Page 62 of Power of Shadow

The tingling in my lower abdomen intensifies as the blade slides lower and cuts the skin on my neck. It’s a light cut, superficial, but a trickle of blood runs down anyway.

My reaction doesn’t escape his attention, and I curse his observant nature. Between nibbles of his teeth on the other side of my neck, he says, “So many questions and so few answers. Interesting. You like playing with knives; not only with your victims but also with your own body…”

“That wasn’t a question.” Trance-like, I tilt my head back to give him better access to my neck. It’s stronger than I am. Open kisses reward my action.

“Indeed. Observant as always. You can let go of that mask now.”

Only after his words do I realize I’m still holding the mask in my hand. I open my fingers and the mask falls, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

“When did you realize?”

Another quiet laugh from him, and his thumb strokes the spot just below my breast. He’s gentle right now, playing with me, turning me on. When a soft moan escapes my throat, I’m not sure how to tell him how much I want his hand to go farther north.

“I admit it took me a while. I had a hunch back in Black Thorns, but I ignored it at first. When I sat down at home with Alex’s phone in my hands, I thought about it. It wasn’t a coincidence I felt it back in the pub. Do you know why?”

“Why?” I fidget, aware of the hard bulge in his pants when his hand wanders south. This is torture.

“My sweet baby, it’s simple. In my entire life, I’ve never felt this attraction to any woman. Not one. And then suddenly I felt it for two different ones. Isn’t that strange? Rare? It couldn’t have been a coincidence.”

The knife slides down from my neck to my cleavage and begins its dance there, without hurting me. Meanwhile, the man’s face moves to the other side, and I feel his warm tongue licking the bloody trail.

The muscles in my thighs tighten, only to open again. I’ve had enough. I place my left hand on his and guide it lower, to the place where I need it most right now. Warm fingers find my lower lips and then wander even farther, all the way to my entrance.

“God, Jackal...” I moan.

“I’m not Jackal now. I’m Ryker. And I know, Ash, I know.”

The index fingers of our hands begin to work together, rubbing my clit through the fabric of my pants.

“You took Alex’s phone. That’s how you got my number. That’s why I got a message from him,” I say, trying to gather my thoughts, even though it’s a fucking difficult thing to do.

“Technically, it wasn’t me who took it; it was Theo. The rest is correct,” he responds between kisses, interrupted by sensual bites. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Ash, amazing, exciting, and dangerous. I love it.”

I rub my hips against his crotch, and my panties are soaked now. “Compliments won’t get you Alex’s mercy when he finds out what you did.”

“Leave that to me. I can take care of myself.”

This time, I’m the one giggling because I know what Alex is capable of. And if he feels threatened, it will only make the whole situation worse. All hell will break loose. I hope Ryker knows what he’s doing. It would be a shame to lose such a pretty face.

“But—”

“Shhh... We’ll talk about it later. For now, let me see your face when you come. Let it go.”

The tingling sensation down there tells me it won’t take long. I bite my lip when an impatient moan escapes me.

Oh God, it has been so long since I’ve been intimate with a man. Everything seems new and familiar at the same time. It doesn’t make sense, and yet it does. Everything is mixed up in my head.

It’s all because of him.

Ryker’s hand slips out from under mine and finds the elastic band of my pants. With ease, his fingers slide underneath and under my panties.

I’m so focused on the warmth of his fingers, on every movement, that his words reach me a little late. “There’s no way you found me by yourself. Who sent you? It couldn’t have been Satan, because I sold my soul to him long ago. It wasn’t God either, because He forgot about me a long time ago. Whoever it was wants to see me fall to my knees, because I won’t do that for any other person. And then I’ll beg for more. There’s a strength inside you that you haven’t even discovered yet.”

I throw my head back and rest it on his shoulder. My teeth release my lip, and I breathe more freely but also more quickly.

Ryker’s fingers wander over my most intimate place, tormenting me, teasing, tempting. At this point, whatever he demanded of me, he would get. I’m the epitome of softness when his fingers play with me. They circle my clit.

“Oh, fuck,” I sigh.