her entire pussy was slick and wet with honey. Her thighs were shiny with it too. Her scent was so strong and sweet he thought he might come just from smelling her.

  “Gods, sweetheart,” he groaned, sinking to his knees before her. “Just look at you—you need it fucking bad.”

  “I…I do,” Nina admitted in a strained whisper. “It hurts, Reddix. Hurts so much. But I’m sensitive too—even my own fingers seem too rough.”

  “Then I won’t use my fingers,” he growled softly. He looked up at her briefly. “Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll get you through this. We can talk afterward.”

  Then he lowered his head and pressed a hot, gentle kiss right between her thighs.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Nina moaned and arched her back the minute his lips came in contact with her pussy. She couldn’t help it—though her mind wanted to hold out and have nothing to do with Reddix after the way he had hurt her, her body had overruled it. She was in pain—in need—in a way she’d never felt before. She had been horny on occasion—who hadn’t? But she’d never been in actual pain from an excess of desire. It felt like her skin was too tight, like she was going to die or explode if something didn’t happen soon. And something was happening—Reddix was happening to her.

  He kissed her softly at first, as though gauging how much she could take, how sensitive she was. Though her own fingers had seemed too much to bear just minutes before he knocked on her door, his mouth on her felt just right. She moaned breathlessly and tried to hold still as he pressed deeper, nuzzling between her outer pussy lips to get to her slick inner folds, swollen with desire.

  The sweet, deep kiss seemed to go on forever, his hot mouth moving gently over her open pussy until Nina thought she might go crazy. At last Reddix looked up.