R. G. Alexander - Children of the Goddess 02, page 1
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Lux in Shadow
Copyright © 2008 by R. G. Alexander ISBN: 1-60504-136-X
Edited by Bethany Morgan Cover by Anne Cain
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: August 2008
www.samhainpublishing.com
Lux in Shadow
R. G. Alexander
Dedication
For Cookie—Love is the reason. To my Divas and Smutketeers, who are always there to support me in every way. And to Beth, who believed that Lux deserved his own story. Thank you.
Chapter One
“No! ”
Lux shot up from the grassy riverbank, his eyes haunted. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, the sounds of water and scent of the new spring grass recalling him to the present.
Another one of those damned dreams. Penance for the blood on his hands.
Joel.
The handsome young Trueblood had lived to please him. The lover Lux had sent away with a thoughtless smile, his mind on other things.
An image of Joel”s corpse, wide eyes surprised in death, heart torn out of his chest, was burnt into Lux”s brain. If only he”d protected him. If only he”d bade him stay at the family sanctuary.
If only you’d truly cared about him.
Lux snarled at his traitorous thoughts, his knuckles white as he gripped the cool grass beneath him in a stranglehold. Of course he cared. Given time, he might have—You liked him. No more than that. You know that now.
He fell back on the grass and flung a strong arm over his eyes, as if that could hide the truth.
No, he hadn”t cared, hadn”t loved Joel.
He”d enjoyed him, reveled in his responses to their sexual play, his submission. Never considered another when he wanted to extend that play with a willing female partner between them…but beyond that?
The guilt of his apathy was eating him alive. Joel had died because of his connection to Lux and the Sariel family. And he wasn”t even mourned, as he deserved to be.
“Bad dream?”
Lux dropped his arm, turning his head as he watched the recent bane of his existence emerge, dripping, from the narrow river.
Arygon Dydarren. Until recently he”d been nothing but a name cursed in the letters Liz, the founder of the Deva Clan, had sent him over the years.
Alpha of the Dydarren Pack. An arrogant blond Were who”d seemed to have it in for the predominantly female clan of Unborns. Grey Wolf had changed all that. And along the way Joel had been murdered.
Ignoring the question, Lux sat up, resting his chin on his raised knees as he fixed his gaze on the stray shafts of moonlight flickering on the surface of the water. The temptation to study the naked body walking toward him only added to his shame. “What did you find?”
The silence was thick with tension. He heard Arygon sigh. “We”re close, but she”s good at covering her tracks. Grey Wolf taught her well. And she”s not alone. A female. Older, but not related. You?”
“I went into town for supplies and made a few calls. Zander and Regina are back from their honeymoon. She told me a little more about what to expect when we find the girl.” He felt his lips kick up in a genuine grin as he recalled the conversation. “She also told me I”m going to be an uncle.”
“That was fast.”
“Yeah, well, the Sariel men are known for—” Lux looked up with a smile, forgetting for a moment why he”d turned away in the first place.
His throat closed. The pants he”d slipped on after his swim grew painfully tight as he took in the well-muscled body of the Were. Arygon had the broad, muscular build common to his species. His skin was burnished golden by the sun. And his cock—thicker than Lux”s own, though not as long—turned dark and hard with excitement as Lux watched.
Mother, give me strength.
Arygon made no effort to hide himself or his own growing arousal as he stared at Lux. But then he”d made no secret of his desire from the moment they”d met. And since then the sexy pup had been pursuing a physical relationship with the dogged tenacity of his kind.
He was damn near irresistible.
The Were stilled for a heartbeat, dropping beside Lux and covering his body with his own in one powerful move. The breath left Lux in a huff as he hit the ground. “What in the—”
He was about to push him off, angry at the fiery need that blazed to life at the feel of the rough blond chest hair scraping across his piercings, when Arygon”s hot breath scorched his ear.
“She”s here. Watching us.”
Lux froze. Sylvain. Sister of the Shadow that had almost destroyed his entire race.
Regina had sent them to find her after Grey Wolf”s death, he still wasn”t exactly sure why.
Maybe his powerful little sister knew that, as a Healer, he was the only one who would bring her in without killing her first.
“Oh now that is interesting.” He shivered at the low whisper as it caressed his neck.
“What?”
“Can”t you feel it? I can scent her from here. She”s aroused to see us like this. Shining Mother, she smells amazing.” Arygon rocked his hips, groaning as his hard cock rubbed against Lux”s cloth-covered erection. “Almost as good as you.”
Lux reached out with his senses. There she was. Hidden in the tree line. He could hear her breathing, shallow with the same excitement that coursed through his veins.
Her heartbeat pounded out a rhythm to match his own. She was just as turned on as he was, her soft, broken whimper echoing his rumbling groan as Arygon bent his head to tongue the small metal bar in his right nipple.
“Arygon, stop—”
“No fucking way.” The blond took the bar between his teeth with a threatening growl.
“She”s curious. If she doesn”t know we”re aware of her presence she”ll come closer. And there is no way in hell I”m stopping now. Not when I”m finally exactly where I want to be.”
Oh shit. He”d been celibate for months. Months spent fighting the all-consuming attraction he”d felt for Arygon since the moment their gazes had met at that damned Clan Trust gathering.
All his pent up need crashed around him, the avid gaze watching from the woods making it impossible to evade the hard lips that sought his out.
Lust rode him like a beast clawing to be free. Lost in the moment, he flipped a growling Arygon on his back, his pants disappearing with a thought as he ate at the sensual lips that had taunted him for far too long.
“Is this what you wanted?”
“Fuck, Lux. Yes.”
His cock already dripped with need, increasing the delicious friction as they struggled to get closer. Thoughts of the little voyeur only added to the inferno inside him. Was she touching herself? Fucking herself with her fingers and wishing she could join them?
He ate at Arygon”s lips, nipping him as he tilted his body to one side, giving the mysterious female a clear view. He gripped the blond”s thick shaft along with his own, thrusting them against each other inside his fist.
The man beneath him growled in approval, spreading his legs wide and pumping his hips in a gesture of submission that brought Lux close to the brink. Had he ever wanted this much? He wanted to flip Arygon over and take him, hard and fast out here in the open. He wanted the girl in the darkness to watch as he came inside him, as he sunk his teeth into that strong neck and drank his blood.
It took him several minutes to realize that the desire he”d been sensing from the female Shadow was gone, replaced by horror and…fear?
An angry growl, followed by a sharp scream coming from her hiding place had Lux rolling from Arygon to rise to his feet, making the inhuman leap across the water and into the brush.
He heard his companion roar with his transformation, saw pure silver fur catching up with him out of the corner of his eye as he continued to run with the speed of his kind, following the trail of their prey and the unknown predator.
Another Were. Male. A big one if the broken limbs and mangled bushes were any indication. What did he want with her?
Lux could smell blood now, hers. She must have cut herself while fleeing. It called to him.
He felt his fangs extend instinctively from his gums, his stomach clenching with the need to protect her. He would kill whatever dared to harm her.
They entered a clearing and stilled abruptly at the scene before them. The male they”d been chasing was massive, but he was nothing compared to the ferocity of the diminutive female Were currently attacking him.
The male Werewolf hesitated for a moment when she let loose a battle cry. Then he sprung from his crouched position, claws outstretched.
It was apparent to Lux right away that the feral female was outmatched. The Were swatte d her down with one paw as if she were a bothersome gnat.
But the gnat wouldn”t quit. Blood matted her fur from his strikes as she came at him again and again. She was a fighter. And she was wearing him down. She barreled into the large, surprised male and knocked him into the tree line.
Lux stumbled as Arygon”s large sleek-coated form nudged him, moving to stand in front of him with a protective snarl as the other male was thrown a bit too close to where they stood. The female noticed them, her hesitation all the opening her assailant needed.
A dark foreboding raised the hair on the back of Lux”s neck as he heard the garbled chant coming from the muzzle of the battered male. His arm rose in slow motion, the rumbling hum hypnotic, the male slashed into her side, an animal scream of pain echoing in the clearing.
She dove for the soot black assailant. She seemed to grow before their eyes as she delivered a killing blow, ripping out the male”s heart and tossing it into the trees as Lux and Arygon watched in awe from the sidelines.
The Were fell to the ground, changing and reforming as he did into the bloody, nude figure of a man. A dead man.
The female collapsed beside him, her breathing shallow as she too shifted.
It wasn’t her. Lux tried to hide his relief as he realized she wasn”t the one whose blood he smelled. The one who had watched he and Arygon as they”d embraced at the river”s edge.
Instead, an elderly white-haired woman, her dainty body curled up to clutch at her wounded side, lay before them.
Lux rushed over to her as she moaned in pain. “Let me help you.”
“The Trueblood Healer. At last. You”re late.” The old woman coughed wetly and she tried to laugh, a grimace of pain on her lined face. “And the young, arrogant pup who follows him.
Glad you came to your senses, lad.”
Arygon stretched, his body shrinking, fangs retreating before he took a step closer, looking at the woman with confusion and suspicion. “How do you know us, old mother?”
She shook her head, her breathing coming with more difficulty. “It doesn”t matter.”
“I heard him chanting. Was that a Shadow? I need to know if I”m to heal your wound.”
The elder”s eyes were clouding. “Not Shadow. Not quite. One of Grey Wolf”s followers.
Probably caught a trace of his scent around here and was looking for his „Master”. Damn fool.
Come on out, girl, they are here at last. Take them back to camp. I”ll need someone to ca—”
Lux caught her as her eyes rolled back in her head, lifting her in his arms and standing in one smooth motion.
Inhaling deeply, he looked into the shadow of a large hollowed tree, his own breath stalling in his chest at the face peering back.
Mother Goddess, she was exquisite. Ethereal and fae, almost unreal in her beauty as she stepped from her hiding place, eyes unblinking on Lux. He heard Arygon”s sharp inhalation and he knew the Were was in the same state as he.
Her hair hung free to her waist, white gold and moonlight. Eyes black as the starless sky.
She was small, almost as small as the old woman. But where the latter was round, what he could see beneath the misshapen dress she wore was perfectly proportioned.
“Sylvain.”
Her eyes widened and he realized he must have said her name out loud. At least he hadn”t let loose the ridiculous poetry his mind was spewing. Shaking himself out of his stupor he looked down at the woman he held. “I need to get her somewhere where I can treat her. She mentioned your camp. Is it far?”
Sylvain shook her head and, after one last anxious glance at the limp figure in his arms, led them onto a path he hadn”t noticed before. She moved so silently it hardly seemed her feet touched the ground.
This was Grey Wolf”s sister? This innocent beauty was related to the loathsome and psychotic shaman of Les Loups De L’Ombre? It was unfathomable.
He glanced over his shoulder at Arygon, who walked close behind him, alert to all dangers.
Those intense eyes the color of Irish moss met his own, and he flushed, recalling what they”d been doing only moments before.
She”d been aroused.
He broke away from the all too knowing gaze and turned back toward the swiftly disappearing female. Why did he suddenly feel guilty?
Before he”d seen her, scented her blood on the wind, the mere thought of her eyes on him as he took his pleasure with Arygon had him near climax. What had changed?
Is she the one?
The Clan Trust had been disturbed by his brother Zander, their Mediator, finding his grathita mate in an Unborn. And they”d yet to be made aware of the fact that Regina was a Reader. What would they think of the last heir of the previously “untainted” Sariel line mating with the enemy? A Shadow?
He was a fool. She aroused him, his protective instincts and his cock. That was all it was.
All this romanticizing must be a side effect of long-term celibacy.
She was not his mate.
Her visions hadn”t done him justice. He was more beautiful than she”d ever imagined.
She sat with her back pressed against the cool cave wall, knees drawn up tight as she looked around her makeshift home, worrying for the first time at the less than stellar accommodations.
Mysha had said that the ancient tunnels would be the perfect place for them to make shelter.
Long ago, the Were and Vampire ancestors had sought refuge here, evading slaughter at the hands of the humans rebelling against them. But this place had been forgotten, along with the Shining Mother”s wisdom. So for now, at least, they were safe.
Furs had been piled as bedding around the fire. Further down another tunnel, salted meat reserves were hanging, ensuring they wouldn”t starve. Nearby, was a hot springs where they could bathe. All the comforts of home.
Though from what she”d been told of Vampires, they were used to more luxurious trappings.
Mysha had chosen this particular section of the caves to set up camp because of the carving on the far wall. The Goddess stood out in bright relief on the limestone, her favored wolf by her side and the rays of her cloak warming her children. Vampires, Weres and Humans, all depicted together. Sylvain wondered if the men would even notice.
She watched them in silence. The one who”d introduced himself as Lux worked with tireless focus to heal the deep wounds Mysha had received at the hands of that wild Were.
The other, who hadn”t bothered with introductions, hovered nearby, gaze shifting between the entryway of the tunnels and his companion.
Though their species were quick healers by nature, there were times the wounds were too deep, or the enemy too powerful in the dark magick of the Shadow.
The attacker hadn”t been an assassin from what was left of her family”s pack. She knew their tactics. They wouldn”t have shown themselves. She knew she”d have been dead before she realized the danger. Not that it hadn”t almost happened anyway.
She”d been so distracted that the oafish Were had been practically upon her before she”d noticed she wasn”t alone. Heat stole into her cheeks as she recalled what she”d been distracted by.
Mysha moaned, still unconscious. What had her brother done? It was against the laws of the Shadow to teach outsiders the dark magick. To imbue them with the knowledge needed to inflict an injury that wouldn”t heal without help.
She”d learned at Mysha”s knee how to heal such a wound, but she could sense the Trueblood”s power. She wasn”t needed. The old mother would soon be well. Besides, she wasn”t sure she could still her trembling long enough yet to be any benefit.
He was here.
His profile was stunning. Dark burgundy hair pulled back in a loose queue, revealing a face that could have been chiseled in marble—as strong and lean as the rest of him. Every inch the elegant predator.
The blond Were who eyed the Healer as a starving wolf would a feast was no less handsome. Large, golden and heavily muscled as were most of her kind. But he was far more attractive than any Were she”d ever met. Of course those included only the males of her pack and the rogue who just attacked them, so her knowledge was limited.
He didn”t have the stunning blue spiral tattoos that Lux sported down both his arms, or the same fascinating metal piercing his nipples, but his was a body that called for no embellishment.
